太湖地区侧渗水稻土连续施磷处理下稻田磷的径流损失

太湖地区侧渗水稻土稻田磷素动态特征及其潜在环境效应的田间测试结果表明,水稻地上部收获带走的磷量平均为47.5kg·hm-2;土壤表层0—10cm富集的磷、整个稻季径流流失的溶解态磷、颗粒态磷和总磷与施磷量呈线性相关关系。水稻生长季由径流损失的总磷量约在1.3～5.1kg·hm-2,损失量随施磷量的增加而增加。过量施肥会增加磷素径流流失风险,在当地施磷量30kg·hm-2条件下,水田磷素流失量相对很小。太湖地区侧渗水稻土稻季建议施磷量为50kg·hm-2。     

太湖地区稻田氮素损失特征及环境效应分析

通过氮肥减量小区试验,研究了太湖地区稻田氮素径流损失、渗漏损失、氨挥发损失以及氨挥发通量的动态变化特征,阐述了氮素损失量、水稻产量与施氮量之间的关系。结果表明：稻季氮素径流损失和氨挥发损失均随施氮量的增加不断增加,而渗漏损失与施氮量没有显著相关性。综合整个稻季,氨挥发损失以分蘖肥期最高,基肥期次之,穗肥期最低。稻季氮素总损失为13.7～59.8 kg·hm-2,占总施氮量的16.5%～22.2%,且随施氮量的增加而不断增加,其中氨挥发损失占42.2%～72.0%,径流损失占22.2%～38.4%,渗漏损失占5.8%～22.7%。稻季181 kg·hm-2的氮肥用量,较常规施氮量减少了33%的氮肥,增加了10.3%的产量,降低了48.5%的氮素损失,较好地兼顾了粮食产量和环境效应;而对于重要环境区域或高污染区域,还可以尝试更低的氮肥投入,以达到更好的环境效益。     

上海郊区旱作农田氮素流失研究

通过测坑和大田小区试验,研究了上海郊区旱作农田氮素降雨径流和降雨渗漏流失的特征、相关因素和流失负荷。结果表明:平水年重质土麦地总氮流失负荷为18. 38 kg·hm-2,其中降雨径流总氮流失负荷为4. 4kg·hm-2,渗漏为13. 98kg·hm-2;菜地总氮流失量为55. 65kg·hm-2,其中降雨径流总氮流失负荷为21. 6kg·hm-2,渗漏为34. 05kg·hm-2;旱田氮素流失以硝态氮为主,占总氮90%左右。施用有机肥可较大幅度地减少旱田的氮素渗漏流失。     

太湖流域典型稻-麦轮作农田区氮素流失过程研究

太湖地区经济高度发达,劳动力紧缺,种植小麦(Triticum aestivum)经济效益不高,而且小麦-水稻(Oryza sativa)轮作中,麦季氮素淋洗损失高于稻季,为探讨和揭示太湖流域典型稻-麦轮作农田区氮素流失过程及平衡特征,选取典型太湖流域农田系统为研究对象,采用径流小区的研究方法,在太湖流域典型稻-麦轮作种植模式下,对太湖流域典型稻-麦轮作区进行连续3年(2007─2010年)原位监测,阐明了太湖流域典型稻麦轮作区氮素流失过程及其影响因素,分析了该区域氮素平衡特征,结果表明:大气氮干沉降量冬春季较多且分布较均匀;总氮(P0.001***)及铵态氮(P=0.02*)的大气湿沉降量和降雨量呈现极显著的相关性。地表径流中氮素的主要流失形态为可溶性氮素,同时,径流水量是引起氮素径流流失的主要驱动因子(P0.01)。雨水是驱动小麦季氮素下渗的唯一动力。铵态氮是氮素淋失的主要形态,在稻作期,铵态氮渗漏流失量约占总渗漏流失量的70%。太湖流域稻麦轮作区,各项氮素年平均流失去向分别为:作物收割290 kg·hm-2,占总输入量55.98%;反硝化流失130 kg·hm-2,占总输入量25.10%;径流流失59.5 kg·hm-2,占总输入量11.49%;氨气挥发22.28kg·hm-2,占总输入量4.30%;渗漏流失16.1 kg·hm-2,占总输入量3.11%。全年平均氮素流失总量为518 kg·hm-2,氮素的盈余量为91.9 kg·hm-2。该研究结果对于指导太湖农流域农田水肥管理,控制农业面源污染具有积极意义。     

麦季施用不同尿素的氮排水和渗漏损失

在太湖地区乌栅土的稻麦轮作条件下,利用大型原状土柱渗漏液采集器(monolithlysimeter),比较不同尿素品种和施肥量(普通尿素150、300kg·hm-2和包膜尿素100、150kg·hm-2)处理对麦季土壤氮随径流和渗漏损失的影响。结果表明:施用的包膜尿素当季氮不易随排水流失,但可能增加下季氮流失的风险。两麦季排水溶解氮均以NO-3 N为主,达76.7%以上,NH+4 N比例很小;麦季排水氮输出量年际差异明显,降雨产生排水与施肥时间间隔的不同是造成排水氮输出量差异的关键因素;施肥后20d内发生排水易产生较多的氮排放。渗漏液硝态氮浓度(最高为8.12mg·L-1)均未超过饮用水NO-3 N含量标准,但均已超过水体富营养化标准;对照处理麦季渗漏液量显著高于施肥处理;在150kg·hm-2的施N量水平下,普通尿素或包膜尿素均未显著增加氮的渗漏,但过量施用普通尿素则加大氮渗漏的风险。     

太湖流域坡地茶园径流流失规律

在太湖流域坡地茶园进行小区试验,研究自然降雨条件下坡地茶园径流流失的基本规律.结果表明,在常规种植条件下,茶园的平均年径流水量为98.29 L·m-2,随径流流失的氮素量为11.685 kg·hm-2,其中硝态氮(N03--N)流失量为8.918 kg·hm-2,占总氮的76.320%;可溶性总磷(TDP)流失量为0.128 kg·hm-2,磷酸根(PO3-4)流失量为0.104 kg·hm-2,占磷总流失量的65.823%;径流携带泥沙量为181.13 kg.hm-2,其中泥沙携带氮为0.272 kg·hm-2,泥沙携带磷为0.030 kg·hm-2;氮、磷流失系数分别为1.008%和-0.087%,氮、磷肥流失率分别为5.686%和0.190%.说明试验区域坡地茶园径流量少,氮、磷流失较少,产生农业面源污染的风险较小.     

应用HYDRUS-1D模型模拟农田土壤水渗漏及硝态氮淋失特征

在定位试验基础上,应用HYDRUS-1D模型对黄淮海平原典型土壤(黄潮土)中土壤水渗漏及硝态氮淋失动态进行了模拟分析。结果表明:在传统水氮管理模式下,黄潮土2m土体深处的土壤水渗漏和硝态氮淋失非常严重,2个轮作期内,土壤水渗漏总量占地表总入水量的23.7%,硝态氮淋失总量占总输入N量的15.9%,冬小麦生长季的硝态氮淋失量大于夏玉米生长季;改良灌溉和改良施肥模式下产生的硝态氮淋失量比传统灌溉和传统施肥模式减少74.7%,节约灌溉水211.5mm、节省施N423.5kg·hm-2。     

有机-无机肥不同配施比例对稻季CH_4和N_2O排放的影响

2015年通过大田小区试验,以粳稻品种武运粳29号为供试材料,在等氮量有机肥替代化肥条件下,设置5个不同有机-无机肥配施比例处理,采用静态箱暗箱-气相色谱法,对水稻生长季稻田CH_4和N_2O排放通量进行观测,并运用全球增温潜势(global warming potentials,GWP)对稻田CH_4和N_2O排放的温室效应进行测算。结果表明:(1)不同处理稻季CH_4排放的季节性变化趋势基本一致,但排放量大小差异显著,单施化肥(M1)、25%有机肥(M2)、50%有机肥(M3)、75%有机肥(M4)、100%有机肥(M5)替代化肥处理稻季CH_4累积排放量分别为203.37、242.06、255.04、288.06、334.46 kg·hm-2;不同处理稻季N_2O排放的季节性变化趋势也基本一致,但排放量大小差异显著,M1、M2、M3、M4、M5处理稻季N_2O累积排放量分别为3.96、3.43、3.27、2.97、2.60 kg·hm-2;(2)不同处理稻季排放CH_4和N_2O产生的增温潜势高低顺序为:M5M4M3M2M1,M5处理的增温潜势为9 136.8 kg·hm-2;(3)有机肥替代化肥与单施化肥比较,增加了太湖地区的稻田温室效应,但是,50%有机肥替代化肥的M3处理在获得较高水稻产量的同时,其单位产量的全球增温潜势在配施有机肥的各处理中表现为最低,是相对适宜的有机肥替代化肥的替代比例。     

大气CO_2浓度升高对稻田土壤Ca、Mg含量的影响

为了研究稻田生态系统中土壤钙、镁元素生物地球化学循环对大气CO2浓度升高的响应。利用中国稻/麦轮作FACE（Free Air Carbon-dioxide Enrichment）试验平台,研究大气CO2浓度升高（比周围大气高200μmol mol-1）对2007年稻季各生育期不同深度土壤溶液ρ（Ca）、ρ（Mg）的影响。结果表明,大气CO2浓度升高降低了5 cm处土壤溶液ρ（Ca）、ρ（Mg）,有增加稻季30、60和90 cm处土壤溶液ρ（Ca）的趋势,其增幅分别为18.3%、12.4%和15.3%;大气CO2浓度升高会增加稻季Ca淋溶损失风险;稻季不同深度土壤溶液ρ（Ca）、ρ（Mg）对大气CO2浓度升高的响应有所不同。稻田生态系统不同深度土壤Ca、Mg循环对大气CO2浓度升高的响应值得深入研究。     

稻麦两熟农田稻季养分径流流失特征

采用田间小区定位试验研究了自然降雨条件下江苏稻麦两熟农田稻季养分径流流失规律。结果表明：稻季径流水量可达5705.55m3·hm-2;常规施肥（T0）条件下,稻田径流流失全N（TN）、全P（TP）和速效K（AK）的总量分别为11.29、0.19和13.22kg·hm^-2,流失率分别为3.8%、0.21%和9.8%;径流水中全N和速效K质量浓度随距施肥时间的延长而呈逐渐下降趋势;较常规施肥处理而言,秸秆还田（T1）和还田减肥（T2）处理不仅能够有效降低径流水中TN、TP和AK质量浓度,而且能够减少稻季养分径流流失总量,分别减少13.48%、17.55%,25.00%、31.25%和22.69%、53.48%,并降低养分流失率,分别达13.16%、-2.63%,23.81%、14.29%和22.45%、41.84%。     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.