Great Lakes coastal fish habitat classification and assessment

Basin-scale assessment of fish habitat in Great Lakes coastal ecosystems would increase our ability to prioritize fish habitat management and restoration actions. As a first step in this direction, we identified key habitat factors associated with highest probability of occurrence for several societally and ecologically important coastal fish species as well as community metrics, using data from the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Framework (GLAHF), Great Lakes Environmental Indicators (GLEI) and Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (CWMP). Secondly, we assessed whether species-specific habitat was threatened by watershed-level anthropogenic stressors. In the southern Great Lakes, key habitat factors for determining presence/absence of several species of coastal fish were chlorophyll concentrations, turbidity, and wave height, whereas in the northern ecoprovince temperature was the major habitat driver for most of the species modeled. Habitat factors best explaining fish richness and diversity were bottom slope and chlorophyll a. These models could likely be further improved with addition of high-resolution submerged macrophyte complexity data which are currently unavailable at the basin-wide scale. Proportion of invasive species was correlated primarily with increasing maximum observed inorganic turbidity and chlorophyll a. We also demonstrate that preferred habitat for several coastal species and high-diversity areas overlap with areas of high watershed stress. Great Lakes coastal wetland fish are a large contributor to ecosystem services as well as commercial and recreational fishery harvest, and scalable basin-wide habitat models developed in this study may be useful for informing management actions targeting specific species or overall coastal fish biodiversity.     

Chilika Lagoon: Restoring ecological balance and livelihoods through re-salinization

This paper reviews the past and present conditions and management of Chilika Lagoon, the largest lagoon on India's eastern coast. Spatial and temporal salinity gradients, because of freshwater river inflow and seasonal seawater influx, have created unique characteristics of an estuarine ecosystem, and exercised a continuous, selective influence on the biota. Unfortunately, its biodiversity and the livelihoods that depend on it were being lost at a fast rate because of a blockage of the lagoon's mouth by silt coming from upstream catchments, as well as oceanic long‐shore transport. Projects to restore the dynamic characteristics of the lagoon included dredging a new mouth to the ocean, as well as prevention of soil erosion in upstream areas. Management efforts resulted in a dramatic revival of this ecosystem, and contributed to a sharp rise in the incomes of fisherfolk. The institutional aspects of implementing such large‐scale policy changes also are discussed, and the remaining issues and lessons learned are presented.     

土地综合整治生态景观营造对策

目前,中国土地整治正在经历由传统土地整理向土地综合整治、山水林田湖草生态保护和修复转型的重要时期。在分析中国土地整治发展和挑战的基础上,借鉴国内外生态修复和资源保护的研究和实践,探讨土地综合整治生态景观营造对策。在战略层面,要提高对生命共同体系统观和生命观的认识,推进生物多样性保护、绿色基础设施规划,恢复和提升农业景观生态系统服务,提升乡村景观特征,加强生态修复,提高生态弹性。在土地整治项目和工程技术层面,应用不同利益相关者参与、多目标协同的综合景观管理方法,研发与实践生态景观化工程技术,逐步建立以农户为主体并通过资金补贴的土地生态管护制度,以期推进山水林田湖草生命共同体生态保护和修复的研究和实践探索。     

生物多样性背景下城市动物生境营建的策略与方法

【目的】当前城市化进程的加快对于生物多样性提出了严峻考验,梳理动物生境营建的策略与方法,可为城市生物多样性和绿地生态服务功能提升提供借鉴。【方法】通过综述国内外城市动物生境研究现状,以城市生物多样性保护和提升为导向,探讨动物的生境偏好特征,总结城市动物生境营建的策略和方法。【结果】提出了“要素调查—营建内容—生境管理”的城市动物生境营建基本内容。1）要素调查：以鸟类、小型哺乳类和两栖类动物作为目标类群,调查物种资源和生境资源以明确生态本底信息,并根据动物的生境偏好分析,总结食源地、水源地和庇护地的环境特征。2）营建内容：从植被营建、水体营造和设施构建3个方面,提出城市动物生境的营建方法。3）生境管理：指出持续开展生态监测与游憩管理,有助于设计者或管理者更好地改进优化动物生境。【结论】上述基本内容可为城市生物多样性保护和提升提供理论支撑,也可作为风景园林与生态实践相结合的重要指导依据。对于城市动物栖息环境的优化建设、城市绿色空间生态功能的发挥和可持续发展具有重要意义,具有理论借鉴及规划参考的双重价值。     

城市生物多样性保护研究述评

城市生物多样性保护是维护城市生态安全的必然要求,是中国新型城镇化发展的紧迫任务。系统梳理国内外相关研究对中国开展城市生物多样性保护具有重要意义。通过对英文文献、中文文献的对比与评述,一方面从历时性角度梳理了相关研究的发展历程,总结了文献发表特征和关键词演变特征;另一方面从共时性角度出发,对关键影响因素、科学评估、分布格局、规划策略、设计策略、管理策略6个方面分析了文献研究现状,阐述了基础性研究和应用性研究所取得的进展。在此基础上,分别从研究对象、研究内容、研究维度3个方面比较了中外研究的差异,总结了中国研究的欠缺,并提出未来的拓展重点,为今后开展相关研究提供依据。     

武汉市东湖风景区生境质量优化研究

中国市县域范围内散布的风景名胜区是区域生物 多样性支持的主要载体,鉴于其生态系统的稳定性较多地依 赖于人工保护和修复措施,有必要对其生境状况进行评估与 优化。旨在基于高精度数据探究以生境格局优化为媒介的生 境质量提升路径。选取武汉市东湖风景区为例证区域,运用 MSPA+MCR格局优化模型结合InVEST模型,评估了生境质 量对生境格局优化的响应特征。研究结果表明：在武汉东湖风 景区共识别出19种生境类型,以及潜在可构建生态廊道105 条;通过“复绿、增绿、完善”的生境格局优化策略使区内高 质量生境面积增加了约165hm2 。评估路径对相似区域的生境 优化具有可行性,且对区域的生物多样性保护具有积极意义。     

城市绿色空间生境样方构成与形态要素：以西安为例

城市中小尺度绿色空间的生境质量与其连通性结构对于促进城市生物多样性具有重要影响。中国社区生活圈服务影响下的城市绿地建设,形成了具有一定典型性、重复性的绿色空间格局。探讨城市绿色空间构成的最小样方及其生境要素与形态结构是提升城市生态品质与绿地规划设计的重要途径。基于西北地区城市场地生境营造与地被植物群落设计的基础性成果,以西安城市新旧城区绿色空间为研究对象,采用综述研究—地理信息解译—现场调查—聚类分析的研究路径,提出“2 km×2 km”的城市街区绿色空间生境网络的基本尺度样方及4种典型模式,即单核心放射型、多核心散布型、廊道穿越型、散点分布型,并分析了样方的形态、要素与空间格局的耦合关系,初步探究提升样方体系中绿色空间生境网络构建的途径。     

气候连通性：概念辨析、研究方法与提升 路径

为适应气候变化，大量物种需要转移其活动范围，而物种能否成功转移其活动范围取决于气候连通性是否良好。如何保护并提升连通性以促进物种在气候变化下成功转移其活动范围，已成为生物多样性保护和自然保护地建设所需应对的重要问题。近年来，为针对性地探讨气候变化下的连通性问题，国际学界提出了气候连通性的概念并开展了一系列研究。首先对国际上提出的气候连通性和与之相关的气候速度、气候轨迹和气候梯度廊道等概念的定义和关系进行了梳理；其次从研究现状、数值模拟、指数评价和空间规划4个方面对气候连通性研究方法进行了总结；最后为实现在气候变化下有效保护中国生物多样性，提出了对中国气候连通性进行研究和提升的5项建议，包括开展气候连通性评估和气候驱动下物种迁移路径监测及模拟研究、探索自然保护地边界动态调整机制、制定国土尺度气候连通性保护和提升规划、落实大尺度气候连通性保护和生态廊道建设路径，以及加强国际合作保障跨国气候连通性。研究结果对明晰气候连通性的概念及开展相关研究和实践具有指导意义。     

Microbial metagenomes: moving forward industrial biotechnology

Biotechnology, in terms of exploitation of catalytic activities for industrial applications, is increasingly recognized as one of the pillars of the knowledge‐based economy that we are heading for. Comprehensive knowledge of enzymology should be of practical importance for effective intervention on whole cell processes and enzymatic networks. Over the last decade metagenome‐based technologies have been developed to take us farther and deeper into the enzyme universe from uncultivable microbes. This sophisticated platform, which identifies new enzymes from vast genetic pools available, and assesses their potential for novel chemical applications, should be increasingly important in the discovery of advanced biotechnological resources. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Maximizing benefits for biodiversity: the potential of enhancement strategies in impact assessment

Our demands on natural systems outweigh the capacity of those systems to support us. This paper calls for an approach to development that consistently delivers ‘net benefit’ for biodiversity or ‘ecological enhancement’. Examples of enhancement are presented through four case studies in India undertaken between 2005 and 2010. Actions focus on improving the overall ecological structure, composition and functions of sites; strengthening ecological networks by creating new habitats and buffer areas; and improving the services provided by the ecosystems, without jeopardizing biodiversity. While recognizing the importance of quantitative metrics of impacts and mitigation measures to determine outcomes, such measures were not available in these cases; enhancement is evaluated primarily in relation to pre-project conditions. The paper emphasizes the importance of considering alternatives that satisfy the mitigation hierarchy, and proposes a number of criteria for evaluating ecological enhancement.