Feeding ecology and interactions with mammal hosts in a symbiotic genus of birds(Buphagus spp.)in Namibia

As the sole obligate symbiotic birds in Africa,oxpeckers offer a unique model for studying symbiotic relationships.Due to the multitrophic level they occupy and the context dependent foraging behavior they exhibit,the type of symbiotic relationship can be variable.In addition to providing a cleaning service to the host by removing ticks,oxpeckers frequently feed on blood,mucus,and saliva,inflicting potential damage on the host.Here,we used DNA metabarcoding on faecal samples to analyze the taxonomic composition of the trophic interactions of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker(Buphagus africanus)and Red-billed Oxpecker(B.erythrorhynchus)in northeastern Namibia.In contrast to conventional methods,DNA metabarcoding allows for a detailed identification of dietary resources encompassing both mammal hosts and consumed arthropods within the same samples.With this information,we examined differences in the diet composition between oxpecker species and localities,as well as the co-occurrence between host and arthropod species.Our findings revealed that oxpeckers predominantly source their diet from mammals,ticks,and flies;however,ticks and flies rarely co-occur in the diet of an individual.We observed variability among individuals in their feeding ecology,which is strongly correlated with locality and,to a lesser extent,with the mammal host.We noted a high degree of mobility between hosts within relatively short periods,with 32%of the samples showing traces of at least two mammal hosts.This study illustrates the dynamic foraging behavior of these specialized symbiotic birds,shedding light on their potential role in pest control services and disease transmission.

Ecology and social behavior of the tamarisk gerbil Meriones tamariscinus: insights from long-term research in the wild and semi-natural environments

The present review provides a compilation of the published data on the ecology and social behavior of tamarisk gerbils. Both field studies anddirect observations under semi-natural conditions provide evidence that the tamarisk gerbil is a nocturnal herbivorous rodent that lives in highlyseasonal habitats and displays seasonal fluctuations in reproduction and spatial organization. A typical feature of the tamarisk gerbils’ spatialorganization is higher mobility of males during the breeding season (as compared with the nonbreeding period) and formation of temporaryaggregations of males competing for access to receptive females;the composition of these aggregations was variable and depended on thereproductive condition of the females. Females tend to occupy exclusive home ranges irrespective of their reproductive condition. The matingsystem of the species can be defined as scramble competition polygyny with some features of polygynandry and promiscuity. The tamariskgerbil has distinct features of a solitary species and its social structure is primarily based on aggressive interactions or mutual avoidance ofconspecifics resulting in a dominance hierarchy among males and site-dependent dominance among females during the breeding season. Bythe end of the breeding season, males become less mobile and occupy nearly exclusive home ranges, consistent with solitary living. The mainfeatures of the spatial and social organization of this species, which distinguish it from other solitary rodents, are the higher mobility of malesand the formation of temporary multimale–multifemale aggregations during the breeding season. Overall, the data presented expand our understanding of socioecology of gerbils.

Landscape Architecture Planning and Design Based on Landscape Ecology Theory:A Case Study of Waterfront Landscape Planning and Design of Dapo Town

With the rapid development of urbanization,landscape architecture has become an indispensable component of daily life.In order to achieve better landscape effects and protect the ecological environment,landscape ecology theory can be integrated into landscape planning to carry out disciplinary crossing and integration research between landscape ecology and landscape architecture.In this study,based on the basic theories of landscape ecology,the waterfront landscape of Dapo Town was designed,with the aim to achieve ecological balance in planning,showcase biodiversity,and create a harmonious landscape ecological environment which can benefit both nature and people.This design combined artificial and natural elements while improving the natural environment,which promoted a harmonious relationship between humans and nature,thus enriching the spatial organization of the city,and playing a role in regulating the urban environment and climate.

Discussion on Influencing Factors of Water Resources Environment and Strategies for Protecting Water Ecology

At present,the major problems facing the water resource environment worldwide include water pollution,water resource shortage,and water ecosystem degradation.The discharge of industrial wastewater,agricultural non-point source pollution,and the discharge of urban sewage lead to a serious decline in water quality,which directly affects the safety of human drinking water and the living environment of aquatic organisms.Additionally,the unbalanced distribution and excessive exploitation of water resources lead to the problem of water shortage in many areas,which then leads to social and economic contradictions and ecological crises.In terms of ecosystems,the phenomena of water ecological degradation and reduction of biodiversity are increasingly obvious,and the carrying capacity of aquatic ecosystems are gradually declining.This paper aims to analyze the natural,social,and economic factors affecting the water resource environment,and propose effective strategies to protect the water ecology.To provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the sustainable utilization of water resources and the long-term development of the water ecosystem.

Ecology

What is it?Ecology is the science of how humans,animals and plants live together.For example,in the city you can find birds,rats,insects and plants that all live in the same space.Many of them eat things that people don’t want any more.If you go to a forest,you can see different kinds of plants,insects,small animals like rabbits and birds living there;they all eat different things in the forest,and some eat each other!

Beyond the horizon:immersive developments for animal ecology research

More diverse data on animal ecology are now available.This“data deluge”presents challenges for both biologists and computer scientists;however,it also creates opportunities to improve analysis and answer more holistic research questions.We aim to increase awareness of the current opportunity for interdisciplinary research between animal ecology researchers and computer scientists.Immersive analytics(IA)is an emerging research field in which investigations are performed into how immersive technologies,such as large display walls and virtual reality and augmented reality devices,can be used to improve data analysis,outcomes,and communication.These investigations have the potential to reduce the analysis effort and widen the range of questions that can be addressed.We propose that biologists and computer scientists combine their efforts to lay the foundation for IA in animal ecology research.We discuss the potential and the challenges and outline a path toward a structured approach.We imagine that a joint effort would combine the strengths and expertise of both communities,leading to a well-defined research agenda and design space,practical guidelines,robust and reusable software frameworks,reduced analysis effort,and better comparability of results.

Protection and Restoration of Soil and Water Ecology to Achieve Harmonious Coexistence between Human and Nature

At present,the ecological environment crisis of global concern,such as climate warming and biodiversity loss,the fundamental reason is the change and destruction of the earth's soil and water ecology.Therefore,protecting and restoring the authenticity,diversity,cleanliness and integrity of soil and water ecology,we should coordinate and deal with the relationship between human beings and soil and water ecology,and realize the harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature from the three aspects of protecting natural soil and water ecology,protecting and restoring natural soil and water ecology,building and regenerating artificial soil and water ecology.

Small Lexicon on Ecology (for Those Interested in Cities)

Some notions about ecology show that if there is not a corpus there is an interesting and pertinent debate.We quote:on the environment itself,negative commons,mistake of the isolated system,dealing with the symptoms and not the causes(the tragedy of the horizons),and on the Opinion,Great Reversal,laws of opinion,greenwashing,and the return of enclave economy.The cities are concerned by the two different stakes,adaptation and mitigation.Also,the question is posed of the places where ecological awareness can appear.

Research on the Construction of a“New Ecology”of University Catering

With the goal of establishing morality and nurturing people,university catering is thought to be one of the key components in the construction of“double first class”universities,which supports and leads the reform of education modernization.In this study,the common problems in the university catering were analyzed,and research was done through questionnaires and interviews.This study takes Beijing colleges and universities as the research object to understand the needs of students and teachers and aims to build a“new ecology”of university catering,and vigorously promote the construction of green campuses.

Reflections on the Cultural Ecology of University Classrooms in the Perspective of Postmodernism

The cultural ecology of university classroom has been influenced by postmodernism and has shown complex and variable characteristics.Specifically speaking,it tends to be both conflicting and interactive in terms of subject relations in the classroom,fragmented and diversified in terms of classroom teaching,and redundant and dynamic in terms of classroom assessment.In order to further harmonize and develop the cultural ecology of university classrooms,it is necessary to expand the space for communication and interaction between teachers and students,improve the overall professional quality of faculty members,and perfect the management and assessment system for university teachers and students.

Research hotspots and trends of groundwater and ecology studies:Based on a bibliometric approach

Groundwater,as a critical component of the hydrological cycle,is essential for sustainable ecosystem development.To clarify the current status of domestic and overseas research,and to identify hotspots,frontier and future trends of groundwater and ecology research,this study utilizes bibliometric methods and CiteSpace software to examine relevant published articles in the Web of Science(WOS)and CNKI databases from 1978 to 2022.Specifically,this study analyzes(1)the annual number of published papers;(2)research institutions;(3)keywords;and(4)evolution of research hotspots.The findings reveal that the United States,China,and Germany are the top three countries in groundwater and ecology research.International research hotspots mainly focus on microbial ecology,climate change,groundwater-surface water interactions in the hyporheic zone,biodiversity,and submarine groundwater discharge,while domestic research hotspots mainly focus on ecological water conveyance,ecological flow,groundwater development and utilization,groundwater pollution,and groundwater and ecological protection.Both domestic and international research hotspots exhibit interdisciplinary features with diverse research objects and assessment methods.Future research in this area is expected to focus on topics such as contamination,groundwater quality,framework,mechanism,spatial distribution,and dissolved organic matter.Additionally,the study of ecological recharge,ecological flow,ecological protection,water intake and use will continue to be the hot topics domestically.

A long way to go:impacts of urbanization on migrants’livelihoods and rural ecology in less industrialized regions

Urbanization,often coupled with industrialization,is generally considered as a boost for improving livelihood as well as alleviating ecological pressures of the rural areas.However,this experience needs to be tested in less industrialized areas,particularly where the urbanization is driven by non-economic factors such as urban public services and relevant government policies rather than employment opportunities.Taking two villages on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as examples,through the field investigation by using semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews,and statistical data analysis,we explored the impacts of urbanization on migrants’livelihoods and the ecological conditions of their original village rangeland.We found that the disposable income and savings of emigrant households were less than the stay households,which might be correlated to the limited employment due to the lagged industrialization in the local township,and the mismatch between their traditional labor skills and the demands of urban services.Their home-village rangeland overuse was not alleviated since the increasing grazing pressure caused by the stay households,though the emigrant households intended to decrease the number of livestock on their home pasture.We concluded that the urbanization misaligned with local industrialization may fail to improve migrant livelihoods and local ecological conditions in less industrialized areas.Our research supplements the previous urbanization theory by highlighting the non-industrialization driven urbanization,and is particularly pertinent for the transitional countries worldwide.

通过《Landscape Ecology》杂志看国际景观生态学研究动向

《LandscapeEcology》是刊载景观生态学文章的重要期刊。本文以该期刊为研究对象 ,总结自 1987年创刊以来所刊载的 5 72篇文章的关键词所体现出的景观生态学的学科体系 (理论 -原理、研究方法、实际应用 )、研究内容 (景观格局、景观过程、景观变化 )和研究对象 (景观类型、景观要素 )的发展历程 ,并对这些关键词进行时段归类和统计分析 ,提炼出各时段的研究热点并分析未来景观生态学热点发展方向。

Molecular Ecology of Lower Subtropical Species, Schima superba and Castanopsis chinensis in Three Succession Series Communities

Amplified fragment length polymorphism(AFLP)was used to analyze 2 populations: Schima superba Gardn. et Champ. and Castanopsis chinensis Hance. across three different communities representing three succession stages, in Dinghu Mountain, China. These two were middle succession species in the lower subtropical broad_leaved forest. Four AFLP primer combinations using total 48 individuals of S. superba provided 24, 40, 27 and 27 reliable bands, of which 15, 23, 23 and 16 were polymorphic, respectively. Similarly, total 48 individuals of C. chinensis provided 27, 20, 33 and 39 reliable bands, of which 12, 5, 15 and 13 were polymorphic respectively. These bands were used as presence/absence data to assess the levels of genetic variation and population structure of those species. From average heterozygosity, S. superba possessed higher molecular variation than C. chinensis . Analysis of molecular variance(AMOVA)indicated that most of the genetic variation of S. superba was due to the differences within population(95.99%, P <0.001), with 4.01% ( P <0.001)genetic variation among population. Similarly, AMOVA indicated the most of the genetic variation of C. chinensis was due to the differences within population(75.36%, P <0.001), with 24.64%( P <0.001)genetic variation among communities(24.64%). DCA(Detrended Correspondence Analysis) analysis showed that the individuals of S. superba from the same community did not cluster together, while the individuals of C. chinensis from the same community roughly cluster together. The above results reflected the biological characteristics of the two different species suggesting the significant effect of microenvironment of different community on population differentiation and its relationship of which to forest succession resulted in genetic divergence.

Leaf epidermal characters of Lonicera japonica and Lonicera confuse and their ecology adaptation

The leaf epidermis of Japanese honeysuckle （Lonicera japonica Thunb.） and Wild Honeysuckle （Lonicera confusa） in the genus of Flos Lonicerae were mainly observed by scanning electron microscopes （SEM） to study the characteristics of stomata, trichomes and dermal cell, etc.. The results showed that stoma exists only on the lower epidermis and its distribution is irregular, and leaf epidermis consist of epidermis cells, stoma complexes and bushy trichomes including glandular hair and non-glandular hair. On the upper epidermis, anticlinal wall caves in sinuous groove to countercheck the transpiration. Evidences from leaf morphological structures serve as another proof on drought-resistant mechanisms. Some strumaes distributing regularly are hypothesized as oxalic calcium on the lower epidermis under laser scanning confocal microscopy （LSCM） with Fluo-3/AM, which can increase their endurance to drought stress. Therefore, the above characteristics of Flos Lonicerae can reduce the loss of water and make Japanese honeysuckle and Wild Honeysuckle adapt to the droughty environment at Karst area in southwest China. However, there is some difference of the two species. From the SEM （Scanning Electron Microscopy） result, it is shown that on the upper epidermis, some glandular hair regularly present along the midrib of Japanese honeysuckle, but Wild Honeysuckle has no glandular hair on the upper epidermis, which can verify the relationships of Flos Lonicerae species and provide the significance for classification of Flos Lonicerae.

外国教材及其辅助教学资源案例浅析——以Molles所著Ecology:Concepts and Applications为例

Manuel C.Molles Jr.所著的Ecology:Concepts and Applications(《生态学:概念与应用》)在教材与网络资源的建设方面进行了有益的尝试,其主教材及辅助教学资源的设计理念值得借鉴。主教材从1999年到2008年出版了4版,主教材内容及版本更新快,力求及时反映学科前沿水平的新技术、新知识;正文内容和版式编排设计以读者为本,注重为学生服务;网上辅助教学资源围绕主教材的系列产品进行整体设计,体现利教利学的建设理念,既为教师教学提供帮助和指导,也重视给予学生自我发挥的空间,网站展示条理清晰,内容布局规范,内容介绍注重以读者为中心,满足不同客户的需求。

Review of forest ecology studies in China

As the most important type or component in the terrestrial ecosystems, forest ecosystem makes its role obviously prominent and important on environment and human being. It possesses non-substitutable functions in the process of sustainable development. However, due to the complexity of the forest ecosystem and the relatively delay or lack of the related research technology, the science is still in the case of immature and questions. This paper summarized and reviewed briefly the development and the present case of the forest ecology, then pointed out the existing problems in the forest ecosystem researches. In the end, we discussed several fields that need to pay more attention to in future researches.

Study on The Ecology System of Hani Terraced Paddy Fields

The ecology system of Hani Terraced Paddy Fields is the typical repre-sentative of the ecological agriculture in the southwestern mountainous areas of our country. After long-term development, Hani ecology system has developed, cored by＂forest-vil age-terrace-river＂, including paddy cultivation system, forests and ecologi-cal maintenance, folk culture and construction of water facilities. This research ex-plored the details of the structure and functions of the ecology system of Hani ter-raced fields. And il ustrates that the system is a new model of agriculture ecological civilization and deserves further study and more applications.

Riverine Ecology Restoration through Ecological Engineering and Naturalization

[Objective] The aim was to improve and restore destroyed riverine and water ecosystem and to prevent bio-diversity from deteriorating in Jari demonstration plot in Ethiopia. [Method] Biological engineering and naturalization were made use of to protect nature and restore wetland as per Succession Theory. [Result] Both of eco- environment and eco-functions of Mille River were restored through reconstruction of biocenosis in wetlands. [Conclusion] It is feasible to implement matched ecological projects in semiarid regions in East Africa, providing references for restoration and protection of local water resources.

Appropriate Garden Design of Primitive Ecology Based on the Indigenization of Environmental Ethics

The accelerating urbanization process leads to aggravated environmental problems, thus garden design which is a creative activity connecting human and nature has attracted much attention, and also garden designers have had to rethink about environmental ethics and morals. This study, from the perspective of environmental ethics, duly proposed the brand-new concept of 'appropriate garden of primitive ecology', proceeded from the orientation, form, value, theoretical basis, realistic significance, culture and consumption psychology of 'garden of primitive ecology', fully developed outstanding ecological wisdoms and morals in traditional Chinese garden culture, boosted garden designs to the environmental ethics level of eco-justice, to seek for the approach to 'garden of primitive ecology' with indigenous Chinese environmental ethic characteristics.