兰坪玉狮场普米族半耕半牧生计模式的生态人类学解读

从生态人类学的系统论与整体观出发,通过田野调查方法对玉狮场半耕半牧生计模式展开了调查,其结果表明,玉狮场普米族村民以其独特的生态文化价值观,在长期实践过程中创造性地发展出一种具有极强适应性的半耕半牧生计模式,创造出一种良好的人为生态系统,从而使得人类能融洽地契合于生态环境之中,并成为其中极为重要且不可割舍的一环。随着市场因素的日益加深,当地的经济发展与生计变化也不可避免地面临着一些问题与挑战。只有充分利用玉狮场普米族村民充满人文智慧的生计模式及其相对应的生态文化价值观,妥善合理地处理人与环境之间的相互关系,在新的形式下不断更新具备可持续发展能力的人为生态系统,可望建构一种生态环境与社会文化都能相互适应的生计变迁途径,乃是当下需要从速解决的发展课题。

不同下垫面空气动力学参数的研究

文中利用中国科学院沙漠研究所与日本国家农业环境技术研究所合作于1990—1994年在中国内蒙古自治区奈曼市半干旱地区沙丘和植被区下垫面观测的微气象数据,根据Monin-Obukhov相似性理论,计算了重度干扰草原、中度干扰草原、轻度干扰草原、无干扰草原、沙丘、沙丘内地、草地、稻田、小麦田、大豆田和玉米田11种下垫面的空气动力学参数粗糙度长度z0,零平面位移d,摩擦速度u*,并分析了它们与水平风速u和Richardson数的关系,比较了不同人为干扰草原生态系统条件下的空气动力学特征。结果表明:地表生物量和覆盖率随着人为干扰强度的增加而减少。不同人为干扰下垫面的粗糙长度与生物量和植被高度以及地表起伏程度有着密切关系;Richardson数也是其影响因子。风速、粗糙度都与摩擦速度成正相关,但对于不同下垫面有所不同,从中可以看到草地对沙漠化有一定的防治作用。同一种下垫面不同时期的空气动力学参数也存在差异。这些结果对建立陆面过程和区域气候模式具有重要的意义。

Plant Diversity as a Good Indicator of Vegetation Stability in a Typical Plateau Wetland

Biotic indicators have been widely used to monitor wetland health. However, few studies have explicitly evaluated if plant diversity could serve as a useful community-level indicator of wetland stability,especially when wetlands are confronted with anthropogenic perturbations. Based on three-year record of wetland plant species abundance in Napahai plateau wetland, Shangri-la under the influence of varying anthropogenic perturbation types, our study tests the impact of such perturbations on plant richness and the relationship between ecosystem temporal stability and plant richness, and further assesses the effectiveness of using plant diversity indicator to probe ecosystem temporal stability of Napahai plateau wetland and the potential mechanisms. The results showed that anthropogenic perturbations could have contributed significantly to realistic variation in plant diversity, and further demonstrated that ecosystem temporal stability was positively related to realistic variation in plant diversity. In particular, communities with high levels of diversity might have better capacity to dampen perturbation impacts than communities with low levels of diversity, and statistical averaging could have played an important role in causing greater stability in more diverse communities. Also, asynchrony might have a stabilizing effect on community stability, and diversity could have stabilized communities through both species asynchrony and population stability propagation. Therefore, our results suggest that plant diversity could be used as a useful indicator of the stability conditions of plateau wetland ecosystems confronted with anthropogenic perturbations, and the preservation of plant communities at sufficient abundance and diversity is necessary for maintaining healthy plateau wetlands and for sustaining their essential ecosystem functions and services.

Topography and human disturbances are major controlling factors in treeline pattern at Barun and Manang area in the Nepal Himalaya

The alpine treeline ecotone is an important component of mountain ecosystems of the Nepal Himalaya; it plays a vital role in the livelihood of indigenous people,and provides ecosystem services. However,the region faces a problem of paucity of data on treeline characteristics at the regional and landscape scales. Therefore,we used Remote Sensing(RS),and Geographic Information Science(GIS) approaches to investigate cross-scale interactions in the treeline ecotone. Additionally,European Space Agency land cover map,International Center for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD) land cover map,ecological map of Nepal,and United States Geological Survey Shuttle Radar Topography Mission-Digital Elevation Model were used to analyze treeline pattern at the regional scale. Digital Globe high-resolution satellite imagery of Barun(eastern Nepal) and Manang(central Nepal) were used to study treeline patterns at the landscape scale. Treeline elevation ranges from 3300-4300 m above sea level. Abies spectabilis,Betula utilis,and Pinus wallichiana are the main treeline-forming species in the Nepal Himalaya. There is an east to west treeline elevationgradient at the regional scale. No slope exposure is observed at the regional scale; however,at the landscape scale,slope exposure is present only in a disturbed area(Manang). Topography and human disturbance are the main treeline controlling factor in Barun and Manang respectively.

The Effect of Anthropogenic Increase on the Earth as a Life-Support System for Mankind

Exponential increase of anthropogenic impact （human population number, some technological parameters） becomes menacing for biosphere functioning. Anyway, we should be able to estimate quantitatively limits of our impact on functional parameters of the biosphere. Considering biosphere as a natural life-support system （LSS）, we can receive the helpful information for working out and creation of artificial LSS of various types. Big biotic cycle induced with flows of a solar energy, is a basis of functioning of the biosphere and its basic cells-ecosystems. It＇s possible to summarize briefly the main functional and structural properties of the biosphere： integrity, closure, substance cycling, steady state, energy dependence and biodiversity. These properties of the biosphere, as a LSS, ensure potentially everlasting life under the conditions of a limited quantity of substrate suitable for the life on the planet. Ecological Footprint （EF） as a quantitative measure of anthropogenic impact on biosphere functioning is discussed in the paper. The index of the ecological reliability （IER） is introduced as a quantitative ecological indicator of different territories. The comparative dynamics of the United Nations＇ Human Development Index （HDI） and EF is discussed. The vital goal of sustainable human development： all humans can have opportunity to fulfill their lives without degrading the biosphere. To support sustainability, we should try to develop each nation and the mankind as a whole with a high HDI and a low ecological footprint. It means to have high level of HDI at low level of EF. But current tendency of economical and social development shows that the higher HDI is, the bigger EF is. EF of mankind is growing menacingly. Now actual pressure of the human civilization of our planet （2010） upon 50% exceeds its potential possibilities biological capacity （BC）, measured on the area ＂global＂ green hectares）. It means that we need 1.5 planets of the Earth＇s type. It leads to ecological incident in the scale of biosphere. Our biosphere is the large, multilevel, hierarchically organized system, and our civilization is only a part of it. This part is not central; it can disappear for ever, if we do not cope to be included in the biosphere as a great system.

The Ecosystem Condition of Basin of the Trans Border River Argun in Zabaikalsky Krai, Russia

Cyclic climatic changes, as well as the press of anthropogenic impact, affect ecosystems of the river Argun basin. Specialization of basin management is industrial and agricultural. The main impact is connected with the development of mining companies （including the mining of ore and placer gold）, energy facilities, and the formation of reservoirs in the basin of rivers： the Argun -- the Hailar. As a result of natural and anthropogenic pressure, the limiting factor for ecosystem exploitation in this basin is water resources （water deficiency and its quality）.

Animal personalities and their implications for complex signaling

Animal personalities have been a major focus of behavioral ecology over the past decade. Consistent individual dif ferences in behavior have been found across taxa, and have been shown to influence a range of ecological processes. The role of personalities in sexual selection has been considered, and examples exist that show selection for personality traits with both assortative and disassortative mating patterns between personality types. One overlooked aspect of the personality and sexual se lection literature is the potential for personalitysignaling interactions, specifically with complex signaling. Complex signaling is a diverse topic in itself, and in short, consists of multiple signals within one or more modalities that interact to elicit a receiver response. Research into complex signaling has been thorough, although at times studies discover complex signaling systems that fail to fit into one of the existing hypotheses in the literature. Here, we argue that personalities may interact with complex signal ing, which should be considered by researchers of both personality and sexual selection and communication. We describe several ways in which personalitycomplex signaling interactions could affect both the signaler and receiver, and the way in which they may drive personalityspecific signals as well as receiver preferences. Finally, we discuss how considering personality in com plex signaling studies may inform theory as well as improve the ability of researchers to accurately describe its function.