Sampling characteristics and biases of enclosure traps for sampling fishes in estuaries     

Mark A. Steele  Stephen C. Schroeter  Henry M. Page 《Estuaries and Coasts》2006,29(4):630-638

We evaluated the sampling characteristics of enclosure traps in estuaries in southern California, USA. Using enclosure traps that sampled 0.25, 0.5, and 1-m² footprints, we found that enclosure trap size significantly affected estimates of fish density and the precision of these estimates. The highest estimates were produced by the 0.5-m² trap and the lowest by the 0.25-m² trap. Precision of the density estimates improved with increasing trap size, while the proportion of zero values in the data sets decreased and estimates of species richness increased. The largest trap was difficult to use in the field and often did not function properly; thus we concluded that intermediate enclosure trap sizes offered the best compromise between statistical and logistical considerations. By examination of burrows in sediment cores taken in fished out enclosure traps, we found no evidence to support the widely held view that burrow-dwelling fishes evaded capture by hiding in burrows. We also used mark-recapture techniques to estimate recovery efficiency in 0.43-m² enclosure traps. Recovery efficiency averaged 91% and did not differ significantly among estuaries or sampling stations within estuaries. Based on extensive netting within enclosure traps, we determined that in areas with dense fish populations (>90 fish 0.43-m⁻²), netting could be ceased after the first sweep that captured no fish with only a trivial effect on the estimate of density. In more sparsely populated areas, netting had to continue until 2–3 sweeps had captured no fish in order to obtain estimates of density that were within 90% of the actual values present. Overall, we found enclosure traps to be effective tools for sampling small, abundant fishes in shallow estuaries in southern California, but we recommend that care be taken when choosing trap size and sampling (netting) effort within traps in order to optimize their sampling characteristics.  相似文献   

The political ecology of Prunus africana in Cameroon     

Ben Page 《Area》2003,35(4):357-370

This paper provides an analysis of some current trends in political ecology and then illustrates the intermingling of politics and ecology using a case study of the exploitation and conservation of Prunus africana in Cameroon. It argues that political ecology is still a lively field, but that some recent attempts to chart a way forward for this perspective risk shifting it away from its liminal position in relation to natural and social science by being disinclined to engage with ecological processes. The case study draws attention to the strengths and shortcomings in existing attempts to weave political and economic analysis into environmental debates over the sustainable management of this tree species, which has been incorporated into phytomedical markets in Europe. The fortunes of the tree reflect its botany and ecology as well as the trajectories of the local economy, intercontinental markets for alternative health products, the policies and practices of the Cameroonian state and the politics of international aid.  相似文献   

The geological sources of Hg contamination in Kejimkujik National Park,Nova Scotia,Canada: a GIS approach   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Krista D. Page  Brendan J. Murphy 《Environmental Geology》2003,43(8):882-891

Recent studies have shown that mercury (Hg) levels in many fish from remote lakes exceed the recommended guidelines for human consumption. Most of these studies conclude that the source of contamination lies in the atmosphere. Kejimkujik National Park (KNP), Nova Scotia, Canada, is considered to be a pristine ecosystem in which fish and loon Hg levels are anomalously high. Studies in the park have shown that atmospheric Hg concentrations may not be high enough to account for the Hg levels in the biota, indicating that the park may be an unusual system in terms of Hg distribution and migration. In an attempt to summarise and synthesise the numerous Hg data sets which have been produced in the park over the last 5-10 years, a geographic information systems (GIS) approach was used to create a common database using the watersheds in the park as the common parameter. By using a GIS database, new relationships and correlations are established and the spatial distribution of Hg levels is more readily evaluated and quantified. The results indicate that geological sources of Hg, arising from biotite-rich granite rocks, may play a larger role in the contamination of the park than previously thought.  相似文献   

Communities as the agents of commodification: The Kumbo Water Authority in Northwest Cameroon     

Ben Page 《Geoforum》2003,34(4):483-498

In 1991 the people of the town of Kumbo in Northwest Cameroon expelled the national water corporation from town by force. They claimed to be retrieving a network that the community rightfully owned and they began to run the system along community lines. The paper tells the story of that water supply twice. First it reproduces the popular accounts that circulated in the 1990s that emphasize the role played by the community in the development and operation of the water supply and portray recent events as a triumph of community management. Then it retells the story using archive evidence that puts a quite different light on some of the events. It is argued that the emphasis on community management has a tendency to obscure other important aspects of the story, for example its political context and consequences. It is suggested that the widespread admiration for any initiative that is community based often results in an uncritical analysis of this form of development project. In this case the commodification of water accelerates after the community has wrested control of this public service from the state.  相似文献   

‘Bringing government to the people’: women, local governance and community participation in South Africa     

Cheryl McEwan 《Geoforum》2003,34(4):469-481

This paper considers the ongoing political transformations in South Africa in the context of debates about good governance and participatory democracy. It first appraises the current transformations of local government in South Africa, focusing specifically on relationships between gender equality and citizenship on the one hand, and local government policy, legislation, and community participation on the other, and then explores meanings of participation and how they inform approaches towards local socio-economic development. The findings of primary research conducted with civil society organisations and black women in communities in the Cape Town metropolitan area are explored through three interrelated themes. First, the model of structured participation that is central to South Africa’s democratic transformation is assessed from the perspective of black women. Second, cultures of alienation, both within local governance structures and amongst black women and the extent to which recent restructuring is combating or contributing to these are explored. Third, how participation policies are dealing with conflict within and between target groups are analysed, whether stakeholder group politics obliterate important differences in interests and whether alternative structures might be more effective in terms of women’s participation and empowerment. Finally, the findings are interpreted in relation to theoretical concepts of good governance and participatory democracy, and the potential and problems of realising South Africa’s transformation process toward developmental local government are assessed.  相似文献   

Effects of temperature and humidity upon the transport of sedimentary particles by wind   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Cheryl McKenna Neuman 《Sedimentology》2004,51(1):1-17

Wind tunnel simulations of aeolian transport carried out over a range in mean temperature between 32 °C and ?9 °C suggest that cold airflows support higher mass transport rates (Q) than very warm air. The magnitude of this increase is larger than expected, so that analytical and semi‐empirical models underestimate Q. Extrapolation of the results suggests that, at ?40 °C, as for example in the dry valleys of Antarctica in winter, Q may be as much as 70% higher than for the equivalent wind speed in hot deserts at air temperatures of 40 °C. Temperature‐dependent changes in air density and turbulence contribute to this result. The decreased tension of water adsorbed onto particle surfaces at low temperatures is postulated to reduce interparticle cohesion and, thus, to increase the elasticity of particle impacts on cold beds. Definition of the roles that temperature and humidity play in aeolian transport is relevant to studies of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and extraterrestrial (or planetary) geology. Investigation of present‐day, cold climate features and of climate change effects also requires knowledge of these fundamental relations.  相似文献   

Are peatlands in different states with respect to their thermodynamic behaviour? A simple test of peatland energy and entropy budgets     

Fred Worrall  Ross Morrison  Chris Evans  Joerg Kaduk  Susan Page  Alex Cumming  Mark Rayment  Nicholas Kettridge 《水文研究》2021,35(12):e14431

Whilst all ecosystems must obey the second law of thermodynamics, these physical bounds and controls on ecosystem evolution and development are largely ignored across the ecohydrological literature. To unravel the importance of these underlying restraints on ecosystem form and function, and their power to inform our scientific understanding, we have calculated the entropy budget of a range of peat ecosystems. We hypothesize that less disturbed peatlands are ‘near equilibrium’ with respect to the second law of thermodynamics and thus respond to change by minimizing entropy production. This ‘near equilibrium’ state is best achieved by limiting evaporative losses. Alternatively, peatlands ‘far-from-equilibrium’ respond to a change in energy inputs by maximizing entropy production which is best achieved by increasing evapotranspiration. To test these alternatives this study examined the energy balance time series from seven peatlands across a disturbance gradient. We estimate the entropy budgets for each and determine how a change in net radiation (ΔR_n) was transferred to a change in latent heat flux (ΔλE). The study showed that: (i) The transfer of net radiation to latent heat differed significantly between peatlands. One group transferred up to 64% of the change in net radiation to a change in latent heat flux, while the second transferred as little as 27%. (ii) Sites that transferred the most energy to latent heat flux were those that produced the greatest entropy. The study shows that an ecosystem could be ‘near equilibrium’ rather than ‘far from equilibrium’.  相似文献   

Faith and Doubt in an American Working Landscape: The Importance of Scale,Work, and Place in Rural Development Planning     

Cheryl E. Morse 《社会与自然资源》2019,32(2):150-166

The term “working landscape” (WL) is increasingly used by American planners and policy makers to describe the rural places and livelihoods they aim to shape. This paper draws from a mixed-methods study of WL language as a collective action frame in the state of Vermont, where WL has been formalized into policy. Natural resource leaders and professionals share a common definition of WL that is supported by four key beliefs. However, interviews conducted in two representative farming communities suggest that landuse practitioners have not adopted WL language, and in some cases are skeptical of its meaning. The analysis explores potential explanations for the failure of the WL collective action frame to resonate across scales. The paper argues for a bottom-up planning approach that produces working landscapes policies that allow for diverse forms of work and accommodate the specificities of place.  相似文献   

太行山—五台山区前寒武纪变质岩系同位素地质年代学研究   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  

刘敦一  R.W.佩吉  W.康普斯顿  伍家善 《地球学报》1984,6(1):57-84

<正> 中国北方河北、山西两省交界地带的太行—五台山区,早前寒武纪变质岩系十分发育,分布面积达20,000平方公里,为华北地块的重要组成部分。在这一地区内,保留了早前寒武纪不同发展阶段的种种地质作用的记录。深入研究其地质历史,将对阐明华北地块的形成和演化具有重要的典型意义。作者正是基于这一目的,在该区进行了同位素地质年代学的研究。  相似文献   

Comments on the misuse of SPMDs in recent articles by Springman et al. (2008a,b) and Short et al. (2008)     

Paul D. Boehm  David S. Page  Jerry M. Neff 《Marine environmental research》2009,67(4-5):262-267

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