Triggered by the drastic decline of the global biodiversity,the signatories of the"Convention on Biological Diversity"held a conference in 2002 endorsing the 2010 biodiversity target,i.e."to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global,regional,and national levels".In this review,background of the generation and main contents of the 2010 target are analyzed,indicators for appraisal of the 2010 target discussed,and progresses towards the 2010 target at the global and national levels summarized.At the end,prospects of the 2020 target and strategic priorities and supporting mechanism for its implementation are presented.

Based on the land use/cover type data,yielded from interpretation of the 1987,1996 and 2007 Landsat-5 TM remote sensing images and field sampling,an empirical model was established to estimate ground biomass,and service value of the ecosystem of Dunhuang by means of sorting it into direct use value and indirect use value.Results show that among the eight land use types,farming land,urban construction land and vegetation-free land have increased in net area,while the other five decreased over the last two decades,which indicate that artificial ecosystem is expanding in area and vegetation shrinking in spatial coverage and as a result the ecosystem is degrading significantly.It was estimated that in Dunhuang the total ground biomass decreased by 170 856.52 t,or by 5.82‰ annually;and the total ecosystem value by 43 127.45 × 104 yuan,or by 5.17‰ annually.The proportion of the artificial ecosystem in the total value increased from 12.06% in 1987 to 25.91% in 2007,showing a clear rising trend,but that of the natural ecosystem dropped drastically.In the context of limited water resources,the rapid growth of the former was achieved at the cost of the latter,which suggests that human activities have significantly affected sustainable development of the region.Aiming at the present problems,we deem it essential to establish a sustainable development experimental zone by proceeding from rational allocation of resources,adjustment of industrial structure,technological progress,institutional guarantee,and so on.

A study was carried out on development of aeolian desertification in the valley of the middle reaches of Yarlung Zangbo River in the past 18 years(1990-2008) with the aid of RS and GIS technologies.It was found that the area of aeolian desertified lands in this region increased by 5 267 hm² from 1990 to 2008,and the total area of aeolian desertified land reached to 81 842 hm² in 2008.In the first 10 years(1990-2000),it increased by 3 085 hm² averaging by 308 hm² annually and in the next 8 years(2000-2008) by 2 182 hm²averaging by 273 hm² annually.Obviously,the rate slowed down in expansion in the late years.Wind erosion is the main driving factor of aeolian desertification in this region,and increased precipitation and large scaled afforestation in Xigaze and the southern section of the mountains beginning from 2000 are the main reasons for the slowed down aeolian desertification rate.

A total of 128 soil samples were collected from the 0-20 cm topsoils of the three islands of Chongming,Shanghai,using the classical statistics and geostatistics for analysis of soil organic matter,total nitrogen,available phosphorus,available potassium,soil electrical conductivity,soil bulk density and pH,and for further study of spatial variation of the physical and chemical properties.Results show that the spatial variabilities of available potassium and soil electrical conductivity were strong,that of pH was weak,and the others were moderate.Soil bulk density and pH demonstrated a strong spatial correlation while soil organic matter,total nitrogen,available phosphorus and available potassium did not,which shows their distributions are strongly affected by stochastic factors.The Kriging interpolation analysis revealed that the distributions of soil organic matter and total N were affected by farming practices and urbanization with high values found in the areas where human activities were intensive.Soil bulk density and pH were in a similar trend,decreasing gradually from the east and west tips of the island to the center.Soil organic matter,total nitrogen and available potassium in Chongming island were significantly correlated(α=0.01).

In order to provide theoretical basis for planning,designing and species conservation of the Zhalong Nature Reserve,changes of the reserve in landscape patch area from 1950 to 2004 were analyzed,based on related land use maps and Landsat TM images and with the aid of the ecological quantitative analysis method and GIS technology.The following was found.The marsh landscape dominated the reserve in area in the 54 years,marsh-based mixed landscapes of grassland,cropland or unused land,appeared in parts of the reserve,and some other types of landscapes scattered in patch amid it.The area of marshes increased though somewhat fluctuated,while the area of grassland decreased significantly,the areas of unused land,residential land and cropland in general increased quickly,the area of water surface remained almost unchanged,and the area of forestland was the least in proportion,but showing an increasing trend.In terms of area weighted average,the landscapes followed a decreasing order of marsh > grassland > cropland > unused land > waters > residential land > forestland,and by largest patch index marsh > grassland > cropland > all the other types of landscapes,with index lower than 1.The patch size standard deviation of marshes was the largest and increased year by year,and that of waters,forestland and residential land were rather small.The patch size variance coefficient of the landscape of residential land was the largest in 1978,and that of forestland and unused land was quite stable.

Physiological variation was studied of one-year-old saplings of Elaeocarpus sylvestris,Eurycorymbus cavaleriei,Platycladus orientalis and Koelrenteria paniculata exposed to different levels of drought stress imposed by watering the saplings once every 2(as control),4,6 and 8 days.Effects of the droughts on the saplings were evaluated by monitoring variation of the relative water content(RWC),relative membrane permeability(RMP),contents of malondialdehyde(MDA),free proline(Pro) and soluble sugar(SS),activity of peroxidase(POD) in their leaves.Results show that RWC decreased,and RMP and contents of MDA,free proline and soluble sugar increased with the intensifying drought stress,but POD activity varied differently.Integrated evaluation of the drought resistance of the four saplings was performed with the subordinate function method,revealing a decreasing order in drought resistance of Eurycorymbus cavaleriei > Platycladus orientalis > Koelrenteria paniculata = Elaeocarpus sylvestris.Correlation analysis of the 6 physiological indices of drought resistance indicates that MDA,POD and Pro are closely correlated with each other.Analysis of variance and multi-comparison using the SSR method of the measurements of the saplings show that RMP,MDA content,POD activity and Pro content are useful indicators of drought resistance of the four species of saplings.更多还原

A Green Building Plant Resources Information System(GBPRIS) is established with the aid of the computer database technology.It is composed of four basic databases,i.e.plant fundamental characteristic database,plant ecological function database,plant community database,and evaluation system database.This information system encompasses information and data on 500 species of plants and 48 plant communities common in Shanghai,and has all the information about biological characteristics,ecology habits,and various ecological functions of these plants standardized and digitalized,thus reducing the professional requirements for selecting green building plants.Besides,the system is designed for multiple accesses and quick reference of documents and images.It can be used not only to evaluate existing greening systems and to give out corresponding proposals for improvement,but also to pre-evaluate designs of outdoor landscaping,thus providing collocation of plants in green building programs with scientific references.

To better understand effects of soil fertility and N fertilization on nitrification in red paddy soil,an incubation experiment was carried out.The objective was to follow changes in nitrification in red paddy soils different in soil fertility and application of N fertilizer.Results show that without fertilizer-N application,nitrification in soils high in fertility was higher than that in those low in fertility.Application of urea significantly increased nitrification in the soils.When it was done at a rate of N 120 and N 360 mg·kg^-1,on average the nitrification rate increased by 75.8% and 357.1% in soils high in fertility and by 52.0% and 146.9% in soils low in fertility,respectively,as compared to CK.In terms of nitrification intensity,the treatments followed the order:soil high in fertility > soil low in fertility,and soils applied with N 360 mg·kg^-1 of urea > soils with N 120 mg·kg^-1 of urea.However,nitrification in red paddy soils was decreased when ammonium sulphate was applied.When its application rate was N 120 and N 360 mg·kg-1,on average,the nitrification rate decreased by 41.8% and 74.7% in soils high in fertility and 3.1% and 65.3% in soils low in fertility,respectively.In terms of nitrification,the treatments applied with ammonium sulphate were in the order:soil low in fertility > soil high in fertility,and soils applied with N 120 mg·kg^-1 of ammonium sulphate > soils with N 360 mg·kg^-1 of the fertilizer.

Losses of soil phosphorus from pear orchards and vegetable gardens different in fertilization and field management in Dongtan of Chongming were monitored to study loads,pathways and temporal distribution of the losses from the rain-fed croplands and their affecting factors,and effects of fertilization and field management on the loss.It was found that the amount of phosphorus lost with runoff water,leaching water or sediment exceeded the critical concentration of waterbody eutrophication;Soil phosphorus loss occurred mainly with runoff sediment,which contributed 70.7%-82.2% to the total phosphorus loss.Phosphorus loss took place mainly in June,August and October,and the phosphorus loss in these three months accounted for 71.6%-73.0% of the total phosphorus loss in a year.Correlation analysis of affecting factors shows that the soil phosphorus loss from rain-fed croplands was highly related to precipitation,rainfall erosivity,runoff,phosphorus concentration in runoff,etc..Compared with the conventional fertilization and field managements,the practices of maintaining coverage of vegetation,using mulch films and running accurate drip irrigation could effectively decrease the yield of runoff and sediments and the phosphorus concentrations therein and hence the total soil phosphorus loss.In the pear orchard and vegetable field studied,the total phosphorus loss load decreased by as much as 20.6% and 12.6%,respectively.

An aquaculture experiment was carried out in Yangzhong,Jiangsu Province,with grass carp as the principal fish,to compare ecological aquaculture with traditional polyculture in impact on water quality and sediments.It was found that the former was obviously superior to the latter in yield and economic profit.The annual mean values of some of the water quality indexes,such as COD,TP,TN,NH₃-N,and NO₂^--N were measured to be 21,0.12,2.06,0.340 and 0.021 mg·L^-1 for the ponds of US 80:20 ecological aquaculture,and 25,0.15,2.56,0.706 and 0.113 mg·L^-1 for the ponds of traditional polyculture.Obviously the former was better than the latter,respectively.No significant differences were found in contents of BOD₅,PO₄^3--P,NO₃^--N and chlorophyll-a.The bottom sediment was 12.5% thinner in the ponds of the US 80:20 ecological polyculture than in the ponds of the traditional polyculture,11.2% higher in organic matter content,but 13.5% and 5.1% lower in TP and TN.The mechanism of generation of the pollutants has been analyzed.

Dissolved oxygen(DO) is one of the key factors affecting aquatic ecosystem and changes with water temperature.A study of spatial-temporal distribution of dissolved oxygen in Tianmuhu,a reservoir 12 km2 in water surface and 14 meters in depth(maximum),was conducted during 2006 and 2007.It was found that in non-summer seasons the increase in water temperature caused reduction of the concentration and saturation of DO in the surface water layer,but in summer it led to increase in DO concentration and likely to over-saturation of DO due to the activities of plankton.In the middle and bottom water layers,temperature stratification is the key factor affecting DO concentration.When there was a thermocline in the water body,the bottom water was in hypoxia,and when thermocline disappeared,DO restored in the bottom water.As a result,the bottom water followed the alternation of hypoxia-DO restoration-hypoxia in a year.The hypoxia of the bottom water layer in summer caused release of ammonia nitrogen from sediments into water,thus leading to rise of the ammonia concentration in the surface water.The investigation and analysis of ammonia nitrogen concentration in the water body before and after dredging demonstrate that dredging of bottom sediments could effectively reduce the release of endogenous nitrogen in summer,thus mitigating the impact of the variation of DO concentration in the water on the release of nitrogen from sediments.

Characteristics of concentration distribution of total dissolved iron and its correlation with organic matter and pH value in Songhua River and Heilongjiang River were studied.Results show that the concentrations of total dissolved iron ranged in 0.10-0.62 mg·L^-1 in Heilongjiang River,and in 0.11-0.73 mg·L^-1 in Songhua River.The mean concentrations of both total dissolved iron and ferrous iron in Songhua River were slightly higher than that in Heilongjiang River.Within a year,the peak concentrations of dissolved iron appeared mostly in the moderate flow period.A significant negative linear relationship was observed between COD_Cr and ferrous iron in Heilongjiang River,but a significant positive linear relationship between COD_Cr and total dissolved iron and significant negative linear relationships of ferrous iron with BOD₅ and pH were observed in Songhua River.Input of hard-to-biodegrade organic substances from anthropogenic sources increases the concentrations of both total dissolved iron and organic-chelated iron.

A total of 8 sediment samples collected from the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River were studied for adsorption and release kinetics,adsorption isotherms,adsorption-desorption equilibrium phosphate concentration,differences among the sediments in adsorption and influences of P forms on P adsorption characteristics in sediments.Results show that both the processes of adsorption and release of phosphate in the sediments completed mainly within the initial 8 h,and the highest adsorption and desorption rates were observed within the first 0.5 h and the reactions basically reached equilibrium in 24 h;P adsorption isotherms accorded with both the linear equation and the Freundlich equation as well as the Langmuir equation(4).Calculation using the Langmuir equation(4),indicate that the maximum P adsorption capacity of the sediments varied from 0.095 to 0.272 mg·g^-1,showing significant positive correlations of the capacity with total P(TP),exchangeable loosely-bound phosphorus(Ex-P),and organic matter in the sediments;the sediments have a P adsorption-desorption equilibrium point during adsorbing P in the overlying water,and its corresponding adsorption-desorption equilibrium mass concentration was in the range of 0.009-0.031 mg·L^-1,higher than the P concentration in the overlying water,indicating a trend of sediments releasing P to the overlying water.

A Field experiment was carried out to study differences between 8 corn(Zea mays) cultivars in accumulation and translocation of heavy metals,for screening out corn cultivars that are low in heavy metal accumulation and suitable to grow in winter in Guangdong Province.Results show that significant differences were found between the cultivars in heavy metal(Cd,Pb,Zn and Cu) concentrations in corn grain and stem and leaves.Cluster analysis of the heavy metal(Cd,Pb,Zn,Cu) concentrations in grain shows that the 8 cultivars could be sorted into three groups.Lingdan-20,Zhengdan958 and Gaoyou-1 were in the group of low-accumulation cultivars.Liyu-6,Fengtian-1,Chaotian-38 and Huabao-1 were in the group of midium-accumulation cultivars.And Yuenuo-1 was a high-accumulation cultivar.Considering furthermore the yield of grains and transference coefficient of heavy metals,Lingdan-20 and Zhengdan-958 were the low-heavy-metalaccumulation corn cultivars suitable to be planted during the winter season in Guangdong Province of China.

Adsorption of Congo Red by peanut shells was studied with a static adsorption method and effects of dosage and size of peanut shells,pH and initial concentration of Congo Red solution,duration of the incubation and temperature on the adsorption were investigated.Results show that the smaller the particle size of peanut shells,the higher the adsorption capacity of peanut shells,and the longer the duration of incubation,the higher the removal rate of Congo Red.However,the adsorption might basically reach equilibrium in 90 minutes.At room temperature,removal rate of Congo Red reached 91.2% in solution 7.54 in pH.The isothermal adsorption behavior of peanut shells on Congo Red tallied quite well with the Freundlich equation.So that,the peanut shell is an ideal functional material to remove Congo Red through adsorption.

Pursuant to Article 20 of the Protocol on Biosafety,a biosafety clearing-house(BCH) is hereby established to facilitate exchange of scientific,technical,environmental,and legal information on and experience with living modified organisms(LMOs) ;and to assist parties in implementing the Protocol.Following the role and characteristics of BCH,the establishment and management of the National BCH of China is illuminated with specifics on its framework,operation mechanism and network structure,homepage and databases.Issues concerning disclosure of biosafety information are also discussed.

A field experiment was carried out in a tea garden sitting on a hill slope in the Taihu Lake Region to study basic rules of runoff therein under natural rainfall conditions.Results show that in tea gardens under conventional tea cultivation,the annual volume of runoff reached 98.29 L·m^-2,carrying away a total of 11.685 kg·hm^-2 N,which was dominantly NO₃^--N,about 76.320% ;0.128 kg·hm^-2 dissolved P,which was dominantly PO₄^3-about 0.104 kg·hm^-2;and 181.13 kg·hm^-2 of sediments,which contained 0.272 kg·hm^-2 N and 0.030 kg·hm^-2 P.The loss coefficient of N and P was 1.008% and-0.087% and the loss rate of fertilizer N and P was 5.686% and 0.190%,respectively.Comparatively,cultivation of tea on slope land produces less runoff and lowers soil N and P loss,thus reducing the risk of agricultural non-point source pollution.

To explore characteristic of aerosol mass concentration and its relationship with rainfall,atmospheric aerosols and rainfall were monitored and sampled for analysis with the aid of TH-150A instruments and the micro-meteorological observation station in a typical red soil region(Red Soil Ecological Experiment Station,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Yingtan City,Jiangxi Province,China) in 2005-2006.Results show that monthly aerosol mass concentrations ranged from 17.07 to 266.11 μg·m^-3,monthly averaging 104.57 and 101.73 μg·m^-3 in 2005 and 2006,respectively.It peaked in February 2005(201.71 μg·m^-3) and October 2006(266.11 μg·m^-3) and bottomed in May 2005 and 2006 being 29.76 and 17.07 μg·m^-3,respectively.The aerosol mass concentrations of the two years differed rather greatly,which is closely related to the characteristic of aerosol mass per se,meteorological elements and surrounding environment.Duncan difference analysis of the findings show that the atmospheric aerosol mass concentration in the study region was negatively correlated with rainfall and rain frequency at a significant level(n = 24,P = 0.007;n = 22,P = 0.000 2).

An experiment was carried out on effects of the use of peanut stalk,corn stalk and/or sweet potato vine as culture medium mixed with cotton seed shell and bran on growth and yield of Pleurotus eryngii compared with the medium composed of cotton seed hulls(80%) and bran(20%) as control,It was found that the effects of the six new formulae were significant on mycelial growth rate and vigor,production cycle,yield,and biological efficiency of P.eryngii.The corn stalk meal and cotton seed hull based medium was the most favorable to growth of the mushroom,which was high in mycelial growth rate and growth vigor,short in production cycle,perfect in fruit body morphology,and high in yield with biological efficiency exceeding 60%.When palatability of the used medium as feed to livestock is taken into account,the formula of 30% of cotton seed hull,50% of corn stalk and 20% of bran is the best one.

Biochar is a relatively stable carboncious material converted from organic waste.Currently more and more attention and efforts are being given worldwide to development of technologies of converting agricultural waste into biochar and field experiments are being carried out on effect of its use on expansion of carbon pool in and mitigation of carbon emission from farm fields.A brief introduction is presented to the background of the development of biochar technologies as well as the progresses worldwide in the study on production and application of biochar.Meanwhile discussions are carried out on potential effects of the application of biochar on crop productivity and sequestration/release of carbon in agriculture and hence on climate change,and analyses are done on the possibility of including the use of biochar into the world C trade and the country’s independent C emissions trading market.Eventually suggestions are brought forth for research on production and application of biochar in agriculture of the country.