Assessment method of ecosystem health

Abstract

Abstract: Ecosystem is the basic unit to maintain human environment. Ecosystem function mainly includes two aspects:e-cosystem service function and goods function. These two functions are the basis for human living and development. Ecosystem health is the presupposition of ecosystem function. The completeness (structure and function), resilience, stabilty, and sustainability are the characteristics of ecosystem health. Ecosystem health assessment selects the indicator based on the ecosystem structure and function, including completeness, suitability, and effectiveness of ecosystem. Ecosystem health assessment mainly has two methods :one is indicator species assessment, and the other is structure and function index assessment which includes single index assessment, complex index assessment, and index system assessment which includes natural index system assessment and social-economic-natural index system assessment. In this paper, different assessment methods on ecosystem health are compared, and different health assessment method for different ecosystem types are also expatiated.

Key words: Ecosystem Health, Assessment, Method, leaching, ammonia volatilization, denitrification, nitrogen management, runoff, nitrogen use efficiency

CLC Number:

Q148
S718.55

KONG Hongmei, ZHAO Jingzhu, JI Lanzhou, LU Zhaohua, DENG Hongbing, MA Keming, ZHANG Ping. Assessment method of ecosystem health[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2002, (4): 486-490.

References

[1] Botsford LW.1997.The management of fisheries and marine ecosystems.Science,277:509～515
[2] Cairns J Jr,Atkinson RB,Niederlehner BR.1994.Applying ecosystem health c oncepts as management tools.37th Conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research and Estuarine Research Federation:Program and Abstracts.I agle,Bufalo,NY (USA).166～168
[3] Cairns J Jr,Munawar M.1994.Ecosystem health through ecological restoration:Barriers and opportunities.J Aqual Ecosy st Health,3(1):5～14
[4] Colwell R.1996.Global climate and infectious disease:The cholera paradigm. Science,274:2025～2031
[5] Costanza R,Mageau M.1999.What is a healthy ecosystem? Aquatic Ecol, 33(1):105～115
[6] Costanza R.1997.The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural cap ita.Nature,387:253～260
[7] Daily G.1995.Restoring value to the world's degraded lands.Science, 269:350～354
[8] Edwards CJ,Ryder RA,Marshall TR.1990.Using lake trout as a surrogate of e cosystem health for oligotrophic waters of the Great Lakes.J Great La kes Res,16(4):591～608
[9] Evans MS.1993.Toxic contaminants and Great Lakes ecosystem health:Current understandings and strategies for improved assessments.J Aquatic Ecos yst Health,2(2):87～93
[10] Fairweather PG.1999a.State of environment indicators of 'river health':Ex ploring the metaphor.Freshwater Biol,41(2):211～220
[11] Fairweather PG.1999b.Determining the 'health' of estuaries:Priorities for ecological research.Austr J Ecol,24(4):4 41～451
[12] Gallopin GC.1995.The potential of agroecosystem health as a guiding concep t for agricultural research.Ecosyst Health,1:129～141
[13] Kaly UL,Jones GP.1998.Mangrove restoration:A potential tool for coas tal management in tropical developing countries.Ambio,27(8):656～661
[14] Kolb TE.1994.Concepts of forest health:Utilitarian and ecosystem perspect ives.J For,92:10～15
[15] Leopold JC.1997.Getting a handle on ecosystem health.Science,276:887
[16] Noble IR, Dirzo R.1997.Forests as human-dominated ecosystems.Science, 277:522～525
[17] Rapport DJ.1990.Challenges in the detection and diagnosis of pathological change in aquatic ecosystems.J Great Lakes Res,16(4):609～618
[18] Rapport DJ.1993.Ecosystems not optimized:A reply.J Aquatic Ecosyst Health,[ STHZ〗2(1):57
[19] Rapport DJ.1984.State of Ecosystem Medicine.In:Contaminant Effects on Fisher ies.New York:John Wiley and Sons.315～324
[20] Rapport DJ,Whitford WG.1989.How ecosystems respond to stress:Common pro perties of arid and aquatic system.BioScience,49:193～203
[21] Rapport DJ,Costanza R,McMichael AJ.1998.Assessing ecosystem health.Trends Eco l Evol,13:397～402
[22] Ren H(任海),Peng S-L (彭少麟).2001.Restoration Ecology Introduction.Bei jing:China Science and Technology Press.113～121(in Chinese)
[23] Schaeffer DJ,Novak EW.1988.Integrating epidemiology and epizootiology inf ormation in ecotoxicology studies:Ecosystem health.Ecotoxicol Enviro n Safety,16(3):232～241
[24] Vitousek PM.1997.Human domination of earth's ecosystems.Science,277:494～499
[25] Wu G (吴钢),Li J(李静),Zhao J-Z (赵景柱).2000.Fundamental Ecological a n d Environmental Problems and Its Countermeasures in Northwestern China.China S oft Science(中国软科学),10:12～17(in Chinese)
[26] Zeng D-H (曾德慧),Jiang F-Q (姜凤岐),Fan Z-P (范志平).1999.Ecosystem health a nd human sustainable development.Chin J Appl Ecol(应用生态学报),10(6):751～756(in Chinese)