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The Biosphere Reserve Program in the United States

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The Biosphere Reserve Program in the United States tions recommending widespread phosphorus 15. For example, T. P. Murphy, D. R. S. Lean, visualize a laboratory bioassay experi- control as a solution to eutrophication. Almost and C. Nalewajko [Science 192, 900 (1976)] ment that could realistically represent all all of the freshwater scientists in the world were showed that Anabaena requires iron for fixation represented. of atmospheric nitrogen and that this genus of these parameters. 3. For example, see J. W. G. Lund [Nature (Lon- can suppress the growth of other species of On the basis of data from several don) 249, 797 (1974)] for a critique of phos- algae by excretion of a growth-inhibiting phorus control, including my report of the same substance. studies of the carbon, nitrogen, and year (4). 16. M. Turner and R. Flett, unpublished data. As 4. D. W. Schindler, Science 184, 897 (1974). yet no quantitative estimates of nitrogen fixation phosphorus cycle, I hypothesize that 5. P. Dillon and F. Rigler,J. Fish. Res. Board Can. for an entire season are available. G. Persson, S. schemes for controlling nitrogen input to 32, 1519 (1975); R. A. Vollenweider, Schweiz. Z. K. Holmgren, M. Jansson, A. Lundgren, and C. Hydrol. 37, 53 (1975); D. W. Schindler, Limnol. Anell [in Proceedings of the NRC-CNC lakes may actually affect water quality Oceanogr., in press. (SCOPE) Circumpolar Conference on Northern adversely by causing low N/P ratios, 6. See papers in G. E. Likens, Ed., Am. Soc. Ecology (Ottawa, 15 to 18 September 1975)] Limnol. Oceanogr. Spec. Symp. No. 1 (1972). reported similar results for a lake in Sweden that which favor the vacuolate, nitrogen-fix- 7. For example, see articles in Can. Res. Dev. 3, 19 was fertilized with phosphorus. ing blue-green algae that are most objec- (1970). 17. Possible additional mechanisms are outlined by 8. For example, W. Lange, Nature (London) 215, D. W. Schindler [in Environmental Biogeochem- tionable from a water quality standpoint. 1277 (1967); J. Phycol. 6, 230 (1970); M. Saka- istry, J. 0. Nriagu, Ed. (Univ. of Michigan moto, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 28, 203 (1971); Press, Ann Arbor, 1976), pp. 647-664]. In partic- Conversely, when phosphorus control A. Christie, Ont. Water Resour. Comm. Res. ular, nitrogen appears to be more efficiently causes an increase in the N/P ratio, the Publ. No. 32 (1968). recycled from sediments than phosphorus. 9. D. W. Schindler, G. Brunskill, S. Emerson, W. 18. Whole-lake experiments with phosphorus- resulting shift from "water bloom" blue- Broecker, T-H. Peng, Science 177, 1192 (1972); deficient fertilizations in lakes 226 southwest green algae to forms that are less objec- D. W. Schindler (10); S. Emerson, W. Broecker, and 304 have confirmed the lack ofeither biologi- D. W. Schindler, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 30, cal or geochemical mechanisms for enhancing tionable may be as important as quan- 1475 (1973). inputs of phosphorus. titative decreases in algal standing crop. 10. D. W. Schindler, Int. Ver. Theor. Angew. Lim- 19. For example, see P. Sze, Phycologia 14, 197 nol. Verh. 19, 3221 (1975). (1975); M. Michalski and K. Nicholls, Phos- Several authors have observed such spe- 11. __ and E. Fee, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 30, phorus Removal and Water Quality Improve- 1501 (1973). ments in Gravehurst Bay, Ontario (Ontario Min- cies shifts with changing N/P ratios (19). 12. S. Emerson [Limnol. Oceanogr. 20, 743 (1975); istry of Environment, Rexdale, Ontario, 1975); It is clear that management decisions ibid., p. 754] showed that gas exchange is rough- M. Michalski and N. Conroy, Proc. 16th Conf. ly proportional to the square of the wind veloci- Great Lakes Res. (1973), p. 934; W. T. Edmond- on nutrient control measures must be ty at the lake surface. He also reported that son, Verh. Int. Ver. Limnol. 18, 284 (1972). based on controlled field tests as well as chemical enhancement of gas exchange in soft- Other members of our staff have recently been water lakes may yield values five to ten times able to cause shifts in dominance from blue- simple laboratory bioassays. higher than unenhanced values, once nutrient green to green algae in hypereutrophic lakes by additions have caused depletion of inorganic adding nitrogen (J. Barica and H. Kling, person- References and Notes carbon, so that alkalinity is dominated by hy- al communication). droxyl ions. 20. My thanks to T. Ruszczynski, who performed 1. For a summary ofthese, see J. Vallentyne, Can. 13. These views are summarized by D. W. Schind- the calculations for Figs. 1, 2, and 4, to D. Fish. Mar. Serv. Misc. Spec. Publ. No. 22 ler (10). Findlay, whose plankton identifications and (1974), p. 162. 14. In lake 226, nitrogen fixation contributed 38 counts allowed these interpretations, and to J. 2. The general assemblies of both the International percent of the total nitrogen income in 1974 and Prokopowich for chemical analyses. The critical Limnological Congress and the International 19 percent in 1975 (R. Flett, University of Mani- comments of K. Patalas, R. Flett, and E. Fee on October 31, 2011 Ecology Congress unanimously passed resolu- toba, thesis, 1976). are greatly appreciated. Development of the Biosphere Reserve Concept The concept of biosphere reserves was developed as a major element of Project www.sciencemag.org The Biosphere Reserve Program in 8, Conservation ofNatural Areas and of the Genetic Material They Contain, in the United States the Unesco-sponsored Program on Man and the Biosphere (1). This project, which emerged as an important com- A program has been developed to select key ponent early in the MAB planning, was sites for research and monitoring. initially considered in detail by an expert environmental Downloaded from panel, which met in Morges, Switzer- land, in September 1973. Establishment Jerry F. Franklin of a worldwide network of biosphere reserves was this panel's first recommen- dation. A task force with the responsibili- ty of defining "criteria and guidelines for Biosphere reserves are major elements ronmental research and monitoring, and the selection and establishment of bio- in Unesco's "Man and the Biosphere" education. sphere reserve" (2, p. 9) met in Paris in (MAB) program and in the U.S.- The scientific community must be May 1974. The task force report is the U.S.S.R. Environmental Agreement. aware of the existence and potential source of the following information on They are part of an international system of the biosphere reserves if they are the international program. of reserves with the primary objectives to fulfill their intended functions. I Biosphere reserves have three basic ofconservation ofgenetic diversity, envi- will outline the conceptual development purposes or objectives: (i) conservation ofthe Unesco effort, the philosophy guid- or preservation-"to conserve for pres- The author is chief plant ecologist, Pacific North- ing its implementation in the United ent and future use the diversity and integ- west Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forestry States, and the utilization and expansion rity of biotic communities of plants and Sciences Laboratory, Corvallis, Oregon 97330. He was chairman of the U.S. Man and the Biosphere of U.S. biosphere reserves expected in animals within natural ecosystems, and Committee on Project 8 (Biosphere Reserves) and is the future. The views presented are to safeguard the genetic diversity of spe- U.S. chairman of Project V-4.1 (Biosphere Re- serves) under the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Environmental those of the U.S. National Committee cies on which their continuing evolution Agreement. for Man and the Biosphere. depends" (2, p. 6); (ii) research and 262 SCIENCE, VOL. 195 monitoring-"to provide areas for eco- the first type, representative natural and the primary thrust of the national logical and environmental research in- areas (3). programs. In some countries, establish- cluding, particularly, baselines studies The system used for classifying the ing reserves for conservation will have ..." (2, p. 6); and (iii) education-"to world into biotic regions or biomes was priority, and research programs will provide facilities for education and train- developed by the International Union for have to be developed as quickly as pos- ing" (2, p. 6). Conservation of Nature and Natural Re- sible. In other countries with numerous In concept, the core of the biosphere sources (IUCN) (4, 5). This system is existing conservation reserves, current reserve program includes natural areas being further divided and refined for the research and educational activities as representative of the major biomes or continental United States (see Fig. 1). well as the potential for their expansion biotic divisions of the world, including Additional criteria for identifying re- will be more important criteria in select- their main subdivisions and transitional serves include size (areas large enough to ing biosphere reserves. zones. Biosphere reserves of other types be effective conservation units and to The biosphere reserve program "is not are identified, notably natural areas with include complete watersheds) and ade- meant as a substitute for programmes to unique features of exceptional interest quate legal protection from nonconform- establish national parks or equivalent re- and man-modified landscapes in regions ing uses. serves" although they may "often coin- where natural conditions no longer exist. All three objectives-conservation, re- cide partly with or incorporate national The rationale for the objectives and de- search, and education-are viewed as parks . ." (2, p. 6). The objective con- sign of each kind of biosphere reserve important and generally compatible. Pri- has been developed (2). The U.S. pro- orities among the objectives will vary gram has focused, at least initially, on with the nature of the biosphere reserve on October 31, 2011 www.sciencemag.org Downloaded from Fig. 1.
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