Artificial overwater small organism inhabiting platform
By designing ecological floating islands with buoyancy frames and matrix layer structures, the problem of waterbird habitat needs has been solved, achieving the creation of high-quality and diverse biological habitats and enhancing the diversity and stability of the ecosystem.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423113868.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-17
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-12
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing ecological floating islands cannot meet the diverse habitat needs of waterbirds. Insufficient contact between plant roots and water leads to dryness and the inability to form a well-developed underwater root system, resulting in poor landscape effects. Furthermore, artificial water bodies lack shallow water and shoals suitable for waterbird habitats.
Design a small artificial aquatic habitat platform that uses a buoyancy frame and matrix layer structure, including buoyancy units, planting soil layers and wetland plants of different heights, combined with piles of stones and dead wood, and connects the buoyancy units with nylon cables. Depending on the fixing method of the scene, it provides a multi-functional habitat.
Rapidly create high-quality and diverse habitats to meet the needs of waterbirds, amphibians, fish, and benthic animals, enhance biodiversity and ecosystem stability, and restructure the wetland food chain.
Smart Images
Figure CN223653013U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wetland ecological restoration, specifically to a man-made small aquatic biological habitat platform. Background Technology
[0002] In the process of rapid urbanization, a large number of natural water bodies and shorelines have been artificially transformed into hardened and monolithic artificial shorelines, leading to a significant loss and decline in the quality of biological habitats, especially the grasslands, mudflats, shoals, and shallow water habitats required by waterbirds. Some newly created artificial water bodies, such as artificial lakes and reservoirs, also face similar problems. To retain their flood control and storage functions, the main body of these artificial water bodies cannot be too shallow, thus lacking the shallow water and shoal habitats needed by waterbirds. The loss and decline in habitat quality ultimately lead to a decline in biodiversity and a decrease in ecosystem stability.
[0003] To address the aforementioned issues, ecological floating islands have become a common approach. While serving water purification and aesthetic purposes, they are also widely used to create habitats for waterbirds. Currently, most ecological floating islands provide some habitat for waterbirds in open or deep waters, but this is limited to temporary stays and cannot meet the diverse needs of waterbirds for feeding, hiding, and nesting. Furthermore, most existing floating islands use planting troughs or trays, preventing sufficient root contact with water. This leads to the planting substrate drying out and hardening, hindering plant growth. It also prevents the formation of a robust underwater root system, thus hindering the provision of spawning and hiding places for fish and food sources for waterbirds. Finally, most existing floating islands use artificial materials as buoyancy components, which are often not concealed by the growing plants, resulting in poor aesthetic appeal. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a small artificial aquatic habitat platform to address the problem of significant loss and decline in the quality of biological habitats caused by the hardening and homogenization of waterfronts.
[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is: an artificial small aquatic biological habitat platform, including a buoyancy frame, the buoyancy frame including at least two buoyancy units connected in sequence, the buoyancy unit including a buoyancy layer and a matrix layer disposed on the buoyancy layer; the matrix layer including a cushion layer and a planting soil layer disposed from bottom to top, the planting soil layer including a central area for planting plants and an edge area for piling up stones and dead wood.
[0006] Note: By establishing the above platform, we can solve the problems of habitat shrinkage, quality and diversity decline caused by shoreline hardening and homogenization in river channels, quickly create high-quality and diversified habitats, meet the needs of waterbirds, amphibians, fish and benthic animals, facilitate the reconstruction of aquatic food chains, and thus effectively improve biodiversity, ecosystem quality and stability.
[0007] Furthermore, multiple buoyancy units are interconnected using nylon cables, with a spacing of 0.1 to 0.2 meters between each pair of buoyancy units.
[0008] Note: The above settings ensure a more suitable distance between buoyancy units.
[0009] Furthermore, the buoyancy layer comprises a bamboo raft and a high-density foam block; the method for manufacturing the buoyancy layer of the buoyancy unit is as follows:
[0010] Step 1: Use nylon ropes with a diameter of 6-10mm to tie and fix 20 bamboo poles with a length of 4-6m and a diameter of 100-150mm into a row, with the spacing between each bamboo pole controlled at about 5-10mm; tie 4 rows of bamboo poles with a diameter of 100-150mm to fix the bamboo raft, with each row spaced 1-1.5m apart.
[0011] Step 2: Fix a bamboo pole with a diameter of about 100mm on each of the four sides above the bamboo raft to form a fence around the buoyancy layer and prevent the substrate layer from falling into the water from between the edges of the bamboo raft.
[0012] Step 3: Secure at least 3 high-density foam blocks (2m*1m*0.2m) to the bottom of the bamboo raft. The number of foam blocks can be increased depending on the buoyancy of the bamboo raft during implementation.
[0013] Note: The above method can provide a simple and low-cost way to make a buoyancy layer.
[0014] Furthermore, the cushion layer includes a 5mm thick mixed felt geotextile and an eight-needle shade net, with the eight-needle shade net located below the mixed felt geotextile.
[0015] Note: The above-mentioned bedding layer can prevent the planting soil from flowing out through the gaps.
[0016] Furthermore, the plants include wetland plants of different heights, including tall plants, medium-tall plants, and low-tall plants; wherein, the tall plants are one or more of the following: variegated reed, canna lily, cattail, reed, and canna; the medium-tall plants are one or more of the following: loosestrife, pickerelweed, and iris; and the low-tall plants are one or more of the following: moneywort, duckweed, purslane, knotweed, and wild coriander.
[0017] Note: The three different heights of wetland plants mentioned above, along with sand, gravel, and dead branches, can create a multifunctional habitat for organisms.
[0018] Furthermore, a rotating rod is rotatably provided on the buoyancy layer and the matrix layer. A rotating disk is provided at the upper end of the rotating rod located above the matrix layer, and a rotating wheel driven by water flow is provided at the lower end of the rotating rod located below the bamboo raft. A guide plate is fixed on the bamboo raft. One end of the guide plate is fixed to the bamboo raft, and the other end of the guide plate is located close to the rotating disk. The horizontal height of the other end of the guide plate is greater than the horizontal height of the first end of the guide plate.
[0019] Explanation: The above structure can utilize the water flow under the platform to drive the rotating disk to rotate via a rotating rod, allowing plant fruits and seeds on the rotating disk to enter the water through guide plates, thus feeding aquatic organisms. At the same time, the aquatic organisms also provide a food source for birds.
[0020] Furthermore, the thickness of the substrate layer planting soil is 50-100mm, and the soil covering method is as follows: the middle of the buoyancy unit is covered with 100mm thick soil to form a soil mound, and the perimeter is covered with 50mm thick soil.
[0021] The area of wetland plants planted in the substrate layer of the buoyancy unit shall not exceed 70% of the area of the buoyancy unit. Among the plant planting area, the proportion of tall plants shall be 15%, the proportion of medium-tall plants shall be 30%, and the proportion of short-tall plants shall be 55%.
[0022] The planting method for wetland plants in the substrate layer is as follows: tall plants are planted in the center of the buoyancy unit, medium-height plants are planted around the tall plants, and low-height plants are planted around the medium-height plants; the spacing between tall and medium-height plants is 60-100mm, and the spacing between low-height plants is 200-300mm.
[0023] The matrix layer consists of at least 30% bare soil, covered with 10-20mm thick sand and gravel, and piled with dead wood and stones.
[0024] The buoyancy frame employs different fixing methods depending on the specific application scenario:
[0025] a. In-water piling fixation: Suitable for shallow water areas near the shore, using galvanized steel pipes with an outer diameter of 60mm and a wall thickness of 2mm or pine piles with a diameter of 60mm to be driven into the bottom of the water, and the buoyancy frame is connected to the piles by nylon cables.
[0026] b. Onshore piling fixation: Suitable for deep water areas near the shore, using galvanized steel pipes with a length of 6.0m, an outer diameter of 60.0mm, and a wall thickness of 2.0mm or pine wood piles with a diameter of 60mm to be driven on the shore, and the buoyancy frame is connected to the piles by nylon cables.
[0027] c. Anchoring in water: Suitable for open waters offshore, using 25-50kg iron anchors. The buoyancy frame is connected to the iron anchor by nylon or hemp ropes, with the rope length being at least 3 times the water depth.
[0028] Note: The above provides a specific and practical method for planting in the substrate layer and fixing the buoyancy frame.
[0029] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:
[0030] This invention, through the arrangement of various buoyancy units and the planting of wetland plants at different heights, along with sand, gravel, and dead branches, can create a multifunctional biological habitat. It solves the problem of habitat shrinkage, quality, and diversity decline caused by shoreline hardening and homogenization in artificial lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. It is simple to construct and cost-effective, and can quickly create high-quality and diverse biological habitats without altering the original shoreline, meeting the needs of waterbirds, amphibians, fish, and benthic animals. It is conducive to the reconstruction of wetland food chains, thereby effectively improving biodiversity, ecosystem quality, and stability. Attached Figure Description
[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the buoyancy frame of this utility model;
[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the buoyancy unit of this utility model;
[0033] Figure 3 This is a top view of the buoyancy unit of this utility model;
[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the buoyancy unit bamboo raft of this utility model;
[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the side cross-section of the bamboo raft in Embodiment 2 of this utility model;
[0036] Figure 6 This is a top view schematic diagram of the bamboo raft in Embodiment 2 of this utility model;
[0037] Among them, 1-buoyancy frame, 2-buoyancy unit, 3-buoyancy layer, 31-fence, 32-bamboo raft, 33-fixing bamboo, 34-high-density foam block, 35-rotating wheel, 36-rotating disc, 37-guide plate, 4-buoyancy unit matrix layer, 41-sand and gravel, 42-planting soil, 43-substrate layer, 44-high-height plants, 45-medium-height plants, 46-low-height plants, 47-pile of dead wood and pile of stones. Detailed Implementation
[0038] To further illustrate the methods and effects of this utility model, the technical solution of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with experiments.
[0039] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments, so as to better demonstrate the advantages of the present invention.
[0040] Example 1: As Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, an artificial small aquatic habitat platform includes a buoyancy frame 1, which comprises at least two sequentially connected buoyancy units 2. Each buoyancy unit 2 includes a buoyancy layer 3 and a matrix layer 4 disposed on the buoyancy layer 3. The matrix layer 4 includes a cushion layer 43 and a planting soil layer 42 disposed from bottom to top. The planting soil layer 42 includes a central area for planting plants and an edge area for piling up stones and deadwood. Figure 1 As shown, the ratio of the central region to the edge region is 5 to 10:1 (6:1 is used in this embodiment).
[0041] The interval between every two buoyancy units is 0.1 to 0.2 m (0.15 m is selected in this embodiment).
[0042] The buoyancy layer 3 includes a bamboo raft 32 and a high-density foam block 34;
[0043] The method for constructing buoyancy layer 3 is as follows:
[0044] Step 1: Use nylon ropes with a diameter of 6-10mm (8mm is used in this embodiment) to tie and fix 20 bamboo poles with a length of 4-6m (5m is used in this embodiment) and a diameter of 100-150mm (120mm is used in this embodiment) in a row, with the spacing between each bamboo pole controlled at about 5-10mm (8mm is used in this embodiment); tie 4 rows of bamboo poles with a diameter of 100-150mm (120mm is used in this embodiment) to fix the bamboo raft, with each row spaced 1-1.5m (1.2m is used in this embodiment);
[0045] Step 2: Fix a bamboo pole with a diameter of about 100mm on each of the four sides above the bamboo raft 32 to form a fence 31 around the buoyancy layer to prevent the substrate layer 4 from falling into the water from between the edges of the bamboo raft.
[0046] Step 3: Secure at least 3 high-density foam blocks 34, each 2m*1m*0.2m, to the bottom of the bamboo raft 32. Alternatively, more foam blocks can be added depending on the buoyancy of the bamboo raft during implementation.
[0047] The cushion layer 43 includes a 5mm mixed felt geotextile and an eight-needle shade net, with the eight-needle shade net located below the mixed felt geotextile.
[0048] The substrate layer 4 is planted with three different types of wetland plants of varying heights: tall plants, medium plants, and low plants. The tall plants consist of the same number of plants each of *Reed florida*, *Thalia dealbata*, *Typha orientalis*, *Phragmites australis*, and *Canna indica*. The medium plants consist of the same number of plants each of *Lythrum salicaria*, *Prunella vulgaris*, and *Iris tectorum*. The low plants consist of the same number of plants each of *Lysimachia christinae*, *Monochoria vaginalis*, *Portulaca oleracea*, *Polygonum hydropiper*, and *Coriander spp.*
[0049] The thickness of the substrate layer planting soil is 50-100mm (80mm is used in this example), and the soil covering method is as follows: the middle of the buoyancy unit is covered with 100mm thick soil to form a soil mound, and the perimeter is covered with 50mm thick soil.
[0050] The area of wetland plants planted in the substrate layer of the buoyancy unit shall not exceed 70% of the area of the buoyancy unit. Among the plant planting area, the proportion of tall plants shall be 15%, the proportion of medium-tall plants shall be 30%, and the proportion of short-tall plants shall be 55%.
[0051] The planting method for wetland plants in the substrate layer is as follows: tall plants are planted in the center of the buoyancy unit, medium-height plants are planted around the tall plants, and low-height plants are planted around the medium-height plants; the spacing between tall and medium-height plants is 60-100mm (80mm is used in this embodiment), and the spacing between low-height plants is 200-300mm (220mm is used in this embodiment).
[0052] The matrix layer consists of at least 30% bare soil, covered with 10-20mm thick sand and gravel, and piled with dead wood and stones.
[0053] The buoyancy frame employs different fixing methods depending on the specific application scenario:
[0054] a. In-water piling fixation: Suitable for shallow water areas near the shore, using galvanized steel pipes with an outer diameter of 60mm and a wall thickness of 2mm or pine piles with a diameter of 60mm to be driven into the bottom of the water, and the buoyancy frame is connected to the piles by nylon cables.
[0055] b. Onshore piling fixation: Suitable for deep water areas near the shore, using galvanized steel pipes with a length of 6.0m, an outer diameter of 60.0mm, and a wall thickness of 2.0mm or pine wood piles with a diameter of 60mm to be driven on the shore, and the buoyancy frame is connected to the piles by nylon cables.
[0056] c. Anchoring in water: Suitable for open waters offshore, using 25-50kg iron anchors. The buoyancy frame is connected to the iron anchor by nylon or hemp ropes, with the rope length being at least 3 times the water depth.
[0057] The above principle is as follows: the buoyancy layer 3 provides buoyancy for the construction of a small aquatic organism habitat platform, and the substrate layer 4, as well as the planted plants, rock piles, etc., can provide habitats and food sources for a variety of organisms, thereby gradually increasing the number of species on the platform and realizing the construction of an ecological platform.
[0058] Example 2: This example is basically the same as Example 1, except that; Figure 5 , 6 As shown, a rotating rod is rotatably connected to the buoyancy layer 3 and the matrix layer 4. A rotating disk 36 is provided at the upper end of the rotating rod located above the matrix layer 4, and a rotating wheel 35 driven by water flow is provided at the lower end of the rotating rod located below the bamboo raft 32. A guide plate 37 is fixed on the bamboo raft 32. One end of the guide plate 37 is fixed to the bamboo raft 32, and the other end of the guide plate 37 is located close to the rotating disk 36. The horizontal height of the other end of the guide plate 37 is greater than the horizontal height of the first end of the guide plate 37, and the guide plate 37 is inclined at 13°. A protective shell can be fitted over the rotating rod so that the rotation of the rotating rod is not affected by the matrix layer.
[0059] The working method of this embodiment is the same as that of embodiment 1. The difference is that in embodiment 1, the flow of water relative to the bamboo raft 31 is used to drive the rotating wheel 35 to rotate. The rotation of the rotating wheel 35 drives the rotating disk 36 to rotate, so that the fruits and seeds on the rotating disk 36 are subjected to centrifugal force, thereby having enough power to enter the water body through the guide plate 37 to feed aquatic animals.
[0060] Experimental example:
[0061] A structure approximately 360 meters long was built around an island in the middle of a lake in a certain city. 2 This project involves constructing a small, artificial aquatic habitat platform for marine life. The lake in question is a typical artificial lake within an urban built-up area, characterized by severe shoreline homogenization, leading to habitat shrinkage, decreased quality and diversity, and a lack of mudflats, shoals, and shallow water habitats necessary for waterbirds. The island in the center of the lake receives only a small number of waterbirds for resting, resulting in low abundance. This project involves constructing approximately 360m² of artificial aquatic habitat platform around the island. 2The artificial aquatic small-scale aquatic habitat platform was constructed using the following engineering methods: Twenty buoyancy units were built around the island in the lake, each unit measuring 6*3m. The buoyancy layer consisted of 20 bamboo rafts, each 6m long and 150mm in diameter, bundled together and fixed in place, with the spacing between each bamboo raft controlled at approximately 5mm. Three rows of 150mm diameter bamboo were used to secure the rafts, spaced 1.5m apart. A 100mm diameter bamboo was fixed to each of the four sides of each raft, forming a fence around it. The bottom of each raft was reinforced with… Three high-density foamed floating panels, each 2m x 1m x 0.2m, are located at both ends and the middle of the bamboo raft. Each raft is covered with an eight-needle shade net and a 5mm thick layer of mixed felt geotextile. Planting soil is then placed on the geotextile, with a 100mm thick soil mound in the center of each buoyancy unit, surrounded by a 50mm thick soil mound. Three different types of wetland plants of varying heights are planted: tall plants, medium plants, and low plants. The tall plants are: variegated reed, thalia, and cattail; the medium plants are loosestrife, pickerelweed, and iris; and the low plants are: tall... The plants used are moneywort, duckweed, and purslane. The area planted with wetland plants is controlled to be 50% of the buoyancy unit area. Of the planted area, tall plants account for 15%, medium-tall plants 30%, and short-tall plants 55%. In each buoyancy unit, 15 tall plants are planted in the center, 30 medium-tall plants are planted around the tall plants, and 55 short-tall plants are planted around the medium-tall plants. The spacing between tall and medium-tall plants is 60-100mm. The spacing between the seedlings of the buoyancy plant is 200-300mm; 50% of the area of each buoyancy unit is bare soil, covered with 20mm thick sand and gravel, and piled with dead wood; the buoyancy units are connected to each other by nylon cables, with the connection points located at both ends and the middle of the long side of the buoyancy unit, and the interval between each buoyancy unit is 0.2m, forming a buoyancy frame; the buoyancy frame is fixed by anchoring with 30kg iron anchors, and the four corners of the buoyancy frame are connected to the iron anchors by nylon cables, the cable length is 10m, about 3 times the depth of the lake.
[0062] After the project was completed, the survey that year showed that the number of bird species on the island increased by 10 and the number increased by nearly 30%. The survey in 2024 showed that a large number of egrets had built nests on the island, with more than 220 nests. Various herons, geese, ducks, and rails were observed to be active on the artificial small aquatic habitat platform.
Claims
1. A man-made small aquatic habitat platform, characterized in that, The system includes a buoyancy frame (1), which includes at least two buoyancy units (2) connected in sequence. Each buoyancy unit (2) includes a buoyancy layer (3) and a matrix layer (4) disposed on the buoyancy layer (3). The matrix layer (4) includes a cushion layer (43) and a planting soil layer (42) disposed from bottom to top. The planting soil layer (42) includes a central area for planting plants and an edge area for piling up stones and deadwood.
2. The artificial small-scale aquatic biological habitat platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The interval between every two buoyancy units is 0.1 to 0.2 m.
3. The artificial small-scale aquatic biological habitat platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The buoyancy layer (3) includes a bamboo raft (32) and a high-density foam block (34).
4. The artificial small-scale aquatic biological habitat platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cushion layer (43) includes a mixed felt geotextile and an eight-needle shade net, the eight-needle shade net being located below the mixed felt geotextile.
5. The artificial small-scale aquatic biological habitat platform as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A rotating rod is rotatably provided on the buoyancy layer (3) and the matrix layer (4). A rotating disk (36) is provided at the upper end of the rotating rod located above the matrix layer (4). A rotating wheel (35) driven by water flow is provided at the lower end of the rotating rod located below the bamboo raft (32). A guide plate (37) is fixed on the bamboo raft (32). One end of the guide plate (37) is fixed to the bamboo raft (32), and the other end of the guide plate (37) is set close to the rotating disk (36). The horizontal height of the other end of the guide plate (37) is greater than the horizontal height of the first end of the guide plate (37).