Habitat selection by breeding waterbirds at ponds with size-structured fish populations

Fish may significantly affect habitat use by birds, either as their prey or as competitors. Fish communities are often distinctly size-structured, but the consequences for waterbird assemblages remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of size structure of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) cohorts together with other biotic and abiotic pond characteristics on the distribution of breeding waterbirds in a seminatural system of monocultured ponds, where three fish age classes were separately stocked. Fish age corresponded to a distinct fish size gradient. Fish age and total biomass, macroinvertebrate and amphibian abundance, and emergent vegetation best explained the differences in bird density between ponds. Abundance of animal prey other than fish (aquatic macroinvertebrates and larval amphibians) decreased with increasing carp age in the ponds. Densities of ducks and smaller grebes were strongly negatively associated with fish age/size gradient. The largest of the grebes, the piscivorous great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), was the only species that preferred ponds with medium-sized fish and was positively associated with total fish biomass. Habitat selection by bitterns and most rallids was instead strongly influenced by the relative amount of emergent vegetation cover in the ponds. Our results show that fish size structure may be an important cue for breeding habitat choice and a factor affording an opportunity for niche diversification in avian communities.     

不同基质上着生生物群落生态学特性比较研究

为了寻找最佳采样基质和方法,研究使用各种不同自然和人工基质对天然水体中的着生生物群落进行了采样。自然基质选取菹草、光壳钉螺和沿岸石块。人工基质采样装置由载玻片和染色架构成．使用时悬挂于河水之中。对各基质上的着生生物现存量、藻类细胞密度、着生藻类叶绿素a和着生生物干重等生态学指标进行了分析和比较．并简要分析了造成差异的原因。分析结果表明,各基质上着生藻类在种类组成上基本相似,以硅藻门、绿藻门为主。优势藻种为舟形藻属短小舟形藻、异极藻属缢缩异极藻和脆杆藻属克洛脆杆藻。不同基质上着生藻类的组成与藻类习性和细胞构造有关,与基质无关。但是不同基质也造成藻种间多样性的差异．这可能与基质表面粗糙程度、水流方向有关。附石藻类表征水体污染效果最好,所以建议采样时选取形状规则的石块为基质．最能反映着生生物群落的真实情况。     

Estimating the magnitude of morphoscapes: how to measure the morphological component of biodiversity in relation to habitats using geometric morphometrics

Ecological indicators are currently developed to account for the different facets of loss of biological diversity due to direct or indirect effects of human activities. Most ecological indicators include species richness as a metric. Others, such as functional traits and phylogenetic diversity, account for differences in species, even when species richness is the same. Here, we describe and apply a different indicator, called morphoscape dimension, accounting for morphological variability across habitats in a geographical region. We use the case of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in four different habitats in the Po Plain in Northern Italy to exemplify how to quantify the magnitude of the morphological space (i.e. the dimension of the morphoscape) occupied by the species in each habitat using geometric morphometrics. To this aim, we employed a variety of metrics of morphological disparity related to univariate size, and more complex multivariate shape and form. Our ‘proof of concept’ suggests that metrics assessing size and form might largely tend to simply mirror the information provided by species richness, whereas shape morphoscape disparity may be able to account for non-trivial differences in species traits amongst habitats. This is indicated by the woodland morphoscape being on average bigger than that of crops, the most species-rich habitat, despite having almost 20% less species. We conclude suggesting that the analysis of morphoscape dimension has the potential to become a new additional and complimentary tool in the hands of conservation biologists and ecologists to explore and quantify habitat complexity and inform decisions on management and conservation based on a wide set of ecological indicators.     

凌水湾不同海岸结构潮间带附着生物群落特征差异性影响分析

研究不同海岸结构潮间带生物群落特征的差异不仅可以了解结构的基质特征与潮间带生物栖息适宜度的关系,还可为人工岸线生态化措施的选择提供依据。本文对凌水湾自然岸线和6个不同海岸结构潮间带生物群落进行了调查,比较了潮间带生物群落特征在不同海岸结构之间的差异,探讨了基质和结构特征与潮间带附着生物指标的关系,总结了影响附着生物特征...     

Linkages between fishery habitat quality,stressors, and fishery populations

Increasing human population densities and development along the coasts of the United States pose a threat to fish populations through alteration of their habitats due to modification of upland watersheds, increased inputs of nutrient and domestic and agricultural chemicals, and direct habitat replacement or destruction. Injuries to these habitats will in turn affect populations of marine and estuarine organisms. To effectively evaluate the impacts of human activities on essential fish habitat we propose a framework to assess the linkages between fishery habitat alteration and modification and fishery production and community structure in coastal environments. Inherent natural variability makes it difficult to detect changes to the population or community. Therefore, we target structural and functional components of fish habitat as assessment endpoints, rather than the fish populations that utilize those habitats.     

辽东湾潮间带夏季大型底栖动物群落结构研究

在对2014年8月辽东湾潮间带10个断面采集的生物样品进行鉴定分析的基础上,采用物种多样性指数、物种丰富度指数和物种均匀度指数分析该潮间带大型底栖动物的物种多样性,运用群落聚类、MDS排序和ABC曲线分析潮间带大型底栖动物群落的结构特点,并进一步分析阐述了大型底栖动物群落特征的分布原因。调查共发现大型底栖动物85种,其中软体动物门50种;节肢动物门20种;环节动物门8种;腔肠动物门2种;棘皮动物门1种;其他动物4种。平均栖息密度和平均生物量分别为321.07个/m2和62.47 g/m2。数据分析显示,辽东湾潮间带各断面大型底栖动物群落受到不同程度的干扰,其群落特征分布主要受底质、生境、季节和人为干扰等因素影响。     

人工替代栖息地对长江口湿地的补充作用研究

利用恢复生态学和景观生态学原理构建人工替代栖息地是恢复和重建生物栖息地环境的重要手段之一,是用于滨海河口区修复或重建滩涂湿地等栖息地的一种替代方法。人工替代栖息地构建出了接近自然原貌的人工系统,创造一种湿地植被和湿地动物可以协调共存的生境,不仅可以为鸟类资源和渔业资源提供良好的栖息环境,其中多样化组合的植被群落在滨水景观、水质净化等方面也起到了重要的作用,对长江口自然湿地的恢复和自然保护区的动态管理具有不可忽视的补充作用。在迁徙鸟类重要中转驿站,珍稀或者经济鱼类的洄游通道,特殊价值的重要湿地景观格局以及水资源战略储备区域中布局人工替代栖息地,可以发挥其对长江口湿地的补充作用,使高度开放而又极为敏感的长江河口地区循着生态健康道路发展。     

Spatial separation from family in the mobile young of a biparental fish: risks and dynamics of returning home

In species with extended parental care, mobile dependent young are potentially more vulnerable to predators when they stray and become separated from their parents. We would expect that the likelihood of, and latency time for, a separated young to safely return to its ‘family unit’ (i.e. parents and brood mates) to be, respectively, inversely and positively related to the initial distance of separation and potentially mediated by its age or body size. Using the biparental convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania siquia), we tested these predictions by capturing individual young and displacing them at varying distances from their family unit in both the field and laboratory. As expected, displaced fish were less likely, and took longer, to return to their family with increasing separation distance from the family unit. The body length of displaced young mediated these relationships and their antipredator behaviour; larger young refuged more than smaller ones and were also less likely to be eaten by predators. These results suggest that selection should favour strong affiliative behaviour in mobile young animals towards their brood mates and protective parents because straying from the family unit leads to increased exposure to predation and a reduced likelihood of returning home with increasing separation distance.     

Body mass dependence of glycogen stores in the anoxia-tolerant crucian carp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Carassius carassius</Emphasis> L.)

Glycogen is a vital energy substrate for anaerobic organisms, and the size of glycogen stores can be a limiting factor for anoxia tolerance of animals. To this end, glycogen stores in 12 different tissues of the crucian carp (Carassius carassius L.), an anoxia-tolerant fish species, were examined. Glycogen content of different tissues was 2–10 times higher in winter (0.68–18.20% of tissue wet weight) than in summer (0.12–4.23%). In scale, bone and brain glycogen stores were strongly dependent on body mass (range between 0.6 and 785 g), small fish having significantly more glycogen than large fish (p < 0.05). In fin and skin, size dependence was evident in winter, but not in summer, while in other tissues (ventricle, atrium, intestine, liver, muscle, and spleen), no size dependence was found. The liver was much bigger in small than large fish (p < 0.001), and there was a prominent enlargement of the liver in winter irrespective of fish size. As a consequence, the whole body glycogen reserves, measured as a sum of glycogen from different tissues, varied from 6.1% of the body mass in the 1-g fish to 2.0% in the 800-g fish. Since anaerobic metabolic rate scales down with body size, the whole body glycogen reserves could provide energy for approximately 79 and 88 days of anoxia in small and large fish, respectively. There was, however, a drastic difference in tissue distribution of glycogen between large and small fish: in the small fish, the liver was the major glycogen store (68% of the stores), while in the large fish, the white myotomal muscle was the principal deposit of glycogen (57%). Since muscle glycogen is considered to be unavailable for blood glucose regulation, its usefulness in anoxia tolerance of the large crucian carp might be limited, although not excluded. Therefore, mobilization of muscle glycogen under anoxia needs to be rigorously tested.     

我国典型潮间带不同形态氮的空间分布特征

2014年秋季对全国14个典型潮间带沉积物间隙水与上覆水中不同形态氮的空间分布特征进行了调查,结合沉积物粒度、人类活动等影响因素对其主要影响因子进行了研究。结果表明:间隙水中氮的浓度均受到周边人类活动的影响,流域氮输入是导致河口区间隙水氮浓度高于非河口区的原因之一。不同粒径沉积物对氮的保持能力也是影响其浓度的重要因素。在河口区,人口密度、农田面积和污水排放量对间隙水中DIN浓度有一定影响,海水养殖面积对间隙水中DON浓度有重要影响。其中大辽河口、九龙江口和珠江口潮间带间隙水主要受人口密度的影响,大沽河口主要受人口密度和农田面积的影响,闽江口主要受人口密度和污水排放量的影响,黄河口主要受海水养殖的影响。在非河口区,污水排放量对潮间带间隙水中DON影响显著,由于非河口区养殖降低了氮营养盐尤其是硝酸盐浓度,海水养殖面积和种类对DIN的浓度和结构有明显影响。其中苏北浅滩间隙水中氮主要受污水排放的影响,北戴河沙滩、四十里湾和英罗湾均受海水养殖的影响。     

Plant invasion phenomenon enhances reproduction performance in an endangered spider

Current models in evolutionary ecology predict life history alterations in response to habitat suitability to optimize fitness. Only few empirical studies have demonstrated how life history traits that are expected to trade off against each other differ among environments. In Europe, many salt marshes have been recently invaded by the grass Elymus athericus. Previous studies however showed higher densities of the endangered spider Arctosa fulvolineata (Araneae: Lycosidae) in invaded salt marshes compared to natural habitats, which suggests a lower habitat suitability in the latter. The aim of this study was to determine if this emerging habitat (1) affects the amount of resource acquisition and (2) alters the balance between life history traits that are expected to trade off against each other in this stenotopic salt marsh species. As suggested by theoretical studies, an optimization of fitness by increasing egg size at the cost of decreasing fecundity in unsuitable (i.e., natural) habitats was expected. Females presenting cocoon were then collected in close invaded and natural salt marsh areas within the Mont Saint-Michel Bay (France). By considering female mass as covariate, cocoon mass, number of eggs, and egg volume were compared between both habitats. Clutch mass was strongly determined by female mass in both habitats. Clutch mass was however significantly smaller in the natural habitat compared to the invaded habitat, indicating a higher resource acquisition in the latter. When correcting for female size, fecundity was additionally increased in the invaded habitat through a significant decrease in egg size. This phenotypic response can be explained by differences in habitat structure between invaded and natural habitats: the former offers a more complex litter favoring nocturnal wanderers like A. fulvolineata. The existence of such an adaptive reproduction strategy depending on habitat suitability constitutes an original case of an invasion that favors an endangered species.     

The governance of private residential land in cities and spatial effects on tree cover

Trees in cities supply ecosystem services, including cooling, storm water quality management, habitat, visual screening and softening of built form. There is an expanding interdisciplinary field encompassing biodiversity, ecosystem services, and stewardship networks in cities. However most of this work focuses on public greenspace. While much work has been done to demonstrate that trees on private land are an important complement to the public urban forest, and to understand the social drivers of such, less is known about the governance of private greenspace in cities. Private land contributes to a significant component of a city’s tree cover, particularly in cities characterised by low-density residential suburbs. It is important to understand the mechanisms that govern private tree cover, given the pace and scale of urbanisation globally. We combined policy and spatial analysis to examine the influence of larger and denser forms of residential development on suburban tree cover and the scope of contemporary governance measures. We interrogated tree cover patterns in the rapidly densifying and consolidating city of Brisbane, Australia, to show that private residential tree cover is explained by dwelling density, housing age, terrain slope, high school education, and household income. Results show significantly (30%) less tree cover in low-density residential suburbs developed since the early 1990s. We develop five governance principles for reversing the decline of urban trees on private residential property that may be transferable to other rapidly developing cities in around the world.     

A framework for adapting urban forests to climate change

Planting urban trees and expanding urban forest canopy cover are often considered key strategies for reducing climate change impacts in urban areas. However, urban trees and forests can also be vulnerable to climate change through shifts in tree habitat suitability, changes in pests and diseases, and changes in extreme weather events. We developed a three-step framework for urban forest vulnerability assessment and adaptation that scales from regional assessment to local on-the-ground action. We piloted this framework in the Chicago region in 10 locations representing an urban-exurban gradient across a range of socioeconomic capacities. The majority of trees across a seven-county region had low to moderate vulnerability, but many of the least vulnerable species were nonnative invasive species. Urban forests in the 10 pilot locations ranged in vulnerability largely due to differences in economic and organizational adaptive capacity. Adaptation actions selected in these locations tended to focus on increased biodiversity and restoration of natural disturbance regimes. However, adaptation actions in more developed sites also included incorporating new species or cultivars. Lessons learned from the pilot area can be used to inform future efforts in other urban areas.     

Identifying a breeding habitat of a critically endangered fish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acheilognathus typus</Emphasis>, in a natural river in Japan

Freshwater biodiversity has been severely threatened in recent years, and to conserve endangered species, their distribution and breeding habitats need to be clarified. However, identifying breeding sites in a large area is generally difficult. Here, by combining the emerging environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis with subsequent traditional collection surveys, we successfully identified a breeding habitat for the critically endangered freshwater fish Acheilognathus typus in the mainstream of Omono River in Akita Prefecture, Japan, which is one of the original habitats of this species. Based on DNA cytochrome B sequences of A. typus and closely related species, we developed species-specific primers and a probe that were used in real-time PCR for detecting A. typus eDNA. After verifying the specificity and applicability of the primers and probe on water samples from known artificial habitats, eDNA analysis was applied to water samples collected at 99 sites along Omono River. Two of the samples were positive for A. typus eDNA, and thus, small fixed nets and bottle traps were set out to capture adult fish and verify egg deposition in bivalves (the preferred breeding substrate for A. typus) in the corresponding regions. Mature female and male individuals and bivalves containing laid eggs were collected at one of the eDNA-positive sites. This was the first record of adult A. typus in Omono River in 11 years. This study highlights the value of eDNA analysis to guide conventional monitoring surveys and shows that combining both methods can provide important information on breeding sites that is essential for species’ conservation.     

Do native brown trout and non-native brook trout interact reproductively?

Reproductive interactions between native and non-native species of fish have received little attention compared to other types of interactions such as predation or competition for food and habitat. We studied the reproductive interactions between non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and native brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a Pyrenees Mountain stream (SW France). We found evidence of significant interspecific interactions owing to consistent spatial and temporal overlap in redd localizations and spawning periods. We observed mixed spawning groups composed of the two species, interspecific subordinate males, and presence of natural hybrids (tiger trout). These reproductive interactions could be detrimental to the reproduction success of both species. Our study shows that non-native species might have detrimental effects on native species via subtle hybridization behavior.     

菌根真菌重金属耐性机制研究进展

菌根真菌在自然界中广泛存在,能与大多数陆地植物形成共生体,菌根共生体系对于植物适应各种逆境胁迫具有重要意义.在重金属污染土壤中通常也能发现菌根真菌,某些菌根真菌对重金属表现出较强的耐受性,在污染土壤修复方面显示出应用潜力.本文从生境选择、生理适应、功能基因表达调控等层面综述了菌根真菌重金属耐性机制方面的最新研究进展,并对今后的研究方向进行了展望,旨在推进相关机制研究及菌根技术在重金属污染土壤修复中的应用.     

Counting biodiversity waste in industrial eco-efficiency: fisheries case study

The foundation for the creation of eco-efficiency metrics for industrial impacts on biodiversity is considered. Because biodiversity is the essence of life itself, these metrics are essential for effectiveness in the theory and practice of eco-efficiency, particularly in the case of primary natural resource extraction industries such as fishing and forestry. The case of fishing is examined, with particular attention to by-catch, lost nets, and habitat damage caused by mobile fishing gears. It is appropriate to examine fishing because industrial era impacts on marine biodiversity have been severe and are driving large and deleterious changes in marine ecosystems. For discarded by-catch, it is proposed that an eco-efficient metric for the value per unit mass of discarded fish can be set to be equivalent to that of the market value of the utilized catch. In estimating the eco-efficient value of the catch, the value of the discarded fish is then subtracted from the market value of the catch. Fish killed in lost nets can be treated similarly. It is more difficult to address marine habitat damage by mobile fishing gear, which has the highest potential for ecological injury.By using the approach proposed, negative eco-efficiencies are obtained under circumstances in which the collateral damage to biodiversity exceeds the economic benefit obtained. This is a logical outcome given the long-term effects of biodiversity decline. A metric is also proposed for assessing whether avoidance of harm to biodiversity, in the form of switching fishing gear, is required. Lastly it is proposed that metrics might be developed to provide eco-efficiency credit for companies taking effective actions to improve, or actively participate in, ecosystem-based fisheries management.     

Scale-dependent habitat selection in migratory frugivorous passerines

Frugivorous migrants may select fruit-rich habitats en route to attain high food rewards, yet their stopover behavior may also be shaped by other considerations, such as predation risk. During 1996–2001 we investigated autumn stopover habitat use of three Sylvia warblers (sylviids; S. hortensis, S. atricapilla and S. curruca) and three Turdidae chats (turdids; Cercotrichas galactotes, Oenanthe hispanica and Phoenicurus phoenicurus) in planted groves of the fruiting tree Pistacia atlantica in Lahav Forest, Israel, which is located at the edge of a desert. We used fecal analysis, a constant-effort trapping scheme and field observations to estimate the extent of frugivory, and bird habitat and microhabitat selection with regard to natural fruit and foliage densities. We also measured bird microhabitat selection in a set of fruit-manipulated trees. We trapped a total of 2,357 birds during the course of the study. Although sylviids exhibited higher frugivory level than turdids, both species groups exhibited a similar significantly positive correlation between bird and fruit densities at the habitat scale. However, at the microhabitat scale, sylviids selected densely foliated trees, whilst turdids were randomly distributed among trees. Our findings suggest that both species groups selected fruit-rich stopover habitats to take advantage of the high food availability before the demanding migration journey. No other mechanism except predation avoidance can explain the sylviids microhabitat selection; the migrants used foliage cover to reduce bird detectability by raptors. We conclude that en route passerines may use staging habitats in a sophisticated manner, by adopting scale-related behavior with regard to the availability of food and refuge cover.     

Sustainability of seafood production and consumption: an introduction to the special issue

This paper provides an introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production on “The Sustainability of Seafood Production and Consumption”. The purpose of the special issue is to bring together a series of papers that will form a nucleus for the growth of an emerging area of scholarship. Overfishing and marine habitat damage have generated a global crisis in the production of seafood. In order to respond to this crisis we need systems for the management of seafood production and consumption that will comprehensively reduce and eventually eliminate wastefulness in both capture fisheries and aquaculture systems. Thirteen papers address these issues, with focuses on: seafood harvesting practices, fish processing, life cycle assessment, eco-efficiency, management of wastes, seafood distribution and consumption, total energy costs, eco-labeling, and the conservation of resources and biodiversity. We conclude that major changes are required in our approaches to the management of both the marine environment and our seafood capture and production systems. We also conclude that steps have been taken in this direction, but there is still far to go.     

新疆库地西北一些克沟深海蛇绿质沉积岩岩石学特征及沉积环境

在对该岩系野外考察的基础上,通过岩石矿物组合、岩石化学及颗粒分析的研究,找出这套岩系独特的蛇绿质性质,讨论了它们与下部基性火山岩的密切关系;提出这一岩系属于远陆大洋深处的产物,具有远洋深水扇的沉积特点。