Conservation mycology in Australia and the potential role of citizen science

Fungi are undoubtedly important for ecosystem functioning; however, they have been omitted or given scant attention in most biodiversity policy documents, management plans, and formal conservation schedules throughout the world. This oversight may be due to a general lack of awareness in the scientific community and compounded by a scarcity of mycology‐associated curricula at the tertiary level and a lack of mycologists in research institutions. Although molecular techniques advance the systematic cataloging of fungi and facilitate insights into fungal communities, the scarcity of professional mycologists in the environmental sciences hampers conservation efforts. Conversely, citizen science initiatives are making significant contributions to the mycology discipline by increasing awareness and extending the scope of fungal surveys. Future research by professional and amateur mycologists into the distribution of fungi and their function in ecosystems will help identify wider and more effective conservation goals.     

西安市表层土壤中邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)含量与构成

通过在西安市三环内6个功能区布设62个采样点,采样分析其表层土壤中邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)质量比及其构成特征。结果表明,西安市表层土壤中DMP、DEP、BBP、DnBP、DEHP和DnOP平均值分别为0.188 mg/kg、0.187 mg/kg、0.091 mg/kg、4.174 mg/kg、6.122 mg/kg和0.188 mg/kg,6种PAEs总质量比(∑6PAEs)范围为1.54 mg/kg^153.17 mg/kg,平均值为10.95 mg/kg。6个功能区∑6PAEs从高到低为交通区>工业区>混合区>公园>文教区>住宅区。与其他城市表层土壤中PAEs值比较发现,DMP处于高水平,DEP、DnBP、DEHP和∑6 PAEs处于较高水平,BBP和DnOP处于中等水平。     

Application of the Red List Index for conservation assessment of Spanish vascular plants

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI) is used to measure trends in extinction risk of species over time. The development of 2 red lists for Spanish vascular flora during the past decade allowed us to apply the IUCN RLI to vascular plants in an area belonging to a global biodiversity hotspot. We used the Spanish Red Lists from 2000 and 2010 to assess changes in level of threat at a national scale and at the subnational scales of Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and peninsular Spain. We assigned retrospective IUCN categories of threat to 98 species included in the Spanish Red List of 2010 but absent in the Spanish Red List of 2000. In addition, we tested the effect of different random and taxonomic and spatial Spanish samples on the overall RLI value. From 2000 to 2010, the IUCN categories of 768 species changed (10% of Spanish flora), mainly due to improved knowledge (63%), modifications in IUCN criteria (14%), and changes in threat status (12%). All measured national and subnational RLI values decreased during this period, indicating a general decline in the conservation status of the Spanish vascular flora. The Canarian RLI value (0.84) was the lowest, although the fastest deterioration in conservation status occurred on peninsular Spain (from 0.93 in 2000 to 0.92 in 2010). The RLI values based on subsamples of the Spanish Red List were not representative of RLI values for the entire country, which would discourage the use of small areas or small taxonomic samples to assess general trends in the endangerment of national biotas. The role of the RLI in monitoring of changes in biodiversity at the global and regional scales needs further reassessment because additional areas and taxa are necessary to determine whether the index is sufficiently sensitive for use in assessing temporal changes in species’ risk of extinction.     

Effect of biogeographic history on population vulnerability in European amphibians

The genetic diversity of populations, which contributes greatly to their adaptive potential, is negatively affected by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation and destruction. However, continental‐scale losses of genetic diversity also resulted from the population expansions that followed the end of the last glaciation, an element that is rarely considered in a conservation context. We addressed this issue in a meta‐analysis in which we compared the spatial patterns of vulnerability of 18 widespread European amphibians in light of phylogeographic histories (glacial refugia and postglacial routes) and anthropogenic disturbances. Conservation statuses significantly worsened with distances from refugia, particularly in the context of industrial agriculture; human population density also had a negative effect. These findings suggest that features associated with the loss of genetic diversity in post‐glacial amphibian populations (such as enhanced fixation load or depressed adaptive potential) may increase their susceptibility to current threats (e.g., habitat fragmentation and pesticide use). We propose that the phylogeographic status of populations (i.e., refugial vs. post‐glacial) should be considered in conservation assessments for regional and national red lists.     

Are national biodiversity strategies and action plans appropriate for building responsibilities for mainstreaming biodiversity across policy sectors? The case of Finland

The Convention on Biological Diversity's national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) are major mechanisms for mainstreaming biodiversity into national policies. This article examines whether and how the NBSAPs contribute to mainstreaming biodiversity across policy sectors in Finland in order to halt biodiversity loss. We have developed an innovative analytical framework where the concept of responsibility addresses how motivations for mainstreaming can be built, and the concept of social learning outcomes addresses the extent of institutional changes for biodiversity. The Finnish NBSAP processes have been able to build diverse forms of responsibility (liability, accountability, responsiveness and care) in different policy sectors by providing new knowledge, careful process design and developing institutional linkages. Despite pro-biodiversity outcomes in the targeted policy sectors, the responsibilities do not diffuse from the environmental administration to other policy sectors to a sufficient extent. Closing this ‘responsibility gap’ is a key challenge for building effective environmental policies.     

巢湖流域河流鱼类群落的时空分布

基于2013年4月和10月对巢湖流域66个河道样点的调查数据,初步研究了巢湖流域河流鱼类群落的时空变化特征。主要研究结果显示,鱼类多样性无显著性的水系间、生态分区间的变化,但随季节和河流级别显著变化:10月份的个体数显著高于4月份,2级河流的物种数和个体数均显著大于1级、3级和4级河流。鱼类群落结构的季节动态显著,随生态分区显著变化,但不受水系、河流级别的显著影响。在二级生态分区水平上,仅西南森林生态亚区的鱼类群落结构与其他5个生态亚区的显著差异;宽鳍鱲、吻虾虎鱼等在西南森林生态亚区具有更高多度,而鲫、鰐、鲤等物种在其他生态亚区多度更高。     

Using environmental heterogeneity to plan for sea‐level rise

Environmental heterogeneity is increasingly being used to select conservation areas that will provide for future biodiversity under a variety of climate scenarios. This approach, termed conserving nature's stage (CNS), assumes environmental features respond to climate change more slowly than biological communities, but will CNS be effective if the stage were to change as rapidly as the climate? We tested the effectiveness of using CNS to select sites in salt marshes for conservation in coastal Georgia (U.S.A.), where environmental features will change rapidly as sea level rises. We calculated species diversity based on distributions of 7 bird species with a variety of niches in Georgia salt marshes. Environmental heterogeneity was assessed across six landscape gradients (e.g., elevation, salinity, and patch area). We used 2 approaches to select sites with high environmental heterogeneity: site complementarity (environmental diversity [ED]) and local environmental heterogeneity (environmental richness [ER]). Sites selected based on ER predicted present‐day species diversity better than randomly selected sites (up to an 8.1% improvement), were resilient to areal loss from SLR (1.0% average areal loss by 2050 compared with 0.9% loss of randomly selected sites), and provided habitat to a threatened species (0.63 average occupancy compared with 0.6 average occupancy of randomly selected sites). Sites selected based on ED predicted species diversity no better or worse than random and were not resilient to SLR (2.9% average areal loss by 2050). Despite the discrepancy between the 2 approaches, CNS is a viable strategy for conservation site selection in salt marshes because the ER approach was successful. It has potential for application in other coastal areas where SLR will affect environmental features, but its performance may depend on the magnitude of geological changes caused by SLR. Our results indicate that conservation planners that had heretofore excluded low‐lying coasts from CNS planning could include coastal ecosystems in regional conservation strategies.     

Potential Negative Ecological Effects of Corridors

Despite many studies showing that landscape corridors increase dispersal and species richness for disparate taxa, concerns persist that corridors can have unintended negative effects. In particular, some of the same mechanisms that underlie positive effects of corridors on species of conservation interest may also increase the spread and impact of antagonistic species (e.g., predators and pathogens), foster negative effects of edges, increase invasion by exotic species, increase the spread of unwanted disturbances such as fire, or increase population synchrony and thus reduce persistence. We conducted a literature review and meta‐analysis to evaluate the prevalence of each of these negative effects. We found no evidence that corridors increase unwanted disturbance or non‐native species invasion; however, these have not been well‐studied concerns (1 and 6 studies, respectively). Other effects of corridors were more often studied and yielded inconsistent results; mean effect sizes were indistinguishable from zero. The effect of edges on abundances of target species was as likely to be positive as negative. Corridors were as likely to have no effect on antagonists or population synchrony as they were to increase those negative effects. We found 3 deficiencies in the literature. First, despite studies on how corridors affect predators, there are few studies of related consequences for prey population size and persistence. Second, properly designed studies of negative corridor effects are needed in natural corridors at scales larger than those achievable in experimental systems. Third, studies are needed to test more targeted hypotheses about when corridor‐mediated effects on invasive species or disturbance may be negative for species of management concern. Overall, we found no overarching support for concerns that construction and maintenance of habitat corridors may result in unintended negative consequences. Negative edge effects may be mitigated by widening corridors or softening edges between corridors and the matrix. Other negative effects are relatively small and manageable compared with the large positive effects of facilitating dispersal and increasing diversity of native species. Efectos Negativos Potenciales de los Corredores     

两个CANON污水处理系统中氨氧化古菌的丰度和多样性研究

近期,氨氧化古菌(ammonia-oxidizing archaea,AOA)在各类环境中的发现,打破了人们原来认为氨氧化主要是由氨氧化细菌(ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB)完成的观点.但是在全程自养脱氮(completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite,CANON)污水处理系统中关于AOA的研究却鲜有提及.利用PCR、克隆、实时荧光定量PCR(quantitative real time PCR,q PCR)等分子生物学技术,对1个小试(lab-scale,L)和1个中试(pilot-scale,P)CANON系统中的生物膜和活性污泥絮体两种形态的污泥进行AOA数量和种属特征的研究.结果表明:1系统L和P中,AOA的amo A基因数量平均值(以dry sludge计)分别为2.42×106copies·g-1和6.51×106copies·g-1;2 AOA的amo A基因丰度随污泥形态不同数量相差很大:L系统中,生物膜AOA amo A丰度约为活性污泥絮体的11.1~15.1倍;P系统中,污泥絮体AOA amo A数量是生物膜中的2.8倍;3多样性方面:P系统的AOA多样性较低,仅出现一个OTU,该OTU属于Nitrosopumilus subcluster 5.2类群;L系统AOA多样性较高,共有8个OTU出现,分别属于Nitrososphaera subcluster 9、subcluster 8.1、subcluster 4.1、subcluster 1.1和Nitrosopumilus subcluster 5.2这5个类群.总之,在同一个CANON系统中,污泥形态不同,AOA的丰度和群落结构相差较大;AOA可能发挥着氨氧化的作用.     

序批式生物反应器填埋场脱氮微生物多样性分析

为探究序批式生物反应器填埋场脱氮过程中的微生物作用机制,本研究采用建立脱氮功能基因(amoA、nosZ)克隆文库及PCR-RFLP技术对序批式生物反应器填埋场垃圾稳定化后期的主要脱氮功能微生物多样性进行分析.结果表明,矿化垃圾反应器中检测到的氨氧化细菌存在高度多样性,大部分为未知类群,且均为不可培养菌或未经分离获得的细菌,经系统发育树分析系统内氨氧化细菌以β-变形菌门中的亚硝化单胞菌属(Nitrosomonas)为主;新鲜垃圾反应器中反硝化细菌种群丰富,主要有β-变形菌纲中的陶厄氏菌属(Thauera)和硫杆菌属(Thiobacillus).Thauera属在好氧条件下具有反硝化特性,Thiobacillus属中的脱氮硫杆菌(Thiobacillus denitrificans)是一种硫自养反硝化菌,可见新鲜垃圾单元稳定化后期以好氧反硝化和自养反硝化的脱氮途径为主.此外文库中检测到的一部分反硝化细菌可能归属于α-变形菌纲的慢生根瘤菌科(Bradyrhizobiaceae).