井冈山猴头杜鹃群落特征的研究

以井冈山猴头杜鹃（Rhododendron simiarum）群落5个样地调查资料为基础,对该群落的物种组成、区系成分、群落结构和物种多样性进行了研究,结果表明：群落有维管植物30科43属50种,其中蕨类植物有5科6属6种,裸子植物4科4属4种,被子植物21科33属40种。区系分析显示该植物区系起源古老,地理成分复杂,以热带性成分为主,温带性成分占有一定的比例。群落为复层异龄结构,猴头杜鹃、甜槠（Castanopsis eyrei）、福建柏（Fokienia hodginsii）、台湾松（Pinus taiwanensis）、薯豆（Elaeocarpus japonicus）和白豆杉（Pseudotaxus chienii）为群落的建群种。除Pielou指数外,群落物种多样性指数较低,各样地间多样性指数测值变幅较大;测度猴头杜鹃群落物种多样性时,各种多样性指数基本表现出相同的趋势;总体来看,猴头杜鹃群落物种多样性在群落不同层次的变化规律为：灌木层〉乔木层〉草本层。     

江西三清山东亚-北美间断分布属植物缺萼枫香群落研究

通过对三清山缺萼枫香林群落的野外调查和分析,其结果表明,(1)该群落乔木分层明显,其中第1层高达20～25m,最高可达35m。年龄结构显示,主要优势种缺萼枫香处于衰退状态。(2)群落生活型以高位芽植物占绝对优势(75.38%),地上芽植物较多(21.54%),反映出该群落具有山顶群落特征。(3)重要值计算表明,各优势种的重要值比例为缺萼枫香(52.08%)、细叶青冈(34.14%)、猴头杜鹃(31.01%)、多脉青冈(24.95%)和红花油茶(20.63%),其相应的科所占比例为壳斗科(21.9%)、金缕梅科(17.36%)、山茶科(14.86%)及杜鹃花科(12.96%),在科属地理分布区类型上群落具有从热带向温带过渡的特征,热带性科占57.84%,温带性科占42.16%。(4)多样性指数以及频度分析表明,以Shannon-Wiener公式计算,其多样性指数为4.46,介于广东鼎湖山常绿阔叶林与江西中亚热带常绿阔叶林之间;频度值分析为A>B>CE,与Raunkiaer频度定律有一定差异。整体分析表明缺萼枫香群落是中亚热带地区典型的山地常绿落叶阔叶林群落。     

海南岛吊罗山植物群落特征和物种多样性分析

根据吊罗山自然保护区不同海拔6个植物群落的样方资料,分析了吊罗山植物群落结构特征和物种多样性,同时比较了吊罗山植物群落与邻近地区植物群落的组成特征。研究结果表明吊罗山低地雨林乔木层以蝴蝶树、青梅、高山榕、粘木、长脐红豆、海南柿、肉实树和海南木莲为主,灌木层以白颜树、白茶、柏拉木和九节为主;山地雨林以陆均松、鸡毛松、黄叶树、阿丁枫、扫把青冈和海南杨桐为优势种;山顶常绿矮林则以山地常绿阔叶林陆均松、琼崖柯、岭南青冈和油丹等种类的矮化为特征。植物群落Shannon-Wiener物种多样性指数分析表明,吊罗山植物群落物种多样性在空间的变化基本上表现为随海拔梯度增加而降低,次生林物种多样性最低,山地雨林和山顶矮林物种均匀度指数最高,群落优势种明显。     

近自然生态恢复条件下杉木老龄林群落优势树种种群结构与空间格局

为探明杉木人工林生态系统在长时间近自然生态恢复条件下的优势种种群特征,应用相邻格子法对福建南平西芹教学林场75年生杉木老龄林群落优势树种种群结构与空间格局进行分析.结果表明:木荷、丝栗栲、刨花楠种群结构呈现反“J”型,属于增长型种群,杉木、细齿柃木种群呈现正“J”型,属于衰退型种群.在种群水平上,杉木呈现均匀分布,木荷、细齿柃木群落呈现聚集分布,刨花楠、丝栗栲呈现随机分布,且聚集程度,细齿柃木>木荷>刨花楠>丝栗栲>杉木.木荷种群大树阶段呈现随机分布,幼苗、幼树、中树均表现聚集分布;刨花楠、丝栗栲种群不同发育阶段均呈现聚集分布;细齿柃木幼苗阶段呈现聚集分布,幼树阶段呈现随机分布,中树阶段呈现均匀分布;且杉木和细齿柃木不同发育阶段的扩散系数随龄级的递增而变大.杉木老龄林正处于向地带性常绿阔叶林演替过程中的一个过渡阶段.综上表明:近自然生态恢复有效丰富了杉木老龄林群落的植被种类,在退化了的杉木人工林生态系统恢复和重建工作中,杉木的混交树种选择应优先考虑竞争力强的乡土树种,如木荷、刨花楠、丝栗栲等.     

九龙山南方铁杉群落物种多样性及乔木种种间联结性

采用物种丰富度指数、Shannon-Weiner指数、Simpson指数、Pielou均匀度指数研究南方铁杉(Tsuga tchekiangensis)群落物种多样性.同时在2×2联列表基础上,应用x2检验、联结系数AC、种间共同出现的百分率PC研究南方铁杉群落19个乔木种群的种间联结性.结果表明:(1)物种丰富度的大小均表现为灌木层大于乔木层,乔木层中物种丰富度为乔木中层>乔木下层>乔木上层.(2)乔木层、乔木层上层和乔木层中层的Shannon-Weiner指数、Simpson指数、Pielou均匀度指数在1 300～1 500 m随海拔升高而增大,在1 500～1 620 m随海拔升高而减小,物种随海拔梯度变化呈现"中间高度膨胀"现象;乔木下层和灌木层则表现为相反规律.(3)x2统计度量值表明,在162个种对中,147对联结关系未达到显著水平,种间的独立性较大;共同出现的百分率PC表明多数种对之间联结程度不显著,南方铁杉、猴头杜鹃(Rhododendron simoarum)、木荷(Schima superba)三者联结是比较紧密的;联结系数AC表明,南方铁杉与厚皮香(Temstroemia gymnanthe)、多脉冬青(Ilexpolyneura)、红花油茶(Camellia chekiang-oleosa)、浙江樟(Cinnamomum chekiangense)、青冈栎(Cyclobalanopsis glauc)等种对存在显著负联结,表明这几个树种对南方铁杉的生长存在重要影响,在营造林工林时应重点加于考虑.     

漓江流域岩溶区檵木群落不同恢复阶段物种组成及多样性变化

以空间代替时间的方法选取典型样地,采用常规群落学调查方法对漓江流域岩溶区立地条件基本一致的檵木(Loropetalum chinense)群落不同恢复阶段的植物物种组成及其多样性变化进行研究。结果表明,(1)在所调查的样方中,共记录维管束植物78种,隶属于45科70属。乔木层的建群种檵木随着群落的恢复其重要值有降低的趋势,而在灌木层则相反。檵木群落不同恢复阶段乔木层和灌木层主要优势种为檵木、小巴豆(Croton xiaopadou)、龙须藤(Bauhinia championii)、红背山麻杆(Alchornea trewioides)和紫凌木(Decaspermum esquirolii),草本层主要优势种为狭穗薹草(Carex ischnostachya)、庐山香科科(Teucrium pernyi)和蔓生莠竹(Microstegium fasciculatum)。(2)随着檵木群落的恢复,群落总体、乔木层和灌木层物种丰富度呈现增大的趋势,草本层则相反;Shannon指数和均匀度指数具有一致的变化趋势,乔木层Shannon指数和均匀度指数随檵木群落的恢复呈现增大的趋势,而灌木层、草本层和群落总体则相反。檵木群落不同恢复阶段灌木层Shannon指数均高于乔木层和草本层,而草本层均匀度指数均高于乔木层和灌木层;Simpson指数随檵木群落恢复的变化趋势与Shannon指数和均匀度指数相反。(3)在檵木群落的灌木阶段、乔灌阶段和乔林阶段这3个恢复阶段中,乔灌阶段与乔林阶段之间的乔木层、灌木层、草本层和群落总体的Bray-Curtis指数最大。     

南亚热带森林群落演替过程中结构多样性与碳储量的变化

选择鼎湖山处于演替初期的马尾松林(Pine massoniana forest,PF)、演替中期的针阔混交林(Pine massoniana and broadleaved mixed forest,MF)及演替顶级的南亚热带常绿阔叶林(Evergreen broad-leaved forest in South China,BF)为研究对象,以样地每木调查为基础,分析群落演替过程中物种、结构多样性及碳储量的动态变化规律,旨在全面评估南亚热带森林演替过程中群落结构及碳汇功能的协同变化,指导区域低质马尾松人工林近自然改造。结果表明,(1)物种丰富度、群落结构多样性指数及碳储量随群落正向演替而增加,物种丰富度较碳储量的增加幅度大。(2)3种不同胸径(diameter at breast height,DBH)等级:小(1 cm≤DBH10 cm)、中(10 cm≤DBH30 cm)和大(DBH≥30 cm)径级个体的碳储量随群落演替的变化:从PF演替至MF过程中的共有种,各径级的个体数比例和碳储量比例均呈下降趋势;从MF演替至BF过程中的共有种,小径级个体数比例下降,而大径级个体数比例(由MF的2.1%上升至BF的33.4%)与碳储量比例均上升(由MF的7.3%上升至BF的64.4%)。(3)南亚热带森林演替过程中共有种的重要值、个体数量及占群落碳储量的比例均呈现由前一个演替阶段向后一个演替阶段下降的趋势;而新增种呈相反的变化趋势,随演替的正向进行,重要值、个体数量及占群落碳储量的比例呈增加的趋势。锥栗(Castanopsis chinensis)、荷木(Schima superba)是MF发展至BF过程中主要的共有种,二者对MF及BF碳储量的贡献之和分别为MF的76.3%,BF的50.5%,远大于其他种群,表明在马尾松低质人工林改造中可以引入区域常见阔叶树种锥栗、荷木,以达到提高群落的物种多样性、优化群落结构、提升植被碳储量的目的。     

攀枝花市入侵植物马缨丹群落的物种组成与多样性研究

采用样地调查法,对攀枝花市5种生境中的马缨丹入侵群落的物种组成、生活型谱、物种多样性、丰富度、均匀度进行了调查分析.结果表明,(1)马缨丹入侵群落中,植物种类共有71种,隶属34科67属,以菊科、豆科、大戟科植物居多,且外来植物多达31种,约占调查植物种类的44％.(2)不同群落中植物生活生活型均以高位芽植物为主(平均...     

秦岭松栎林群落物种丰富度特征及其环境解释

异质性环境是影响植物群落物种丰富度的重要因素。通过在秦岭中段(陕西省及甘肃省境内)设置45个样地,利用方差分析、典范对应分析等方法探讨研究区内锐齿槲栎(Quercus aliena var.acuteserrata)林、油松(Pinus tabuliformis)-锐齿槲栎混交林和油松林3类群落的物种丰富度特征,旨在揭示环境因子(地形、气候等)对丰富度的影响,为深入认识秦岭森林群落演替规律及生物多样性保护提供理论依据。结果显示:(1)锐齿槲栎林记录植物215种,主要物种有锐齿槲栎、卫矛(Euonymus alatus)、木姜子(Litsea pungens)和细叶苔草(Carex rigescens)等;松栎混交林记录植物142种,主要物种为锐齿槲栎、油松、悬钩子(Rubus corchorifolius)和苔草(Carex tristachya)等;油松林记录植物214种,主要物种为油松、胡枝子(Lespedeza bicolor)、苦糖果(Lonicera stanishii)和牛尾蒿(Artemisia dubia)等;(2)锐齿槲栎群落不同层次的物种丰富度表现为灌木层草本层乔木层(F_(2,44)=11.502,P0.001);松栎混交林和油松群落的物种丰富度均表现为灌木层、草本层乔木层(F_(2,44)=10.019,P0.001;F_(2,44)=12.404,P0.001),而灌、草层之间无显著差异;(3)决定锐齿槲栎群落、松栎混交林群落和油松群落CCA第1排序轴的主导性环境因子分别为海拔(r=0.696,P0.01)、坡度(r=0.604,P0.05)和纬度(r=0.580,P0.05);(4)锐齿槲栎群落草本层丰富度随海拔上升而增加;随着坡度上升,松栎混交林乔木层丰富度增加而灌木层丰富度下降;油松群落乔木层丰富度随纬度上升而下降。该研究表明,秦岭中段典型森林群落物种丰富度对山地异质性生境的响应存在较大差异。     

异质生境空心莲子草植物群落组成及物种多样性研究

研究草海湿地空心莲子草（Alternanthera philoxeroides）入侵对异质生境植物群落生活型、物种组成、重要值及物种多样性的影响,结果表明,①异质生境中群落生活型组成比例有差异,水生生境地面芽植物（H）∶隐芽植物（Cr）∶一年生植物（Th）为56∶38∶6;湿生生境为43∶36∶21。②异质生境中物种组成差异明显,水生生境试验样方包含9科13属16种,对照样方（无空心莲子草入侵）包含10科19属23种;湿生生境试验样方包含8科14属14种,对照样方有10科19属22种。空心莲子草入侵不同生境后群落内物种重要值变化及差异均较大,部分乡土物种在试验样方中减少甚至消失,水生生境和湿生生境群落中分别有30.44%、36.36%物种消失。③异质生境中空心莲子草重要值与物种多样性指数、生态优势度指数、均匀度指数均呈二项式函数关系;两种生境的多样性指数和均匀度指数均表现为随空心莲子草重要值先增加后减少,生态优势度指数均为先减少后增加,空心莲子草入侵对乡土植物群落物种多样性产生正向影响和负向影响,在群落中其重要值达25.8（水生生境）、18.9（湿生生境）时,是乡土植物多样性下降的临界点。     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.