佛坪三官庙地区大熊猫种群数量的DNA指纹分析

应用同位素标记大熊猫基因指纹探针Ｆ２ＺＧＰ９６０６０８０１，以秦岭南坡中段佛坪国家级大熊猫自然保护区三官庙范围内采集的大熊猫粪便样品作材料，进行了ＤＮＡ指纹检测．（１）在相同或不同时间、领域采得的粪便样品，显现出相同或不同的ＤＮＡ指纹图谱，达到个体认定的目的，进一步表明了大熊猫的尽量新鲜的粪便，可以作为ＤＮＡ指纹分析材料，进行野生种群数量调查．（２）根据检测２１个粪便样品的结果，无误地认定了三官庙地区有１３只大熊猫个体．其中有３个家系．（３）大熊猫粪便样品的ＤＮＡ指纹图，通过微机识别的个体数，准确可靠，能获得大熊猫在野外的真实个体数量．     

外来入侵杂草空心莲子草对植物生物多样性的影响

利用样方法调查了南京市空心莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)生长生境中杂草的种类和分布。结果表明，南京市秋季空心莲子草分布样点有杂草30科101种，其中以禾本科、菊科、蓼科居多。主成分分析表明，影响杂草分布的主要因素是土壤水分条件和人为干扰强度。经Q型分析，24个样点可划分为3个聚类群：聚类群Ⅰ包括的样点均分布在路边和田边开阔地以及小河、小沟和湖的岸边，以马唐、狗尾草和牛筋草为优势种；聚类群Ⅱ的样点都是农田隔离带如田埂以及农田中的沟壑，以波斯婆婆纳、碎米莎草、野塘蒿和铁苋菜为优势种；聚类群Ⅲ的样点以菜地和果园为主，以马唐、香附子、马齿苋和黄鹌菜为优势种。分析了空心莲子草重要值与物种丰富度之间的关系，当空心莲子草重要值大于1．5时，样方物种丰富度随重要值的增加而减小。2者之间具有显著相关性，表明空心莲子草的入侵对生物多样性有不利影响。     

四川喇叭河自然保护区大熊猫及其伴生动物种群分布变化

通过样线与样方法,分别于2010年4月15日至6月18日、2010年10月12日至11月18日以及2011年5月6日至6月16日对四川喇叭河自然保护区大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)及其伴生动物进行调查,结果表明:(1)该地区大熊猫常活动于坡度45°、郁闭度0.4的温性针阔混交林和温性针叶林中,活动区域海拔范围为1 885~2 821 m,主要食物为冷箭竹。(2)调查期间大熊猫主要分布在鹿子沟—长河坝、黑悬沟、小两河口(左)和关房沟4个区域,其中黑悬沟痕迹点最多,小两河口(左)区域遇见率最高,同时大熊猫痕迹点和遇见率随时间变化呈升高趋势。(3)保护区内大熊猫主要伴生动物有15种,其中水鹿、羚牛、藏酋猴和林麝为最主要伴生动物,数量较多,分布较广;其中有9种动物位点数呈下降趋势,羚牛下降最明显;水鹿、斑羚、毛冠鹿、小熊猫和苏门羚5种动物位点数则呈上升趋势,其中水鹿增长最明显;而黑熊位点数则有升有降,但整体变化稳定。该研究可为保护区更加有效地保护大熊猫及其伴生动物,以及为栖息地建设和保护区相关管理决策提供科学依据。     

野生大熊猫与放牧家畜利用生境的特征比较

为了探讨放牧家畜影响野生大熊猫及其栖息地、主食竹资源的内在驱动因素,以便为大熊猫国家公园建设和管理提供依据。根据大熊猫国家公园卧龙片区野生大熊猫与放牧家畜的随机样地调查资料,从植物群落结构和物种组成方面,分析了它们利用生境的异同。结果表明：从植物群落特征来看,乔木层物种丰度、灌木层盖度、主食竹的种群特征(盖度、密度、地径和株高)等指标,野生大熊猫与放牧家畜之间具有显著性或极显著性差异,野生大熊猫利用生境的乔木层物种丰度17.38株,灌木层盖度75.31%,主食竹的盖度为56.32%、种群密度48.87 culms·m^-2、地径6.03 mm和株高143.48 cm,放牧家畜利用生境的乔木层物种丰度29株,灌木层盖度93.20%,主食竹的盖度为89.20%、种群密度66.54 culms·m^-2、地径3.82 mm和株高59.68 cm,而其余指标没有明显的统计学意义。就木本植物的物种组成特征而言,大熊猫利用生境的乔木层和灌木层的科属种数量都多于放牧家畜生境,前者为乔木层17科25属41种、灌木层29科49属91种,后者乔木层9科10属14种、...     

圈养亚成体大熊猫日粮粗蛋白表观消化率的初步研究

研究了7只1.5-4.7岁的亚成体大熊猫对23种日粮粗蛋白的表观消化率（ADCP），结果为37．86％－83．70％。分析表明，对1．5－2．5岁的大熊猫，粗纤维采食量与ADCP有极显著的负相关关系（图1）；对2．5－4．7岁的大熊猫。粗纤维采食量与ADCP没有明显相关关系（表3）。对1．5－2．5岁大熊猫，随竹粗蛋白占总粗蛋白比值升高，ADCP呈下降趋势（图2）；2．5－4．7岁的大熊猫，ADCP随竹粗蛋白比例升高而呈上升趋势（图3）；不同大熊猫ADCP还有个体差异。图3表3参10     

基于GIS的卧龙自然保护区大熊猫生境选择与利用

在ArcGIS 10.2的支持下,分析卧龙自然保护区大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)在地形因子(海拔、坡度和坡向)和生物因子(植被、竹林类型)上的生境选择(动物利用某种生境类型面积占其家域的比例)与利用(动物家域内某生境类型面积与保护区的这一类型面积的比例)特征进行了定量研究。结果表明,(1)地形因子:卧龙大熊猫在生境选择过程中,生境利用率较高的海拔区间为1 5 00~3 000 m,平均利用率达到了55.93%,而生境选择的主要海拔区间为2 000~3 500 m,占空间利用面积的89.64%;大熊猫生境利用在坡度上相对均匀,而生境选择的主要坡度区间为20°~50°,占空间利用面积的85.56%;生境利用率最高的坡向区间为270°~315°,占比达到了31.88%。(2)生物因子:大熊猫生境利用率较高的植被类型区域为亚高山针叶林与常绿落叶阔叶林,利用率分别为51.04%和70.20%;而生境选择的主要植被类型区域为针叶林与针阔混交林,占空间利用面积的90.23%;生境利用率最高的竹林类型区域为冷箭竹(Bashania fangiana)林,利用率达到了51.63%,而生境选择的主要竹林类型为拐棍竹(Fargesia robusta)和冷箭竹,二者占空间利用面积的95.20%。研究结果揭示了在不同地形和生物因子分异区间(类型)大熊猫的生境面积分布和空间利用模式特征,丰富了大熊猫生境选择与利用特征的研究手段。     

佛坪三官宙庙地区大熊猫种群数量的DNA指纹分析

应用同位素标记大熊猫基因指纹探针Ｆ２ＺＧＰ９６０６８０８０１，以秦岭南坡中段佛坪国家级大熊猫自然保护区三官庙范围内采集的大熊猫粪便样品作材料，进行了ＤＮＡ作指纹检测，（１）在相同或不同时间，领域采粪便样品，呈出现相同或不同的ＤＮＡ指纹图谱，达到个体认定的目的，进一步表明了大熊猫的尽量新鲜的粪便，可以作为ＤＮＡ指纹分析材料，进行野生生种群数量调查；（２）根据检测２１个粪便样品的结果，无误地定了三官庙     

海丰鸟类自然保护区大型底栖动物群落特征

于2006年夏季在海丰鸟类自然保护区内进行了大型底栖动物群落的研究.通过9个样点的样方取样,分析了保护区内大型底栖动物群落的种类、物种多样性和生物量.主要研究结果如下:(1) 保护区内共录得大型底栖动物6门10纲112种,其中热带、亚热带分布的种类62种,温带、广温种46种,外来种4种;淡水生物22种,非淡水生物90种.(2) 各样点生物量(以鲜重表示)在1.31346.05 g×m-2范围内,栖息密度为161136 ind.×m-2,不同生境之间的差异极显著.(3) 生境多样化、人为干扰小的样点a多样性较高,生境单一、人为干扰强烈的样点a多样性则较低.(4) 保护区内的大型底栖动物群落差异较大,这是由不同生境的盐度差异造成的.聚类分析把该区的大型底栖动物群落划分为淡水、河口、滨海3个生物群落,非度量多维标度排序更直观地显示了各个样点大型底栖动物群落距离和相似的情况,并支持聚类分析的结果.讨论了保护区内大型底栖动物群落水平分布的特点及产生差异的原因.     

喀斯特山地青冈栎群落优势种的种间关系分析

采用2×2列联表的χ2检验和Spearman秩相关系数分析了喀斯特山地青冈栎(Cyclobalanopsis glauca)群落22个优势种的种间联结性和相关性。结果表明,在所组成的231个种对中,χ2检验中有100个种对为正联结,110个种对为负联结;Spearman秩相关系数检验有114个种对为正相关,117个种对为负相关,正、负联结或相关的种对数相近。正联结或正相关的种对主要体现了种间对生境具有相似的生态适应性和生物学特性,而负联结或负相关关系则主要由于对生境的不同偏好或相异的生物学特性所致。喀斯特山地高度的生境异质性促使优势种间的生态位相互分化,对生境的偏好趋异,负联结或负相关的种对趋于增加,因而喀斯特山地高度的生境异质性对植物种间关系的形成具有重要的影响。研究结果对于指导喀斯特地区进行人工植被恢复和重建具有一定的实践指导意义。     

重庆缙云山常绿阔叶林群落物种多样性与土壤因子的关系

探讨了缙云山常绿阔叶林物种多样性的变化特征，并运用去势典范对应分析(DCCA)方法，分析了不同样方中土壤因子与群落多样性指数之间的关系．结果表明：(1)17个样方中物种丰富度指数是草本层最高，均匀度指数是乔木层最高．(2)土壤含水量和水解氮与乔木层物种丰富度和均匀度相关性明显，有效磷和乔木层均匀度有明显相关；全氮含量和有机质含量与草本层物种的均匀度有明显相关．(3)多酚氧化酶活性和乔木层物种的均匀度有明显相关，转化酶活性与乔木层物种丰富度和均匀度均有一定相关，多酚氧化酶活性和酸性磷酸酶活性与草本层的物种均匀度和丰富度有明显相关．图2表3参20     

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.