滨海围垦区几种耐盐乔灌木的光合特性比较

为探讨几种耐盐乔木和灌木对滨海围垦区盐碱化土壤的适应能力,采用LI-6400光合作用测定仪在植物生长旺季对崇明东滩围垦区同期栽种的9种耐盐碱陆生植物物种的叶片光合特性进行测定。结果表明,在刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)、石楠(Photinia serrulata var.serrulata)、女贞(Ligustrum lucidum)和蜀桧柏(Sabina komarovii)4种乔木物种中,刺槐的最大光合速率、表观量子效率和光饱和点最高,分别为21.28μmol·m-2·s-1、0.049μmol·μmol-1和2 031μmol·m-2·s-1,但光补偿点却较低(13.60μmol·m-2·s-1)。在紫穗槐(Amorpha fruticosa)、伞房决明(Cassia sophera)、木芙蓉(Hibiscus mutabilis)、海滨木槿(Hibiscus syriacus)和慈孝竹(Bambusa multiplex)5种灌木物种中,紫穗槐的最大光合速率、表观量子效率和光饱和点最高,分别为20.92μmol·m-2·s-1、0.048μmol·μmol-1和1 980.67μmol·m-2·s-1,但光补偿点却最低(2.95μmol·m-2·s-1)。在这些灌木物种中,紫穗槐具有最高的水分利用率(10.58μmol·mol-1)和较低的蒸腾速率(1.86 mmol·m-2·s-1)。因此,就叶片光合特性而言,刺槐和紫穗槐分别是对滨海围垦区盐碱化土壤具有良好适应性的乔木和灌木树种。     

三种木质藤本植物光合特性比较研究

随着城市化进程的加快,园林绿化面积愈来愈少,因此充分利用藤本植物进行垂直绿化,成为了拓展城市绿化空间、改善城市生态环境的重要途径。光合作用是植物体内最重要的代谢过程,不同植物的光合能力对其生长、产量及抗逆性都具有十分重要的影响,但目前对城市园林常用木质藤本植物光合特性方面的研究甚少。本研究采用LI-6400便携式光合作用分析系统,针对城市园林常用的3种木质藤本植物——忍冬(Lonicera japonica Thunb.)、五叶地锦(Parthenocissus quinquefolia Planch.)和地锦(Parthenocissus tricuspidata),开展其光合特性的比较研究,探讨这3种木质藤本植物对环境的适应性及其光合能力的差异,旨在为藤本植物在城市园林绿化中的合理应用提供理论依据。结果表明:3种木质藤本植物在净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)、胞间CO2浓度(Ci)、蒸腾速率(Tr)、水分利用效率(WUE)和羧化效率(CE)之间有较为明显的差异。在相同的自然条件下,忍冬的净光合速率(Pn,平均值为13.55μmol·m-2·s-1)、气孔导度(Gs,平均值为5.94×10-2μmol·m-2·s-1)、胞间CO2浓度(Ci,平均值为345.00μmol·mol-1)、水分利用效率(WUE,其值为10.27 mmol·mol-1)和羧化效率(CE,其值为3.93×10-2 mmol·mol-1)等光合参数均高于五叶地锦和地锦。五叶地锦的净光合速率(Pn)、水分利用效率(WUE)和羧化效率(CE)均高于地锦。蒸腾速率(Tr)最大的为地锦,其平均值为1.68 mmol·m-2·s-1,而忍冬和五叶地锦的平均值分别为1.35和1.10 mmol·m-2·s-1。     

广州南沙海岸防护林群落的生态效应初步研究

采用群落生态学和植物化学监测的研究方法,对广州市南沙海岸滩头近6 a生防护林群落的生物量、高温胁迫光合特征、NPP及吸储C、N、S、Pb、Cd、Cu、Hg的生态效应进行了定位观测研究,结果表明：海岸6种防护林群落的生物量的平均达到10.7 t.hm-2、NPP达到2.5 t·hm-2·a-1、生长要素表现为速生性生长特征。各种海防林群落的年均吸储空间CO2、NO2、SO2质量分别为4.2 t.hm-2、27.1 kg·hm-2和3.4 kg·hm-2,吸储Pb、Cd、Cu分别为13.2、4.4、0.1 g·hm-2,其生态环境功能已经初步凸显,可有效地减少这些元素在地表和土壤积累、迁移或随地表径流输出至生活环境的危害,对于海岸环境区域是非常有益的。雨季高温（气温t≥35.5℃）胁迫下,海岸路网林群落的优势种群净光合速率日均达到9.8μmol·m-2·s-1且乡土树种高于引进树种,高山榕（Ficus altissima）的日最高净光合速率达到14.3μmol·m-2·s-1,较羊蹄甲（Bauhinia blakeana）高0.4μmol·m-2·s-1、较塞楝（Kaya senegaiensis）高2.2μmol·m-2·s-1,优势树种适宜海岸滩头立地、高温胁迫的光合生理特点,是其速生长的原因之一。     

三叶爬山虎叶片解剖结构和光合生理特性对3种生境的响应

藤本植物生活环境的时空变化较为剧烈,为适应异质性生境常表现出较大的可塑性,其形态解剖结构及光合生理特征被认为能很好地体现对异质生境的适应。为了明确藤本植物叶片结构和光合作用对不同生境光强的响应策略,以木质藤本三叶爬山虎（Parthenocissus himalayana）为对象,采用光合仪测定和解剖显微观察的方法研究了哀牢山亚热带湿性常绿阔叶林的林外（全光照）、林缘（遮荫）和林内（荫生）3种自然生境中三叶爬山虎的叶片解剖结构和光合生理特征的变化,以期阐述三叶爬山虎对不同光环境的生态适应能力及策略,为森林生态系统的管理和物种多样性的保护及群落优化配置提供理论依据。结果表明：从林内到林外随着生境光强增加,叶片厚度（157.77～299.17μm）、上表皮厚度（21.30～28.40μm）、栅栏组织厚度（30.83～124.65μm）、栅栏组织细胞面积（430.95～652.97μm2）显著增大（P〈0.01）,栅栏组织细胞长度（29.23～49.54μm）和周长（86.58～155.17μm）、下表皮厚度（16.14～19.01μm）、气孔长度（24.13～27.10μm）和气孔密度（86.20～129.41个·mm-2）呈显著上升趋势（P〈0.05）。栅栏组织细胞宽度（19.67～22.81μm）在3种生境中无显著差异。叶片解剖结构性状的平均可塑性值为0.37,其中最大值是栅栏组织细胞长度（0.67）,最小值是气孔长度（0.11）。光饱和点（201.27～1299.17μmol·m-2·s-1）、光补偿点（3.86～29.88μmol·m-2·s-1）、饱和光强最大光合速率（2.20～12.03μmol·m-2·s-1）、暗呼吸速率（0.17～2.19μmol·m-2·s-1）、CO2补偿点（83.01～237.26μmol·m-2·s-1）、饱和CO2最大净光合速率（2.07～25.49μmol·m-2·s-1）、光呼吸速率（0.36～7.57μmol·m-2·s-1）、初始羧化效率（0.006～0.035μmol·μmol-1）随着生境光强的增高呈上升趋势,而表观量子效率（0.067～0.031μmol·?     

圆齿野鸦椿 Euscaphic konishii Hayata的生态生物学特性

圆齿野鸦椿 Euscaphis konishii Hayata是中国特有的常绿小乔木,为潜在的优良园林绿化、观果树种.文章对其树形与冠幅、叶片的形态解剖结构、光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔传导率、叶绿素含量、叶面积、生物量和生产力、植物营养元素等进行了系统的研究,研究表明:它属中性树种,种子较小,其光合曲线为单峰型,光合速率平均值为5.62μmol·m-2·s-1,蒸腾速率为3.6 mmol·m-2·s-1,其气孔导度较大,水分利用效率低,苗期需荫蔽,长大后则需一定光照.圆齿野鸦椿生物量较低,其一年生苗平均生物量是(42.35±8.93)g,为中等生长速度,其苗期根系不深,可用一般营养袋育苗.圆齿野鸦椿体内加权平均养分含量较低,需要生于土壤肥沃、酸性、疏松、排水透气好、营养条件较好的地方或进行施肥.若要大量开发圆齿野鸦椿资源,需要考虑它的这些生态生物学特征,在其苗期与生长期采取不同的栽培管理措施.     

气候变化主要因子对马铃薯生物量积累及产量和品质的影响

利用新型开顶式气室(OTC)开展CO2浓度升高和大气增温试验,分别为模拟增温2.0℃,模拟增温2.0℃且CO2浓度增加到650μmol·mol-1,对照CO2浓度约410μmol·mol-1,对马铃薯叶片、叶柄和茎等地上生物量、根和块茎等地下生物量积累过程及其特征参数的协同影响研究,分析气候变化对马铃薯产量形成和品质的...     

濒危植物长序榆（Ulmus elongata）幼苗光合特性的初步研究

用Li-6400XT便携式光合作用仪对一年生和当年生濒危植物长序榆幼苗的光合日变化进行了观测,为科学保护提供理论依据和技术途径。结果发现,一年生和当年生长序榆幼苗的光合日变化均为单峰曲线,无＂午休＂现象。当年生的平均净光合累积量（5.64μmol.m-2.s-1）大于一年生的净光合累计量（5.05μmol.m-2.s-1）。胞间二氧化碳（Ci）浓度与光合日变化基本上是相反的。气孔导度（Gs）和蒸腾速率（Tr）没有明显的变化规律。光能利用率（LUE）中午12？00最低,水分利用率（WUE）13？00最高。一年生和当年生的光饱和点（LSP）分别为1 620.75μmol.m-2.s-1和1 123.07μmol.m-2.s-1,二者的光补偿点（LCP）均较低,分别为8.33μmol.m-2.s-1和8.89μmol.m-2.s-1,即长序榆幼苗是一光适应幅度较大的植物。偏相关分析表明光合有效辐射（PAR）和大气温度（Ta）是决定其净光合速率的主要环境因子。     

红壤丘陵区晚稻生长期间CO2的排放与固定规律

采用静态箱法对红壤丘陵区稻田生态系统CO2排放与固定进行定位观测.结果表明,晚稻生长期间稻田生态系统CO2通量的日变化随天气条件(晴天、雨天、阴天)的变化而变化,CO2日净固定量在晚稻生长期间波动性很大,最高达10.35 g·m-2·d-1,在晚稻成熟期表现为CO2负固定,为-0.92 g·m-2·d-1;整个晚稻生育期,稻田生态系统CO2累积排放量和土壤呼吸CO2排放量分别为20.4和6.3 t·hm-2,稻田生态系统CO2累积排放量与水稻生物量之间存在极显著幂函数关系.在整个晚稻生育期,稻田生态系统从大气中吸收碳量为3.85 ～4.00 t·hm-2.     

施肥及环境因子对海南热带橡胶林土壤呼吸的影响

以海南热带成熟橡胶林(Hevea brasiliensis)土壤为研究对象,设置了3个实验处理,分别为施用有机肥(T1)、无机肥(T2)和不施肥(CK),通过采用红外气体分析法,结合对实验胶园环境要素的定位观测和人工施肥措施,研究土壤呼吸与环境要素和施肥措施间的关系,试图揭示热带橡胶园土壤呼吸的形成机制与过程机理,为未来精确模拟热带土壤碳循环过程,及实现通过土壤管理措施和环境要素调控来调节橡胶园土壤的CO2排放和土壤碳吸收提供科学依据。研究结果表明,(1)3种处理的橡胶林土壤呼吸速率日变化均呈单峰曲线,最高峰出现在13:00左右,T1、T2和CK值分别为:2.63μmol·m-2·s-1、3.74μmol·m-2·s-1和2.98μmol·m-2·s-1;最低点在凌晨4:00左右,值分别为:0.43μmol·m-2·s-1、0.89μmol·m-2·s-1和0.51μmol·m-2·s-1。(2)在周期变化中,3种处理的橡胶林土壤呼吸速率均随温度升高而加快,与温度的变化趋势同步;土壤呼吸与温度存在显著的指数关系,其中5 cm地温同土壤呼吸相关性最好(0.572R20.737),该结果能较好地解释土壤呼吸的变化。(3)土壤呼吸与土壤水分的相关关系较弱(0.189R20.367),P值没有达到显著水平(P0.05),未表现出明显的规律性。(4)在不同施肥处理的橡胶林土壤呼吸速率变化中,施有机肥处理的土壤呼吸速率最高(2.07μmol·m-2·s-1),其次是施无机肥处理的(1.59μmol·m-2·s-1),最低的是不施肥处理的(1.16μmol·m-2·s-1)。     

干旱胁迫过程中外源钙对忍冬光合生理的影响

以不同浓度Ca2＋对干旱胁迫处理下的忍冬进行化学调控,研究外源Ca2＋对干旱胁迫处理下忍冬叶片中叶绿素含量、可溶性糖含量、游离脯氨酸含量、过氧化氢酶活性以及光合速率的影响,以探讨外源Ca2＋对缓解干旱胁迫下忍冬光合作用下降的作用机制。结果表明,干旱胁迫下,忍冬的正常生理代谢明显受到抑制,叶绿素质量分数、可溶性糖质量分数、游离脯氨酸质量分数、过氧化氢酶活性以及光合速率分别降低到0.4 mg·g-1、0.06~0.1 mg·g-1、0.8 mg·g-1、0.25 u.mg-1和12~14μmol·m-2.s-1;当施入钙离子后,干旱胁迫对忍冬的伤害得到不同程度的缓解,并在最大程度上稳定叶绿素含量和CAT活性;并能使脯氨酸和可溶性糖的积累显著减少。说明外源Ca2＋能够在一定程度上弥补干旱胁迫导致的Ca2＋亏缺,使植物维持较正常的生理活动,稳定细胞膜结构,维持体内离子吸收平衡,维持较高的光合速率并保护光合结构。     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

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.     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.