Effects of Habitat Loss and Fragmentation on the Behavior and Demography of Gray-Tailed Voles

We monitored the short term behavioral and demographic responses of gray-tailed voles (Microtus canicaudus) to the reduction and fragmentation of their habitat. Our objectives were (1) to test whether animals perished or moved into remaining fragments after 70% of their habitat was removed; and (2) to test the null hypothesis that the social structure and demography of animals would not differ between habitats consisting of one large continuous fragment (625 m²), a mosaic of 25 small fragments (each 25 m²) separated by 4 m of bare ground, and control, unmanipulated habitats (1850 m²). We conducted the experiment in 12, 0.2-ha enclosures planted with alfalfa with four replicates for each of two manipulated treatments and a control. A 70% reduction in habitat did not adversely affect adult survival, reproductive rate, juvenile recruitment, or population size. However, an influx of unrelated females into habitat fragments resulted in decreased juvenile recruitment in those fragments. Voles from cleared habitat moved into the remaining habitat and did not measurably affect the resident population. Similarly, the demography of voles did not differ significantly among the large-fragment, small-fragment, and control enclosures. Peak density estimates based on the amount of habitat in each enclosure were 545 animals per hectare in control, 1056 in large-fragment, and 2880 in small-fragment enclosures. Reduced movement of animals among the small fragments was the most obvious effect of habitat fragmentation. Six percent of females and 15% of males moved among small fragments within a week compared to approximately 60% moving comparable distances in large-fragment and control enclosures. Rates of juvenile dispersal and sexual maturation declined throughout the summer on all treatments, were associated with season and density, and were only marginally associated with habitat loss and fragmentation. We conclude that at the time of habitat removal and fragmentation, populations were small enough to accommodate a 70% reduction in habitat and still continue to increase in numbers. The social system of gray-tailed voles was sufficiently flexible to accommodate an influx of animals to withstand densities> 1000 voles per ha. The behavioral and demographic features of gray-tailed voles are similar to those reported for other small mammals, thus confirming the use of voles for ecological model systems in habitat fragmentation studies.     

Habituation of Adult Magellanic Penguins to Human Visitation as Expressed through Behavior and Corticosterone Secretion

Abstract:  Ecotourism is increasing worldwide; hence, it is important to know how wildlife are affected behaviorally and physiologically by human visitation. We studied the effects of human visitation on the Magellanic Penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus ) at Punta Tombo, Argentina, by monitoring changes in defensive head turns and plasma corticosterone (a hormone secreted in response to stress) for penguins with and without a history of tourist visitation. Habituation to human visitation was rapid. In penguins with no previous exposure to tourists, the number of defensive head turns and level of plasma corticosterone decreased significantly within 5 days of one 15-minute visit/day. Penguins living in tourist-visited and undisturbed areas secreted more corticosterone when captured and restrained than penguins visited by a person. Penguins in tourist areas, however, did not show as strong a corticosterone response to capture and restraint as did penguins in areas without tourists. This difference was due to a decreased capability of the adrenocortical tissue to secrete corticosterone in tourist-visited birds. Although our data show no direct negative effects of tourism on Magellanic Penguins at Punta Tombo, consequences of a modification of physiological capabilities (e.g., adrenocortical function) may not become apparent until much later in life. The physiological differences between tourist-visited and undisturbed groups of Magellanic Penguins emphasize the importance of monitoring the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on wildlife at multiple levels.     

青岛奥运帆船赛区及邻近海域海水环境质量分析与评价

2002年7月对青岛市2008年奥运会帆船赛区及邻近海域监测,结果表明,海水质量总体状况良好,能够满足功能要求,无机氮、铅和粪大肠菌群在局部海域略有超标。今后仍要有针对性的加大治理力度,确保2008年奥运会帆船比赛的顺利进行。     

人为干扰对江油地区马尾松人工林群落结构和物种多样性的影响

物种多样性是群落功能复杂性和稳定性的重要量度指标,人为干扰对森林群落的影响可以通过群落结构和物种多样性的变化而直接显现,不同干扰强度下的森林群落结构和物种多样性特征不同。采用典型样地法,对比研究两种人为干扰强度（干扰强和弱）对江油地区的马尾松（Pinus massoniana）人工林群落的物种组成、群落结构和物种多样性的影响,采用物种丰富度指数D值、Shannon-wienner指数H值、Simpson优势度指数H′值和均匀度指数Jsw值来综合衡量群落的物种多样性水平。结果表明,（1）在总面积3200 m2的8个样地中记录到124个物种,隶属于105属56科,干扰强的群落各层次物种数均低于干扰弱的群落。（2）不同强度人为干扰下马尾松人工林的群落结构不同,干扰弱的群落径级结构呈近正态分布,在径级Ⅵ（7 cm≤d〈9 cm）处出现数量的峰值26株,群落结构较稳定;干扰强的群落径级结构不呈正态分布,在径级Ⅶ（13 cm≤d〈15 cm）处出现峰值43株。干扰弱和干扰强的群落高度级结构与其径级结构具有相似性,干扰弱的群落的个体主要集中在低中高度级（3≤H〈17）;干扰强的群落的个体数在各高度级分布不均匀,主要分布在中高高度级（H≥13）;干扰强的群落的个体数在各径级和高度级分布相对不均匀,群落结构趋于不稳定。（3）人为干扰对马尾松人工林群落造成负面影响,随着人为干扰强度的增加,物种丰富度指数D值、Shannon-wiener多样性指数H值、均匀度多样性指数Jsw值降低,Simpson优势度指数H′值增大,物种多样性呈下降趋势。     

Effects of Harvest of Nontimber Forest Products and Ecological Differences between Sites on the Demography of African Mahogany

Abstract: The demographic impacts of harvesting nontimber forest products (NTFP) have been increasingly studied because of reports of potentially unsustainable harvest. Nevertheless, our understanding of how plant demographic response to harvest is altered by variation in ecological conditions, which is critical for developing realistic sustainable‐use plans, is limited. We built matrix population models to test whether and how variation in ecological conditions affects population responses to harvest. In particular, we examined the effect of bark and foliage harvest on the demography of populations of African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) in two contrasting ecological regions of Benin, West Africa. K. senegalensis bark and foliage harvest significantly reduced its stochastic population growth rates, but ecological differences between regions had a greater effect on population growth rates than did harvest. The effect of harvest on population growth rates (Δλ) was slightly stronger in the moist than in the drier region. Life‐table response experiments revealed that the mechanism by which harvesting reduced λ differed between ecological regions. Lowered stasis (persistence) of larger life stages lead to a reduction in λ in the drier region, whereas lowered growth of all life stages lowered λ in moist region. Potential strategies to increase population growth rates should include decreasing the proportion of individuals harvested, promoting harvester‐owned plantations of African mahogany, and increasing survival and growth by promoting no‐fire zones in gallery forests. Our results show how population responses to harvest of NTFP may be altered by ecological differences across sites and emphasize the importance of monitoring populations over the climatic range in which they occur to develop more realistic recommendations for conservation.     

土壤有机碳储量估算的影响因素和不确定性

土壤作为陆地生态系统最大的碳库和碳循环过程的关键环节,其源、汇的变化直接影响全球碳平衡,因此,土壤有机碳储量估算成为生态领域的重要研究内容之一。通过比较不同研究者在不同研究尺度上报道的有机碳储量的研究结果,发现这些研究结果较不一致。分析认为导致土壤有机碳储量评估结果存在较大差异的原因,主要是来自于采样过程中人类干扰以及气候变化等环境要素的波动,特别是研究者所采取的不同估算方法和背景资料。从环境要素（外因）和估算方法（内因）两个角度出发,提出了土壤有机碳储量的研究意义,阐述了造成土壤有机碳储量估算的不确定性和目前研究中存在的问题,并在此基础上,对其未来研究方向和重点进行了展望。     

Effects of Restoring Oak Savannas on Bird Communities and Populations

Abstract:  Efforts to restore and maintain oak savannas in North America, with emphasis on the use of prescribed fire, have become common. Little is known, however, about how restoration affects animal populations, especially those of birds. I compared the breeding densities, community structure, and reproductive success of birds in oak savannas maintained by prescribed fire (12 sites) with those in closed-canopy forests (13 sites). All sampling was conducted in Illinois (U.S.A.). Of the 31 bird species analyzed, 12 were more common in savannas, 14 were not affected by habitat structure, and 5 were more common in forest habitat. The species favored by disturbance and restoration included Northern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ), Mourning Doves (  Zenaida macroura ), Red-headed Woodpeckers (  Melanerpes erythrocephalus ), Indigo Buntings (  Passerina cyanea ), and Baltimore Orioles ( Icterus galbula ). Those more common in closed-canopy forest included Ovenbirds ( Seiurus aurocapilla ) and Wood Thrushes (  Hylocichla mustelina ). Few species were unique to one type of habitat, but overall avian community structure in oak savannas and closed-canopy forests was generally distinctive. Estimates of nesting success (derived from 785 nests) revealed that 6 of the 13 species considered experienced greater productivity in the savanna habitat. Rates of brood parasitism were unaffected by restoration and habitat structure. Within savannas, tract size had little effect on breeding abundances and reproductive success. My results illustrate that restoration techniques can significantly affect the ecology of constituent animal populations and communities and have key implications regarding avian conservation and the management of forest habitat in fragmented landscapes. Small patches of forest habitat that regularly function as population sinks may offer far better prospects for birds if they are subjected to disturbance and ecosystem restoration.     

不同干扰程度下高原湿地纳帕海土壤酶活性与微生物特征研究

采用In-situ野外取样技术与室内实验分析相结合,对不同人为干扰程度下滇西北高原湿地纳帕海土壤酶活性和微生物数量特征进行研究。结果表明：（1）在人为活动干扰下,湿地类型从原生沼泽向沼泽草甸-草甸-垦后湿地逆向演替,F检验显示土壤脲酶、蛋白酶和蔗糖酶活性在各类型湿地间差异显著（F脲酶=14.246,F蛋白酶=13.760,F蔗糖酶=15.392）,表现为垦后湿地〉沼泽草甸〉草甸〉原生沼泽,过氧化氢酶活性差异不显著（F过氧化氢酶=2.697）,且与上述三种水解酶变化规律不同。（2）F检验显示,土壤细菌数量差异显著（F细菌=10.883）,呈现沼泽草甸〉草甸〉垦后湿地〉原生沼泽;土壤真菌与放线菌数量差异显著（F真菌=18.032,F放线菌=15.078）,呈现沼泽草甸〉垦后湿地〉草甸〉原生沼泽。（3）回归分析表明,土壤脲酶与过氧化氢酶极显著正相关。在草甸湿地类型中,土壤脲酶、蔗糖酶、蛋白酶间呈显著线性正相关。土壤酶活性虽与微生物数量相性不显著。（4）纳帕海湿地土壤微生物数量与酶活性变化是对人为不同干扰类型与强度的响应。     

Effects of prenatal yolk androgens on armaments and ornaments of the ring-necked pheasant

Mothers may profoundly affect offspring phenotype and performance by adjusting egg components, including steroid hormones. We studied the effects of elevated prenatal testosterone (T) exposure in the ring-necked pheasant on the expression of a suite of male and female traits, including perinatal response to stress, immune response, growth, and secondary sexual traits. Prenatal T levels were increased by injecting the yolk of unincubated eggs with physiological doses of the hormone. Yolk T injection resulted in a reduced length of male tarsal spurs, a trait which positively predicts male success in intra- and intersexual selection and viability, whereas no direct effect on male wattle characteristics or plumage traits of either sex was observed. Female spur length was also negatively affected by T, but to a lesser extent than in males. In addition, the covariation between male secondary sexual traits, which are reliable quality indicators, differed between T and control males, suggesting that the manipulation may have altered the assessment of overall male quality by other males and females. In conclusion, the negative effects of elevated yolk T on spur length, a trait which positively predicts male fitness, coupled with the lack of effects on growth or other traits in both sexes, provided limited evidence for mothers being subjected to a trade-off between positive and negative consequences of yolk T deposition on offspring traits and suggest that directional selection for reduced yolk T levels may occur in the ring-necked pheasant.     

套种模式对水土保持效应的影响

在东江中上游低效水土保持林的改造中,营建了不同套种模式的水保林,效益监测结果表明,乔灌草模式、乔灌模式和马尾松纯林模式中,以乔灌草模式的水土保持效果为最佳.乔、灌、草层分别对降水的截留和吸附,以及大量的地上枯落物具有强大的持水能力,有效地减少了雨滴直接冲刷地表,使得乔灌草模式的土壤侵蚀明显减少,套种4 a后土壤侵蚀模数降为960 t/(km2(a),约为乔灌模式的1/3和马尾松纯林的1/5;同时使土壤蓄水能力提高,土壤肥力状况得到改善.     

环境因子和火干扰因子对喀纳斯泰加林柳兰分布的影响

喀纳斯泰加林植被的生长和分布受火干扰和环境因子的共同作用,为了解喀纳斯泰加林林下柳兰分布与生态因子的关系,促进种群扩繁,共设置了35个样地进行调查和分析。建立柳兰重要值与生态因子矩阵,利用CCA分析法对不同火烧林分中柳兰的生长分布状况与林火烈度、火后时间、海拔、坡度、坡向、郁闭度、土壤pH值、速效钾、土壤有机质、灌木层盖度、草本层盖度和草本层物种多样性指数等20个生态因子的关系进行了分析。结果显示,第一轴主要反映林火烈度、海拔、坡向,灌木层盖度、pH值、有机质、全钾和速效钾的变化;第二轴主要反映林火烈度、火后时间、草本层盖度、坡向、坡位、土壤容重、电导率、有机质、有效磷和全氮的变化。对柳兰分布有显著影响的生态因子是林火烈度、有机质、海拔、坡向、灌木层盖度、土壤容重、全钾和速效钾,前两轴的累计贡献率为72.48%。柳兰适合在土壤呈弱酸性、海拔低、阳坡、土壤容重小、土壤有机质、全钾和速效钾含量高的环境中生长。柳兰是阳性植物,是火烧后的先锋植物。对影响柳兰分布的生态因子进行定量分离,结果发现环境因子和火干扰因子对柳兰样地物种分布的解释能力为88.2%,显示出较好的排序效果。喀纳斯泰加林受人为...     

Effects of elevated yolk testosterone levels on survival, growth and immunity of male and female yellow-legged gull chicks

Androgen hormones of maternal origin contained in the eggs of avian species are considered to have positive effects on offspring characteristics and performance. However, negative consequences have also been reported, suggesting that mothers may experience a trade-off between beneficial and detrimental effects of egg androgens to offspring fitness. We studied the effects of elevated yolk testosterone (T) concentration on survival, development and phenotype of male and female yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) chicks by injecting egg yolks with physiological doses of the hormone. Elevated yolk T resulted in a male-biased post-hatching sex ratio, T-treated clutches producing a greater proportion of males compared to control ones at day 4 post-hatching, likely resulting from a reduction of female embryonic survival, whereas no effect of hormone treatment on hatching success or short-term chick survival was observed. In addition, T depressed post-hatching body mass in both sexes but had no effects on the intensity of the cell-mediated immune response or skeletal growth. No sex differences in egg characteristics or chick phenotype were detected. Time to hatching was not affected by T, but females originating from first laid eggs hatched earlier than males of the same laying order, independently of hormone treatment. However, the implications of sex differences in hatching times are unclear in the study species. Taken together, our results suggest that female yellow-legged gulls may be constrained in transferring androgens to their eggs by negative consequences on the viability of female offspring and growth of chicks of the two sexes.     

The Melting Himalayas: Cascading Effects of Climate Change on Water, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods

Abstract:  The Greater Himalayas hold the largest mass of ice outside polar regions and are the source of the 10 largest rivers in Asia. Rapid reduction in the volume of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change is occurring. The cascading effects of rising temperatures and loss of ice and snow in the region are affecting, for example, water availability (amounts, seasonality), biodiversity (endemic species, predator–prey relations), ecosystem boundary shifts (tree-line movements, high-elevation ecosystem changes), and global feedbacks (monsoonal shifts, loss of soil carbon). Climate change will also have environmental and social impacts that will likely increase uncertainty in water supplies and agricultural production for human populations across Asia. A common understanding of climate change needs to be developed through regional and local-scale research so that mitigation and adaptation strategies can be identified and implemented. The challenges brought about by climate change in the Greater Himalayas can only be addressed through increased regional collaboration in scientific research and policy making.     

Effects of an Alien Ant Invasion on Abundance,Behavior, and Reproductive Success of Endemic Island Birds

Abstract: Biological invaders can reconfigure ecological networks in communities, which changes community structure, composition, and ecosystem function. We investigated whether impacts caused by the introduced yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes), a pantropical invader rapidly expanding its range, extend to higher‐order consumers by comparing counts, behaviors, and nesting success of endemic forest birds in ant‐invaded and uninvaded rainforest on Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). Point counts and direct behavioral observations showed that ant invasion altered abundances and behaviors of the bird species we examined: the Island Thrush (Turdus poliocephalus erythropleurus), Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica natalis), and Christmas Island White‐eye (Zosterops natalis). The thrush, which frequents the forest floor, altered its foraging and reproductive behaviors in ant‐invaded forest, where nest‐site location changed, and nest success and juvenile counts were lower. Counts of the dove, which forages exclusively on the forest floor, were 9–14 times lower in ant‐invaded forest. In contrast, counts and foraging success of the white‐eye, a generalist feeder in the understory and canopy, were higher in ant‐invaded forest, where mutualism between the ant and honeydew‐secreting scale insects increased the abundance of scale‐insect prey. These complex outcomes involved the interplay of direct interference by ants and altered resource availability and habitat structure caused indirectly by ant invasion. Ecological meltdown, rapidly unleashed by ant invasion, extended to these endemic forest birds and may affect key ecosystem processes, including seed dispersal.     

Human Impacts on Drainages of the Mesa Central, Mexico, and Its Genetic Effects on an Endangered Fish, Zoogoneticus quitzeoensis

Abstract:  The Mesa Central of Mexico is of special conservation interest due to its high richness of freshwater fish species, of which the goodeines are one of the most representative groups. Through an integrated approach, we determined conservation priorities for goodeine populations. We based our recommendations on the genetic diversity (variation in five microsatellite DNA loci) in 10 populations of Zoogoneticus quitzeoensis and on an analysis of ecological (e.g., presence of exotic species), social (e.g., political situation), and environmental (e.g., pollution) information for 52 historical occurrence points for species in the genus Zoogoneticus . Patterns of genetic erosion and genetic diversity indices were closely associated with human impact. Recent bottleneck events were most evident in the populations from remnants of the lakes drained at the beginning of the twentieth century. We identified seven operational conservation units (OCUs), all of which should be conserved because they contain unique portions of the total variation of the species. Special attention needs to be given to increase genetic variability, recover population sizes, and reestablish contact among populations within OCUs. It is imperative to create an integrative and effective approach for the recovery and conservation of the freshwater fish diversity of Central Mexico that is based on social and natural sciences.     

Shoreline Development Drives Invasion of Phragmites australis and the Loss of Plant Diversity on New England Salt Marshes

Abstract:  The reed Phragmites australis Cav. is aggressively invading salt marshes along the Atlantic Coast of North America. We examined the interactive role of habitat alteration (i.e., shoreline development) in driving this invasion and its consequences for plant richness in New England salt marshes. We surveyed 22 salt marshes in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and quantified shoreline development, Phragmites cover, soil salinity, and nitrogen availability. Shoreline development, operationally defined as removal of the woody vegetation bordering marshes, explained >90% of intermarsh variation in Phragmites cover. Shoreline development was also significantly correlated with reduced soil salinities and increased nitrogen availability, suggesting that removing woody vegetation bordering marshes increases nitrogen availability and decreases soil salinities, thus facilitating Phragmites invasion. Soil salinity (64%) and nitrogen availability (56%) alone explained a large proportion of variation in Phragmites cover, but together they explained 80% of the variation in Phragmites invasion success. Both univariate and aggregate (multidimensional scaling) analyses of plant community composition revealed that Phragmites dominance in developed salt marshes resulted in an almost three-fold decrease in plant species richness. Our findings illustrate the importance of maintaining integrity of habitat borders in conserving natural communities and provide an example of the critical role that local conservation can play in preserving these systems. In addition, our findings provide ecologists and natural resource managers with a mechanistic understanding of how human habitat alteration in one vegetation community can interact with species introductions in adjacent communities (i.e., flow-on or adjacency effects) to hasten ecosystem degradation.     

Effects of Customary Marine Closures on Fish Behavior,Spear‐Fishing Success,and Underwater Visual Surveys

Abstract: Customary management systems (i.e., management systems that limit the use of marine resources), such as rotational fisheries closures, can limit harvest of resources. Nevertheless, the explicit goals of customary management are often to influence fish behavior (in particular flight distance, i.e., distance at which an organism begins to flee an approaching threat), rather than fish abundance. We explored whether the flight distance of reef fishes targeted by local artisanal fishers differed between a customary closure and fished reefs. We also examined whether flight distance of these species affected fishing success and accuracy of underwater visual census (UVC) between customary closed areas and areas open to fishing. Several species demonstrated significant differences in flight distance between areas, indicating that fishing activity may increase flight distance. These relatively long flight distances mean that in fished areas most target species may stay out of the range of spear fishers. In addition, mean flight distances for all species both inside and outside the customary‐closure area were substantially smaller than the observation distance of an observer conducting a belt‐transect UVC (mean [SE]= 8.8 m [0.48]). For targeted species that showed little ability to evade spear fishers, customary closures may be a vital management technique. Our results show that customary closures can have a substantial, positive effect on resource availability and that conventional UVC techniques may be insensitive to changes in flight behavior of fishes associated with fishing. We argue that short, periodic openings of customary closures may allow the health of the fish community to be maintained and local fishers to effectively harvest fishes.     

Effects of Controlled Fire and Livestock Grazing on Bird Communities in East African Savannas

Abstract: In East Africa fire and grazing by wild and domestic ungulates maintain savannas, and pastoralists historically set fires and herded livestock through the use of temporary corrals called bomas. In recent decades traditional pastoral practices have declined, and this may be affecting biodiversity. We investigated the effects of prescribed fires and bomas on savanna bird communities in East Africa during the first and second dry seasons of the year (respectively before and after the rains that mark the onset of breeding for most birds). We compared abundance, richness, and community composition on 9‐ha burned plots, recently abandoned bomas, and control plots in the undisturbed matrix habitat over a 3‐year period. Generally, recently burned areas and abandoned bomas attracted greater densities of birds and had different community assemblages than the surrounding matrix. The effects of disturbances were influenced by interactions between primary productivity, represented by the normalized difference vegetation index, and time. Bird densities were highest and a greater proportion of species was observed on burned plots in the months following the fires. Drought conditions equalized bird densities across treatments within 1 year, and individuals from a greater proportion of species were more commonly observed on abandoned bomas. Yearly fluctuations in abundance were less pronounced on bomas than on burns, which indicate that although fire may benefit birds in the short term, bomas may have a more‐lasting positive effect and provide resources during droughts. Several Palearctic migrants were attracted to burned plots regardless of rainfall, which indicates continued fire suppression may threaten their already‐declining populations. Most notably, the paucity of birds observed on the controls suggests that the current structure of the matrix developed as a result of fire suppression. Traditional pastoralism appears critical to the maintenance of avian diversity in these savannas.     

Effects of economics and demographics on global fisheries sustainability

A good understanding of social factors that lead to marine ecological change is important to developing sustainable global fisheries. We used balanced panel models and conducted cross‐national time‐series analyses (1970–2010) of 122 nations to examine how economic prosperity and population growth affected the sustainability of marine ecosystems. We used catches in economic exclusive zone (EEZ); mean trophic level of fishery landings (MTL); primary production required to sustain catches (expressed as percentage of local primary production [%PPR]); and an index of ecosystem overfishing (i.e., the loss in secondary production index [L index]) as indicators of ecological change in marine ecosystems. The EEZ catch, %PPR, and L index declined gradually after gross domestic product (GDP) per capita reached $15,000, $14,000, and $19,000, respectively, and MTL increased steadily once GDP per capita exceeded $20,000. These relationships suggest that economic growth and biodiversity conservation are compatible goals. However, increasing human populations would degrade marine ecosystems. Specifically, a doubling of human population caused an increase in the %PPR of 17.1% and in the L index of 0.0254 and a decline in the MTL of 0.176. A 1% increase in human population resulted in a 0.744% increase in EEZ catch. These results highlight the importance of considering social and economic factors in developing sustainable fisheries management policy.