Dynamics of the Mite Communities (Acari: Parasitiformes) in Nests of the Parus major

The dynamics of nest-dwelling mites from the nests of the great tit in the protected area of Kamchia Mountain in Northeastern Bulgaria was investigated. The mite fauna inhabiting the nests of great tit differs significantly in terms of the degree of infestation, species richness, abundance and structure of communities in study years. There are statistically significant differences in the specimens’ number between 2014 and the other years 2012, 2013 and 2015. The mite species such as Dermanyssus gallinae, Androlaelaps casalis and Ornithonyssus sylviarum demonstrated significant changes in the abundance over the study years. A relation between the abundance of a species and the species diversity in the nests was not registered. Comparison of the annual dynamics of mites in the nests of great tit and the nests of semi-collared flycatcher for the same period of time and for the same environment, showed similarities—a significant fluctuation in the abundance of mites over the years and differences—in the species richness. Regarding the structure of the communities, both similarities and differences were recorded.

     

The Effect of Vaccinium vitis-idaea on Properties of Mountain-Meadow Soil under Alpine Lichen Heath

Russian Journal of Ecology - Abstract—The study of the effect of mycorrhiza symbiosis on the transformation of carbon and nitrogen compounds in soils is important in view of the necessity to...     

The Ratio between Chronographic and Geographic Variation in the Morphofunctional Features of Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus Shreb.) in the South of Its Range

Russian Journal of Ecology - A simultaneous analysis of the chronographic variation of the mandible of bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus Shreb.) in three longitudinally distant populations that...     

表面活性剂溶液中多氯联苯溶解的特性

对表面活性剂溶液中多氯联苯的溶解特性进行了研究.发现非离子型表面活性剂对多氯联苯增溶效果优于阴离子型表面活性剂;在浓度大于临界胶束浓度(CMC)范畴,不但表面活性剂的增溶效果远较其浓度低于CMC时为佳,而且表面活性剂浓度与多氯联苯的溶解度成正比地线性相关,此结果说明,表面活性剂主要通过形成胶束来增加多氯联苯的溶解度.多氯联苯在非离子型表面活性剂胶束溶液中与在正己烷中的紫外-可见光谱相似,进一步说明胶束内的多氯联苯分子主要分布于类似正己烷的疏水胶核区域.在十二烷基醇聚氧乙烯(10)醚溶液中,所试多氯联苯的辛醇-水分配系数(K_ow)与其胶束-水分配系数(K_m)存在很好的线性相关关系.     

基于MODIS的西藏典型湖泊叶绿素a浓度反演

叶绿素a浓度是反映湖泊富营养化状态的一个重要参数。以MODIS L1B数据为基础,结合叶绿素a浓度实测数据,基于经验分析法实现了西藏典型湖泊叶绿素a浓度反演研究,并探索了西藏典型湖泊2019年春、夏、秋季叶绿素a浓度的时空变化特征。首先,利用叶绿素a浓度实测数据和MODIS L1B影像不同波段的反射率值进行组合试验,选择最佳波段组合建立模型;其次,分别选用2015年、2017年叶绿素a浓度实测值和反演值对模型进行对比验证;最后,利用叶绿素a浓度反演模型对西藏典型湖泊2019年春、夏、秋季叶绿素a浓度的时空变化特征进行分析。结果表明：在空间尺度上,西藏典型湖泊叶绿素a浓度整体上呈现出周围高、中部低的分布特征,且湖岸水体叶绿素a浓度变化较大;在季节尺度上,不同湖泊叶绿素a浓度的季节变化存在较大差异,格仁错和色林错的季节变化幅度较大,纳木错、塔若错和羊卓雍错的季节变化幅度较小。     

Empirical Trials of Plant Field Guides

We designed 3 image‐based field guides to tropical forest plant species in Ghana, Grenada, and Cameroon and tested them with 1095 local residents and 20 botanists in the United Kingdom. We compared users’ identification accuracy with different image formats, including drawings, specimen photos, living plant photos, and paintings. We compared users’ accuracy with the guides to their accuracy with only their prior knowledge of the flora. We asked respondents to score each format for usability, beauty, and how much they would pay for it. Prior knowledge of plant names was generally low (<22%). With a few exceptions, identification accuracy did not differ significantly among image formats. In Cameroon, users identifying sterile Cola species achieved 46–56% accuracy across formats; identification was most accurate with living plant photos. Botanists in the United Kingdom accurately identified 82–93% of the same Cameroonian species; identification was most accurate with specimens. In Grenada, users accurately identified 74–82% of plants; drawings yielded significantly less accurate identifications than paintings and photos of living plants. In Ghana, users accurately identified 85% of plants. Digital color photos of living plants ranked high for beauty, usability, and what users would pay. Black and white drawings ranked low. Our results show the potential and limitations of the use of field guides and nonspecialists to identify plants, for example, in conservation applications. We recommend authors of plant field guides use the cheapest or easiest illustration format because image type had limited bearing on accuracy; match the type of illustration to the most likely use of the guide for slight improvements in accuracy; avoid black and white formats unless the audience is experienced at interpreting illustrations or keeping costs low is imperative; discourage false‐positive identifications, which were common; and encourage users to ask an expert or use a herbarium for groups that are difficult to identify. Pruebas Empíricas de Guías de Campo de Plantas Hawthorne, Cable & Marshall     

Two Hundred Years of Local Avian Extinctions in Eastern Amazonia

Local, regional, and global extinctions caused by habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation have been widely reported for the tropics. The patterns and drivers of this loss of species are now increasingly well known in Amazonia, but there remains a significant gap in understanding of long‐term trends in species persistence and extinction in anthropogenic landscapes. Such a historical perspective is critical for understanding the status and trends of extant biodiversity as well as for identifying priorities to halt further losses. Using extensive historical data sets of specimen records and results of contemporary surveys, we searched for evidence of local extinctions of a terra firma rainforest avifauna over 200 years in a 2500 km² eastern Amazonian region around the Brazilian city of Belém. This region has the longest history of ornithological fieldwork in the entire Amazon basin and lies in the highly threatened Belém Centre of Endemism. We also compared our historically inferred extinction events with extensive data on species occurrences in a sample of catchments in a nearby municipality (Paragominas) that encompass a gradient of past forest loss. We found evidence for the possible extinction of 47 species (14% of the regional species pool) that were unreported from 1980 to 2013 (80% last recorded between 1900 and 1980). Seventeen species appear on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and many of these are large‐bodied. The species lost from the region immediately around Belém are similar to those which are currently restricted to well‐forested catchments in Paragominas. Although we anticipate the future rediscovery or recolonization of some species inferred to be extinct by our calculations, we also expect that there are likely to be additional local extinctions, not reported here, given the ongoing loss and degradation of remaining areas of native vegetation across eastern Amazonia. Doscientos Años de Extinciones Locales de Aves en la Amazonia Oriental     

Defining and Evaluating the Umbrella Species Concept for Conserving and Restoring Landscape Connectivity

Conserving or restoring landscape connectivity between patches of breeding habitat is a common strategy to protect threatened species from habitat fragmentation. By managing connectivity for some species, usually charismatic vertebrates, it is often assumed that these species will serve as conservation umbrellas for other species. We tested this assumption by developing a quantitative method to measure overlap in dispersal habitat of 3 threatened species—a bird (the umbrella), a butterfly, and a frog—inhabiting the same fragmented landscape. Dispersal habitat was determined with Circuitscape, which was parameterized with movement data collected for each species. Despite differences in natural history and breeding habitat, we found substantial overlap in the spatial distributions of areas important for dispersal of this suite of taxa. However, the intuitive umbrella species (the bird) did not have the highest overlap with other species in terms of the areas that supported connectivity. Nevertheless, we contend that when there are no irreconcilable differences between the dispersal habitats of species that cohabitate on the landscape, managing for umbrella species can help conserve or restore connectivity simultaneously for multiple threatened species with different habitat requirements. Definición y Evaluación del Concepto de Especie Paraguas para Conservar y Restaurar la Conectividad de Paisajes