Conservation Biology, Genetically Modified Organisms, and the Biosafety Protocol

Abstract:  Concerns have been raised regarding the potential adverse effects on biological diversity of the use of living modified organisms (LMOs, which are commonly known by similar terms such as genetically modified organisms). At the international level these concerns are addressed in part by an agreement known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and include potential toxic effects of insect-resistant crops on nontarget organisms and potential ecological effects of gene flow from modified crops, fish, microorganisms, or insects to wild species or counterparts. We reviewed the protocol's main provisions, including those dealing with risk assessment and risk management, decision making on imports, documentation accompanying shipments, and liability resulting from damages caused by LMOs. A medium-term program of work has been adopted by the parties, which includes the potential contribution of conservation biologists to delivering capacity building, developing risk assessment guidance, evaluating mechanisms of potential ecological damages from LMOs, and other issues. Conservation biologists and other experts have opportunities to influence the negotiations and implementation of the protocol by providing inputs at meetings, offering expertise to governments and organizations, and participating in or developing relevant projects and initiatives. Involvement of conservation biologists in the implementation and further development of the protocol would contribute to its effectiveness.     

Vegetation changes in Conservation Reserve Program lands in interior Alaska

Over 14 million hectares of erosion prone cropland in the United States has been converted into grasslands through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, however, studies of the effects of CRP enrollment on plant communities and subsequent plant succession are largely lacking. In Delta Junction, Alaska plant communities in CRP fields are transitioning from grasslands to shrub dominated plant communities, which are resulting in compliance problems with program regulations that state “fields must be maintained in a condition that permits easy conversion to cropland”. To determine plant succession and how previous land management and soils might influence the transition, we measured plant populations in 20 CRP fields throughout Delta Junction using modified-Whittaker plots. These data were combined with data on current management practices, previous farming history, soils, soil properties, diversity indices, and time since land was cleared and analyzed with nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination to determine factors that influence plant succession. Time in the CRP was the only factor consistently influencing plant succession. As time in the CRP increased, the planted introduced grasses brome grass (Bromus inermis) and red fescue (Festuca rubra) and the native pteridophyte (Equisetum arvense) decreased, whereas a native grass (Calamigrostis canadensis), five native forb, two native shrub, and three native tree species increased. Plant diversity increased at a rate of more than 2 species per 1000 m² per year. Regression analyses of plant species and plant groups using time in the CRP as the dependent variable resulted in the identification of outlier CRP fields with significantly more or less than expected covers of vegetation. All fields with these outliers had reasonable explanations for the differences in cover that were unrelated to the overall rate of plant succession. Current management practices will result in incompliant fields and different management practices that result in woody vegetation control is key to maintaining CRP fields in compliance.     

A strategy for the next decade to address data deficiency in neglected biodiversity

Measuring progress toward international biodiversity targets requires robust information on the conservation status of species, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species provides. However, data and capacity are lacking for most hyperdiverse groups, such as invertebrates, plants, and fungi, particularly in megadiverse or high-endemism regions. Conservation policies and biodiversity strategies aimed at halting biodiversity loss by 2020 need to be adapted to tackle these information shortfalls after 2020. We devised an 8-point strategy to close existing data gaps by reviving explorative field research on the distribution, abundance, and ecology of species; linking taxonomic research more closely with conservation; improving global biodiversity databases by making the submission of spatially explicit data mandatory for scientific publications; developing a global spatial database on threats to biodiversity to facilitate IUCN Red List assessments; automating preassessments by integrating distribution data and spatial threat data; building capacity in taxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity monitoring in countries with high species richness or endemism; creating species monitoring programs for lesser-known taxa; and developing sufficient funding mechanisms to reduce reliance on voluntary efforts. Implementing these strategies in the post-2020 biodiversity framework will help to overcome the lack of capacity and data regarding the conservation status of biodiversity. This will require a collaborative effort among scientists, policy makers, and conservation practitioners.     

《名古屋议定书》政府间委员会(ICNP)议题谈判成效

《生物多样性公约》缔约方大会第10次会议(COP-10)决定设立名古屋议定书政府间委员会(ICNP),主要负责《关于遗传资源获取与惠益分享(ABS)的名古屋议定书》(简称《议定书》)缔约方大会第1次会议(COP/MOP-1)的筹备工作。2011年6月、2012年7月和2014年2月,分别在加拿大、印度和韩国共召开了3次会议。会议对《议定书》生效和执行将面临的问题开展了讨论。通过详细梳理不同缔约方与其它国家政府对两年期方案预算、COP/MOP议事规则、COP/MOP-1临时议程草案、全球多边惠益分享机制、ABS信息交换所、能力建设、意识提高、遵约程序和机制、监测与报告以及示范合同条款等主要议题所持观点,总结了会议的进展动态,综合分析了各议题的谈判成效,深入探讨了名古屋议定书委员会对《议定书》生效和执行的积极作用以及面临的挑战。     

Population structure and community characteristics of Acer catalpifolium Rehd北大核心CSCD

Acer catalpifolium Rehd., a critically endangered tree species with an extremely limited range of distribution, is one of the 120 plant species with extremely small populations, as approved by the state forestry administration of the People's Republic of China and requires urgent rescue action. In order to comprehensively understand the population status and the future developmental trend of A. catalpifolium, the plant communities were investigated from 5 sites, including Caishenmiao (CSM), Banruosi (BRS), Zhangshancun (ZSC), Fuhusi (FHS), and Baoguosi (BGS). The population structure of A. catalpifolium as well as the species composition and community characteristics of its habitat were investigated. The results showed that A. catalpifolium is mainly distributed in the evergreen broad-leaved and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests, in different community layers, namely, the tree layer, shrub layer, and herb layer, and is accompanied by 52, 74, and 52 plant species, respectively. Analyses of the distribution of population abundance revealed that BRS had the largest distribution of A. catalpifolium, accounting for 26.04% of the total population, followed by FHS, ZSC, BGS, and CSM, in that order. Analyses of the community characteristics revealed that the species diversity indices in FHS, BRS, BGS, and CSM were greater than that in ZSC. Analyses of the population age structure of A. catalpifolium revealed the gap in the distribution of the levels of seedlings and young trees. There were serious obstacles to the regeneration of the natural population. We concluded that the obstacle to the regeneration of the population of A. catalpifolium might be caused by the high competitive pressure from the dominant species and the micro-environment in the forest. Understanding the community characteristics and the population structure of A. catalpifolium could provide a theoretical foundation for its reintroduction and recovery. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Effects of water velocity on bulk water quality and biofilm population structure in drinking water distribution systems北大核心CSCD

To study the effect of flow velocity on drinking water distribution systems, bulk water quality was monitored over 28 days, biomass was measured, and 16S rDNA was sequenced on the 28th day using a water distribution simulation system. The relationship between bulk water quality and biofilm was statistically analyzed. Flow velocity of 0.5 m/s yielded the most total organic carbon (TOC) (5.26 ± 0.17 mg/L) in the bulk water, the most bulk water bacteria (lg (n+1/mL-1) = 4.79 ± 0.02), the worst bulk water quality, and the most biofilm bacteria (lg (n+1/cm-2) = 5.48 ± 0.06). A Pearson correlation analysis showed the total number of biofilm bacteria was positively correlated with conductivity (R = 0.73, P < 0.01), turbidity (R = 0.87, P < 0.001), TOC (R = 0.94, P < 0.001), and total bacteria (R = 0.92, P < 0.001), and was negatively correlated with residual chlorine (R = -0.68, P < 0.05). Biofilm diversity was high under the low (0.1 m/s) and high (2.5 m/s) flow rates, but the bacterial diversity of biofilm was the lowest at the 0.5 m/s flow rate, in which Proteobacteria dominated the biofilm community structure. These results suggest that flow velocity affects bulk water quality and biofilm population structure, and water quality and biofilm population structure are interrelated, which provides the theoretical basis for research on biofilms in drinking water distribution systems. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

滇西北地区裸子植物多样性的地理分布格局及其与区系分化之间的关系

研究利用大尺度的物种分布信息,探讨了长江上游滇西北地区裸子植物多样性的地理分布格局及其与区系分化之间的关系。结果表明,在属和种的水平上,裸子植物的多样性从南到北呈递增趋势,但在科的水平上无明显变化趋势。在科和属的水平上,裸子植物的区系分化强度随着纬度的升高呈递增趋势。较高的裸子植物多样性和区系分化强度主要出现在北部地区。区系分化强度与表征地形复杂度的单位面积海拔高差之间存在显著的相关性。区系分化强度明显影响研究区域内裸子植物多样性的地理分布格局,这可能与地质历史上滇西北地区地层的差异性抬升和地形格局有关。     

Confronting socially generated uncertainty in adaptive management

As more and more organizations with responsibility for natural resource management adopt adaptive management as the rubric in which they wish to operate, it becomes increasingly important to consider the sources of uncertainty inherent in their endeavors. Without recognizing that uncertainty originates both in the natural world and in human undertakings, efforts to manage adaptively at the least will prove frustrating and at the worst will prove damaging to the very natural resources that are the management targets. There will be more surprises and those surprises potentially may prove at the very least unwanted and at the worst devastating. We illustrate how acknowledging uncertainty associated with the natural world is necessary but not sufficient to avoid surprise using case studies of efforts to manage three wildlife species; Hector's Dolphins, American Alligators and Pallid Sturgeon. Three characteristics of indeterminism are salient to all of them; non-stationarity, irreducibility and an inability to define objective probabilities. As an antidote, we recommend employing a holistic treatment of indeterminism, that includes recognizing that uncertainty originates in ecological systems and in how people perceive, interact and decide about the natural world of which they are integral players.     

秦山岛周边海域大型底栖动物群落健康状况评价

2015年8月,对秦山岛周边的10个站位进行大型底栖动物定量调查。采用生物多样性指数法和丰度生物量比较法对大型底栖动物群落健康状况进行评价。结果显示,共鉴定大型底栖动物7大类31种,其中软体动物、环节动物各10种,节肢动物5种,脊索动物和棘皮动物各2种,纽虫类和腔肠动物各1种;密度优势类群为软体动物,占总密度的35.00%,生物量优势类群为脊索动物,占总生物量的49.35%;优势种分别为红狼牙虾虎鱼(Odontamblyopus rubicundus)、棘刺锚参(Protankyra bidentata)、内卷原盒螺(Eocylichna involuta)和微角齿口螺(Odostomia subangulata)。大型底栖动物密度为站位St.6最大,为115 ind./m²,St.2最小,为20 ind./m²,平均值为70 ind./m²;生物量St.3最大,为197.25 g/m²,St.9最小,为2.56 g/m²,平均值为54.04 g/m²。秦山岛受污染压力、人为活动干扰和生境限制能因素影响,多样性偏低,优势种为耐污的软体动物、脊索动物和棘皮动物,但其主要为K对策种类,大型底栖动物群落受到了轻度干扰,但群落结构仍较为稳定。     

Quantifying Plant Population Persistence in Human-Dominated Landscapes

Abstract:  We assessed population performance of rare plants across a gradient from rural to urban landscapes and evaluated 2 hypotheses central to strategic conservation planning: (1) population performance declines with increasing human dominance and (2) small populations perform poorly relative to larger ones. Assessing these hypotheses is critical to strategic conservation planning. The current conservation paradigm adheres to the well-established ecology theory that small isolated populations, particularly those in human-dominated landscapes, are the least likely to succeed over the long term. Consequently, conservation planning has strongly favored large, remote targets for protection. This shift in conservation toward ecosystem-based programs and protection of populations within large, remote systems has been at the expense of protection of the rarest of the rare species, the dominant paradigm for conservation driven by the endangered species act. Yet, avoiding conservation of small populations appears to be based more on theoretical understanding and expert opinion than empiricism. We used Natural Heritage data from California in an assessment of population performance of rare plants across a landscape with an urban-rural gradient. Population performance did not decrease in urban settings or for populations that were initially small. Our results are consistent with a pattern of few species extinctions within these landscapes over the past several decades. We conclude that these populations within compromised landscapes can contribute to overall biodiversity conservation. We further argue that conservation planning for biodiversity preservation should allocate relatively more resources to protecting urban-associated plant taxa because they may provide conservation benefit beyond simply protecting isolated populations; they may be useful in building social interest in conservation.