Genomic erosion in a demographically recovered bird species during conservation rescue

The pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an endemic species of Mauritius that has made a remarkable recovery after a severe population bottleneck in the 1970s to early 1990s. Prior to this bottleneck, an ex situ population was established from which captive-bred individuals were released into free-living subpopulations to increase population size and genetic variation. This conservation rescue led to rapid population recovery to 400–480 individuals, and the species was twice downlisted on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We analyzed the impacts of the bottleneck and genetic rescue on neutral genetic variation during and after population recovery (1993–2008) with restriction site-associated sequencing, microsatellite analyses, and quantitative genetic analysis of studbook data of 1112 birds from zoos in Europe and the United States. We used computer simulations to study the predicted changes in genetic variation and population viability from the past into the future. Genetic variation declined rapidly, despite the population rebound, and the effective population size was approximately an order of magnitude smaller than census size. The species carried a high genetic load of circa 15 lethal equivalents for longevity. Our computer simulations predicted continued inbreeding will likely result in increased expression of deleterious mutations (i.e., a high realized load) and severe inbreeding depression. Without continued conservation actions, it is likely that the pink pigeon will go extinct in the wild within 100 years. Conservation rescue of the pink pigeon has been instrumental in the recovery of the free-living population. However, further genetic rescue with captive-bred birds from zoos is required to recover lost variation, reduce expression of harmful deleterious variation, and prevent extinction. The use of genomics and modeling data can inform IUCN assessments of the viability and extinction risk of species, and it helps in assessments of the conservation dependency of populations.     

微生物群落结构和多样性解析技术研究进展

微生物群落结构和多样性是微生物生态学和环境科学研究的热点内容，对于开发微生物资源，阐明微生物群落与其生境的关系，揭示群落结构与功能的联系，从而指导微生物群落功能的定向调控具有重要意义。基本按照年代顺序概述了常用的微生物群落结构及多样性解析技术，同时也体现了解析技术由片面向全面、由低分辨水平向高分辨水平的发展过程。20世纪70年代以前，对环境微生物群落结构及多样性的认识依赖传统的培养分离方法，方法的分辨水平低，认识是不全面的和有选择性的；20世纪70年代和80年代，在微生物化学成分分析的基础上建立了生物标记物方法(醌指纹法、磷脂脂肪酸法等)，对微生物群落结构和多样性的认识进入到较客观的层次上；在80和90年代，以DNA为目标物的现代分子生物学技术(rRNA基因测序技术、基因指纹图谱等)比较精确地揭示了微生物种类和遗传的多样性，并给出了关于群落结构的直观信息。指出了每种解析技术的功能特点和局限性，并展望了解析技术的发展趋势是原位、快速、灵敏、高通量和准确定量。     

山西高原油松种群遗传多样性

用酸性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（A-PAGE）技术，分析了山西高原9个油松种群在醇溶蛋白水平上的遗传多样性。135份材料共分离出23条带，其中3条为共有带，多态性高达86．95％。全部材料共出现53种带型，9个不同油松种群的带型有差异，同一种群不同个体的带型也有所不同，说明山西高原的油松在遗传上已产生一定程度分化，在醇溶蛋白水平上呈现出遗传多态性。从供试材料的带型计算出油松遗传分化系数为0．1547。即在种群间的变异占总变异的15．47％，种群内变异为84．53％，大部分的遗传变异存在于种群内，但种群间的分化程度在松属树种中也属于较高水平。根据23个多态位点计算遗传相似系数和遗传距离，进行聚类分析，将山西高原9个油松种群聚为3个类群。     

Effect on benthic communities of a major input of organic matter and other pollutants (coast off Barcelona,Western Mediterranean)

Benthic communities on soft bottoms off Barcelona, at and around two main pollution sources, the mouth of the Besòs River and the outlet of the submarine pipeline draining wastewater and organic sludges from the wastewater treatment plant of Sant Adrià del Besòs, have been studied. Samples were obtained with a Van Veen grab from 36 stations covering a 100 km² grid, between 10 and 70 m in depth. The effect of both pollution sources is clearly seen both at the species (the following macrofauna groups have been studied: Polychaeta, Mollusca, Echinodermata and Crustacea Decapoda) and community levels. The distribution of species and individuals numbers, species diversity and a pollution index, and of some selected (indicator) polychaeta species, all clearly define the degree of environmental degradation and the extent of the areas under the influence of the organic pollution.     

Influence of slope aspect on soil physico-chemical and biological properties in the mid hills of central Nepal

This study assessed the influence of slope aspect and land use on soil physio-chemical and biological properties (soil quality indicators) on contiguous south- and north-facing slopes of the mid hills in central Nepal, having the same climate, vegetation and parent material. In each aspect, two treatments (agriculture and forest) were chosen and four replicates taken for each treatment. Soil sample collection and microarthropod extraction was done according to the standard methodology: soil core samples (10 × 10 × 5 cm) and extraction with the modified Berlese–Tullgren funnel. The investigated soil variables were temperature, moisture, faunal abundance and diversity, organic matter, organic carbon, bulk density and pH. Except in a few cases, all considered soil properties showed significant differences between aspects and land use. Soils of the north-facing slope had higher SOC content, moisture, faunal abundance and diversity, and lower temperature and pH. Variations due to topographic aspect induced varied microclimates, causing differences in faunal abundance and diversity; soil moisture, temperature and organic matter trends affected soil fertility and ultimately soil quality. Further studies are required to clarify the complex interactions between soil properties (physio-chemical and biological), vegetation and slope aspect in Nepal, as well as to develop soil biological indicators as a tool to assist in sustainable land management.     

Diversity,endemism and economic potential of wild edible plants of Indian Himalaya

SUMMARY

The rich plant diversity of the Indian Himalaya is utilized by the native communities in various forms as medicine, edible/food, fodder, fuel, timber, agricultural tools, etc. Among these, wild edible plants form an important source as a supplement/substitute food in times of scarcity for native communities. Because land holdings are small and subsistence agriculture prevails, the natives gather many wild plants for food. This paper presents an inventory of wild edible plants of Indian Himalaya used by local communities. Over 675 wild plant species, representing 384 genera and 149 families, are used as food/edible and their various parts are either consumed raw, roasted, boiled, fried, cooked or in the form of oil, spice, seasoning material, jams, pickles, etc. The species were analysed for diversity in different phytogeographical provinces, altitudinal distribution, endemism, origin and potentials. West Himalaya shows the highest diversity (50.96%) of edible plants and East Himalaya the maximum number of endemics (18 taxa) and wild relatives of economic plants (39 taxa). Mass scale propagation, dissemination of information packages to local inhabitants to ensure that wild edibles remain as a resource for income generation, and strategies for conservation and management are recommended.     

Effects of sepiolite and biochar on microbial diversity in acid red soil from southern China

Sepiolite and biochar can immobilize heavy metals and organic pollutants in soil effectively, but their impact on the soil microbial community and diversity is still unclear. High-throughput Illumina MiSeq method was used to study the effects of sepiolite and biochar on the diversity of microbial communities in acid red soil amended with cadmium and atrazine. A total of 47,472 microbiological Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were found in all the treated soil samples. Sepiolite and biochar enriched the diversity of soil microbes at different classification levels and OTUs, but the effect of biochar was stronger than that of sepiolite. A Venn diagram showed that compared with other treatments, adding 2% biochar could promote the growth of specific microbes, which is better than the case for 5% biochar. The heat map of species abundance cluster showed that the dominant microbes in soil were different for different treatment doses of sepiolite and biochar. Among all the soil treatments, the top ten dominant bacterial phyla (from high to low dominance) were: Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria­, and Verrucomicrobia. The addition of sepiolite and biochar promoted the restoration of the microbial community diversity in contaminated soil.     

湘东丘陵区不同类型土壤活性碳组分的剖面分布与差异

土壤活性碳组分是土壤健康变化的指示器。选取湘东丘陵区3种不同母质发育的林地土壤（紫色土、板岩红壤和花岗岩红壤）,研究土壤颗粒有机碳（POC）和溶解性有机碳（DOC）的剖面分布规律,并分析POC、DOC与土壤有机碳（SOC）、土壤质地的关系。结果表明：土壤剖面POC、DOC质量分数分别介于0．29～3．87g·kg。和15．01～311．34mg·kg^-1,随剖面加深而大幅降低。土壤剖面POC储量介于8．61一16．54t·hm^-2,以花岗岩红壤最高,板岩红壤最低;而DOC储量介于380．76～1184．83kg·hm^-2,以板岩红壤最高,紫色土最低。POC占SOC的比例（POC／SOC）介于6．42％～46．25％,其中紫色土和板岩红壤POC／SOC随土层加深而降低,而花岗岩红壤则完全相反。DOC占SOC的比例（DOC／SOC）介于O．35％～3．02％,其中紫色土DOC／SOC随土层加深而降低,板岩红壤与花岗岩红壤DOC／SOC则以B层最高。由此可见,不同母质发育的土壤类型,碳库质量和脆弱程度不一。从维持地力和环境健康的角度,应对不同母质发育的土壤制定不同的开发利用方案。     

Pseudoreplication in Tropical Forests and the Resulting Effects on Biodiversity Conservation

Tropical forest ecosystems are threatened by habitat conversion and other anthropogenic actions. Timber production forests can augment the conservation value of primary forest reserves, but studies of logging effects often yield contradictory findings and thus inhibit efforts to develop clear conservation strategies. We hypothesized that much of this variability reflects a common methodological flaw, simple pseudoreplication, that confounds logging effects with preexisting spatial variation. We reviewed recent studies of the effects of logging on biodiversity in tropical forests (n = 77) and found that 68% were definitively pseudoreplicated while only 7% were definitively free of pseudoreplication. The remaining proportion could not be clearly categorized. In addition, we collected compositional data on 7 taxa in 24 primary forest research plots and systematically analyzed subsets of these plots to calculate the probability that a pseudoreplicated comparison would incorrectly identify a treatment effect. Rates of false inference (i.e., the spurious detection of a treatment effect) were >0.5 for 2 taxa, 0.3–0.5 for 2 taxa, and <0.3 for 3 taxa. Our findings demonstrate that tropical conservation strategies are being informed by a body of literature that is rife with unwarranted inferences. Addressing pseudoreplication is essential for accurately assessing biodiversity in logged forests, identifying the relative merits of specific management practices and landscape configurations, and effectively balancing conservation with timber production in tropical forests. Pseudoreplicación en Bosques Tropicales y Efectos Resultantes Sobre la Conservación de Biodiversidad