Limitations of Biodiversity Databases: Case Study on Seed-Plant Diversity in Tenerife, Canary Islands

Abstract:  Databases on the distribution of species can be used to describe the geographic patterns of biodiversity. Nevertheless, they have limitations. We studied three of these limitations: (1) inadequacy of raw data to describe richness patterns due to sampling bias, (2) lack of survey effort assessment (and lack of exhaustiveness in compiling data about survey effort), and (3) lack of coverage of the geographic and environmental variations that affect the distribution of organisms. We used a biodiversity database (BIOTA-Canarias) to analyze richness data from a well-known group (seed plants) in an intensively surveyed area (Tenerife Island). Observed richness and survey effort were highly correlated. Species accumulation curves could not be used to determine survey effort because data digitalization was not exhaustive, so we identified well-sampled sites based on observed richness to sampling effort ratios. We also developed a predictive model based on the data from well-sampled sites and analyzed the origin of the geographic errors in the obtained extrapolation by means of a geographically constrained cross-validation. The spatial patterns of seed-plant species richness obtained from BIOTA-Canarias data were incomplete and biased. Therefore, some improvements are needed to use this database (and many others) in biodiversity studies. We propose a protocol that includes controls on data quality, improvements on data digitalization and survey design to improve data quality, and some alternative data analysis strategies that will provide a reliable picture of biodiversity patterns.     

Responses of three mouse species to deterrent chemicals in the monarch butterfly. II. Taste tests using intact monarchs

Summary Peromyscus melanotis is the only one of three mouse species that eats monarch butterflies at their overwintering sites in Mexico. I tested two hypotheses: 1)P. aztecus avoids monarchs because of a bitter taste aversion to cardiac glycosides (CGs) and an inability to reject CG-rich body parts; 2)Reithrodontomys sumichrasti avoids monarchs principally because of a bitter taste aversion to the CGs. None of the species are sensitive to the toxic effects of ingested CGs. Feeding responses of laboratory-reared mice of each species to monarchs with low, medium and high CG concentrations were compared. BothP. aztecus andR. sumichrasti ate significantly fewer of all three types of monarchs thanP. melanotis. ForP. aztecus andR. sumichrasti, the number of monarchs eaten decreased with increasing CG concentration, whereas forP. melanotis, the number remained constant.Peromyscus melanotis andR. sumichrasti developed a feeding technique for rejecting the CG-laden cuticular material, which reduced the bitterness of ingested monarch material. However,R. sumichrasti displayed the technique significantly less often thanP. melanotis; andP. aztecus never developed it. I conclude that high taste sensitivity to CGs and less versatile food handling preventP. aztecus andR. sumichrasti from overcoming the monarch's chemical defenses.     

An experimental examination of female preference patterns for components of the male advertisement call in the quacking frog,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Crinia georgiana</Emphasis>

Even though females prefer particular components of a male display, their preferences may not be expressed during mate choice. Here, we quantified female preference patterns in the frog Crinia georgiana for call rate, pulse number and dominant frequency using two-speaker trials. Females typically chose signals emitted at a higher rate, with more pulses (when variation was extreme) and with an average dominant frequency. The results for pulse number and call rate agree with a previous field study which found that these two call components explained significant variation in male mating success. In contrast, the strong preferences for average dominant frequencies detected here disagree with the previous field study which failed to find any relationship between dominant frequency and male mating success. To explain the discrepancy we investigated whether the patterns of female preference for dominant frequency changed when another property, call rate, was varied simultaneously. Most females chose the call with an average dominant frequency when offered a choice between a call with an average dominant frequency and call rate or a non-average dominant frequency (±2 SD) and high call rate. When the differences in dominant frequency were reduced (±1 SD), females showed no clear preference for either signal. Accordingly, female preference patterns for one call component can vary with the expression of another. These results do not explain why dominant frequency did not account for any variation in male mating success under field conditions.Communicated by T. Beschlitz     

Spatial analysis of plant detritus processing in a Mediterranean river type: the case of the River Tirso Basin,Sardinia, Italy

The river continuum concept represents the most general framework addressing the spatial variation of both structure and function in river ecosystems.In the Mediterranean ecoregion,summer drought events and dams constitute the main sources of local disturbance to the structure and functioning of river ecosystems occurring in the river basin.In this study,we analysed patterns of spatial variation of detritus processing in a 7th order river of the Mediterranean ecoregion(River Tirso,Sardinia0Italy)and in three 4th order sub-basins which were exposed to different summer drought pressures.The study was carried out on phragmites australis and Alnus glutionsa leaf detritus at 31 field sites in seasonal field experiment Detritus processing rates were higher for Alnus glutionsa than for Phragmites australis plant detritus.Processing rates of Alnus glutionsa leaves varied among seasons and study sites from 0.006d^-1 to 0.189d^-1 and those of Phragmites australis leaves ranged from 0.0008d^-1 to 0.102d^-1,with the lowest values occurring at sites exposed to summer drought.Seasons and sites accounted for a significant proportion of such variability.Alder detritus decay rates generally decreased with increasing stream order,while reed detritus decay rates generallyincreased on the same spatial gradient.Summer drought events affected these spatial patterns of variation by influencing significantly the decay rates of both plant detritus.The comparisons among and within sub-basins showed strong negative influence of summer drought on detritus processing rates.Similarly,in the entire River Tirso basin decay rates were always lower at disturbed than at undisturbed sites for each stream order;decay rates of reed detritus remained lower at those sites even after the end of the disturbance events,while alder decay rates recovered rapidly from the summer drought perturbations.The different recovery of the processing rates of the two leaves could also explain the different patterns of spatial variation observed between the two leaves.     

Cultivated cells from mid-trimester amniotic fluids. IV. Cell type identification via one and two-dimensional electrophoresis of clonal whole cell homogenates

Clones of cultivated amniotic fluid cells that have distinct morphologic and growth characteristics (F, AF and E-type) were examined by one-dimensional SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and by two-dimensional electrophoresis employing isoelectric focusing and SDS-PAGE (IEF-PAGE). No qualitative differences in band pattern were observed in SDS-PAGE between the various amniotic fluid cell types, but consistent quantitative differences in the ratios of four bands of presumed filamentous proteins provided good distinction between amniotic fluid cells and postnatal skin fibroblast-like cells. By adding separation on the basis of electrical charge to that of molecular size (IEF-PAGE), we observed reproducible qualitative differences in the protein spot patterns between F and both AF and E-type amniotic fluid cells. At least eight discrete proteins appear not to be synthesized by prenatal F-type cells in comparison with their isogenic AF and E counterparts under identical culture conditions. The two-dimensional electrophoretic patterns thus confirm that F and AF amniotic cells, in spite of their morphologic and growth kinetic similarities, are developmentally distinct cell types that retain their differentiated states in culture.     

环境规制对碳排放时空格局演变的作用路径研究——基于东北三省地级市实证分析

基于2005-2016年东北三省36个地级市面板数据,定性分析环境规制与碳排放的时空格局演变特征,并利用中介效应分析法定量研究环境规制对碳排放的影响及作用路径。结果表明：（1）从各城市对比来看,环境规制强度呈现出明显的市域差异,碳排放量呈先增加后减小态势。（2）从空间格局来看,环境规制强度呈现由北向南逐渐增强的态势,区域间差异逐渐增大。环境规制的高水平类型分布集中,城市数量最多;低水平类型均位于黑龙江省北部,城市数量最少。碳排放量的高水平类型集中分布在辽东半岛以及大庆市和吉林市等石油型、冶金型城市,低水平类型城市数量呈波动增加,主要分布在东北北部,且向南逐渐扩散。（3）东北三省严格的环境规制不仅直接抑制碳排放,也可以通过优化产业结构和精简粗放投资间接抑制碳排放,地方政府竞争则会减弱环境规制对碳排放的抑制效应。     

覆膜方式和灌溉对夏玉米产量及农田碳排放强度的影响

为探讨不同覆膜方式和灌溉对夏玉米农田产量和温室气体排放的影响,本研究设计了雨养(R)和灌溉(I)这两个主处理,对照(CK)、半膜覆盖(HM)和全膜覆盖(FM)这3个副处理,利用静态暗箱-气相色谱法监测了2014和2015年土壤CO_2、CH_4和N_2O的排放通量,并借助碳排放强度(GHGI)指标进一步评价了不同覆膜方式的固碳减排效果.结果表明,与RCK相比,RHM和RFM在2014年增产作用不明显,而2015年分别增加19. 6%和26. 8%;与ICK相比,IHM增产作用不显著,而IFM在2014和2015年均显著增产,达到14. 1%和55. 8%.灌溉仅对2015年CO_2排放有显著促进作用(P 0. 01),同一主处理下覆膜方式对CO_2排放没有显著影响(P 0. 05).灌溉对CH_4吸收没有显著影响(P 0. 05),覆膜对CH_4吸收具有抑制作用. ICK相比RCK,N_2O排放量仅在2015年存在显著性差异,显著减少了22. 3%;与RCK相比,RHM和RFM在2014年N_2O排放量差异不显著,2015年分别显著降低了50. 7%和51. 4%; IHM和IFM与ICK相比,2014年N_2O排放分别显著减少了47. 5%和54. 2%,2015年分别减少了9. 6%和52. 2%.灌溉可以通过提高产量从而显著降低GHGI;与RCK相比,RHM和RFM的GHGI仅在2015年显著降低,分别达到60. 1%和61. 7%;与ICK相比,IHM和IFM在2014年GHGI分别显著降低了39. 7%和53. 2%,2015年分别降低了22. 2%和67. 5%,即全膜覆盖降低GHGI的效果优于半膜覆盖.因此,对夏玉米种植而言,灌溉条件下全膜覆盖能保证作物高产稳产并降低农田碳排放强度.     

Global mismatches in aboveground and belowground biodiversity

Human activities are accelerating global biodiversity change and have resulted in severely threatened ecosystem services. A large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity is harbored by soil, but soil biodiversity has been omitted from many global biodiversity assessments and conservation actions, and understanding of global patterns of soil biodiversity remains limited. In particular, the extent to which hotspots and coldspots of aboveground and soil biodiversity overlap is not clear. We examined global patterns of these overlaps by mapping indices of aboveground (mammals, birds, amphibians, vascular plants) and soil (bacteria, fungi, macrofauna) biodiversity that we created using previously published data on species richness. Areas of mismatch between aboveground and soil biodiversity covered 27% of Earth's terrestrial surface. The temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome had the highest proportion of grid cells with high aboveground biodiversity but low soil biodiversity, whereas the boreal and tundra biomes had intermediate soil biodiversity but low aboveground biodiversity. While more data on soil biodiversity are needed, both to cover geographic gaps and to include additional taxa, our results suggest that protecting aboveground biodiversity may not sufficiently reduce threats to soil biodiversity. Given the functional importance of soil biodiversity and the role of soils in human well-being, soil biodiversity should be considered further in policy agendas and conservation actions by adapting management practices to sustain soil biodiversity and considering soil biodiversity when designing protected areas.     

不同土地利用方式下土壤重金属污染修复技术研究

土壤重金属污染的修复问题备受人们的关注,而在不同土地利用方式下受污染的土壤能够通过不同途径对人群健康构成威胁.国内外有关土壤重金属污染修复方法可分为生物修复、化学修复、物理修复以及联合修复,各修复方法适用范围差异较大.结合农业土壤、城市土壤以及矿区土壤中重金属的污染特征能够提出相应的更加合理的修复措施,最终为相关部门环境污染治理的决策提供理论依据.     

植被重建下煤矿排土场土壤熟化过程中碳储量变化

植被重建是治理因露天煤矿的开采而形成的大面积排土场行之有效的措施,了解植被重建模式对排土场土壤有机碳(SOC)储量的影响是筛选植被治理措施的重要因子.在内蒙古准格尔旗黑岱沟露天煤矿,选取15 a治理排土场中5种植被重建模式(自然恢复地、草地、灌木林、乔灌混交林、乔木林),16种植被配置类型,采集土壤剖面(0~100 cm)样品408个,研究不同重建模式下SOC储量的变化.结果表明:1治理排土场植被重建模式显著影响剖面SOC含量与分布(P<0.05),表层0~10 cm SOC呈草地>灌木>乔木>乔灌混交林>自然恢复地;全氮(TN)也呈相似的变化特征.2植被配置类型中,苜蓿地0~10 cm的SOC含量(5.71 g·kg-1)和TN含量(0.49 g·kg-1)均最高,比自然恢复地分别高166.7%和171.3%,且是沙棘、紫穗槐+油松、香花槐的两倍左右.3植被重建对SOC影响深度主要集中在0~20 cm,而对TN的影响可达40 cm.4与新建排土场相比,植被重建后,草地、灌木地和乔木地0~100 cm碳储量分别增加了15.47、6.93和6.95 t·hm-2,但仅相当于原地貌水平的2/3、1/2和1/2.植被重建表现出碳汇效应和巨大的固碳能力.从土壤固碳的角度考虑,建议植被重建模式以草地为主,植被类型优先考虑苜蓿.