The Silent Mass Extinction of Insect Herbivores in Biodiversity Hotspots

Abstract: Habitat loss is silently leading numerous insects to extinction. Conservation efforts, however, have not been designed specifically to protect these organisms, despite their ecological and evolutionary significance. On the basis of species–host area equations, parameterized with data from the literature and interviews with botanical experts, I estimated the number of specialized plant‐feeding insects (i.e., monophages) that live in 34 biodiversity hotspots and the number committed to extinction because of habitat loss. I estimated that 795,971–1,602,423 monophagous insect species live in biodiversity hotspots on 150,371 endemic plant species, which is 5.3–10.6 monophages per plant species. I calculated that 213,830–547,500 monophagous species are committed to extinction in biodiversity hotspots because of reduction of the geographic range size of their endemic hosts. I provided rankings of biodiversity hotspots on the basis of estimated richness of monophagous insects and on estimated number of extinctions of monophagous species. Extinction rates were predicted to be higher in biodiversity hotspots located along strong environmental gradients and on archipelagos, where high spatial turnover of monophagous species along the geographic distribution of their endemic plants is likely. The results strongly support the overall strategy of selecting priority conservation areas worldwide primarily on the basis of richness of endemic plants. To face the global decline of insect herbivores, one must expand the coverage of the network of protected areas and improve the richness of native plants on private lands.     

Some Guiding Concepts for Conservation Biology

Abstract: The search for generalities in ecology has often been thwarted by contingency and ecological complexity that limit the development of predictive rules. We present a set of concepts that we believe succinctly expresses some of the fundamental ideas in conservation biology. (1) Successful conservation management requires explicit goals and objectives. (2) The overall goal of biodiversity management will usually be to maintain or restore biodiversity, not to maximize species richness. (3) A holistic approach is needed to solve conservation problems. (4) Diverse approaches to management can provide diverse environmental conditions and mitigate risk. (5) Using nature's template is important for guiding conservation management, but it is not a panacea. (6) Focusing on causes not symptoms enhances efficacy and efficiency of conservation actions. (7) Every species and ecosystem is unique, to some degree. (8) Threshold responses are important but not ubiquitous. (9) Multiple stressors often exert critical effects on species and ecosystems. (10) Human values are variable and dynamic and significantly shape conservation efforts. We believe most conservation biologists will broadly agree these concepts are important. That said, an important part of the maturation of conservation biology as a discipline is constructive debate about additional or alternative concepts to those we have proposed here. Therefore, we have established a web‐based, online process for further discussion of the concepts outlined in this paper and developing additional ones.     

加勒比松幼林追肥试验研究

加勒比松1a生幼林氮磷钾不同配比的追肥试验表明，追肥后6a，肥效都极显著；其中以第2a的效果最显著，最大树高、胸径、材积分别比不追肥增加39．1％～52．6％、45．4％～109．3％和34．1％～405．6％；6a后肥效下降，但追肥仍比不追肥的树高、胸径、材积增长8．7％～20％、10．9％～17．9％、31．5％～54．7％。氮磷钾配合施用的效果最佳，施氮磷而缺钾有负效应。当氮磷钾相同配比（N30P30K30）时有特殊的低效应。     

井下运输安全性的灰色综合评判

以平顶山煤业（集团）公司一矿（简称平一矿）为例,运用灰色系统理论,对井下运输系统的安全性进行了灰色综合评判,指出了影响运输安全的人、机、环境各因素中存在的问题,并提出了相应的提高安全性的措施。     

Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Seed Dispersal and Seedling Establishment in Ornithochorous Trees

Abstract: Habitat fragmentation increases seed dispersal limitation across the landscape and may also affect subsequent demographic stages such as seedling establishment. Thus, the development of adequate plans for forest restoration requires an understanding of mechanisms by which fragmentation hampers seed delivery to deforested areas and knowledge of how fragmentation affects the relationship between seed‐deposition patterns and seedling establishment. We evaluated the dispersal and recruitment of two bird‐dispersed, fleshy‐fruited tree species (Crataegus monogyna and Ilex aquifolium) in fragmented secondary forests of northern Spain. Forest fragmentation reduced the probability of seed deposition for both trees because of decreased availability of woody perches and fruit‐rich neighborhoods for seed dispersers, rather than because of reductions in tree cover by itself. The effects of fragmentation went beyond effects on the dispersal stage in Crataegus because seedling establishment was proportional to the quantities of bird‐dispersed seeds arriving at microsites. In contrast, postdispersal mortality in Ilex was so high that it obscured the seed‐to‐seedling transition. These results suggest that the effects of fragmentation are not necessarily consistent across stages of recruitment across species. Habitat management seeking to overcome barriers to forest recovery must include the preservation, and even the planting, of fleshy‐fruited trees in the unforested matrix as a measure to encourage frugivorous birds to enter into open and degraded areas. An integrative management strategy should also explicitly consider seed‐survival expectancies at microhabitats to preserve plant‐population dynamics and community structure in fragmented landscapes.     

Amphibian Encounter Rates on Roads with Different Amounts of Traffic and Urbanization

Abstract: Although amphibians have relatively high rates of road mortality in urban areas, the conditions under which traffic threatens the survival of local amphibian populations remain unclear. In the Sandhills region of North Carolina (U.S.A.), we counted living and dead amphibians along two transects (total length 165 km) established on roads in areas with varying degrees of urbanization. We found 2665 individuals of 15 species, and amphibian encounter rates declined sharply as traffic and urban development increased. Regression‐tree models indicated that 35 amphibians/100 km occurred on roads with <535 vehicles/day, whereas the encounter rate decreased to only 2 amphibians/100 km on roads with >2048 vehicles/day. Although mortality rate peaked at higher traffic levels (47% dead on roads with >5200 vehicles/day), the number of dead amphibians was highest at low levels of traffic. This suggests that areas where amphibian mortality is concentrated may actually contain the largest populations remaining on a given road transect.     

露天转地下开采对上覆构筑物安全影响分析

为在最大限度科学回收地下资源的前提下,保证地表构筑物安全,以国内某大型矿山为工程背景,采用空区监测系统(CMS)结合DIMINE/FLAC3D建模技术,构建露天转地下开采对地表构筑物影响分析三维可视化计算模型。通过数值计算与现场调查相结合的方法,对比分析露天转地下开采影响范围内的地表构筑物水平位移、倾斜、曲率、沉降。结果表明:数值计算获得的应力场和位移场结果,与矿山实测结果基本吻合。该矿山开采1 650 m阶段后监测点最大倾斜指标为9 mm/m,接近允许值上限,因此,其最大合理开采深度为1 650 m阶段。     

行波管性能测试用试验箱的结构特点及其设计

介绍了一种专门用于行波管性能测试的试验箱的设计过程。在对试验箱结构特点进行分析的基础上,通过结构设计、制冷系统设计和控制系统设计,尤其在风道结构布局方面的创新设计,成功研制了该型试验箱,并在生产过程中得到了实际应用。     

Cloning and expression analysis of ScBAK1 gene and its alternative spliceosome in sugarcane北大核心CSCD

Alternative splicing (AS) is an important part of regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. BAK1 (Brassinosteroid insensitive1-associated receptor kinase 1) is a specific type of plant serine/threonine protein kinases, and can regulate growth and development and natural immunization. To reveal the responses of sugarcane BAK1 gene to the adverse environment, a ScBAK1 gene and its alternative spliceosome, termed ScBAK1 (GenBank accession number: KP032226) and ScBAK1 S1 (GenBank accession number: KP032227), were cloned from leaf cDNA of Yacheng 05-179 utilizing the methods of electronic cloning and RT-PCR. The open reading frame (ORF) length of ScBAK1/ScBAK1 S1 gene was 1 860bp/1 770bp, encoding 619/589 amino acids residues. The predicted molecular weight of the protein was 69.28 kDa/ 65.76 kDa. Both proteins were located in plasma membrane, estimated as acid, hydrophikic and secretive proteins. Random coil and alpha helix gave priority to extended strand in their secondary structure without beta turn. The most important protein function was cell envelope, secondly biosynthesis of amino acids and cofactors. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the expression of sugarcane ScBAK1 S1 gene exhibited the reduced expression trend under smut fungus stress and various abiotic exogenous stresses, including SA, CuCl2, PEG, ABA, NaCl and JA, while the expression of ScBAK1 gene was induced by SA, CuCl2, PEG, NaCl and smut fungus stresses. The phenomenon showed that the absent sequences or amounts of ScBAK1 S1 gene plays a key role in the response of ScBAK1 to the stress of sugarcane smut fungus, osmotic stress and cell growth. The differential expression of ScBAK1 and ScBAK1 S1 lays a foundation for further research on the function of ScBAK1 gene under biotic and abiotic stress.     

Global population collapse in a superabundant migratory bird and illegal trapping in China

Persecution and overexploitation by humans are major causes of species extinctions. Rare species, often confined to small geographic ranges, are usually at highest risk, whereas extinctions of superabundant species with very large ranges are rare. The Yellow‐breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) used to be one of the most abundant songbirds of the Palearctic, with a very large breeding range stretching from Scandinavia to the Russian Far East. Anecdotal information about rapid population declines across the range caused concern about unsustainable trapping along the species’ migration routes. We conducted a literature review and used long‐term monitoring data from across the species’ range to model population trend and geographical patterns of extinction. The population declined by 84.3–94.7% between 1980 and 2013, and the species’ range contracted by 5000 km. Quantitative evidence from police raids suggested rampant illegal trapping of the species along its East Asian flyway in China. A population model simulating an initial harvest level of 2% of the population, and an annual increase of 0.2% during the monitoring period produced a population trajectory that matched the observed decline. We suggest that trapping strongly contributed to the decline because the consumption of Yellow‐breasted Bunting and other songbirds has increased as a result of economic growth and prosperity in East Asia. The magnitude and speed of the decline is unprecedented among birds with a comparable range size, with the exception of the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), which went extinct in 1914 due to industrial‐scale hunting. Our results demonstrate the urgent need for an improved monitoring of common and widespread species’ populations, and consumption levels throughout East Asia.