The effect of dominance hierarchy on the use of alternative foraging tactics: a phenotype-limited producing-scrounging game

Group living is thought to be advantageous for animals, though it also creates opportunities for exploitation. Using food discovered by others can be described as a producer-scrounger, frequency-dependent game. In the game, scroungers (parasitic individuals) do better than producers (food finders) when scroungers are rare in the group, but they do worse when scroungers are common. When the individuals' payoffs do not depend on their phenotype (i.e. a symmetric game), this strong negative frequency dependence leads to a mixed stable solution where both alternatives obtain equal payoffs. Here, we address the question of how differences in social status in a dominance hierarchy influence the individuals' decision to play producer or scrounger in small foraging groups. We model explicitly the food intake rate of each individual in a dominance-structured foraging group, then calculate the Nash equilibrium for them. Our model predicts that only strong differences in competitive ability will influence the use of producing or scrounging tactics in small foraging groups; dominants will mainly play scrounger and subordinates will mostly use producer. Since the differences in competitive ability of different-ranking individuals likely depend on the economic defendability of food, our model provides a step towards the integration of social foraging and resource defence theories. Received: 30 July 1997 / Accepted after revision: 15 November 1997     

扬尘污染防治理论初探

针对扬尘污染问题,进行了扬尘污染防治理论探讨,明确了扬尘的概念和特点;提出相对起尘量的概念,定量地分析了城市不同类型下垫面对扬尘污染的影响;建立了城市下垫面生态等级的划分方法;提出通过提高生态域等级及制定道路积尘量限定标准这两类措施来治理扬尘污染;建立了这两类扬尘污染防治措施的环境效益评估方法体系。     

氮沉降下西南亚高山针叶林生长的养分限制特征

长期氮(N)沉降及其诱导的N、磷(P)养分平衡性对森林生长与生产力的生态反馈效应已成为当前森林生态学研究的前沿与热点,但目前大多研究主要基于已有文献数据整合分析,而缺乏野外原位系统性研究与试验证据.以西南亚高山两种典型人工针叶林——云杉(Picea asperata)林和华山松(Pinus armandii)林为对象,...     

Spatial Scale of Autocorrelation of Assemblages of Benthic Invertebrates in Two Upland Rivers in South-Eastern Australia and Its Implications for Biomonitoring and Impact Assessment in Streams

Spatial autocorrelation in ecological systems is a critical issue for monitoring (and a general understanding of ecological dynamics) yet there are very few data available, especially for riverine systems. Here, we report here on assemblage-level autocorrelation in the benthic-invertebrate assemblages of riffles in two adjacent, relatively pristine rivers in south-eastern Victoria, Australia (40-km reaches of the Wellington [surveys in summers of 1996 and 1997] and Wonnangatta Rivers [survey in summer of 1996 only], with 16 sites in each river). We found that analyses were similar if the data were resolved to family or to species level. Spatial autocorrelation was assessed by using Mantel-tests for the data partitioned into different sets of spatial separations of survey sites (e.g. 0–6 km, 6–12 km, etc.). We found strong small-scale (≤6 km) autocorrelation in the Wellington River, which is consistent with known dispersal abilities of many aquatic invertebrates. Surprisingly, there were strong negative correlations at longer distance classes for the Wellington River in one of the two summers (20–40 km) and the Wonnangatta River (12–20 km). That two largely unimpacted, adjacent rivers should have such different autocorrelation patterns suggests that impact assessment cannot assume dependence or independence of sites a priori. We discuss the implications of these results for use of “reference” sites to assess impacts at nominally affected sites.     

Effects of Growth Form and Functional Traits on Response of Woody Plants to Clearing and Fragmentation of Subtropical Rainforest

The conservation implications of large‐scale rainforest clearing and fragmentation on the persistence of functional and taxonomic diversity remain poorly understood. If traits represent adaptive strategies of plant species to particular circumstances, the expectation is that the effect of forest clearing and fragmentation will be affected by species functional traits, particularly those related to dispersal. We used species occurrence data for woody plants in 46 rainforest patches across 75,000 ha largely cleared of forest by the early 1900s to determine the combined effects of area reduction, fragmentation, and patch size on the taxonomic structure and functional diversity of subtropical rainforest. We compiled species trait values for leaf area, seed dry mass, wood density, and maximum height and calculated species niche breadths. Taxonomic structure, trait values (means, ranges), and the functional diversity of assemblages of climbing and free‐standing plants in remnant patches were quantified. Larger rainforest patches had higher species richness. Species in smaller patches were taxonomically less related than species in larger patches. Free‐standing plants had a high percentage of frugivore dispersed seeds; climbers had a high proportion of small wind‐dispersed seeds. Connections between the patchy spatial distribution of free‐standing species, larger seed sizes, and dispersal syndrome were weak. Assemblages of free‐standing plants in patches showed more taxonomic and spatial structuring than climbing plants. Smaller isolated patches retained relatively high functional diversity and similar taxonomic structure to larger tracts of forest despite lower species richness. The response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest differed between climbers and slow‐growing mature‐phase forest trees but not between climbers and pioneer trees. Quantifying taxonomic structure and functional diversity provides an improved basis for conservation planning and management by elucidating the effects of forest‐area reduction and fragmentation. Efectos de la Forma de Crecimiento y Atributos Funcionales en la Respuesta de Plantas Leñosas al Desmonte y Fragmentación de Bosque Lluvioso Subtropical     

Information processing in models for density-dependent emigration: A comparison

Density-dependent emigration has been recognized as a fitness enhancing strategy. Yet, especially in the modelling literature there is no consensus about how density-dependent emigration should quantitatively be incorporated into metapopulation models. In this paper we compare the performance of five different dispersal strategies (defined by the functional link between density and emigration probability). Four of these strategies are based on published functional relationships between local population density and emigration probability, one assumes density-independent dispersal. We use individual-based simulations of time-discrete metapopulation dynamics and conduct evolution experiments for a broad range of values for dispersal mortality and environmental stochasticity. For each set of these conditions we analyze the evolution of emigration rates in ‘monoculture experiments’ (with only one type of dispersal strategy used by all individuals in the metapopulation) as well as in selection experiments that allow a pair-wise comparison of the performance of each functional type. We find that a single-parameter ‘asymptotic threshold’ strategy - derived from the marginal value theorem - with a decelerating increase of emigration rate with increasing population density, out-competes any other strategy, i.e. density-independent emigration, a ‘linear threshold’ strategy and a flexible three-parameter strategy. Only when environmental conditions select for extremely high emigration probabilities (close to one), strategies may perform approximately equally. A simple threshold strategy derived for the case of continuous population growth performs even worse than the density-independent strategy. As the functional type of the dispersal function implemented in metapopulation models may severely affect predictions concerning the survival of populations, range expansion, or community changes we clearly recommend to carefully select adequate functions to model density-dependent dispersal.     

Potential Effects of the United States-Mexico Border Fence on Wildlife

Abstract:  Security infrastructure along international boundaries threatens to degrade connectivity for wildlife. To explore potential effects of a fence under construction along the U.S.–Mexico border on wildlife, we assessed movement behavior of two species with different life histories whose regional persistence may depend on transboundary movements. We used radiotelemetry to assess how vegetation and landscape structure affect flight and natal dispersal behaviors of Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls ( Glaucidium brasilianum ), and satellite telemetry, gene-flow estimates, and least-cost path models to assess movement behavior and interpopulation connectivity of desert bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis mexicana ). Flight height of Pygmy-Owls averaged only 1.4 m (SE 0.1) above ground, and only 23% of flights exceeded 4 m. Juvenile Pygmy-Owls dispersed at slower speeds, changed direction more, and had lower colonization success in landscapes with larger vegetation openings or higher levels of disturbance ( p ≤ 0.047), which suggests large vegetation gaps coupled with tall fences may limit transboundary movements. Female bighorn sheep crossed valleys up to 4.9 km wide, and microsatellite analyses indicated relatively high levels of gene flow and migration (95% CI for F_ST= 0.010–0.115, Nm = 1.9–24.8, M = 10.4–15.4) between populations divided by an 11-km valley. Models of gene flow based on regional topography and movement barriers suggested that nine populations of bighorn sheep in northwestern Sonora are linked by dispersal with those in neighboring Arizona. Disruption of transboundary movement corridors by impermeable fencing would isolate some populations on the Arizona side. Connectivity for other species with similar movement abilities and spatial distributions may be affected by border development, yet mitigation strategies could address needs of wildlife and humans.     

极限定义的新理解

针对“极限”概念提出了一些见解,并从理论上描述和给出了“极限”的精确定义,从该定义出发,更有助正确理解和掌握“极限”的内在含义。     

短程硝化反硝化生物脱氮的实现途径

短程硝化反硝化是近年来开发的一项新的生物脱氮技术,它具有节约曝气量、节省有机碳源和减少污泥产量等优点,实现短程硝化反硝化生物脱氮技术的关键就是将硝化控制在亚硝酸阶段,阻止亚硝酸盐的进一步氧化。简要介绍了短程硝化反硝化生物脱氮技术的原理和技术特点,通过对短程硝化反硝化影响因素的分析来介绍其实现途径,阐述了温度控制途径、溶解氧控制途径、pH值控制途径、投加抑制剂途径、泥龄控制途径以及纯种分离与固定化技术途径的控制机理及其局限性,并提出了今后的研究方向。     

Interactive effects of nitrogen deposition and fire on plant and soil chemistry in an alpine heathland

The response of alpine heathland vegetation and soil chemistry to N additions of 0, 10, 20 and 50 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in combination with simulated accidental fire (+/−) was monitored over a 5-year period. N addition caused rapid and significant increases in plant tissue N content and N:P and N:K of Calluna vulgaris, suggesting increasing phosphorus and potassium limitation of growth. Soil C:N declined significantly with N addition, indicating N saturation and increasing likelihood of N leakage. Fire further decreased soil C:N and reduced potential for sequestration of additional N. This study shows that alpine heathlands, which occupy the headwaters of many rivers, have limited potential to retain deposited N and may rapidly become N saturated, leaking N into downstream communities and surface waters.