Natural Movements of Tagged Beavers in Tyva

Ninety-three beavers were tagged in 1998–2000 on the Azas River (Tyva Republic), and 28 returns were obtained within one to two years. The results of the study indicated that, unfavorable environment notwithstanding, most beavers did not move outside their settlements. Animals under two years of age were especially active. Females were more resident, whereas males migrated over longer distances. The section of the Azas River with numerous rapids was not an insuperable obstacle for the animals; genetic exchange between the upper and lower subpopulations was found to occur through this section.     

Anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation with four kinds of electron acceptors enriched from the same mixed inoculum and exploration of metabolic pathways

Anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation enriched process was described in detail. The enriched bacterial communities were characterized under four redox conditions. The enriched archaeal communities were stated under high percentage conditions. Relatively intact pathways of anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation were proposed. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread and persistent contaminants worldwide, especially in environments devoid of molecular oxygen. For lack of molecular oxygen, researchers enhanced anaerobic zones PAHs biodegradation by adding sulfate, bicarbonate, nitrate, and iron. However, microbial community reports of them were limited, and information of metabolites was poor except two-ring PAH, naphthalene. Here, we reported on four phenanthrene-degrading enrichment cultures with sulfate, bicarbonate, nitrate, and iron as electron acceptors from the same initial inoculum. The high-to-low order of the anaerobic phenanthrene biodegradation rate was the nitrate-reducing conditions>sulfate-reducing conditions>methanogenic conditions>iron-reducing conditions. The dominant bacteria populations were Desulfobacteraceae, Anaerolinaceae, and Thermodesulfobiaceae under sulfate-reducing conditions; Moraxellaceae, Clostridiaceae, and Comamonadaceae under methanogenic conditions; Rhodobacteraceae, Planococcaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae under nitrate-reducing conditions; and Geobacteraceae, Carnobacteriaceae, and Anaerolinaceae under iron-reducing conditions, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that bacteria populations of longtime enriched cultures with four electron acceptors all obtained significant changes from original inoculum, and bacterial communities were similar under nitrate-reducing and iron-reducing conditions. Archaea accounted for a high percentage under iron-reducing and methanogenic conditions, and Methanosarcinaceae and Methanobacteriaceae, as well as Methanobacteriaceae, were the dominant archaea populations under iron-reducing and methanogenic conditions. The key steps of phenanthrene biodegradation under four reducing conditions were carboxylation, further ring system reduction, and ring cleavage.     

Measuring participation by socially vulnerable groups in hazard mitigation planning,Bertie County,North Carolina

In accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act, most US counties have a hazard mitigation plan (HMP) to reduce future disaster losses. HMPs are important as they can be used to proactively assess risk, direct future development, raise awareness and build consensus. Using a population-based sample, we interviewed residents of Bertie County, NC, about their awareness of and participation in the HMP process to determine if demographics, social vulnerability or hazard vulnerability were associated with increased awareness or participation. We also assessed whether these factors were associated with knowledge of policy changes and investments that were adopted in the HMP. Overall, the unemployed were the only group less likely to report awareness of or participation in HMP development. African-Americans, mobile home residents, the poor, short-term residents and those with less disaster experience were less likely to be aware of policies and investments prioritised in the HMP. Targeted efforts to increase awareness could potentially improve disaster outcomes among vulnerable populations.     

Uncertainty, learning, and the optimal management of wildlife

Wildlife management is limited by uncontrolled and often unrecognized environmental variation, by limited capabilities to observe and control animal populations, and by a lack of understanding about the biological processes driving population dynamics. In this paper I describe a comprehensive framework for management that includes multiple models and likelihood values to account for structural uncertainty, along with stochastic factors to account for environmental variation, random sampling, and partial controllability. Adaptive optimization is developed in terms of the optimal control of incompletely understood populations, with the expected value of perfect information measuring the potential for improving control through learning. The framework for optimal adaptive control is generalized by including partial observability and non-adaptive, sample-based updating of model likelihoods. Passive adaptive management is derived as a special case of constrained adaptive optimization, representing a potentially efficient suboptimal alternative that nonetheless accounts for structural uncertainty.     

Application of adaptive cluster sampling to low-density populations of freshwater mussels

Freshwater mussels appear to be promising candidates for adaptive cluster sampling because they are benthic macroinvertebrates that cluster spatially and are frequently found at low densities. We applied adaptive cluster sampling to estimate density of freshwater mussels at 24 sites along the Cacapon River, WV, where a preliminary timed search indicated that mussels were present at low density. Adaptive cluster sampling increased yield of individual mussels and detection of uncommon species; however, it did not improve precision of density estimates. Because finding uncommon species, collecting individuals of those species, and estimating their densities are important conservation activities, additional research is warranted on application of adaptive cluster sampling to freshwater mussels. However, at this time we do not recommend routine application of adaptive cluster sampling to freshwater mussel populations. The ultimate, and currently unanswered, question is how to tell when adaptive cluster sampling should be used, i.e., when is a population sufficiently rare and clustered for adaptive cluster sampling to be efficient and practical? A cost-effective procedure needs to be developed to identify biological populations for which adaptive cluster sampling is appropriate.     

海拔及细胞质背景对水稻测交群体遗传分化的影响

温度是导致水稻（Oryza sativa L.）遗传分化的一个重要环境因素,而海拔是导致环境温度差异的一个重要的地理因素。水稻的雄配子即花粉粒的活性极易受环境温度的影响。研究用来自云南2 670 m海拔的粳稻地方品种小麻谷与具籼稻细胞质背景的籼粳交后代品系南34正反交产生的F1,然后将其分布种植在海拔高低相差达1 800 m的4个海拔点并与育性稳定的1个滇Ⅰ型细胞质不育系杂交产生了8个测交群体,用SSR标记检测发现海拔因素和细胞质背景都对测交群体的遗传分化产生了影响。结果表明：同一海拔产生的正反交群体（合系42A//小麻谷/南34）间的遗传多样性具有比较明显的差异。正交组合F1（小麻谷×南34）在1 860 m的海拔产生的群体的遗传多样性最高,在1 600 m的海拔产生的群体的遗传多样性最低。在反交组合F1产生的群体中,群体的遗传多样性随产生群体海拔（400 m海拔除外）的升高而降低。利用Nei′s遗传距离评价各群体间的遗传分化,正反交组合F1产生测交群体间的遗传分化均高于同一组合在不同海拔下产生的测交群体之间的遗传分化,同一组合在4个海拔产生的测交群体间的遗传分化总体趋势是随海拔差异的增加而增大。研究证实了环境温度差异及细胞质背景导致F1产生的雄配子基因型发生选择,导致雄配子基因型的遗传比例偏离孟德尔规律,影响其后代群体的遗传多样性和遗传分化。     

Comparative Assessment of the State of Populations of the Ural Endemic Lagotis uralensisSchischk. in the Gradient of Altitudinal Zonality

The endemic species Lagotis uralensisis characterized with regard to the stages of ontogeny, population structure and dynamics, and the ways of species adaptation to growing in the form of small isolated populations in high mountains.     

海南西沙试验站大气霉菌群落初步调查

目的 筛选西沙试验站大气环境优势菌种,进行西沙试验站装备敏感菌研究。方法 采用撞击法进行大气霉菌采样,用统计学法计算出不同试验场地真菌数量,结合形态学法与ITS1-5.8S-TIS2或26SrDNA D1/D2区序列分析法鉴定菌种,并用SPSS初步探讨大气真菌与环境因素的关系,分析西沙试验站装备敏感菌。结果 西沙试验站优势种为Aspergillus aculeatus、Penicillium citrinum、Pithomyces sacchar、变红镰孢霉Fusarium incarnatum、Cladosporium oxysporum和Cladosporium oryzae,影响西沙试验站大气霉菌群落结构的重要环境因素是相对湿度和风速,贮存在西沙试验站的装备容易长霉,多种材料有不同的敏感菌,尤其是涂层样件和橡胶类材料。结论 西沙试验站大气环境中存在种类繁多的霉菌。     

Conservation resource allocation,small population resiliency,and the fallacy of conservation triage

Some conservation prioritization methods are based on the assumption that conservation needs overwhelm current resources and not all species can be conserved; therefore, a conservation triage scheme (i.e., when the system is overwhelmed, species should be divided into three groups based on likelihood of survival, and efforts should be focused on those species in the group with the best survival prospects and reduced or denied to those in the group with no survival prospects and to those in the group not needing special efforts for their conservation) is necessary to guide resource allocation. We argue that this decision-making strategy is not appropriate because resources are not as limited as often assumed, and it is not evident that there are species that cannot be conserved. Small population size alone, for example, does not doom a species to extinction; plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals offer examples. Although resources dedicated to conserving all threatened species are insufficient at present, the world's economic resources are vast, and greater resources could be dedicated toward species conservation. The political framework for species conservation has improved, with initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements, funding mechanisms such as The Global Environment Facility, and the rise of many nongovernmental organizations with nimble, rapid-response small grants programs. For a prioritization system to allow no extinctions, zero extinctions must be an explicit goal of the system. Extinction is not inevitable, and should not be acceptable. A goal of no human-induced extinctions is imperative given the irreversibility of species loss.     

Stability of Isolated Populations of Terrestrial Mammals Inhabiting the Islands of the Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

A comparative analysis of the dynamics of insular populations of terrestrial animals was performed. The stability of insular populations and the relationship between their viability and the type of dynamics are discussed.