Paleoecology and dynamics of forest ecosystems in Central Evenkia during the past 2400 years

New data on the composition of surface assemblages of plant macroremains from soil and swamp samples have been obtained in the study of geomorphologically different localities in the middle reaches of the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River. The results of paleocarpological analysis of forest soil sections supported by relevant palynological and geochronological data are presented. Natural changes of the forest cover over the past 2400 years and quantitative characteristics of the paleoclimate during each stage are described.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 1, 2005, pp. 3–10.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Koshkarova, Koshkarov.     

Ecotypes in Graylings (Thymallidae,Salmoniformes)

The ecotypic structure of two grayling species in Eurasia is considered. Based on original and published data, the development of ecological forms in water bodies of different kinds is analyzed. Parallelism in the emergence of highly similar forms in different sites of the ranges is demonstrated. Distinctive features of ecotypes and their internal structure are described. The causes and rate of establishment of forms with a short life cycle are discussed.     

湖北省珍稀濒危保护水禽物种多样性及种群数量

使用直接计数法和专项调查法于1996年5月～2003年7月对湖北省珍稀濒危保护水禽物种多样性和种群数量进行了研究。结果表明：湖北省珍稀濒危保护水禽有45种,隶属于6目9科24属;记录到34种,其中有黄嘴白鹭和小苇鳽2个新记录种。按区系型分,古北界种类占优势,有35种,东洋种8种,广布种2种;按季节型分,冬候鸟为主体,有30种,夏候鸟8种,旅鸟5种,留鸟2种;按生活型分,涉禽23种,游禽22种,种类几乎相等。种群数量为41.1796万只。在45种珍稀水禽中,IUC红皮书水禽23种,8 247只;中国红皮书水禽22种,3 615只;CITES濒危水禽23种,40.631 6万只;国家重点保护水禽24种,3 838只。角等11种水禽未发现,可能已绝迹或极度濒危。按水禽1 %地理种群数量的标准,洪湖、沉湖、龙感湖、梁子湖、网湖等湿地可以确定为国际重要湿地。     

四川及重庆蕨类植物区系组成、特有现象和珍稀种类

四川及重庆为我国蕨类植物最丰富的区域之一,总计有52科,141属,约880种。鳞毛蕨科、蹄盖蕨科和水龙骨科是最重要的3个科,其种数占本区种数的50.5%,金星蕨科、中国蕨科和铁角蕨科在本区也有较多的种类分布。在本区主要的属为耳蕨属、鳞毛蕨属和蹄盖蕨属,它们的种数都超过50种,合计占本区种数的22.8%,其次有铁角蕨属、瓦韦属和毛蕨属,其种数都逾25种,而有近85%的属不足10种。热带成分的属在本区占53.9%,但它们的区系存在度不大;东亚分布的属占16.3%,其区系存在度相对较大;温带分布的属占12.7%。本区无特有科;仅光叶蕨属1个特有属,还有6个中国特有属;有387种为中国特有种,约占本区种数的44%。特有种的32%为本区特有,其余以与中国西南片区（占22.5%）和整个南方片区（占26.1%）共有为主。本区被列入国家重点保护的珍稀濒危蕨类植物有10种,其中1级3种,2级7种。     

The potential for biodiversity offsetting to fund effective invasive species control

Compensating for biodiversity losses in 1 location by conserving or restoring biodiversity elsewhere (i.e., biodiversity offsetting) is being used increasingly to compensate for biodiversity losses resulting from development. We considered whether a form of biodiversity offsetting, enhancement offsetting (i.e., enhancing the quality of degraded natural habitats through intensive ecological management), can realistically secure additional funding to control biological invaders at a scale and duration that results in enhanced biodiversity outcomes. We suggest that biodiversity offsetting has the potential to enhance biodiversity values through funding of invasive species control, but it needs to meet 7 key conditions: be technically possible to reduce invasive species to levels that enhance native biodiversity; be affordable; be sufficiently large to compensate for the impact; be adaptable to accommodate new strategic and tactical developments while not compromising biodiversity outcomes; acknowledge uncertainties associated with managing pests; be based on an explicit risk assessment that identifies the cost of not achieving target outcomes; and include financial mechanisms to provide for in‐perpetuity funding. The challenge then for conservation practitioners, advocates, and policy makers is to develop frameworks that allow for durable and effective partnerships with developers to realize the full potential of enhancement offsets, which will require a shift away from traditional preservation‐focused approaches to biodiversity management. El Potencial de la Compensación de la Biodiversidad para Financiar Controles Efectivos de Especies Invasoras     

Minimizing the cost of translocation failure with decision‐tree models that predict species’ behavioral response in translocation sites

The high number of failures is one reason why translocation is often not recommended. Considering how behavior changes during translocations may improve translocation success. To derive decision‐tree models for species’ translocation, we used data on the short‐term responses of an endangered Australian skink in 5 simulated translocations with different release conditions. We used 4 different decision‐tree algorithms (decision tree, decision‐tree parallel, decision stump, and random forest) with 4 different criteria (gain ratio, information gain, gini index, and accuracy) to investigate how environmental and behavioral parameters may affect the success of a translocation. We assumed behavioral changes that increased dispersal away from a release site would reduce translocation success. The trees became more complex when we included all behavioral parameters as attributes, but these trees yielded more detailed information about why and how dispersal occurred. According to these complex trees, there were positive associations between some behavioral parameters, such as fight and dispersal, that showed there was a higher chance, for example, of dispersal among lizards that fought than among those that did not fight. Decision trees based on parameters related to release conditions were easier to understand and could be used by managers to make translocation decisions under different circumstances. Minimizar el Costo del Fracaso de la Reubicación con Modelos de Árboles de Decisión que Predigan la Respuesta Conductual de la Especie en los Sitios de Reubicación     

Using abiotic variables to predict importance of sites for species representation

In systematic conservation planning, species distribution data for all sites in a planning area are used to prioritize each site in terms of the site's importance toward meeting the goal of species representation. But comprehensive species data are not available in most planning areas and would be expensive to acquire. As a shortcut, ecologists use surrogates, such as occurrences of birds or another well‐surveyed taxon, or land types defined from remotely sensed data, in the hope that sites that represent the surrogates also represent biodiversity. Unfortunately, surrogates have not performed reliably. We propose a new type of surrogate, predicted importance, that can be developed from species data for a q% subset of sites. With species data from this subset of sites, importance can be modeled as a function of abiotic variables available at no charge for all terrestrial areas on Earth. Predicted importance can then be used as a surrogate to prioritize all sites. We tested this surrogate with 8 sets of species data. For each data set, we used a q% subset of sites to model importance as a function of abiotic variables, used the resulting function to predict importance for all sites, and evaluated the number of species in the sites with highest predicted importance. Sites with the highest predicted importance represented species efficiently for all data sets when q = 25% and for 7 of 8 data sets when q = 20%. Predicted importance requires less survey effort than direct selection for species representation and meets representation goals well compared with other surrogates currently in use. This less expensive surrogate may be useful in those areas of the world that need it most, namely tropical regions with the highest biodiversity, greatest biodiversity loss, most severe lack of inventory data, and poorly developed protected area networks.     

生态旅游区不同距离带上植物群落的结构对比

通过对芦芽山自然保护区植物群落的结构分析 ,揭示旅游活动和群落演替的内在机理 ,为景区植被保护和旅游管理提供依据 .结果表明 :不同地段上各植被层由于各种因素的影响而有所不同 ,大部分景区的植被生长良好 .不同距离带上各植被层大致表现出近距离 <中距离 <远距离的格局规律 ,但其明显度不尽一致 ,说明各植被层反映旅游活动对群落结构作用程度的能力大小依次为乔木层 <灌木层 <苔藓层 <草本层 .5个旅游影响因子的变化趋势 ,反映了旅游活动对群落生态环境的结构作用的规律 .距游径的水平距离愈远 ,垃圾量愈少 ,林下死枝下高愈高 ,枯层愈厚 ,树桩量愈多 ,幼苗量也愈多 .不同距离带上的变化规律客观地描绘了旅游活动的规律性变化 ,近距离处旅游活动强度最大 ,中距离处次之 ,远距离处则最小 .图 1表 1参 8     

水稻田的甲烷释放特性及其生物学机理

本文报导采用土柱法和田间原位法研究渍水稻田甲烷释放特性的结果。不同生育期的测定表明,早稻以分蘖盛期时释放量最大,以后逐渐减少,晚稻从分蘖始期起逐渐增加,至分蘖盛期、末期时达到最大,随后在孕穗期急剧减少,至生长后期又有所回升。以原位法测定表明,晚间和上午释放的甲烷量较多,中午几乎无甲烷释放,下午又有少量释放。不同施肥区稻田甲烷释放量明显不同,以施猪粪有机肥区为最高,次为施尿素无机氮区,不施肥区最低。但各施肥区水稻不同生育期的甲烷释放趋势完全一致,以分蘖期释放量最大,稻田释放的甲烷主要是稻植株释放的,可占总释放量的85％以上。行株间土壤释放的量不多。田间水释放极少,就植株而言,甲烷释放部位主要是在与土壤密切结合的未扰动的根基和根系部位,水面下茎秆白色部分和水上绿色部分几乎无释放。根系也主要是靠近根基的上半部分,根尖部位甲烷形成活性明显小得多。且研究表明,产甲烷细菌附存于根表而不进入根内组织。根际土壤中产甲烷细菌、厌氧性纤维素分解细菌和甲烷氧化细菌的数量以及总挥发有机酸含量都明显高于和行间土壤。