Changes in Species Diversity of Rove Beetles (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae) Depending on the Age of Pine Plantations in Central Belarus

Trends of changes in species richness and dominance in staphylinid communities depending on the age of pine plantations have been analyzed. The species richness of these communities is high in the plantations of age classes 1 and 2 (11 and 28 years, respectively) but decreases in the plantations of age class 3 (60 years). The highest and lowest indices of species diversity are observed in the plantations of age classes 2 and 3, respectively. Four groups of rove beetles have been distinguished by the criterion of their dominance in pine plantations of different ages.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 4, 2005, pp. 306–313.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Derunkov.     

Investigation and Long-Term Monitoring of Phragmites australis Within Virginia's Constructed Wetland Sites

Phragmites australis Trin., and/or aggressive species, Typha spp. Tidally influenced wetlands that have subtidal perimeter ditches have significantly less (P < 0.05) P. australis in the wetland interior than those without perimeter ditches. Fractured regression analyses show that 6 years after construction, P. australis invasion can be extensive. Linear regression analysis suggests that, if conditions remain favorable for P. australis colonization, constructed wetlands could be overrun in 40 years.     

Estimation of the possibility of cladoceran invasion and survival under conditions of competition in mesotrophic Lake Glubokoe

A possibility of introducing alien cladoceran species into the pelagial zone of mesotrophic Lake Glubokoe has been estimated. For this purpose, observations have been performed on the cohorts of alien species (Daphnia magna and Simocephalus exspinosus) and aboriginal species (Daphnia hyalina and Diaphanosoma brachyurum). The results show that competition is a factor preventing the introduction of weak competitors, such as D. magna, but admitting stronger competitors, e.g., S. exspinosus. Competition in the lake may influence not only the species structure of the zooplanktonic community, but also its vertical distribution.     

Trends in the formation of biotopic complexes of bumblebees (Hymenoptera, Apidae: Bombini) in northern taiga karst landscapes of the Western Russian Plain

Main trends in the formation of biotopic complexes of bumblebees in the northern taiga zone are analyzed. It is proposed that Eurasian forest species of bumblebees (Bombus (Th.) schrencki, B. (Mg.) consobrinus, etc.) are coadaptively connected with entomophilous plant species belonging to the synusia of Eurosiberian riverine-mountain meadow tall herbage, with the numbers of species in both biotic groups (pollinating insects and plants) and their abundance being greater in the landscape characterized by a high degree of karstification. In the biotopic bumblebee complex of a large river valley, the relative abundance of forest bumblebee species is 2.5–5.3 times lower than in other complexes, whereas that of meadow species is two orders of magnitude higher due to favorable thermal conditions and a large number of habitats with mesophilic herbage and legumes. Each of the distinct ecogeographic groups of bumblebees and the corresponding synusiae (each comprising entomophilous plants of different taxonomic groups) appear to be coadapted. This is probably a result of the diffuse coevolution of pollinators and plants belonging to the genetically unified biota.     

Dynamics and Structural Changes of the Fluke Fauna in Fish of the Volga Delta Caused by the Rise of Water Level in the Caspian Sea

Changes in the Caspian Sea level and anthropogenic influences on biocenoses of the Volga Delta periodically result in the changes of dominant species among animal helminths. An abrupt rise of the sea level since the mid-1970s caused structural rearrangements in the fluke fauna of fish in the 1990s: the species whose development is connected with mollusks of the rheophilic complex became dominant.     

生物入侵概述

当外来种进入一个新的地区并能存活、繁殖、形成野生归化种群，其种群进一步扩散已经或即将造成明显的生态、经济和社会后果，这一事件称为生物入侵。生物入侵分有意和无意两种，会对生态系统乃至社会经济和人类生活带来巨大的危害。某个生物种由最初的引入到演变为入侵种，是要经历几个阶段的，一般入侵种具有许多共同的生物学特征。     

Site examination for threatened and endangered plant species

A procedure is described for conducting floristic examinations of prospective sites of development in order to determine the presence of threatened and/or endangered plant species. The timed meander search procedure provides information to document the level of effort expended in the examination as well as to describe the floristic resources of the site. Tests of the procedure during the 1979 and 1980 field seasons have demonstrated its value both as a means of discovering threatened and endangered species on a site and as a means of documenting a low probability of occurrence of such species if not found during application of the procedure.     

Transgenics and Vertebrate Cloning as Tools for Species Conservation

Abstract:  It has been suggested that transgenics and vertebrate cloning have a role to play in conservation. Now is the time to evaluate their risks and benefits, before these technologies are widely implemented in our field. Direct risks of transgenics include escape and introgression of transgenes into wild populations; weedy invasion by transgenic organisms; toxicity or pathogenicity of engineered organisms and their products; and human error in the field testing and tracking of transgenic organisms. Indirect risks include environmental effects of increased herbicide use; the danger that engineered organisms may aid the development of bioweapons; the likelihood that gene patenting will lead to the privatization of natural resources; and the diversion of support from less glamorous forms of conservation. Formal risk assessments are commonly used to evaluate transgenic procedures, but our incomplete understanding of both ecosystem processes and the action of transgenes renders most of these assessments scientifically and socially unjustified. Nevertheless, a few, low-risk applications of transgenics may be possible: for example, "super-sterile" ornamental cultivars. Vertebrate cloning poses little risk to the environment, but it can consume scarce conservation resources, and its chances of success in preserving species seem poor. To date, the conservation benefits of transgenics and vertebrate cloning remain entirely theoretical, but many of the risks are known and documented. Conservation biologists should devote their research and energies to the established methods of conservation, none of which require transgenics or vertebrate cloning.     

Incorporating Evolutionary Measures into Conservation Prioritization

Abstract:  Conservation prioritization is dominated by the threat status of candidate species. However, species differ markedly in the shared genetic information they embody, and this information is not taken into account if species are prioritized by threat status alone. We developed a system of prioritization that incorporates both threat status and genetic information and applied it to 9546 species of birds worldwide. We devised a simple measure of a species' genetic value that takes into account the shape of the entire taxonomic tree of birds. This measure approximates the evolutionary history that each species embodies and sums to the phylogenetic diversity of the entire taxonomic tree. We then combined this genetic value with each species' probability of extinction to create a species-specific measure of expected loss of genetic information. The application of our methods to the world's avifauna showed that ranking species by expected loss of genetic information may help preserve bird evolutionary history by upgrading those threatened species with fewer close relatives. We recommend developing a mechanism to incorporate a species' genetic value into the prioritization framework.