Impacts of Roads and Hunting on Central African Rainforest Mammals

Abstract:  Road expansion and associated increases in hunting pressure are a rapidly growing threat to African tropical wildlife. In the rainforests of southern Gabon, we compared abundances of larger (>1 kg) mammal species at varying distances from forest roads and between hunted and unhunted treatments (comparing a 130-km² oil concession that was almost entirely protected from hunting with nearby areas outside the concession that had moderate hunting pressure). At each of 12 study sites that were evenly divided between hunted and unhunted areas, we established standardized 1-km transects at five distances (50, 300, 600, 900, and 1200 m) from an unpaved road, and then repeatedly surveyed mammals during the 2004 dry and wet seasons. Hunting had the greatest impact on duikers ( Cephalophus spp. ), forest buffalo ( Syncerus caffer nanus ), and red river hogs ( Potamochoerus porcus ), which declined in abundance outside the oil concession, and lesser effects on lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) and carnivores. Roads depressed abundances of duikers, sitatungas ( Tragelaphus spekei gratus ), and forest elephants ( Loxondonta africana cyclotis ), with avoidance of roads being stronger outside than inside the concession. Five monkey species showed little response to roads or hunting, whereas some rodents and pangolins increased in abundance outside the concession, possibly in response to greater forest disturbance. Our findings suggest that even moderate hunting pressure can markedly alter the structure of mammal communities in central Africa. Roads had the greatest impacts on large and small ungulates, with the magnitude of road avoidance increasing with local hunting pressure.     

云南地区种子植物区系过渡性地理分布格局的群落尺度分析

探索植物区系过渡性的地理分布格局,对于理解植物区系的起源、迁移和分布具有重要意义。本研究利用620个植物群落样方,探讨了云南地区植物区系过渡性的地理分布格局及其生物地理意义。研究结果表明,随着纬度、海拔的升高,温带区系成分所占比重呈显著递增趋势,但在经度梯度上呈递减趋势;热带区系成分所占的比重在地理梯度上则表现为相反的变化趋势。地形格局较好地反映了区系成分的地理分布格局;热带区系成分所占比重与温带区系成分所占比重的比值从南到北呈递减趋势。区系过渡性的低值主要出现在滇西北地区和包括滇西南、滇东南与滇南在内的云南南部地区,而高值主要出现在云南中部地区和中海拔地区,这可能与区系迁移过程和海拔梯度有关。热带区系成分在云南地区基带植被中占主导地位;热带区系成分占优势地位的区域主要集中在低海拔地区,占云南土地面积的60％左右,而温带区系成分占优势地位的区域主要集中在高海拔的北部地区,占土地总面积的40％左右。本研究从基带植被的区系性质和温、热带植物区系成分占优势地位的土地面积的构成证实了云南地区可能是一个“热带山原”的假说。区系过渡性随着年平均温度的升高,呈先增强后减弱的单峰格局。当年均温在13．1℃左右时,出现区系平衡点。相对水平分布而言,云南地区植被的垂直分布可能更值得注意。     

Sorption and degradation of neonicotinoid insecticides in tropical soils

ABSTRACT

Neonicotinoids are the most widely applied class of insecticides in cocoa farming in Ghana. Despite the intensive application of these insecticides, knowledge of their fate in the Ghanaian and sub-Saharan African environment remains low. This study examined the behavior of neonicotinoids in soils from cocoa plantations in Ghana by estimating their sorption and degradation using established kinetic models and isotherms. Studies of sorption were conducted using the batch equilibrium method on imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, acetamiprid and thiacloprid, while degradation of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and their respective deuterated counterparts was studied using models proposed by the European forum for coordination of pesticide fate and their use (FOCUS). Analytes were extracted using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe (QuEChERS) procedure and quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Average recoveries were high (≥ 85%) for all analytes. The findings from the study suggest that neonicotinoid insecticides may be persistent in the soils studied based on estimated half-lives > 150 days. The study also revealed generally low-sorption coefficients for neonicotinoids in soils, largely influenced by soil organic carbon.     

Bushmeat Supply and Consumption in a Tropical Logging Concession in Northern Congo

Abstract: Unsustainable hunting of wildlife for food empties tropical forests of many species critical to forest maintenance and livelihoods of forest people. Extractive industries, including logging, can accelerate exploitation of wildlife by opening forests to hunters and creating markets for bushmeat. We monitored human demographics, bushmeat supply in markets, and household bushmeat consumption in five logging towns in the northern Republic of Congo. Over 6 years we recorded 29,570 animals in town markets and collected 48,920 household meal records. Development of industrial logging operations led to a 69% increase in the population of logging towns and a 64% increase in bushmeat supply. The immigration of workers, jobseekers, and their families altered hunting patterns and was associated with increased use of wire snares and increased diversity in the species hunted and consumed. Immigrants hunted 72% of all bushmeat, which suggests the short‐term benefits of hunting accrue disproportionately to “outsiders” to the detriment of indigenous peoples who have prior, legitimate claims to wildlife resources. Our results suggest that the greatest threat of logging to biodiversity may be the permanent urbanization of frontier forests. Although enforcement of hunting laws and promotion of alternative sources of protein may help curb the pressure on wildlife, the best strategy for biodiversity conservation may be to keep saw mills and the towns that develop around them out of forests.     

南半球气候变暖对西北太平洋热带气旋的影响

在分析南半球地面气温序列和西北太平洋热带气旋序列的基础上，讨论了南半球气候变暖对西北太平洋上热带气旋的影响和可能的机制。结果表明，随着南半球气候变暖，西北太平洋上热带气旋的频数减少，强度减弱；同时，随着南半球气候变暖，西北太平洋上强台风的频数将减少，最大中心风速将减弱。一种可能的机制是由于从南半球侵入西北太平洋的冷空气随着南半球气候的变暖而减弱。     

好氧堆肥微生物代谢多样性及其细菌群落结构

好氧堆肥是农业废弃物无害化处理和资源化利用的一条有效途径.为了探究好氧堆肥过程中微生物群落的代谢特征和细菌群落演替现象,了解起关键作用的微生物菌群,通过筛选强降解菌种改善堆肥工艺、提高堆肥效率,采用Biolog法和宏基因组法分析了玉米秸秆和牛粪联合好氧堆肥过程中微生物的碳源代谢能力和细菌群落多样性.结果表明:在第2次翻堆（第14天）时,微生物利用碳源的能力最强,初次建堆时（0 d）和其余翻堆时（第8、20、26天）次之,发酵结束时（第34天）最弱.Simpson、Shannon-Wiener和McIntosh多样性指数表明,建堆时及翻堆时的菌群优势度、丰富度和均匀度均极显著优于好氧堆肥结束.不同好氧发酵时间的微生物群落对同一碳源代谢有差异,同一好氧发酵时间微生物群落对不同碳源的利用率不同.糖类、酸类和醇类是区分好氧堆肥不同时间微生物碳源利用差异的敏感碳源.好氧堆肥不同时间细菌的种类和丰度不同,共享的优势菌门有厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）、变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）、绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）、放线菌门（Actinobacteria）和浮霉菌门（Planctomycetes）,在第0、8、14、20、26、34天这6个时间内它们的相对丰度之和分别达90.27%、90.34%、94.26%、84.21%、84.31%和77.61%,且6种门类在不同发酵时间的丰度表达存在消长变化状态.研究显示,参与好氧堆肥不同时间的微生物群落在碳源代谢能力上存在多样性,在细菌菌群的种类和丰度上也存在多样性.      

Assessing self-organization of plant communities—A thermodynamic approach

Thermodynamics is a powerful tool for the study of system development and has the potential to be applied to studies of ecological complexity. Here, we develop a set of thermodynamic indicators including energy capture and energy dissipation to quantify plant community self-organization. The study ecosystems included a tropical seasonal rainforest, an artificial tropical rainforest, a rubber plantation, and two Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King & H. Robinson communities aged 13 years and 1 year. The communities represent a complexity transect from primary vegetation, to transitional community, economic plantation, and fallows and are typical for Xishuangbanna, southwestern China. The indicators of ecosystem self-organization are sensitive to plant community type and seasonality, and demonstrate that the tropical seasonal rainforest is highly self-organized and plays an important role in local environmental stability via the land surface thermal regulation. The rubber plantation is at a very low level of self-organization as quantified by the thermodynamic indicators, especially during the dry season. The expansion of the area of rubber plantation and shrinkage of tropical seasonal rainforest would likely induce local surface warming and a larger daily temperature range.     

热带海洋大气环境氯离子浓度立体化观测技术研究

目的 对热带海洋环境氯离子开展立体化观测,掌握热带海洋环境下大气氯离子浓度在空间上的分布规律,为海洋大气环境下装备产品和重大工程服役环境研究提供立体化观测数据支撑。方法 在观测海岸线附近科学选点,采用无人机搭载远程控制大气采样器开展大气氯离子浓度立体化观测,对不同空间高度氯离子浓度分布规律进行分析。结果 成功采集万宁某海岸线附近1 km×300 m×100 m区域1 a以上氯离子浓度数据,通过GIS技术分析并建立了氯离子浓度分布三维场,实现了氯离子浓度可视化,并随离海距离、离地高度剖切显示。结论 海南万宁某区域海岸线附近氯离子浓度在冬季最大,夏季最低,且在一定观测范围内,随观测高度增加而先增大、后降低,随离海距离增大而逐渐降低。     

Trends of changes in the floristic composition of forest vegetation in the northern Baikal region upon climate warming

Parameters characterizing the activity of species in altitudinal zonal elements of the flora have been analyzed in the northern Baikal region. The results provide evidence for the weakening status of xerophilic species in the cenoflora of hemiboreal light coniferous forests of the class Rhytidio-Laricetea, which form the lower part of the forest belt bordering the steppe. This fact indicates that climate on the slopes of mountain ridges is becoming more humid. The increase in humidity may be explained by both progressing degradation of permafrost and increasing precipitation. On the other hand, no significant change has been observed in the cenoflora of mountain taiga forests of the class Vaccinio-Piceetea, which form the upper part of the forest belt.