Invasive Non‐Native Species’ Provision of Refugia for Endangered Native Species

Abstract: The influence of non‐native species on native ecosystems is not predicted easily when interspecific interactions are complex. Species removal can result in unexpected and undesired changes to other ecosystem components. I examined whether invasive non‐native species may both harm and provide refugia for endangered native species. The invasive non‐native plant Casuarina stricta has damaged the native flora and caused decline of the snail fauna on the Ogasawara Islands, Japan. On Anijima in 2006 and 2009, I examined endemic land snails in the genus Ogasawarana. I compared the density of live specimens and frequency of predation scars (from black rats[Rattus rattus]) on empty shells in native vegetation and Casuarina forests. The density of land snails was greater in native vegetation than in Casuarina forests in 2006. Nevertheless, radical declines in the density of land snails occurred in native vegetation since 2006 in association with increasing predation by black rats. In contrast, abundance of Ogasawarana did not decline in the Casuarina forest, where shells with predation scars from rats were rare. As a result, the density of snails was greater in the Casuarina forest than in native vegetation. Removal of Casuarina was associated with an increased proportion of shells with predation scars from rats and a decrease in the density of Ogasawarana. The thick and dense litter of Casuarina appears to provide refugia for native land snails by protecting them from predation by rats; thus, eradication of rats should precede eradication of Casuarina. Adaptive strategies, particularly those that consider the removal order of non‐native species, are crucial to minimizing the unintended effects of eradication on native species. In addition, my results suggested that in some cases a given non‐native species can be used to mitigate the impacts of other non‐native species on native species.     

Invasion and eradication of a competitively superior species in heterogeneous landscapes

The effect of heterogeneous environments upon the dynamics of invasion and the eradication or control of invasive species is poorly understood, although it is a major challenge for biodiversity conservation. Here, we first investigate how the probability and time for invasion are affected by spatial heterogeneity. Then, we study the effect of control program strategies (e.g. species specificity, spatial scale of action, detection and eradication efficiency) on the success and time of eradication. We find that heterogeneity increases both the invasion probability and the time to invasion. Heterogeneity also reduces the probability of eradication but does not change the time taken for successful eradication. We confirm that early detection of invasive species reduces the time until eradication, but we also demonstrate that this is true only if the local control action is sufficiently efficient. The criterion of removal efficiency is even more important for an eradication program than simply ensuring control effort when the invasive species is not abundant.     

Species of Trace Metals,Organic Residues and Humic Substances in Sediments From the Taiwan Erhjin River and Coastal Areas

Abstract

Total organic carbon, humic substances, and the species of trace metals (including Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Mn and Fe) in six and seven phases, such as bioexchangeable (P1), skeletal (carbonates, P2), easily reducible (Fe and Mn oxides, P3), moderately reducible (crystalline Mn oxides, P4), organic matters with sulphides (P5), and detritus with minerals (P6) as well as organic with humic substances (PB4) and organic residues (PB6), were analyzed in sediments from the Taiwan Erhjin coastal (including river and estuarine) area, where places we found the copper pollution. Results indicate that higher percentages of P1 and P2 for copper, zinc, lead, cadmium and manganese in samples collected in March and September of 1990 were much higher than those in P3-P6. High percentages of chromium and iron in samples respectively collected in March and September of 1990 were found in P6. for the seven phase analysis, higher percentages of copper species in PB4 and PB6 as well as iron species in PB7 were observed. On the other hand, purified humic acid with the high contents of manganese and iron in humic acid as well as purified fulvic acids were generally found at the upstream stations; and low values at coastal stations. However, extremely high copper (as high as 1750μg g^?1, dry weight in fulvic acid and 820μg g^?1 in humic acid) and lead (821μg g^?1 in humic acid) concentrations with relatively high manganese and iron concentrations were observed in humic substances from the station near the copper recycling area. Comparing the results obtained from the Antarctic Ocean sediments with those from the Taiwan Erhjin Chi coastal sediments, the human impacts on the latter are evaluated.     

Printed in great Britain Cr(VI) and other metallic mutagens in fly ash and welding fumes†

Particulate samples taken from both the indoor (working) and outdoor (community) environments contain a wide range of metallic trace elements most of which are mutagenic in at least one of the short term tests for genotoxicity currently in use. Because of the demonstrated presence of a short lived biologically active species (Cr(VI)), and the uncertainty with which the results of the screening of metallic compounds in short term tests can be interpreted in terms of human risk, great care must be taken to assure the appropriate collection, storage, and chemical and biological assay of such material. The sensitivity of the results for fly ash and welding fumes to variations in these protocols is demonstrated and discussed.     

Effects of Artificial Sand Fixing on Community Characteristics of a Rare Desert Shrub

Eremosparton songoricum (Fabaceae) is a rare, native, clonal small shrub of the deserts of central Asia. Although human activities have greatly fragmented the distribution of E. songoricum, it occurs in areas where artificial sand fixing (AS) has been implemented. We sought to explore whether AS promotes survival and growth of E. songoricum. In the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China in June 2010, we established 10 plots in an area where sand fixing occurred (5–10 years previously) and 11 plots on original sand substrate on which some plants had settled without fixing sand. Sand fixing changed soil properties and biological characteristics in sand‐fixed plots. The soil surface where sand fixing occurred was covered by algal crusts and some lichen, but not bare sand (BS). Soil nutrients; water content of deep soil (30–150 cm); overall plant and herbaceous species richness, diversity, abundance, and cover; above‐ and belowground biomass; and cover, biomass, and height of E. songoricum in the sand‐fixed plots were significantly greater than in plots of BS. However, distribution of E. songoricum individuals in the 2 types of plots did not differ. Our results indicate AS may enhance survival of E. songoricum and increase the overall diversity and stability of the desert plant community. We suggest AS as a way to protect this rare desert plant in situ. Efectos de la Fijación Artificial de Arena sobre las Características de la Comunidad de un Arbusto Desértico Raro     

Effects of Pond Draining on Biodiversity and Water Quality of Farm Ponds

Farm ponds have high conservation value because they contribute significantly to regional biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Japan pond draining is a traditional management method that is widely believed to improve water quality and eradicate invasive fish. In addition, fishing by means of pond draining has significant cultural value for local people, serving as a social event. However, there is a widespread belief that pond draining reduces freshwater biodiversity through the extirpation of aquatic animals, but scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of pond draining is lacking. We conducted a large‐scale field study to evaluate the effects of pond draining on invasive animal control, water quality, and aquatic biodiversity relative to different pond‐management practices, pond physicochemistry, and surrounding land use. The results of boosted regression‐tree models and analyses of similarity showed that pond draining had little effect on invasive fish control, water quality, or aquatic biodiversity. Draining even facilitated the colonization of farm ponds by invasive red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which in turn may have detrimental effects on the biodiversity and water quality of farm ponds. Our results highlight the need for reconsidering current pond management and developing management plans with respect to multifunctionality of such ponds. Efectos del Drenado de Estanques sobre la Biodiversidad y la Calidad del Agua en Estanques de Cultivo     

水库水深变化对不同浮游微生物群落及网络互作关键种的影响

为揭示水库水深变化对不同浮游微生物类群多样性及生态网络的影响,于2021年在横山水库采集表层及深层水样,利用16S和18S rDNA分子标记进行高通量测序,探究水深变化对不同微生物类群群落结构、种间互作网络和关键种的影响机制.结果发现,横山水库表层(0.5 m)和深层(5 m)中细菌群落多样性(Richness、 Simpson、 Shannon和Pielou’s Evenness指数)均高于真核微生物群落.细菌群落在不同水深处的主要优势物种为变形菌门、放线菌门和拟杆菌门,其相对丰度在门水平上无明显差异;真核微生物群落在不同水深处群落组成基本相同,但其相对丰度差异较大,包括节肢动物门、纤毛门和淡色藻门等.此外,表层水体微生物网络的图密度、平均聚类系数等均高于深层,表明表层微生物物种间具有较强的关联性,能够较好地传递物质、能量和信息,且对外界变化的响应速度更快;细菌群落分子生态网络节点和边的数量、关键物种数目和种类均高于真核微生物群落,表明细菌群落网络规模更大,种间协同合作关系和网络连通性更强.不同水深处的细菌群落和真核微生物群落间相互作用皆以正相关为主导,两个类群在水库深层的负相关性均...     

Value of protected areas to avian persistence across 20 years of climate and land-use change

Establishing protected areas, where human activities and land cover changes are restricted, is among the most widely used strategies for biodiversity conservation. This practice is based on the assumption that protected areas buffer species from processes that drive extinction. However, protected areas can maintain biodiversity in the face of climate change and subsequent shifts in distributions have been questioned. We evaluated the degree to which protected areas influenced colonization and extinction patterns of 97 avian species over 20 years in the northeastern United States. We fitted single-visit dynamic occupancy models to data from Breeding Bird Atlases to quantify the magnitude of the effect of drivers of local colonization and extinction (e.g., climate, land cover, and amount of protected area) in heterogeneous landscapes that varied in the amount of area under protection. Colonization and extinction probabilities improved as the amount of protected area increased, but these effects were conditional on landscape context and species characteristics. In this forest-dominated region, benefits of additional land protection were greatest when both forest cover in a grid square and amount of protected area in neighboring grid squares were low. Effects did not vary with species’ migratory habit or conservation status. Increasing the amounts of land protection benefitted the range margins species but not the core range species. The greatest improvements in colonization and extinction rates accrued for forest birds relative to open-habitat or generalist species. Overall, protected areas stemmed extinction more than they promoted colonization. Our results indicate that land protection remains a viable conservation strategy despite changing habitat and climate, as protected areas both reduce the risk of local extinction and facilitate movement into new areas. Our findings suggest conservation in the face of climate change favors creation of new protected areas over enlarging existing ones as the optimal strategy to reduce extinction and provide stepping stones for the greatest number of species.     

Disturbance-Mediated Mammal Persistence and Abundance-Area Relationships in Amazonian Forest Fragments

Abstract:  Few researchers have investigated the synergistic effects of tropical forest fragmentation and disturbance on species persistence and abundance. We examined effects of both forest-patch metrics and forest disturbance in determining richness and abundance of midsized to large-bodied mammal species in a highly fragmented Amazonian forest landscape. Twenty-one forest fragments, ranging from 2 to 14,480 ha, and two continuous forest sites were sampled based on sightings, tracks, line-transect censuses, armadillo burrow censuses, and camera trapping. Patch occupancy of 37 species recorded ranged from 4% to all forest sites surveyed. Forest fragment size was the strongest predictor of species persistence, explaining 90% of the variation in species richness. Information-theoretic analysis confirmed that fragment area was the most important explanatory variable for the overall species richness and abundance of mammal species, followed by surface fires, which affected the abundance of seven species. Large mammal species were typically absent from fragments <100 ha, whereas some ubiquitous species were favored by fragmentation, exhibiting hyperabundance in small patches. Our findings highlight the importance of large (>10,000 ha), relatively undisturbed forest patches to maximize persistence and maintain baseline abundances of Neotropical forest mammal species.     

城市间PM2.5源的碳成分谱比较

为了解我国不同城市PM_2.5源的碳成分谱特征和地域差异,采集沈阳市、十堰市和乌鲁木齐市的燃煤源、柴油车尾气源、汽油车尾气源和餐饮源样品,使用热光透射法分析PM_2.5中的总碳（TC）、有机碳（OC）和元素碳（EC）,以及细分的8种碳组分（OC1,OC2,OC3,OC4,EC1,EC2,EC3和OPC_T）,构建各类污染源碳成分谱.结果表明：3个城市4类源TC/PM_2.5从高到低分别为：餐饮源（65.1%±8.4%）、柴油车尾气源（46.2%±9.5%）、汽油车尾气源（37.7%±3.5%）和燃煤源（17.3%±8.0%）;OC/TC在餐饮源中最高（98.0%±0.5%）,EC/TC在柴油车尾气源中最高（38.6%±8.5%）.3个城市同类源的碳组分含量受污染源细分后的不同类型影响有一定差异,但归一化处理后总体仍表现为燃煤源中OC2（14%~30%）和OC3（13%~23%）含量最高,柴油车尾气源中EC2（22%~56%）含量最高,汽油车尾气源中OC2（24%~41%）、OC1（16%~42%）和OC3（12%~26%）含量最高,餐饮源中OC2（21%~43%）和OC3（23%~49%）含量最高.不同污染源的OC/EC值为燃煤源在0.4~7.6之间,柴油车尾气源在0.2~5.6之间,汽油车尾气源在1.1~38.5之间,餐饮源在6.4~170.2之间.分歧系数结果显示3个城市不同源的碳成分谱具有差异性,同类源的碳成分谱具有相似性.将3个城市同类源碳成分谱合并后利用化学质量平衡灵敏度矩阵得到OC2,OC3,OC4,EC1和OPC_T可共同作为燃煤源的标识组分;EC2是柴油车尾气源的标识组分;OC1,OC2和OC3可共同作为汽油车尾气源的标识组分;OC2和OC3可共同作为餐饮源的标识组分.沈阳市、十堰市和乌鲁木齐市相同污染源相似的碳成分谱和一致的标识碳组分可为国内其他城市相关研究提供数据参考.