A systematic review of animal personality in conservation science

Although animal personality research may have applied uses, this suggestion has yet to be evaluated by assessing empirical studies examining animal personality and conservation. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature relating to conservation science and animal personality. Criteria for inclusion in our review included access to full text, primary research articles, and relevant animal conservation or personality focus (i.e., not human personality studies). Ninety-two articles met these criteria. We summarized the conservation contexts, testing procedures (including species and sample size), analytical approach, claimed personality traits (activity, aggression, boldness, exploration, and sociability), and each report's key findings and conservation-focused suggestions. Although providing evidence for repeatability in behavior is crucial for personality studies, repeatability quantification was implemented in only half of the reports. Nonetheless, each of the 5 personality traits were investigated to some extent in a range of conservations contexts. The most robust studies in the field showed variance in how personality relates to other ecologically important variables across species and contexts. Moreover, many studies were first attempts at using personality for conservation purposes in a given study system. Overall, it appears personality is not yet a fully realized tool for conservation. To apply personality research to conservation problems, we suggest researchers think about where individual differences in behavior may affect conservation outcomes in their system, assess where there are opportunities for repeated measures, and follow the most current methodological guides on quantifying personality.     

Building a global taxonomy of wildlife offenses

Most countries have many pieces of legislation that govern biodiversity, including a range of criminal, administrative, and civil law provisions that state how wildlife must be legally used, managed, and protected. However, related debates in conservation, such as about enforcement, often overlook the details within national legislation that define which specific acts are illegal, the conditions under which laws apply, and how they are sanctioned. Based on a review of 90 wildlife laws in 8 high-biodiversity countries with different legal systems, we developed a taxonomy that describes all types of wildlife offenses in those countries. The 511 offenses are organized into a hierarchical taxonomy that scholars and practitioners can use to help conduct legal analyses. This is significant amidst competing calls to strengthen, deregulate, and reform wildlife legislation, particularly in response to fears over zoonotic threats and large-scale biodiversity loss. It can be used to provide more nuance legal analyses and facilitate like-for-like comparisons across countries, informing processes to redraft conservation laws, review deregulation efforts, close loopholes, and harmonize legislation across jurisdictions. We applied the taxonomy in a comparison of sanctions in 8 countries for hunting a protected species. We found not only huge ranges in fines (US$0 to $200,000) and imprisonment terms (1.5 years to life imprisonment), but also fundamentally different approaches to designing sanctions for wildlife offenses. The taxonomy also illustrates how future legal taxonomies can be developed for other environmental issues (e.g., invasive species, protected areas).     

Influence of slope aspect on soil physico-chemical and biological properties in the mid hills of central Nepal

This study assessed the influence of slope aspect and land use on soil physio-chemical and biological properties (soil quality indicators) on contiguous south- and north-facing slopes of the mid hills in central Nepal, having the same climate, vegetation and parent material. In each aspect, two treatments (agriculture and forest) were chosen and four replicates taken for each treatment. Soil sample collection and microarthropod extraction was done according to the standard methodology: soil core samples (10 × 10 × 5 cm) and extraction with the modified Berlese–Tullgren funnel. The investigated soil variables were temperature, moisture, faunal abundance and diversity, organic matter, organic carbon, bulk density and pH. Except in a few cases, all considered soil properties showed significant differences between aspects and land use. Soils of the north-facing slope had higher SOC content, moisture, faunal abundance and diversity, and lower temperature and pH. Variations due to topographic aspect induced varied microclimates, causing differences in faunal abundance and diversity; soil moisture, temperature and organic matter trends affected soil fertility and ultimately soil quality. Further studies are required to clarify the complex interactions between soil properties (physio-chemical and biological), vegetation and slope aspect in Nepal, as well as to develop soil biological indicators as a tool to assist in sustainable land management.     

A case study of flood control schemes for the Kakehashi river and their socio-cultural consequences

SUMMARY

This paper is concerned with a twenty-five year campaign against the relocation of the Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine as a result of the enlargement of the Kakehashi river. The Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine is an important cultural property of Japan, and was constructed by Toshitsune Maeda, the third dynasty of the Kaga clan in 1657. It is suggested that the primary reason why it took so long to settle this issue is a flaw in our social system for managing public works. It is concluded that preservation of cultural property is not always contrary to land development, and that the proposed procedures or something like them must be put into practice for the real expansion of our culture.     

土地利用方式对土壤动物多样性的影响

为了解不同利用方式下土壤动物多样性状况及其演变,对广州市东部郊区的水稻田、蔬菜地、果园旱地和林地4种土地利用类型0～5、5～10、10～15、15～20cm土层进行了土壤动物取样调查,共获得土壤动物24683只,分别隶属于4门10纲23类。统计分析结果表明,土壤动物多样性受土地利用方式的影响明显。果园旱地和林地的个体数显著高于蔬菜地和水稻田,但果园旱地与林地、蔬菜地与水稻田之间无显著差异;果园旱地和林地的土壤动物类群数显著高于水稻田,但果园旱地与林地、林地与蔬菜地、蔬菜地与水稻田之间的差异不显著;林地和果园旱地的复杂性指数显著高于蔬菜地,但林地与果园旱地和水稻田、水稻田与蔬菜地之间的差异不显著（P〈O．05）。土壤动物的个体数和类群数量随着土壤深度的增加而明显减少,但不同土地利用方式下各层土壤动物的丰富度及其随土层加深而递减的程度则有明显不同,其中,林地和果园旱地的土壤动物在不同土层中较丰富,垂直变化比较和缓,水稻田和蔬菜地的类群数和个体数则随土层的加深而急剧减少。     

Effects of Reduced-Impact Logging on Fish Assemblages in Central Amazonia

Abstract: In Amazonia reduced‐impact logging, which is meant to reduce environmental disturbance by controlling stem‐fall directions and minimizing construction of access roads, has been applied to large areas containing thousands of streams. We investigated the effects of reduced‐impact logging on environmental variables and the composition of fish in forest streams in a commercial logging concession in central Amazonia, Amazonas State, Brazil. To evaluate short‐term effects, we sampled 11 streams before and after logging in one harvest area. We evaluated medium‐term effects by comparing streams in 11 harvest areas logged 1–8 years before the study with control streams in adjacent areas. Each sampling unit was a 50‐m stream section. The tetras Pyrrhulina brevis and Hemigrammus cf. pretoensis had higher abundances in plots logged ≥3 years before compared with plots logged <3 years before. The South American darter (Microcharacidium eleotrioides) was less abundant in logged plots than in control plots. In the short term, the overall fish composition did not differ two months before and immediately after reduced‐impact logging. Temperature and pH varied before and after logging, but those differences were compatible with normal seasonal variation. In the medium term, temperature and cover of logs were lower in logged plots. Differences in ordination scores on the basis of relative fish abundance between streams in control and logged areas changed with time since logging, mainly because some common species increased in abundance after logging. There was no evidence of species loss from the logging concession, but differences in log cover and ordination scores derived from relative abundance of fish species persisted even after 8 years. For Amazonian streams, reduced‐impact logging appears to be a viable alternative to clear‐cut practices, which severely affect aquatic communities. Nevertheless, detailed studies are necessary to evaluated subtle long‐term effects.     

Ornamental comb colour predicts T-cell-mediated immunity in male red grouse <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lagopus lagopus scoticus</Emphasis>

Sexual ornaments might reliably indicate the ability to cope with parasites and diseases, and a better ability to mount a primary inflammatory response to a novel challenge. Carotenoid-based ornaments are amongst the commonest sexual signals of birds and often influence mate choice. Because carotenoids are immuno-stimulants, signallers may trade-off allocating these to ornamental colouration or using them for immune responses, so carotenoid-based ornaments might be particularly useful as honest indicators of immuno-compentence. Tetraonid birds, such as the red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus, exhibit supra-orbital yellow-red combs, a conspicuous ornament which functions in intra- and inter-sexual selection. The colour of combs is due to epidermal pigmentation by carotenoids, while their size is testosterone-dependent. In this study, I investigated whether comb characteristics, and in particular, comb colour, indicated immuno-competence in free-living male red grouse. I assessed T-cell-mediated immunity using a standardised challenge with phytohaemagglutinin. Red grouse combs reflect in the red and in the ultraviolet spectrum of light, which is not visible to humans but that grouse most likely see, so I measured comb colour across the whole bird visible spectrum (300-700 nm) using a reflectance spectrometer. I found that males with bigger and redder combs, but with less ultraviolet reflectance, had greater T-cell-mediated immune response. Comb colour predicted T-cell-mediated immune response better than comb size, indicating that the carotenoid-based colouration of this ornament might reliably signal this aspect of male quality.     

Assessing Landowner Activities Related to Birds Across Rural-to-Urban Landscapes

Fluctuations of bird abundances in the Midwest region of the United States have been attributed to such factors as landscape change, habitat fragmentation, depredation, and supplemental feeding. However, no attempt has been made to estimate the collective role of landowner activities that may influence birds across a landscape. To investigate how landowners might influence birds when the majority (> 90%) of land is privately owned, we surveyed all 1694 private domestic landowners living on three breeding bird survey routes (120 km) that represent a continuum of rural-to-urban landscapes in Southeastern Michigan from October through December 2000. Our survey was designed to investigate (1) the proportion of landowners involved in bird feeding, providing bird houses, planting or maintaining vegetation for birds, gardening, landscaping, applying fertilizer, and applying pesticides or herbicides; (2) whether differences existed between urban, suburban, and rural landowner activities; and (3) whether landowners that carried out a given activity were sociodemographically different from those who did not. Of the 968 respondents (58.5% response rate), 912 (94%) carried out at least one of the activities on their land and the average landowner carried out 3.7 activities. A total of 65.6% fed birds, 45.7% provided bird houses, 54.6% planted or maintained vegetation for birds, 72.7% gardened, 72.3% landscaped, 49.3% applied fertilizer, and 25.2% applied pesticides or herbicides. Significant differences existed between the landscapes, with rural landowners having more bird houses and applying pesticides or herbicides in greater frequency. Similarly, urban landowners had a greater density of bird feeders and houses, but planted or maintained vegetation in the lowest frequency. Participation in activities varied by demographic factors, such as age, gender, and occupation. Scaling each activity to all landowners, including nonrespondents, across all landscapes indicates that between 14% and 82% of landowners may be engaged in a particular activity, with application of pesticides or herbicides having the least potential involvement (13.9%–55.4%) and gardening having the greatest potential involvement (40.1%–81.6%). Taken collectively, our results indicate that landowners are both intentionally and unintentionally engaged in a wide range of activities that are likely to influence bird populations.     

广东汕头海岸湿地鸟类群落与多样性的研究

对广东汕头海岸湿地的鸟类资源进行了调查，共记录鸟类100种，隶属15日31科，其中古北界鸟类43种，东洋界鸟类45种，广布种鸟类12种。区系组成呈南北鸟类混杂分布，鸟类的多样性表现出明显季节性。该湿地有国家二级重点保护鸟类10种，中日候鸟保护协定名录中的鸟类43种。5个湿地样区主要鸟类种类和数量的调查结果表明，汕头海岸湿地是水鸟类重要的越冬栖息场，鸟类群落多样性指数以三屿围和六合围两个样区较高，分别为3．2306和3．2283；濠江口的多样性指数较低，为1．98l。群落多样性指数的高低主要受物种数量和各物种数量均匀度的影响。文章还提出了对鸟类资源保护和管理的建议。     

苏打盐碱地养鱼稻田水体微生物区系研究

对松嫩平原苏打盐碱地养鱼稻田水体微生物数量及种类组成进行了初步研究。结果表明,养鱼稻田异养细菌数量为0.280万～30.716万mL-1,高于未养鱼稻田(P<0.05),其平均值的时间分布为水稻生长末期>中期>初期;养鱼稻田和未养鱼稻田放线菌和霉菌数量均较少。养鱼稻田大肠菌群数量为403.6～17934.2L-1,显著高于未养鱼稻田(P<0.01),其平均值的时间分布为水稻生长中期>初期>末期。异养细菌数量与鱼产量、总施肥量和有机肥施用量均呈极显著相关,与化肥施用量相关不显著;大肠菌群数量与鱼产量相关显著,与总施肥量相关不显著,但与有机肥施用量相关极显著。养鱼稻田中检测出10个科(属)异养细菌,优势菌为弧菌属(Vib rion)、气单胞菌属(Aeromonas)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)。