Genetic Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Common Species of Swiss Fen Meadows

Abstract:  The area of Caricion davallianae alliance in Switzerland has been considerably reduced and fragmented during the last 150 years. We assessed the genetic variability, inbreeding level, and among-population differentiation of two common habitat-specific plant species, Carex davalliana SM. and Succisa pratensis Moench, in 18 Caricion davallianae fen meadows subjected to fragmentation. We used a spatial field design of fen systems (six systems total), each consisting of one large habitat island and two small habitat islands. We used allozyme electrophoresis to derive standard genetic parameters ( A, P, H_O, H_E, F_IS, F_ST ). In Carex we identified a consistently lower A in isolated habitat islands; furthermore, H_E was lower in small habitat islands than in large habitat islands. In Succisa we identified a lower H_O in small habitat islands than in larger ones. Small habitat islands were marginally significantly differentiated (  F_ST ) from large islands for Succisa . For both species, no effects were evident for F_IS ; therefore, we argue that genetic drift rather than inbreeding is the main cause of the observed differences. The genetic structure of Carex and Succisa in small habitat islands differed from that in large habitat islands, but differences were small. It appears that the observed differences in genetic variability among fen meadows correspond to observed differences in fitness and demographic traits. We show that habitat fragmentation affects not only the rare species in an ecosystem but also reduces the survival probabilities of common species. One of the main goals of conservation should be to mitigate fragmentation of natural habitats in order to increase population sizes and connectivity.     

海洋纤毛虫实验生态学研究I：不同浓度葡萄糖对种群增长的影响

为揭示不同碳氮比对纤毛虫种群增长的影响以及纤毛虫对碳源和能量来源的选择性 ,利用实验生态学方法 ,对海水养殖水体中 3种常见的纤毛虫原生动物 :扇形游仆虫 (Euplotesvannus)、海洋尾丝虫 (Uronemamarinum)和巨大拟阿脑虫 (Paranophrysmagna)在牛肉浸膏及梯度浓度葡萄糖培养基中的种群增长过程进行了初步的探讨 .数据分析表明 ,在牛肉浸膏培养基中加入不同浓度的葡萄糖对于纤毛虫种群增长影响显著 ,其中在 0 .0 5 gL-1葡萄糖浓度的培养基中 3种纤毛虫种群增长最佳 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,而在 0 .4 gL-1浓度时纤毛虫的生长繁殖均受到高度抑制 (P <0 .0 5 ) .这一结果显示 ,不同C N比对纤毛虫的种群增长有着直接的影响 .图 3表 3参 10     

Viability Analysis of Reef Fish Populations Based on Limited Demographic Information

Abstract:  Marine protected areas (MPAs) that allow some degree of artisanal fishing have been proposed to control the overexploitation of marine resources while allowing extraction by local communities. Nevertheless, the management of MPAs is often impaired by the absence of data on the status of their resources. We devised a method to estimate population growth rates with the type of data that are usually available for reef fishes. We used 7 years of spatially explicit abundance data on the leopard grouper ( Mycteroperca rosacea ) in an MPA in the Gulf of California, Mexico, to construct a matrix population model that incorporated the effects of El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation on population dynamics. An environmental model that estimated different demographic estimates for El Niño and La Niña periods performed better than a single-environment model, and a single-habitat model performed better than a model that considered different depths as different habitats. Our results suggest that the population of the leopard grouper off the main island of the MPA is not viable under present conditions. Although the impact of fishing on leopard grouper populations in the MPA has not yet been established, fishing should be closed as a precautionary measure at this island if a priority of the MPA is to ensure the sustainability of its fish populations.     

The Effect of Fragment Shape and Species' Sensitivity to Habitat Edges on Animal Population Size

Abstract:  Habitat fragmentation causes extinction of local animal populations by decreasing the amount of viable "core" habitat area and increasing edge effects. It is widely accepted that larger fragments make better nature reserves because core-dwelling species have a larger amount of suitable habitat. Nevertheless, fragments in real landscapes have complex, irregular shapes. We modeled the population sizes of species that have a representative range of preferences for or aversions to habitat edges at five spatial scales (within 10, 32, 100, 320, and 1000 m of an edge) in a nation-wide analysis of forest remnants in New Zealand. We hypothesized that the irregular shapes of fragments in real landscapes should generate statistically significant correlations between population density and fragment area, purely as a "geometric" effect of varying species responses to the distribution of edge habitat. Irregularly shaped fragments consistently reduced the population size of core-dwelling species by 10–100%, depending on the scale over which species responded to habitat edges. Moreover, core populations within individual fragments were spatially discontinuous, containing multiple, disjunct populations that inhabited small spatial areas and had reduced population size. The geometric effect was highly nonlinear and depended on the range of fragment sizes sampled and the scale at which species responded to habitat edges. Fragment shape played a strong role in determining population size in fragmented landscapes; thus, habitat restoration efforts may be more effective if they focus on connecting disjunct cores rather than isolated fragments.     

不同放牧强度下星毛委陵菜(Potentilla acaulis)种群小尺度空间格局

利用R ip ley’s K函数以及蒙特卡罗(Monte Carlo)随机模拟方法,定量分析了4种放牧强度———无牧、轻牧(1.33只羊/hm2)、中牧(4.00只羊/hm2)、重牧(6.67只羊/hm2)下星毛委陵菜(Potentilla acaulis)种群的小尺度空间格局及其随尺度的变化规律;研究了放牧对星毛委陵菜种群空间格局的影响;并以放牧条件下星毛委陵菜的生活史特征、生态适应对策以及群落内植物种间的相互作用为基础,探讨产生和维持这些格局的机理.研究表明:(1)放牧对星毛委陵菜种群空间格局有显著影响,同一放牧强度下星毛委陵菜种群在不同尺度上的空间格局存在显著差异.(2)无牧条件下,星毛委陵菜种群在0~96 cm尺度上表现为集聚分布,在96~100 cm尺度为随机分布;轻牧条件下,星毛委陵菜种群在0~92 cm尺度上表现为集聚分布,在92~100 cm尺度为随机分布;中牧条件下,星毛委陵菜种群在0~72cm尺度上表现为集聚分布,在72~100 cm尺度为随机分布;重牧条件下,星毛委陵菜在20~22 cm尺度上表现为集聚分布,在15~17 cm、23~28 cm和46~50 cm尺度为均匀分布,在0~15 cm、17~20 cm、22~23 cm、28~46 cm和50~100 cm上为随机分布.(3)同一放牧强度下,随着尺度的增大,星毛委陵菜种群由集聚分布趋向于随机分布;且转变为随机分布时的尺度随着放牧强度的增大而逐渐缩小.这与星毛委陵菜生物学特性和种群对放牧压力的生态适应对策密切相关.(4)在0~100 cm尺度上,星毛委陵菜种群的集聚强度随着放牧强度的增大而逐渐减小,即:无牧>轻牧>中牧>重牧.(5)放牧活动改变了决定群落结构的有关过程的相对重要性.这些研究结果将为在放牧活动干扰下草原群落的演替提供理论依据.图2参24     

Defence effectiveness of easy bleeding sawfly larvae towards invertebrate and avian predators

Summary. Easy bleeding is a phenomenon discovered in some tenthredinid insects which possess a particularly low mechanical resistance of the integument, leading under mechanical stress to haemolymph exudation. It has a defensive effect against ants and wasps through harmful plant compounds which are sequestered in the haemolymph. Here we describe etho-ecological and some chemical aspects of the defence of easy bleeders and specify the range of predators to which easy bleeding might be effective. Beside a high haemolymph deterrence associated with low integument resistance across sawfly species, we also detected toxicity of the haemolymph of some species to workers of the ant Myrmica rubra. The behaviour of easy bleeders is to move slowly and, once disturbed, to become motionless, thereby probably impeding the tendency of a predator to attack. This behaviour had no beneficial effect for easy bleeders when attacked by the predatory bug Podisus maculiventris. Bugs could successfully and without harm prey on sawfly larvae without evoking easy bleeding. For the easy bleeder Athalia rosae, host plants with different secondary metabolite profiles, and, consequently, changes in haemolymph chemistry only slightly affected the feeding behaviour of the bugs. To test the effectiveness of easy bleeding towards a vertebrate predator, easy bleeders were offered to birds, Sturnus vulgaris. The body colouration of the sawfly larvae was of prime importance in determining the predators response when testing birds in a group. It is likely that easy bleeding is a defence strategy directed primarily towards foraging insects with biting-chewing mandibles and that it is much less active towards predatory insects with piercing-sucking mandibles as well as birds. The involvement of chemical and/or physical cues in the strategy is discussed with respect to these types of predators.     

Regional Consequences of Local Population Demography and Genetics in Relation to Habitat Management in Gentiana pneumonanthe

Abstract:  A joint demographic and population genetics stage-based model for a subdivided population was applied to Gentiana pneumonanthe , an early successional perennial herb, at a regional (metapopulation) scale. We used numerical simulations to determine the optimal frequency of habitat disturbance (sod cutting) and the intensity of gene flow among populations of G. pneumonanthe to manage both population viability and genetic diversity in this species. The simulations showed that even small populations that initially had near-equal allele frequencies could, if managed properly through sod cutting every 6 to 7 years, sustain their high genetic variation over the long run without gene flow. The more the allele frequencies in the small populations are skewed, however, the higher the probability that in the absence of gene flow, some alleles will be lost and within-population genetic variation will decrease even under proper management. This implies that although local population dynamics should be the major target for management, regional dynamics become important when habitat fragmentation and decreased population size lead to the loss of local genetic diversity. The recommended strategy to improve genetic composition of small populations is the introduction of seeds or seedlings of nonlocal origin.     

Risk-Based Viable Population Monitoring

Abstract:  We describe risk-based viable population monitoring, in which the monitoring indicator is a yearly prediction of the probability that, within a given timeframe, the population abundance will decline below a prespecified level. Common abundance-based monitoring strategies usually have low power to detect declines in threatened and endangered species and are largely reactive to declines. Comparisons of the population's estimated risk of decline over time will help determine status in a more defensible manner than current monitoring methods. Monitoring risk is a more proactive approach; critical changes in the population's status are more likely to be demonstrated before a devastating decline than with abundance-based monitoring methods. In this framework, recovery is defined not as a single evaluation of long-term viability but as maintaining low risk of decline for the next several generations. Effects of errors in risk prediction techniques are mitigated through shorter prediction intervals, setting threshold abundances near current abundance, and explicitly incorporating uncertainty in risk estimates. Viable population monitoring also intrinsically adjusts monitoring effort relative to the population's true status and exhibits considerable robustness to model misspecification. We present simulations showing that risk predictions made with a simple exponential growth model can be effective monitoring indicators for population dynamics ranging from random walk to density dependence with stable, decreasing, or increasing equilibrium. In analyses of time-series data for five species, risk-based monitoring warned of future declines and demonstrated secure status more effectively than statistical tests for trend.     

国家标准GB／T3840—91中城市大气污染物总量控制A—P值法的应用

本文叙述了在大气总悬浮微粒物实行总量控制时使用GB/T384-91中A-P值方法的经验,给出了一些计算公式及参数,同时还介绍了使用上述国家标准时对求算允许排放总量的主要参数土地面积进行人口订正的经验公式和确定经验系数的方法.     

试论投资项目环境评价的理论基础

对投资项目进行环境影响评价是人类社会发展的必然产物,是人类实现可持续发展的必然要求,是有效解决人类生态困境的根本性环节之一.目前对投资项目的环境影响评价明显不足,现阶段,应加强其理论基础的研究.以可持续发展为目标对环境生态学、环境经济学和环境系统科学等相关理论进行深入的研究,并采取相应措施是进行有效环境影响评价的重要保证.