植物区系学中特有现象的研究进展(Ⅱ)--中国植物区系、研究方法与任务

植物区系学中的特有现象是其研究的重点内容,对特有现象的概念、类型、起源及其研究意义作了详细的论述;其次,总结了中国植物区系的基本情况、生活型、分布区学、水平分布、垂直分布与起源等研究成果;第三,介绍了研究特有现象的形态-地理学方法、细胞地理学方法和等位酶分析方法;第四,指出了中国植物区系中特有现象研究所面临的困境,认为应该集中力量重点研究滇黔桂、横断山脉以及华中等3个地区的植物区系基本特征、组成、起源、演化与扩散等内容.     

植物区系学中特有现象的研究进展(Ⅰ)--概念、类型、起源及其研究意义

植物区系学中的特有现象是其研究的重点内容，对特有现象的概念、类型、起源及其研究意义作了详细的论述；其次，总结了中国植物区系的基本情况、生活型、分布区学、水平分布、垂直分布与起源等研究成果；第三，介绍了研究特有现象的形态-地理学方法、细胞地理学方法和等位酶分析方法；第四，指出了中国植物区系中特有现象研究所面临的困境，认为应该集中力量重点研究滇黔桂、横断山脉以及华中等3个地区的植物区系基本特征、组成、起源、演化与扩散等内容．     

Range Size and Extinction Risk in Forest Birds

Abstract:  Small geographical range size is the single best predictor of threat of extinction in terrestrial species. Knowing how small a species' range has to be before authorities consider it threatened with extinction would allow prediction of a species' risk from continued deforestation and warming climates and provide a baseline for conservation and management strategies aspiring to mitigate these threats. To determine the threshold at which forest-dependent bird species become threatened with extinction, we compared the range sizes of threatened and nonthreatened species. In doing so, we present a simple, repeatable, and practical protocol to quantify range size. We started with species' ranges published in field guides or comparable sources. We then trimmed these ranges, that is, we included only those parts of the ranges that met the species' requirements of elevation and types of forest preferred. Finally, we further trimmed the ranges to the amount of forest cover that remains. This protocol generated an estimate of the remaining suitable range for each species. We compared these range estimates with those from the World Conservation Union Red List. We used the smaller of the two estimates to determine the threshold, 11,000 km², below which birds should be considered threatened. Species considered threatened that have larger ranges than this qualified under other (nonspatial) red list criteria. We identified a suite of species (18) that have not yet qualified as threatened but that have perilously small ranges—about 11% of the nonthreatened birds we analyzed. These birds are likely at risk of extinction and reevaluation of their status is urgently needed.     

Climate Change, Elevational Range Shifts, and Bird Extinctions

Abstract:  Limitations imposed on species ranges by the climatic, ecological, and physiological effects of elevation are important determinants of extinction risk. We modeled the effects of elevational limits on the extinction risk of landbirds, 87% of all bird species. Elevational limitation of range size explained 97% of the variation in the probability of being in a World Conservation Union category of extinction risk. Our model that combined elevational ranges, four Millennium Assessment habitat-loss scenarios, and an intermediate estimate of surface warming of 2.8° C, projected a best guess of 400–550 landbird extinctions, and that approximately 2150 additional species would be at risk of extinction by 2100. For Western Hemisphere landbirds, intermediate extinction estimates based on climate-induced changes in actual distributions ranged from 1.3% (1.1° C warming) to 30.0% (6.4° C warming) of these species. Worldwide, every degree of warming projected a nonlinear increase in bird extinctions of about 100–500 species. Only 21% of the species predicted to become extinct in our scenarios are currently considered threatened with extinction. Different habitat-loss and surface-warming scenarios predicted substantially different futures for landbird species. To improve the precision of climate-induced extinction estimates, there is an urgent need for high-resolution measurements of shifts in the elevational ranges of species. Given the accelerating influence of climate change on species distributions and conservation, using elevational limits in a tested, standardized, and robust manner can improve conservation assessments of terrestrial species and will help identify species that are most vulnerable to global climate change. Our climate-induced extinction estimates are broadly similar to those of bird species at risk from other factors, but these estimates largely involve different sets of species.     

Comparative Estimation of Floristic Diversity in Protected Natural Areas

A method for estimating floristic diversity at the species, genus, and family levels and the taxonomic structure of the flora of protected natural areas is proposed. The method is illustrated using the example of three nature reserves located in the Northern, Middle, and Southern Urals. The dependence of the characteristics of the regional floras on their positions in the system of botanical–geographic zones, the size of the protected area, and other factors have been studied in these reserves. The proportion of endemic plants and the degree of flora synanthropization have been determined.     

Vascular plant extinction in the continental United States and Canada

Extinction rates are expected to increase during the Anthropocene. Current extinction rates of plants and many animals remain unknown. We quantified extinctions among the vascular flora of the continental United States and Canada since European settlement. We compiled data on apparently extinct species by querying plant conservation databases, searching the literature, and vetting the resulting list with botanical experts. Because taxonomic opinion varies widely, we developed an index of taxonomic uncertainty (ITU). The ITU ranges from A to F, with A indicating unanimous taxonomic recognition and F indicating taxonomic recognition by only a single author. The ITU allowed us to rigorously evaluate extinction rates. Our data suggest that 51 species and 14 infraspecific taxa, representing 33 families and 49 genera of vascular plants, have become extinct in our study area since European settlement. Seven of these taxa exist in cultivation but are extinct in the wild. Most extinctions occurred in the west, but this outcome may reflect the timing of botanical exploration relative to settlement. Sixty-four percent of extinct plants were single-site endemics, and many occurred outside recognized biodiversity hotspots. Given the paucity of plant surveys in many areas, particularly prior to European settlement, the actual extinction rate of vascular plants is undoubtedly much higher than indicated here.