Can incidental sighting data be used to elucidate habitat preferences and areas of suitable habitat for a cryptic species?

The involvement of communities in ecological studies has been shown to augment conservation efforts, especially for cryptic species. However, there is a lack of studies addressing the utility of incidental sighting records from community members in gaining knowledge on habitat preferences and distribution of suitable habitat for these organisms. This study compares preferences of the Lumholtz's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi ; LTK), a cryptic rainforest folivore in northeastern Australia, for various habitat and climatic variables derived from data collected during scientific projects to those derived from incidental sighting records using ArcGIS and Maxent. Incidental sighting records suggest that the species uses a wider range of altitudes, annual rainfalls, annual mean temperatures and vegetation types than predicted by scientific studies. Incidental records also show that the species can persist in areas of lower rainfall during the wettest month and lower minimum temperature during the coldest month. Both data place the species within a comparable range of rainfalls during the driest month, maximum temperatures of the warmest month and soil types. When using identified preferences to assess the extent and distribution of suitable habitat, incidental records predicted more areas of suitable habitat than scientific records with an overlap of up to 91% between them. The present study proves that incidental sighting records can be a valuable part of the study of cryptic species and should be considered complementarily alongside scientific studies to obtain comprehensive ecological information of a species that can assist in its conservation.     

Assemblage patterns of fish functional groups relative to habitat connectivity and conditions in floodplain lakes

Miyazono S, Aycock JN, Miranda LE, Tietjen TE. Assemblage patterns of fish functional groups relative to habitat connectivity and conditions in floodplain lakes.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 578–585. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – We evaluated the influences of habitat connectivity and local environmental factors on the distribution and abundance patterns of fish functional groups in 17 floodplain lakes in the Yazoo River Basin, USA. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that species–environmental relationships varied with the functional groups. Species richness and assemblage structure of periodic strategists showed strong and positive correlations with habitat connectivity. Densities of most equilibrium and opportunistic strategists decreased with habitat connectivity. Densities of certain equilibrium and opportunistic strategists increased with turbidity. Forested wetlands around the lakes were positively related to the densities of periodic and equilibrium strategists. These results suggest that decreases in habitat connectivity, forested wetland buffers and water quality resulting from environmental manipulations may cause local extinction of certain fish taxa and accelerate the dominance of tolerant fishes in floodplain lakes.     

From shallow to deep waters: habitats used by larval lampreys (genus Petromyzon and Lampetra) over a western European basin

Abstract –  Habitat requirements of lamprey ammocoetes (Petromyzon marinus and Lampetra genus) were investigated, for the first time, from shallow to deep waters, at different spatial scales across the Gironde‐Dordogne continuum, thanks to a water suction dredge. Fish‐habitat relationships were assessed through two complementary statistical analyses: habitat‐use curves and habitat suitability models using the Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) technique. Analyses were performed on a small‐size data set that was characterised by the low prevalence of lamprey. The sea lamprey larvae occurred in deeper areas than their Lampetra genus counterparts. ‘Pools’ of 2 m’ depth and more were optimal habitats for the former species. Among the environmental variables retained to model lamprey occurrences, the mesohabitat (a categorical variable) was demonstrated to be highly influential, in terms of fine grain‐size substratum and vegetation cover. These preliminary results suggest that monitoring using the water suction dredge method may contribute to sea lamprey conservation.     

Detection efficiency and habitat use to inform inventory and monitoring efforts: juvenile coho salmon in the Knik River basin,Alaska

Imperfect detection associated with sampling gear presents challenges for wildlife inventory and monitoring efforts. We examined occupancy dynamics and habitat use of juvenile coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, in shallow lake environments over a summer and early fall season in the Knik River area of south central Alaska using models which control for and estimate sampling gear detection efficiency. In addition, we present statements for the probability that observed absences at a survey site or from a survey area (a collection of sites) are true absences given some amount of sampling effort and analysts' beliefs about site occupancy and sampling gear detection efficiency which can be used to guide inventory and monitoring efforts for juvenile salmon or other wildlife and plant species. Occupancy modelling results demonstrate that minnow traps were effective at sampling juvenile coho in shallow lake environments, with a mean probability of detection across the study period of 0.68 (i.e., probability of detecting the presence of juvenile coho given that they are present at a trap site; SE = 0.03). Juvenile coho salmon migrated into shallow water lakes in late summer and early fall, presumably to seek out overwinter habitat. N‐mixture modelling examination of habitat use demonstrated that once in shallow lake environments, juvenile coho were widely distributed across a range of microhabitats, with some evidence for preference for shallower depths and warmer water temperatures.     

半荒漠地区灌木饲料林营造技术研究

本文对半荒漠地区灌木饲料林的树种选择、经营管理等问题进行了初步探讨，给出了花棒、杨柴、柠条、沙柳、毛条、毛柳、白沙蒿、油蒿８个半荒漠地区灌木饲料林树种的造林适宜立地类型、最适造林季节、最佳造林密度、最适收获期以及最佳平茬年龄。     

祁连山南麓地区岩羊死因分析初报

2006年2月18～23日位于祁连山南麓天峻县的生格乡地区，先后有20多只岩羊突然死亡。通过对捕获岩羊的临床检查、栖息地调查和对其周围牧户的访问结果表明：岩羊在短时间大量死亡是多种病原体和作为应激源气候因子（大雪、大风和强烈的太阳光直接照射和雪地反射）的联合作用导致岩羊患传染性角膜结膜炎病失明而从悬崖处摔死的结果，而人类活动导致的生境破碎化加剧了本病的发生、流行和患病动物的死亡。     

Landscape ecology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites australis</Emphasis> invasion in networks of linear wetlands

The interaction between landscape structure and spatial patterns of plant invasion has been little addressed by ecologists despite the new insights it can provide. Because of their spatial configuration as highly connected networks, linear wetlands such as roadside or agricultural ditches, can serve as corridors facilitating invasion at the landscape scale, but species dynamics in these important habitats are not well known. We conducted a landscape scale analysis of Phragmites australis invasion patterns (1985–2002 and 1987–2002) in two periurban areas of southern Québec (Canada) focusing on the interaction between the network of linear wetlands and the adjacent land-uses. Results show that, at the beginning of the reference period, the two landscapes were relatively non-invaded and populations occurred mostly in roadside habitats which then served as invasion foci into other parts of the landscape. The intrinsic rates of increase of P. australis populations in linear anthropogenic habitats were generally higher than those reported for natural wetlands. Riparian habitats along streams and rivers were little invaded compared to anthropogenic linear wetlands, except when they intersected transportation rights-of-way. Bivariate spatial point pattern analysis of colonization events using both Euclidian and network distances generally showed spatial dependence (association) to source populations. An autologistic regression model that included landscape and edaphic variables selected transportation rights-of-way as the best predictor of P. australis occurrence patterns in one of the landscapes. Given the high invasion rates observed, managers of linear wetlands should carefully monitor expansion patterns especially when roads intersect landscapes of conservation or economic value.     

东乡野生稻原产地蜘蛛群落结构动态研究

调查表明,东乡野生稻原产保护地蜘蛛群落优势科为狼蛛科、跳蛛科、管巢蛛科、球蛛科、肖蛸科,相对丰度分别为0.5010、0.1529、0.0785、0.0657、0.0559、0.0399、0.0392,其丰盛度总和达0.8540,构成了蜘蛛群落的主要成分;巨蟹蛛科为稀有科。优势种为拟水狼蛛、沟渠豹蛛、中华狼蛛、横窝希蛛、黄斑纯蛛、白纹舞蛛、微菱头蛛、柔弱锯螯蛛,其相对丰盛度分别为0.1802、0.1209、0.0833、0.0589、0.0484、0.0445、0.0417、0.0413,丰盛度总和达0.6192,埃比熊蛛等为稀有种。调查还表明,不同时期的物种丰富度变化不明显,但在6～7月间,群落中物种丰富度相对较高,各物种种群发生数量大,分布相对均匀,优势种不突出,群落结构较合理,均匀度和多样性指数较高。     

The potential of flat-bed passive integrated transponder antennae for studying habitat use by stream fishes

Abstract – Describing habitat use by stream fishes is important from both basic ecological and fisheries management points of view. The most widely used methods of measuring habitat use vary in degree of effort required, level of intrusiveness and in the level of spatial and temporal resolution. In this paper, we describe a remote monitoring technique that can provide detailed and continuous data on habitat use of individual fish in the field. The technique is based on the passive integrated transponder (PIT) system, in which a newly developed flat-bed antenna is placed on the stream bottom and simply requires a PIT-tagged fish to swim over it. We present data obtained from work using this new technology on brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) in stream enclosures, in which we describe habitat use and temporal patterns of movement by individuals and relate such data to growth rate and sex of the individual fish as well as to pool depth and time of day. In addition, we describe the range of applications of the flat-bed PIT-antenna as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using the system. ^NOTE     

Urban permeability for birds: An approach combining mobbing-call experiments and circuit theory

The urban matrix was recently shown to be a mosaic of heterogeneous dispersal habitats. We conducted a playback experiment of mobbing calls to examine the probabilities of forest birds to cross a distance of 50 m over urban matrix with different land-cover types in an urban area. We treated the reciprocal of the crossing probabilities as a movement resistance for forest birds. We drew resistance surfaces based on the land-cover maps of urban Sapporo. We applied a circuit theory to examine the relative role of a detour route consisting of a riparian corridor and urban matrix for dispersing forest bird individuals from continuous forest to an isolated green space in the midst of an urban area. Our results showed that wood cover had the highest crossing probability, while open land (grassland and pavement) had the lowest probabilities. Buildings and water surface displayed an intermediate probability. Resistance surfaces and flow maps at 25- and 50-m resolutions were very similar and suggested that dispersing individuals are likely to use the intervening building areas that dominate the urban matrix rather than detour through riparian corridors. Our results showed the useful combination of experimental approaches and circuit theory, and the importance of the spatial configuration of corridors, as well as the composition and management of dispersal habitats, to landscape connectivity.