Translocation of urban Gila Monsters: a problematic conservation tool

The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) is a large, venomous lizard protected throughout its distribution in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Rapid urban growth in key areas of its range and increased encounters with humans prompted us to investigate translocation as a conservation tool with “nuisance” Gila Monsters. Twenty-five Gila Monsters reported as nuisances by residents in the northeastern Phoenix Metropolitan Area were translocated from 0 to 25,000 m from their point of capture. Subjects (N=18) translocated less than 1000 m returned to their original site of capture within 2-30 days; none of those (N=7) translocated more than 1000 m successfully returned, they exhibited high daily rates of speed, and were deprived the use of familiar refuges. We conclude that small distance translocations within suitable habitats are ineffective in removing Gila Monsters from areas deemed unsuitable. Moreover, individuals moved significantly greater distances are unlikely to remain at a translocation site, and may experience a variety of costs (e.g., predation risk) associated with high rates of movement.     

Soil microbial community characteristics along an elevation gradient in the Laguna Mountains of Southern California

We sampled soil at four sites in the Laguna Mountains in the western Sonoran Desert to test the effects of site and sample location (between or beneath plants) on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and carbon substrate ulilization (Biolog) profiles. The four sites differed in elevation, soil type, plant community composition, and plant percent cover. Soil pH decreased and plant density increased with elevation. Fertile islands, defined as areas beneath plants with greater soil resources than bare areas, are present at all sites, but are most pronounced at lower elevations. Consistent with this pattern, fertile islands had the greatest influence on FAME and Biolog profiles at lower elevations. Based on the use of FAME biomarker and principal components analyses, we found that soil microbial communities between plants at the lowest elevation had proportionally more Gram-negative bacteria than all other soils. At the higher elevation sites there were few differences in FAME profiles of soils sampled between vs. beneath plants. Differences in FAME profiles under plants among the four sites were small, suggesting that the plant influence per se is more important than plant type in controlling FAME profiles. Since microbial biomass carbon was correlated with FAME number (r=0.85,P<0.0001) and with FAME named (r=0.88,P<0.0001) and total areas (r=0.84,P<0.0001), we standardized the FAME data to ensure that differences in FAME profiles among samples were not the result of differences in microbial biomass. Differences in microbial substrate utilization profiles among sampling locations were greatest between samples taken under vs. between plants at the two lower elevation sites. Microbial substrate utilization profiles, therefore, also seem to be influenced more by the presence of plants than by specific plant type.     

新疆尉犁县3株荒漠微藻的重金属抗性初步分析

[目的]筛选出对重金属抗性较好的微藻品系,给相关研究提供基础试验数据。[方法]利用光学显微镜和透射电镜确定XLD-B-3、XLD-B-9、XLD-B-12 3株荒漠微藻品系的细胞形态。在实验室条件下测定生长曲线,同时,测定不同浓度重金属(Hg2+、Cd2+、Pb2+)和抗生素(氨苄青霉素、四环素、链霉素)对3株微藻品系生长的影响,并确定最佳抗性浓度。[结果]3株品系的细胞均为球形,XLD-B-3的细胞个体大,XLD-B-9和XLD-B-12的细胞壁很厚。3株品系的生长周期较长;它们对重金属和抗生素均有一定的抗性,其中XLD-B-12对Hg2+和XLD-B-3对Pb2+的抗性最强,分别达到0.05和0.8 mmol/L,3株品系对Cd2+的抗性均达到0.05 mmol/L,对氨苄青霉素有很好的抗性,均达到1 000μg/ml,XLD-B-3对四环素和链霉素的抗性最强,分别为60与40μg/ml。[结论]该研究可为微藻和重金属的相互作用研究及荒漠微藻的纯化技术提供参考依据。     

3株塔克拉玛干沙漠藻的分子鉴定与分析

以从新疆塔克拉玛干沙漠中分离纯化的3株藻种为研究对象,研究温度和不同培养基对这3个品系生长的影响,并采用扫描电镜图和光学显微镜结合的方法对其形态进行初步鉴定,进一步采用18S r DNA基因数据对其进行分子鉴定。结果可以看出,Y1在20~30℃环境中都能生长,30℃生长最佳,最佳培养基为BG11培养基;Y2和Y3在改良型TAP培养基中生长最佳,它们的最适生长温度分别为25~30℃和30℃。利用Gen Bank中绿藻门不同科属种类序列的18S核糖体RNA,结合Olmos的文献,设计18S r DNA特异性引物进行PCR扩增。测序后经Blast对比、系统发育树及遗传距离分析,结合扫描电镜图和光学显微镜结果得知Y1为丝藻属、Y2为衣藻、Y3为绿球藻。     

库布齐沙漠东缘沙地植被近自然恢复研究

本文调查研究了沙地植被自然恢复过程，并结合地植物的自然分布规律及其生长的特点，提出了沙地植被恢复中自然斑的重要作用。     

宁夏引黄新灌区的开垦与昆虫类群的演替

1989～1991年对中宁县大战场和灵武县狼皮子梁的荒漠草原和垦后不久(约1～5年)的农田昆虫类群进行系统调查结果,鉴定出各类昆虫11目77科260种,其中属荒漠草原原生种88种、与农业共有种85种、农田继生种87种,其中荒漠区优势类群有伪步(虫甲)科、象(虫甲)科;荒漠垦殖后原生类群68.2%的种类消失,其余残存于田埂、渠岸、沟岸和较高的小片荒地上。     

干旱区绿洲农业生态经济系统结构与功能分析—以塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘的墨玉县为例

在分析国家和新疆自治区重点扶持的贫困县———墨玉县农业生态系统的水土资源结构、农业种群结构和产业结构的基础上,对其绿洲农业生态经济系统进行了能量流、物质流和价值流的分析。结果显示其水土资源结构不平衡、种群结构单一、产业结构不甚合理,决定了绿洲功能较差,产投比低下的特点,并据此从可持续发展的角度提出了以发展生态农业为中心,改善绿洲农业生态经济系统结构并提高其功能的对策与建议。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠北缘荒漠过渡带风沙流结构特征分析

利用多种集沙仪,通过野外实时输沙观测,对塔克拉玛干沙漠北缘荒漠过渡带的地表风沙流特征进行了分析,结果表明：① 100 cm高度范围内,总输沙量的47.3%分布在30 cm高度内,这一比例小于前人的研究结果;输沙量随高度的变化比较符合幂函数分布。② 风沙流输沙的粒径以细砂、极细砂与粉砂为主,各高度层所占比例均达99%以上;风沙流输沙平均粒径随高度增加而减小,沙尘的含量随高度增加呈现“象鼻”状分布。③ 风沙流中贴地层风速廓线受风沙相互作用的影响,不再符合对数分布,更加符合幂函数u=az^b分布。     

塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地滴灌种植肉苁蓉的试验研究

在塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地的人工梭梭林,利用咸水滴灌技术,对种植肉苁蓉（Cistanche deserticola）的开挖方式、播种方式、接种深度以及稳产技术等进行了试验研究。结果表明：① 提高肉苁蓉种子和寄主根系接触的几率是提高人工接种肉苁蓉效果的有效途径。不同种植方式的肉苁蓉出土率为：沟种>打洞>穴种,撒种>种植带（种植纸）。② 采用开沟、撒种方式种植肉苁蓉,随播种量增加,出土肉苁蓉数量呈增加趋势,但存在一个上限值。在沙地滴灌种植肉苁蓉适宜的播种量为300粒/m。③ 接种深度应控制在寄主根系主要分布层以内,并结合作业方式及作业成本来综合确定,在沙地滴灌接种深度不宜超过60 cm。④ 人工接种肉苁蓉具有一次接种,多年采收的效果,但肉苁蓉出土率年际间差异较大。接种后第2 a至第4 a为主要收获期。采用沟种、撒种技术春季接种肉苁蓉,接种后连续3 a平均出土率可以保持在1株/m以上,肉苁蓉鲜重产量达1 800 kg/hm²,经济效益显著。     

羽毛针禾（Stipagrostis pennata）克隆构型及不同环境中的分株种群特征

以古尔班通古特沙漠不同环境（沙丘不同坡位、不同伴生植物、不同流动性沙丘）中的羽毛针禾（Stipagrostis pennata）种群为研究对象,通过测定羽毛针禾分株平均高度、节间长、分蘖株数、根茎直径、地下根状茎数、平均地下根状茎长等指标,分析羽毛针禾的克隆构型及不同环境中的分株种群特征。结果表明：羽毛针禾分株强度大,分枝多,分株间的间隔物（节间长）高度缩短,表现出典型的“密集型”克隆生长构型。同时,比较半固定沙丘不同坡位羽毛针禾的分株种群特征,坡顶上的羽毛针禾在分蘖株数和平均根状茎长均显著高于坡底;分析羽毛针禾与不同伴生植物的分株种群特征表明,羽毛针禾与鹤虱的伴生群落中,其分蘖枝数显著高于羽毛针禾与白茎绢蒿的伴生群落,且有较高的分枝密度和较短的平均根状茎长;与半固定沙丘相比,生长于固定沙丘的羽毛针禾分株种群具有显著的分蘖株数、根状茎数,以及较长的根茎直径、较大的地上部分生物量和地下根状茎生物量。最后,结合克隆植物对资源的利用对策及表型的可塑性,对不同环境中的羽毛针禾分株种群特征进行了讨论。