A test for interaction between brown trout (Salmo trutta) and inanga (Galaxias maculatus) in an artificial stream

Abstract –  The interaction between brown trout ( Salmo trutta ; fork length (FL) range 255–390 mm) and inanga ( Galaxias maculatus ; FL range 55–115 mm) was tested during summer through autumn in an artificial stream consisting of a single run-riffle-pool sequence with a natural food supply. Each experimental trial lasted for 15 days, and consisted of two brown trout and 50 inanga collected fresh from a nearby stream, with each species given prior residence in four replicate tests, totalling eight trials in all. In addition, two control trials (each 10 days), with 50 inanga in each, were run. Brown trout almost exclusively occupied the pool, whereas inanga occupied all habitat types, although in different proportions, when tested with and without brown trout. The proportion of inanga in the pool was appreciably lower in the experimental trials with brown trout than in the control trials with no brown trout; prior residence had no significant effect on inanga habitat use. Mortality of inanga attributable to predation by brown trout ranged from 0 to 40% with a mean of 14.5 ± 4.7%. The results suggest that habitat use and survival of inanga populations in small streams can be adversely affected by brown trout.     

西北干旱区生态环境建设支撑体系的构建

西北干旱区的自然环境脆弱性叠加不合理的水土资源开发等人类活动干扰是导致区域生态环境日趋恶化的根本原因,已严重制约社会经济的可持续发展。针对当前生态环境建设实际,提出应在实现水资源可持续利用、建立完善的管理体制及法律体系、调整产业结构、积极推进城镇化进程、大力发展科技教育等方面采取有力措施。以此为重要支撑,恢复与重建受损生态系统,改善区域生态环境,实现环境与经济社会协调发展。     

昆明地区昭觉林蛙种群的繁殖研究

2004年10月～2006年12月观察了昆明地区昭觉林蛙(Rana chaochiaoensis)的产卵期、产卵量、孵化时间、孵化率以及蝌蚪期持续时间等.结果显示,昆明地区昭觉林蛙的产卵期为每年10～11月;产卵量平均为1 859.92粒·团-1;完成胚胎发育期全过程需8～9d;蝌蚪孵化率达99%以上;蝌蚪期持续时间为6个月,Ⅰ期蝌蚪发育历时130d,Ⅱ期蝌蚪发育需42d,从蝌蚪进入第Ⅲ期到观察超过50%的幼蛙登陆为10d左右.昭觉林蛙繁殖时对产卵场的选择条件为足够的水域面积、水温和丰富的水草.     

云南省岩溶地区石漠化草原现状及分区保护与修复策略

据最新调查数据,云南省石漠化草原主要分布于曲靖、昆明、红河等5个州( 市),总面积 37.97 万hm²,占岩溶土地面积的3.53%,其分布最广的海拔区间为1 500~2 500 m,占比47.85%, 基岩裸露度分布区间为30%~94%,以植被盖度为10%~19%的分布区间面积最广,占比37.85%, 绝大部分分布于土层薄甚至极薄区域,占比达92.10%。根据石漠化草原空间分布特征,在充分衔 接各大生态保护和修复工程建设规划基础上,统筹考虑岩溶生态系统的完整性、地理单元的连续性 和经济社会发展的可持续性,将云南省石漠化草原区划为6个分区,分区阐述石漠化草原生态保护 与修复策略。     

山区河流生态河道治理工程扰动区植被群落恢复的影响研究

工程扰动严重破坏原有地形地貌和生态植被,加剧生态环境的恶化与生态系统的退化,为减少水土流失和浅层滑坡,加速植被恢复和生态修复,对工程扰动区植被群落恢复进行研究是比较有意义的课题.研究选择生态治理后处于自然恢复期的石葵河作为研究对象,对工程扰动区不同水位的植被恢复进行季节性监测和实地调查,统计河道边坡植被恢复种类及数量、...     

Effects of wind turbines and other physical elements on field utilization by pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus): A landscape perspective

The effects of wind turbines and other physical landscape elements on field utilization by wintering pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) were studied in a Danish farmland landscape. Within the study area geese were feeding on pastures, which together with cereals were the main crop types. Apart from wind turbines a variety of potentially disturbing landscape elements was present, e.g., high-power lines, windbreaks, roads and settlements. Patterns of field use were assessed by measuring goose dropping densities along transects perpendicular to wind farms (with turbines in clusters and in lines) and other landscape elements. Local effects were expressed in terms of `avoidance distance', i.e., the distance from a given landscape element to the point at which 50% of maximal dropping density was reached. The spatial distribution of landscape elements within an eight km radius from the goose roost was determined from aerial photographs. The area occupied by various elements, together with the adjacent zones which were not available to geese due to their associated avoidance distances, were quantified using Geographic Information System (GIS).The avoidance distance of wind farms with turbines in lines and in clusters were ca 100 m and ca 200 m, respectively. Geese did not enter the area between turbines within the cluster. At the landscape level, the combined effect of physical elements other than wind turbines caused an effective loss of 68% of the total field area (40 km²). Wind turbines caused an additional loss of 4% of the field area. However, of the remaining area available to geese (13 km²), wind turbines caused a loss of 13% of the total area. The habitat loss per turbine was higher for the wind farm with turbines arranged in a large cluster than for wind farms with turbines in small clusters or lines. This difference was mainly due to the fact that wind farms in small clusters or with a linear layout were generally placed close to roads or other elements with existing associated avoidance zones, whereas the large cluster was placed in the open farmland area. The avoidance zones associated with physical elements in the landscape do not take into account possible synergistic effects and, hence, actual field areas affected are likely to be minimum estimates. Implications of these findings for planning of wind farms in areas of conservation interest to geese are discussed.     

Habitat utilization and vertical movements of white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) released from commercial and recreational fishing gears in the western North Atlantic Ocean: inferences from short duration pop-up archival satellite tags

Researchers have applied numerous techniques to improve billfish stock assessments, including habitat‐based models that incorporate behavioral and oceanographic parameters to standardize historical catch‐per‐unit‐effort time‐series data. These methods have allowed researchers to account for significant changes in the depths of pelagic longline (PLL) gear deployments over time. This study presents habitat‐use data recovered from high‐resolution 5‐ and 10‐day pop‐up satellite archival tags (PSATs) attached to 47 surviving white marlin released from commercial and recreational fishing gears offshore of the U.S. East Coast, the northern Caribbean, and Venezuela between 2002 and 2004. Data recovered from transmitting tags indicated that white marlin spent nearly half of their time associated with warm, near‐surface waters (<10 m). All fish displayed frequent short duration (mean: 39.8 min) vertical excursions from surface waters to depths averaging 51 m. Qualitative and multivariate classifications of data from completely transmitted movements of surviving white marlin revealed two major types of descents: one pattern was characterized by deep ‘V’‐shaped excursions of relatively short duration (mean: 23.4 min) while the other featured descents that were more broadly ‘U’‐shaped and confined to a specific depth range for an extended period of time (mean: 75.8 min). Based on the frequency, persistence, and patterns of these vertical movements, white marlin appear to direct a considerable proportion of foraging effort well below surface waters, a behavior that may account for relatively high catch rates of white marlin on some deep‐set PLL deployments.     

Priority habitats for the conservation of large river fish in the Ganges river basin

• 1. Three classes of habitat used by groups of fish species classified as conservation and management priorities were developed for the Gerua River (also known as the Girwa River, Karnali River) in the Ganges river basin. This river is large (mean annual discharge ca 1500 m³ s^?1, up to 900 m wide), surrounded by protected lands of India and Nepal, and upstream of major diversions and river alterations.
• 2. Fish and habitat sampling was conducted at 45 sites from 2000 to 2003. Data were analysed for 2172 fish of 14 species. Species and life stages found occupying a statistically distinct subset of the river habitats were grouped to identify classes of river habitat for conservation.
• 3. Most species and life‐stage groups specialized on specific habitat conditions revealed by multivariate analyses of variance and a principal component analysis. The most numerous and diverse group (six species, 15 life stages) was associated with deep depositional habitats with sandy substrate. Two species covering three life stages were primarily oriented to erosional habitat marked by fast current velocity with pebble and cobble substrate. A third group of three species of adults and juveniles were intermediate in habitat use.
• 4. River conservation for fish faunas should maintain both erosional and depositional channel habitats with depths, substrates, and current velocity inclusive of the ranges reported. The erosional and depositional nature of the key habitats requires that rivers be maintained with flows capable of channel‐forming functions.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Freshwater mussel assemblage structure in a regulated river in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Basin,USA

• 1. This paper documents a diverse, reproducing freshwater mussel community (20 species) in Lower Lake — an impounded, regulated portion of the Little Tallahatchie River below Sardis Dam in Panola Co., Mississippi, USA.
• 2. Despite being regulated and impounded, the lake has a heterogeneous array of habitats that differ markedly in mussel community attributes. Four distinct habitat types were identified based on current velocity and substrate characteristics, representing a gradient from habitats having lotic characteristics to lentic habitats. All four habitat types supported mussels, but habitats most resembling unimpounded, lotic situations (relatively higher current velocity and coarser substrate) had the highest mussel abundance and species density (10.1 mussels m^?2, 1.8 species m^?2, respectively). Lentic habitats (no flow, fine substrate) were characterized by lower abundance and species density (2.0 mussels m^?2, 0.8 species m^?2, respectively), but supported mussel assemblages distinctive from lotic habitats.
• 3. Evidence of strong recent recruitment was observed for most species in the lake and was observed in all four habitat types.
• 4. Although impounded and regulated, Lower Lake represents one of the few areas of stable large‐stream habitat in the region. The presence of a diverse, healthy mussel community in this highly modified habitat suggests that a large component of the regional mussel fauna is relatively resilient and adaptable and is limited primarily by the absence of stable river reaches. Management actions that increase stream stability are likely to result in expansion of the mussel fauna and restoration of a valuable component of ecosystem function in this region.

Published in 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Movements by wild brown trout in a boreal river: response to habitat and flow contrasts

Abstract  Radio transmitters were implanted in wild brown trout, Salmo trutta L., in the River Måna at low summer water flows ( n  = 18), higher flow in summer ( n  =   20), and variable, peaking flows in autumn ( n  =   20), and tracked two to four times day and night for 4–5 weeks. Individuals were caught and released in a 4-km uniformly channelised section, and in a 4-km natural diverse river section. Substantial individual variation in home range and total movement (924–85 818 m² and 295–7014 m) suggested flexibility to adapt to local environmental conditions. Fish were stationary most of the time (median movement 0 m), but some individuals undertook few and apparently sporadic longer movements, sometimes involving shifts in home range. No consistent diurnal pattern in movements was found. Trout in the uniform habitat section appeared to have larger home ranges and moved more than trout in the natural section. Differences were, however, not statistically significant in most comparisons, due to large individual variation. Similarly, larger home ranges and movements between trials related to higher flow were found, but differences were generally not significant. No consistent effects of sudden, extreme peaking flows on area use or movements by the brown trout were observed.