Integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into forest biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Northwest

The potential for traditional and local ecological knowledge to contribute to biodiversity conservation has been widely recognized, but the actual application of this knowledge to biodiversity conservation is not easy. This paper synthesizes literature about traditional and local ecological knowledge and forest management in the Pacific Northwest to evaluate what is needed to accomplish this goal. We address three topics: (1) views and values people have relating to biodiversity; (2) the resource use and management practices of local forest users, and their effects on biodiversity; (3) models for integrating traditional and local ecological knowledge into biodiversity conservation on public and private lands. We focus on the ecological knowledge of forest users belonging to three groups who inhabit the region: American Indians, family forest owners, and commercial nontimber forest product harvesters.     

Tree-root systems and herbaceous species-characteristics under tree species introduced into grazing lands in subhumid Cameroon

The effect of tree species on the characteristics of the herbaceous stratum, during the first five years of a fallow, was evaluated in the North of Cameroon (average annual temperature 28.2 °C, total annual rainfall 1050 mm). Treatments included a natural grazed herbaceous fallow, a natural ungrazed herbaceous fallow and three planted tree fallows (Acacia polyacantha Willd. ssp. campylacantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.), Senna siamea Lam. and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.), which were protected against grazing. Because tree species influenced light interception in different ways, as well as having different root patterns, they had different effects on the herbaceous stratum in terms of species composition and biomass. The grazed herbaceous fallow maintained the greatest species richness. Protection against grazing or the introduction of tree species associated with the absence of grazing induced both a progressive evolution to a particular species composition. The ungrazed herbaceous fallow consisted mainly of Andropogon gayanus Kunth, which provided the greatest biomass (8 t dry matter ha^–1 at the end of the fallow period). E. camaldulensis provided little shade and the lowest fine root mass in the top layer allowing the growth of A. gayanus and thus a greater herbaceous biomass (3.5 t DM ha^–1) than that found under the other tree species. Under the heavy shade of A. polyacantha, the herbaceous stratum consisted mainly of annual Pennisetum spp. (2.2 t DM ha^–1) and showed the greatest N concentration (1.3%), probably due to N₂ fixation by the tree species. After the fourth year, despite the relatively open tree canopy, S. siamea, which showed the highest fine root mass, had a strong depressive effect on the herbaceous stratum. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nontimber forest products and biodiversity management in the Pacific Northwest

Nontimber forest product harvesting in the Pacific Northwest is neither a new activity nor a disappearing relic of the pre-industrial era. Though the emphasis may have shifted from subsistence to commercial and recreational pursuits, harvesting and harvesters of wild species are still widespread throughout the region. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of harvesters earn part or all of their income from the harvests. Every year thousands of pounds and hundreds of nontimber forest products valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars are harvested from regional public and private forests. This harvesting of a large diversity of species represents a considerable subset of the overall terrestrial biodiversity in Pacific Northwest forests. Despite widespread extraction, little investment in research, planning, or basic inventorying and monitoring has been done on nontimber forest products. Without better information, land managers will be increasingly unable to make informed decisions on how to manage nontimber forest product biodiversity sustainably as demand for products increases.     

神农架地区珍衡植物沿河岸带的分布格局

Due to the importance of riparian zone in maintaining and protecting regional biodiversity, increasingly more ecologists paid their attentions to riparian zone and had been aware of the important effects of riparian zone in basic study and practical management. In this study, 42 sampling belts (10 m×100m) parallel to the bank of Xiangxi River at different elevations in Shennongjia Area were selected to investigate the riparian vegetation and rare plants. 14 species of rare plants were found distributing in riparian zone, accounting for 42.4% of the total rare plant species in Shennongjia Area. The main distribution range of the 14 rare plant species was the evergreen and deciduous mixed broadleaved forest at elevation of 1200–1800 m, where, species diversity of plant community was the maximum at the moderate elevation. The analysis of TWINSPAN divided the 14 rare species into 3 groups against the elevation, namely low elevation species group, moderate elevation species group, and high elevation species group. The analysis of DCA ordination showed similar results to that of TWINSPAN. In the paper, the authors discussed the reasons forming the distribution pattern of rare plant species, and pointed out that the important function of riparian zone on rare plant species protection. Foundation item: This project was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC39970123), and Changbai Mountain Open Research Station, Chinese Acadamy of Science. Biography: JIANG Ming-xi (1965-), male, associate professor in Wuhan Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai     

Adenosine protects Sprague Dawley rats from high‐fat diet and repeated acute restraint stress‐induced intestinal inflammation and altered expression of nutrient transporters

This study investigated the effect of repeated acute restraint stress and high‐fat diet (HFD) on intestinal expression of nutrient transporters, concomitant to intestinal inflammation. The ability of adenosine to reverse any change was examined. Six‐week‐old male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into eight groups: control or non‐stressed (C), rats exposed to restraint stress for 6 h per day for 14 days (S), control rats fed with HFD (CHF) and restraint‐stressed rats fed with HFD (SHF); four additional groups received the same treatments and were also given 50 mg/l adenosine dissolved in drinking water. Fasting blood glucose, plasma insulin, adiponectin and corticosterone were measured. Intestinal expression of SLC5A1, SLC2A2, NPC1L1 and TNF‐α was analysed. Histological evaluation was conducted to observe for morphological and anatomical changes in the intestinal tissues. Results showed that HFD feeding increased glucose and insulin levels, and repeated acute restraint stress raised the corticosterone level by 22%. Exposure to both stress and HFD caused a further increase in corticosterone to 41%, while decreasing plasma adiponectin level. Restraint stress altered intestinal expression of SLC5A1, SLC2A2 and NPC1L1. These changes were enhanced in SHF rats. Adenosine was found to alleviate HFD‐induced increase in glucose and insulin levels, suppress elevation of corticosterone in S rats and improve the altered nutrient transporters expression profiles. It also prevented upregulation of TNF‐α in the intestine of SHF rats. In summary, a combination of stress and HFD exaggerated stress‐ and HFD‐induced pathophysiological changes in the intestine, and biochemical parameters related to obesity. Adenosine attenuated the elevation of corticosterone and altered expression of SLC5A1, NPC1L1 and TNF‐α.     

铁苋菜提取物对仔猪生长性能、血液生化指标及肠道菌群的影响

目的:本试验旨在研究铁苋菜提取物对仔猪生长性能、血液生化指标及粪样菌群的影响.方法:选取同一批次的25日龄健康的外三元断乳仔猪120头,平均体重为9.60+0.65 kg/头,随机分为4组,每组3个重复,每个重复10头,公母各半;试验组分别为铁苋菜提取物组Ⅰ和组Ⅱ、抗生素组及对照组,铁苋菜提取物组Ⅰ和组Ⅱ在基础日粮中分...     

合肥市董铺水库及临近区域鸟类多样性研究

2012年12月-2013年11月,采用样线调查和样点观察相结合的方法对合肥市董铺水库及其临近区域不同生境的鸟类资源进行了调查。共记录到鸟类14目31科87种,其中国家Ⅱ级保护鸟类1种、安徽省地方重点保护鸟类25种;古北界鸟类45种（占51.7%）,东洋种25种（占28.7%）,广布种17种（占19.5%）;留鸟33种（占37.9%）,夏候鸟19种（占21.8%）,冬候鸟21种（占24.1%）,旅鸟14种（占16.1%）鸟类群落多样性指数最大生境为水库周围灌丛、树林;而指数最小者为大面积水域。     

镉胁迫下4种宿根花卉的生理生长响应及其抗性差异

以百合科宿根花卉大花萱草、"金娃娃"萱草、"甜心"玉簪、东北玉簪为研究材料,研究其在Cd质量浓度为40mg/kg处理下,随着植物体内镉的积累,不同时期4种花卉生理生长的响应,并根据各项指标的测定结果对4种花卉的抗镉胁迫能力进行综合评定。结果表明,镉胁迫下,植株受害情况不仅受时间主效应的影响,还受时间×树种、时间×树种×质量浓度交互效应的影响。经方差分析和多重对比,并用隶属函数法进行综合评定,得出4种花卉的抗镉胁迫能力强弱顺序依次为"甜心"玉簪、"金娃娃"萱草、大花萱草和东北玉簪。     

幼苗期玉米叶片表皮细胞和气孔量化指标的研究

以九单48和松玉656两个玉米品种为材料,对幼苗期不同时期各叶片表皮细胞和气孔的量化指标进行较系统的研究。结果表明,在试验范围内,各叶片上下表皮细胞和气孔的长与宽均表现为随着叶片的生长而逐渐增大;各叶片在初次取样时其上下表皮细胞和气孔长与宽的数值是相近的;上表皮细胞短而宽,下表皮细胞长而窄;上表皮气孔长小于下表皮的气孔长、上表皮气孔宽大于下表皮的气孔宽;各叶片上下表皮细胞和气孔的面积均表现为随叶面积增加而逐渐增大;上表皮细胞面积小于下表皮细胞面积,而上表皮气孔面积大于下表皮气孔面积;上下表皮细胞和气孔的密度均随叶面积增加而逐渐减小。     

凡纳滨对虾低盐度养殖池浮游藻类群落研究

在44口凡纳滨对虾低盐度养殖池中共鉴定藻类7门62属113种,蓝藻26种,绿藻54种,硅藻14种,裸藻11种,隐藻3种,甲藻4种,金藻1种。绿藻门种类最多,占藻类种类数的47·8%,其次为蓝藻门占23·0%,硅藻占12·4%,裸藻占9·7%。优势种主要为蓝藻,典型优势种有螺旋藻(Spirulinasp.),假鱼腥藻(Pseudoanabaenasp.),弯形尖头藻(Raphidiopsis curvata),针状蓝纤维藻(Dactylococcopsis acicularis)等,其中螺旋藻的优势度平均达到50%,为主要优势种。常见的绿藻有栅藻(Scenedesmusp.),衣藻(Chlamydomonassp.),小球藻(Chlorella vulgaris)等;常见的硅藻为梅尼小环藻(Cyclotella meneghinian),卵形隐藻(Cryptomonas ovata)、啮蚀隐藻(C.erosa)和绿裸藻(Euglenavirdis)在虾池中比较常见。养殖池中浮游藻类的种类数平均为43±9种,多样性指数平均为2·19±0·56,个体数量平均为1·45±0·87×108个/L;藻类的种类、数量及生物量表现为养殖前期低后期高的特征,而多样性表现相反,藻类的组成直接影响对虾的生长。