Rodent abundance triggered switch between the relative mutualism and predation in a rodent–seed system of the subtropical island forest

Density-dependent non-monotonic species interactions are important in maintaining ecosystem stability and function, but empirical evidences are still rare. Rodents, as both seed dispersers and seed predators, have dual effects on plant regeneration and may result in non-monotonic rodent-plant interactions. According to the non-monotonic models, the relative positive or negative effects of rodents on seedling establishment can be measured based on the positive or negative association of seedling recruitment rate and rodent abundance. In this study, we investigated the fates of acorns of Quercus serrata by tracking tagged seeds on 21 fragmented subtropical islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China. We found that the proportion of germinated seeds of all released seeds showed a dome-shaped association with rodent abundance per seed. The proportion of removed seeds and cached seeds showed a saturated- and a weak dome-shaped association with rodent abundance per seed, respectively. Our results demonstrated a clear empirical evidence that rodent abundance per seed triggered a switch between the relative mutualism and predation in a rodent–seed system. Our study implied that the observed non-monotonic interactions between plants and animals may play a significant role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function. We appeal for more investigations of the complex non-monotonic interactions in various ecosystems.     

Relative abundance and damage of some insect pests of wheat under different tillage practices in rice–wheat cropping in India

Tillage changes the physical and chemical properties of soil and can also inhibit or enhance useful and harmful fauna. In agriculture, different tillage technologies are being tried to enhance crop productivity, but little concrete information seems to exist on their effects on pest abundance and damage. To address this lack of information, sowing of wheat was investigated under different tillage systems. In order to monitor pest abundance and damage in altered tillage systems, the present studies on the relative abundance and damage due to insect pests viz. pink stem borer (PSB, Sesamia inferens Walker), termites (Microtermes obesi Holmgren and Odontotermes obesus Rambur) and root aphid (Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominalis Sasaki) were undertaken in a rice–wheat cropping system during 2010–11 and 2011–12. Pest abundance and damage was monitored in four tillage systems i.e. conventional tillage (CT), zero tillage (ZT), ZT + mulch and rotary tillage (RT) under insecticide protected and unprotected conditions. The application of insecticide did not affect root aphid incidence or termite damage. However, significant differences in PSB damage in insecticide protected (0.9%) and unprotected (1.2%) conditions were observed. The investigations demonstrated that in CT, damage by PSB (0.6%) was minimum; however termite damage (2.2%) was maximum as compared to all other tillage conditions. In ZT, PSB damage (1.4%) was maximum and root aphid incidence (3.1 aphids/tiller) was minimum in comparison to other tillage conditions. ZT + mulch resulted in inter-mediate insect pest incidence/damage; however, RT was the least effective practice which showed relatively high incidence/damage of these three insects (1.2% PSB damage, 1.9% termite damage and 5.1 aphids/tiller). The insecticide × tillage interaction indicated that insecticide application is needed only in ZT and RT for PSB management.     

Temporal and spatial distribution of an invasive thrips species Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Dispersion of a new invasive thrips species in the United States, chilli thrips Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, was studied on three plant hosts, i.e., cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), peanut (Arachis hypogeal L.) and pepper (Capsicum annum L.) in the greenhouse and under field conditions in Homestead, Florida. In the vertical distribution study, a strong negative relationship was observed between thrips density and height, with the significantly highest mean number of larvae and adults reported on host plants placed at the lowest height (45.7 cm) above ground. The study of horizontal distribution showed that S. dorsalis has weak dispersal potential and aggregates in open areas. During the entire six week study period, thrips were found to move a maximum of 12 m from their reservoir population. During two years (2009–2010 and 2010–2011) of study, a high abundance of thrips population was observed during May–October with the highest mean count during July and August in both years. Flight activity of adults was highest between 10:00and16:00 EST, during peak solar radiation (∼337–653 w/m²). Results from these studies will help growers and extension personnel predict farm-scale distribution of S. dorsalis and efficiently monitor the pest for management before they become a serious problem for the vegetable and ornamental industry in the United States.     

Effects of insect infestation on rodent‐mediated dispersal of Quercus aliena: results from field and enclosure experiments

Rodents influence plant establishment and regeneration by functioning as both seed predators and dispersers. However, these rodent–plant interactions can vary significantly due to various environmental conditions and the activity of other insect seed predators. Here, we use a combination of both field and enclosure (i.e. individual cage and semi‐natural enclosure) experiments, to determine whether rodents can distinguish sound seeds from those infested with insects. We also demonstrate how such responses to insects are influenced by food abundance and other environmental factors. We presented rodents with 2 kinds of Quercus aliena seeds (sound and insect‐infested seeds) in a subtropical forest in the Qinling Mountains, central China, from September to November of 2011 to 2013. The results showed that rodents preferred to hoard and eat sound seeds than infested seeds in the field and semi‐natural enclosure, while they preferred to eat infested seeds over sound seeds in the individual cages. In addition, both hoarding and eating decisions were influenced by food abundance. Rodents hoarded more sound seeds in years of high food abundance while they consumed more acorns in years of food shortage. Compared with field results, rodents reduced scatter‐hoarding behavior in semi‐natural enclosures and ate more insect‐infested seeds in smaller individual cages. These results further confirm that rodents distinguish infested seeds from non‐infested seeds but demonstrate that this behavior varies with conditions (i.e. environment and food abundance). We suggest that such interactions will influence the dispersal and natural regeneration of seeds as well as predation rates on insect larvae.     

Response of protozoan and microbial communities in various coniferous forest soils after transfer to forests with different levels of atmospheric pollution

During recent decades, forest ecosystems have been exposed to high levels of atmospheric pollution, and it has been argued that this affects the composition and activity of decomposer communities and, subsequently, ecosystem functioning. To investigate the effects of atmospheric pollution on protozoa and microflora, a new experimental design was used. Undisturbed soil columns, originating from six coniferous forests across Europe and representing different stages of soil acidification, were transferred to two Scots pine forests (Fontainebleau and Wekerom) with different levels of N and S deposition (NH₄ ⁺-N=4.90 and 42.50?kg ha^–1 year^–1; SO₄ ^–S=10.90 and 30.40?kg ha^–1 year^–1, respectively). The number of protozoa, microbial biomass C and microbial activity were estimated in the organic layer (Of) of the transferred soils at the two host sites after 21 months of incubation. The experiment aimed at answering two questions: (1) Do changes in environmental conditions, studied by transferring soils from one site to another, affect protozoa and microbial communities and, if so, (2) how important are changes in both N and S deposition in explaining the effects of soil transfer on protozoa and microbial communities? The interaction between protozoa and microbial communities was addressed with regard to these changes in environmental conditions. No effect of enhanced N or S deposition on protozoan numbers and microbial biomass C, basal respiration and caloric quotient was revealed. Reciprocal transfer of various soil columns resulted in lower abundance and activity of protozoa and microbes. This reduction could not be explained by differences in N and S deposition, but by differences in microclimate and adaptation. In some cases, protozoa correlated with pH, C/N ratio, P and S content and leached mineral N.     

基于双年份三季相光谱混合分解的耕地变化遥感检测方法初步研究——以甘肃省民勤县为例

为切实保护耕地,基于遥感技术对不同耕地演化类型,包括不变耕地、新增耕地、撂荒耕地和退耕耕地进行识别和检测,以民勤县为例,采用2010和2015年2个年份的春、夏、初冬地物景观三季相特点的Landsat TM/OLI数据作为主要数据源。依据不同耕地演化类型的季相变异规律和内部要素特征选取具有物理意义的端元丰度值、丰度值差值建立2年份混合决策树划分不同耕地演化类型。同时对比分析在2010和2015年各自决策树土地利用/覆被分类结果后比较提取的耕地演化类型。结果表明:民勤县大部分耕地未发生变化,新增耕地在各个区域均有一定量的分布且主要分布在下游;退耕耕地大面积分布在坝区;撂荒耕地主要分布在沙漠绿洲过渡带。研究表明通过能够与地物先验知识关联的端元丰度值、特征端元丰度的差值建立决策树可以有效实现不同耕地演化类型的检测。误差矩阵精度评价结果显示,基于混合决策树耕地演化类型提取结果在总体精度上要高于分类后变化检测的结果。     

Improved method for comparing abundance data for soil zoological field studies

Soil bulk density varies among sites as well as microhabitats, and in different years at the same site. Bulk density is a highly variable parameter that introduces undefined but significant errors to abundance field data of soil microfauna when given in individuals per g soil dry mass (sdm). Such data are not comparable among sites, microhabitats and years and they are unsuitable for comparative ecological field studies. Soil corer sampling technique, defined as soil surface square units (e.g. 1 cm²), is recommended to overcome the methodological imprecision of estimating abundance of soil microfauna from field studies in ind·g sdm. This removes consideration of variable soil bulk density and enables us to establish abundance values directly in ind·cm⁻² without any recalculations. Resultant data are comparable both spatially and temporally. Abundance data as individuals per m² is a commonly used unit for soil meso-, macro- and megafauna.

Résumé

La densité apparente du sol est extrêmement variable aussi bien selon les sites que selon les microhabitats, ainsi que selon les différentes années sur un même site. La variabilité de ce paramètre induit des erreurs mal définies, mais significatives, dans l'estimation des abondances de la microfaune du sol lorsque celles-ci sont produites en termes de nombre d'individus par gramme de sol sec. De telles données ne sont pas comparables entre sites, microhabitats, ou années, et ne sont donc pas utilisables pour des études d'écologie comparative. La méthode d'échantillonnage par carottage du sol sur une surface connue (par exemple 1 cm²) est recommandée afin de maîtriser l'imprécision liée aux estimations par poids de sol sec. Cela permet de s'affranchir du paramètre de densité apparente du sol et permet de donner directement des valeurs d'abondance en nombre d'individus par cm² sans aucun calcul. Les données ainsi exprimées sont comparables, à la fois spatialement et temporellement. Le nombre d'individus par m² est une unité communément utilisée pour la méso-, macro- et mégafaune.     

用单路三束质谱法测定生物样品的~(15)N丰度

对 Ｆｉｎ ｎｉｇａｎ Ｍ Ａ Ｔ ２５１ 质谱计的数据采集和处理系统进行了改造,使其能用单路三束法测定生物样品的１５ Ｎ 丰度。就测定方法的精密度、准确度和所用样品氮量及记忆效应问题做了试验,证实该测定方法精确可靠。     

Potential application of baited remote underwater video to survey abundance of west coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii

The first assessment of the baited remote underwater video system (BRUVs) for monitoring rock lobster Jasus lalandii (Milne‐Edwards) in South Africa was compared to annual ring net and trap survey data. Count data from 58 BRUVs, 36 ring net and 95 trap samples were fitted with generalised additive models using depth, habitat, time and spatial gradient as independent variables. A power analysis was used to determine the number of samples needed per annum to detect a 5 and 10% increase and decrease in population size. The BRUVs outperformed the nets and traps in terms of sampling effort and were better at detecting changes in abundance of lobster than abundance of three fish species. Considering factors such as cost, analysis time, additional data and environmental impact, traps are the most feasible method in deeper waters but BRUVs could replace nets and traps in depths less than 60 m, low‐density areas and marine reserves.     

Preliminary recovery of coastal sharks in the south‐east United States

Relative abundance of many shark species in the Atlantic is assessed by compiling data from several independently conducted, but somewhat spatially limited surveys. Although these localized surveys annually sample the same populations, resulting trends in yearly indices often conflict with one another, thereby hindering interpretation of abundance patterns at broad spatial scales. We used delta‐lognormal generalized linear models (GLMs) to generate indices of abundance for seven Atlantic coastal shark species from six fishery‐independent surveys along the US east coast and Gulf of Mexico from 1975 to 2014. These indices were further analysed using dynamic factor analysis (DFA) to produce simplified, broad‐scale common trends in relative abundance over the entire sampled distribution. Effects of drivers including the North Atlantic Oscillation index, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index, annually averaged sea surface temperature and species landings were evaluated within the DFA model. The two decadal oscillations and species landings were shown to affect shark distribution along south‐east US coast. Estimated common trends of relative abundance for all large coastal shark species showed similar decreasing patterns into the early 1990s, periods of sustained low index values thereafter and recent indications of recovery. Small coastal shark species exhibited more regional variability in their estimated common trends, such that two common trends were required to adequately describe patterns in relative abundance throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic. Overall, all species’ (except the Gulf of Mexico blacknose shark) time series concluded with an increasing trend, suggestive of initial recovery from past exploitation.