Determining home range,changes in habitat use with time,and the threats to an endangered freshwater turtle (Rafetus euphraticus) in Turkey

1. The Euphrates softshell turtle (Rafetus euphraticus) is the most threatened chelonian species in the Middle East, where it is endemic to the Tigris and Euphrates basins. Since the ecology of this species is little known, it is difficult to plan any reliable action for its correct management and conservation.
2. To enhance the scientific knowledge on R. euphraticus, and to establish a science-based management strategy, a detailed investigation was undertaken on the distribution, habitat, activity and home range of R. euphraticus in Turkey. The previous distribution records in Turkey are for the 1990s; thus, this study is the first comprehensive field research on the species after nearly 3 decades.
3. There was a significant sexual size dimorphism in the Turkish population, with males larger than females.
4. Four individuals were radiotracked for 1 year. The mean home range was highly variable depending on how it was calculated, but that of males was considerably greater than that of females by all methods used.
5. A quantitative evaluation was made of habitat change with time. The land cover classes potentially available to turtles in the Euphrates River basin increased by more than 100% between the 1990s and 2018: 92% of this enhancement was derived from water bodies and coastal lands.
6. Fifteen dams have been built in the lower part of the basins in the last 30 years. In addition, continuing human interactions have caused the fragmentation or destruction of suitable habitats for R. euphraticus.
7. The factors threatening R. euphraticus were assessed and a conservation action plan was developed. Some objectives such as monitoring and creating awareness of this action plan have been met while others are still waiting to be achieved.

     

UK deep‐sea conservation: Progress,lessons learned,and actions for the future

1. Despite a relatively long history of scientific interest fuelled by exploratory research cruises, the UK deep sea has only recently emerged as the subject of targeted and proactive conservation. Enabling legislation over the past 10 years has resulted in the designation of marine protected areas and the implementation of fisheries management areas as spatial conservation tools. This paper reflects on progress and lessons learned, recommending actions for the future.
2. Increased investment has been made to improve the evidence base for deep‐sea conservation, including collaborative research surveys and use of emerging technologies. New open data portals and developments in marine habitat classification systems have been two notable steps to furthering understanding of deep‐sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in support of conservation action.
3. There are still extensive gaps in fundamental knowledge of deep‐sea ecosystems and of cause and effect. Costs of new technologies and a limited ability to share data in a timely and efficient manner across sectors are barriers to furthering understanding. In addition, whilst the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services are considered a useful tool to support the achievement of conservation goals, practical application is challenging.
4. Continued collaborative research efforts and engagement with industry to share knowledge and resources could offer cost‐effective solutions to some of these barriers. Further elaboration of the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services will aid understanding of the costs and benefits associated with human–environment interactions and support informed decision‐making in conserving the deep sea.
5. Whilst multiple challenges arise for deep‐sea conservation, it is critical to continue ongoing conservation efforts, including exploration and collaboration, and to adopt new conservation strategies that are implemented in a systematic and holistic way and to ensure that these are adaptive to growing economic interest in this marine area.

     

黄土高原沟壑区不同种植系统土壤水分消耗和恢复

黄土高原的土壤干燥化是影响粮食生产可持续发展的关键因素之一,研究土壤干层形成和恢复对该地区粮食生产的可持续发展具有重要意义。该文通过对长期定位观测数据的分析,探讨了不同种植体系和降水年型对土壤水分消耗和恢复的影响。结果表明：与裸地相比,玉米地土壤水分减少最多的月份大多出现在8月或9月,小麦地主要出现在5、6、7月3个月,苜蓿地主要出现在6月或8月;1985－1990年的6 a间,玉米、小麦和苜蓿地生育期内0～2 m土层土壤水分相对裸地平均分别减少了32.52、60.27和86.47 mm。旱作玉米地的土壤水分在平水年型可以得到完全恢复;旱作小麦地在丰水年型或者遇到强降雨的月份土壤水分在0～3 m范围内可以得到恢复,但较难恢复到试验初期的土壤水分。旱作苜蓿地0～3 m范围的土层在降雨较多的年份能够得到一定程度的恢复,6～10 m的土壤水分很难恢复。     

Multi-trophic consequences of kelp harvest

Coastal kelp forest ecosystems provide important habitats for a diverse assemblage of invertebrates, fish and marine top-predators such as seabirds and sea mammals. Although kelp is harvested industrially on a worldwide scale little is known about the multi-trophic consequences of this habitat removal. We investigated how kelp fisheries, which remove feeding and nursery grounds of coastal fish, influence local food webs and the availability of food to a marine top predator, the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). We conducted experimental harvesting of the canopy-forming kelp (Laminaria hyperborea) during a 3 year period (2001-2003) in an area at the coast of Central Norway while synoptically monitoring fish occurrence and cormorant foraging parameters. Our results demonstrate that cormorants preferentially foraged within kelp-forested areas and performed significantly more dives when feeding in harvested versus un-harvested areas suggesting lower foraging yield in the former case. In kelp areas that were newly harvested the number of small (<15 cm) gadid fish was 92% lower than in un-harvested areas. This effect was persistent for at least 1 year following harvest. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the ecological consequences of kelp harvesting have been tested at a multi-trophic level. The results presented strongly suggest that kelp harvesting affects fish abundance and diminishes coastal seabird foraging efficiency. Kelp fisheries are currently managed in order to maximize the net harvest of kelp biomass, and the underlying effects on the ecosystems are partly ignored. This study calls for re-assessment of such management practices.     

Extirpation, colonization, and habitat dynamics of a keystone species along an urban gradient

Using 5 years of patch occupancy data for 384 habitat fragments, we evaluated population and habitat dynamics of the black-tailed prairie dog in urban habitat remnants in the rapidly developing landscape of Denver, CO, USA. Specifically, we evaluated the landscape factors, including fragment area, age, and connectivity, that characterize the habitat fragments most likely to be colonized by prairie dogs, as well as those experiencing local extinctions. In addition, we determined which patch types were most often removed by land development. Sites in proximity to colonies were more likely to be colonized by prairie dogs. Local extinctions were most common on isolated colonies, and older and more isolated colonies were more likely to be extirpated by human activity. In general, smaller and older habitat patches were at the highest risk of being lost to land development. Our results provide observations of dynamic changes to the distribution of a potential keystone species in an urban area, which can be used to inform island biogeographic and metapopulation models for wildlife persistence in developing landscapes. Although populations are currently in decline, most local extinctions are the direct result of human activity, and we suggest that prairie dogs in this area can persist with appropriate management.     

Hypotheses to explain patterns of population change among breeding bird species in England

Population declines are now evident across many taxa, but within each assemblage there is often considerable variation in constituent population trends. We used bird population trends produced from the BTO/JNCC Common Birds Census (CBC) and the RSPB/BTO/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), to test five main hypotheses to explain population changes of 59 breeding species in England (1967-2006): (1) breeding habitat, (2) predation risk to nest sites, (3) species climatic niche, (4) migration strategy, and (5) over-wintering bioclimatic zones of migrants, accounting for additional demographic and ecological traits. In absence of phylogenetic inter-relatedness, farmland species declined more than woodland species, most pronounced prior to 1986, probably reflecting agricultural intensification (1). We found limited support that ground nesters have declined more than above-ground or cavity nesters (2), and there was some indication that species with more northerly European distributions showed larger declines than more southerly-distributed species (3). Larger population declines were recorded for Afro-tropical migrants than species wintering in Europe or in the UK, most notable prior to 1986 (4). However, declines were not uniform across all migrants (5) - species over-wintering in the arid savannah bioclimatic zone of Africa decreased in population between 1967 and 1976, whereas species wintering in humid West African forest and savannah declined more after 1987. These results suggest both breeding and over-wintering factors influenced population trends. European countries signed to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals are required to protect and conserve populations of migrants. Understanding connectivity between breeding and over-wintering populations, and similar environmental pressures experienced within over-wintering areas may be a useful step towards mitigating against further declines in migrants.     

Population isolation exacerbates conservation genetic concerns in the endangered Amargosa vole, Microtus californicus scirpensis

The ability of a taxon to maintain adaptive flexibility in a stochastic environment is a function of the genetic diversity within the population. In small, fragmented populations, genetic variation can become depleted more quickly than in larger, more contiguous populations. Characterizing the patterns of genetic variation and differentiation associated with these processes is an important step in establishing conservation priorities. The Amargosa vole, Microtus californicus scirpensis, is an endangered rodent persisting in the small, fragmented marsh complex surrounding the Amargosa River near Death Valley, California. This naturally patchy system has existed since the end of the Pleistocene (approximately 10,000 y.b.p.), however, fragmentation has been exacerbated by recent anthropogenic changes. For this study, I used five nuclear microsatellite loci and the cytochrome-b region of the mitochondrial genome to quantify levels of genetic variation, population substructure, and patterns of gene flow in M.c. scirpensis. These data were compared to a broadly distributed subspecies, Microtus californicus sanctidiegi. Overall levels of nuclear genetic variation were significantly lower in M.c. scirpensis, whether measured in terms of diversity or heterozygosity, compared to more broadly distributed conspecifics. Moreover, only two haplotypes were recovered from the mitochondrial data with over 90% of the observed haplotypes being identical. Despite low genetic diversity, significant genetic subdivision among M.c. scirpensis populations was detected using both pairwise F_ST and Bayesian clustering methods. Furthermore, isolation by distance analyses reveal that an important landscape feature, ephemeral tributaries, is critical for dispersal among population clusters. Recommendations for conservation management are presented.     

Seed removal by ants,birds and rodents in a woodland savanna habitat in Zimbabwe

Seed removal from bait stations was studied in miombo habitat in western Zimbabwe. Previous studies of seed predation in southern Africa have largely been conducted in desert ecosystems. However, this woodland-savanna habitat is more mesic and has relatively predictable rainfall patterns. The experiment was conducted in grassy and woody microhabitats in the hot, dry season and early wet season, and followed a year in which precipitation was 69 % of the long-term average. Birds removed the greatest quantity of seeds, followed by ants and then rodents. Previous studies in northern hemisphere mesic environments emphasize the importance of rodents and minor role of invertebrates in seed predation. Although our site appears to have more in common with southern hemisphere desert sites than with northern hemisphere mesic sites, we recognize that our results are likely to reflect a lower limit of consumption by rodents.     

Differences in ecological and allelopathic traits among Alternanthera philoxeroides populations

Based on a field investigation and laboratory trials, this study compared the invasive ecology of aquatic and terrestrial alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides G.) ecotypes. The aquatic ecotype showed a stronger eco‐adaptation than the terrestrial ecotype. Alligator weed performed well in wetland and riparian habitats, where it was so competitive that only one‐to‐three other plant types grew successfully in its company. In contrast, it exhibited poor growth in upland fields and parks, where the terrestrial ecotype was dominated by 6–11 other alien plant species. The aquatic ecotype exhibited significantly greater growth inhibition of Microcystis aeruginosa. The ecotypes differed in their pattern of allelopathic inhibition of water blooms. The allelopathic effect of the aquatic ecotype persisted for a period exceeding 20 days, whereas the terrestrial ecotype's allelopathic effect subsided in <5 days. The aquatic ecotype had higher levels of antioxidant compounds, including soluble protein and flavones, and the activity of protective enzymes was also higher, which included superoxidase dismutase, peroxidase and catalase. Alligator weed's unique characteristics derive mainly from its strong allelopathic potential and tolerance of eutrophication in aquatic habitats.     

施肥和控鼠对黄河源区斑块化退化高寒草甸植被特征及植物化学计量的影响

为探讨施肥和控鼠对黄河源区斑块化退化高寒草甸植被和植物化学计量特征的影响，以青藏高原东缘高寒草甸为研究对象，通过比较施肥、施肥+控鼠处理下退化草地的植物生物量、群落结构、多样性和植物化学元素等指标，分析不同恢复措施对退化草地植物群落的影响。结果表明：施肥和施肥+控鼠处理均提高黄河源区斑块化退化高寒草甸中禾本科植物的重要值。施肥+控鼠处理显著提高植物Simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数和Margalef指数。施肥处理显著增加植物氮和磷含量，显著降低植物地上部分C∶N、 C∶P和N∶P，及其地下部分C∶N。施肥+控鼠处理与CK相比植物地下部分C∶P、N∶P均显著下降。研究表明施肥+控鼠处理更有利于黄河源区斑块化退化高寒草甸草地恢复。