Status of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in artificial lake ecosystems with and without management for recreational fisheries: Implications for conservation

1. Humanity is facing a biodiversity crisis, with freshwater-associated biodiversity in a particularly dire state. Novel ecosystems created through human use of mineral resources, such as gravel pit lakes, can provide substitute habitats for the conservation of freshwater and riparian biodiversity. Many of these artificial ecosystems are subject to a high intensity of recreational use, however, which may limit their biodiversity potential.
2. The species richness of several taxa (plants, amphibians, dragonflies, damselflies, waterfowl, and songbirds) was assessed and a range of taxonomic biodiversity metrics were compared between gravel pit lakes managed for recreational fisheries (n = 16) and unmanaged reference lakes (n = 10), controlling for non-fishing-related environmental variation.
3. The average species richness of all the taxa examined was similar among lakes in both lake types and no substantial differences in species composition were found when examining the pooled species inventory. Similarly, there were no differences between lake types in the presence of rare species and in the Simpson diversity index across all of the taxa assessed.
4. Variation in species richness among lakes was correlated with woody habitat, lake morphology (surface area and steepness), and land use, but was not correlated with the presence of recreational fisheries. Thus, non-fishing-related environmental variables had stronger effects on local species presence than recreational fisheries management or the presence of recreational anglers.
5. Collectively, no evidence was found that anglers and recreational fisheries management constrain the development of aquatic and riparian biodiversity in gravel pit lakes in the study region; however, the conservation of species diversity in gravel pit lakes could benefit from an increasing reliance on habitat enhancement activities.

     

The diving behaviour of little penguins in Western Australia predisposes them to risk of injury by watercraft

1. The most western little penguin colony globally, and the most northern in Western Australia (WA) is found on Penguin Island, WA. The penguins use coastal bays that are also used extensively by recreational watercraft. These penguins have been found to either dive predominantly to shallow depths of 1–5 m or to depths >8 m. It is thus hypothesized that (a) both the shallow and deeper diving penguins can potentially be disturbed or injured by these watercraft but that the risk will differ between the two diving strategies, and (b) that risk of injury for both is greater during the summer and autumn, when people are more likely to use watercraft.
2. This was tested by attaching data loggers to little penguins during chick rearing and by investigating necropsy records. Diving activity was studied for the very shallow and relatively deeper diving penguins separately, and we considered the penguins were vulnerable to interactions with watercraft when they were within the top 2 m of the water column or at the surface.
3. Shallow‐diving penguins executed >1,200 dives per day, 64% of dives occurred within the top 2 m, and they were vulnerable for approximately two‐thirds of their time at sea. The deeper diving penguins executed fewer dives. Almost half of dives were to ≥10 m, yet they were vulnerable for almost one‐third of their time at sea. Their post‐dive recovery was also longer. Thus, the risk of interaction from watercraft differs depending on the diving behaviour.
4. This study highlights the potential impact to little penguins throughout Australia and New Zealand.

     

威尔伯在幼林抚育中的应用研究

以红松、红皮云杉、长白落叶松造林地为对象,利用化学制剂威尔伯进行幼林抚育试验,结果表明:450 ml·hm-2剂量除草效果最差,仅有12%,在生产上无应用价值;450 ml·hm-2剂量有一定的除草效果,但不明显,持效期也短;1 125 ml·hm-2剂量无论除草效果还是除草速率都优于450 ml·hm-2和750 ml·hm-2。长白落叶松对威尔伯敏感,不能应用。化学除草抚育较人工抚育更能促进幼树生长,而且费用较低。     

青年教师提高动物生物化学理论教学效果的方法

动物生物化学是高等农业:校畜牧与兽医专业的一门必修专业基础课。针对该课程的特点并结合教学工作经验,阐述了提高动物生物化学理论教学的方法,以期为青年教师的教学工作提供借鉴。     

ALA对苹果幼果黄酮含量及CHS和CHI基因表达的影响

【目的】分析5-氨基乙酰丙酸(ALA)处理对苹果幼果黄酮含量及查尔酮合成酶基因(CHS)、查尔酮异构酶基因(CHI)表达量的影响,以确定适宜的ALA处理质量浓度和处理时间。【方法】在苹果疏果期前,用0(对照),100,200,300和400mg/L ALA处理苹果幼果,采用紫外分光光度法测定ALA处理后3,6,9,12d幼果中的黄酮含量,同时利用荧光定量法测定幼果中CHS和CHI基因的相对表达量。【结果】在ALA质量浓度为0~300mg/L时,随着ALA质量浓度的升高,苹果黄酮含量与CHS、CHI基因表达量均相应升高;在ALA质量浓度升至400mg/L时,各项指标均表现出下降趋势。用不同质量浓度ALA处理苹果幼果后,幼果的黄酮含量和CHS、CHI基因表达量均较对照明显提高,其中黄酮含量在处理后12d达到最高,而CHS和CHI基因相对表达量在处理9d时达到最高,12d后开始下降。【结论】为提高苹果疏除果中的黄酮含量,宜选择300mg/L的ALA在疏果前6~9d对苹果幼果进行喷洒。     

Temporal changes in seabird assemblage structure and trait diversity in the Rapa Nui (Easter Island) multiple-use marine protected area

1. For Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and its largest islet, Motu Nui, the change of the species assemblage over time was analysed, and a trait-based approach to evaluate the potential losses in seabird function across the past centuries was applied. At a finer scale, the seasonal changes in seabird species composition in the current seabird assemblage was assessed to better understand the dynamics of the long-term inferred patterns.
2. For Rapa Nui, the composition of the seabird assemblage between the prehistorical, historical, and current time has changed significantly. The most critical change, probably associated with human colonization, was observed between prehistoric and current times. The current diminished number of nesting seabird species was probably the result of local extirpation without evidence of colonization by new species.
3. For Motu Nui, changes in species composition were also followed by changes in trait structure, which were smaller than observed in Rapa Nui. This is probably due to the presence of a relatively high number of related species (i.e. Procellariids) with high similarities in their foraging behaviour.
4. The nesting seabird assemblages in Rapa Nui and Motu Nui differ in exposure to risk; thus, conservation strategies applied to the islands should be planned on a fine spatial scale. For Rapa Nui, which is an urban wildlife area with several invasive species and a low number of remaining native seabird species, management should focus on fencing and pets control. For Motu Nui, management should instead focus on the establishment of quarantine and other biosecurity tools to avoid both the entry and proliferation of new invasive species.

     

The importance of gallery forests in the tropical lowlands of Costa Rica for understorey forest birds

Rivers and streams lined by narrow forest strips are common in the lowland countryside of south-western Costa Rica. We studied the importance of these gallery forests for understorey birds, especially forest species. Using mist-nets, we captured 1110 birds belonging to 90 species between June and September 2007 at 16 sites spread equally over four habitat types: forest interior, forest margin, gallery forest connected to closed forest, and isolated gallery forest. Though isolated gallery forests had the greatest number of expected species in total, they supported the lowest number of forest-specialist species, lower even than connected gallery forests. Granivorous birds showed an increase from forest to isolated gallery forest, all other feeding guilds however showed no change. The studied habitats differed from each other in their faunal composition. Assemblages of three species groups categorised by their habitat preferences (forest specialists, forest generalists, non-forest species) showed nested distribution patterns across the four habitats. There was no significant difference in the proportion of birds with brood patches or of recaptures across the studied habitat types, leading to the assumption that birds not only use gallery forests for movement and foraging but also for reproduction. Though of limited conservation value for most forest understorey birds, at least for a small fraction of forest species gallery forests constitute an important secondary habitat. More significantly, they can form corridors or stepping stones that allow movements within the matrix of human-dominated habitats, and represent an important landscape component benefiting total bird species richness in the Costa Rican countryside.     

Assessing waterbird conservation objectives: An example for the Burry Inlet, UK

We use an individual-based model to assess the conservation objectives for knot Calidris canutus L. and oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus L. on the Burry Inlet Special Protection Area (SPA), UK. Population monitoring has identified a decline in oystercatcher numbers, but cannot determine whether this is due to a decline in site quality. Long term data on cockle stocks show that the biomass of the large-sized cockles consumed by oystercatcher declined after 2004, whereas a similar decline was not observed in the smaller cockles consumed by knot. The model postdicts that during the winters of 2005/2006 to 2008/2009 the site was unable to support the number of oystercatcher present at the time it was designated (i.e. the SPA population). Large cockle biomass remained low during 2009/2010, but increases in mussel biomass meant that the model postdicted that the site could support the SPA population of oystercatcher. Knot food supplies remained high during most years, except 2008/2009 during which the model postdicted that the SPA population could not be supported. The model postdicted that the stock reserved for oystercatchers after shellfishing needed to be 2-4 times the amount consumed by the birds in order to support the bird population. We recommend that where necessary, the conservation objectives of waterbirds should be assessed using a combination of thorough population size and behaviour monitoring to identify sites with population declines, and individual-based modelling on these sites to determine whether reduction in site quality may contribute to the site-specific population decline.     

宁夏沙湖湿地自然保护区涉禽鸟类群落组成及动态迁徙规律研究

2011年3月至2012年2月,对宁夏沙湖湿地自然保护区的涉禽鸟类资源进行了调查,共记录涉禽鸟类32种,隶属于3目、6科、15属.对涉禽鸟类的居留型组成、区系组成、保护级别及迁徙情况进行了分析.