我国大熊猫的保护现状与展望

提出了实现大熊猫保护方针和目标所需采取的具体措施,分析所取得的成果,并指出了大熊猫保护所面临的主要问题:栖息地破碎化严重,人为干扰依然严重,迁地保护任务紧迫,保护和管理资金匮乏,管理体制不顺、队伍力量薄弱,栖息地保护和恢复建设滞后、潜在栖息地未受到重视,汶川大地震的影响等。     

Consumption of Bark and Seeds by Voles in Relation to Habitat and Landscape Structure

Voles cause damage in forestry by eating the bark of seedlings and the seeds of conifers. Folivorous field voles ( Microtus agrestis ), restricted to various types of grassland, are mainly responsible for damage to bark, and granivorous bank voles ( Clethrionomys glareolus ), supported by most forest environments, for the consumption of seeds. Densities of bank and field voles, consumption of bark on indigenous and experimental woody plants, and consumption of experimentally supplied seeds were measured during the vole cycle 1997-2000 in relation to three habitat and three landscape variables. Landscape variables explained field vole densities and consumption of bark to a considerable extent, while habitat variables were more adequate for densities of bank vole and consumption of seeds. Field vole populations may demonstrate a ''mass effect'', where the success of early development and dispersal from subpopulations will decide peak numbers over entire landscapes. Numbers of field voles may affect numbers of the inferior bank vole. Thus, predicting the exact location of vole damage is principally difficult.     

Differences in the forest landscape structure along the Finnish–Russian border in southern Karelia

Abstract

This study describes forest landscape fragmentation and connectivity along the Finnish–Russian border near the Karelian Isthmus. The landscape pattern was analysed using classification data based on Landsat ETM+ and Landsat TM images in combination with systematic surveys in Finland (Finnish National Forest Inventory) (n=546) and the authors’ own fieldwork data in Russia (n=101). On the Finnish side the forest patches are significantly smaller than on the Russian side. In addition, the Finnish forests landscape is more scattered and distances between patches of the same forest type are longer. The Russian side is more dominated by broadleaved and mixed forest stands. The disparities are due to differences in forestry policy and traditions of forest practices. The growing conditions of the areas are similar. The habitat fragmentation and habitat connectivity are important issues because the Karelian Isthmus is one of three main corridors and migrating routes connecting large Russian boreal taiga forests and their fauna and flora with Finnish isolated boreal forests.     

Variation of Salinity Tolerance in zoysia Clones Collected from Different Habitats in Taiwan

Abstract

One hundred and fifteen clones of zoysia spp. collected around the coast of Taiwan were examined for the variation of salinity tolerance. zoysia spp., native of Taiwan, showed a wide range of salinity tolerance among the clones collected from various regions. The clones from the regions with higher annual rainfall and limestone showed lower NaCl tolerance, and some of them showed 100% shoot mortality under 3% NaCl within 3 weeks. On the contrary, some clones from the regions with lower rainfall retained a few green leaves even at 7.5% NaCl for 3 weeks. A positive correlation was observed between the percentages of 100% shoot mortality in clones treated with 6% NaCl and the rainfall of the regions where the clones were collected. However, based on the same level of rainfall, the clones collected from the limestone region showed higher percentages of shoot mortality than those collected from the other regions. Using four clones including NaCl-tolerant and NaCl-sensitive, the effect of Ca on the salinity stress was further examined. Addition of CaCl2 to the nutrient solution could alleviate the leaf firing and electrolyte leakage from the leaf of Zoysia clones caused by NaCl. The geographical variation of salinity tolerance in zoysia might be caused by the differences in the salt and calcium concentrations in soil, which were affected by rainfall and geology of their habitats.     

优化后最大熵模型在模拟驼鹿适宜栖息地分布中的应用

以大兴安岭根河地区驼鹿分布数据为例,综合考虑样本选择偏差、独立训练集与验证集划分、模型复杂度,模拟了冬季驼鹿适宜栖息地分布。结果表明:最大熵模型默认设置下模型存在严重的过拟合,通过小样本赤池信息准则(AICc)选择的最优特征类型与正则化乘数组合,训练集受试者操作曲线下面积(AUC)虽有下降,但测试集AUC显著提高,模型过拟合情况得到显著改善;使用AICc最小模型拟合驼鹿分布发现,冬季驼鹿主要分布在远离人为干扰(城镇)、坡度低、靠近河流、林间道路、沼泽灌丛的地方;根河林业局驼鹿冬季适宜栖息地面积为1371hm2,真实统计技能(TSS)值为0.54。最大熵模型的应用,应根据不同的物种出现数据特点及研究目的,选择合适的参数设置。     

Effect of forest fragmentation on fruit and seed predation of the tropical dry forest tree Ceiba aesculifolia

Forests fragmentation reduces the density of natural plant populations forming patches of the remaining individuals. One of the biotic interactions that can be affected by forest fragmentation and is poorly studied is seed predation. We determined the effects of forest fragmentation on seed and fruit predation in Ceiba aesculifolia by comparing trees in continuous forest with trees in fragmented forest. We compared the following variables: (a) frequency of fruit predation by Collie’s squirrel (Sciurus colliaei) in each habitat; (b) frequency of the cotton-staining bug seed predator (Dysdercus, Orden Hemiptera) in each habitat; (c) the effect of seed predation on germination frequency and time; and (d) the effect of different life stages of Dysdercus on seed viability. In continuous habitat, 100% of the trees presented fruits with squirrel predation while only 34% of trees in fragmented habitats presented fruit predation. In continuous forest 27% of the trees contained fruits with the seed predator Dysdercus, while only 2% of the trees in fragmented forest presented Dysdercus. The initial weight of damaged seeds was greater than seeds that were not damaged indicating that seed predators select heavier seeds to feed upon. Frequency of seed germination was affected by different life stages; pre-adults decreased germination significantly more than nymphs and adults. Seed predation significantly increased the time it took for germination to occur. Our study shows that forest fragmentation significantly affects predation patterns of squirrels and cotton-staining bugs. Reduction of natural seed predators in forest fragments may have long-term consequences on forest structure and diversity.     

How many common reptile species are fire specialists? A replicated natural experiment highlights the predictive weakness of a fire succession model

Species with strong preferences for early or late successional stages after fire may be extinction prone under current fire regimes. However, the extent of specialisation to time since fire is poorly understood, and, for reptiles, succession models for predicting responses are in the development phase. In this study we tested predictions of a reptile succession model, and identified species that may be fire specialists. Reptiles were sampled in five burnt and unburnt mallee Eucalyptus woodlands, Australia. Two, 400 m transects within each burn treatment were sampled using 11 pairs of pitfall-traps that were opened for five weeks over two summers. A habitat accommodation model of succession that was previously developed for mallee reptiles correctly predicted the observed responses of three of 16 common reptile species. A further four species showed non-significant trends in the predicted direction. However, eight other species showed unexpected responses. One species showed a strong interaction between burn age and location, requiring a two-dimensional successional model in contrast with the usual linear models explaining reptile responses to fire. One third of common species were not affected by fire and so may not have increased risks of extinction due to the fire suppression/incineration cycle. However, approximately half to two-thirds of common reptiles did have a fire response, so the risk of deterministic extinction in small fragments may be substantial. Further model development is needed to better predict fire responses and to assist the design of fire mosaics that can accommodate early and late successional fire specialists.     

From multi-criteria approach to simple protocol: Assessing habitat patches for conservation value using species rarity

We investigated conservation value (CV) related to the quality of spider communities in different non-wooded habitat patches - ranging from arable land to natural grasslands. The study was conducted in two ecologically distinct regions of Hungary: the Hungarian Great Plain and the Buda Hills. We used seven variables to indicate CV which together formed a multi-criteria space of spider community characteristics. These variables were either related to species characters obtained from an extensive background database: abundance and frequency based rarity, specialist status, association to natural habitats; or were calculated for the community at the given patch: species richness, functional diversity and species evenness. Using the variables in an ordination analysis we could establish a gradient of the patches in the multi-criteria space of the spider community characteristics. Position of patches along the first axis of the ordination was taken as the multi-criteria measure of CV. CVs established this way were strongly and positively correlated with an independent botanical CV assessment. We also sought a simpler measure of spider CV by: (a) calculating only one variable out of the seven and using it as a surrogate for the multi-criteria CV measurement; by (b) calculating this variable only for a short time period or (c) for only one spider family. Average abundance based rarity value of the species proved to be the best surrogate of the multi-criteria CV measure for both regions, and it also performed very well when sample size was restricted to two sampling occasions per patch or to a single family. This adds further evidence to, what has been found in other studies, that species rarity is a sensitive and reliable measure of the ecological and conservational status of communities.     

Bryophytes on tree trunks in natural forests, selectively logged forests and cacao agroforests in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Forest disturbance and transformations into agricultural land alter tropical landscapes at drastic rates. Here, we investigate bryophyte assemblages on trunk bases in natural forest, selectively logged forest and cacao agroforests that are shaded by remnants of natural forest in Central Sulawesi. Overall, bryophyte richness per site did not differ between forest types. However, mosses and liverworts reacted differently in that moss richness was lowest in cacao agroforests, whereas liverwort communities were equally rich in all forest types. In terms of cover, mosses remained unaffected while liverwort cover decreased significantly in disturbed forest. Species composition of bryophytes clearly changed in cacao agroforests as compared to natural forests and selectively logged forests. In particular some drought-sensitive species were rare or absent in cacao agroforests and were replaced by drought-tolerant ones, thus underlining the importance of microclimatic changes. Moreover, differences in bryophyte species composition between large and small trees were only pronounced in cacao agroforests, presumably due to concomitant changes in stemflow of precipitation water. In conclusion, the bryophyte assemblages of selectively logged forests and cacao agroforests were as rich as in natural forest, but species turn-over was particularly high towards cacao agroforests probably due to microclimatic changes. Maintenance of shade cover is crucial to the conservation of the drought-sensitive forest species.     

Decline and extirpation of an endangered Panamanian stream frog population (Craugastor punctariolus) due to an outbreak of chytridiomycosis

We conducted a mark-recapture study of three subpopulations of Craugastor punctariolus at a mid-elevation site in central Panama between 1999 and 2005. The study spans a period over which the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was absent from the site, invaded the site and decimated all amphibian populations, and now persists. We quantified natural demographic parameters prior to and during an event of mass mortality due to chytridiomycosis caused by Bd. Prior to the event of mass mortality, all three subpopulations of C. punctariolus were large (19-68 animals/200 m), showed a stable age-size distribution, and had high survival. All age-size classes of this species co-occurred on boulder clumps along streams, and adults showed high site fidelity and were likely territorial. Following detection of Bd at this site in late September 2004, four dead C. punctariolus were found infected with Bd and all three subpopulations completely disappeared from this site within 2 months. The association of all age-size classes with microhabitats appropriate for survival and growth of Bd likely contributed to the rapid and severe degree of decline of this species at this site. These data provide insight into the patterns and mechanisms of decline within a species due to Bd.