On strict and facultative biennials

Summary Most so-called biennial plants may flower in their second growing season, but usually take longer in the field. Work reported here and in four recent papers on six different species has identified natural populations of strictly biennial plants, which flower only in their second year. The strict biennials and facultative biennials seem to form two distinct groups. All six strict biennial species were growing in infertile sites, and at least four of the six have annual variants at other sites, so they may be regarded as extended annuals growing in sites too infertile for the life cycle to be completed in one year. In contrast most facultative biennials are pauciennials (short-lived monocarpic perennials) of more fertile, disturbed habitats. Moreover, the rigid two-year life cycle of the strict biennials creates at each site two temporally separated sub-populations, which flower in odd and even years.     

Rapid colonization of a newly created habitat by cladocerans and the initial build-up of a Daphnia-dominated community

As part of a detailed study on the colonization of newly created and isolated pools by cladocerans, the community build-up of a pool near the Belgian coast was studied. Three large daphniid species managed to colonize this new habitat during the first year of its existence. The first colonizing species was Daphnia atkinsoni, a species very rare to the cladoceran fauna of Northwestern Europe and new to the Belgian fauna. Although the occurrence of Daphnia atkinsoni is striking, the colonization of the new habitat can be explained by short-range dispersal of resting eggs, as all three cladoceran species are present in waterbodies in the immediate proximity (0.5 km) of the new pool. It is hypothesized that the occurrence of Daphnia atkinsoni in the region is related to long-range dispersal of resting eggs associated with wintering geese, which are very abundant in the specific region. %     

Reproductive biology and ecology of female polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Data on age-specific natality rates, litter size, interbirth interval, age of first reproduction, reproductive senescence, age of weaning and cub survival were determined for a free-ranging population of polar bears inhabiting Hudson Bay, Canada, near the southern limit of the species range. Serum progesterone levels were also determined for females at different stages of their reproductive cycle to provide corroborative support for the reproductive parameters described. Animals were live captured using immobilizing drugs and each animal uniquely marked for future identification. First parturition occurred at four or five years of age and the age-specific natality rate increased with age until approximately 20 years, after which it dropped markedly. At least 40% of adult females displayed two-year interbirth intervals and 55% of cubs in their second year were independent of their mother. Mean size of cub litters in spring was 1.9 and 13% of litters had three or more cubs. The natality rate for 5–20-year-old females was estimated as 0.9, higher than that reported for any more northerly polar bear populations where two-year interbirth intervals are rare, fewer than 5% of yearling cubs are weaned and triplet litters occur with less than 1% frequency. Cub mortality was initially high and declined with age. Although cubs in western Hudson Bay were weaned at a younger age and a lighter weight than their counterparts in more northern populations, cub mortality rates were similar. The reason for the marked differences in reproductive parameters in the western Hudson Bay population is not known. We speculate that sea-ice conditions may be sufficiently different to allow weaned bears at a lighter body weight to hunt seals more successfully there than further north.     

漩门湾不同类型湿地大型底栖动物群落特征比较研究

为研究漩门湾围垦后自然滩涂湿地和不同利用方式人工湿地7种生境的大型底栖动物群落结构现状和受扰动情况,2010年10月至2012年7月在两个区域中进行了为期两周年8个季度的大型底栖动物调查,结果表明:两周年共获得大型底栖动物5门8纲41科63种;第一周年为47种,其中自然滩涂湿地41种,人工湿地14种;第二周年为58种,其中自然滩涂湿地50种,人工湿地10种,人工湿地的物种数明显少于自然滩涂湿地。采集到的物种以软体动物和节肢动物为主,分别为32种和23种,各占总物种数的50.00%和37.10%。两周年的年均栖息密度和年均生物量在生境间从高到低依次为,年均栖息密度第一周年HSGTHHRLSCNYSK,第二周年GTHSHHSCNYRLSK;年均生物量第一周为HSRLHHGTNYSKSC,第二周年是HSHHRLGTNYSCSK。3种大型底栖动物的生物多样性指数(Margalef丰富度指数(S)、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H')、Pielou均匀度指数(J))分析表明,两周年7种生境3种多样性指数均处在不断的变化之中,人工湿地的Margalef丰富度指数(S)和Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(H')相对于自然滩涂湿地偏低,而Pielou均匀度指数(J)人工湿地大于自然滩涂湿地。聚类和排序的结果表明,围垦使大型底栖动物的群落结构发生明显的变化。ABC曲线分析结果表明,自然滩涂湿地受到的干扰程度较轻,而人工湿地受到的干扰程度较大。围垦改变了潮滩高程、水动力、盐度、沉积物特性,再加上人类活动的影响,这些因素是造成底栖动物群落结构及生物多样性变化的主要原因,围垦结束后的生态修复十分必要。     

'Growing season' as a factor in sea trout production

Correlations between mean age at smoltiftcation (MSA) of sea trout post-smolts and length of growing season are presented. The first year of the two-year smolt phase is the more important but the second is also significant as is the year of migration (the third). Strongest correlations are for MSA and the total number of growing days in all three years. A continuous record of calculated MSA from 1916–71 suggests there should have been relatively larger bursts of sea trout production in the 1940s and between 1955 and 1965. The number of trout migrating from one catchment correlates significantly with the number of growing days in the two-year smolt phase.     

Temporal and spatial patterns of sea lice levels on sea trout in western Scotland in relation to fish farm production cycles

The relationship between aquaculture and infestations of sea lice on wild sea trout (Salmo trutta) populations is controversial. Although some authors have concluded that there is a link between aquaculture and lice burdens on wild fish, others have questioned this interpretation. Lice levels have been shown to be generally higher on Atlantic salmon farms during the second years of two-year production cycles. Here we investigate whether this pattern relates to lice burdens on wild fish across broad temporal and spatial axes. Within Loch Shieldaig across five successive farm cycles from 2000 to 2009, the percentage of sea trout with lice, and those above a critical level, were significantly higher in the second year of a two-year production cycle. These patterns were mirrored in 2002–2003 across the Scottish west coast. The results suggest a link between Atlantic salmon farms and sea lice burdens on sea trout in the west of Scotland.     

Anti-predator Defence in Three Daphnia Species

Over a two-year period, each of the three Daphnia species in two lakes with different pressure by fish and invertebrate predators exhibited different defensive reactions: predator avoidance in space (Daphnia hyalina), seasonal morphological changes (Daphnia cucullata), and a combination of both (Daphnia cristata). Body size and general susceptibility to predation, combined with predators' preferences were most likely responsible for the kind of defence in each of the three Daphnia.     

Effects of prolonged flooding on the distribution and biomass of emergent species along a freshwater wetland coenocline

Water levels were raised 1 m for two years in 10 cells of an experimental wetland complex located in the Delta Marsh, Manitoba, Canada. The mean area covered by each of the 5 dominant emergent species in these cells declined significantly during the first year of flooding. There was no significant difference in the total acreage of emergents between flooding years. Three species were completely (Carex atherodes Spreng, Scolochloa festucacea (Willd.) Link) or almost (Scirpus lacustris L. spp. glaucus (Sm.) Hartm.) eliminated from the cells. Typha glauca Godr. and Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Still covered in the second year of flooding about 40 and 25%, respectively, of the area that they had occupied in the cells in the preflooding year. The mean elevation at which the two surviving species were found both increased 0.1 and 0.2 m over preflooding elevations during the first and second year of flooding, respectively. There is no evidence that during the flooding years any species migrated upslope toward more optimal water depths.Aboveground standing crop for all five species declined significantly during the first year of flooding, but was not significantly different between the two flooding years. Total belowground biomass did not differ between spring and fall, but declined significantly (about 20%) during the first year of flooding and remained about at that level during the second year. In the spring following the two years of flooding, mean total belowground biomass was only 40 g m^-2, less than 10% of the belowground biomass during the preflooding year.Paper No. 77 of the Marsh Ecology Research Program, a joint project of Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Delta Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Station.     

Daphnia hybridization along ecological gradients in pelagic environments: the potential for the presence of hybrid zones in plankton

The relative homogeneity of pelagic environments has been regarded as the reason for the absence of hybrid zones for hybridizing planktonic Daphnia (Crustacea: Cladocera); occasional dominance of interspecific hybrids over parental species was explained by their temporal superiority in fluctuating environments. However, water bodies with spatially varying environmental conditions might facilitate the formation of hybrid zones in plankton. We studied the distribution of species and hybrids of the Daphnia longispina complex in 11 canyon-shaped reservoirs, localities characterized by horizontal environmental gradients (particularly of food supply and size-selective predation); we also analysed patterns of carapace size and fecundity among coexisting taxa. Spatial distribution of taxa agreed with their ecological characteristics; those showing different affinities along longitudinal reservoir profiles differed in size according to the presumed fish predation gradient. Only hybrids of Daphnia galeata with Daphnia cucullata and D. longispina (=hyalina) were recorded. The latter two species preferred opposite ends of gradients, such spatial segregation probably explaining the absence of their hybrids. Distributional patterns were relatively stable in two consecutive summers, apart from a substantial decline of D. galeata X cucullata in the second year. The observed pattern of a hybrid-dominated zone in intermediate conditions suggests that local Daphnia hybrid zones may indeed form within reservoirs.     

Negative effects of UVB-irradiated phytoplankton on life history traits and fitness of Daphnia magna

SUMMARY 1. We tested the effect of ultraviolet-B (UVB)-irradiated phytoplankton on life history characteristics of Daphnia magna . Two phytoplankton species were used, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Cryptomonas pyrenoidifera . The phytoplankton species were cultured under photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) conditions, and under PAR supplemented with ultraviolet-A and ultraviolet-B radiation, and fed to Daphnia .
2. Life history traits of Daphnia were negatively affected when fed on UVB-irradiated Cryptomonas . Size at maturity was depressed and fewer juveniles with lower fitness were produced in the UVB treatments. In the Chlamydomonas experiment, no significant effects were found.
3. The cause of the observed UVB effects is likely to be constraints in food quality. Ultraviolet-B radiation thus has the potential of inhibiting energy transfer from the first to the second trophic level.     

Identification of the main site factors and management intensity affecting the establishment of Short-Rotation-Coppices (SRC) in Northern Italy through stepwise regression analysis

Data collected from 183 poplar and 102 willow SRC experimental plots, located in Central-North Italy, were subjected to stepwise regression analysis to acquire information on the environmental factors affecting plant survival and productivity in the first two-year rotation cycle. Nine Populus ×canadensis Mönch, eight P. deltoids Bartr. clones and four hybrids of Sali× matsudana Koidz were included in analysis. Independent variables were: annual and seasonal water availability (rainfall and irrigation), annual mean air temperature, soil texture, pH, N and organic matter content, planting density and management intensity. Dependent variables were: a) mean annual yield during the first two-year rotation cycle in tons per hectare per year of dry matter (Odt·ha^?1·y^?1); b) plant survival at the end of the second year from planting (%). Water availability resulted the main variable driving plant survival and biomass production in both poplar and willow clones. Water availability appeared to be the principal factor affecting the establishment of poplar and willow energy plantations in the Po valley. Possible variations in the rainfall regime consequent to climate changes could seriously influence land suitability to SRC. Experimental data also indicate that choice of planting density may increase the biomass yield during the first two-year especially with P. deltoides clones.     

Molecular systematics of European Hyalodaphnia: the role of contemporary hybridization in ancient species

We examined phylogenetic relationships among Daphnia using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from the small subunit ribosomal RNA (12S), cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and nuclear DNA sequences from the first and second internal transcribed spacer representing 1612 base positions. Phylogenetic analyses using several species of the three main Daphnia subgenera, Ctenodaphnia, Hyalodaphnia and Daphnia, revealed that the Hyalodaphnia are a monophyletic sister group of the Daphnia. Most Hyalodaphnia species occur on one continent, whereas only three are found in North America and Europe. Endemicity of species is associated with variation in thermal tolerance and habitat differentiation. Although many species of the Hyalodaphnia are known to hybridize in nature, mtDNA divergence is relatively high ca. 9%) compared to other hybridizing arthropods (ca. 3%). Reproductive isolation in Daphnia seems to evolve significantly slower than genetic isolation. We related these findings to what is known about the ecology and genetics of Daphnia in order to better understand the evolutionary diversification of lineages. The relationship of these data to phylogenetic patterns is discussed in the context of speciation processes in Daphnia.     

Survival ofSclerotinia minor Jagger sclerotia in solarized soil

Calcium, magnesium and potassium dynamics in decomposing litter of three tree species were measured over a two-year period. The speices studied were flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), red maple (Acer rubrum) and chestnut oak (Quercus prinus). The order of decomposition was:C. florida>A. rubrum>Q. prinus.Calcium concentrations increased following any initial leaching losses. However, there were net releases of Ca from all three litter types since mass loss exceeded the increases in concentration. Net release of Ca by the end of two years from all three species combined was 42% of initial inputs in litterfall. Magnesium concentrations increased in the second year, following decreases due to leaching during the first year inC. florida andA. rubrum litter. Net release of Mg by the end of two years was 58% of initial inputs. Potassium concentrations decreased rapidly and continued to decline throughout the study. Net release of K by the end of two years was 91% of initial inputs.These data on cation dynamics, and similar data on N, S and P dynamics from a previous study, were combined with annual litterfall data to estimate the release of selected nutrients from foliar litter of these tree species at the end of one and two years of decomposition. The relative mobility of all six elements examined in relation to mass loss after two years was; K>Mg>mass>Ca>S>P>N.     

Vulnerability of phenological synchrony between plants and pollinators in an alpine ecosystem

The relationship between flowering phenology and abundance of bumble bees (Bombus spp.) was investigated using 2 years of phenological data collected in an alpine region of northern Japan. Abundance of Bombus species was observed along a fixed transect throughout the flowering season. The number of flowering species was closely related to the floral resources for pollinators at the community scale. In the year with typical weather, the first flowering peak corresponded to the emergence time of queen bees from hibernation, while the second flowering peak corresponded to the active period of worker bees. In the year with an unusually warm spring, however, phenological synchrony between plants and bees was disrupted. Estimated emergence of queen bees was 10 days earlier than the first flowering date owing to earlier soil thawing and warming. However, subsequent worker emergence was delayed, indicating slower colony development. The flowering season finished 2 weeks earlier in the warm-spring year in response to earlier snowmelt. A common resident species in the alpine environment, B. hypocrita sapporoensis, flexibly responded to the yearly fluctuation of flowering. In contrast, population dynamics of other Bombus species were out of synchrony with the flowering: their frequencies were highest at the end of the flowering season in the warm-spring year. Therefore, phenological mismatch between flowers and pollinators is evident during warm years, which may become more prevalent in a warmer climate. To understand the mechanism of phenological mismatch in the pollination system of the alpine ecosystem, ground temperature, snowmelt regime, and life cycle of pollinators are key factors.     

Long-Term Effects of Chronic Light Pollution on Seasonal Functions of European Blackbirds (Turdus merula)

Light pollution is known to affect important biological functions of wild animals, including daily and annual cycles. However, knowledge about long-term effects of chronic exposure to artificial light at night is still very limited. Here we present data on reproductive physiology, molt and locomotor activity during two-year cycles of European blackbirds (Turdus merula) exposed to either dark nights or 0.3 lux at night. As expected, control birds kept under dark nights exhibited two regular testicular and testosterone cycles during the two-year experiment. Control urban birds developed testes faster than their control rural conspecifics. Conversely, while in the first year blackbirds exposed to light at night showed a normal but earlier gonadal cycle compared to control birds, during the second year the reproductive system did not develop at all: both testicular size and testosterone concentration were at baseline levels in all birds. In addition, molt sequence in light-treated birds was more irregular than in control birds in both years. Analysis of locomotor activity showed that birds were still synchronized to the underlying light-dark cycle. We suggest that the lack of reproductive activity and irregular molt progression were possibly the results of i) birds being stuck in a photorefractory state and/or ii) chronic stress. Our data show that chronic low intensities of light at night can dramatically affect the reproductive system. Future studies are needed in order to investigate if and how urban animals avoid such negative impact and to elucidate the physiological mechanisms behind these profound long-term effects of artificial light at night. Finally we call for collaboration between scientists and policy makers to limit the impact of light pollution on animals and ecosystems.     

The annual cycle of the Yellow-vented bulbul Pycnonotus goiavier in a humid equatorial environment

This two-year study of the breeding and moulting cycles of a small bird, Pycnonotus goiavier , was made on Singapore Island, which is near the equator and has a very uniform climate. There are well-marked breeding and moulting seasons in the population, and it is suggested that these protein-demanding processes are timed to occur within the period of increased insect abundance in the first half of the year. Seasonal changes in the weight of the flight muscles indicate a cycle in the protein level of the body. This cycle might serve as an internal regulator of the reproductive cycle.     

Long-term dynamics in rock pool Daphnia metapopulations

Metapopulations of Daphnia longispina , D. magna and D. pulex on 16 islands containing 507 rock pools were studied over 17 yr (autumns 1982–1998). Two yearly samples were taken representing early and late summer conditions. A local extinction was assumed when a species was absent from a pool for more than one year. Average yearly extinction rates, calculated from probability of survival in age grouped data, were close to 20%, and number of extinctions was on average balanced by the number of colonizations. Extinction rates during the first year following colonization were 45–50% in all species, but later decreased to low values. In first-year data, single species populations of D. magna had lower extinction rates than in multi-species pools. In later years all species combinations had similar extinction rates. The average proportion of rock pools occupied by D. longispina in any given year was 0.178, by D. magna 0.169 and by D. pulex 0.056. In 22% of cases, coexistence was observed. 71% of the pools were colonized at least once. The distribution of shortest colonization distances was left-skewed, and median distances (7–8 m) were same in all species. The distribution of colonizations mostly corresponded to the expected frequencies calculated as the product of frequencies of source and target pools. Both D. longispina and D. magna colonized pools already occupied with a somewhat higher probability than empty pools. Probably owing to variation of habitat quality, Daphnia populations in some rock pools appear to be less prone to extinction, providing sources of dispersal to patches with higher extinction risk. The system appears to be at an approximate equilibrium, with several characteristics close to classical metapopulation system.     

Structure of the bank vole (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Myodes glareolus</Emphasis>) population cycles in the core and periphery of its species area

The results of long-term studies of two bank vole (Myodes glareolus) populations in stationary sites in the central part and periphery of its species area are described. Four phases of a multiannual population cycle and two of its structural parts have been detected for both populations. The first part of the cycle is “determined,” with the “peak” phase passing into a “depression” (population collapse). This transition is mainly determined by intrapopulation processes and is weakly dependent on the external conditions of each individual year. The second part is “stochastic,” starting from a stable point in the cycle in the depression phase. The duration of the second part is determined by the state of the population and its ability to increase its size, as well as by the weather and food factors, predation pressure, and location of the population within the species area. The transition from the peak phase to the depression phase (the determined part) for both populations takes place during one fall-winter-spring season and has no effect on the cycle duration. The duration of the stochastic part in the core of the species area (the period from depression phase to peak phase) is 1–3 years and in the periphery, 2–4 years.     

Early post-fire plant succession in Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos: The first three years after disturbance

The early post-fire plant succession in fynbos vegetation in the Mediterranean-type climate area of South Africa was studied. Relatively little has been published on this early stage of plant succession in fynbos. Annual sampling over the first three post-fire years confirmed a steady, but relatively slow increase in plant canopy cover of shrubs and graminoids (mainly Restionaceae), whereas cover of geophytes and other herbs peaked in the first year and declined significantly, thereafter. Cover of annual plants increased each year, which may relate to the persistence of a relatively open vegetation cover by the third year. The responses of reseeder and resprouter species of the Restionaceae to the post-fire environment appeared to be habitat dependent. Cover of the reseeders increased rapidly in seep areas, but their recovery was distinctly delayed in dryland areas outside the seeps. Re-establishment of the many reseeder Erica species appeared to be delayed until the second post-fire year. Seed banks of these species were possibly negatively impacted by the fire, and required dispersal of seed from unburnt areas for recruitment. In contrast to some current generalisations, species richness appeared to increase after the fire; less certainly from the first to the second year, but more certainly from the second to the third year. Therefore, this study does not support a short-term monotonic decline in species richness after fire in fynbos.     

CRITERIA FOR BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS

A review of the use of blood transfusions used in a small community hospital over a two-year period revealed a high incidence of instances in which the clinical record did not show essential need for the procedure. Educational efforts in hospital staff meetings resulted in some improvement in this respect during the two-year period. Of single unit transfusions given during the first year, 80 per cent were deemed to have been nonessential; during the second year, 52 per cent.Methods which will reduce the use of blood except when it is essential are (1) continuation of staff education; (2) providing the staff with accurate methods of measurement of blood volume and of monitoring blood loss; (3) use of a separate blood transfusion chart in the patient''s hospital record; and (4) establishment of a hospital transfusion committee to review the criteria in all cases in which blood is transfused.