残存银杏群落的结构及种群更新特征

银杏是现存裸子植物中最古老的孑遗植物,也是银杏纲植物现存的唯一种,但其自然群落和种群生态学特征至今尚未明晰。对分布于贵州省和重庆市交界的大娄山区7个地点的残存银杏群落的物种组成、垂直结构、主要组成种的种群大小级结构等群落结构特征以及银杏种群更新特征进行了研究。林木层共记录到82个种,其中常绿针叶树3种,常绿阔叶树和落叶阔叶树分别为37种和42种;各群落中相对优势度均以落叶阔叶树为高,银杏在7个样方中为顶极优势种,其中在6个样方中为单优势种。银杏群落林木层在垂直结构上一般可分为3层,银杏为乔木层的主要成分。各个群落中银杏种群的大小级结构均为逆-J型或多峰型,更新连续,而其余种类多为单峰型。不同微地形单元上银杏具有不同的萌枝特性,沟谷生境中银杏的萌枝率显著高于下部边坡和崖锥,有萌个体率的差异是主要的贡献因子,而银杏的萌枝能力与主干的胸径无显著关联。残存银杏群落为典型的发育在不稳定立地上的落叶阔叶林地形顶级群落,银杏通过萌枝维系种群的长期存留和群落的相对稳定。群落中银杏、红豆杉(Taxus chinensis)、红椿(Toona ciliata)和川黄檗(Phellodendron chinense)等多种珍稀濒危植物共存,有必要从群落层次上加强对残存银杏群落的保护。     

新疆野苹果的生存现状、问题及保护策略

新疆野苹果是天山野果林的优势种,遗传多样性极其丰富,是世界苹果基因库的重要组成部分。自20世纪60年代以来,新疆野苹果种群分布面积急剧下降。然而,导致新疆野苹果种群衰退的原因尚不明确,尚无行之有效的保护措施。该文在总结前人研究的基础上,结合实地考察,进一步分析和探讨野苹果的分布现状及面对虫害、干扰和种群更新困难等问题。发现新疆野苹果在保护和研究过程中仍然存在以下问题:第一,新疆野苹果的起源和演化,仍然存在分歧。第二,新疆野苹果种群的分布面积锐减,其中3个县的分布面积减少到60年前的三分之一。第三,虽然新疆野苹果的虫害问题得到了有效控制,但是虫害预防监测体系未能全面建设。第四,新疆野苹果过度干扰的问题仍然存在,即使农田开垦和人类砍伐得到一定控制。第五,新疆野苹果更新困难的问题仍然突出,现有研究仍处于初级阶段,缺乏深入研究。针对其存在的问题,建议采取以下措施:第一,利用分子生物学等技术进一步研究新疆野苹果的起源和演化。第二,建立新疆野苹果资源监测体系,运用先进的监测技术及时有效监测新疆野苹果的资源现状。第三,建立虫害预防监测系统,及时有效监测和防治病虫害的爆发。第四,建立新疆野苹果保护区,加强原位保护和法律宣传,强化当地居民对濒危植物的保护。第五,开展新疆野苹果更新机理方面的研究,同时加强迁地保护等措施。该文提出了一些解决现存问题的方法和建议,可为新疆野苹果的科学保护与有效管理提供参考。     

贡嘎山海螺沟林线附近峨眉冷杉种群的结构与动态

通过对贡嘎山海螺沟海拔 35 80m处 1.0hm2 峨眉冷杉 (AbiesfabriCraib)林的定位调查 ,分析了峨眉冷杉的个体生长、种群结构与动态、干扰及更新特征。结果表明 :1)林线附近的环境胁迫影响了个体的形态发育和高、径生长 ,但对其更新繁殖无明显影响 ;2 )静态生命表和种群生存曲线反映了 2 0a以前和 6 0～ 140a分别经历的强烈环境筛选和竞争自疏 ,以及后期与环境变化相关的死亡率波动 ,峨眉冷杉寿命极限为 40 0a左右。 3)林线种群遭受高频率、小规模的林隙干扰。尽管 86 .4%的林隙由多木形成 ,但死亡的峨眉冷杉以枯立为主导致林隙较小 ;病害、冰雪和死树的打压是林隙形成的重要因素 ,而风不是这里林线环境的主要自然干扰。 4)峨眉冷杉的幼苗表现了相当的耐荫性 ,尽管其更新依赖林隙的存在 ,但更新格局存在多尺度的成因     

植物自然更新研究进展

植物自然更新是一个复杂的生态学过程,它对种群的增殖、扩散、延续和群落稳定及演替具有重要的作用,是植被动态研究的热点。目前国内外在这方面的多数研究主要从更新过程中的某一或几个阶段入手,分析各生态因子对更新的影响,或从林窗、火烧、动物等干扰对自然更新影响的角度揭示植被自然更新的机制。本文从植物自然更新方式、干扰对更新的影响及群落的更新等方面进行了总结,并提出了今后该领域的研究建议。     

Forest dieback in Czechoslovakia

The article reviews the literature dealing with levels of air pollution in Central Europe and Czechoslovakia particulary in connection with the rate of forest damage and dieback since the fifties. To date 57 percent of forests on an area of 15.000 square km are damaged in Czech republic and more than 40.000 ha of dead Norway spruce forest had to be cut out. Deforested hills are vegetated mostly by Calamagrostis villosa only. The reforestation faces many obstacles of which the change of mezoclimate, the acidification and intoxication of the soil, the disappearance of mycorrhizal fungi and pressure of consumers may be named.     

Population dynamics of American horseshoe crabs—historic climatic events and recent anthropogenic pressures

Populations of the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, have declined, but neither the causes nor the magnitude are fully understood. In order to evaluate historic demography, variation at 12 microsatellite DNA loci surveyed in 1218 L. polyphemus sampled from 28 localities was analysed with Bayesian coalescent‐based methods. The analysis showed strong declines in population sizes throughout the species’ distribution except in the geographically isolated southern‐most population in Mexico, where a strong increase in population size was inferred. Analyses suggested that demographic changes in the core of the distribution occurred in association with the recolonization after the Ice Age and also by anthropogenic effects, such as the past overharvest of the species for fertilizer or the current use of the animals as bait for American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and whelk (Busycon spp.) fisheries. This study highlights the importance of considering both climatic changes and anthropogenic effects in efforts to understand population dynamics—a topic which is highly relevant in the ongoing assessments of the effects of climate change and overharvest.     

Population structure and impact of supportive breeding inferred from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA analyses in land-locked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L.

Four tributaries of Lake St-Jean (Québec, Canada) are used for spawning and juvenile habitat by land-locked Atlantic salmon. Spawning runs have drastically declined since the mid-1980s, and consequently, a supportive-breeding programme was undertaken in 1990. In this study, we analysed seven microsatellite loci and mtDNA, and empirically estimated effective population sizes to test the hypotheses that (i) fish spawning in different tributaries form genetically distinct populations and (ii) the supportive breeding programme causes genetic perturbations on wild populations. Allele frequency distribution, molecular variance and genetic distance estimates all supported the hypothesis of genetic differentiation among salmon from different tributaries. Gene flow among some populations was much more restricted than previously reported for anadromous populations despite the small geographical scale (40 km) involved. Both mtDNA and microsatellites revealed a more pronounced differentiation between populations from two tributaries of a single river compared with their differentiation with a population from a neighbouring river. The comparison of wild and F₁-hatchery fish (produced from breeders originating from the same river) indicated significant changes in allele frequencies and losses of low-frequency alleles but no reduction in heterozygosity. Estimates of variance and inbreeding population size indicated that susceptibility to genetic drift and inbreeding in one population increased by twofold after only one generation of supplementation.     

Effects of disturbance caused by selective timber extraction on fish communities in Sabah, Malaysia

To examine the effects of selective timber extraction on fish communities in Sabah, Malaysia, quantitative samples of fishes were taken from thirteen streams running through undisturbed rainforest or through forest that had been selectively logged 3–18 years previously. Multivariate analysis (canonical discriminant analysis and cluster analysis) indicated that mesohabitats within streams (riffles and pools) and differences in stream size were more important in determining community structure than logging history. Riffles in streams running through logged or undisturbed forest were indistinguishable using relative biomass or abundance data, as were pools from small streams (approximate order 2). Fish communities from pools in larger streams showed some separation in multivariate space corresponding to a complex set of relative changes in abundance and/or biomass between species. However it was difficult to unambiguously assign such changes to logging regime alone. There appeared to be some differences in fish communities between streams in recently-logged (3–7 years) and old-logged (17–18 years) areas related to abundance or biomass of three cyprinids (Garra borneensis, Lobocheilos bo and Osteochilus chini). Only one species, Pangio mariarum, was not found in streams in logged forest, but it was only found at one location in undisturbed forest. A number of other species showed significant differences in abundance or biomass between sites but most of these were only present at some sites and in low abundance. Principal components analysis of habitat data showed that riffle sites were homogeneous whatever their logging history as were pools in unlogged large streams. Pools in logged large streams were significantly more heterogeneous but in a random rather than systematic manner. It is concluded that the type of selective logging practices used locally have low impact on fish communities through mechanisms of persistence and/or rapid recolonisation.     

长江江豚种群衰退机理研究进展

长江江豚(Neophocaenaphocaenoides asiaeorientalis)是生活于我国长江中下游的一种独特的淡水小型鲸类,1996年被收录为IUCN濒危物种.在过去的三十年间,其种群数量呈快速下降趋势.数据显示,20世纪90年代以来,其种群下降速率约为每年6.3%.2006年考察发现长江干流中其种群数量少于1 200头,与15年前相比减少了50%以上.为了深入了解造成长江江豚种群快速衰退的机理,课题组从种群生态学、生物声学和种群遗传学三个方面开展研究工作.综述了该项目的研究进展,并对下一步的研究计划进行了展望.相关研究不仅能促进长江江豚保护生物学理论的发展,也有助于深化对白鱀豚衰退和灭绝过程的反思,并为其他长江水生生物资源的保护提供理论借鉴.