小型哺乳动物种群周期性波动的外因调节假说

对小型哺乳动物种群数量周期性波动的外因调节假说进行介绍 ,概述了食物假说、捕食假说和复合因子假说的主要内容和研究进展。在少数生存环境严酷的小型哺乳动物种群中 ,食物假说能解释它们的周期性数量波动现象 ,可能作为调节因子起作用 ,但难以说明低数量期的确切机制 ,对于大多数小型哺乳动物而言 ,它更可能作为限制因子。捕食假说解释了北欧芬诺斯坎底亚地区某些种群的周期性波动 ,尤其是捕食的间接效应已引起许多学者的关注 ,但也有不支持该假说的证据。对于复合因子假说 ,近年颇受学者重视 ,其中验证食物和捕食交互及累加作用的实验证据较多 ,有的研究还包括气候、种间竞争、空间或社会行为等因素。有关复合因子的实验研究 ,尽管工作是困难和艰巨的 ,花费也是巨大的 ,但所得结果却极有价值 ,为深入理解种群动态调节理论提供了一个合理而有效的手段     

小型哺乳动物的母体效应及其在种群调节中的作用

母体效应是指双亲的表型影响其后代表型的直接效应。它是子代对环境异质性的一种表型反应,亦是进化动力的一个重要来源,还可能与小型哺乳动物种群调节机制有关。以小型哺乳动物为例,介绍了母体效应的概念及其产生和发展过程,以及影响母体效应的营养和非营养因素,特别强调了光周期和激素的作用。在种群水平上,对度量母体效应的备选指标进行了评价,认为种群内个体的平均体重能较好地代表种群质量的高低;概述了衰老母体效应假说的主要内容及其在小型哺乳动物种群动态调节中的作用,即在种群数量的周期性波动过程中,母体质量的变化会影响后代的生殖和存活,甚至持续达2～3个世代,它与由种群年龄结构偏移所导致的衰老效应共同起作用,可使某些小型哺乳动物种群处于低数量期。本文还对母体效应的进化适应意义进行丁阐述。     

捕食风险的种群动态效应及其作用机理研究进展

捕食者不但可以通过直接捕杀猎物而控制猎物的种群数量,还可以通过捕食风险效应影响猎物种群的繁殖和动态,并且在某些情况下,捕食风险效应对猎物种群动态的控制作用甚至大于捕食者的直接捕杀.关于捕食风险效应对猎物动物繁殖产出和种群动态变化的作用及其机理方面的野外研究越来越受到国内外学者重视.本文介绍了近年来捕食风险效应的研究进展,重点关注了美国黄石国家公园中捕食者对马鹿(Cervus elephus)、加拿大育空地区的捕食者对白靴兔(Lepus americanus)的捕食风险效应等案例研究,以阐明捕食风险效应对猎物种群动态影响的重要性,以及关于捕食风险效应影响猎物种群繁殖和动态机理的两个假说(捕食者敏感食物假说、捕食应激假说).并结合我国在捕食者与猎物之间关系的研究现状,提出了进一步在野外开展捕食风险效应对濒危有蹄类猎物种群动态影响研究的建议,阐释了开展这些研究的重要意义.     

农田生态系统植物多样性对害虫种群数量的影响

着重分析植物多样性影响害虫发生为害及种群数量的生态学机制,综合评述了关于这种机制的两种主要假说,即天敌假说和资源集中假说．同时总结了植物多样性增大和减少对害虫控制的有利和不利因素．研究表明农田生态系统中植物多样性的增大在多数情况下能导致某些害虫种群数量的下降,但是目前很难就不同栖境中所有类型的害虫形成一般性的结论     

中国石龙子母体孕期调温诱导幼体表型:母体操纵假说的实验检测

卵胎生是由卵生繁殖模式通过逐渐增加卵滞留和胚胎在母体子宫内发育的时间进化而来的繁殖模式。有鳞类爬行动物(蜥蜴和蛇)有着较高的繁殖模式多样性,因而是研究卵胎生繁殖模式进化及其适应意义的理想动物模型。至今对于卵胎生进化的选择压力尚无定论,目前有3种关于卵胎生进化的假说受到学者的关注,其中母体操纵假说最受关注但尚未得到充分的检测。研究继1995年母体操纵假说提出之后,以栖息于温带气候环境下的卵生中国石龙子(Eumeces chinensis)为模型动物检测该假说。37条中国石龙子怀卵母体采自浙江丽水市郊。将怀卵母体分置于3个热处理中,其中12条母体提供每日14 h光照时间,13条母体提供10 h光照,其余12条母体没有任何调温机会(体温随室内环境温度而改变)。结果显示:怀卵母体选择体温向下漂移。3种处理下的雌体繁殖特征没有显著差异。长、短调温组下母体产卵时间要早于非调温组母体,但新生卵的胚胎历期没有显著差异。用5种热处理孵化卵,孵化温度分别为:1=室内波动温度孵化;2=27℃;3=24—30℃;4=22—32℃(3和4孵化处理中,孵化箱内的温度每隔1d改变1次,即卵分别在22和24℃孵化24 h,随后在32和30℃孵化24 h,每2d循环1次直至孵出);5=在实验室后院内模拟石龙子野外巢址孵化。结果显示:孵出幼体的体长、腹长和头部大小(头长和头宽)在3个母体热处理间存在显著差异,其他形态学特征不存在母体热处理间的显著差异;孵化温度以及孵化温度和母体热处理的交互作用对所有的幼体形态学特征均无显著影响。孵化温度以及孵化温度和母体热处理的交互作用对幼体疾跑速和最大持续运动距离无显著影响;但不同的母体热处理显著影响幼体疾跑速和最大持续运动距离。研究结果不仅为"热变异对在一定孵化温度范围内表型无显著变化的物种的幼体表型没有重要的修饰作用"这一假说提供了有力证据,并且支持母体操纵假说的两个主要预测:雌体在孕期通过体温漂变行为提供体内胚胎发育的最适热环境,而由母体调温行为诱导的后代表型的变异将增强后代的适合度。     

代谢途径的进化

生物的新陈代谢是通过一系列的代谢途径来实现的.这些调节精妙、相瓦协作的代谢途径是如何进化形成的一直是一个引人入胜的重要问题.自1945年有关该问题的第一个假说--"逆向进化假说"提出以来,迄今已发展出七种假说,包括"逆向进化假说"、"半酶理论"、"向前发展模型"、"酶的招募假说"、"多功能酶特化假说"、"整个代谢途径的复制假说"和"从头创造假说".其中最受关注的是"逆向进化假说"和"酶的招募假说",而最近提出的"多功能酶特化假说"由于有较好的理论基础和实验证据支持,也逐渐引起人们的关注.本文对这些假说逐一作了概述,并结合作者的相关研究工作,对该领域的研究现状和发展趋势进行了分析讨论和展望.     

啮齿动物的母体效应

母体可通过基因遗传之外的其他方式影响后代的表型,包括激素分泌、胎盘渗透性、母乳成分和母体抚育行为等。这种对后代形态和行为的影响很大且持续终生。母体效应是子代对环境异质性的一种表型反应,在进化生态学研究中是一个非常重要的变异来源,对种群生态学而言,也可能是种群调节机制的一个重要的因子。着重介绍了母体状况对啮齿动物后代生长发育、性比、性特征和对性选择的影响,对啮齿动物母体效应的进一步研究进行了展望。     

森林生态系统中植食性昆虫与寄主的互作机制、假说与证据

围绕"多样性稳定性"假说、"联合抗性假说"、"生长势假说"、"胁迫假说"、以及下调、上调和推拉等机制与假说提出的背景与实验验证的证据,力图辨析其概念以及它们之间的相互关系。作者认为,多样性-稳定性机制关注森林生态系统的功能,是基于群落甚至景观层次。多样性条件下的联合抗性机制和联合易感性应属于稳定性中的抵抗力范畴。联合抗性机制的主要基础是基于资源集中假说和天敌假说,这些观点在种群层次上更易理解;上调力和下调力机制是以食物网底部的资源与顶端的天敌来探讨这种互作关系。因此,资源集中与上调力有着对应关系,而天敌假说只是下调力机制中的一个层面而已。植物生长势假说和植物胁迫假说力图从植物个体或种的群体的生长状态出发解析植食性动物的对寄主的选择趋势。上述有关植食性昆虫与寄主互作的机制、假说与证据是基于不同的层面提出的,因而在解析研究目标时,由于基本面的差异有可能会得出不同的结论。以近年来的研究进展和研究成果为依据有针对性地阐述这些理论对森林有害生物生态调控技术的指导作用,其中,联合抗性和联合易感性理论对指导森林有害生物生态控制具有更直接的指导作用。进一步提出了相应的亟待解决的科学问题。     

植物群落稀有种维持机制与土壤反馈的研究进展

自Janzen-Connell (J-C)假说提出后半个世纪以来, 生态学家在热带及亚热带森林对该假说开展的大量实证研究表明, 由专性天敌导致的J-C效应所引起的负密度制约是维持森林多样性和决定群落组成的重要驱动力, 该假说成功地解释了热带及亚热带森林的丰富多样性。土壤病原真菌所引起的植物-土壤负反馈是J-C效应最主要的表现形式。然而, 对于植物-土壤负反馈是否能够维持森林群落中的大量稀有种仍然存在许多争议。基于当代物种共存理论的“稀有种优势”假说认为, 只有在满足“可入侵准则” (即物种在稀有时具有种群增加的趋势)的前提下, 稀有种才能在群落中与其他物种长期共存。然而, 当前基于土壤反馈的实验结果与该理论预测相悖, 因此在稀有种的维持机制方面仍存在较大的分歧。本文通过介绍植物-土壤反馈理论, 整合了可能对稀有种维持有较大影响的因素, 包括共生菌根真菌、土壤养分以及植物细根性状等在影响土壤负反馈方面的相关研究, 并对这些因素如何影响群落中物种多度和稀有种在群落中的维持进行了探讨。最后, 我们也从其他角度探讨了一些对稀有种维持的研究。我们认为在未来对稀有种的研究中, 探讨使其长期存续的“优势”和制约其种群扩大的“限制”同等重要, 将当代物种共存理论与新技术、新方法相结合对于探究稀有种的维持机制具有重要的意义, 可为稀有种保护提供理论依据。     

鸟类磁感受的生物物理机制研究进展

行为学实验表明,许多鸟类能够感受到地磁信息,并利用地磁信息完成迁徙或归巢。地磁场信息能提供可靠导航信息,磁力线可提供罗盘信息,而磁场强度和倾角可提供位置信息。文章介绍了鸟类磁感受机制的两种重要假说——基于磁铁矿的磁感受假说和化学磁感受假说,阐明了两种假说的理论原理及实验证据,对地磁信息传导神经通路与处理脑区做了评述,并展望了其发展方向。     

Population cycles in microtines: The senescence hypothesis

Summary The cause of population cycles in microtines (voles and lemmings) remains an enigma. I propose a new solution to this problem based on a crucial feature of microtine biology, shifts in age structure, that has been ignored until now. Empirical evidence indicates that age structure must shift markedly towards older animals during declines because of three characteristics of the previous peak year: a shortened breeding season, total replacement of the breeding population from peak to decline and density-dependent social inhibition of maturation of young. Declines become inevitable as populations composed of older animals survive and reproduce poorly because of the effects of senescence, possibly interacting with the experiences of peak density and I present both theoretical and empirical evidence for this hypothesis. Although a variety of physiological systems deteriorate with aging, I focus on a crucial one — the inability of older animals to effectively maintain homeostasis in the face of environmental challenges because of a progressive deterioration in the endocrine feedback mechanisms involved in the hippocampal—hypothalamic—pituitary—adrenal axis. Microtine populations will not exhibit cycles where age structure shifts are prevented owing to extrinsic factors such as intense predation. Six testable predictions are made that can falsify this hypothesis.     

The Chitty effect: a consequence of dynamic energy allocation in a fluctuating environment

An important biological feature of cyclic populations of voles and lemmings is phase-related changes in average body mass, with adults in high-density phases being 20-30% heavier than those in low-density phases of a cycle. This observation, called the "Chitty effect," is considered to be a ubiquitous feature of cyclic populations. It has been argued that understanding the Chitty effect is fundamental to unraveling the enigma of population cycles. However, there exists no agreement among biologists regarding the causes of the Chitty effect. Here, I propose a simple hypothesis to explain the Chitty effect, based on phase-related, dynamic allocation of energy between reproductive and somatic effort. The essence of the hypothesis is that: (1) reproduction is suppressed in animals born or raised in the later part of the increase phase by environmental factors, including social influences; (2) suppression of reproduction limits the amount of energy that is diverted for reproductive effort, and forces a disproportionately greater amount of surplus power (the energy left after the energetic costs of standard and active metabolism are met) to be allocated for somatic effort; (3) the surplus energy, above and beyond what is required for routine biological activities, will allow continuous growth and deposition of additional body mass, which causes an increase in body mass; and (4) animals grow to a larger size as a population enters the peak density phase, causing an increase in the average body mass. The Chitty effect is predicted to be most pronounced at the late increase or peak phase of a population cycle. Possible causes of reproductive suppression include direct or indirect influences of the environmental factors. The Chitty effect may be a consequence, not a cause, of population cycles in small mammals.     

Experimental tests of the role of predation in the population dynamics of voles and lemmings

• 1 Reasons for fluctuating populations of small mammals have been intensively investigated since the early days of modern ecology. Particular interest has been taken in vole populations exhibiting multiannual oscillations. Much empirical and theoretical work has been accomplished to find out the key factor(s) driving these population cycles and many reviews have been written about the results.
• 2 One of the most plausible processes for explaining regular fluctuations in small mammals is predation. Here I review the existing literature on the experimental studies of the role of predation in vole population dynamics in the hope that a critical examination of these studies will help researchers improve the design of future experiments.
• 3 Most predation manipulations have been done in exclosures, but there are also studies that have attempted to reduce or increase predator numbers in non‐fenced areas, islands and enclosures.
• 4 As the number of experimental studies has increased, their quality in terms of replication, use of controls and realistic spatial and temporal scales has also improved.
• 5 Most studies have found population‐level effects of predator manipulations on prey populations. The effects have varied from very weak to very strong, reflecting dissimilar experimental designs and the great variety of predator–prey interactions among different kinds of species in different landscapes. Most of these studies show that predation limits population growth of voles, and in some circumstances even regulate vole population fluctuations, but none of them clearly demonstrates that predation consistently changes fluctuation patterns of voles.
• 6 To be able to assess more reliably the true role of predation on (cyclic) population fluctuations of voles, more competent experiments are still needed not only over the geographical range of cyclic population dynamics, but also in areas of weakly or non‐cyclic populations of voles.

     

Experimental tests of predation and food hypotheses for population cycles of voles

Pronounced population cycles are characteristic of many herbivorous small mammals in northern latitudes. Although delayed density-dependent effects of predation and food shortage are often proposed as factors driving population cycles, firm evidence for causality is rare because sufficiently replicated, large-scale field experiments are lacking. We conducted two experiments on Microtus voles in four large predator-proof enclosures and four unfenced control areas in western Finland. Predator exclusion induced rapid population growth and increased the peak abundance of voles over 20-fold until the enclosed populations crashed during the second winter due to food shortage. Thereafter, voles introduced to enclosures which had suffered heavy grazing increased to higher densities than voles in previously ungrazed control areas which were exposed to predators. We concluded that predation inhibits an increase in vole populations until predation pressure declines, thus maintaining the low phase of the cycle, but also that population cycles in voles are not primarily driven by plant-herbivore interactions.     

Predator-induced synchrony in population oscillations of coexisting small mammal species

Comprehensive analyses of long-term (1977-2003) small-mammal abundance data from western Finland showed that populations of Microtus voles (field voles M. agrestis and sibling voles M. rossiaemeridionalis) voles, bank (Clethrionomys glareolus) and common shrews (Sorex araneus) fluctuated synchronously in 3 year population cycles. Time-series analyses indicated that interspecific synchrony is influenced strongly by density-dependent processes. Synchrony among Microtus and bank voles appeared additionally to be influenced by density-independent processes. To test whether interspecific synchronization through density-dependent processes is caused by predation, we experimentally reduced the densities of the main predators of small mammals in four large agricultural areas, and compared small mammal abundances in these to those in four control areas (2.5-3 km(2)) through a 3 year small-mammal population cycle. Predator reduction increased densities of the main prey species, Microtus voles, in all phases of the population cycle, while bank voles, the most important alternative prey of predators, responded positively only in the low and the increase phase. Manipulation also increased the autumn densities of water voles (Arvicola terrestris) in the increase phase of the cycle. No treatment effects were detected for common shrews or mice. Our results are in accordance with the alternative prey hypothesis, by which predators successively reduce the densities of both main and alternative prey species after the peak phase of small-mammal population cycles, thus inducing a synchronous low phase.     

Why do populations of small rodents cycle? A new hypothesis with numerical model

Summary A hypothesis for explaining the mechanism population of cycles in small rodents and the phenomena associated with these cycles is presented and supported by a numerical model. In strongly seasonal environments, with high reproductive ability and low mortality of rodents, the population size increases to a point at which either females refrain from breeding for the entire season or progeny of these females do not survive to produce their own progeny and a large proportion of animals die of old age. This brings about a population crash. The amplitudes of the cycles are high due to dispersal of animals without home ranges to the habitat which is only seasonably available and back to permanently available habitat. Without high reproductive abilities of animals and their good survival, only annual fluctuations are possible. Seven wellknown features of the cyclic populations are explained by the model and eight new predictions concerning these populations are given. The relations to other hypotheses are discussed briefly.     

Vole population cycles in northern and southern Europe: is there a need for different explanations for single pattern?

1. Students of population cycles in small rodents in Fennoscandia have accumulated support for the predation hypothesis, which states that the gradient in cycle length and amplitude running from southern to northern Fennoscandia reflects the relative influence of specialist and generalist predators on vole dynamics, itself modulated by the presence of snow cover. The hypothesized role of snow cover is to isolate linked specialist predators, primarily the least weasel, Mustela n. nivalis L. and their prey, primarily field voles Microtus agrestis L., from the stabilizing influence of generalist predators. 2. The predation hypothesis does not readily account for the high amplitude and regular 3-year cycles of common voles documented in agricultural areas of western, central and eastern Europe. Such cycles are rarely mentioned in the literature pertaining to Fennoscandian cycles. 3. We consider new data on population cycles and demographic patterns of common voles Microtus arvalis Pallas in south-west France. We show that the patterns are wholly consistent with five of six patterns that characterize rodent cycles in Fennoscandia and that are satisfactorily explained by the predation hypothesis. They include the: (a) existence of cycle; (b) the occurrence of long-term changes in relative abundance and type of dynamics; (c) geographical synchrony over large areas; (d) interspecific synchrony; and (e) voles are large in the increase and peak phase and small in decline and low phase, namely. There is a striking similarity between the patterns shown by common vole populations in south-west France and those from Fennoscandian cyclic rodent populations, although the former are not consistent with a geographical extension of the latitudinal gradient south of Fennoscandia. 4. It is possible that the dominant interaction leading to multiannual rodent oscillations is different in different regions. We argue, however, that advocates of the predation hypothesis should embrace the challenge of developing a widely applicable explanation to population cycles, including justifying any limits to its applicability on ecological and not geographical grounds.     

A Bird and Small Mammal BACI and IG Design Studies in a Wind Farm in Malpica (Spain)

Wind farms have shown a spectacular growth during the last 10 years. As far as we know, this study is the first where the relationship between wind power and birds and small mammals have been considered. Before–after control impact (BACI) study design to birds and Impact Gradient (IG) study design to small mammals to test the null hypothesis of no impact of a wind farm were used. In the BACI model Windfarm Area and a Reference Area were considered. Distance from turbines was considered in the IG model. Windfarm installations did not clearly affect bird and small mammal populations. Flight height of nesting and no nesting birds did not show a clear tendency. Small mammals populations suffered high variations in numbers through times by intrinsic population factors. There are many practical problems of detection of human influence on abundances of populations so sampling in the long run can be suggested.