Avian biogeography and conservation on Hainan Island, China

The aim of this study was to perform a biogeographical and conservation analysis of avian distribution on Hainan Island, China using quantitative approaches. I employed cluster analysis with a statistical test to examine the biogeographical zonation of birds on Hainan Island, and then employed an optimization criterion approach to detect candidate areas of endemism. Three biogeographical regions were diagnosed based on the statistical tests. One area of endemism was identified in the southwestern part of the island, principally in the western limestone areas and the central mountainous areas. Canonical variate analysis showed significant separation among the three biogeographic regions correlated with climatic variables. Nested subset analysis using two null models indicated that there was a good nested pattern in the avian assemblage on Hainan Island. In addition, complementarity analysis identified six top species-rich provinces for conservation. The present study is one of the first attempts to use integrative quantitative approaches to analyze bird diversity patterns on this island, and the effectiveness of the methodologies employed is discussed.     

Preliminary study of the urinary proteome in Li and Han ethnic individuals from Hainan

Biomarkers indicate changes associated with disease. Blood is relatively stable due to the homeostatic mechanisms of the body;however, urine accumulates metabolites from changes in the body, making it a better source for early biomarker discovery. The Li ethnic group is a unique minority ethnic group that has only lived on Hainan Island for approximately 5,000 years. Studies have shown that various specific genetic variations are different between the Li and Han ethnic groups. However, whether the urinary proteome between these two ethnic groups is significantly different remains unknown. In this study, differential urinary proteins were identified in the Li and Han ethnic groups using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS).In total, 1,555 urinary proteins were identified. Twenty-five of the urinary proteins were statistically significantly different, 16 of which have been previously reported to be biomarkers of many diseases, and that these significantly different proteins were caused by ethnic differences rather than random differences. Ethnic group differences may be an influencing factor in urine proteome studies and should be considered when human urine samples are used for biomarker discovery.     

Prevalence of Human Melioidosis on Hainan Island in China

Eight human cases of melioidosis were diagnosed at Hainan People's Hospital over a period of one year. Four of the cases were of septicemia form, while the rest were of chronic form with abscesses in different organs. All the isolates were intrinsically resistant to cefazolin, cefuroxime, and gentamicin, while being rather sensitive to ampicillin/sulbactam, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, and imipenem. A serological survey of exotoxin antibodies at different farms showed that Xinglong was a farm seriously devastated by Burkholderia pseudomallei, while the mountainous farm of Licai had the lowest prevalence (P < 0.01). From the results of serological survey and melioidosis case distribution, it could be clearly seen that melioidosis predominantly exists in coastal plain regions around this island, where the altitude above sea-level is below 100 m, the annual rainfall is up to 2,300 mm and a rather warm climate in coldest months of December and January.     

Foraging areas of Rousettus leschenaulti on the Hainan Island of China

We investigated the foraging area of three individuals (1 female and 2 males) of Rousettus leschenaulti (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) in suburban Haikou City, Hainan Province, South China from November 2005 to January 2006 using radio telemetry. These animals left the daytime roosting sites about 90 min after sunset with no significant difference in departure time between the male and female bats. The average active times were 391.8 min for males and 533.7 min for the female, respectively. By reconstructing 93...     

Sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to Antimalarial Drugs in Hainan Island,China

Pyronaridine and artesunate have been shown to be effective in falciparum malaria treatment. However, pyronaridine is rarely used in Hainan Island clinically, and artesunate is not widely used as a therapeutic agent. Instead, conventional antimalarial drugs, chloroquine and piperaquine, are used, explaining the emergence of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. In this article, we investigated the sensitivity of P. falciparum to antimalarial drugs used in Hainan Island for rational drug therapy. We performed in vivo (28 days) and in vitro tests to determine the sensitivity of P. falciparum to antimalarial drugs. Total 46 patients with falciparum malaria were treated with dihydroartemisinin/piperaquine phosphate (DUO-COTECXIN) and followed up for 28 day. The cure rate was 97.8%. The mean fever clearance time (22.5±10.6 hr) and the mean parasite clearance time (27.3±12.2 hr) showed no statistical significance with different genders, ages, temperatures, or parasite density (P>0.05). The resistance rates of chloroquine, piperaquine, pyronarididine, and artesunate detected in vitro were 71.9%, 40.6%, 12.5%, and 0%, respectively (P<0.0001). The resistance intensities decreased as follows: chloroquine>piperaquine>pyronarididine>artesunate. The inhibitory dose 50 (IC₅₀) was 3.77×10^-6 mol/L, 2.09×10^-6 mol/L, 0.09×10^-6 mol/L, and 0.05×10^-6 mol/L, and the mean concentrations for complete inhibition (CIMC) of schizont formation were 5.60×10^-6 mol/L, 9.26×10^-6 mol/L, 0.55×10^-6 mol/L, and 0.07×10^-6 mol/L, respectively. Dihydroartemisinin showed a strong therapeutic effect against falciparum malaria with a low toxicity.     

螺旋粉虱入侵我国海南

螺旋粉虱Aleurodicus disperses Russell是一种危险性的入侵害虫,作者于2006年4月,在我国海南陵水首次发现,分析可能是从台湾引入。文章记述螺旋粉虱在海南的发现过程、该种的野外识别及室内鉴别特征,列出海南发现的27种重要寄主植物(这些植物涉及果树、园林和农作物)和几种捕食性天敌,并附有特征图和彩色照片。最后分析其在海南发展趋势及向大陆扩展的可能性,福建、广东、广西等南方省区应密切关注该虫的发展。     

An Inventory of Marine Benthic Macroalgae of Hainan Island,China

In this review, the results of the study of marine benthic algal flora of Hainan Island, China, during the period from 1933 to 2015 are considered. It has been found that the local floristic diversity and taxonomic composition are similar to those of macroalgae from other large islands of the Indo-Pacific, where coral reefs are the main ecosystem of the shallow-water zone. An analysis of historical (decadal) changes in the marine benthic flora of Hainan has shown the following pattern of variations in the species diversity of macroalgae since the middle of the 20th century: a decline in low-productive epilithic algae with voluminous forms of thalli and an increase in highly productive opportunistic species with filamentous, fine filamentous, and membranous forms. These historical changes are thought to be caused by human impacts: inappropriate exploitation of coral reefs and eutrophication of coastal waters due to household sewage from large cities and discharge of mariculture wastes.     

海南鹦哥岭自然保护区蕨类植物区系

在充分的野外调查的基础上,初步探讨了海南鹦哥岭自然保护区蕨类植物的区系组成、生态分布与濒危状况。初步结果如下:1.鹦哥岭现有蕨类植物50科119属282种,科、属、种的比例分别占海南蕨类科、属、种的89·3%、84·4%和62·7%,其中台湾马尾杉(Phlegmariurus taiwanensis)、粗齿桫椤(Al-sophila denticulata)、启无蹄盖蕨(Athyrium wangii)、紫柄蕨(Pseudophegopteris pyrrhorachis)、微红新月蕨(Pronephrium megacuspe)、羽裂圣蕨(Dictyocline wilfordii)、多羽复叶耳蕨(Arachniodes amoena)、华南鳞毛蕨(Dryopteris tenuicula)等8种为海南分布新记录种。2.鹦哥岭蕨类区系以水龙骨科(Polypodiaceae)、蹄盖蕨科(Athyriaceae)、金星蕨科(Thelypteridaceae)、铁角蕨科(Aspleniaceae)为优势科,以铁角蕨属(Aspleni-um)、凤尾蕨属(Pteris)、短肠蕨属(Allantodia)、卷柏属(Selaginella)、毛蕨属(Cyclosorus)等为优势属,是一个以热带成分为主的热带区系,兼有较高比例的地区特有成分和东亚成分,其中,热带分布的科、属、种的比例分别为97·3%、88·3%和63·4%。3.鹦哥岭蕨类的生活环境大致可以区分为4种类型:低海拔次生林或灌草丛干旱生境、中高海拔林下阴湿生境、中高海拔林下湿润溪流生境和高海拔湿润苔藓矮林生境,以中高海拔林下阴湿生境中的蕨类最为丰富。4.鹦哥岭保存有许多海南珍稀蕨类,有10种国家二级保护蕨类,有56种海南受威胁蕨类,其中海南蹄盖蕨(Athyrium hainanense)、和七指蕨(Helminthostachys zeylanica)为海南极危种(CR),另有17种海南濒危(EN)、37种海南易危(VU)蕨类。     

Pythium vexans causing patch canker of rubber trees on Hainan Island,China

This is the first report of patch canker disease of rubber trees (clone RRIM600) in China. It is characterized by discrete irregular patches of rotted, discolored bark and wood, accompanied by a decrease in latex flow. A total of seven isolates of Pythium vexans were obtained from the diseased bark of the trunks and roots of rubber trees. Inoculating these isolates into healthy, mature rubber trees resulted in symptoms similar to patch canker and the same fungal species was re-isolated from the diseased tissues. This is also the first record of Py. vexans in Hainan.     

A new species of Phylloscopus warbler from Hainan Island, China

Phylloscopus hainanus is a distinctive new species in the family Sylviidae. The species is endemic to Hainan Island, China, where it is restricted to tropical forest in mountains above 600 m. The most distinctive plumage features are the rather deep yellow underparts and the mainly white outer rectrices.     

Two Eocene fossil fruits from the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island,China

Two types of fossil fruit, one belonging to Palaeocarya sp. (Juglandaceae) and the other to Acer cf. A. miofranchetii Hu et Chaney (Aceraceae), are found in the Eocene coal-bearing series from the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island, China. This is the first fossil record of Palaeocarya and Acer in a tropical area of China. These fossils provide evidence for an investigation of the phytogeographic history of these two genera. Since their extant relative genera are distributed mostly in northern temperate or tropical–subtropical mountainous regions, I propose that the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island was close to a mountainous region in the Eocene; the plants bearing these fruits were growing at a mid-high altitude with a relatively cool climate, and the fruits were not preserved in situ but transported to the fossil site. The characters of other associated fossil plants and palynological data also support this hypothesis.     

Patterns of Human Oral Yeast Species Distribution on Hainan Island in China

Infections by yeast strains of the genus Candida are among the most prevalent fungal infections of humans. These yeasts are common residents of the oral mucosa and other body surfaces. Since most yeast infections are due to endogenous strains and that species of Candida differ in virulence properties and in intrinsic susceptibilities to antifungal drugs, understanding the human commensal yeast flora can help designing effective treatment and prevention strategies against yeast infections. Here, we report the patterns of yeast species distributions in the oral cavities of 1,799 people from Hainan Island in southern China. Based on sequence information at the fungal barcode locus ITS regions, 368 of the 415 obtained oral yeast strains were identified as belonging to 26 yeast species, while the remaining 47 strains all showed significant sequence divergence to the currently described species. The four most common yeast species were C. albicans (42 %), C. tropicalis (20 %), C. glabrata (5.5 %), and C. parapsilosis (4.1 %) and 10 of the 26 yeast species were represented by only one strain each. Our analyses identified that the gender of hosts and ethnical background showed no contribution to oral yeast species distributions. However, the health status, place of birth, current residency, and the age of hosts all showed significant contributions to the distributions of the four dominant yeast species. We compared our results with those reported previously and discussed the potential mechanisms for the observed differences in oral yeast species distributions.     

Chemical composition of the essential oils of Clausena lansium from Hainan Island, China

The essential oils of wild Clausena lansium collected in Hainan Island, China were extracted from leaves, flowers, sarcocarps and seeds, and then analyzed by using GC/MS. The main constituents of the essential oils were: beta-santalol (35.2%), bisabolol (13.7%), methyl santalol (6.9%), ledol (6.5%) and sinensal (5.6%) in the leaves; beta-santalol (50.6%), 9-octadecenamide (17.2%) and sinensal (4.1%) in the flowers; beta-santalol (52.0%), alpha-santalol (15.5%), farnesol (5.2%) and sinensal (4.0%) in the sarcocarps; and phellandrene (54.8%), limonene (23.6%), and p-menth-1-en-4-ol (7.5%) in the seeds.     

Phytogeography and Floristic Affinities of the Limestone Flora of Mt. Exianling,Hainan Island,China

The limestone forest of Mt. Exianling on Hainan Island, China, was inventoried, and their floristic composition and biogeographical affinities discussed. Botanical surveys recorded 1121 vascular plant species belonging to 620 genera and 171 families; of which 81 represented significant records including 11 new species. Mt. Exianling is characterized by phanerophytes making up ca. 79% of the total flora, and those with mesophyllous leaves comprising ca. 64%. Ecological species groups were discerned from field observations: species exclusive to limestone habitats make up 2.4% of the total flora. Based on their distributions, 11 biogeographic elements at the generic level are recognized. Our work on Mt. Exianling revealed closer affinity to tropical Asian floras than to temperate elements of eastern Asian floras, with ca. 90% of the seed plant genera being tropical; this limestone forest is essentially tropical and is part of the tropical Asian flora at its northern margin. Unfortunately, Exianling has been subject to environmental threats from mining activities in the past two decades. Kadoorie Conservation China has heavily involved in the conservation of Exianling limestone forest and partially financed the above floristic studies. A nature reserve station was constructed in 2009, and now Exianling is being gazetted as a formal provincial nature reserve. Recently, activities in exploiting of the gold mining in Exianling has been stopped by the nature reserve.     

The Effects of Season of Birth on the Inflammatory Response to Psychological Stress in Hainan Island,China

Season of birth (SOB) has been investigated as one of the environmental factors that might epigenetically determine the physiology of individuals. This study investigated the role of SOB in the association between Quality of Life (QOL), a proxy of psychological stress status, and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration (i.e., inflammatory status) among 1,085 adults (aged 20–57 years old) in Hainan Island, China. High sensitivity CRP concentration was measured in dried blood spot samples, while the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization’s QOL questionnaire was used to gather information on six QOL domains. Analysis stratified by three historically distinct age groups revealed a significant association between CRP concentration, SOB, QOL and an interaction between SOB and QOL among the youngest and oldest groups. In the oldest group, those born in the dry season had a higher CRP concentration with worse QOL whereas in the youngest group, there was a higher CRP concentration with better QOL. Annual per capita rice production, a proxy of population nutritional status in the year of birth, was found to predict CRP concentration only among the second oldest group. These findings suggest that the early environment might affect the immune response to psychological stress in adulthood and that its effect may differ by the time period in which people were born.     

海南吊罗山国家级自然保护区黄额闭壳龟种群密度调查

2005年7～9月(雨季)和2006年2～4月(旱季),对海南吊罗山国家级自然保护区海拔900～1100 m地区的黄额闭壳龟Cuora galbinifrons种群密度进行了调查.在调查样区内根据植被类型随机选取6个调查样区,424个布笼点,6360个笼捕日,调查面积6.36 km2,捕获黄额闭壳龟5只,其中,人工林中...     

State and minority in Israel: the case of ethnic state and the predicament of its minority

The connection between ethnicity and democracy has been the subject of much debate among scholars in various disciplines. This article deals with the ethnic divisions and the debate over democracy in Israel. How Israel should be defined, with regard to the democracy-ethnic affiliation nexus, has long been debated by scholars in the field. Some present Israel as a consociational democracy. Some Israeli scholars consider Israel to be a liberal democracy. Others define it as an 'ethnic democracy' that balances the ethnic and democratic components in its dealings with its Arab-Palestinian citizen. In this article I claim that Israel, like many other countries (Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Canada until the sixties, Malaysia) is not a democracy, if our criterion is the ethnic preference it shows for Jews. It is, instead, a textbook example of an ethnic state, applying sophisticated policies of exclusion and discrimination towards the Arab minority. In principle, it invites its Arab citizens to participate in its life; but under no circumstances does it offer them equality. It maintains Jewish superiority in all fields and grants them preference symbolically, structurally and practically.     

Chemical composition of the essential oils of two Alpinia species from Hainan Island, China

The essential oils of two Alpinia species, ie. A. hainanensis and A. katsumadai, from Hainan Island, China were analyzed by using GC-MS. The major constituents in the leaf oil of A. hainanensis were ocimene (27.4%), beta-pinene (10.1%), 9-octadecenoic acid (6.5%), n-hexadecanoic acid (5.8%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (5.4%), and terpinen (4.3%). The oil constituents obtained from the flowers of A. hainanensis were ocimene (39.8%), beta-pinene (17.7%), terpinene (5.5%), p-menth-1-en-ol (4.9%), caryophyllene (4.9%), and phellandrene (4.4%). In A. katsumadai, the major constituents in the leaf oil were p-menth-1-en-ol (22.0%), terpinen (19.0%), 4-carene (9.1%), 1,8-cineole (8.3%), and camphor (5.6%). The major constituents in the flower oil were p-menth-1-en-ol (21.3%), 1,8-cineole (20.2%), terpinen (12.6%), phellandrene (7.0%), 4-carene (6.4%), and beta-pinene (5.2%).     

台湾岛和海南岛兰科植物区系特征比较

为探明台湾岛和海南岛兰科( Orchidaceae)植物区系特征,在充分查阅相关资料的基础上,对2个岛屿兰科植物的物种组成、生活型和分布区类型进行分析,并对这2个岛屿与大陆陆地和周边国家兰科植物的分布特征进行比较和分析。结果表明：2个岛屿的兰科植物共有146属639种,其中,台湾岛有107属446种,海南岛有96属302种。2个岛屿树兰亚科( Subfam. Epidendroideae)的属和种比例均最高;原始的拟兰亚科( Subfam. Apostasioideae)在台湾岛无分布,而在海南岛分布有2属4种。从属和种的数量看,含1种和2~5种的属比例较高,分别占台湾岛兰科植物总属数的43.9%和36.4%,占海南岛兰科植物总属数的45.8%和40.6%;且包含种数多的属的比例较低。从生活型看,2个岛屿地生兰和附生兰的比例较高,分别占台湾岛兰科植物总种数的52.7%和34.3%,占海南岛兰科植物总种数的37.1%和55.3%。从分布区类型看,台湾岛和海南岛的兰科植物分别可划分为11和10个分布区类型,且均以热带亚洲至热带大洋洲分布型属和种的比例最高,热带亚洲分布型属和种的比例也较高。从热带成分与温带成分的数量比(R/T)看,台湾岛和海南岛兰科植物属的R/T值分别为3.6和3.3,种的R/T值分别为10.9和11.9,说明2个岛屿的兰科植物均以热带成分为主,台湾岛还包含一定的温带成分。从共有属和共有种看,2个岛屿与大陆陆地的兰科植物共有属均约占各自兰科植物总属数的90.7%,其中,三地共有属有66属;台湾岛与大陆陆地的兰科植物共有种比例较低(46.2%),而海南岛与大陆陆地的兰科植物共有种比例较高(74.9%),说明2个岛屿与大陆陆地兰科植物属的同源性较高,且海南岛兰科植物的大陆性特征更明显。与周边国家相比,2个岛屿与越南的兰科植物共有种比例较高,分别占台湾岛和海南岛兰科植物总种数的33.9%和75.2%。综合分析结果显示：台湾岛和海南岛的兰科植物种类丰富,生活型齐全,且具有明显的热带性质,但台湾岛的兰科植物还表现出一定的温带性质;2个岛屿与大陆陆地兰科植物的亲缘关系较近,但台湾岛兰科植物的特有性更明显。