小良热带人工阔叶混交林中屋顶鼠施氏亚种的食性及其生态学意义

Rattus rattus slandeni的食性资料是在小良人工阔叶混交林中通过200个鼠箱观察残留食物的方法收集到的。屋顶鼠摄食植物39种,主要为果实、种子部分,并大量捕食金龟子、蝉和蝗虫等昆虫,偶尔捕食小脊椎动物。植物性和动物性两大类残食的总出现率相近,5-10月以动物性食物为主,11-4月以植物性食物为主。该鼠搬运和遗弃果实、种子的行为,有助于植物种类的传布,大量捕食害虫,有利于该系统的生态平衡,故对其益害问题应作客观评价。     

A hidden Markov movement model for rapidly identifying behavioral states from animal tracks

Electronic telemetry is frequently used to document animal movement through time. Methods that can identify underlying behaviors driving specific movement patterns can help us understand how and why animals use available space, thereby aiding conservation and management efforts. For aquatic animal tracking data with significant measurement error, a Bayesian state‐space model called the first‐Difference Correlated Random Walk with Switching (DCRWS) has often been used for this purpose. However, for aquatic animals, highly accurate tracking data are now becoming more common. We developed a new hidden Markov model (HMM) for identifying behavioral states from animal tracks with negligible error, called the hidden Markov movement model (HMMM). We implemented as the basis for the HMMM the process equation of the DCRWS, but we used the method of maximum likelihood and the R package TMB for rapid model fitting. The HMMM was compared to a modified version of the DCRWS for highly accurate tracks, the DCRWS, and to a common HMM for animal tracks fitted with the R package moveHMM. We show that the HMMM is both accurate and suitable for multiple species by fitting it to real tracks from a grey seal, lake trout, and blue shark, as well as to simulated data. The HMMM is a fast and reliable tool for making meaningful inference from animal movement data that is ideally suited for ecologists who want to use the popular DCRWS implementation and have highly accurate tracking data. It additionally provides a groundwork for development of more complex modeling of animal movement with TMB. To facilitate its uptake, we make it available through the R package swim.     

壳聚糖治疗阴道感染的临床疗效及观察

目的分析壳聚糖治疗阴道感染的临床疗效及观察。方法对随机抽取的320例患者进行壳聚糖治疗前和治疗后的比较。结果在320例阴道感染中,治疗效果显效245例（占受检人数的76．56％）,治疗效果有效67例（占受检人数的20．94％）,治疗无效8例（占受检人数的2．5％）。结论分析壳聚糖对各种阴道感染都有较好的疗效,有利于阴道微感染的治疗,而且治疗过程中,无一例患者发生副反应,表明壳聚糖治疗阴道感染的安全性。     

国家野外试验站现状分析及网络化体系构建

为了推动筹建国家级重点野外科学观测试验站网络化管理的工作,充分发挥野外试验站所观测数据的作用.我们选取了25个野外试验站作为试点站,并于2002年8月至10月主要采用调查表、网上查询和电子邮件交流的方式进行调查,调研的主要内容涉及各野外台站的基本情况、软硬什和网络以及数据集现状,以及国外野外台站的运行状况和发展趋势.通过调查结果的分析,表明目前我国野外台站在数据监测、管理以及数据标准化与共享方面存在较多的不足之处.据此提出建立网络台站管理体系的框架,为实现我国国家级野外试验站数据标准化与信息共事的目标奠定基础.     

Repeated invasions into the twilight zone: evolutionary origins of a novel assemblage of fishes from deep Caribbean reefs

Mesophotic and deeper reefs of the tropics are poorly known and underexplored ecosystems worldwide. Collectively referred to as the ‘twilight zone’, depths below ~30–50 m are home to many species of reef fishes that are absent from shallower depths, including many undescribed and endemic species. We currently lack even a basic understanding of the diversity and evolutionary origins of fishes on tropical mesophotic reefs. Recent submersible collections in the Caribbean have provided new specimens that are enabling phylogenetic reconstructions that incorporate deep‐reef representatives of tropical fish genera. Here, we investigate evolutionary depth transitions in the family Gobiidae (gobies), the most diverse group of tropical marine fishes. Using divergence‐time estimation coupled with stochastic character mapping to infer the timing of shallow‐to‐deep habitat transitions in gobies, we demonstrate at least four transitions from shallow to mesophotic depths. Habitat transitions occurred in two broad time periods (Miocene, Pliocene–Pleistocene), and may have been linked to the availability of underutilized niches, as well as the evolution of morphological/behavioural adaptations for life on deep reefs. Further, our analysis shows that at least three evolutionary lineages that invaded deep habitats subsequently underwent speciation, reflecting another unique mode of radiation within the Gobiidae. Lastly, we synthesize depth distributions for 95 species of Caribbean gobies, which reveal major bathymetric faunal breaks at the boundary between euphotic and mesophotic reefs. Ultimately, our study is the first rigorous investigation into the origin of Caribbean deep‐reef fishes and provides a framework for future studies that utilize rare, deep‐reef specimens.     

An ecological digest of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida), a symbiont in honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera)

The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray) is an endemic scavenger in colonies of western honey bee subspecies (Apis mellifera L.) inhabiting sub-Saharan Africa where it only occasionally damages host colonies. Such damage is usually restricted to weakened/diseased colonies or is associated with after absconding events (all bees, including the queen, leave the hive) due to behavioral resistance mechanisms of its host. In sharp contrast, the beetle has proven deleterious to honey bee colonies in introduced ranges of the United States and Australia. With this review we synthesize the existing data in a manner that allows us to discuss the beetle’s natural history from an ecological perspective. A thorough exploration of beetle ecology allows us to 1) illuminate the unique symbiotic relationship it and its host share and understand how this relationship is fostered, 2) place this relationship in context with those of other arthropods inhabiting social insect colonies, 3) understand its natural reliance on honey bee colonies, 4) predict its spread outside its native range, and 5) predict its effects on non-African honey bees and non-target species. Here we present an amalgamation of information that will contribute to a more thorough and appropriate understanding of not only small hive beetles as symbionts, but of social insect symbionts in general. Received 4 April 2005; revised 15 October 2005; accepted 18 October 2005.     

The acquisition of stone-tool use in captive chimpanzees

In order to investigate the acquisition of stone-tool use to crack nuts, experiments were conducted with five captive chimpanzees, employing combinations of trial-and-error, and three types of observation learning of varied difficulty. Two adults and one sub-adult succeeded in acquiring this behavior in the tests where tool use was demonstrated by the experimenter, or by a successful chimpanzee. Analysis of their behavior patterns showed the adults' and sub-adult's process to success to be divided into three stages; these can be characterized as trial-and-error, understanding of the method, and learning the technique, respectively. A factor for distinguishing success from failure is whether or not a subject observes demonstrations with interest in the behavior itself. This interest, in turn, depends on the intensity of the desire for nuts. When released, the successful chimpanzees practiced the same behavior in a group of chimpanzees, and the behavior newly diffused to an infant. Unlike the adults, the infant did not go through the staged process but reached the solution through goal-directed trial-and-error.     

Non-destructive measurement of wheat roots in large undisturbed and repacked clay soil cores

Summary Non-destructive observations of root growth and distribution can be obtained from counting root intercepts with observation tubers inserted in the root zone. This paper describes the technique of inserting clear acrylic tubes horizontally into large undisturbed and repacked soil cores. Counts of roots intersecting scribed lines on the sides of the tubes were made with a fibrescope. Comparison was made between observation root tubes of different diameter (25 and 38.5 mm).The r² values for the relationships between root intercept counts and destructively determined values of root length density (RLD) ranged from 0.78 to 0.96. The larger diameter tubes had higher r² values. Theoretical calibration of the technique does not appear to be possible since analysis indicated that fewer roots intersected the scribed lines on the observation tube than would have been expected from a non-disturbed, randomly distributed root system. It is not known if this discrepancy is due to non-randomness or to an artifact associated with the insertion of the observation tube. Roots were not more prolific at the edge of the soil cores. Comparison of values of root length per unit soil surface area, rates of downward root growth and water uptake rates were within the ranges previously reported for wheat roots of field crops grown on clay soils. Observed root growth and distribution was found to be sensitive to four soil and water treatments imposed. It is concluded that the technique will allow quantitative analysis of root growth and distribution in undisturbed soil cores.