Rangeland degradation is poised to cause Africa's first recorded avian extinction

Rangeland degradation by livestock threatens several restricted-range species, but is largely overlooked by conservation biologists. The Sidamo lark Heteromirafra sidamoensis , confined to the Liben Plain grassland in southern Ethiopia, is critically endangered by bush encroachment, permanent settlement and agricultural conversion. Its global range was previously estimated at 760 km², but in 2007–2008 available habitat covered<35 km². Density estimates from multi-model inference analysis of distance transect data provided a global population estimate of 90–256 adults (possibly with a serious sex-ratio bias towards males). Logistic regression models of habitat selection showed that males preferentially occurred in areas of grassland with greater cover of medium-length grass (5–15 cm), less cover of bare ground and fewer bushes. Habitat transects extending outward from its core range revealed massive and rapid bush encroachment, corroborating information from semi-structured interviews. The survival of both local Borana pastoralism and this species – mainland Africa's likeliest first avian extinction – depends on restoring seasonal patterns of grazing, resisting agricultural conversion of grasslands, reversing fire suppression policies and clearing bush.     

天山南麓山前平原植物群落物种多样性及空间分异研究

荒漠灌丛是天山南麓山前平原主要植被类型.本研究定量分析了山前平原植物群落物种多样性及生境尺度异质性的影响.结果表明:(1)天山南麓山前平原的植物群落多样性指数Simpson、均匀度指数McIntosh及丰富度指数Margalef都较低,在地貌带的过渡上,植物分布呈现均匀化.(2)海拔和地下水埋深是影响天山南麓山前平原植物群落物种多样性的重要环境指标.海拔梯度与物种多样性指数Simpson、Margalef及McIntosh均呈显著的线性正相关关系,物种多样性均随海拔高度的增加而增加;地下水埋深与物种多样性指数呈极显著的线性负相关关系,物种多样性随地下水埋深的增加而减小.(3)土壤含盐量与物种多样性指标无显著关系,但土壤含盐量与地下水埋深相关性显著,这是天山南麓山前平原土壤盐分空间异质性的一个重要特点.土壤盐分含量变化影响着植物群落物种组成,随土壤盐分含量增加,群落中盐生植物种类逐渐占据优势.(4)海拔的变化是决定天山南麓山前平原灌丛群落生境差异的主导因子.海拔差异表征了山前平原地貌、水文地质条件及土壤的变化,而随海拔变化的水热、水盐等干扰体系的差异则进一步导致了异质性的生境,进而影响不同植被类型中群落组成结构和多样性的差异.     

黄河下游平原不同非农生境中植物多样性

自然、半自然等非农生境是区域农业景观的重要组成部分,对区域生物多样性保护具有重要意义。黄河下游平原区是典型的农业景观,农田是最主要的景观类型,林地、树篱等景观要素散布其中,为研究区内非农生境中生物多样性及其生态效应,采用典型样地法对区内典型农业景观中林地、树篱、田间道路和沟渠等主要非农生境中的植物群落进行调查研究。结果显示:区内植物组成以菊科、禾本科等为主;区内植物科的地理成分以世界分布和泛热带分布为主,各生境间有一定的差异,属的地理成分复杂,具有中国15个种子植物属分布型中的13个,以温带分布、世界分布和泛热带分布为主,总体上区内的植物组成以广布种为主,优势科属明显,特有种缺乏;各非农生境中的植物多样性存在一定的差异,林地和树篱生境具有较高的物种丰富度和多样性,显著高于田间道路,沟渠、林地和树篱生境中的物种均匀度和群落盖度均显著高于田间道路;β多样性分析表明田间道路生境中的群落组成分化程度在各样点间最大(β多样性指数最高);树篱、林地和田间道路等生境间群落相似性均较高,但其群落结构和优势种组成方面却存在显著的差异,沟渠作为一种特殊生境与其它生境间的群落相似性相对较低。研究表明,在黄河下游平原典型农业景观中,作为非农生境存在的林地和树篱在物种多样性维持中具有重要地位,沟渠为水生和湿生植物提供了庇护所,意义重大;各生境间高的群落相似性仅是物种组成名录相似性的反映,其空间格局和优势种群间差异明显,各生境植物群落的生态功能差异巨大。未来区内生物多样性的保护应重在生态系统过程、功能的加强以及生态系统服务的维持和提高,且需进一步在景观水平上探讨各非农景观要素的空间构型对其生态效益的影响机制及其调控和管理策略。     

Evidence that Early Carboniferous ostracods colonised coastal flood plain brackish water environments

A study of the stable isotope composition (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) of biogenic (ostracod, mollusc) and authigenic carbonates in the Ballagan Formation, Lower Carboniferous of Scotland, coupled with evidence from sedimentology and associated fossil fauna and flora, supports the argument that this formation was deposited in a coastal flood plain setting, in brackish (0.5 < 30‰ NaCl) and hypersaline (> 40‰ NaCl) waters, but in the absence of persistent normal marine conditions. The oxygen isotope data from the Ballagan Formation divide into three clusters: a diagenetic field defined by low δ¹⁸O (< − 11‰ VPDB); an intermediary field (δ¹⁸O − 11‰ to − 9‰) composed of a mixture of known primary and secondary (diagenetic) carbonates; and samples within the range of − 9‰ to − 4‰ which, as far as we can ascertain, are largely unaltered. No samples give typical Early Carboniferous δ¹⁸O marine values. Average marine carbonates from Europe have δ¹⁸O between − 4‰ to − 3‰. The Ballagan Formation carbonates were probably deposited in evaporated freshwater and/or brackish water. This conclusion is supported by the presence of evaporites (gypsum, anhydrite, halite pseudomorphs) and common desiccation-cracked mudstone surfaces throughout the Ballagan Formation, suggesting conditions of fluctuating salinity in ephemeral bodies of water. The stable isotope data support the notion that the ostracod assemblages of the Ballagan Formation were colonising brackish water and hypersaline ecologies on a coastal flood plain during the Early Carboniferous, a stage of development that may have encouraged their colonisation of fully non-marine (limnetic) environments during the later Carboniferous. The ostracods include cytherellacean and kloedenellacean species known from marginal marine sites elsewhere, but probably tolerant of brackish water, podocopid species such as ‘Bythocypris’ aequalis that may have been adapted for brackish water settings on coastal flood plains (ephemeral lakes and lagoons), and paraparchitacean-dominated assemblages that may signal harsh (hypersaline or desiccating) environments.     

Short-term decompositional state does not influence use of wood by macroinvertebrates in subtropical, coastal plain streams

Woody debris is an important habitat component, particularly in streams that lack other hard substrates. Research suggests a general relationship between increasing invertebrate density, diversity, and taxa richness with increasing wood decay in lotic systems, with some authors observing invertebrate taxonomic succession as decay proceeds. We designed a field experiment using colonization of known-aged woody debris in two streams to examine patterns in invertebrate colonization, density, diversity, richness, and succession. After aging woody debris 0–6 weeks in laboratory tanks and then placing the debris in the two subtropical, coastal plain streams for five additional weeks, we did not detect any statistical relationship between invertebrate density, diversity, evenness, richness, or life-history pattern with increasing woody debris decay, nor did we detect any relationships between the colonization or abundance of individual taxa and the decompositional state of the wood. In this paper, we propose two non-exclusive explanations for these trends based on opportunistic colonization and evolutionary filtering. Despite the apparent unimportance of decompositional state, woody debris still supported many taxa and remains an important habitat component. Our research further supports the importance of flooding and maintenance of intact riparian and floodplain forests to the woody debris dynamics and macroinvertebrates in coastal plain lotic systems.     

松嫩碱化草甸土壤种子库格局、动态研究进展

草地退化是全球干旱和半干旱草地生态系统的共同特征,由于土壤种子库在植被恢复和生物多样性维持等方面的重要作用,已成为研究热点。作为重要的脆弱生态系统,松嫩碱化草甸在人类活动和全球变化影响下发生了明显退化。松嫩碱化草甸土壤种子库研究始于20世纪90年代,主要集中在对虎尾草群落、星星草群落、碱蓬群落、羊草群落等不同演替阶段土壤种子库物种种类、密度、季节变化研究;该地区土壤种子库的物种数目随着恢复演替由初级向高级阶段而呈现逐渐增加的趋势,但物种数目均相对较少,且多以1年生为主。另外对种子雨和某些物种种子散布动态也有零星报道,主要是从群落水平进行的研究,种子雨的空间异质性表现在其组成和大小因群落而异。今后需要加强对松嫩碱化草甸土壤种子库格局与关键生境要素的耦合特征、种子库分布格局的形成机制等研究,研究方法上,引入稳定同位素标记和分子遗传学等研究方法和手段,开展持久种子库的长期定位监测研究,为盐碱地植被恢复提供理论依据。     

腱鞘巨细胞瘤的影像学诊断

目的:分析腱鞘巨细胞瘤的影像学表现以提高对该病的认识。方法:回顾性分析10例经手术病理证实的腱鞘巨细胞瘤的X线平片及MRI表现,其中10例行X线平片检查,8例行MRI平扫及增强扫描。结果:X线平片显示局部稍高密度软组织肿块影,邻近骨质未见明显异常或轻度侵蚀破坏。MRI表现为相应部位软组织肿块影,T1WI多呈较低信号,内可见条片状更低信号影,增强后强化明显;T2WI呈高低混杂信号影;病灶与邻近肌腱关系密切,其中一例包绕指屈肌腱蔓状生长;局部骨皮质可受侵。结论:腱鞘巨细胞瘤的影像学表现具有一定的特征性。     

美国东部杜克森林长期定位研究综述

 该文比较系统地综述了美国东部杜克森林76年来植物种类变化、种群动态和森林演替研究的基本情况。重点介绍了该森林内永久性森林样地的 设置和调查规范,以及最近10年来利用永久样地数据进行树木空间格局和自然干扰研究的最新进展,并将杜克森林永久样地监测规范和数据管 理方法与目前主要的森林监测网络进行了一定的比较,旨在对目前国际上蓬勃开展的长期定位植物多样性监测和空间格局研究有所启示和帮助 。     

吉林省中西部平原区土壤线虫群落生态特征

于 2 0 0 3年 7月和 9月 ,在吉林省中西部平原区进行土壤线虫取样 ,10个采样区 2 8个调查样地 2次共捕获线虫 10 2 2 0只 ,个体密度平均 182 5 0只 /m2 ,分别隶属于线形动物门 2纲 7目 2 0科 32属。真滑刃属、短体属和垫刃属为优势类群 ,是吉林省中西部平原区土壤线虫群落最重要的类群 ,稀有类群个体数量尽管很少 ,但分布的范围并不狭小 ,线虫各类群空间分布的广狭与个体数量的多寡在吉林省中西部平原区并末呈现出明显的一致性。土壤线虫群落垂直分布 ,受人类活动扰动的生境土壤线虫类群数和个体密度表聚性较差 ,土壤线虫向土壤下层移动明显 ;水平分布 ,天然林和受人类活动扰动生境土壤线虫类群数和个体密度差异显著 ;农田土地利用方式对土壤线虫群落特征影响总体是负面的 ,而居民点园地可能增加土壤线虫的类群数和生物多样性。 PPI/MI值对于不同人类活动对土壤生态环境的变化反映更敏感