Speciation and coevolution: an interpretation of frugivory phenomena

Evolutionary considerations of frugivory must account for patterns of diversity and abundance of both frugivorous vertebrates (especially pulp-eaters) and of plants producing zoochorous fruits. Analysis of the diet and behavior of representative species of frugivores from the tropical forests of French Guiana (seven species of bird and eight mammals) allowed their degree of specialization for frugivory to be assessed. Analysis of the flora associated with these species showed that genera associated with specialized vertebrates had the greatest species richness. This pattern suggests that plant animal co-evolution occurs in a step-wise fashion with short transitory phases of animal and plant evolution followed by long periods of stability.     

Management oriented forest map of South India: thematic derivations

The principles and methods of the vegetation mapping undertaken at the French Institute, Pondicherry, are dealt with herein. Particularly, the characterisation of the different types of vegetation and especially the originality of the method: the dynamic interpretation of the vegetation and the depiction of the bioclimatic conditions. The programme of the forest map of South India at scale 1:250 000, undertaken in collaboration with the forest departments of the concerned states, is then described with special attention given to the source and the collection of data. This map has been conceived to serve as a basic document for the sustainable management of the forests. Three examples of its application are given. They concern the detection of anomalies between the existing forest cover and the prevalent climatic environment; the detection of areas for which protection is urgently needed; the selection of regions showing a particular interest in the field of nature conservation or as gene pool reserve. Finally, an example of a thematic map of sensibility of the forests is given, using the vegetation map as a basis.     

中国南海北部不同岛屿植被与土壤的耦合协调发展度

植被和土壤是陆地生态系统两个重要的组成部分,二者相互影响相互促进,探明两者的耦合协调关系是生态恢复与重建的顺利实施的关键。基于中国南海北部大庙墩岛、涠洲岛、大汉三墩岛、甘蔗岛和蜈支洲岛等个海岛的典型植被群落植被土壤的全面调查和取样分析,建立10个植被因子和14个土壤因子的2级层次指标体系,采用层析分析法确定各因子的权重,构建5个海岛植被土壤耦合度和耦合协调度模型。结果表明,不同岛屿的植被土壤耦合度和耦合协调度模型并不完全对应,植被与土壤的综合指数在不同岛屿中也不完全一致,甘蔗岛的植被效应和大汉三墩岛的土壤效应最佳。中国南海北部5个岛屿的植被土壤耦合协调状况较好,均处于初、中级协调发展状态,且除甘蔗岛外处于植被土壤同步型。总的来说,由于岛屿远离内陆,人类干扰相对较小,在植被土壤长期的演替过程中,中国南海北部岛屿植被土壤耦合协调较好,在其恢复与生态重建时要注重提高植物多样性、抚育水平和土壤管理水平。     

Coexisting mangrove-coral habitat use by reef fishes in the Caribbean

We conducted visual fish surveys in coexisting mangrove-coral (CMC) habitats in Panama to analyze the effect of coral presence in mangrove habitats on the fish assemblage. Our study revealed that CMC habitats harbor distinct fish assemblages compared to mangrove habitats without coral, with greater species richness and increased herbivore abundance. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

Piping plover chick ecology following landscape-level disturbance

Population declines of disturbance-dependent species due to suppression of natural disturbances are realized across ecosystems. The piping plover (Charadrius melodus; plover), a disturbance-dependent and conservation-reliant shorebird that nests on sandy beaches and barrier islands on the Atlantic Coast, was listed under the United States Endangered Species Act in 1986. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy landed on Fire and Westhampton islands, barrier island nesting sites for plovers in New York, USA. Hurricane Sandy was a natural disturbance in this system, creating abundant nesting habitat. The number of chicks produced by a pair, or a population, is a direct measure of reproductive output, and gaining a better understanding of productivity and chick behavior following large-scale habitat creation may improve plover habitat management and potentially species persistence. We evaluated the effects of landscape features on habitat selection, behavior, and survival of plover broods using logistic regression, generalized linear mixed effects models, and survival models. Plover broods selected flatter sites with less dense vegetation than available at random. Chick foraging rates were highest in moist substrates and were lower in areas of higher nesting plover density. Chick survival was greater for broods that hatched earlier in the breeding season and increased as chicks aged. Generally, providing access to sites with flatter, moist substrates will likely result in higher quality brood rearing habitat on the landscape. Ultimately, vegetation removal and habitat management may be needed to reduce plover nesting density and ensure sufficient habitat, which may in turn improve plover chick survival. Moreover, sustaining natural landscape disturbances such as those resulting from storms, and not taking actions to prevent hurricane-created overwash, will allow these landscape features to persist.     

热浪岛珊瑚礁泥砂真菌多样性及真菌Cladosporium sp. GXIMD02067天然产物分离与鉴定

【背景】海洋沉积物真菌富含生物活性天然产物,但珊瑚礁泥砂真菌及其天然产物的研究较少。【目的】分离珊瑚礁泥砂真菌及其天然产物,探究珊瑚礁泥砂来源真菌多样性,为海洋真菌天然产物开发奠定基础。【方法】采用稀释涂布平板法分离马来西亚热浪岛珊瑚礁泥砂真菌并基于ITSrDNA序列分析鉴定真菌;综合运用硅胶柱、反相柱和制备HPLC色谱技术分离枝孢属真菌(Cladosporium sp.) GXIMD02067的天然产物,通过核磁共振波谱技术和文献数据比对鉴定化合物结构。【结果】19株真菌被分离,隶属1纲4目4科6属,包括7株曲霉属(Aspergillus)、6株青霉属(Penicillium)、2株枝孢属(Cladosporium)、1株蜡蚧菌属(Lecanicillium)、2株路霉属(Lulworthia)和1株Parengyodontium。GXIMD02065和GXIMD02066 ITS rDNA序列的相似度小于87%,是潜在新菌种。7个化合物从Cladosporium sp. GXIMD02067中分离并鉴定为pyrenocine A (1)、pyrenocine B (2)、胸腺嘧啶脱...     

海南潜在世界自然遗产地的突出普遍价值初探

世界自然遗产地是全球最具有保护价值的自然保护地,强调全球突出普遍价值的完整性和在全球的唯一性。世界自然遗产有助于更好地保护生态系统的完整性和原真性,促进人类与自然的可持续发展。该研究在大量文献资料的基础上,以海南潜在世界自然遗产地(海南热带雨林国家公园)原生动植物及植被群落(亚洲北缘热带雨林)为研究对象,从植被类型、物种多样性、区系组成、特有种等生物生态过程方面,评估海南潜在世界自然遗产地的全球突出普遍价值。结果表明:(1)海南潜在世界自然遗产地分布有3 653种野生维管植物,资源植物种类丰富。陆栖脊椎动物有540种,各类野生动物占全国的比例高达10%～30%,生物多样性极高。(2)植物区系独特,海南岛的热带雨林植被区划属于印度-马来雨林群系,属马来区的部分呈现出热带性和与中国华南大陆的共源性显示出明显的热带边缘性质,为中国华南植物区系与亚洲热带雨林的过渡类型。(3)植物区系中的植物物种特有性较低,特有属仅有7个,特有种仅约占岛内植物的1/10,较低的特有性表明了其大陆起源特征,是生物多样性不可替代的元素,具有鲜明的环境指示特色。该研究明确了海南潜在世界自然遗产地在全球背景下的突出普遍价值,为海南未来申遗提供科学依据和技术支撑。     

江西热带性植物的区系地理研究

本文通过对江西热带性植物区系成分各个分布类型的统计分析,阐述了本省热带性植物具有地理成分复杂,区系联系广泛,以泛热带和热带亚州分布型成分占优势;间断分布多样,残遗植物丰富;热带成分与温带成分交汇过渡,成为许多热带区系成分分布的北界。并初步探讨了江西植物区系地理的分界问题,笔者认为在江西境内,华东区系与华南区系的分界大致位于北纬25°(西)—25°20′(东)一线;中亚热带与北亚热带的区系分界约为北纬29°(西)—29°40′(东)一线;中亚热带两个亚热带的区系分界应在北纬27°(西)—27°40′(东)一线。此3条植物区系地理分界线由西向东有向北逐渐斜升的趋势,这是由于受太平洋湿热季风气候的影响所致。同时亦表明,某一地区植物区系的性质和特征主要是受其所处纬度(或海拔高度)的地带性气候因素长期孕育的结果。     

广椭牛齿兰，中国兰科一新记录种

报道了在海南热带雨林国家公园内发现的兰科牛齿兰属中国一新记录种：广椭牛齿兰[Appendicula ovalis(Schltr.) J.J.Sm. ex Mansf.]。该种原分布于马来半岛、苏门答腊岛、爪哇岛、婆罗洲、苏拉威西岛,在形态上与国内记录的4种牛齿兰属植物均有较大差别,如茎中部具分枝、叶广椭圆形、单个花序仅着生1朵花、且唇瓣扭转具粉紫色斑块等特征。对产自海南的该种形态和生境进行了详细描述,并提供高清解剖照片。凭证标本保存于海南大学林学院教学标本馆(HUFB)。     

Odontocete spatial patterns and temporal drivers of detection at sites in the Hawaiian islands

Successful conservation and management of marine top predators rely on detailed documentation of spatiotemporal behavior. For cetacean species, this information is key to defining stocks, habitat use, and mitigating harmful interactions. Research focused on this goal is employing methodologies such as visual observations, tag data, and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data. However, many studies are temporally limited or focus on only one or few species. In this study, we make use of an existing long-term (2009–2019), labeled PAM data set to examine spatiotemporal patterning of at least 10 odontocete (toothed whale) species in the Hawaiian Islands using compositional analyses and modeling techniques. Species composition differs among considered sites, and this difference is robust to seasonal movement patterns. Temporally, hour of day was the most significant predictor of detection across species and sites, followed by season, though patterns differed among species. We describe long-term trends in species detection at one site and note that they are markedly similar for many species. These trends may be related to long-term, underlying oceanographic cycles that will be the focus of future study. We demonstrate the variability of temporal patterns even at relatively close sites, which may imply that wide-ranging models of species presence are missing key fine-scale movement patterns. Documented seasonal differences in detection also highlights the importance of considering season in survey design both regionally and elsewhere. We emphasize the utility of long-term, continuous monitoring in highlighting temporal patterns that may relate to underlying climatic states and help us predict responses to climate change. We conclude that long-term PAM records are a valuable resource for documenting spatiotemporal patterns and can contribute many insights into the lives of top predators, even in highly studied regions such as the Hawaiian Islands.