Optimizing canopy‐forming algae conservation and restoration with a new herbivorous fish deterrent device

The role of herbivorous fish in threatening marine forests of temperate seas has been generally overlooked. Only recently, the scientific community has highlighted that high fish herbivory can lead to regime shifts from canopy‐forming algae to less complex turf communities. Here, we present an innovative herbivorous fish deterrent device (DeFish), which can be used for conservation and restoration of marine forests. Compared to most traditional fish exclusion systems, such as cages, the DeFish system does not need regular cleaning and maintenance, making it more cost‐efficient. Resistance of DeFish was tested by installing prototypes at different depths in the French Riviera and in Montenegro: more than 60% of the devices endured several years without maintenance, even if most of them were slightly damaged in the exposed site in Montenegro. The efficacy of DeFish in limiting fish herbivory was tested by an exclusion experiment on Cystoseira amentacea in the French Riviera. In a few months, the number of fish bite marks on the seaweed was decreased, causing a consequent increase in algal length. The device here presented has been conceived for Mediterranean canopy‐forming algae, but the same concept can be applied to other species vulnerable to fish herbivory, such as kelps or seagrasses. In particular, the DeFish design could be improved using more robust and biodegradable materials. Innovative engineering systems, such as DeFish, are expected to become useful tools in the conservation and restoration of marine forests, to complement other practices including active reforestation, herbivore regulation, and regular monitoring of their status.     

福建龙岩新罗区松墨天牛成虫活动规律初步研究

利用福建农林大学研发的APF-Ⅰ型松墨天牛持久型诱芯和专用配套ZM-808型诱捕器诱捕松墨天牛成虫,摸清其在福建龙岩市新罗区的活动规律,为松材线虫病的防控提供依据。结果表明,新罗区松墨天牛成虫在3月下旬开始活动,为活动初期;活动盛期在5月中旬至7月中旬;7月下旬至11月上旬为活动末期;11月中旬至翌年3月上旬无松墨天牛成虫活动。5个诱捕器全年共收集松墨天牛成虫824头,其中雌虫701头,雄虫123头,雌雄比为1:0.18,收集到的松墨天牛成虫雌虫数量多于雄虫数量。根据松墨天牛成虫的活动规律,在松材线虫病防控工作中,松墨天牛诱捕器诱杀应在3月下旬至10月中下旬进行;每年3月底前应将不明原因枯死松树清理干净,同时加强林间松墨天牛成虫防治工作,杜绝传播隐患。     

Liana abundance and diversity increase with rainfall seasonality along a precipitation gradient in Panama

In tropical regions, rainfall gradients often explain the abundance and distribution of plant species. For example, many tree and liana species adapted to seasonal drought are more abundant and diverse in seasonally-dry forests, characterized by long periods of seasonal water deficit. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) is commonly used to explain plant distributions across climate gradients. However, the relationship between MAP and plant distribution is often weak, raising the question of whether other seasonal precipitation patterns better explain plant distributions in seasonally-dry forests. In this study, we examine the relationship between liana abundance and multiple metrics of seasonal and annual rainfall distribution to test the hypothesis that liana density and diversity increase with increasing seasonal drought along a rainfall gradient across the isthmus of Panama. We found that a normalized seasonality index, which combines MAP and the variability of monthly rainfall throughout the year, was a significant predictor of both liana density and species richness, whereas MAP, rainfall seasonality and the mean dry season precipitation (MDP) were far weaker predictors. The strong response of lianas to the normalized seasonality index indicates that, in addition to the total annual amount of rainfall, how rainfall is distributed throughout the year is an important determinant of the hydrological conditions that favor liana proliferation. Our findings imply that changes in annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality will determine the future distribution and abundance of lianas. Models that aim to predict future plant diversity, distribution, and abundance may need to move beyond MAP to a more detailed understanding of rainfall variability at sub-annual timescales.     

Genetic diversity,structure, and demography of Pandanus boninensis (Pandanaceae) with sea drifted seeds,endemic to the Ogasawara Islands of Japan: Comparison between young and old islands

Pandanus boninensis, endemic to the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, is distributed on both the older Bonin and younger Volcano Islands. In this study, we conducted population genetic analyses of P. boninensis on these islands to examine the population diversity and structure across old and young islands, to assess potential differences in population demography with island age, and to collect any evidence of migration between old and young islands. We found that the genetic diversity of expressed sequence tag (EST)–based microsatellite (SSR) markers, the nucleotide diversity of nuclear DNA sequences, and the haplotype diversity of chloroplast DNA on young islands were lower than those on old islands. Clustering analyses of EST‐SSR indicated that populations on old islands were strongly diverged from those on young islands. Approximate Bayesian computation analysis of EST‐SSR suggested that population expansion occurred on old islands while population reduction occurred on young islands. We also found evidence of migration among old islands (mostly from south to north), while it appears that there have been very few migration events between old and young islands. These differences could be due to the fact that young islands tend to be geographically isolated and support smaller populations that began a shorter time ago from limited founders. The P. boninensis populations on the Volcano Islands are interesting from an evolutionary perspective as they constitute a classic example of the early stages of progressive colonization on oceanic islands with small effective population sizes and low genetic diversity.     

生境梯度影响下的天然红松种群空间格局与种内关联

为理清生境梯度下天然红松种群空间分布规律,以黑龙江省凉水国家级自然保护区内自坡底至坡顶的四种生境(生境Ⅰ,谷地平坡潮湿生境;生境Ⅱ,坡下缓坡潮湿生境;生境Ⅲ,坡上斜坡半湿润生境;生境Ⅳ,坡顶陡坡半干旱生境)类型中建群种红松种群为研究对象。分析不同林层(主林层、亚林层、演替层、更新层)红松种群的数量特征,并基于O-ring函数,在重复采样条件下评价了红松种群空间分布格局。结果表明:(1)下坡位生境(生境Ⅰ、Ⅱ)红松更新层种群数量显著大于上坡位(生境Ⅲ、Ⅳ)(P0.05),演替层中差异不显著;自坡底至坡顶的生境梯度上,主林层和亚林层中红松株数比例增加,红松种群年龄结构结构由倒J型向J型转变。(2)下坡位原始红松林更新层和演替层中红松种群聚集规模与聚集强度均高于上坡位,坡顶(生境Ⅳ)原始红松林更新层中红松种群聚集规模与聚集强度高于坡上(生境Ⅲ)。(3)四类生境的原始红松林中主林层与更新层中红松种群总体表现为空间独立,在个别尺度上表现出微弱的空间正关联或负关联;在0—5 m尺度上,下坡位红松林原始林内演替层与主林层红松种群表现为空间负关联,而上坡位生境林分对应林层间空间关系则为空间正关联;四类生境中,亚林层与主林层中红松种群在全部研究尺度上均表现为空间独立。可以认为,造成上坡位生境的原始红松林中幼树、幼苗聚集规模与强度弱于下坡位的原因是上坡位更新与演替层中种群数量较少;而随坡位上升,更现层、演替层与主林层中红松种群间的空间关系由空间负关联向空间正关联转变是生物与非生物因子共同作用的结果。研究结果为阔叶红松林的经营管理与生态修复提供了理论依据。     

Environmental influences on and antimicrobial activity of the skin microbiota of Proceratophrys boiei (Amphibia,Anura) across forest fragments

The composition of the skin microbiota of amphibians is related to the biology of host species and environmental microbial communities. In this system, the environment serves as a microbial source and can modulate the hosted community. When habitats are fragmented and the environment disturbed, changes in the structure of this microbial community are expected. One important potential consequence of fragmentation is a compromised protective function of the microbiota against pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the skin microbiota of the amphibian Proceratophrys boiei was characterized, evaluated for relationships with environmental variables and environmental sources of microbial communities, and its diversity evaluated for frog populations from fragmented and continuous forests. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of this skin community was studied in frogs from both forest types. Culture methods and 16S rRNA high‐throughput gene sequencing were used to characterize the microbial community and demonstrated that the skin microbiota of P. boiei is more closely related to the soil microbial communities than those inhabiting water bodies or fragment matrix, the unforested area around the forested fragment. The microbial diversity and abundance of P. boiei skin microbiota are different between continuous forests and fragments. This community is correlated with environmental variables, especially with temperature of microhabitat and distance to human dwelling. All individuals of P. boiei harbored bacteria capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria and different strains of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and a total of 27 bacterial genera were detected. The results of this study indicate that the persistence of populations of this species will need balanced and sustained interactions among host, microorganisms, and environment.     

Intraspecific trait variability shapes leaf trait response to altered fire regimes

Background and AimsUnderstanding impacts of altered disturbance regimes on community structure and function is a key goal for community ecology. Functional traits link species composition to ecosystem functioning. Changes in the distribution of functional traits at community scales in response to disturbance can be driven not only by shifts in species composition, but also by shifts in intraspecific trait values. Understanding the relative importance of these two processes has important implications for predicting community responses to altered disturbance regimes.MethodsWe experimentally manipulated fire return intervals in replicated blocks of a fire-adapted, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem in North Carolina, USA and measured specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and compositional responses along a lowland to upland gradient over a 4 year period. Plots were burned between zero and four times. Using a trait-based approach, we simulate hypothetical scenarios which allow species presence, abundance or trait values to vary over time and compare these with observed traits to understand the relative contributions of each of these three processes to observed trait patterns at the study site. We addressed the following questions. (1) How do changes in the fire regime affect community composition, structure and community-level trait responses? (2) Are these effects consistent across a gradient of fire intensity? (3) What are the relative contributions of species turnover, changes in abundance and changes in intraspecific trait values to observed changes in community-weighted mean (CWM) traits in response to altered fire regime?Key ResultsWe found strong evidence that altered fire return interval impacted understorey plant communities. The number of fires a plot experienced significantly affected the magnitude of its compositional change and shifted the ecotone boundary separating shrub-dominated lowland areas from grass-dominated upland areas, with suppression sites (0 burns) experiencing an upland shift and annual burn sites a lowland shift. We found significant effects of burn regimes on the CWM of SLA, and that observed shifts in both SLA and LDMC were driven primarily by intraspecific changes in trait values.ConclusionsIn a fire-adapted ecosystem, increased fire frequency altered community composition and structure of the ecosystem through changes in the position of the shrub line. We also found that plant traits responded directionally to increased fire frequency, with SLA decreasing in response to fire frequency across the environmental gradient. For both SLA and LDMC, nearly all of the observed changes in CWM traits were driven by intraspecific variation.     

联合GF-6和Sentinel-2红边波段的森林地上生物量反演

光谱反射率能反映地物差异,是森林地上生物量（Aboveground Biomass,AGB）遥感反演的理论基础。红边波段处于近红外与红光波段交界处快速变化的区域,能对植被冠层结构和叶绿素含量的微小变化做出快速反应,对植被生长状况较敏感。研究以GF-6和Sentinel-2多光谱影像作为数据源,结合野外调查AGB数据,构建落叶松和樟子松AGB线性和非线性估测模型,通过比较模型精度选择最优模型进行森林AGB反演和空间分布制图。结果表明：GF-6和Sentinel-2影像红边波段反射率与落叶松、樟子松AGB均呈显著相关（P<0.05）,红边波段对AGB估测较敏感。多变量估测模型整体估测效果优于单变量模型,所有模型中多元线性回归模型取得了最优的决定系数（落叶松R²=0.66,樟子松R²=0.65）和最低的均方根误差（落叶松RMSE=31.45 t/hm²,樟子松RMSE=54.77 t/hm²）。相比单个数据源,联合GF-6和Sentinel-2影像构建的多元线性回归模型估测效果得到了显著提升,模型RMSE对于落叶松和樟子松AGB估测分别最大降低了22.9%和11.2%。增加红边波段进行AGB估测能显著提高模型估测精度,三组数据源分别加入红边波段信息后进行建模,模型RMSE得到了显著降低。GF-6拥有800 km观测幅宽和高效的重访周期,可以快速地提供大尺度时间序列数据,在森林地上生物量反演和动态监测方面有着很大潜力。     

Evolutionary heritage shapes tree distributions along an Amazon‐to‐Andes elevation gradient

Understanding how evolutionary constraints shape the elevational distributions of tree lineages provides valuable insight into the future of tropical montane forests under global change. With narrow elevational ranges, high taxonomic turnover, frequent habitat specialization, and exceptional levels of endemism, tropical montane forests and trees are predicted to be highly sensitive to environmental change. Using plot census data from a gradient traversing > 3,000 m in elevation on the Amazonian flank of the Peruvian Andes, we employ phylogenetic approaches to assess the influence of evolutionary heritage on distribution trends of trees at the genus‐level. We find that closely related lineages tend to occur at similar mean elevations, with sister genera pairs occurring a mean 254 m in elevation closer to each other than the mean elevational difference between non‐sister genera pairs. We also demonstrate phylogenetic clustering both above and below 1,750 m a.s.l, corresponding roughly to the cloud‐base ecotone. Belying these general trends, some lineages occur across many different elevations. However, these highly plastic lineages are not phylogenetically clustered. Overall, our findings suggest that tropical montane forests are home to unique tree lineage diversity, constrained by their evolutionary heritage and vulnerable to substantial losses under environmental changes, such as rising temperatures or an upward shift of the cloud‐base.     

Application of machine learning to identify predators of stocked fish in Lake Ontario: using acoustic telemetry predation tags to inform management

Understanding predator–prey interactions and food web dynamics is important for ecosystem-based management in aquatic environments, as they experience increasing rates of human-induced changes, such as the addition and removal of fishes. To quantify the post-stocking survival and predation of a prey fish in Lake Ontario, 48 bloater Coregonus hoyi were tagged with acoustic telemetry predation tags and were tracked on an array of 105 acoustic receivers from November 2018 to June 2019. Putative predators of tagged bloater were identified by comparing movement patterns of six species of salmonids (i.e., predators) in Lake Ontario with the post-predated movements of bloater (i.e., prey) using a random forests algorithm, a type of supervised machine learning. A total of 25 bloater (53% of all detected) were consumed by predators on average (± S.D. ) 3.1 ± 2.1 days after release. Post-predation detections of predators occurred for an average (± S.D. ) of 78.9 ± 76.9 days, providing sufficient detection data to classify movement patterns. Tagged lake trout Salvelinus namaycush provided the most reliable classification from behavioural predictor variables (89% success rate) and was identified as the main consumer of bloater (consumed 50%). Movement networks between predicted and tagged lake trout were significantly correlated over a 6 month period, supporting the classification of lake trout as a common bloater predator. This study demonstrated the ability of supervised learning techniques to provide greater insight into the fate of stocked fishes and predator–prey dynamics, and this technique is widely applicable to inform future stocking and other management efforts.