Seasonal and Diel Changes in Behaviour,Microhabitat use and Preferences by Young Pool-dwelling Atlantic Salmon,Salmo salar,and Brown Trout,Salmo trutta

There was a pronounced decline in activity of young pool-dwelling Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, and brown trout, Salmo trutta, as the water temperatures dropped in the autumn and early winter, and the fish switched from a predominantly diurnal towards a nocturnal activity pattern. Such a switch in activity pattern has previously been observed in young brown trout, but the present study is the first documentation for juvenile Atlantic salmon under natural conditions. Juvenile fish fed actively even when water temperatures were below 0°C, although foraging behaviour at near-freezing temperatures was recorded exclusively during night surveys. This indicates that other proximate factors, in addition to water temperature, affect the activity of young salmon and trout in rivers. Trout kept feeding positions significantly higher above bottom than salmon in August and September, but both species reduced the height above bottom at the onset of winter, possibly due to reduced swimming performance and lowered food availability in the upper part of the water column.     

Species loss leads to community closure

Global extinction of a species is sadly irreversible. At a local scale, however, extinctions may be followed by re-invasion. We here show that this is not necessarily the case and that an ecological community may close its doors for re-invasion of species lost from it. Previous studies of how communities are assembled have shown that there may be rules for that process and that limitations are set to the order by which species are introduced and put together. Instead of focusing on the assembly process we randomly generated simple competitive model communities that were stable and allowed for two to 10 coexisting species. When a randomly selected single species was removed from the community, the cascading species loss was recorded and frequently the resulting community was more than halved. Cascading extinctions have previously been recorded, but we here show that the relative magnitude of the cascade is dependent on community size (and not only trophic structure) and that the reintroduction of the original species lost often is impossible. Hence, species loss does not simply leave a void potentially refilled, but permanently alters the entire community structure and consequently the adaptive landscape for potential re-invaders.     

基于4种生态位模型的金钱松潜在适生区预测

金钱松（Pseudolarix amabilis）是我国特有孑遗植物，为国家II级保护植物。基于4种生态位模型（GARP、Bioclim、Domain和Maxent）预测金钱松潜在适生区，采用受试者工作特征曲线（Receiver Operating Characteristic，ROC）和Kappa统计量检验模型的预测效果。预测结果表明金钱松在浙江西北部、安徽南部、湖北南部、湖南北部以及江西北部表现为高度适生，并以这些地带为中心向外延伸至北纬24.43°-33.35°和东经106.41°-123.42°之间，4种模型预测结果的受试者工作特征曲线下面积（Area under recriver operating characteristic curve，AUC）平均值均大于0.9，Kappa平均值亦大于0.75，精度较高。通过"刀切法"分析得出年均温是预测金钱松潜在适生区的关键影响因子，可能为当前金钱松分布格局形成的决定因素。模拟金钱松在末次盛冰期和2070年气候条件下的分布，结果表明其分布格局随气候变化由"南扩北缩"变为"南缩北扩"，未来分布面积将大幅减小，气候变化是导致其"南缩北扩"的主要驱动因子。建议在当前金钱松高适分布区域内（江西铜鼓县、湖南张家界和衡阳）建立自然保护区或种子园，并在未来气候条件下高适分布区域内（如安徽北部、河南南部、湖北东南部等地）通过人工引种辅助金钱松的北向迁移。     

Orchid seed sensitivity to nitrate reflects habitat preferences and soil nitrate content

• Orchids are distributed around the world, however, the factors shaping their specific distribution and habitat preferences are largely unknown. Moreover, many orchids are at risk of becoming threatened as landscapes change, sometimes declining without apparent reason. One important factor affecting plant distribution is nutrient levels in the environment. Nitrates can inhibit not only orchid growth and persistence, but also seed germination.
• We used in vitro axenic cultures to exactly determine the germination sensitivity of seven orchid species to nitrates and correlated this with soil properties of the natural sites and with the species’ habitat preferences.
• We found high variation in response to nitrate between species. Orchids from oligotrophic habitats were highly sensitive, while orchids from more eutrophic habitats were almost insensitive. Sensitivity to nitrate was also associated with soil parameters that indicated a higher nitrification rate.
• Our results indicate that nitrate can affect orchid distribution via direct inhibition of seed germination. Nitrate levels in soils are increasing rapidly due to intensification of agricultural processes and concurrent soil pollution, and we propose this increase could cause a decline in some orchid species.

     

Gene flow among Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) populations in Greece

Polymorphism of four enzymatic loci has been examined in 27 populations of Tetranychus urticae in relation to their geographical distribution and to two ecological parameters: open field vs. greenhouse habitats, and species of the colonized host plant. Genetic differentiation was significantly correlated to geographical distance in both types of habitat. Mite density and distribution of infested plants appear to be important factors for the population structure of T. urticae . In open field, T. urticae specimens from citrus trees were genetically more similar to other 'citrus' samples collected in different localities than they were from mites collected in the same locality on other plant species.     

Larval habitat for the avian malaria vector Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in altered mid‐elevation mesic‐dry forests in Hawai'i

Effective management of avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) in Hawai'i's endemic honeycreepers (Drepanidinae) requires the identification and subsequent reduction or treatment of larval habitat for the mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae). We conducted ground surveys, treehole surveys, and helicopter aerial surveys from 2001–2003 to identify all potential larval mosquito habitat within two 100+ ha mesic‐dry forest study sites in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i; ‘Ainahou Ranch and Mauna Loa Strip Road. At ‘Ainahou Ranch, anthropogenic sites (43%) were more likely to contain mosquitoes than naturally occurring (8%) sites. Larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus were predominately found in anthropogenic sites while Aedes albopictus larvae occurred less frequently in both anthropogenic sites and naturally‐occurring sites. Additionally, moderate‐size (≈20–22,000 liters) anthropogenic potential larval habitat had >50% probability of mosquito presence compared to larger‐ and smaller‐volume habitat (<50%). Less than 20% of trees surveyed at ‘Ainahou Ranch had treeholes and few mosquito larvae were detected. Aerial surveys at ‘Ainahou Ranch detected 56% (95% CI: 42–68%) of the potential larval habitat identified in ground surveys. At Mauna Loa Strip Road, Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae were only found in the rock holes of small intermittent stream drainages that made up 20% (5 of 25) of the total potential larval habitat. The volume of the potential larval habitat did not influence the probability of mosquito occurrence at Mauna Loa Strip Road. Our results suggest that Cx. quinquefasciatus abundance, and subsequently avian malaria, may be controlled by larval habitat reduction in the mesic‐dry landscapes of Hawai'i where anthropogenic sources predominate.     

The fish assemblage on a coralligenous shallow shelf off the Mediterranean coast of northern Israel

The fish assemblage on the shallow coralligenous shelf (16-30m depth) off Haifa, Israel was sampled using trammel nets throughout a period of 1 year. Complementary data were obtained via underwater censuses of fish on an artificial reef established later in the sampling area. Fortythree species of fish were sampled by trammel nets, 79% of which were observed also during the underwater censuses. Although fish of Red Sea origin constituted only 11.6% of the species composition in the net samples, they contributed 46.2% of the fish abundance and 40.6% of the biomass in these samples. This was supported by the finding that species of Red Sea origin contributed 64% of the abundance of large fish counted on the artificial reef. Siganus luridas, S. rivulatus and Sargocentron rubrum are the main contributors in number and biomass among fish of Red Sea origin. It is suggested that the biogenic rocky bottom of this area contains several components which are similar to biogenic habitats favoured by these benthic species in the Red Sea; this may explain the high abundance of these species in the studied area.     

Parasitization of bats by bat flies (Streblidae) in fragmented habitats

Parasites represent a large fraction of the world's biodiversity. They control host population sizes and contribute to ecosystem functioning. However, surveys on species diversity rarely include parasitic species. Bats often present traits favoring parasite diversity, such as large home ranges, long life spans, and large colonies. The most conspicuous bat parasites are the highly host-specific, blood-sucking bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae). Recent studies have found a direct effect of habitat alteration on the abundance of bat species. We expected, therefore, that changes in the host community in response to anthropogenic habitat modification will also result in changes in the associated parasite community. We captured bats in three different habitats in Central Panama between 2013 and 2015. We recorded information on prevalence and intensity of bat fly parasitization of the seven most commonly captured bat species. Prevalence and intensity were both significantly influenced by roost type, abundance, and host sex and age. We found that habitat variables and matrix type significantly influenced the prevalence and intensity of parasitization, while the direction of the responses was host species- and parasite species-specific. In general, roosting conditions and behavior of host bats appear to be fundamental in explaining changes in prevalence and intensity of parasitization between different habitat types, as bat flies are bound to the roost during their reproductive cycle. Habitat alterations affect next to the host community composition also the availability of possible roost structures as well as microclimatic conditions, which all three reflect in parasitization.     

Global patterns of diversity among the specialist birds of riverine landscapes

1. Despite the growing view that biodiversity provides a unifying theme in river ecology, global perspectives on richness in riverine landscapes are limited. As a result, there is little theory or quantitative data on features that might have influenced global patterns in riverine richness, nor are there clear indications of which riverine landscapes are important to conservation at the global scale. As conspicuous elements of the vertebrate fauna of riverine landscapes, we mapped the global distributions of all of the world's specialist riverine birds and assessed their richness in relation to latitude, altitude, primary productivity and geomorphological complexity (surface configuration). 2. Specialist riverine birds, typical of high‐energy riverine landscapes and dependent wholly or partly on production from river ecosystems, occur in 16 families. They are represented by an estimated 60 species divided equally between the passerines and non‐passerines. Major radiation has occurred among different families on different continents, indicating that birds have evolved several times into the niches provided by riverine landscapes. 3. Continental richness varies from four species in Europe to 28 in Asia, with richness on the latter continent disproportionately larger than would be expected from a random distribution with respect to land area. Richness is greatest in mountainous regions at latitudes of 20–40°N in the riverine landscapes of the Himalayan mountains, where 13 species overlap in range. 4. Family, genus and species richness in specialist riverine birds all increase significantly with productivity and surface configuration (i.e. relief). However, family richness was the best single predictor of the numbers of species or genera. In keeping with the effect of surface configuration, river‐bird richness peaks globally at 1300–1400 m altitude, and most species occur typically on small, fast rivers where they feed predominantly on invertebrates. Increased lengths of such streams in areas of high relief and rainfall might have been responsible for species–area effects. 5. We propose the hypothesis that the diversity in channel forms and habitats in riverine landscapes, in addition to high temperature and primary productivity, have been prerequisites to the development of global patterns in the richness of specialist riverine organisms. We advocate tests of this hypothesis in other taxonomic groups. We draw attention, however, to the challenges of categorically defining riverine organisms in such tests because (i) rivers grade into many other habitat types across several different ecotones and (ii) `terrestrialisation' processes in riverine landscapes means that they offer habitat for organisms whose evolutionary origins are not exclusively riverine.