Feasible mechanisms for algal digestion in the king angelfish

To determine the ability of the king angelfish Holacanthus passer to digest algae, three algal species were immersed in acidic conditions similar to that found in the stomach of fish. Only one of them was not susceptible to acidic lysis; two were affected after 40 and 60 min at pH 2·0. King angelfish have an expanded region of the intestine called here the hindgut chamber (HC) containing populations of micro-organisms. Some of these micro-organisms have the capacity to grow in cellulose, agar, and alginic acid; the main components of algal cell walls. Micro-organisms grew in carboxymethylcellulose cultures under aerobic and micro-aerobic conditions. The HC is highly vascularized, which could increase absorptive efficiency of material digested in it.     

Diet of the Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini) in Kien Luong Karst area,Kien Giang Province

The Indochinese silvered langur (Trachypithecus germaini) is distributed to the west of Mekong River in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. During a two‐year study, from May 2014 to May 2016, we collected 320.44 hr of behavior, with 17,040 feeding bouts recorded (142 hr) for T. germaini on Chua Hang Karst Mountain, Kien Luong District, Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. Feeding accounted for 45% of the Indochinese silvered langurs’ activity budget. The plant diet of the Indochinese silvered langurs was principally composed of young leaves (58%), followed by mature leaves (9.5%), fruits (22.7%), flowers (4.7%), buds (3.3%), petioles (1.2%), and other (0.5%). A total of 58 plant species were fed on by the silvered langurs, and leaves of eight species (Phyllathus reticulatus, Ficus rumphii, Ficus tinctoria, Ficus microcarpa, Cayratia trifolia, Streblus ilicifolia, Combretum latifolium, and Streblus asper) were fed on throughout the year. P. reticulatus was most frequently eaten (13.9% feeding time, n = 1,733). Food selection differed significantly between months and seasons. The Indochinese silvered langurs ate 27 plant species in the wet season compared with 23 plant species in the dry season. Leaf chemical composition of two food categories, 16 eaten species (with 10 most frequently consumed species and six least consumed species), and four noneaten species, were analyzed. Feeding samples from eaten species in the Indochinese silvered langurs's diet contained lower amounts of condensed tannin, lignin, protein, ash, and lipids, but a higher amount of total sugar compared with samples from noneaten species. Furthermore, the most frequently consumed species contained lower amounts of lignin compared with the less frequently consumed species. Using a generalized linear model with five variables, including neutral detergent fiber (NDF), total sugar, lignin, lipid, and calcium (Ca) indicated that NDF positively correlated and lignin content negatively correlated with feeding records in the diet of these langur.     

Modelling biome shifts and tree cover change for 2050 in West Africa

Aim Africa is expected to face severe changes in climatic conditions. Our objectives are: (1) to model trends and the extent of future biome shifts that may occur by 2050, (2) to model a trend in tree cover change, while accounting for human impact, and (3) to evaluate uncertainty in future climate projections. Location West Africa. Methods We modelled the potential future spatial distribution of desert, grassland, savanna, deciduous and evergreen forest in West Africa using six bioclimatic models. Future tree cover change was analysed with generalized additive models (GAMs). We used climate data from 17 general circulation models (GCMs) and included human population density and fire intensity to model tree cover. Consensus projections were derived via weighted averages to: (1) reduce inter‐model variability, and (2) describe trends extracted from different GCM projections. Results The strongest predicted effect of climate change was on desert and grasslands, where the bioclimatic envelope of grassland is projected to expand into the desert by an area of 2 million km². While savannas are predicted to contract in the south (by 54 ± 22 × 10⁴ km²), deciduous and evergreen forest biomes are expected to expand (64 ± 13 × 10⁴ km² and 77 ± 26 × 10⁴ km²). However, uncertainty due to different GCMs was particularly high for the grassland and the evergreen biome shift. Increasing tree cover (1–10%) was projected for large parts of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, but a decrease was projected for coastal areas (1–20%). Furthermore, human impact negatively affected tree cover and partly changed the direction of the projected change from increase to decrease. Main conclusions Considering climate change alone, the model results of potential vegetation (biomes) show a ‘greening’ trend by 2050. However, the modelled effects of human impact suggest future forest degradation. Thus, it is essential to consider both climate change and human impact in order to generate realistic future tree cover projections.     

Adaptations for feeding on rock surfaces and sandy sediment by the fiddler crabs (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) Uca tetragonon(Herbst, 1790) and Uca vocans(Linnaeus, 1758)

Two species of fiddler crab, Uca tetragonon(Herbst, 1790) and Uca vocans(Linnaeus, 1758), which belong to the subgenus Gelasimus, dwell on rocky shores and muddy–sandy tidal flats, respectively, in Phuket Is., Thailand. We investigated their feeding ecology in relation to the morphology of their feeding organs: minor food-handling chelipeds and maxillipeds. U. tetragononfed chiefly on rocks covered by filamentous green algae. U. vocansfed on the emerged sand and in shallow water along the shoreline and in pools. While feeding, both crabs made sand pellets beneath their mouthparts and discarded them, indicating that they divided the matter scooped up with their minor chelipeds into edible and inedible fractions by using the maxillipeds in the water passing through their buccal cavity. The morphology of maxillipeds hardly differed between the two species, which means that both species are flotation-feeders. The morphology of their minor chelipeds, however, differed: the tips of the dactyl and pollex were flat in U. tetragononand pointed in U. vocans.When the minor cheliped was closed, U. tetragononhad a hemispherical space in the distal one-fourth of the gape, which was closed by the framing keratin layers and a few setae of the dactyl and pollex. On the other hand, U. vocanshad an ellipsoidal space in the distal half of the gape. We consider these morphological characters to be adaptations to the different feeding substrates for retaining more food-laden sediment. We discuss the role of the setae on the minor chelipeds on the basis of the morphological differences between populations of U. tetragononin Phuket Is. and East Africa where the crab inhabits muddy–sandy tidal flats.     

Inclusion of phytosociological data in an index of vegetation fire danger: application and mapping on the Karst area around Trieste (Italy)

In this paper we propose a method to produce maps of fire danger index (FDI). The index includes in the formula a vegetation pyrogenic potential index (VPPI) based on floristic phytosociological data. The map of FDI is produced by integrating available phytosociological maps of vegetation, geomorphology and climate, using the Geographic Information System technology. The method is applied to an area of the coastal Classical Karst (NE-Italy). While fire risk maps based on the incidence of previous fires are useful for facilitating emergency operations, e.g. the allocation of fire fighting resources, we conclude that the proposed index offers an effective tool to plan actions for fire prevention.     

西南喀斯特石漠化生态系统土壤有机碳分布特征及其影响因素

喀斯特石漠化已成为制约我国西南地区社会经济可持续发展最严重的生态地质环境问题,其恢复重建已成为我国社会经济建设中一项重要内容。土壤有机碳作为土壤质量评价的重要指标,可以综合反映土地生产力、环境健康功能,另一方面土壤有机碳也间接影响了陆地生物碳库,是陆地生态系统碳平衡的主要因子,它的转化和积累变化直接影响全球碳循环动态,已成为生态科学领域研究的热点之一。系统的总结了西南喀斯特石漠化地区不同土地覆被/土地利用、不同等级石漠化环境土壤有机碳的空间和季节分布特征。结合前人研究成果,进一步分析了影响喀斯特石漠化地区土壤有机碳分布的自然(气候、地形与土壤性质、植被等)和人为(土地覆被/土地利用变化、农业管理措施等)各因素,并提出增加喀斯特石漠化地区土壤有机碳含量的对策。研究结果为喀斯特石漠化退化生态系统恢复重建、石漠化地区土壤综合利用、增加碳截存应对全球碳循环减源增汇等提供了重要的科学参考。     

接种丛枝菌根真菌对云南石漠化土壤呼吸的影响

为探明"丛枝菌根（Arbuscular mycorrhiza，AM）真菌-植物-土壤"耦合作用对石漠化土壤呼吸季节动态的影响，采用LI-6400-09土壤呼吸室和便携式光合作用测量系统，对圆柏（Sabina chinensis）接种摩西斗管囊霉（Funneliformis mosseae，FM）、根内根孢囊霉（Rhizophagus intraradices，RI）2种AM菌种处理下土壤呼吸季节动态进行野外连续定位观测，并探究AM真菌接种处理下石漠化土壤呼吸速率与植物生长、土壤理化性质之间的关系。结果表明：（1）相较于对照，接种AM真菌对石漠化生境土壤呼吸季节动态产生了显著影响（P<0.01）。AM真菌处理具有较高的土壤呼吸季节变化幅度，即根内根孢囊霉处理土壤呼吸速率（1.55-9.10 μmol m^-2 s^-1）显著高于摩西斗管囊霉（1.62-8.29 μmol m^-2 s^-1）和对照（1.23-4.46 μmol m^-2 s^-1）；（2） AM真菌接种处理下土壤温湿度变化对土壤呼吸的影响显著大于对照，即土壤温度与水分对土壤呼吸的平均解释量大小顺序为：RI （44.84%；52.35%）>FM （17.18%；41.65%）>CK （2.66%；16.55%）；（3）2种菌种处理下土壤呼吸速率均与土壤有机质、硝态氮、全氮、速效钾、树高、胸径及根系生物量呈显著或极显著正相关（P<0.01或0.05），而与pH呈极显著负相关（P<0.01），但对照处理土壤呼吸速率除与pH呈显著负相关（P<0.05）外，与其它土壤理化指标相关性不显著；（4）土壤温度和水分、硝态氮、铵态氮、有机质、易氧化有机碳、速效钾、全氮及全磷对土壤呼吸变化的贡献最大，而胸径、树高、有效磷、微生物生物量、根系生物量及pH的影响次之。因此，"AM真菌-寄主植物-土壤"相互作用对石漠化生境土壤呼吸季节动态的影响，主要取决于不同AM真菌接种处理对土壤微气候（如含水量）、碳素（有机质、易氧化有机碳）、无机氮库（铵态氮、硝态氮）、根系生物量及磷钾养分可利用性的调控。     

喀斯特常绿落叶阔叶混交林土壤磷钾养分空间异质性

在木论国家级自然保护区内喀斯特常绿落叶阔叶混交林内建立500 m×500 m长期监测样地,采用经典统计学和地统计学方法研究喀斯特森林土壤磷钾养分含量及其空间变异特征。结果表明:研究区土壤全磷(TP)、全钾(TK)、速效磷(AP)、速效钾(AK)含量分别为(1.60±0.76)g/kg、(5.42±2.74)g/kg、(5.74±3.63)mg/kg、(5.20±2.96)mg/kg;磷钾养分含量均为中等变异,变异强度为APAKTKTP。研究区土壤TP、TK、AP、AK变异函数值的最佳拟合模型均为指数模型,决定系数均很高(0.671-0.995),TP、AP呈中等强度空间自相关,TK、AK呈弱空间自相关。TP、AP的变程较长,分别为336.00 m和373.50 m,空间连续性较好,TK、AK变程较短(33.30 m、64.50 m),空间依赖性较强。土壤TP表现为坡下(含洼地)含量高,坡上含量较低;AK表现为坡中含量高于洼地含量;AP、TK呈斑块破碎化分布。海拔、坡度和地面凹凸度是土壤磷钾养分空间异质性的主要影响因素。喀斯特常绿落叶阔叶混交林土壤磷钾养分存在不同空间异质性和空间关联性,这为小流域尺度上土壤养分管理、可持续利用策略、喀斯特退化生态系统生态恢复提供理论依据。