Halobates collected during the circumnavigational expedition 'Operation Drake'

Samples of marine pleuston were collected from the sea-surface along considerable sections of the track of Eye of the Wind during its 2-year circumnavigational expedition 'Operation Drake' from November 1978 to October 1980. One hundred and eleven of the tow samples contained insects of the genus Halobates . They were assigned to four oceanic species: H. micans, H. sericeus, H. germanus and H. splendens; two coastal species: H. maculatus, H. princeps, and one undescribed species. Various development stages of the oceanic species were found. The locations, time of collection and surface temperatures where sea-skaters were collected are tabulated. Distributional boundaries and population densities of the oceanic species collected are discussed.     

Population dynamics of Meloidogyne incognita on black pepper plants in two agro-ecological regions in Vietnam

The objective of our study was to examine the effect of local environmental conditions, especially air temperature and rainfall, in two agro-ecological regions in Vietnam on the population dynamics of Meloidogyne incognita on black pepper plants and on percentage root galling. The two study sites were situated in Cam Lo, Quang Tri province (North Central Coast) and Buon Ma Thuot, Dac Lac province (Central Highlands). At the study sites, 13 plant-parasitic nematode taxa belonging to 12 genera were identified. Ten of these taxa were present in both study sites. Helicotylenchus certus, Hemicriconemoides cocophilus and Pratylenchus coffeae were only found in Buon Ma Thuot. Based on nematode population densities, M. incognita was the most abundant taxon present. Rainfall and air temperature differed significantly between the two study sites. The most important climatic difference was rainfall: in Buon Ma Thuot, the rainy season lasted 2 months longer and the monthly rainfall during the rainy season was much higher compared to Cam Lo. Although this difference resulted in some differences in the population dynamics of M. incognita in the soil and roots of the black pepper variety Vinh Linh, the highest root population densities were observed in both study sites during the first half of the dry season. In Cam Lo, the highest percentage root galling was observed during the first half of the dry season. In Buon Ma Thuot, the highest percentage root galling was observed towards the end of the rainy season. Estimating the population densities if M. incognita to decide on the application of a management strategy should be done during the first half of the dry season.     

科尔沁沙地不同密度(小面积)樟子松人工林生长状况

在内蒙古科尔沁沙地丘间片林中选择不同密度的樟子松样地,对樟子松在不同栽植密度条件下的生长情况进行了研究.由于受多年降水偏少的影响,科尔沁沙地的樟子松出现了大量枯梢继而死亡的现象,而这种现象与林地的密度存在很强的相关性.样地林木的死亡率随林地密度的加大呈幂函数关系增加,原先最高密度情况下的林地,保存到现在的活木数量反而最少;林木的平均死亡年龄、最早死亡年龄、冠幅、树高和胸径随林地密度的增加而减小.虽然在其它一些区域的研究结果表明,树高较少受竞争的影响,但是在半干旱区,树高仍然与密度相关.枯梢林木的比例在高密度的样地大于低密度的样地,枯梢对低密度样地的林木基本上没有大的影响.各样地的冠幅和胸径比相差不大,平均只有0.297,以此指标衡量,该地可能更适合单一樟子松林的种植.综合来看,科尔沁沙地的气候和土壤条件适合栽植樟子松,但初始密度应控制在2800株/hm2以下,并应根据生长情况在进入生长高峰期后对林木进行适时间伐,20a龄期的林木其密度保持在2100株/hm2左右比较适宜.     

The Vertical Pattern of Rooting and Nutrient Uptake at Different Altitudes of a South Ecuadorian Montane Forest

The vertical pattern of root length densities (RLD) of fine roots (<2 mm in diameter) and nitrogen (N) uptake potential were determined at different altitudes (1,900, 2,400, and 3,000 m a.s.l.) of a tropical montane forest in order to improve our knowledge about the depth distribution of nutrient uptake in this ecosystem. At higher altitudes, precipitation rate and frequency of fog were higher than at lower altitudes while mean annual air temperature decreased with increasing altitude. Soils were always very acid with significantly lower pH at a depth of 0.0–0.3 m in mineral soil at 3,000 m (2.8–2.9) than at 1,900 and 2,400 m (3.1–3.5). The vertical distribution of RLD was very similar both during the dry and the rainy season. During the dry season the percentage of root length in the organic layer increased from 51% at 1,900 m to 61% at 2,400 m and 76% at 3,000 m. At 3,000 m, RLD was markedly higher in the upper 0.05 m than in the remaining organic layer, whereas at 1,900 m and 2,400 m RLD were similar in all depths of the organic layer. In mineral soil, RLD decreased to a greater degree with increasing soil depth at the upper two study sites than at 1,900 m. The relative N uptake potential from different soil layers (RNUP) was determined by ¹⁵N enrichment of leaves after application of ¹⁵N enriched ammonium sulphate at various soil depths. RNUP closely followed fine root distribution confirming the shallower pattern of nutrient uptake at higher altitudes. RNUP was very similar for trees, shrubs and herbs, but shallower for saplings which obtained N only from the organic layer at both altitudes. Liming and fertilizing (N, P, K, Mg) of small patches in mineral soil had no significant impact on fine root growth. We conclude that the more superficial nutrient uptake ability at higher altitudes may be partly related to increased nutrient input from canopy by leaching. However, the specific constraints for root growth in the mineral soil of tropical montane forests warrant further investigations.     

Rodent foraging is affected by indirect, but not by direct, cues of predation risk

We used foraging trays to determine whether oldfield mice, Peromyscuspolionotus, altered foraging in response to direct cues of predationrisk (urine of native and nonnative predators) and indirectcues of predation risk (foraging microhabitat, precipitation,and moon illumination). The proportion of seeds remaining ineach tray (a measure of the giving-up density [GUD]) was usedto measure risk perceived by mice. Mice did not alter theirGUD when presented with cues of native predators (bobcats, Lynxrufus, and red foxes, Vulpes vulpes), recently introduced predators(coyotes, Canis latrans), nonnative predators (ocelots, Leoparduspardalis), a native herbivore (white-tailed deer, Odocoileusvirginianus), or a water control. Rather, GUD was related tomicrohabitat: rodents removed more seeds from foraging trayssheltered beneath vegetative cover compared with exposed traysoutside of cover. Rodents also removed more seeds during nightswith precipitation and when moon illumination was low. Our resultssuggest that P. polionotus used indirect cues rather than directcues to assess risk of vertebrate predation. Indirect cues maybe more reliable than are direct scent cues for estimating riskfrom multiple vertebrate predators that present the most riskin open environments.     

Microbial Communities Associated with Tree Bark Foliose Lichens: A Perspective on their Microecology

Tree‐bark, foliose lichens occur widely on a global scale. In some locales, such as forests, they contribute a substantial amount of biomass. However, there are few research reports on microbial communities including eukaryotic microbes associated with foliose lichens. Lichens collected from tree bark at 11 locations (Florida, New York State, Germany, Australia, and the Arctic) were examined to determine the density and C‐biomass of bacteria and some eukaryotic microbes, i.e. heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and amoeboid protists. A rich microbial diversity was found, including large plasmodial slime molds, in some cases exceeding 100 μm in size. The densities of HNF and amoeboid protists were each positively correlated with densities of bacteria, r = 0.84 and 0.80, respectively (p < 0.01, N = 11 for each analysis) indicating a likely bacterial‐based food web. Microbial densities (number/g lichen dry weight) varied markedly across the geographic sampling sites: bacteria (0.7–13.1 × 10⁸), HNF (0.2–6.8 × 10⁶) and amoeboid protists (0.4–4.6 × 10³). The ranges in C‐biomass (μg/g lichen dry weight) across the 11 sites were: bacteria (8.8–158.5), HNF (0.03–0.85), and amoeboid protists (0.08–540), the latter broad range was due particularly to absence or presence of large slime mold plasmodia.     

Consequences of different forms of conservation for large mammals in Tanzania: preliminary analyses

We examined the effects of protection from human activities and effects of tourist hunting on densities of 21 large mammal species in Tanzania. Aerial censuses revealed that mammal biomass per km² was highest in National Parks. Densities of nine ungulate species were significantly higher in National Parks and Game Reserves than in areas that permitted settlement; these tended to be the larger species favoured by poachers. The presence of tourist hunters had little positive or negative impact on ungulate densities, even for sought-after trophy species; limited ground censuses confirmed these results. Our analyses suggest that prohibition of human activity, backed up by on-site enforcement, maintains ungulate populations at relatively high densities, and challenge the idea that enforcement is only effective when spending is high.