Field Surveys Suggest Biennial Reproduction Cycle and Competition-triggered Dispersal of the Endangered Chinese Crocodile Lizard

The endangered Chinese crocodile lizard(Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is a habitat specialist living in streams of mountain forests in southern China and northern Vietnam. Conservation efforts are increasing for recovering its wild populations. However, the growth, reproduction, and dispersal ability of crocodile lizards in the wild are largely unknown. We conducted field surveys of the crocodile lizard population in Daguishan National Nature Reserve, one of the largest extant wild populations of cr...     

The influences of surface water-overflowing disturbance on the fluctuations of Tamarix ramosissima community in Western China

The main purpose of this study is to examine the fluctuation characteristics of Tamarix ramosissima community from the year of 2007–2008 in desert riparian forest under human surface water-overflowing disturbance in the lower reaches of Tarim River, China. In this paper, community structure, species diversity and dominant species were chosen as the indicators which could reflect the characteristics of community fluctuation. The representative sampling method was used to investigate and measure the fluctuation process of Comm. T. ramosissima. The main results showed that species numbers of the community increased 66.7% under the surface water-overflowing disturbance within two years comparing with it under non-disturbance. The Sorensen similarity coefficient of plant species is 0.75 in community under the disturbance and non-disturbance, indicating that species composition is very similar and main structure of the community has not changed on these two different treatments. Species diversity index of Comm. T. ramosissima changed a lot under the disturbance. Compared with it under non-disturbance, species richness and species diversity have been increasing while species evenness declined slightly under the disturbance. The numbers and kinds of dominant species also changed in community under the disturbance, of which the dominance of T. ramosissima is significantly increased. Compared with the river channel water disturbance, surface water-overflowing disturbance could enhance seed germination and plant growth through the effect of shallow soil moisture and its physic-chemical properties. And it improved the germination of plant seed in the soil and promoted the clone growth of plant reproductive body. As a result, species diversity was increased and species composition happened significantly changed in Comm. T. ramosissima influenced by the water-overflowing disturbance. In addition, community hierarchical structure was getting more complex. And then, it was concluded that water-overflowing disturbance is an effective way to positively affect the fluctuation of Comm. T. ramosissima in the lower reaches of Tarim River. Thus, it can make up for the insufficient effectiveness of river channel water disturbance to restore damaged vegetation.     

The influences of surface water-overflowing disturbance on the fluctuations of Tamarix ramosissima community in Western China

The main purpose of this study is to examine the fluctuation characteristics of Tamarix ramosissima community from the year of 2007–2008 in desert riparian forest under human surface water-overflowing disturbance in the lower reaches of Tarim River, China. In this paper, community structure, species diversity and dominant species were chosen as the indicators which could reflect the characteristics of community fluctuation. The representative sampling method was used to investigate and measure the fluctuation process of Comm. T. ramosissima. The main results showed that species numbers of the community increased 66.7% under the surface water-overflowing disturbance within two years comparing with it under non-disturbance. The Sorensen similarity coefficient of plant species is 0.75 in community under the disturbance and non-disturbance, indicating that species composition is very similar and main structure of the community has not changed on these two different treatments. Species diversity index of Comm. T. ramosissima changed a lot under the disturbance. Compared with it under non-disturbance, species richness and species diversity have been increasing while species evenness declined slightly under the disturbance. The numbers and kinds of dominant species also changed in community under the disturbance, of which the dominance of T. ramosissima is significantly increased. Compared with the river channel water disturbance, surface water-overflowing disturbance could enhance seed germination and plant growth through the effect of shallow soil moisture and its physic-chemical properties. And it improved the germination of plant seed in the soil and promoted the clone growth of plant reproductive body. As a result, species diversity was increased and species composition happened significantly changed in Comm. T. ramosissima influenced by the water-overflowing disturbance. In addition, community hierarchical structure was getting more complex. And then, it was concluded that water-overflowing disturbance is an effective way to positively affect the fluctuation of Comm. T. ramosissima in the lower reaches of Tarim River. Thus, it can make up for the insufficient effectiveness of river channel water disturbance to restore damaged vegetation.     

濒危植物南方红豆杉种群生命表及谱分析

Based on the investigation in Longxi Mountain National Nature Reserve and the theory of survival analysis, a static life table of Taxus chinensis var. mairei population was worked out, the curves of its survival rate, mortality rate and killing power were drawn, and the population dynamics was analyzed by spectral analysis. The results showed that the survival curve of the population appeared to be a type of Deevey-Ⅲ, and the high mortality of seeding was one of the important reasons which caused Taxus chinensis var. mairei to be endangered. The spectral analysis of the population showed that there was a marked periodic regularity in the process of natural regeneration of Taxus chinensis var. mairei.     

Smith fir population structure and dynamics in the timberline ecotone of the Sejila Mountain, Tibet, China

Smith fir (Abies georgei var. smithii), which grows on cool aspects with elevations ranging between 3600 m and 4400 m, is a major native dominant alpine tree species in Southeast Tibet, China. The smith fir population structure, dynamics and characteristics were investigated in the timberline ecotone of the Sejila Mountain. Results indicate that the minimum crown closure (≤20%) was reached at 4320 m above sea level, where two types of alpine species exist, smith fir and blackseed savin (Sabina saltuaria). On the warm aspects, blackseed savin is a dominant species. Forest line was formed gradually with a wider timberline ecotone. While on the cool aspects, smith fir is a dominant species. Forest line was formed clearly with a narrow timberline ecotone. Furthermore, the upper limits of the distribution of the alpine species were 4570 m and 4390 m on warm and cool aspects, respectively. The timberline ecotone widths of the two species on the warm and cool aspects were 250 m and 70 m, respectively. The optimal distribution of smith fir on the cool aspects was from 3700 m to 3800 m. The smith fir's diameter class distribution was of reversed “J” shape and its density was about 380 stem·hm?2, while the age structure appeared to be of pyramid-shape, suggesting an expanding population. Finally, the static life table and the survivorship curve showed that the populations had experienced severe environmental selection during their first 20 years, self-thinning between 60 to 100 years, and environmental changes related mortality at later stages. The smith fir's physiological life span was around 200 years, and its maximum age was about 400 years old.     

Forest characteristics and population structure of Glyptostrobus pensilis,a globally endangered relict species of southeastern China

The Chinese water pine Glyptostrobus pensilis is the sole surviving species of the genus Glyptostrobus. It is endemic to southern China, central Vietnam, and eastern Laos, and today it is nearly extinct in the wild. Forest community characteristics and population structure of G. pensilis in China have remained un-known up to now. We investigated six swamp forest stands and analyzed their forest community characteristics (i.e. vertical stratification, species composition, and diversity) and population structure, including the frequency distribution of DBH (diameter at breast height) and age-classes as found in Fujian Province, southeastern China. The vertical stratifications of all the forest stands were rather simple. The remaining wild specimens ranged from roughly 15 to some 357 years for an average of ca. 85 years, with only a few individuals less than 20 years old. Compared with the stands and populations of G. pensilis in Vietnam, the taxonomic compositions of the stands in the two regions were different, except for the dominant species-G. pensilis. The Shannon-Wiener index showed the overstory of each stand had much lower diversity (0.26 on average) in Fujian Province than that (1.97 on average) in Vietnam, whereas the diversity indices were about the same (around 2.41) for the understories in the two regions. Furthermore, we discovered 18 G. pensilis seedlings at the study sites in Fujian Province. This discovery demonstrates that G. pensilis regeneration is extremely poor and its populations are declining, although these populations are rela-tively healthier than those in Vietnam.     

A study on the diversity of the moth community in the North Dagang Wetland Nature Reserve, Tianjin, China

North Dagang Wetland Nature Reserve is situated in the southeast of Tianjin, China. It is the biggest wetland nature reserve in Tianjin. An investigation into the diversity of the moth community was carried out from June 12 to October 14, 2001, and then from April 12 to October 30, 2002. The investigation was conducted in order to identify the moth species in wetlands, study their dynamic laws, select indicator insects to indicate wetland quality, and assist in the study and protection of wetlands. A total of 132 moth species were collected, which belonged to 105 genera in 17 families. The data about insects which was collected during the survey was listed and constructed in terms of species-abundance, indices of diversity (H′), evenness (J′), specific richness (S) and individual number (N) using the Microsoft Excel Program. The status of the wetlands was also analyzed using the moth community species-abundance curve, indices of diversity, the connection between evenness and richness indices, etc. The results show that moth species in the wetlands were not rich, and the moth community was unstable. In other words, the living environment of the moths and the environmental quality of the wetlands were unstable due to the serious degeneration of the wetland environment and human activities.     

Taxonomic synopsis of Berberis(Berberidaceae)from the northern Hengduan mountains region in China,with descriptions of seven new speciesOA

Though Berberis(Berberidaceae) is widely distributed across the Eurasian landmass it is most diverse in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountain(HHM) region.There are more than 200 species in China where it is one of the most common mountain shrubs.The study on the taxonomy and evolution of Berberis in this region can thus provide an important insight into the origin and diversification of its flora.A prerequisite to this is mapping and describing the various species of Berberis in the region-a task that ...     

Low genetic diversity and high genetic differentiation in the critically endangered Omphalogramma souliei （Primulaceae）： implications for its conservation

Omphalogramma souliei Franch. is an endangered perennial herb only distributed in alpine areas of SW China. ISSR markers were applied to determine the genetic variation and genetic structure of 60 individuals of three populations of O. souliei in NW Yunnan, China. The genetic diversity at the species level is low with P=42.5% （percentage of polymorphic bands） and Hsp=0.1762 （total genetic diversity）. However, a high level of genetic differentiation among populations was detected based on different measures （Nei＇s genetic diversity analysis： Gst=0.6038; AMOVA analysis： Fst=0.6797）. Low level of genetic diversity within populations and significant genetic differentiation among populations might be due to the mixed mating system in which xenogamy predominated and autogamy played an assistant role in O. souliei. The genetic drift due to small population size and limited current gene flow also resulted in significant genetic differentiation. The assessment of genetic variation and differentiation of the endangered species provides important information for conservation on a genetic basis. Conservation strategies for this rare endemic species are proposed.     

Validation and Application of Skeletochronology for Age Determination of the Ryukyu Ground Gecko,Goniurosaurus kuroiwae （Squamata： Eublepharidae）

Skeletochronology is a method commonly used for estimating the age of amphibians and reptiles in the wild. However, the number of lines of arrested growth （LAGs） does not necessarily reflect age in some species. We validated the applicability of this method to an endangered eublepharid gecko, Goniurosaurus kuroiwae, then inferred its longevity and age structures in wild populations. We classified young geckos into three groups using previously published data for early growth： Group 1 contained hatchlings before the first winter, Group 2 contained hatchlings after the first win- ter, and Group 3 included yearlings after the second winter. LAG numbers in these groups were then compared. All individuals in Group 1 possessed a single LAG, which was considered as a hatching line. Most individuals in Groups 2 and 3 possessed one and two additional LAGs, respectively （LAG1 and LAG2）, corroborating the notion that LAGs are formed annually. A few geckos exhibited fewer LAGs than expected. Analysis of variations in LAG and marrow cavity diameter demonstrated that in animals with fewer LAGs, endosteal resorption or fusion of hatching line and LAG1 had occurred. LAG2 was never lost by endosteal resorption and was identifiable by its diameter. Thus, the age of adult geckos could be determined by counting LAGs outward from LAG2. Application of this method to wild populations re- vealed that the longevity of this species is not less than 83 months, but that almost all individuals in fragmented habitats die before 50 months, suggesting lower population sustainability in such habitats.     

Creation of the technique of interspecific hybridization for breeding in cotton

The new technique of interspecific hybridization was created in Gossypium, which could remarkably overcome abortion of interspecific hybridization and hybrid sterility of F1. A large number of germplasm resources were obtained from seventy cross combinations among the cultivated species and between the cultivated and the 14 wild species, respectively. 8 varieties have been developed, of which 4 were from the cross combination of G. hirsutumXG. arboretum and the other are the first breed from the hybrids between G. hirsutum and 4 wild species, respectively. Of them Shiyuan 321 (jimian 24) is a new variety which had the highest increase in the national Yellow River Valley Regional test, with planting area added up to 933333 ha in the recent three years. The breeding system of interspecific hybridization was established.     

Ramet Population Structure of Fargesia nitida （Mitford） Keng f. et Yi in Different Successional Stands of the Subalpine Coniferous Forest in Wolong Nature Reserve

Forest structure and succession in Wolong Nature Reserve is influenced by the understory dwarf bamboo population. However, less is known about how the forest succession affects the dwarf bamboo population. To examine the bamboo ramet population growth of Fargesla nitida （Mltford） Keng f. et Yi and to determine how ramet population structure varies along the succession of coniferous forest, we sampled ramet populations of F. nitida from the following three successional stages： （i） a deciduous broad-leaved （BL） stand; （ii） a mixed broad-leaved coniferous （MI） stand; and （ill） a coniferous （CF） stand. We investigated the population structure, biomass allocation, and morphological characteristics of the bamboo ramet among the three stand types. Clonal ramets, constituting the bamboo population, tended to become short and small with succession. The ramet changed towards having a greater mass investment in leaves, branches and underground roots and rhizomes rather than in the culm. With respect to leaf traits, individual leaf mass and area in the BL stand were markedly bigger than those In both the MI and CF stands, except for no significant difference in specific leaf area. The age distribution showed that the bamboo population approached an older age with succession. The results demonstrate that the ramet population structure of F. nitida is unstable and its growth performance is inhibited by succession.     

Smith fir population structure and dynamics in the timberline ecotone of the Sejila Mountain, Tibet, China

Smith fir (Abies georgei var. smithii), which grows on cool aspects with elevations ranging between 3600 m and 4400 m, is a major native dominant alpine tree species in Southeast Tibet, China. The smith fir population structure, dynamics and characteristics were investigated in the timberline ecotone of the Sejila Mountain. Results indicate that the minimum crown closure (≤20%) was reached at 4320 m above sea level, where two types of alpine species exist, smith fir and blackseed savin (Sabina saltuaria). On the warm aspects, blackseed savin is a dominant species. Forest line was formed gradually with a wider timberline ecotone. While on the cool aspects, smith fir is a dominant species. Forest line was formed clearly with a narrow timberline ecotone. Furthermore, the upper limits of the distribution of the alpine species were 4570 m and 4390 m on warm and cool aspects, respectively. The timberline ecotone widths of the two species on the warm and cool aspects were 250 m and 70 m, respectively. The optimal distribution of smith fir on the cool aspects was from 3700 m to 3800 m. The smith fir's diameter class distribution was of reversed “J” shape and its density was about 380 stem·hm?2, while the age structure appeared to be of pyramid-shape, suggesting an expanding population. Finally, the static life table and the survivorship curve showed that the populations had experienced severe environmental selection during their first 20 years, self-thinning between 60 to 100 years, and environmental changes related mortality at later stages. The smith fir's physiological life span was around 200 years, and its maximum age was about 400 years old.     

Community Characteristics of Early Recovery Vegetation on Abandoned Lands of Shifting Cultivation in Bawangling of Hainan Island, South China

Shifting cultivation is a major form of agricultural practice in most parts of tropical regions worldwide. In places where the bush fallow period is excessively shortened or the period of cultivation is extended for too long, the rate of vegetation recovery and biodiversity on abandoned lands of shifting cultivation would decline. The recovery of the secondary plant communities could even be inhibited for a prolonged period because of grass occupancy. Because of the vital significance of the early recovery communities to secondary succession, we studied the community characteristics of early recovery vegetation on abandoned lands of shifting cultivation in Bawangling of Hainan Island. Measurements were made of the community composition and structure of early recovery vegetation. The sprouting abilities of different functional groups and different species in the same functional group, and the effect of the grass functional group on the composition and quantitative characteristics of tree and shrub functional groups were analyzed. Results indicated that only a few families, genera, or species apparently dominated in the early recovery vegetation on the abandoned lands of shifting cultivation and that deciduous species occurred with a rather high percentage in this early recovery community compared with the natural secondary or old growth forests. Smallsized individuals dominated the woody community. The abundance and basal area of sprouting stems for species in the tree functional group were greater than those of seeder stems, whereas the abundance and basal area of resprouters and seeders for species in the shrub functional group did not differ. The total abundance of stems for the community, stem abundances for species in tree or shrub functional groups, and for seeder or resprouter stems were all negatively correlated with coverage of the grass functional group. The mean sprouting ability in the tree functional group was greater than in the shrub functional group. The sprouting ability for different species in the same functional group was also significantly different.     

Development and Characterization of 15 Polymorphic Micro satellite Markers for a Highly Adaptive and Wide-range Frog （Microhyla fissipes）

In order to analyze population genetic structure at multiple spatial scales, microsatellite loci were developed for the ornamented pygmy flog （Microhylafissipes）, and 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci were successfully screened from 105 individuals, of which 82 from four populations distributed in the Sichuan Basin and 23 from the Sangzhi population in western Hunan. Five loci were found to deviate significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in one to three popu lations, probably due to small sample size or null alleles. The average number of alleles in all loci was 8.5, ranging from 4 to 13, and the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.26 to 0.90 and 0.63 to 0.90, respectively. The Sangzhi population and the remaining four populations can be clearly separated using Bayesian clustering methods, showing that the genetic structure of M. fissipes was probably affected by the topography, especially mountain barriers. These polymorphic microsatellite loci could be used for further study on the landscape genetics of this highly adaptive and widely distributed species.     

Testing complete plastomes and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences for species identification in a taxonomically difficult bamboo genus FargesiaOA

Fargesia,the largest genus within the temperate bamboo tribe Arundinarieae,has more than 90 species mainly distributed in the mountains of Southwest China.The Fargesia bamboos are important components of the subalpine forest ecosystems that provide food and habitat for many endangered animals,including the giant panda.However,species-level identification of Fargesia is difficult.Moreover,the rapid radiation and slow molecular evolutionary rate of Fargesia pose a significant challenge to using DN...     

EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF WOODY SPECIES OF THE NOKREK BIOSPHERE RESERVE OF MEGHALAYA,NORTHEAST INDIA

Aims Our study was conducted in the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in the Garo hills districts of Meghalaya, Northeast India. Our aim was to assess the effects of human activities on plant diversity,population structure and regeneration.Methods We selected a representative 1.2 hm2 stand in both the core and buffer zones of NBR. Structure and composition were determined by randomly sampling square quadrats, population structure was assessed by determining age structure, and regeneration was assessed by measuring densities of seedling, sapling and adult trees.Important findings More woody species were recorded from the core zone than the buffer zone (87 vs. 81 species), and there were a large number of tropical, temperate, and Sino-Himalayan, Burma-Malaysian and Malayan elements, primitive families and primitive genera. The trees were distributed in three distinct strata,canopy, subcanopy and sapling. Subcanopy and sapling layers had the highest species richness (81％ -88％ ). Lauraceae and Euphorbiaceae were the dominant families in terms of the number of species, and a large number of families were represented by single species. Most woody species (57 ％ - 79 ％ ) were contagiously distributed and had low frequency ( ＜ 20％ ). Although stand density was high in the buffer zone, its basal area was low compared to the stand in the core zone. Low similarity and high β-diversity indicate marked differences in species composition of the stands. Shannon diversity index was high in both the stands, while Simpson dominance index was low. The diameter-class distribution for dominant species revealed that the most had a large number of young individuals in their populations. Preponderance of tree seedlings, followed by a steep decline in population density of saplings and adult trees, indicated that the seedling to sapling stage was the most critical in the life cycle of the tree populations. Most species (42 ％ - 48 ％ ) had no regeneration,25 ％ - 35 ％ had good/fair regeneration, and the rest had poor regeneration or reoccurred as immigrants.     

Sustainable Utilization and Economic Development of Some Plant Resources in Northern Pakistan

Overshadowed by the vast impact that habitat loss has on targeted plant species survival, it is easy to overlook the fact that utilization and harvesting of species can often result in their genetic depletion and in an often rapid downward trend of their population status. In this regard an ethnobotanical study on the medicinal plants of Shawar valley, District Swat was conducted with the aims to document medicinal plants and to examine the current status of the medicinal plants trade as well as the market chain starting from collectors to consumers. The survey reported 50 species of plants belonging to 33 families as ethnomedicinally important. These species were used as crud drugs by the local people and folk-lore for treating diseases in traditional system of medicine. The detailed local uses, recipe preparation along with their local names and diseases treated were recorded for each species.Market survey revealed that the structure of medicinal plant trade is complex and heterogeneous, involving many players. The collectors are often not aware of the high market prices and medicinal values, and most of the collected material is sold to local middlemen at a very low price. There was an increase of 3 to 5 folds in prices from collectors to the national market.Recommendations were given in the spheres of training sustainable harvesting and post harvesting of wild medicinal plant resources, trade monitoring, equitable sharing of benefits of wild resources, improved control on harvesting and trade for the conservation of resources, enhancement of cultivation efforts, future research into trade in wild harvested plants, community participation in natural resource management and value addition in the herbal products to maximize the benefits.     

Genetic Bottlenecks of the Wild Chinese Giant Salamander in Karst Caves

The rarity of limestone cave species due to habitat degradation makes them of special interest in conservation biology.The wild Chinese Giant Salamander Andrias davidianus,an evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species,are nearly all obligate into living in inaccessible mountain caves now.We detected that only 14–29 breeders,with the effective population size of 9–25(5–44 of 95% confidence interval),were in each of three caves,through genotyping 20 microsatellite loci on larvae that were flushed out of caves.Both heterzygosity excess and M(ratios of allele number to allele size range) tests indicated severe genetic bottlenecks among populations.Both mitochondrial,with only one or two haplotypes of D-loop region(770–771bp) in each population,and nuclear genetic structure showed clear divergence between populations.Considering the long life history,small population size,and genetic differentiationof the Chinese Giant Salamander,putting an end to poaching and recovering the karst ecosystem instead of releasing may be the sole measures to save this severely threated species.     

Potential Risk of Hybridization in Ex Situ Collections of Two Endangered Species of Sinojackia Hu （Styracaceae）

Spontaneous hybridization in ex situ facilities can undermine the genetic integrity of ex situ collections and potentially contaminate open-pollinated seeds or seedlings destined for the reintroduction of endangered plant species into the wild. In the present study, the potential risk of hybridization between two endangered Chinese endemic species, namely Sinojackia xylocarpa Hu and S. rehderiana Hu, which are naturally allopatric species but were conserved ex situ in Wuhan Botanical Garden （WBG）, Wuhan, China, were investigated over three consecutive years from 2003 to 2005. The entire overlapping flowering period of the two species was 14-20 d and the two species shared the same pollinator insects during the entire flowering season in WBG. The floral isolation between the two species was not an issue in the ex sltu collection at WBG. The results suggest an opportunity for pollen transfer between species and a potential risk of genetic Introgression and loss of genetic identity of open-pollinated seeds produced in the ex sltu Collection of these two endangered species. An artificial reciprocal cross between S xylocarpa and S. rehderlana confirmed that the two congener species could readily set seeds, indicating no post-pollination barriers to hybridization and the importance of spatial isolation as a barrier to inter-specific crossing. Therefore, to manage these crossable species with overlapping flowering times and shared pollination vectors in ex situ facilities, spatial isolation should be carefully considered to minimize the possibility of spontaneous hybridization.