Grouper as a natural biocontrol of invasive lionfish

Lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) have invaded the majority of the Caribbean region within five years. As voracious predators of native fishes with a broad habitat distribution, lionfish are poised to cause an unprecedented disruption to coral reef diversity and function. Controls of lionfish densities within its native range are poorly understood, but they have been recorded in the stomachs of large-bodied Caribbean groupers. Whether grouper predation of lionfish is sufficient to act as a biocontrol of the invasive species is unknown, but pest biocontrol by predatory fishes has been reported in other ecosystems. Groupers were surveyed along a chain of Bahamian reefs, including one of the region's most successful marine reserves which supports the top one percentile of Caribbean grouper biomass. Lionfish biomass exhibited a 7-fold and non-linear reduction in relation to the biomass of grouper. While Caribbean grouper appear to be a biocontrol of invasive lionfish, the overexploitation of their populations by fishers, means that their median biomass on Caribbean reefs is an order of magnitude less than in our study. Thus, chronic overfishing will probably prevent natural biocontrol of lionfishes in the Caribbean.     

自然入侵条件下黄顶菊丛枝菌根定殖及发育的研究

为探讨丛枝菌根(arbuscular mycorrhiza,AM)真菌在黄顶菊Flaveria bidentis入侵过程中可能发挥的作用,首先调查和研究了黄顶菊AM的侵入和生长表现。在黄顶菊入侵严重的河北省选择采样地点,分别从衡水地区的滨湖新区小北田村、冀州市漳下村、枣强县北王庄村、桃城区八里庄村、滨湖新区顺民庄村和滨湖新区刘家台村6个地点按黄顶菊重、中、轻3种盖度和不同生育期(苗期、花期和结籽期)采集根系和根区土样。分离根区土壤中AM真菌孢子、观察AM发育特征、测定孢子密度、AM真菌侵染率、丛枝着生率等,并与土壤理化性质进行了相关性分析。结果在各采样地点均观察到AM典型结构,不同样地菌丝侵染率、I型丛枝密度以及孢子密度的最大值均出现在八里庄村,泡囊密度和A型丛枝密度的最大值分别出现在小北田村和刘家台村;不同盖度下AM真菌侵染率最高值均出现在重度侵染区;不同生长时期黄顶菊的AM也有差异,除了丛枝密度最高值出现在花期和菌丝侵染率差异不显著外,菌丝侵染率、泡囊密度和孢子密度均在结籽期出现最大值。土壤理化特性也显著影响黄顶菊AM的发育,菌丝侵染率与土壤有机质呈显著正相关,与p H值呈显著负相关,与速效P含量呈极显著负相关;A型丛枝密度与p H含量呈显著负相关;I型丛枝密度与土壤全N含量呈极显著正相关;孢子密度与有机质含量和全N含量均呈显著正相关。因此,AM真菌侵染可能会促进黄顶菊的入侵。     

Density-dependent regulation of natural and laboratory rotifer populations

Density-dependent regulation of abundance is fundamentally important in the dynamics of most animal populations. Density effects, however, have rarely been quantified in natural populations, so population models typically have a large uncertainty in their predictions. We used models generated from time series analysis to explore the form and strength of density-dependence in several natural rotifer populations. Population growth rate (r) decreased linearly or non-linearly with increased population density, depending on the rotifer species. Density effects in natural populations reduced r to 0 at densities of 1–10 l^–1 for 8 of the 9 rotifer species investigated. The sensitivities of these species to density effects appeared normally distributed, with a mean r=0 density of 2.3 l^–1 and a standard deviation of 1.9. Brachionus rotundiformis was the outlier with 10–100× higher density tolerance. Density effects in laboratory rotifer populations reduced r to 0 at population densities of 10–100 ml^–1, which is 10⁴ higher than densities in natural populations. Density effects in laboratory populations are due to food limitation, autotoxicity or to their combined effects. Experiments with B. rotundiformis demonstrated the absence of autotoxicity at densities as high as 865 ml^–1, a much higher density than observed in natural populations. It is, therefore, likely that food limitation rather than autotoxicity plays a major role in regulating natural rotifer populations.     

Evaluating the potential efficacy of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans) removals

The lionfish, Pterois volitans (Linnaeus) and Pterois miles (Bennett), invasion of the Western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico has the potential to alter aquatic communities and represents a legitimate ecological concern. Several local removal programs have been initiated to control this invasion, but it is not known whether removal efforts can substantially reduce lionfish numbers to ameliorate these concerns. We used an age-structured population model to evaluate the potential efficacy of lionfish removal programs and identified critical data gaps for future studies. We used high and low estimates for uncertain parameters including: length at 50% vulnerability to harvest (L(vul)), instantaneous natural mortality (M), and the Goodyear compensation ratio (CR). The model predicted an annual exploitation rate between 35 and 65% would be required to cause recruitment overfishing on lionfish populations for our baseline parameter estimates for M and CR (0.5 and 15). Lionfish quickly recovered from high removal rates, reaching 90% of unfished biomass six years after a 50-year simulated removal program. Quantifying lionfish natural mortality and the size-selective vulnerability to harvest are the most important knowledge gaps for future research. We suggest complete eradication of lionfish through fishing is unlikely, and substantial reduction of adult abundance will require a long-term commitment and may be feasible only in small, localized areas where annual exploitation can be intense over multiple consecutive years.     

A stage-based matrix population model of invasive lionfish with implications for control

The rapid invasion of lionfish into the Western North Atlantic and Caribbean will undoubtedly affect native reef fishes via processes such as trophic disruption and niche takeover, yet little is known about the dynamics of this invasion. We constructed a stage-based, matrix population model in which matrix elements were comprised of lower-level parameters. Lionfish vital rates were estimated from existing literature and from new field and laboratory studies. Sensitivity analysis of lower-level parameters revealed that population growth rate is most influenced by larval mortality; elasticity analysis of the matrix indicated strong influence of the adult and juvenile survival elements. Based on this model, approximately 27% of an invading adult lionfish population would have to be removed monthly for abundance to decrease. Hierarchical modeling indicated that this point estimate falls within a broad uncertainty interval which could result from imprecise estimates of life-history parameters. The model demonstrated that sustained removal efforts could be substantially more effective by targeting juveniles as well as adults.     

DNA barcoding significantly improves resolution of invasive lionfish diet in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Invasive Indo-Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans) have become well-established residents within reef communities across the western Atlantic Ocean where they pose substantial threats to native fish communities and reef ecosystems. Species-specific identification of prey is necessary to elucidate predator–prey interactions, but can be challenging with traditional visual identification methods given prey are often highly digested, thus not identifiable visually. To supplement visual diet analysis of lionfish (n = 934) sampled in the northern Gulf of Mexico, we applied DNA barcoding to identify otherwise unidentifiable fish prey (n = 696) via amplification of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of the mitochondrial genome. Barcoding nearly doubled the number of identifiable fish prey, thereby greatly enhancing our ability to describe lionfish diet. Thirty-three fish prey species were identified via barcoding, twenty-four of which were not previously detected by traditional methods. Some exploited reef fishes were newly reported (e.g., red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus) or found to constitute higher proportions of lionfish diet than previously reported (e.g., vermilion snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens). Barcoding added a significant amount of new dietary information, and we observed the highest prey diversity reported to date for invasive lionfish. Potential cannibalism on juveniles also was identified via DNA barcoding, with the highest incidence corresponding to high lionfish densities, thus suggesting density-dependent prey demand may have driven this response. Overall, DNA barcoding greatly enhanced our ability to describe invasive lionfish diet in this study, suggesting that even studies with relatively large diet sample sizes could benefit from barcoding analysis.     

Density-dependent recruitment after winter disturbance on tidal flats by the lugworm Arenicola marina

The polychaete Arenicola marina is abundant and widespread on intertidal sand flats in K?nigshafen (island of Sylt, North Sea). Juveniles overwinter in subtidal channels and then colonize the upper tidal zone above the range of the adults. In the summers of 1995 and 1997, after a mild and a moderate winter, a distinct nursery belt fringing the shoreline was apparent. The severe winter of 1995/96 changed this pattern. Population size of the adults was halved, and in summer 1996 the juveniles were no longer restricted to an upper intertidal belt and settled over a wide range of tidal flats where adults were diminished. This spatial expansion of recruits is assumed to be a density-dependent response. An overcompensation by one-third of the previous population size did not carry over into the next year. Compared to some other species of the tidal-flat fauna, the disturbance effect by the severe winter on the lugworm population was small and brief. Received in revised form: 7 May 2001 Electronic Publication     

Density-dependent sexual reproduction in natural populations of the rotifer asplanchna girodi

The monogonont rotifer Asplanchna girodi was continuously present in daily and bi-daily plankton samples of Golf Course Pond during the spring of 1977. Two cycles of sexual reproduction occurred during this period. By isolation and culture of females it was possible to determine the reproductive type of collected individuals. Data thus obtained suggest that environmental cues associated with population density are responsible for the production of sexual females.     

Pushing the switch: functional responses and prey switching by invasive lionfish may mediate their ecological impact

Biological Invasions - Biodiversity is declining on a global scale and the spread of invasive alien species (IAS) is a major driver, particularly through predatory impacts. Thus, effective means of...     

肝移植术后曲霉的气道定植与侵袭性曲霉病的关系

目的评价肝移植术后曲霉气道的定植及其发生侵袭性感染的风险。方法回顾2003—2004年南京八一医院和上海长征医院56例肝移植患者进行的连续组织学检查和曲霉培养结果。结果24例患者被分离出曲霉,2例发生侵袭性烟曲霉感染。这2例患者在移植后6个月内都有烟曲霉的定植,并且都死亡,占所有移植后死亡的29％。无曲霉定植者都未发生侵袭性曲霉感染。结论肝移植术后的侵袭性曲霉感染较为少见,但常致死,曲霉定植常见但为一过性,由于气管侵袭性曲霉感染只发生在有烟曲霉定植的移植后6个月内的患者,所以在此期间进行预防性的治疗能否有效降低侵袭性曲霉感染值得研究。     

Density-dependent natural selection inDrosophila: Trade-offs between larval food acquisition and utilization

Summary Natural selection at high densities has often been postulated to favour the evolution of greater efficiency of food use. Contrary to this expectation, a previous study suggested the existence of a trade-off between larval feeding rate and efficiency at using food to complete larval development in populations ofDrosophila melanogaster subjected to crowding for many generations. In this paper, we confirm the generality of such a density-dependent trade-off between food acquisition and utilization by demonstrating its occurrence in a new set ofDrosophila populations subjected to extreme larval crowding. We suggest that such trade-offs between food acquisition and food use may represent a general phenomenon in organisms exhibiting scramble competition. We test and reject the possible mechanistic explanation that decreased efficiency of food use in faster-feeding larvae may merely be a consequence of a faster passage of food through the gut, leading to incomplete assimilation of nutrients and energy.