贵州省翼手类名录修订

参考翼手目动物分类学和分子系统学的最新研究成果, 在《贵州兽类志》的基础上, 结合近年来有关翼手类研究的资料, 对贵州省翼手类名录进行整理, 并列出了贵州省翼手类的分布地点。截止到2015年10月31日, 贵州省共有蝙蝠7科17属51种, 占中国现有蝙蝠种类(134种)的38.1%。其中, 我国特有种8种(贵州特有种2种)。与《贵州兽类志》中记载的翼手类相比, 增加了14种, 3个物种未被列入, 更改了10个物种的名称。按照中国动物地理区划, 贵州省蝙蝠以东洋界种类占绝对优势, 共有42种, 古北界种类仅2种, 广布种7种。列入IUCN红色名录各濒危等级的有44种, 列入《中国脊椎动物红色名录》的有48种。     

广东杨东山十二度水省级自然保护区啮齿类、翼手类物种多样性初步研究

对广东杨东山十二度水省级自然保护区的啮齿类、翼手类物种多样性进行了初步调查,采集动物标本61号,为9种,观察或采访记录到3种,该保护区共有两个目的哺乳动物12种,其中我国特有种1种——贵州菊头蝠(为2000年发现的广东省翼手类新记录)。鼠类中进入国家保护的有益的或者有重要经济、有科学研究价值的陆生野生动物名录的动物有5种,约占该保护区啮齿类种类的70％。初步调查显示,该保护区翼手类、啮齿类动物种类较为丰富,是食物链中的重要环节,在该保护区自然生态系统中占有极重要的地位,深入开展对它们的研究十分必要。     

Cloning,expression, and antiviral activity of interferon β from the Chinese microbat,Myotis davidii

Bats are natural reservoir hosts for many viruses that produce no clinical symptoms in bats.Therefore, bats may have evolved effective mechanisms to control viral replication. However, little information is available on bat immune responses to viral infection. Type I interferon(IFN) plays a key role in controlling viral infections. In this study, we report the cloning, expression, and biological activity of interferon β(IFNβ) from the Chinese microbat species, Myotis davidii. We demonstrated the upregulation of IFNB and IFN-stimulated genes in a kidney cell line derived from M. davidii after treatment with poly I:C or infection with Sendai virus. Furthermore, the recombinant IFNβ inhibited vesicular stomatitis virus and bat adenovirus replication in cell lines from two bat species, M. davidii and Rhinolophus sinicus. We provide the first in vitro evidence of IFNβ antiviral activity in microbats, which has important implications for virus interactions with these hosts.     

Have bird distributions shifted along an elevational gradient on a tropical mountain?

An upward shift in elevation is one of the most conspicuous species responses to climate change. Nevertheless, downward shifts and, apparently, the absences of response have also been recently reported. Given the growing evidence of multiple responses of species distributions due to climate change and the paucity of studies in the tropics, we evaluated the response of a montane bird community to climate change, without the confounding effects of land‐use change. To test for elevational shifts, we compared the distribution of 21 avian species in 1998 and 2015 using occupancy models. The historical data set was based on point counts, whereas the contemporary data set was based on acoustic monitoring. We detected a similar number of species in historical (36) and contemporary data sets (33). We show an overall pattern of no significant change in range limits for most species, although there was a significant shift in the range limit of eight species (38%). Elevation limits shifted mostly upward, and this pattern was more common for upper than lower limits. Our results highlight the variability of species responses to climate change and illustrate how acoustic monitoring provides an easy and powerful way to monitor animal populations along elevational gradients.     

The problem of precision and trend detection posed by small elephant populations in West Africa

The precision of elephant estimates from aerial sample surveys and dung counts is inversely proportional to abundance. West African elephant populations are already small, and the power of a monitoring programme to detect changes in abundance diminishes as the population shrinks in size. Thus it will be difficult to evaluate the effects on elephant numbers of new management policies in West Africa. The same will be true of monitoring schemes for antelope and primate populations that are hunted for bushmeat. Elephant estimates from dung counts are more precise than those from aerial sample surveys, and changes in elephant numbers are more likely to be detected in the subregion by dung counts than by aerial sample surveys.     

Continuous monitoring of predator control operations at landscape scale

Summary   Exotic predators are considered pests to wildlife and agriculture, requiring predator-control programs. Effective monitoring of predator-control operations is essential to justify their considerable cost, but often impossible in practice. The difficulties are especially severe if the target species is small and wide-ranging, and the area to be protected is inaccessible and/or extensive. A convenient model predator of this type, the feral Ferret ( Mustela furo ), is subject to control on farmland in New Zealand. We monitored the distribution of Ferrets over 2400 ha in the central North Island, before and throughout a standard control operation by professional trappers. We used 24 units of a new automated monitoring device, the Scentinel, set in a grid at 1 per 100 ha. Over 11 weeks (11 February to 29 April 2005, 1718 trap nights), we recorded 1559 visits by small mammals, including 198 by Ferrets. By the end of the 4th week, Ferrets had been detected at 17 of 24 sites. Removal of Ferrets from the study area by contractors began during the 5th week, and was reflected in significant declines in the number of Ferret visits recorded per day ( P  = 0.008) and the number of sites visited ( P  = 0.021). Analysis of our extensive repeat-survey data by site-occupancy methods confirmed these trends in greater detail, while also allowing for variation in detectability.     

Bat activity before and after a severe wildfire in Pilliga forests: Resilience influenced by fire extent and landscape mobility?

Wildfires are becoming increasingly severe and common in many parts of the world, yet their effects on certain taxa remain poorly studied. In November 2006, a major wildfire occurred in the Pilliga forests of north‐west New South Wales, Australia. This fire was severe and extensive, burning more than 120 000 ha. Prior to the fire, we conducted a study in the affected area assessing bat activity in relation to flyway size and riparian zones, allowing us to opportunistically compare before – and – after effects of wildfire on bats in burnt and unburnt areas. We assessed how bat activity and bat composition changed from 1 year pre‐fire to 1 year post‐fire and 4 years post‐fire, accounting for the effects of flyway size. A BACI analysis showed that there was an effect of time (year) on bat activity, with activity markedly reduced in both burnt and unburnt sites in the year post‐ fire, before recovering 4‐years post‐fire to levels that approached pre‐burn activity. However, there was no treatment or interaction effect, indicating fire alone did not affect bat activity at our sites. Activity was 50% lower at supplementary sites more remote (~5 km) from the fire edge. Multi‐dimensional scaling and permanova described a strong effect of year but no evidence of fire or stream size‐mediated effects on species composition. The drop in activity post‐fire coincided with a period of drought that subsequently broke in the year prior to our survey 4 years post‐fire. Some species‐specific responses to the fire were evident and depended on the proximity to unburnt forest. We suggest the potential for landscape re‐assortment, whereby some species may move from the unburnt landscape into the burnt landscape, possibly in response to a resource pulse of insects. A landscape pattern of movement could obscure the detection of direct fire effects on mobile bats. We suggest fire extent, proximity to unburnt vegetation and severity are key considerations when interpreting the response of bats to wildfire.