Overcoming Allee effects through evolutionary,genetic, and demographic rescue

Despite the amplified threats of extinction facing small founder populations, successful colonization sometimes occurs, bringing devastating ecological and economic consequences. One explanation may be rapid evolution, which can increase mean fitness in populations declining towards extinction, permitting persistence and subsequent expansion. Such evolutionary rescue may be particularly important, given Allee effects. When a population is introduced at low density, individuals often experience a reduction in one or more components of fitness due to novel selection pressures that arise from diminished intraspecific interactions and positive density dependence (i.e. component Allee effects). A population can avoid extinction if it can adapt and recover on its own (i.e. evolutionary rescue), or if additional immigration sustains the population (i.e. demographic rescue) or boosts its genetic variation that facilitates adaptation (i.e. genetic rescue). These various forms of rescue have often been invoked as possible mechanisms for specific invasions, but their relative importance to invasion is not generally understood. Within a spatially explicit modelling framework, we consider the relative impact of each type of rescue on the probability of successful colonization, when there is evolution of a multi-locus quantitative trait that influences the strength of component Allee effects. We demonstrate that when Allee effects are important, the effect of demographic rescue via recurrent immigration overall provides the greatest opportunity for success. While highlighting the role of evolution in the invasion process, we underscore the importance of the ecological context influencing the persistence of small founder populations.     

Feral cat diet and impact on sooty terns at Juan de Nova Island, Mozambique Channel

Feral cat Felis catus predation on seabirds has been well documented; however, details regarding shifts in feral cat diet in relation to seabird availability, seabird predation rate and impact on seabird population dynamics are scarce. Here, we present data documenting a seasonal shift in feral cat diet at Juan de Nova Island, Mozambique Channel. We also quantify sooty tern Sterna fuscata predation by feral cats and examine the impact on sooty terns over both the short term (by removing individual cats from sub-colonies) and over the longer term by highlighting their influence on population growth rate ( λ ) using a deterministic matrix model. Cat diet shifted dramatically from insects, rats and mice outside the tern breeding season to primarily terns when terns were breeding. The predation rate of sooty terns at Juan de Nova was estimated at 5.94 terns cat⁻¹ day⁻¹, with a proportion of these (22%) being killed without being consumed ('surplus kills'). When only one cat was removed from each sub-colony, tern predation declined tenfold in the short term. From our matrix model, the annual growth rate for sooty terns was 1.01 in the absence of cat predation. It remained above one until a predation impact equivalent to approximately three times the estimated cat density (12.04 per km²) was incorporated. Our results demonstrate that cats preferentially predate and have an impact on breeding sooty terns at Juan de Nova, and that an increase in cat density could lead to negative effects on population growth, despite the large breeding tern population.     

生物入侵及其影响

生物入侵是物种进入其在进化史上未分布过的地域而且能在该地繁衍.生物入侵是一种十分普遍的现象.生物入侵的影响大,危害严重.生物入侵的影响有:①对生物个体的影响;②对遗传的影响; ③对种群动态的影响;④对群落的影响;⑤对生态系统进程的影响.不同的生物入侵造成的影响不一样,应该有区别地分析.     

植物居群的基因流动态及其相关适应进化的研究进展

生物自然居群间的基因流不但可以阻止遗传分化以维持物种的完整性,而且也能积极响应生物多样化的进程。理解与基因流相关的适应性进化及其内在机理将有助于我们更好地认识生物物种形成和多样化的原始动力以及真正原因。该文通过对植物种内和种间居群基因流动态进行讨论,阐述了近年来有关植物基因流动态的一些重要理论观念和研究进展,以期为相关领域动态及趋势研究提供参考。     

A molecular approach to detect hybridisation between crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and non-indigenous carp species (Carassius spp. and Cyprinus carpio)

1. Releases of non‐native fish into the wild is an increasing problem posing considerable ecological and genetic threats through direct competition and hybridisation. 2. We employed six microsatellite markers to identify first generation hybrids and backcrosses between native crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and introduced goldfish (C. auratus) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in the U.K. We also investigated the genetic characteristics of the taxonomically controversial gibel carp (Carassius spp.) from sites across Europe. 3. Natural hybridisation between goldfish and crucian carp occurs frequently, although hybrids between all other species pairs were observed. Only 62% of British crucian carp populations (n = 21) consisted exclusively of pure crucian carp. In some populations hybrids were so frequent, that no pure crucian carp were caught, indicating a high competitive ability of hybrids. 4. Most hybrids belonged to the F1 generation but backcrossing was evident at a low frequency in goldfish × crucian carp hybrids and goldfish × common carp hybrids. Furthermore, some local populations had high frequencies of backcrosses, raising the opportunity for introgression. 5. Gibel carp from Germany and Italy belonged to two triploid clonal lineages that were genetically closely related to goldfish, whereas all individuals identified from British populations proved to be crucian carp × goldfish hybrids. 6. Our study suggests that the release of closely related exotic cyprinids not only poses a threat to the genetic integrity and associated local adaptations of native species, but may also contribute to shifts in community structure through competitive interactions.     

Patterns of Patchy Spread in Deterministic and Stochastic Models of Biological Invasion and Biological Control

A few spatiotemporal models of population dynamics are considered in relation to biological invasion and biological control. The patterns of spread in one and two spatial dimensions are studied by means of extensive numerical simulations. We show that, in the case that population multiplication is damped by the strong Allee effect (when the population growth rate becomes negative for small population density), in a certain parameter range the spread can take place not via the intuitively expected circular expanding population front but via motion and interaction of separate patches. Alternatively, the patchy spread can take place in a system without Allee effect as a result of strong environmental noise. We then show that the phenomenon of deterministic patchy invasion takes place ‘at the edge of extinction’ so that a small change of controlling parameters either brings the species to extinction or restores the travelling population fronts. Moreover, we show that the regime of patchy invasion in two spatial dimensions actually takes place when the species go extinct in the corresponding 1-D system.     

中国外来入侵物种的分布与传入路径分析

外来物种入侵已成为全球性的环境问题,本文采用文献调研,实地考察与专家咨询相结合的方式,调查了全国陆生,淡水水生生态系统中外来入侵微生物,无脊椎动物,两栖爬行类,鱼类,鸟类,哺乳类,杂草,树木和海洋生态系统中外来入侵物种的种类及分类地位,起源,引入路径和环境影响等内容。查明我国共有283种外来入侵物种,其中外来入侵微生物,水生植物,陆生植物,水生无脊椎动物,陆生无脊椎动物,两栖爬行类,鱼类,哺乳类分别为19种,18种,170种,25种,33种,3种,10种和5种,来源于美洲,欧洲,亚洲,非洲,大洋洲的外来入侵物种分别占55.1%,21.7%,9.9%.8.1%和0.6%。我国对外来物种的引进存在一定程度的盲目性;50.%的外来入侵植物是作为牧草或饲料,观赏植物,纤维植物,药用植物,蔬菜,草坪模特而引进的;25%的外来入侵动物是用于养殖,观赏,生物防治的引种,对外来物种只重引进,疏于管理,也可能导致外来物种逃逸到自然环境中,造成潜在的环境意传入的;76.3%的外来入侵动物是由于检查不严,随贸易物品或运输工具传入我国的。因此,我国既要加强检疫工作,又要对外来物种的有意引进进行严格管理,实行外来物种引进的风险评估制度。     

生物入侵机制研究进展

本文从外来种本身的生物学特性,外来种与新栖息地土著种之间的相互作用,群落生物多样性对入侵种的抵抗能力,新栖息地生态环境变化对入侵种的影响等方面综述了近年来有关生物入侵机制的研究进展,并探讨了研究方法的发展和亟待解决的问题,大量的研究表明生物入侵机制是极为多样的,可能没有一般的,通用的机制,阐明生物入侵的机制,对推动生态学理论的发展和控制有害外来种有重要意义。