Life histories of the powan,Coregonus lavaretus (L.) (Salmonidae,Coregoninae) of Loch Lomond and Loch Eck

Four aspects of the life histories of the two populations of powan Coregonus lavaretus (L.) in Scotland are described: growth (Eck powan are shorter and with greater year to year variance than Lomond); sexual maturation (Eck powan mature younger, but at similar weight to Lomond); spawning (timing in Eck varies, but is consistent in Lomond); and recruitment/mortality (fecundity, sex ratios, and mortality also vary in the short term). Short term differences between the physiological ecology of the populations can be ascribed to the size and topography of the lochs. Long term differences are more difficult to account for, and are more important in that they may signal changes in sustainability. Conservation of powan must be considered in terms of their synecological relationships, not in isolation.     

Life history response of the mustard aphidLipaphis erysimi to phenological changes in its host

The mustard aphid,Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach) is a serious pest of mustard in India and other tropical regions in the world. The population dynamics of this species is considerably influenced by immigrant alatae which migrate to the mustard crop from the off-season shelter. Aphids reproduce at a higher rate in the early vegetative stage of mustard plants when the developmental period is shortest and production of winged morphs is lowest. The population reaches an asymptote when the crop is 70 days old. The species regulates its developmental period, fecundity and intrinsic rate of increase in response to developmental changes of the mustard plant and maintains its dispersal throughout the duration of the mustard crop. In succeeding generations on a mustard plant new born nymphs took increasingly longer to develop into adults and over the same period these adults produced decreasingly fewer numbers of offspring. In the inflorescence and fruiting stages of mustard plants a higher proportion of the nymphs developed into alatae.     

基于恢复生态学的泰山地区“山水林田湖草”生态修复研究

目前大多地方生态修复工作往往是对各类生态系统分割式治理,不利于生态系统的整体修复。“山水林田湖草是生命共同体”理念要求各生态要素和生态系统之间的协同特征和有机联系,恢复生态学理论则关注受损生态系统的驱动因素、生态恢复的路径和干预措施,两者的结合能够为生态保护和修复提供坚实的理论和技术基础。基于恢复生态学理论,以泰山地区为研究对象,运用物能循环和转化的生态学原则对受损生态系统生态关键问题进行诊断,明确了“山水林田湖草”生命共同体中的各要素（子系统）在生态过程中的相互影响及相互制约关系,厘清了泰山地区矿山开采（地质受损）-植被破坏-水土流失-景观失调的生态受损与退化机制,在此基础上提出了“地貌重塑、植被重建、水体重构、景观重现”的生态恢复思路。并尝试构建包含生态风险、生态状况和生态恢复能力三重准则共13项指标的评价体系,以期通过生态恢复效果的评价与监测引导生态恢复目标的有效实现。     

Nutritional dynamics during the development of xylophagous beetles related to changes in the stoichiometry of 11 elements

The present study examines the adaptive strategy used by wood‐boring beetles to compensate for the lack of nutrients in dead wood. The contents of nutritional elements in growing wood‐boring beetles (Stictoleptura rubra L. and Chalcophora mariana Dejean) are compared with the elemental composition of decaying dead wood (pine stumps), showing changes during the beetles' ontogenetic (i.e. larval) development. The stoichiometric ratios of C and other nutritional elements (N, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu) are investigated to identify the most important nutrients for larval development. The degree of nutritional mismatch that is encountered by the beetle larvae changes dramatically over 3–4 years of simultaneous larval growth and wood decay. Excluding C, the relative contents of nutritional elements increase substantially in decaying wood, whereas the opposite tendency is found in larvae, most likely because of carbon deposition in fat. The elements limiting larval development because of their scarcity in dead wood are N, P, K, Na, Mg, Zn and Cu. Fungal activity (i.e. the transport of nutrients from the surrounding environment to decaying stumps) can explain the observed mitigation of the original mismatch, although prolongation of the larval development time is still necessary to compensate for the scarcity of some of the required elements in food.     

Consistency in the life history traits of four invasive pseudorasbora parva populations in Southern England

Life history plasticity can be a strong predictor of the establishment and invasion success of introduced fishes. Here, the life-history traits of four P. parva populations in adjacent ponds in Southern England were measured throughout 2013 to determine the timing and length of their reproductive season and the extent of trait plasticity. The relative abundance of the populations (as catch per unit effort) was similar, with low variability in their traits relating to reproductive effort and somatic growth. All the populations were male dominated. Both sexes matured at small body sizes, with fish as small as 30 mm being mature in both sexes, with the age at maturity for both sexes being age 1+ years. The peak spawning period, characterised by female fish investing heavily in reproduction when their gonado-somatic index (GSI) values were highest and declined thereafter, occurred in May and June, and after a mean of 212 ± 24 degree-days >12°C, and with water temperatures being 13.2–14.6°C. There were no further peaks in GSI, despite the species being considered to have prolonged spawning periods across spring and summer. These results also suggest that whilst the expression of life-history traits of invasive fishes often vary with density, they can be highly consistent between populations at similar abundances and locations.     

Historical land-use legacy and Cortaderia selloana invasion in the Mediterranean region

Two major components of global change: land‐use changes and intentional or accidental species introduction are threatening the conservation of native species worldwide. In particular, Mediterranean coastal areas are highly susceptible to the invasion of alien species and they also have experienced major changes in land use such as agricultural abandonment and urbanization. However, there has been little research done which quantitatively links biological invasions and the components of land‐use changes (i.e. number, trajectory and direction of the changes). We analysed the current distribution and abundance of Cortaderia selloana (Schultes et Schultes fil.) Asch. et Graebner, an alien ornamental species, in 332 fields in Aiguamolls de l'Empordà (Catalonia, NE Spain) and related the patterns of invasion to spatiotemporal data on land‐use changes from 1956 to 2003. Our aim was to determine which land uses had been more susceptible to C. selloana invasion during the last 5 years and to find out which components of land‐use changes triggered invasion. We found that 22.30% of the fields are currently invaded. In the last 5 years, fields have triplicated the total density of C. selloana. The presence of C. selloana decreases with the distance from urban areas. Invasion is over‐represented in pastures and old‐fields, and it has increased with time since abandonment. The presence of C. selloana was also associated to fields that had experienced many changes in land use in the last 46 years. The most heavily invaded fields were those that were pastures in 1956 and are now old fields in 2003. On average, the largest plants are found in agricultural field margins and in fields that had a disturbed land use both in 1956 and in 2003. Furthermore, pastures had the lowest proportion of reproductive plants. Overall, current C. selloana patterns of invasion can be explained by the historical legacy of land‐use changes.     

Age,growth and reproductive traits of invasive goby Taenioides cirratus in the Chaohu Lake,China

The eel goby Taenioides cirratus (Blyth, 1,860) is a small fish inhabits muddy bottoms of brackish-water in the Indo-West Pacific. It has invaded many inland freshwater lakes in China, such as the Chaohu Lake, Gaoyou Lake and Nansi Lake, and its population increased rapidly in these freshwater lakes in recent years. The age, growth and reproductive traits of T. cirratus invading the Chaohu Lake were studied. A total of 482 specimens (210 females, 204 males and 68 juveniles) with total length (TL) ranging from 9.4 to 20.6 cm were collected using the benthic fyke nets at monthly intervals from March 2018 to February 2019. The sagittal otolith was used for age determination. Monthly variation of marginal increment ratio indicated that the annual forming of opaque band on sagittal otolith was completed during March and April. For both sexes, only four (from 0+ to 3+ years) age groups were observed and 1+ and 2+ years age individuals dominated the population. Back calculated length at age showed males grew faster than females. Both sexes reached maturity at 1+ year age and the TL at first maturity (TL₅₀) was 12.6 cm for females and 11.9 cm for males. Monthly variation of gonado-somatic index indicated that the spawning occurred from May to August. The fecundity ranged from 967 ova to 5,114 ova, with a mean of 3,205 ova. Our study provides a comprehensive data on the key life history traits of T. cirratus for the first time.     

Ecological niche and phylogeny explain distribution of seed mass in the central European flora

Seed size is a crucial life‐history trait determining the amount of reserves that are available to establishing seedlings. The most frequently observed patterns in seed size distribution are a higher frequency of large‐seeded species in shaded habitats and a positive correlation of seed size with plant size. We analysed to what extent realised niche dimensions, as expressed by Ellenberg indicator values and plant functional traits such as plant height and life form, explained seed mass variation in the central European flora. By including information on phylogenetic relatedness of the species, not only contemporary ecology but also the evolutionary history of plant species could be taken into account. Seed mass evolution was slow and was best explained by selection‐inertia models with multiple adaptive peaks as a function of either habitat or life form. The highest seed mass optima were observed in the deciduous forest and saltwater and seashore habitats, and in phanerophytes in case of models with optima as a function of life form. The analyses showed that Ellenberg values were more important than habitat and life form in explaining seed mass distribution in the central European flora. The often observed relation between shade and large seeds was also evident in our study, but we found an equally important relation between large seeds and drought and a positive relation between seed mass and salinity. Our results indicate that not only plant size and competition for light but a complex set of factors influence the ecology of seed size, and that a more precise delineation of species’ niches improves the understanding of seed size evolution.     

Generation time,life history and the substitution rate of neutral mutations

Our understanding of molecular evolution is hampered by a lack of quantitative predictions about how life-history (LH) traits should correlate with substitution rates. Comparative studies have shown that neutral substitution rates vary substantially between species, and evidence shows that much of this diversity is associated with variation in LH traits. However, while these studies often agree, some unexplained and contradictory results have emerged. Explaining these results is difficult without a clear theoretical understanding of the problem. In this study, we derive predictions for the relationships between LH traits and substitution rates in iteroparous species by using demographic theory to relate commonly measured life-history traits to genetic generation time, and by implication to neutral substitution rates. This provides some surprisingly simple explanations for otherwise confusing patterns, such as the association between fecundity and substitution rates. The same framework can be applied to more complex life histories if full life-tables are available.     

Population Ecological Characteristics of the Rare and Endangered Plant Camellia rhytidophylla from Guizhou

Camellia rhytidophylla is endemic and endangered and with important economic species, from the ⅢD10d in eastern Asia, which distributed at 573-920m in evergreen broad leaved deciduous mixed forest in Luowang river valley of Kaiyang county. So, it is significant to study the population characteristics, conservation and utilization. We took general survey in suspected distribution area about 6 square kilometers, set up plots in dense area, and analyzed the population structure, development and spatial distribution pattern. The results showed that the structure of Crhytidophylla populations were increasing and the proportion of young tree in population was 4638%. The size of population density was young shrubs＞middle aged shrubs＞adult shrubs. The survival curve of population was Deevey Ⅲ model. There were 2 peaks in the Ⅰand Ⅳ age classes on the mortality rate curve and disappearance rate curve respectively, then there are 2 troughs in the Ⅲ and Ⅵ age classed at the same time. The spatial distribution pattern of Crhytidophylla significantly differentiated at different stages of development, the young individuals were aggregated at all spatial scales while the middle aged individuals were aggregated at small spatial scales and randomly distributed at larger scales. Differences in the distribution of adult individuals could be attributed to artificial disturbance and habitat heterogeneity. The spatial pattern was not close in different stages of development, which all showed negative or no correlation. The spatial distribution pattern of Crhytidophylla was the interaction of the factors, such as its biological characteristics,habitat heterogeneity, and artificial disturbance, etc.. The key factor limiting population development was low natural reproduction rate; the primary factors causing its endemic distribution mainly included habitat heterogeneity, topographical constraints on seed dispersal and artificial disturbance.     

Re-establishment of clinal variation in flowering time among introduced populations of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria, Lythraceae)

Range expansion during biological invasion requires that invaders adapt to geographical variation in climate, which should yield latitudinal clines in reproductive phenology. We investigated geographic variation in life history among 25 introduced populations of Lythrum salicaria, a widespread European invader of North American wetlands. We detected a strong latitudinal cline in initiation of flowering and size at flowering, which paralleled that reported among native populations. Plants from higher latitudes flowered earlier and at a smaller size than those from lower latitudes, even when raised in a uniform glasshouse. Early flowering was associated with greatly reduced reproductive output, but this was not associated with latitudinal variation in abundance, and probably did not result from a genetic correlation between time to and size at flowering. As introduction to North America c. 200 years ago, L. salicaria has re-established latitudinal clines in life history, probably as an evolutionary response to climatic selection.     

Life‐history traits and geographical divergence in wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) gene pool in Indochina Peninsula region

Indochina Peninsula is the primary centre of diversity of rice and lies partly in the centre of origin of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) where the wild ancestor (Oryza rufipogon) is still abundant. The wild gene pool is potentially endangered by urbanisation and the expansion of agriculture, and by introgression hybridisation with locally cultivated rice varieties. To determine genetic diversity and structure of the wild rice of the region we genotyped nearly 1000 individuals using 20 microsatellite loci. We found ecological differentiation in 48 populations, distinguishable by their life‐history traits and the country of origin. Geographical divergence was suggested by isolation of the perennial Myanmar populations from those of Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. The annual types would be most likely to have lost genetic variation because of genetic drift and inbreeding. The growing of cultivated and wild rice together, however, gives ample opportunities for hybridisation, which already shows signs of genetic mixing, and will ultimately lead to replacement of the original wild rice gene pool. For conservation we suggest that wild rice should be conserved ex situ in order to prevent introgression from cultivated rice, along with in situ conservation in individual countries for the recurrent evolutionary process through local adaptation, but with sufficient isolation from cultivated rice fields to preserve genetic integrity of the wild populations.     

The genetic variance but not the genetic covariance of life‐history traits changes towards the north in a time‐constrained insect

Seasonal time constraints are usually stronger at higher than lower latitudes and can exert strong selection on life‐history traits and the correlations among these traits. To predict the response of life‐history traits to environmental change along a latitudinal gradient, information must be obtained about genetic variance in traits and also genetic correlation between traits, that is the genetic variance‐covariance matrix, G . Here, we estimated G for key life‐history traits in an obligate univoltine damselfly that faces seasonal time constraints. We exposed populations to simulated native temperatures and photoperiods and common garden environmental conditions in a laboratory set‐up. Despite differences in genetic variance in these traits between populations (lower variance at northern latitudes), there was no evidence for latitude‐specific covariance of the life‐history traits. At simulated native conditions, all populations showed strong genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits that shaped growth and development. The variance–covariance matrix changed considerably when populations were exposed to common garden conditions compared with the simulated natural conditions, showing the importance of environmentally induced changes in multivariate genetic structure. Our results highlight the importance of estimating variance–covariance matrixes in environments that mimic selection pressures and not only trait variances or mean trait values in common garden conditions for understanding the trait evolution across populations and environments.     

A predictive framework and review of the ecological impacts of exotic plant invasions on reptiles and amphibians

The invasive spread of exotic plants in native vegetation can pose serious threats to native faunal assemblages. This is of particular concern for reptiles and amphibians because they form a significant component of the world's vertebrate fauna, play a pivotal role in ecosystem functioning and are often neglected in biodiversity research. A framework to predict how exotic plant invasion will affect reptile and amphibian assemblages is imperative for conservation, management and the identification of research priorities. Here, we present a new predictive framework that integrates three mechanistic models. These models are based on exotic plant invasion altering: (1) habitat structure; (2) herbivory and predator‐prey interactions; (3) the reproductive success of reptile and amphibian species and assemblages. We present a series of testable predictions from these models that arise from the interplay over time among three exotic plant traits (growth form, area of coverage, taxonomic distinctiveness) and six traits of reptiles and amphibians (body size, lifespan, home range size, habitat specialisation, diet, reproductive strategy). A literature review provided robust empirical evidence of exotic plant impacts on reptiles and amphibians from each of the three model mechanisms. Evidence relating to the role of body size and diet was less clear‐cut, indicating the need for further research. The literature provided limited empirical support for many of the other model predictions. This was not, however, because findings contradicted our model predictions but because research in this area is sparse. In particular, the small number of studies specifically examining the effects of exotic plants on amphibians highlights the pressing need for quantitative research in this area. There is enormous scope for detailed empirical investigation of interactions between exotic plants and reptile and amphibian species and assemblages. The framework presented here and further testing of predictions will provide a basis for informing and prioritising environmental management and exotic plant control efforts.     

荒漠一年生植物小画眉草的种群动态调节与模拟

以分布在沙波头沙漠试验研究站人工固沙植被中的一年生植物小画眉草为例,研究了荒漠一年生植物不同时间尺度上的种群动态与调节机制,试验结果表明：（1）一年生植物小画眉草种群的续存与其种子库中种子的分批萌发对策密切相关;（2）同一个生长季内,制约小画眉草种群数量变化的关键因子随降水条件的不同而变化,即当环境适宜度较小时（干旱胁迫）,非生物因子（降水）限制种群数量;当环境适宜度较大时,密度依赖的竞争作用调节种群大小;（3）在较长的生态时间尺度上土壤特性（结皮厚度,养分含量）也是影响小画眉草种群动态的一个重要因素;（4）小画眉草种群的存活曲线属于C型,说明该种是较为典型的r－对策者。     

Ecological correlates of seed persistence in soil in the north-west European flora

1 Using the data in a recently published seed bank database for north-west Europe, we describe how a species' seed bank behaviour can be characterized by a single 'longevity index', and investigate how representative the information in the database is of the north-west European flora. We also test the hypotheses that seeds of short-lived species are more persistent than those of long-lived species, and long-lived seeds are characteristic of species living in disturbed habitats.
2 The data are not representative of the north-west European flora as a whole; they are a fair reflection of a research effort that has been largely directed towards grassland and arable weeds. Data for rare species, non-agricultural habitats in general and wetlands, rocky habitats and native woodland in particular, are scarce or absent.
3 Annuals and biennials almost always have more persistent seeds than related perennials, and this difference is most striking when, as in Anagallis arvensis and Aphanes arvensis , the short-lived species have moved well away from the 'core' habitat of the family. Confamilial monocarps and polycarps do not differ consistently in seed mass.
4 Gradients of habitat disturbance are accompanied by predictable changes in seed persistence, which are themselves often (but not always) accompanied by parallel shifts in seed size. These results suggest that increasing habitat disturbance (i.e. increasing density-independent mortality) always selects for increased seed persistence, confirming both theory and previous analyses. However, increased seed persistence is not always associated with reduced seed size. This is because persistence depends not only on seed size, but on other traits, many of them physiological. In many habitats the probability of seed burial is strongly linked to seed size and shape, but in arable habitats cultural practices have broken this link.     

Re‐examining extreme longevity of the cave crayfish Orconectes australis using new mark–recapture data: a lesson on the limitations of iterative size‐at‐age models

1. Centenarian species, defined as those taxa with life spans that frequently exceed 100 years, have long been of interest to ecologists because they represent an extreme end point in a continuum of life history strategies. One frequently reported example of a freshwater centenarian is the obligate cave crayfish Orconectes australis, with a maximum longevity reported to exceed 176 years. As a consequence of its reported longevity, O. australis has been used as a textbook example of life history adaptation to the organic‐carbon limitation that characterises many cave‐stream food webs. 2. Despite being widely reported, uncertainties surround the original estimates of longevity for O. australis, which were based on a single study dating from the mid‐1970s. In the present study, we re‐evaluated the growth rate, time‐to‐maturity, female age‐at‐first‐reproduction and longevity of O. australis using a mark–recapture study of more than 5 years based upon more than 3800 free‐ranging individuals from three isolated cave streams in the south‐eastern United States. 3. The results of our study indicate that accurate estimates of the longevity of O. australis are ≤22 years, with only a small proportion of individuals (<5%) exceeding this age. Our estimates for female time‐to‐maturity (4–5 years) and age‐at‐first‐reproduction (5–6 years) are also substantially lower than earlier estimates. 4. These new data indicate that the age thresholds for life history events of O. australis are comparable to other estimates for a modest assemblage of cave and surface species of crayfish for which credible age estimate exists, suggesting that a cave environment per se is not required for the evolution of extreme longevity in crayfish.     

Q型烟粉虱在中国的入侵生态过程及机制

外来种的入侵生态过程及机制是入侵生物学重要的研究内容, 相关领域的案例分析对入侵生物学学科构建具有重要的理论意义, 对于入侵生物的防控具有重要的实践价值。但迄今中国对外来种的入侵生态过程及机制案例分析较少。而近10年来中国学者对重大入侵昆虫Q型烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci的研究为这方面的分析提供了可能。基于上述因素, 本文以Q型烟粉虱为例, 追溯了Q型烟粉虱成功入侵中国的生态过程, 总结了该昆虫成功入侵的生态过程特征, 从种群遗传结构、 生态因子及人类活动等方面解析了该虫成功入侵的机制, 展望了Q型烟粉虱入侵生物学未来的研究方向。我们认为, Q型在中国的入侵生态过程具有传入隐蔽、 扩散快速、 危害严重等特点; Q型烟粉虱成功入侵中国涉及Q型烟粉虱种群遗传学基础、 生态因子及人类活动等多种因素, 其中杀虫剂在中国的大量使用对Q型取代B型的驱动作用可能是Q型烟粉虱在中国成功入侵的重要因素。     

闽三角城市群生态环境脆弱性及其驱动力

生态安全是地区社会经济可持续发展的基本前提之一,而生态环境脆弱性会威胁地区的生态安全,进行生态环境脆弱性评价具有重要意义。以闽三角城市群为例,分别选取2000年和2015年的高程、坡度、岩性、土壤类型、NDVI、年均降水量、年均温、人口密度、人均GDP、路网密度、景观多样性、土地利用程度和工业固体废弃物排放量等13个指标,基于空间主成分分析法,并结合全局Moran'I和LISA聚类图,从整体特征、空间差异、空间集聚、地类脆弱性分异以及驱动力5个方面,探讨闽三角城市群的生态环境脆弱性及其驱动力。结果表明:2000—2015年间,闽三角城市群的生态环境脆弱性整体处于中度脆弱,但呈现出由中度脆弱向重度脆弱过渡的趋势;2000—2015年间,生态环境脆弱性呈现出由东南沿海向西北内陆逐渐增强的整体趋势,并存在明显的地带性特征,东南沿海增长不明显,部分地区有所下降,而西北内陆增长明显;生态环境脆弱性存在显著的空间自相关性,且为显著正相关,在西北部山区地带为显著的高高聚集,在东南沿海平原地带为显著的低低聚集,16年间集聚性特征在空间上有所迁移和扩张;2000—2015年间,生态环境脆弱性在各地类存在着一定的异质性,其生态环境脆弱性指数大小顺序始终为:林地未利用地草地耕地水域建设用地,整体由中度脆弱向重度脆弱过渡;2000—2015年间,生态环境脆弱性的驱动力有所变化,但人口密度、景观多样性、岩性和土壤类型一直是闽三角城市群生态环境脆弱性主要的驱动力。