Species composition and specific features of distribution of bivalves from the superfamily Pisidioidea (Mollusca, Bivalvia) in the coastal zone of the Lower Tuloma Reservoir and in the Tuloma River Estuary (Kola Peninsula, Russia)

The fauna of bivalves of superfamily Pisidioidea from the coastal zone of the Lower Tuloma Reservoir and the estuary of the Tuloma River was studied in 2004–2005. Seventeen species mollusks were found. The influence of some ecological factors on the mollusks is analyzed. The most important factor in the Lower Tuloma Reservoir is the tidal rise; in the estuary of the Tuloma River, it is the time of coast exposure and water salinity.     

Comprehensive and Comparative Analysis of the Helminth Fauna of the Dominant Colonial Seabird Species on the Murman Coast

This work reports the results of the long-term study of the helminth fauna of the dominant colonial seabird species (common guillemots, Brünnich’s guillemots, kittiwakes, great black-backed gulls, and herring gulls) in the western, central, and eastern parts of the Murman coast. The presence of 52 parasitic worm species (18 trematode species, 21 cestode species, 11 nematode species, and 2 acanthocephalan species) was demonstrated. In the western, central, and eastern regions, the respective numbers of 32, 43, and 34 helminth species were registered. Twenty species of seabird parasites were found to be ubiquitous along the Murman coastal zone. Local foci of the trematode Maritrema arenaria and cestode Laricanthus lateralis infestation along the western part of the Murmansk coast were revealed. The highest helminth species diversity (38 species) was demonstrated for the herring gull; the lowest (7 species), for the common guillemot. Four parasite species were common for the helminth fauna of all bird species. A significant number of helminth infections were mixed ones (complexes of two or three bird species with the common helminth species in different combinations). The highest similarity of the helminth fauna was revealed in the pairs of the common guillemot and the Brünnich’s guillemot and of the great black-backed gull and the herring gull. A few parasitic worm species detected only in a single bird species were registered. The particularities and the possible causes of the geographical distribution and specificity of helminthes were analyzed, and a comprehensive assessment of the parasitological situation in the Murman coastal zone was performed.     

RAPD Analysis of the Genome in Species of the Genus Hordeum

Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to analyze six species, three populations, and seven regional cultivars of barley. A unique pattern of amplified DNA products was obtained for each species of the genus Hordeum.High polymorphism of barley species was revealed. Specific fragments were found in most RAPD patterns; the fragments can be used as molecular markers of corresponding species and subspecies. Several other DNA fragments were shown to serve as molecular markers of the H genome. Specific RAPD patterns were obtained for each population and each cultivar of H. vulgaresensu lato. In total, variation between the populations and between the cultivars was substantially lower than between species. Cluster analysis (UPGMA) was used to estimate genetic distances between theHordeumspecies, between the H. spontaneumpopulations, and between regional H. vulgarecultivars and a dendrogram was constructed.     

青冈常绿阔叶林主要树种叶片形态生态研究

青冈常绿阔叶林主要树种叶形基本上都为椭圆形,叶面积在15-40cm2／叶之间,属于中型叶和小型叶;在同一植株上,青冈叶片的大小很好地符合正态分布规律,石栎则近似于负二项分布,甜槠和木荷接近正态分布;主要树种叶的大小是优势种青冈>次优势种石栎>其它伴生种,这在群落结构分化中具有适应意义,即其“生长策略”不同;同一树种叶片大小为中层木叶片>上层木叶片;春夏换叶之前,叶大小和叶重达到第一高峰,秋冬季出现第二峰,叶比重为秋、冬季>春、夏季,这是常绿植物对季节性不利气候(冬季寒冷,夏季高温伏旱)的一种生态适应。     

南美白对虾精养塘浮游微藻动态研究

2006年4月30日～2006年8月31日,对舟山市马岙镇的旭旺无公害对虾精养基地水体的浮游微藻群落结构进行调查分析.结果表明:精养塘中共检出常见浮游微藻5门16种,其中蓝藻4种,绿藻5种,硅藻5种,裸藻1种,甲藻1种.主要蓝藻有微小平裂藻(Merismopedia tenuissima.)、小席藻(Phorimidium sp.)、螺旋藻(Spirulina sp.)等;常见绿藻有小球藻(Chlorella sp.)、衣藻(Chlamydomonas sp.)等;常见硅藻有舟形藻(Navicula sp.)、尖针杆藻(Synedra acus)等.养殖早期3门9种,蓝藻门与裸藻门的微藻未检查到,且浮游微藻细胞数量为0.8×10⁷cells·L^-1,香浓多样性指数平均为0.445.养殖后期4门12种,多甲藻未出现了,浮游微藻细胞数量为1.5×10⁷ cells·L^-1,香浓多样性指数平均为0.375.浮游藻类多样性指数总体表现为养殖前期高后期低的特征.     

Japanese species of the Longibrachiatum Clade of Trichoderma

The Longibrachiatum Clade of the genus Trichoderma in Japan was examined, among which two new species and three new records are herewith reported. The new species, T. tsugarense and T. kunigamense were isolated from a bed log (cultivation of Lentinula edodes) and volcanic ash soil, respectively. These species are distinguished from closely related species by growth and morphological characteristics and in phylogenetic analysis. Additional species new to Japan were T. ghanense, T. parareesei and T. sinense. The significance of their distribution is discussed. Most species of the Longibrachiatum Clade are tropical rather than temperate in distribution. Their in vitro optimum growth tends to be >35 °C but the optimum temperature for some Japanese species was lower. Some species are endophytes of temperate plant species, some of which are endemic in Japan.     

Insect biogeography in the south-western Sea of Korea with comments on the insect fauna of Kwanmae Island

The insect species richness of each island in the south‐western Sea of Korea was considered on the background of the equilibrium theory. The species number of insects on Kwanmae Island in the present study (140 species) was much higher compared with a previous survey. Based on a literature survey of island biota surveys published in the 1980s, of 47 islands, the lowest species number (12 species) was on Kwanmae Island, and the most diverse insect fauna (254 species) was on Baekryong Island. The mean species number of surveyed islands was approximately 54 (53.96 with a standard deviation of 46.95). The median species number was 38 with a skew of +2.56. Insects, including the orders Odonanta, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, occurred on 32 of the 47 surveyed islands, and had an occurrence rate of more than 0.68. This indicates that these insects are distributed widely on the islands in the south‐western Sea of Korea. The species number showed a significant linear relationship with both area of an island and its distance from the mainland (P < 0.05), with an extremely low determinant coefficient (r² = 0.13 for area vs species number and r² = 0.28 for distance vs species number). Other factors tested in the study failed to show a significant relationship with species number. A multiple‐regression model established using area and distance as independent variables showed significant relationship with species number, with a relatively higher determinant coefficient (r² = 0.70, P < 0.05). We present possible explanations to explain the difference between estimated and observed species number in Kwanmae Island.     

Species richness of phytophagous beetles in the tropical tree Brosimum utile (Moraceae): the effects of sampling strategy and the problem of tourists

Abstract.  1. Phytophagous beetles on six mature living trees and two dead trees of Brosimum utile (Moraceae) were surveyed during 1 year in a tropical wet forest in Panama. The dead trees were surveyed both as suspended in the canopy and after falling down to the understorey.
2. Canopy access was provided by a construction crane and sampling was performed by beating and hand-collecting. The same amount of time was spent on each tree in order to standardise sampling effort. A list of all species associated with the tree is presented.
3. A total of 3009 individuals representing 364 species were collected. Tourists were excluded from the analyses by recording host associations directly and by probability assessments of host associations based on abundance categories. A total of 2603 individuals and 244 species were associated with the tree. The proportion of tourists in the trees increased with sample size.
4. A single mature living tree had on average 58.5 ± 6.5 species. The local species richness of B. utile was estimated as 2.5 times higher than in a single mature tree; however, a substantial increase in species richness was attained when dead wood habitats were included. Saproxylic species made up 82% of the total material.
5. The investigated habitat types of B. utile constituted distinct, complementary species assemblages. Similarity between saproxylic species of dead suspended wood and dead understorey wood of the same tree was 0.2 (Morisita–Horn index), confirming a prominent vertical stratification among this guild.     

Effects of species traits on the genetic diversity of high-mountain plants: a multi-species study across the Alps and the Carpathians

Aim  To test the influence of various species traits, elevation and phylogeographical history on the genetic diversity of high-mountain plants in the Alps and Carpathians.
Location  The regular sampling grid comprised the whole range of the European Alps and the Carpathians.
Methods  Twenty-two high-mountain plant species were exhaustively sampled and their genetic diversity was assessed with amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). ANOVAs were used to check for relationships between species traits and species genetic diversity, and to test whether genetic diversity was influenced by altitude and phylogeographical history (i.e. Alps versus Carpathians).
Results  In both mountain systems, species dispersed and pollinated by wind showed higher genetic diversity than species with self or insect pollination, and with animal- or gravity-dispersed seeds. Only in the Alps did altitudinal range size affect species genetic diversity significantly: species with narrow altitudinal ranges in the highest vegetation belts had significantly higher genetic diversity than those expanding over wide altitudinal ranges. Genetic diversity was species specific and significantly higher in the Alps than in the Carpathians, but it was not influenced by elevation.
Main conclusions  Wind pollination and wind dispersal seem to foster high genetic diversity. However, species traits are often associated and their effects on genetic diversity cannot be clearly disentangled. As genetic diversity is species specific, comparisons across species need to be interpreted with care. Genetic diversity was generally lower in the Carpathians than in the Alps, due to higher topographical isolation of alpine habitats in the Carpathians and this mountain massif's divergent phylogeographical history. Elevation did not influence genetic diversity, challenging the long-held view of decreasing genetic diversity with increasing elevation in mountain plants.     

Assessing the risk of freshwater fish introductions into the Iberian Peninsula

1. Preventing the introduction of species likely to become invaders is the best management option to deal with biological invasions. A data set consisting of native, introduced and species not currently present in Iberian Peninsula (n = 167 species) was used to identify freshwater fish species that are likely to be introduced and become successful invaders in the near future. 2. Principal component analysis (PCA) of species traits was used to determine species likely to be introduced, assuming that the traits of species introduced in the future will resemble those of previously introduced species. The likelihood of introduction was calculated as the proportion of neighbour species (in the space defined by the PCA) that have been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula and, together with metrics related to different stages of invasion, was used to construct a region‐specific risk index (Iberian risk index). 3. Introduced species had higher index values compared with native species or species currently absent from the region. The Iberian risk index was positively related to the results of an independent risk analysis for freshwater fish as well as to the geographical spread of species previously introduced to the Iberian Peninsula. 4. Iberian risk index values were used to establish a cut‐off value for estimating the probability of a successful invasion. This threshold value was used to construct a list of 20 species to be included in a ‘watch list’ to prevent freshwater fish invasions in the Iberian Peninsula.     

2010年夏季白令海小型浮游植物分布

根据2010年7月10-19日我国第四次北极科学考察“雪龙”号考察船在白令海(52°42.29′-65°30.23′ N, 169°20.85′ E-179°30.37′ W)采集的70份水采样品,共鉴定小型浮游植物5个门类143种(含变种和变型).其中硅藻门37属95种,甲藻门15属44种,绿藻门2属2种,裸藻门和金藻门各1属1种.聚类分析表明: 调查海区浮游植物可分为深水区群落和浅水区群落.深水区群落分布于太平洋西北部和白令海海盆,种类组成主要以温带大洋性种西氏新细齿状藻、大西洋角毛藻和广布种菱形海线藻、扁面角毛藻为主,浮游植物的丰度较低,种间分配均匀,优势种不突出,种类多样性指数高;浅水区群落分布于白令海陆坡区和北部陆架区,主要由近岸冷水种诺登海链藻、叉尖角毛藻和广温广盐种丹麦细柱藻、旋链角毛藻等组成,浮游植物的丰度高,种间分配不均匀,优势种突出,种类多样性指数低.浮游植物平均丰度为58722 cells·L^-1,变化范围在950～192400 cells·L^-1,站间差异显著.平面分布趋势总体呈白令海陆架区＞白令海陆坡区＞白令海海盆＞太平洋西北部海域.垂直分布均以表层浮游植物丰度较低,至温跃层附近出现高值.不同水域温跃层的差异决定了其垂直分布格局.     

Model of the assessment of the critical risk of extinction and the priorities of protection of endangered aquatic species at the national level

In the period 1995–2006, the biodiversity of the aquatic habitats in the area of Serbia was explored, with the aim to identify the endangered species of macroalgae, macroinvertebratae and fishes. During the work a data base was formed (Aquatic Ecosystems Diversity in Serbia, AEDSer), containing the data from exploring the biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystems of Serbia since 1860. Based on the data base, classification of the aquatic species was made into categories of endangerment based on IUCN criteria. The following was noted: (1) the global IUCN category assigned to the species often is not identical with the national status of endangerment; and (2) the species that are given a category of endangerment at the national level do not have the same realistic risk of extinction in all their habitats. This remark imposed the need for a model for assessing the critical risk of extinction of the endangered species and determining the priorities of their protection at the national level. Two categories of characters were used to develop the model: the characters that determine the degree of ecological specialisation of the species based on the circumstances of habitat; and the characters suggesting the risk factors from the system: “HIPPO” in the spatial and time dimension. The possibility to apply the model was tested on 10 aquatic species belonging to different categories of endangerment at the national level (macroalgae 2, macroinvertebrates 7, and fishes 1 species). The model based on points determined the level of extinction risk and, that way, the species needing urgent conservation from the same or different categories of endangerment were isolated. The model suggested can contribute to a more efficient defining the conservation priorities.     

Continuing of the revision of Spriferid (Brachiopoda) zonal species from the Frasnian Stage (Upper Devonian) of the Russian Platform

Adolfia siratschoica (Ljaschenko) and Adolfia krestovnikovi (Ljaschenko) are accepted as zonal species of the Petino and Voronezh Horizons of the Frasnian Stage of the Russian Platform. However it was established that these species do not belong to the genus Adolfia. The former species was recognized as the nomenclatural type species of Ljaschenkovia gen. nov. and the latter species was recognized as the type species of Tokmospirifer gen. nov. The comparative analysis provided of the shell structure, microornamentation, and shell interior of the type species of Ljaschenkovia gen. nov., Tokmospirifer brevis gen. et sp. nov., and Adolfia solita Ljaschenko is presented.     

Geographical patterns in species richness of the benthic polychaetes in the continental shelf of the Gulf of California, Mexican Pacific

The present study is the first attempt to describe meso-scale patterns in the species richness of polychaetes along the Gulf of California, which stretches from about 23°N to 31°N. We examine herein the spatial changes in species distribution and explore the overlapping of species’ ranges towards the centre of the Gulf, to test whether the mid-domain effect (MDE) could explain an expected mid-domain peak in species richness. The faunal composition and the latitudinal range of 244 species of polychaetes recorded along the continental shelf of the Gulf of California were analysed in latitude bands of 1°. The species composition changes around the Gulf’s archipelago (~29°N), and the highest values of species richness are found at the 25° (197 species) and 26° (193 species) of latitude. Although the species richness pattern could be described by a parabolic shape, the regional trend was not strongly consistent with the peak of diversity at 27°N (176–191 species) predicted by the mid-domain effect: the random sorting of species’ ranges within spatial domain does not explain satisfactorily the geographical patterns of diversity. Nevertheless, a partial contribution of MDE to these natural patterns of diversity could be detected, and the increase in species richness towards middle latitudes was basically determined by species with distribution ranges larger than 6°. The low level of significance between the empirical species richness pattern and the mid-domain model prediction for polychaetes in the Gulf does not restrict their use as a model for exploring the randomness of the diversity patterns.     

Utilization by elephants of the Brachystegia woodlands of the Kasungu National Park, Malawi

Utilization by elephants of the trees of the Brachystegia woodlands of Kasungu National Park, Malawi, was investigated. Of forty-one common species thirtyfive species were eaten, of which thirteen species were selected by elephants. The chemical composition of the leaf material was analysed and a significant correlation was found between the utilization of certain species and the protein and sodium content, whereas the crude fibre content showed no significant correlation but in general appeared to be relatively low in highly favoured species. The pushing over and uprooting of trees by elephants appear to be part of a feeding strategy which improves the availability of food for elephants during the dry season. The number of trees browsed increased with an increasing tree density up to 300 trees ha^-1, where browsing intensity remained constant for both selected and non-selected species. The reasons why the species composition of Brachystegia woodlands is hardly affected by elephant use are briefly discussed.     

Quantitative estimation of the dynamics of adventive flora (by the example of the Tula region)

The rate of enrichment of the Tula region flora with adventive species was quantitatively estimated taking into account the changes of their degree of naturalization during the last 200 years. Numerical score of degree of the naturalization for each species was used to compile the initial database: "0", species absent from the territory; "1", ephemerophyte; "2", colonophyte; "3", epecophyte; "4", argiophyte; "?", lack of data. Non-interpolated integral index of the dynamics of adventive flora NI(t) was calculated from this database. This index displays the sum of the degrees of naturalization of all the adventive species in the flora in some particular year. The interpolation of the initial database, aimed at minimizing the influence of random factors (e.g., gaps in observations or different activity of the researchers in different years), was performed by substituting the "?" symbol by a series of intermediate values based on studies of the data for adjacent territories. Interpolated integral indices I(t) were calculated from the interpolated database. These indices were then leveled out with Morlet wavelets, in order to distinguish random spikes (lasting less than 50 years) from the analyzed signal, and thus approximate the index dynamics to the objective trend that represents the dynamics of the flora and not the rate of activity of the researchers. The dynamics of the adventive flora of the Tula region revealed with this method shows the following facts: 1) average rate of the enrichment of the adventive flora with strange species has been constant for these 200 years and amounted to 15 species per decade; 2) average rate of naturalization was relatively low and constant, amounting to 5 species per decade; 3) fluctuations of the composition and naturalization degree of the Tula region adventive flora species were not shown to be dependant directly on the changes in the territory's economic development during the last two centuries; 4) no periodicity was recorded in the advent of new species, and the fluctuations of the number of adventive species can be attributed to the fluctuations of research intensity.     

Disentangling the effects of facilitation on restoration of the Atlantic Forest

Facilitation is an important ecological mechanism with potential applications to forest restoration. We hypothesized that different facilitation treatments, distance from the forest edge and time since initiation of the experiment would affect forest restoration on abandoned pastures. Seed and seedling abundance, species richness and composition were recorded monthly during two years under isolated trees, bird perches and in open pasture. Seed arrival and seedling establishment were measured at 10 m and 300 m from the forest edge. We sampled a total of 131,826 seeds from 115 species and 487 seedlings from 46 species. Isolated trees and bird perches increased re-establishment of forest species; however, species richness was higher under isolated trees. Overall, abundance and richness of seeds and seedlings differed between sampling years, but was unaffected by distance from the forest edge. On the other hand, species composition of seeds and seedlings differed among facilitation treatments, distance from the forest edge and between years. Seedling establishment success rate was larger in large-seeded species than medium- and small-seeded species. Our results suggest that isolated trees enhance forest re-establishment, while bird perches provide a complementary effort to restore tree abundance in abandoned pastures. However, the importance of seed arrival facilitation shifts toward establishment facilitation over time. Arriving species may vary depending on the distance from the forest edge and disperser attractors. Efforts to restore tropical forests on abandoned pastures should take into account a combination of both restoration strategies, effects of time and proximity to forest edge to maximize regeneration.     

Identification of the areas of endemism (AOEs) of the genus Acantholimon (Plumbaginaceae) in Iran

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify areas of endemism for Acantholimon species using parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) and to detect endemic species richness of the genus in the region. The results obtained from the two methods used in this study were used in determining the priorities for the conservation of Acantholimon species in Iran. The distribution database of 62 endemic species belonging to this genus was formed by 1250 georeferenced observations in Iran. The study area was divided into 1?×1? grids of operative geographical units (OGUs) and the species?×?area matrix including presence/absence data was created. The endemic species richness was calculated using circular neighborhood with a radius of 50?km in 10?×?10?km² raster cells using DIVA-GIS software. The results of PAE analysis have shown four areas of endemism (AOEs) in Iran. AOE1: including Alborz and Zagros mountains, the mountains of central Iran. AOE2 and AOE3 are located in Khorassan subregion and AOE4 contains parts of western Iran. The map of endemic species richness indicated that the highest number of endemic species occurs in central Alborz region as well as Kerman, Chahar-Mahal and Bakhtiari, and Isfahan provinces.     

Variation of the waterbird community relying to the Ichkeul National Park,Tunisia

For the period of 2001–2004, the detailed reaction of a waterbird community to dam building has been assessed in the Ichkeul National Park. Results showed that 71 species belonging to 8 orders were detected. Three herbivorous species were largely dominant: common coot (Fulica atra), common pochard (Aythya ferina), and Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope). The three community parameters used in the analysis were: species richness, species abundance, and species diversity; which were significantly different between seasons. The wintering season was a key phase when the maximum values of these parameters were reached. This seasonal concentration of activity may be explained by migration. The upstream freshwater diversion was followed by a decrease in the annual abundance of the waterbird community due to the increasing salinity and the severe depletion of the swamp grass, Potamogeton (Potamogeton pectinatus). The total number of species was independent of the local conditions, and the annual variation was related to the number of uncommon species seen in each year.