Changes in lepidopteran assemblages in Temnosmrečinská dolina valley (the High Tatra Mts,Slovakia) over the last 55 years

Lepidopteran assemblages in Temnosmrečinská dolina valley (High Tatra Mts, Western Carpathians, Slovakia) were investigated. Recent data about the occurrence of lepidopteran species are compared with those which were obtained 55 years ago. Lepidoptera were monitored at seven sites comprising the subalpine to alpine zone of the valley. Fifteen of the originally recorded species were not found, however, the occurrence of six new species was recorded. In total, 61 summer lepidopteran species are known from the Temnosmrečinská dolina valley. The comparison of the recent lepidopteran assemblages shows a decline in species richness, abundance and frequency at individual monitoring sites. It seems that the changes are caused by plant community succession in the valley — overgrowth of dwarf pine, transformation of meadow communities to Calamagrostigetum and overgrowth of peat-bogs, resulting in loss of food resources for adult Lepidoptera.     

Gentelles-Le Mont de l’Evangile (département de la Somme,France) : un site de plateau occupé de l’Acheuléen au Micoquien

The palaeolithic site of Gentelles (Somme, France) is situated on a chalky plateau unlike most Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites of the Somme basin, which are related to fluvial environments (alluvial and slope deposits). The archaeological material of the site excavated at Gentelles on several thousand square meters is recovered from the infilling of a dolina. The archaeological sequence is attributed to Late Middle and Upper Pleistocene (MIS 10 to MIS 5). The assignment of the loess infilling the dolina to MIS 6 is supported by ESR/U-Th dates obtained on teeth and the IRSL age of the sediment. All lithic assemblages include bifacial production and debitage with cores showing one or several surfaces of debitage. There is no evidence of Levallois flaking methods, which are very common in many Middle Palaeolithic industries of Northern France. The first steps of the reducing sequences are not present in most lithic assemblages. Some faunal remains (equids, bovids) have been discovered in the loess deposits. In most cases, the function of the site corresponds to short occupations of hunters moving on the plateau. In contrast, the CLG assemblage (MIS 8) which shows many phases of the reducing sequence suggests longer occupations.     

Demography,genealogy and genetics. The reproductive process in the populations of two French Mountain Valleys from the seventeenth to the twentieth century

An exhaustive analysis of registers of births, deaths, and marriages is used to reconstitute genealogies, both ascending and descending, for all individuals who lived in two mountain valleys: the Valserine valley (in the French Jura), which is studied from the end of the seventeenth century to the present, and the Vallouise valley (in the French Alps) studied from the seventeenth to the nieteenth centuries. This genealogical approach makes it possible to trace the reproductive process in the populations whose members lived in the valley for several generations. The Vallouise valley forms an important demographic isolate; nearly 98 per cent of those born between 1820 and 1849 were descendants of ancestors who had lived in the valley two centuries earlier. By contrast, there has been continuous immigration into the Valserine valley, which has resulted in a constant renewal of the gene pool. Only 18 per cent of the gene pool of individuals living in this valley two centuries later was contributed by those who lived in the valley and who were born before 1750.     

Oaks in the Kashmir Valley with Remarks on their History

The paper records the occurrence of indigenous oaks (Quercus semecarpifolia and Q. dilatata) in the Kashmir valley, which have hitherto been reported as absent there. It also gives an outline history of the oaks in the Kashmir valley since the beginning of the Pleistocene and discusses the historical status of the modern oaks in the valley.     

Colonization patterns of the red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in the Luliang Mountains, China

The alien red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte, is one of the most economically destructive forest pests in China, having killed more than 6 million pines in recent years. There is a need to understand the basic biology and ecology of the beetle in order to develop an effective monitoring and management strategy. In this study, the effects of hillside exposure (south- and north-facing), host-tree locations according to relief (valley, mid-slope, and ridge-top) and tree diameters on RTB colonization were investigated in one valley (3 sites). The results showed that (i) RTB clearly preferred colonizing pines growing on south-facing hillsides, especially in the valley; (ii) RTB preferred to colonize the pines growing at the valley rather than pines growing at mid-slope or on ridge-top; (iii) RTB preferred to colonize trees with large diameter over small and medium-sized pines; (iv) the attack density of RTBs (measured by pitch tubes/pine) was obviously higher on larger trees standing in the valley than other trees standing at other places. We conclude from RTB colonization patterns, that RTB prefers to attack large trees in the valley, which may be useful in developing a pest-management strategy.     

Phylogeography and Conservation Genetics of a Distinct Lineage of Sunfish in the Cuatro Ciénegas Valley of Mexico

The valley of Cuatro Ciénegas, an aquatic oasis located in the Mexican Chihuahuan Desert, exhibits the highest level of endemism in North America and is a Mexican National Protected Area. However, little is known about the evolutionary distinctiveness of several vertebrate species present in the Cuatro Ciénegas valley. We conducted a phylogeographic study using mitochondrial haplotypes from the centrarchid fish Lepomis megalotis to determine if the populations found within the valley were evolutionarily distinct from populations outside the valley. We also examined if there was evidence of unique haplotypes of this sunfish within the valley. Genetic divergence of L. megalotis suggests populations within the valley are evolutionarily unique when compared to L. megalotis outside the valley. Significant mitochondrial sequence divergence was also discovered between L. megalotis populations on either side of the Sierra de San Marcos that bisects the valley. Our results reinforce previous studies that suggest the organisms occupying aquatic habitats not only within Cuatro Ciénegas but also in each of the two lobes of the valley generally deserve independent consideration during management decisions.     

Soil transfers from valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee) stands increase ectomycorrhizal diversity and alter root and shoot growth on valley oak seedlings

 Soils from valley oak (Quercus lobata Nee) riparian areas of the Cosumnes River Nature Conservancy Preserve near Sacramento, California were added to growth medium of valley oak seedlings grown in a greenhouse or in agricultural fields at Cosumnes which probably once supported valley oak trees and are now replanted with native riparian vegetation or allowed to revegetate naturally. Agricultural field soil from the Cosumnes River Preserve was presumed to be low or lacking in ectomycorrhizal inoculum. The study was designed to (1) determine whether valley oak stand soil transfer could cause mycorrhizal infection on valley oak seedlings in an agricultural field and in a greenhouse, (2) describe ectomycorrhizal morphological types formed on valley oak seedlings, and (3) determine whether seedling growth is enhanced more by transfer of natural valley oak stand soil than agricultural field soil. In the field study, transfer of forest soil increased average ectomycorrhizal diversity (2.4 types) more than transfer of agricultural field soil (1.2 types). Valley oak seedlings were responsive to ectomycorrhizal infection in the field study. With increase in mycorrhizal infection there was an increase in shoot growth at the expense of root growth. In the greenhouse study, both percent mycorrhizal infection and mycorrhizal diversity were increased more by transfer of oak forest and woodland soils than agricultural field soil. Eight morphotypes occurred on seedlings in forest and woodland soils but only three morphotypes in agricultural soil. This result strongly suggests that the agricultural field also harbors ectomycorrhizal propagules but forest and woodland soils support a more abundant and diverse ectomycorrhizal flora. Accepted: 17 August 1997     

Dermatoglyphic variation in Spanish Basque populations

The present study involves the evaluation of digital dermatoglyphic traits of 2185 unrelated individuals (1152 females and 1033 males) from 17 natural valleys of the four Basque provinces (Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, Navarra, and Alava) in the Spanish Basque Country. Univariate intervalley and between-sex comparisons were carried out by means of chi-square contingency analysis for pattern types and by means of one-way analysis of variance for ridge counts. Multivariate intervalley comparison was carried out by means of correspondence analysis for pattern types and by principal component analysis for ridge counts. The results of this study are notable for the following findings: (1) in general, all variables are significantly heterogeneous among valley populations; (2) there was a greater differentiation among the valley populations than between sexes in one valley population; (3) affinities among the intervalley populations depend on the variables considered; (4) the valley populations from Vizcaya resemble those from the Pyrenees; (5) based on interprovince comparisons, the Vizcaya and Navarra samples are the closest: (6) in general, the valley samples from Alava are the worst clustered; (7) the universality of dermatoglyphic component structure fits better in males.     

Notes on the systematics and distribution of Palaearctic blues (Lepidoptera,Lycaenidae)

Two new species and one new subspecies of blues are described from Central Asia, namely Polyommatus kuronjerus Korb, sp. n. (type locality: Kyrgyzstan, the Suusamyr valley, 7 km E of Suusamyr, 2800 m), Neolycaena turkomana Korb, sp. n. (type locality: Turkmenia, Badkhyz Nature Reserve, the Kyzyldzhar valley) and Satyrium acaudatum balasagyna Korb, ssp. n. (type locality: Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrghyz Mts., Tatyr, Golubinyi Waterfall, 1200 m). A new location for Plebejidea elvira (Eversmann, 1854) is determined for the Boomskoye valley in the Kyrghyz Mts. This new location is related to the late Pleistocene refuge in the Issyk-Kul valley.     

How much do valley fills influence headwater streams?

Valley fill mining has the potential to alter headwater stream habitat in many areas in the eastern United States. In valley fill mining, overburden is removed to expose underlying coal seams. The overburden is then deposited in the adjacent valley. The deposited overburden from mining increases sedimentation, increases stream conductivity, and alters hydrologic regimes downstream of the fill. Changes in downstream communities are not well documented. However, it was suspected the increased sedimentation and conductivity would have deleterious effects upon the downstream macroinvertebrate communities. In southern West Virginia, four pairs of streams, each consisting of a fill and a reference stream, were selected as representative of watersheds experiencing valley fill mining. Stream pairs were selected for similar environmental conditions, with one stream having a valley fill in its headwaters. Each stream was sampled by replicate Surber samples (n=9 per stream). Water chemistry and sediment measurements also were taken at each location. Valley fill streams experienced significantly higher specific conductance (p < 0.01), but did not have elevated levels of fine sediment. Fills exhibited elevated levels of Na, K, Mn, Mg, Ca, Ni and Fe relative to reference streams. Additionally, valley fill streams demonstrated significantly lower densities of Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, Odonata, Non-insects, Scrapers, and Shredders (p < 0.03) than reference streams. Further, Ephemeroptera richness was negatively related to specific conductivity and many of the richness metrics were negatively related to metals, both of which were generally elevated in fill streams. It appears that at the minimum, valley fills increase specific conductance and metals in streams and this or some other unqualified factors structure the macroinvertebrate community downstream of the valley fill. However, given the level of disturbance in valley fills, it is surprising how little differences existed between fills and reference stream biota.     

喀斯特槽谷区生态退化与修复专题导读

在国家重点研发计划项目——"喀斯特槽谷区土地石漠化过程及综合治理技术研发与示范(2016YFC0502300)"的支持下,经过项目组全体成员三年的共同努力,在喀斯特槽谷区生态退化与修复方面取得了一些重要进展。主要有:(1)2000—2015年槽谷区土壤侵蚀总量逐年减少,年平均侵蚀模数逐年降低,槽谷区植被覆盖明显提高;(2)拉巴豆地埂篱根土复合体不仅能有效提高喀斯特土壤的粒径大小和增强土体的抗剪/冲性能,并且能够利用大气N_2合成植物生长所需的氮肥,从而提高土壤肥力,可望实现石漠化治理中生态效应和经济效应的双赢;(3)喀斯特槽谷区隧道建设改变了地下水流场并降低了地下水位,进而降低了土壤微生物丰度和多样性,而增加了适应干旱的微生物种群,并导致土壤质量的降低;隧道建设加速了坡面产流和土壤流失,加剧了土地石漠化,从而导致生态退化;(4)随着槽谷区退化生态系统的恢复,生态系统的生态服务功能得到提升。     

茂兰喀斯特森林不同地形植物多样性与土壤理化特征研究

为探讨不同地形植物群落物种多样性与土壤理化特征之间的相互关系。该文以茂兰喀斯特森林为研究对象,分析了不同地形植物多样性与土壤理化特征以及两者之间的相互关系。结果表明:(1)不同地形木本植物的物种组成存在差异,坡地木本植物有35科65属78种,槽谷木本植物有38科64属89种,漏斗木本植物有35科61属84种。同时,丰富度指数、多样性指数、均匀度指数大小表现为槽谷漏斗坡地;优势度指数大小表现为坡地漏斗槽谷。(2)不同地形土壤物理性质差异性显著(P0.05),其中土壤容重和非毛管孔隙度表现为坡地槽谷漏斗,自然含水量、田间持水量、总孔隙度、毛管孔隙度等指标均表现为漏斗槽谷坡地。(3)除全K外,大多数土壤养分指标表现为漏斗显著高于槽谷、坡地,即漏斗槽谷坡地。(4)冗余分析表明,植物多样性与土壤理化性质具有相关性,不同地形植物多样性指数受土壤理化性质的影响明显。以上结果旁证了茂兰喀斯特森林地形条件的复杂性和土壤理化性质的差异性是该区小生境多样、物种组成丰富的原因之一,为喀斯特森林物种多样性维持机制提供了科学依据。     

Climate controls on valley fever incidence in Kern County, California

Coccidiodomycosis (valley fever) is a systemic infection caused by inhalation of airborne spores from Coccidioides immitis, a soil-dwelling fungus found in the southwestern United States, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America. Dust storms help disperse C. immitis so risk factors for valley fever include conditions favorable for fungal growth (moist, warm soil) and for aeolian soil erosion (dry soil and strong winds). Here, we analyze and inter-compare the seasonal and inter-annual behavior of valley fever incidence and climate risk factors for the period 1980–2002 in Kern County, California, the US county with highest reported incidence. We find weak but statistically significant links between disease incidence and antecedent climate conditions. Precipitation anomalies 8 and 20 months antecedent explain only up to 4% of monthly variability in subsequent valley fever incidence during the 23 year period tested. This is consistent with previous studies suggesting that C. immitis tolerates hot, dry periods better than competing soil organisms and, as a result, thrives during wet periods following droughts. Furthermore, the relatively small correlation with climate suggests that the causes of valley fever in Kern County could be largely anthropogenic. Seasonal climate predictors of valley fever in Kern County are similar to, but much weaker than, those in Arizona, where previous studies find precipitation explains up to 75% of incidence. Causes for this discrepancy are not yet understood. Higher resolution temporal and spatial monitoring of soil conditions could improve our understanding of climatic antecedents of severe epidemics.     

Les faunes de brachiopodes et le passage du Bajocien au Bathonien dans le Sud-Ouest du Bassin Parisien (France)

Brachiopod species have been collected in lithologicalunits dated with ammonites in the Bajocian and the Bathonian of the Vienne valley (South-West of the Parisian Basin, France) where detailed surveys were carried out. These observations brought out informations about stratigraphical range and palaeoecology of the species.Some of these brachiopods had alrewdy been observedin the Creuse valley (Fischer 1962, 1964). Comparison between the two lithological and faunal sequences in these valleys, allows to give a new interpretation about the stratigraphical sequence in the Creuse valley. The occurrence of Eudesia infrabathonica Fischer in the Upper Bajocian (Parkinsoni Zone) is noticeable.     

Topographical pattern of the forest vegetation on a river basin in a warm-temperate hilly region,central Japan

The relationship between tree distribution and topography was examined in a small river basin (3.4 ha) comprising a complex mosaic of topographical units at 10² to 10³ m² order, each of which had a shallow valley bordered by small ridges or breaks of slopes. Twenty-five major woody species were divided into two groups (groups A and B) based on a cluster analysis using the distribution data in the basin. Group A, which mainly consisted of early-successional species, was distributed around the valley sites of the topographical units, while group B, which mainly consisted of late-successional species, was distributed around the ridge sites of the topographical units. This vegetation pattern coincided with erosional condition in the basin. That is, the valley sites were eroded more actively than the ridge sites, as soil depth tended to be thin in the valley sites and thick in the ridge sites, and because large (canopy) trees were restricted in the ridge sites. There was no tendency that group B was replacing group A, and hence it was suggested that repeated disturbance by slope failures or small-scale shallow landslides have prevented compositional change from the early-successional (group A) to the late-successional (group B) species by preventing the invasion of the latter into valley sites.     

元江干热河谷植物叶片解剖和养分含量特征

研究了元江干热河谷旱田植物(旱季可浇灌,水分较好)和山坡半萨王纳植被中(自然状况,水分较差)共20种的叶片形态解剖特征,以及7种山坡植物叶片养分含量特征.结果表明,山坡植物叶片比叶重大,气孔密度大,气孔长度小,海绵组织/栅栏组织的值小等.元江干热河谷山坡植物叶片养分含量低,1.3%＞Ca＞N＞K＞1%＞Mg＞P＞S.除氮元素外,其它元素种间差别1～3倍.与热带植物群落叶片养元素含量相比,热带雨林＞元江山坡植物＞东南亚沙地旱生林和巴西矮卡廷加群落,表明元江干热河谷植物叶片具有明显的旱生性形态解剖特征,且叶片养分含量也较低.     

黄河、长江流域棉区棉花抗病品种的AFLP分析

选取黄河流域棉区的72个抗病品种和长江流域棉区的29个抗病品种,利用AFLP技术对其进行了遗传多样性分析。结果20对具有多态性的AFLP引物组合在黄河流域棉区的72个品种和长江流域棉区的29个品种上分别扩增出200条和127条多态性带,利用SPSS(11.0)软件计算得到品种之间的平均欧氏距离为4.356(黄河流域棉区)和4．391(长江流域棉区)。在阈值取15．2时,可以将黄河流域棉区的72个品种划分为4个类群(the Huanghe valley groups,abbreviate HVGs),即HVG1、HVG2、HVG3和HVG4,分别包括27、19、10和16个品种;长江流域棉区的29个品种被划分为4个类群(the Changjiang valley groups,CVGs),即CVG1、CVG2、CVG3和CVG4,分别包括14、4、5、和6个品种。通过比较两棉区品种成对欧式距离的最大值、最小值、平均值及成对欧氏距离的区间分布和累积百分率,表明来自黄河、长江流域两棉区的品种遗传多样性水平相近。     

Population genetics suggests effectiveness of habitat connectivity measures for the European tree frog in Switzerland

1.  Governmental authorities in many countries financially support the implementation of habitat connectivity measures to enhance the exchange of individuals among fragmented populations. The evaluation of the effectiveness of such measures is crucial for future management directions and can be accomplished by using genetic methods.
2.  We retraced the population history of the European tree frog in two Swiss river valleys (Reuss and Thur), performed comprehensive population sampling to infer the genetic structure at 11 microsatellite markers, and used first-generation migrant assignment tests to evaluate the contemporary exchange of individuals.
3.  Compared with the Thur valley, the Reuss valley has lost almost double the number of breeding sites and exhibited a more pronounced genetic grouping. However, similar numbers of contemporary migrants were detected in both valleys. In the Reuss valley, 81% of the migration events occurred within the identified genetic groups, whereas in the Thur valley migration patterns were diffuse.
4.  Our results show that the connectivity measures implemented in the Reuss valley facilitated effective tree frog migration among breeding sites within distances up to 4 km. Nevertheless, the Reuss valley exhibited high genetic differentiation, which reflected the impact of barriers to tree frog movement such as the River Reuss. By contrast in the Thur valley, a larger number of breeding sites have been preserved and high admixture indicated exchange of individuals at distances up to 16 km.
5.   Synthesis and applications . We show that genetic methods can substantiate the effectiveness of connectivity measures taken in conservation management at the landscape scale. We urge responsible authorities from both river valleys to continue implementing connectivity measures and to create a dense network of breeding sites, as spatial gaps of 8 km are rarely traversed by tree frogs.     

Genetic structure of the endangered perennial plant Eryngium alpinum (Apiaceae) in an alpine valley

We investigated the genetic structure of Eryngium alpinum (Apiaceae) in an Alpine valley where the plant occurs in patches of various sizes. In a conservation perspective, our goal was to determine whether the valley consists of one or several genetic units. Habitat fragmentation and previous observations of restricted pollen/seed dispersal suggested pronounced genetic structure, but gene dispersal often follows a leptokurtic distribution, which may lead to weak genetic structure. We used nine microsatellite loci and two nested sampling designs (50 × 50 m grid throughout the valley and 2 × 2 m grid in two 50 × 10 m quadrats). Within the overall valley, F -statistics and Bayesian approaches indicated high genetic homogeneity. This result might be explained by: (1) underestimation of long-distance pollen/seed dispersal by in situ experiments and (2) too recent fragmentation events to build up genetic structure. Spatial autocorrelation revealed isolation by distance on the overall valley but this pattern was much more pronounced in the 50 × 10 m quadrats sampled with a 2-m mesh. This was probably associated with limited primary seed dispersal, leading to the spatial clustering of half-sibs around maternal plants. We emphasize the interest of nested sampling designs and of combining several statistical tools.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 667–677.     

The Late Prehistoric Human Ecology of Birch Creek Valley,Northeastern Oklahoma

Abstract

A multi-disciplinary study of the archaeological sites in Birch Creek Valley examined the valley’s paleoenvironment, prehistoric economy, and demography. The study indicates that during the Plains Village Period (ca. A.D. 800-1,500) the local environment was stable and similar to that of the area today with the valley being occupied during the late summer through winter by dispersed groups containing from 10 to 15 people. The Late Prehistoric occupants of the valley apparently relied on a broad-spectrum foraging economy and did not engage in horticulture.