Identification of pelagic eggs of marine fishes by rearing method

Pelagic fish eggs are usually fixed by formalin solution just after collection in the field. Most of these eggs are difficult to be identified to species, because only limited characters are available for identification and considerable changes in structures take place with fixation. In this study, species names of formalin fixed eggs were estimated by comparing their egg diameters and the diameter and number of oil globules with those of the fresh ones identified by the rearing method. Materials were collected in Wakasa Bay in May, August, and October, 1979–1982. Fresh eggs were classified into 40 species or types by the rearing method, but fixed eggs were divided into only 24 types. Comparison of fresh and fixed eggs revealed that 7 out of 24 types of fixed eggs were referable to species, and 13 types were composed of species groups. The rearing method is surely a useful step in indentifying species names and/or species types of fixed eggs.     

云南哀牢山国家级自然保护区蕨类植物生态地理研究

报道了哀牢山国家级自然保护区蕨类区系有蕨类植物48科、118属、446种(包括变种和变型)。从蕨类植物的垂直分布、东西分布和生态类型的划分等几个方面对哀牢山国家级自然保护区蕨类植物生态进行探讨并得出以下结论:(1)在海拔分布上,蕨类植物有着与不同植被相关的生态适应性,2000~2800 m的中山湿性常绿阔叶林和山顶苔藓矮林地带蕨类植物种类最为丰富,附生蕨类植物占到了该海拔地带蕨类植物总种数的28.5%;(2)东坡有蕨类植物387种,西坡则只有355种,东西坡共有种达295种;(3)哀牢山国家级自然保护区蕨类植物可划分为16个生态类型,本区明显地以阴生植物、亚高温植物和中生植物居多,附生植物种类所占比例大,旱生植物和石生植物种类少等为主要生态特征。哀牢山国家级自然保护区蕨类植物的温度生态类型以亚热带植物种类为主,温带植物和寒温带植物少。     

Species pools along contemporary environmental gradients represent different levels of diversification

Aim Within a region, different habitat types are characterized by different species and some habitat types have higher species diversities than others. Different habitat types are also characterized by different phylogenetic clades. However, it is not known whether – within a given region – some habitat types have species pools that are more phylogenetically diversified than others. We investigated whether species pools in contemporary habitat types represent different levels of diversification of angiosperms and, if so, whether these differences correlate with particular environmental factors. We tested these relationships in a region of recent geological origin possessing a comparatively young flora, and compared the result with standard analyses of species diversity. Location The Netherlands. Methods We studied angiosperms across the full range of habitat types present in the Netherlands. We characterized levels of diversification represented in species pools within each of these habitat types with respect to (1) taxonomic diversification, i.e. the rate of increase of richness across taxonomic ranks (relative to a null expectation for a given species richness), and (2) cladogenic diversification, i.e. the average cladogenic distance of species from the root of a phylogenetic tree of the species pool within a given region. Results Species pools of different habitat types represented different levels of taxonomic and cladogenic diversification. These differences were strongly correlated with the environmental characteristics of the habitat type. Greater levels of taxonomic diversification were represented in the species pools of relatively dry and open habitat types. Greater levels of cladogenic diversification were represented in habitats with both dry and weakly acidic soils. The relationship between environmental factors and taxonomic and cladogenic diversification (r² = 0.88 and 0.76, respectively) was stronger than that between environmental factors and species richness (r² = 0.34). Main conclusions Within a region, species resulting from particularly high rates of diversification accumulated in particular habitat types. These habitat types represent specific contemporary abiotic environments and have a tighter relationship with levels of diversification than with species richness.     

Dragonfly communities in coastal habitats of Kenya: indication of biotope quality and the need of conservation measures

This study highlights the species diversity of Odonata from coastal forests in southern Kenya, identifying indicator species for certain habitat types and emphasising the importance of conserving the last remaining coastal forest areas. A total of 78 species were recorded from coastal habitats in southern Kenya in this study; five species for the first time in eastern Africa. Dragonfly communities relative to different habitat types from indigenous forest to cultivated landscapes are described and compared. The forest species are often confined to coastal forests of East Africa. They are stenotopic and highly sensitive to disturbance. With increasing habitat disturbance the species richness increases at first, but most of the colonisers are eurytopic species that are common and widely distributed in Africa. The species assemblages between different habitat types in the disturbed landscape are more or less the same; the -diversity is much lower than in different habitat types of the natural coastal landscape. In the end, management implications are briefly discussed.     

Molecular systematics of the Asplenium nidus complex from Mt. Halimun National Park, Indonesia: evidence for reproductive isolation among three sympatric rbcL sequence types

Asplenium nidus is an epiphytic fern with large simple leaves. Because A. nidus lacks the good taxonomic characters available for species recognition, multiple cryptic species may exist within A. nidus. In Mt. Halimun National Park, West Java, Indonesia, three rbcL sequence types of A. nidus were recorded. All plants regardless of rbcL sequence were 2n = 144. Crossing experiments among these rbcL types were conducted, and it was observed that the molecularly distinct types were reproductively isolated because hybrids failed to form between at least two pairs of rbcL types. These results suggest that these rbcL types are cryptic species because they are reproductively isolated but they are difficult to distinguish morphologically. Thus, the characters of DNA sequences information are useful in the discovery of cryptic species in ferns.     

Seed morphology in Veronica L. (Scrophulariaceae) from south-west Spain

Seeds of 12 species of Veronica from south-west Spain were examined with the scanning electron microscope and stereomicroscope. Based on seed shape, colour, cell shape and surface ornamentation, seven morphological types are recognized. Seeds of the different types are described, illustrated and compared. The distribution of seed types among taxa is given. A key to distinguish the different species or groups of species is provided.     

Flavonoid diversity and geographic endemism in Parthenium

The distribution of 34 flavonoids detected in the North American species of Parthenium indicates that flavonoid diversity and structural types are correlated with biological aspects of different species types. Widespread species occurring in a variety of habitat types are characterized by greater numbers of flavonoids, primarily as the result of flavonoid glycoside diversity; while species which are geographically isolated in limestone or gypsum habitats are characterized by a tendency to depauperate flavonoid patterns with major methylated aglycone components. The possibility that glycosylation is related to self-detoxification and preservation of toxic phenolic potential is discussed. It is shown that parallel chemical adaptations, similar to the well-known parallel morphological adaptations of unrelated species which coexist in certain habitats, may occur     

新疆三工河流域苔藓植物生活型分析

研究将新疆三工河流域苔藓植物的生活型划分为：漂浮型、石生固着型、附生固着型、水生根着型、中生根着型和旱生根着型等类型。其中,中生根着型种类最多,占该流域苔藓植物种数的89．81％,主要分布于森林带;其次为旱生根着型,占该流域苔藓植物种数的11．57％;漂浮型种类最少,只占该流域苔藓植物种数的1．38％,且分布范围十分有限。从分析结果还可知,新疆三工河流域苔藓植物的种类和生活型类型是比较丰富的,反映出该流域独特而复杂的苔藓植物多样性特点。     

陕北黄土高原蒿属植物的分类与分析

陕北黄土高原有蒿属植物30种1变种,居该地产种子植物属中所含种数的首位。所产蒿属植物在不同的植被带中梯度变化明显,替代现象显著。在生态类型上,旱生类型从南向北递增,中生类型从南向北递减。在区系组成上可分为6种分布区类型,即:我国特有分布,3种;温带亚洲分布,14种1变种;北温带及中亚分布各4种;旧世界温带分布,3种;东亚分布的2种。可见陕北黄土高原蒿属植物种类丰富,梯度变化明显,旱化现象显著,地理成分复杂,但以温带亚洲分布类型为主,兼有其它成分,属典型的温带性质。     

江西省资溪县马头山蕨类植物区系

马头山蕨类植物区系由 3 0科 62属 1 42种组成。区系地理成份复杂 ,科属的地理成份以热带亚热带性质为主。主要的科是鳞毛蕨科 (2 5种 )、水龙骨科 (1 8种 )、金星蕨科 (1 5种 )、卷柏科 (1 1种 )、蹄盖蕨科 (1 1种 ) ,5科占总种数 5 6.3 4%。主要的属是鳞毛蕨属 (1 6种 )、卷柏属 (1 1种 )、凤尾蕨属 (8种 )、铁角蕨属 (8种 )、复叶耳蕨属 (5种 )、假瘤蕨属 (4种 )占总种数 3 6.62 %。马头山蕨类植物区系属的地理成份可分为 8个 ,主要是泛热带 (1 9属 )、热带亚洲 (7属 )、世界广布 (1 9属 )成份 ,占总属数 72 .5 8%。而种的地理成份则以亚热带山地成份为主 ,本区东亚成份突出 ,加上中国特有成份共占总种数的 66.2 1 %。显然应是东亚植物区系的一部分。掌叶假瘤蕨为江西省首次发现。     

Soil-related variations in the population dynamics of six dipterocarp tree species with strong habitat preferences

Differences in the density of conspecific tree individuals in response to environmental gradients are well documented for many tree species, but how such density differences are generated and maintained is poorly understood. We examined the segregation of six dipterocarp species among three soil types in the Pasoh tropical forest, Malaysia. We examined how individual performance and population dynamics changed across the soil types using 10-year demographic data to compare tree performance across soil types, and constructed population matrix models to analyze the population dynamics. Species showed only minor changes in mortality and juvenile growth across soil types, although recruitment differed greatly. Clear, interspecific demographic trade-offs between growth and mortality were found in all soil types. The relative trade-offs by a species did not differ substantially among the soil types. Population sizes were projected to remain stable in all soil types for all species with one exception. Our life-table response experiment demonstrated that the population dynamics of a species differed only subtly among soil types. Therefore, species with strong density differences across soil types do not necessarily differ greatly in their population dynamics across the soil types. In contrast, interspecific differences in population dynamics were large. The trade-off between mortality and growth led to a negative correlation between the contributions of mortality and growth to variations in the population growth rate (λ) and thus reduced their net contributions. Recruitment had little impact on the variation in λ. The combination of these factors resulted in little variation in λ among species.     

Towards biodiversity hotspots effective for conserving mammals with small geographic ranges

The main goal of using global biodiversity hotspots for conservation purposes is to protect taxa with small geographic ranges because these are highly vulnerable to extinction. However, the extent to what different hotspots types are effective for meeting this goal remains controversial because hotspots have been previously defined as either the richest or most threatened and richest sites in terms of total, endemic or threatened species. In this regard, the use of species richness to set conservation priorities is widely discussed because strategies focused on this diversity measure tend to miss many of the taxa with small geographic ranges. Here we use data on global terrestrial mammal distributions to show that, hotspots of total species, endemism and threat defined in terms of species richness are effective in including 27%, 29% and 11% respectively, of the taxa with small geographic ranges. Whilst, the same hotspot types defined in terms of a simple diversity index, which is a function of species richness and range-size rarity, include 68%, 44% and 90% respectively, of these taxa. In addition, we demonstrate that index hotspot types are highly efficient because they conserve 79% of mammal species (21% more species than richness hotspot types), with 59% of species shared by three hotspot types (31% more than richness hotspot types). These results suggest that selection of different diversity measures to define hotspots may strongly affect the achievement of conservation goals.     

福建省南平茫荡山木本植物区系研究

福建省南平茫荡山有木本植物102科,272属,719种,隶属于13个分布区类型,占我国分布区类型的86.7%,具有区系成分复杂、种类繁多、起源古老和珍稀树种丰富的特点。     

Finding spatial regularity in mosaic landscapes: two methods integrated

Two methods were employed to find spatial regularity in a complicated mountain landscape of Beijing, China on the basis of functional and structural affinities. The first approach applied Affinity Analysis based on species composition to landscape. The mosaic diversity of the landscape was 3.5298>3, which means the study landscape is complex and controlled by multiple environmental gradients. These landscape types were divided into 3 parts according to the mean affinity values of 0.2143 and 0.7857 (0.5±1 SD). Modal sites are the central types of the landscape, which include a zonal broad-leaved forest of the region and a conifer plantation replacing the former. Outliers are found in the highest altitude and the lowest, both have few species in common with the above two modal types. The remaining landscape types are intermediate sites, which are transitional between modals and outliers, broadly distributed throughout mountain environments. Neighbor types have more species in common than those more widely separated, which probably distributed adjacently in space or in similar quality habitat. The other method employed is the new TWINSPAN analysis by substituting spatial neighboring data of landscape types for species composition data. It clearly divided the landscape types into three groups, i.e., subalpine, middle and low mountain groups, which were correlated with altitude, as well as influenced by human disturbance. The new TWINSPAN classification method is more reliable in finding spatial gradient of patchy landscapes than affinity analysis; however, affinity analysis is useful in finding species diversity pattern and the importance of landscape types in a region. Integrating advantages of the two methods could supply complete and reliable information on how landscape types are distributed in space, which environmental gradient dominates the spatial distribution of the landscape types, as well as where important and unusual types are located.     

A classification system for mosquito life cycles: life cycle types for mosquitoes of the northeastern United States.

A system for the classification of mosquito life cycle types is presented for mosquito species found in the northeastern United States. Primary subdivisions include Univoltine Aedine, Multivoltine Aedine, Multivoltine Culex/Anopheles, and Unique Life Cycle Types. A montotypic subdivision groups life cycle types restricted to single species. The classification system recognizes 11 shared life cycle types and three that are limited to single species. Criteria for assignments include: 1) where the eggs are laid, 2) typical larval habitat, 3) number of generations per year, and 4) stage of the life cycle that overwinters. The 14 types in the northeast have been named for common model species. A list of species for each life cycle type is provided to serve as a teaching aid for students of mosquito biology.     

木犀属植物叶柄的比较解剖学研究

对木犀属(Osmanthus)26种植物叶柄的解剖结构进行了研究.结果表明,木犀属植物叶柄的解剖特征存在比较丰富的变异,叶柄横切面形状有3种类型(U型、V型、Y型),周缘波状、浅波状或近平滑;表皮毛有或无;维管束一般为1大2小,维管束轮廓在种问变异丰富,维管束类型有周韧、近周韧、外韧3种;小叶月桂、牛矢果、厚边木犀、美洲木犀叶柄中央具髓腔,部分种叶柄有硬化细胞或石细胞存在.木犀属植物叶柄的解剖结构特征比较稳定,可作为该属的分种特征.     

The aquarium trade as a potential source of fish introductions in southwestern Europe

The aquarium trade has been identified as an important vector of aquatic invasive species but this question has mostly been investigated in North America. We investigated the variation in diversity and species composition in different trade types in southwestern Europe (three major international wholesalers, different retail store types, and local internet forums), mostly in Spain and Portugal. As in previous studies, the diversity of fishes in the aquarium trade was vast, with a total of 20 orders, 79 families, and 1,133 fish species detected in the trade types analyzed. 248 species were observed in a single metropolitan area (Barcelona), with estimates of about 294 species being present. International wholesalers had higher species richness and evenness, with a single one having over 700 species. General pet stores had much lower evenness but due to high turnover had a total richness of over 200 species. Internet forums had the lowest evenness but similar richness. The different commerce types varied significantly in relative species abundance with about a dozen of popular fish species (e.g., goldfish, Siamese fighting fish, common carp, guppy, swordtails) dominating the retail stores, particularly the general pet stores. Our results imply that frequency in the trade varies strongly among species and commerce types and although general pet stores have usually low diversity, this is compensated with a higher species turnover. Many of the most popular species are well known invasive species and some of the species available are temperate species that might establish in Europe, reinforcing the need for more careful implementation of education programs, regulation and monitoring of trade, and internalization of environmental costs by the industry.     

Thermal properties and fauna on the bark of trees in two different African ecosystems

Summary The thermal properties of 26 African tree species in two different ecosystems were studied using thermocouples. In a subtropical moist forest were three bark types of trees: species with thin and smooth bark types with low values of insulation across the bark; species with a more structured bark type and medium insulation values; and species with deep-fissured or scaly bark types and high insulation values. Only these latter trees are able to survive openings in the subtropical forest and stand alone on edges of forest gaps. In the savanna all tree species showed adaptations in the structure of their bark in different forms: many tree species shade their trunks. Some have low bark insulation and these are known to be sensitive to fires. Some tree species show high bark insulation and do not shade their trunks. Tree species with white bark avoid overheating of their surface by reflection of the radiation. The arthropod community living exclusively on the bark was investigated for the first time on South African trees, on ten tree species. In the two different ecosystems this habitat is occupied by different arthropod groups. In the subtropical forest Acari, Araneae, Opiliones, Isopoda, Myriopoda, Blattodea, Psocoptera, Heteroptera, Coleoptera, Formicidae, and Nematocera (Diptera) are the main arthropod groups living exclusively on the bark of trees. In the savanna Pseudoscorpiones, Araneae, Collembola, Blattodea, Psocoptera, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Termites, Formicidae, Hymenoptera and Brachycera (Diptera) are the main arthropod groups living exclusively on the bark of trees. Within one ecosystem on one bark type the dominant species are similar; richly structured bark types have a richer fauna. In the forest, bark arthropod diversity is related to the bark structure of the constituent trees, and the arthropod communities on the bark would reflect changes in the structure of the forest. Forests comprising tree species with different bark types would have a richer total bark arthropod fauna. Specialists on richly structured bark types would die out if tree species composition were altered by man to give stands consisting only of tree species with smooth bark types. Bark arthropods in a subtropical moist forest have different proportions of herbivorous and fungivorous compared to carnivorous species than those on the bark of trees in a savanna.     

Ultrastructures and classification of circulating hemocytes in 9 botryllid ascidians (chordata: ascidiacea)

Ultrastructures of circulating hemocytes were studied in 9 botryllid ascidians. The hemocytes are classified into five types: hemoblasts, phagocytes, granulocytes, morula cells, and pigment cells. These five types are always found in the 9 species. They should represent the major hemocyte types of the circulating cells in the blood. Hemoblasts are small hemocytes having a high nucleus/cytoplasm ratio. There are few granular or vacuolar inclusions in the cytoplasm. Phagocytes have phagocytic activity and their shape is variable depending on the amount of engulfed materials. In granulocytes, shape and size of granules are different among the species. Morula cells are characterized by several vacuoles filled with electron dense materials. In pigment cells, the bulk of the cytoplasm is occupied by one or a few vacuoles containing pigment granules. We also described some other hemocyte types found in particular species. Furthermore, we encountered free oocytes circulating in the blood in two species, Botryllus primigenus and Botrylloides lentus.     

广西蕨类植物区系的基本特征

对广西蕨类植物区系的组成、特征、区系地理成分作了详细阐述。该蕨类区系十分丰富 ,现已发现 5 6科、1 5 8属、85 4种 (变种、变型 )。区系地理成分复杂 ,属划分为 1 4种类型 (变型 ) ,种划分为 1 8种类型 (变型 )。文中对该区系的性质进行了探讨 ,认为该区系是热带向亚热带过渡的植物区系 ,南部具有热带性质 ,北部具有亚热带性质 ,中部是过渡区