Justice or respect? A comparative perspective on politics in Cyprus

This article argues that the anonymity of modern politics - usually seen as a requirement for good democracy - may in fact undermine cooperative politics in small-scale societies. For very many people in the world, this essay argues, it is not the pre-social, monadic individual of Western liberalism but an immanently social person who is or should be the possessor of the rights, responsibilities and freedoms of the polity. As a result, the principle of 'universal' equality is always already delimited by the nation conceived as ethnos. This essay takes the case of Cyprus to show that in this divided island democracy has been imagined as a freedom defined ethnically - as freedom for a particular group. Moreover, various historical contingencies brought those imaginings of a true and just democratic ethnos into conflict. The themes of "justice" and "respect" employed here represent those aspirations and their seemingly inevitable conflict.     

人类基因组上CpG岛的定位和系统分析

为了研究CpG岛产生和消失机制以及位于基因启动子区域外的CpG岛保守性等问题,我们通过序列比对和进化保守性分析等方法,分析在人类和小鼠中保守的基因上的CpG岛。结果显示已有保守序列的突变以及序列插入删除是CpG岛产生和消失的主要原因,进一步分析发现52%的在小鼠基因组上保守序列完全缺失的CpG岛位于两个转座子之间,提示转座子所介导的序列插入是CpG岛形成和消失的重要原因。人类基因组上在启动子区域外的CpG岛中约有79%为新产生的CpG岛,显著高于启动子区域内新产生的CpG岛比例(41%)。GO分析表明与这些CpG岛相关的部分基因与神经系统发育显著相关,提示新产生的CpG岛参与神经发育过程。     

海岛退化生态系统的恢复

海岛在干扰极下极易退化且不易恢复,这些干扰包括毁林、引种不当和自然灾害三类。海岛恢复的限制性因子是缺乏淡水和土壤,生物资源缺乏、严重的风害或暴雨。不同大小的海岛和海岛不同部分的恢复策略不同。海岛植被恢复可参考其群落演替过程,其恢复至少是一个群落或生态系统水平的恢复。海岛恢复的长期利益包括重建海岛的生物群落,再现海岛生态系统的营养循环,恢复海岛的进化过程。海岛恢复的过程比较复杂,最关键的是要选择好适生的关键种。     

海岛退化生态系统的恢复

海岛在干扰下极易退化且不易恢复,这些干扰包括毁林、引种不当和自然灾害三类。海岛恢复的限制性因子是缺乏淡水和土壤、生物资源缺乏、严重的风害或暴雨。不同大小的海岛和海岛不同部分的恢复策略不同。海岛植被恢复可参考其群落演替过程,其恢复至少是一个群落或生态系统水平的恢复。海岛恢复的长期利益包括重建海岛的生物群落,再现海岛生态系统的营养循环,恢复海岛的进化过程。海岛恢复的过程比较复杂,最关键的是要选择好适生的关键种。     

Nestedness in island faunas: novel insights into island biogeography through butterfly community profiles of colonization ability and migration capacity

Aim To relate variation in the migration capacity and colonization ability of island communities to island geography and species island occupancy. Location Islands off mainland Britain and Ireland. Methods Mean migration (transfer) capacity and colonization (establishment) ability (ecological indices), indexed from 12 ecological variables for 56 butterfly species living on 103 islands, were related to species nestedness, island and mainland source geography and indices using linear regression models, RLQ analysis and fourth‐corner analysis. Random creation of faunas from source species, rank correlation and rank regression were used to examine differences between island and source ecological indices, and relationships to island geography. Results Island butterfly faunas are highly nested. The two ecological indices related closely to island occupancy, nestedness rank of species, island richness and geography. The key variables related to migration capacity were island area and isolation; for colonization ability they were area, isolation and longitude. Compared with colonization ability, migration capacity was found to correlate more strongly with island species occupancy and species richness. For island faunas, the means for both ecological indices decreased, and variation increased, with increasing island species richness. Mean colonization ability and migration capacity values were significantly higher for island faunas than for mainland source faunas, but these differences decreased with island latitude. Main conclusions The nested pattern of butterfly species on islands off mainland Britain and Ireland relates strongly to colonization ability but especially to migration capacity. Differences in colonization ability among species are most obvious for large, topographically varied islands. Generalists with abundant multiple resources and greater migration capacity are found on all islands, whereas specialists are restricted to large islands with varied and long‐lived biotopes, and islands close to shore. The inference is that source–sink dynamics dominate butterfly distributions on British and Irish islands; species are capable of dispersing to new areas, but, with the exception of large and northern islands, facilities (resources) for permanent colonization are limited. The pattern of colonization ability and migration capacity is likely to be repeated for mainland areas, where such indices should provide useful independent measures for assessing the conservation status of faunas within spatial units.     

海岛生态保护红线划定技术方法

划定海岛生态保护红线是维护海岛生态安全,协调海岛开发与保护之间矛盾的重要方法。目前,海岛生态保护红线在概念内涵、划定内容、划定方法等方面尚未统一定性,且极易与海洋生态红线的概念混淆,不同类型和形态的海岛红线划定的方法及原则要求也有所区分,例如,单岛、列岛、群岛、有居民和无居民海岛等。论述了海岛生态保护红线概念、海岛生态保护红线与海洋生态红线的区别和联系;结合生态科学、地理科学和管理科学属性,基于发展观点和底线思维阐述了海岛生态保护红线划定原则;海岛生态保护红线类型主要包括:海岛重点生态功能区、海岛生态敏感区/脆弱区和海岛禁止开发区;筛选出海岛生态保护红线划定需要重点考量的指标,提出海岛生态保护红线划定的技术路线,同时针对海岛生态保护红线区划面临的若干问题进行探讨;最后对今后海岛生态保护红线划定研究进行了展望。     

Testing the island rule: primates as a case study

The island rule states that after island colonization, larger animals tend to evolve reduced body sizes and smaller animals increased sizes. Recently, there has been disagreement about how often, if ever, this rule applies in nature, and much of this disagreement stems from differences in the statistical tests employed. This study shows, how different tests of the island rule assume different null hypotheses, and that these rely on quite different biological assumptions. Analysis and simulation are then used to quantify the biases in the tests. Many widely used tests are shown to yield false support for the island rule when island and mainland evolution are indistinguishable, and so a Monte Carlo permutation test is introduced that avoids this problem. It is further shown that tests based on independent contrasts lack power to detect the island rule under certain conditions. Finally, a complete reanalysis is presented of recent data from primates. When head-body length is used as the measure of body size, reports of the island rule are shown to stem from methodological artefacts. But when skull length or body mass are used, all tests agree that the island rule does hold in primates.     

中国海岛保护区的发展现状与管理对策

海岛生态系统独特而脆弱,加强海岛保护区的建设和管理对于维护海岛生态系统平衡、促进海岛资源与环境可持续利用具有重要的意义。文章对中国海岛保护区的发展动态和分布现状进行了分析。截至2011年底,中国已建立各类涉及海岛的保护区117处,初步形成了布局基本合理、类型较为齐全、功能渐趋完善的海岛保护区体系。文章绘制了中国海岛保护区分布图,分析了海岛保护区的地理分布、类型分布和主管部门状况等。目前中国海岛保护区存在着保护区建设和管理经费不足,经济发展与保护的矛盾日益突出,保护区类型布局存在空缺、地方级保护区管理机构和科研监测能力有待加强等问题,并根据这些问题,提出相应的对策。     

Abundance-age-area relationships in an insular plant community

Two processes are thought to generate positive relationships between species richness and island area. The areaper se hypothesis states that larger islands maintain larger populations, which are less susceptible to extinction. The habitat hypothesis states that larger islands contain more habitats, and therefore a greater number of habitat specialists. However, the importance of each mechanism is debated. I tested the areaper se and habitat hypotheses by comparing relationships between plant abundance, age and island area in five shrub species on islands off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Results showed that two shrub species increased in both abundance and age with island area. The remaining three species showed no differences in abundance and age with island area. Conifer abundances increased with island area, which generated differences in habitat availability. Smaller islands were dominated by open habitat, while larger islands contained both open and forested habitats. Changes in habitat availability with island area could explain patterns in plant abundance and age. The two species that increased in abundance with island area were commonly found in conifer forest on the mainland, and their distributions were consistent with the distribution forest habitat. Positive relationships between plant age and island area in these two species may result from lower survivorship in the open habitat, which dominated small islands. The three species that showed no relationship between abundance and island area are commonly found in open habitat on the mainland, and their island distributions paralleled the availability of open habitat on islands. Similar plant ages on different sized islands may result from their occurrence in open habitat on both large and small islands. Overall results support the habitat hypothesis and indicate that species distributions result from the interaction between habitat affinities and changes in habitat availability with island area.     

Restoration of a tropical island: Cousine Island,Seychelles

Tropical island species and ecosystems are threatened worldwide as a result of increasing human pressure. Yet some of these islands also lend themselves to restoration, as they are physically defined units that can be given focused attention, as long as resources are available and clear conservation targets are set. Cousine Island, Seychelles, is a tropical island that has received such intensive restoration. From a highly degraded island in the 1960s, the island has now been restored to what is believed to be a semblance of the natural state. All alien vertebrates have been eradicated, as have 25 invasive alien plants. Cultivated plants are now confined to one small section of the island. Poaching of nesting marine turtles has been stopped, leading to an increase in turtle breeding numbers. The shearwater population has increased in size with poaching activities under control. The Sooty tern has also returned to the island to breed. The coastal plain has been restored with over 2,500 indigenous shrubs and trees, which have now grown into a forest carpet. There are strict quarantine procedures on the island, keeping it free of rats, mice, various alien invertebrates and potentially invasive alien plants. Three threatened Seychelles endemic land birds (Seychelles warbler, Seychelles magpie robin and Seychelles white-eye) have been introduced and are thriving, with these introductions contributing to both the magpie robin and the white-eye being downgraded from CR to EN (the warbler remains at VU). Ecotourism, and nature conservation for the local inhabitants, have been introduced in a way that does not reduce the improved compositional, structural and functional biodiversity of the island. The result of the restoration effort appears to be sustainable in the long term, although challenges still remain, especially with regards to adequate clean water and a non-polluting power supply on the island. Cousine is thus paving the way in the art and science of tropical island restoration as a legacy for future generations.     

The influence of geographical and ecological factors on island beta diversity patterns

Aim To investigate the importance of various island characteristics in determining spatial patterns of variations in beta diversity for various animal groups. Location Analyses are presented for 10 animal groups living on the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the central Mediterranean, near Sicily. Methods Three hypotheses were formulated to explain patterns of beta diversity: the target‐area–distance effect, stepping stone dispersal and island age. Matrices of inter‐island dissimilarities were constructed under each hypothesis and correlated with matrices of faunal dissimilarities using Mantel tests. For the ‘target‐area–distance effect’ hypothesis, inter‐island dissimilarities were calculated using island sizes and distances to nearest mainland areas. For the ‘stepping stone dispersal’ hypothesis, inter‐island distances were measured. Finally, for the ‘island age’ hypothesis, inter‐island dissimilarities were calculated on the basis of the geological age of the islands. Cluster analysis was used to investigate inter‐island faunal relationships. Results Support for a target‐area–distance effect was found only for birds. For these highly mobile animals, inter‐island distances had no significant effects on beta diversity. Birds are known to colonize islands by crossing large sea barriers and thus they can easily reach the Aeolian Islands, which are close to source areas (notably Sicily). Inter‐island distances had a significant role in determining patterns of beta diversity in most invertebrates. For Mollusca, Opiliones, Chilopoda, Heteroptera, coprophagous Scarabaeoidea, and Tenebrionidae, even relatively short distances preclude invertebrates from colonizing an island regularly from the mainland, and most colonization probably results from inter‐island faunal exchanges. Island age was proved to be important only for orthopterans. Main conclusions The origin of most of the Aeolian invertebrate fauna is quite recent, and species appear to have established on the islands predominantly by stepping stone dispersal. Birds, which are highly mobile organisms, follow more direct mainland–island dynamics. As further studies on other islands become available, comparative analyses will confirm whether the factors influencing variations in beta diversity in this study and their relationships with species dispersal ability are consistent across scales and geographical context.     

A roadmap to plant functional island biogeography

Island biogeography is the study of the spatio-temporal distribution of species, communities, assemblages or ecosystems on islands and other isolated habitats. Island diversity is structured by five classes of process: dispersal, establishment, biotic interactions, extinction and evolution. Classical approaches in island biogeography focused on species richness as the deterministic outcome of these processes. This has proved fruitful, but species traits can potentially offer new biological insights into the processes by which island life assembles and why some species perform better at colonising and persisting on islands. Functional traits refer to morphological and phenological characteristics of an organism or species that can be linked to its ecological strategy and that scale up from individual plants to properties of communities and ecosystems. A baseline hypothesis is for traits and ecological strategies of island species to show similar patterns as a matched mainland environment. However, strong dispersal, environmental and biotic-interaction filters as well as stochasticity associated with insularity modify this baseline. Clades that do colonise often embark on distinct ecological and evolutionary pathways, some because of distinctive evolutionary forces on islands, and some because of the opportunities offered by freedom from competitors or herbivores or the absence of mutualists. Functional traits are expected to be shaped by these processes. Here, we review and discuss the potential for integrating functional traits into island biogeography. While we focus on plants, the general considerations and concepts may be extended to other groups of organisms. We evaluate how functional traits on islands relate to core principles of species dispersal, establishment, extinction, reproduction, biotic interactions, evolution and conservation. We formulate existing knowledge as 33 working hypotheses. Some of these are grounded on firm empirical evidence, others provide opportunities for future research. We organise our hypotheses under five overarching sections. Section A focuses on plant functional traits enabling species dispersal to islands. Section B discusses how traits help to predict species establishment, successional trajectories and natural extinctions on islands. Section C reviews how traits indicate species biotic interactions and reproduction strategies and which traits promote intra-island dispersal. Section D discusses how evolution on islands leads to predictable changes in trait values and which traits are most susceptible to change. Section E debates how functional ecology can be used to study multiple drivers of global change on islands and to formulate effective conservation measures. Islands have a justified reputation as research models. They illuminate the forces operating within mainland communities by showing what happens when those forces are released or changed. We believe that the lens of functional ecology can shed more light on these forces than research approaches that do not consider functional differences among species.     

Vicariance and marine migration in continental island populations of a frog endemic to the Atlantic Coastal forest

The theory of island biogeography is most often studied in the context of oceanic islands where all island inhabitants are descendants from founding events involving migration from mainland source populations. Far fewer studies have considered predictions of island biogeography in the case of continental islands, where island formation typically splits continuous populations and thus vicariance also contributes to the diversity of island populations. We examined one such case on continental islands in southeastern Brazil, to determine how classic island biogeography predictions and past vicariance explain the population genetic diversity of Thoropa taophora, a frog endemic to the Atlantic Coastal Forest. We used nuclear microsatellite markers to examine the genetic diversity of coastal and island populations of this species. We found that island isolation has a role in shaping the genetic diversity of continental island species, with island populations being significantly less diverse than coastal populations. However, area of the island and distance from coast had no significant effect on genetic diversity. We also found no significant differences between migration among coastal populations and migration to and from islands. We discuss how vicariance and the effects of continued migration between coastal and island populations interact to shape evolutionary patterns on continental islands.     

A generalized model of island biogeography

MacArthur and Wilson’s equilibrium theory is one of the most influential theories in ecology. Although evolution on islands is to be important to island biodiversity, speciation has not been well integrated into island biogeography models. By incorporating speciation and factors influencing it into the MacArthur-Wilson model, we propose a generalized model unifying ecological and evolutionary processes and island features. Intra-island speciation may play an important role in both island species richness and endemism, and the contribution of speciation to local species diversity may eventually be greater than that of immigration under certain conditions. Those conditions are related to the per species speciation rate, per species extinction rate, and island features, and they are independent of immigration rate. The model predicts that large islands will have a high, though not the highest, proportional endemism when other parameters are fixed. Based on the generalized model, changes in species richness and endemism on an oceanic island over time were predicted to be similar to empirical observations. Our model provides an ideal starting point for re-evaluating the role of speciation and re-analyzing available data on island species diversity, especially those biased by the MacArthur-Wilson model.     

The contribution of island populations to in situ genetic conservation

Genetic variation is often lower within island populations, however islands may also harbor divergent genetic variation. The likelihood that insular populations are genetically diverse or divergent should be influenced by island size and isolation. We tested this assumption by comparing patterns of genetic variation across all major island song sparrow populations along the Pacific North American coast. Allelic richness was moderately lowered even on islands which are close to large, potential sources. The most significant differences in allelic richness occurred on very small or highly remote islands. Gene diversity was significantly lower only on remote or very small islands. We found that island populations contribute to regional genetic variation through both the amount of genetic variation and the uniqueness of that variation. The partitioning of this contribution was associated with the size and isolation of the island populations.     

Testing the island effect in adaptive radiation: rates and patterns of morphological diversification in Caribbean and mainland Anolis lizards

Many of the classic examples of adaptive radiation, including Caribbean Anolis lizards, are found on islands. However, Anolis also exhibits substantial species richness and ecomorphological disparity on mainland Central and South America. We compared patterns and rates of morphological evolution to investigate whether, in fact, island Anolis are exceptionally diverse relative to their mainland counterparts. Quite the contrary, we found that rates and extent of diversification were comparable--Anolis adaptive radiation is not an island phenomenon. However, mainland and Caribbean anoles occupy different parts of morphological space; in independent colonizations of both island and mainland habitats, island anoles have evolved shorter limbs and better-developed toe pads. These patterns suggest that the two areas are on different evolutionary trajectories. The ecological causes of these differences are unknown, but may relate to differences in predation or competition among mainland and island communities.     

Genetic and phylogenetic consequences of island biogeography

Abstract.— Island biogeography theory predicts that the number of species on an island should increase with island size and decrease with island distance to the mainland. These predictions are generally well supported in comparative and experimental studies. These ecological, equilibrium predictions arise as a result of colonization and extinction processes. Because colonization and extinction are also important processes in evolution, we develop methods to test evolutionary predictions of island biogeography. We derive a population genetic model of island biogeography that incorporates island colonization, migration of individuals from the mainland, and extinction of island populations. The model provides a means of estimating the rates of migration and extinction from population genetic data. This model predicts that within an island population the distribution of genetic divergences with respect to the mainland source population should be bimodal, with much of the divergence dating to the colonization event. Across islands, this model predicts that populations on large islands should be on average more genetically divergent from mainland source populations than those on small islands. Likewise, populations on distant islands should be more divergent than those on close islands. Published observations of a larger proportion of endemic species on large and distant islands support these predictions.     

城市水体对热岛的缓冲性能沿河岸距离的变化规律

城市水体包括城区内的自然水体和人工水体两大类。作为城市生态系统的重要组成部分,水体在缓解城市热岛效应(Urban Heat Island, UHI)上具有重要作用。研究城市热岛效应的现状,探讨水体对城市热岛的缓冲效应,为改善城市热岛效应和生态环境,并对城市进行合理的改造和规划提供理论依据。以长沙市中心城区为研究区域,以南北向贯穿长沙市的湘江河道作为主要研究对象,基于长沙市2016年7月Landsat 8 TIRS遥感影像采用大气校正法反演地表温度(Land Surface Temperature, LST),利用监督分类法获取其同步的城市化进程和土地利用类型,分析市区内地表温度及热岛效应的空间分布特征。同时,通过在湘江两侧建立多个尺度的缓冲区,并将其与地表温度分布及土地利用类型叠置,分析湘江为主的水体对长沙市热环境及各缓冲区的缓冲效应,结果表明:(1)长沙市城市建设格局与热岛效应空间分布基本相似,建筑用地热岛效应更高,极端地表温度达到53.8℃;水体、绿地和裸地的热岛效应相对较低,最低地表温度为16.0℃;(2)湘江对长沙市热岛效应具有缓冲作用,对长沙市热岛效应的平均缓冲距离为400 m;(3)湘江对热岛效应的缓冲能力与水体周边土地利用类型有关,对河东区的缓冲作用小于河西区,对沿江休闲区的缓冲效应大于沿江住宅区。综上所述,长沙市热岛效应强度与用地类型相关,建筑用地热岛效应严重;水体对热岛的缓冲效应显著,但不同缓冲区内缓冲距离存在差异,因此对城市生态格局进行小规模改造可增强水体缓冲作用,缓解城市热岛效应。     

Terrestrial slugs (Gastropoda, Pulmonata) in the NATURA 2000 areas of Cyprus island

Terrestrial slugs of the Island of Cyprus were recently studied in the framework of a study of the whole terrestrial malacofauna of the island. The present work was carried out in the Natura 2000 conservation areas of the island in 155 sampling sites over three years (2004-2007). Museum collections as well as literature references were included. In total six species are present in the Natura 2000 areas of the island, belonging to three families: Limacidae, Agriolimacidae and Milacidae. One of the species, Milax riedeli, is a new record for the island. The distribution of the species across the island and in the surrounding areas is discussed.     

Comparative sequence analysis of the symbiosis island of Mesorhizobium loti strain R7A

The Mesorhizobium loti strain R7A symbiosis island is a 502-kb chromosomally integrated element which transfers to nonsymbiotic mesorhizobia in the environment, converting them to Lotus symbionts. It integrates into a phenylalanine tRNA gene in a process mediated by a P4-type integrase encoded at the left end of the element. We have determined the nucleotide sequence of the island and compared its deduced genetic complement with that reported for the 611-kb putative symbiosis island of M. loti strain MAFF303099. The two islands share 248 kb of DNA, with multiple deletions and insertions of up to 168 kb interrupting highly conserved colinear DNA regions in the two strains. The shared DNA regions contain all the genes likely to be required for Nod factor synthesis, nitrogen fixation, and island transfer. Transfer genes include a trb operon and a cluster of potential tra genes which are also present on the strain MAFF303099 plasmid pMLb. The island lacks plasmid replication genes, suggesting that it is a site-specific conjugative transposon. The R7A island encodes a type IV secretion system with strong similarity to the vir pilus from Agrobacterium tumefaciens that is deleted from MAFF303099, which in turn encodes a type III secretion system not found on the R7A island. The 414 genes on the R7A island also include putative regulatory genes, transport genes, and an array of metabolic genes. Most of the unique hypothetical genes on the R7A island are strain-specific and clustered, suggesting that they may represent other acquired genetic elements rather than symbiotically relevant DNA.