Ecological and Anthropogenic Correlates of Activity Patterns in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eulemur</Emphasis>

The ultimate determinants of cathemerality, i.e., activity spread over the 24-h cycle, in primates have been linked to various ecological factors. Owing to the fast rate of habitat modification, it is imperative to know whether and how this behavioral flexibility responds to anthropogenic disturbance. The true lemurs (Eulemur clade) constitute a valuable case to study these potential effects, as all species studied so far exhibit cathemerality. Here we explored the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on activity patterns of Eulemur while controlling for ecological factors proposed as determinants of activity shifts. We first performed a meta-analysis using 13 long-term studies conducted over the last three decades on various populations of Eulemur. We fitted a beta regression using the proportion of diurnality (the activity taking place between sunrise and sunset) as the response variable and seven climatic, ecological, and anthropogenic disturbance variables at each site as predictors. We also present a validation with original data using year-round, 24-h activity of collared brown lemurs (Eulemur collaris) in forest fragments with different levels of disturbance in southeastern Madagascar. Diurnality was prevalent at most sites. Seasonality, proportions of leaves in the diet, and group size were all found to be significant predictors of the proportion of diurnal activity. After controlling for socioecological factors in the model, overall anthropogenic disturbance emerged as a negative predictor of diurnality. Our validation suggests that the lemurs in the more disturbed area exhibited more nocturnal activity than those in the less disturbed area. It is unclear whether the plasticity observed might allow populations of Eulemur to persist in disturbed areas longer than lemurs with less flexible activity patterns.     

利用红外相机研究白冠长尾雉日活动节律与人为干扰的关系

白冠长尾雉(Syrmaticus reevesii)为我国特有珍稀濒危鸟类, 其面临的人为干扰压力日趋严重。为更好地了解白冠长尾雉对不同人为干扰强度的响应, 我们于2018年3月至2019年4月, 在其东部分布区的河南连康山国家级自然保护区(连康山)、湖北中华山鸟类省级自然保护区(中华山)和湖北平靖关村及三潭风景名胜区(平靖关), 利用红外相机技术研究了其日活动节律, 并借助重叠系数测算了其与人为干扰在时间上的重叠程度以及与人为干扰之间的关系。结果表明, 连康山的人为干扰强度最高, 而中华山和平靖关的人为干扰强度接近且均低于连康山。雄性白冠长尾雉繁殖期和非繁殖期的日活动节律在三地之间的差异均不显著; 雌性白冠长尾雉繁殖期日活动节律在平靖关与连康山之间存在显著差异, 而非繁殖期日活动节律在中华山与连康山之间、平靖关与连康山之间均存在显著差异。各地白冠长尾雉日活动高峰和人为干扰出现的高峰也存在差异, 呈现出较为明显的错峰活动现象, 其中在人为干扰最强的连康山, 白冠长尾雉的活动与人为干扰的重叠程度最低。这些结果表明白冠长尾雉的日活动节律可能受人为干扰的影响, 且在行为方面表现出一定的可塑性, 它们可以通过调整日活动节律来适应人为干扰。     

Ecologo-immunophysiological characteristic of chub <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leuciscus cephalus</Emphasis> (L.) lving in river ecosystems of the Caucasus

The results of a study on some parameters of innate immunity and oxidative processes in hepatopancreas of the chub Leuciscus cephalus (L.) inhabiting the river ecosystems of Krasnodar krai and Abkhasia subjected to different degrees of anthropogenic load are presented. Antimicrobial properties of blood serum, the content of nonspecific immune complexes in the liver, and the level of total lipids and antioxidant activity have been studied. It is determined that the portion of immunodeficient specimens is higher in samples from polluted waters than from unpolluted areas. Fishes caught in the river subjected to high anthropogenic load contained higher concentrations of products of lipid peroxidation and immune complexes and had lower levels of antioxidants.     

Foraging Profile,Activity Budget and Spatial Ecology of Exclusively Natural-Foraging Chacma Baboons (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Papio ursinus</Emphasis>) on the Cape Peninsula,South Africa

Exploitation of anthropogenic foods has profound effects on various aspects of the behavior and ecology of nonhuman primates. On the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, incentives to exploit novel resources are high and most local chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) feed on anthropogenic foods. Here we investigate the foraging profile, activity budget, and ranging behavior of a Peninsula group that feeds exclusively on natural foods. We predicted that the group would exploit the marine foods available to them and feed more extensively on subterranean foods, spend more time feeding and traveling, and occupy a larger area and travel further than groups that feed on anthropogenic foods, and groups elsewhere that occupy highly productive habitats. We tracked the group using handheld GPS units, and recorded behavioral data using instantaneous scan sampling in four seasons through 13 months. Our predictions were supported with the study group feeding on marine foods during all for seasons, but allocating a small percentage (<5%) of their total feeding time to exploiting these foods. Also, the group used a greater area (45.3 km²) and traveled further (5.9 km/day), and allocated more time to feeding and traveling, than previously studied groups on the Peninsula that exploit anthropogenic foods. These findings highlight behavioral variation in baboons associated with anthropogenic food use. Comparison of our results with those reported elsewhere should allow management authorities to more accurately predict changes in behavior of cercopithecoid monkeys as their access to anthropogenic foods is gradually restricted.     

Introduction to "Landscapes over Time"

There is a growing recognition that modern environmental problems bear striking resemblance to those faced by past societies and that to understand the environmental present we must consider the total sweep of anthropogenic environmental change on specific landscapes. This "In Focus" assembles five articles encompassing diverse time periods and different global regions to make the case that long-term perspectives on the relationship between people and their environmental contexts are critical for understanding and evaluating contemporary environmental debates, interpretations, and even policies.     

Phenotypic plasticity and between population differentiation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Iris pumila</Emphasis> transplants between native open and anthropogenic shade habitats

Response to environmental heterogeneity caused by human activity was analyzed on Iris pumila reciprocal transplants between native steppe and anthropogenic (planted pine forest) habitats that were monitored during several growing seasons in a protected area of Deliblato Sand. Morphometric traits exhibited significant plastic responses to the environmental variability between native and anthropogenic habitats that differed in light quantity and quality, as well as in some other ecological indices. Significant differentiation between populations occupying those habitats was also detected. Plastic responses and population differences were substantially related to the variation in general size and had the same direction, plastic responses being larger in magnitude. Estimates of reproductive and vegetative performance of reciprocal transplants detected home site advantage in the native open but not in the secondary shade habitat created under anthropogenic influence.     

人为噪声对动物的非听觉影响

噪声在环境中广泛存在,城市化的迅速发展也使野生动物接触到人为噪声的机会增大。越来越多的证据表明,人为噪声在许多方面影响着人类的健康以及野生动物的生存。对这些研究进行总结发现,噪声会改变动物的生理状态,使其处在较高的应激水平,进而影响动物的抗氧化能力和免疫能力,甚至使雏鸟的端粒缩短。人为噪声的存在还会影响动物的学习和认知能力,干扰动物觅食、交流等行为。这些因素累积就可能会降低动物后代的存活率,改变物种丰度,对动物的生存造成威胁。对人为噪声带来的非听觉影响的研究,有助于更全面地了解噪声的潜在危害,采取更为积极的缓解应对措施。     

The effects of provisioning and crop-raiding on the diet and foraging activities of human-commensal white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus)

Non-human primates are coming into increasingly frequent contact with humans and with human-modified environments. The potential for monkeys to survive in such modified landscapes is questionable, and is likely related to a species' behavioral plasticity, particularly as it relates to diet. In this study, I explore the ways in which white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) adjust their diet and foraging behaviors in response to anthropogenic impact. I compare a troop of human-commensal monkeys and a similar troop of wild-feeding monkeys living within the Curú Wildlife Refuge in western Costa Rica for differences in overall diet composition and activity budgets to evaluate the impact of habitat change in this context. The commensal-living white-faced capuchins rely on raided coconut (Cocos nucifera) and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) crops and provisioned or stolen human foods for over one-half of their total diet. Regardless of this highly anthropogenic diet, the two study troops do not significantly differ in their activity budgets, and the human-commensal troop maintains wild-foraging activities consistent with those of the wild-feeding troop. These data suggest that the white-faced capuchins at this site are responding to anthropogenic disturbance primarily through the exploitation of human food resources, but they do not yet appear to have lost the foraging skills required to survive in this modified landscape on their own. This study adds to our growing body of knowledge on primate survival in matrix habitats, and will hopefully inform primate management plans throughout the Neotropics.     

Genetic structure of natural populations of the relict species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aristolochia manshuriensis</Emphasis> (Aristolochiaceae) in disturbed and intact habitats

Genetic structure of natural populations of the rare relict plant Manchurian birthwort (Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom.) in the Russian part of its area was analyzed using allozyme markers. The studied A. manshuriensis populations differed in the degree of their intrapopulation differentiation. The populations Nezhinka and Anan’evka were more differentiated (F _ST = 0.1209 and 0.0576, respectively); these populations are located close in the regions of intense economic activity and are exposed to the strongest anthropogenic impact. A low degree of differentiation was detected in the population Malaya Borisovka (F _ST = 0.0393), localized to intact habitats. The overall heterogeneity test has demonstrated that the population Malaya Anan’evka, exposed at present to small anthropogenic stress yet growing in disturbed habitats, displays no differentiation. These results suggest that at least three populations are influenced by genetic drift connected with a decrease in the reproductive and effective population sizes, which is caused, in particular, by anthropogenic impact. A high level of genetic similarity between the A. manshuriensis populations in Primor’e is discussed in connection with the evolutionary history of this species.     

Hemolymph cholinesterase activity in the Mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crenomytilus grayanus</Emphasis> (Dunker, 1853) that was exposed to adverse natural and anthropogenic conditions

The influence of habitat conditions on the activity, the structure of the substrate specificity (the ratio of the substrate hydrolysis rates), and the kinetic parameters of substrate hydrolysis due to the effect of hemolymph cholinesterase of the mussel Crenomytilus grayanus was studied. Mussels were collected from areas that are influenced by seasonal and stationary upwelling, as well as from a polluted area. Upwelling and anthropogenic pressure were shown to alter the structure of hemolymph cholinesterase substrate specificity in mussels, up to complete loss of the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of propionyland butyrylthiocholine. It was established that during the seasonal upwelling the efficiency of the cholinergic process in mussels is provided by a wide range of effective concentrations of the substrates and by decreasing their affinity to the enzyme. Under the conditions of chronic anthropogenic pollution, the cholinesterase of the mussel hemolymph loses its ability to hydrolyze substrates other than acetylthiocholine.     

Characteristics and Main Trends of Anthropogenic Florogenesis in the Southern Volga Uplands

The entire range of aspects of anthropogenic florogenesis in the southern part of the Volga Uplands is addressed. Trends in the anthropogenic dynamics of local flora in the last 100 years have been identified. A shift 50–100 km northward of the southern border of natural habitats of some boreal species (Antennaria dioica (L.) Gaertn., Maianthemum bifolium (L.) F.W. Schmidt, Pyrola rotundifolia L., etc.) has been noted. Data on the adventive flora and modern migration paths of the plants within the study area are provided. The adaptive activity of aboriginal species in relation to the entire range of anthropogenic habitats of the region is characterized. Information on findings of protected plant species in anthropogenic biotopes is provided. Overall, flora aridization and xerophytization have been noted, as has an increased role of tree and shrub life forms in the anthropogenic florogenesis. It is proposed to use a method based on the identification of anthropochorophilic elements in the aboriginal flora to forecast the adaptation of flora to the conditions of anthropogenic habitats.     

A metalloproteinase associated with gelonin, a "ribosome inactivating protein"

Gelonin, a single-chain protein which inactivates eukaryotic ribosomes, becomes split into peptides when incubated with SDS. During the chromatographic purification of gelonin on carboxymethylcellulose three overlapping peaks emerge in the gelonin elution region, containing three proteins with small differences in apparent molecular weight (31,500, 30,000 and 29,200). All three proteins are endowed with inhibitory activity on protein synthesis and with proteinase activity, although with different specific activities, and all three give rise to the same peptides upon incubation with SDS, suggesting that they are isoforms of gelonin. The gelonin-associated proteinase acts only on gelonin, while it is inactive on the most common substrates for endoproteinases. The proteolytic activity is not inhibited by inhibitors of serine- or SH-proteinases, while it is completely abolished by chelating agents. Divalent cations restore the proteolytic activity inhibited by EDTA. The stability of the proteinase activity on exposure of gelonin to extreme values of pH or to prolonged incubation has been investigated. The inhibitory activity on protein synthesis and the proteinase activity are differently affected by these treatments.     

Earth Systems Engineering: The Role of Industrial Ecology in an Engineered World

A principal result of the Industrial Revolution and concomitant changes in human population levels, technology systerns, and culture has been the evolution of a world in which the dynamics of major natural systems are increasingly dominated by human activity Many resulting anthropogenic perturbations of fundamental natural systems-for example, the nitrogen and carbon cycles and heavy metal stocks and flows-have been both unanticipated and problematic. Reducing such unintended consequences of human activity will require development of the ability to rationally engineer and manage coupled human-natural systems in a highly integrated fashion. Such "earth systems engineering" activity will rely on industrial ecology studies and methodologies to provide critical elements of the required science bb and technology (S&T) base. Although the need to develop such anffff earth systems engineering Andustrial ecology capability is clear, it is also apparent that the current S&T bbbase, institutional structures, and ethical systems are inadequate to support such activity Accordingly, it is desirable to begin to develop such support structures while recognizing that premature attempts to engineer fundamental natural systems should be discouraged.     

Anthropogenic and Climatic Effects on the Distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eulemur</Emphasis> Species: An Ecological Niche Modeling Approach

Several factors can influence primate distributions, including evolutionary history, interspecific competition, climate, and anthropogenic impacts. In Madagascar, several small spatial scale studies have shown that anthropogenic habitat modification affects the density and distribution of many lemur species. Ecological niche models can be used to examine broad-scale influences of anthropogenic impacts on primate distributions. In this study, we examine how climate and anthropogenic factors influence the distribution of 11 Eulemur species using ecological niche models. Specifically, we created one set of models only using rainfall and temperature variables. We then created a second set of models that combined these climate variables with three anthropogenic factors: distance to dense settlements, villages, and croplands. We used MaxEnt to generate all the models. We found that the addition of anthropogenic variables improved the climate models. Also, most Eulemur species exhibited reduced predicted geographic distributions once anthropogenic factors were added to the model. Distance to dense settlements was the most important anthropogenic factor in most cases. We suggest that including anthropogenic variables in ecological niche models is important for understanding primate distributions, especially in regions with significant human impacts. In addition, we identify several Eulemur species that were most affected by anthropogenic factors and should be the focus of increased conservation efforts.     

人为干扰对白腹锦鸡活动节律的影响

人类足迹的扩张增加了人与野生动物的相互作用。理解自然保护地的濒危物种对人为干扰的响应有助于更好地保护濒危物种和指导保护管理。以往的研究表明野生动物在时空维度会对人类的干扰进行规避, 然而这类研究在野生雉类中还较少, 尤其是分布在人为干扰相对较强的中低海拔区域的雉类, 如白腹锦鸡(Chrysolophus amherstiae)。2017年11月至2018年10月, 我们在中国西南部的一个亚热带森林保护区中使用红外相机陷阱技术对白腹锦鸡和人为干扰进行调查, 并研究了白腹锦鸡在时空维度对3种不同类型人为干扰(人类活动、放牧和家养动物活动)的响应及其季节变化。结果表明, 白腹锦鸡在空间维度并未对人为干扰进行规避, 而在非繁殖季节的活动节律上对人为干扰在时间维度上进行了规避。具体而言, 白腹锦鸡在全年和非繁殖季节的活动高峰集中在17:30-18:30, 明显避开中午的人类活动高峰; 而在繁殖季节, 白腹锦鸡活动水平明显提高, 和人为干扰的重叠度很高, 可能是由于求偶、占区等繁殖行为使得白腹锦鸡无法规避人为干扰。此外, 在人为干扰强度较高的位点, 白腹锦鸡倾向于通过改变其日活动节律, 将活动高峰期推迟至傍晚以降低与人为干扰的重叠度, 进一步说明白腹锦鸡可通过调节其自身的日活动节律从而避开高强度的人为干扰。由于白腹锦鸡地面营巢和春夏季繁殖, 自然保护区管理部门可通过管理人为活动, 尤其在繁殖季节通过控制放牧和猫狗的活动来帮助白腹锦鸡及其他地面营巢鸟类维持繁殖成功率。     

"Population dynamics of crustaceans": introduction to the symposium

Crustaceans are a globally-distributed faunal group, found across all habitats from the equator to the poles. They are an ideal focal assemblage for assessment of the impacts of climatic change and anthropogenic disturbance on nonmodel systems, such as how sea currents influence the movements of zooplankton communities in the open ocean, or how ecosystem processes affect phytoplanktonic species with restricted geographic distributions across a cluster of island lakes that could be a new model system for studies of speciation. This symposium introduced early-career researchers working in the fields of phylogeography, ecogenomics, fisheries management, and ecosystem processes with the aim of highlighting the different genetic and ecological approaches to the study of population dynamics of freshwater, estuarine, and marine crustacean species.     

Daily activity timing in the Anthropocene

Animals are facing novel ‘timescapes’ in which the stimuli entraining their daily activity patterns no longer match historical conditions due to anthropogenic disturbance. However, the ecological effects (e.g., altered physiology, species interactions) of novel activity timing are virtually unknown. We reviewed 1328 studies and found relatively few focusing on anthropogenic effects on activity timing. We suggest three hypotheses to stimulate future research: (i) activity-timing mismatches determine ecological effects, (ii) duration and timing of timescape modification influence effects, and (iii) consequences of altered activity timing vary biogeographically due to broad-scale variation in factors compressing timescapes. The continued growth of sampling technologies promises to facilitate the study of the consequences of altered activity timing, with emerging applications for biodiversity conservation.     

Monitoring of wood-rotting fungal communities in the natural park Kondinskie Ozera (Konda Lakes)

As a result of mycological investigations in the forest ecosystems of the natural park Kondinskie Ozera, the cenotic characteristics of xylotrophic fungi were determined: the species diversity, consortive, competitive and phytopathogenic activity. The state of tree waste destruction is studied in forest regions of different kinds: affected by anthropogenic load (recreation, oil production) and undisturbed natural tree stands. The features of the functional structure of mycocomplexes are revealed. The data thus obtained indicate the main trends of anthropogenic transformations of the forest mycobiota on the preserved territory.     

Geo-environmental impact assessment of Jinshazhou area in Guangzhou City

The geo-environmental impact of anthropogenic activities in Jinshazhou area is predicted by assessing the geo-environmental problems susceptibility under the condition of nature and anthropogenic activities in the study. An evaluation factor system including natural and anthropogenic factors is setup and the principal component analysis-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model is selected. Results are shown in four grades, including very low, low, high, and very high. Under the natural condition, the very low, low, high, and very high susceptible regions of geo-environmental problems take up 67.73%, 0.71%, 7.30%, and 24.26%, respectively. Under the condition of anthropogenic activities, the very low, low, high, and very high susceptible regions of geo-environmental problems take up 69.18%, 5.88%, 5.88%, and 19.06%, respectively. Comparing the susceptibility of geo-environmental problems under two conditions, it can be predicted that there is a greatly negative impact of anthropogenic activities in the southern surrounding region of Jinshazhou tunnel; while in the north of the study area, such as Poly West Coast, anthropogenic activities have a positive impact on geo-environment. The present distribution of geo-environmental problems has shown that the new evaluation technique system can be successfully applied to predict the urban geo-environmental impact of anthropogenic activities.     

三江平原残存湿地斑块特征及其对物种多样性的影响

景观破碎化是当前一个突出的生态学问题,破碎斑块的大小和形状特征对物种多样性具有重要影响。选取三江平原别拉洪河流域为研究区,通过调查残存湿地斑块的面积、形状和植物物种丰富度,利用相关分析和回归分析等方法研究了残存湿地斑块特征及其对物种多样性的影响。研究结果表明:在强烈的人为活动干扰下,三江平原湿地破碎化严重,残存湿地斑块面积较小,斑块形状规则、边界简单。斑块形状指数、分维数、形状特征点数和斑块面积、物种丰富度均没有显著相关关系,而斑块面积、周长和周长面积比对物种丰富度具有显著影响。但是斑块周长和周长面积比均受面积的直接影响,所以斑块面积是决定物种丰富度的主要因素,这点需在湿地生物多样性保护中予以重视。虽然斑块形状特征点数是农业景观物种丰富度的一个很好预测指标,但是该指标不适用于形状规则的残存湿地斑块物种丰富度预测。另外,对于残存湿地斑块种-面积关系的机理还有待进一步研究。