中国猫科动物红外相机监测平台介绍: 民间环保机构的数据整合

中国猫科动物红外相机监测平台始建于2007年, 致力于评估中国12种本土野生猫科动物的保护现状, 并推动猫科动物保护。该平台由中国猫科动物保护联盟(猫盟)牵头组织, 与科研院所、高校、保护组织、政府部门、保护地管理机构等合作开展监测。监测点涵盖我国10个省/自治区28个监测点, 包括自然保护区、风景名胜区、社会公益保护地、林场、非保护地等多种类型。根据调查目标和内容, 红外相机采用网格化布设和沿样线布设两种调查方案。监测数据由猫盟集中管理, 并与保护地共享使用。截至2019年12月, 平台共设置有效调查/监测位点939个, 有效相机工作日合计约283,239天, 获得有效独立探测164,262次, 积累红外相机照片/视频约25万份(删除连续空拍后), 另有约5万份待处理。记录到分属7目24科的91种野生兽类与分属9目23科的102种野生鸟类物种, 其中国家I、Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物分别有25种与55种。在23个监测点记录到10种猫科动物, 独立探测共6,507次, 其中金钱豹(Panthera pardus) 3,196次(50.7%), 豹猫(Prionailurus bengalensis) 2,817次(44.7%)。加强监测数据分析能力、评估濒危猫科动物种群现状、建立志愿者工作团队是猫科动物监测平台今后的重点工作方向。     

Butterflies & wild bees: biology teachers’ PCK development through citizen science*

Citizen science is a rapidly growing emerging field in science and it is gaining importance in education. Therefore, this study was conducted to document the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of biology teachers who participated in a citizen science project involving observation of wild bees and identification of butterflies. In this paper, knowledge about how these biological methods can be taught to students is presented. After two years in the project, four teachers were interviewed and their PCK was captured in the form of content representations (CoRes) and Pedagogical and Professional-Experience Repertoires (PaP-eRs). These results can help future citizen science projects to link their activities to the school curriculum. But not only success can be reported: although one of the project team’s aims was to make the Nature of Science accessible to the teachers and students in the course of the project, the teachers did not take this aspect into account. This paper discusses the possible reasons and proposes various strategies for improving citizen science in the context of school biology learning.     

A digital flora of Rome

A complete guide to the rich flora of the metropolitan area of Rome (more than 1600 infrageneric taxa) was made available both as an online multi-entry query interface and as a stand-alone dichotomous key for mobile devices. From the general key, it will be possible to derive many smaller (and hence easier) guides to different parks and gardens of Rome, while teachers have been provided with additional software which permits them to create their own keys for any subset of species.     

Of Cecropias,Snarks and Boojums

We reply to Webber et al. (2011 Webber, BL, Born, C, Conn, BJ, Hadiah, JT and Zalamea, P-C. 2011. What is in a name? That which we call Cecropia peltata by any other name would be as invasive?. Plant Ecology & Diversity, 3: 241–245.  [Google Scholar]). Our study, Sheil and Padmanaba (2011 Sheil, D and Padmanaba, M. 2011. Innocent invaders? A preliminary assessment of Cecropia, an American tree, in Java. Plant Ecology & Diversity, 3: 231–240.  [Google Scholar]), was a preliminary assessment of the alien Neotropical tree Cecropia around Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. We highlighted the need for low-cost assessment approaches for addressing alien species and considered what might be achieved by local actors with limited resources. We successfully characterised the local distribution of Cecropia and identified, addressed and illustrated various concerns. Based on these results we asked how such studies might be useful and how they could be improved. Webber et al. criticise our study but fail to engage with its goals. Certainly, low-input local approaches lack the sophistication and rigour of larger international efforts, but such comparisons are unhelpful. Aside from a number of misunderstandings, we find Webber et al.’s principal arguments overstated, and unsupported by published information. The evidence that Cecropia causes harm is unconvincing; species-level identification is overemphasised; and the insistence on completing detailed research before considering management options is problematic. We offer some positive conclusions and repeat our plea for the development of effective low-input methods for evaluating and addressing naturalised organisms.     

Innocent invaders? A preliminary assessment of Cecropia,an American tree,in Java

Background: Invasive alien species receive little attention in many tropical countries.

Aims: We examine the Neotropical tree genus Cecropia in West Java and ask how eradication decisions should be judged given limited resources.

Methods: The distribution was determined based on field searches. The history, impacts and perceptions of Cecropia were examined through official records, observations, interviews and published literature.

Results : At least four Cecropia species were planted in the Bogor Botanic Gardens, West Java Province, Indonesia, during the twentieth century but only C. peltata appears to have naturalised extensively. Since 1943 Cecropia has spread over 1290 km². Implied mean rates of spread range from 0.13 km year^?1 to 0.68 km year^?1, with the fastest rates occurring down-slope and along river valleys. It has reached Jakarta to the north and the Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park to the south. It occurs only in open and disturbed locations. Local farmers consider Cecropia only a minor nuisance. We review 15 other reports of Cecropia naturalised outside the Neotropics.

Conclusions: Without control, Cecropia may eventually become common throughout Java. There is no evidence that any serious problem will, or will not result. We call for the development and implementation of low-cost and decisive assessment procedures for evaluating the control and management of naturalised organisms.     

DNA barcoding discriminates the noxious invasive plant species, floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.), from non-invasive relatives

Floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L.f.), a member of the plant family Araliaceae originating from North America, is an example of an invasive aquatic species posing serious problems to the management of waterways outside of its original distribution area in Australia and Western Europe. As a consequence, its import was banned in the Netherlands. It can be difficult to distinguish H. ranunculoides from other species of the genus on a morphological basis. In this regard, DNA barcoding may become a good alternative once this could be performed on a routine basis. In this study, we show that it is possible to distinguish H. ranunculoides from a series of closely related congeners by using a single plastid DNA sequence, trnH-psbA.     

入侵种的DNA条形码鉴定

生物安全研究的范畴涉及任何由生物威胁所造成的风险。随着害虫优先考虑级别的不断变化,以及国家和部门间相互协作的不断加强,对DNA分子鉴定技术的标准化提出了更迫切的要求,而DNA条形码的出现为此类问题的解决提供了很好的机遇。我们以前人对毒蛾和果蝇的研究为例,比较了DNA条形码技术与PCR-RFLP等传统方法的鉴定效果,在此基础上提出了建立一个可对不同入侵种进行快速和准确鉴定的条形码技术平台的构想。