Fauna characteristics and ecological distribution of Carnivora and Artiodactyla in Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve,China

Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve (NNR,108°45'-109°04'E,33°47'-33°56'N)is located on the eastern range of the Qinling Mountains in Shannxi Province,China and spans the southern and northern slopes of Mt.Qiuling.A transect survey and investigation were carried out in NNR to determine the fauna characteristics and ecological distribution of carnivora and artiodactyla from May 2003 to August 2004.The NNR has 18 mammals (carnivore and artiodactyl),two of which belong to the first class and seven to the second class of state key protected wildlife in China.The results of this study indicated that ungulates were abundant in the NNR,as all ungulates that were distributed within bit.Qiuling could be found within the reserve.However,only45.5%of the carnivores distributed within Mt.Qinling were detected within the NNR.Among the mammals,there were 12 oriental species (66.7%),1 palearctic specie (5.5%)and 5 widely-distributed species (27.8%).The NNR is a crossing area of palearctic species and oriental species on the zoogeographical regions,and it is a transitional area from the oriental realm to the palearctic realm.The results of the analysis on the ecological distribution of carnivore and artiodactyl in the area showed that their elevation ranges had large differences.The species whose elevation ranges above 1300 m,about 1000 m,and in 450-700 m occupied one third respectively.The results also indicated that species richness for the mammals in the NNR peaked at a middle elevation (rising at first,then descending with the increase in elevation).Not only on the southern slope,but also on the northern slope of Mt.Qinling,the number of species distributed in the area at 1800-2200 m a.s.l.was the largest (more than 80%),while the number of species distributed in the area above 2 600 m a.s.l.was the smallest (about 50%).Elevation gradients of species richness for the mammals in the NNR also embodied the mammal distributions among the vegetation types.The number of species distributed in the mixed coniferous and broadleaf deciduous forest at middle elevations was the largest,while the number of species distributed in the broadleaf deciduous forest at middle and low elevations,subalpine coniferous forest,subalpine shrubbery and meadow was relatively smaller.     

Distribution patterns of flora and fauna in southern Chilean Coastal rain forests: Integrating Natural History and GIS

Knowledge of species richness centers is necessary for the design of conservation areas. In this study, we present a GIS analysis of two years of field data on animal and plant diversity distributions in evergreen, coastal rain forests of southern Chile (39°30′–41°25′ S). Despite their high endemism, these forests have remained largely unprotected. Field records were complemented with data from museum collections and scientific literature. We used selected environmental variables (evapotranspiration, altitude) and, in some cases, forest types as predictors of species distributions. Our study focused on the distribution of forest bryophytes, vascular plants, soil invertebrates, amphibians and birds. We generated distributional maps for each taxa based on their field records in the study area, complemented by natural history information, except in the case of bryophytes and soil invertebrates. In general, species richness was lower at 600 m elevation or above for all the taxa studied. Species richness tends to increase in the northern sector of the study area. We observed a greater richness of vascular plants near rivers and streams, and noted important floristic differences between west and east-facing slopes of the Coastal Range, with more species in the oriental side. Because species in high altitude forests are not a subset of those found at lower elevations, we propose that conservation strategies should prioritize the protection of the entire altitudinal gradient of the southern Coastal Range, especially in the more diverse oriental and northern sectors.     

Altitudinal zonation of human-disturbed vegetation on Mt. Tianmu,eastern China

Much of the primary vegetation at low altitudes has been greatly altered or destroyed by a long history of human activities. This is particularly true in eastern China, where low-altitude areas are now dominated by secondary forests or plantations. Altitudinal vegetation zonation of this region is often based on these secondary forests, resulting in seral vegetation with an obscure zonal sequence. Here, we deduced the potential climax vegetation according to the regeneration patterns of the dominant species of the secondary forests at low altitudes (below 1,000 m a.s.l.) on Mt. Tianmu (1,506 m a.s.l., 30°18′30″–30°21′37″N, 119°24′11″–119°27′11″E). Based on the potential climax vegetation combined with the floristic composition and community structure, three vegetation zones were identified, viz: (1) evergreen broad-leaved forest zone (400–950 m a.s.l.); (2) evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest zone (950–1,100 m a.s.l.); (3) deciduous broad-leaved forest zone (1,100–1,506 m a.s.l.). The altitudinal vegetation zones identified in this study correspond with the thermal conditions on Mt. Tianmu. The distribution of vegetation on Mt. Tianmu was limited by lower temperatures in winter, and the altitudinal thermal vegetation zones on this mountain were more similar to the thermal vegetation of Japan than to that of China. The vertical distributions and roles of conifers were different between the eastern and the western regions along 30°N latitude in humid East Asia. Cryptomeria fortunei formed the emergent layer, towering above the broad-leaved canopy at middle altitudes as C. japonica on Yakushima, but disappeared at high altitudes with hydrothermal limitation on Mt. Tianmu.     

Application of self-organizing neural networks to classification of plant communities in Pangquangou Nature Reserve, North China

Vegetation classification is an important topic in plant ecology and many quantitative techniques for classification have been developed in the field. The artificial neural network is a comparatively new tool for data analysis. The self-organizing feature map (SOFM) is powerful tool for clustering analysis. SOFM has been applied to many research fields and it was applied to the classification of plant communities in the Pangquangou Nature Reserve in the present work. Pangquangou Nature Reserve, located at 37°20′–38°20′ N, 110°18′–111°18′ E, is a part of the Luliang Mountain range. Eighty-nine samples (quadrats) of 10m × 10m for forest, 4m × 4 m for shrubland and 1m × 1m for grassland along an elevation gradient, were set up and species data was recorded in each sample. After discussion of the mathematical algorism, clustering technique and the procedure of SOFM, the classification was carried out by using NNTool box in MATLAB (6.5). As a result, the 89 samples were clustered into 13 groups representing 13 types of plant communities. The characteristics of each community were described. The result of SOFM classification was identical to the result of fuzzy c-mean clustering and consistent with the distribution patterns of vegetation in the study area and shows significant ecological meanings. This suggests that SOFM may clearly describe the ecological relationships between plant communities and it is a very effective quantitative technique in plant ecology research. __________ Translated from Acta Ecologica Sinica, 2007, 27(3): 1005–1010 [译自: 生态学报]     

Patterns of habitat selection and use by Macaca mulatta tcheliensis in winter and early spring in temperate forest, Jiyuan, China

The chosen habitat of any animal species comprises a range of environmental features that provide adequate resources for its continuous survival. Consequently, the criteria of habitat selection by animals, combines a wider spectrum of both environmental and extrinsic factors, with major prerequisites based on food resources, availability of shelter and suitable ethics for procreation. From this study, conducted in winter and early spring, at Mt. Wangwushan area, located on 35°05′–35°15′ N, 112°12′–112°22′ E, in Taihangshan Macaque National Nature Reserve (TMNNR), Jiyuan, Henan Province, we show by elaborative results that Macaca mulatta tcheliensis was specifically associated with the following habitat characteristics: (1) the average tree DBH (diameter at breast height) with over 15 cm; (2) the distance from human disturbance of less than 2000 m; (3) the distance to water with less than 1000 m; (4) the gradient of mountain slope of 15°∼40°; (5) which was markedly tarrying with the altitude ranges from 1000 m to 1300 m; and (6) where the canopy coverage was less than 60%. In addition, during this study, rhesus macaque mostly inhabited the sunny slopes of mountains than the shady areas. Results of the first five principal components analysis (PCA) accounted for the total variance of 68.88%, while the other factors showed insignificant effects on habitat selection by rhesus macaque in the temperate forest. In conclusion, these new results increase our understanding on the living status, under the harshest condition, in winter and early spring of Macaca mulatta tcheliensis, the subspecies of rhesus macaques as may be linked to its habitat selection and utilization, in the temperate forest.     

Study on the bryoflora in Yunmeng Mountain, south Hebei Province, China

Mountain Yunmeng (37°20′N, 113°54′E) is 1 520m above sea level and part of the Taihang Mountains. With a temperate continental monsoon climate, the mountain area belongs to the warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest region. This thesis was mostly based on the study of more than 2 000 packages of bryophytes which were mainly collected by the authors in Mt. Yunmeng, Hebei Province. Of these specimens, there are 36 families, 99 genera, and 244 species (including 17 varieties, 5 formes, and 1 subspecies) which have been studied and identified. Moreover, it could be seen that Mt. Yunmeng has a diverse population of bryophytes. The bryoflora could be divided into 10 geographical elements: north temperate element make up the majority, accounting for 52.11% of the entire known bryoflora, and another belongs to the East Asian element, accounting for 19.25%. All temperate elements, not including 14 endemic to China and 31 Cosmopolitans, were added up to 188 species, which took 88.3% of all the entire known bryoflora in Mt. Yunmeng. However, there were only 11 Subtropical and Tropical elements. To all appearances, the bryoflora of Mt. Yunmeng showed obvious temperate characteristics. The authors conclude that the bryoflora in Mt. Yunmeng belongs to the middle type, between the warm and dry northern mountain area and the warm and damp southern mountain area. The microclimatic environment greatly influences the bryoflora. __________ Translated from Guihaia, 2005, 25 (3) [译自: 广西植物, 2005,25(3)]     

Causal analysis of the diversity of medusae in East China Sea

Based on the maritime data collected from 23°30′–33°00′ N and 118°30′–128°00′ E of the East China Sea (ECS) in four seasons during 1997–2000, the dynamics of medusae diversity and their causes were analyzed. A total of 103 medusae species were identified, and these species mainly distributed in the southern and northern offshore areas of the ECS. Species diversity index (H′) of medusae was higher in the south than those in the north, higher in summer and winter than in spring and autumn, and higher in offshore than in the nearshore areas. The species number was closely correlated with H′ value, whereas the abundance of species had no significant relationship with the diversity index. The lower H′ value of the nearshore in spring and autumn resulted from the aggregation of Muggiaea atlantica in the south nearshore and Diphyes chamissonis in the north nearshore. In addition, water temperature, followed by salinity, is the main environmental factor influencing the distribution of species diversity. The H′ value was related to the water temperature at the 10 m layer in winter and spring, and it was associated with the surface water temperature in summer and with the 10 m-salinity-layer in autumn. In spring and summer, the isoline distribution of H′ value reflected the direction of the Taiwan Warm Current and the variation of the water masses in the ECS. In winter, the isoline of the H′ value indicated the incursion of Kuroshio current. In conclusion, the H′ isoline is an good indicator for water masses in ECS. __________ Translated from Biodiversity Science, 2006, 14(6): 508–516 [译自:生物多样性]     

Habitat loss effects on spatial distribution of non-vascular epiphytes in a Brazilian Atlantic forest

The vertical distribution of the richness, abundance, and composition of epiphytic bryophytes was studied in a matrix of fragmented habitats in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest of the Murici Ecological Station (9°11′05″–9°16′48″ S, 35°45′20″–35°55′12″ W), northeastern Brazil. The aim was to compare the horizontal (between sites) and vertical (between phorophyte heights) turnover to test a hypothesis based on niche width vulnerability. There was a highly significant decreasing of richness accompanying the loss of habitat, and the most conserved fragment housed a total richness more than 10 times higher than the less conserved fragment. Epiphytes failed to colonize lower trunks (2.1–10 m) and higher zones in most of the non-conserved fragments; they were restricted to the base (0–2 m) and displayed a clear altered floristic composition. The species with restricted ecological amplitudes such as sun and shade tolerant taxa were more negatively affected by habitat loss than generalists. Although the mean richness of generalists decreased in non conserved fragments, the proportional contribution of this guild increased, proving that these taxa are the ones which persist in disturbed sites. The forest fragments capable of harboring rich epiphyte flora in the area studied are over 300 ha in size, which is far from being a common size among Brazilian Atlantic rainforest fragments. Hence, our results highlight the need of conserving the few large remnants in this ecosystem.     

Crowding effect in marine macrophytic algae populations

Crowding effect in natural populations of three species ofSargassum, subtidal marine macrophytic algae, was investigated by harvesting all plants within a 1×1 m or 0.5×0.5m quadrat located at depths of 3–5m in Tanabe Bay (33°41′N and 135°20′E).Sargassum populations conformed to the same 3/2 power law that holds in many terrestrial plant populations.     

滇西北昆虫区系特点

本文对滇西北昆虫区系特征进行了分析。滇西北昆虫区系具有以下特点:古北区与东洋区种类过渡与交混明显;新发现的种类及特有种和狭布种十分丰富;原始古老的种类多;垂直分布明显。如以江河分水岭为界,尚可分为怒江、澜沧江、金沙江3个小区。滇西北典型的东洋区系成份,一般在海拔3000m以下地区,海拔3000m以上则以古北区系成份为主。     

High Arctic vegetation after 70 years: a repeated analysis from Svalbard

We asked whether vegetation mapping repeated after 70 years revealed vegetation changes in the high Arctic. The study site is located at 78°38′N, 16°45′E, near Brucebyen at the Adolfbukta Bay (head of Billjefjorden) in central Spitsbergen (Svalbard), and encompasses an area of 2,042 × 521 m. The mapping carried out in 2008 did not reveal any changes in vegetation, since a previous study in 1936–1937, that could be attributed to climate change. We argue that our finding can be interpreted as evidence of a slow ecological response of constituent plants in such a harsh environment. Moreover, geographic isolation may limit establishment and expansion of new species. Some successional changes were only due to erosion–accumulation processes connected especially to stream activity.     

Dynamics of a dry forest fragment after the exclusion of human disturbance in southeastern Brazil

Changes in the structure and composition of a dry forest fragment were described for a 4-yr period (1994–1998) in the southeastern Brazil (19°12′05″ S and 47°08′02″ W). This is the first dynamic study of a vanishing type of dry forest, which grows on base-rich soils originating from the basalt bedrock of western Minas Gerais State. A survey of trees ≥ 3.2 cm dbh (diameter at breast height, or 1.30 m) was conducted in 26 transects of 50 m × 6 m (0.78 ha). The species were classified into three regeneration guilds – pioneer, light-demanding and shade-tolerant – on the basis of others studies and personal observation. There was a decrease of 10.1% in the number of trees between 1994 and 1998. However, the basal area had an increase of 1.5% in the same period. Size class distributions in 1994 and 1998 were significantly different. The smallest trees (diameter < 10 cm) had the highest mortality rates. Although stand composition showed little change, a few species showed significant imbalance between recruitment and mortality. The studied fragment had mortality (2.3% yr^–1) and recruitment (1.6% yr^–1) rates similar to other tropical rain forests for trees ≥ 10 cm dbh. The present fragment of forest (turnover time = 39.5 yr, at cut level 10 cm dbh) lies among the most dynamic tropical forests. The main compositional changes were the increase of shade-tolerant trees and decline of pioneer species. The changes in composition and structure over the survey period may reflect the recovery of the forest after 4 yr of conservation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Diversity patterns of small mammals in the Zambales Mts., Luzon, Philippines

In 2004 and 2005, we conducted a survey of the small mammals on Mt. Tapulao (=Mt. High Peak, 2037 m) in the Zambales Mountains, Luzon Island, Philippines in order to obtain the first information on the mammals of this newly discovered center of endemism. We also tested two hypotheses regarding the relationship of species richness with elevation and the impact of alien species on native mammals. The survey covered five localities representing habitats from regenerating lowland rain forest at 860 m to mossy rain forest near the peak at 2024 m. We recorded 11 species, including 1 native shrew, 1 alien shrew, 8 native rodents, and 1 alien rodent. Two species of Apomys and one species of Rhynchomys are endemic to Zambales; this establishes the Zambales Mountains as a significant center of mammalian endemism. Species richness of native small mammals increased with elevation, from five species in the lowlands at 925 m to seven species in mossy forest at 2024 m; total relative abundance of native small mammals increased from 925 to 1690 m, then declined at 2024 m. Alien small mammals were restricted to highly disturbed areas. Our results support the prediction that maximum species richness of small mammals would occur in lower mossy forest near the peak, not near the center of the gradient. Our results also support the hypothesis that when a diverse community of native Philippine small mammals is present in either old-growth or disturbed forest habitat, “invasive” alien species are unable to penetrate and maintain significant populations in forest.     

White-fronted and bean geese breeding near snowy owls,peregrine falcons,and rough-legged buzzards at the Taimyr Peninsula

Studies were carried out in 2000–2007 near Medusa Bay (73°21′N, 80°32′ E) and along the Agapa River (from 70°11′N, 86°15′ E. down to the mouth 71°26′ N, 89°13′ E), in the northwestern and central parts of the Taimyr Peninsula. White-fronted goose nests are usually spread in the tundra or placed in 1–3 nest colonies near nests or staging points of snowy owls, peregrine falcons, or rough-legged buzzards. The intent of white-fronted geese to breed near birds of prey or owls increases sharply when arctic fox numbers are high. In the area near Medusa Bay, white-fronted geese nest much closer to peregrine falcon nests than in the area along the Agra River. At the latter location, white-fronted geese lose the competition to red-breasted geese, which are more numerous here. Bean geese, in spite of their greater size and ability to protect their nests against arctic foxes, really tend to breed near peregrine falcons or buzzards, where they manage to compete with red-breasted geese.     

Breeding ecology of an Old World high-altitude warbler, Phylloscopus affinis

Reproduction of Tickell’s Leaf Warblers Phylloscopus affinis was studied in an alpine valley (29°27′N, 91°40′E, 3,980–5,600 m) in the Lhasa mountains, Tibet, at the upper elevational limit of the species’ breeding range. This species is a summer breeder, and is the only breeding Phylloscopus species in the valley. It nested in all types of shrubby vegetation across the altitudinal range of the valley. Most nests were placed close to the ground (<1 m) in low thorn bushes. Egg-laying dates fell between late May and early July, most within the first 3 weeks after the commencement of breeding. Mean clutch size was 4.0 (3–5) and mean brood size at fledging 3.4 (2–5). Incubation was by the females and lasted 13–14 days, and both parents cared for the young for 14–17 days. Nestlings ready to leave the nest were 13% heavier than the adults. Overall, 76% of nesting attempts produced at least one fledged young. Some aspects of the breeding biology of this high-altitude warbler were compared with those of lower-altitude Phylloscopus species.     

Altitudinal Zonation of Pteridophytes on Mt. Banahaw de Lucban,Luzon Island,Philippines

Five altitudinal pteridophyte zones are established along the northeastern altitudinal slopes of Mt. Banahaw de Lucban, Quezon, Luzon Is., Philippines using cluster- and ordination analyses, namely: Zone 1, Cyathea contaminans – Dicranopteris–Nephrolepis–Diplazium patches at 700–800 m a.s.l.; Zone 2, Sphaerostephanos hirsutus var. hirsutus – Selaginella delicatula patches at 750–900 m a.s.l.; Zone 3, Cyathea philippinensis – Selaginella patches at 900–1200 m a.s.l.; Zone 4, Cyathea philippinensis – Cyathea callosa–Asplenium cymbifolium–Selaginella cumingiana patches at 1200–1550 m a.s.l. and; Zone 5 which is further divided into Sub-zone 5A, Cyathea callosa – Cyathea loheri-Hymenophyllaceae patches at 1550–1800 m a.s.l. and Sub-zone 5B, Cyathea loheri – Cephalomanes apiifolia patches at 1800–1875 m a.s.l. These pteridophyte zones coincide with the woody species zones of Mt. Banahaw de Lucban but differ significantly with the altitudinal fern zones of Mt. Makiling. Stepwise multiple regression analysis reveals that altitude exhibits a linear relationship with pteridophyte species distribution. Altitude and soil pH influence 65% of the variation in principal component 1 [PC1 = 0.0839 + 0.0010(altitude) − 0.2072(soil pH); r = 0.8058] and 27% of the variation in principal component 2 [PC2 = 2.0453 − 0.0005(altitude) − 0.2560(soil pH); r = 0.5206]. Thirty-three (33) species are preferential to specific microenvironments along the altitudinal gradient, making them effective altitudinal zone markers and biodiversity conservation indicators for the forest ecosystem of Mt. Banahaw de Lucban.     

湖南壶瓶山自然保护区鸟类多样性分析

湖南壶瓶山自然保护区拥有鸟类１４３种,隶属１４目３４科,其中国家一级保护动物１种,二级保护动物１６种,湖南省级保护动物２９种。该地的夏候鸟４９种,冬候鸟１４种,留鸟８０种。东洋界鸟类８５种,古北界鸟类３２种,广布性鸟类２６种。壶瓶山鸟类的多样性指数为１．８４５５,均匀性指数为０．８５５０。     

Position on slope,disturbance, and tree species coexistence in a Seasonal Semideciduous Forest in SE Brazil

We investigated the influence of position on a slope (plot relative elevation) and vegetation disturbance (the tallest tree height per plot) on community composition and diversity in a SE Brazilian Seasonal Semideciduous Forest (46°55′ W, 22°50′ S). Trees with dbh ≥5 cm were sampled in one hundred 10 × 10 m plots randomly placed in a 6.5-ha stand. Through partial Mantel test, floristic dissimilarities among plots (Jaccard index computed with species abundance in each plot) were correlated with environmental distances among plots (Euclidian distance index computed with relative elevation and the tallest tree height values in each plot). Relative elevation and the tallest tree per plot height were individually correlated with floristic gradients expressed by PCA axes scores using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Through resampling, we compared diversity (richness, Berger-Parker D and Shannon H′) among plots in the drier (up) and moister (low) ends of the slope. Floristic dissimilarities were significantly correlated with environmental distances even after geographic distances among plots have been partialled out (r _m = 0.1274, p < 0.001). The first two PCA axes accounted for 22% of the total variance. After Bonferroni and Dutilleul’s corrections, axis 1 showed a marginally significant correlation with plot relative elevation (r = − 0.4097, p = 0.0309), and axis 2 was significantly correlated with the tallest tree height per plot (r = 0.2953, p = 0.0106). Position on the slope and vegetation disturbance were reliable predictors of community composition, thus suggesting the operation of niche assembly organizing processes. Richness and diversity (H′) decreased and dominance (D) increased with elevation on the slope. Dominance increase from D ₍₃₀₀₎ = 0.11 (confidence interval = 0.091–0.131) to D ₍₃₀₀₎ = 0.19 (CI = 0.165–0.210) surpassed the expected dominance increase based on the reduction of richness alone: D ₍₃₀₀₎ = 0.13 (CI = 0.110–0.140), thus highlighting the niche partitioning assembly of the community, especially among abundant species. Given the great amount of floristic variability remaining unexplained, stochastic processes, such as those related to dispersal limitation, may also have influence on the community composition. Therefore, both niche assembly and chance events can operate even on a fine local scale.     

Dew and its effect on two heliophile understorey species of a tropical dry deciduous forest in Mexico

 A series of horizontal and vertical measurements of dew deposition and dew duration were carried out in a tropical dry deciduous forest in western Mexico (19° 30′ N, 105° 03′ W). The effect of dew on transpiration in heliophile species was also investigated. The amount of dew was very variable with no temporal or spatial pattern. The amount of dew measured at two horizontal transects (maximum and minimum) (at heights of 0.20 m and 1.30 m above ground level) was from 0.014 to 0.203 mm and from 0.013 to 0.061 mm in the middle and at the end of the dry season, respectively. Dew deposition at different vertical levels (0.50–12.5 m height) ranged from 0.04 to 0.36 mm. The duration of dew formation ranged between 60 and 129 min after sunrise above the canopy (a height of 11 m), and between 259 and 290 min after sunrise at a height of 2 m. Daily transpiration rates were 883 and 632 g m^–2 d^–1 in Coccoloba liebmannii and 538 and 864 g m^–2 d^–1 in Jacquinia pungens in January and April, respectively. Transpiration was restricted from sunrise to early afternoon in April, as a result of the pronounced midday closure of stomata in both species. The reduction of transpiration by dew ranged from 13.2 to 50.1 g m^–2 d^–1 and from 4.5 to 77.7 g m^–2 d^–1 for C. liebmannii and J. pungens, respectively. Dew can play an important role in enhancing the survival of heliophile species in the dry season by reducing transpiration rates during the morning. Received: 30 April 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

The limits of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dreissena polymorpha</Emphasis> (Pallas) range in the Kama River basin

The distribution of Dreissena polymorpha in the northeastern part of the Kama River basin is limited to the area with the following geographic coordinates: 59°37′–54°00′ N and 57°10′–49°03′ E. The range of the zebra mussel is continuous along the Kama, Belaya, and Ufa rivers. Isolated populations of this mollusk exist in the Belaya and Vyatka river floodplains. The distribution of dreissena in the running waters of the Kama River basin is limited by the potamal conditions.