Distribution of the Asiatic cyprinid Pseudorasbora parva in Serbia and Montenegro

The first record of Pseudorasbora parva in the Balkan region was in 1977 in Sasko Lake, Montenegro and in 1978 it was found in Serbia. Since then, this species has spread to almost all lowland rivers and has become a permanent member of the ichthyofauna in Serbia and Montenegro.     

IUCN受威胁物种红色名录进展及应用

IUCN受威胁物种红色名录已经成为世界上最全面的关于全球动物、真菌和植物物种灭绝风险状况的信息来源, 是生物多样性健康的关键指标, 是促进生物多样性保护和决策的有力工具。本文全面介绍IUCN受威胁物种红色名录(简称IUCN红色名录)的发展以及应用状况, 积极推动其在中国的物种评估和广泛应用。总结了IUCN红色名录从依赖于评估专家的主观意志决定物种濒危等级的濒危物种红皮书(Red Data Book)到IUCN受威胁物种等级和标准(3.1版)的客观量化和所有门类使用统一标准的过程。该等级体系可囊括全球所有物种, 其中“受威胁”的3个等级——极危(CR)、濒危(EN)或易危(VU)需使用5个标准进行量化评估, 对评估规范有非常严格的要求。该等级和标准体系不仅适用于全球层面, 同样也适用于地区层面物种评估, 只是在具体物种种群如果和周边其他地区(国家)存在种群交流情况时, 评估结果要进行调整。迄今为止, 全球层面使用该等级体系和标准评估了14万多种(其中在中国有分布的物种10,846种), 100多个国家和地方制定了地区/国家层面的红色名录, 中国红色名录评估了5.5万多种。IUCN红色名录已广泛应用于评估生物多样性变化速度; 为保护规划提供决策信息; 支持履行国际公约、修订国家/地区重点保护物种名录和自然保护地管理等; 指导资源有效合理分配和宣传教育等。广泛应用过程中, 讨论主要集中在获取数据的方法改进上; 另外, 一方面有专家认为标准存在缺陷需要完善, 另一方面有呼吁维持标准的长期相对稳定, 以便进行跨时间、跨区域、跨物种门类的比较。本文提出来了中国红色名录的持续机制和应用建议, 包括建立中国红色名录委员会、建立中国红色名录专业网站、发展评估专家队伍、建立中国红色名录评估更新机制, 以及加强国际协作、促进全球和中国红色名录的应用和发展。     

Bryophytes of Sri Lanka: a review of past exploration and taxonomic research and priorities for the future

This overview presents a historical summary of the past collectors of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, and some of the researchers who studied and published the results of their explorations. The first British collectors of the early nineteenth century were linked with the development of the Botanic Garden and herbarium in Peradeniya, of which George Gardner and George Thwaites made the greatest contributions, resulting in three publications by William Mitten on both mosses and liverworts. By the mid-nineteenth century, collectors from other countries took the lead, firstly Johannes Nietner from Germany and Odoardo Beccari from Italy. By the early twentieth century, Victor Schiffner from Austria and Max Fleischer from Germany became the leading bryologists throughout SE Asia, and both visited Ceylon. Fleischer’s work was part of a monographic revision of all mosses resulting in many new genera and species. After Fleischer, the most important bryologist was the German Theodor Herzog, who was the first to describe the ecological structure and bryological richness of different forest zones in southern Ceylon, with insight into forest loss from agricultural and population expansion, and a summary of biogeographical links of the bryoflora. The English bryologist H.N. Dixon took over from Mitten in describing many new moss species. Since independence in 1948, bryology in Sri Lanka has had major input from some local bryologists, such as B.A. Abeywickrama, as well as several important visitors, notably H. Inoue from Japan, C.C. Townsend from England, P.P.M. Tixier from France, and Maurice Onraedt from Belgium. Awareness in Sri Lanka of the need to taxonomically revise the extensive and scattered herbarium collections, has led to the running of some bryophyte workshops and training of new Sri Lankan bryologists. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to produce the first comprehensive bryophyte flora of the country, and priorities for future work are outlined.     

The Sampled Red List Index for Plants,phase II: ground-truthing specimen-based conservation assessments

The IUCN Sampled Red List Index (SRLI) is a policy response by biodiversity scientists to the need to estimate trends in extinction risk of the world''s diminishing biological diversity. Assessments of plant species for the SRLI project rely predominantly on herbarium specimen data from natural history collections, in the overwhelming absence of accurate population data or detailed distribution maps for the vast majority of plant species. This creates difficulties in re-assessing these species so as to measure genuine changes in conservation status, which must be observed under the same Red List criteria in order to be distinguished from an increase in the knowledge available for that species, and thus re-calculate the SRLI. However, the same specimen data identify precise localities where threatened species have previously been collected and can be used to model species ranges and to target fieldwork in order to test specimen-based range estimates and collect population data for SRLI plant species. Here, we outline a strategy for prioritizing fieldwork efforts in order to apply a wider range of IUCN Red List criteria to assessments of plant species, or any taxa with detailed locality or natural history specimen data, to produce a more robust estimation of the SRLI.     

关于IUCN红色名录类型和标准的应用

１９９４年底,ＩＵＣＮ（世界保护联盟）正式公布了“红色名录类型”,对物种受威胁的情况作了比较客观的分类,提出了许多具体的数量标准以便进行分析判断。本文概略介绍该分类系统及其划分标准的实际应用,供开展物种受威胁的评估工作参考     

Honing Red List Assessments of Lesser-Known Taxa in Biodiversity Hotspots

Red Listing organisms is an iterative process involving two variables. First, the conservation status of a taxon becomes clearer as more information becomes available, and secondly, the actual status changes as the taxon becomes more threatened or less threatened. Using a 20-year database of South African dragonflies has enabled us to hone conservation assessments and to arrive at a realistic appraisal of their true conservation status. Changes in the evaluation of taxa came about through improved knowledge of habitat and particularly from information on the exact flight period. This background improved the apparency of the taxa so enabling accurate conservation assessments. The temporal shortcoming was addressed in detail by focusing on the core of the Cape Floristic Region global biodiversity hotspot, and recording the phenology of species. We found that there were large differences in emergence times. While flight times may not be a source of error in the temperate northern hemisphere, they can be a major issue in low and southern latitudes. Indeed, the error can be so great that species thought to be extinct were effectively resurrected. Temporal shortcomings can only be overcome by first undertaking a presence/absence survey over time to determine the appropriate time of year for making rigorous Red List assessments. This is not a criticism of the Red Listing process per se, which, for this taxon, we found to be largely sound. However, the results do emphasize that a critical approach to methodology is a necessary foundation when searching for trend indicators from the Red List with regards to lesser-known taxa.     

Influence of the temperature regime on the composition of the macrozoobenthos community in a thermal brook in Serbia

In contrast to cold and eurythermal waters, benthic communities of warm brooks in temperate regions have been inadequately studied. In order to investigate the effects of water thermal regime on the benthic communities of warm waters and their relationships with those of cold and eurythermic ones, the macrozoobenthos was studied at eight sites in the Toplica River, and at four sites in its tributary, the Termalni brook. Investigations were carried out seasonally from April 2000 to January 2001. Warm waters of the Termalni brook were characterized by specific macrozoobenthos assemblages that exhibited significant differences to the populations of eurythermal and cold waters of the Toplica River. The dominant taxa in the macrozoobenthos community of warm waters were mainly Gastropoda species. Moreover, benthic communities of warm waters were characterized by lower diversity and greater biomass in comparison with those of cold and eurythermal waters. The gradient of average annual temperatures represented the main ecological factor influencing changes of diversity and biomass along the course of the investigated Termalni brook. Inflow of warm waters at site T₆ lead to a decrease in macrozoobenthos abundance and changes in qualitative and quantitative composition of the benthocoenosis of a highland stream, but did not significantly alter diversity.     

A key to the growthforms of mosses and liverworts and guide to their educational value

Mosses and liverworts have considerable potential as a resource for use in environmental studies. However, these small plants are seldom studied in the field, mainly because they can be difficult to identify. It is suggested that this identification problem may be circumvented by using a system of classification of growth-form types, similar to the kind used for lichens in atmospheric pollution studies. Each growth-form is related to a characteristic range of environmental conditions. This article outlines the value of bryophyte growth-forms as an educational resource and includes a key to growth-forms, developed and tested with teachers, students, and naturalists. The key is easy to use and one does not need to be familiar with bryophyte taxonomy or theories on the adaptive significance of structural characteristics.     

A review of Turkish saproxylic beetles from the European Red List

The conservation of beetles that depend on dying or dead wood (i.e. saproxylic), has received a great deal of attention in many parts of the world in recent years. Human activities such as urbanization and logging, and their results, e.g. global warming, destroy natural ecosystems and threaten unusual species such as Lucanus cervus (L. 1758), Rosalia alpina (L. 1758), Limoniscus violaceus (Müller 1821) and Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli 1763). Attempts have been made to conserve the habitats upon which these species depend. Although represented by a large number of species, saproxylic beetles in Turkey have not received much attention. Although some Turkish studies have acknowledged their value, comprehensive investigations of these species are very limited. The aim of this study is to make a list, from the literature, of the species that are endangered in Europe and found in Turkey, to highlight the importance of these species. The research includes 151 saproxylic beetle species belonging to the families Bostrichidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae, Eucnemidae, Scarabaeidae, Euchiridae, Lucanidae and Mycetophagidae. The list of Turkish saproxylic beetles was prepared using the European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles. Information is provided about the IUCN Red List category in Europe, the locations of the species in Turkey, and their global geographic range. We gathered all data about these species from the international literature. Furthermore, we also include in the list certain species whose locations are not specified, but which inhabit Turkey. We obtained their records from some catalogs in Turkey. In addition to the list, we prepared three distribution maps for Turkey. The maps show distribution in Turkey of some species in the Endangered, Vulnerable and Near Threatened categories in the European Red List. It is expected that this study will lead to comprehensive studies on saproxylic beetles from Turkey.     

Application to the terrestrial vertebrates of Italy of a system proposed by IUCN for a new classification of national Red List categories

The criteria for classification set down in the new system of the IUCN Red List categories were applied to national distribution areas. Application of the new criteria to national distribution areas calls for an estimate of the rate of immigration. Classification was applied to the Italian autochthonous terrestrial vertebrate species that reproduce in Italy (Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves and Mammalia). Species with both marine and land habitats were included, but Cetaceans were excluded. Eighty-eight species of the autochthonous species that reproduce in Italy were classified in the threatened categories at the national level. One of the main purposes of the present classification of the risk of extinction in national distribution areas is to provide the information needed to define global conservation priorities of species present on national territory. The species nationally and/or globally endangered or at lower risk were grouped into four priority classes, on the basis of their reproductive phenology on national territory and the size of temporarily present contingents. Of the 551 species present regularly or seasonally on Italian territory, 149 (27.0%) are in the initial indicative list of conservation priorities.     

广东石门台自然保护区藓类植物初报

石门台自然保护区位于广东省中北部,面积82260hm^2,是全省面积最大的保护区。根据我们过去三年的初步调查和研究,石门台保护区共有藓类植物33科89属158种(含1亚种3变种),其中广东新记录属3属,分别是Eccremidium、Phyllodon和Stereodontopsis;另外,Eccremidium brisbanicum等23种为广东新记录种。     

A checklist of the bryophytes of Andorra

A checklist of 137 liverwort and 445 moss species is established for Andorra based on a review of the literature and a long-term floristic survey. Five moss species, Barbula amplexifolia, Ditrichum zonatum, Grimmia donniana, Pohlia bulbifera, and P. lutescens, are new to the Iberian Peninsula. Another 7 liverwort and 156 moss species are new to Andorra. For each species, the distribution at the scale of 1?km² and altitudinal range are documented, resulting in an improved assessment of the frequency and distribution of 101 moss species previously reported from a single record. Haplomitrium hookeri and Scapania verrucosa, which are the two Regionally Extinct species of the Spanish Red List of liverworts, occur in Andorra, which hosts between 23 and 37% of the species listed as Critically Rare, Endangered, or Vulnerable in the Spanish Red List of bryophytes. Therefore, it appears that Andorra is a key area for the conservation of the high-altitude flora of the Iberian Peninsula.     

Bryophytes as experimental models for the study of environmental stress tolerance: Tortula ruralis and desiccation-tolerance in mosses

The development of a complete understanding of how plants interact with the environment at the cellular level is a crucial step in advancing our ability to unravel the complexities of plant ecology particularly with regard to the role that many of the less complex plants (i.e., algae, lichens, and bryophytes) play in plant communities and in establishing areas for colonization by their more complex brothers. One of the main barriers to the advancement of this area of plant biology has been the paucity of simple and appropriate experimental models that would enable the researcher to biochemically and genetically dissect the response of less complex plants to environmental stress. A number of bryophytes model systems have been developed and they have been powerful experimental tools for the elucidation of complex biological processes in plants. Recently there has been a resurgent interest in bryophytes as models systems due to the discovery and development of homologous recombination technologies in the moss Physcomitrella patens (Hedw.) Brach & Schimp. In this report we introduce the desiccation-tolerant moss Tortula ruralis (Hedw.) Gaert., Meyer, and Scherb, as a model for stress tolerance mechanisms that offers a great deal of promise for advancing our efforts to understand how plants respond to and survive the severest of stressful environments. T. ruralis, a species native to Northern and Western North America, has been the most intensely studied of all bryophytes with respect to its physiological, biochemical, and cellular responses, to the severest of water stresses, desiccation. It is our hope that the research conducted using this bryophyte will lay the foundationfor not only the ecology of bryophytes and other less complex plants but also for the role of desiccation-tolerance in the evolution of land plants and the determination of mechanisms by which plant cells can withstand environmental insults. We will focus the discussion on the research we and others have conducted in an effort to understand the ability of T. ruralis to withstand the complete loss of free water from the protoplasm of its cells.     

Assessment of Hebei flora against the IUCN Red List Criteria in China

Some plants of Hebei Province in China are under threat from human activities, such as over-herding and over-exploitation of wild medicinal plants and industrial plants, etc. To identify the plants in danger in the province and to inspect the quality of the environment encompassing Beijing and Tianjin, a red list of the threatened flora of Hebei Province was produced by using the IUCN Red List Criteria (version 3.1) and its guidelines (version 6.2). Some 262 species were assessed and the results were as follows: (1) the threatened flora include 211 species, accounting for 7.95% of the total native vascular plants. Among them, 44 are Critically Endangered, 80 Endangered and 87 Vulnerable; (2) the destruction of the habitat caused by human activities and the actual or potential exploitation of the plants themselves were the main threat factors of Hebei flora; (3) most of the threatened plants are located in the western, northern and northeastern mountainous regions, namely the key regions of Hebei plant diversity; the endemic and regionally endemic species are severely threatened. Consequently, the assessment not only presented the threatened status of Hebei flora but also indicated the relatively fragile health status of the environment of Beijing and Tianjin. Thus, it is suggested that the application of the IUCN Red List Criteria at the regional level, as an index, could reflect the health status of the local ecosystem. In addition, more concrete measures are needed to conserve the plant diversity and the natural ecosystem of Hebei Province and even the whole region encompassing Beijing and Tianjin.     

Assessment of Hebei flora against the IUCN Red List Criteria in China

Some plants of Hebei Province in China are under threat from human activities,such as over-herding and over-exploitation of wild medicinal plants and industrial plants,etc.To identify the plants in danger in the province and to inspect the quality of the environment encompassing Beijing and Tianjin,a red list of the threatened flora of Hebei Province was produced by using the IUCN Red List Criteria (version 3.1) and its guidelines (version 6.2).Some 262 species were assessed and the results were as follows:(1) the threatened flora include 211 species,accounting for 7.95% of the total native vascular plants.Among them,44 are Critically Endangered,80 Endangered and 87 Vulnerable;(2) the destruction of the habitat caused by human activities and the actual or potential exploitation of the plants themselves were the main threat factors of Hebei flora;(3) most of the threatened plants are located in the western,northern and northeastern mountainous regions,namely the key regions of Hebei plant diversity;the endemic and regionally endemic species are severely threatened.Consequently,the assessment not only presented the threatened status of Hebei flora but also indicated the relatively fragile health status of the environment of Beijing and Tianjin.Thus,it is suggested that the application of the IUCN Red List Criteria at the regional level,as an index,could reflect the health status of the local ecosystem,In addition,more concrete measures are needed to conserve the plant diversity and the natural ecosystem of Hebei Province and even the whole region encompassing Beijing and Tianjin.     

A practical guide to the application of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems criteria

The newly developed IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is part of a growing toolbox for assessing risks to biodiversity, which addresses ecosystems and their functioning. The Red List of Ecosystems standard allows systematic assessment of all freshwater, marine, terrestrial and subterranean ecosystem types in terms of their global risk of collapse. In addition, the Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria provide a technical base for assessments of ecosystem status at the regional, national, or subnational level. While the Red List of Ecosystems criteria were designed to be widely applicable by scientists and practitioners, guidelines are needed to ensure they are implemented in a standardized manner to reduce epistemic uncertainties and allow robust comparisons among ecosystems and over time. We review the intended application of the Red List of Ecosystems assessment process, summarize ‘best-practice’ methods for ecosystem assessments and outline approaches to ensure operational rigour of assessments. The Red List of Ecosystems will inform priority setting for ecosystem types worldwide, and strengthen capacity to report on progress towards the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity. When integrated with other IUCN knowledge products, such as the World Database of Protected Areas/Protected Planet, Key Biodiversity Areas and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Red List of Ecosystems will contribute to providing the most complete global measure of the status of biodiversity yet achieved.     

Bryophyte conservation on a North Atlantic hotspot: threatened bryophytes in Madeira and Selvagens Archipelagos (Portugal)

On oceanic islands, the evolution of plants and animals with particular characteristics is favoured due to their isolation, populations normally comprising a large number of unique, endemic species. The Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos are considered biodiversity hotspots, containing an especially rich bryoflora. Due to its characteristically small size, this taxonomic group does not get much attention in conservation programmes. However, these plants are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems, representing a major part of biodiversity and playing a vital role in the ecosystem's functioning. As such, the development of the first Red List for Madeira and Selvagens Archipelagos has the potential to guide conservation efforts focused on taxa and habitats where threatened species and endemics are better represented. By applying the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) criteria, recently revised to apply to small islands, it was possible to obtain the percentage of threatened taxa present in the archipelagos (23.6%), and for each habitat type. It was verified that high mountain habitats and the Laurel forest represent areas that host higher percentages of threatened taxa (29.5% and 22.2%). An important result of the present Red List is the identification of hotspots for bryophyte diversity, supporting the definition of reserves/microreserves. The information obtained can also be linked up with the Red Lists of other taxonomic groups to work towards the definition of a more holistic conservation strategy.     

IUCN Red List assessment of the Cape Verde endemic flora: towards a global strategy for plant conservation in Macaronesia

We review the conservation status and threats to the endemic vascular flora of the Cape Verde islands, mostly based on the past two decades of collecting, literature review and herbarium specimens. The application of IUCN Red List criteria and categories using RAMAS software reveals that 78% of the endemic plants are threatened (29.3% Critically Endangered, 41.3% Endangered, 7.6% Vulnerable). Most of these endemics have a limited geographical range, and half of them have Areas of Occupancy and Extents of Occurrence of < 20 and 200 km², respectively. Our data show that, over the last two decades, the Cape Verde vascular plants have become more threatened and their conservation status has declined, mostly as a consequence of the increase in exotic species, habitat degradation and human disturbance. This paper presents the first comprehensive IUCN Red List data review for the plants endemic to Cape Verde, thus providing an important step towards the recognition and conservation of its threatened endemic flora at the national and global level. It also fills a knowledge gap, as it represents the first thorough assessment of the conservation status of the entire endemic flora of a Macaronesian archipelago.     

Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation assessment tool

GeoCAT is an open source, browser based tool that performs rapid geospatial analysis to ease the process of Red Listing taxa. Developed to utilise spatially referenced primary occurrence data, the analysis focuses on two aspects of the geographic range of a taxon: the extent of occurrence (EOO) and the area of occupancy (AOO). These metrics form part of the IUCN Red List categories and criteria and have often proved challenging to obtain in an accurate, consistent and repeatable way. Within a familiar Google Maps environment, GeoCAT users can quickly and easily combine data from multiple sources such as GBIF, Flickr and Scratchpads as well as user generated occurrence data. Analysis is done with the click of a button and is visualised instantly, providing an indication of the Red List threat rating, subject to meeting the full requirements of the criteria. Outputs including the results, data and parameters used for analysis are stored in a GeoCAT file that can be easily reloaded or shared with collaborators. GeoCAT is a first step toward automating the data handling process of Red List assessing and provides a valuable hub from which further developments and enhancements can be spawned.     

Defining a role for herbarium data in Red List assessments: a case study of Plectranthus from eastern and southern tropical Africa

Red Lists are widely used to indicate species at risk of extinction. Specimen sheets in herbaria provide an important source of data relevant for Red List assessments. The aims of this paper are to establish which data can be sourced from specimen information to satisfy IUCN Red Data List criteria and to identify the specific criteria that can be used. Red List parameters are measured within a Geographical Information System (GIS), as this provides an objective and repeatable methodology which is less subjective than manual methods. Data used to explore this were gathered during the course of preparing a monograph on Plectranthus (Lamiaceae). Criteria relating to distribution (extent of occurrence, area of occupancy and fragmentation) and population profile (projected continuing decline and number of subpopulations) proved most suitable for assigning categories of threat. Estimates of mature individuals, generation length, population size, population reduction, extreme fluctuation and number of locations could not be derived from herbarium material without making inconsistent subjective decisions. In addition to comprehensively databased specimen information, extensive field knowledge is required to produce better estimates for assessing extinction risk. In order to enhance the usefulness of specimen information in the future, improvements in recording additional botanical data at the time of collection would be beneficial. Overall, herbaria provide a useful starting point for conservation-related work and can help to guide future work.