Selection on breeding date and body size in colonizing coho salmon,Oncorhynchus kisutch

Selection during the colonization of new habitat is critical to the process of local adaptation, but has rarely been studied. We measured the form, direction, and strength of selection on body size and date of arrival to the breeding grounds over the first three cohorts (2003–2005) of a coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) population colonizing 33 km of habitat made accessible by modification of Landsburg Diversion Dam, on the Cedar River, Washington, USA. Salmon were sampled as they bypassed the dam, parentage was assigned based on genotypes from 10 microsatellite loci, and standardized selection gradients were calculated using the number of returning adult offspring as the fitness metric. Larger fish in both sexes produced more adult offspring, and the magnitude of the effect increased in subsequent years for males, suggesting that low densities attenuated traditional size‐biased intrasexual competition. For both sexes, directional selection favoured early breeders in 2003, but stabilizing selection on breeding date was observed in 2004 and 2005. Adults that arrived, and presumably bred, early produced stream‐rearing juvenile offspring that were larger at a common date than offspring from later parents, providing a possible mechanism linking breeding date to offspring viability. Comparison to studies employing similar methodology indicated selection during colonization was strong, particularly with respect to reproductive timing. Finally, female mean reproductive success exceeded that needed for replacement in all years so the population expanded in the first generation, demonstrating that salmon can proficiently exploit vacant habitat.     

评世界保护联盟新的物种受威胁分类系统草案

为了进一步了解物种受威胁的情况和发展,以加强物种保护工作,世界保护联盟制定了一个新的物种受威胁分类系统草案,把物种受威胁的程度分为９个级别,即绝灭种、野生状态下的绝灭种、极危种、濒危种、渐危种、敏感种、安全的／危险性小的种、不充分了解的种和未估价的种。本文对这个分类系统草案作了简略的评介。     

湖北石首麇鹿的冬季生境选择

2005年11月至2006年2月,研究了石首麇鹿冬季的生境选择。共随机抽取了195个样方,其中石首麇鹿国家级自然保护区内111个,保护区外江南三合垸84个。在样方中测定了食物丰富度、距水源的距离、距林缘距离、距道路的距离、植被类型、距最近居民点的距离6种生境因子。用SPSS软件分别进行卡方检验、主成分分析和相关分析。结果表明：麇鹿选择食物丰富、距水源近且远离人为干扰的开阔生境;影响麇鹿冬季生境选择的3个主成分依次为食物因子、人为干扰因子、水源因子;鹿群大小与各生境因子相关不显著。该结果可为保护和改善石首麇鹿的栖息地提供参考。     

湖北石首麋鹿的冬季生境选择

2005年11月至2006年2月,研究了石首麋鹿冬季的生境选择。共随机抽取了195个样方,其中石首麋鹿国家级自然保护区内111个,保护区外江南三合垸84个。在样方中测定了食物丰富度、距水源的距离、距林缘距离、距道路的距离、植被类型、距最近居民点的距离6种生境因子。用SPSS软件分别进行卡方检验、主成分分析和相关分析。结果表明:麋鹿选择食物丰富、距水源近且远离人为干扰的开阔生境;影响麋鹿冬季生境选择的3个主成分依次为食物因子、人为干扰因子、水源因子;鹿群大小与各生境因子相关不显著。该结果可为保护和改善石首麋鹿的栖息地提供参考。     

Does habituation to humans influence predator discrimination in Gunther's dik-diks (Madoqua guentheri)?

Animals living around humans may habituate to us, but little is known about the consequences of this habituation. Some wildlife managers assume that habituation to humans makes individuals less likely to respond to natural predators, which is something to be avoided in captive breeding programmes where animals are destined for release. We conducted a playback experiment where we broadcast the sounds of a terrestrial predator and the song from a non-threatening bird to Gunther's dik-diks (Madoqua guentheri), a small ungulate that is vulnerable to many predators, in areas where dik-diks were and were not habituated to humans. Contrary to our expectation, habituated dik-diks discriminated the predator sounds from the birdsong, while unhabituated dik-diks failed to make this discrimination. Our results demonstrate that humans may influence predation hazard assessment, but we should not generally assume that human-habituated animals will be especially vulnerable to predators.