Nutrient Cycling in a New South Wales Subtropical Rainforest: Organic Matter and Phosphorus

Biomass and phosphorus distribution and accumulation rates wereestimated for an undisturbed subtropical rainforest in northernNew South Wales. The accumulation rates were estimated overa 16-year period. It is estimated that the steady-state above-groundbiomass for this forest is 35.0 tonne ha^–1. Most of theannual biomass production was replacing litterfall and mortality.The above-ground forest contained 52 kg P ha^–1 with agross annual accumulation of about 0.4 kg P ha^–1/yr^–1.The forest understorey and forest floor contained 4.7 kg P ha^–1and 7.9 kg P ha^–1, respectively. The annual uptake wasapprox. 4 kg P ha^–1 yr^–1. The phosphorus utilizationof this stand was compared with that of a Eucalyptus grandisplantation Sub-tropical rainforest, biomass accumulation, phosphorus cycling     

Taxonomic notes on the paper wasps of the genus Ropalidia in the Indian subcontinent (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The taxonomy of Ropalidia wasps in the Indian subcontinent is revised, recognizing 26 species in the subcontinent. Their diagnostic characteristics are summarized in a key to species. New synonymies proposed in the present study are: R. bicolorata shiva Das and Gupta, 1989 under R. bicolorata van der Vecht, 1962; R. colorata sordida van der Vecht, 1941 under R. colorata van der Vecht, 1941; R. rodialipa Lambert and Narendran, 2005 and R. anupama Lambert and Narendran, 2005, both under R. cyathiformis Fabricius, 1804; R. jacobsoni flavoscutellata Das and Gupta, 1989, and R. bangalorica Lambert and Narendran, 2005, both under R. jacobsoni du Buysson, 1908; R. travancorica Lambert and Narendran, 2005, under R. marginata Lepeletier, 1836; R. sridharani Lambert and Narendran, 2005, under R. rufocollaris Cameron, 1900; Ropalidia rufoplagiata nursei van der Vecht, 1941 under R. rufoplagiata Cameron, 1905; Icaria lugubris Smith, 1858, under R. sumatrae Weber, 1801; and a revised synonymy is Icaria pendula Smith, 1857, under R. variegata Smith, 1852. The new replacement name Ropalidia kasaragodensis Lambert and Narendran is proposed for R. indica Lambert and Narendran, 2005, non van der Vecht, 1941.     

Pigeons as seed predators and dispersers of figs in a Malaysian lowland forest

Seven pigeon species fed on figs from at least 22 Ficus taxa at a lowland forest site in Peninsular Malaysia. Forest pigeons of the genus Treron are fig-eating specialists. Although these are important fig-seed predators, at least some of the population, and pigeons from other genera, potentially disperse Ficus seeds to distant sites.     

Kinship and genetic divergence among populations of tuatara Sphenodon punctatus as revealed by minisatellite DNA profiling

Tuatara represent the last surviving member of the order Rhynchocephalia, a group of reptiles the members of which first appeared in the fossil record 200 million years ago. We report the existence of extensive minisatellite DNA variation in island populations of tuatara, as revealed by the use of heterologous DNA probes and compare this variation to that found in other vertebrates. Patterns of minisatellite variation within and among populations of tuatara on the Taranga and Marotere Islands off the coast of New Zealand are detailed. Individuals from West Bay and South Cove on Motumuka Island show higher levels of bandsharing than that recorded between randomly sampled individuals from the same island. We suggest that these populations comprise a proportion of closely related individuals and that populations within islands are genetically structured. Moreover, we identified individuals which have high levels of bandsharing with substantial proportions of the sampled population, suggesting close kinship. A pairwise, inter-island comparison of individuals from Motumuka, Whatupuke and Mauimua Islands, reveals significant differences in distribution of restriction fragments in minisatellite DNA profiles.