Early development, adult mass, and reproductive success in bighorn sheep

Despite considerable empirical and theoretical work on the individualand population consequences of early development, little isknown about the correlations between early mass and adult sizeor lifetime reproductive success of free-ranging mammals. Usinga 26-year study of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), we examinedhow mass as a lamb and mass gain as a yearling affected adultmass for both sexes, horn length of males and lifetime reproductivesuccess of females at different population densities. Mass asa 3-week-old lamb was either weakly or not correlated withadult mass, horn length of adult males, or the number of lambsweaned over a ewe's lifetime. Weaning mass was correlated withmost of these variables when the number of ewes in the populationwas taken into account. When weaning mass was controlled throughpartial correlation, mass as a yearling was correlated with adult mass of ewes but not with ewe reproductive success orwith adult mass or horn length of rams. Lamb mass and numberof ewes explained more of the variance in adult characteristicsfor males than for females. Our results suggest that mass gainduring lactation, possibly but not necessarily related to theamount of maternal care received, affects adult mass and reproductive success. Females appear better able than males to compensatefor poor early development, likely by postponing their firstreproduction. Mass gain over several years and the number ofewes in the population strongly affect adult mass of both sexesand therefore can have profound effects on reproductive successof this long-lived species with a multi-year growth period.     

外来植物加拿大一枝黄花（Solidago canadensis）入侵的结构基础

采用野外观察、光镜、扫描电镜等手段,对入侵皖北的加拿大一枝黄花形态解剖结构进行了研究,并藉此理解该物种入侵适应的结构基础.结果表明:叶的上、下表皮的气孔数目均较少,具有厚的角质层和长的表皮毛,能起到保水和保护作用;叶片内有发达维管束和束鞘延伸,增加了叶片对光合产物的输导能力,以满足地下营养器官发育的需要.茎具有较强输导和支持能力的结构特征.主根过早停止发育,以适应地下逸生结构发育的需要.加拿大一枝黄花花期、花序结构和未能与本地昆虫建立固定访问关系使部分头状花序不育,成熟花粉粒外有胼胝质包被,有利于花粉传播,其花粉粒属于较为进化的类型;根状茎含较多菊糖,具备成为独立散布体的物质和结构基础.     

入侵植物加拿大一枝黄花对土壤水分变化的生态学响应

以盆栽的入侵植物加拿大一枝黄花为材料,在100%(CK)、80%(W_80)、60%(W_60)和40%(W_40)土壤田间持水量条件下,研究了该植物的生长、生物量分配和光合生理特征,以探讨其入侵机制.结果表明:(1)加拿大一枝黄花的生长速率、株高、叶面积(叶长、叶宽)等均随土壤含水量的降低而下降;总生物量及根、茎、叶各器官生物量积累均随土壤含水量的减少而呈不同程度降低,根生物量比、叶生物量比和根冠比则表现出逐渐增大趋势,并在W_40处理下达到最大;克隆生长在W_40处理下受到严重抑制,表现为无克隆分株和二级根茎,分枝强度低、根茎直径小等特征.(2)随着土壤含水量减少,植株叶绿素a、叶绿素b和叶绿素总量逐渐下降,叶绿素a/b比值却升高,同期的净光合速率、最大净光合速率、光饱和点下降,而光补偿点却上升,其光适应范围逐渐变小.研究发现,加拿大一枝黄花具有较强的抗旱性和耐旱性,但重度干旱仍严重影响其正常生长,其适宜的水分生态位是中偏湿的土壤环境;其通过一系列形态和生理上的可塑性变化来适应和占据各种异质性生境,表型可塑性可能是其成功入侵的重要机制.     

扎龙湿地白鹤春季停歇地昼间行为时间分配及活动规律

在2004年4～5月,采用瞬时扫描取样法对扎龙国家级自然保护区林甸芦苇沼泽区的野生白鹤(Grusleucogeranus)在春季迁徙停歇地的昼间各种行为进行了研究。结果表明,在整个观察时期内白鹤各种行为具有较强的规律性,活动时间分配比例为:觅食31%、游走27%、静栖19%、警戒17%、修饰6%。白鹤觅食行为在一天中有两个高峰,分别为早晨和黄昏;游走行为基本上与觅食行为呈正相变化,并且几乎每个游走高峰及低潮相应地伴随着觅食的高峰和低潮;由于渔民清晨下苇塘收鱼和放牧,在5:30～6:30和6:30～7:30两个时间段警戒行为比例最高;静栖行为基本与游走及觅食行为呈负相关,对比发现,静栖行为比例低于觅食行为,与笼养鹤类的情况存在一定的差异,原因可能是食物丰富度影响了野生状态下行为的时间分配;修饰行为所占比例较小,是由于修饰行为是非主要行为,其发生是随机的。天气状况对白鹤数量变化有一定影响,阴雨和大风天气,白鹤数量明显减少,鹤群转移。与正常天气情况相比,阴雨和大风对白鹤觅食、静栖和游走行为时间分配影响显著(P阴雨=0·000<0·05,P大风=0·000<0·05),觅食时间缩短,游走行为减少,静栖时间变长。     

黑颈鹤在新疆罗布泊和昆仑山分布及种群状况

黑颈鹤(Grus nigricollis)俗称"吐尔那",在新疆罕见,主要分布在与西藏和青海接壤的阿尔金山、昆仑山、喀喇昆仑山区.作者1985～2010年间在若羌(祁曼塔格、东昆仑山、阿尔金山)、且末(吐拉牧场、车尔臣河流域)、和田(阿克赛钦湖)、墨玉、皮山(喀拉喀什河流域)、叶城(叶尔羌河流域)等地记录到黑颈鹤.采用...     

加拿大一枝黄花对庐山自然保护区林地植物多样性及其季节动态的影响

为揭示加拿大一枝黄花(Solidago canadensis)在庐山自然保护区的扩散过程及其对林地的可能影响及规律,调查了庐山自然保护区周边加拿大一枝黄花的分布现状,并在庐山自然保护区加拿大一枝黄花入侵群落设置了长期监测样地,对7个1 m×1 m的样方进行了植物多样性季节变化的定点研究.结果发现,加拿大一枝黄花已在庐山自然保护区周边大量发生,尤其是在城镇周边和高速公路两侧.庐山自然保护区森林覆盖率较高,光弱、多雾天气不利于加拿大一枝黄花的生长与繁殖,因此,加拿大一枝黄花在样地内的扩散较慢.但是,加拿大一枝黄花在所处的植物群落草本层一直长期存在,并导致样地内部分本土草本植物多度下降,尤其在每年10月期间群落植物多样性下降到最低.研究结果表明,加拿大一枝黄花也有可能在郁闭度较好的林地实现种群更新,对自然保护区的潜在影响不容忽视.     

The relationship between soil seed bank,above‐ground vegetation and disturbance intensity on old‐field successional permanent plots

Questions: How does disturbance and successional age influence richness, size and composition of the soil seed bank? What is the potential contribution of the soil seed bank to the plant community composition on sites differing in their successional age or disturbance intensity? Location: Experimental Botanical Garden of Göttingen University, central Germany. Methods: Above‐ground vegetation and soil seed bank were studied on formerly arable fields in a 36‐year‐old permanent plot study with five disturbance intensities, ranging from yearly ploughing via mowing to long‐term uninterrupted succession. We compared species compositions, seed densities and functional features of the seed bank and above‐ground vegetation by using several methods in parallel. Results: The seed bank was mainly composed of early successional species typical of strongly disturbed habitats. The difference between seed bank composition and above‐ground vegetation decreased with increasing disturbance intensity. The species of greatest quantitative importance in the seed bank was the non‐native forb Solidago canadensis. Conclusions: The ability of a plant community to regenerate from the soil seed bank dramatically decreases with increasing time since abandonment (successional age) and with decreasing disturbance intensity. The present study underlines that plant species typical of grasslands and woodlands are limited by dispersal capacity, owing to low capacity for accumulation of seeds in the soil and the fact that most species do not build up persistent seed banks. Rare and target species were almost absent from the seed bank and will, after local elimination, depend on reintroduction for continuation of their presence.     

我国丹顶鹤栖息地选择研究进展

丹顶鹤(Grus japonensis)是我国Ⅰ级重点保护野生动物,被世界自然保护联盟列为濒危物种。本研究通过搜集和整理2000至2017年丹顶鹤栖息地选择和生境适宜性相关文献,分析了丹顶鹤在繁殖期、迁徙期、越冬期的栖息地选择,发现丹顶鹤在这三个时期的最偏好生境均为芦苇沼泽或芦苇滩,回避人为干扰较为严重的居民点、道路、盐田等生境。通过梳理丹顶鹤繁殖地、中途停歇地、越冬地的栖息地变化及其原因,发现丹顶鹤栖息地变化是自然因素和人为因素共同驱动的结果,以人为因素为主。本研究希望为科学评价栖息地变化对丹顶鹤野生种群的影响、针对性地开展栖息地保护管理工作、促进丹顶鹤野生种群健康可持续发展提供依据。