Long-term changes in nutrient concentrations of the Changjiang River and principal tributaries

We present long-term nutrient data on the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) at six hydrological stations and eight principal tributaries during the period 1958–1985. Three patterns of temporal changes were observed in nitrate and nitrite : minimal variations in the upper catchment area, rapid increases in the middle watershed towards the end of the 1970s, and a gradual increase in the lower drainage basin. Prior to the 1970s, the level of throughout the Changjiang River system remained fairly constant. In the 1980s, however, this changed, with the lowest values in the upper Changjiang changing rapidly to the highest in the middle reaches and then declining slowly but steadily in the lower courses. Compared to and ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) showed smaller increases or no long-term variations, while dissolved silica (DSi) concentration generally decreased at most stations. These three patterns of and changes in the Changjiang River system were reflective of the difference in chemical fertilizer use and landscape features (e.g., slope, soil type and water body area) of the drainage basins of the primary tributaries. The decreases in DSi were most likely attributed to a reduction in suspended sediment loading due to dam constructions and increasing diatom consumption. The increase in and with a reduction in DSi concentrations in the Changjiang River could have significant effects on the stoichiometric balance of nutrients delivered to the East China Sea and the ecosystem in this dynamic region.     

Foraging strategies involved in habitat use of shorebirds at the intertidal area of Chongming Dongtan, China

Dense flocks of migratory shorebirds from diverse species often concentrate in the intertidal areas for stopover. Trophic structure, food partition, prey availability and selectivity, predation risk, and abiotic factors are often used to explain the differences in habitat use of coexisting shorebirds. We sampled the macrobenthos and surveyed the distribution of shorebird populations to study the effects of foraging strategies on the habitat use of shorebirds at Chongming Dongtan, an important stopover site for shorebirds on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Results show that the relative abundance of epifaunal macrobenthos in salt marshes was much higher than that in the bare flats, whereas the relative abundance of infaunal macrobenthos in salt marshes was much lower than that in bare flats. The relative abundance of two life forms of macrobenthos was similar in the transitional zones between the salt marshes and the bare flats. Shorebirds with different foraging strategies exhibited different habitat uses. Pause-travel shorebirds mainly utilized the salt-marsh fringes, while tactile continuous shorebirds relied heavily on the bare flats. There was no significant difference in habitat use for visual continuous shorebirds. The density of tactile continuous shorebirds was positively correlated with bivalve density, and that of visual continuous shorebirds positively with crustacean density. Meanwhile, the relative abundance of pause-travel foraging shorebirds was positively correlated with the relative abundance of epifaunal, but negatively with infaunal macrobenthos. In contrast, the relative abundance of tactile foraging shorebirds had a positive correlation with infaunal but a negative one with epifaunal life form. Therefore, foraging strategies may play important roles in shorebirds’ habitat use in intertidal areas.     

长江源区生态系统完整性测量与评价

生态系统完整性概念正在逐步成为公共环境政策和决策的基础,许多区域生态系统管理的规划和政策都将生态系统完整性作为目标和原则.本文建立了长江源区多尺度生态系统框架,依照生态系统完整性的定义,发展了长江源区生态系统完整性评价的指标体系,对源区进行了生态系统完整性的测量和评价.根据完整性的评价结果,将长江源区划分为生态良好区、生态脆弱区和优先生态恢复区.     

岷江上游干旱河谷景观变化及驱动力分析

基于遥感和地理信息系统,应用景观格局分析软件,研究了岷江上游干旱河谷1974-2000年的景观变化,并对其驱动因子进行了分析.结果表明,岷江上游干旱河谷的面积在不断扩大,灌木林地面积占景观面积的60%以上,为景观基质.在景观类型面积比例的变化中,耕地的变幅最大.干旱河谷的整体形状较简单,1974-1995年破碎化程度和异质性程度持续增加,1995-2000年表现为降低趋势,而斑块内部的连通性先降低后增加,具体表现为斑块密度、多样性指数先增大后减小,蔓延度指数先减小后增大,而边界密度和分维数持续减小.人口增长和国家政策是导致岷江上游干旱河谷景观变化的主要驱动力.     

利用耳石日轮技术研究长江中游草鱼幼鱼的孵化期及生长

根据耳石日轮对2004年采自洞庭湖和新滩口江段的草鱼幼鱼进行日龄(D)鉴定,孵化时间推算以及生长的研究。草鱼幼鱼所有样品体长(BL,mm)生长方程为BL=-53.4195 3.1650D,体重(W,g)生长方程为W=0.9816 e0.0633D,体长体重相关方程为W=0.00001BL3.1003。孵化时间最早为5月14日,最晚为7月11日,主要集中在5月下旬和6月份。研究发现三峡大坝在139m水位运行后长江中游仍有草鱼产卵,最早繁殖时间稍晚于历史记录。     

Fish fauna of Chalakudy River,part of Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot,Kerala, India: patterns of distribution,threats and conservation needs

Seventy one fish species belonging to 27 families and 50 genera were collected from various sampling sites spread along the upstream and downstream parts of the Chalakudy river, in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in Kerala, South India. Cyprinids were the most dominant group represented by 24 species belonging to 13 genera, followed by the catfishes of the family Bagridae (7 species from 2 genera) and loaches belonging to the family Balitoridae (5 species from 5 genera). Of the 71 species, 4 belong to the ‘critically endangered’ (CR) and 16 to the ‘endangered’ (EN) category. 3 of the critically endangered species are strictly endemic to the Chalakudy river system. We also collected 5 exotic species several of them categorized as potential pest. Fish species richness (FSR) showed a direct relationship with increasing stream order with maximum values observed in the downstream/low elevation regions. Considerable differences were observed in the FSR between different microhabitats with maximum values observed in bed rock and pool riffle and the lowest in regimes followed by step pools. Diversity and species richness decreased with increasing altitude and higher diversity and species richness were observed in sampling sites located between 0–200 m above sea level. A definite temporal partitioning was also observed with regard to FSR with higher richness during the day time and the lowest observed at dawn. Indiscriminate collection of endemic and threatened ornamental fish species for export, exploitation of endangered food fishes by forest-dwelling communities and local fisher folk, pollution, loss of riparian cover, damming and exotic species threaten the rich ichthyofaunal diversity of Chalakudy River. An urgent need exists for studying the life history traits and demography of the most important endemic and threatened fishes, as lack of information on these aspects have significantly affected conservation efforts. The implementation of strong management strategies like fixing total allowable catch (TAC), and the use of quotas are needed to reduce the overall collection pressure with regard to the trade in native ornamental species from the river.     

中国金沙江一级支流牛栏江的鱼类区系分析

2006年11月和2008年10月,对云南省牛栏江流域进行考察,共采集到鱼类标本42种,结合历史记录和中国科学院昆明动物研究所鱼类标本馆馆藏的鱼类标本,整理出牛栏江鱼类名录。在剔除引入种的基础上,采用按所含种属的绝对数目进行排序的传统方法和区系存在度方法对目、科、属级水平进行排序,分析牛栏江鱼类区系组成特点。两种方法结果相差甚远,结果显示：在传统排序方法中的优势科属,即一些世界性分布的科和属,在牛栏江分布的种类并不很多,区系存在度相应较低。相反,一些具有地方性分布和小的科和属,其区系存在度相对较大。显然,以区系存在度分析所得结果更能反映牛栏江流域鱼类区系组成特点。两种方法相结合,分析牛栏江的鱼类区系成分,并与金沙江中下游（石鼓至宜宾段）鱼类区系相比较,表现出高度的相似性。     

Combined phylogenetic analysis of a new North American fossil species confirms widespread Eocene distribution for stem rollers (Aves,Coracii)

We report a nearly complete skeleton of a new species of stem roller (Aves, Coracii) from the early Eocene Green River Formation of North America. The new species is most closely related to two species‐depauperate lineages, Coraciidae (rollers) and Brachypteraciidae (ground rollers), that form a monophyletic crown clade (Coracioidea) with an exclusively Old World extant distribution. Phylogenetic analysis utilizing a matrix of 133 morphological characters and sequence data from three genes (RAG‐1, c‐myc, and ND2) identifies the new species as a stem member of the Coracii more closely related to the crown clade than the only previously identified New World taxon, Primobucco mcgrewi. The phylogenetic placement of the new species and Primobucco mcgrewiindicates a widespread northern hemisphere distribution in the Eocene with subsequent restriction to Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and temperate to tropical parts of Europe and Asia. It provides evidence of further ecological diversity in early stem Coracii and convergence on crown morphologies. The new species contributes to mounting evidence that extant distributions for major avian subclades may be of comparatively recent origin. Further late Palaeogene sampling is needed to elucidate potential drivers for shifting avian distributions and disappearance of Coracii from North America. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 157 , 586–611.