Annual plant–shrub interactions along an aridity gradient

Annual plants in semi-arid and arid areas are often closely associated with shrubs. The degree of association largely depends on the balance of negative and positive effects between these contrasting plant life-forms, ranging from interference to facilitation. Since positive interactions are predicted to become less important with increasing rainfall, the interaction balance is expected to shift along aridity gradients. However, this prediction has not been tested on a community level and for different life-history stages across large geographical gradients. Here, we show such changes for annual plant populations and communities in four contrasting sites along a steep climatic gradient, ranging from the arid desert to mesic Mediterranean regions in Israel. Above-ground productivity, richness, seedling density, and seed bank density of the annual plant community, as well as fecundity of annual plant populations, were generally higher under shrubs than in areas between shrubs at the arid end of the gradient, but significantly lower at the humid end. Net effects of shrubs on annuals expressed as relative interaction intensity indicated a steady and consistent shift from net positive or neutral effects in the desert to net negative effects in the mesic part of the gradient. These findings emphasize the usefulness of studies along large-scale gradients encompassing a wide range of environmental conditions for understanding community level interactions among coexisting species.     

乌兰布和沙漠东北部8种沙生灌木生长季末期的光合生理特性

以乌兰布和沙漠东北部的甘蒙柽柳、沙木蓼、霸王、沙冬青、花棒、白刺、梭梭和柠条8种沙生灌木为材料,对沙生灌木生长季末期的光合生理特性进行了研究。结果表明:(1)8种沙生灌木秋季的气孔导度日变化有明显的峰谷;气孔导度日均值最大的为梭梭(0.71 mol.m-2.s-1),最小的为柠条(0.08 mol.m-2.s-1);(2)8种沙生灌木秋季的光合速率日变化均呈现单峰曲线,影响光合速率变化的因素以非气孔限制因素为主;光合速率峰值出现时间以柠条最早(11:30),甘蒙柽柳和沙木蓼最晚(15:30);光合速率日均值最大的为沙木蓼(7.99μmol.m-2.s-1),最小的为柠条(3.40μmol.m-2.s-1);(3)蒸腾速率的日变化除梭梭和柠条呈现单峰曲线外,其余6种灌木呈现出准双峰曲线或双峰曲线;蒸腾速率日均值最大的为梭梭(4.42 mmol.m-2.s-1),最小的为柠条(0.47mmol.m-2.s-1);气孔运动因素对蒸腾作用的影响占据优势;(4)8种沙生灌木的光合水分利用效率在白昼普遍高于早晚,且以柠条的光合水分利用效率日均值最大(7.18μmol.mmol-1),梭梭最小(1.23μmol.mmol-1);蒸腾速率日均值高的沙生灌木光合水分利用效率日均值低,反之亦然。     

Diversity and phylogenetic relationships of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) from the Sky Islands of Southern Arizona

A survey for entomopathogenic nematodes was conducted in oak-juniper woodlands of four mountain ranges (Santa Rita, Santa Catalina, Pinale?o, and Chiricahuas), in southeastern Arizona. From a total of 120 soil samples, 23.3% were EPN-positive. Of them 78.5% were positive for Steinernema spp. and 21.5% were positive for Heterorhabditis spp. An integrated approach, combining both traditional (morphological) and molecular methods, was used for examining the diversity of species of these entomopathogenic nematodes. Two named-species S. oregonense and S. riobrave are reported for the first time in Arizona, expanding their currently known geographic range. In addition to this, three undescribed Steinernema and three Heterorhabditis spp. were recovered. Insular evolution, in part, could account for the geographic distribution of entomopathogenic nematodes in Arizona.     

Diet of two sympatric Pheidole spp. ants in the central Monte desert: implications for seed–granivore interactions

Ants of the genus Pheidole are important seed consumers in several desert ecosystems. In South American deserts, although several Pheidole spp. have been characterized as seed harvesters, studies on their diet and ecological role are still missing. Pheidole spininodis (Mayr) and Pheidole bergi (Mayr) are capable of removing seeds in the central Monte desert. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare the diet of these species and to interpret the results in the context of seed–granivore interactions. Diet was estimated during mid-summer by collecting items brought back to the nest by foragers in ten colonies per species. While P. spininodis was mainly granivorous, P. bergi was mainly insectivorous. However, they both collected ~40% of other types of items. Among seeds, the diet of P. spininodis included mostly grass seeds, whereas the diet of P. bergi was mainly made up of shrub and tree seeds, usually retrieved cooperatively. This behavior allowed P. bergi to carry larger seeds, resulting in diet partitioning in terms of seed size. However, diet of P. spininodis is very similar to that of three sympatric Pogonomyrmex species. Thus, specialized harvester ants remove large quantities of grass seeds in the central Monte desert during the summer, potentially affecting their abundance in the soil seed bank. P. bergi directs its feeding pressure to shrub and tree seeds, and although seeds constitute ~10% of its diet, its high colony density and high activity levels, added to the lower proportion of large seeds in the soil seed bank, indicate that their importance as seed consumers cannot be ruled out.     

Artificial miniaturization causes eggs laid by crowd-reared (gregarious) desert locusts to produce green (solitarious) offspring in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria

The mechanism underlying the phase-dependent polyphenism in hatchling body coloration was studied by testing for a possible causal relationship with egg size in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. Crowd-reared (gregarious) females typically produce large, black offspring, whereas females reared in isolation (solitarious) deposit small, green offspring. We first tested for possible genetic differences in the role of egg foam by washing or separating eggs from two strains of locust. No solitarizing effect was found in either of the strains tested, supporting a previous finding, using another laboratory strain, to show that the hatchling body coloration and size are pre-determined in the ovary of the mother and no egg foam factor is involved in the control of the hatchling body coloration. Topical application of fenoxycarb, a juvenile hormone analog (JHA), and implantation of extra corpora allata (CA), taken from Locusta migratoria, caused gregarious female adults of S. gregaria to produce small eggs. Some eggs laid by CA-implanted females produced green hatchlings. All large eggs chosen among those deposited by gregarious females produced black hatchlings. When eggs were either kept on dry filter paper at nearly saturated relative humidity during embryogenesis or pricked with a needle so that some egg yolk was squeezed out, some produced small, green hatchlings. These results suggested that the amount of egg yolk or the availability of yolk material may determine the body coloration of hatchlings.     

两种豆科植物及各器官对不同形态氮的吸收、分配研究

豆科植物在氮素缺乏的荒漠生态系统中大量存在，是该生态系统提供有效氮的中心，也是这一区域重要的先锋物种。该文选择古尔班通古特沙漠广泛分布的弯花黄芪(Astragalus flexus)和镰荚黄芪(Astragalus arpilobus)作为研究对象，分别在0～5、5～15 cm土层添加3种不同形态氮(¹⁵N-NH₄⁺、¹⁵N-NO₃^-、¹⁵N-glycine),研究两种植物及各器官对不同形态氮素的吸收、分配策略。结果表明：(1)在不同土层中，两种植物均偏好吸收硝态氮，并且弯花黄芪、镰荚黄芪对硝态氮的最高吸收速率均为3.26、2.59μg·g^-1·h^-1。(2)在不同土层中，植物各器官间均对不同氮源吸收及分配有显著性差异(P<0.05),弯花黄芪根的¹⁵N吸收量均大于镰荚黄芪的，3种不同形态氮主要分配于叶。(3)在不同土层中，不同氮源对两种植物的贡献率均为^...     

Distribution and species richness of woody dryland legumes in Baja California,Mexico

Abstract. We analysed the biogeographic patterns of woody legumes in the Baja California peninsula, NW Mexico. From the specimen labels of eight herbaria, we digitized 4205 records from 78 species, and projected them onto a grid of 205 cartographic cells (20’ longitude × 15’ latitude). Most species followed distribution patterns that coincide with floristic subdivisions of the peninsula. Endemism is high, reaching 60–70% in the centre of the peninsula, where the driest deserts are found and where significant floristic changes took place during Pleistocene glacial events. The number of cartographic cells (i.e. their geographic ranges) were log‐normally distributed, as has been reported for many other taxa. Floristic richness was found to be clumped around some cells where the observed richness is significantly higher than could be expected from chance variation. We tested the hypothesis that these ‘hotspots’ could be attributable to great collection efforts or to large land surfaces, but we still found 16 cells where richness is significantly high once these two factors are accounted for. Species richness and micro‐endemism increase towards the south, conforming to Rapoport's rule that predicts that species ranges become smaller towards the equator while richness increases. The floristic hotspots for woody legumes in Baja California occur in the Cape Region and along the Sierra de la Giganta in the southern Gulf Coast, where 77% of the total peninsular legume flora can be found. These hotspots are mostly unprotected, and should be considered priority areas for future conservation efforts.     

The Catastrophic Decline of Tortoises at a Fenced Natural Area

Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a threatened species of the southwestern United States, has severely declined to the point where 76% of populations in critical habitat (Tortoise Conservation Areas) are below viability. The potential for rapid recovery of wild populations is low because females require 12–20 years to reach reproductive maturity and produce few eggs annually. We report on a 34-year mark-recapture study of tortoises initiated in 1979 at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area in the western Mojave Desert, California, USA, and provide substantive data on challenges faced by the species. In 1980, the United States Congress designated the Research Natural Area and protected the land from recreational vehicles, livestock grazing, and mining with a wildlife-permeable fence. The 7.77-km² study area, centered on interpretive facilities, included land both within the Natural Area and outside the fence. We expected greater benefits to accrue to the tortoises and habitat inside compared to outside. Our objectives were to conduct a demographic study, analyze and model changes in the tortoise population and habitat, and compare the effectiveness of fencing to protect populations and habitat inside the fence versus outside, where populations and habitat were unprotected. We conducted surveys in spring in each of 7 survey years from 1979, when the fence was under construction, through 2012. We compared populations inside to those outside the fence by survey year for changes in distribution, structure by size and relative age, sex ratios, death rates of adults, and causes of death for all sizes of tortoises. We used a Bayesian implementation of a Jolly Seber model for mark-recapture data. We modeled detection, density, growth and transition of tortoises to larger size-age classes, movements from inside the protective fence to outside and vice versa, and survival. After the second and subsequent survey years, we added surveys to monitor vegetation and habitat changes, conduct health assessments, and collect data on counts of predators and predator sign. At the beginning of the study, counts and densities for all sizes of tortoises were high, but densities were approximately 24% higher inside the fence than outside. By 2002, the low point in densities, densities had declined 90% inside the fence and 95% outside. Between 2002 and 2012, the population inside the fence showed signs of improving with a 54% increase in density. Outside the fence, densities remained low. At the end of the study, when we considered the initial differences in location, densities inside the fence were roughly 2.5 times higher than outside. The pattern of densities was similar for male and female adults. When evaluating survival by blocks of years, survivorship was higher in 1979–1989 than in 1989–2002 (the low point) and highest from 2002 to 2012. Recruitment and survival of adult females into the population was important for growing the population, but survival of all sizes, including juveniles, was also critical. Major events and activities driving the decline in populations both inside and outside the fence included illegal collecting, upper respiratory tract disease, and hyperpredation by the common raven (Corvus corax) on juvenile tortoises. Other sources of death were gunshots, vehicles, and predation by mammals. Outside the fence, fragmentation and deterioration of habitat was a critical driver. Between the first and last surveys, 2 different ecosystem processes were underway: recovery of vegetation and soils from grazing and vehicles inside the fence and continued deterioration outside the fence. Habitat outside the fence became increasingly denuded of shrubs and fragmented by roads and trails, and habitat fragments increased 50-fold. Outside the fence, biomass of non-native annual plants was higher and the cover of shrubs was lower, a reflection of ongoing deterioration. These changes and losses of habitat resulted in loss of shrub cover and sites for burrows, reduction in preferred food plants, and greater exposure to predators and extremes in temperature. Overall, the tortoise population and habitat inside the fence appeared to benefit from protection and showed signs of recovery at the end of the study. Fencing, control of vehicular access, and removal of livestock grazing were among several recommended management actions for critical habitat in the first recovery plan in 1994. At the end of the study, the Natural Area remained as 1 of 2 fenced, official protected areas for the species in the geographic range. We attribute fencing to continuing higher densities of adults inside the fence compared with outside the fence and promising signs of recovery. Densities of adults at the Natural Area also were 2.3 to 5.5 times higher than in 16 of the 17 Tortoise Conservation Areas (critical habitat units) within the geographic range. © 2020 The Authors. Wildlife Monographs published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.     

利用红外相机监测甘肃安西极旱荒漠国家级自然保护区鸟兽物种多样性

为了系统掌握甘肃安西极旱荒漠国家级自然保护区野生动物的种类、数量、分布以及种群动态变化趋势, 我们于2017年8月至2019年9月, 在保护区选取3个样地布设60台红外相机, 对保护区兽类和鸟类多样性进行调查。红外相机累计观测29,147个工作日, 采集独立有效照片11,134张。共观测到兽类6目10科18种, 鸟类7目16科31种。国家I级重点保护野生动物有5种, 国家Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物有11种。兽类中相对多度较高的物种有蒙古兔(Lepus tolai, RAI = 12.749)、岩羊(Pseudois nayaur, RAI = 4.690)、北山羊(Capra sibirica, RAI = 4.333)、蒙古野驴(Equus hemionus, RAI = 3.163)、赤狐(Vulpes vulpes, RAI = 2.601), 分布最普遍的是赤狐和蒙古兔; 鸟类中相对多度较高的物种有石鸡(Alectoris chukar, RAI = 1.678)、岩鸽(Columba rupestris, RAI = 1.142)、漠䳭(Oenanthe deserti, RAI = 0.865)、赭红尾鸲(Phoenicurus ochruros, RAI = 0.374)和沙䳭(Oenanthe isabellina, RAI = 0.196), 其中漠䳭和石鸡的分布最广。豺(Cuon alpinus)、石貂(Martes foina)、黄鼬(Mustela sibirica)和白唇鹿(Cervus albirostris)为保护区新记录物种, 雪豹(Panthera uncia)也是保护区建立以来首次观测到。保护区人为干扰减少是造成物种新分布、数量增多的主要原因。     

Microbial Diversity of Some Sabkha and Desert Sites in Saudi Arabia

Several studies isolated fungal and bacterial species from extreme environments, such as Sabkha and hot deserts, as their natural habitat, some of which are of medicinal importance. Current research aimed investigating the microbial (fungi and bacteria) diversity and abundance in Sabkha and desert areas in Saudi Arabia. Soil samples from nine different geographical areas (Al-Aushazia lake, AlQasab, AlKasar, Tabuk, Al-Kharj, Al-Madina, Jubail, Taif and Abqaiq) were collected and cultured for microbial isolation. Isolated fungi and bacteria were identified by molecular techniques (PCR and sequencing). Based on 18S rDNA sequencing, 203 fungal species belonging to 33 genera were identified. The most common fungal genera were Fusarium, Alternaria, Chaetomium, Aspergillus Cochliobolus and Pencillium, while the most common species were Chaetomium globosum and Fusarium oxysporum. By 16S rDNA sequencing 22 bacterial species belonging to only two genera, Bacillus and Lactobacillus, were identified. The most commonly isolated bacterial species were Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus murinus. Some fungal species were confined to specific locations, such as Actinomyces elegans, Fusarium proliferatum, Gymnoascus reesii and Myzostoma spp. that were only isolated from Al-Aushazia soil. AlQasab soil had the highest microbial diversity among other areas with abundances of 23.5% and 4.4% of total fungi, and bacteria, respectively. Findings of this study show a higher degree of fungal diversity than that of bacteria in all studied areas. Further studies needed to investigate the connection between some isolated species and their habitat ecology, as well as to identify those of medicinal importance.