Increased growth rates of stream salamanders following forest harvesting

Timber harvesting can influence headwater streams by altering stream productivity, with cascading effects on the food web and predators within, including stream salamanders. Although studies have examined shifts in salamander occupancy or abundance following timber harvest, few examine sublethal effects such as changes in growth and demography. To examine the effect of upland harvesting on growth of the stream‐associated Ouachita dusky salamander (Desmognathus brimleyorum), we used capture–mark–recapture over three years at three headwater streams embedded in intensely managed pine forests in west‐central Arkansas. The pine stands surrounding two of the streams were harvested, with retention of a 14‐ and 21‐m‐wide forested stream buffer on each side of the stream, whereas the third stream was an unharvested control. At the two treatment sites, measurements of newly metamorphosed salamanders were on average 4.0 and 5.7 mm larger post‐harvest compared with pre‐harvest. We next assessed the influence of timber harvest on growth of post‐metamorphic salamanders with a hierarchical von Bertalanffy growth model that included an effect of harvest on growth rate. Using measurements from 839 individual D. brimleyorum recaptured between 1 and 6 times (total captures, n = 1229), we found growth rates to be 40% higher post‐harvest. Our study is among the first to examine responses of individual stream salamanders to timber harvesting, and we discuss mechanisms that may be responsible for observed shifts in growth. Our results suggest timber harvest that includes retention of a riparian buffer (i.e., streamside management zone) may have short‐term positive effects on juvenile stream salamander growth, potentially offsetting negative sublethal effects associated with harvest.     

高黎贡山南段种子植物区系的特有现象

高黎贡山南段是全球生物多样性研究热点地区之一,迄今计有野生种子植物192科878属2 807种.这一区域不仅植物的种类丰富,而且特有现象较为显著.其中东亚特有科8个、中国特有属17个、中国特有种1 085个、云南特有种305个、高黎贡山南段特有种82个.特殊地质历史和生态环境,使得高黎贡山南段既保留了许多古老特有成分,又孕育了许多新生特有成分.     

横断山区的蝶类资源与珍稀蝴蝶的保护

横断山区的蝶类561种,隶属于12科,208属.在12科中,种类最多的是蛱蝶科148种,其次是眼蝶科117种,灰蝶科65种,凤蝶科63种,粉蝶科60种,弄蝶科60种,蚬蝶科18种,绢蝶科12种,斑蝶科9种,环蝶科6种,喙蝶科2种,珍蝶科1种.分布于横断山区的珍稀蝴蝶有44种,其中国家Ⅰ级保护的1种,Ⅱ级保护的3种.     

阴山山脉天然侧柏林的基本特征

阴山山脉是中国天然侧柏(Platycladus orientalis)林分布的西北界, 侧柏林也是阴山山脉最主要的森林群落之一。它具有较好的固坡、保土、涵养水源及改善生境的作用。为了解阴山山脉天然侧柏林种群、群落特征和空间分布规律以更好地为侧柏林的经营提供理论依据, 我们以阴山山脉大青山及乌拉山段天然侧柏林为研究对象, 通过样方调查, 分析了侧柏林的植物区系特征, 并根据群落各层片物种优势度将该区侧柏林划分为6个群丛类型, 分析了各群丛特征及其空间分布的生态序列。结果表明: (1)阴山山脉天然侧柏林群落共出现维管植物96种, 隶属于30科70属, 种的地理成分包括8个类型18个亚型, 其中东古北极分布最多, 其次为东亚分布; (2)从群落结构分析, 发育良好的侧柏群落表现为完整的乔木层和草本层, 灌木盖度普遍偏低, 基本不能成层, 在干扰较为严重的地段甚至消失; (3)各群丛侧柏的径级结构基本呈正态分布, 属于稳定的群落类型, 侧柏的平均株高随胸径的增大整体呈增长型; (4)该区侧柏林受干扰较严重, 加之严酷的生境条件, 建群种侧柏的平均胸径较小且植株分叉较多, 不适合作为用材林, 建议将其作为生态公益林及种源林加以保护利用。     

喜马拉雅-横断山区优越虎耳草谱系地理学研究

利用叶绿体DNA非基因编码区rpl20-rps12和trnL-trnF作为分子标记,对喜马拉雅-横断山区优越虎耳草13个居群151个个体进行谱系地理学研究,旨在揭示优越虎耳草现有的遗传结构及其演化历程。共检测到19个单倍型,其中63%的单倍型为居群特有单倍型。研究还发现,优越虎耳草居群总的遗传多样性较高（H_t=0.868）,居群内平均遗传多样性较低（H_s=0.466）。分子变异分析（AMOVA）表明,优越虎耳草居群57.37%的遗传变异来自居群内,居群间遗传变异为42.63%。居群遗传分化系数N_st大于G_st（N_st=0.463,G_st=0.438,P>0.05）,但不显著,表明优越虎耳草在其整个分布范围内没有明显的谱系地理结构。中性检验结果表明,Tajima's D为负值（-1.348 32,P>0.05）而Fu's F_s*为正值（18.915 72,P>0.05）,但均不显著,结合歧点分布分析发现该物种在整个分布范围内未经历过居群扩张。此外,在本研究中优越虎耳草遗传多样性和核苷酸多样性较高的居群及大量特有单倍型在整个分布范围内随机分布,符合"微型避难所"假说。优越虎耳草居群在冰期可能随气候波动而发生分布范围的不断变化,最终在相互隔离的"高山岛屿"中发生异域分化,导致大量特有单倍型产生。因此,推测优越虎耳草与其生境中的乔木和灌木可能具有相似的谱系地理历史,它们可为优越虎耳草提供微型避难所而使之在冰期时保留下来。     

不同营林面积情景下鹿科动物的潜在生境分布

在有人为干扰的森林景观中开展鹿科动物适宜生境分布研究,对于解决大尺度生境保护与小面积森林经营的矛盾问题有着重要的参考意义,也符合我国林区的现实需求.2013—2015年冬季进行的多次野外调查收集196处鹿科动物出现点信息,将这些点作为分布点数据,选取地形、景观类型、植被特征和人类干扰4类17种因子作为环境变量,利用最大熵模型方法,分析4种林下经营面积情景下小兴安岭铁力林业局马鹿和狍的潜在适宜生境分布特征及其对环境因子的响应.结果表明:模型预测精度达到优秀水平,稳定性好,鹿科动物的适宜生境主要集中在东部区域;不同情景下,两种鹿科动物的主要环境影响因子相似,均为距农田距离、距居民点距离、距河流距离、距营林区距离和海拔因子,其中,距营林区距离因子的贡献率稳定在4%～6%;两种鹿科动物躲避人类经营活动干扰的距离(1200～1300 m)较为接近.在无林下经营情景中,鹿科动物的适宜生境分布较广、面积较大;随着经营面积的增大,适宜生境面积减少;当经营面积扩大到现实情况的2～3倍时,鹿科动物栖息地面积缩减较为严重.     

七姊妹山自然保护区黄杉林群落学特征

黄杉为国家Ⅱ级保护植物,是我国特有的第三纪孑遗的珍贵树种,主要分布在我国亚热带的中山地带。采用Braun-Blanquet的植物社会学调查方法并结合典型样方法对七姊妹山自然保护区的原生黄杉群落进行调查,并对其群落特征进行了分析。结果表明:在2300 m~2的调查样地,共有维管束植物52种,隶属24科38属,群落物种组成主要以杜鹃花科、豆科、五加科、壳斗科等种类为主;群落生活型组成分析显示,该黄杉群落高位芽植物占绝对优势,高位芽植物、地面芽植物占比分别为76.9%、13.5%,地上芽和地下芽植物较少,植物的生活型谱大致呈"L"型;群落重要值分析表明,黄杉重要值为53.6,占较大优势,是群落建群种,乌冈栎、石韦分别是灌木层及草本层的优势种,其重要值分别为24.0、54.8;该黄杉群落物种多样性指数整体较低,除均匀度指数外,优势度指数、多样性指数、丰富度指数总体表现出灌木层乔木层草本层,上坡山脊的规律;种群年龄结构分析表明,七姊妹山自然保护区黄杉种群年龄结构呈"L"型分布,属于增长型种群,在一定时间内,表明黄杉仍为该群落的优势种群,林窗的出现使该黄杉群落保持持续更新。     

秦岭细鳞鲑栖息地环境特征研究

为研究秦岭细鳞鲑（Brachymystax lenok tsinlingensis）的栖息地环境选择偏好,对陕西陇县秦岭细鳞鲑国家级自然保护区和甘肃秦州珍稀水生野生动物国家级自然保护区内25个样点进行了鱼类采样和生境测量。共采集到130尾秦岭细鳞鲑样本,样点的平均分布密度为（0.10±0.07）尾/m,两个保护区内秦岭细鳞鲑的密度存在显著性差异（P < 0.05）。与秦岭细鳞鲑密度分布呈正相关的因子依次为坡度、跌水区密度、海拔、粗糙度、遮蔽度、底栖动物生物量和流速,与密度呈负相关的环境因子依次为河宽、水深和溶氧。冗余性分析（RDA）筛选了坡度、粗糙度、遮蔽度、海拔和跌水区5个关键环境因子。基于关键环境因子的实测值建立了栖息地适合度曲线,秦岭细鳞鲑分布的最适坡度范围为5%-10%,海拔分布范围为1500-2000 m,粗糙度范围0.3-0.4;跌水区密度范围12-18个/100 m,遮蔽度在0.5以上。     

Birds in the matrix: the role of agriculture in avian conservation in the Taita Hills,Kenya

Agricultural conversion of tropical forests is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Slowing rates of deforestation is a conservation priority, but it is also useful to consider how species diversity is retained across the agricultural matrix. Here, we assess how bird diversity varies in relation to land use in the Taita Hills, Kenya. We used point counts to survey birds along a land‐use gradient that included primary forest, secondary vegetation, agroforest, timber plantation and cropland. We found that the agricultural matrix supports an abundant and diverse bird community with high levels of species turnover, but that forest specialists are confined predominantly to primary forest, with the matrix dominated by forest visitors. Ordination analyses showed that representation of forest specialists decreases with distance from primary forest. With the exception of forest generalists, bird abundance and diversity are lowest in timber plantations. Contrary to expectation, we found feeding guilds at similar abundances in all land‐use types. We conclude that whilst the agricultural matrix, and agroforest in particular, makes a strong contribution to observed bird diversity at the landscape scale, intact primary forest is essential for maintaining this diversity, especially amongst species of conservation concern.     

Riparian roots through time, space and disturbance

Riparian zones are landscape features adjacent to streams and are widely recognized as important in reducing erosion and filtering groundwater. Few studies directly investigate rooting dynamics of riparian areas, and little information exists concerning riparian root densities, biomass, depth profiles, changes through time, or vulnerability to disturbance. This study examined spatial and temporal patterns in root systems in streamsides influenced by season, hydrologic regime, vegetative composition, and ice storm disturbance in the eastern Adirondacks, New York. Sequential root cores and in-growth cores were collected from June 2000 through August 2001 in a riparian area with minimal ice storm damage adjacent to a third-order stream. Data were used to assess seasonal trends in root biomass and to provide a reference for spatial comparisons. The biomass and surface area of roots collected in the reference site cores were compared with cores collected at nine additional riparian sites differing in degree of canopy damage from the January 1998 ice storm. Average root biomass at the reference site was 1330 g/m², comparable to or greater than values reported for terrestrial and other riparian systems. Root biomass varied seasonally with a maximum root biomass in August, 2000; this result was not repeated the following year after the water table inundated much of the rooting zone in mid-June. Root biomass was spatially variable on a range of scales. Although the maximum root surface area occurred in the upper 10 cm, root biomass peaked at 20–30 cm belowground, unlike observations from most other root studies where the maximum root biomass has been found in the top 10 cm. Areas severely damaged by the ice storm had significantly less root biomass and surface area than areas with low damage. This study demonstrates that root biomass in riparian areas is highly dynamic over time, space, and across disturbance sites. Our findings suggest that the spatial variability in root densities has direct implications for riparian vulnerability to erosion.