甘肃东大山自然保护区岩羊生态行为的初步观察

2004年7月和8月,通过样线调查、野外直接跟踪观察和瞬间取样的方法,对东大山自然保护区岩羊(Pseudois nayaur)的种群结构和生态行为进行了初步研究。在观察到的720只岩羊中,719只组成了50个群,最大的群82只,最小的群2只,平均群大小(14.38±15.83)只(n=50)。雌雄性比为1∶0.63,成年雌体、亚成体和幼体之比是1∶0.4∶0.24。岩羊的昼间活动中,上午和下午各有一个瞬间觅食高峰,分别在6:30时和15:30时,中午有一段较长时间的休息期。通过对一个46只岩羊群连续12 d的野外跟踪观察,发现该岩羊群昼间的活动范围基本上在1.47 km2内。对152个自然死亡的雄性岩羊头骨的分析表明,东大山雄性岩羊的自然死亡年龄在7.5~11.5龄,其中9.5龄是其自然死亡的高峰。     

云南省小黑山自然保护区种子植物区系研究

小黑山自然保护区有野生种子植物170科787属2195种。分析表明该区种子植物区系的地理成分复杂,联系广泛。热带性质的属有506属,占总属数的68.6%,温带性质的属有224属,占总属数的30.4%。热带性质的种890种,占总种数的40.9%,温带性质的种有1267种,占总种数的58.3%。表明该地区植物区系具有明显的亚热带性质,同时深受热带植物区系的影响。植物区系来源主要由东亚成分、热带亚洲成分(印度—马来西亚成分)、中国特有成分三部分融合而成。特有现象明显,有东亚特有科5科,中国特有属6属,中国特有种778种,占种总数的35.8%,而云南特有种有355种,占中国特有种的45.6%。保护区还拥有众多的珍稀濒危植物。     

濒危平胸龟两个自然居群的ISSR分析

利用22个ISSR引物研究了28个来自广东从化居群和21个来自福建寿宁居群的野生平胸龟(Platysternon megacephalum)的遗传多样性。结果表明,分布于这两个地区的平胸龟总居群和居群内均具有较高的遗传多样性,而广东从化居群遗传多样性高于福建寿宁居群。居群间的遗传变异度FST=0.3715(P<0.001),遗传分化系数Gst为0.2059。NJ树聚类分析显示,广东从化居群和福建寿宁居群各自聚成两个类群,有较明显的居群分化,具有一定的地理区域性,但基因流Nm为1.9279,这表明平胸龟两自然居群间存在一定基因流。此外,结合BSA技术,从11条引物中筛选出11个可作为鉴别广东从化居群或福建寿宁居群的分子标记。     

北京市怀沙-怀九河市级水生野生动物保护区鱼类物种多样性及其资源保护

怀沙河和怀九河是两条自然汇入北京怀柔水库的河流,被规划为北京市第一个市级水生野生动物保护区。2004年3月~2005年2月,作者对该保护区内野生鱼类资源进行了本底调查。调查区域内野生淡水鱼类共计24种(不计引入种),隶属于6目11科24属,以鲤形目鲤科鱼类为主,多为山区溪流小型鱼类。鱼类物种多样性在空间分布上有所不同,两河下游近水库河段物种多样性最高,这可能与两个不同生态环境交界处的边缘效应有关;其多样性在时间上春夏季高于秋冬季。结合区域内的生境特点,建议加强对核心区的保护力度,重新规划缓冲区和过渡区;在保护自然环境的同时,兼顾当地居民的经济利益,达到人与资源的和谐发展。     

Reserve selection in the Succulent Karoo,South Africa: coping with high compositional turnover

The Succulent Karoo biome is home to the world's richest succulent flora. It has approximately 1954 endemic plant species, and is the only semi-arid region to qualify as a hotspot of global significance. Despite its importance, only 2% of the biome is currently protected. Based on its flora, the biome can be divided into 12 bioregions, reflecting its high compositional turnover in relation to environmental and geographical gradients. Only three of these bioregions (the Gariep Centre, the Namaqualand Rocky Hills and the Tanqua Karoo) contain National Parks, and three contain large (over 10000 ha) provincial reserves (the Gariep Centre, the Namaqualand Rocky Hills and the Little Karoo). The current reserve system does little to conserve biodiversity, with only one reserve significantly conserving Red Data Book (RDB) plant diversity. Using a RDB plant species database of 3874 records at a quarter degree scale (QDS = 15×15), we used hotspot analyses and iterative reserve selection algorithms to identify possible locations for future reserves. The hotspot analysis and iterative analyses yielded similar results for the top 11 QDS, mainly due to very high local endemism. Also because of the local endemism and the high species turnover within the biome, the real-world iterative algorithm (starting with the seven already reserved QDS) selected a very large total number of QDS (59% of the total in the biome) to conserve all RDB species. As a possible alternative to conservation planning based on QDS, we also assessed priorities at the scale of bioregions, but showed that representation at this geographic level misses important areas defined at a finer scale. We suggest that if the objective is to maximise the retention of RDB species in the landscape (to pre-empt extinction by scheduling the allocation of limited conservation resources), at least the top 5% of QDS (n=11) selected by the iterative procedure, and identified as the core conservation sequence by analysis of endemicity and threat, should be given priority for reservation. Less extensive and, in some cases, less formal conservation action can be applied to QDS later in the sequence, based on species-specific monitoring and action plans. Of the 11 core areas, four fall in a node centred on the Vanrhynsdorp Centre, two fall in a node centred on the Kamiesberg, and the remaining five are isolated. With existing reserves, the core areas capture 50% of the RDB flora in 8% of the biome.     

Conservation of fragmented small populations: endemic species persistence on California's smallest channel island

We examined resilience to extreme reduction of habitat, and long-term and long-distance isolation for an endemic species using California's Santa Barbara Island as a natural model. The island is smaller than 260ha, has been isolated by 40km of ocean from the nearest other island for more than 10,000 years and was severely impacted by human activities and feral browsers during at least the past 90 years. Less than 0.2km² of native plant cover remains, yet seven apparently endemic plants and animals persist, including a moth, Argyrotaenia isolatissima (Tortricidae). Using mitochondrial DNA sequence we examined the levels of genetic divergence between the moth and its closest relatives on the other Channel Islands and the California mainland. A. isolatissima has 15bp differences, including one non-synonymous substitution, from the most closely related taxon, on San Nicolas Island. Both parsimony and likelihood-based molecular systematic analyses confirm the evolutionary independence of A. isolatissima and indicate that portions of an endemic flora and fauna may persist in small fragments, despite long-term isolation and disturbance. Habitat conservation planning may underestimate the value of very small, temporally and spatially isolated fragments of native habitat not only to maintain, but also to generate endemic biodiversity.     

Effectiveness of a reserve network for the conservation of the endemic marsupial Micoureus travassosi in Atlantic Forest remnants in southeastern Brazil

Habitat loss and fragmentation are serious threats to biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic Forest. A network of protected reserves is essential to the protection of native fauna and flora. However, internal and external factors may threaten the preservation of biota, thus population viability analyses (PVA) are important tools in reserve design and management planning. A PVA was carried out, using the computer package VORTEX, to assess the effectiveness of the reserve network of Rio de Janeiro State in Brazil in retaining viable populations of the endemic marsupial Micoureus travassosi. The PVA takes into account demographic, genetic and environmental stochastic events and catastrophes (fire). Rio de Janeiro state has 31 reserves, and 20 of those were considered to retain viable populations for 100 years, whereas eight were predicted to suffer from genetic decay, two from both genetic decay and demographic stochasticity, and one of them probably has an extinct population. The minimum area of suitable habitat needed to maintain a minimum viable population of M. travassosi is estimated at 3600ha. Sensitivity analysis was run for mortality, sex ratio, percentage of reproductive females, inbreeding depression and probability of catastrophes, and suggests that inbreeding depression is important in small population sizes, whereas the effects of catastrophes were significant only for large populations. Although the model indicates that some populations will suffer from demographic and/or genetic stochasticity, the reserve network of Rio de Janeiro state will likely keep M. travassosi's populations for the next 100 years.     

R.M. Cowling,D.M. Richardson & S.M. Pierce (eds.) 1977. Vegetation of Southern Africa.

We determined the role of bird dispersal in seed and seedling dynamics of the tree Kalopanax pictus from 7 years of observing seed rain and seedling emergence in a broad-leaved deciduous forest in central Japan. We also performed an experiment on the influence of seed pulp on germination of seeds of K. pictus. Seeds of this species can lie dormant for several years, and this causes rather constant yearly seedling emergence in spite of irregular seed production. The spatial distribution of the seedlings that emerged each year (maximum distance from nearest conspecific seed-bearing tree of 90 m) was wider than that of gravity-dispersed seeds (max. distance of 37 m), suggesting seed dispersal by birds in winter. Emerged seedling densities at sites over 20 m from the nearest conspecific seed-bearing tree were highest in the spring of 1991, about half a year after the largest seed fall of the observation period. However, emerged seedling densities within 20 m from seed-bearing trees were highest in 1992, 1.5 years after the largest seed fall. These field observations may be explained by the experimental results on the effects of seed pulp on germination. Intact seeds germinate slowly at low germination rates, while seeds without seed pulp germinate quickly at high germination rates. Fallen seeds with seed pulp thus appear to form a seed bank near seed sources (temporal dispersal), while seeds scattered by birds appear to increase the possibility of reaching the present safe sites in distant areas with quick germination (spatial dispersal).     

Potential replacement vegetation: an approach to vegetation mapping of cultural landscapes

Abstract. The concept of mapping potential replacement vegetation (PRV) is proposed as a parallel to potential natural vegetation (PNV). Potential replacement vegetation (PRV) is an abstract and hypothetical vegetation which is in balance with climatic and soil factors currently affecting a given habitat, with environmental factors influencing the habitat from outside such as air pollution, and with an abstract anthropogenic influence (management) of given type, frequency and intensity. For every habitat, there is a series of possible PRV-types corresponding to the different anthropogenic influences, e.g. grazing, mowing, trampling or growing cereals. The PRV-concept is especially useful in large-scale mapping (scales > 1 : 25 000) of small areas where replacement vegetation is the focus of attention for managers and land-use planners, for example in nature reserves where the aim is conservation of replacement vegetation managed in a traditional way, or in restoration ecology where the concept may be used for defining restoration goals and evaluating the success of restoration efforts. At smaller scales, PRV-mapping may be useful for revealing the biogeographical patterns of larger areas which may be different from the corresponding PNV patterns, because replacement vegetation and natural vegetation may respond to environmental gradients at different scales. An example of medium-scale PRV-mapping through the coincidence of diagnostic species of vegetation types, based on species distribution grid data, is presented. In cultural landscapes, the advantage of using the PRV-concept instead of PNV is its direct relationship to the replacement vegetation. In the habitat mapping with respect to the replacement vegetation, the PRV concept yields more valuable results than the mapping of actual vegetation, as the latter is strongly affected by spatially variable anthropogenic influences which may be largely independent from climatic and soil factors.