Do coral-reef fish faunas have a distinctive taxonomic structure?

Do the highly diverse fish faunas that associate with coral reefs have distinguishing taxonomic and ecological characteristics, as proposed by Choat and Bellwood (1991) and Bellwood (1996)? Does a 50?my old (Eocene) fossil fish fauna from Italy represent a coral-reef fish assemblage that provides unique information about the evolution of such assemblages, as claimed by Bellwood (1996)? I compared the structure of the reef fish faunas of adjacent tropical regions rich and poor in coral reefs, in both America and Polynesia, and found that they exhibit no substantive differences in relative species richness among families of typical “coral-reef” fishes. While coral-rich regions have larger reef fish faunas, a variety of factors probably contribute to such differences. Thus coral-reef fish faunas may lack a distinctive taxonomic structure. A similar comparative approach would be useful for assessing whether assemblages of fishes on coral reefs have distinctive ecological characteristics. Based on patterns of habitat use by modern tropical shorefishes, the Italian Eocene fauna includes few definite reef fishes, and may well consist primarily of non-reef fishes preserved in a non-reef habitat. Until we know more about the environment in which those fossils were preserved, that fauna can contribute little to understanding how coral reef fish assemblages have evolved.     

A hierarchical multi‐scale analysis of the spatial relationship between parasitism and host density in urban habitats

Studies on spatial density dependence in parasitism have paid scarce attention to how changes in host density at different hierarchical scales could influence parasitism in an herbivore at a particular scale. Here, we evaluated if rates of parasitism per leaf (by the whole parasitic complex and by dominant species) of the specialist leaf miner Liriomyza commelinae (Diptera: Agromyzidae) respond to variations in host density at the leaf, plant patch and site levels in an urban setting. We used multi‐level Bayesian models that incorporate the spatial hierarchy occurring in this system, as well as habitat factors previously found to have an effect on the L. commelinae parasitoid community in an urban context (patch size, patch isolation and urbanization level). According to the fitted model, overall parasitism rates decreased with increasing number of mines per leaf, being independent of host‐density variations at patch and site level. Patch structure was found to have a strong effect on parasitism rates per leaf. The analysis of parasitism by parasitoid species separately showed consistent results with the response at community level. These results suggest that parasitism of the parasitoid community here studied would be sensitive to hierarchical cues related to the host at the leaf level and to the host habitat at the patch level.     

藏北申扎地区下石炭统永珠组下部孢子组合的特征及意义

报道藏北申扎永珠区德日昂玛—下拉剖面的永珠组孢子组合,发现孢子43属,70余种(包括未定种)。组合特征如下:1)缺乏欧美植物地理区早石炭世典型的石松类植物的小孢子Lycospora属及早石炭世晚期(维宪期)重要孢子属;2)出现较多早石炭世早期(杜内期),甚至泥盆纪晚期分子。呈现出新老化石的混合现象;3)北半球和南半球孢子的混合组合,同时也是冷、暖微古植物群混合,既有相当于中国早石炭世晚期大塘期以及西欧维宪期典型属种,又有南半球澳大利亚(包括巴西和非洲大陆)的维宪期的典型种。从孢子化石混合现象看,永珠组应为近岸浅水或滨海条件下的沉积,下伏地层的孢子化石再沉积现象说明当时有一次很大的海平面下降,在邻近地区出现了大面积的剥蚀区。说明杜内期末期—维宪期初期,申扎地区出现一次由冈瓦纳大陆冰川发育造成海平面相对下降。形成区域上不整合界面———洛工组或“巴日阿朗寨段”底部的不整合界面。混合孢子组合中的寒冷气候条件下的孢子化石的发现,印证了杨式溥、范影年和林宝玉推断的冈瓦纳冰川自早石炭世维宪期(大塘期)开始就影响到西藏申扎的推论。     

Relations Between River Plant Richness in the Portuguese Floodplains and the Widespread Water Knotgrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">(Paspalum Paspalodes</Emphasis>)

We examined the variability of macroinvertebrate assemblage structure, species identities, and functional feeding group composition in relation to stream size, tributary position, and in-stream factors in a boreal watershed in Finland. Our study included three riffle sites in each of three stream sections in each of three stream size classes. Multi-response permutation procedure, indicator value method, and canonical correspondence analysis revealed clear differences in assemblage structure among the stream size classes, with a gradual increase of species richness as the stream size increased. Significant differences in assemblage structure were also found among the tributary river systems. The functional feeding group composition broadly followed the river continuum concept, i.e., headwaters were dominated by shredders, gatherers, or filterers, whereas scrapers increased in relative abundance with stream size. There was, however, considerable variation in the functional feeding group composition both among and within the headwater stream sections. Our findings refer to a strong influence of stream size on macroinvertebrate assemblages, but also factors prevailing at the scale of individual riffles should be considered in biodiversity conservation of lotic ecosystems.     

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across a fragmented forest in Panama: insular spore communities differ from mainland communities

It is now understood that alterations in the species composition of soil organisms can lead to changes in aboveground communities. In this study, we assessed the importance of spatial scale and forest size on changes in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) spore communities by sampling AMF spores in soils of forested mainland and island sites in the vicinity of Gatun Lake, Republic of Panama. We encountered a total of 27 AMF species or morphospecies, with 17, 8, 1 and 1 from the genera Glomus, Acaulospora, Sclerosystis, and Scutellospora, respectively. At small scales (<100 m²), we found little evidence for spatial structuring of AMF communities (decay of Morisita-Horn community similarity with distance). However, at large spatial scales, we found that the AMF spore community of a mainland plot was more similar to other mainland plots several kilometers (>5) away than to nearby island plots (within 0.7 km). Likewise, most island plots were more similar to other island plots regardless of geographic separation. There was no decay in AMF species richness (number of species), or Shannon diversity (number of species and their spore numbers) either with decreasing forest-fragment size, or with decreasing plant species richness. Of the six most common species that composed almost 70% of the total spore volume, spores of Glomus tsh and G. clavisporum were more common in soils of mainland plots, while spores of Glomus small brown and Acaulospora mellea were more abundant in soils of island plots. None of these common AMF species showed significant associations with soil chemistry or plant diversity. We suggest that the convergence of common species found in AMF spore communities in soils of similar forest sizes was a result of forest fragmentation. Habitat-dependent convergence of AMF spore communities may result in differential survival of tree seedlings regenerating on islands versus mainland.     

莱州湾水母种类多样性及群集结构的季节变化

基于2011年5月至2012年4月(除冰期12月和翌年1—2月外)在渤海莱州湾逐月采集的数据资料,系统地开展水母种类组成、数量分布的周年季节变动,弥补自20世纪90年代以来该区域相关资料的不足,有利于掌握该水域水母(主要是小型水母)主要种类数量时空分布特点,促进莱州湾生物类群对生境改变响应的相关研究。结果显示:所有调查中,共出现水母30种,无全年出现的种类。各月中,莱州湾水母以8月种数最多,5月数量居多。各月水母总数量的80%多由1—2种优势种贡献所致;水母优势种类组成季节更替明显。3—5月优势种为八斑唇腕水母;6月为嵊山秀氏水母和贝氏真囊水母;7月为贝氏真囊水母、9月有细颈和平水母;10月为细颈和平水母和大西洋五角水母,8月和11月无明显的优势种,但8月细颈和平水母和曲膝薮枝螅水母数量较多。莱州湾小型水母聚集结构主要呈现季节性时间格局上的变动。春季有八斑唇腕水母为代表、在湾内分布的聚集组;夏季有以嵊山秀氏水母和贝氏真囊水母为代表、在湾口西侧和湾中部分布的聚集组,以及细颈和平水母为代表、在湾中底部分布的聚集组;秋季有四枝管水母和大西洋五角水母为代表、在湾口和中部分布的聚集组。水温对小型水母聚集结构分布具有较为重要的影响作用。大型水母在本调查出现较少。海蜇和沙海蜇出现于6—8月个别站位;海月水母7—10月均有出现,但高密集区出现在10月紧邻莱州湾的湾底水域。     

Dragonfly associations (Insecta: Odonata) in relation to habitat variables: a multivariate approach

In a dragonfly survey, carried out in a lowland wetland area in eastern Austria, a total of 19 resident species was recorded. Multivariate statistical procedures were used to analyse the relationship between dragonfly assemblage patterns and environmental variables. Besides widespread and euryoecious species with unspecific habitat requirements two dragonfly associations were identified: on the one hand species mainly occurring at temporary natural and near-natural ponds characterised by rush and reed vegetation, on the other hand species preferring permanent waters such as the artificial waterbodies in the investigation area characterised by floating macrophytes. Water persistence and the existence of floating macrophytes determined the formation of species assemblages.     

Changes in the composition of British butterfly assemblages over two decades

Changes in the abundance and distribution of individual species have been widely documented in Britain and other countries in recent decades, but little has been done to determine changes in community composition over broad geographic areas. Here, we studied species turnover in 51 butterfly assemblages in Britain since 1976, examining extinction and colonisation events together with variation in the abundances of the species. We showed that the species turnover that occurred over 20 years in Britain was associated with colonisation and extinction events and also with variability in the abundance of the species. These changes in community composition differed according to the habitat requirements of the species and their previous distributions, being more evident for habitat specialists and for southerly distributed species. Colonising species often became abundant components of the communities they joined, although this was more evident for generalist than for specialist species. The abundance of species following their arrival, increased with time since colonisation. Species turnover associated with southerly species expanding northwards is consistent with being a response to climate change. The results suggest that climate- and habitat-driven changes in the identity and abundance of species within communities are widespread, and probably ubiquitous. Similar changes are likely to be occurring in other groups of organisms that are similarly undertaking major range shifts associated with climate change.     

The role of farm structure on bird assemblages around a Kenyan tropical rainforest

Although it is clear that the farmlands neighbouring fragmented forests are utilized by some forest birds, it is not clear how birds in general respond to farmland habitat mosaic. An effort was made to determine how bird density and foraging assemblages were influenced by farm structural characteristics and distance from forest edge. Thirty farms up to a distance of 12 km around Kakamega forest in western Kenya were studied. Farm structure entailed size, hedge volume, habitat heterogeneity, woody plant density, plant diversity and crop cover. Birds were surveyed using line transects and DISTANCE analyses and classified into six feeding guilds and three habitat associations. Size of farms increased away from the forest, as woody plant density, plant diversity, indigenous trees and subsistence crop cover declined. The most important farm structure variable was hedge volume, which enhanced bird species richness, richness of shrub‐land bird species and insectivorous bird density (R = 0.58, P < 0.01). Bird density increased with tree density while indigenous trees were suitable for insectivores and nectarivores. There were very few forest bird encounters. Agricultural practices incorporating maintenance of hedges and sound selection of agroforestry trees can enhance conservation of birds on farmland, though, not significantly for forest species.     

Landscape spatial patterns in freshwater snail assemblages across Northern Highland catchments

1. Limnologists and landscape ecologists have illustrated how the spatial position of a lake in a landscape influences many of its properties, from the physical to the social. Taking a community ecology perspective, we investigated whether freshwater gastropod assemblages respond to lake landscape position.
2. We determined: (a) whether there is any spatial pattern among lakes in either the species richness or composition of gastropod assemblages; (b) the form of any spatial pattern; and (c) if any explanatory variables (e.g. dispersal corridors and limiting local conditions) show a similar pattern.
3. In three different hydrological catchments, snail species richness increased from isolated highland lakes to stream-connected lowland lakes, probably reflecting increased colonization potential and less limiting local factors for lowland drainage lakes. Catchments appear to differ from one another with regard to relative species abundance, both in terms of macrophyte-associated snail fauna and snails from all habitats aggregated. One or more historical events, such as chance dispersal, may have produced this pattern. Taken together, these results suggest that within-catchment constraints produce repeated gradients in species richness, regardless of what species composition persists in the catchment.