Resolving the origins of invertebrate colonists in the Yangtze River Estuary with molecular markers: Implications for ecological connectivity

Understanding connectivity over different spatial and temporal scales is fundamental for managing of ecological systems. However, controversy exists for wintertime ecological connectivity between the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) and inner southwestern Yellow Sea. Here, we investigated ecological connectivity between the YRE and inner southwestern Yellow Sea in wintertime by precisely pinpointing the source of the newly colonized populations of a winter‐spawning rocky intertidal invertebrate, Littorina brevicula (Philippi, 1844), on artificial structures along the coast of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) using mitochondrial ND6 sequences and microsatellite data. Clear phylogeographic and genetic differentiation were detected between natural rocky populations south and north of the YRE, which resulted from the lack of hard substrate for rocky invertebrates in the large YRD coast. For the newly colonized populations on the coast of YRD, most individuals (98%) to the south of ~33.5°N were from natural rocky populations to the south of the YRE and most of those (94%) to the north of ~33.5°N were from the northern natural rocky populations, which demonstrated strong ecological connectivity between the inner southwestern Yellow Sea and the YRE in winter time. We presented the first genetic evidence that demonstrated a northward wintertime coastal current in the inner southwestern Yellow Sea, and precisely illustrated the boundary of the coastal current recently proposed by numerical experiment. These results indicated that the YRE serves as an important source of materials and energy for the inner southwestern Yellow Sea in winter, which can be crucial for the function of the Yellow Sea ecosystem.     

水稻驯化与长江文明

水稻(即亚洲栽培稻Oryza sativa)是世界上最重要的粮食作物之一, 全球有超过半数以上人口以稻米为食。关于水稻是何时、何地、在什么环境下开始驯化等问题一直是学术界关注的热点。得益于分析技术的进步, 近年来考古学和遗传学研究在水稻驯化起源问题上取得了重要进展。本文简要综述了有关长江流域的水稻驯化起源的遗传学和考古学的研究进展, 并讨论了水稻驯化与稻作文化及长江文明的关系。遗传学研究结果认为水稻(粳稻)最早起源于中国长江流域及以南地区(珠江流域), 考古学证据则表明水稻最先于10,000-8,000 BP在中国长江流域被驯化, 水稻驯化和稻作农业的发展催生了长江文明。这些进展促进了我们对水稻驯化、稻作文化和长江文明的认识, 对长江流域重要植物资源的保护也有启示意义。     

长江下游发现香鱼的稚鱼

长江靖江江段位于长江最下游,接近河口段。在对这一江段沿岸的鱼类进行调查的过程中,发现在2004年5月11日的渔获物中,有1尾体长70.8mm、体重3．34g的香鱼（Plecoglossus altivelis）稚鱼。这是香鱼在长江流域的首次分布报道。     

Population genetic diversity of Prenant’s schizothoracin, Schizothorax prenanti, inferred from the mitochondrial DNA control region

Wild populations of Prenant’s schizothoracin, Schizothorax prenanti, were collected from the Qingyi, Dadu, and Muli rivers in upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Genetic variation and population structure were examined based on analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region. Nucleotide sequence analysis defined 30 haplotypes in 41 individuals. The nucleotide and haplotype diversities were very high, and genetic distances between the Dadu and Qingyi populations were much smaller than between either of them and the Muli population. The analysis of molecular variance demonstrated that most variation occurred within samples, and the differentiation between Muli and Dadu or Qingyi was significant. Estimates of gene flow indicated reproductive isolation between Muli and the other populations, and this divergence might be related to geographical location. The results are mostly consistent with the findings from AFLP analysis and also suggested considerable genetic diversity of the populations in the Muli, Dadu, and Qingyi rivers.     

下扬子区奥陶纪牙形刺多样性演变初探

根据前人和作者现有资料,对下扬子地区,特别是宁镇地区奥陶纪已经报道的牙形刺属种进行厘定,并按牙形刺带逐带进行多样性统计分析,初步编制出该地区奥陶纪牙形刺属种的地层延限表.研究表明;下扬子区牙形刺在奥陶纪的宏演化经历了3次较明显的辐射事件,分别发生在特马豆克期晚期-弗洛期早期(Serratognathus diversua带)、大坪期早期(Baltoniodus triangularis带)、达瑞威尔期晚期(Eoplacognathus suecicus带);此外,还经历了2次快速增长期,分别发生在达瑞威尔期早期(Lenodus antivariabilis带)、桑比期晚期至凯迪期早期(Hamarodus europaeus带),后者可能与局部环境变化有关.研究表明:华南海平面升降对下扬子区牙形刺宏演化趋势有重要影响.     

Developing a Benthic Index of Biological Integrity and Some Relationships to Environmental Factors in the Subtropical Xiangxi River,China

The aim of this study is to develop a benthic index of biotic integrity (B‐IBI) to help understand how the increasing anthropogenic pressure may impact the subtropical Xiangxi River in China. Benthic macroinvertebrate and environmental surveys were conducted at 77 sites in early summer 2004. Each collection site was categorized as reference or impaired based on physical, chemical, biological, and land‐use information. Six non‐redundant metrics from 35 metrics were used to differentiate between reference and impaired sites. We selected six metrics for the final IBI. The scoring criteria of each metric were normalized based on the quadrisection and 0–10 scaling systems. Both scaling methods were used to assess the aquatic health of each site in the Xiangxi River watershed. The results showed that most sites were in fairly poor condition. Furthermore, we identified the relationship between B‐IBI metrics, water‐quality, and land‐use variables with a principal component analysis. A composite of nutrients and land‐use intensity explained most variances. These results suggest that the B‐IBI may be a suitable method for assessing river conditions within the subtropical Xiangxi River in central China (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Seasonal change and habitat selection of shorebird community at the South Yangtze River Mouth and North Hangzhou Bay, China

Coastal regions are important habitats for migratory shorebirds. The aim of the study is to understand habitat use by migratory shorebirds and to develop a conservation strategy in the sustainable use of wetlands. From March 2004 to January 2005, we conducted a seasonal shorebirds census in ten coastal habitats along the South Yangtze River mouth and North Hangzhou Bay, simultaneously examining the relative seasonal abundance of shorebirds and their spatial distribution. A total of 25 species were identified, the dominant seasonal species were Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris), Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris alpine) and Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) in spring; Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Common Greenshank(Tringa nebularia) and Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) in summer; Kentish Plover, Red-necked Stint and Common Greenshank in autumn; Dunlin(Calidris alpine), Kentish Plover and Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) in winter. These species accounted for more than 85% of the total shorebirds. The numbers of shorebirds counted was highest in spring and then in autumn, winter and summer respectively. Among the four seasons, there were few significant differences in the number of bird species between the sites outside the seawall (intertidal mudflat) and the sites inside the seawall (artificial wetland), but the average density of shorebirds was obviously different. The habitat-selection analysis of the environmental factors (outside and inside the seawall) impacting on the shorebird community was made in the 10 study sites with Canonical Correspondence Analysis. The study results indicated that: (1) Outside the seawall, the widths of the total intertidal mudflat and bare mudflat were the key factors affecting the shorebirds; the proportion of bulrush (Scirpus×mariquete) covering and supertidal mudflat width had a positive correlation with the abundance of birds, while human disturbance and the proportion of both reed (Phragmites communis) and smooth cord-grass (Spartina alterniflora) covering in total surveyed areas had negative impacts on bird numbers; (2) Inside the seawall, the proportions of areas with shallow water and mudflats occupying the total surveyed area were key factors influencing the number of birds; the size of the bulrush area should have a positive impact on the appearance of shorebirds. Habitats with heavy human disturbance, dense reed and smooth cord-grass or a high water level were not conducive to be inhabited by shorebirds.     

长江江豚和瓶鼻海豚的血清转铁蛋白

血清转铁蛋白(Serum transferrin,Tf)是广泛存在于血清中的β球蛋白,其主要功能是将铁离子以安全的形式(Fe3 )在机体的吸收、储存和利用部位之间进行传递,为细胞生长提供铁(Fe3 )(Welch,1990);同时具有保护细胞、促进细胞分化和生长、抑菌和杀菌的作用(Paezetal.,2002;Liuet al     

河口地区牡蛎礁的生态功能及恢复措施

在许多温带河口区,牡蛎礁是具有重要生态功能的特殊生境。牡蛎礁在净化水体、提供栖息生境、保护生物多样性和耦合生态系统能量流动等方面均具有重要的功能。近100年来,由于过度采捕、环境污染、病害和生境破坏等原因,许多温带河口区牡蛎种群数量持续下降,河口生态系统的结构与功能受到破坏,富营养化越来越严重。为了修复河口生态系统、净化水质和促进渔业可持续发展,近20年来,世界各地开展了一系列牡蛎礁的恢复活动,尤其美国在东海岸及墨西哥湾建立了大量的人工牡蛎礁,许多研究结果证实,构建的人工牡蛎礁经过2~3年时间,就能恢复自然生境的生态功能。本文介绍了我国首次牡蛎增殖放流工程-长江口南北导堤牡蛎礁,近2年的监测结果显示,长江口导堤牡蛎种群数量快速增长,附近水生生态系统的结构与功能得到明显改善。最后,针对目前牡蛎礁恢复过程中存在的不足,提出了需进一步研究的课题,包括牡蛎基础生物学(病害和分子系统进化),牡蛎礁恢复的关键技术、科学程序及成功的评价标准等。     

长江口崇明东滩湿地沉积物对磷的吸附特征

研究了崇明东滩湿地低(S1)、中(S2)、高(S3)潮滩沉积物对磷的吸附特征。结果表明,沉积物吸磷过程主要发生在前24 h内,随后近于达到平衡状态。沉积物对PO43--P的平均吸附速率在0~0.5 h内最大,均超过了140 mg.kg-1.h-1;快速吸附过程主要发生在前11 h,前11 h的平均快速吸附速率表现为S1>S3>S2,且沉积物中细颗粒成分越多,沉积物对PO43--P的平均快速吸附速率越大。沉积物对磷的吸附等温线符合Langmuir吸附等温方程,根据Langmuir方程计算,沉积物对磷的吸附容量均>200 mg.kg-1,同时沉积物对PO43--P的吸附容量也表现为S1>S3>S2。原因可能同S1中细颗粒成分、有机碳和常量金属元素(Al、Ca、Fe、Mg)的百分含量较多而S2中细颗粒成分、有机碳和常量金属元素的百分含量较少有关。温度和pH值也影响沉积物对PO43--P的吸附作用。