中国濒危鱼类、两栖爬行类和哺乳类的地理分布格局与优先保护区域——基于《中国濒危动物红皮书》的分析

《中国濒危动物红皮书》依据我国动物所面临的濒危,对我国濒危动物的濒危等级划分,种群现状,致危因素和保护措施等进行了描述说明,首批收录了535种濒危动物。本文以《中国濒危动物红皮书》中所收录的352种濒危脊椎动物（不含鸟类（以下简记为“濒危植物”）为研究对象,整理统计了现有濒危物种的分布资料,在GIS支持下,对中国濒危动物的地理分布进行了研究。结果表明,中国濒危动物物种呈明显的集聚分布,最密集的地区是横断山区,海南岛,西双版纳和云贵高原;而在华北平原,内蒙古东部,黄土高原和东北平原等地区出现大片空白区。影响濒危动物分布的主要因素有热量和水分条件,地形条件等自然条件以及历史开发,人为破坏等人文条件。山地因地形屏障作用而保留了较多的古老物种,其较为复杂的环境因子也有益物种的生存,因而物种丰富度较高。大多数动物对于水分和热量的依赖性较强,因此水热条件对其分布的限制作用十分明显。人为破坏较为严重的地区,濒危物种稀少;污染,开荒等引起的环境问题对于现存动物的威胁很。运用Dobson排除算法得到云南勐腊县等9个县分布有168种濒危动物,占全国总数（海生种类及仅分布于台湾和香港的特有种除外）的51．5％,而其土地面积之和仅为全国陆地总面积的0．9％。而云南勐腊县等94个县市就分布有中国所有的濒危动物。这些地区是我国生物多样性保护应该优先考虑的地方。     

基于GIS的浙北近海海域生态系统健康评价

在浙江省北部地区经济高速发展,科学高效利用海洋资源的同时,也不可避免的对浙北近海海域的生态系统造成一定的威胁。为了降低涉海工程对海洋生态环境可能造成的不利影响,通过分析浙江省北部海域高浊度、复杂水体等特点,利用层次分析法从水环境、沉积环境和海洋生物多样性构建了浙北近海海域生态系统评价指标体系,采用熵权法确定了相关因子的权重。在此基础上,综合GIS空间分析方法、数学模型,对2009年至2012年浙江省北部海域进行了实证研究。结果表明:(1)浙江省北部近海海域生态系统整体上处于不健康状态。含量较高的无机氮和磷酸盐及较低的海洋初级生产力是影响其环境质量的主要因素。(2)浙北近海海域生态系统主要薄弱区域与人类活动格局基本一致,由此推断,人类活动是影响浙北海域生态系统健康状态的主要因素。总体上,从2009至2012年浙北近海海域生态系统健康呈现逐年恶化的趋势。     

卧龙自然保护区典型生态系统服务时空变化研究

自然保护区作为生态系统服务的产生区和生物多样性保护的重点区,评估其关键生态系统服务,对提高保护区管理水平和生态保护与建设效率有重要意义。利用CASA模型、RUSLE模型、InVEST模型及水量平衡原理等方法分别定量评估了卧龙自然保护区2000年和2015年碳固定（NPP）、土壤保持、生境质量和水源涵养4种生态系统服务并分析了其时空分布及其变化特征,揭示了不同地形位梯度和土地利用类型上生态系统服务的差异,识别了生态系统服务的热点区域。研究结果揭示了2000-2015年4种生态系统服务及其变化的时空异质性：1）研究期间保护区4种生态系统服务供给量均有所增加,且增益面积大于减损面积;2）空间上,NPP、土壤保持和生境质量3种服务表现为东南高、西北低,水源涵养空间分布无明显规律,4种服务的空间分布特征均变化不大且保持相对稳定;3）4种生态系统服务空间分布及变化与地形位和土地利用类型有关。4种服务的高值和增益的优势分布区均位于较低地形位指数梯度上,以保护区东南部最为突出;林地和草地是对保护区生态系统服务贡献较大的土地利用类型,尤以林地突出;4）热点分析表明保护区东南部是主要的生态系统服务供给热点区,研究期间Ⅳ类热点区面积显著增加。结合研究区域生态系统特征和生态恢复与管理政策,探讨分析了目标生态系统服务时空变化的自然生态和社会经济驱动力,为本区域生态系统恢复和生物多样性保护提供依据和建议。     

Origins of species richness in the Indo‐Malay‐Philippine biodiversity hotspot: evidence for the centre of overlap hypothesis

The Indo‐Malay‐Philippine (IMP) biodiversity hotspot, bounded by the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula and New Guinea, is the epicentre of marine biodiversity. Hypotheses to explain the source of the incredible number of species found there include the centre of overlap hypothesis, which proposes that in this region the distinct faunas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans overlap. Here we review the biogeographical evidence in support of this hypothesis. We examined tropical reef fish distributions, paying particular attention to sister species pairs that overlap in the IMP hotspot. We also review phylogeographical studies of wide‐ranging species for evidence of lineage divergence and overlap in the IMP region. Our synthesis shows that a pattern of isolation between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean faunas is evident across a wide range of taxa. The occurrence of sister species, with one member in each ocean, indicates that the mechanism(s) of isolation has been in effect since at least the Miocene, while phylogeographical studies indicate more recent divergences in the Pleistocene. Divergence in isolation followed by population expansion has led to an overlap of closely related taxa or genetic lineages in the hotspot, contributing to diversity and species richness in the region. These findings are consistent with the centre of overlap hypothesis and highlight the importance of this process in generating biodiversity within the IMP.     

Green‐wave surfing increases fat gain in a migratory ungulate

Each spring, migratory herbivores around the world track or ‘surf’ green waves of newly emergent vegetation to distant summer or wet‐season ranges. This foraging tactic may help explain the great abundance of migratory herbivores on many seasonal landscapes. However, the underlying fitness benefits of this life‐history strategy remain poorly understood. A fundamental prediction of the green‐wave hypothesis is that migratory herbivores obtain fitness benefits from surfing waves of newly emergent vegetation more closely than their resident counterparts. Here we evaluate whether this behavior increases body‐fat levels – a critically important correlate of reproduction and survival for most ungulates – in elk Cervus elaphus of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Using satellite imagery and GPS tracking data, we found evidence that migrants (n = 23) indeed surfed the green wave, occupying sites 12.7 days closer to peak green‐up than residents (n = 16). Importantly, individual variation in surfing may help account for up to 6 kg of variation in autumn body‐fat levels. Our findings point to a pathway for anthropogenic changes to the green wave (e.g. climate change) or migrants’ ability to surf it (e.g. development) to impact migratory populations. To explore this possibility, we evaluated potential population‐level consequences of constrained surfing with a heuristic model. If green‐wave surfing deteriorates by 5–15 days from observed, our model predicts up to a 20% decrease in pregnancy rates, a 2.5% decrease in population growth, and a 30% decrease in abundance over 50 years. By linking green‐wave surfing to fitness and illustrating potential effects on population growth, our study provides new insights into the evolution of migratory behavior and the prospects for the persistence of migratory ungulate populations in a changing world.     

Functional diversity of macroinvertebrates on abandoned cattle enclosures in a semi‐arid African savannah

Zimbabwe is experiencing a shift in land‐use, away from livestock farming and towards wildlife conservation. The abandonment of livestock farming may have unforeseen consequences on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as cattle kraals create valuable nutrient‐rich patches across the semi‐arid savannah. It is unclear how macroinvertebrates functionally respond to such nutrient‐rich patches in semi‐arid savannahs. We analysed functional diversity of both aboveground and belowground taxa on abandoned cattle kraals and savannah control plots in Save valley Conservancy (SVC). We used distance‐based multivariate techniques to estimate indices of functional diversity. Our results indicated that after two decades of abandonment, kraals had higher functional richness (FRic), functional divergence (FDiv) and functional dispersion (FDis) of macroinvertebrates when both aboveground and belowground species are combined. When aboveground macroinvertebrates were considered alone, no difference was observed for all the considered functional indices. However, only FRic was higher on kraals when belowground macroinvertebrates were separately considered. Our results suggest that two‐decade‐old abandoned kraals may have recovered enough for aboveground species to match the surrounding savannah plot and even surpassed the savannah control for belowground species functional diversity.     

Monoclonal Antibodies against Specific p53 Hotspot Mutants as Potential Tools for Precision Medicine

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Hydrologic sources of carbon cycling uncertainty throughout the terrestrial–aquatic continuum

Linking hydrologic interactions with global carbon cycling will reduce the uncertainty associated with scaling-up empirical studies and facilitate the incorporation of terrestrial–aquatic linkages within global and regional change models. Much of the uncertainty in estimates of carbon fluxes associated with precipitation and hydrologic transport results from the extensive spatial and temporal heterogeneity in both intrinsic functioning and anthropogenic modification of hydrological cycles. To better understand this variation we developed a landscape ecological approach to coupled hydrologic–carbon cycling that merges local mechanisms with multiple-scale spatial heterogeneity. This spatially explicit framework is applied to examine variability in hydrologic influences on carbon cycling along a continental scale water availability gradient with an explicit consideration of human sources of variability. Hydrologic variation is an important component of the uncertainty in carbon cycling; accounting for this variation will improve understanding of current conditions and projections of future ecosystem responses to global change.     

From the ground up: biotic and abiotic features that set the course from genes to ecosystems

Spatial variation in cone serotiny in Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia) across Yellowstone National Park influences initial pine recruitment after stand‐replacing fire with tremendous population, community, and ecosystem consequences. A previous study showed that much of the spatial variation in serotiny results from the balance of selection arising from high frequencies of fire favoring serotiny countered by opposing selection exerted by American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) as seed predators. This earlier study, however, assumed stable local red squirrel densities over multiple generations of pines. Here, we examine environmental properties that might contribute to long‐term stability in the densities of red squirrels among sites. We found that the amount of clay in the soil, an indicator of plant and fungal growth—the latter an important food resource for red squirrels—and the coefficient of variation (CV) in diameter at breast height (DBH) of forest trees together account for a substantial amount of variation in red squirrel density. Soil development occurs over very long time scales, and thus, intersite variation in the amount of clay is unlikely to shift across pine generations. However, CV of DBH and squirrel density increase with stand age, which acts to amplify selection against serotiny with increasing interfire interval. Regardless, much of the variation in the CV of DBH is accounted for by soil bulk density, mean annual temperature, and surface curvature, which are unlikely to vary in their relative differences among sites over time. Consequently, these soil and abiotic attributes could contribute to consistent spatial patterns of red squirrel densities from one pine generation to the next, resulting in consistent local and spatial variation in selection exerted by red squirrels against serotiny.