Effects of artificial light on the larvae of the firefly Lamprigera sp. in an urban city park,Peninsular Malaysia

Firefly populations are threatened globally by habitat alteration, pesticide use, and anthropogenic sources of light. Lamprigera fireflies were recently reported at an urban city park in Kuala Lumpur, Peninsular Malaysia. Here we report on the responses of Lamprigera larvae to artificial light from street lamps on paved park trails. Larvae were located farther from artificial light sources when street lamps were illuminated than when they were not, and mostly where light intensities were lowest, off park trails. Larvae that were located within the direct field of illumination tended to be immobile, whereas, when street lamps were turned off, they actively travelled paved trails. Larvae positioned directly in the path of downwelling light from street lamps at dusk may therefore experience an effectively longer diurnal period, limited time for active foraging, and greater exposure to pedestrian traffic.     

Potential of restored gravel pits to provide suitable habitats for Eurasian otters in anthropogenic landscapes

In anthropogenic landscapes, which are usually characterized by the existence of highly heterogeneous patchworks of habitats with different conservation status, restored gravel pits have the potential to play a conservation role for semiaquatic species such as Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra). Here, we report an otter habitat suitability analysis on a complex fluvial system in an anthropogenic landscape to understand the role of different artificial water bodies (i.e. irrigation channels and ditches) and natural water bodies (i.e. rivers) related to a restored gravel pit lagoon system as providers of suitable habitats for otters. We implemented seven sampling campaigns during 2016 and 2017 consisting of 19 transects across all existing types of water bodies. We integrated 34 environmental variables with otter habitat use, measured by three spraint marking intensity indicators. We found that otter use of water bodies was not related to the natural or artificial origin of the water. Three key factors influenced habitat suitability: riparian vegetation tree cover, forestland use (either natural or planted) within 100 m from the banks, and the level of human disturbance. Our results suggest that otters' tolerance of human activities might be lower in key areas of their territory compared to areas they pass through or explore. We argue that restored gravel pit lagoon systems can potentially play a role in providing suitable habitats for otters in anthropogenic landscapes.     

湖南高望界国家级自然保护区及其周边蝶类多样性与影响因素

为了解湖南高望界国家级自然保护区蝶类多样性本底及其影响因素, 2016年5月至2018年10月, 我们采用样线法对保护区内外的6种生境(保护区内4种, 区外2种)开展了20次蝶类多样性调查。共记录蝴蝶个体13,956只, 依照五科分类系统, 隶属5科113属239种, 其中湖南省蝶类新记录17种。区系成分以东洋种为主(139种, 占58.1%), 广布种次之(97种, 占40.6%), 古北种最少(3种, 占1.3%)。对不同生境的蝶类群落多样性指数进行分析后发现, 人为干扰程度和生境异质性共同影响蝶类多样性。不同生境相似性分析结果表明, 蝶类群落的相似度与人为干扰程度和植被类型差异密切相关。3年间, 蝶类多样性指数月度变化基本一致, 蝶类物种数、多样性指数与月均温间呈显著正相关, 与月降水量无相关性。综上, 蝶类多样性受到人为干扰程度和气象因子的影响。为保护蝶类资源, 建议保护好蝶类栖息地, 减少人为干扰。     

Increased diversity and concordant shifts in community structure of coral‐associated Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria subjected to chronic human disturbance

Both coral‐associated bacteria and endosymbiotic algae (Symbiodiniaceae spp.) are vitally important for the biological function of corals. Yet little is known about their co‐occurrence within corals, how their diversity varies across coral species, or how they are impacted by anthropogenic disturbances. Here, we sampled coral colonies (n = 472) from seven species, encompassing a range of life history traits, across a gradient of chronic human disturbance (n = 11 sites on Kiritimati [Christmas] atoll) in the central equatorial Pacific, and quantified the sequence assemblages and community structure of their associated Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities. Although Symbiodiniaceae alpha diversity did not vary with chronic human disturbance, disturbance was consistently associated with higher bacterial Shannon diversity and richness, with bacterial richness by sample almost doubling from sites with low to very high disturbance. Chronic disturbance was also associated with altered microbial beta diversity for Symbiodiniaceae and bacteria, including changes in community structure for both and increased variation (dispersion) of the Symbiodiniaceae communities. We also found concordance between Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial community structure, when all corals were considered together, and individually for two massive species, Hydnophora microconos and Porites lobata, implying that symbionts and bacteria respond similarly to human disturbance in these species. Finally, we found that the dominant Symbiodiniaceae ancestral lineage in a coral colony was associated with differential abundances of several distinct bacterial taxa. These results suggest that increased beta diversity of Symbiodiniaceae and bacterial communities may be a reliable indicator of stress in the coral microbiome, and that there may be concordant responses to chronic disturbance between these communities at the whole‐ecosystem scale.     

Prolonged recovery time after eruptive disturbance of a deep-sea hydrothermal vent community

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are associated with seafloor tectonic and magmatic activity, and the communities living there are subject to disturbance. Eruptions can be frequent and catastrophic, raising questions about how these communities persist and maintain regional biodiversity. Prior studies of frequently disturbed vents have led to suggestions that faunal recovery can occur within 2–4 years. We use an unprecedented long-term (11-year) series of colonization data following a catastrophic 2006 seafloor eruption on the East Pacific Rise to show that faunal successional changes continue beyond a decade following the disturbance. Species composition at nine months post-eruption was conspicuously different than the pre-eruption ‘baseline'' state, which had been characterized in 1998 (85 months after disturbance by the previous 1991 eruption). By 96 months post-eruption, species composition was approaching the pre-eruption state, but continued to change up through to the end of our measurements at 135 months, indicating that the ‘baseline'' state was not a climax community. The strong variation observed in species composition across environmental gradients and successional stages highlights the importance of long-term, distributed sampling in order to understand the consequences of disturbance for maintenance of a diverse regional species pool. This perspective is critical for characterizing the resilience of vent species to both natural disturbance and human impacts such as deep-sea mining.     

Influence of canopy openness,ungulate exclosure,and low‐intensity fire for improved oak regeneration in temperate Europe

Failed oak regeneration is widely reported in temperate forests and has been linked in part to changed disturbance regimes and land‐use. We investigated if the North American fire–oak hypothesis could be applicable to temperate European oaks (Quercus robur, Quercus petraea) using a replicated field experiment with contrasting canopy openness, protection against ungulate browsing (fencing/no fencing), and low‐intensity surface fire (burn/no burn). Survival, relative height growth (RGR_H), browsing damage on naturally regenerated oaks (≤300 cm tall), and changes in competing woody vegetation were monitored over three years. Greater light availability in canopy gaps increased oak RGR_H (p = .034) and tended to increase survival (p = .092). There was also a trend that protection from browsing positively affected RGR_H (p = .058) and survival (p = .059). Burning reduced survival (p < .001), nonetheless, survival rates were relatively high across treatment combinations at the end of the experiment (54%–92%). Most oaks receiving fire were top‐killed and survived by producing new sprouts; therefore, RGR_H in burned plots became strongly negative the first year. Thereafter, RGR_H was greater in burned plots (p = .002). Burning altered the patterns of ungulate browsing frequency on oaks. Overall, browsing frequency was greater during winter; however, in recently burned plots summer browsing was prominent. Burning did not change relative density of oaks, but it had a clear effect on competing woody vegetation as it reduced the number of individuals (p < .001) and their heights (p < .001). Our results suggest that young, temperate European oaks may respond similarly to fire as their North American congeners. However, disturbance from a single low‐intensity fire may not be sufficient to ensure a persistent competitive advantage—multiple fires and canopy thinning to increase light availability may be needed. Further research investigating long‐term fire effects on oaks of various ages, species‐specific response of competitors and implications for biodiversity conservation is needed.