种群分布格局测定的样方尺度效应

以粤西黑石顶自然保护区西部船底窝的永久样地为研究对象,在一个面积为1600m2的人工次生裸地样地上,借助地理信息系统(GIS)技术,对各个种群分别用3种不同的样方面积(10m×10m,8m×8m,5m×5m)和不同的测定方法来研究演替初期优势种群的分布格局,从而研究不同的样方面积对测定南亚热带森林群落内种群分布格局的影响。结果表明,在南亚热带森林群落演替初期以8m×8m的样方面积来测定种群分布格局较为有效。同时运用GIS技术作数据处理及图形输出,大大简化了分析过程,提高了分析水平。     

基于Holdridge和CCA分析的中国生态地理分区的比较

在前人工作基础上,对中国自然地理要素与生态地理区域的关系进行了综合分析,采用全国地形、土壤、气候、植被及遥感植被指数等数据,综合分析中国范围生态地理区域的分异规律,制订了生态地理分区的初步方案,并建立了相应的地理信息系统.基于Holdridge模型和CCA分析划分中国生态地理分区,建立了分区的指标体系,得到中国生态分区的大致界线,初步总结了各生态地理分区的地形、植被、气候等综合自然地理特征,完成对中国区域生态地理分区的划分.基于CCA分析的生态地理的分区,不仅结合自然区划和生态地理两种方法,而且加入了生态群落和遥感数据的综合应用.结果显示,由于受到模型适用性及数据误差的原因,基于CCA分析的结果比Holdridge模型的结果更合理一些.     

Strong reproductive isolation and narrow genomic tracts of differentiation among three woodpecker species in secondary contact

Hybrid zones allow the measurement of gene flow across the genome, producing insight into the genomic architecture of speciation. Such analysis is particularly powerful when applied to multiple pairs of hybridizing species, as patterns of genomic differentiation can then be related to age of the hybridizing species, providing a view into the build‐up of differentiation over time. We examined 33 809 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three hybridizing woodpecker species: Red‐breasted, Red‐naped and Yellow‐bellied sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber, Sphyrapicus nuchalis and Sphyrapicus varius), two of which (ruber and nuchalis) are much more closely related than each is to the third (varius). To identify positions of SNPs on chromosomes, we developed a localization method based on comparative genomics. We found narrow clines, bimodal distributions of hybrid indices and genomic regions with decreased rates of introgression. These results suggest moderately strong reproductive isolation among species and selection against specific hybrid genotypes. We found 19 small regions of strong differentiation between species, partly shared among species pairs, but no large regions of differentiation. An association analysis revealed a single strong‐effect candidate locus associated with plumage, possibly explaining mismatch among the three species in genomic relatedness and plumage similarity. Our comparative analysis of species pairs of different age and their hybrid zones showed that moderately strong reproductive isolation can occur with little genomic differentiation, but that reproductive isolation is incomplete even with much greater genomic differentiation, implying there are long periods of time when hybridization is possible if diverging populations are in geographic contact.     

Common Buzzards wintering strategies as an effect of weather conditions and geographic barriers

AimMigration is a constantly changing adaptation due to the climate condition evolution. The struggle for surviving during harsh winter season is different across Europe, being more complex toward the inner parts of the continent. The current approach explores the Common Buzzard number variation during the cold season and the climatic predictors of birds of prey wintering movements in relation to the possible influences of the Carpathian Mountains, which may act as a geographical barrier providing shelter from cold air outbreak from north and northeast of the continent.LocationRomania (45°N25°E).TaxonBirds of Prey.MethodsWe applied a GLMM to investigate the relation between continental and local climatic factors with the number of Common Buzzard observations in two regions. The first region is located inside the Carpathian Arch and the other one outside, east of this large mountains chain.ResultsThe Common Buzzard numbers wintering Eastern from the Carpathian Mountains are highly influenced by AO (Z = 2.87, p < .05%), while those wintering western are influenced by NAO (Z = 2.17, p < .05%). This is the first proof of separating influences for biodiversity of AO and NAO at continental scale, outlining the influence limit placed over the Eastern Carpathian Mountains.Main conclusionsThe Carpathian Mountains act like a geographic barrier, separating the wintering Common Buzzard populations from both sides of the mountain range. While the high number of individuals in Moldova is related to their eastern and northeastern Europe origins, in Transylvania the large number of individuals observed is related to the more sheltered characteristics of the region attracting individuals from central Europe. Also, since Transylvania region is well sheltered during cold air outbreak, it represents a more favorable region for wintering. From this point of view, we can consider that the Carpathian Mountains are a geographic barrier for wintering birds of prey.     

Spatiotemporal variation in local adaptation of a specialist insect herbivore to its long‐lived host plant

Local adaptation of interacting species to one another indicates geographically variable reciprocal selection. This process of adaptation is central in the organization and maintenance of genetic variation across populations. Given that the strength of selection and responses to it often vary in time and space, the strength of local adaptation should in theory vary between generations and among populations. However, such spatiotemporal variation has rarely been explicitly demonstrated in nature and local adaptation is commonly considered to be relatively static. We report persistent local adaptation of the short‐lived herbivore Abrostola asclepiadis to its long‐lived host plant Vincetoxicum hirundinaria over three successive generations in two studied populations and considerable temporal variation in local adaptation in six populations supporting the geographic mosaic theory. The observed variation in local adaptation among populations was best explained by geographic distance and population isolation, suggesting that gene flow reduces local adaptation. Changes in herbivore population size did not conclusively explain temporal variation in local adaptation. Our results also imply that short‐term studies are likely to capture only a part of the existing variation in local adaptation.     

气候变化对我国红松林地理分布影响的研究

在红松林地理分布规律研究的基础上,应用地理信息系统ＩＤＲＩＳＩ和专门计算机软件——生态信息系统ＧＲＥＥＮ,找出适宜红松林分布的地理气候参数区间,并以此确定了红松林适宜分布区,在此基础上,根据全球气候预测模型ＧＣＭｓ预测的２０３０年的气候变化结果,就气候变化对我国红松林地理分布的可能影响进行了预测。结果表明：到２０３０年,因气候变化的影响,我国适宜红松分布的面积将有所增加,但增加幅度不大,仅占当前气候条件下适宜红松分布面积的３．４％,局部地区变化的情况是：在黑龙江省的西北部适宜红松分布的面积将有所增加;在辽宁省的西南部适宜红松分布的面积将有所减少。红松林现实分布区的南界将向北移动０．１～０．６个纬度,北界将向北扩展０．３～０．５个纬度,黑龙江省境内的红松林分布区的西界将向西扩展０．１～０．５个经度。我国适宜红松分布的面积将由当前气候条件下的２．９×１０７ｈｍ２,增加到３．０×１０７ｈｍ２。就当前气候变化影响预测中存在的问题及未来研究的方向进行了讨论。     

ArrayVigil: a methodology for statistical comparison of gene signatures using segregated-one-tailed (SOT) Wilcoxon's signed-rank test

Due to versatile diagnostic and prognostic fidelity molecular signatures or fingerprints are anticipated as the most powerful tools for cancer management in the near future. Notwithstanding the experimental advancements in microarray technology, methods for analyzing either whole arrays or gene signatures have not been firmly established. Recently, an algorithm, ArraySolver has been reported by Khan for two-group comparison of microarray gene expression data using two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Most of the molecular signatures are composed of two sets of genes (hybrid signatures) wherein up-regulation of one set and down-regulation of the other set collectively define the purpose of a gene signature. Since the direction of a selected gene's expression (positive or negative) with respect to a particular disease condition is known, application of one-tailed statistics could be a more relevant choice. A novel method, ArrayVigil, is described for comparing hybrid signatures using segregated-one-tailed (SOT) Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the results compared with integrated-two-tailed (ITT) procedures (SPSS and ArraySolver). ArrayVigil resulted in lower P values than those obtained from ITT statistics while comparing real data from four signatures.     

基于GIS和GS的东亚飞蝗卵块空间格局的研究

本文以沿渤海蝗区东亚飞蝗Locusta migratoria manilensis (Meyen) 越冬卵块为研究对象,野外采用450 m和50 m规则栅格取样,包括卵量、植被覆盖度、土壤含水量、含盐量、土壤pH和有机质等,利用地统计学方法,在GIS平台下,分析研究区域内影响蝗虫产卵选择的环境因子、蝗虫卵块的空间异质性及分布格局。结果表明, 植被覆盖度、土壤含盐量和土壤含水量在有卵和无卵的环境中存在极显著的差异,飞蝗产卵时最适宜的植被覆盖度、土壤含水量和盐度范围分别为0～30%、10.1%～20.0%和0.09%～1.99%,且当小环境植被覆盖度>50%、土壤含水量>30%或含盐量>3%时,飞蝗不再选择产卵。蝗虫卵块具有高度空间异质性,其空间自相关范围平均为390 m且呈斑块、聚集分布,蝗虫卵块变异函数曲线为球状模型。利用块段克立格法进行空间局部插值,得到研究区域卵块的空间分布格局图,可较准确地描述飞蝗卵块在研究区域内的空间分布、形状、地理位置及相对位置。研究结果可为地面卵块抽样调查、实时跟踪蝗卵胚胎发育进程、确定蝗灾早期发生点、片防治区域及蝗灾早期遥感预警提供科学依据。     

A geographic mosaic of trophic interactions and selection: trees, aphids and birds

Genetic variation in plants is known to influence arthropod assemblages and species interactions. However, these influences may be contingent upon local environmental conditions. Here, we examine how plant genotype-based trophic interactions and patterns of natural selection change across environments. Studying the cottonwood tree, Populus angustifolia, the galling aphid, Pemphigus betae and its avian predators, we used three common gardens across an environmental gradient to examine the effects of plant genotype on gall abundance, gall size, aphid fecundity and predation rate on galls. Three patterns emerged: (i) plant genotype explained variation in gall abundance and predation, (ii) G×E explained variation in aphid fecundity, and environment explained variation in gall abundance and gall size, (iii) natural selection on gall size changed from directional to stabilizing across environments.     

Sharing natural resources: mountain gorillas and people in the Parc National des Volcans,Rwanda

The compatibility of natural resource use by people and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) within the Parc National des Volcans was studied. The distribution of gorillas was modelled using a Maximum Entropy algorithm. Biophysical predictor variables were trained with daily GPS locations of gorillas during 2006. Elevation, as a climate surrogate, was the best predictor (58%) of the occurrence of gorillas. The mid‐altitudes (2500–3500 m a.s.l.) contained the bulk of the gorilla groups. Incoming solar radiation, as proxy for comfortable nesting sites, was the second best predictor (17%). Vegetation types, as foliage provider, (13%) and slope steepness for providing security (12%) were contributing predictors. The modelled and actual gorilla distributions were together overlaid with people’s resource use in the park. Both people and gorillas were congregated in the areas identified as most suitable for gorillas. However, within these areas spatial segregation was found between human natural resource‐users and gorillas. Therefore, the number of gorillas is likely to be limited by the human natural resource use within the park. A perimeter fence, the introduction of community‐based natural resource management, and a buffer zone are discussed as short‐, medium‐ and long‐term mitigation measures.