Fine-scale structure and cross-taxon congruence of bird and beetle assemblages in an old-growth boreal forest mosaic

Aim Nestedness occurs when species present in depauperate sites are subsets of those found in species‐rich sites. The degree of congruence of site nestedness among different assemblages can inform commonalities of mechanisms structuring the assemblages. Well‐nested assemblages may still contain idiosyncratic species and sites that notably depart from the typical assemblage pattern. Idiosyncrasy can arise from multiple processes, including interspecific interactions and habitat preferences, which entail different consequences for species co‐occurrences. We investigate the influence of fine‐scale habitat variation on nestedness and idiosyncrasy patterns of beetle and bird assemblages. We examine community‐level and pairwise species co‐occurrence patterns, and highlight the potential influence of interspecific interactions for assemblage structure. Location Côte‐Nord region of Québec, Canada. Methods We sampled occurrences of ground‐dwelling beetles, flying beetles and birds at sites within old‐growth boreal forest. We examined the nestedness and idiosyncrasy of sites and sought relationships to habitat attributes. We analysed non‐random species co‐occurrence patterns at pairwise and community levels, using null model analysis and five ‘association’ indices. Results All three assemblages were significantly nested. There was limited congruence only between birds and flying beetles whose nestedness was related to canopy openness. For ground‐dwelling beetles, nestedness was related to high stand heterogeneity and sapling density, whereas site idiosyncrasy was inversely related to structural heterogeneity. For birds, site idiosyncrasy increased with canopy cover, and most idiosyncratic species were closed‐canopy specialists. In all assemblages, species idiosyncrasy was positively correlated with the frequency of negative pairwise associations. Species co‐occurrence patterns were non‐random, and for flying beetles and birds positive species pairwise associations dominated. Community‐level co‐occurrence summaries may not, however, always reflect these patterns. Main conclusions Nestedness patterns of different assemblages may not correlate, even when sampled at common locations, because of different responses to local habitat attributes. We found idiosyncrasy patterns indicating opposing habitat preferences, consistent with antagonistic interactions among species within assemblages. Analysis of such patterns can thus suggest the mechanisms generating assemblage structures, with implications for biodiversity conservation.     

Chromatic cues to trap the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis

Various colors have been used as visual cues to trap insect pests. For example, yellow traps for monitoring and control of the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) have been in use for a very long time. However, the chromatic cue of using color traps has never been meticulously investigated. In this study, the spectral sensitivities of the photoreceptors in the compound eyes of B. dorsalis were measured intracellularly, and the theory of receptor quantum catch was applied to study the chromatic cue of fly attracting. Responses to five wavelength categories with peak wavelengths of 370, 380, 490, and 510 nm, and one with dual peaks at 350 and 490 nm were recorded. Based on spectral sensitivities, six colored papers were chosen to test the color preference of the fly, and an additional UV preference test was done to confirm the effect of the UV stimuli. It was concluded that UV and green stimuli (spectra: 300-380 nm and 500-570 nm) would enhance the attractiveness of a colored paper to the oriental fruit fly, and blue stimuli (380-500 nm) would diminish the attractiveness.     

血雉繁殖期活动区与栖息地特征

采用无线电追踪技术并结合野外观察,对血雉繁殖期活动区与栖息地特征进行了研究。孵卵期(5月)雄鸟的活动区面积为31．90hm^2,雌鸟为8．67hm^2。育雏期一个家族的活动区面积为15．45hm^2(6月)和17．33hm^2(7月)。繁殖季节相邻两个繁殖对的活动区有重叠。血雉繁殖季节喜欢在北坡和东坡活动,这种选择与食物的分布有关。倒木在繁殖期栖息地选择中占有一定地位。用多元总体假设检验、单变量F检验及主成分分析法对实验样方与对照样方间进行了比较分析。结果表明,繁殖期喜选择山脊附近下层空间较为斤阔的灌木林或林间空地。     

Swimming with the giant: coexistence patterns of a new redfin minnow Pseudobarbus skeltoni from a global biodiversity hot spot

Ecological niche theory predicts that coexistence is facilitated by resource partitioning mechanisms that are influenced by abiotic and biotic interactions. Alternative hypotheses suggest that under certain conditions, species may become phenotypically similar and functionally equivalent, which invokes the possibility of other mechanisms, such as habitat filtering processes. To test these hypotheses, we examined the coexistence of the giant redfin Pseudobarbus skeltoni, a newly described freshwater fish, together with its congener Pseudobabus burchelli and an anabantid Sandelia capensis by assessing their scenopoetic and bionomic patterns. We found high habitat and isotope niche overlaps between the two redfins, rendering niche partitioning a less plausible sole mechanism that drives their coexistence. By comparison, environment–trait relationships revealed differences in species–environment relationships, making habitat filtering and functional equivalence less likely alternatives. Based on P. skeltoni's high habitat niche overlap with other species, and its large isotope niche width, we inferred the likelihood of differential resource utilization at trophic level as an alternative mechanism that distinguished it from its congener. In comparison, its congener P. burchelli appeared to have a relatively small trophic niche, suggesting that its trophic niche was more conserved despite being the most abundant species. By contrast, S. capensis was distinguished by occupying a higher trophic position and by having a trophic niche that had a low probability of overlapping onto those of redfins. Therefore, trophic niche partitioning appeared to influence the coexistence between S. capensis and redfins. This study suggests that coexistence of these fishes appears to be promoted by their differences in niche adaptation mechanisms that are probably shaped by historic evolutionary and ecological processes.     

金针菇高表达基因的密码子偏好性及特征分析

为探究金针菇的密码子偏好性,挖掘高表达基因的特征信息,以金针菇基因组及转录组数据为材料,分析金针菇的密码子偏好性及其影响因素,并对发育阶段高表达基因进行功能注释和顺式元件分析。分析表明,金针菇高表达基因表现出较强的密码子偏好性,且其偏好密码子多以胞嘧啶(C)结尾,此外在高表达基因中存在6种氨基酸的最优密码子较为保守。在进化过程中,金针菇高表达基因密码子偏好性受到自然选择压力的影响较大。功能注释分类表明,高表达基因多为核糖体通路相关的基因,与蛋白质翻译和生物合成相关。顺式元件分析表明,高表达基因启动子区域大多存在MeJA响应元件、ABA响应元件、光响应元件及MYB转录因子结合元件。研究结果可为提高金针菇异源表达效率和挖掘强启动子提供理论基础和思路。     

Testing hypotheses driving genetic structure in the cooperatively breeding Brown‐headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla

Habitat fragmentation has often been implicated in the decline of many species. For habitat specialists and/or sedentary species, loss of habitat can result in population isolation and lead to negative genetic effects. However, factors other than fragmentation can often be important and also need to be considered when assessing the genetic structure of a species. We genotyped individuals from 13 populations of the cooperatively breeding Brown‐headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla in Florida to test three alternative hypotheses regarding the effects that habitat fragmentation might have on genetic structure. A map of potential habitat developed from recent satellite imagery suggested that Brown‐headed Nuthatch populations in southern Florida occupied smaller and more isolated habitat patches (i.e. were more fragmented) than populations in northern Florida. We also genotyped individuals from a small, isolated Brown‐headed Nuthatch population on Grand Bahama Island. We found that populations associated with more fragmented habitat in southern Florida had lower allelic richness than populations in northern Florida (P = 0.02), although there were no differences in heterozygosity. Although pairwise estimates of F_ST were low overall, values among southern populations were generally higher than northern populations. Population assignment tests identified K = 3 clusters corresponding to a northern cluster, a southern cluster and a unique population in southeast Florida; using sampling localities as prior information revealed K = 7 clusters, with greater structure only among southern Florida populations. The Bahamas population showed moderate to high differentiation compared with Florida populations. Overall, our results suggest that fragmentation could affect gene flow in Brown‐headed Nuthatch populations and is likely to become more pronounced over time.     

Classification of plant associations based on a 20 hm2 dynamics plot of evergreen broad- leaved forest in Mt. Tiantong,Zhejiang, China

为获取能够代表浙江天童山的森林植被典型群丛类型, 同时也为植被分类中如何发现过渡类型和确定典型类型提供参考, 该研究利用天童20 hm ²森林大样地资料, 运用双向指示种分析(TWINSPAN)与除趋势对应分析(DCA), 剔除过渡群落, 进行群丛划分。结果表明, 去除过渡地段后更利于研究区域典型群丛类型的确定。大样地的植被类型可划分为宜昌荚蒾-厚皮香/港柯+云山青冈群丛(Viburnum erosum-Ternstroemia gymnanthera/Lithocarpus harlandii + Cyclobalanopsis sessilifolia Ass.); 虎皮楠-柯/木荷+米槠群丛(Daphniphyllum oldhami-Lithocarpus glaber/Schima superba + Castanopsis carlesii Ass.); 红毒茴-紫楠/南酸枣+薄叶润楠群丛(Illicium lanceolatum-Phoebe sheareri/Choerospondias axillaries + Machilus leptophylla Ass.)。DCA排序同时能反映各群丛类型分布与环境的相关关系, 结果显示, 海拔和凹凸度对群丛分布有较大影响, 坡度和坡向对群丛分布影响较小。     

Island biogeography of temporary wetland carabid beetle communities

Aim The study tests if island biogeography is applicable to invertebrate communities of habitat islands in the agricultural landscape that are not fragments of formerly larger habitats. Location Thirty temporary wetlands in the agricultural landscape of northeast Germany. Methods The composition and species richness of carabid beetle communities was analysed. Habitat area, isolation, the density of temporary wetlands in the landscape, land‐use intensity and the maximum duration of flooding were recorded as independent variables. Overall species richness and wetland species richness were studied in independent regression analyses. The community composition was analysed by means of a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). A partial CCA was used to analyse the effect of the distance to the edge of the field after removing impacts of other independent variables. Results The area of the habitats and various measures of isolation (mean distances = 81–240 m) did not influence species richness or wetland species richness. The community composition was mainly determined by the land‐use intensity, habitat area did not have significant effects, and the distance to the edge of the field was the only effective isolation parameter. Short‐winged species were more often affected by the distance to the edge of the field than full‐winged species. Main conclusion There is evidence that the distances between the wetlands do not provide an effective barrier to the species dispersal and, therefore, metapopulation structures including subpopulations of multiple temporary wetlands might counteract local area effects on subpopulations. Short‐winged species, however, might be more affected by isolation than full‐winged species. As carabid beetle community structure in most early successional habitats is similar, these results may be representative of many agricultural landscape habitats. Nature conservancy concepts that aim to increase habitat area and habitat connectivity have successfully been applied to fragmented late‐successional habitats. The present study indicates that such concepts do not necessarily result in higher diversity or larger populations in early successional habitats.     

Feeding habitats of blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) during winter and spring in Helan Mountains, China

The feeding habitat selection of blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) was studied by direct observation method in the Helan Mountains, China during winter (from November to December) and spring (from April to June) from 2003 to 2004. We established 25 line transects to collect information on feeding habitats used by blue sheep. Blue sheep in the study area preferred mountain savanna forests, a habitat dominated by Ulmus glaucescens, with medium tree density (<4 individuals / 400 m²), moderate tree height (4–6 m), higher shrub density (> 5 individuals / 100 m²), higher shrub (> 1.3 m), higher food abundance (> 50 g), moderate distance to human disturbance (< 500 m), and mild distance to bare rock (< 2 m). Such habitats characterized by 12 ecological factors were preferred as feeding areas by blue sheep during winter. Similar to habitat selection by the species during winter, blue sheep also showed a preference for mountain savanna with tree dominated by Ulmus glaucescens and medium tree density (< 4 individuals / 400 m²) during spring. Nevertheless, blue sheep preferred medium tree height (< 6 m), moderate tree density (5–10 individuals / 100 m²), medium shrub height (1.3–1.7 m), higher food abundance (> 100 g), moderate altitude (< 2 000 m), moderate distance to water resource (< 500 m), and medium hiding cover (50%–75%) during spring. Selection of the feeding habitats by sheep showed a significant difference in vegetation type, landform feature, dominant tree, tree height, shrub density, distance to the nearest shrub, food abundance, slope direction, slope degree, distance to water resource, and hiding cover between winter and spring. Results of principal components analysis indicated that the first principal component accounted for 24.493% of the total variance among feeding habitat variance during winter, with higher loadings for vegetation type, dominant tree, tree height, distance to the nearest tree, shrub density, shrub height, altitude, distance to water resource, and distance to human disturbance. In spring, the first principal components explained 28.777% of the variance, with higher loadings for vegetation type, distance to the nearest tree, shrub height, distance to the nearest shrub, food abundance, altitude, and distance to human disturbance. Translated from Zoological Research, 2005, 26(6): 580–589 [译自: 动物学研究]