Behavioral responses of maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus, Canidae) to different categories of environmental enrichment stimuli and their implications for successful reintroduction

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus, Illiger, 1815, Canidae) is a threatened species that inhabits the cerrados of Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Captive maned wolves could be potentially used in reintroduction programs for species conservation; however, it is necessary that their behavior and cognitive abilities are conserved. Environmental enrichment is a tool used to stimulate captive animals and maintain a natural behavioral repertoire. To compare the variation of captive maned wolves' behavioral responses to environmental enrichment, we studied three maned wolves held by Belo Horizonte Zoo, Brazil. Foraging, interspecific, and intraspecific stimuli were offered to the animals and their responses were compared with a baseline and postenrichment treatments. The test was used to help in choosing which one of the three individuals would participate in a reintroduction project. The results showed that stimuli type did influence the animal's responses, and that individually wolves responded differently to foraging, interspecific, and intraspecific enrichment items (P80.05 for some behaviors in each enrichment category). The individual's personality seemed to influence their behavioral responses, with animals showing bold and shy responses, and this trait should be considered during decision makings for reintroduction.     

The arctic fox Alopex lagopus in Fennoscandia: a victim of human-induced changes in interspecific competition and predation?

After a marked decline at the beginning of the 1900s, the arctic fox Alopex lagopus population in Fennoscandia has remained at a very low level. We suggest that the main cause for the population crash was winter starvation caused by (1) over-hunting of reindeer Rangifer tarandus populations, and thus reduced carcass availability in the mountains, and (2) increased interspecific competition for these carcasses because of increased invasion of red foxes Vulpes vulpes from lower altitudes. The failure of arctic fox populations to recover, despite increasing reindeer populations in the mid 1900s, can be explained by a concurrent strong increase in red fox numbers. Analyses of countywide hunting statistics from Norway 1891–1920 suggest that there actually was an increase in red fox numbers in the period of arctic fox decline, and that the increase in reindeer populations from the 1920s to the 1950s was accompanied by a new increase in red fox numbers. We conclude that restoring arctic fox populations most likely will require a substantial and lasting reduction of red fox populations.     

Behavioural responses of shallow-water benthic marine scavengers to fish carrion: a preliminary study

Observations of the behavioural responses of near-shore marine scavengers to fish carrion were made at two depths (1–2 m, 16–18 m). Gobies and juvenile whelks were the most numerous scavengers, but appeared to consume little biomass. The first scavengers to appear at carrion (seconds/minutes) were swimming forms, later (minutes) joined by fast-moving, crawling portunid crabs. Large scavengers (crabs/starfish/catsharks) arrived after tens of minutes/hours. Scavengers were ‘direct feeders’ on the bait (crabs and some fish) or ‘indirect feeders’ (gobies and whelks) on scraps generated by direct feeders. Scavengers spent little time in aggression. While fish spent relatively low proportions of their time feeding (e.g. Lipophrys pholis: 2.2–15.8%), crabs fed almost continuously (e.g. Carcinus maenas: 97.8–99.3%) before leaving baits. Crab presence depressed fish feeding. Crabs were wasteful feeders that macerated the baits, generating scraps for indirect feeders and attracting more scavengers. Large scavengers consumed most bait.     

How selfing and intra- and interspecific crossing influence seed set, morphology and ploidy level in Euphrasia: An experimental study of species occurring in the Alps of Switzerland

Annual alpine species rely on selfing rather than on cross-pollination for successful reproduction. However, insect visits may occasionally cause cross-pollination not only within but also between closely related species. The aim of this study was to investigate four species of Euphrasia for their efficiency in spontaneous selfing and their success in intra- and interspecific crossing. We used the seed sets that followed spontaneous selfing and artificial cross- and selfpollination to measure the breeding success. We compared the morphological characters of species and hybrids and determined their ploidy level using flow cytometry. We verified the hybridogenous origin of plants resulting from interspecific crosses using RAPD banding patterns. While spontaneous seed set was high in the two small-flowered species, seed set in the large-flowered species was small and affected by external circumstances. We obtained F1 and F2 hybrids from interspecific crosses of two diploid species and detected polyploid individuals in both generations.     

伏牛山森林生态系统灌木植物功能群分类

伏牛山国家级自然保护区位于中国东部亚热带和暖温带的过渡区,植被优势种明显,以灌木优势种为主体进行植物功能群分类,可以对森林生态系统的功能、框架结构及类群分布有一个明确的认识.采用群落生态学的调查方法,在伏牛山南北坡设置66个典型样方.根据调查结果,通过计算重要值,选取优势度相对较大的灌木树种进行种间联结及相关性分析,以X2(卡方)检验为基础,结合联结系数AC和共同出现百分率PC来测定灌木优势种间的联结性,根据优势种间的联结性及其在海拔梯度上的变化异同来划分植物功能群,把灌木优势种划分为7组植物功能群.植物功能群间物种表现出显著正联结,一起在同一生境中出现的几率较大,在长期的生长演化过程中,能适应相似的资源环境和对干扰有相似的响应,所以将其划分同一组植物功能群.植物功能群内有一些重要的形态特征有相似之处,功能群间的形态特征有明显的区别,如叶片的大小、形状等,功能群的这些相似及区别还需要生理生态学的进一步研究.     

四个栽培棉种间的杂种F1细胞遗传学与亲缘关系研究

以棉属四个栽培棉种进行种间杂交,产生(亚洲棉×草棉)和(陆地棉×海岛棉)2个二元杂种F1及其[(亚洲棉×草棉)×(陆地棉×海岛棉)]四元杂种F1,观察和测定4个栽培棉种及其2个二元杂种F1和四元杂种F1的花粉母细胞(PMC)减数分裂的染色体行为及其花粉生活力,以研究4个栽培棉种间的亲缘关系和进化关系。结果表明,二元杂种(亚洲棉×草棉)F1的PMC减数分裂中期Ⅰ出现一个四体环,其余为二价体,染色体构型为2n=26=11Ⅱ 1Ⅳ;花粉生活力的测定表明,(亚洲棉×草棉)F1可育型花粉为50.71%,表现为典型的配子半不育特性,说明两个二倍体棉种间发生一次染色体易位。(陆地棉×海岛棉)F1以26个二价体细胞为主,但有少量的单价体、三价体以及四价体,染色体构型为2n=52=0.78Ⅰ 22.24Ⅱ 0.94Ⅲ 0.98Ⅳ。花粉生活力的测定表明,(陆地棉×海岛棉)F1可育型花粉为54.84%,可见2个四倍体棉种间亲缘关系较近,二者之间仅发生了染色体的易位或倒位。而由4个栽培种合成的四元杂种F1,其减数分裂异常,染色体丢失现象普遍,部分染色体不能联会配对,以单价体的形式存在,并出现三价体、四价体、五价体等多价体,染色体构型为2n=52=5.45Ⅰ 14.41Ⅱ 2.44Ⅲ 1.59Ⅳ 0.63Ⅴ 0.15Ⅵ,其可育花粉为6.87%。研究结果表明了4种栽培棉种之间的亲缘关系相对较近,可以通过遗传重组产生综合有4个栽培棉种性状的新种质。     

Comparing phylogenetic signal in intraspecific and interspecific body size datasets

Phylogenetic comparative methods have become a standard statistical approach for analysing interspecific data, under the assumption that traits of species are more similar than expected by chance (i.e. phylogenetic signal is present). Here I test for phylogenetic signal in intraspecific body size datasets to evaluate whether intraspecific datasets may require phylogenetic analysis. I also compare amounts of phylogenetic signal in intraspecific and interspecific body size datasets. Some intraspecific body size datasets contain significant phylogenetic signal. Detection of significant phylogenetic signal was dependant upon the number of populations (n) and the amount of phylogenetic signal (K) for a given dataset. Amounts of phylogenetic signal do not differ between intraspecific and interspecific datasets. Further, relationships between significance of phylogenetic signal and sample size and amount of phylogenetic signal are similar for intraspecific and interspecific datasets. Thus, intraspecific body size datasets are similar to interspecific body size datasets with respect to phylogenetic signal. Whether these results are general for all characters requires further study.     

Characterization of Interspecific Hybrids Between Oryza sativa L. and Three Wild Rice Species of China by Genomic In Situ Hybridization

In the genus Oryza, interspecific hybrids are useful bridges for transferring the desired genes from wild species to cultivated rice （Oryza sativa L.）. In the present study, hybrids between O. sativa （AA genome） and three Chinese wild rices, namely O. rufipogon （AA genome）, O. officinalis （CC genome）, and O. meyeriana （GG genome）, were produced. Agricultural traits of the F1 hybrids surveyed were intermediate between their parents and appreciably resembled wild rice parents. Except for the O. sativa × O. rufipogon hybrid, the other F1 hybrids were completely sterile. Genomic in situ hybridization （GISH） was used for hybrid verification. Wild rice genomic DNAs were used as probes and cultivated rice DNA was used as a block. With the exception of O. rufipogon chromosomes, this method distinguished the other two wild rice and cultivated rice chromosomes at the stage of mitotic metaphase with different blocking ratios. The results suggest that a more distant phylogenetic relationship exists between O. meyeriana and O. sativa and that O. rufipogon and O. sativa share a high degree of sequence homology. The average mitotic chromosome length of O. officinalis and O. meyeriana was 1.25- and 1.51-fold that of O. sativa, respectively. 4＇,6＇-Diamidino- 2-phenylindole staining showed that the chromosomes of O. officinalis and O. meyeriana harbored more heterochromatin, suggesting that the C and G genomes were amplified with repetitive sequences compared with the A genome. Although chromocenters formed by chromatin compaction were detected with wild rice-specific signals corresponding to the C and G genomes in discrete domains of the F1 hybrid interphase nuclei, the size and number of O. meyeriana chromocenters were bigger and greater than those of O. officinalis. The present results provide an important understanding of the genomic relationships and a tool for the transfer of useful genes from three native wild rice species in China to cultivars.     

Resource partitioning and interspecific interactions among sympatric rain forest arboreal mammals of the Western Ghats, India

Resource partitioning in a community of diurnal arboreal mammalsconsisting of the lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus, bonnetmacaque (BM) Macaca radiata, Nilgiri langur Semnopithecus johnii,and the Indian giant squirrel Ratufa indica of the Western Ghats,southern India, was studied. Differences in their diet, verticalstratification, food resource niche breadth, niche overlap,and behavioral interactions were examined. Resource partitioningwas through differential habitat use, resource use, and verticalstratification. Of the four species, the BM was not a residentspecies and made frequent forays into evergreen forest fromthe adjacent deciduous forest during the flowering season ofCullenia exarillata and fruiting season of Ficus microcarpa.The macaques had narrower niches, and the langur and the squirrelhad wider niches. Niche overlap was highest between the twomacaques. Overlap among the study species was particularly pronouncedduring the flowering of C. exarillata. There was significantcorrelation between niche overlap and intolerance among thestudy species. Certain species pairs showed little or no mutualintolerance despite high overlap. Cooperative interactions suchas alarm calls occurred more frequently among the resident species.Interaction matrices revealed an underlying pattern of interspecificdominance hierarchy, with the BM dominating over the other threespecies. Our study suggests that the BM do not coexist withthe other three because of high overlap with its congener andlow occurrence of cooperative interactions.