The value of georeferenced collection records for predicting patterns of mosquito species richness and endemism in the Neotropics

Abstract.  1. Determining large-scale distribution patterns for mosquitoes could advance knowledge of global mosquito biogeography and inform decisions about where mosquito inventory needs are greatest.
2. Over 43 000 georeferenced records are presented of identified and vouchered mosquitoes from collections undertaken between 1899 and 1982, from 1853 locations in 42 countries throughout the Neotropics. Of 492 species in the data set, 23% were only recorded from one location, and Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann is the most common species.
3. A linear log–log species–area relationship was found for mosquito species number and country area. Chile had the lowest relative density of species and Trinidad-Tobago the highest, followed by Panama and French Guiana.
4. The potential distribution of species was predicted using an Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) approach. Anopheles species had the largest predicted species ranges, whereas species of Deinocerites and Wyeomyia had the smallest.
5. Species richness was estimated for 1° grids and by summing predicted presence of species from ENM. These methods both showed areas of high species richness in French Guiana, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, and Colombia. Potential hotspots in endemicity included unsampled areas in Panama, French Guiana, Colombia, Belize, Venezuela, and Brazil.
6. Argentina, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia, Cuba, and Peru were the most under-represented countries in the database compared with known country species occurrence data. Analysis of species accumulation curves suggested patchiness in the distribution of data points, which may affect estimates of species richness.
7. The data set is a first step towards the development of a global-scale repository of georeferenced mosquito collection records.     

Interaction between descending input and thoracic reflexes for joint coordination in cockroach: I. Descending influence on thoracic sensory reflexes

Tethered cockroaches turn from unilateral antennal contact using asymmetrical movements of mesothoracic (T2) legs (Mu and Ritzmann in J Comp Physiol A 191:1037–1054, 2005). During the turn, the leg on the inside of the turn (the inside T2 leg) has distinctly different motor patterns from those in straight walking. One possible neural mechanism for the transformation from walking to inside leg turning could be that the descending commands alter a few critical reflexes that start a cascade of physical changes in leg movement or posture, leading to further alterations. This hypothesis has two implications: first, the descending activities must be able to influence thoracic reflexes. Second, one should be able to initiate the turning motor pattern without descending signals by mimicking a point farther down in the reflex cascade. We addressed the first implication in this paper by experiments on chordotonal organ reflexes. The activity of depressor muscle (Ds) and slow extensor tibia muscle (SETi) was excited and inhibited by stretching and relaxing the femoral chordotonal organ. However, the Ds responses were altered after eliminating the descending activity, while the SETi responses remain similar. The inhibition to Ds activity by stretching the coxal chordotonal organ was also altered after eliminating the descending activity.     

Plant communities affect the species–area relationship on Carex sempervirens tussocks

The species–area relationship (SAR) has been extensively studied in a wide range of plant communities, but very few studies have directly addressed how plant communities affect the SAR and what are the underlying mechanisms. Many graminoids form distinct tussocks where many other plant species grow, but no study has investigated whether the SAR holds true for the vegetation on tussocks. In four plant communities on an abandoned subalpine pasture in the Swiss National Park, we made releves on 600 tussocks of Carex sempervirens and measured tussock basal area and other tussock traits. In all four communities, species richness on C. sempervirens tussocks was strongly positively related to tussock basal area (R²0.74), while other tussock traits explained very little (R²<0.04). Slope and intercept of the SAR on C. sempervirens tussocks differed significantly among the four communities. This was because plant communities affected richness in smaller tussocks (basal diameter <10 cm) but not that in large tussocks (basal diameter10 cm). We conclude that the SAR holds true for vegetation on C. sempervirens tussocks and changes with plant communities. Changes in the SAR on C. sempervirens tussocks are very likely because smaller tussocks are less independent of the plant communities than the larger ones, regarding disturbance or nutrients.     

The living library of The Cotapata National Park in Bolivia: an example of application of Bolivian law on the access to genetic resources

Developing countries with a rich biodiversity want to control the use of this natural patrimony, especially in the research of natural compounds of pharmaceutical interest. Here we present the organization of six permanent plots in a mountain tropical forest on the east side of the Andean Cordillera in Bolivia, and their role in the discovery of plants with antiplasmodial or antileishmanial activities. Permanent plots are widely used in ecological survey, but rarely in bioprospecting. This set-up allows Bolivian authorities to control the bioprospecting, and facilitates further chemical studies on the bioactive plants. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Lucia Acebey and Amira Apaza have contributed equally to this work.     

A private management approach to coral reef conservation in Sabah,Malaysia

Many marine protected areas (MPAs), particularly in developing countries, have failed because of a lack of enforcement and monitoring due to limited public funds for conservation. Private investment and management in MPAs offers a potential solution, and has been applied with initial positive results at the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) in Sabah, Malaysia. Conservation fees charged to visitors to Lankayan Island Dive Resort within the SIMCA have generated a sustainable source of financing to meet the majority of management costs for the conservation area, which is separately managed by a private organization called Reef Guardian. The availability of adequate funds has enabled Reef Guardian to invest in personnel training and surveillance technology to enforce the rules and regulations of the conservation area. In collaboration with government enforcement agencies, Reef Guardian has reduced threats such as illegal fishing and turtle egg poaching. As a result, there is a comparatively high abundance of commercially important fish, and turtle nestings at Lankayan Island have increased. Private management can be effective in conserving biodiversity in MPAs, and may well succeed regionally in suitable locations.

丘陵区生态农业旅游的垂直景观生态研究

针对城郊丘陵区的地貌特征,生态农业旅游景观应按坡度和等高线布置,形成山顶水保林带、坡上桃树带、坡中枇杷带、坡下特种瓜果带、山底特色水域带的垂直生态景观模式。这种模式不仅具有良好的景观效果,也产生了很好的生态效益。试验区植被覆盖率显著提高,物种多样性得到了恢复,景观林带内的气温和土温降低、温度日变幅减少、空气相对湿度增加,这种效果由弱至强依次表现为农作地、水保林、经果林。果园自然生草、种植牧草后有利于降低土壤和空气温度、减少温度日变幅、增加空气相对湿度和防治水土流失的效果。     

光合性能选种法研究

生物良种的选择,历来是人类最关心的事,本文讨论的是植物的选种方法,我们在品质基本相同的几个品种中选择最优品种.这里最优品种指的就是产量最高者.植物的产量是由光合作用所产生的生物量,所以,光合性能强的物种常为最优品种.本文所介绍的选种方法,就是根据不同品种的光合性能的强弱来研究品种的优劣,而植物光合性能强弱可以通过植物的光合总量来确定.本文计算了三个猕猴桃品种的光合总量,其中光合总量最高者为最优品种（产量最高）,这与生产实践完全一致,所以光合性能选种法得到了生产实践的验证.     

遮光处理对节瓜光合作用特性的影响

在塑料大棚内设置不同光照强度处理[自然光(对照)、遮光40%和遮光60%],研究遮光处理对节瓜(Benincasa hispida Cogn. var. chieh-qua How.)功能叶片光合特性的影响,结果表明节瓜叶片净光合速率(Pn)日变化呈单峰曲线,各处理在11:00达到峰值.节瓜Pn峰值随光照强度的减小而降低,叶片Pn达到峰值之前随遮光程度的增大而降低,而达到峰值之后,遮光40%处理的节瓜叶片Pn比对照高.叶片Pn的日变化幅度随遮光程度的增强而减小,叶片的光饱和点随光照强度的减小而明显降低.结果说明遮光处理通过影响环境因子和节瓜叶片生理特性等内在因素而影响其光合作用.塑料大棚内中午前后用遮光强度适宜的遮阳网覆盖,可提高节瓜功能叶片的光合能力,有利于提高产量.     

Abundance and Production of Riparian Trees in the Lowland Floodplain of the Queets River, Washington

Riparian zones associated with alluvial rivers are spatially dynamic, forming distinct vegetative mosaics that exhibit sharp contrasts in structure and processes related to the underlying biophysical template. The productivity of riparian plants, especially trees, influences streamside community characteristics as well as the forms and fluxes of organic matter to adjacent streams – thereby strongly impacting patterns of channel morphology, water flow, sedimentation, and habitat in rivers. As part of a comprehensive investigation of riparian dynamics in coastal rain forest rivers of the Pacific Northwest (USA), we examined riparian tree abundance (density, basal area, and biomass) and rates of production (basal area growth [BAI] and bole wood biomass increase [P]) of seven common species – red alder (Alnus rubra), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), vine maple (Acer circinatum) and willow (Salix spp.) – in the lowland floodplain of the Queets River (Olympic National Park), Washington. Measurements were made annually for three years (1999 – 2001) in 16 permanent plots on three biophysical templates that formed a toposequence – active floodplain, young terrace and mature terrace. Stem density was highest in the active floodplain (∼27,000 stems/ ha), decreasing in the young terrace (∼2,700 stems /ha) and the mature terrace (∼500 stems/ha). Basal area and total stem biomass were lowest in the active floodplain (∼16 m2/ha and ∼18 Mg dry weight/ha, respectively) and higher on the young terrace (∼32 m2/ha and ∼134 Mg dry weight/ha) and on the mature terrace (∼69 m2/ha and ∼540 Mg dry weight /ha). Total plot-scale BAI was not significantly different among the physical templates with mean values ranging from approximately 1.4 (low terrace) to approximately 2.8 m2/ha/y (active floodplain). In contrast, P was significantly higher on the mature terrace (10.3 Mg/ha) than the active floodplain (3.2 Mg/ha) but there was no significant difference between young terrace (6.5 Mg/ha) and mature terrace. For the entire Queets River floodplain (57 km² over 77 km of river length), the mature terrace contributed 81% of the total annual production (28,764 Mg) whereas the active floodplain and young terrace accounted only for 5 and 14%, respectively. Overall, we show that riparian trees grow quickly in this coastal Pacific Northwest system and that the older riparian forests on mature terraces are the main contributors to stem production at the plot and floodplain scales for at least 350 years after stand initiation. This suggests that, in combination with the rapid lateral migrations of many alluvial rivers, the older riparian forests on those terraces are important and sustained sources of organic matter (especially large woody debris, LWD) that, over decades to centuries, shape the character of coastal rivers in the Pacific Northwest.