Genomic Consequences of Long-Term Population Decline in Brown Eared Pheasant

Population genetic theory and empirical evidence indicate that deleterious alleles can be purged in small populations. However, this viewpoint remains controversial. It is unclear whether natural selection is powerful enough to purge deleterious mutations when wild populations continue to decline. Pheasants are terrestrial birds facing a long-term risk of extinction as a result of anthropogenic perturbations and exploitation. Nevertheless, there are scant genomics resources available for conservation management and planning. Here, we analyzed comparative population genomic data for the three extant isolated populations of Brown eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) in China. We showed that C. mantchuricum has low genome-wide diversity and a contracting effective population size because of persistent declines over the past 100,000 years. We compared genome-wide variation in C. mantchuricum with that of its closely related sister species, the Blue eared pheasant (C. auritum) for which the conservation concern is low. There were detrimental genetic consequences across all C. mantchuricum genomes including extended runs of homozygous sequences, slow rates of linkage disequilibrium decay, excessive loss-of-function mutations, and loss of adaptive genetic diversity at the major histocompatibility complex region. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to perform a comprehensive conservation genomic analysis on this threatened pheasant species. Moreover, we demonstrated that natural selection may not suffice to purge deleterious mutations in wild populations undergoing long-term decline. The findings of this study could facilitate conservation planning for threatened species and help recover their population size.     

The challenge of biological control of Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Col. Curculionidae): A review

The banana weevil (also known as banana root borer) Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera Curculionidae) is the major pest of banana and plantain. Because banana ranks 2nd in fruit production worldwide, this pest has substantial social and economic importance. The biological control of the C. sordidus remains challenging because of its behaviour and resistance to parasitism and predation. The last review concerning the biological control of C. sordidus was published two decades ago, and relevant knowledge and methods have developed in the interim. The present paper provides an update of that knowledge and summarizes past and current challenges as well as providing perspectives on achieving sustainable control of C. sordidus. We first discuss studies on the classical biological control of C. sordidus, underlining the limits of classical biological control methods such as the importation of predators, parasitoids or pathogens. Next, we consider conservation biological control of C. sordidus, with a focus on ants. We also highlight an ‘arthropod bias’ that has led to a lack of information on the role of vertebrates in the regulation of C. sordidus.     

Relationship between aquifer biofilms and unattached microbial indicators of urban groundwater contamination

Aquifers, springs and other groundwater‐dependent ecosystems are threatened by urban land use, which causes water quality deterioration through nutrient loading, sewage infiltration, groundwater extraction and, along coasts, seawater intrusion. The presence of certain microbes in groundwater can indicate that an aquifer is anthropogenically contaminated. Interpretations made from observations of indicator microbes in groundwater are limited because the relationship between the presumably allochthonous indicator microbes and relevant autochthonous microbial communities has not been characterized. This study addressed whether autochthonous aquifer biofilms can influence the presence of presumed microbial indicators in groundwater, and simultaneously used microbial indicators to trace sources of urban contamination at a karst spring of conservation concern. These questions were approached using a 17‐month time series analysis of attached biofilm and adjacent unattached bacteria in the submerged karst aquifer conduit associated with this spring. Environmental 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to characterize these communities, and community structure data were contextualized with groundwater geochemical and hydrogeological measurements. Linear regression models were developed to explain the relative abundance patterns of indicator microbes and other unattached microbes at this site. The results of this study suggest that dominant aquifer biofilms do not influence the presence of unattached microbial taxa that are presumed to be indicators of groundwater contamination, and generated new information about the origin of coliform bacteria at the study site. These results build confidence in the use of microbial indicators in groundwater‐dependent ecosystem conservation strategies and inform future management plans for urban aquifers and springs worldwide.     

Coastal sharks and rays in a marine protected area in southern Brazil

In southern Brazil, we investigated shark and ray capture records in an integral protection marine protection area (MPA) that allows fishing in that area. We found 10 shark and nine ray species, of which 88.5% and 66.2%, respectively, are endangered. Female adults and neonates of both sexes are abundant in the area, with records of stranding of large specimens, postcapture abortions and ovigerous capsules with fresh embryos on the beach. We suggest the application of continuous fisheries monitoring and an increase in guidelines on the capture of endangered species.     

Strategic Habitat Conservation for Beach Mice: Estimating Management Scenario Efficiencies

The Perdido Key beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis), Choctawhatchee beach mouse (P. p. allophrys), and St. Andrew beach mouse (P. p. peninsularis) are 3 federally endangered subspecies that inhabit coastal dunes of Alabama and Florida, USA. Conservation opportunities for these subspecies are limited and costly. Consequently, well-targeted efforts are required to achieve their downlisting criteria. To aid the development of targeted management scenarios that are designed to achieve downlisting criteria, we developed a Bayesian network model that uses habitat characteristics to predict the probability of beach mouse presence at a 30-m resolution across a portion of the Florida Panhandle. We then designed alternative management scenarios for a variety of habitat conditions for coastal dunes. Finally, we estimated how much area is needed to achieve the established downlisting criterion (i.e., habitat objective) and the amount of effort needed to achieve the habitat objective (i.e., management efficiency). The results suggest that after 7 years of post-storm recolonization, habitat objectives were met for Perdido Key (within its Florida critical habitat) and Choctawhatchee beach mice. The St. Andrew beach mouse required 5.14 km² of additional critical habitat to be protected and occupied. The St. Andrew beach mouse habitat objective might be achieved by first restoring protected critical habitat to good dune conditions and then protecting or restoring the unprotected critical habitat with the highest predicted probability of beach mouse presence. This scenario provided a 28% increase in management efficiency compared to a scenario that randomly protected or restored undeveloped unprotected critical habitat. In total, when coupled with established downlisting criteria, these quantitative and spatial decision support tools could provide insight into how much habitat is available, how much more is needed, and targeted conservation or restoration efforts that might efficiently achieve habitat objectives. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.     

A Call for More Nuanced Dialogues About Trophy Hunting

Reported effects of trophy harvest often are controversial. The subject is nuanced and many studies lack details necessary to place their results in context. Consequently, many studies are misunderstood or their conclusions misapplied. We propose that all dialogues about trophy hunting include a definition of how they use the term trophy, details of variables measured and why they were selected, and explanations of temporal and spatial scales employed. Only with these details can potential effects of trophy hunting be understood in context and used for management and policy decisions. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake Habitat Selection at Multiple Spatial Scales in Ontario,Canada

Habitat loss is the greatest contributor to the decline of species globally. To prioritize protection of imperiled species, it is important to examine habitat use at multiple spatial scales because the availability of different resources and habitat features is scale dependent. We conducted a radio-telemetry study in the Long Point region of Ontario, Canada, in 2009 and 2010 to examine habitat selection at multiple spatial scales by eastern hog-nosed snakes (Heterodon platirhinos), a species at risk in Canada. We documented the habitat composition of home ranges compared to the surrounding landscape, the selection of locations within home ranges based on classified satellite imagery, and the use of microhabitat features based on site characterization in the field. At the scale of the home ranges, hog-nosed snakes avoided areas of agriculture and selected sand barrens. Within home ranges, hog-nosed snakes selectively used areas altered by humans (e.g., residential sites, openings in tree plantations). Microhabitats used by hog-nosed snakes had more woody debris, logs, and lower vegetative coverage than adjoining random sites. Because hog-nosed snakes prefer open areas and require sandy soils for nesting, management efforts should focus on the conservation and maintenance of sand barrens and patches of early successional forest. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

川滇生态屏障区景观生态风险评价及影响因素

探究重点生态功能区景观生态风险时空演变特征,揭示人类活动对景观生态风险恶化的潜在影响,对防范和化解景观生态风险、促进区域可持续发展具有重要意义。以2000、2010、2020年土地覆被数据为基础,运用ArcGIS 10.8和Fragstats 4.2等软件,基于景观格局指数和脆弱度指数构建景观生态风险评价模型,借助空间分析方法,揭示川滇生态屏障区景观生态风险时空演变特征,采用地理探测器测度不同区域范围的自然和社会经济因素对景观生态风险的影响。结果表明: 2000—2020年间,研究区人造地表、水体、灌木地面积总体呈上升趋势,林地、耕地、草地、湿地、裸地、冰川永久积雪面积总体呈下降趋势,景观类型转移以林地、草地、耕地间转移为主,其中,耕地转人造地表最显著;景观生态风险平均值有所下降,景观生态风险等级分布与景观类型变化及转移特征较为一致;研究区整体上以低生态风险、较低生态风险和较高生态风险等级为主;景观生态风险的时空演化特征总体受高程、降水等自然因素影响,经济社会及区域可达性对局部风险恶化区的影响较为突出。     

Congruent spatial patterns of species richness and phylogenetic diversity in karst flora: Case study of Primulina (Gesneriaceae)

The karst landform in southern China is renowned for its high levels of species diversity and endemism. Globally, karst ecosystems are under threat from unsustainable anthropogenic disturbance and climate changes and are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. In this study, we used the typical karst endemic genus in southern China, Primulina Hance, as a model to identify areas within the karst landform with high diversity and to investigate congruence between phylogenetic and species‐based measures of diversity. Using phylogenetic information and species distribution data, we measured geographical patterns of diversity with four metrics: species richness (SR), corrected weighted endemism (CWE), phylogenetic diversity (PD), and phylogenetic endemism (PE). Our results revealed a high spatial congruence among SR, PD, and PE, with hotspot areas identified in the Nanling Mountains (i.e., north Guangdong and northeast Guangxi) and southeast Yungui Plateau (i.e., north and southwest Guangxi), whereas the hotspots of CWE are comparatively uniform throughout the geographic extent. The categorical analysis of neo‐ and paleoendemism identified a pattern of mixed neo‐ and paleoendemism in numerous grid cells, suggesting that karst areas in southern China have acted as both “museums” and “cradles” of plant evolution. Conservation gap analysis of hotspots revealed that the majority of prioritized hotspots (>90%) of the genus are outside of protected areas, therefore indicating the limited effectiveness of national nature reserves for the karst flora. Overall, our results suggest that the karst flora merits more conservation attention and SR can be an effective surrogate to capture PD in conservation planning.     

2020年发表的全球维管植物新种

为了解世界维管植物新物种的基本信息, 明确生物多样性面临的威胁, 总结未来研究方向, 本文对2020年世界维管植物新物种的数据进行了统计分析。根据国际植物名称索引(IPNI)的记录, 截至2021年2月1日, 2020年全球发现1,747种维管植物新种, 由1,544名植物学家(264位中国植物学家, 1,280位国外植物学家)发表在103种期刊和5本书中。1,747种维管植物新种包括被子植物1,689种、蕨类植物52种、裸子植物6种。其中大部分来源于维管植物最大的几个科, 例如菊科、兰科和胡椒科。植物学家描述的美洲南部和热带亚洲维管植物新种超过828种, 是2020年维管植物新种发现最重要的两个地区。中国、巴西和马达加斯加是2020年贡献维管植物新种最多的前三位, 分别有247、223、99个新种。值得关注的是, Phytotaxa和PhytoKeys是2020年发表维管植物新种的主要期刊, 分别发表644种和168种。在各物种新名称中, 有5个无效名称和2个不合法名称。尽管近年来对生物多样性的关注日益增加, 但世界上仍有许多物种尚未被发现, 需要对各个地区植物进一步调查和研究, 尤其是生物多样性热点地区和岛屿地区。