分子标记技术在入侵生态学研究中的应用

外来入侵物种给农林业生产造成了巨大的经济损失,并威胁生物多样性及人类健康．入侵生态学的研究对于认识外来入侵物种的入侵机制及其可持续控制具有重要意义．分子标记技术为解决入侵生态学研究中的许多基本问题提供了良好的手段．本文综述了该技术在外来入侵物种的鉴定、地理分布、原产地、传播模式、种群遗传变异、杂交及基因渗入等研究中的应用现状,并对其应用前景进行了展望．     

云南西双版纳桑寄生植物传播与鸟的关系研究

在西双版纳地区桑寄生植物的种子是鸟类传播。传播的鸟类主要是啄花鸟科的纯色啄花鸟,红胸啄花鸟,朱背啄花鸟和黄肛啄花鸟等。桑寄生植物种子的传播方式,一是鸟类蚕食除去外果皮的种子或外果皮果肉相互连着的种子,经消化道消化吸收大部分果肉或外果皮后,将种子排出体外,其次是鸟在觅食中遗漏种子进行传播。     

Low and annually variable migratory connectivity in a long‐distance migrant: Whinchats Saxicola rubetra may show a bet‐hedging strategy

The spatial scale of non‐breeding areas used by long‐distance migrant animals can vary from specific, relatively small non‐breeding areas for each independent breeding population (high connectivity) to a distribution over a large non‐breeding area with mixing of breeding populations (low connectivity). Measuring variation in the degree of connectivity and how it arises is crucial to predict how migratory animals can respond to global habitat and climate change because low connectivity is likely to be an adaptation to environmental uncertainty. Here, we assess whether use of non‐breeding areas in a long‐distance migrant may be stochastic by measuring the degree of connectivity, and whether it is annually variable. Twenty‐nine wintering Whinchats tagged with geolocators over 2 years within 40 km² in central Nigeria were found to be breeding over 2.55 million km² (26% of the land area of Europe), without an asymptote being approached in the relationship between area and sample size. Ranges differed in size between years by 1.51 million km² and only 15% of the total breeding range across both years overlapped (8% overlap between years when only first‐year birds were considered), well above the range size difference and below the proportion of overlap that would be predicted from two equivalent groups breeding at random locations within the observed range. Mean distance between breeding locations (i.e. migratory spread) differed significantly between years (604 ± 18 km in 2013 and 869 ± 33 km in 2014). The results showed very low and variable connectivity that was reasonably robust to the errors and assumptions inherent in the use of geolocators, but with the caveat of having only ranges of 2 years to compare, and the sensitivity of range to the breeding locations of a small number of individuals. However, if representative, the results suggest the scope for between‐year variation (cohort effects) to determine migrant distribution on a large scale. Furthermore, for species with similarly low connectivity, we would predict breeding population trends to reflect average conditions across large non‐breeding areas: thus, as large areas of Africa become subject to habitat loss, migrant populations throughout Europe will decline.     

Analysis of three-dimensional cell imaging obtained with optical microscopy techniques based on defocusing

The properties of an optical microscope are analyzed and analytically evaluated with a simple and effective model in order to understand the true meaning, limitations, and real capabilities of a defocusing technique. Major emphasis is given to the applications related to microscopic objects of biological interest using fluorescence and absorption light microscopy. A procedure for three-dimensional viewing is analyzed and discussed.     

Residence time and potential range: crucial considerations in modelling plant invasions

A prime aim of invasion biology is to predict which species will become invasive, but retrospective analyses have so far failed to develop robust generalizations. This is because many biological, environmental, and anthropogenic factors interact to determine the distribution of invasive species. However, in this paper we also argue that many analyses of invasiveness have been flawed by not considering several fundamental issues: (1) the range size of an invasive species depends on how much time it has had to spread (its residence time); (2) the range size and spread rate are mediated by the total extent of suitable (i.e. potentially invasible) habitat; and (3) the range size and spread rate depend on the frequency and intensity of introductions (propagule pressure), the position of founder populations in relation to the potential range, and the spatial distribution of the potential range. We explored these considerations using a large set of invasive alien plant species in South Africa for which accurate distribution data and other relevant information were available. Species introduced earlier and those with larger potential ranges had larger current range sizes, but we found no significant effect of the spatial distribution of potential ranges on current range sizes, and data on propagule pressure were largely unavailable. However, crucially, we showed that: (1) including residence time and potential range always significantly increases the explanatory power of the models; and (2) residence time and potential range can affect which factors emerge as significant determinants of invasiveness. Therefore, analyses not including potential range and residence time can come to misleading conclusions. When these factors were taken into account, we found that nitrogen‐fixing plants and plants invading arid regions have spread faster than other species, but these results were phylogenetically constrained. We also show that, when analysed in the context of residence time and potential range, variation in range size among invasive species is implicitly due to variation in spread rates, and, that by explicitly assuming a particular model of spread, it is possible to estimate changes in the rates of plant invasions through time. We believe that invasion biology can develop generalizations that are useful for management, but only in the context of a suitable null model.     

Studying invasion: have we missed the boat?

Invasive species, and the ensuing homogenization of the world's biota, form a global problem with consequences ranging from the decline and extirpation of native species to threats to human health. The magnitude of this issue demands a thorough understanding of the invasion process, which consists of three main stages: initial dispersal, establishment of self‐sustaining populations, and spread. To assess the relative distribution of research effort among these stages, we conducted a literature review using 873 articles published in 23 major journals over the past 10 years. Of the 873 papers, only 96 (11.0%) studied initial dispersal, and only half of these (6.2% of the total) were empirical. As the first stage in a contingent process, we argue that initial dispersal is the best stage during which to direct management efforts. In addition, initial dispersal has direct relevance for fundamental ecological questions regarding community assembly and metacommunity dynamics. In so far that answering these questions and preventing invasion are goals of ecologists, the disparity in research effort noted here suggests that ecologists need to expand their efforts to include more research on initial dispersal.     

Floristic and ecological diversity of Ranunculus aquatic habitats in the sub-Atlantic range: implications for conservation

Ranunculus communities have been identified by the European Community Directive on Conservation of Natural and Semi-Natural Habitats as a key habitat in need of protection. The ecological requirements and floristic composition of three Ranunculus communities were investigated in North-Eastern France. We also aimed to determine the relationships between environmental parameters, Ranunculus abundance and species richness. R. fluitans communities clearly differed from the other communities by a higher evenness and species richness and by the occurrence of specific species. In contrast, R. penicillatus and R. peltatus communities displayed similar floristic content. Three different sub-associations were however identified within these communities. If alkalinity was determinant in isolating R. fluitans communities from the other stretches, the ecological ranges of the three communities strongly overlapped while considering parameters linked with other resources or with physical constraints. Further, no significant correlations were highlighted between environmental parameters, Ranunculus abundance and species richness. With respect to conservation, these observations may indicate the particular difficulty in defining each Ranunculus habitat on a European scale, and identify several key points which need to be taken into account when evaluating their status.