ON THE EVOLUTION OF MIGRATION IN HETEROGENEOUS ENVIRONMENTS

Populations often experience variable conditions, both in time and space. Here we develop a novel theoretical framework to study the evolution of migration under the influence of spatially and temporally variable selection and genetic drift. First, we examine when polymorphism is maintained at a locus under heterogeneous selection, as a function of the pattern of spatial heterogeneity and the migration rate. In a second step, we study how levels of migration evolve under the joint action of kin competition and local adaptation at a polymorphic locus. This analysis reveals the existence of evolutionary bistability, whereby a low or a high migration rate may evolve depending on the initial conditions. Last, we relax several assumptions regarding selection heterogeneity commonly made in previous studies and explore the consequences of more complex spatial and temporal patterns of variability in selection on the evolution of migration. We found that small modifications in the pattern of environmental heterogeneity may have dramatic effects on the evolution of migration. This work highlights the importance of considering more general scenarios of environmental heterogeneity when studying the evolution of life‐history traits in ecologically complex settings.     

RUNAWAY COEVOLUTION: ADAPTATION TO HERITABLE AND NONHERITABLE ENVIRONMENTS

Populations evolve in response to the external environment, whether abiotic (e.g., climate) or biotic (e.g., other conspecifics). We investigated how adaptation to biotic, heritable environments differs from adaptation to abiotic, nonheritable environments. We found that, for the same selection coefficients, the coadaptive process between genes and heritable environments is much faster than genetic adaptation to an abiotic nonheritable environment. The increased rate of adaptation results from the positive association generated by reciprocal selection between the heritable environment and the genes responding to it. These associations result in a runaway process of adaptive coevolution, even when the genes creating the heritable environment and genes responding to the heritable environment are unlinked. Although tightening the degree of linkage accelerates the coadaptive process, the acceleration caused by a comparable amount of inbreeding is greater, because inbreeding has a cumulative effect on reducing functional recombination over generations. Our results suggest that that adaptation to local abiotic environmental variation may result in the rapid diversification of populations and subsequent reproductive isolation not directly but rather via its effects on heritable environments and the genes responding to them.     

Some aspects of forest soil and litter ecology in the Dawyck Cryptogamic Sanctuary with a particular reference to fungi

Here we report on ecology and biodiversity of fungi in a unique mycological sanctuary in Britain, where data on species composition have been collected since 1994. To complement the biodiversity data by the information on the fungal ecological interactions and their role in the overall ecosystem functioning, soil properties and the composition of forest litter and field layer, bacterial population numbers and fungal biomass (in terms of ergosterol) were measured in 8 plots covered with different vegetations (beech, birch, birch-oak-beech, grass) over a May–Aug. period, and the results were analysed by correlation analysis and stepwise regression modelling together with data on protozoa and nematodes available from parallel research. The results highlighted the complexity of factors influencing temporal dynamics and spatial variability of fungal biomass in soil and forest litter. Most of the registered interactions appeared to be transient, and this should be taken into account while interpreting environmental observations. Interpretation of the specific relationships is given and implications for further research and overall ecosystem functioning are discussed.     

Elevated volatile concentrations in high‐nutrient plants: do insect herbivores pay a high price for good food?

1. A tritrophic perspective is fundamental for understanding the drivers of insect–plant interactions. While host plant traits can directly affect insect herbivore performance by either inhibiting or altering the nutritional benefits of consumption, they can also have an indirect effect on herbivores by influencing rates of predation or parasitism. 2. Enhancing soil nutrients available to trees of the genus Eucalyptus consistently modifies plant traits, typically improving the nutritional quality of the foliage for insect herbivores. We hypothesised that resulting increases in volatile essential oils could have an indirect negative effect on eucalypt‐feeding herbivores by providing their natural enemies with stronger host/prey location cues. 3. Eucalyptus tereticornis Smith seedlings were grown under low‐ and high‐nutrient conditions and the consequences for the release of volatile cues from damaged plants were examined. The influence of 1,8‐cineole (the major volatile terpene in many Eucalyptus species) on rates of predation on model caterpillars in the field was then examined. 4. It was found that the emission of cineole increased significantly after damage (artificial or herbivore), but continued only when damage was sustained by herbivore feeding. Importantly, more cineole was emitted from high‐ than low‐nutrient seedlings given an equivalent amount of damage. In the field, predation was significantly greater on model caterpillars baited with cineole than on unbaited models. 5. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that any performance benefits insect herbivores derive from feeding on high‐nutrient eucalypt foliage could be at least partially offset by an increased risk of predation or parasitism via increased emission of attractive volatiles.     

北京市水果消费的生态足迹距离研究

采用生态足迹距离指标方法体系,对2009年至2012年间北京市水果消费的生态足迹距离进行研究。结果表明4年间:跨区转移的生态承载力质量距离,由2009年的11.5×10~8t km逐年增加到了2012年的17.01×10~8t km,共增加了47.91%;生态足迹距离则相对稳定在886.66 km至1073.55 km之间;人均生态足迹距离,总体上由2009年的4.39×10~4km增加到2012年的5.55×104km,共增加了26.42%。从类别的视角,年均生态足迹距离最大的是香蕉(2072 km),最小的是苹果(476 km);年均跨区转移的生物承载力质量距离,最大的是西瓜(4978×10~8kg km),最小的是香蕉(518×10~8kg km);而4年平均人均生态足迹距离,最大的是西瓜(17.7×10~4km),最小的是香蕉(1.92×10~4km)。快速城市化阶段的北京,对外生态依赖范围也迅速扩大,并高于人口增加的速率。     

Early Tertiary out-of-India dispersal of Crypteroniaceae: evidence from phylogeny and molecular dating

Abstract.— Pylogenetic analyses and molecular dating estimates based on chloroplast DNA sequences were used to establish the relationships of the southern and Southeast Asian Crypteroniaceae and elucidate their biogeographic history. Maximum parsimony and likelihood analyses of rbc L sequences suggested that Crypteroniaceae should be restricted to Crypteronia , Axinandra , and Dactylocladus and that Crypteroniaceae, so defined, are sister to a clade formed by three small African taxa (Oliniaceae, Penaeaceae, and Rhynchocalycaceae) and the monotypic Central and South American Alzateaceae. Three molecular dating approaches (maximum-likelihood under a molecular clock, Langley-Fitch, and penalized-likelihood) were used to infer the age of Crypteroniaceae using both paleobotanic and geologic calibrations. Comparisons among these three methods revealed significant lineage effects in rbc L sequences. Clock-independent dating estimates suggested that divergence of Crypteroniaceae from its African and South American relatives coincided with the breakup of Gondwana, and that India likely served as a "raft" transporting Crypteroniaceae to Asia, with later expansion to Southeast Asia. To our knowledge, Crypteroniaceae are the first plant group for which the out-of-India hypothesis is well corroborated by molecular-based estimates of divergence times.     

How Precisely Do Bonobos (Pan paniscus) Grasp Small Objects?

The general objective of this study was to compare the precise grasping behavior and intermanual differences in performance between three Pan paniscus and five Homo sapiens in grasping small objects. We compared the temporal pattern of two submovements of consecutive grasping cycles, the (visuomotor) reaching and the (sensorimotor) grasping. Both species were similarly successful in this task, they showed a behavioral right-hand preference and preferred specific types of grips. Bonobos required less time for reaching an object but a much longer time to grasp it than humans did. Thus, the species pursued different strategies. We assumed that this might be due to the different grip techniques. However, grip preferences did not serve a quicker intramanual performance but they pronounced differences between hands. Intermanual differences in timing were restricted to the reaching part and more strongly in bonobos than in humans. However, the right hand need not necessarily perform quicker. As in the case of humans, we assume that attentional cues were focused more on preparing a proper grip with the right hand than on a quick performance. However, strong intermanual differences in bonobos may indicate an overall stronger neuronal asymmetry in the motor organization of the finger musculature that prepare a proper grip than is true of humans.     

Evolution of mutualism through spatial effects

Mutualism among species is ubiquitous in natural ecosystems but its evolution is not well understood. We provided a simple lattice model to clarify the importance of spatial structure for the evolution of mutualism. We assumed reproductive rates of two species are modified through interaction between species and examine conditions where mutualists of both species, that give some benefit to the other species with their own cost, invade non-mutualists populations. When dispersal of offspring is unlimited, we verified the evolution of mutualism is impossible under any condition. On the other hand, when the dispersal is limited to neighboring lattice sites, mutualists can invade if the ratio of cost to benefit is low and the intrinsic reproductive rate is low in case where the parameter values are symmetric between species. Under the same conditions, non-mutualists cannot invade mutualist populations, that is, the latter are evolutionarily stable. In case of asymmetric parameters, mutualists tend to invade if the average value of costs to two species is low or that of benefits is high, and if the intrinsic reproductive rate is low for one of the two species. A mechanistic explanation of why mutualists increase when the dispersal is limited is given by showing that mutualist pairs of the two species at the same lattice site rapidly increase at the initial phase of the invasion.     

Eco-hydrological effects of landscape pattern change

Scientists and environmental managers alike are increasingly concerned about landscape pattern change and its effect on hydrological and ecological processes. In this paper, research progress is reviewed and key issues of eco-hydrological effects of landscape pattern change are discussed. There are different eco-hydrological effects with landscape pattern change, and most attention is paid to runoff, water quality, and soil loss. Landscape shape and spatial distribution can change precipitation-runoff processes and lead to the change in runoff yield. Water quality is closely connected with the composition and spatial pattern of source and sink landscapes. Soil erosion systems are usually modified by land use structure and landscape pattern, and soil loss will be either reduced or increased with land use change. In addition, the change of landscape pattern also has potential impacts on climate and soil quality. In future studies, more attention should be paid to comprehensive multi-scale and integrated research of landscape pattern and eco-hydrological processes.     

地中海沿岸沙丘微生境对幼苗出现时空格局的影响

实验样地设在地中海沿岸沙丘,选择了3个不同的微生境代表：(1)稳定沙丘上的开阔地片段,(2)稳定沙丘上的灌丛下区域,(3)不稳定沙丘的路径区域;从2001年11月至2002年4月的整个生长季节,每一个微生境出现的幼苗在4个日期被监测,并在每一个取样日把每一株幼苗鉴定、计数后,用剪刀把地上部分移去;研究调查了3种微生境幼苗出现的时空分布格局,并分析了雨量与幼苗出现数量的关系。结果发现：在地中海沿岸沙丘生态系统,幼苗出现在时间上具有明显的分布特征,大多数幼苗出现在第一观测期,整个生长季幼苗都不断出现,但幼苗出现的数目却逐渐下降;各功能群的幼苗占幼苗总数的比例分别为：1年生阔叶草47．4％,多年生阔叶草2．5％,豆科植物17,0％,菊科植物14．5％,1年生禾草为11．7％,多年生禾草为1．9％,十字花科植物3．7％,伞形科植物1,4％。在空间上,总幼苗密度、物种丰富度和物种多样性等显示出重要的微生境差异,开阔地区域具有最大的幼苗密度、物种丰富度和物种多样性;3个微生境的幼苗出现不是同步的,微生境影响种子萌发的时间分布格局,灌丛下种子萌发具有滞后现象;大多数功能群的幼苗密度分布基本上具有显著的微生境差异,主要物种的幼苗分布也具有显著的微生境差异。雨量和萌发的幼苗数量间未发现显著的关系。