黑水鸡的繁殖生态观察

2004年5月～2008年10月,对牡丹江市人民公园内野生黑水鸡 Gallinula chloropus(Linnaeus)的繁殖行为进行观察.结果 表明,黑水鸡在觅食地的取食、休息、理羽等行为在一天中有几个高峰,取食高峰4:00～8:00和16:00～18:00,休息高峰12:00～16:00和18:00～20:00,理羽高峰12:00～14:00和18:00～20:00, 巢址选择在长有茂密植物的浅水区,筑巢期2～3 d,巢高平均为30.53 cm, 巢深平均为9.58 cm, 窝卵数4～10枚不等,平均为7.2枚,孵化期为15～17 d, 孵化率为90.7%.     

论中国自然保护区的面积上限

中国从195 6年开始建设自然保护区,其间经过了一个较长的停滞时期之后,到2 0 0 2年底,中国建立了15 5 1个自然保护区,面积达14 14 86 6 km2 ,占国土面积14 .7%。中国自然保护区面积占国土面积的比例已经在2 0 0 2年末超过世界先进水平,然而,目前中国自然保护区的数量仍在增长。由于目前中国的自然保护区是严格意义的保护区,于是,作者提出应区分严格保护的自然保护区与广义的自然保护地,发展一个由不同保护目的、不同保护程度、合理布局的自然保护区组成的综合自然保护区体系,结合经济发展水平建设自然保护区的思想。估算了现阶段自然保护区的基本建设投入与管护费用,探讨了建设和管理2 0 0 2年末中国自然保护区的资金需求。还提出研究中国自然保护区中人口、中国国土面积及分类和中国各种类型土地的适宜保护面积,探讨“在中国多大的国土面积可以建设为自然保护区?”这一命题,从保存生物物种、生物资源、主要生态系统、可持续利用方面研究中国自然保护地的面积上限。     

Reciprocity and partner preference in grooming of female blue monkeys

Grooming among adult and older juvenile females in a wild group of blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni) is analyzed and related to agonistic behavior. Both grooming and agonistic behavior were less frequent than would be expected in baboon and macaque groups. Fair shares of grooming were given and taken, both within and between interactions, in amost dyads, and all females were seen to groom with at least half the others. The reciprovity of grooming was its most outstanding feature. There was no evidence that grooming was preferentially directed at kin. Frequent grooming partnerships fell into two clusters, one of which ranked higher than the other. We suggest that grooming throughout the group helps to establish a coherent team of females which effectively, defends its territory in daily encounters at the boundaries with neighboring groups.     

Implications of assumption violation in density estimates of antelope from dung-heap counts: a case study on grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) in Zimbabwe

Dung‐heap counts were used to estimate density of grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia Linnaeus 1758) in the Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe. To test assumptions of this method, defecation rate and defecation site selection were investigated under captive and field conditions, and densities were compared with independent estimates derived from territory mapping. Many assumptions were violated: males defecated more frequently than females with mean dry mass per deposit greater in females, but total daily faecal production was similar between sexes. Spatial distribution of faeces was clumped, and 52.8% of locations contained multiple deposits. Duikers exhibited habitat type preferences (i.e. low‐ to medium‐density woodland) with herbaceous layer heights 40–100 cm and visibility >20 m. Calculated grey duiker density from dung‐heap counts in cleared plots was 9.7 ± 1.3 animals km⁻², approximately double the territory‐mapping estimate based on Minimum Convex Polygons (5.13 animals km⁻²) but similar to the 75% Fixed Kernel estimate (10.95 animals km⁻²). Provided that sex ratios approach parity and sampled area is representative of all utilized habitats, violation of basic assumptions of the dung‐heap count method has a minor effect on density estimate accuracy.     

Charitable State-Controlled Foundation Human Tissue and Cell Research: Ethic and Legal Aspects in the Supply of Surgically Removed Human Tissue For Research in the Academic and Commercial Sector in Germany

Tissue engineering using human cells and tissue has one of the greatest scientific and economical potential in the coming years. There are public concerns during the ongoing discussion about future trends in life sciences and if ethic boundaries might be respected sufficiently in the course of striving for industrial profit and scientific knowledge. Until now, the legal situation of using human tissue material for research is not clear. Accordingly, transparency of action and patients' information are a central component when handling patient material inside and outside of the patient-specific treatment. Whereas in the field of therapeutic use of tissue (e.g. transplantation) there is an emergency situation by the shortage of organs with the risk of the premature death of the potential recipient, this cannot be claimed for tissue donation for research. The basis of every surgical operation is the treatment contract, which places the doctor under obligation to the careful exercise of medical treatment containing the patient's informed consent. This contract only covers the treatment that is intended to cure the patient and the medical measures that are necessary therefor. The further scientific use of body-substances, which are discarded after an operation, are not included. Therefore a personal and independent written enlightenment of the patient and a declaration of informed consent is necessary. Examples of guidelines for tissue supply, Patients information and consent were worked out by theologists, lawyers, scientists and physicians reflecting their practical experience in transplant surgery and liver cell research. As a consequence to cover the ethical and legal aspect of tissue donation in Germany a charitable state-controlled foundation Human Tissue and Cell Research (HTCR) was introduced and established.     

Overlapping territory of a benthophagous fish, Goniistius zonatus (Teleostei: Cheilodactylidae)

Overlapping territories of a benthophagous morwong, Goniistius zonatus, were studied at two temperate water locations (Morode and Arakashi) in southern Japan. At both locations, total length (TL) of the fish inhabiting the study areas ranged from 12 cm to 34 cm, but fish 20–25 cm TL were not found in the Arakashi study area. At Morode, individuals maintained territories against conspecifics of similar size, and the territories broadly overlapped among three size classes (small < 20 cm medium <25 cm large). At Arakashi, large-sized fish chased individuals of both the same- and medium-sized individuals from their territories, resulting in territory overlap only between large and small size classes. The territories were apparently maintained for feeding, as the main activity of the fish within the territories was foraging and no reproductive behavior was observed at either location. All fish foraged on similar substrates in the daytime. At Morode, however, the diet composition differed among different size classes, whereas at Arakashi, fish of all sizes fed on quite similar foods. A comparison between the two populations indicates that the territory overlap among the three size classes at Morode may have resulted from food-resource partitioning.     

人类记忆的所有权效应及其认知神经机制

人们对属于自己的物品比属于他人的物品更容易回忆和再认,即便物品和主体的所有权关联仅仅是暂时的和想象的,这称之为记忆的所有权效应.该效应在非常年幼的幼儿和一些认知缺陷的个体身上也会出现.跨文化研究表明,东方文化的个体和西方文化的个体在该效应的表现上也存在差异.该效应可能是由于对自我相关的项目进行深度语义加工的结果,但其早期阶段可能是因为获得了更多的注意资源分配.自我选择和身体活动的具身化在该效应中起着调节作用.当注视属于自己的项目时,P300等成分波幅明显增强,这为注意在记忆的所有权效应中的作用提供了脑电方面的支持.当被试对分类任务中属于自己的物品进行再认时,会导致内侧前额叶皮质、扣带回皮质、缘上回和顶叶等皮质中线结构的激活.未来研究需要考虑奖赏加工等其他的认知加工在这一效应中的作用,并尝试利用灵长类动物的研究从进化角度对这一现象进行解释.考察认知障碍个体执行该任务时的脑机制,有助于进一步完善本领域的研究.     

Overlapping territory of the benthophagous cichlid fish, Lobochilotes labiatus, in Lake Tanganyika

Synopsis Feeding territories do not usually overlap in the same fish species. We studied overlapping territories and feeding behaviours of a benthophagous cichlid fish Lobochilotes labiatus Boulenger in a coastal area of Lake Tanganyika. Forty-four individuals of both sexes, 6–31 cm in total length, maintained territories in a 21 m × 25 m area. These could be regarded as feeding territories. The territories of similar-sized owners (usually different by less than 5 cm) did not overlap each other, but those of different-sized owners overlapped widely. Aggressive interactions were rarely observed between fish distinctly different in body size. Both large and small fish took benthic animals of the same kinds and of similar size. In contrast, the size of foraging sites (crevices) was different between them: the large fish foraged at large crevices and small fish at small crevices. This partitioning of foraging sites may enable the overlap of territories in this benthivore.     

Spatial distribution and habitats of useful plants: an initial assessment for conservation on an indigenous territory, Panama

In order to examine the spatial distribution of forest resources on local territories and to understand the factors controlling such distributions, we studied the spatial patterns of a group of 23 useful plant species on the territory of a Kuna community in the province of Darien, Panama. A stratified random sampling scheme was used to survey the distribution and abundance of the species across a 3500 ha area around the village. Data on the physical environment as well as the geographic coordinates of the sample plots were also obtained. A series of canonical analyses was conducted to evaluate the species–environment relationships and to identify spatial structures in the species distributions left unexplained by the environmental variables. Four distinct distribution patterns were identified among the species; these were most strongly explained by land-use, the degree of canopy closure and topography. Significant spatial structures, independent of the measured environmental variables, were related to anthropogenic pressure and an edaphic gradient, and the habitat associations of the individual species were described. The results obtained from this case study suggest that land-use dynamics may play a predominant role in structuring inhabited landscapes, and that diversity in distribution patterns and habitat associations will require a combination of spatially explicit management strategies to ensure the local resource base.