Predator and detritivore niche width helps to explain biocomplexity of experimental detritus-based food webs in four aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

In the study of food webs, the existence and explanation of recurring patterns, such as the scale invariance of linkage density, predator–prey ratios and mean chain length, constitute long-standing issues. Our study focused on litter-associated food webs and explored the influence of detritivore and predator niche width (as δ¹³C range) on web topological structure. To compare patterns within and between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and take account of intra-habitat variability, we constructed 42 macroinvertebrate patch-scale webs in four different habitats (lake, lagoon, beech forest and cornfield), using an experimental approach with litterbags. The results suggest that although web differences exist between ecosystems, patterns are more similar within than between aquatic and terrestrial web types. In accordance with optimal foraging theory, we found that the niche width of predators and prey increased with the number of predators and prey taxa as a proportion of total taxa in the community. The tendency was more marked in terrestrial ecosystems and can be explained by a lower per capita food level than in aquatic ecosystems, particularly evident for predators. In accordance with these results, the number of links increased with the number of species but with a significantly sharper regression slope for terrestrial ecosystems. As a consequence, linkage density, which was found to be directly correlated to niche width, increased with the total number of species in terrestrial webs, whereas it did not change significantly in aquatic ones, where connectance scaled negatively with the total number of species. In both types of ecosystem, web robustness to rare species removal increased with connectance and the niche width of predators. In conclusion, although limited to litter-associated macroinvertebrate assemblages, this study highlights structural differences and similarities between aquatic and terrestrial detrital webs, providing field evidence of the central role of niche width in determining the structure of detritus-based food webs and posing foraging optimisation constraints as a general mechanistic explanation of food web complexity differences within and between ecosystem types.     

Source-sink landscape theory and its ecological significance

Exploring the relatiouships between landscape pattern and ecological processes is the key topic of landscape ecology,for which,a large number of indices as well as landscape pattern analysis model were developed.However,one problem faced by landscape ecologists is that it is hard to link the landscape indices with a specific ecological process.Linking landscape pattern and ecological processes has become a challenge for landscape ecologists."Source" and "sink" are common concepts used in air pollution research,by which the movement direction and pattern of different pollutants in air can be clearly identified.In fact,for any ecological process,the research can be considered as a balance between the source and the sink in space.Thus,the concepts of "source" and "sink" could be implemented to the research of landscape pattern and ecological processes.In this paper,a theory of sourcesink landscape was proposed,which include:(1) In the research of landscape pattern and ecological process,all landscape types can be divided into two groups,"source"landscape and "sink" landscape."Source" landscape contributes positively to the ecological process,while "sink" landscape is unhelpful to the ecological process.(2) Both landscapes are recognized with regard to the specific ecological process."Source" landscape in a target ecological process may change into a "sink"landscape as in another ecological process.Therefore,the ecological process should be determined before "source"or "sink" landscape were defined.(3) The key point to distinguish "source" landscape from "sink" landscape is to quantify the effect of landscape on ecological process.The positive effect is made by "source" landscape,and the negative effect by "sink" landscape.(4) For the same ecological process,the contribution of "source" landscapes may vary,and it is the same to the "sink"landscapes.It is required to determine the weight of each landscape type on ecological processes.(5) The sourcesink principle can be applied to non-point source pollution control,biologic diversity protection,urban heat island effect mitigation,etc.However,the landscape evaluation models need to be calibrated respectively,because different ecological processes correspond with different source-sink landscapes and evaluation models for the different study areas.This theory is helpful to further study landscape pattern and ecological process,and offers a basis for new landscape index design.     

Ornament size and colour as alternative strategies for effective communication in gliding lizards

Sexual ornamentation needs to be conspicuous to be effective in attracting potential mates and defending territories and indeed, a multitude of ways exists to achieve this. Two principal mechanisms for increasing conspicuousness are to increase the ornament's colour or brightness contrast against the background and to increase the size of the ornament. We assessed the relationship between the colour and size of the dewlap, a large extendible throat‐fan, across a range of species of gliding lizards (Agamidae; genus Draco) from Malaysia and the Philippines. We found a negative relationship across species between colour contrast against the background and dewlap size in males, but not in females, suggesting that males of different species use increasing colour contrast and dewlap size as alternative strategies for effective communication. Male dewlap size also increases with increasing sexual size dimorphism, and dewlap colour and brightness contrast increase with increasing sexual dichromatism in colour and brightness, respectively, suggesting that sexual selection may act on both dewlap size and colour. We further found evidence that relative predation intensity, as measured from predator attacks on models placed in the field, may play a role in the choice of strategy (high chromatic contrast or large dewlap area) a species employs. More broadly, these results highlight that each component in a signal (such as colour or size) may be influenced by different selection pressures and that by assessing components individually, we can gain a greater understanding of the evolution of signal diversity.     

Entomophagous insects – an introduction

This special issue contains papers presented at the 6th International Entomophagous Insects Conference. Entomophagous insects consume other insects. They are a fundamental component of ecosystems and are extensively used as biocontrol agents. The first article reviews the role of ladybirds in biological control and the second reviews the biological control of stink bugs. The following nine research articles cover the rearing, behavior, life history, and ecology of parasitoid and predator species.     

Genetic population structure of Natterer's bats explained by mating at swarming sites and philopatry

During autumn 'swarming', large numbers of temperate bats chase each other in and around underground sites. Swarming has been proposed to be a mating event, allowing interbreeding between bats from otherwise isolated summer colonies. We studied the population structure of the Natterer's bat (Myotis nattereri), a swarming species in northern England, by sampling bats at seven sites in two swarming areas and at 11 summer colonies. Analysis of molecular variance (amova) and genetic assignment analyses showed that the swarming areas (60 km apart) support significantly different populations. A negative correlation was found between the distance of a summer colony from a swarming area and the assignment of bats to that area. High gene diversity was found at all sites (HE = 0.79) suggesting high gene flow. This was supported by a low FST (0.017) among summer colonies and the absence of isolation by distance or substructure among colonies which visit one swarming area. The FST, although low, was significantly different from zero, which could be explained by a combination of female philopatry and male-mediated gene flow through mating at swarming sites with bats from other colonies. Modelling suggested that if effective size of the summer colonies (Ne) was low to moderate (10-30), all mating must occur at the swarming sites to account for the observed FST. If the Ne was higher (50), in addition to random mating during swarming, there may be nonrandom mating at swarming sites or some within-colony mating. Conservation of swarming sites that support potentially large populations is discussed.     

基于结构方程模型分析森林生态安全的影响因素

森林生态安全是维持国家生态安全的重要基础,也是人类生存的必要环境。森林不仅为人类提供木材和其他林副产品等实物价值,还具有美化环境、固碳释氧、涵养水源、防风固沙等生态服务价值,对维持生态平衡有重要作用。生态安全的相关研究多集中在构建评价指标评价森林生态安全,研究内容相对单一,而针对林业生态-产业共生关系的研究,并没有对林业产业类型进行区分,其次,林业产业发展对森林生态安全的影响研究较少。针对上述问题,在考虑产业分类的基础上,基于PSR理论和狭义的森林生态安全定义,利用31个省(市、自治区)3年的林业统计数据,运用PLS结构方程模型分析林业产业发展、森林生态保护对森林生态安全的影响及影响的大小,并分析了各地区森林生态保护的响应活动,为林业产业发展和森林生态保护的政策制定提供依据,从而促进林业的可持续发展。基于上述分析得出如下结果:(1)林业产业发展对森林生态安全无显著影响,但有部分子产业有森林生态安全有影响;(2)林业一产发展对森林生态安全有显著地直接影响,路径系数为0.175,间接影响不显著;(3)林业二产和三产发展对森林生态安全的直接影响和间接都不显著;(4)三类产业对林业产业发展的影响均显著,影响的大小分别为林业二产(0.636)、林业一产(0.204)、林业三产(0.151);(5)森林生态保护对森林生态安全有显著地直接影响,路径系数为0.619;(6)相对于其他地区,西部的森林生态保护活动积极性不高。由此得出如下结论:林业产业发展及林业二产、林业三产对森林生态安全未形成压力,只有林业一产发展对森林生态安全产生了正压力,需进一步加强林业产业结构的调整;加大保护响应力度对森林生态安全的影响大于合理利用的正压力;加强西部区域的森林生态保护力度,提高森林生态安全。     

The dynamics and retention of phosphorus in lentic and lotic patches of two river-lake systems

Two river-lake systems in a mosaic, lowland postglacial landscape (Masurian and Suwalskie Lakelands, northeastern Poland) of different length and flow were studied. The concentration of total and dissolved phosphorus (in water and in seston) and the retention of these two forms of P were analysed at several hydrological occasions in lakes of various morphometry and trophy, and in several stream fragments. The concentration and retention is equally highly variable in lake (lentic patches) and stream fragments (lotic patches) of the system. The polluted stream fragments at all occassions as well as the lakes in summer, are mainly exporting phoshorus. The patches which act as sources occur alternatively with patches which are P-sinks. This makes the whole system more or less balanced with respect to P movement in the landscape.     

A new Spanish species of the genus Ononis L.(Fabaceae)

The name Ononis rentonarensis is proposed for a new Spanish species belonging to Ononis section Matrix subsection Rhodanlhae, whose distribution is restricted to a few localities in northeastern Alicante Province (E.Spain). Its morphological features, ecology and main relationships and differences with other Spanish species in the subsection are discussed.