Using distance sampling techniques to estimate bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) abundance at Turneffe Atoll,Belize

Reliable abundance estimates are critical for management and conservation of coastal small cetaceans. This is particularly important in developing countries where coastal human populations are increasing, the impacts of anthropogenic activities are often unknown, and the resources necessary to assess coastal cetaceans are limited. We adapted ship‐based line transect methods to small‐boat surveys to estimate the abundance of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at Turneffe Atoll, Belize. Using a systematic survey design with random start and uniform coverage, 34 dolphin clusters were sighted during small‐boat line transect surveys conducted in 2005–2006. Distance sampling methods estimated abundance at 216 individuals (CV = 27.7%, 95% CI = 126–370). Due to species rarity in the Atoll, small sample size, and potential violations in line transect assumptions, the estimate should be considered preliminary. Nevertheless, it provides up‐to‐date information on the status of a regional population in an area under increasing threat of habitat loss and prey depletion via uncontrolled development and unsustainable fishing. This information will be useful as Belize develops a new conservation initiative to create a comprehensive and resilient marine protected area system. Our study illustrates the application of distance sampling methods to small‐boat surveys to obtain abundance estimates of coastal cetaceans in a region lacking resources.     

Estimating demographic parameters for loggerhead sea turtles using mark–recapture data and a multistate model

The survival for adult loggerhead sea turtles from a saturation tagging study on Bald Head Island, NC, USA, was estimated using a multistate model with unobservable states to relax assumptions that are violated when survival is estimated from multistate models and produce more accurate estimates of survival, recapture, and breeding transition probabilities. The influence of time, trap dependence, and low site fidelity to the study nesting beach on survival and recapture were examined. The best model given the data included an imprecise site-fidelity effect on survival, constrained the reproductive cycle to 4 years, and contained a time effect on recapture rates. The estimate of annual survival for adult females was of 0.85, producing the highest estimate in the literature for loggerhead sea turtles. Multistate models should be applied to other nesting beach data for sea turtles to improve survival estimates and in turn the ability to model and manage populations.     

南京迈皋桥社区人群甲状腺功能减退症的流行研究

目的：研究南京迈皋桥社区人群甲状腺功能减退症（甲减）的流行特征。方法：采用随机整群抽样方法按全国城市人口普查的年龄构成在南京迈皋桥地区抽取≥20岁,5年之内不会动迁的常驻社区居民。采集空腹血清1540份,测定促甲状腺激素（TSH）、三碘甲状腺游氨酸（FT3）、游离甲状腺素（FT4）,甲状腺过氧化物酶抗体（TPOAb）、甲状腺球蛋白抗体（TGAb）。结果：（1）南京迈皋桥地区社区人群的临床甲减和亚临床甲减的患病率分别为0.45%,3.96%。（2）男性亚临床甲减的患病率低于女性（P〈0.01）,临床甲减患病率男女之间无显著差异（P〉0.05）。（3）男性不同年龄段间临床甲减和亚临床甲减的患病率均无差异（P〉0.05）。女性临床甲减的患病率有随年龄增加而升高的趋势（P=0.02）,50岁以上女性亚临床甲减患病率显著增高（P〈0.01）。结论：与临床甲减相比,南京社区人群的亚临床甲减患病率显著升高,应加强对其随访和早期防治。     

Host plants and natural enemies of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in China

Abstract The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, has been a destructive pest in China for over the past two decades. It is an extremely polyphagous insect, being recorded feeding on hundreds of host plants around the world. Potential host plants and natural enemies of B. tabaci in the south, southeast, middle, north and northwest of China were investigated during the last decade. In total 361 plant species from 89 families were recorded in our surveys. Plants in the families Compositae, Cruciferae, Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae and Leguminosae were the preferred host species for B. tabaci, which therefore suffered much damage from this devastating pest due to their high populations. In total, 56 species of parasitoids, 54 species of arthropod predators and seven species of entomopathogenic fungi were recorded in our surveys. Aphelinid parasitoids from Encarsia and Eretmocerus genera, lady beetles and lacewings in Coleoptera and Neuroptera were found to be the dominant arthropod predators of B. tabaci in China. The varieties of host plant, their distribution and the dominant species of natural enemies of B. tabaci in different regions of China are discussed.     

Rapid Simultaneous Estimation of Aboveground Biomass and Tree Diversity Across Neotropical Forests: A Comparison of Field Inventory Methods

A standardized rapid inventory method providing information on both tree species diversity and aboveground carbon stocks in tropical forests will be an important tool for evaluating efforts to conserve biodiversity and to estimate the carbon emissions that result from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Herein, we contrast five common plot methods differing in shape, size, and effort requirements to estimate tree diversity and aboveground tree biomass (AGB). We simulated the methods across six Neotropical forest sites that represent a broad gradient in forest structure, tree species richness, and floristic composition, and we assessed the relative performance of methods by evaluating the bias and precision of their estimates of AGB and tree diversity. For a given sample of forest area, a ‘several small’ (< 1 ha) sampling strategy led to a smaller coefficient of variation (CV) in the estimate of AGB than a ‘few large’ one. The effort (person‐days) required to achieve an accurate AGB estimate (< 10% CV), however, was greater for the smallest plots (0.1 ha) than for a compromise approach using 0.5 ha modified Gentry plots, which proved to be the most efficient method to estimate AGB across all forest types. Gentry plots were also the most efficient at providing accurate estimates of tree diversity (< 10% CV of Hill number). We recommend the use of the 0.5 ha modified Gentry plot method in future rapid inventories, and we discuss a set of criteria that should inform any choice of inventory method.     

Plant-parasitic nematodes associated with semi-temperate vegetables in the highlands of Benguet Province,Philippines

Thirteen genera (Aphelenchoides, Criconemella, Ditylenchus, Globodera, Helicotylenchus, Hoplolaimus, Meloidogyne, Longidorus, Paratrichodorus, Pratylenchus, Trichodorus, Tylenchus and Xiphinema) of plant-parasitic nematodes were found associated with 15 semi-temperate vegetable crops in Benguet Province, Philippines. Among these taxa, Helicotylenchus, Meloidogyne and Pratylenchus were the most predominant. Four taxa that can vector plant viruses were also found: Trichodorus, Paratrichodorus, Longidorus and Xiphinema. The taxa Paratrichodorus, Longidorus and Xiphinema have not been reported previously on semi-temperate vegetable crops in the Philippines. The most predominant nematode species were H. dihystera, P. penetrans and Meloidogyne spp. These nematodes were found abundantly in five out of the nine municipalities surveyed: Atok, Bakun, Buguias, Kibungan and Mankayan. The incidence of Criconemella sp., G. rostochiensis, Hoplolaimus sp., Longidorus sp., Trichodorus sp. and Tylenchus sp. was also recorded in at least one municipality. The predominant nematode species were also found on every vegetable crop examined. More particularly, H. dihystera was highly abundant on cucumber, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, sweet pepper, snap bean and onion; P. penetrans was highly abundant on carrot, celery, garden pea, broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Chinese mustard, onion, potato, radish and lettuce; Meloidogyne spp. were highly abundant on celery, cucumber, Chinese mustard, carrot, sweet pepper and potato. According to the formula by Fortuner and Merny (1973 Fortuner, R and Merny, G. 1973. Les nématodes parasites des racines associés au riz en Basse Casamance (Senegal) et en Gambie, Cahiers de l'Orstom. Série Biologique, 21: 3–20.  [Google Scholar]) for identifying the potential plant pathogens, these predominant nematode species were classified as potential pathogens with the ability to cause economic loss which shows that they are probably important active pathogens of these semi-temperate vegetables. The incidence of other nematode species in the rhizosphere included G. rostochiensis on sweet pepper, garden pea and potato; D. dipsaci on onion; Tylenchus sp. on lettuce, onion and broccoli; A. fragariae on carrot, lettuce, broccoli and onion; Criconemella sp. on cucumber and cauliflower; Longidorus sp. on carrot, celery, cucumber, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese mustard, snap beans, onion, potato and radish; X. americanum on lettuce, broccoli and onion; Paratrichodorus sp. on carrot, lettuce, onion and potato; and Trichodorus sp. on snap bean, potato and radish.     

Incidence and infection rate of Maize streak virus disease by Cicadulina triangular on maize plants and its distribution from the lowest diseased leaf under tropical conditions

Several programmes have been initiated for the development of maize varieties with resistance traits of Maize streak virus (MSV) by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, and have been released to farmers and research scientists. Therefore, a survey was conducted in five states in the south west of Nigeria (Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun) during the raining planting season to determine the incidence of MSV disease by visual examination and sero-diagnostic screening of symptomatic plants. The determination of infection rate of MSV disease by Cicadulina triangular on maize plant and its distribution from the lowest diseased leaf was also studied. The mean MSV disease incidence observed in these states was 35.95% which confirms the presence of MSV in the south west of Nigeria. Sero-diagnostic screening of virus-induced symptomatic leaf samples indicated that out of the 250 leaves sampled per state, 24.4% tested positive for MSV in Oyo, 25.6% in Ondo, 34% in Ogun, 19.6% in Ekiti and 38.8% in Osun. In two-week-old plants, symptoms developed on the leaves that were emerging at the time of inoculation, while in six-week-old plants, symptoms developed on the leaves directly below the emerging leaves irrespective of the number of C. triangular used. These suggest that the lowermost leaf with symptoms of the disease indicates the growth stage at which a plant was infected. There was a relationship between symptom expression and plant age which could be very effective when carrying out surveys to gather information for epidemiological studies. In addition, the 10 varieties of maize inoculated with MSV through C. triangular transmission showed no significant difference in disease severity over time irrespective of the number of C. triangular used.