Inconsistent detection of extinction debts using different methods

The extinction debt, delayed species extinctions following landscape degradation, is a widely discussed concept. But a consensus about the prevalence of extinctions debts is hindered by a multiplicity of methods and a lack of comparisons among habitats. We applied three contrasting species–area relationship methods to test for plant community extinction debts in three habitats which had different degradation histories over the last century: calcareous grassland, heathland and woodland. These methods differ in their data requirements, with the first two using information on past and current habitat area alongside current species richness, whilst the last method also requires data on past species richness. The most data‐intensive, and hence arguably most reliable method, identified extinction debts across all habitats for specialist species, whilst the other methods did not. All methods detected an extinction debt in calcareous grassland, which had undergone the most severe degradation. We conclude that some methods failed to detect an extinction debt, particularly in habitats that have undergone moderate degradation. Data on past species numbers are required for the most reliable method; as such data are rare, extinction debts may be under‐reported.     

应用型本科高校围绕解决生物工程专业复杂工程问题能力培养的课程体系思考与构建

准确把握专业复杂工程问题的特征与内涵是设置专业毕业要求、构建课程体系、设计教学内容的重要前提。文中通过讨论生物产业的复杂工程问题特征,挖掘长三角地区生物产业对于本科层次人才的需求,总结岗位典型任务和要求,阐述了典型任务中包含的复杂工程问题的内涵。在此基础上构建了多阶段培养解决生物工程专业复杂工程问题能力的课程体系。该课程体系结合产教深度融合的医药生物技术学院、教师科研反哺教学项目建设、课程团队与一流课程建设、覆盖全员的学生专业社团建设等多种措施,更好地支撑了解决复杂工程问题能力的培养。     

不同放牧强度对赛罕乌拉草原蜘蛛多样性的影响

蜘蛛作为草原生态系统中的主要消费者, 对维系草原生物多样性和生态系统功能具有重大意义。放牧是人类利用草原最普遍的方式, 了解放牧对蜘蛛多样性的影响具有重要生态学意义。本研究调查了内蒙古赛罕乌拉草原上5个不同放牧强度样地中的蜘蛛多样性, 通过单因素方差分析(one-way analysis of variance)比较各样地中的蜘蛛多样性, 非度量多维标度分析(non-metric multidimensional scale, NMDS)和相似性分析(analysis of similarities, ANOSIM)比较各样地间的蜘蛛物种组成相似性, 再结合相关性分析探讨了植被高度对蜘蛛多样性的影响。结果表明: 重度放牧强度样地的蜘蛛多样性显著低于其他未放牧及轻度放牧样地; 具体到常见科上, 放牧强度对织网型的园蛛物种数和个体数影响显著, 而对游猎型的狼蛛、跳蛛却不明显; 织网型蜘蛛主要受植被结构影响, 而游猎型蜘蛛更可能受潜在猎物可得性的影响。NMDS分析表明不同放牧强度下, 蜘蛛类群的物种组成呈现明显的梯度变化, 放牧强度越低, 物种组成和未放牧样地越相近。相关性分析表明草原植被高度与蜘蛛多样性总体上呈正相关关系, 即植被高度越高, 蜘蛛多样性越高。其中依靠植物构建蛛网的园蛛科和在植物上层伏击猎物的蟹蛛科、逍遥蛛科等与植被高度显著相关。这说明植物资源及其空间异质性可能对草原蜘蛛多样性起着主导作用。因此, 降低放牧强度有助于保护草原蜘蛛群落的多样性, 特别有利于织网型蜘蛛。     

The interplay between local and landscape scales on the density of pond-dwelling anurans in subtropical grasslands

We investigated the role of local and landscape environmental variables on anurans density classified as habitat specialists and generalists in grassland landscapes, known as South Brazilian grasslands (SBG). In this region, we surveyed 187 ponds distributed over 40 landscape sampling units. For each pond, 31 local environmental variables were measured. Each landscape sampling unit was embedded within a larger regional sampling unit with different landscape properties. For each landscape and regional sampling units, 16 landscape metrics were extracted from a land cover and use map. We recorded 35 species, eleven of which are specialists in the SBG. The specialists were affected by 11 local and 2 landscape environmental variables, while generalists were affected by 14 local and one landscape environmental variable. Thus, specialists and generalists presented different relationships with local and landscape variables, but in general local variables had a greater influence on the density of anurans than the landscape variables. However, the landscape indirectly influenced local variables because higher quality ponds were in landscapes with higher percentages of natural habitat. In conclusion, reproductive sites with higher local quality and located within landscapes with higher percentages of natural grasslands are essential to conserve anurans in this habitat. Effective conservation of such sites would benefit from further studies that assess effects of land use and biotic integrity of ponds, which can help to determine (a) the relative effects of local habitat quality of ponds and (b) the effectiveness of protecting ponds and their local surroundings for anuran conservation in SBG. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

The acceptability of meadow plants to the slug Deroceras reticulatum and implications for grassland restoration

Background and Aims

Despite the selective pressure slugs may exert on seedling recruitment there is a lack of information in this context within grassland restoration studies. Selective grazing is influenced by interspecific differences in acceptability. As part of a larger study of how slug–seedling interactions may influence upland hay meadow restoration, an assessment of relative acceptability is made for seedlings of meadow plants to the slug, Deroceras reticulatum.

Methods

Slug feeding damage to seedling monocultures of 23 meadow species and Brassica napus was assessed in microcosms over 14 d. The severity and rate of damage incurred by each plant species was analysed with a generalized additive mixed model. Plant species were then ranked for their relative acceptability.

Key Results

Interspecific variation in relative acceptability suggested seedlings of meadow species form a hierarchy of acceptability to D. reticulatum. The four most acceptable species were Achillea millefolium and the grasses Holcus lanatus, Poa trivialis and Festuca rubra. Trifolium pratense was acceptable to D. reticulatum and was the second highest ranking forb species. The most unacceptable species were mainly forbs associated with the target grassland, and included Geranium sylvaticum, Rumex acetosa, Leontodon hispidus and the grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. A strong positive correlation was found for mean cumulative feeding damage and cumulative seedling mortality at day 14.

Conclusions

Highly unacceptable species to D. reticulatum are unlikely to be selectively grazed by slugs during the seedling recruitment phase, and were predominantly target restoration species. Seedlings of highly acceptable species may be less likely to survive slug herbivory and contribute to seedling recruitment at restoration sites. Selective slug herbivory, influenced by acceptability, may influence community-level processes if seedling recruitment and establishment of key functional species, such as T. pratense is reduced.     

TAXONOMIC STATUS OF

Association of Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis with large herbivores is well documented, but there are few records of their association with large birds. Here we describe the first-known records of foraging interactions between Shoebill Balaeniceps rex and Cattle Egrets. The observations were made at the Malagarasi-Muyovozi Ramsar Site in western Tanzania. Small flocks of egrets approached and foraged within 5 m of a Shoebill, which was sometimes forced to move from its hunting pool and by doing so it likely flushed more prey for egrets. Interactions occurred almost exclusively in the driest months, which suggested that prey were more difficult to locate by egrets during this period. The Shoebill inhabits inaccessible swamps and is a rare species with low density throughout its range. It is therefore possible that egret–Shoebill associations, in addition to being infrequent and highly seasonal, may have gone unnoticed.     

Altitudinal Distribution of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria in Alpine Grassland Soils Along the South-Facing Slope of Nyqentangula Mountains,Central Tibetan Plateau

Nitrogen is a major limiting nutrient for the net primary production of terrestrial ecosystems, especially on sentinel alpine ecosystem. Ammonia oxidation is the first and rate-limiting step on nitrification process and is thus crucial to nitrogen cycle. To decipher climatic influence on ammonia oxidizers, their communities were characterized by qPCR and clone sequencing by targeting amoA genes (encoding the alpha subunit of ammonia mono-oxygenase) in soils from 7 sites over an 800 m elevation transect (4400–5200 m a.s.l.), based on “space-to-time substitution” strategy, on a steppe-meadow ecosystem located on the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). Archaeal amoA abundance outnumbered bacterial amoA abundance at lower altitude (<4800 m a.s.l.), but bacterial amoA abundance was greater in surface soils at higher altitude (≥4800 m a.s.l.). Archaeal amoA abundance decreased with altitude in surface soil, while its abundance stayed relatively stable and was mostly greater than bacterial amoA abundance in subsurface soils. Conversely, bacterial amoA abundance gradually increased with altitude at all three soil depths. Statistical analysis indicated that altitude-dependent factors, in particular pH and precipitation, had a profound effect on the abundance and community of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, but only on the community composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea along the altitudinal gradient. These findings imply that the shifts in the relative abundance and/or community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea may result from the precipitation variation along the altitudinal gradient. Thus, we speculate that altitude-related factors (mainly precipitation variation combing changed pH), would play a vital role in affecting nitrification process on this alpine grassland ecosystem located at semi-arid area on TP.     

Soil carbon sequestration and land use change associated with biofuel production: empirical evidence

Soil organic carbon (SOC) change can be a major impact of land use change (LUC) associated with biofuel feedstock production. By collecting and analyzing data from worldwide field observations of major LUCs from cropland, grassland, and forest to lands producing biofuel crops (i.e. corn, switchgrass, Miscanthus, poplar, and willow), we were able to estimate SOC response ratios and sequestration rates and evaluate the effects of soil depth and time scale on SOC change. Both the amount and rate of SOC change were highly dependent on the specific land transition. Irrespective of soil depth or time horizon, cropland conversions resulted in an overall SOC gain of 6–14% relative to initial SOC level, while conversion from grassland or forest to corn (without residue removal) or poplar caused significant carbon loss (9–35%). No significant SOC changes were observed in land converted from grasslands or forests to switchgrass, Miscanthus, or willow. The SOC response ratios were similar in both 0–30 and 0–100 cm soil depths in most cases, suggesting SOC changes in deep soil and that use of top soil only for SOC accounting in biofuel life cycle analysis (LCA) might underestimate total SOC changes. Soil carbon sequestration rates varied greatly among studies and land transition types. Generally, the rates of SOC change tended to be the greatest during the 10 years following land conversion and had declined to approach 0 within about 20 years for most LUCs. Observed trends in SOC change were generally consistent with previous reports. Soil depth and duration of study significantly influence SOC change rates and so should be considered in carbon emission accounting in biofuel LCA. High uncertainty remains for many perennial systems and forest transitions, additional field trials, and modeling efforts are needed to draw conclusions about the site‐ and system‐specific rates and direction of change.     

Does Fire Trigger Seed Germination in the Neotropical Savannas? Experimental Tests with Six Cerrado Species

The Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) is a biodiversity hotspot with a history of fire that goes back as far as 10 million years. Fire has influenced the evolution of several aspects of the vegetation, including reproduction and life cycles. This study tested how fire by‐products such as heat and smoke affect the germination of six species common to two Cerrado open physiognomies: wet grasslands and the campo sujo (grassland with scattered shrubs and dwarf trees). We subjected seeds collected in northern Brazil to heat shock and smoke treatments, both separately and combined, using different temperatures, exposure times, and smoke concentrations in aqueous solutions. High temperatures and smoke did not break seed dormancy nor stimulate germination of the Cerrado study species. However, seeds were not killed by high temperatures, indicating that they are fire‐tolerant. Our findings differed from those of other fire‐prone ecosystems (mostly of Mediterranean vegetation), where fire stimulates germination. Moreover, we provide important information regarding germination strategies of non‐woody Cerrado plants, showing the importance of considering the tolerance of seeds to high temperatures when evaluating fire‐related traits in fire‐prone ecosystems.     

Sex differences in relationships between habitat use and reproductive performance in Soay sheep (Ovis aries)

The role of habitat use in generating individual variation in fitness has rarely been examined empirically in natural populations of long‐lived mammals, particularly for both sexes simultaneously. This is the case despite the increase in studies attempting to understand evolutionary change in such populations. Using data from the St. Kilda Soay sheep population, we quantified the association between lifetime reproductive performance (lifetime breeding and reproductive success) and the proportion of the home range covered by a key grass species, H. lanatus, for 490 females and 304 males. Increased H. lanatus cover was associated only with increased female lifetime reproductive success, but increased lifetime breeding success for both sexes, arising through increased male longevity and increased female fecundity. This work suggests that improved understanding of the causes and consequences of fitness differences will likely require us to better account for habitat‐derived individual variation, and to do so for the sexes appropriately.