南极中山站附近麦氏贼鸥食性研究

对东南极中山站附近麦氏贼鸥巢区和无巢贼鸥群栖地的贼鸥回吐渣团及其他食物残物进行收集、分析和鉴定 ,结果表明 ,本区麦氏贼鸥主要捕食雪　 ,其残物在食物项中的平均出现率为 6 7～ 80 %;同时贼鸥从本区几个考察站觅取人类遗弃的垃圾食物作为其重要的食物补充 ,垃圾食物的平均出现率为 6 .8～ 1 1 .6 %。不同巢区贼鸥对雪　的捕杀量和垃圾的需求差异较大 ,其主要与营巢地域的雪　分布密度以及摄食区的占有与否有关。     

Diet of a fossorial rodent (Octodontidae), above-ground food availability,and changes related to cattle grazing in the Central Monte (Argentina)

Overgrazing by livestock has caused desertification in the Monte, where ctenomyids and livestock share grasses as main food items. The diet of Ctenomys eremophilus, above-ground food availability and changes related to cattle grazing are analyzed in the arid plain of Mendoza, Argentina. The most available categories were grasses, followed by low shrubs and tall shrubs. Tuco-tucos showed dietary generalism, ate mainly above-ground plant parts, preferred grasses and avoided shrubs at both grazed and ungrazed sites. Plant cover, grass diversity and availability decreased under livestock grazing, which was reflected in the diet by a lower percentage of grasses, a shift toward low shrubs and higher number of frequently used resources. Tuco-tucos in the grazed paddock compensated for lower consumption of vegetative plant parts by increasing the use of Prosopis flexuosa pods stored inside burrows. Moreover, greater dietary variation among individuals suggests foraging restricted to the items closest to burrow holes. These feeding tactics would allow them to reduce above-ground foraging as a response to high raptor predation risk due to increased bare soil. The plant recovery detected during the rest period, favoured by moderate stocking rate and rotational grazing system, would allow coexistence of tuco-tucos and cattle.     

南极中山站附近麦氏贼鸥生态研究

1988年12月～1990年2月,在东南极拉斯曼丘陵南极中山站附近,对南极麦氏贼鸥的生态和生物学进行了观察。本文报道了麦氏贼鸥在该地区的栖息环境,活动规律,食性及繁殖生态等。     

Application of GIS to investigate the use of space in coral reef fish: a comparison of territorial behaviour in two Red Sea butterflyfishes

The space use of two coral‐feeding Red Sea butterflyfish species (Chaetodon austriacus and C. trifascialis) was studied at three sites in the Gulf of Aqaba to determine the extent of intraspecific territoriality. Individuals or pairs were observed in shallow water (<5 m). Their locations were recorded on maps of each study reef. The Animal Movement Analysis Extension (AMAE) in ArcView was used to plot territory borders and compute territory size for each species. Chaetodon austriacus, a generalist corallivore that exploited evenly distributed food resources, maintained small exclusive pair territories with clearly defined territory boundaries. In contrast, C. trifascialis, a specialist corallivore that exploited patchily distributed food resources, demonstrated considerable variation in territorial behaviour that ranged from the defence of small exclusive solitary territories to the shared use of a large home range. Comparisons of territory area estimates showed that 95% kernel probability density function territory boundaries matched intuitive territory boundaries and, unlike the minimum convex polygon area, did not contain obvious areas that were not used by individuals or pairs. We show that comparing different territory size measures can be very useful in describing subtle differences in territorial behaviour between species and studies. For this purpose, GIS is an ideal technology with which to carry out such analyses quickly and easily.     

Does land use matter in an arid Environment? A case study from the Hoanib River catchment, north-western Namibia

The effect of intensive grazing and browsing of domestic stock and wildlife on the number of species and abundance of vegetation was investigated in the Hoanib River catchment, north-western Namibia. The seasonal abundance of ground cover, bare earth, canopy cover, annual grass, perennial grass and annual forbs were measured in each of the focus-study areas. In three of the focus areas where the ranges of both domestic stock and wildlife were restricted either by fencing or water availability, impact on the vegetation was greatest. The final focus area was a more ‘open range’ system that allowed for the free movement of wildlife. Under these conditions the species abundance and availability of browsing and grazing was greater than the other focus areas during both the wet and dry seasons. However, very little difference in abundance and availability of vegetation was observed between focus areas in both seasons regardless of landuse. There is generally a low abundance of perennial grasses and browse species affording the ecosystem little resistance and resilience to disturbance caused by grazing and drought.     

Mazama gouazoubira (Cervidae) diet during the dry season in the arid Chaco of Córdoba (Argentina)

Grey brocket deer diet selection was studied during a period of water scarcity in the arid Chaco of Córdoba province, Argentina. Sampling took place during the dry season in and around Chancaní Provincial Reserve (Pocho department). Forty-eight fresh fecal samples were collected from 85 sampling plots located at random. Plant cover and abundance were used to estimate food availability. Diet composition was determined using microscopic analysis of brocket feces and resource selection was calculated using Ivlev’s Selectivity Index. Thirty-three plant species were identified in the diet. Fruits were found in high proportion (12.4%). Woody plants made up 67.7% of the diet; the most consumed species were Castela coccinea (23.1%), Maytenus spinosa (10.2%), Condalia microphylla (9.5%), Schinus fasciculatus (8.5%) and Ximena americana (7.4%). Mazama gouazoubira selects woody and succulent plants, while herbs are consumed according to availability and grasses in a proportion that is below what is available.     

Is the native deer Mazama gouazoubira threatened by competition for food with the exotic hare Lepus europaeus in the degraded Chaco in Córdoba, Argentina?

Using microhistological analysis of faeces, we studied the diets of the wild Chacoan Brown brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira) and the exotic European hare (Lepus europaeus) by comparing plant species frequency in faeces with plant species availability. Research was conducted in the dry southern portion of South American Chaco, in forests subjected to livestock ranching in the north of Córdoba province, Argentina. The diet of the Brown brocket deer was more closely related to forage availability (C=0.82195) than the diet of the European hare (C=0.38565). Dicots comprised 90% of the Brown brocket deer diet and were preferred throughout the year, while gramineous species were consumed in low amount. In the diet of the European hare, gramineous species were frequent (65 to 87%) and preferred in every season but in winter, when dicots were consumed in higher proportions (92%). Differences in feeding habits and in habitat use would allow both herbivores to coexist; however, probable competition for food with the European hare during the dry period, in addition to habitat loss, threatens survival of the Brown brocket deer.     

Monthly botanical composition of the diet of cattle in the rangelands of Mendoza plain, Argentina

Monthly botanical composition of cattle diet was determined for the period July 1994 to June 1995 in faecal samples by microhistological analysis. Principal components and cluster analyses were used to evaluate diet homogeneity among months. November through March diets were mainly composed of grasses and forbs (50 to 73%). During the April–September period, shrubs represented 36 to 57% of the overall diet. In October more than half the diet came from two species, one shrub (32%) and one grass (25%) making this month very different from the rest. The composition of cattle diets was significantly correlated with temperature and/or rainfall.     

Impact of the Arctic Fox Alopex lagopus on nesting success of geese in southeast Svalbard, 1989

Goose populations, with special emphasis on Light-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla hrota , were censured in Tusenøyane and Tjuvfjorden, southeast Svalbard, July-August 1989. A total of 425 non-breeding Brent Geese, 210 Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis and 421 Pink-footed Geese Anser bra-chyrhynchus and 11, 2 and 3 families of the three species, respectively, were counted. Brent Geese attempted to nest on 6 of the 20 islands surveyed, and were successful on four. Barnacle Geese attempted to nest on three islands and were successful on two. Many islands known to be traditional nesting sites were entirely void of geese. Pink-footed Geese were only seen in Tjuvfjorden. The breeding failure on the islands was linked to the presence of the Arctic Fox Alopex lagopus which probably caused the geese to completely give up the attempt to nest. On one island the fox had apparently arrived after nest initiation and ravaged 45 Brent Goose and Barnacle Goose nests. It is likely that the foxes stranded on the islands during ice break-up. As a consequence of the presence of foxes on most of Tusenøyane, more than half of the potential breeding segment of the Svalbard Brent Goose population failed to nest in the summer of 1989.     

金雕巢期行为谱及时间分配

2010年7～9月、2011年4～9月、2012年7月,采用焦点动物取样法,累计对新疆西北部别珍套山和阿拉套山巢期的5对金雕（Aquila chrysaetos）及其雏鸟观测89 d,行为记录911 h。制成金雕的行为谱,将各行为分为12类46种,并进行了相关描述。依据巢期的不同阶段（孵化期和育雏期）统计出各行为的时间分配：孵化期,亲鸟行为以孵卵为主（95.28%）;育雏期,亲鸟的各行为时间分配依次为,离巢（77.81%）、护幼（18.5%）、喂食（2.64%）、警戒（1.05%）,在育雏期的前（0～3周）、中（3～6周）、后（6-雏鸟离巢）阶段,护幼、喂食、离巢的时间分配差异极其显著（p<0.01）。雏鸟各行为时间分配依次为,休息（68.73%）、警戒（21.41%）、取食（5.56%）、运动（4.28%）、保养（1.02%）。育雏期的前、中、后阶段,雏鸟的休息、警戒和运动行为的时间分配差异极其显著（p<0.01）。行为时间分配的差异,主要受不同阶段金雕能量需求、身体发育状况的影响。     

Trophic preferences in an assemblage of mammal herbivores from Andean Puna (Northern Chile)

The patterns of plant consumption and preference were assessed for three mammal herbivores, the rodents Abrocoma cinerea and Chinchilla brevicaudata, and the camelid Vicugna vicugna, co-occurring in the Andean Puna (Chile). The plant proportion in the diet estimated from faeces epidermic materials was compared to transect plant cover. Although the harsh climatic conditions constrained plant availability (low vegetation, xerophytic species rich in secondary metabolites and structural carbohydrates) none of the mammals consumed plants according to their availability, displaying adaptations for efficient plant processing. V. vicugna, with a broad trophic niche, consumed short grasses and secondarily shrubs; C. brevicaudata also combined herbaceous plants and shrubs; and A. cinerea was specialised in shrub-eating. Although trophic overlap between the first two species was moderate, interactions were minimised by the mobility and low-impact grazing of V. vicugna. It is suggested that the diet of the three species differed due to their dissimilar abilities for responding to concentrations of secondary metabolites. The plants preferred by C. brevicaudata and V. vicugna did not carry high nutritional content but rather low content of secondary compounds. Conversely, A. cinerea was able to excrete terpenes, with metabolic costs compensated by the high energetic content of the plants eaten.     

Breeding biology of dark-bellied brent geese Branta b. bernicla in Taimyr in 1990 in the absence of arctic foxes and under favourable weather conditions

In combination with observations in spring staging and wintering grounds in western Europe, a detailed etho-ecological study of nesting dark-bellied brent geese Branta b. bernicla in western Taimyr, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, was made in 1990. Most brent geese arrived on the breeding grounds from 14–19 June and started nesting within a few days. In the study area 264 nests of breeding brent geese were found, mainly on islands but also along small rivers on the mainland. The mean clutch size was 3.0 and 80% of the eggs hatched. Time budget studies showed that incubating females spent on average 138 minutes per 24 hours on feeding. Despite favourable weather conditions and a low density of arctic foxes, only about one-third of the mature birds in the study area bred. In the autumn an intermediate breeding success of 20% juveniles was recorded in the wintering areas. This was probably due to the relatively poor condition in which the brent geese left their spring staging areas.     

Bird assemblages of arid Australia: Vegetation patterns have a greater effect than disturbance and resource pulses

Arid birds are known to be highly responsive to spatio-temporal changes in food and water availability, and it is thought that this ‘resource tracking’ will obscure predictable patterns of community structure. Here we examine this resource hypothesis by assessing assemblage structure of birds in relation to landscape-scale environmental variation in the Finke bioregion of arid inland Australia, during an exceptionally high and extended rainfall period. We surveyed 197 sites stratified according to land system, run-off/run-on elements and distance to water, and recorded 106 resident and nomadic species. Cluster analysis produced five assemblages, four of which could be readily linked to a specific habitat type. Constrained ordination (CCA) was carried out using 38 variables that measured environmental gradients, vegetation attributes, food and water availability, and disturbance level. Species patterns correlated most strongly with vegetation variables (woodland, chenopod, grassland, and % mulga cover), and % weed cover. By contrast resource variables (flowering, fruiting, and water proximity), introduced herbivores, and most structural variables were poor predictors of species presence. Thus, we showed that resource availability and grazing disturbance are not major drivers of Australian arid bird assemblage patterns. Instead, patterning relates more to the interaction between bird foraging behaviour and breeding requirements and vegetation assemblages.     

Growth forms,dispersal strategies and taxonomic spectrum in a semi-arid shrubland in SE Spain

We have identified the dispersal strategies of major growth forms in a semi-arid Mediterranean shrubland of Cabo de Gata Natural Park (SE Spain), testing (1) whether dispersal strategies and antitelechoric mechanisms vary among growth forms and families, and (2) whether dispersal traits that identify dispersal strategies can be used to predict different ways of plant survival in response to seasonal changes in their habitat. In the survey, the data of 17 dispersal traits were collected of 140 species and analysed using cluster analysis and nonlinear principal components analysis. For shrubs and forbs, low diaspore release height, spheroidal diaspores with a low mass and small size and a low to high diaspore number were associated with restricted spatial dispersal. In contrast, medium to high release height, relatively large and heavy diaspores varying in shape and a high diaspore number were associated with developed spatial dispersal (telechory). Telechory is higher in shrubs than in forbs and grasses, where atelechory/antitelechory predominate. Dispersal was synchronized mainly with the drought period (July and August) and the beginning of the rainy season (October–December). 68% of shrubs and 61.6% of forbs were anemochores, whereas zoochory (6% of shrubs) and ballistic species (8% of shrubs and 6.9% of forbs) were less common. Ombrohydrochory was well represented among forbs (27.3%) but rare among shrubs (4%). The main antitelechoric mechanisms were: bradyspory (30.7%), myxospermy (15.7%) and trypanocarpy (29.4%, only for grasses). Species with restricted spatial dispersal and antitelechoric mechanisms are well adapted to survival in semi-arid climatic conditions, and should be taken into consideration in conservation planning.     

Contrasting nutrient-capture strategies in shrubs and grasses of a Patagonian arid ecosystem

Shallow-rooted grasses and deep-rooted shrubs dominate arid ecosystems where nitrogen is concentrated in the upper layers of the soil and water is distributed throughout. Analysis of mineral nitrogen and absorption patterns using a tracer indicated that shrubs in Patagonia absorbed nutrients from the lower, relatively nutrient-poor layers of the soil. Are they, consequently, at a competitive disadvantage with grasses that have the opposite pattern? Studies of nitrogen economy indicated that shrub and grass species have similar N-use efficiency but that they achieve it through opposite mechanisms. Shrubs have a conservative N economy absorbing annually only small fraction of their N content, whereas grasses have a more open N economy. This study about N-capture strategies in conjunction with previous studies about water-use by shrubs and grasses in the Patagonian Steppe suggest a coupling of N and water-capture strategies. Our findings have implications for the response of arid and semiarid ecosystems to global warming, nitrogen deposition, and biodiversity change. For example, climate change scenarios predict, for most arid regions, decreases in moisture availability that will result in a reduction in deep water, which in turn will reduce shrub density and result in a less conservative nitrogen economy.     

Plant functional types and climate along a precipitation gradient in temperate grasslands, north-east China and south-east Mongolia

Using data from three field surveys along a precipitation gradient of temperate grasslands in north-east China (the Northeast China Transect, NECT) and south-east Mongolia, the spatial distribution of six plant functional types (PFTs): C₃ species, C₄ species, grasses, shrubs, forbs and succulents and their relationships with climate were analysed. The spatial distribution of different PFTs varies in different regions and in different grassland types of the study area. The species richness in each PFT also has different relationships with climate (significantly or not). Generally, the number of C₃ species, C₄ species, grasses and forbs have positive relationships with precipitation and aridity. Shrubs have negative relationship with precipitation and aridity. Succulents were found to have no relationship with precipitation and aridity. Shrubs, grasses and forbs have stronger relationships with precipitation than C₃ and C₄ species. The relationships between C₃ species, forbs and aridity are more significant than with precipitation. On a regional basis, the combined effect of precipitation and temperature, the aridity, is more significantly correlated with the distribution of C₃ species and forbs, which are more dominant in the study area, than with C₄ species, grasses and succulents.     

大庆龙凤湿地须浮鸥巢址选择研究

为了认知影响须浮鸥(Chlidonias hybridus)营巢的主要环境因素,于2011年6～7月,采用直接观察法和样方法在大庆龙凤湿地自然保护区内对须浮鸥的巢区进行了调查研究.在本次调查中共发现须浮鸥巢73个,逐巢进行了常规测量,并对须浮鸥巢址及附近无巢对照区域的生境进行了调查.主成分分析和独立样本t检验的结果表明,须浮鸥属于集群营巢,而影响须浮鸥巢址选择的主要因素依次为巢下水深、巢距植物距离、巢周明水面积、植物高度、植物密度和巢距干扰源距离.其中,前3个因素影响须浮鸥生境中食物的供给条件,后3个因素影响须浮鸥巢的隐蔽条件.须浮鸥选择巢址的条件是能提供丰富食物且具有较好隐蔽条件的生境.     

Spacing behaviour between two desert rodents, the golden spiny mouseAcomys russatusand the bushy-tailed gerbilSekeetamys calurus

Nest and feeding behaviour patterns were compared between two sympatric species, the bushy-tailed gerbilSekeetamys calurusand the golden spiny mouseAcomys russatus, in order to assess nest site and food as possible resources of competition. The way the species interact under laboratory conditions was also compared. WhileS. calurusused a nest into which they removed bedding material, only two out of sixA. russatusdid so, while in at least half of the studied cases they were found roosting outside of the nest inside the enclosure. When introduced into the same enclosure,S. caluruswas the dominant species and in five out of 12 casesS. calurusinhabited the nest abandoned byA. russatus, and in seven casesA. russatuswas found resting in the enclosure. UnlikeA. russatus,S. calurusaccumulated food inside its nest and also protected the food resource in the enclosure againstA. russatus. It seems that different nest and feeding behavioural patterns can reduce competition between these two sympatric species.     

植被富集持久性有机污染物研究进展

植被富集环境中持久性有机污染物(POPs)的途径有多种,其中以植物叶片富集大气POPs为主要的途径。因此,植被(地衣、苔藓、草地、松针和树皮)被广泛用作被动采样器,以动态地监测不同时间和空间尺度上大气POPs 的污染水平与特征。大气—植物的气体交换过程影响着POPs 的大气传输,进而影响POPs 在区域甚至全球尺度上的空间分布。研究发现,植被是POPs全球循环的"汇区"。植物富集的POPs会进入陆生食物链,并随食物链营养级的升高而产生生物放大效应,对人体健康产生潜在的威胁。本文简要介绍了植被对POPs富集的研究进展,综述了地衣、苔藓和草地作为被动采样器监测大气POPs时空分布的研究,并指出了目前研究中亟待解决的问题及未来可能的研究方向。     

南极长城站和中山站贼鸥种群生态学比较研究

对南极长城站和中山站两地的贼鸥种群进行包括营巢行为、觅食习性、种群变化、繁殖生态 ,以及贼鸥栖息地的地理和生态环境等的比较研究 ,结果表明两地贼鸥种群存在明显的生态学差异。这种差异不仅反映了贼鸥的生态习性与栖息地自然环境和生态结构的密切相关性 ,更体现了该种海鸟对南极不同生存环境极强的适应能力。人类活动以及贼鸥对人类废弃食物的依赖 ,在一定程度上改变动物食物结构 ,并对贼鸥生态习性乃至种群数量变化均产生一定影响。两地贼鸥种群通过改变觅食对策和调整产卵、孵化时间和延长育雏期等 ,达到对不同地理纬度和气候条件的适应 ,确保物种的延续