南极大陆沿海湖泊生态结构研究

南极大陆沿海地带是南极海、陆、冰的交集带,它同时受到来自海洋、大陆冰以及人类活动的影响,因而成为南极生态环境最脆弱的环节。存在于该地带的许多湖泊,因其各自的地理环境和发育过程,以及所受诸多外部因子如气候、降水等的不同影响,不同湖泊中水体的理化因子差异很大,由此造成湖泊中生物种类分布和生态结构的显著不同。本文报道了对南极大陆沿海维斯特福尔德丘陵和拉斯曼丘陵等地湖泊中以浮游生物为主体,各类生物的组成分布和群落结构进行考察研究的结果,并分析讨论了不同类型湖泊的生物多样性、生物营养结构及其与环境的关系,为深入研究全球气候变化对南极区域环境的影响,和制订南极生态环境保护决策提供科学依据。     

Evolutionary convergence of the highly adapted desert rodent Tympanoctomys barrerae (Octodontidae)

Octodontid rodents have a long evolutionary history in arid landscapes of South America. The red vizcacha rat, Tympanoctomys barrerae , is a monotypic, micro-endemic species that inhabits salt pan-sand dune habitats in west-central Argentina. Its natural history is almost unknown. We present an analysis of the ecology, morphology, behavior, and physiology of the red vizcacha rat and assess the overall degree of convergence of this species with rodents that inhabit similar habitats in different deserts. Our results show that Tympanoctomys barrerae is highly adapted to salt flat basin habitats. Its diet of halophytic vegetation with a high salt content, and physiological and anatomical traits related to salt consumption, are similar to those found in some members of the families Heteromyidae (Dipodomys microps) of North America, and Muridae (Psammomys obesus and Rhombomys opimus) of Africa and Asia. Similarities include feeding behavior, diet composition, kidney morphology, and urine concentration, among other traits. Tympanoctomys barrerae is more similar to these desert rodents than it is to confamilials that do not feed on halophytes.     

Study on ecological structures of coastal lakes in Antarctic continent

Coastal region on the Antarctic continent, where it is under the influences both of ocean and ice sheet, as well as frequent human activities, could be considered as a fragile zone in Antarctic ecological environment. There are many lakes in coastal region, showing much differences from each other in physical-chemical features because of individual evolutionary history in their geographical environments, and suffering from different outside factors, such as climate changes and precipitation. Thus, it results in respective biological distribution and ecological structure in lakes. The present paper reports the results from the studies of chemical components, species distributions and community structures, which mainly consisted of planktons in lakes in the Vestfold Hills (68°38′S, 78°06′E), and the Larsemann Hills (69°30′S, 76°20′E), East Antarctica. It also treats the biological diversities and nutrient relationships of these different types of lakes. So as to provide more scientific basis for monitoring of climate changes and environmental protection in Antarctica.     

Historical genetics on a sediment core from a Kenyan lake: intraspecific genotype turnover in a tropical rotifer is related to past environmental changes

Using molecular genetic methods and an ancient DNA approach, we studied population and species succession of rotifers of the genus Brachionus in the Kenyan alkaline-saline crater lake Sonachi since the beginning of the 19th century as well as distribution of Brachionus haplotypes in recent and historic sediments of other lakes of the East African Rift System. The sediment core record of Lake Sonachi displays haplotypes of a distinct evolutionary lineage in all increments. Populations were dominated by a single mitochondrial haplotype for a period of 150 years, and two putatively intraspecific turnovers in dominance occurred. Both changes are concordant with major environmental perturbations documented by a profound visible change in sediment composition of the core. The first change was very abrupt and occurred after the deposition of volcanic ash at the beginning of the 19th century. The second change coincides with a major lake level lowstand during the 1940s. It was preceded by a period of successively declining lake level, in which two other haplotypes appeared in the lake. One of these putatively belongs to another species documented in historical and recent Kenyan lake sediments. The analysis of plankton population dynamics through historical time can reveal patterns of population persistence and turnover in relation to environmental changes.     

Red deer in New Zealand: Game animal,economic resource or environmental pest?

The 150‐year history of red deer in New Zealand reflects changing relations between people and introduced animals and has involved recreational, environmental and commercial hunting. Hunters initially pursued red deer for recreation then for environmental control before the animals were subsumed into society's economic processes. After 1930, they were regarded as environmental pests and hunting was open to all. Commercial hunting started after World War II, when economic value redefined the relationship between red deer and people. Relations between people and red deer continued to evolve as New Zealanders generated progressively more refined understandings of nature and the place of introduced species in this country's diverse environments.     

海平面变化与南极大陆沿海西福尔丘陵湖泊环境演变

对东南极大陆沿海西福尔丘陵 ( Vestfold Hills,68°38′S,78°0 6′E)若干主要湖泊及其周边环境进行了现代生态学和古生态学研究。分析了不同类型湖泊的地理地貌环境和理化要素的动态特征、生态群落结构类型。利用湖岸古化石的生态组成与放射性同位素测定资料 ,推断了晚更新世以来随着全球海平面变化 ,该地区所经历的海侵、海退及其地理地貌改变过程 ,尤其重现了本区 1 80 0 0年以来因两次海侵而发生的湖泊生态演替过程。本文首次推出了该区海成湖泊 4种环境演化模式 ,认为这些湖泊环境演化模式不仅是区域环境生态历史演变的缩影 ,而且也是现今南极局部环境变化和全球气候变化的具体反映     

Effects of climatic changes on anisakid nematodes in polar regions

Anisakid nematodes are common in Antarctic, sub-Antarctic, and Arctic areas. Current distributional knowledge of anisakids in the polar regions is reviewed. Climatic variables influence the occurrence and abundance of anisakids, directly influencing their free-living larval stages and also indirectly influencing their predominantly invertebrate (but also vertebrate) hosts. As these parasites can also be pathogenic for humans, the paucity of information available is a source of additional hazard. As fish are a major human dietary component in Arctic and Antarctic areas, and are often eaten without heat processing, a high risk of infection by anisakid larvae might be expected. The present level of knowledge, particularly relating to anisakid larval stages present in fishes, is far from satisfactory. Preliminary molecular studies have revealed the presence of species complexes. Contemporary climate warming is modifying the marine environment and may result in an extension of time during which anisakid eggs can persist and hatch, and of the time period during which newly hatched larvae remain viable. As a result there may be an increase in the extent of anisakid distribution. Continued warming will modify the composition of the parasitic nematode fauna of marine animals, due to changes in feeding habits, as the warming of the sea and any localised reduction in salinity (from freshwater runoff) can be expected to bring about changes in the species composition of pelagic and benthic invertebrates.     

Factors Influencing Species Composition in Canopy Gaps: The Importance of Edge Proximity in Hueston Woods,Ohio

In this research, we attempt to quantify the factors structuring woody species composition within forest gaps in the interior of Hueston Woods Nature Preserve, Ohio. Our results indicate that composition is related not only to factors commonly cited in other studies, including disturbance history, topographic position, and environmental factors (e.g., gap age, soil pH, slope, and aspect), but also to the proximity of forest edge communities. Partitioning of species variation to environmental factors, spatial factors, and spatially structured environmental factors reinforces the importance of both environment and edge proximity in explaining gap composition. These findings underscore the need for a more complete understanding of the potential impacts of edge effects in fragmented landscapes.     

Sea level change and environmental evolution of coastal lakes in Vestfold Hills, Antarctica

Ecological and palaeoecological studies were carried out in a series of lakes in the Vestfold Hills (68°38′S, 78°06′E) on eastern Antarctic continent. Dynamics types of the lakes in environmental geomorphology and physic chemistry, as well as features of biological community structures in different lakes were analyzed. Marine macro and micro fossils collected from the terraces and beaches surrounding these lakes and determined in 14 C radiocarbon ages to be the Late Pleistocene, were used as evidences to show the evolutionary processes of the lakes after sea level changes and transgressions since 18000 a B.P.. Basic modals of evolution for the lakes given in the paper could be regarded as not only explaining the history of environmental and ecological changes in VH lakes, and also reflecting of local environmental evolution in Antarctic region and global climate changes from past to present time.     

沙坡头地区铁路两侧流沙上人工植被的生态效果

包兰铁路通过的沙坡头地区, 位于腾格里沙漠东南缘, 地貌为起伏连绵的高大格状流动沙丘。因地处西北内陆, 加之地势较高, 具有降雨少而集中, 气候干旱, 温度变化剧烈和风大沙多、植被稀少的特点。是典型的半荒漠地带。     

Factors Influencing Species Composition in Canopy Gaps: The Importance of Edge Proximity in Hueston Woods,Ohio

In this research, we attempt to quantify the factors structuring woody species composition within forest gaps in the interior of Hueston Woods Nature Preserve, Ohio. Our results indicate that composition is related not only to factors commonly cited in other studies, including disturbance history, topographic position, and environmental factors (e.g., gap age, soil pH, slope, and aspect), but also to the proximity of forest edge communities. Partitioning of species variation to environmental factors, spatial factors, and spatially structured environmental factors reinforces the importance of both environment and edge proximity in explaining gap composition. These findings underscore the need for a more complete understanding of the potential impacts of edge effects in fragmented landscapes.     

Piospheres in the dry Chaco. Contrasting effects of livestock puestos on forest vegetation and bird communities

In arid and semiarid ecosystems, the congregation of livestock around water sources gives rise to a utilization gradient termed the “piosphere pattern”. We evaluated piospheres surrounding the puestos livestock management system in the Chaco dry forests of Argentina. We sampled vegetation and bird communities around eighteen puestos and we fitted curves to describe the responses of vegetation and bird community variables to the distance from the puestos. We used Partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis to evaluate the organization of bird guilds constrained by vegetation variables and the distance from the puestos. Vegetation structure increased with the distance from the puestos. In contrast, the abundance of most bird's guilds decreased with distance from the puestos, likely in response to the gradient in resources associated to the water source, food and changes in vegetation. Rare or low abundance bird species peaked at intermediate or long distances from the puestos. Our results concur with studies characterizing the puestos as a focus of vegetation degradation, but the analysis of the avian community shows that the nature of this piosphere is more complex, as is a favorable habitat for some ecological groups.     

石芝珊瑚（Fungiidae）的分类、生活史及其生物地理研究进展

石芝珊瑚（Fungiidae）作为珊瑚礁生态系统框架的主要构建者之一,以其丰富的物种多样性、独特的移动性和对环境变化的强适应性,在维持珊瑚礁生态系统的稳定中起重要作用。文章综述了国内外对石芝珊瑚的研究进展,包括：1）物种多样性;石芝珊瑚可起源于白垩纪中期,现共有17属、约55种,具有多样化的进化分歧与丰富的物种多样性。2）生活史（繁殖、营养模式、生长发育与移动性）;石芝珊瑚具备独特的生活史策略,双向性别转换（bidirectional sex conversion）可增强石芝珊瑚种群的繁殖成功率与环境适应性,而成体移动性（adult mobility）则能够有效拓宽石芝珊瑚生态位,并提高其种群的竞争力与恢复力。3）空间分布模式（跨大陆架分布、珊瑚礁地貌带分布与纬向分布）及影响因素;石芝珊瑚是全球性的珊瑚物种,其能够在岩石、沙地、淤泥等多样化的生境中存活,具有广阔的生物地理分布范围。基于目前石芝珊瑚的研究进展,建议从以下3个方面开展进一步研究：1）基于形态学与分子分类,厘定南海石芝珊瑚科的谱系,阐明南海石芝珊瑚物种多样性的演变规律及驱动机制;2）依托宏观生态调查,揭示石芝珊瑚在南海不同纬...     

土库曼斯坦物种多样性及其与中国新疆的比较

土库曼斯坦与中国新疆在地理地形、景观带以及气候特征等诸多方面具有相似之处,这些因素共同决定了二者在物种多样性方面的相似性与可比性,加之人类活动影响加剧,两地物种多样性均遭受着严重的威胁。在对土库曼斯坦和中国新疆现有物种多样性数据进行总结的基础上,分析了二者的物种多样性现状、珍稀动植物特征以及濒危种和入侵种相关研究进展,对比了二者在物种多样性年际尺度上的异同,总结了土库曼斯坦与中国新疆物种多样性保护现状与相关政策,以期为深入开展两地生物多样性合作与交流提供支持。     

Holocene environmental changes of the Hwajinpo Lagoon on the eastern coast of Korea

Lithologic and geochemical data of a core from the Hwajinpo Lagoon, located on the eastern coast of Korea, provided the evolutionary history of the lagoon related to Holocene sea-level changes of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Grain size analysis, water content analysis, and soft X-ray analysis of core samples were used to reconstruct sedimentary environments, as were total organic carbon, C/N, S and C/S chemical records. Assemblages of mollusc and diatom remains also provided paleoenvironmental information. The reconstruction of paleoenvironments from these multi-proxy data allows the establishment of an evolutionary model of the Hwajinpo Lagoon. The environmental changes of the Hwajinpo Lagoon can be divided into seven different depositional facies: (l) Exposed basement rock; (2) Estuarine; (3) Stagnant brackish lagoon (isolated); (4) Oxic condition lagoon (organic activity); (5) Fresh water lake; (6) Oxic brackish lagoon (recent condition); (7) Prograding river delta. These environmental changes can be related to sea-level change during the Holocene. The trends of sea-level change in the Hwajinpo Lagoon from this study can be compared to those of the Japanese coastal areas located on the other side of the East Sea such as Lakes Shinji and Nakaumi.     

Adaptations and lifestyle in polar marine environments: a biological challenge for the study of fish evolution

The climatic features of Antarctic waters are more extreme and constant than in the Arctic. The Antarctic has been isolated and cold longer than the Arctic. The polar ichthyofaunas differ in age, endemism, taxonomy, zoogeographic distinctiveness and physiological tolerance to environmental parameters. The Arctic is the connection between the Antarctic and the temperate-tropical systems. Paradigmatic comparisons of the pathways of adaptive evolution of fish from both poles address the oxygen-transport system and the antifreezes of northern and southern species, (i) Haemoglobin evolution has included adaptations at the biochemical, physiological and molecular levels. Within the study of the molecular bases offish cold adaptation, and taking advantage of the information on haemoglobin amino acid sequence, we analysed the evolutionary history of the α and β globins of Antarctic, Arctic and temperate haemoglobins as a basis for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships. In the trees, the constant physico-chemical conditions of the Antarctic waters are matched by clear grouping of globin sequences, whereas the variability typical of the Arctic ecosystem corresponds to high sequence variation, reflected by scattered intermediate positions between the Antarctic and non-Antarctic clades. (ii) Antifreeze (glyco)proteins and peptides allow polar fish to survive at sub-zero temperatures. In Antarctic Notothenioidei the antifreeze gene evolved from a trypsinogen-like serine protease gene. In the Arctic polar cod the genome contains genes which encode nearly identical proteins, but have evolved from a different genomic locus–a case of convergent evolution.     

Acacia communities and species responses to soil and climate gradients in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa

Abiotic environmental factors have a major impact on the distribution and performance of plant species. In order to assess two major species–environmental relations in Sudano-Sahelian Acacia woodlands, we tested the relationship of soil and climate variables on plant diversity as well as on species responses.The indicator species values clustered in five vegetation units characterized by three to ten diagnostic species with woody species richness means varying from three to seven species per 0.09 ha. The NMS ordination explained 65% of the variation in species composition and revealed that soil properties, annual precipitations and temperature range structured the diversity of Acacia communities. Along the annual precipitations gradient, the response of Acacia polyacantha and Acacia hockii showed maxima in the wettest zone of our study area (more than 850 mm/year) whilst Acacia laeta showed a maximum response in the driest zone (below 500 mm/year). The unimodal response of A. hockii, Acacia gourmaensis and Acacia seyal to the soil available water gradient spanned their central borders, respectively from 13 to 18% (optimum 16%), 11–20% (optimum 15%) and 4–12% (optimum 7.5%).The response of Acacia communities and species to soil and climate gradients, makes them performant afforestation species in specific habitats of the Sudano-Sahelian zone.     

Effects of early season defoliation ofAnthyllis cytisoides(a Mediterranean browse species) on further herbivore attack

To determine if defoliation of a woody plant affects foraging by folivorous insects, we examined the infection rate (number of leaves damaged per total number of leaves sampled on marked stems) ofAnthyllis cytisoidesunder three experimental treatments: 10, 50 and 90% plant defoliation. Observations were made for three age classes, established by trunk base perimeter (equal to or lower than 11 cm, between 11 and 20 cm, larger than 20 cm). Plants respond positively to artificial defoliation by increasing total vegetative length of the stem and total inflorescence length. This response is most evident in young individuals.Response to herbivory was measured as overall infection rate and also as infection rate by different feeding guilds—chewing, mining, or sucking insects. We found that increased defoliation elicited increased resistance of leaves to insect attack. This was particularly evident in young plants. Different insect guilds respond in different ways. Attack by chewing insects declines with defoliation for all plant age classes; only sucking insects which feed on the oldest plants reduce feeding rate with plant defoliation. Finally, mining insects present the opposite trend in young and senescent plants.     

Climatic niche breadth can explain variation in geographical range size of alpine and subalpine plants

Understanding the environmental factors determining the distribution of species with different range sizes can provide valuable insights for evolutionary ecology and conservation biology in the face of expected climate change. However, little is known about what determines the variation in geographical and elevational ranges of alpine and subalpine plant species. Here, we examined the relationship between geographical and elevational range sizes for 80 endemic rhododendron species in China using Spearman’s rank-order correlation. We ran the species distribution model – maximum entropy modelling (MaxEnt) – with 27 environmental variables. The importance of each variable to the model prediction was compared for species groups with different geographical and elevational range sizes. Our results showed that the correlation between geographical and elevational range sizes of rhododendron species was not significant. Climate-related variables were found to be the most important factors in shaping the distributional ranges of alpine and subalpine plant species across China. Species with geographically and elevationally narrow ranges had distinct niche requirements. For geographical ranges, the narrow-ranged species showed less tolerance to niche conditions than the wide-ranged species. For elevational ranges, compared with the wide-ranged species, the narrow-ranged species showed an equivalent niche breadth, but occurred at different niche position along the environmental gradient. Our findings suggest that over large spatial extents the elevational range size can be a complementary trait of alpine and subalpine plant species to geographical range size. Climatic niche breadth, especially the range of seasonal variability, can explain species’ geographical range sizes. Changes in climate may influence the distribution of rhododendrons, with the effects likely being felt most by species with either a narrow geographical or narrow elevational range.     

Palaeoenyironments and human impact at Burraga Swamp in Montane rainforest,Barrington tops National Park,New South Wales,Australia

Palaeoecological studies have identified the broad patterns of environmental and climate change in highland south‐eastern Australia, but the detail of human impact on a variety of parameters and their interlinkages is largely missing. This study compares the erosion, productivity, fire and vegetation history in prehistoric and historical times at Burraga Swamp in montane rainforest in New South Wales. The known human impact is meagre; the major presently sustained impacts involve forestry in the surrounding sclerophyll forests and a low level of visits to the swamp by day‐walkers. While no significant changes in the largely oligotrophic conditions or in fire frequency were detected, changes in erosion rates and some vegetation change can be attributed to impacts since European settlement. There has been a small decline in eucalypts and a loss of fern cover, while grasses, Urtica and exotic species have expanded. It is clear that upland sites are sensitive to environmental change including low‐level human impact.