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Biodiversity is the material basis for human survival. At present, the conservation of biodiversity is mainly carried out through nature reserves. As an essential supplement to the existing nature reserve systems in China, the mini reserve is an essential means to connect fragmented habitats for animals and plants and maintain the integrity of ecosystems. This study systematically collates and analyzes the organizational structure, system construction, daily work, and preliminary results of the community-based Qu'nan mini reserve through a literature review and field investigations. The results are as follows: (1) The construction of the Qu'nan mini reserve is based on the mindset of “self-construction, self-financing, self-management, and self-benefit”. It is managed mainly by “equal discussion and democratic consultation” which has been recognized and supported by local community residents, the local government, and the outside world. (2) The establishment, construction, and development of the mini reserve have not only enhance the protection awareness of community residents and increase the number and diversity of surrounding animal and plant populations. It also improves the living environment of the Qu'nan community and enriches the spiritual culture of residents, significantly contributing to the protection of local biodiversity and traditional culture. In addition, this paper also discusses the hidden dangers in the construction of conservation communities. Some feasible suggestions are proposed to provide a reference for developing biodiversity conservation and other mini reserves in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural areas are the main reserves of biodiversity resources and are also important distribution areas for China' s natural re⁃ serves. Opportunity cost, as the main cost of the construction of natural reserves, is a potential driving factor in the spatial distribution of natural reserves. This study analyzed the decision-making mechanism of natural reserves from the perspective of county-level govern⁃ ments, using county-level panel data from 2005 to 2018 to empirically analyze the impact of opportunity cost in rural areas on the distri⁃ bution of natural reserves, and discussed the impact according to the location and level of natural reserves. On this basis, this study fur⁃ ther explored the impact of opportunity cost on the individual scale of natural reserves. The results showed that: ① In general, opportu⁃ nity cost was an important factor in determining the distribution of natural reserves. There was a significant negative relationship be⁃ tween the opportunity cost and natural reserve areas. Each 1% increase in the opportunity cost would reduce the natural reserve areas by 0.679%. ② In the eastern and central regions, opportunity cost had a significant negative impact on the natural reserve areas, while in the western and northeastern regions, opportunity cost had no significant impact on the natural reserve areas. ③ Opportunity cost had a significant negative impact on the areas of local-level natural reserves, while having no significant impact on the areas of national-lev⁃ el natural reserves. ④ As the opportunity cost increased, the size of a single natural reserve had a tendency to shrink, which could alle⁃ viate the pressure of the opportunity cost. However, the habitat of the reserve faced the risk of fragmentation, which was not conducive to biodiversity conservation. We suggest that in the process of further optimizing the layout of natural reserves, China should fully con⁃ sider the impact of opportunity cost in rural areas on the establishment and management of natural reserves, improve the multi-function⁃ al protected area system with national parks as the main body, strictly approve the adjustment of the scope and functional areas of natu⁃ ral reserves at all levels, include objects with high ecological protection value and rich biodiversity in the protection system, and estab⁃ lish a diversified and market-based ecological compensation mechanism for natural reserves to alleviate the conflict between the con⁃ struction of natural reserves and the development of surrounding communities, so as to achieve the dual goals of biodiversity conserva⁃ tion and economic development in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The objective of the present study is to reveal the composition and seasonal variations of soil macrofauna communities in Cryptomeria fortunei plantations. [Method] Two Cryptomeria fortunei plantations were selected in the Baishuihe Nature Reserve, Sichuan province, and soil macrofauna communities were investigated in November 2019 and February, June and August 2020. The macrofauna at soil depths of 0 -15 cm were collected by hand-sorting. [Result] A total of 160 individuals of soil macrofauna were collected during this study and identified into 3 phyla, 5 orders and 44 taxa. On average, the macrofauna density was 26. 67 ind · m-2. The macrofauna communities were dominated by Diptera larvae and Coleoptera larvae, accounting for 38. 13 % and 16. 25% of the total number of soil macrofauna, respectively. The soil macrofauna were mainly herbivores. The Morisita-Horn similarity indexes between sampling months were higher than the Sorensen similarity indexes, indicating that the month effect on the community composition of the soil macrofauna communities was stronger than that on the abundances of the dominant groups. The abundance, taxonomic group, Shannon index, Margalef index, Pielou index, Simpson index of the soil macrofauna communities changed non-significantly among months. Similar responses were found for the abundances of herbivores, predators, detritivores, omnivores and other trophic groups. The results showed that the soil macrofauna communities were not sensitive to seasonal changes. Diptera larvae and Coleoptera larvae varied significantly among months (P < 0. 05 or 0. 001). And Diptera larvae were recorded only in February and June. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen were significantly and positively correlated with the abundance, richness, Margalef index the soil macrofauna communities, and the abundances of other orders and omnivorous (P < 0. 05 or 0. 001). The results showed that soil organic matter and total nitrogen were the main factors that determined the abundances and diversities of the soil insect communities. [Conclusion] All results suggest that the abundance and diversity of the soil macrofauna communities in Cryptomeria fortunei plantations have no significant seasonal difference, but the seasonal variation of taxonomic composition of the macrofauna communities is obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Southwest of Hubei Province, there are four national nature reserves, namely Houhe, Mulinzi, Qizimeishan and Xingdoushan. Together they form a interconnecting protected area in which rare animals and plants are similar and complementing each other. At the same time, its rich landform types and water resources created an excellent living environment for bryophytes. This paper used the method of combining field investigations and published records to analyze the species richness and composition of bryophytes in these national nature reserves of Southwest Hubei, and to compare the diversity of bryophytes with those in Southeast Chongqing and Northwest Hunan. The results were as follows:(1)There were 601 species of bryophytes of 197 genera and 77 families in the national nature reserve group of Southwest Hubei, accounting for 19.89% and 71.46% of the total number of bryophytes in China and Hubei, respectively. Among them, 27 species are endemic to China, 15 families and 91 genera have only one species each.(2)There are some similarities and complementarities among bryophytes in the four national nature reserves within the national nature reserve group, it conforms to the principle of biodiversity conservation in China.(3)The bryophytes flora compositions in the national nature reserve group in Southwest Hubei are diverse, and the number of bryophytes species is significantly higher than that in Southeast Chongqing and Northwest Hunan. Therefore, the national nature reserve group in Southwest Hubei not only effectively protects large-sized rare and endangered plants and animals, but also nurtures a rich and diverse bryophytes flora, thus an important area for of the conservation bryophytes diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]