Search

Dynamics of demersal fish biomass is considered on results of trawl surveys conducted in Peter the Great Bay (Japan Sea) in 1977-2015. Fishery did not have a significant impact on this complex of fish species, including both fluctuating species (walleye pollock, arabesque greenling, pacific herring) and species with stable stock, because of low intensity. Annual landings in the bay were much lower than recommended volumes (TAC). However, a tendency to the total biomass decreasing was observed, accompanied with growth of the sculpins (Cottidae) portion in the ratio of species biomass. The sculpins prey on juveniles of many other species, so maybe their higher abundance was one of reasons for general depletion of the benthic fish community. Other predators, as marine mammals, were not abundant in Peter the Great Bay. For rational resource management, the fishery impact should be distributed proportionally between populations, taking into account their state, so both traditional commercial objects and predators with growing abundance should be landed. This ecosystem approach requires permanent monitoring to all groups of fish species.

The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition and nutritional value of the dominant species and subspecies of the grassland community Scorzoneretalia villosae. The research was carried out on the grasslands of the Cicarija plateau. In the collected samples of 17 dominant plants, the content of the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ash, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), in vitro digestibility of DM (IVDMD) and net energy for lactation (NEL) were determined. According to the spring content of CP and IVDMD, Hippocrepis comosa (CP 181 g/kg DM, IVDMD 63.5%), Scorzonera villosa (CP 121 g/kg DM, IVDMD 61.5%) and Satureja montana ssp. variegata (CP 83 g/kg DM, IVDMD 60.4%) were the most nutritious and very palatable for sheep while the most unfavorable chemical composition had Stipa pennata ssp. eriocaulis (NDF 790, ADF 396 and ADL 112 g/kg DM) and Brachypodium pinnatum ssp. rupestre (NDF 789, ADF 483 and ADL 86 g/kg DM). A high IVDMD was determined for Salvia pratensis (up to 70.6%) and Teucrium chamaedrys (67.1%), generally hepatotoxic species, but not toxic for the local herd. In this paper, nutrition indicators of collected species and subspecies are presented for the first time.

Background The Eurasian steppe is an important vegetation type characterized by cold, arid and nitrogen poor conditions. At the Eastern edge, including in the Songnen grassland, the vegetation is dominated by Leymus chinensis (henceforth L. chinensis) and is increasing threatened by elevated anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. L. chinensis is a perennial grass that mainly reproduces vegetatively and its sexual reproduction is limited. However, sexual reproduction plays an important role influencing colonization after large disturbances. To develop an understanding of how elevated nitrogen deposition changes the plant community structure and functioning we need a better understanding how sexual reproduction of L. chinensis changes with nitrogen enrichment. Here we report on a field experiment where we added 10 g N m− 2 yr− 1 and examined changes in seed traits, seed germination and early seedling growth. Results Nitrogen addition increased seed production by 79%, contributing to this seed increases were a 28% increase in flowering plant density, a 40% increase in seed number per plant and a 11% increase in seed weight. Seed size increased with a 42% increase in large seeds and a 49% decrease in the smallest seed size category. Seed germination success improved by 10% for small seeds and 18% for large seeds. Combined, the increased in seed production and improved seed quality doubled the potential seed germination. Subsequent seedling above and below-ground biomass also significantly increased. Conclusions All aspects of L. chinensis sexual reproduction increased with nitrogen addition. Thus, L. chinensis competitive ability may increase when atmospheric nitrogen deposition increases, which may further reduce overall plant diversity in the low diversity Songnen grasslands.

This work was funded by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant #5439, MonANPeru network), NERC (Grant ref. NE/R000751/1), Concytec/British Council/Embajada Británica Lima/Newton Fund (Grant ref. 220-2018), Concytec/NERC/Embajada Británica Lima/Newton Fund (Grant ref. 001-2019), Leverhulme Trust (Grant ref. RPG-2018-306), Scottish Funding Council, and USAID/SWAMP program. Peatland pole forest is the most carbon-dense ecosystem in Amazonia, but its spatial distribution and species composition are poorly known. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified variation in the floristic composition, peat thickness, and the amount of carbon stored above and below ground of 102 forest plots and 53 transects in northern Peruvian Amazonia. This large dataset includes 571 ground reference points of peat thickness measurements across six ecosystem types. These field data were also used to generate a new land-cover classification based on multiple satellite products using a random forest classification. Peatland pole forests are floristically distinctive and dominated by thin-stemmed woody species such as Pachira nitida (Malvaceae), Platycarpum loretense (Rubiaceae), and Hevea guianensis (Euphorbiaceae). In contrast, palm swamps and open peatlands are dominated by Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae). Peatland pole forests have high peat thickness (274 ± 22 cm, mean ± 95% CI, n = 184) similar to open peatlands (282 ± 46 cm, n = 46), but greater than palm swamps (161 ± 17 cm, n = 220) and seasonally-flooded forest, terra firme, and white-sand forest where peat is rare or absent. As a result, peatland pole forest has exceptional carbon density (1,133 ± 93 Mg C ha−1). The new sites expand the known distribution of peatland pole forest by 61% within the Pastaza-Marañón Foreland basin, mainly alongside the Tigre river, to cover a total of 7540 km2 in northern Peruvian Amazonia. However, only 15% of the pole forest area is within a protected area, whilst an additional 26% lies within indigenous territories. The current low levels of protection and forest degradation but high threat from road paving projects makes the Tigre river basin a priority for conservation. The long-term conservation of peatland pole forests has the potential to make a large contribution towards international commitments to mitigate climate change. Publisher PDF

Background Soil and understory vegetation are vital components of forest ecosystems. Identifying the interaction of plantation management to vegetation and soil is crucial for developing sustainable plantation ecosystem management strategies. As one of the main measures of close-to-nature management of forest plantation, few studies have paid attention to the effect of crop tree management on the soil properties and understory vegetation. Methods A 36-year-old Pinus massoniana plantation in Huaying city, Sichuan Province was taken as the research object to analyse the changes in undergrowth plant diversity and soil physicochemical properties under three different crop tree densities (100, 150, and 200 N/ha). Results Our results showed that the contents of available phosphorus, organic matter and hydrolysable nitrogen in the topsoil increased significantly after crop tree management, while content of available potassium decreased. The composition of shrub and herb layer was richer, and the dominant species were obviously replaced after crop tree management. The Shannon–Wiener index and Richness index of shrub layer, and the diversity of herb layer increased significantly after crop tree management. Herb layer diversity indexes and Richness index of shrub layer were closely related to soil organic matter, available phosphorus, hydrolysable nitrogen, available potassium, soil moisture and bulk density. As the main limiting factors for plant growth, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were closely related to plant diversity and to the distribution of the dominant species. At the initial stage of crop tree management, each treatment significantly improved the soil physicochemical properties and plant diversity of Pinus massoniana plantation, and the comprehensive evaluation was 200 N/ha >100 N/ha >150 N/ha >CK. Compared with other treatments, 200 N/ha had the best effect on improving the undergrowth environment of the Pinus massoniana plantation in the initial stage of crop tree management.

The spatial and temporal distribution of food resources, as well as the type, quantity, and quality of the foods stocked in the hive are the principal regulatory factors of the choice and intensity of floral resource harvesting by bees. We evaluated the annual foraging activity of Africanized honeybees Apis mellifera L. (Apidae) on the most abundant natural food resources available. Nineteen abundant plant species susceptible to foraging by bee communities in the interior of a secondary growth forest fragment with a transition physiognomy between Atlantic Forest and Cerradao vegetation were accompanied to estimate the intensity of floral resource collection by Africanized honeybees A. mellifera during the year. We determined the productivity of the flowers (the quality and quantity of nectar and/or pollen made available) and floral abundance (the quantities of flowers produced and the duration of flowering) of the 19 plant species selected. Africanized honeybees A. mellifera collected floral resources from 11 species. The intensities of visits per flower and per area of floral exposition were greater among plant species visited by Africanized honeybees when bee collecting behavior resulted in pollen transfer to the floral stigmas. It is estimated that 70.5% of all visits by Africanized honeybees A. mellifera individuals during the year in the study area occurred on Senegalia polyphylla (DC.) Britton & Rose (Fabaceae), Grazielia cf. dimorpholepis (Baker) R.M.King & H.Rob (Asteraceae) , and Gouania cf. latifolia Reissek (Rhaminaceae); those visits demonstrated seasonal patterns, with peaks of activity between January and April. Weak foraging activity was observed in June and between June and November. Atividade de forrageio de abelhas africanizadas ( Apis mellifera L.): um estudo das fontes de nectar e polen em uma escala temporal Resumo. A distribuicao espacial e temporal dos recursos alimentares, bem como o tipo, quantidade e qualidade do alimento estocado na colmeia sao os principais fatores reguladores na escolha e intensidade da coleta dos recursos florais pelas abelhas. O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a atividade anual de forrageio de abelhas africanizadas Apis mellifera L. (Apidae) nas fontes alimentares naturais mais abundantes. A coleta de dados foi realizada em 19 especies vegetais abundantes e suscetiveis ao forrageio pela comunidade de abelhas no interior de um fragmento de floresta secundaria com fisionomia em transicao entre Mata Atlântica e Cerradao, durante um ano. Para estimar a intensidade de coleta de recursos florais pelas abelhas africanizadas A. mellifera , foi determinada a produtividade das flores (qualidade e quantidade do nectar e/ou polen alocada nas flores) e a abundância (quantidade de flores e duracao do florescimento) das 19 especies vegetais selecionadas. As abelhas africanizadas A. mellifera coletaram recursos florais em 11 especies vegetais. As intensidades de visitas por flor e areas de exposicao floral foram superior nas especies de plantas que foram visitadas pelas abelhas africanizadas A. mellifera cujos comportamentos de coleta resultavam em transferencia de polen aos estigmas das flores. Estima-se que 70,5% de todas as visitas promovidas por A. mellifera africanizada no decorrer do ano na regiao de estudo ocorreram em Senegalia polyphylla (DC.) Britton & Rose (Fabaceae), Grazielia cf. dimorpholepis (Baker) R.M.King & H.Rob (Asteraceae) , e Gouania cf. latifolia Reissek (Rhaminaceae), demonstrando, dessa forma, um padrao sazonal, com picos de atividade em janeiro, abril e agosto, respectivamente. Por outro lado, houve fraca atividade de forrageio em junho e entre setembro e novembro.

West African Sudanian savanna ecosystems greatly contribute to local peoples’ livelihoods and climate change mitigation. Yet, the contribution of these ecosystems to carbon storage remains poorly documented due to the lack of accurate biomass predictive tools. Therefore, biomass allometric models developed at both the species-level and site-level may greatly improve carbon stock estimation. In this study, we developed allometric models for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) at the tree component-, species- and site-levels in Burkina Faso. Five woody species with high socio-economic significance (Anogeissus leiocarpa, Combretum nigricans, Isoberlinia doka, Mitragyna inermis and Pterocarpus erinaceus) were selected at two forest sites based on their dominance in the savanna ecosystem. A total of 150 trees (30 trees per dominant species) spanning a wide range of diameter at breast height (DBH) were destructively sampled. Models to predict tree component biomass at the species-level were independently built with the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique. Allometric models to predict tree total aboveground biomass (TAGB) for each species and all species were developed using both the OLS technique and the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) method. Biomass estimates were regressed with DBH as a single predictor, DBH and height (H) as interacted variables, and DBH, H and wood density (ρ) as three independent-input variables. The performance of the validated allometric models were compared with the generalized pantropical equation model for African tropical forests (Chave et al., 2014). The findings revealed that biomass predictors varied between the five species. The goodness-of-fit statistics revealed that both the OLS and SUR methods provide accurate biomass allometric equations, with the SUR method being the most accurate. The developed allometric models provide more accurate estimation of AGB than the pantropical model. Therefore, we recommend the use of these local models to improve the quantification of AGB and carbon stocks in Sudanian savanna ecosystems. Furthermore, the established species-specific and mixed-species allometric equations may constitute a useful tool for the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon stocks within the REDD+ framework in Burkina Faso.

Oysters are an important aquaculture species distributed worldwide, including in Zhejiang Province, located on the east coast of China. Because of the high diversity and complicated introduction history of oysters and their seedlings, there has been much disagreement regarding the origin of each species, and the dominant and indigenous species remain unclear. We sampled 16 batches of oysters from seven sites in three aquaculture bays and found two main oyster species, Crassostrea sikamea and Crassostrea angulata. The former occupied the higher intertidal zone and comprised more than 70% of the cultured oysters. Based on the cytochrome oxidase C subunit I (COI) and mitochondrial noncoding region (MNR), C. sikamea showed higher genetic diversity than C. angulata. The analysis of molecular variance among COI sequences of these species from the Xiangshan Bay populations were comparable to those of other populations and showed that most of the molecular variance was within groups, which was consistent with the low pairwise fixation index FST values. The neutrality test revealed that C. sikamea experienced population expansion events, whereas for C. angulata, the significant Fu’s Fs and non-significant Tajima’s D test results may indicate a possible population expansion event, implying that C. sikamea is likely an indigenous species. The method established based on internal transcribed spacer 1 digestion by the HindIII restriction enzyme is useful for identifying C. sikamea and C. angulata in the local region. The specific primers on the MNR sequence show potential for distinguishing C. sikamea from four other important Crassostrea oysters. These results highlight the abundance of C. sikamea on the Zhejiang coast and lay the foundation for protecting and utilizing the local oyster germplasm resources and for the sustainable development of the oyster industry.

Reducing management intensity according to the topography of pastures can change the dominant plant species from sown forages to weeds. It is unclear how changes in species dominance in plant community drive spatial variation in soil bacterial community characteristics and functions in association with edaphic condition. Analysing separately the effects of both plant communities and soil chemical properties on bacterial community is crucial for understanding the biogeographic process at a small scale. In this paper, we investigated soil bacterial responses in five plant communities (two forage and three weed), where &gt, 65% of the coverage was by one or two species. The structure and composition of the bacterial communities in the different microbiome were analysed using sequencing and their characteristics were assessed using the Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Firmicutes and Planctomycetes responded only to one specific plant community, and each plant community harboured unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the species level. There were a large percentage of uniquely absent OTUs for specific plant communities, suggesting that a negative effect is critical in the relationship between plants and bacteria. Bacterial diversity indices were influenced more by soil chemical properties than by plant communities. Some putative functions related to C and N recycling including nitrogen fixation were correlated with pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and nutrient levels, and this also implied that some biological functions, such as ureolysis and carbon metabolism, may decline when fertilisation intensity is reduced. Taken together, these results suggest that a shift of dominant species in plant community exerts individual effects on the bacterial community composition, which is different from the effect of soil chemical properties.

Andean lakes are important for human well-being and biodiversity conservation, yet human-induced environmental changes threaten their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. Knowledge of the relationship between biodiversity and environmental factors can provide insight into how human activity impacts lakes. We report trends of community composition of aquatic bird communities at six Andean lakes in Ecuador based on 15-years of monitoring. Additionally, we explore relationships among the abundance of aquatic bird species and environmental variables, such as elevation, water depth, biochemical demand of oxygen and concentration of phosphates and nitrites. We found a sustained population growth of one species of herbivorous bird, the Andean Coot, Fulica ardesiaca, across all lakes. Local trends in community composition show directional changes in four lakes and were likely a result of abundance increases of this species. Environmental factors related to eutrophication explained the abundance of F. ardesiaca, indicating that ongoing eutrophication of Andean Ecuadorian lakes, which results in increased submerged vegetation, benefits herbivorous species like this. Management measures that prevent further eutrophication combined with on-going monitoring should be considered in order to maintain ecosystem health and functioning.

Forests can provide multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously that are related to biomass production, soil carbon stock, and nutrient cycling, and plant diversity is often important for the maintenance of ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF). However, the underlying mechanisms involved in regulating relationships between species richness and abundance and EMF in a subtropical coniferous forest still remain unclear. Using a randomization test and structural equation model, we show that multiple plant diversity attributes, stand structural complexity, dominant species, and soil conditions affect EMF from 94 plots in Pinus kesiya dominant stands in southwest China. Our results indicate that the direct effects of species richness on EMF were stronger than the effects of woody individual abundance, and species richness increased with increasing EMF. By contrast, EMF declined with increasing total woody species abundance, while functional diversity and dominant species abundance did not exhibit significant effects on EMF. However, Castanopsis echidnocarpa abundance indirectly increased EMF via species richness and total woody species abundance. Simultaneously, our findings suggest that stand structural complexity mediated the relationship between plant diversity and EMF, and species richness, total woody species abundance, and EMF increased strongly with increasing stand structural complexity. Higher soil pH and soil water content were associated with greater stand structural complexity and EMF, which were important drivers in explaining variation in EMF. Our results show that higher species richness promoted EMF provisioning, and provide critical insights to predicting the possible consequences of EMF with a change in biotic and abiotic factors.

Within ant communities, the biotic resistance of native species against invasive ones is expected to be rare, because invasive species are often highly dominant competitors. The invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile (Mayr)) often demonstrated numerical dominance against its opponents, increased aggressiveness, and ability to quickly recruit to food. The present study aimed to assess the behavioral mechanisms involved in the interspecific competition between L. humile, facing either an invasive species (Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma and Andr&aacute, sfalvy) or a native dominant species (Lasius niger (Linnaeus)). The resource exploitation by the Argentine ant was investigated during one-hour competitive interactions using 10 dead Drosophila flies as prey. When facing La. niger, L. humile exploratory behavior was strongly inhibited, it brought very few prey resources, and killed few opponents. Conversely, La. neglectus had a low impact on L. humile. Contrarily to expectations, the invasive La. neglectus lacked the ability to hinder L. humile resource exploitation, whereas the native La. niger did. These results suggest that La. niger could impact invasive populations of L. humile by interference competition, perhaps better so than some invasive species. While L. humile has become invasive in Southern Europe, the invasion process could be slowed down in the northern latitudes by such native dominant species.

This study aimed to determine whether a swimming-type (planktonic and epiphytic) zooplankton group compared with the taxonomic group is appropriate to indicate the environmental changes caused by dredging. Water sampling in the littoral zone was conducted from 2007 to 2015, including the dredging period from October 2010 to June 2012. The water quality, number of species, population densities, and biotic indices were compared for both dredging period and grouping type. Nine of 11 water quality parameters were changed by the dredging period. The results showed that the rotifer and planktonic groups were consistently dominant. In all groups, population density was the lowest during the dredging period. After dredging, both the number of species and population density increased only in the epiphytic group. The dominant species, including Polyarthra vulgaris, Brachionus calyciflorus, B. rubens, and Bosmina longirostris, were included in the planktonic group for 9 years. Evenness did not differ, but diversity increased after the dredging period. This study showed that zooplankton could be used as a supplemental biological assessment tool for evaluating the impact of river dredging.

Globally, marine fisheries have declined under multiple stresses including overfishing, climate change, and habitat degradation. The Min River Estuary, as the largest estuary in southeastern China, has confronted this situation over recent decades. In this study, the dominant species of fish stocks in the Min River Estuary, including Coilia mystus, Cynoglossus abbreviates, Collichthys lucidus, Amblychaeturichthys hexanema, Polydactylus sextarius, Harpodon nehereus, and Secutor ruconius, were evaluated by the length-based Bayesian biomass estimator method (LBB). Outcomes could be grouped into three categories as healthy, showing the lowest exploitation rate (E: 0.31&ndash, 0.43) and highest relative biomass (B/Bmsy: 1.30&ndash, 1.90), including S. ruconius, C. mystus, and H. nehereus, overfished, with a medium E (0.50&ndash, 0.58) and B/Bmsy (0.68&ndash, 0.79), including A. hexanema and C. abbreviates, and collapsed, with the highest E (0.89&ndash, 0.92) and lowest B/Bmsy (0.03&ndash, 0.21), including C. lucidus and P. sextarius. Corresponding imperative countermeasures such as using larger-sized mesh gears and reducing fishing intensity should be deployed according to the current status of each species for sustainable fishery exploitation and fish conservation.

Grazing is one of the predominant human activities taking place today inside protected areas, with both direct and indirect effects on the vegetation community. We analyzed the effects of grazing intensity on grass composition during four grazing seasons containing 78 plant species belonging to eight plant functional groups, which include perennial tall grass (6 species), perennial short grass (6 species), shrubs (3 species), legumes (9 species), Liliaceae herb (8 species), annual/biennial plants (11 species), perennial short forbs (16 species) and perennial tall forbs (18 species). We estimated grazing intensity at four levels, control, light, moderate and heavy grazing intensity corresponding to 0.00, 0.23, 0.46 and 0.92 animal units ha&minus, 1, respectively. We found that each plant functional group showed a different response to grazing intensity. Perennial tall grasses that were dominated by high palatable mesophyte and mesoxerophyte grass showed a significant decrease with grazing intensity, while the medium palatable xerophyte and widespread grasses that were the predominant short perennial increases with grazing intensity. The perennial tall forbs that were dominated by the mesophyte grass also decreased, but the decrease was statistically insignificant. The influence of grazing density on species is also related to soil factors (soil nutrient, soil moisture and soil temperature and soil bulk density). Some functional groups such as tall fescue and Liliaceae herbs, remained stable&mdash, which may be related to the changes in the soil environment caused by grazing activities. The findings of this study could provide a standpoint for assessing the current grazing management scenarios and conducting timely adaptive practices to maintain the long-term ability of grassland systems to perform their ecological functions.

Background: China is a high-burden country of tuberculosis. The proportion of diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has increased, seriously affecting the prevention, control, and management of tuberculosis (TB) and posing a significant threat to human health. However, there is a lack of an organized monitoring system for NTM such as that used for tuberculosis. Comprehensive data on patient susceptibility, dominant species, and drug resistance profiles are needed to improve the treatment protocols and the management of NTM. Methods: Primary research reports of NTM clinical specimens from mainland China published between January 1, 2000 and May 31, 2019 were retrieved from four online resources (BIOSIS, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science) and three Chinese medical literature databases (CNKI, Wanfang, and Vip) as the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Results: In total, 339 publications were included in the systematic review, 129 were used in the drug susceptibility analysis, and 95 were used in the meta-analysis. Traditional culture using Lowenstein-Jensen slants combined with P-nitrobenzene acid and thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazine differential medium and proportional method was most commonly used for the isolation, identification, and drug susceptibility testing of NTM in China. The crude isolation rate for NTM among TB suspected cases was 4.66-5.78%, while the proportion of NTM among Mycobacterium isolates was 11.57%. Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium avium complex were the most common clinical NTM species. NTM only showed general sensitivity to ethambutol, linezolid, clofazimine, amikacin, tobramycin, and clarithromycin. Conclusions: The prevalence of NTM in China has shown a decreasing trend. M. abscessus was replaced as the dominant species by Mycobacterium intracellulare over the course of the study. The geographic diversity of different species showed the effects of environmental and economic factors on the distribution of NTM and indicated that there were important factors still not identified. While there were only a limited number of antibiotics to which NTM showed any sensitivity, the drug resistance profiles of the isolates were highly variable and thus more caution should be taken when empirically treating NTM infection.

Plant–plant interactions play a key role in the function and structure of communities. The combined effect of drought stress and grazing disturbance on shaping plant–plant interactions is still poorly understood, while this combination is common in semiarid ecosystems. Four species including Stipa grandis, which is dominant in the typical steppe, and Stipa krylovii, Artemisia frigida, and Cleistogenes squarrosa, which are dominant species in the S. grandis degraded communities, were selected as study targets. We conducted a competition experiment (uniformly dense monoculture or mixture, respectively) under controlled conditions, including both drought stress and mowing disturbance, and calculated the relative interaction index (RII) of tiller number and RII of biomass for each species under each condition. (a) Under the same condition, the RII of tiller number and that of biomass for the same species usually showed reverse trends. (b) Mowing disturbance rather than drought stress played a negative role in influencing S. grandis’ or S. krylovii’s RII of tiller number and played a positive role in influencing A. frigida's RII of biomass. (c) Drought stress rather than mowing disturbance played a positive role in influencing C. squarrosa’s RII of tiller number. (d) Neighbor species significantly influenced S. grandis’ RII of tiller number, S. krylovii’s RII of tiller number, A. frigida's RII of tiller number and biomass, and C. squarrosa’s RII of biomass. These results could provide an explanation for why S. krylovii, A. frigida, and C. squarrosa can replace S. grandis and become the dominant species when S. grandis communities undergo a process of degradation due to overgrazing or climatic drought in natural communities. The present study provided powerful evidences for species replacement in the typical steppe of Inner Mongolia and elucidated the driving mechanisms of S. grandis communities’ retrogressive succession.

Demersal fish biomass is quantitatively evaluated in the bottom biotopes at the depths to 2000 m at the continental slope of the Okhotsk Sea on the data of 2,545 trawl catches obtained in 1977–2010. The total long-term average biomass is estimated as 3695.9 . 103 t, including 31.6 % of walleye pollock, 19.5 % of giant grenadier, and 13.8 % of greenland halibut (2400.9 . 103 t without pollock). The average density of fish concentration is 3.2 t/km2 without pollock; it is rather uniform by depth: from 2.6 t/km2 for 200–300 m to 3.7 t/km2 for 700–1000 m.

The western Bering Sea is the feeding area for many nekton species with seasonally variable composition. Seasonal changes in abundance, composition and structure of the nekton community in the upper epipelagic layer (0-50 m) of this area are considered on the data collected in trawl surveys conducted by Pacific Fish. Res. Center (TINRO) in June-October of the 2003-2015, separately for the deep-water Aleutian and Commander Basins and shelf waters at Cape Navarin. The highest total abundance of nekton was observed in the middle August (2700 kg/km 2 , on average) and decreased significantly earlier (100 kg/km 2 in early June) and later (200 kg/km 2 in late October). The dominant species were pacific salmons (Oncorhynchus spp., in particular O. keta ), boreopacific gonate squid ( Boreoteuthis borealis ) and shortarm gonate squid ( Gonatus kamtschaticus ). Besides, walleye pollock ( Theragra chalcogramma ), pacific herring ( Clupea pallasii ) and capelin ( Mallotus villosus ) were abundant in the shelf waters. Three seasons are defined by the species structure: i) early summer from early June to middle July with dominance of pre-anadromous pink salmon O. gorbuscha and chum salmon ( O. keta ) and moderate species diversity (polydominance index 3.5-4.0); ii) summer from late July to middle September with absolute dominance of chum salmon (> 70 % of total nekton abundance) and low species diversity (1.5-2.0); and iii) autumn from late September to the end of October with dominance of chum salmon, sockeye salmon and boreopacific gonate squid in relatively equal proportion, mass appearance of pink salmon juveniles and high species diversity (4.5). Spatial patterns of the nekton distribution change between the seasons, too. They are formed in early summer by mass migrations of many species to the western Bering Sea from the east and south, reflect low intensity of the migrations in summer, and are determined by backward migrations toward the southeastern Commander Basin and further to the central Bering Sea and North Pacific in autumn.

Dominant plant species established in the understory of clear-cuts may have a strong biochemical influence on pine regeneration process, with important consequences for reforestation management. We evaluated and compared the total phenolic content and the allelopathic activity of acqueous extracts from both roots and shoots of dominant plant species established in 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands in Lituania. The highest total content of phenolic compounds was detected in the lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) shoots from 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts, as well as in the common heather (Calluna vulgaris [L.[ Hull) shoots from 1-yr-old clear-cuts. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify the allelochemicals present in the active fraction to determine their possible role in allelopathy. The highest variety and content of phenolic compounds were observed in shoot extracts of the dominant species from both 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts. Scots pine seed germination and seedling growth were significantly and negatively correlated with ρ-coumaric acid and sinapic acid content, while Scots pine seedling growth was significantly and negatively correlated with ferulic, caffeic and hydroxycinnamic acids contents. The highest contents of these phenolic acids were determined in aqueous extracts of C. vulgaris from 1-yr-old clear-cuts and Rumex acetosella L. of 2-yr-old clear-cuts, which exerted a strong phytotoxicity on Scots pine seed germination. Moreover, morphometric parameters of Scots pine seedlings were most sensitive to aqueous extracts of V. vitis-idaea shoots from both 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts and R. acetosella shoots from 2-yr-old clear-cuts.

Significant replacement of shrub species by herbaceous species has been observed in the Changbai alpine tundra zone, China, since the 1990s. This study used plot surveys to analyze variations in the spatial distribution of dominant plants and to ascertain the changing mechanisms of dominant species in the alpine tundra zone. We found that the two previously dominant shrubs, Rhododendron chrysanthum and Vaccinium uliginosum, differed markedly in their distribution characteristics. The former had the highest abundance and the lowest coefficient of variation, skewness, and kurtosis, and the latter showed the opposite results, while the six herb species invaded had intermediate values. R. chrysanthum still had a relatively uniform distribution, while the herbaceous species and V. uliginosum had a patch distribution deviating from the normal distribution in the tundra zone. Micro-topography and slope grade had stronger effects on the spatial distribution of the eight plant species than elevation. Herbs tended to easily replace the shrubs on a semi-sunny slope aspect, steep slope, and depression. Overall, the dominance of dwarf shrubs declined, while the herbaceous species have encroached and expanded on the alpine tundra zone and have become co-dominant plant species. Our results suggest that various micro-topographic factors associated with variations in climatic and edaphic conditions determine the spatial distribution of plants in the alpine tundra zone. Future climate warming may cause decreased snow thickness, increased growing season length, and drought stress, which may further promote replacement of the shrubs by herbs, which shows retrogressive vegetation successions in the Changbai alpine tundra zone. Further studies need to focus on the physio-ecological mechanisms underlying the vegetation change and species replacement in the alpine tundra area under global climate change.

Seaweed plays an important role in energy production in marine, coastal, and island ecosystems. The protection of seaweed beds is a key point for coastal ecosystem health, but the community characteristics, dominant species, and distribution of seaweed beds in the coastal waters of China are still unknown. Dividing seaweed beds based on their ecological function is also required for coastal ecosystem conservation, marine development, and utilization. We conducted ecological surveys on various types of ecosystems at approximately 50 sites dedicated to the conservation of seaweed bed biodiversity in China from 2018 to 2019. These seaweed beds were classified into different flora by water temperature and the attributes of the dominant species. The study showed that Sargassum dominated the coast of China. The coverage of the genus Undaria and the genus Laminaria in the coastal waters of Liaoning and Shandong was high and gradually decreased from Zhejiang to the south. The mean biomass of the seaweed beds along the coast of China was 7.29 kg/m2, and the mean coverage was 41.25%. The height and fresh weight of the dominant species gradually decreased with the decreasing latitude. The seaweed beds were distributed from the shallow water zone to the profundal zone along the coast from north to south, and the bathymetry of seaweed beds in Hainan was below 6 m. Based on the water temperature, the attributes of the seaweed beds, the temperature attributes of the dominant species, and the seaweed’s distribution, the seaweed beds in China can be specifically divided into temperate warm water types, subtropical warm water types, and tropical warm water types. This study is relevant to the development of regulations and directives to ensure biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability.

In France, REPHY (Observation and Surveillance Network for Phytoplankton and Hydrology in coastal waters) and REPHYTOX (Monitoring Network for Phycotoxins in marine organisms) have been contributing to long-term time series on ocean health for more than 30 years. The aim of this paper is to describe these networks and to highlight their key results. Over the last 20 years, phytoplankton flora analysis on French coasts from the Channel to Mediterranean has shown that the five “emblematic” taxa are Chaetoceros, Skeletonema, Cryptophyceae, Leptocylindrus and Pseudo-nitzschia. The latter, together with the taxa of interest Dinophysis + Phalacroma, Alexandrium, and Karenia, have been consistently recorded along the entire French coastline. However, when taking into account frequency of occurrence some taxa exhibit more distinct geographical distributions. In particular, the occurrence of Phaeocystis appeared to be strongly specific to the northern coasts of the Channel. French coasts have been regularly affected since the 1980s by the presence of toxins in bivalve molluscs, leading to bans on fishing and sale of shellfish during periods of varying duration. Three categories of toxins were involved. PST and AST were absent from the French coasts, respectively before 1988 and 2000. DST (Diarrheic Shellfish Toxins) have affected many areas along the whole coast every year since 1987. For PST (Paralytic Shellfish Toxins), only a few areas have been affected, sometimes sporadically, since 1988 in the Channel, 1993 in the Atlantic, and 1998 in the Mediterranean. Many areas have been impacted since 2000 by AST (Amnesic Shellfish Toxins) episodes, mainly affecting scallops in the Channel and on Atlantic coasts. The patterns of change of shellfish toxicity episodes showed no real trend in any province over the entire period 1987–2018.

The microbial community during the fermentation of industrial paocai, a lactic acid fermented vegetable food, was investigated via combined denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and metagenomic sequencing. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were identified as the dominant phyla during the fermentation. DGGE results of the bacterial community analysis showed that many genera were observed during the fermentation of industrial paocai, but the same predominant genus and species were observed: Lactobacillus and Lactobacillus (L.) alimentarius/L. paralimentarius. The abundance of L. alimentarius/L. paralimentarius increased fast during the initial stage of fermentation and approximately remained constant during the later stage. Metagenomic sequencing was used to finally identify the predominant species and their genetic functions. Metabolism was the primary functions of the microbial community in industrial paocai fermentation, including carbohydrate metabolism (CM), overview (OV), amino acid metabolism (AAM), nucleotide metabolism (NM), energy metabolism (EM), etc. The predominant species L. alimentarius and L. paralimentarius were involved in plenty of pathways in metabolism and played different roles in the metabolism of carbohydrate, amino acid, lipid to form flavor compounds during industrial paocai fermentation. This study provided valuable information about the predominant species in industrial paocai and its functional properties, which could enable us to advance our understanding of the fermentation mechanism during fermentation of industrial paocai. Our results will advance the understanding of the microbial roles in the industrial paocai fermentation and provide a theoretical basis for improving the quality of industrial paocai products.

Composition and structure of benthic communities in the Minonosok Bight (Posyet Bay, Japan Sea) are considered on the surveys data obtained in the 1990s and 2012. In total, 140 taxa of benthic organisms were found in the 1990s with domination of mollusks and algae by the species number, abundance; biomass, and occurrence; their total biomass was high, up to 29 kg/m 2 . All these parameters became lower in the 2012 when the monodominant communities changed mainly to polydominant ones. In the 2012, the macroalgae weren’t fasten onto the bottom in the southern part of the bay because of its silting, but they were attached to mussel druses. Trophic structure of the sublittoral communities was changed: the producers were replaced by sestonophages, detritophages and predators.

Species composition and abundance of nekton and their interannual variation are considered for the upper epipelagic layer (0-50 m) in the Aleutian and Commander deep-water basins of the western Bering Sea on the data of surveys conducted by Pacific Fish. Res. Center (TINRO) in September-October of 2002-2013. Dominant species were similar for both areas: the most abundant ones were chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta and boreopacific gonate squid Boreoteuthis borealis . Simpson index of domination was higher in the Aleutian Basin and these indices in two areas changed synchronously until 2009 but later they became closer and changed asynchronously. Either chum salmon or the squid dominated usually with some years as exclusion. South-boreal and subtropical species were more abundant in the Commander Basin, in particular in 2006, 2008 and 2012. Year-to-year dynamics of certain species were statistically similar, but its nature was unclear. The total biomass of nekton decreased after the climate regime shift in 2006-2007 from 3241 to 1736 kg/km 2 (in 46 %) in the Aleutian Basin and from 2459 to 1976 kg/km 2 (in 20 %) in the Commander Basin.

Both the dominance and the mass ratio hypotheses predict that plant internal nutrient cycling in ecosystems is determined by the dominant species within plant communities. We tested this hypothesis under conditions of extreme drought by assessing plant nutrient (N, P and K) uptake and resorption in response to experimentally imposed precipitation reductions in two semiarid grasslands of northern China. These two communities shared similar environmental conditions, but had different dominant species-one was dominated by a rhizomatous grass (Leymus chinensis) and the other by a bunchgrass (Stipa grandis). Results showed that responses of N to drought differed between the two communities with drought decreasing green leaf N concentration and resorption in the community dominated by the rhizomatous grass, but not in the bunchgrass-dominated community. In contrast, negative effects of drought on green leaf P and K concentrations and their resorption efficiencies were consistent across the two communities. Additionally, in each community, the effects of extreme drought on soil N, P and K supply did not change synchronously with that on green leaf N, P and K concentrations, and senesced leaf N, P and K concentrations showed no response to extreme drought. Consistent with the dominance/mass ratio hypothesis, our findings suggest that differences in dominant species and their growth form (i.e., rhizomatous vs bunch grass) play an important nutrient-specific role in mediating plant internal nutrient cycling across communities within a single region.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41301375) State Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41230853); Spatial information of the dominant species of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is essential for restoration projects in eutrophic lakes, especially eutrophic Taihu Lake, China. Mapping the distribution of SAV species is very challenging and difficult using only multispectral satellite remote sensing. In this study, we proposed an approach to map the distribution of seven dominant species of SAV in Taihu Lake. Our approach involved information on the life histories of the seven SAV species and eight distribution maps of SAV from February to October. The life history information of the dominant SAV species was summarized from the literature and field surveys. Eight distribution maps of the SAV were extracted from eight 30 m HJ-CCD images from February to October in 2013 based on the classification tree models, and the overall classification accuracies for the SAV were greater than 80%. Finally, the spatial distribution of the SAV species in Taihu in 2013 was mapped using multilayer erasing approach. Based on validation, the overall classification accuracy for the seven species was 68.4%, and kappa was 0.6306, which suggests that larger differences in life histories between species can produce higher identification accuracies. The classification results show that Potamogeton malaianus was the most widely distributed species in Taihu Lake, followed by Myriophyllum spicatum, Potamogeton maackianus, Potamogeton crispus, Elodea nuttallii, Ceratophyllum demersum and Vallisneria spiralis. The information is useful for planning shallow-water habitat restoration projects.

Since the 1980s, Swedish lakes have in general become less acidified. Assessment of biological recovery is, however, hampered by poor pre-acidification data, confounding effects of climate change, and few lakes with annual sampling of fish and other organisms. Only three critically acidified, but non-limed, lakes had two decades of fish monitoring. The lakes had not yet recovered to pre-industrial chemical targets. Fish had low species richness compared to other organism groups. Roach (Rutilus rutilus) and/or European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were the dominant fish species, and the acid-sensitive roach had been lost from one of the lakes. Calcium decreased, possibly approaching pre-acidification concentrations, but exceeded minimum levels needed to sustain some Daphnia species. High or increasing levels of total organic carbon, likely due to reduced acidification and climate change, might influence the biological communities in unexpected ways, for example, facilitating more frequent occurrence of the invasive algae Gonyostomum semen. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-014-0559-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study aims to obtain the basic data for studies on changes in insect fauna and insect resources around Mt. Okdolbong in Bongwha, Gyeongbuk, where a national arboretum is planned to be constructed, through investigating the insect fauna and obtaining its evidence samples. In particular, this region is very important for studies on biodiversity and its preservation, and requires fundamental data for related studies such as investigations of vulnerable species and changes in their distribution associated with climatic changes. A total of 263 species including 1,689 individuals of moths was collected in this study. The most dominant species was Endotricha loivaceali with 222 individuals, and was followed by Hydrillodes morose with 97 individuals and Craneophora ficki with 86 individuals.

This study conducted the survey of birds, twice from June 25 to 29 and from September 3 to 9, 2012 in Ulleung Island. The total number of individual birds observed in Ulleung Island was 5,692 and they consisted of 67 species of the 38 families belonging to 12 orders. In June, 5,091 individuals of 42 species were observed, and 2,099 individuals of 46 species in September. There were less individuals but more species in September and in June. At each region, 914 individuals (sum of the maximum count) of 37 species were observed at Nari Basin and Sunginbong. The dominant species were Carduelis sinica (35.78%), Passer rutilans (22.98%), Apus pacificus (5.47%), Hirundo rustica (4.38%), etc. In trekking trail areas, 1,063 individuals (sum of the maximum count) of 40 species were observed, which was more than those in Sunginbong. The dominant species were Passer rutilans (26.06%), Carduelis sinica (20.04%), Parus major (10.72%), Apus pacificus (7.62%), etc. In coastal area, 3,929 individuals (sum of the maximum count) of 48 species were observed. There were the largest number of species and individuals. The dominant species were Larus crassirostris (79.10%), Passer rutilans (5.45%), Apus pacificus (3.56%), etc. Through the addition of the newly observed 20 species in this research to the previous studies, the recorded birds in total in Ulleung Island were 112 species of 38 families belonging to 16 orders.

This study was carried out to investigate the insect fauna of the Seobyeok-ri area, the foot og Mt. Musu, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk for obtaining basic entomological data related to changes in the region's insect fauna and to secure forest insect resources. The study area is highly important in terms of biodiversity and preservation. Therefore, it can be said that the area requires basic data for studies on vulnerable species related to future climate changes and changes in insect distribution. The study was conducted between May and September, from spring to autumn, and insect specimen were collected and identified. A total of 6 orders, 52 families, 380 species and 3,030 individuals of insects were collected during the study. Furthermore, in terms of important dominant species confirmed during the study, Macaria liturata (Clerck) was observed the most frequently during May with 23 individuals, Arichanna melanaria (Linnaeus) during June, Macaria liturata (Clerck) during July, Axylia putris (Linnaeus) during August and Spilonota eremitana Moriuti during September respectively.

The study was performed for birds living around Junam Reservoir, a representing place for migrant birds in Korea for 10 times from February to December (except November) in 2011. The result states that a total of 11,742 individuals, 102 species, 41 families and 13 orders of birds were found around the reservoir and anseriformes including Anser albifrons (16.42%), Anser fabalis (14.44%), Fulica atra (14.08%), Anas platyrhynchos (10.01%), Anas clypeata (7.70%), Aythya ferina (6.88%) and Anas poecilorhyncha (6.59%) are dominant species. By seasons, winter shows high frequencies of types, number of species, number of individuals and diversity. The result of comparing individuals of swans from 1989 to 2011 shows large fluctuation of individuals, irregular repetition and the number of individuals gradually decreases. The number of geese, dabbling ducks and diving ducks between 1999 and 2011 shows gradual increase. Number of species and individuals of birds in the Junam Reservoir have increased and it is estimated that about between 12,000 and 14,000 individuals of 60~65 species spend winter. The reservoir is important as a habitat for migratory birds, as well as ecological study. It requires administrative supports to provide stable environment for birds to spend winter.

Survey results performed in June and September 2011 of Bigeum and Docho islands showed 3,828 individuals in 84 species of birds to understand bird diversity of the two islands through joint ecological surveys by Korean Biodiversity Consortium. Dominant species consist of 716 Hirundo rustica (18.70%), 707 Passer montanus (18.47%), 335 Charadrius alexandrinus (8.75%) and 197 Egretta alba modesta (5.15%). By months, 1,899 individuals of 58 species and 1,989 species of 62 species were discovered in June and September, respectively. However, the frequencies do not show much difference. Diversity and abundance of species are 3.07 and 10.06, respectively.

The study investigated the composition, community structure and diversity of zooplankton in Hulun Lake from January to October in 2009. The water quality and the type of nourishment of the lake were analyzed. The results showed forty one species of zooplankton were found, of which eighteen species were rotifera (43.9%), fourteen species were protozoa (34.1%), five species were copepoda (12.2%), three species were cladocera (7.3%), one species was ostracoda (2.4%). Among zooplankton, particularly protozoa were the dominant group throughout the study period and highest count was recorded in June while low incidence was observed in October. Zooplankton community is also correlated with physicochemical parameters. According to the dominant species and the ShannanWeiner diversity index, Hulun Lake was mesotrophic water.

A total of 4,045 individuals of 47 species were observed in the Yeongsan Lake region of Yeongsan River between January and December of 2009. Dominant species, in decreasing order, included the Fulica atra (24.72%, 1,000 individuals), followed by the Larus ridibundus (17.31%, 700 individuals), Larus crassirostris (13.84%, 560 individuals), Mergus merganser (7.29%, 295 individuals), Passer montanus (6.18%, 250 individuals) and the Aythya fuligula (5.34%, 216 individuals). In terms of the total number of species observed per month, November showed the highest number at 23 species and September showed the lowest figure at 9 species. Furthermore, February showed the highest number of individuals at 2,382, and May showed the lowest number at 114 individuals. In relation to species diversity, May, despite being the month with the lowest bird count, showed the highest number of species as well as the highest level of species diversity (H') at 2.37 and species abundance at (Da) 4.22. Conversely, September, which recorded the lowest number of species observed, showed lowest levels of species diversity (H') at 0.37 and species abundance at (Da) 1.26. In terms of the seasons, summer (between July and September) showed the lowest species diversity, while spring and fall, which are migratory periods for migratory birds, showed high level of species diversity. This study observed 3 government protected species.

This study was conducted seasonally between May and December of 2009 on the avifauna of the Lake Yeongnam (Yeongamho), Jeollanam-do region and the surrounding reclaimed arable land area. The study observed a total of 167,675 birds of 98 species, 29 families and 13 orders. The most dominant species was the baikal teal (Anas Formosa) at 150,000 counts (89.46%), followed by, in decreasing order, the bean goose (Anser fabalis) at 3,175 counts (1.89%) and the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) at 1,869 counts (1.11%). In terms of the individual seasons, winter showed the highest species and individual bird counts among all four seasons at 104,710 birds of 59 species. A total of 14 government protected bird species, including the Chinese egret, bean goose, baikal teal, cinereous vulture, hen harrier, sparrow hawk, northern goshawk, common buzzard, rough-legged buzzard, imperial eagle, peregrine falcon, common kestrel, merlin and the long-billed ring plover, were observed during the study.

This study was conducted in the region of Lake Sihwa between January and December of 2009, once every month, in order to assess the area's avian fauna. The result of the study showed 106,430 individuals (Sum of maximum count) of 153 species, 38 families and 14 orders. Dominants species included, in decreasing order, the mallard Anas platyrhynchos (18.2%), dunlin Calidris alpina (14.5%), greater scaup Aythya marila (11.1%), pochard Aythya ferina (8.2%) and the Eurasian wigeon Anas penelope (6.3%). Diversity Index was the highest in April at 3.00 and the lowest in November at 2.15. Evenness Index was the highest in May at 0.73 and the lowest in March at 0.53. Richness Index was the highest in April at 7.54 and the lowest in November at 4.47.

This study was conducted to clarify the community characteristics of birds in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea at June and September of 2010. The result observed a total of 6,557 birds of 98 species. Dominant species included, in decreasing order, Larus crassirostris 3,319 counts (50.62%), Passer montanus 664 counts (10.13%), Sterna hirundo 208 counts (3.17%), Paradoxornis webbianus and Egretta alba modesta 178 counts (2.71%). In terms of the families, the herons showed a total of 7 species at 303 counts, the ducks showed 4 species of 185 counts, the raptors showed 6 species of 26 counts, the waders showed 13 species of 114 counts, the gulls showed 8 species of 3,585 counts, the passerine birds showed 56 species of 2,323 counts and others (Grebe, Cormorant, Pheasant, Moorhen) showed only 4 species of 26 counts. In terms of the number of species’ habitat usage, the forest area showed the highest level of species at 52 species, and human inhabited areas showed the lowest level at 14 species.

This study was conducted between March and July of 2010 in the area of Yubudo (Is.) in order to assess its avian fauna. A total of 39,121 counts of 37 species were observed over 5 sessions. Important dominant species included the dunlin (Calidris alpine) (48.0%), followed by the bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) (26.2%), far eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) (5.2%) and the great knot (Calidris tenuirostris) (5.1%). Among the dominant species, the dunlin and the bar-tailed godwit showed significant increase in count, while the great knot showed a decrease. The far eastern curlew, eastern oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) and the Indian curlew (Numenius arquata) did not show any significant difference when compared to previous studies, in terms of both migratory bird count and migratory pattern. Such migratory pattern of dominant species seems to be the result of large scale environmental changes.

Extremes in climate, such as heat waves and drought, are expected to become more frequent and intense with forecasted climate change. Plant species will almost certainly differ in their responses to these stressors. We experimentally imposed a heat wave and drought in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem near Manhattan, Kansas, USA to assess transcriptional responses of two ecologically important C4 grass species, Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans. Based on previous research, we expected that S. nutans would regulate more genes, particularly those related to stress response, under high heat and drought. Across all treatments, S. nutans showed greater expression of negative regulatory and catabolism genes while A. gerardii upregulated cellular and protein metabolism. As predicted, S. nutans showed greater sensitivity to water stress, particularly with downregulation of non-coding RNAs and upregulation of water stress and catabolism genes. A. gerardii was less sensitive to drought, although A. gerardii tended to respond with upregulation in response to drought versus S. nutans which downregulated more genes under drier conditions. Surprisingly, A. gerardii only showed minimal gene expression response to increased temperature, while S. nutans showed no response. Gene functional annotation suggested that these two species may respond to stress via different mechanisms. Specifically, A. gerardii tends to maintain molecular function while S. nutans prioritizes avoidance. Sorghastrum nutans may strategize abscisic acid response and catabolism to respond rapidly to stress. These results have important implications for success of these two important grass species under a more variable and extreme climate forecast for the future.

This study analyzes the spatiotemporal variation of the ichthyofauna of the surf zone of Praia do Cassino, municipality of Rio Grande (state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) from October 2005 to September 2006. Fishes were collected monthly and during daytime using a large beach seine net (30 m x 1.8 m, with 12 mm uniform mesh manufactured with monofilament nylon wire). Five hauls were conducted on each of three sampling sites: one near the jetties of Patos Lagoon and two located 5 km and 10 km south from the jetties, respectively. We caught 10,066 fishes, weighting 128,486 g, distributed in 37 species belonging to 18 families that are similar in species composition to the dominant fish fauna - Trachinotus marginatus (Cuvier, 1832), Atherinella brasiliensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825), Brevoortia pectinata (Jenyns, 1842), Mugil platanus (Gunther, 1880), Menticirrhus americanus (Linnaeus, 1758), Menticirrhus littoralis (Holbrook, 1847), and Oncopterus darwinii (Steindachner, 1874) - usually collected in the beaches of Rio Grande do Sul with a smaller net. The dominant size classes were between 50 and 100 mm TL and represent 43% of total catch. Based on CCA analysis we suggested that the ichthyofauna is primarily structured by seasonal variation in the physicochemical and environmental parameters and secondarily by the spatial difference between areas nearer (< approximately 10 km) or more distant (> approximately 10 km) from the Patos Lagoon's jetties. The composition and dominance of the fish community of the surf zone of Cassino Beach changed little in the latest 20 years, indicating a possible stability of the system.

A total of 3,248 individuals of 51 species were observed in the Geumo Archipelago (Geumodo, Ando, Yeondo) in Yeosu, Jeollanamdo in two rounds of study conducted from June to September 2008. The dominant species was Larus crassirostris with 1,145 individuals (35.25%) followed by Hirundo rustica with 385 individuals (11.85%), Paradoxornis webbianus with 356 individuals (10.96%), Hypsipetes amaurotis with 219 individuals (6.74%), and Hirundo daurica with 168 individuals (5.17%). Resident birds showed the highest migration of 54.90% followed by summer vagrant birds (31.37%), passage migratory birds (9.8%), winter vagrant birds (1.96%) and vagrant birds (1.96%). The Species biodiversity was 2.43 and the species richness was 6.18.

In this result, from May, 2007 to January, 2008, important points for bird habitation in Mt. Chilgap Provincial Park area (Cheonjang reservoir, climbing paths of Mt. Chilgap, Chilgap reservoir, and Janggok temple, etc.) were established and investigated once every season. It was found that observed birds were 65species-4,999 individuals and dominant species were Anas poecilorhyncha(926 individuals, 18.52%), Emberiza elegans (553 individuals, 11.06%), Anas platyrhynchos (504 individuals, 10.08%), Paradoxornis webbianus (420 individuals, 8.40%), Passer montanus (358 individuals, 7.16%) (Table 1). By migratory features of birds, it was found that they were 29 species of resident birds (44.62%), 22 species of winter migratory birds (33.85%), 12 species of summer migratory birds (18.46%), and 2 species of passage birds (s3.08%). By seasons, it was found that there were 48 species-680 individuals in spring, 32 species-530 individuals in summer, 35 species-1,616 individuals in autumn, and 38 species-2200 individuals in winter. By investigation areas, it was found that there were 45 species-1,444 individuals in A area, 49 species-2,691 individuals in B areas, and 41 species-64 individuals in C area. The overall species diversity was 3.02. It was found that the species diversity indexes by seasons were 3.31 in spring, 2.79 in summer, 2.72 in autumn, and 2.52 in winter, and they were 3.05 in A area, 2.50 in B area, and 2.98 in C area, by areas. As endangered species, 7 species including Aix galericulata, Anas formosa, Accipiter soloensis, Accipiter gentilis, Buteo buteo, Falco tinnunculus, and Charadrius placidus were observed.

Birds observed in the Gyeongju National Park in April and July, 2007 were 1,508 individuals in 11 orders, 32 families, and 60 species. The most dominant species was Passer montanus (250 individuals) representing 16.58% of the total, followed by Paradoxornis webbianus (157 individuals) accounting for 10.41%, Hirundo rustica (91 individuals) with 9.35%, Egretta garzetta (92 individuals) with 6.10%, Pica pica (91 individuals) with 6.03%, and Streptopelia orientalis (78 individuals) with 5.17%. Spring research found that Namsan area showed the highest species diversity (H'), 3.05, and species richness (Da), 6.82. In summer research, Tohamsan area showed the highest species diversity, 2.97, and richness, 5.23. This study found five species that were legally protected.

Background Volatile fatty acid intoxication (acidosis), a common process failure recorded in anaerobic reactors, leads to drastic losses in methane production. Unfortunately, little is known about the microbial mechanisms underlining acidosis and the potential to recover the process. In this study, triplicate mesophilic anaerobic reactors of 100 L were exposed to acidosis resulting from an excessive feeding with sugar beet pulp and were compared to a steady-state reactor. Results Stable operational conditions at the beginning of the experiment initially led to similar microbial populations in the four reactors, as revealed by 16S rRNA gene T-RFLP and high-throughput amplicon sequencing. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the two dominant phyla, and although they were represented by a high number of operational taxonomic units, only a few were dominant. Once the environment became deterministic (selective pressure from an increased substrate feeding), microbial populations started to diverge between the overfed reactors. Interestingly, most of bacteria and archaea showed redundant functional adaptation to the changing environmental conditions. However, the dominant Bacteroidales were resistant to high volatile fatty acids content and low pH. The severe acidosis did not eradicate archaea and a clear shift in archaeal populations from acetotrophic to hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis occurred in the overfed reactors. After 11 days of severe acidosis (pH 5.2 ± 0.4), the process was quickly recovered (restoration of the biogas production with methane content above 50 %) in the overfed reactors, by adjusting the pH to around 7 using NaOH and NaHCO3. Conclusions In this study we show that once the replicate reactors are confronted with sub-optimal conditions, their microbial populations start to evolve differentially. Furthermore the alterations of commonly used microbial parameters to monitor the process, such as richness, evenness and diversity indices were unsuccessful to predict the process failure. At the same time, we tentatively propose the replacement of the dominant Methanosaeta sp. in this case by Methanoculleus sp., to be a potential warning indicator of acidosis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-015-0309-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Urbanization is one of the major anthropogenic processes contributing to local habitat loss and extirpation of numerous species, including wild bees, the most widespread pollinators. Little is known about the mechanisms through which urbanization impacts wild bee communities, or the types of urban green spaces that best promote their conservation in cities. The main objective of this study was to describe and compare wild bee community diversity, structure, and dynamics in two Canadian cities, Montreal and Quebec City. A second objective was to compare functional trait diversity among three habitat types (cemeteries, community gardens and urban parks) within each city. Bees were collected using pan traps and netting on the same 46 sites, multiple times, over the active season in 2012 and 2013. A total of 32,237 specimens were identified, representing 200 species and 6 families, including two new continental records, Hylaeus communis Nylander (1852) and Anthidium florentinum (Fabricius, 1775). Despite high community evenness, we found significant abundance of diverse species, including exotic ones. Spatio-temporal analysis showed higher stability in the most urbanized city (Montreal) but low nestedness of species assemblages among the three urban habitats in both cities. Our study demonstrates that cities are home to diverse communities of wild bees, but in turn affect bee community structure and dynamics. We also found that community gardens harbour high levels of functional trait diversity. Urban agriculture therefore contributes substantially to the provision of functionally diverse bee communities and possibly to urban pollination services., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

International audience; Infiltration basins are widely used in urban environments as a technique for managing and reducing the volume of stormwater. These basins can be spontaneously colonized by wild plants, which can be used as bioindicators of edaphic characteristics. As the basins are anthropogenic environments, the description of plant biodiversity allows the determination of which species colonize such environments and identification of the relationships between plants, basin type and operation. Nineteen infiltration basins were selected according to their catchment types (industrial, urban, agricultural). The dominant species were identified and sampled. Rumex sp., Taraxacum sp. and Artemisia sp. are the three types most represented (88, 61 and 55% respectively of the basins studied). Their families and their respective orders are those most commonly found (Caryophyllales, Asterales and Polygonaceae, Asteraceae). Poaceae is the family grouping with the largest number of different species (11). Although each species occupies only 1 or 2 basins, plants of this family occupy 61% of the basins. Although the catchment characteristics of the 19 basins do not play a direct role in the diversity of plant families, they can influence the presence or absence of certain species. Thus, these plants can be used as bio-indicators of basin soil and operating characteristics, such as sediment depths, inundation frequency and duration.

[EN] Numerous studies have been conducted to analyse bacterial aerosols in animal houses, which is beneficial for the control of animal diseases. However, little information on aerosols in enclosed rabbit sheds was available. An FA-1 sampler was employed to collect air samples in an enclosed rabbit house in the Qingdao region of China. Concentration, composition, and aerodynamics of bacterial aerosols inside the enclosed rabbit shed were systematically analysed. The concentration of airborne bacteria inside the rabbit shed was 2.11-6.36×104 colony forming unit/m3 (CFU/m3). Seventeen species of bacteria belonging to eight genera were identified. Among these, there were 11 species belonging to 4 genera of gram-positive bacteria, and 6 species belonging to 4 genera of gram-negative bacteria. The dominant species of bacteria were, in descending order, Micrococcus luteus (49.4%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (25.5%), and Alcaligenes odorans (10.2%). A total of about 76.3% of airborne bacteria was distributed in stages C-F of the FA-1 sampler (that ranges from A to F), with aerodynamic radii, This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81501357).

Stony coral recruitment in coral reefs at different distances from pollution sources in Habana, Cuba. The effect of pollution on coral recruitment has been insufficiently studied. This research deals with coral recruitment in coastal areas and aimed to determine the variations of density and dominant species of corals recruits in sites at different distances from pollution sources. The composition and structure of stony coral (scleractinian and milleporids) recruit associations were characterized in the fringing reef of Western Havana, Cuba. This reef is influenced by urban pollution from the Almendares River and a sewage outlet located at its mouth. Four sites were sampled on the upper fore reef escarpment at 10m deep every three months between July 2007 and May 2008. A 25cm side quadrat was used to determine the density and taxonomic composition of recruits smaller than 3cm in diameter. Sampling units were placed following a random-systematic pattern. The mean density of recruits was determined both at assemble and species level. Bifactoral ANOVA tests were applied to compare mean densities at both sampling sites and dates. Student-Newman-Keuls test was applied to compare pairs of means. Cluster and nMDS analyses were applied to evaluate between site similarities. The predominant species was Siderastrea siderea followed by S. radians and Porites astreoides. Recruit densities were similar among La Puntilla, Calle 16 and Acuario sites. Lower densities were always found in Malecón. Significant differences in mean stony recruit densities were found both between sites and sampling dates. The statistic analysis did not show significant spatial-temporal interactions. Malecón, the most polluted site, showed the lowest recruit density and the greater presence of species considered as indicators of organic pollution, sedimentation and abrasion. The density of recruit species was higher in October 2007 and lower in May 2008, and it was apparently influenced by reproduction and cold front seasons, respectively. The higher dominance and abundance of S. siderea, S. radians and P. astreoides recruits were apparently due to their high reproductive potential and resistance to disturbances. The identity of dominant species was apparently related to distance from major pollution sources. We highly recommended the replication of this research in other areas of the greater Caribbean region to test the generality of present results and to compare among areas. Future research should take into account the influence of other environmental factors, along with an appraisal of recruit species tolerance to these factors, to better ponder the effect of urban pollution on recruitment. Areas with well assessed pollution regimes are recommended for research. El efecto de la contaminación sobre el reclutamiento ha sido insuficientemente estudiado. Este trabajo trata el tema del reclutamiento en sitios ubicados a diferentes distancias de dos importantes fuentes de contaminación. Se caracterizó la composición y estructura de las asociaciones de reclutas de corales pétreos (escleractinios y milepóridos) al oeste de la Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba. Esta área está influenciada por la contaminación urbana del río Almendares y del emisario submarino construido en su desembocadura. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar las variaciones en la densidad y predominio de las especies de reclutas, en sitios ubicados a diferentes distancias de fuentes de contaminación, en distintas épocas de un año. Se muestreó cada tres meses entre julio 2007- mayo 2008. Se escogieron cuatro sitios de muestreo cerca del borde superior del escarpe del arrecife frontal a 10m de profundidad. Se utilizó un marco cuadrado de 25cm de lado de forma aleatoria-sistémica para determinar la densidad y composición taxonómica de reclutas de corales pétreos (colonias menores de 3cm). Para comparar las densidades medias entre sitios y fechas de muestreo se aplicó un análisis de varianza bifactorial. Para comparar los pares de densidades medias se empleó la prueba de Student- Newman-Keuls. La aplicación de un análisis Clasificación Numérica Jerárquica Aglomerativa (Cluster Analysis) y uno de ordenamiento por Escalado Multidimensional no Métrico (nMDS) mostró una distribución en la que los sitios quedaron agrupados en función de sus distancias de las fuentes contaminantes. Predominó Siderastrea siderea seguida por Siderastrea radians y Porites asteroides. Durante el año de muestreo, las densidades de reclutas fueron similares entre La Puntilla, Calle 16 y Acuario. Las menores densidades se observaron siempre en Malecón. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las densidades medias de los sitios, así como entre de las distintas fechas de muestreo. El análisis de variancia bifactorial no mostró interacción significativa espacio–tiemporal. Malecón, sitio más contaminado, presentó menor reclutamiento y mayor presencia de especies consideradas indicadoras de contaminación orgánica, sedimentación y abrasión. Las densidades fueron mayores en Octubre 2007 y menores en Mayo 2008, al parecer influenciados por las épocas de reproducción y la acción de los frentes fríos respectivamente. El mayor predominio y abundancia de reclutas de S. siderea, S. radians y P. astreoides parece responder a sus elevados potenciales reproductivos y altas resistencias a disturbios. La identidad de las especies dominantes estuvo relacionada aparentemente con las distancias de las principales fuentes de contaminación. Se recomienda replicar esta investigación en otros lugares de la región del Caribe para probar la generalidad de estos resultados. Estudios futuros debieran tener en cuenta la influencia de otros factores ambientales, junto con una valoración de la tolerancia de las especies de reclutas a estos factores, para ponderar mejor el efecto de la contaminación urbana sobre el reclutamiento.