Biology of Flowering of Some Species of the Genus Phlomoides Moench

The article presents the biology of flowering and the daily dynamics of flowering of two species from the Lamiaceae family: ph. anisochila va ph. sogdiana of the distribution out in the Nuratau Mountains range.

The influence of selective cutting of mixed Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis Sieb.et Zucc.) and broad-leaf forest on rare species distribution patterns and spatial correlation in Northeast China

This study aimed to demonstrate change in spatial correlation between Korean pine （Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc.） and three rare species, and change in spatial distribution of four species in response to a range of selective cutting intensities. We sampled three plots of mixed Korean pine and broad-leaf forest in Lushuihe Forestry Bureau of Jilin province, China. Plot 1, a control, was unlogged Korean pine broad-leaf forest. In plots 2 and 3, Korean pine was selectively cut at 15 and 30 % intensity, respectively, in the 1970s. Other species were rarely cut. We used point-pattern analysis to research the spatial distributions of four tree species and quantify spatial correlations between Korean pine and the other three species, Amur linden （Tilia amurensis Rupr.）, Manchurian ash （Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr.）, and Mongolian oak （Quercus mongolica Fisch.） in all three plots. The results of the study show that selective cutting at 15 % intensity did not significantly change either the species spatial patterns or the spatial correlation between Korean pine and broadleaf species. Selective cutting at 30 % intensity slightly affected the growth of Korean pine and valuable species in forest communities, and the effect was considered nondestructive and recoverable.

A Study on Photosynthetic Physiological Characteristics of Six Rare and Endangered Species

The parameters of gas exchange and chlorophyl fluorescence in leaves of six rare and endangered species Neolitsea sericea, Cinnamomum japonicum var. cheni , Sinojackia microcarpa, Discocleidion glabrum var. trichocarpum, Parrotia sub-aequalis, Cercidiphyl um japonicum were measured in fields. The results showed that there were significant differences in photosynthetic capacity, intrinsic water use effi-ciency （WUEi ）, the efficiency of primary conversion of light energy of PSⅡ and its potential activity, the quantum yield of PSⅡ electron transport, and the potential ca-pacity of heat dissipation among the six species. However, there was no significant difference in WUE. The highest values of net photosynthetic rate （Pn）, transpiration rate （Tr） and stomatal conductance （gs） occurred in D. glabrum var. trichocarpum and the lowest in S. microcarpa. On the contrary, D. glabrum var. trichocarpum had the lowest WUE, intrinsic water use efficiency （WUEi ） and S. microcarpa had the highest. The results indicated that D. glabrum var. trichocarpum had higher photo-synthetic capacity and poorer WUE, while S. microcarpa had lower photosynthetic capacity and greater WUE. Furthermore, the mean values of maximal fluorescence （Fm）, potential efficiency of primary conversion of light energy of PSⅡ （Fv/Fm）,ΦPSⅡ, actual efficiency of primary conversion of light energy of PSⅡ （F′v/F′m） and non-photochemical quenching coefficient （NPQ） were the highest in S. micro-carpa, indicating that its PSⅡ had higher capacity of heat dissipation and could prevent photosynthetic apparatus from damage by excessive light energy. Correlation analysis showed that there were significant correlations among photosynthetic physi-ological parameters. However, the initial fluorescence （Fo） was not significantly cor-related with any other parameters. This study also revealed the extremely significant positive correlations between Pn and Tr, gs, apparent quantum yield （AQY）, be-tween Tr and gs, between light saturation point （LSP） and AQY, between Fv/Fm and Fm, between ΦPSⅡ and photochemical quenching coefficient （qp）, between Tr, gs and LSP, AQY. However, WUEi was significantly negatively correlated with Tr, gs, Pn, LSP and AQY.

Population dynamics and considerations for the conservation of the rare Cycas fairylakea in China

Quantitative dynamics and viability of a rare and wild Cycas fairylakea population were studied with a time-specific life table, a Leslie matrix model and a survival function in order to provide scientific guidance for its protection. The results of the time- specific life table show that this C. fairylakea population suffered a high death rate in three age classes, i.e., age class 1 （0-15 years）, V （61-75 years） and VI （76-90 years）. The Leslie matrix model suggests that the number of plants would decline from the present 1613 to 59 per hectare in 150 years. Furthermore, the viability analysis indicates that seedlings have the highest mortality density rate and that middle-aged plants （i.e., 61-75 years, 76-90 years） have high mortality density rate and hazard rate. These conditions affect natural regeneration of the population and lead to a lack of seedlings which in turn causes the extinction of the population. An in situ conservation of the population should be established and protection measures taken as soon as possible.

Canopy arthropods community within and among oak species in central Mexico

Quercus rugosa and Q.laurina are species that presents a wide geographical distribution range in temperate forests of Mexico. Oak canopies contain a considerable portion of arthropod diversity and the arthropods fauna fulfill a wide variety of ecological roles. We examined the effect of oak species and seasonal changes on some community structure parameters (diversity,composition,similarity,biomass,rare species,and density of arthropod fauna) of canopy arthropods. In total,40 oak canopies were fogged during rainy and dry season. A total of 614 identified arthropod morphospecies were recognized belonging to 22 orders associated with tree canopies. A separation of host tree species during both seasons,suggesting a different community structure on host plants species was demonstrated by the principal component analyses (PCA),therefore,differences between oak species results in phenotypes that structure the composition of the arthropod community. Q.laurina registered the highest densities,diversity index and number of rare species in comparison with Q.rugosa. While arthropod biomass showed an inverse pattern. Trees more close to one another (spatial distance) register a more similar canopy arthropod fauna. This study suggests that the trees of Q.laurina could act as a center of biodiversity by the accumulation of arthropod fauna with a considerable number of rare species,which presents wide ecological roles or is involved in critical processes that maintain forest ecosystems.

Morphological Variation in the Martinican Subspecies White-Breasted Thrasher (<i>Ramphocinclus brachyurus brachyurus</i>)

The White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus) is the smallest passerine bird in the Mimids family. Ranked as “endangered” in the IUCN list, the demographic distribution of this species is spread unevenly across two islands in the Lesser Antilles. The Saint-Lucian subspecies, Ramphocinclus brachyurus sanctaeluciae, was estimated to number between 1200 and 1700 individuals, whereas the Martinique subspecies, Ramphocinclus brachyurus brachyurus, was estimated at between 200 and 400 individuals. As an endemic rare species with a high risk of extinction, the Martinique subspecies should be regarded as a conservation priority. The small size of the Martinique subspecies population, its restricted geographical range, and its narrow habitat tolerance make it quite difficult to study. The variability of morphological traits in this subspecies has not been biostatistically analyzed recently. In order to update knowledge and fill in any gaps, we have used the morphometric approach to study the morphological variability of the Martinique subspecies. The study site is a small peninsula located in the northeast of the island of Martinique (French West Indies) known as “la Caravelle”. We captured 63 White-breasted Thrashers which were marked, measured, and sexed before being released. We did not observe any significant differences between the sexes, signifying an absence of sexual dimorphism. However, we were able to observe a significant variation in morphological traits between individuals measured inside and outside the national protected area of Caravelle. The body mass-tarsus ratio was equal at both sampled sites, something which could potentially be a clue to the bird’s adaptation to different habitats.

Differential water use strategies among selected rare and endangered species in West Ordos Desert of China

Aims West Ordos Desert(WOD)in Inner Mongolia of China is charac-terized by unique geographical and ecological features to avoid the direct invasion of Quaternary Continental Glaciation,so it hosts many endangered relic species such as Tetraena mongol-ica,Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Potaninia mongolica from Tertiary.However,how these plants utilize available water sources remains unknown.The objective of this study was to investigate the water utilization strategies of selected rare and endangered plant species in WOD by comparing hydrogen isotope ratios between their xylem water and possible water sources following four rainfall events of varying-intensities.Methods We measured the hydrogen isotope ratios of xylem water from T.mongolica,A.mongolicus and P.mongolica and an accom-panying species Sarcozygium xanthoxylum and potential water sources(including precipitation and soil water in different soil layers from 0 to 150 cm)over 9 days following each of four varying-intensity rainfall events during the summer of 2012.And then calculated the percentage utilization of potential water sources by each species after each rainfall events using the linear mixing model.We also made the measurements of soil moisture and root biomass in favor of interpretation of plant water use strategies.Important Findings Tetraena mongolica,A.mongolicus and S.xanthoxylum primarily relied on deep soil water,whereas P.mongolica depended predomi-nantly on rainwater.These rare and endangered desert plants had differential utilizations of available water sources,so some com-petition for limited water existed among some species.Tetraena mongolica had a competitive relationship in absorption of soil moisture with the same family species S.xanthoxylum,suggesting that T.mongolica and S.xanthoxylum should be restored separately at different areas in the WOD.Overall,this study provides a better understanding of water use strategies of these four plants and scien-tific evidence for protecting rare and endangered plants,maintain-ing regional species diversity,and developing effective vegetation restoration plans in the WOD.

Climate warming increases biodiversity of small rodents by favoring rare or less abundant species in a grassland ecosystem

Our Earth is facing the challenge of accelerating climate change,which imposes a great threat to biodiversity.Many published studies suggest that climate warming may cause a dramatic decline in biodiversity,especially in colder and drier regions.In this study,we investigated the effects of temperature,precipitation and a normalized difference vegetation index on biodiversity indices of rodent communities in the current or previous year for both detrended and nondetrended data in semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia during 1982-2006.Our results demonstrate that temperature showed predominantly positive effects on the biodiversity of small rodents;precipitation showed both positive and negative effects;a normalized difference vegetation index showed positive effects;and cross-correlation function values between rodent abundance and temperature were negatively correlated with rodent abundance.Our results suggest that recent climate warming increased the biodiversity of small rodents by providing more benefits to population growth of rare or less abundant species than that of more abundant species in Inner Mongolia grassland,which does not support the popular view that global warming would decrease biodiversity in colder and drier regions.We hypothesized that higher temperatures might benefit rare or less abundant species(with smaller populations and more folivorous diets)by reducing the probability of local extinction and/or by increasing herbaceous food resources.

Stochastic processes play more important roles in driving the dynamics of rarer species

Aims One major goal of modern community ecology is to understand how deterministic and stochastic processes combine to drive community assembly.However,little empirical knowledge is known about how their relative importance varies between common and rare species.Methods We exploited two 30-year data sets of plant communities in a temperate steppe using two different methods.One is a null model method,and the other is a recently developed direct-calculation method.Important Findings We found that stochastic processes tended to be more important in influencing rare than common species.This finding suggests that stochastic forces may play a more important role in structuring communities with more rare species,providing a possible solution to the debate on the varied importance of deterministic and stochastic processes among different communities.

Note on the Orchids of the Moutas Hunting Reserve--- Tlemcen （Western Algeria）

Through the Algerian orchid flora, several rare species remain endemic in the Maghreb. This note on the orchids will enrich the already existing data on the area of Tlemcen. Currently, the coexistence of orchids and species （such as Quercus faginea subsp. tlemcenensis （DC.） M., Lonicera implexa L. and Ruscus aculeatus L.） indicates an ecological environment of dominant forest. Nevertheless, the significant frequency of fires and human pressure is leading to erosion of this area orchids richness. This work enabled us to establish a complete inventory of the orchids species that exist, with an estimate of the populations and a taxon illustration for each of them. Fourteen species （14） were indexed, during the period of spring 2011 only, in this reserve and the scoured areas which do not exceed 2000 ha, representing 29% of the total Algerian orchids species. Among the rare taxa signed ourselves： Ophrys subfusca subsp. battandieri （Rchb.） Batt. and Dactylorhiza durandii （Boiss. and Reuter） M. Lainz in Oranie （O）＊

Novel evidence from Taxus fuana forests for niche-neutral process assembling community

Background:Understanding the mechanisms underlying community assembly is helpful for conservation and restoration of communities, particularly those that contain rare and endangered species like Taxus fuana, which are endemic to the Western Himalayas. The niche (limiting similarity) vs. neutral (randomness) assembly of the T.fuana forest community in Gyirong County, Tibet, China, was investigated. The net relatedness index (NRI) was calculated using a phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic characteristics of the community and its relationships with environment were analyzed.Results:The value of the mean NRI at the community level was less than-1.96, indicating that the phylogenetic structure was overdispersed;whereas majority of the NRIs at the tree, shrub, and herb layers were within-1.96 to1.96, indicating random dispersion. Environmental factors accounted for 44.38%, 46.52%, 24.04%, and 14.07%of the variation at the community level, tree, shrub, and herb layer, respectively. The phylogenetic structure at the community level and tree layer were significantly influenced by both topographic and soil factors, while shrub and herb layers tended to be affected by a single environmental factor.Conclusions:Community assembly of the T. fuana forest was simultaneously affected by niche and neutral processes, and their variations were closely related to the environment. Neutral process dominated community assembly in the shrub and herb layers. However, the interaction of limiting similarity and randomness played a dominant role at the community level and tree layer;and contributed to maintenance of biodiversity stability. The synergy of multiple environmental factors had a more obvious influence on community assembly than individual environmental factors, especially at the community level. These findings would help to understand the conservation of rare and endangered tree species, such as T. fuana, in the native community;and highlight the importance of random and non-random processes in assembly and biodiversity maintenance of alpine plant communities.

Development of polymorphic SSR markers and their applicability in genetic diversity evaluation in Euptelea pleiosperma

Euptelea pleiosperma is a characteristic species of East Asian flora with both ornamental and scientific values.Based on the reduced-representation sequencing(RRS)technology of RAD-Seq,this study conducted high-throughput Illumina paired-end sequencing to find SSR marker information in the genome of E.pleiosperma,and to screen and verify polymorphism of SSR markers.We obtained 5.5G of high-quality data using RAD-Seq.The total number of contigs of the RAD tags was 299,376,with the maximum contig length of 2,062 bp and the average length of 445 bp.From these sequences,we identified 20,718 SSR loci,with a distribution density of one SSR per 6.45 kb(1/6.45 kb).Among all SSRs,dinucleotides(52.00%)were the most detected SSRs,followed by mononucleotides(21.63%).AG/CT was the dominant motif in the SSR loci,accounting for 34.8%.Primers were successfully designed for 14,593 loci,and 100 pairs of these primers were randomly selected for chemical synthesis and validated by SSR-PCR amplification in 20 individuals of E.pleiosperma.Seventy-nine primers were able to amplify the target bands.Cervus 3.0 software was used to analyze the selected 20 SSR loci with good polymorphism.For the 20 SSR markers,the number of alleles ranged from 4 to 9,and the observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity were from 0.35 to 0.75 and 0.541 to 0.875,respectively.The information content of polymorphic loci ranged from 0.463 to 0.848,with an average value of 0.638.Among them,there were 18 highly polymorphic loci,and 20 SSR loci did not deviate from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.Furthermore,the 20 pairs of SSR primers were used to conduct PCoA analysis based on Nei’s genetic distance of 51 individuals from three populations.The results showed that these SSR markers could distinguish genetic differences based on different geographical locations.

Evaluating soil nutrients of Dacrydium pectinatum in China using machine learning techniques

Background: The accurate estimation of soil nutrient content is particularly important in view of its impact on plant growth and forest regeneration. In order to investigate soil nutrient content and quality for the natural regeneration of Dacrydium pectinatum communities in China, designing advanced and accurate estimation methods is necessary.Methods: This study uses machine learning techniques created a series of comprehensive and novel models from which to evaluate soil nutrient content. Soil nutrient evaluation methods were built by using six support vector machines and four artificial neural networks.Results: The generalized regression neural network model was the best artificial neural network evaluation model with the smallest root mean square error(5.1), mean error(-0.85), and mean square prediction error(29). The accuracy rate of the combined k-nearest neighbors(k-NN) local support vector machines model(i.e. k-nearest neighbors-support vector machine(KNNSVM)) for soil nutrient evaluation was high, comparing to the other five partial support vector machines models investigated. The area under curve value of generalized regression neural network(0.6572) was the highest, and the cross-validation result showed that the generalized regression neural network reached 92.5%.Conclusions: Both the KNNSVM and generalized regression neural network models can be effectively used to evaluate soil nutrient content and quality grades in conjunction with appropriate model variables. Developing a new feasible evaluation method to assess soil nutrient quality for Dacrydium pectinatum, results from this study can be used as a reference for the adaptive management of rare and endangered tree species. This study, however, found some uncertainties in data acquisition and model simulations, which will be investigated in upcoming studies.

Species abundance is jointly determined by functional traits and negative density dependence in a subtropical forest in southern China

Aims The factors affecting species abundance are a subject of ongoing debates in community ecology.Empirical studies have demonstrated that tree abundance is affected by plant functional traits and negative density dependence(NDD).However,few studies have focused on the combined effects of NDD and plant functional traits on species abundance.Methods In this study,we used tree functional traits and two census data from a 50-ha forest dynamic plot in the Heishiding(HSD)Nature Reserve to explore the combined effects of functional traits and NDD on species abundance.Using hierarchical Bayesian models,we analyzed how neighbor densities affected the survival of saplings from 130 species and extracted posterior means of the coefficients to represent NDD.The structural equation modeling(SEM)analysis was then applied to investigate the causal relationships among species functional traits,NDD and species abundance.Important Findings SEM showed that tree functional traits,including specific leaf area(SLA),leaf area(LA),leaf dry matter content(LDMC),leaf N content(LNC),maximum electron transport rate(ETRmax)and conspecific adult negative density dependence(CNDDadult),together explained 20%of the total variation in tree abundance.Specifically,SLA affected tree abundance both directly and indirectly via CNDDadult,with a totally negative influence on abundance.LDMC and LNC had only indirect effects mediated by CNDDadult on tree abundance.ETRmax and LA had directly negative effects on abundance,but their direct connections with CNDDaduIt were not observed.In addition,CNDDadult was negatively correlated with species abundance,indicating that abundant species are under stronger NDD.Among these investigated traits,SLA contributed the most to the variation in CNDDaduIt and abundance.We argued that our findings of trait-CNDDadult-abundance relationships can improve our understanding of the determinants of species commonness and rarity in forests.

Effects of topography on structuring species assemblages in a subtropical forest

Aims Topography has long been recognized as an important factor in shaping species distributions.Many studies revealed that species may show species-habitat associations.However,few studies inves-tigate how species assemblages are associated with local habitats,and it still remains unclear how the community-habitat associa-tions vary with species abundance class and life stage.In this study,we analyzed the community-habitat associations in a subtropical montane forest.Methods The fully mapped 25-ha(500×500 m)forest plot is located in Badagongshan Nature Reserve in Hunan Province,Central China.It was divided into 625(20×20 m)quadrats.Habitat types were classified by multivariate regression tree analyses that cluster areas with similar species composition according to the topographic characteristics.Indicator species analysis was used to identify the most important species for structuring species assemblages.We also compared the community-habitat associations for two levels of species abundances(i.e.abundant and rare)and three different life stages(i.e.saplings,juveniles and adults),while accounting for sample size effects.Important Findings The Badagongshan plot was divided into five distinct habitat types,which explained 34.7%of the variance in tree species composi-tion.Even with sample size taken into account,community-habi-tat associations for rare species were much weaker than those for abundant species.Also when accounting for sample size,very small differences were found in the variance explained by topography for the three life stages.Indicator species of habitat types were mainly abundant species,and nearly all adult stage indicator species were also indicators in juvenile and sapling stages.Our study manifested that topographical habitat filtering was important in shaping over-all local species compositions.However,habitat filtering was not important in shaping rare species’distributions in this forest.The community-habitat association patterns in this forest were mainly shaped by abundant species.In addition,during the transitions from saplings to juveniles,and from juveniles to adults,the relative importance of habitat filtering was very weak.

Level of habitat fragmentation determines its non-linear relationships with plant species richness, frequency and density at desertified grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China

Aims This study aimed to examine the changes in plant species richness,frequency and density along a habitat fragmentation gradient(with varied degrees of habitat fragmentation[DHFs])in a desertified grass-land of Horqin Sandy Land,northeastern Inner Mongolia,China.Methods In this study,six landscape plots(500×500 m each)along a habi-tat fragmentation gradient were established.A new fragmentation index was formulated to study the effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity indices(species richness,frequency and density).Regression analyses(linear-or non-linear regression)were con-ducted to assess the changes in species richness,frequency and density along the habitat fragmentation gradient at plant commu-nity,functional group and species scales,respectively.Important Findings There was a non-linear relationship(following a quadratic function)between total species richness and the DHF.Total species richness reached its peak when the DHF was 0.2,beyond which species richness decreased along the fragmentation gradient.Plant func-tional groups showed their specific responses to habitat fragmenta-tion,and some non-linear relationships and thresholds existed.The relative richness of rare species also showed a non-linear response to habitat fragmentation,with the threshold being DHF=0.6.Species became rarer(both some common species and rare spe-cies)with the intensifying habitat fragmentation.Our study dem-onstrates the importance of the non-linear relationships and plant functional groups in exploring the effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity and implementing effective biological conservation in sand dunes.

Investigation on the mechanism of adsorption and desorption behavior in cerium ions modified Y-type zeolite and improved hydrocarbons conversion

Different types of Y zeolites（HY, USY and Na Y） containing various amounts of cerium（Ce） were prepared with the method of liquid ion exchange and characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, intelligent gravimetric analyzer（IGA）, and a molecular simulation technology（grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation, GCMC）. A novel calculation method of desorption index（DI） was proposed and the influence of cerium cationic species on the processes of adsorption-desorption of hydrocarbon molecules（n-octane） on the cerium modified Y zeolites（Ce Y） was studied. The results indicated that Ce ion species played a key role in reducing desorption activation energy of n-octane on Y type zeolites, leading to an improvement of the desorption ability of the Ce Y and the regulation of the adsorption state of n-octane from aggregation to decentralization. These findings are essential factors for enhancing the product selectivity of light hydrocarbon component and the catalytic activity of rare earth modified Y zeolites（REY） catalysts in fluid catalytic cracking（FCC） process.

Preparation of double perovskite-type oxide LaSrFeCoO_6 for chemical looping steam methane reforming to produce syngas and hydrogen

Double-perovskite type oxide LaSrFeCoO_6 was used as oxygen carrier for chemical looping steam methane reforming（CL-SMR） due to its unique structure and reactivity. Solid-phase, amorphous alloy, sol-gel and micro-emulsion methods were used to prepare the LaSrFeCoO_6 samples, and the as-prepared samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction（H_2-TPR）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller（BET） surface area. Results showed that the samples made by the four different methods exhibited pure crystalline perovskite structure. The ordered double perovskite LaSrFeCoO_6 was regarded as a regular arrangement of alternating FeO_6 and CoO_6 corner-shared octahedra, with La and Sr cations occupying the voids in between the octahedral. Because the La^（3＋） and Sr^（2＋） ions in A-site did not take part in reaction, the TPR patterns showed the reductive properties of the B-site metals. The reduction peaks at low temperature revealed the reduction of adsorbed oxygen on surface and combined with the reduction of Co^（3＋） to Co^（2＋） and to Co^0, while the reduction of Fe^（3＋） to Fe^（2＋） and the partial reduction of Fe^（2＋） to Fe^0 occurred at higher temperatures. From the point of view of the oxygen-donation ability, resistance to carbon formation, as well as hydrogen generation capacity, the sample made by micro-emulsion method exhibited the best reactivity. Its redox reactivity was very stable in ten successive cycles without deactivation. Compared to the single perovskite-type oxides LaFeO_3 and LaCoO_3, the double perovskite LaSrFeCoO_6 exhibited better syngas and hydrogen generation capacity.

Neither Biased Sex Ratio nor Spatial Segregation of the Sexes in the Subtropical Dioecious Tree Eurycorymbus cavaleriei(Sapindaceae)

Knowledge of sex ratio and spatial distribution of males and females of dioecious species is both of evolutionary interest and of crucial importance for biological conservation. Eurycorymbus cavaleriei, the only species in the genus Eurycorymbus （Sapindaceae）, is a dioecious tree endemic to subtropical montane forest in South China. Sex ratios were investigated in 15 natural populations for the two defined ages （young and old）. Spatial distribution of males and females was further studied in six large populations occurring in different habitats （fragmented and continuous）. The study revealed a slight trend of male- biased sex ratio in both ages of E. cavaleriei, but sex ratio of most populations （13 out of 15） did not display statistically significant deviation from equality. All of the four significantly male-biased populations in the young class shifted to equality or even female-biased, The Ripley＇s K analysis of the distribution of males with respect to females suggested that individuals of the opposite sexes were more randomly distributed rather than spatially structured. These results suggest that the male-biased sex ratio in E. cavaleriei may result from the precocity of males and habitat heterogeneity. The sex ratio and the sex spatial distribution pattern are unlikely to constitute a serious threat to the survival of the species.