Effects of main ecological factors on the growth of marine green alga Caulerpa sertularioides using the response surface methodology

Caulerpa sertularioides is an invasive potential blooming green alga in China but it remains poorly studied.We studied the effects of ecological factors on its growth.Optimum conditions of ecological factors,i.e.,irradiance,temperature,and salinity,for the growth of its fragments were determined in the response surface methodology(RSM).The specific growth rates(SGR)of the fragments were determined in single-factor experiment.The results show that the SGR of C.sertularioides peaked under the conditions of irradiance 37.5μmol/(m~2·s),temperature25℃,and salinity 30.Meanwhile,using the Box-Behnken design,the conditions were further optimized and verified to be:irradiance 39.03μmol/(m~2·s),temperature 25.29℃,and salinity 30.06,under which the SGR reached 4.66%.The results provide new theoretical data and solutions for the cultivation,invasion prediction,and monitoring of Caulerpa species in China and the world.The RSM method may have great potential applications in the environmental adaptation characteristics of new macroalgal cultivars,intensive orientation cultured germplasm,and environmental hazard analysis of cultivated species in the field.

Typical Correlation Analysis between Forage Type Triticale Production Performance and Different Pilot Ecological Factors

Domestic and foreign researches on triticale mainly focus on hereditary traits and excellent characteristics,but there are few reports on triticale yield and quality in the severe cold pastoral areas of Gansu and Qinghai.In this study,Gannong 2 triticale cultivars have been bred and planted in typical ecological areas according to the characteristics of different ecological regions.By studying the relationship between quality traits and various ecological factors,the effects of different ecological factors on the quality of Triticale hay have been clarified,which provides a reasonable basis for future triticale breeding and large-scale and targeted planting layout.The production performance and nutritional qualities of Triticale Trial in Maqu County,Gansu Province and Gannong No.2 in Dulan County,Qinghai Province are obviously superior to other pilot sites.Through reasonable fertilization,the production performance and nutritional quality of triticale are the best.Triticale production performance is significantly related to climatic factors in different pilots.The most suitable planting area for Gannong 2 is Maqu County,Gansu Province.

Studies on Occurrence Ecological Factors and Management Strategies of Ambrostoma quadriimpressum in Harbin City

This paper investigated effects of four ecological variables on the damage levels of elm leaf beetle(different effects of minimum and maximum values, relations between each two variables were also explored) and discussed current management measures. The results showed that among these factors, interval between elm trees significantly affected damage level by this leaf beetle species, and perimeter of elm trunk could change this effect. On the other side, while middle values for each index were deleted, effects comparison between minimum and maximum parts showed that good root soil as overwintering was related with more damage; more severe damages on elm tree would result in more control measures used; on elm tree with bigger trunk, more damages were observed; and if other elm tree was closer, more damages would occur. Secondly, good root soil was related with more measures used; good root soil was correlated with smaller perimeter; good root soil was associated with bigger interval. Thirdly, more measures were correlated with bigger perimeter; more measures were also correlated with good root soil. Fourthly, bigger perimeter was correlated with worse root soil. Current dominant control measures included chemical pesticide application preventing adult insects from descending or climbing up along trunk before and after overwintering. These results suggested that we should focus on elm leaf beetle management on all the elm trees instead of only on bigger elm trees at proper period simultaneously because occurrence on these elm trees were related intensively although this adult elm leaf beetle species could not fly and had limited movement ability.

Effects of Different Climates and Soil Environments in the Yanshan Production Area on the Growth and Quality of Chestnuts

[Objectives] This study conducted investigations on the climate and soil nutrients of different chestnut orchards in the Yanshan region, selected key ecological factors affecting the growth and fruit quality of chestnuts, and provided a theoretical basis for the cultivation, introduction, and scientific planting of high-quality chestnuts. [Methods] The ‘Yanshanzaofeng’ chestnuts in four orchards located in Qianxi, Qianan, Funing, and Qinglong of Hebei Science and Technology Normal University were selected. The climate and soil nutrient conditions of the four orchards were investigated. Growth indicators such as branch length and diameter, nut weight, and internal quality indicators such as starch, fat, and protein content were analyzed. Principal component analysis was conducted on nine climate factors and twelve soil factors in the four chestnut orchards to identify the most closely related ecological factors influencing chestnut growth and quality. [Results] (i) Different orchards had varying climate conditions, with Qianan orchard having higher rainfall than the others, Funing orchard having the highest number of sunshine hours in the growing season, and Qinglong orchard experiencing the greatest temperature difference during the growing season. (ii) Significant differences were found in soil nutrient content among the orchards, with the coefficient of variation for organic matter and mineral elements ranging from 19.1% (S) to 80.3% (available phosphorus). (iii) The main ecological factor influencing chestnut growth was the photosynthetic factor, while fruit quality was influenced by a combination of climatic factors, photosynthetic factors, and nutrient factors. Key ecological factor indicators included: annual precipitation, annual sunshine hours, growing season precipitation, growing season sunshine hours, soil organic matter, available phosphorus, available potassium, alkali nitrogen, copper, zinc, available boron, and sulfur. Soluble solids were significantly positively correlated with growing season sunshine hours, and fat was significantly positively correlated with available potassium and alkali nitrogen, and significantly positively correlated with available phosphorus. [Conclusions] Orchards with high growing season precipitation, long sunshine hours, and high organic matter and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium content in the soil are more conducive to promoting the growth of ‘Yanshanzaofeng’ chestnuts and improving fruit quality.

Suggestions on Forest Ecological Compensation—Taking Mudanjiang City as an Example

The forest ecological compensation is an important factor to balance the interests of different areas for sustainable development and environment protection. Mudanjiang City in Heilongjiang Province of China is rich of forest resources. The forestry coverage rate reached 62.3% in 2014, after forestry conservation program from 2002. The authors explored the factors impacted on forest ecological compensation in Mudanjiang City, which was a demonstration as a case study, through experts' evaluation scores and AHP methodology to analyze the forest ecological compensation factors and lay the foundation for the establishment of ecological compensation mechanism. At the same time, we provided an example to explore the effective way and speed up the establishment of ecological compensation mechanism. The study found that the main factors that determined forest ecological compensation in Mudanjiang City were ecology and natural resources. Based on the analyses, some suggestions were put forward to promote the mechanism in a sustainable way.

Nest Site Preference and Fidelity of Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis)

Oviparous female reptiles select nesting sites with optimal ecological factors that contribute to egg development. Chinese alligator(Alligator sinensis), an oviparous reptile, is a critically endangered crocodilian with temperature-dependent sex determination. Research on its nesting behavior may facilitate the protection of this species. In this study, we monitored nesting behavior over eight years. We compared selected frequency of nest sites, distance from nest site to water, height from nest site top to the water surface, distance from nest site to human activity region, and canopy density between nest sites on the island and bank. The results showed that 45 nest sites were used by female alligators over eight years and each site was selected from one to 10 times. The selected frequency of nest site occurrence on the island was higher than that on the bank(P < 0.001). We observed that 88% of the individual alligators(15/17) showed different degrees of nest site fidelity. However, Chinese alligators might not always be loyal to only one nest site because of environmental changes or interspecific competition at nest sites. Our findings suggest that female alligators prefer to nest at island, which might be because of the nests on the island had a higher canopy density(P = 0.010) and were further from the human activity region(P < 0.001) than those on the bank did. It would be beneficial to reduce human activities during the breeding season and protect the vegetation of Chinese alligator habitats in the future. of the beach(Ali et al., 2005; Kamel and Mrosovsky, 2005; Turkozan et al., 2012). Other species such as snakes and lizards select nest sites with more moist substrates, which significantly increases their body size at hatching(Brown and Shine, 2004; Reedy et al., 2013). Nest site preference may be maintained for one or more breeding seasons(Janzen and Morjan, 2001; Kamel et al., 2006). When female chose the same site or area during different years, it is called nest site fidelity(Switzer, 1993). This nest choice behavior may influence offspring survival(Lindeman, 1992) and nest site fidelity has been documented in numerous species such as birds(Lindberg and Sedinger, 1997), turtles(Mitrus, 2006; Walde et al., 2007), tuatara(Refsnider et al., 2010), and crocodilians(Elsey et al., 2008).Chinese alligator(Alligator sinensis) is a critically endangered freshwater crocodilian endemic to China(Thorbjarnarson and Wang, 1999). Recent investigations show that there are no more than 130 Chinese

Estimates of Density and Population Size of African Lions in the Katavi National Park, Tanzania

Lion populations are declining globally, including in Tanzania, and Africa. However, Katavi National Park is a landscape with potential for a sustainable and healthy population of African lions (Panthera leo), but there is currently limited reliable data indicating density and population size. This hinders the development of conservation action plans, including population monitoring, for this species. To address this data gap, we assessed lions’ demography and population estimates (population size and density) in the Katavi National Park using a call-back survey method. In addition, we assessed ecological factors that influenced distribution of lions to the call-back stations. Our estimated population size revealed 84 lions (95% CI 53 - 116), with a density of 5/100 km2 (95% CI 3.14 - 6.86) in the sampled area, representing 38% of the total park. This resulted in an estimated 214 individuals when extrapolated to the whole park. Sixty-seven percent of lions that responded to the stations were female, and ecological factors that significantly influenced their distribution included elevation, land cover, precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and prey abundance. Our results suggest that female lions are more abundant than males in Katavi National Park and that population size and density estimates, as well as understanding prey-lion relations, are important indices for lion monitoring and identifying conservation priorities. Further, our study suggests that the call-back survey method is an effective, rapid, and less costly population assessment method for lions, may be useful for assessing other social species in the Katavi ecosystem and can be a useful tool for community engagement and contributing to scientific monitoring.

Spatiotemporal variability of fish assemblage in the Shatt Al-Arab River,Iraq

Objective:To study spatial and temporal variability of fish assemblage in the Shatt Al-Arab River.Methods:This study was conducted from December 2011 to November 2012.Water temperature,salinity,dissolved oxygen and transparency were measured from three sites in the river.Several fishing methods were adopted to collect fish including gill nets,cast net,electro-fishing and hook and lines.Associations between the distribution of fish species and the environmental variables were quantified by using canonical correspondence analysis.Results:The results showed that the fish assemblage consisted of 58 species representing 46 genera and 27 families belong to Osteichthyes except one(Carcharhinus leucas)relate to Chondrichthyes.Number of species increased in summer and autumn months and sharply decreased in winter.Tenualosa ilisha was the most abundant species comprising 27.4%of the catch,followed by Carassius auratus(23.7%)and Liza klunzingeri(10.6%).The dominance(D_(3))value for the main three abundant species was 61.7%.Nine species were caught for the first times from the river include eight marine.The overall values of diversity index ranged from 0.67 in March to 2.57 in October,richness index from 2.64 in January to 3.71 in September and evenness index from 0.22 in March to 0.73 in August.Conclusions:Spatially,the fish assemblages of Shatt Al-Arab River can be divided into three ecological fish guilds,namely,common species,seasonal species and occasional species.

Quantifying landscape linkages among giant panda subpopulations in regional scale conservation

Understanding habitat requirements and identifying landscape linkages are essential for the survival of isolat­ed populations of endangered species.Currently,some of the giant panda populations are isolated,which threat­ens their long-term survival,particularly in the Xiaoxiangling mountains.In the present study,we quantified niche requirements and then identified potential linkages of giant panda subpopulations in the most isolated re­gion,using ecological niche factor analysis and a least-cost path model.Giant pandas preferred habitat with co­nifer forest and gentle slopes(>20 to≤30°).Based on spatial distribution of suitable habitat,linkages were iden­tified for the Yele subpopulation to 4 other subpopulations(Liziping,Matou,Xinmin and Wanba).Their lengths ranged from 15 to 54 km.The accumulated cost ranged from 693 to 3166 and conifer forest covered over 31%.However,a variety of features(e.g.major roads,human settlements and large unforested areas)might act as barriers along the linkages for giant panda dispersal.Our analysis quantified giant panda subpopulation connec­tivity to ensure long-term survival.