Resurvey After 20 Years:Updating the Distribution,Population,and Potential Threats of the Chinting Alpine Toad

Considering the increased anthropogenic impacts,species with a limited range and low detectability often lack fundamental information and conservation actions,placing them at a high risk of endangerment.The Chinting alpine toad Scutiger chintingensis is a rare mountain amphibian endemic to the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in China.Within its whole distribution range,only three known populations(Wolong,Emei,and Wawu)exist and no recent population status report has been documented for this species over the past two decades.From 2020 to 2023,we investigated the species distribution,and assessed the risk factors for the main populations.We recorded this species in all distribution areas,and updated a new distribution site with a lower elevation limit.The relative population density was 0.024±0.012 ind./m^(2)on Mount Emei,whereas only 0.008±0.017 ind./m^(2)on Mount Wawu.No significant difference was observed in the number of individuals between the two populations;however,the relative population density was significantly different.Sewage and waste discharge resulting from the construction of scenic areas,as well as disturbances from tourism,were the primary anthropogenic factors that influenced the survival of this species.Our results provide the updated information on the distribution and population status of the Chinting alpine toad,and suggest that unrecorded populations,as well as a wider elevation range,may exist for this species.Our findings emphasise the importance of timely updates of species distribution and population information and offer a basis for the future conservation of endangered amphibians.

An Effective Runge-Kutta Optimizer Based on Adaptive Population Size and Search Step Size

A newly proposed competent population-based optimization algorithm called RUN,which uses the principle of slope variations calculated by applying the Runge Kutta method as the key search mechanism,has gained wider interest in solving optimization problems.However,in high-dimensional problems,the search capabilities,convergence speed,and runtime of RUN deteriorate.This work aims at filling this gap by proposing an improved variant of the RUN algorithm called the Adaptive-RUN.Population size plays a vital role in both runtime efficiency and optimization effectiveness of metaheuristic algorithms.Unlike the original RUN where population size is fixed throughout the search process,Adaptive-RUN automatically adjusts population size according to two population size adaptation techniques,which are linear staircase reduction and iterative halving,during the search process to achieve a good balance between exploration and exploitation characteristics.In addition,the proposed methodology employs an adaptive search step size technique to determine a better solution in the early stages of evolution to improve the solution quality,fitness,and convergence speed of the original RUN.Adaptive-RUN performance is analyzed over 23 IEEE CEC-2017 benchmark functions for two cases,where the first one applies linear staircase reduction with adaptive search step size(LSRUN),and the second one applies iterative halving with adaptive search step size(HRUN),with the original RUN.To promote green computing,the carbon footprint metric is included in the performance evaluation in addition to runtime and fitness.Simulation results based on the Friedman andWilcoxon tests revealed that Adaptive-RUN can produce high-quality solutions with lower runtime and carbon footprint values as compared to the original RUN and three recent metaheuristics.Therefore,with its higher computation efficiency,Adaptive-RUN is a much more favorable choice as compared to RUN in time stringent applications.

Effects of effective population size on the F_2 growth and survival of bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians (Lamarck)

In 2002, six cohorts ofbroodstock bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians （Ne=1, 2, 10, 30, 50 and control） were randomly chosen from a population of bay scallop to produce offspring. After one year rearing, with the progeny matured, the similar experiment was done to produce the F2 generation. To determine the magnitude of Ne effects, the growth and survival rates in larvae and adult of six F2 groups were compared. Results showed that inbreeding depression existed not only in the Ne=1 group but also in the Ne=2 group. The growth and survival rates of the two groups were significantly lower than those of the other groups （Ne=10, 30, 50, control）, and there were no significant differences among the latter （P〉0.05）. At the same time, the amount of depression in the Ne=1 group was significantly higher than that of the Ne=2 group （P〈0.05）. These results indicated that the low effective population size （Ne）, which increases the possibility of inbreeding, could lead to some harmful effects on the offspring. So it is essential to maintain a high level of Ne in commercial seed production. Fta＇thermore, as the high fecundity of bay scallop might lead to increased inbreeding, selecting broodstock from different growout sites is recommended.

On the optimal harvesting of size-structured population dynamics

This work is concerned with a kind of optimal control problem for a size-structured biological population model.Well-posedness of the state system and an adjoint system are proved by means of Banach＇s fixed point theorem.Existence and uniqueness of optimal control are shown by functional analytical approach.Optimality conditions describing the optimal strategy are established via tangent and normal cones technique.The results are of the first ones for this novel structure.

Genetic identification and reiterated captures suggest that the Astyanax mexicanus El Pachón cavefish population is closed and declining

The sizes of Astyanax mexicanus blind cavefish populations of North-East Mexico are demographic parameters of great importance for investigating a variety of ecological,evolutionary,and conservation issues.However,few estimates have been obtained.For these mobile animals living in an environment difficult to explore as a whole,methods based on capture-mark-recapture are appropriate,but their feasibility and interpretation of results depend on several assumptions that must be carefully examined.Here,we provide evidence that minimally invasive genetic identification from captures at different time intervals(three days and three years)can give insights into cavefish population size dynamics as well as other important demographic parameters of interest.We also provide tools to calibrate sampling and genotyping efforts necessary to reach a given level of precision.Our results suggest that the El Pachón cave population is currently very small,of an order of magnitude of a few hundreds of individuals,and is distributed in a relatively isolated area.The probable decline in population size in the El Pachón cave since the last census in 1971 raises serious conservation issues.

A Population Balance Model for Disperse Systems:Particle Size Distribution in Suspension Polymerization

On the basis of population balance a mathematical model is developed to describe the formation of polymer particle in styrene suspension polymerization. The characteristics of coalescence and breakage of droplets and the gel effect are analyzed in particular. Parameters of the models are estimated by experimental data on reaction conversion and particle size distribution. The results show that the model is suitable for predicting polymerization processes.

The acoustic survey of anchovy in the Yellow Sea in February 1999, with emphasis on the estimation of the size structure of the anchovy population

Estimation of the size structure of a fish population is often one of the primary objectives of an acoustic/trawl survey.The methods of estimation may be different with different sampling strategies.This paper describes the main results as well as the methods used during the acoustic survey of anchovy in the Yellow Sea in February 1999,with emphasis on the estimation of the number at length and biomass at length of the anchovy population surveyed under adoptive sampling strategy.The estimation is done for each transect.Within each transect,the biological sample data is weighted by fish quantity derived from the acoustic density ( s A) of the echo signs that the biological sample represents.This method makes full use of the acoustic data available in a rigorous manner.It is essentially to estimate the size structure of each group of fish aggregation thought to having similar size composition.It is believed that this method may lead to a more accurate estimate of the size structure of a fish population surveyed under adoptive sampling strategy.

ESTIMATING DENSITY AND POPULATION SIZE OF TIBETAN SNOWCOCK IN TIBET

The population situation of Tibetan Snowcock (Tetragallus tibetanus) has been surveyed by line transect sampling in Tibet from 1987 to 1989. The total length of samplings is 4444km, which were arranged in an area of 1 million.km2. 783 snowcocks were recorded in 35 line transects of 408km in the effective length. From these data, the densities of the snowcocks were estimated from negative exponential density distribution and jackknife method. The average density is 1.4523 cocks/ km2 and varies from 5.6580 to 0.0697 indiv. -km2. The population size of the snowcocks is 187.303±24.781 cocks in Tibet. In this paper, the author also discussed how to locate the line transect samplings, determine the observation width, choose possible shapes of the detection function and calculate the habitat size.

Population Size, Genetic Diversity and Molecular Evidence of a Recent Population Bottleneck in Hynobius chinensis, an Endangered Salamander Species

Severe population declines can reduce species to small populations, offering permissive conditions for deleterious processes. For example, following such events, species can become prone to inbreeding and genetic drift which can lead to a loss of genetic diversity and evolutionary potentials. Hynobius chinensis is a poorly studied very rare and declining endangered amphibian species endemic to China in Changyang County. We investigated adult census population size by monitoring breeding populations from 2015 to 2018, developed microsatellite markers from the transcriptome and used them to investigate genetic diversity, and a population bottleneck in this species. We found H. chinensis in 4 different localities in a total area of 2.18 km^2 and estimated the overall adult census population size at 386–404 individuals. The adult census size（mean ± SE） per breeding pond ranged from 44 ± 6 to 141 ± 8 individuals and appeared smaller than that reported in closely related species in undisturbed habitats. We developed and characterized 13 microsatellite markers in total. Analysis of data at 7 loci（N = 118） in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium gathered from the largest population showed that genetic diversity level was low. The average number of alleles per locus was 2.14. The observed and expected heterozygosities averaged 0.38 and 0.40, respectively. The inbreeding coefficient was –0.06. All tests performed to investigate a population bottleneck, i.e. The Garza-Williamson test, Heterozygosity excess test, Mode shift test of allele frequency, and effective population size estimates detected a population bottleneck. The contemporary and the historical effective population sizes were estimated at 36 and 234 individuals, respectively. We argue that as bottleneck effects, the studied population may have become prone to genetic drift and inbreeding, losing microsatellite alleles and heterozygosity. Our results suggest that populations of H. chinensismay have been extirpated in the study area.

Lion Hunting and Trophy Quality Records in Zambia for the Period 1967-2000: Will the Trends in Trophy Size Drop as Lion Population Declines?

Data on lion skull measurements taken were collected and analyzed to determine trends in trophy size as an indicator of population size, and area of origin among the concessioned hunting areas in Zambia for the period 1967-2000. A comparison of trophy quality was also made with Tanzania and Zimbabwe which were the other two key sources of lion trophies in Africa. It was assumed that a comprehensive analysis of lion trophy sizes obtained from trophy hunting would be used as an indicator of hunting pressure on lion populations in Zambia. This approach was used because trophy size is an index of abundance particularly for species such as lion which are difficult to count using conventional census methods. Record lion trophies from Safari Club International rating were also collected and assessed to compare trophy quality obtained from Zambia and those of Tanzania and Zimbabwe for the same period 1967-2000 (33 years). Results obtained suggested that Zambia’s contribution to the record trophies under Safari Club International did not decline in the intervening period 1967-2000 and could not be used as an effective indicator of lion population in Zambia. At regional level, Zambia had second highest 24%, after Tanzania 56%, while Zimbabwe was third, 20%. It was found that the size of skulls could not be used as an effective indicator of population size as the record trophies did not decline while the population was alleged to have declined on the continent. Other factors, such as genetic, low prey densities, snaring, poisoning and problem animal control needed to be investigated to determine their impact on the lion population status.

ON THE EXTINCTION OF POPULATION-SIZE-DEPENDENT BISEXUAL GALTON-WATSON PROCESSES

In this article, the population-size-dependent bisexual Galton-Watson processes are considered. Under some suitable conditions on the mating functions and the offspring distribution, existence of the limit of mean growth rate per mating unit is proved. And based on the limit, a criterion to identify whether the process admits ultimate extinct with probability one is obtained.

Mediative Fuzzy Logic for Controlling Population Size in Evolutionary Algorithms

In this paper we are presenting an intelligent method for controlling population size in evolutionary algorithms. The method uses Mediative Fuzzy Logic for modeling knowledge from experts about what should be the behavior of population size through generations based on the fitness variance and the number of generations that the algorithm is being stuck. Since, it is common that this kind of knowledge expertise can be susceptible to disagreement in a minor or a major part. We selected Mediative Fuzzy Logic (MFL) as a fuzzy method to achieve the inference. MFL is a novelty fuzzy inference method that can handle imperfect knowledge in a broader way than traditional fuzzy logic does.

Assessment of parental contribution and effective population size from a 3×3 diallel cross of clam Meretrix meretrix

Unbalanced parental contribution and small effective population size （Ne） are common issues during the artificial breeding of marine bivalves. The impact of hatchery-spawning practices on parental contribution, effective population size, the Ne/Nratio, and genetic diversity are largely unknown. To address this, we conducted a parentage analysis on a complete 3×3 diallel cross of clam Meretrix meretrix using eight microsatellite markers. The genetic diversity of the parents was higher than that of their respective offspring in most crosses （8/9）. Sires or dams from the same family contributed unequally to the pool of offspring from a particular cross, and the same parent clam exhibited large variation in parental contribution among different crosses. The variance in male contribution was higher than that of the female contribution in most crosses, suggesting that male contribution was more skewed than for females. The No/N ratio for nine crosses ranged from 0.58 to 0.86. There was no linear relationship between the sex ratio and the Ne/Nratio （P〉0.05）. Moreover, a sex ratio closer to one-to-one does not necessarily mean a larger effective population size. A solution to small effective population size in commercial breeding programs is increasing broodstoek numbers and attempting to maintain a balanced sex ratio.

Estimating the Size of an Injecting Drug User Population

This article describes a sampling and estimation scheme for estimating the size of an injecting drug user (IDU) population by combining classical sampling and respondent-driven sampling procedures. It is designed to use the information from harm reduction programs, especially, Needle Exchange Programs (NEPs). The approach involves using respondent-driven sampling design to collect a sample of injecting drug users who appear at site of NEP in a certain period of time and to obtain retrospective self-report data on the number of friends among the IDUs and number of needles exchanged for each sampled injecting drug user. A methodology is developed to estimate the size of injecting drug users who have ever used the NEP during the fixed period of time, and which allows us to estimate the proportion of injecting drug users in using NEP. The size of the IDU population is estimated by dividing the total number of IDUs who using NEPs during the period of time by the estimated proportion of IDUs in the group. The technique holds promise for providing data needed to answer questions such as “What is the size of an IDU population in a city?” and “Is that size changing?” and better understand the dynamics of the IDU population. The methodology described here can also be used to estimate size of other hard-to-reach population by using information from harm reduction programs.

Population size and distribution of seabirds in the Cosmonaut Sea,Southern Ocean

The Cosmonaut Sea is one of the less studied ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere.Unlike other seas which were near to coastal regions,however,few studies exist on the top predators in this zone.From December 2019 to January 2020,a survey of seabirds was carried out on the board icebreaker R/V Xuelong 2 in the Cosmonaut Sea and the Cooperation Sea.Twenty-three bird species were recorded.Antarctic petrel(Thalassoica antarctica),Antarctic prion(Pachyptila desolata),and Arctic tern(Sterna paradisaea)were the most abundant species.A total of about 37500 birds belonging to 23 species were recorded.Around 23%of the region had no record of birds.A large number of birds was recorded in 39°E-40°E,44°E-46°E and 59°E-60°E.Many areas,such as 33°E-35°E,39°E-41°E,44°E-46°E and 59°E-60°E show a great richness.More than two-thirds of seabirds(71%)were observed in the zone near the ocean front.The prediction of the distributions of the most dominant species Antarctic petrel also showed that the area near the ocean front region had an important ecological significance for seabirds.The results suggest that the distribution of seabirds in the Cosmonaut Sea is highly heterogenous.

Evolution of the North Atlantic Current and Barents Ice Sheet as revealed by grain size populations in the northern Norwegian Sea during the last 60 ka

The grain size distribution of bulk sediment samples was decomposed in a core to reconstruct paleoceanographic evolution over the past 60 ka in the northern Norwegian Sea.The results show that sediments consisted of 3–4 grain populations derived from the North Atlantic Current(NAC)and Barents Ice Sheet(BIS).The grain size data suggest three palaeoceanographic evolution stages:(1)an environment affected by BIS and NAC and changed with the interstadial/stadial transition in phase with the Greenland ice-core record at 60–31 ka BP,during which discharge of icebergs and the content of the coarsest population containing ice-rafted debris(IRD)in the sediments increased significantly during stadial,while the fine silt population containing volcanic glasses increased with the enhancement of NAC during the interstadial;(2)an extreme environment controlled by BIS at31–13 ka BP.BIS reached to its maximum at about 31 ka BP and the turbid plumes that formed at the leading edge of BIS contributed to a significant increase in the clayey population in sediments.Icebergs drained into the northern Norwegian Sea with periodical calving of the BIS at 31–19 ka BP.Subsequently,the ablation of the BIS discharged massive floods with clayey sediments and icebergs into the Norwegian Sea at 19–13 ka BP,resulting in a constant increase in clay and IRD in sediments;and(3)a marine environment similar to the present one under the strong influence of NAC following the complete melting of the BIS after 13 ka BP,NAC is the dominant transport agent and no IRD occurred in sediments.The fine silt populations containing volcanic glasses transported by NAC significantly increased.

Status of the Xinjiang Ground Jay:population,breeding ecology and conservation

The Xinjiang Ground Jay (Podoces biddulphi) is a bird species endemic to China. It has a restricted range, living only in the Taklimakan Desert, southern part of Xinjiang. So far, little information has been known of the status and ecology of the bird in the world. Since 1988, I have been taking field investigations on the distribution, population size and breeding ecology of the Xinjiang Ground Jay in the desert.In this thesis, the desertification in relation to the eastward expansion of the ground jays was discussed.

Patterns of change in the population and spatial distribution of oriental white storks (Ciconia boyciana) wintering in Poyang Lake

Using total counts in simultaneous annual surveys, we monitored the population size and spatial distribution of oriental white storks （Ciconia boyciana） wintering in Poyang Lake between 1998 and 2011. Results showed that Poyang Lake wetland is an important wintering ground for oriental white storks, with an annual average population number of 2 305＋326. The population sizes in 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2011 were higher than the highest-ever estimate of its global population. In 2005, we recorded 3 789 individuals, which was the maximum population number within the period of 1998-2011. The storks inhabited 52 lakes, with the greatest distance between these lakes being 180.3 km. The storks presented a clustered distribution pattern in the Poyang Lake wetland, irrespective of the number of individuals or occurrence frequencies. Shahu, Dahuchi, Banghu, and Hanchihu were most frequently used lakes and had the largest annual average numbers of storks. There was a significant positive correlation between occurrence frequency and annual average number of storks in the lakes. Most of the lakes important for storks were covered by existing nature reserves, though some lakes outside the reserves were also frequently used. About 64.9%＋ 5.5% of the storks were found in nature reserves. In addition, the storks more frequently used and clumped in significantly larger flocks in lakes within nature reserves than lakes outside.

Genetic diversity analysis of spawner and recaptured populations of Chinese shrimp(Fenneropenaeus chinensis)during stock enhancement in the Bohai Bay based on an SSR marker

Eight microsatellite markers were used to analyze genetic diversity, level of inbreeding, and effective population size of spawner and recaptured populations of Chinese shrimp（Fenneropenaeus chinensis） during stock enhancement in the Bohai Bay in 2013. A total of 254 and 238 alleles were identified in the spawner and recaptured populations, respectively, and the numbers of alleles（N_a） were 8–63 and 6–60, respectively. The numbers of effective alleles（N_e） were 2.52–21.60 and 2.67–20.72, respectively. The polymorphism information content ranged from 0.529 to 0.952. The observed heterozygosity（H_o） values（0.638–0.910 and 0.712–0.927） were lower than the expected heterozygosity（H_e） values（0.603–0.954 and 0.625–0.952）, which indicated that the two populations possessed a rich genetic diversity. In 16 tests（2 populations×8 loci）, 13 tests deviated from the HardyWeinberg equilibrium. F_（is） values were positive at seven loci and the inbreeding coefficients（F） of the two populations estimated by trio ML were 13.234% and 11.603%, suggesting that there was a relatively high degree of inbreeding. A certain level of inbreeding depression had occurred in the Chinese shrimp population. F_（st） values ranged from 0 to 0.059, with a mean of 0.028, displaying a low level of genetic differentiation in the two populations. Effective population sizes（3 060.2 and 3 842.8） were higher than the minimum number suggested for retaining the evolutionary potential to adapt to new environmental conditions. For enhancement activity in 2014,the ideal number of captured shrimp spawners should have ranged from 7 686 to 19 214 to maintain genetic diversity and effective population size. Further strategies to adjust the balance of economic cost, fishing effort and ideal number of shrimp spawners to maintain a satisfactory effective population size for ensuring the sustainability of Chinese shrimp are proposed.

African Lion Population Estimates in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park

Tanzania is considered a country with the largest number of African lions (Panthera leo). However, the continued absence of ecological population estimates and understanding of the associated factors influencing lion distribution hinders the development of conservation planning. This is particularly true in the Ruaha-Rungwa landscape, where it was estimated that more than 10% of the global lion population currently resides. By using a call-back survey method, we aimed to provide population estimates (population size and density) of African lions in the Ruaha National Park, between wet (March 2019) and dry (October 2019) seasons. We also assessed the key factors that influenced the distribution of the observed lions towards call-back stations. Ferreira & Funston’s (2010) formula was used to calculate population size and in turn used to estimate density in the sampled area, while the Generalized Linear Model (GLMM) with zero-inflated Poisson error distribution was used to determine factors that influence the distribution of the observed lions to call-back stations. The population size we calculated for the sampled area of 3137.2 km2 revealed 286 lions (95% CI, 236 - 335) during the wet season, and 196 lions (95% CI, 192 - 200) during the dry season. The density of lions was 9.1/100 km2 during the wet season, and 6.3/100 km2 during the dry season. Distance to water source had a significant negative effect on the distribution of the observed lions to the call-back stations, while habitat had a marginal effect. Our findings show that, although lion population estimates were larger during the wet season than the dry season, the season had no effect on the distribution of the observed lions to call-back stations. We suggest that the proximity to water sources is important in study design. Further, we suggest that density and population size are useful indices in identifying conservation area priorities and lion coexistence strategies.