Connectivity of coral reefs between marine park and non-marine park islands in the Malacca Straits

This study investigates the genetic population and gene flow in the clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), across the Langkawi and Payar Archipelago by analysis of molecular markers in the mitochondrial region.

Bird and mammal conservation in Gaoligongshan Region and Jingdong County, Yunnan, China: patterns of species richness and nature reserves

Elevational and latitudinal patterns of species richness for birds and mammals were compared with human population density in relation to nature reserve designation in two areas of Yunnan Province, China. Results suggest that species richness is not the same for the two areas. In Gaoligongshan Region, species richness is inversely correlated with elevation and altitude, while reserve designation is positively correlated with elevation and latitude. In Jingdong County, reserve designations are positively correlated with elevation, but species richness shows no clear trends. In general, the present situation is strongly influenced by human activities. It appears that reserve designation is mismatched with species richness in Gaoligongshan Region, while there is a better fit between the two in Jingdong County. In both areas, however, it appeared that reserves were located primarily in order to reduce conflict with humans rather than to maximize conservation of biodiversity, probably because humans were responsible for forest-especially primary forest-destruction and degradation in the low-lying areas.

Species richness in a riparian plant community along the banks of the Xiangxi River, the Three Gorges region

The distribution of vascular plant species richness along an altitudinal gradient and their relationships with environmental variables, including slope, aspect, bank (flooding) height, and river width of the Xiangxi River, Hubei Province, were examined. Total vascular plant species richness changed with elevation: it increased at lower elevations, reached a maximum in the midreaches and decreased thereafter. In particular, tree and herbaceous species richness were related to altitude. Correlation analysis (Kendall's tau) between species richness and environmental variables indicated that the change in species richness in the riparian zone was determined by riparian environmental factors and characteristics of regional vegetation distribution along the altitudinal gradient. The low species richness at lower elevations resulted from seasonal flooding and human activities - agriculture and fuel collection - and the higher. Species richness ill (he midreaches reflected transitional zones ill natural vegetation types that had had little disturbance. These results oil species distribution in the riparian community could he utilized as a reference for restoration efforts to improve water quality of the emerging reservoir resulting from the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Dam project.

Small-scale species richness and its spatial variation in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

We investigated how the high small-scale species richness of an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, is maintained. This area is characterized by strong wind and severe cold during long winters. In winter, most livestock is grazed on dead leaves in small pastures near farmers' residences, whereas in the short summer, livestock is grazed in mountainous areas far from farmers' residences. The number of plant species and the aboveground biomass were surveyed for three adjacent pastures differing in grazing management: a late-winter grazing pasture grazed moderately from 1 February to 30 April, an early-winter grazing pasture grazed lightly from 20 September to late October, and a whole-year grazing pasture grazed intensively throughout the entire year. In each pasture, we harvested the aboveground biomass from 80 or 100 quadrats of 0.01 m(2) along a transect and classified the contents by species. We observed 15.5-19.7 species per 0.01 m(2), which is high richness per 0.01 m(2) on a worldwide scale. The species richness in the two winter grazing pastures was higher than that in the whole-year grazing pasture. The spatial variation in species richness and species composition in the two winter grazing pastures in which species richness was high was greater than that in the whole-year grazing pasture in which species richness was lower. Most of the leaves that are preserved on the winter grazing pastures during summer are blown away by strong winds during winter, and the remaining leaves are completely exhausted in winter by livestock grazing. A pasture with a high richess is accompanied by a high spatial variation in species richness and species composition. There is a high possibility that the characteristic of spatial variation is also caused by traditional grazing practices in this area.