黄河上中游水体沉积物对磷酸盐的吸附/释放行为

研究了黄河上中游8个沉积物磷酸盐的吸附/释放动力学,比较了不同沉积物吸附磷的差别,分析了沉积物磷形态对磷吸附特征的影响.结果表明,沉积物对磷酸盐的吸附与释放均主要在前8 h内完成,在前0.5 h内对磷的吸附和释放速率均最快,在24 h内吸附基本达到平衡;沉积物对磷的等温吸附曲线既符合线性方程和Freundlich模型,同时也较好地符合Langmuir模型.据Langmuir模型计算得出沉积物对磷的最大吸附容量为0.095～0.272 mg·g-1,且最大吸附容量与沉积物总磷、可交换态磷和有机质含量呈显著正相关;沉积物在相应的上覆水中对磷酸盐的吸附过程存在一个吸附/解吸平衡点,对应的吸附/解吸平衡质量浓度为0.009～0.031 mg·L-1,均大于相应上覆水体中磷浓度,说明沉积物有向上覆水释磷的趋势.     

东湖、汤逊湖和梁子湖沉积物磷形态及pH对磷释放的影响

文章采用淡水沉积物中磷形态标准测试程序(SMT)研究了东湖、汤逊湖和梁子湖沉积物中磷的形态分布,并比较了不同pH条件下沉积物磷释放特征的差异性。结果表明:东湖沉积物总磷质量分数最高,平均值1.232 mg.g-1,其次为汤逊湖(0.762mg.g-1),梁子湖沉积物总磷质量分数最低(0.572 mg.g-1);3个湖泊上覆水总磷质量浓度也表现出类似的变化规律,线性相关性分析显示上覆水中总磷质量浓度与沉积物总磷质量分数显著正相关。东湖和梁子湖沉积物总磷中无机磷和有机磷所占比例较接近,汤逊湖无机磷所占比例远低于有机磷。不同湖泊之间磷形态的分布并没有一定的规律性,湖泊的地理分布以及人为因素可能是造成磷形态差异的主要因素。当pH为2.0~7.0时,3个湖泊沉积物中溶解性活性磷(SRP)释放量均呈先增加后减小的趋势;当pH为7.0~12.0时,SRP释放量呈增加趋势。相关分析结果表明,SRP的释放与有机质的质量分数无显著相关性。方差分析结果显示3个湖泊沉积物在黏粒和粉粒组成上均没有显著差异(P>0.1),表明实验样品的粒径组成不是造成各个湖泊间磷释放差异的原因。不同pH条件下,SRP释放量与沉积物总磷质量分数显著正相关;酸性环境下,SRP释放量与酸式磷(HCl-P)的相关性优于碱式磷(NaOH-P),碱性环境下则刚好相反。     

鄱阳湖沉积物中磷吸附释放特性及影响因素研究

沉积物是氮磷营养盐的主要蓄积库,它不仅是外来污染物的归宿地,同时其自身营养盐的释放也可对水环境产生重大影响。针对鄱阳湖存在的沉积物磷释放问题,关键环境因子对基质磷吸附的影响规律进行了探讨。通过控制在不同环境因素条件下,上覆水中磷的变化规律探讨,阐明磷在上覆水-底泥界面迁移转化的规律和环境因素对迁移转化过程的影响。研究结果表明,吸附初始阶段,两者含量相差较大,起始吸附速率很高;随着反应时间的推进,两者含量差随之减小;当吸附时间达到30 min时,此时上覆水的平衡质量浓度为8.648 mg·L^-1,两者含量达成平衡。由磷的吸附等温试验同样可看出,随着平衡质量浓度逐渐增加,土壤吸磷量刚开始增加较快,随后增加趋势逐渐减缓直至磷饱和。pH越小,上覆水质量浓度越低,沉积物对磷的吸附作用越强;pH越大,上覆水中TP质量浓度越大,强碱条件下,TP吸收量剧减。在好氧条件下,沉积物对磷的吸附远远高于厌氧条件下沉积物的吸附。好氧条件下,反应在4 h内,沉积物对磷的吸附速率最高,随后吸附量很小直至逐渐饱和。厌氧条件下,吸附作用不明显;当反应时间达到24 h后,上覆水磷质量浓度保持不变,此时沉积物磷吸附达到饱和。高溶解氧水平对于控制底泥向上覆水体释放磷,维持水体较低总磷是必要的。温度为30℃,20℃和5℃3种条件下,当反应24 h后,三者均达到吸附平衡。因此,当上覆水的磷质量浓度较低时,高温条件下基质的磷释放速度会高于低温条件下的磷释放速度。研究结果旨在为正确认识、合理评估环境因素对湖泊水体磷的影响提供更为充分恰当的试验依据和理论解释。     

化学物添加控制湖泊内源磷负荷的有效性研究

利用太湖五里湖湖水和未受破坏原柱状沉积物样组成的系统进行投加生石灰、铁盐和铝盐的湖水脱磷效果的实验室研究。分别一次性向各柱状样上覆水体中投加6种不同质量浓度的铝盐、钙盐和铁盐溶液,经过一段时间的观察和测定。结果表明,3种化学物的添加均能使实验上覆水体中总磷质量浓度大幅度降低,并且随着投加的生石灰、铁盐和铝盐的量的增加,上覆水体中总磷的质量浓度下降幅度越大,水体中总磷的去除率越高,同时这3种化学物的添加对湖泊沉积物内源磷的释放有一定的抑制作用。     

生态修复对浅水湖泊沉积物磷形态特征及湖水磷浓度的影响

以恢复沉水植物为主要手段在浅水富营养化湖泊修复中得到广泛应用,但修复后水质差异很大,可能与沉积物特征有关.暨南大学南湖是浅水富营养化湖泊,在削减外源负荷后,实施了沉水植物恢复等修复工程.本研究选择具有不同水质的区域,采集水样与沉积物,分析沉积物NH4Cl-P(弱结合态磷)、Fe-P(铁结合态磷)、Al-P(铝结合态磷)、Bio-P(细菌可利用性磷)、Ca-P(钙结合态磷)和Ref-P(残渣磷)6种形态的磷,并检测水质差异,以探讨生态修复对沉积物磷形态及水体磷浓度的影响.结果显示,沉水植物较丰富的2号点沉积物密度显著高于沉水植物较少的1号点,2号点沉积物中Fe-P、Al-P和Ref-P含量较高,沉积物磷最大释放潜力(P-MSP)为4.87 mg/L,大幅高于1号点的2.58mg/L,然而2号点水体磷浓度却低于1号点,1号点水体的总磷、颗粒态磷、总溶解性磷和溶解活性磷浓度分别为2号点的1.29倍、1.11倍、1.17倍和1.14倍,水质较2号点差.本研究说明沉水植物能抑制沉积物中磷的释放,提高沉积物对磷的滞留能力,从而降低水体磷含量,改善水质.     

污染水体沉积物营养盐释放过程

通过实验室模拟试验,以富营养化湖泊-乌梁素海沉积物为试验材料,模拟了在零外源污染状态下沉积物中营养盐的释放特征,揭示了沉积物中TN、TP的释放规律和过程,量化了营养盐的释放速率.试验结果显示,在无扰动的静态水力条件下,沉积物中营养盐在向上覆水体的释放过程中,伴随着解吸-平衡的动态过程,其中TP的释放量是调控水体富营养化...     

氢氧化镧改良沉积物对水中磷的吸附特征

考察了氢氧化镧改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附特征,并考察了被改良沉积物所吸附磷酸盐的形态分布特征.结果发现,氢氧化镧改良沉积物对水中低浓度磷酸盐的吸附可以采用线性模型进行描述,而对高浓度磷酸盐的吸附则适合采用Langmuir模型进行描述.准二级动力学比准一级动力学模型更适合用于拟合改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附动力学过程,膜扩散和颗粒内扩散共同控制了缓慢吸附阶段的速率.强碱性条件不利于改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附.溶液共存的Cl~-、SO_4~(2-)、HCO~3~-、Na~+、K~+和Mg~(2+)对改良沉积物吸附水中磷酸盐的影响较小,而溶液共存的Ca~(2+)会促进改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附.改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力明显强于未改良沉积物.改良沉积物的最大磷酸盐单位吸附量明显高于未改良沉积物,并且改良沉积物的最大单位吸附量随着氢氧化镧添加量的增加而增加.改良沉积物的初始吸附速率随着氢氧化镧添加量的增加也随之增加.改良沉积物的磷吸附-解吸平衡浓度(EPC0)明显低于未改良沉积物.被改良沉积物所吸附的磷酸盐中大部分(84%)以较为稳定的NaOH-rP和HCl-P形态存在,仅仅只有16%左右会以容易释放的NH_4Cl-P和BD-P形态存在.以上结果显示,添加氢氧化镧不仅可以增强沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力,而且可以降低沉积物中磷的释放风险,氢氧化镧是一种有希望的可以用于沉积物内源磷释放的改良剂.     

浮叶植物重建对富营养化湖泊氮磷营养水平的影响

利用太湖五里湖污染底泥，在不破坏表层沉积物形态和结构的情况下，利用大口径的采样器采集沉积物柱状样，研究浮叶植物荇菜（Limnanthemun nymphoides）在此底泥上适应性生长情况及其对水体以及沉积物中氮磷的影响。结果表明，在培养实验过程中，荇菜生长使上覆水体中的氮、磷营养水平逐渐降低，藻类的生长明显受到克制，水体透明度增加，水质逐渐改善。通过植物根系对沉积物和问隙水中营养盐的直接吸收，使表层（0～5cm）沉积物与问隙水中氮磷营养盐的水平在实验结束后有明皿下降，对于控制沉积物内源营养盐释放有重要的作用。因此，恢复以水生植物为丰的水生生态系统足重建富营养湖泊生态系统和控制湖泊内源负荷的重要措施。     

中国东部浅水湖泊沉积物总氮总磷基准阈值研究

受人类活动的影响,东部浅水湖泊沉积物中总氮、总磷负荷很高,当外来污染源得到控制时,底泥中的营养盐会逐渐释放出来,对湖泊水质与生态系统影响很大。为合理削减湖泊内源污染,控制沉积物中营养盐向上覆水体释放,研究制定东部浅水湖泊沉积物总氮、总磷基准阈值,分别测定了100个湖泊的896个表层沉积物样品和8个典型湖泊11个柱芯的沉积物总氮（TN）、总磷（TP）含量,分析了沉积物TN、TP浓度剖面分布特征。通过频度分布法对100个湖泊沉积物总氮总磷的污染状况进行评价,通过背景值比较法确定了8个典型湖泊沉积物的TN、TP背景值。结果表明,100个湖泊的表层沉积物TN浓度范围在479.70~5 573.65 mg·kg-1,TP浓度范围在248.44~1000.33 mg·kg-1,不同湖泊表层沉积物中TN、TP值差异较大。8个典型湖泊沉积物总氮、总磷含量整体上表现出随着深度增加而下降变化趋势,在深层沉积物中含量保持稳定。所调查8个湖泊TN均值为1443.83 mg·kg-1,变化范围为247.45~3719.46 mg·kg-1,各湖泊中TN均值表现为：沱湖〉焦岗湖〉花园湖〉七里湖〉北民湖〉大通湖〉城东湖〉瓦埠湖;TP均值为519.62 mg·kg-1,变化范围为225.41~1944.89 mg·kg-1,各湖泊中TP均值表现为：北民湖〉大通湖〉七里湖〉焦岗湖〉沱湖〉瓦埠湖〉城东湖〉花园湖。不同湖泊沉积物总氮、总磷背景值差异很大。通过对100个湖泊表层沉积物TN、TP的频度分析发现,沉积物营养盐含量上25%点位对应的TP质量浓度398.51mg·kg-1,TN质量浓度为1106.24 mg·kg-1,沉积物营养盐含量下25%点位对应的TP质量浓度664.58 mg·kg-1,TN质量浓度为2916.66 mg·kg-1。通过互相之间的比较分析,推荐采用背景值比较法确定的各湖泊沉积物总氮、总磷背景值均值与频度分步法25%点位对应的总氮值和40%点位对应的总磷值作为东部浅水湖泊沉积物总氮、总磷基准阈值。因此,?     

福建省山美水库入库河道沉积物磷释放风险

通过沉积物磷赋存形态,沉积物-水界面磷吸附平衡浓度(EPC0)值与上覆水体可溶性活性磷(SRP)的大小关系,沉积物磷吸附指数(PSI)、磷吸附饱和度(DPS)、以及其衍生出的磷释放风险指数(ERI)探讨了福建省山美水库入库河道沉积物磷的潜在释放风险.结果表明,入库河道沉积物总磷(TP)、无机磷(IP)、有机磷(OP)、非磷灰石磷(NAIP)及磷灰石磷(AP)的平均含量分别为837.12、665.94、167.19、497.63 mg·kg-1以及166.21 mg·kg-1,各形态磷占TP的比例分别为79.6%、20.0%、59.4%以及19.8%,其沉积物TP含量高于东昌湖,低于百花湖、海河及滇池.入库河道沉积物磷的主要赋存形态为NAIP,为沉积物较易释放且可被生物利用的磷;入库河道沉积物EPC0平均值为0.125 mg·L-1,显著高于上覆水体SRP(0.026 mg·L-1);入库河道沉积物PSI的平均含量为58.01(mg P/100g)·(μmol·L-1)-1,DPS的平均值为14.79%,其衍生指数(ERI)平均值为33,处于沉积物磷高释放风险的范畴.综上可见,山美水库入库河道沉积物磷存在潜在的高释放风险.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.