Yiming Li

Publications (18)49.68 Total impact

• Article: Foods Eaten by the Sichuan Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, China, in Relation to Nutritional Chemistry.

  Xuecong Liu, Craig B Stanford, Jingyuan Yang, Hui Yao, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: The diet of Rhinopithecus roxellana is characterized by lichens, which are available year-round and an uncommon food source for nonhuman primates, supplemented by seasonal plant foods. We present the first study of foods eaten by R. roxellana in relation to nutritional chemistry in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China. We analyzed the nutrients (crude protein, crude fat, and water soluble carbohydrate [WSC]) and feeding deterrents (crude fiber, condensed tannin [CT], and total phenolic [TP]) of 111 parts from 53 plant species and of 6 lichen species. Results showed that lichens were a good choice for R. roxellana living in habitats with limited and seasonally available plant foods. They contained higher concentrations of WSC than foliage, fat concentrations equivalent to those in plant parts (except fruits/seeds), and lower concentrations of fiber than mature leaves, flowers, and fruits. Although lichens were lower in protein than plant parts (except fruits), the monkeys could likely meet their protein requirement by eating seasonal plant foods rich in protein, including foliage, flowers, buds, and seeds. The monkeys were not observed to select foliage higher in protein, but appeared to select mature leaves higher in WSC and lower in fiber. Fruits were a good source of WSC and fat, and seeds were a good source of fat. Neither CT nor TP content showed negative effects on the selection of mature leaves or lichens. Am. J. Primatol. 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
  American Journal of Primatology 04/2013; · 2.22 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Changming Bai

  Article: Ecological knowledge reduces religious release of invasive species

  Xuan Liu, Monica E. McGarrity, Changming Bai, Zunwei Ke, Yiming Li
  Ecosphere. 01/2013; 4(2):art21.
• Article: Climate, vegetation, introduced hosts and trade shape a global wildlife pandemic.

  Xuan Liu, Jason R Rohr, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Global factors, such as climate change, international trade and introductions of exotic species are often elicited as contributors to the unprecedented rate of disease emergence, but few studies have partitioned these factors for global pandemics. Although contemporary correlative species distribution models (SDMs) can be useful for predicting the spatial patterns of emerging diseases, they focus mainly on the fundamental niche (FN) predictors (i.e. abiotic climate and habitat factors), neglecting dispersal and propagule pressure predictors (PP, number of non-native individuals released into a region). Using a validated, predictive and global SDM, we show that both FN and PP accounted for significant, unique variation to the distribution of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a pathogen implicated in the declines and extinctions of over 200 amphibian species worldwide. Bd was associated positively with vegetation, total trade and introduced amphibian hosts, nonlinearly with annual temperature range and non-significantly with amphibian leg trade or amphibian species richness. These findings provide a rare example where both FN and PP factors are predictive of a global pandemic. Our model should help guide management of this deadly pathogen and the development of other globally predictive models for species invasions and pathogen emergence influenced by FN and PP factors.
  Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 01/2013; 280(1753):20122506. · 5.41 Impact Factor
• Article: Breeding ecology and oviposition site selection of black-spotted pond frogs (Rana nigromaculata) in Ningbo, China

  Yanping Wang, Zhengjun Wu, Ping Lu, Fang Zhang, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: The black-spotted pond frog (Rana nigromaculata) is one of the most widely distributed species in China. However, there have been only a few qualitative descriptions of their breeding ecology and oviposition site selection. From 2004 to 2006, we investigated the breeding ecology and oviposition site selection of R. nigromaculata in Ningbo, China, quantitatively. Analyses of breeding ecology show that: (1) mean frog density in the breeding season was 0.0903 ± 0.0029 individuals per meter (n = 11) (mean ± SE); (2) R. nigromaculata was a sexually dimorphic species, with females significantly larger than males in both body weight and snout-vent length; (3) the clutch size averaged 4643.04 ± 235.96 eggs (range 1546-7897, n = 50); and (4) the egg size ranged from 1.50 to 1.74 mm in diameter, with an average egg size of 1.6050 ± 0.0046 mm (n = 226). Oviposition sites differed significantly from random sites in percentages of water, bare ground and vegetation cover, water depth (cm), water temperature (°C) and water turbidity. Rana nigromaculata preferred microhabitats with higher percentages of water and vegetation cover, while it avoided microhabitats with deeper water. The results suggest that microhabitats with higher percentages of water and vegetation cover, but not deeper water, should be priorities for protection and conservation of the breeding habitats of R. nigromaculata.
  Frontiers of Biology in China 04/2012; 3(4):530-535.
• Source

  Available from: biodiversity-science.net

  Article: Diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) in the Zhoushan archipelago, Zhejiang Province, China

  Yanping Wang, Yihua Wang, Ping Lu, Fang Zhang, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are listed as one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world. They are generalist predators and thus may affect native species through predation. In previous studies, the food contents of bullfrogs were mostly examined at a single site. In the present study, the diet composition of post-metamorphic bullfrogs on eight islands (Daishan, Liuheng, Xiushan, Fodu, Taohua, Xiashi, Cezi, and Putuoshan) in the Zhoushan Archipelago, Zhejiang Province of China, were examined by using the stomach flushing method from June 30 to August 11 in 2005. A total of 391 individual frogs were measured, including 113 adults and 278 juveniles. The analysis of the stomach contents shows that, for adult bullfrogs, the most important prey (by diet volume) overall were Decapoda, Coleoptera, Odonata, Mesogastropoda, Raniformes, and Cypriniformes. For juvenile bullfrogs, these were Decapoda, Coleoptera, Cypriniformes, Odonata, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera larvae, Mesogastropoda, and Raniformes. Moreover, the prey size and diet volume increased with the body size of both adult and juvenile bullfrogs. The diet composition of primary preys of bullfrogs was significantly different among the islands. The results indicate that bullfrogs exert different predatory influences on native fauna at different sites and that bullfrogs are generalist predators with extensive ecological impacts on native fauna.
  Frontiers of Biology in China 04/2012; 3(2):219-226.
• Article: Male dispersal in a provisioned multilevel group of Rhinopithecus roxellana in Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China.

  Hui Yao, Xuecong Liu, Craig Stanford, Jingyuan Yang, Tianpeng Huang, Feng Wu, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Most Old World monkeys show male-biased dispersal. We present the first systematic data on male dispersal in a provisioned multilevel group of Rhinopithecus roxellana, based on 4.5 years of field observations in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, China. We evaluated both ultimate (inbreeding avoidance and male mating competition) and proximate (food availability and predation risk) factors influencing male dispersal. The focal group contained 34-53 individuals, in 3-4 one-male units (OMUs) and 1 all-male unit (AMU). We observed 37 dispersal events involving 10 of 11 adults, 7 of 8 subadults, and 7 of 15 juveniles. Most interunit transfers within the focal group occurred around the months of mating season. Adult males competed for the leader positions of OMUs mainly through aggressive takeovers, and young males transferred from the OMUs to the AMU at the median age of 41 months, forced out by leader males. No young males older than 4 years remained in natal or non-natal OMUs. The male mating competition hypothesis was supported. The young males emigrated voluntarily from the focal group at the average age of 58.6 months, and no young emigrating male was observed to return, suggesting inbreeding avoidance also played a role in the dispersal of young males. Most emigration/immigration events were parallel dispersal and occurred during intergroup encounters, suggesting increased predation risk during the dispersal period. Males were more likely to emigrate/immigrate during the months when preferred foods were most available. We compared the dispersal patterns in R. roxellana with those in gelada baboons and hamadryas baboons, both living in multilevel societies. Similar to R. roxellana, young male geladas disperse at puberty, but they may return and breed in their natal groups. Males in hamadryas also disperse, but much less commonly than in R. roxellana. Provisioning may have influenced results, and confirming studies on unprovisioned groups would be valuable.
  American Journal of Primatology 09/2011; 73(12):1280-8. · 2.22 Impact Factor
• Article: Reduced predator species richness drives the body gigantism of a frog species on the Zhoushan Archipelago in China.

  Yiming Li, Feng Xu, Zhongwei Guo, Xuan Liu, Changnan Jin, Yanping Wang, Supen Wang
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  ABSTRACT: 1. Shifts in the body size of insular vertebrates have been an interesting theme in ecological and evolutionary studies. Four primary factors, including predation pressures, resource availability, inter-species competition and immigrant selection, have been proposed to explain the trend in insular body size. Life-history theory predicts that body size, average age, the proportion of old-aged members and the density of insular populations are negatively correlated with predator species richness, and that body size and population density are positively related to resource availability. The niche expansion hypothesis argues that a positive relationship is expected to exist between insular body size and prey size, which varies in response to extinction due to small or large competitors. The immigrant hypothesis predicts that insular body size is positively correlated with distance to the mainland. 2. We tested these hypotheses by using populations of rice frogs Rana limnocharis on 20 islands in the Zhoushan Archipelago and two sites of nearby mainland China. 3. The body size (snout-vent length) of rice frogs on half of the islands was larger before and after the variable of age was controlled for; rice frog density and prey availability was higher and prey size was larger on most of the islands as compared to the two mainland sites. On the islands, the body size and other features [e.g. average age, the proportion of old-aged frogs (ages 3 and 4) and density] of the rice frogs were negatively associated with predator species richness; female body size and other features were positively associated with prey availability. The inference of multivariate linear models based on corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AIC(c) ) showed that the relative importance of predator species richness on body size and each of the other features was larger than that of prey availability, prey size and distance to the mainland. In addition, the parameters for predator species richness were all negative. 4. The results provided strong support for the life-history theory of predation pressures, but weak evidence for the life-history theory of prey availability, the niche expansion or the immigrant hypothesis. The reduced predator species richness was a dominant factor contributing to the body gigantism of rice frogs on the islands.
  Journal of Animal Ecology 01/2011; 80(1):171-82. · 4.94 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Increasing potential risk of a global aquatic invader in Europe in contrast to other continents under future climate change.

  Xuan Liu, Zhongwei Guo, Zunwei Ke, Supen Wang, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Anthropogenically-induced climate change can alter the current climatic habitat of non-native species and can have complex effects on potentially invasive species. Predictions of the potential distributions of invasive species under climate change will provide critical information for future conservation and management strategies. Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to invasive species and climate change, but the effect of climate change on invasive species distributions has been rather neglected, especially for notorious global invaders. We used ecological niche models (ENMs) to assess the risks and opportunities that climate change presents for the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which is a worldwide aquatic invasive species. Linking the factors of climate, topography, habitat and human influence, we developed predictive models incorporating both native and non-native distribution data of the crayfish to identify present areas of potential distribution and project the effects of future climate change based on a consensus-forecast approach combining the CCCMA and HADCM3 climate models under two emission scenarios (A2a and B2a) by 2050. The minimum temperature from the coldest month, the human footprint and precipitation of the driest quarter contributed most to the species distribution models. Under both the A2a and B2a scenarios, P. clarkii shifted to higher latitudes in continents of both the northern and southern hemispheres. However, the effect of climate change varied considerately among continents with an expanding potential in Europe and contracting changes in others. Our findings are the first to predict the impact of climate change on the future distribution of a globally invasive aquatic species. We confirmed the complexities of the likely effects of climate change on the potential distribution of globally invasive species, and it is extremely important to develop wide-ranging and effective control measures according to predicted geographical shifts and changes.
  PLoS ONE 01/2011; 6(3):e18429. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Geoffrey R Smith

  Article: An exotic species is the favorite prey of a native enemy.

  Yiming Li, Zunwei Ke, Supen Wang, Geoffrey R Smith, Xuan Liu
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  ABSTRACT: Although native enemies in an exotic species' new range are considered to affect its ability to invade, few studies have evaluated predation pressures from native enemies on exotic species in their new range. The exotic prey naiveté hypothesis (EPNH) states that exotic species may be at a disadvantage because of its naïveté towards native enemies and, therefore, may suffer higher predation pressures from the enemy than native prey species. Corollaries of this hypothesis include the native enemy preferring exotic species over native species and the diet of the enemy being influenced by the abundance of the exotic species. We comprehensively tested this hypothesis using introduced North American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus, referred to as bullfrog), a native red-banded snake (Dinodon rufozonatum, the enemy) and four native anuran species in permanent still water bodies as a model system in Daishan, China. We investigated reciprocal recognition between snakes and anuran species (bullfrogs and three common native species) and the diet preference of the snakes for bullfrogs and the three species in laboratory experiments, and the diet preference and bullfrog density in the wild. Bullfrogs are naive to the snakes, but the native anurans are not. However, the snakes can identify bullfrogs as prey, and in fact, prefer bullfrogs over the native anurans in manipulative experiments with and without a control for body size and in the wild, indicating that bullfrogs are subjected to higher predation pressures from the snakes than the native species. The proportion of bullfrogs in the snakes' diet is positively correlated with the abundance of bullfrogs in the wild. Our results provide strong evidence for the EPNH. The results highlight the biological resistance of native enemies to naïve exotic species.
  PLoS ONE 01/2011; 6(9):e24299. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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  Available from: Changming Bai

  Article: First evidence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in China: discovery of chytridiomycosis in introduced American bullfrogs and native amphibians in the Yunnan Province, China.

  Changming Bai, Trenton W J Garner, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Although the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the etiological agent of amphibian chytridiomycosis, has been implicated in mass mortality and population declines on several continents around the world, there have been no reports on the presence of Bd infections in amphibians in China. We employed quantitative PCR and histological techniques to investigate the presence of Bd in introduced North American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) (referred to hereafter as bullfrog) and native amphibians in bullfrog-invaded areas of the Yunnan Province, China. A total of 259 samples at five wild sites were collected between June and September in 2007 and 2008, including bullfrogs and four native amphibian species (Rana pleuraden, Rana chaochiaoensis, Odorrana andersonii, and Bombina maxima). In addition, 37 samples of adult bullfrogs were obtained from a food market. Bd infections were discovered in bullfrogs and three native amphibian species from all of the surveyed sites. Of the 39 Bd-positive samples, 35 were from wild-caught bullfrog tadpoles, postmetamorphic bullfrogs, R. pleuraden, R. chaochiaoensis, and O. andersonii, and four were from adult bullfrogs from the market. Our results provide the first evidence of the presence of Bd in Chinese amphibians, suggesting that native amphibian diversity in China is at risk from Bd. There is an urgent need to monitor the distribution of Bd in amphibians in China and understand the susceptibility of native amphibian species to chytridiomycosis. Strict regulations on the transportation of bullfrogs and the breeding of bullfrogs in markets and farms should be drafted in order to stop the spread of Bd by bullfrogs.
  EcoHealth 04/2010; 7(1):127-34. · 1.70 Impact Factor
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  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Increased dependence of humans on ecosystem services and biodiversity.

  Zhongwei Guo, Lin Zhang, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Humans have altered ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than ever, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for resources along with economic development. These demands have been considered important drivers of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. Are humans becoming less dependent on ecosystem services and biodiversity following economic development? Here, we used roundwood production, hydroelectricity generation and tourism investment in 92 biodiversity hotspot and 60 non-hotspot countries as cases to seek the answer. In 1980-2005, annual growth rates of roundwood production, hydroelectricity generation and tourism investment were higher in hotspot countries (5.2, 9.1 and 7.5%) than in non-hotspot countries (3.4, 5.9 and 5.6%), when GDP grew more rapidly in hotspot countries than non-hotspot countries. Annual growth rates of per capita hydropower and per capita tourism investment were higher in hotspot countries (5.3% and 6.1%) than in non-hotspot countries (3.5% and 4.3%); however, the annual growth rate of per capita roundwood production in hotspot countries (1%) was lower than in non-hotspot countries (1.4%). The dependence of humans on cultural services has increased more rapidly than on regulating services, while the dependence on provisioning services has reduced. This pattern is projected to continue during 2005-2020. Our preliminary results show that economic growth has actually made humans more dependent upon ecosystem services and biodiversity. As a consequence, the policies and implementations of both economic development and ecosystems/biodiversity conservation should be formulated and carried out in the context of the increased dependence of humans on ecosystem services along with economic development.
  PLoS ONE 01/2010; 5(10). · 4.09 Impact Factor
• Article: Characteristics of a group of Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana hubeiensis) before and after major snow storms.

  Yiming Li, Xuecong Liu, Mingyao Liao, Jingyuan Yang, Craig B Stanford
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  ABSTRACT: Natural disasters can negatively affect primate population demography and social group structure. A clear understanding of these effects has important implications for wildlife conservation. The worst snow storms in nearly five decades hit portions of southern and central China between January 10 and February 6, 2008, presenting a unique opportunity to observe their immediate effects on a previously studied group of Hubei Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana hubeiensis) in temperate forests in Shennongjia Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China. We recorded social and demographic characteristics of the group before and after the snow storms. The average group size decreased from 270 individuals before the storms to 197 individuals after the storms, a reduction of 27.2%. Adult females (30.1%), juveniles (38.1%) and infants (55.4%) suffered higher mortality than did adult males (15.7%). Despite age and sex-based differences in mortality, the ratios of adult males to adult females, adults to immatures and adult females to immatures remained similar before and after the storms. However, higher mortality among females, juveniles and infants may reduce the group's long-term potential for growth.
  American Journal of Primatology 04/2009; 71(6):523-6. · 2.22 Impact Factor
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  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Aquaculture enclosures relate to the establishment of feral populations of introduced species.

  Xuan Liu, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Many species introduced by humans for social and economic benefits have invaded new ranges by escaping from captivity. Such invasive species can negatively affect biodiversity and economies. Understanding the factors that relate to the establishment of feral populations of introduced species is therefore of great importance for managing introduced species. The American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is one species that has escaped from farms, and it is now found in the wild in China. In this study, we examined influences of two types of bullfrog farm (termed simple and elaborate farm enclosures) on the establishment of feral populations of this species in 137 water bodies in 66 plots in four provinces of China. The likelihood of establishment of bullfrog populations in water bodies in plots with simple enclosures (49/89 = 55.1%) was higher than those with elaborate enclosures (3/48 = 6.3%). Based on the Akaike Information Criterion, the minimum adequate model of generalized linear mixed models with a binomial error structure and a logit link function showed that the establishment or failure of bullfrog populations in water bodies was positively correlated with the presence of a simple enclosure, the number of bullfrogs raised and the presence of permanent water in a plot, but negatively correlated with distance from a bullfrog farm and the occurrence of frequent hunting. Results therefore suggest that a simple farm enclosure can increase the establishment of feral bullfrog populations compared with an elaborate enclosure. Our findings are the first to quantify the importance of improving farming enclosures to control and minimize the risk from introduced species.
  PLoS ONE 02/2009; 4(7):e6199. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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  Available from: ibcas.ac.cn

  Article: Hydroelectricity production and forest conservation in watersheds.

  Zhongwei Guo, Yiming Li, Xiangming Xiao, Lin Zhang, Yaling Gan
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  ABSTRACT: Globally, particularly in developing countries, hydroelectricity production and economic growth occur together with ecosystem/biodiversity conservation in watersheds. There is a relationship between hydroelectricity production and ecosystem/biodiversity conservation in watersheds, centering on the supply and demand for ecosystem services of river water flow regulation and sediment retention. Here we show that, in the upper reach of the Yangtze River, hydroelectricity production of Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Plant can form a beneficial relationship with forest conservation through the paid use (compensating residents for their cooperation in the conservation) of ecosystem services launched by the National Natural Forest Protection Project. This interaction can provide additional incentives to encourage local communities' long-term cooperation in conserving and protecting the restored forest ecosystems. Hydroelectricity plants also obtain benefits from this interaction. The industrialization of ecosystem services supply provides an operational framework for this beneficial interaction. Sustainable forest ecosystem conservation will require developing new institutions and policies and must involve local communities in the conservation and protection of their local forests.
  Ecological Applications 10/2007; 17(6):1557-62. · 5.10 Impact Factor
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  Available from: eco.ibcas.ac.cn

  Article: Terrestriality and tree stratum use in a group of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys.

  Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: Morphological characters allow the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) to use multiple tree levels, but very few studies have quantified the terrestriality and tree stratum use of the species. I investigated the terrestriality and tree stratum use in a group of the monkeys from July 2003 to September 2004 (except February) in the Qianjiaping area of Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China. I collected data on the vertical position of individual monkeys in forest in relation to behavior types, diet, age/sex classes, vegetation types, tree height, and distribution of predators. The monkeys were much more arboreal than they were thought to be. They spent 97.1% of their time in trees (n=21,234 records) and 2.9% on the ground, and mainly used the middle (74.4%) and upper strata (17.4%). The monkeys displayed all behavioral types except searching in the middle and upper strata. The percentage of use of a stratum (except the low stratum) varied among months, and there was a difference in the percentage of use of a stratum among age/sex classes and between vegetation types. Approximately 94.2% of trees used by the monkeys were >6 m tall. They mainly fed on lichens, young leaves, mature leaves, flowers, fruits or seeds, and buds in the middle and upper strata, bark in the low and middle strata and herbs on the ground. Wolf (Canis lupus), leopard (Panthera pardus), and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) are predators threatening the survival of individual monkeys in the study site. The results suggested that the seasonal vertical distribution of food items eaten in forest, predators, and vegetation types had important effects on the terrestriality and tree stratum use of the monkeys.
  Primates 07/2007; 48(3):197-207. · 1.40 Impact Factor
• Article: Insular shifts in body size of rice frogs in the Zhoushan Archipelago, China.

  Zhengjun Wu, Yiming Li, Brad R Murray
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  ABSTRACT: 1. Differences in body size between mainland and island populations have been reported for reptiles, birds and mammals. Despite widespread recognition of insular shifts in body size in these taxa, there have been no reports of such body size shifts in amphibians. 2. We provide the first evidence of an insular shift in body size for an amphibian species, the rice frog Rana limnocharis. We found significant increases in body size of rice frogs on most sampled islands in the Zhoushan archipelago when compared with neighbouring mainland China. 3. Large body size in rice frogs on islands was significantly related to increased population density, in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Increases in rice frog density were significantly related to higher resource availability on islands. Increased resource availability on islands has led to higher carrying capacities, which has subsequently facilitated higher densities and individual growth rates, resulting in larger body size in rice frogs. We also suggest that large body size has evolved on islands, as larger individuals are competitively superior under conditions of harsh intraspecific competition at high densities. 4. Increases in body size in rice frogs were not related to several factors that have been implicated previously in insular shifts in body size in other taxa. We found no significant relationships between body size of rice frogs and prey size, number of larger or smaller frog species, island area or distance of islands from the mainland. 5. Our findings contribute to the formation of a broad, repeatable ecological generality for insular shifts in body size across a range of terrestrial vertebrate taxa, and provide support for recent theoretical work concerning the importance of resource availability for insular shifts in body size.
  Journal of Animal Ecology 10/2006; 75(5):1071-80. · 4.94 Impact Factor
• Article: Spatial pattern of ecosystem function and ecosystem conservation.

  Zhongwei Guo, Yaling Gan, Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: The spatial pattern of ecosystem function can affect ecosystem conservation. Ecosystem functions are often heterogeneous spatially due to physical and biological factors. We can influence ecosystem functions by changing the spatial patterns of the physical and biological elements of an ecosystem and regulating their combinations. The variation-position effect highlights a phenomenon resulting from the spatial pattern of ecosystem function. The effect shows that the identical variation of a factor may produce different effects on the over-all situation when this variation occurs in a different spatial position. In a watershed of the Yangtze River, water retention is a primary ecosystem function. The variation-position effect for water retention capacity occurs in the watershed because of the spatial heterogeneity in vegetation, soil, and slope. The change of vegetation that occurs in a complex can affect the overall situation of water retention, and the effect can be different due to the change occurring in the position holding different vegetation-soil-slope complex. To improve the ecosystem in the watershed and to meet the social needs for the ecosystem function of water retention, a strategy called "ecosystem function and spatial pattern-based forest extension" was proposed to conserve forests. The implementation of the strategy enables the watershed to attain the maximum effective increase in water retention capacity.
  Environmental Management 01/2004; 32(6):682-92. · 1.74 Impact Factor
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  Available from: rhinopithecus.net

  Article: The effect of forest clear-cutting on habitat use in Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China.

  Yiming Li
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  ABSTRACT: The habitat use of two groups of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus roxellana) was observed, using the focal group method, for 7 months in four seasons from June 2000 to October 2001. The habitats were classed into primary forest and three successional habitats: after clear-cutting: grassland, shrub forest and young forest. The results showed that the large group of monkeys had larger range areas than the small group in the same season. Both groups had larger range sizes in summer or autumn than in winter or spring. They spent most of their time using primary forest and young forest, rarely used shrub forest and did not use grassland. In each season, they used the habitats non-randomly and preferred primary forest. The preference order of habitats for both groups every season was the same: primary forest > young forest > shrub forest >/= grassland. The results suggested that primary forest was high-quality habitat and should be conserved as a top priority. Clear-cutting would cause habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, and should therefore be prohibited. High-quality habitat for the monkeys is difficult to restore from clear-cutting.
  Primates 01/2004; 45(1):69-72. · 1.40 Impact Factor