Biodiversity in the Islands of Kagoshima Takahiro OKANO

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Biodiversity in the Islands of Kagoshima Takahiro OKANO KAWAI, K., TERADA, R. and KUWAHARA, S. (eds): The Islands of Kagoshima Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands, 15 March 2013 Chapter 22 Biodiversity in the Islands of Kagoshima Takahiro OKANO 1. Introduction ference in temperature. The average temperature he plane leaves from Kagoshima Airport head- in Isa City (average value from 1981 to 2010, the Ting south, with Mt. Sakura-jima smoldering same shall apply hereinafter) is 15.3 ˚C, 18.6 ˚C below. Yakushima Is. comes into view. Also known in Kagoshima City, 21.6 ˚C in Amami City Naze, as a “Floating Alps,” the mountains of Yakushima and 22.4 ˚C in Okinoerabujima Is. Furthermore, the Is. rise almost 2,000 m out of the ocean surrounded annual average temperature of Yoronjima Is. to the by the Kuroshio Current. Yakushima Is. is a world south was 22.8 ˚C from 2001 to 2010. The tempera- heritage site famous for its Japanese cedar, some of ture difference of lowland north to south is 7 ˚C, which are more than 1,000 years old. To the side, and is classified as warm-temperate and subtropical long and flat Tanegashima Is., with its rocket base, climate zones. can be seen. While gazing at the chain of Tokara The highest mountain of Kagoshima Prefecture, as Islands, the plane begins to descend. Welcomed by well as all of Kyushu, is Mt. Miyauranodake (1,936 m). coral reefs, white sandy beaches, and the beautiful Also in mainland Kyushu, Mt. Karakunidake of blue ocean, the plane lands in Amami-Oshima Is. Kirishima mountains soars 1,700 m high. As eleva- As you get off the plane, you notice the difference tion increases, temperature decreases. In winter, air in temperature. Depending on the season, there can temperature near the mountain top drops below zero even be a 10 ˚C difference. Amami-Oshima Is. is and snow can be seen, and the area belongs to the a semitropical island. Even the appearance of its cool-temperature zone. forest differs from that of mainland Kyushu. In the Due to the world's largest warm current, dense subtropical evergreen forests of the Amami Kuroshio, rainfall in Kagoshima Prefecture is abun- Islands, many plants and animals are found which dant. Rainfall is especially heavy during the rainy do not exist anywhere else on earth, such as the en- and typhoon seasons. Average rainfall in Isa City demic Amami rabbit. (average value from 1981 to 2010, the same shall Kagoshima Prefecture, with its chain of unique apply hereinafter) is 2,057 mm, 2,265.7 mm in islands stretched out 600 km north to south, is a Kagoshima City, 2,837.7 mm in Amami City Naze, prefecture rich in biodiversity. This biodiversity is 1,836 mm in Okinoerabujima Is., and 1,740.9 mm supported by the wide diversity of the environment. in Yoronjima Is. Especially Yakushima Is. is known This article introduces the characteristics of the var- for its abundant rain. Average rainfall in the seaside ious environments and their biodiversity, and major areas is 4,477.2 mm, and 8,000-10,000 mm falls in species of the islands. the mountainous areas. 2. Environmental diversity 2.2. Two biogeographic areas 2.1. Three climate zones and abundant rainfall Kagoshima Prefecture stretches across two biogeo- eographically, Kagoshima Prefecture stretch- graphic areas, reflecting long north to south geo- Ges over 600 km north to south, with a latitude graphic characteristics, and island formations of the width of five degrees, from Shishijima Is. rising Ryukyu arc from southern Kyushu to Taiwan. from Yatsushiro Bay at 32˚ N to Yoronjima at 27˚ A biogeographic area divides the earth into N. This difference in latitude is reflected in the dif- geographical distribution patterns of plants and 136 The Islands of Kagoshima animals. Geographical distribution is determined by animals is assumed to have been blocked, and thus terrain which blocks migration, such as an ocean or formed a border line. For instance, Habu, a poison- mountain chain, history of connection and separa- ous snake, does not live north of the Tokara Straits. tion of the continent and island, etc. Based on this, Looking at the seafloor topography of the the earth is largely divided to six zoogeographic Ryukyu arc, there is another 1,000 m + deep trench. provinces and six floristic kingdoms. Kagoshima This is the Kerama Straits, located south of the Prefecture is classified in the Palearctic and Oriental Kerama Islands. This is also a borderline for land an- zoogeographic provinces and in the Boreal and imals. Regarding Habu snakes, Habu are distributed Paleotropical floristic kingdoms. Kagoshima Pre- north of the Kerama Strait, but the Sakishima habu fecture is the only prefecture in Japan which is in- is distributed south of Kerama Strait. Hence, when cluded in two geographical regions. considering biodiversity of the Ryukyu Islands, the The border line between the Palearctic region area north of the Tokara Strait is referred to as North and the Oriental region for land animals such as Ryukyu, and the area between the Tokara Straits and mammals, terrestrial reptiles, and amphibians, is the the Kerama Straits as Middle Ryukyu, and the area Tokara Straits located between Akusekijima Is. and south of Kerama Straits as South Ryukyu. Kodakarajima Is. of the Tokara Islands. This border In contrast, the straits between Yakushima Is. and line is called the “Watase line” (Fig. 1). mainland Kyushu, as well as between Tanegashima During the glacial period, water was stored in Is. and mainland Kyushu, are no deeper than 100 m. the continental glaciers as the earth cooled, and Consequently, these areas are assumed to have been ocean water levels are estimated to be more than connected to mainland Kyushu with the 120-140 m 100 m lower. However, the Tokara Straits still ex- drop in sea level during the latest glacial period about isted as water straits because the water depth was 20,000 years ago, allowing land animals such as more than 1,000 m. As a result, migration of land deer and monkeys macaques migrated freely be- Fig. 1. Map of the island-chain of Kagoshima and Okinawa Prefectures, southern Japan, showing Satsunan and Ryukyu Islands. 137 Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands tween. As a result, the biota of Yakushima Is. is very 3. Characteristics of biodiversity in Kago- close to that of mainland Japan, including Kyushu. shima Prefecture Yakushima Is. is the southern limit of the distribu- 3.1. Various forest types tion of the Japanese macaque. lants have optimal conditions and limit values Distribution of flora has consistently changed Pin which to survive, and the areas in which they due to the influence of the Kuroshio Current which live are limited by temperature, sunlight, and arid- flows northward. The Satsunan Islands are a transi- ity. Since Kagoshima Prefecture has abundant rain- tional zone between the Holarctic floristic kingdom fall, forests have developed to adapt to three climate and the Paleotropical floristic kingdom. zones. An evergreen broadleaf forest developed on 2.3. 605 Islands Osumi Peninsula, which is a warm-temperate zone. Kagoshima Prefecture has 605 islands, second only This kind of forest is mainly comprised of evergreen to Nagasaki Prefecture. However, according to the broad leaf trees, such as white oak, Chinquapin total area of the isolated islands is about 2,500 km2, (Castanopsis), laurels such as Japanese machilus and Kagoshima is the largest. camphor trees, theaceaes such as “Sakaki” (Cleyera Island structure also varies. Some islands were japonica) and camellias. This type of forest is also formed as the continent tore apart due to crustal called a “glossy leaved forest” because the plants movement. Others were formed volcanic eruption, have small, thick leaves which can withstand cold elevated coral reefs, or elevated seabed sediment on and dry conditions, and the surface cuticle layer of the seabed. Still others were formed by the elevated the leaves reflects the sunlight. Amami-Oshima and rocks. The environments of the islands also greatly Tokunoshima Is., which belong to the subtropical vary depending on the constitution of the islands. zone, have subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests Furthermore, because of the many islands, the comprised of Chinquapin (Castanopsis siebol- total extension of the coastline is 2,643 km, and dii known colloquially as “Sudajii”), “Okinawa- is the third longest of all the prefectures in Japan. urajirogashi” (Quercus miyagii), Japanese machi- Coastlines also vary between rock reef, coral reef, lus, Distylium racemosum. For a humid forest to pebble beach, sandy beach, and tidelands. Within develop at this latitude is unusual in the world. the sandy beaches, the sandy beaches on Yakushima The high elevations of Kirishima Mountains Is. are comprised of shaved granite and those on and Takakuma Mountains are cool-temperature Yoronjima Is. by the coral pieces. Large-scale zones of summer-green forests consisting of de- mangrove forests are established at the mouth of ciduous broadleaf trees. Takakuma Mountains is the Sumiyou River on the Amami-Oshima Is. southernmost limit for Japanese beech and Japanese oak, which are the dominant species of the cool- 2.4. Complex topography temperate zone. Kagoshima Prefecture is one of the prefectures which have many volcanoes in Japan. There are 3.2. Rich diversity of species four massive calderas, Kakutou, Aira, Ata, and Because Kagoshima Prefecture has three climate Kikai, and 11 active volcanoes. The activities of the zones and two zoological regions, Kagoshima earth have created a complex topography, and vari- Prefecture has a rich diversity of species, including ous environments. The activities of active volcanoes 49 mammals, 419 birds, 48 reptiles, and 26 amphib- have influenced the creatures living nearby, at times ians.
Recommended publications
  • Natural History of Japanese Birds
    Natural History of Japanese Birds Hiroyoshi Higuchi English text translated by Reiko Kurosawa HEIBONSHA 1 Copyright © 2014 by Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Reiko Kurosawa Typeset and designed by: Washisu Design Office Printed in Japan Heibonsha Limited, Publishers 3-29 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101-0051 Japan All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. The English text can be downloaded from the following website for free. http://www.heibonsha.co.jp/ 2 CONTENTS Chapter 1 The natural environment and birds of Japan 6 Chapter 2 Representative birds of Japan 11 Chapter 3 Abundant varieties of forest birds and water birds 13 Chapter 4 Four seasons of the satoyama 17 Chapter 5 Active life of urban birds 20 Chapter 6 Interesting ecological behavior of birds 24 Chapter 7 Bird migration — from where to where 28 Chapter 8 The present state of Japanese birds and their future 34 3 Natural History of Japanese Birds Preface [BOOK p.3] Japan is a beautiful country. The hills and dales are covered “satoyama”. When horsetail shoots come out and violets and with rich forest green, the river waters run clear and the moun- cherry blossoms bloom in spring, birds begin to sing and get tain ranges in the distance look hazy purple, which perfectly ready for reproduction. Summer visitors also start arriving in fits a Japanese expression of “Sanshi-suimei (purple mountains Japan one after another from the tropical regions to brighten and clear waters)”, describing great natural beauty.
    [Show full text]
  • Restoration of the Native Species to Amami Oshima Island
    alien species in Amami Oshima Island In addition to the Small Indian mongoose, many other alien species (e.g., feral cats, feral goats, black rats and the Lanceleaf tickseed) have become established on Amami Oshima. Please be sure never to leave behind alien species in the wild nor let them escape. Feral cat Feral goat Black rat Lanceleaf tickseed ● Alien species of Amami Islands HP http://kyushu.env.go.jp/naha/wildlife/data/130902aa.pdf We ask for your cooperation in The mongoose eradication project activity of Amami Mongoose Busters in Amami Oshima The Amami Mongoose Busters, which was formed in 2005, has continued its efforts to eradicate mongooses with the support of people in the island and researchers. We ask for your continued onservation of a precious understanding and support of the mongoose control project as C well as the Amami Mongoose Busters. ecosystem in ■ Amami Mongoose Busters Blog http://amb.amamin.jp/ ■ Amami Mongoose Busters Facebook Amami Oshima Island https://www.facebook.com/amamimongoosebusters March 2014 Amami Wildlife Conservation Center, Published by: Ministry of the Environment, Japan Naha Nature Conservation Office, 551 Koshinohata, Ongachi, Yamato-son, Oshima-gun, Ministry of the Environment, Japan Kagoshima 894-3104 TEL:+81-997-55-8620 Okinawa Tsukansha Building 4F, 5-21 Yamashita-cho, Japan Wildlife Research Center, Naha-shi, Okinawa 900-0027 Amami Ooshima Division (Amami Mongoose Busters) 1385-2 Naze, Uragami,Amami-City, Kagoshima 894-0008 TEL:+81-997-58-4013 Edited by : Japan Wildlife Research Center FOR ALL THE LIFE ON EARTH Design : artpost inc. Photos : Mamoru Tsuneda, Teruho Abe, Yoshihito Goto, Kazuki Yamamuro, Biodiversity Ryuta Yoshihara, Japan Wildlife Research Center Animals and plants Habu snake Protobothrops flavoviridis This poisonous snake is found on Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, Okinawa in Amami Oshima Island Island, and other several neighboring small islands.
    [Show full text]
  • GRUNDSTEN Japan 0102 2016
    Birding Japan (M. Grundsten, Sweden) 2016 Japan, January 30th - February 14th 2016 Karuizawa – E Hokkaido – S Kyushu – Okinawa – Hachijo-jima Front cover Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus, common along eastern Hokkaido coasts. Photo: Måns Grundsten Participants Måns Grundsten ([email protected], compiler, most photos), Mattias Andersson, Mattias Gerdin, Sweden. Highlights • A shy Solitary Snipe in the main stream at Karuizawa. • Huge-billed Japanese Grosbeaks and a neat 'griseiventris' Eurasian Bullfinch at Karuizawa. • A single Rustic Bunting behind 7/Eleven at Karuizawa. • Amazing auks from the Oarai-Tomakomai ferry. Impressive numbers of Rhinoceros Auklet! • Parakeet Auklet fly-bys. • Blakiston's Fish Owl in orderly fashion at Rausu. • Displaying Black Scoters at Notsuke peninsula. • Majestic Steller's Sea Eagles in hundreds. • Winter gulls at Hokkaido. • Finding a vagrant Golden-crowned Sparrow at Kiritappu at the same feeders as Asian Rosy Finches. • No less than 48(!) Rock Sandpipers. • A lone immature Red-faced Cormorants on cliffs at Cape Nosappu. • A pair of Ural Owls on day roost at Kushiro. • Feeding Ryukyu Minivets at Lake Mi-ike. • Fifteen thousand plus cranes at Arasaki. • Unexpectedly productive Kogawa Dam – Long-billed Plover. • Saunders's Gulls at Yatsushiro. • Kin Ricefields on Okinawa, easy birding, lots of birds, odd-placed Tundra Bean Geese. • Okinawa Woodpecker and Rail within an hour close to Fushigawa Dam, Yanbaru. • Whistling Green Pigeon eating fruits in Ada Village. • Vocal Ryukyu Robins. • Good shorebird diversity in Naha. • Male Izu Thrush during a short break on Hachijo-jima. • Triple Albatrosses! • Bulwer's Petrel close to the ship. Planning the trip – Future aspects When planning a birding trip to Japan there is a lot of consideration to be made.
    [Show full text]
  • Nansei Islands Biological Diversity Evaluation Project Report 1 Chapter 1
    Introduction WWF Japan’s involvement with the Nansei Islands can be traced back to a request in 1982 by Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. The “World Conservation Strategy”, which was drafted at the time through a collaborative effort by the WWF’s network, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), posed the notion that the problems affecting environments were problems that had global implications. Furthermore, the findings presented offered information on precious environments extant throughout the globe and where they were distributed, thereby providing an impetus for people to think about issues relevant to humankind’s harmonious existence with the rest of nature. One of the precious natural environments for Japan given in the “World Conservation Strategy” was the Nansei Islands. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was the President of the WWF at the time (now President Emeritus), naturally sought to promote acts of conservation by those who could see them through most effectively, i.e. pertinent conservation parties in the area, a mandate which naturally fell on the shoulders of WWF Japan with regard to nature conservation activities concerning the Nansei Islands. This marked the beginning of the Nansei Islands initiative of WWF Japan, and ever since, WWF Japan has not only consistently performed globally-relevant environmental studies of particular areas within the Nansei Islands during the 1980’s and 1990’s, but has put pressure on the national and local governments to use the findings of those studies in public policy. Unfortunately, like many other places throughout the world, the deterioration of the natural environments in the Nansei Islands has yet to stop.
    [Show full text]
  • Species Identification of Shed Snake Skins in Taiwan and Adjacent Islands
    Zoological Studies 56: 38 (2017) doi:10.6620/ZS.2017.56-38 Open Access Species Identification of Shed Snake Skins in Taiwan and Adjacent Islands Tein-Shun Tsai1,* and Jean-Jay Mao2 1Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology 1 Shuefu Road, Neipu, Pingtung 912, Taiwan 2Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, National Ilan University No.1, Sec. 1, Shennong Rd., Yilan City, Yilan County 260, Taiwan. E-mail: [email protected] (Received 28 August 2017; Accepted 25 November 2017; Published 19 December 2017; Communicated by Jian-Nan Liu) Tein-Shun Tsai and Jean-Jay Mao (2017) Shed snake skins have many applications for humans and other animals, and can provide much useful information to a field survey. When properly prepared and identified, a shed snake skin can be used as an important voucher; the morphological descriptions of the shed skins may be critical for taxonomic research, as well as studies of snake ecology and conservation. However, few convenient/ expeditious methods or techniques to identify shed snake skins in specific areas have been developed. In this study, we collected and examined a total of 1,260 shed skin samples - including 322 samples from neonates/ juveniles and 938 from subadults/adults - from 53 snake species in Taiwan and adjacent islands, and developed the first guide to identify them. To the naked eye or from scanned images, the sheds of almost all species could be identified if most of the shed was collected. The key features that aided in identification included the patterns on the sheds and scale morphology.
    [Show full text]
  • Mapping Small Islands Communicative Ecologies: a Case Study from the Amami Islands
    South Pacific Studies Vol.39, No.1, 2018 Mapping Small Islands Communicative Ecologies: a Case Study from the Amami Islands Papoutsaki Evangelia 1* and Kuwahara Sueo2 1: School of Arts and Science, University of Central Asia, Naryn Campus, 310 Lenin St. Naryn, 722918, Kyrgyz Republic 2: Center for General Education, Kagoshima University *Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected] Abstract This paper provides a conceptual framework for an islands’ communication ecology (CE) approach and an overview of the key findings of exploratory ethnographic research that aimed at mapping the CE of the Amami islands. The communicative ecology approach refers to the various forms, resources, activities, channels and flows of communication and information unique to an island or group of islands, to the island context and identity and a milieu of island agents. This research contributes towards an in-depth understanding of these Islands’ communicative environment; identifies key island mediated communicative networks and practices; explores the role of media in localized information flows unique to the islands; and attempts to explore how small island experiences can help contextualize the theoretical approach of communicative ecology. Key words: Amami Island, Island Media, Island Radio, Islands Communicative Ecology, Mapping Islands Information Ecosystems ―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――― Received: 01 September, 2018 Accepted: 30 November, 2018 26 South Pacific Studies Vol.39, No.1, 2018 Introduction This article draws upon a research project aimed at exploring the Amami Islands’ communicative environment by identifying key communicative networks and practices that contribute to sustaining the Amami Islands’ sociocultural cohesion and investigating the role that key mediated forms of communication, particularly community based, play in localized information flows unique to these islands.
    [Show full text]
  • Border-Crossers and Resistance to US Military Rule in the Ryukyus, 1945-1953
    Volume 6 | Issue 9 | Article ID 2906 | Sep 01, 2008 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Border-Crossers and Resistance to US Military Rule in the Ryukyus, 1945-1953 Matthew R. Augustine Border-Crossers and Resistance to US main island groups. Trade barriers with Japan Military Rule in the Ryukyus, 1945-1953 were relaxed in 1950, but the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed in 1951 reaffirmed that Matthew R. Augustine the Ryukyus would remain under US military rule, divided from Japan. By this time, the Sixty-six years after Japan’s annexation of the increasing cross-border interconnections former Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879, in the waning between residents in the Ryukyus and months of the Asia-Pacific War, the American Okinawan and Amamian residents in Japan had military partitioned the Ryukyu Islands from already given rise to an organized movement Japan. The replacement of Okinawa Prefecture calling for reversion to Japanese sovereignty. by US military rule in the Ryukyus from 1945 had profound implications, for residents of the How did the establishment of the military occupied islands. A major repercussion of the government and new postwar borders actually military government’s separation of theaffect the movement of residents within and Ryukyus was the enforced isolation of the four outside of the Ryukyu Islands? Conversely, to main island groups from occupied Japan. The what extent did the resistance of residents in Ryukyuan-Japanese border severed long- the Ryukyus and their effort to overcome their standing administrative and economic links, division and isolation influence the military while restrictive border controls prohibited free government’s border controls and related travel and interaction between the two sides.
    [Show full text]
  • Antimicrobial Peptides in Reptiles
    Pharmaceuticals 2014, 7, 723-753; doi:10.3390/ph7060723 OPEN ACCESS pharmaceuticals ISSN 1424-8247 www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmaceuticals Review Antimicrobial Peptides in Reptiles Monique L. van Hoek National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, and School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, MS1H8, 10910 University Blvd, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-703-993-4273; Fax: +1-703-993-7019. Received: 6 March 2014; in revised form: 9 May 2014 / Accepted: 12 May 2014 / Published: 10 June 2014 Abstract: Reptiles are among the oldest known amniotes and are highly diverse in their morphology and ecological niches. These animals have an evolutionarily ancient innate-immune system that is of great interest to scientists trying to identify new and useful antimicrobial peptides. Significant work in the last decade in the fields of biochemistry, proteomics and genomics has begun to reveal the complexity of reptilian antimicrobial peptides. Here, the current knowledge about antimicrobial peptides in reptiles is reviewed, with specific examples in each of the four orders: Testudines (turtles and tortosises), Sphenodontia (tuataras), Squamata (snakes and lizards), and Crocodilia (crocodilans). Examples are presented of the major classes of antimicrobial peptides expressed by reptiles including defensins, cathelicidins, liver-expressed peptides (hepcidin and LEAP-2), lysozyme, crotamine, and others. Some of these peptides have been identified and tested for their antibacterial or antiviral activity; others are only predicted as possible genes from genomic sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis of the reptile genomes is presented, revealing many predicted candidate antimicrobial peptides genes across this diverse class. The study of how these ancient creatures use antimicrobial peptides within their innate immune systems may reveal new understandings of our mammalian innate immune system and may also provide new and powerful antimicrobial peptides as scaffolds for potential therapeutic development.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of Rapid Biodiversity Assessments at Cenwanglaoshan Nature Reserve, Northwest Guangxi, China, 1999 and 2002
    Report of Rapid Biodiversity Assessments at Cenwanglaoshan Nature Reserve, Northwest Guangxi, China, 1999 and 2002 Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in collaboration with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Forestry Department Guangxi Forestry Survey and Planning Institute South China Institute of Botany South China Normal University Institute of Zoology, CAS March 2003 South China Forest Biodiversity Survey Report Series: No. 27 (Online Simplified Version) Report of Rapid Biodiversity Assessments at Cenwanglaoshan Nature Reserve, Northwest Guangxi, China, 1999 and 2002 Editors John R. Fellowes, Bosco P.L. Chan, Michael W.N. Lau, Ng Sai-Chit and Gloria L.P. Siu Contributors Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden: Gloria L.P. Siu (GS) Bosco P.L. Chan (BC) John R. Fellowes (JRF) Michael W.N. Lau (ML) Lee Kwok Shing (LKS) Ng Sai-Chit (NSC) Graham T. Reels (GTR) Roger C. Kendrick (RCK) Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Forestry Department: Xu Zhihong (XZH) Pun Fulin (PFL) Xiao Ma (XM) Zhu Jindao (ZJD) Guangxi Forestry Survey and Planning Institute (Comprehensive Tan Wei Fu (TWF) Planning Branch): Huang Ziping (HZP) Guangxi Natural History Museum: Mo Yunming (MYM) Zhou Tianfu (ZTF) South China Institute of Botany: Chen Binghui (CBH) Huang Xiangxu (HXX) Wang Ruijiang (WRJ) South China Normal University: Li Zhenchang (LZC) Chen Xianglin (CXL) Institute of Zoology CAS (Beijing): Zhang Guoqing (ZGQ) Chen Deniu (CDN) Nanjing University: Chen Jianshou (CJS) Wang Songjie (WSJ) Xinyang Teachers’ College: Li Hongjing (LHJ) Voluntary specialist: Keith D.P. Wilson (KW) Background The present report details the findings of visits to Northwest Guangxi by members of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) in Hong Kong and their colleagues, as part of KFBG's South China Biodiversity Conservation Programme.
    [Show full text]
  • INDEX of Records of the U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey; Entry 55, Carrier-Based Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Action Reports, 1944-1945
    INDEX of Records of the U. S. Strategic Bombing Survey; Entry 55, Carrier-Based Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Action Reports, 1944-1945 (1) Task Group 12.4 Action Report of Task Group 12.4 against Wake Island, 13 June 1945 through 20 June 1945 ※Commander Task Group 12.4 (Commander Carrier Division 11). (2) Task Group 38.1 Report of Operations of Task Group 38.1 against the Japanese Empire 1 July 1945 to 15 August 1945 ※Commander Task Group 38.1 (Commander Carrier Division 3 - Rear Admiral T. L. Sprague, USN, USS Bennington, Flagship). (3) Task Group 38.4 Action Report, Commander Task Group 38.4, 2 July to 15 August 1945, Strikes against Japanese Home Islands ※Commander Task Group 38.4 (Commander Carrier Division 6, Rear Admiral A. W. Radford, US Navy, USS Yorktown, Flagship). (4) Task Group 52.1.1 Report of Capture of Okinawa Gunto, Phases I and II, 24 May 1945 to 24 June 1945 ※Commander Task Unit 52.1.1(24 May to 28 May), Commander Task Unit 32.1.1. Action Report, Capture of Okinawa Gunto, Phases 1 and 2 - 21 March 1945 to 24 May 1945 ※Commander Task Unit 52.1.1 (Support Carrier Unit 1) from 9 March 1945 to 10 May 1945 and CTG Task Unit 52.1.1 from 17 May to 24 May 1945 (Commander Carrier Division 26). (5) Task Group 52.1.2 Action Report - Capture of Okinawa Gunto, Phases 1 and 2, 21 March to 29 April 1945 ※Commander Task Unit 52.1.2 (21 March - 29 April, incl) and Commander Task Unit 51.1.2 (21-25 March, inclusive) (Commander Car-rier Division 24).
    [Show full text]
  • Venom Proteomics and Antivenom Neutralization for the Chinese
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Venom proteomics and antivenom neutralization for the Chinese eastern Russell’s viper, Daboia Received: 27 September 2017 Accepted: 6 April 2018 siamensis from Guangxi and Taiwan Published: xx xx xxxx Kae Yi Tan1, Nget Hong Tan1 & Choo Hock Tan2 The eastern Russell’s viper (Daboia siamensis) causes primarily hemotoxic envenomation. Applying shotgun proteomic approach, the present study unveiled the protein complexity and geographical variation of eastern D. siamensis venoms originated from Guangxi and Taiwan. The snake venoms from the two geographical locales shared comparable expression of major proteins notwithstanding variability in their toxin proteoforms. More than 90% of total venom proteins belong to the toxin families of Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor, phospholipase A2, C-type lectin/lectin-like protein, serine protease and metalloproteinase. Daboia siamensis Monovalent Antivenom produced in Taiwan (DsMAV-Taiwan) was immunoreactive toward the Guangxi D. siamensis venom, and efectively neutralized the venom lethality at a potency of 1.41 mg venom per ml antivenom. This was corroborated by the antivenom efective neutralization against the venom procoagulant (ED = 0.044 ± 0.002 µl, 2.03 ± 0.12 mg/ml) and hemorrhagic (ED50 = 0.871 ± 0.159 µl, 7.85 ± 3.70 mg/ ml) efects. The hetero-specifc Chinese pit viper antivenoms i.e. Deinagkistrodon acutus Monovalent Antivenom and Gloydius brevicaudus Monovalent Antivenom showed negligible immunoreactivity and poor neutralization against the Guangxi D. siamensis venom. The fndings suggest the need for improving treatment of D. siamensis envenomation in the region through the production and the use of appropriate antivenom. Daboia is a genus of the Viperinae subfamily (family: Viperidae), comprising a group of vipers commonly known as Russell’s viper native to the Old World1.
    [Show full text]
  • Impacts of Introduced Species on the Biota of an Oceanic Archipelago: the Relative Importance of Competitive and Trophic Interactions
    Kobe University Repository : Kernel タイトル Impacts of introduced species on the biota of an oceanic archipelago: Title the relative importance of competitive and trophic interactions 著者 Sugiura, Shinji Author(s) 掲載誌・巻号・ページ Ecological Research,31(2):155-164 Citation 刊行日 2016-03 Issue date 資源タイプ Journal Article / 学術雑誌論文 Resource Type 版区分 publisher Resource Version ©The Author(s) 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits 権利 unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, Rights provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. DOI 10.1007/s11284-016-1336-0 JaLCDOI URL http://www.lib.kobe-u.ac.jp/handle_kernel/90003466 PDF issue: 2021-10-02 Ecol Res (2016) 31: 155–164 DOI 10.1007/s11284-016-1336-0 MIYADI AWARD Shinji Sugiura Impacts of introduced species on the biota of an oceanic archipelago: the relative importance of competitive and trophic interactions Received: 30 June 2015 / Accepted: 13 January 2016 / Published online: 8 February 2016 Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Introduced species negatively impact native oceanic islands that have never been connected to a species through competitive and trophic interactions, continental landmass (Elton 1958; Reaser et al. 2007; particularly on oceanic islands that have never been Corlett 2010). Native species are considered to have less connected to any continental landmass. However, there highly evolved defensive, competitive, and reproductive are few studies on the relative importance of competitive abilities on oceanic islands that originally lacked strong interactions (resource competition with introduced spe- predators, herbivores, and competitors (Carlquist 1974; cies) and trophic interactions (predation or herbivory by Vermeij 1991; Paulay 1994).
    [Show full text]