Author(s):  
Richard W. Jobson ◽  
Paulo C. Baleeiro ◽  
Cástor Guisande

Utricularia is a morphologically and ecologically diverse genus currently comprising more than 230 species divided into three subgenera—Polypompholyx, Utricularia, and Bivalvaria—and 35 sections. The genus is distributed worldwide except on the poles and most oceanic islands. The Neotropics has the highest species diversity, followed by Australia. Compared to its sister genera, Utricularia has undergone greater rates of speciation, which are linked to its extreme morphological flexibility that has resulted in the evolution of habitat-specific forms: terrestrial, rheophytic, aquatic, lithophytic, and epiphytic. Molecular phylogenetic studies have resolved relationships for 44% of the species across 80% of the sections. Scant data are available for phylogeography or population-level processes such as gene flow, hybridization, or pollination. Because nearly 90% of the species are endemics, data are urgently needed to determine how to protect vulnerable species and their habitats.


2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline E. G. Tutin

The forests of the Congo Basin in equatorial Africa are home to significant populations of gorillas and chimpanzees. However, numbers are declining owing to hunting and to alteration of their habitat. Gorillas and chimpanzees are particularly vulnerable for biological reasons: slow reproduction, prolonged developmental periods and complex social behaviour. In addition, their capacity to recover from disturbance is limited and the reinforcement of wild populations with captive-born individuals is rarely an option. Compared with the critically endangered mountain gorillas and the beleaguered chimpanzees in forest fragments in West Africa, there are some reasons for optimism about the future of the Congo Basin apes: levels of threat remain relatively low; and conservation of tropical rainforests has become a priority of the international community. At the same time, knowledge of the ecological needs of wild apes has increased and non-invasive techniques now exist to monitor population health. Sadly, no animals remain truly ‘wild’, as their survival depends to a greater or lesser extent on management. Protected areas and laws that forbid hunting of vulnerable species are classic tools of management, but broader landscape visions are now emerging that may allow the Congo Basin to avoid the fragile scenario of larger animals persisting only in ‘island’ parks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1139-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixi Li ◽  
Xianggang Shi ◽  
Wuxia Guo ◽  
Achyut Kumar Banerjee ◽  
Qun Zhang ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Goetze ◽  
Tim Langlois ◽  
Joachim Claudet ◽  
Fraser Januchowski-Hartley ◽  
Stacy D. Jupiter

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azie Azri ◽  
Takaomi Arai

A total of 104 sharks were landed at fishing ports in the Malaysian South China Sea between 30 October and 24 December 2014, comprising the four families, Carcharhinidae, Hemiscylliidae, Sphyrnidae and Scyliorhinidae, and 11 of these shark species were examined. Measurements of size and weight were different and varied among species, ranging from 0.1 to 7.5 kg in body weight and from 31.1 to 105 cm in total length. Five of the 11 sharks,Carcharhinus sealei, Loxodon macrorhinus, Rhizoprionodon acutus, Hemigaleus microstomaandSphyrna lewini, were in the range of, or even less than, the lengths of those measured at birth in previous reports. The results suggest that these sharks were born just before they were landed.Sphyrna lewiniand H.microstomaare categorized as Endangered and Vulnerable species, respectively, and other sharks included in the landings are also categorized as Near Threatened. Thus, the current fishing methods could lead to critical levels of shark species in these waters, and even the future extinction of species. An improvement in the species selectiveness of fishing gear is needed to protect and conserve sharks in the area.


2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Aparicio ◽  
Mario Pastorino ◽  
Alejandro Martinez-Meier ◽  
Leonardo Gallo

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