Total three varanid species and their distributions in Yunnan were recognized during the expeditions resent years,they were V.salvator(Laurenti),V.irrawadicus (Yang) and V.vietnamensis (Yang).V.salvator is widely distributed in Yunnan border area,from the western to the southwestern,then to the southeastern;V.irrawadicus is only discovered in Yingjiang and Longchuan Counties in west Yunnan;and V.vietnamensis is acquainted to be distributed in Mengla,Xishuanbanna in southwest Yunnan,and the Chinese-Vietnam borer and the Chinese-Laos border.After comparison with other related species of the Southeastern Asia,we think that the three varanid species of Yunnan are all valid,though V.irrawadicus was considered as a synonym of V.bengalensis by Auffenberg,it is different from the latter in the position of nose,color pattern on neck and body,and ventral rows;V.vietnamensis has transversly enlarged upper ocullars so it differs from V.flavescens (no enlarged upper ocullars),also it has middle way positioned nose that is different with V.nebulosus,V.nebulosus should be a valid species while not a subspecies of V.bengalensis since it has transversly enlarged upper oculars that V.bengalensis has not (others:V.monitor is not a valid name).Finally in this paper,the habitats,habits and conservation of varanid lizards of Yunnan are preliminary reported.

Intraspecific diversity are analysized for 12 indigenous strains isolated from nodules on roots of the single soybean plant and identified as Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains. Mucoid and translucent colony type M as well as watery and transparent colony type W were observed from different colony size (diameter≥1.0 mm to ≤0.5 mm) formed by the strains on YEM agar. Serological types of the strains were identified by ELISA classfied as serocluster LL19 (including Sz1-12s serogroup Sz1-19s serotype and others) and non-serocluster LL19 (including Sz1-13s serotype Sz1-21s serotype and unknown). The chromosomal DNA's EcoRI-digested products of the strains were hybridized to the digoxigenin-Labled probe, pMJS₁₂ plasmid, producing two kinds of single DNA hybridization fragment in the strains, sized 9.6 kb and 6.4 kb, respectively. Accordingly the strains were classfied as pattern Ⅰand pattern Ⅱ. Up to eight kinds of fatty acid in the strains were determined by HP5890 A gas-chromatography. Among them, principal component analysis of C_14∶1, C_18∶1and C_14∶0 occured in all B. japonicum strains tested, which was greatly different from the results of fast-growing rhizobia, was used to show that the strains could be divided into six groups.

A comparative study was conducted to determine the DNA 'fingerprints' of P.m.tibetanus and P.m.artatus by employing the oligonucleotide probe LZF-I technique.The important findings are as follows: (1) Identical bands were detected at the 2.3 kb in all of the randomly selected individuals of P.m.tibetanus,and at the 4.8 kb of the P.m.artatus samples.This difference in the alleles could be one of the important genetic markers used to classify the two subspecies. (2) The average bands were 14.65 in P.m.tibetanus, and 19.30 in P.m.artatus.The similarity coefficients among the individuals of P.m.tibetanus and P.m.artatsu were 0.18 and 0.13,respectively.The similarity coefficient between the subspecies was 0.09.These results indicated that the individuals of P.m.artatus had greater genetic variation than those of P.m.tibetanus,and the variations between the two subspecies were greater than between the individuals of each subspecies. (3) The probability of the LZF-I probe in identifying the genetic variation among the individuals of P.m.tibetanus was 2.04×10^-12 ,while that was 9.8×^-17among the individuals of P.m.artatus,suggesting that there existed specificity of fingerprints among all the individuals of the two subspeciesP,and that the polymorphism of the genomic DNA in .m.artatus was greater than that in P.m.tibetanus.

         The results reported in this paper are of importance in studying the genetic diversity and systematic position of the two species.

This paper reports the diversity of phytoplankton, zooplankton, zoobenthon and aquatic macrophytes in Tiane Zhou  Oxbow and Laohe Oxbow located at the middle reaches of Yangtze  River. The diversity of phytoplankton, zooplankton and aquatic macrophytes in Laohe Oxbow is higher than that in Tiane Zhou Oxbow, the diversity of zoobenthon in Laohe Oxbow is lower than that in Tiane Zhou Oxbow. Along with change from opening to closing of oxbow, the diversity of aquatic organisms in Tiane Zhou Oxbow will be on the increase.

The Hengduan Mountains from Yunnan are well-known for their richness in biodiversity, but there is ample concern for these ecologically sensitive areas. From my two field surveys to the hinterlands in 1987 and 1995, respectively, I was shocked by the facts that swidden agriculture still prevailed widely, and some of the villages faced serious soil erosion and water shortages arising from traditional practices.  To clarify the problems, a correlation matrix analysis was conducted using published data on total population (PO), villager population (VP),  cultivated land area  (CLA), grain yield (GY), agriculture output value (AOV) in eight poverty stricken counties in the area in 1990, and their increments between 1985 and 1990. It can be shown that there were significant positive correlations between: a) the VP (90% of PO) and the PO; b)the CLA and the PO, GY, and AOV, respectively; and c) the increment of the CLA and that of the PO and AOV, respectively. Both personal observations and computer outputs give us an ecological warning—the natural cover, which remained too little to maintain a healthy ecosystem, would continue to reduce with the growth of population. Better vegetation cover (vs that seen in ordinary circumstances), however, did exist on the slopes behind better farmlands. Accordingly, I believe the social/economic development and the maintenance of biodiversity depend on the success of birth control and the improvement of production model. For the latter, it may be a good choice for development planners to arrange for food production within smaller areas with much improved water and fertility conditions (i.g. through the study and use of agroforestry), and thus to vacate lands for planting economic trees, or allowing vegetation to recover naturally.

This paper discussed the relationship between biological control of pests and conservation of biodiversity, pointing out that biodiversity was the source of biological control agents, and in turn biological control of pests played an important role in conservation of biodiversity. It reported briefly the diversity of natural enemies and their host specificity in natural and agricultural ecosystem, and the roles of biological control in management of exotic species as well as conservation of endangered species and habitats. The authors also emphasized that international exchange of natural enemy resources should be widely supported and the code of conduct for the import and release of biological control agents should be earlier established in order to implement more safe and effective biological control programs.

Up to now, 122 species of planktonic Amphipoda in China Seas were found. The distributional characteristic of species shows that the species number and the warm-water species are on the increase from the north toward the south waters and from coastal toward the off-coastal waters. The planktonic Amphipoda in the Bohai Sea and north and southwest waters of the Huanghai Sea  belong to the warm temperate zone distribution. The southeast water of Huanghai Sea and northwest waters of the Donghai Seas belong to the transition zone between the warm temperate zone distribution and tropical zone distribution. The planktonic Amphipoda in the east and southwest waters of the Donghai Seas, the Taiwan Strait and the Nanhai Seas  belongs to the tropical zone distribution .  The characteristic of the tropical oceanic distribution in east waters of the Donghai Sea and middle and south waters of the Nanhai Seas is marked.

Entomogenous fungi are distributed among all of fungi.They show diversity in morphology structure,life cycle,reproduction mode,pathogenic mechanism and secondary metabolites.It is very important to understand the diversity of entomogenous fungi for correct identification of their taxonomic position,revealing of infectious unit to host insect,and utilization of the function and secondary metabolites of entomogenous fungi in all aspects and levels.