Learning,retention and coding of nest-associated visual cues by the Australian desert ant, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melophorus bagoti</Emphasis>

A variety of social insects use visual cues for homing. In this study, we examine the possible factors affecting the learning and retention of nest-associated visual cues by the Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti and the manner in which such cues are encoded by foraging ants. We placed four prominent cylindrical landmarks around a nest and trained foragers from that nest to a food source. Ants were tested with the landmark array in a distant testing field after (1) a known number of exposures to the landmarks (1, 3, 7 or 15 trials, spread over a period of 1 day, 2 days or ≥3 days) and (2) after a known period of delay (0, 24, 48, 96 or 192 h). The results show that a combination of an increase in training trials and an increase in number of training days affected the acquisition of landmark memory. Moreover, once the landmarks were learnt, they became a part of long-term memory and lasted throughout the ants’ foraging lifetime. To examine visual cue encoding behaviour, ants trained under similar conditions for 4 days were tested with (1) an identical landmark array, (2) landmarks of the same size used in training, but placed at twice the distance from each other, and (3) landmarks whose dimensions were doubled and placed at twice the distance from each other. In conditions (1) and (3), the ants searched extensively at the centre of the four landmarks, suggesting that, similar to the Saharan ant (genus Cataglyphis) and the honeybee, M. bagoti too uses a snapshot to match the view of the landmarks around the nest. But contrary to the snapshot model, in condition (2), the ants did not search extensively at the centre of the landmarks, but searched primarily 0.5 m from the landmark, the distance from each landmark to the nest during training. We discuss how various search models fare in accounting for these findings.     

青藏高原及周边区域沙尘气溶胶三维分布和传输特征

利用MERRA-2再分析资料和CALIPSO星载激光雷达产品,分析了1980—2017年青藏高原和塔克拉玛干沙漠上空沙尘气溶胶的分布和传输特征.对比了MERRA-2与AERONET及MISR的气溶胶光学厚度（AOD）产品,其相关系数分别为0.809和0.776.基于MERRA-2资料分析表明,研究区域沙尘光学厚度（DAOD）按春、夏、秋、冬季依次递减.塔克拉玛干沙漠和青藏高原地区DAOD均在5月达最高值.青藏高原北部DAOD比南部高0.06~0.10,两地区的DAOD值差异在5月最高.自2000年开始,塔克拉玛干沙漠和印度恒河平原DAOD高值区强度和影响范围显著增大,对青藏高原的沙尘输送增强,印度沙尘对青藏高原的影响显著增加.CALIPSO观测表明,青藏高原上空的沙尘主要来自塔克拉玛干沙漠,传输量春季最大,秋、冬季最小;部分来自印度恒河平原,传输主要发生在夏、秋季.塔克拉玛干沙尘通过柴达木盆地向青藏高原传输,最远可至30°N,传输高度在4~8 km.冬季青藏高原上空的沙尘主要来自柴达木盆地.塔克拉玛干沙漠和青藏高原的最大气溶胶消光系数廓线分别出现在春季和夏季.塔克拉玛干沙漠和青藏高原地区沙尘层厚度多年平均值分别为1.00和0.82 km.2007—2017年,塔克拉玛干沙尘层厚度呈下降趋势,年下降率为0.018 km.青藏高原沙尘层厚度春季最大,冬季次之,夏季最小;沙尘层厚度年变化趋势不显著.     

氮添加对油蒿群落植物叶片生态化学计量特征的影响

为了深入认识荒漠植物对氮沉降的适应和反馈能力,研究了宁夏盐池毛乌素沙地油蒿(Artemisia ordosica)群落内5种优势植物〔油蒿、披针叶黄华(Thermopsis lanceolata)、糙隐子草(Cleistogenes squarrosa)、赖草(Leymus secalinus)、刺藜(Chenopodium aristatum)〕在N₀、N₁、N₂、N₃、N₄、N₅〔氮添加水平依次为0、0.5、1.0、2.0、3.0、6.0 g/(m2·a),以N计〕6个氮添加处理下叶片w(TC)、w(TN)、w(TP)及其化学计量比——C/N〔w(TC)/w(TN)〕、N/P〔w(TN)/w(TP)〕、C/P〔w(TC)/w(TP)〕的变化. 结果表明:①氮添加对油蒿、披针叶黄华叶片w(TC)、w(TN)、w(TP)及其化学计量比无显著影响. ②高氮添加(N₅处理)显著增加了糙隐子草、赖草和刺藜叶片w(TN),相对于N₀处理时增幅分别约为26%、81%和60%. ③高氮添加显著增加了赖草、刺藜叶片N/P,但显著降低了其叶片C/N,其中,赖草和刺藜叶片N/P相对于N₀处理时的增幅分别约为86%和61%,C/N的降幅则分别约为45%和37%. 研究显示,油蒿群落中不同植物种对氮添加的响应存在差异,持续增加的氮沉降很可能会引起油蒿群落物种组成的变化,从而影响油蒿群落的演替.      

人工生物结皮的发育演替及表土持水特性研究

为了解接种蓝藻对荒漠地区表土持水特性的改善作用,对库布齐沙漠东缘达拉特旗地区人工接种蓝藻后形成的生物结皮进行了发育演替及持水特性研究.结果表明,在人工接种荒漠蓝藻之后,藻结皮能够很快形成,并在一些微环境下藻结皮直接演替为藓结皮(接种2~3 a后).随着结皮的发育演替,表土生物量、多糖含量、厚度以及孔隙度增加,而土壤容重减小;同时,形成结皮之后表土质地也发生了明显的变化,其中沙粒含量逐渐减少,粉粒、黏粒含量增加.实验还发现随着结皮的发育演替,表土含水量与饱和持水量都呈增加的趋势,即:藓结皮>藻结皮>流沙,藻结皮中的含水量(饱和持水量)为流沙中的1.1~1.3倍,藓结皮中的含水量(饱和持水量)为流沙中的1.8~2.2倍.相关分析表明表土含水量及饱和持水量与表土生物量、多糖含量、厚度、容重、粉粒和黏粒含量呈正相关,与表土孔隙度和沙粒含量呈负相关.通过逐步回归分析发现影响含水量的主要因素为表土黏粒的含量,而影响饱和持水量的主要因素为表土孔隙度.     

Desert ants adjust their approach to a foraging site according to experience

In the habitat of desert ants, Cataglyphis fortis, a constant wind is usually blowing during the daytime. When visiting a familiar food source, the ants steer some distance downwind of the feeder, rather than attempting a direct approach that might miss small food sources, in particular. In the downwind area, the ants pick up the odor plume emanating from the food and follow it upwind to the prey. This strategy saves considerable walking distance and time. The additional path necessitated by the downwind strategy is only about 0.75 to 2 m, depending on nest–feeder distance, while missing the food on the upwind side results in much longer search trajectories. During the initial three to five visits to a feeding site, downwind distance and length of the approach path are shortened notably, and the approach trajectory is straightened. Desert ants further exhibit considerable short-term flexibility in their approach. Experienced individuals are evidently able to decide upon leaving the nest which direction to choose toward the feeder, depending on current wind direction (that fluctuates slightly during the day). Notable changes in wind direction occur primarily overnight. For larger nest–feeder distances, the animals adjust their approach en route to the altered wind direction during their first foraging trip in the morning.     

Floral biodiversity: a question of survival in the Indian Thar Desert

The Thar Desert of North-west India has sprung into prominence recently because of nuclear testing in 1998. It occupies about 3 million km² of diverse habitat. Each of the various habitats and landforms in the desert supports distinctive plants. 682 plant species have been identified including 107 grasses. Plants are removed for fuel, fodder, fencing and other farming, domestic and commercial purposes. There are about 200 species of plants with recognised medicinal uses in the desert. The medicinal usefulness of others is yet to be established. Commiphora wightii, Withania somnifera and Urginia indica have high glycoside content and are valued for gums and used in ayurvedic medicines for enhancing mental retention and memory enhancement. Such plants are being indiscriminately exploited for fuelwood.     

乌兰布和沙漠不同灌丛土壤颗粒多重分形特征及其与有机碳分布的关系

w（SOC）（SOC为土壤有机碳,soil organic carbon）及其分布状况显著受到土壤PSD（particle-size distribution,粒径分布）和有机质相互胶结方式的差异影响,而w（SOC）可反映土壤结构优劣程度,表征土壤肥力状况及碳库饱和度.以乌兰布和沙漠沙冬青、花棒、猫头刺、白刺和梭梭灌丛下0~100 cm深度风沙土为研究对象,通过野外分层采样与室内测试,采用多重分形理论探讨土壤特性和w（SOC）分布特征及其相互关系,反映土壤结构及肥力状况.结果表明:① 不同灌丛下的土壤均具有良好的分形特征,并且灌丛可通过降低风速,使≤ 50 μm的优质颗粒在周围表层土壤沉降,而优质颗粒数量与w（SOC）、D₀（粒径分布范围）及D₁（分布均匀程度）极显著正相关（P < 0.01）,与D₁/D₀（分布离散程度）极显著负相关（P < 0.01）;② 各灌丛下w（SOC）的大小关系与D₁、D₀相似但与D₁/D₀完全相反,即w（SOC）可表征PSD状况进而反映土壤结构优劣程度,并且在沙冬青灌丛的>20~30、>60~80 cm土层出现两次峰值,分别为11.958、11.928 g/kg;③ 对D₀的扩大及D₁/D₀的降低程度以沙冬青灌丛最为明显,但对D₁的降低程度则以花棒灌丛最为明显.研究显示,多重分形理论可很好地描述乌兰布和沙漠风沙土性质,并且适生灌丛中沙冬青及花棒可更好地改善土壤颗粒及SOC特征,故可通过种植二者局部改良土壤及增加碳库饱和度.      

基于半荒漠脆弱生态环境下煤矿开采环境综合治理研究

煤矿开发对周围环境产生的破坏及衍生、次生灾害不断增加。人类对此的认识和对相关领域的研究不断全面和深入。结合煤矿开采对环境的直接及间接影响,本文从根本上对半荒漠环境下的煤矿开采环境保护提出了一些针对性的措施,对于内蒙、新疆等类似地区的煤矿开采提供参考。     

Indirect effects of African megaherbivore conservation on bat diversity in the world's oldest desert

In extreme environments, temperature and precipitation are often the main forces responsible for structuring ecological communities and species distributions. The role of biotic interactions is typically thought to be minimal. By clustering around rare and isolated features, like surface water, however, effects of herbivory by desert-dwelling wildlife can be amplified. Understanding how species interact in these environments is critical to safeguarding vulnerable or data-deficient species. We examined whether African elephants (Loxodonta africana), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), and southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa) modulate insectivorous bat communities around permanent waterholes in the Namib Desert. We estimated megaherbivore use of sites based on dung transects, summarized vegetation productivity from satellite measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index, and surveyed local bat communities acoustically. We used structural equation models to identify relationships among megaherbivores and bat species richness and dry- (November 2016–January 2017) and wet- (February–May 2017) season bat activity. Site-level megaherbivore use in the dry season was positively associated with bat activity—particularly that of open-air foragers—and species richness through indirect pathways. When resources were more abundant (wet season), however, these relationships were weakened. Our results indicate that biotic interactions contribute to species distributions in desert areas and suggest the conservation of megaherbivores in this ecosystem may indirectly benefit insectivorous bat abundance and diversity. Given that how misunderstood and understudied most bats are relative to other mammals, such findings suggest that managers pursue short-term solutions (e.g., community game guard programs, water-point protection near human settlements, and ecotourism) to indirectly promote bat conservation and that research includes megaherbivores’ effects on biodiversity at other trophic levels.     

基于无人机垂直观测塔克拉玛干沙漠一次沙尘污染过程研究

利用多旋翼无人机于2021年7月30—31日对塔克拉玛干沙漠的塔中（飞行高度0~2000 m）、民丰地区（飞行高度0~1000 m）不同粒径 颗粒物浓度、气温、相对湿度和风速进行垂直观测,结合多地面站点、再分析资料、后向轨迹模型和卫星遥感数据,对沙尘污染过程中的影响 因素、颗粒物垂直分布特征及污染成因进行了分析.结果表明：①近地面低气温、高相对湿度、高风速的气象条件有利于沙尘污染事件的发生,通过无人机探测数据发现高相对湿度有利于颗粒物吸湿增长,气温和风速的上升能够加强大气对流运动,有利于污染物的输送.②在沙尘污染期间,塔中地区PM₁、PM_2.5和PM₁₀的浓度分别为0.8~45.7、1.0~267.0和1.0~588.7 μg·m^-3;民丰地区PM₁、PM_2.5和PM₁₀的浓度分别为21.5~126.9、39.6~263.6和48.5~520.6 μg·m^-3.③在沙尘污染期间,塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地颗粒物组成以粗颗粒物为主,南缘则以细颗粒物为主.民丰地区PM₁/PM_2.5比值（0.48~0.55）和PM_2.5/PM₁₀比值（0.55~0.83）在同时刻均高于塔中地区（PM₁/PM_2.5为0.18~0.33, PM_2.5/PM₁₀为0.33~0.51）.④天气形势和后向轨迹表明,此次污染主要由西风环流导致,气团分别从北面翻越天山和东面绕道进入塔克拉玛干沙漠,携带了塔克拉玛干沙漠东部地区沙尘颗粒和新疆北部人为污染物.⑤CALIPSO卫星数据表明,此次污染中气溶胶存在于海拔1~8 km之间,主要集中在低层（消光系数在 海拔1.0~2.2 km左右最大）.气溶胶类型为沙尘气溶胶、污染沙尘气溶胶和烟雾气溶胶,其中,沙尘气溶胶占主要部分.