The use of physiological characteristics for comparison of organic compounds phytotoxicity

The influence of intact (FLT) and photomodified (phFLT) fluoranthene (0.05, 0.5 and 5 μmol l⁻¹) and herbicide Basagran (5, 20, 35 and 50 nmol l⁻¹) on the germination, growth of seedlings and photosynthetic processes in pea plants (Pisum sativum L., cv. Garde) was investigated. The germination was significantly inhibited already by the lowest concentration (0.05 μmol l⁻¹) of FLT and phFLT, while Basagran caused inhibition only in higher concentrations (35 and 50 nmol l⁻¹). The growth of roots was significantly inhibited by higher concentration 5 μmol l⁻¹ of both FLT and phFLT and the shoot of seedlings was significantly influenced only by photomodified form. The length of root and shoot was inhibited already by concentration 5 nmol l⁻¹ of Basagran. Organic compounds applied on chloroplasts suspension influenced primary photochemical processes of photosynthesis. In chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, the significant increase of F₀ values and the decrease of F_V/F_M and Φ_II values by application of FLT (0.5 and 5 μmol l⁻¹) and phFLT (0.05, 0.5 and 5 μmol l⁻¹) was recorded. The maximum capacity of PSII (F_V/F_M) was influenced by the highest (50 nmol l⁻¹) and the effective quantum yield of PSII (Φ_II) already by the lowest (5 nmol l⁻¹) concentration of Basagran. Hill reaction activity decreased and was significantly inhibited by higher concentration (0.5 and 5 μmol l⁻¹) of FLT and phFLT and already by the lowest concentration (5 nmol l⁻¹) of Basagran.     

Implications of changing national policies on land use in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

Land use in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh had undergone changes over the past several centuries. The landscape, which was mostly covered with forest with interspersed shifting cultivation plots until the beginning of the colonial period, has gradually changed into a landscape with a blend of land uses. Overall, the forest area has gradually declined, while the area under shifting cultivation and sedentary agriculture has expanded. The process of the change was multi-directional. National forestry, land use, land taxation, population migration policies, and development activities, such as construction of a hydroelectric dam and roads, played an important role in this process. Shifting cultivation had inflicted little damage on the forest until the beginning of the colonial period. The pace of deforestation accelerated with the nationalization of forests which abolished tribal people's customary use and management rights to the forest, and allowed large-scale commercial logging both legally and illegally. The pace was further intensified by the policy encouraging population migration to CHT and construction of a reservoir on the Karnafuli River. Efforts were made to replace shifting cultivation with more productive types of sedentary agriculture. However, much change could not take place in the absence of secure land rights, supportive trade policies, and the required support services and facilities, including infrastructure. Locationally suitable land use evolved in areas where transportation facilities were available and farmers were granted land title with the necessary extension services and credit facilities. These findings have important policy implications for the promotion of environmentally and economically sound land use in CHT.     

Northern Idaho House Dust and Soil Lead Levels Compared to the Bunker Hill Superfund Site

House dust has been identified as a major exposure medium for lead (Pb) in children. High levels of Pb in soil and house dust have been recorded at the Bunker Hill Superfund Site (BHSS) in northern Idaho, an historic mining and smelting district. Soil and dust remediation at the site was required; however, regional background soil and dust Pb levels had not been well characterized. The objective of this survey was to determine background house dust Pb levels and to compare those levels with concentrations, and dust and Pb loading rates measured at the BHSS. Soil and house dust samples were collected in five towns demographically similar to the BHSS but unaffected by the mining industry. The background concentrations and loading rates were significantly lower than those observed at the site. House age was a significant factor affecting background soil and house dust Pb concentrations and loading rates.     

“An eye for an eye?”—on the generality of the intimidating quality of eyespots in a butterfly and a hawkmoth

Large eyespots on the wings of butterflies and moths have been ascribed generally intimidating qualities by creating a frightening image of a bird or mammal much larger than the insect bearing the eyespots. However, evidence for this anti-predator adaptation has been largely anecdotal and only recently were peacock butterflies, Inachis io, shown to effectively thwart attacks from blue tits, Parus caeruleus. Here, we test whether large eyespots on lepidopterans are generally effective in preventing attacks from small passerines and whether the size of insect or bird can influence the outcome of interactions. We staged experiments between the larger eyed hawkmoths, Smerinthus ocellatus, and the smaller peacock butterflies, I. io, and the larger great tits, Parus major, and the smaller blue tits, P. caeruleus. Survival differed substantially between the insect species with 21 of 24 peacock butterflies, but only 6 of 27 eyed hawkmoths, surviving attacks from the birds. Thus, surprisingly, the smaller prey survived to a higher extent, suggesting that factors other than insect size may be important. However, great tits were less easily intimidated by the insects’ eyespots and deimatic behaviour and consumed 16 of 26, but the blue tits only 8 of 25, of the butterflies and hawkmoths. Our results demonstrate that eyespots per se do not guarantee survival and that these two insects bearing equally large eyespots are not equally well protected against predation.     

污染负荷多情景变化下河流水质响应关系研究

以松花江哈尔滨段为研究对象,构建了EFDC水动力-水质模型,以主要污染物COD、NH₃-N为指标,结合情景分析方法对松花江哈尔滨段支流污染负荷多情景变化下对干流水质及下游出口断面水质进行量化评估.结果表明,大顶子山出口断面COD浓度值在满足Ⅲ类及以下水质要求时,阿什河口与呼兰河口的浓度在枯水期、桃花汛期、平水期和丰水期分别最高不能超过29.3、22.3、41.82和32.13mg/L以及47.75、36.27、65.4和41.47mg/L,大顶子山断面的NH₃-N浓度,枯水期保持在Ⅲ类,则要求阿什河口和呼兰河口NH₃-N浓度最高为8.73和2.92mg/L,桃花汛期保持在Ⅱ类时,则二者最高分别为6.3和2.23mg/L,枯水期大顶子山断面保持在I类时,阿什河口和呼兰河口则最高不能超过7.57和1.79mg/L.     

Sugar receptor response of the food-canal taste sensilla in a nectar-feeding swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus

The feeding behavior in nectar-feeding insects is triggered by a sugar-receptor response in contact chemosensilla. The contact chemosensilla are distributed not only on tarsi and the outside of the proboscis but also on the inside of the food canal in Lepidoptera. Although the chemosensilla inside the food canal are assumed to detect sweet taste during the passage of nectar through the food canal, their electrophysiological function has received little attention. In the nectar-feeding Asian swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), we found 15- to 30-μm-long sensilla neatly lined up along the inside galea wall, which forms the food canal in the proboscis. The receptor neurons of these sensilla responded to sucrose. We hypothesized that starch and sucrose compete with each other for a taste receptor site on the sensilla. When we added starch and sucrose to the food-canal sensilla, the electrophysiological responses of food-canal sensilla were inhibited in parallel with the food-sucking behavior of the butterflies. These results suggest that the food-canal sensilla are involved in the behavioral control of nectar-sucking in this butterfly species.     

Development of a hydrothermal time seed germination model which uses the Weibull distribution to describe base water potential

Seed germination has been modelled extensively using hydrothermal time (HTT) models, that predict time to germination as a function of the extent to which seedbed temperature, T, and water potential, Ψ, exceed the base temperature, T_b, and base water potential, Ψ_b, of each seed percentile, g. Within a seed population the variation in time to germination arises from variation in Ψ_b(g) modelled by a normal distribution. We tested the assumption of normality in the distribution of Ψ_b(g) by germinating seed of two unrelated species with non-dormant seed (Buddleja davidii (Franch.) and Pinus radiata D. Don) across a range of constant Ψ at sub-optimal T. When incorporated into a HTT model the Weibull distribution more accurately described both the right skewed distribution of Ψ_b(g) and germination time course over sub-optimal T than the HTT based on the normal distribution, for both species. Given the flexibility of the Weibull distribution this model not only provides a useful method for predicting germination but also a means of determining the distribution of Ψ_b(g).     

森林、茶园和菜园3种土地利用类型下的蝴蝶群落物种与功能多样性比较研究

土地利用变化是蝴蝶多样性丧失的重要原因,为探究森林转变为茶园与菜园后蝴蝶多样性的变化特点,于2019年4—10月采用样线法在江苏宝华山逐月调查了上述3种土地利用类型下的蝴蝶多样性。调查结果显示,共监测到蝴蝶5科47属62种;森林的Shannon Wiener多样性指数、Margalef丰富度指数和Pielou均匀度指数均高于茶园和菜园,但Simpson优势度指数茶园最高;功能丰富度指数（F_ric）、二次熵指数（RaoQ）都是森林显著高于其他2种土地利用类型,但菜园的F_ric显著高于茶园;功能离散度指数（F_div）和功能均匀度指数（F_eve）3种土地利用类型间无显著差异。蝴蝶群落物种和功能多样性与植被类型及其时空变化有明显的相关性,土地利用变化等人类活动对蝶类群落多样性有破坏作用。     

测井剖面定量地层对比新技术

根据岩性地层对比原理,本文提出一个测井剖面定量地层对比模式。该模式由三部份组成:1.利用“多变量最优分段方法”将两对比测井剖面的地层进行分段处理;2.利用“爬山法”计算分属不同测井剖面的任意两段地层之间的相似性指标;3.根据相似性指标,利用“动态规划”方法确定地层对比结果。本文还利用上述模式进行了定量地层对比的实例研究,其结果比较令人满意。     

Effect of cerium on photosynthetic characteristics of soybean seedling exposed to supplementary ultraviolet-B radiation

Effects of cerium （Ce^3＋） on photosynthetic characteristics were investigated by hydroponics under laboratory conditions when soybean seedlings were exposed to two levels of supplementary UV-B radiation. UV-B radiation badly inhibited the photosynthesis in soybean seedling, leading to a reduction in net photosynthetic rate （Pn）, Hill reaction activity, light saturated photosynthetic rate （Ps） and apparent quanta yield （AQY）, as well as the CO2 and light saturated photosynthetic rate （Pro） and carboxulation efficiency （CE）. On the contrary, Ce obviously promoted the photosynthesis of plants by increasing Hill reaction activity, accelerating electron transport and photophosphorylation, and enhancing carboxylation efficiency. For Ce＋UV-B treatments, the values of photosynthetic parameters were still lower than those of the control, but obviously higher than those of UV-B treatment. The results indicated that Ce alleviated the inhibition of UV-B radiation on the photosynthesis in soybean seedling to a certain extent. In correlating of Pn with Hill activity, AQY and CE, we found that the changes of photosynthetic rate were mainly influenced by the regulating effect of Ce on Hill activity and AQY at low level （0.15 W/m^2） of UV-B radiation, but were dominated by the regulating effect of Ce on CE at high level （0.45 W/m^2）. Thus, Ce could regulate many aspects in photosynthesis of soybean seedling under UV-B stress. The regulating mechanism was close related with the dosage of UV-B radiation.