水稻磷效率差异的生理生化特性

以磷效率差异显著的IR71379—2B—10—2—3-1(磷低效型)、IR7133l-2B-2-1(中间型)及IR74(磷高效型)3个品种为供试材料，采用水培法研究了它们对磷的吸收效率、运输效率及植株体内磷的利用效率，进而研究了其对低磷胁迫的根系形态学和生理生化机制的适应性反应．结果表明：水稻磷效率的高低是由基因型对磷的吸收效率，运输效率及利用效率综合作用的结果．磷高效基因型IR74和磷效率表现为中间型的IR71331-2B-2-1具有高的磷吸收效率．旺盛的根系生长，高的根系活力，Km、Cmin小，Imax大及相对酸性磷酸酯酶(APase)活性高等是水稻对磷高效吸收的特征．但品种不同特征也有别，本试验中的IR74对磷高的吸收效率主要是由于根系生长旺盛，根系吸收面积大所致，而IR71331-2B-2-1高的磷吸收效率则主要缘于根系活力强，Imax大．低磷胁迫下，叶片中核糖核酸酶的活性也大大升高，约是对照的10～15倍，但品种间无显著差异．图2表6参21     

水稻对低磷反应的基因型差异及其生理适应机制的初步研究

选取构建水稻分子连锁图谱的两个亲本ＪＸ１７和ＺＹＱ８为材料,在３低磷胁迫下,对磷营养效率有关指标进行分析,结果表明,ＪＸ１７在与磷吸收效率有关的生理指标,如根干重、根分泌质子、根分泌有机酸等方面,都明显优于ＡＹＱ８,说明ＪＸ１７表现较高的相对干物重,低磷胁迫反应不敏感。     

不同木豆品种耐铝性的基因型差异及其机理研究

以6个品种的木豆为材料，探讨了木豆品种间耐铝性的基因型差异及其机制。铝对根伸长的抑制大小及苏木精对根尖的染色模式的研究结果表明，不同品种木豆的耐铝性基因型差异明显。在铝胁迫条件下，去除根尖吸附的粘胶，耐铝的基因型MD2和敏感的基因型MD5根的伸长率均减少，而根尖被苏木精染色程度加深；去除粘胶对MD2的影响大于MD5，说明粘胶对根尖的保护是木豆抵御铝毒的一个重要机制。虽然铝胁迫可诱导木豆根系分泌柠檬酸和苹果酸，但根系苹果酸的分泌量在MD2和MD间无显著差异，MD2柠檬酸的分泌量甚至低于MD5。     

玉米自交系吸收利用磷素的差异及其相关性

大田选取11份玉米自交系，在两个供磷水平下研究了玉米自交系籽粒产量基因型差异及吸收效率、利用效率与磷效率的相关关系。试验结果表明：在磷胁迫的条件下，不同玉米自交系不仅产量存在较大的差异，而且对磷的响应度也不相同，产量最高的基因型中宗2号为最低的忻9005的5．15倍，将这些品种在二磷水平下以产量进行磷效率双向划分可以分为4种类型：双高效型(太411、KH12、58、中宗2号)；高磷高效型(187)；低磷高效型(冀257)；双低效型(478、冀35、XL12、忻9005、H21)，成熟期吸收、利用效率与磷效率的关系表明，在同一供磷条件下，11份自交系吸收、利用效率均有显著的差异，在两个供磷水平下，吸收效率与磷效率存在显著的正相关关系，而利用效率仅在高磷条件下与磷效率存在正相关性，表明在低磷水平下，成熟期磷效率主要由吸收效率决定，在高磷水平下，磷效率是吸收效率和利用效率共同作用的结果。图2表1参7。     

磷水平对不同耐低磷玉米基因型幼苗生长和养分吸收的影响

选取2个耐低磷玉米基因型M08和M11及1个低磷敏感基因型M05为材料,采用营养液培养,研究低磷和正常磷条件下不同基因型玉米苗期生长状况及对磷、钾、钙、镁、铁、锌的吸收情况.结果表明,耐低磷基因型适应低磷的能力较强,它们具有较长的根系和较大的根干重,其株高受低磷的影响明显小于敏感基因型M05.低磷胁迫增大了植株的根冠比,改变了植株对营养元素的吸收及其在地上部和根系的分配.磷敏感基因型M05吸收磷、钾、钙、镁、铁、锌的量随供磷水平的下降而减少,并且吸收各元素的量受磷水平变化的影响显著较2个耐低磷基因型大.图1表2参24     

水稻耐低磷特性研究

选取3个耐低磷水稻基因型99011、580、99112和1个磷敏感基因型99056为供试材料，采用营养液和石英砂培养的方法，研究了与磷效率相关的一些指标．结果表明，99011和580均具有较高的磷吸收效率和利用效率，其中根长是99011高效吸收的重要贡献因子，其次它对难溶性磷有一定的活化吸收能力；580不仅对难溶性磷的活化吸收能力最强，而且善于从低浓度的磷环境中吸收较多的磷；而99112主要靠被动适应生态环境来表现它的耐低磷特性，与磷吸收效率相关的次级因子表现不佳，是99056对低磷反应敏感的主要原因．图3表4参16     

来自细胞工程技术的不同低磷耐受性玉米自交系磷营养特性分析

通过大田试验研究了5份不同低磷耐受性的玉米自交系在苗期、拔节期、籽粒成熟期的磷营养特征.结果表明:低磷条件下,磷吸收效率是玉米苗期和籽粒成熟期耐低磷特性差异的主要来源,而拔节期耐低磷特性则由磷吸收效率和利用效率共同决定.成熟期磷效率相关性分析表明,磷吸收效率与磷效率呈显著正相关,磷吸收效率是决定此时期磷效率的主要因素之一.在低磷条件下,来自细胞工程的4份玉米自交系与对照齐319相比,籽粒产量和磷响应度均存在较大差异,其中自交系SD-B和SD-C产量较高,分别为齐319的140倍和132倍.从籽粒产量和植株磷含量两方面来看, SD-B和SD-C可能为磷高效率高响应型. 低磷胁迫下, SD-B、 SD-C在不同生育期与其它3个自交系相比,均表现出磷吸收能力强的特点.     

低磷胁迫下不同水稻品种根系吸收能力差异的生理与遗传本质

在低磷（1mg L-1)和适磷水平（10mg L^-1)下，分别以混合培养方式研究了粳稻京系17（Oryza sativa ssp.japonica)(JX17)和粘稻窄叶青8号（Oryza sativa ssp.indica)(ZYQ8)对磷营养的反应。结果表明，低磷胁迫下，JX17较ZYQ8吸收更多磷素，干物重也显著增加。相反，ZYQ8则受到更强的磷胁迫，吸磷量和干物重降低，主要是因为JX17具有较高的吸磷速度，单位根长吸磷量大，即根系高亲和力磷酸盐转运蛋白表达强，最大限度地吸收可能利用的磷素，从而改善植株营养状况，同时又有较多的磷被分配到根系，使根第，根表面积和根干重相应提高，进一步增加了其在低磷胁迫条件下的竞争磷营养的优势。图3表2参17     

磷水平对不同耐低磷水稻苗根系生长及氮、磷、钾吸收的影响

选取3个耐低磷水稻基因型99011、580和99112及1个磷敏感基因型99056为材料，采用营养液培养，比较了它们在不同磷水平下苗期根系的生长状况及对氮、磷、钾的吸收情况，结果表明，耐低磷基因型适应低磷的能力较强，它们具有较长的根系、较大的根体积和根干重，其中99011和580表现尤为突出，且它们的根系受磷水平变化的影响明显小于敏感基因型99056；0．081～0．161mmol／L的磷处理更有利于耐低磷基因型根系的发育，并且促进氮和钾的吸收，此时，植株能够吸收较正常磷处理更多的氮和钾；而磷敏感基因型99056吸收氮和钾的量随供磷水平的下降而减少，并且吸收磷的总量受磷水平变化的影响显著较3个耐低磷基因型大。     

低磷胁迫对水稻地上部钙、镁吸收和积累的影响

采用瓮栽试验系统研究了低磷(P)胁迫条件下不同P效率水稻基因型在分蘖期、孕穗期和成熟期的钙(Ca)、镁(Mg)营养特性.结果表明,低P胁迫对不同基因型水稻Ca、Mg吸收的影响因生育期、基因型和部位不同而不同.分蘖期时,低P胁迫使水稻体内Ca含量增加,低P敏感基因型水稻地上部Mg含量增加,耐低P基因型则Mg含量降低.孕穗期时,低P胁迫使不同基因型水稻体内Ca、Mg含量下降.至成熟期,除99056外,其它基因型籽粒内Ca、Mg含量均降低;除99012外,其它基因型茎叶中Ca、Mg含量也降低.各个时期低P胁迫都降低了Ca、Mg在水稻地上部分的积累量,耐低P基因型只在孕穗期表现出相对的优势.低P胁迫同时降低了成熟期茎叶内Ca、Mg向籽粒的转移,但99056却例外.低P胁迫下,较之低P敏感基因型,耐低P基因型水稻对Ca、Mg的吸收和积累并没有表现出明显的优势.图4表7参26     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.