Biological studies on Cardium glaucum,based on some Baltic and Mediterranean populations

The recent separation of Cardium glaucum Bruguière from C. edule L. and the scarcity of reports of populations containing both species has necessitated further ecological study to demonstrate differences in habitat preferences. Some mixed and unispecific populations of the cockles Cardium edule and C. glaucum, situated in fjords around the Kattegat and Baltic coasts of Denmark were studied; it was demonstrated that some degree of tidal influece was essential for the survival of C. edule, and that C. glaucum was being restricted by the exposure of the site. A study of the cockle populations of some étangs on the Mediterranean coast of France demonstrated that, despite earlier reports of its presence, C. edule was not present in that area. A brief survey of the Bassin d'Arcachon (France) showed that it contained a mixed cockle population. It was concluded that C. edule was unable to occupy localities having a tidal amplitude of less than 0.2 m, and that high temperatures also restricted occupation of semitidal habitats; similarly, the exposure of the site restricted colonisation by C. glaucum.     

Co-ordinated rhythms of digestion,absorption and excretion in Mytilus edulis (Bivalvia: Mollusca)

Sequential alternation of extracellular digestion in the stomach and intracellular digestion in the diverticula appears widespread among bivalves. The present study documents some physiological consequences of such processes in Mytilus edulis L. collected during 1981 from Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, England. Pronounced temporal fluctuations in faecal deposition are described that relate, in terms of amplitude and period, to both sinusoidal rhythmicity established for ammonia excretion and changes in the morphology of digestive tubules. Although at least partially synchronised among replicate groups of mussels, these cycles bore no consistent relationship with exogenous influences. Hourly fluctuation in the net absorption efficiency for nitrogen, as evidenced by the mean percentage ±2 SE, measured over 24 h sampling periods, was considerable (16.0±53.7, 49.3±10.9 and 52.8±6.6 for mussels acclimated in March, June and October, respectively). This variation in absorption derived from an inverse relationship between the percentage nitrogen within faeces and the rate of faecal egestion. Accordingly, peaks of faecal deposition presumably represented the pulsed remnants of intracellular digestion. Co-ordinated rhythms of digestion, absorption and excretion were thus evident in M. edulis. These processes displayed seasonally dependent periodicities of approximately 8, 3 and 4 h in March, June and October, respectively. It was concluded that, at least for M. edulis, this previously unquantified rhythmicity of physiological processes warrants careful consideration during assays commonly undertaken in the complication of nutrient and energy budgets.     

美国稳定全球气候政策的方案选择

本文介绍了美国稳定全球气候政策方案选择研究项目的概况,分析了快速变化的世界和慢速变化的世界远景。     

长期配施秸秆对灰漠土质量的影响

利用国家灰漠土肥力与肥料效益长期定位试验,采用长期不施肥、常规施化肥和长期配施秸秆(玉米秸秆或小麦秸秆)等不同施肥措施相比较的方法,研究长期秸秆还田土壤养分的年际变化,以及对土壤动物、微生物、酶活性的影响。研究发现:⑴长期配施秸秆能提高土壤速效氮、磷、钾含量,平均分别提高15%、48%和22%;⑵配施秸秆对土壤昆虫群落呈正向作用且贡献最大,主要增加了大型、中小型农田土壤动物的个体总数和优势类群数量,尤其是疣跳科和等节跳科动物个体数量增加近10倍;⑶土壤养分与土壤细菌、固氮菌、氨化细菌、纤维分解菌和反硝化细菌呈正相关,秸秆还田激发土壤有益微生物的生长和类群数量,使土壤微生物类群数量比对照增加15%~44%;⑷土壤养分与土壤磷酸酶、脲酶、蔗糖酶活性呈正相关,与过氧化氢酶呈负相关,秸秆还田增强土壤蔗糖酶、磷酸酶和脲酶活性,特别是脲酶和蔗糖酶活性平均提高26.5%。结果表明,长期配施秸秆提高了土壤动物丰富性和微生物多样性,增加了土壤酶活性,同时生物类群和酶活性的增加也改变了土壤生态环境,加速了土壤熟化。     

Chromosomal evolution in Mugilidae: karyotype characterization of Liza saliens and comparative localization of major and minor ribosomal genes in the six Mediterranean mullets

This study continues a comparative cytogenetic analysis of the fish family Mugilidae, reporting the karyotype characterization of the leaping mullet, Liza saliens, by C-banding, Ag- and fluorochrome-staining, and completing the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-mapping of the 18S and 5S rRNA genes (rDNA) to the chromosomes of the six Mediterranean mullets, namely L. saliens, L. ramada, L. aurata, Mugil cephalus, Chelon labrosus and Oedalechilus labeo. In all species, except M. cephalus, the 5S rDNA sites were localized on a medium-sized acrocentric chromosome pair, which was considered homeologous in all of them. In L. saliens, an additional 5S rDNA site was detected in a location close to the one shown by major ribosomal genes in M. cephalus, i.e. the subtelomeric region of chromosome pair 1. The 5S rDNA site in M. cephalus is located on the smallest chromosome pair of the complement, which, on the other hand, though on a different position, bears 18S rDNA in all the species of Liza and Chelon examined. The heterochromatin composition and the major and minor ribosomal gene locations suggest that the karyotype of L. saliens (subgenus Protomugil) can be considered intermediate between the karyotype of the more primitive M. cephalus and those of the other Liza (subgenus Liza) species and of the representatives of the more derived genera Chelon and Oedalechilus.     

Biological impacts of ocean acidification: a postgraduate perspective on research priorities

Research into the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms has greatly increased during the past decade, as realization of the potential dramatic impacts has grown. Studies have revealed the multifarious responses of organisms to OA conditions, indicating a high level of intra- and interspecific variation in species’ ability to accommodate these alterations. If we are to provide policy makers with sound, scientific input regarding the expected consequences of OA, we need a broader understanding of these predicted changes. As a group of 20 multi-disciplinary postgraduate students from around the globe, with a study focus on OA, we are a strong representation of ‘next generation’ scientists in this field. In this unique cumulative paper, we review knowledge gaps in terms of assessing the biological impacts of OA, outlining directions for future research.     

Studies on the biology of young grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) digestion

The effect of body size and salinity on the rate of digestion of young grey mullet, Mugil cephalus L., was studied using the sacrifice method. The rate of digestion was found to be salinity-dependent, being slower at lower salinities than at higher salinities. This is correlated to higher food intake at the lower salinities. Rate of digestion was also found to be dependent on body size, increasing with increasing body weight.     

Monitoring of Biological Diversity: a Common-Ground Approach

Abstract:  Practical approaches to monitoring biological diversity vary widely among countries, and the accumulating data are frequently not generalizable at the international scale. Although many present monitoring schemes, especially in developed countries, produce highly complex data, there is often a lack of basic data about the level and spatial distribution of biodiversity. We augmented the general framework for improving biomonitoring, proposed by Green et al. (2005) , and identified its core tasks and attributes. The first priority for a more unified biodiversity monitoring is to agree on a minimum set of core tasks and attributes, which will make it possible to build a standardized biomonitoring system even in countries with few resources. Our scheme has two main organizational levels—taxa and ecosystems. The basic elements of the biomonitoring system proposed are recording of presence and absence of taxa and ecosystems in a target area, mapping of their distribution in space, and assessment of their status. All the elements have to be repeated over time. Although these tasks are fundamental, they are frequently not considered in currently functioning biomonitoring programs. The whole system has to be hierarchical and additive: if more resources are available, new activities may be added to the basic routine. Agreeing on a common standard will facilitate aggregating measures of biodiversity status and trends into regional and global indices. This information will relate directly to several Convention on Biological Diversity indicators for assessing progress toward the 2010 Biodiversity Target.     

Biological Consequences of Ecosystem Fragmentation: A Review

Abstract. Abstrack Resemcb on fragmented ecosystems bas focused mostly on the biogeograpbic consequences of the creation of habitat "islands" of diffrent size and bas provided little of practical value to managers Hom, ecosystem fragmentation causes large changes in thepbysfcal environment as well as biogeograpbic changes Fragmentation generally msults in a landscape that consists of remnant areas of native vegetation surrounded by a mdrlx of agricultural or other developed land As a mul fluxes of radiation, momentum (i.e., wind), water, and nutrients clcross the landscape are altered significantly. These in turn can haw important influences on the biota witbin remnant are- especially at or near the edge between the remnant and the surrounding matrix The isolatfon of remnant areas by clearing also bas important consequences for the biota These consequences vary with the time since isolatioq distance from other remnants, and degree of connectivity with other remnants The influences of pbysical and biogeographic changes are modified by the size, shape, and pition in the landscape of individual remnanQ witb larger remnants being less aduwsely affected by the jhapaentation process dynamics of remnant areas me predominantly driven by factors aris ing in tbe smunding krndscu Management of, and research on, fiagmented ecosystems sbould be directed at understanding and controlling tbese external influences as much as at tbe biota of tbe remnants themselves Tbere is a strong need to develop an integrated appmach to landsea management tbatplaces conservation merues in tbe context of tbe owrall landscape     

When Agendas Collide: Human Welfare and Biological Conservation

Abstract:  Conservation should benefit ecosystems, nonhuman organisms, and current and future human beings. Nevertheless, tension among these goals engenders potential ethical conflicts: conservationists' true motivations may differ from the justifications they offer for their activities, and conservation projects have the potential to disempower and oppress people. We reviewed the promise and deficiencies of integrating social, economic, and biological concerns into conservation, focusing on research in ecosystem services and efforts in community-based conservation. Despite much progress, neither paradigm provides a silver bullet for conservation's most pressing problems, and both require additional thought and modification to become maximally effective. We conclude that the following strategies are needed to make conservation more effective in our human-dominated world. (1) Conservation research needs to integrate with social scholarship in a more sophisticated manner. (2) Conservation must be informed by a detailed understanding of the spatial, temporal, and social distributions of costs and benefits of conservation efforts. Strategies should reflect this understanding, particularly by equitably distributing conservation's costs. (3) We must better acknowledge the social concerns that accompany biodiversity conservation; accordingly, sometimes we must argue for conservation for biodiversity's sake, not for its direct human benefits.     

球形红杆菌废水除磷作用的研究

文章考察了磷源、碳源、硫源对废水生物除磷优势菌球形红杆菌磷代谢的影响,结果表明：在微好氧条件下,缺磷环境会使球形红杆菌产生过量摄磷现象;经无碳和无硫培养后,转移到富磷培养基内,也会产生过量摄磷现象,但随着培养时间的延长,菌体摄磷量下降;该菌体经预培养转入富磷培养基后,碳源不同其摄磷能力有所差异;以苹果酸为碳源时的摄磷量略大于以乙酸源时的摄磷量。