Vertebrate diet decreases winter torpor use in a desert marsupial

One of the energetic benefits of daily torpor over prolonged hibernation is that it enables animals to regularly forage and, therefore, replenish food reserves between bouts of torpor. However, little is known about the diet of predators undergoing torpor or whether differences in prey composition among individuals influence torpor characteristics. Here, we test the hypothesis that prey composition affects winter torpor use and patterns of a population of carnivorous marsupial, the brush-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus blythi), in the Great Sandy Desert, Australia. Mulgaras in the study population captured a wide range of prey including vertebrates (mammals, reptiles, birds), seven insect orders, spiders and centipedes. The proportion of vertebrates in the diet was negatively correlated with both frequency of torpor use and maximum bout duration. This variation in torpor use with diet can be explained by the higher energetic content of vertebrates as well as their larger size. Even assuming uniform intake of prey biomass among individuals, those that subsisted on an invertebrate-dominated diet during winter apparently suffered energetic shortages as a result of the scarcity of invertebrate taxa with high energy content (such as insect larvae). Our study is the first to demonstrate a link between diet composition and daily torpor use in a free-ranging mammal.     

The key to winter survival: daily torpor in a small arid-zone marsupial

Mammalian hibernation, which lasts on average for about 6 months, can reduce energy expenditure by >90% in comparison to active individuals. In contrast, the widely held view is that daily torpor reduces energy expenditure usually by about 30%, is employed for a few hours every few days, and often occurs only under acute energetic stress. This interpretation is largely based on laboratory studies, whereas knowledge on daily torpor in the field is scant. We used temperature telemetry to quantify thermal biology and activity patterns of a small arid-zone marsupial, the stripe-faced dunnart Sminthopsis macroura (16.9 g), in the wild and to test the hypothesis that daily torpor is a crucial survival strategy of this species in winter. All individuals entered torpor daily with the exception of a single male that remained normothermic for a single day (torpor on 212 of 213 observation days, 99.5%). Torpor was employed at air temperatures (T _a) ranging from approximately −1°C to 36°C. Dunnarts usually entered torpor during the night and aroused at midday with the daily increase of T _a. Torpor was on average about twice as long (mean 11.0 ± 4.7 h, n = 8) than in captivity. Animals employed sun basking during rewarming, reduced foraging time significantly, and occasionally omitted activity for several days in sequence. Consequently, we estimate that daily torpor in this species can reduce daily energy expenditure by up to 90%. Our study shows that for wild stripe-faced dunnarts daily torpor is an essential mechanism for overcoming energetic challenges during winter and that torpor data obtained in the laboratory can substantially underestimate the ecological significance of daily torpor in the wild.     

Coping with chaos: unpredictable food supplies intensify torpor use in an arid-zone marsupial, the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata)

The severity, duration and amplitude of extreme weather events are forecast to intensify with current climate trends, over both long (e.g. seasonal) and short (e.g. daily) time-scales. As such, the predictability of food supplies for many small endotherms is likely to become increasingly important. Numerous small mammals and birds combat food shortages using torpor, a controlled reduction in metabolic rate and body temperature that helps lower their daily energy requirements. As such, torpor often has been cited as a key feature allowing some small endotherms to survive highly unpredictable climates, such as tropics or dry deserts, but mensurative demonstrations of this are lacking. We have shown here that when a small desert marsupial, the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata), is offered unpredictable levels of daily food, they increase frequency of daily torpor and length of bouts compared with animals offered ad libitum food, but this was not found for animals offered a 70% food-restricted diet. Our data suggest that simple food restriction may not be sufficient for evaluating the efficacy of torpor as a strategy for managing unpredictable climates.     

亚热带丘陵区流域不同土地利用系统磷素径流输出特征

土地利用的环境影响是目前生态系统研究中的重要课题。以位于亚热带低山丘陵地区的安徽省宣城市梅村中2个相邻的支流域为实例,研究了具有不同土地利用结构的农－林生态系统地表径流水的磷素含量和输出。结果表明：林地－水塘－农田－村庄系统水溶性磷（DP）含量＞＞林地－水塘系统DP含量和林地－农田系统DP含量,后二者间没有显著性差异;林地－水塘－农田－村庄系统悬浮泥粒结合态磷（PAP）含量＞＞林地－农田系统PAP含量＞林地－水塘系统PAP含量,三者存在显著性差异。总磷的输出量为：林地－水塘－农田－村庄系统＞＞林地－农田＞林地－水塘系统。土地利用类型和结构对磷素输出有明显影响,村庄的存在显著地影响下游的水质,农田（水稻田）显著地增加悬浮颗粒和颗粒含磷的输出。流域磷素主要是随土壤泥粒的流失而输出,在3个系统中磷素的含量都以PAP的含量为主,占水中全磷量的73％－99％,平均为90％。流域3种土地利用系统地表径流水中的PAP的含量（PAP＜400mg/L时）均与悬浮泥粒的含量有一定的线性相关关系,而只有林地－水塘－村庄系统中DP含量与PAP含量存在对数相关关系。     

Photoperiod affects daily torpor and tissue fatty acid composition in deer mice

Photoperiod and dietary lipids both influence thermal physiology and the pattern of torpor of heterothermic mammals. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that photoperiod-induced physiological changes are linked to differences in tissue fatty acid composition of deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus (∼18-g body mass). Deer mice were acclimated for >8 weeks to one of three photoperiods (LD, light/dark): LD 8:16 (short photoperiod), LD 12:12 (equinox photoperiod), and LD 16:8 (long photoperiod). Deer mice under short and equinox photoperiods showed a greater occurrence of torpor than those under long photoperiods (71, 70, and 14%, respectively). The duration of torpor bouts was longest in deer mice under short photoperiod (9.3 ± 2.6 h), intermediate under equinox photoperiod (5.1 ± 0.3 h), and shortest under long photoperiod (3.7 ± 0.6 h). Physiological differences in torpor use were associated with significant alterations of fatty acid composition in ∼50% of the major fatty acids from leg muscle total lipids, whereas white adipose tissue fatty acid composition showed fewer changes. Our results provide the first evidence that physiological changes due to photoperiod exposure do result in changes in lipid composition in the muscle tissue of deer mice and suggest that these may play a role in survival of low body temperature and metabolic rate during torpor, thus, enhancing favourable energy balance over the course of the winter.     

Sequential assessment of prey through the use of multiple sensory cues by an eavesdropping bat

Predators are often confronted with a broad diversity of potential prey. They rely on cues associated with prey quality and palatability to optimize their hunting success and to avoid consuming toxic prey. Here, we investigate a predator’s ability to assess prey cues during capture, handling, and consumption when confronted with conflicting information about prey quality. We used advertisement calls of a preferred prey item (the túngara frog) to attract fringe-lipped bats, Trachops cirrhosus, then offered palatable, poisonous, and chemically manipulated anurans as prey. Advertisement calls elicited an attack response, but as bats approached, they used additional sensory cues in a sequential manner to update their information about prey size and palatability. While both palatable and poisonous small anurans were readily captured, large poisonous toads were approached but not contacted suggesting the use of echolocation for assessment of prey size at close range. Once prey was captured, bats used chemical cues to make final, post-capture decisions about whether to consume the prey. Bats dropped small, poisonous toads as well as palatable frogs coated in toad toxins either immediately or shortly after capture. Our study suggests that echolocation and chemical cues obtained at close range supplement information obtained from acoustic cues at long range. Updating information about prey quality minimizes the occurrence of costly errors and may be advantageous in tracking temporal and spatial fluctuations of prey and exploiting novel food sources. These findings emphasize the sequential, complex nature of prey assessment that may allow exploratory and flexible hunting behaviors.     

Nitrogen sink in a small forested watershed of subtropical China

Global nitrogen (N) emission and deposition have been increased rapidly due to massive mobilization of N which may have longreaching impacts on ecosystems. Many agricultural and forest ecosystems have been identified as secondary N sources. In the present study, the input-output budget of inorganic N in a small forested watershed of subtropical China was investigated. Inorganic N wet deposition and discharge by stream water were monitored from March, 2007 to February, 2009. The concentrations and fluxes of inorganic N in wet precipitation and stream water and net retention of N were calculated. Global N input by dry deposition and biological fixation and N output by denitrification for forested watersheds elsewhere were reported as references to evaluate whether the studied forested watershed is a source or a sink for N. The results show that the inorganic N output by the stream water is mainly caused by NO3??-N even though the input is dominated by NH4 +-N. The mean flux of inorganic N input by wet precipitation and output by stream water is 1.672 and 0.537 g N/(m2 yr), respectively, which indicates that most of inorganic N input is retained in the forested watershed. Net retention of inorganic N reaches 1.135 g N/(m2 yr) considering wet precipitation as the main input and stream water as the main output. If N input by dry deposition and biological fixation and output by denitrification are taken into account, this subtropical forested watershed currently acts as a considerable sink for N, with a net sink ranging from 1.309 to 1.913 g N/(m2 yr) which may enhance carbon sequestration of the terrestrial ecosystem.     

Torpor in the Patagonian opossum (Lestodelphys halli): implications for the evolution of daily torpor and hibernation

Hibernation and daily torpor are two distinct forms of torpor, and although they are related, it is not known how and in which sequence they evolved. As the pattern of torpor expressed by the oldest marsupial order the opossums (Didelphimorphia) may provide insights into the evolution of torpor, we aimed to provide the first quantitative data on the thermal biology and torpor expression of the rare Patagonian opossum (Lestodelphys halli). It is the opossum with the southernmost distribution, has a propensity of autumnal fattening, and therefore, is likely to hibernate. We captured two male Lestodelphys, which while in captivity displayed strong daily fluctuations of body temperatures (T_b) measured with implanted miniature data loggers even when they remained normothermic. In autumn and early winter, torpor was expressed occasionally when food was available, but cold exposure and food withdrawal increased torpor use. The mean T_b throughout the study was 32.2?±?1.4 °C, the minimum T_b measured in torpid Lestodelphys was 7.7 °C, average torpor bout duration was 10.3 h, and the maximum torpor bout duration was 42.5 h. Thus, the pattern of torpor expressed by Lestodelphys was intermediate between that of daily heterotherms and hibernators suggesting that it may represent an ancestral opportunistic torpor pattern from which the derived patterns of daily torpor and seasonal hibernation diverged.     

亚热带城市河流浮游细菌群落的季节演替及构建机制

细菌是河流生态系统的重要组成部分,在污染物降解、物质循环和能量流动等方面扮演着重要角色.然而亚热带城市河流细菌群落的季节演替和构建机制(确定性和随机性过程)仍不明晰.以流溪河及广州珠江段为研究对象,采用16S rRNA高通量测序分析探讨了不同季节(丰水期和枯水期)水体细菌群落的变化及其构建机制.结果表明：不同季节水体细菌群落的组成存在显著差异,丰水期,变形菌门和异常球菌-栖热菌门的丰度更高;而枯水期,拟杆菌门和厚壁菌门的丰度更高.细菌群落的α和β多样性同样具有显著的季节差异,T、NH₄⁺-N、TOC、pH、EC、DO、NO₃^--N和DSi是影响细菌群落季节变化的主要环境因子.水体细菌群落的生态网络具有典型的模块化结构,物种间以正相关作用(合作关系)为主,且丰水期物种间的合作关系强于枯水期.随机性过程主导了细菌群落的构建,尤其以扩散限制贡献最大,且细菌群落在枯水期面临的扩散限制要高于丰水期.     

Cryptic mammalian species: a new species of whiskered bat (Myotis alcathoe n. sp.) in Europe

The analysis of morphological, behavioural and genetic characters of whiskered bats revealed a new European bat species within the family Vespertilionidae. We describe the morphology, karyology, genetic similarity, ecology and distribution of Myotis alcathoe n. sp. It closely resembles Myotis mystacinus, Myotis brandtii and Myotis ikonnikovi in morphology, but all four species show clear genetic differences in two mitochondrial genes (ND1 and 12S rRNA). Myotis alcathoe n. sp. is the smallest species among the European whiskered bats and uses the highest-frequency echolocation calls of all the European Myotis species. It prefers to hunt in small valleys with deciduous trees and flowing water, which is an endangered habitat. Records from Greece and Hungary indicate a distribution range in south-eastern Europe.     

Effects of a winter legume on phosphorus,potassium, calcium and magnesium cycling in a humid subtropical agroecosystem

Phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium cycling were compared in sorghum agroecosystems with winter legume (Trifolium incarnatum L.) or inorganic fertilizer nitrogen inputs. The system with fertilizer N input had winter rye (Secale cereale L.) as a winter cover crop. Nutrient uptake by winter and summer crops, double acid extractable soil nutrients, soil pH and soil ammonium/nitrate ratio were measured. The legume took up more of all nutrients than the rye and also provided higher amounts of available nutrients in soil for the subsequent summer crop. Soil pH was also increased in the clover-N treatment. Nutrient uptake by winter crops is important for reducing leaching losses and chemical fixation of nutrients in humid subtropical regions.     

亚热带丘陵小流域土壤有效磷空间变异与淋失风险研究

肥料过施导致的土壤磷素累积和淋失是农业面源污染的重要方面.以湖南省长沙县金井镇脱甲河小流域(52 km2)为研究区,采用高密度布点采样、Arc GIS软件和属性相似反距离加权插值法研究了亚热带丘陵小流域表层(0~20 cm)土壤有效磷(Olsen-P)含量(以P计,下同)的空间分布特征与磷素的淋失风险.结果表明,菜地、果园、稻田和茶园土壤Olsen-P平均含量为62.0、16.1、14.4和13.7 mg·kg-1,是林地(平均含量为2.36 mg·kg-1)的5.8~26.3倍.5个土地利用类型土壤Olsen-P含量均具有高等变异水平和中等程度的空间自相关性(块基比C0/(C0+C)=50%),这与区内地形地貌、土壤母质、人工施肥等具有密切关系.根据土壤0.01 mol·L-1Ca Cl2浸提态P和Olsen-P的非线性关系可确定区内红壤和水稻土P的淋失风险临界值分别为69.97和98.40 mg·kg-1,并据此对脱甲河小流域土壤磷素淋失的风险进行了定量评价,结果表明旱地土壤具有明显较高的淋失风险,其中中等以上的比例占36.4%,而稻田土壤仅有0.2%,为中等以上淋失风险.因此,控制旱地(尤其是菜地)磷肥的投入是降低亚热带丘陵小流域土壤P淋失风险和减轻农业面源污染的关键.     

模拟酸雨对北亚热带天然次生林土壤呼吸的影响

于2009年3月～2010年1月在南京市郊龙王山北亚热带天然次生林进行模拟酸雨试验,以便携式土壤CO2通量观测仪对不同酸雨强度处理下的林地土壤呼吸速率进行原位测定,研究酸雨对森林土壤呼吸的影响.结果表明,在本试验阶段,4个酸雨强度处理CK(pH值6.4,去离子水)、T1(pH值4.5)、T2(pH值3.5)、T3(pH值2.5)的平均土壤呼吸速率分别为(3.20±0.21)、(3.34±0.30)、(3.51±0.06)、(2.99± 0.23)μmol/(m2·s),酸雨各处理的土壤呼吸季节变化规律显著.由于森林植被生长期季节变化明显,将其分为非生长季1(2~4月)、生长季(5~10月)、非生长季2(11月~次年1月)3个阶段.配对t检验分析各阶段土壤呼吸速率的结果表明,在非生长季1,模拟酸雨未抑制土壤呼吸作用,T1和T2酸雨处理反而促进了土壤呼吸作用;在生长季,高强度模拟酸雨T3显著抑制了土壤呼吸作用;在非生长季2,也出现了模拟酸雨促进土壤呼吸作用的现象;对于整个观测阶段而言,低强度模拟酸雨处理未显著改变北亚热带天然次生林的土壤呼吸,仅高强度模拟酸雨T3显著抑制了土壤呼吸作用.不同酸雨强度处理下的土壤呼吸速率与土壤温度的指数回归关系均达显著水平(P<0.01),CK、T1、T2、T3处理的Q10值分别为3.04,2.73,2.83,2.51,模拟酸雨处理降低了北亚热带天然次生林土壤呼吸的温度敏感性.