Behavioral type–environment correlations in the field: a study of three-spined stickleback

Behavioral type–environment correlations occur when specific behavioral types of individuals are more common in certain environments. Behavioral type–environment correlations can be generated by several different mechanisms that are probably very common such as niche construction and phenotypic plasticity. Moreover, behavioral type–environment correlations have important ecological and evolutionary implications. However, few studies have examined behavioral type–environment correlations in natural populations. In this study, we asked whether some behavioral types of three-spined stickleback were more likely to occur in certain social environments (alone or in a shoal with other stickleback) or in certain microhabitats in a river (in the open or under cover). We found that individuals that were in shoals with other stickleback at the time of collection from the field emerged from a refuge more quickly compared to individuals that were found alone. In addition, fish that were alone in an open microhabitat explored more of a pool compared to fish that were alone in cover, but this difference did not occur among fish that were in shoals at the time of collection. Subsequent analyses of gut contents suggested that differences in microhabitat use were consistent over time. Our study provides some of the first evidence for behavioral type–environment correlations in a natural population of non-human animals.     

The comparative evidence relating to functional and neutral interpretations of biological communities

Neutral and functional theories provide rival interpretations of community patterns involving distribution, abundance, and diversity. One group of patterns describes the overall properties of species or sites, and derives principally from the frequency distribution of abundance among species. According to neutral theory, these patterns are determined by the number of individuals of novel type appearing each generation in the community, whereas functional theory relates them to the distribution of the extent of niches. A second group of patterns describes the spatial attributes of communities, and derives principally from the decay of similarity in species composition with distance. Neutral theory interprets these patterns as consequences of local dispersal alone, whereas the functional interpretation is that more distant sites are likely to be ecologically different. Neutral theory often provides good predictions of community patterns, yet is at variance with a wide range of experimental results involving the manipulation of environments or communities. One explanation for this discrepancy is that spatially explicit models where selection is generally weak, or where selection acts strongly on only a few species at each site, have essentially the same output as neutral models with respect to the distribution of abundance and the decay of similarity. Detecting a non-neutral signal in survey data requires careful spatial or phylogenetic analysis; we emphasize the potential utility of incorporating phylogenetic information in order to detect functional processes that lead to ecological variation among clades.     

Occurrence and distribution of antioxidant enzymes in the haemolymph of the shore crab Carcinus maenas

The haemocytes and cell-free haemolymph of the shore crab Carcinus maenas were examined for the presence of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) (EC 1.11.1.9) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (EC 1.15.1.1) by biochemical assay and immunocytochemistry. The results show that all three enzymes are present in the haemocytes, but vary in distribution and amount. Catalase was detected principally in the phagocytic hyaline cells, whereas GPX and SOD were found in both the hyaline and granular cells. Catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were absent from the semi-granular cells, and although SOD was detected in some samples, there was enormous variation in the level of this enzyme between individuals. Cell-free haemolymph, by contrast, was found to be positive for GPX and SOD but lacked catalase activity. Immunocytochemical analyses further showed that only 2 to 16% of the cells stain positively for these enzymes, and where present the enzymes tended to be distributed throughout the cytoplasm. With the granular cells, however, there was some localization of GPX and SOD around the granules. Since the phagocytes of C. maenas are known to produce superoxide anion radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and possible other reactive oxygen species upon stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate, lipopolysaccharide, or concanavalin A in vitro, it is likely that catalase, GPX and SOD are present in the haemolymph to assist in protection of the host tissues against oxyradical damage during host defence in vivo.     

Effects of nitrogen dioxide pollution on the growth of three fern species

The effects of exposing plants of Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott, Phyllitis scolopendrium (L.) Newman and Polypodium vulgare L. to 60 nl litre(-1) (122 microg m(-3)) NO(2) for 37 weeks were investigated in a closed chamber fumigation system. There was no effect of NO(2) on the numbers of fronds produced for any species at any time during the exposure period. However, at the end of the study, there was a lower dry weight yield of green shoots of D. filix-mas and P. scolopendrium and a higher yield of green shoots of P. vulgare for plants in the NO(2) treatment as compared to control plants. These differences in shoot dry weights were not accompanied by an effect of NO(2) exposure on total plant dry weights.     

Loss of particulate contaminants from plant canopies under wet and dry conditions

There is a requirement for data describing the loss with time of particulate contamination from plant canopies. Measurements were made of the loss rates of monodispersed silica spheres (three sizes, with Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameters (MMADs) 1.9, 5.3 and 8.4 microm) from wheat (Triticum aestivum) and broad bean (Vicia faba) canopies. The spheres were labelled with tracers detectable by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). Canopies were contaminated under realistic turbulence conditions in a wind tunnel, then removed to sheltered and exposed field sites or to a glasshouse containing a rain simulator. Samples were taken periodically, and the level of contamination per plant determined by INAA. Statistical analysis of the resulting data suggested an offset exponential loss model, with a residue of deposit that is not lost over time. Loss half-lives in the order of 1-2 days were obtained for an exposed wheat crop and 3-4 days for a partially sheltered wheat crop, with permanent residues of initial deposit for the exposed crop of 4-8%, and for the partially sheltered crop of 22-52%. A broad bean crop under glasshouse conditions showed loss half-lives of 0.5-1.5 days with residues of 22-26% initial contamination. A double exponential loss model also fitted the data well in some cases, and it is possible that a slow loss of the residual deposit occurs, being masked by noise in the current data set.     

Photosynthetic response to temperature and desiccation of the intertidal alga Mastocarpus papillatus

When exposed to air during low tide, intertidal macroalgae experience a terrestrial environment and often encounter extreme levels of heating and desiccation. Two aspects of photosynthesis may be influenced by this increase in temperature and decrease in water content during exposure to air: (1) the rate of aerial photosynthesis itself, and (2) the rate at which aquatic photosynthesis recovers upon immersion in water at high tide. This laboratory study examines the effect of air temperature and desiccation on photosynthesis of the intertidal macroalga Mastocarpus papillatus Kützing. Plants were collected at Hopkins Marine Station, California, USA (36°37N; 121°54W) between July and December 1990. When apical tips were exposed to 15 to 25°C air for 2 h, photosynthesis was rapidly recovered upon reimmersion in seawater. Recovery was delayed, but complete, when tissue was exposed to 30°C air, but did not occur after exposure to 35°C air. Desiccation did not influence either the rate or the ultimate level of recovery upon reimmersion. Photosynthesis in air generally decreased with increasing desication, with no net photosynthesis occurring below 25% relative water content. Net photosynthesis of hydrated thalli increased with air temperature from 15 to 30°C, then decreased at 35°C. Dark respiration of hydrated thalli increased over the entire temperature range. This study indicates that thallus heating and desiccation during periods of exposure to air can potentially influence the total carbon budget of M. papillatus.     

通风量对有机废弃物生物干化的影响

通过有机废弃物生物干化实验,研究了通风量对生物干化效果的影响。实验以果蔬、厨余和园林垃圾几种典型有机废弃物作为原料,设置3个梯度的通风量,对其温度、含水率和有机质含量变化对比发现:通风量会显著影响生化干化指数、空气利用率以及干化后物料的低位热值。低通风量下温度升高明显,且空气利用率较高,但携带水汽能力较弱,难以有效带走物料水分;高通风量下难以维持高温,热量损失较大,但物料最终含水率最低。当通风量为48 L/（kg·h）时,果蔬与园林协同干化的最终含水率能降低到13.97%,生物干化指数为2.34,物料的低位热值最终达到13932 kJ/kg,较初始热值提升了322%,能够基本满足制备垃圾衍生燃料（RDF）的条件,且能够在相对更低的能耗下提高生物干化效果。     

考虑面源污染的农业开发流域生态安全评价研究

随着农业开发的进程,流域生态安全会发生相应变化,在考虑面源污染的基础上,以挠力河为例开展该研究.该流域14年来的土地利用类型发生较大变迁,耕作方式改变,破坏了流域的生态安全,同时大量农药化肥的使用,使得大量氮、磷为主的营养污染物引发农业面源污染,面源污染将成为生态安全评价的一项重要指标.为了对农业面源污染进行量化,对生境质量进行直观评价,考虑面源污染做出流域生态安全的变化评估,选取SWAT模型和InVEST模型（生态系统服务和交易的综合评估模型）,同时考虑面源污染及生境质量,对比挠力河流域2000年、2006年、2014年三个年份的生态安全变化.根据输出结果,分析时空变化模式,得到氮磷负荷、生态环境质量对时空变化的响应,讨论提出有效的防控建议.     

基于卫星遥感中国甲醛的时空分布及影响因子

基于OMIHCHO数据日产品,对2016年全国甲醛柱浓度数据进行了提取分析,并结合全国各省市温度、降雨量、植被覆盖度、人类活动等数据,在空间上与甲醛柱浓度做了相关性分析.结果表明：我国甲醛柱浓度空间分布极不平衡,呈现出东部及东南部地区甲醛柱浓度值普遍较高,而我国的西部及西北部地区表现出较低值;甲醛柱浓度月均值最低为8.31×10¹⁵molec/cm²,出现在10月份,最高为11.87×10¹⁵molec/cm²,出现在6月份,如果按照季节划分甲醛柱浓度均值,夏季 > 春季 > 冬季 > 秋季;从气象因子与甲醛柱浓度相关性分析结果来看,温度与甲醛柱浓度之间的相关性更为密切,但表现出空间上的差异性,此外,雨水对甲醛有一定的消除作用,但也在空间上有差异;由植被与甲醛柱浓度相关性结果来看,植被主要对东部及东南部地区甲醛柱浓度影响作用明显.甲醛柱浓度与各省市的地区生产总值、各产业增加值、机动车保有量的变化也存在着明显的相关性,而各产业增加值中工业与其相关性最高,说明工业排放和汽车尾气也是甲醛的主要来源.     

1987～2015年嘉陵江源区植被覆盖度时空变化特征

江河源头地区植被建设与生态保护意义重大。应用遥感技术分析植被覆盖状况近年来已渐成热点。本文以嘉陵江源头所在地陕西省宝鸡市凤县为研究区,基于1987年、2000年和2015年3期Landsat卫星遥感影像,提取归一化植被指数NDVI（Normalized Difference Vegetation Index）,采用像元二分模型,运用ENVI 5.3和ArcGIS10.4软件计算得到研究区植被覆盖度分布格局及动态变化。结果表明：（1）1987~2015年期间研究区植被以高覆盖区为主,高覆盖区面积增加了5.96%,呈上升趋势;（2）研究区植被退化面积占3.91%,基本不变的面积占85.36%,改善面积占10.73%,研究区植被改善面积多于退化面积,与退耕还林还草工程关系密切;（3）植被覆盖度随坡度和高程的增大呈先增加后降低的趋势;阴坡的植被覆盖度低于阳坡,但高于平地,坡向对植被覆盖的影响主要体现在温度上;（4）矿产资源开发对植被破坏的影响大于风力发电场建设,建议当地政府加强矿山生态环境修复力度。研究结果可服务于嘉陵江源区生态保护与流域管理。