The Importance of Systematic Biology in Defining Units of Conservation

Abstract: Conservation biology is linked inextricably with systematic biology. The principles of systematic biology, however, have not been integrated completely into the practice and principles of conservation biology. Systematists have recognized for some time that a number of evolutionary processes lead to the diversification of lineages. Yet some present units of conservation, such as the evolutionarily significant unit ( Waples 1991), primarily emphasize only one of these processes, adaptation. Allopatric speciation produces biodiversity without requiring any adaptive shift (and consequent adaptive differences between daughter species), so definitions of conservation units that emphasize adaptation may underestimate biodiversity. We estimated the frequency of different modes of speciation for three groups of vertebrates. The frequency of allopatric speciation varies among these groups, but is an important type of speciation in two of the three groups studied. Our results, and the results of other published studies of the frequency of modes of speciation, demonstrate that any unit of conservation defined solely in terms of adaptation is likely to underestimate biological diversity.     

Soil temperature,nitrogen concentration,and residence time affect nitrogen uptake efficiency in citrus

We try to elucidate which environmental and soil factors control nitrogen uptake efficiency in citrus. Effects of residence time and nitrogen (N) concentration (three 500-mL applications of 7 mg N L(-1), representative of reclaimed water used for citrus irrigation in central Florida, or one 150-mL application of 70 mg N L(-1)) on nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUE) of young citrus seedlings were studied. Increasing residence times from 2 to 8 h increased NUE from 36 to 82% and from 17 to 34% for high and low application frequencies, respectively. We developed a model to predict N uptake based on root density, N concentration, and soil temperature (Ts). Assuming a base temperature (Tb) of 10 degrees C, N uptake temperature sum (UTS) = sigma(Ts - Tb)/24 (degrees CdN, degree day units of N uptake). To eliminate the risk of N leaching for young seedlings, minimum uptake periods of 5 and 16 degrees CdN were required at initial soil N concentrations of 0.9 and 2.5 mg N L(-1), respectively. After correcting for differences in root length, this information was then used to predict the effect of irrigation practices on N uptake from reclaimed water for mature trees. Applying 2500 mm yr(-1) vs. 400 mm yr(-1) reclaimed water reduced the NUE of N in this water from 100 to 63% during the summer and from 100 to 28% during the winter. Reductions in NUE at higher irrigation rates appeared to be related to N displacement below the root zone prior to complete N uptake.     

污水二氧化氯和氯消毒过程中遗传毒性的变化及氨氮的影响

采用umu遗传毒性测试方法考察了二氧化氯和氯消毒对几种城市污水生物处理出水遗传毒性的影响,发现当二氧化氯消毒剂从0　mg/L增加到30　mg/L时,几种污水的遗传毒性均先迅速降低后趋于稳定,而当氯消毒剂从0　mg/L增加到30　mg/L时,几种污水的遗传毒性的变化规律不同.进一步研究氨氮对污水消毒过程中遗传毒性变化的影响,发现氨氮对污水二氧化氯消毒过程中遗传毒性的变化规律没有显著影响,但是对污水氯消毒过程中遗传毒性的变化规律却起着至关重要的作用.当氨氮含量较小（<10～20　mg/L）时,污水氯消毒后的遗传毒性小于消毒前;当氨氮含量较大时（>10～20　mg/L）,污水氯消毒后的遗传毒性大于消毒前.