Nutritionally relevant elements in staple foods: influence of arable site versus choice of variety

Eighteen representative sites for the Austrian grain-growing and eight for the potato-growing zones (soils and crops) were investigated. On each site, total element contents (B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, P, Sr and Zn) were determined in 4–12 varieties of winter wheat (n = 136), 6 varieties of spring durum wheat (n = 30), 5 varieties of winter durum wheat (n = 15), 7 varieties of rye (n = 49), 5 varieties of spring barley (n = 30) and 5 varieties of potatoes (n = 40). Element accumulations in grain species and potato tubers varied significantly with site conditions, with the main exceptions for B in potatoes and wheat as well as for Zn, Cu and Co in durum wheat. On average, across all investigated sites, differences in varieties occurred concerning the elements Ca, Cd, Ba, Sr and Zn (except Zn in potatoes and winter durum). A rough estimation revealed that an average Austrian consumer of wheat, rye and potatoes meets more than 50% of the needs of daily element intake for K, P and Mg, between 36 and 72% for Fe, Zn and Cu, and more than 100% for Co, Mo and Mn. In particular, the elements Ca and Na have to be added from other sources.     

Colorful tails fade when lizards adopt less risky behaviors

Colorful tails that become cryptic during ontogeny are found in diverse taxa. Nevertheless, the evolutionary bases for this change remain debated. Recent work suggests that colorful tails, deflective displays, and striped patterns may represent antipredator mechanisms used by immature lizards to compensate for being more active and hence more vulnerable to predation (increased movement hypothesis, IMH). I challenged the generality of IMH by comparing foraging behavior and frequency of tail displays across five Acanthodactylus lizards that vary in fundamental life history traits, before and after the tail changed color. As these species underwent changes in tail coloration, they congruently adopted less risky behaviors and reduced the frequencies of tail displays. Contrary to expectation, in two species, the hatchling risky behavior resulted not from increased movements but from longer stay in exposed microhabitats. I suggest that colorful tails and deflective tail displays are synergistic antipredator mechanisms neonates use to minimize the fitness consequences of using various risky behaviors rather than increased movement alone.     

Changes of movement patterns from early dispersal to settlement

Moving and spatial learning are two intertwined processes: (a) changes in movement behavior determine the learning of the spatial environment, and (b) information plays a crucial role in several animal decision-making processes like movement decisions. A useful way to explore the interactions between movement decisions and learning of the spatial environment is by comparing individual behaviors during the different phases of natal dispersal (when individuals move across more or less unknown habitats) with movements and choices of breeders (who repeatedly move within fixed home ranges), that is, by comparing behaviors between individuals who are still acquiring information vs. individuals with a more complete knowledge of their surroundings. When analyzing movement patterns of eagle owls, Bubo bubo, belonging to three status classes (floaters wandering across unknown environments, floaters already settled in temporary settlement areas, and territory owners with a well-established home range), we found that: (1) wandering individuals move faster than when established in a more stable or fixed settlement area, traveling larger and straighter paths with longer move steps; and (2) when floaters settle in a permanent area, then they show movement behavior similar to territory owners. Thus, movement patterns show a transition from exploratory strategies, when animals have incomplete environmental information, to a more familiar way to exploit their activity areas as they get to know the environment better.     

Female seed beetles, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Callosobruchus maculatus,</Emphasis> remate for male-supplied water rather than ejaculate nutrition

Female seed beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus, mate multiply even though association with males and copulations carry costs, such as injury to the genital tract. Multiple mating (polyandry) may, however, offset these costs through the acquisition of food and water, two material benefits hypothesized to be obtained from the large ejaculates produced by males. The material benefits hypothesis can be tested by increasing female access to nutrients and water, with the prediction that female mating frequency will decrease as copulation is no longer required to derive these materials. Females were given water, 5% sugar–water or baker’s yeast, and were compared with females deprived of these. We presented females with virgin males daily for 8 days and recorded female mating frequency, survivorship, and fecundity. Females provided with water and sugar–water decreased mating frequency. Thus, water, rather than nutrients in the ejaculate, appears to be important to females of this species. In addition, both life span and fecundity were extended for females in the sugar–water and water treatments. Since water is scarce in the arid environment in which this species is found, we conclude that polyandry provides material benefits to females that may offset some of the costs of associating with males.     

Inception of formation and early morphogenesis of the bacterial light organ of the sea urchin cardinalfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Siphamia versicolor</Emphasis>

The cardinalfish Siphamia versicolor (Perciformes: Apogonidae) forms a bioluminescent symbiosis with the marine luminous bacterium Photobacterium mandapamensis, harboring the bacteria in a ventral, disc-shaped light organ and using the bacterial light apparently for counterillumination and attracting prey. Little definitive information has been available on the developmental and microbiological events surrounding the initiation of symbiosis, a critical stage in the life history of the fish, in S. versicolor or any of the many other species of bacterially luminous fish. To identify the stage at which light organ formation begins, to determine the origin of cells forming the light organ, and to characterize its bacterial colonization status during development, early developmental stages of S. versicolor obtained and reared from wild-caught mouth-brooding males were examined with histological and microbiological methods. A light organ primordium was not evident in embryos, post-embryos, or pre-release larvae, whereas the light organ began to form within 1 day of release of full-term pre-flexion larvae from the mouths of male fish. Analysis of post-release larvae revealed that the light organ arises from a proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells, and that it quickly develops structural complexity, including the formation of chambers and gaps contiguous with the intestinal epithelium. However, the nascent light organ remained uncolonized by the symbiotic bacteria through several days of post-release development, even in the presence of high numbers of the symbiotic bacteria. These results demonstrate that the inception of light organ formation in S. versicolor occurs independently of its symbiotic bacteria and that receptivity to bacterial colonization apparently requires substantial post-release development of the light organ. Larvae therefore most likely acquire their symbiotic bacteria from seawater, during or shortly after the transition from the pre-flexion to the flexion developmental stage.     

Clearance rates of the great scallop (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pecten maximus</Emphasis>) and blue mussel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus edulis</Emphasis>) at low natural seston concentrations

Great scallop, Pecten maximus, and blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, clearance rate (CR) responses to low natural seston concentrations were investigated in the laboratory to study (1) short-term CR variations in individual bivalves exposed to a single low seston diet, and (2) seasonal variations in average CR responses of bivalve cohorts to natural environmental variations. On a short temporal scale, mean CR response of both species to 0.06 μg L⁻¹ chlorophyll a (Chl a) and 0.23 mg L⁻¹ suspended particulate matter (SPM) remained constant despite large intra-individual fluctuations in CR. In the seasonal study, cohorts of each species were exposed to four seston treatments consisting of ambient and diluted natural seston that ranged in mean concentration from 0.15 to 0.43 mg L⁻¹ SPM, 0.01 to 0.88 μg L⁻¹ Chl a, 36 to 131 μg L⁻¹ particulate organic carbon and 0.019 to 0.330 mm³ L⁻¹ particle volume. Although food abundance in all treatments was low, the nutritional quality of the seston was relatively high (e.g., mean particulate organic content ranged from 68 to 75%). Under these low seston conditions, a high percentage of P. maximus (81–98%) and M. edulis (67–97%) actively cleared particles at mean rates between 9 and 12 and between 4 and 6 L g⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively. For both species, minimum mean CR values were obtained for animals exposed to the lowest seston concentrations. Within treatments, P. maximus showed a greater degree of seasonality in CR than M. edulis, which fed at a relatively constant rate despite seasonal changes in food and temperature. P. maximus showed a non-linear CR response to increasing Chl a levels, with rates increasing to a maximum at approximately 0.4 μg L⁻¹ Chl a and then decreasing as food quantity continued to increase. Mean CR of M. edulis also peaked at a similar concentration, but remained high and stable as the food supply continued to increase and as temperatures varied between 4.6 and 19.6°C. The results show that P. maximus and M. edulis from a low seston environment, do not stop suspension-feeding at very low seston quantities; a result that contradicts previous conclusions on the suspension-feeding behavior of bivalve mollusks and which is pertinent to interpreting the biogeographic distribution of bivalve mollusks and site suitability for aquaculture.     

渔业污染物排放总量核定办法的探讨

指出水产品代谢物的排出及没有被水产品利用的残饵是造成渔业养殖中水环境污染的重要原因之一。针对渔业污染物的生成情况，提出了渔业污染物排放总量的3种核定方法：实测法、物料平衡法、经验系数法。     

生物膜中群体感应因子细菌的分离及成膜能力

从硝基苯甲酸废水处理系统的生物膜中分离到2株分泌酰基高丝氨酸内酯(AHL)群体感应信号分子的菌株M10和M22,测试表明M10产生4种AHL信号分子,M22产生3种AHL信号分子.以E.coliDH5α为对照,测定了这2株菌的成膜能力及群游力,M10和M22均表现出一定的成膜力和群游力,对比而言,M22的成膜能力较强,而M10的群游能力较强,M10和M22经个体形态、生理生化反应及16SrDNA测序初步鉴定均属Aeromonassp..     

生态工程建设背景下贵州高原的植被变化及影响因素分析

基于MODIS-NDVI和气象数据,运用趋势分析、偏相关分析和残差分析等方法,对生态工程建设背景下贵州高原的植被变化及影响因素进行分析,并定量探讨气候因素与人类活动对植被变化的影响。结果表明：(1)2000~2016年期间,贵州高原植被NDVI在空间上呈东高西低的分布特征,高值分布于野生动植物及自然保护区等,低值分布于湿地保护工程区。NDVI总体呈上升趋势,湿地保护工程区、退耕还林工程区等植被覆盖上升速率较快,野生动植物及自然保护区呈略微的下降趋势。(2)植被改善区域(83.74%)分布于研究区边缘及西北部,退化区域(16.26%)分布于研究区中部和东南部,其中退耕还林还草工程区植被改善最为明显,野生动植物保护及自然保护区和速生丰产工程区改善效果较差。(3)从气侯因素分析来看,气温和降水在总体上与NDVI均呈正相关,气温对贵州高原植被生长的影响大于降水。(4) 从人类活动分析来看,人类活动对植被的建设作用强于破坏作用,人类活动正作用（76.68%）主要分布于西北部,负作用（23.32%）集中分布于东南部。植被覆盖增加是气候因素和人类活动共同作用的结果,人类活动对植被的贡献率为75.53%,气候因素为24.47%。     

黄土沉积物中次生细粒强磁性矿物记录的古气候信息

伊犁地区位于我国新疆地区西北部,为天山山脉环绕。区内降水自西向东递增,而温 度则由于海拔高度的抬升而逐渐降低。上述地理环境有利于分析和探讨温度和降水与黄土沉积 物中次生细粒强磁性颗粒数量之间关系。本研究在伊犁河谷西部地区,对不同海拔高度黄土表 层沉积物进行样品采集。环境磁学分析结果显示：黄土沉积物中次生细粒强磁性矿物含量与降 水量之间存在很好的正相关关系,而与温度之间存在反相关关系。结合黄土高原的研究结果可 以发现：温度对黄土沉积物中次生细粒强磁性矿物的数量影响微弱,降水是控制其含量的主要 因素;即：在黄土古气候研究中,次生细粒强磁性矿物的磁化率可以作为古降水量的代用指标, 但对温度变化不敏感。