Bacterial community structure in waterlogged bamboo slips excavated from the Laoguanshan Han Dynasty Tomb of Chengdu北大核心CSCD

To investigate the bacterial community structure features of soak solutions used to preserve bamboo slips that were excavated from Han dynasty tomb located in Laoguanshan of Chengdu and to reveal the diversity of bacteria in these soak solutions, PCR-DGGE was employed. Subsequently, the major DGGE bands were excised and sequenced to analyze the phylogeny of bacteria. The richness (S), Shannon-Wiener index (H), and Simpson index (D) of deionized water (0#) without the soaked bamboo slips were higher than those of the other samples. Among the bamboo slip soak solution samples, there were significant differences in these indicators; the bacterial genetic diversity of sample 121# was the highest and that of sample 1# was the lowest. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that there were comparatively large differences among the samples, and the similarity between sample 1# and others was the lowest. Based on the sequence analysis, the major community of bacteria in soak solution were belonged to Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria, including Cupriavidus, Aquabacterium, Comamonas, Albidiferax, Hyphomicrobiaceae, Azospirillum, Nevskia, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Sediminibacterium, and Propionibacterium, among which Cupriavidus of the β-Proteobacteria class was detected in all samples. The bacterial community structure of the soak solutions that were collected from different bamboo slips was quite complex and significantly different. The analysis of the main bacterial community revealed the potential bacteria species that may trigger the damage in bamboo slips; the result provided a reference to prevent waterlogged bamboo slips from microbial diseases in the future. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Characteristics of culturable endophytic bacteria of Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge with tumor roots北大核心CSCD

Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge with tumor roots was discovered, and the endophytic bacteria that were isolated from the tumor roots were purified and identified. This paper aimed to study the characteristics of endophytic bacteria. The CAS detection plate, Salkowski colorimetry, phosphate solubilizing circle, and molybdenum antimony spectrophotometry were used to analyze endophytic bacteria ability, which produced siderophores, secreted indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and dissolved phosphorus. Strains were isolated from the tumor roots through morphological and molecular identification, and they were named XSB1-XSB9, of which 6 strains belonged to Bacillus sp., 2 strains belonged to Brevibacillus sp., and 1 strain belonged to Pseudomonas sp. All 9 strains produced siderophores; strains XSB3, XSB4, XSB8, and XSB9 were extremely high yielding, and strains XSB5 and XSB6 were high yielding. The strains with high yields were XSB3, XSB4, XSB5, XSB6, XSB8, and XSB9 and accounted for 66.7% of the tested strains. Nine strains secreted IAA; the concentration of IAA secreted by the strains that contained tryptophan was between 15-50 mg/L, and the concentration of IAA secreted by the one strain without tryptophan was between 10-35 mg/L. The IAA ability of the XSB2, XSB3, XSB4, XSB5, and XSB9 strains were significantly different (P < 0.05) after adding tryptophan. These results indicate that the synthesis of IAA may be the tryptophan synthesis pathway where tryptophan is used as a precursor. All 9 strains had some ability to dissolve phosphorus. The concentration of phosphate in the solubilizing strains, XSB1, XSB2, XSB4, and XSB5, were significantly higher than that in the other strains (P < 0.01), and the concentration of phosphate solubilizing was between 50-90 mg/L; the ability to dissolve phosphate was increased by 19-29 times. The XSB4 and XSB5 strains, which produced siderophores, secreted IAA and had a strong capacity to dissolve phosphorus, may be candidate strains for promoting growth. This research provides the foundation for the development and utilization of rhizosphere microbes to understand the resistance mechanisms and cultivation level of X. sorbifolia. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Fine root decomposition and nutrient release in Toona sinensis plantation under the reconstruction mode of low-efficiency cypress forest gaps北大核心CSCD

Fine root decomposition is an important way in which nutrients are returned to plantation soil; thus, further study of this process will be helpful for understanding material cycling in forest ecosystems. We investigated a Toona sinensis plantation in the central Sichuan hilly region using litter bags containing T. sinensis fine roots to evaluate the dynamics of fine root decomposition and nutrient release for one year in forest gaps of 50 m2 (L1), 100 m2 (L2), and 150 m2 (L3). The results showed that T. sinensis fine root decomposition was fastest in the first 90 days. As time passed, the decomposition rate slowed. One year later, the residue rate was 75.44%, 73.92%, and 72.07%, respectively. The fine root decomposition rate of L3 was greater than that of L2, which was greater than that of L1. During fine root decomposition, the dynamics of the fine root nutrient concentrations changed. C, P, and K concentrations of the fine roots declined in forest gaps, while N, Ca, and Mg concentrations increased overall in the fine roots. In conclusion, forest gaps had effects on the fine root decomposition and nutrient release of T. sinensis, and different sized forest gaps produced different results. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Soil physicochemical properties of Pinus tabuliformis plantations of different ages in Yanqing,Beijing北大核心CSCD

Soil physicochemical properties are important parameters to characterize soil quality. To evaluate the effects of different stand ages from young to mature on the soil physicochemical properties of Pinus tabulaeformis plantations, four different aged P. tabulaeformis plantations (14, 28, 36, and 51-year old) were investigated in Yanqing district, Beijing, China. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm, to analyze the effect of soil depth on soil physicochemical indexes. With increasing soil depth, the soil moisture content, water holding capacity, and porosity decreased gradually, but pH value increased. There was no significant difference in soil bulk density (BD) between different soil depths. Organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content also decreased gradually with increasing soil depth, but there was no uniform change in electrical conductivity (EC). With the growth and development of P. tabulaeformis plantations, the soil moisture content, water holding capacity, and porosity of the same depth increased gradually, but pH value decreased. The difference in BD between different ages was not significant. The OM, N, and P content showed an increasing trend with increasing stand age. The K content in 14 a and 28 a plantations was significantly higher than that in 36 a and 51 a plantations. EC was the highest in 51 a plantations. The correlation analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between BD and water characteristics, porosity. There was a significant positive correlation between OM and N, P. The negative correlation between OM and pH reached a significant level at P < 0.01. OM was negatively correlated with BD, total potassium (TK, P < 0.05) and available potassium (AK, P > 0.05). Therefore, the soil physicochemical properties of P. tabulaeformis plantations improved with increasing stand age. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the management of P. tabulaeformis plantations in Beijing, such as thinning, fertilization management, and mixed forest forestation. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Thermodynamic estimation of minor element distribution between immiscible liquids in Fe-Cu-based metal phase generated in melting treatment of municipal solid wastes

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has become an important target in managing material cycles from the viewpoint of not only waste management and control of environmental pollution but also resource conservation. This study investigated the distribution tendency of trace elements in municipal solid waste (MSW) or incinerator ash, including valuable non-ferrous metals (Ni, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ti, V, W, Zr), precious group metals (PGMs) originated from WEEE (Ag, Au, Pd, Pt), and others (Al, B, Pb, Si), between Fe-rich and Cu-rich metal phases by means of simple thermodynamic calculations. Most of the typical alloying elements for steel (Co, Cr, Mo, Nb, Ni, Si, Ti, V, and W) and Rh were preferentially distributed into the Fe-rich phase. PGMs, such as Au, Ag, and Pd, were enriched in the Cu-rich phase, whereas Pt was almost equally distributed into both phases. Since the primary metallurgical processing of Cu is followed by an electrolysis for refining, and since PGMs in crude copper have been industrially recovered from the resulting anode slime, our results indicated that Ag, Au, and Pd could be effectively recovered from MSW if the Cu-rich phase could be selectively collected.     

Are behavioral syndromes invariant? Spatiotemporal variation in shy/bold behavior in squid

Behavioral syndromes are correlated suites of behavior, analogous to human personality traits. Most work to date has been taken from limited “snapshots” in space and time, with the implicit assumption that a behavioral syndrome is an invariant property, fixed by evolutionary constraints or adaptations. However, directional selection on two mechanistically independent traits (selective covariance) could also result in correlated behaviors. Previously, we have shown that shy/bold behavior in Southern dumpling squid (Euprymna tasmanica) across predator encounter and feeding risk contexts is genetically and phenotypically uncoupled, and hence potentially free to vary independently. Here, we collected data on shy/bold behaviors from two independent wild populations of squid in two different years to test whether behavioral correlations across these same two functional contexts vary through time and space. We detected significant influences of population, sex, and body size on the expression of boldness in squid within each functional context, and this was coupled with significant differences in relative population density and adult sex ratio. Despite these changes in behavior and demographic parameters, we found that correlations between boldness scores across the two functional contexts were largely absent in both wild populations of squid in both years. Our work suggests that some animal groups may be largely characterized by context-specific behavioral expression. A theoretical framework which conceptualizes behavioral syndromes resulting from context-specific behavioral rules may be needed to fully understand why behaviors are sometimes correlated, and why sometimes they are not.     

南京市不同功能城区土壤中重金属Cu、Zn、Pb和Cd的污染特征

将南京城市建成区分为矿冶区、开发区、商业区、城市广场、风景区、老居民区等6大功能区,选择采集土壤样本56个,用原子吸收光谱仪选择分析了土壤中重金属元素的全量和活性形态含量.结果表明,南京城市土壤中Pb、Cu、Zn和Cd的总量分别为:117.1±103.7mg·kg^-1,39.86±39.9mg·kg^-1,273.3±131.6mg·kg^-1和1.13±0.7mg·kg^-1.矿冶区、老居民区、商业区、新开发区、城市广场和风景区的内梅罗重金属综合污染指数分别为:5.4、4.9、3.4、1.6、2.4和2.3.矿冶区以Pb、Cd的强度积累为特征,但活性形态的比重较小.而城市中心的居民区和商业区Zn的积累最显著,并且所测定的重金属的醋酸盐浸提态含量明显较高.除了风景区和城市市民广场外,城市中心区的重金属均表现出较明显的表聚性.城市活动区土壤Pb、Cd的强烈积累可能已经对人类健康构成了威胁.     

A systematic review of snake translocations to identify potential tactics for reducing postrelease effects

Advancements in the field of reintroduction biology are needed, but understanding of how to effectively conduct translocations, particularly with snakes, is lacking. We conducted a systematic review of snake translocation studies to identify potential tactics for reducing postrelease effects. We included studies on intentional, human-mediated, wild–wild, or captive–wild translocations to any location, regardless of motive or number of snakes translocated. Only studies that presented results for at least 1 of 4 outcomes (movement behavior, site fidelity, survival, or population establishment) were included. We systematically searched 4 databases for published studies and used 5 methods to search the gray literature. Our search and screening criteria yielded 121 data sources, representing 130 translocation cases. We quantified the association between 15 translocation tactics and short-term translocation outcomes by calculating odds ratios and used forest plots to display results. Snake translocations involved 47 species (from mainly 2 families), and most were motivated by research, were monitored for at least 6 months, occurred in North America, and took place from the 1990s onward. The odds of a positive snake translocation outcome were highest with release of captive reared or juvenile snakes, release of social groups together, delayed release, provision of environmental enrichment or social housing before release, or minimization of distance translocated. The odds of a positive outcome were lowest when snakes were released early in their active season. Our results do not demonstrate causation, but outcomes of snake translocation were associated with 8 tactics (4 of which were strongly correlated). In addition to targeted comparative studies, we recommend practitioners consider the possible influence of these tactics when planning snake translocations.     

2,4-D完全抗原的合成及其免疫性能评价

以2,4-D为半抗原,BSA为载体蛋白,通过EDC的偶联反应条件优化试验,合成了多种结合比的完全抗原,制备了小分子环境污染物的多克隆抗体.结果表明,偶联反应优化步骤是2,4-D、BSA和EDC同时反应,4°C条件下反应18h.偶联反应可以在2,4-D的浓度为10.0～12.0 mg/mL的0.05mol/L的磷酸盐缓冲溶液中进行,反应缓冲体系pH控制在5.4～6.1之间.EDC的加入量低于12 mg时,采用2,4-D和多聚赖氨酸的偶联物为包被抗原.通过balb/c小鼠免疫试验评价结合比分别为6、12、18和25的完全抗原的免疫性能,结果表明结合比为12和18的完全抗原具有很好的免疫原性.其中以结合比为18的完全抗原免疫小鼠获得的抗血清对包被抗原载体的非特异性吸附低于阴性血清,2,4-D特异性血清含量高,适于作为完全抗原免疫小鼠进一步制备单克隆抗体.