Growth cycle and related vertical distribution of the thecosomatous pteropod Spiratella (“Limacina”) helicina in the central Arctic Ocean

The growth cycle and related vertical distribution of the thecosomatous pteropod Spiratella (“Limacina”) helicina (Phipps) were studied. S. helicina has a life cycle of approximately 1.5 to 2 years in the central Arctic Ocean (Canada Basin). It spawns mainly during the spring to summer period, and on a small scale during the winter. The young double their sizes during the winter months of October to May, slow down in growth until late summer, and attain maximum size in early winter. The oldest disappear by late March. Gonadal tissue was first seen in young pteropods of 0.7 mm diameter, the predominant size from February to April. S. helicina 0.8 mm in diameter, the size predominant from May through July, are mature and hermaphroditic. Growth during the winter months suggests that particulate organic matter is available during this period to these obligate ciliary feeders. Vertical distribution is size and season-dependent. The youngest specimens collected (0.2 to 0.4 mm) were found concentrated in the first 50 m. The larger sizes dispersed during the summer months, and tended to concentrate in the top 150 m during the rest of the year. They aggregated in the top 50 m from late winter through early spring, and fall through early winter; then concentrated in the 100 to 50 m level until the end of winter. Numerous environmental factors seem to be involved in determining the vertical distribution of the species in the central Arctic Ocean.     

Genetic relationships of pilchards (genus: Sardinops) with anti-tropical distributions

The pilchards (genus Sardinops), one of the major components of the world's harvest of fishes, is distributed sporadically in the temperate zone on a global scale. Mitochondrial DNA variation in 95 pilchards from nine worldwide localities in five current systems was examined using ten restriction enzymes. Although several opinions have been proposed on the global population structure of the genus Sardinops, our results clearly rejected the hypothesis of gene flow among geographically distant populations on a global scale. Results indicate that the Japanese pilchards and the Australian and South African pilchards were derived from the eastern Pacific populations, following the speciation of Sardinops in the Pacific, after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. An intermixing of the northeastern and southeastern Pacific populations during the Pleistocene glacial maxima is suggested from their genetic affinities.     

A study on the Spatial Distribution of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Balance, and Regional Nitrogen Flow Through Crop Production

The spatial distribution patterns of the nitrogen and phosphorus input/intake amounts in crop production within two small basins are examined, based upon a cropping unit distribution map that is obtained from remote sensing data analysis. Firstly, we examine the availability and suitability of approaches to the spatial distribution analysis of cultivation patterns classified from material flow characteristics of crop production using seasonal remote-sensing data. Secondly, material flow units in crop production are grouped according to the cultivation patterns obtained from the remote-sensing data analysis. Consequently, the spatial patterns of the amounts of both nitrogen and phosphorus inputs/intakes through crop production on farmland are examined and their spatial distribution maps are prepared according to the material flow units. In addition, we developed a nitrogen flow and runoff model and the model is simulated based on the examination of the results of spatial distribution patterns of the material flow units. The annual nitrogen runoff from small catchments, where various crops are cultivated, varies from 2.7 kg ha^–1 year^–1 to 108 kg ha^–1 year^–1 and the annual balanced losses of nitrogen in small catchments varied from –30 kg ha^–1 year^–1 to 101 kg ha^–1 year^–1. Also, the monthly changes in soil nitrogen of each material flow unit is estimated at –55 kg ha^–1 as a maximum decrease and 114 kg ha^–1 as a maximum increase. These results indicate that the spatial distribution patterns of nutrient input and intake through agricultural activities should be considered when analyzing the material flows and nutritient movement in soil–water systems in rural areas for watershed environmental control and regional agricultural management.     

Effects of heavy metals on sea urchin embryo development. 1. Tracing the cause by the effects

The toxicity of the polluted waters originating from a disused lead mine was evaluated using both sea urchin bioassays and heavy metal analysis. Samples from three polluted waters (a seawater and two freshwaters) were collected from the mine area and one seawater sample was taken from a non-contaminated reference site. The test waters contained higher concentrations of heavy metals such as manganese, lead, cadmium, zinc, chromium, nickel, iron, and copper than did ambient seawater. The three test waters had inhibitory effects, in a dose-dependent manner, on the first cleavage of sea urchin embryos and on pluteus formation during the development. Some malformations, such as a radialized pluteus, exo-gastrula, and spaceship Apollo-like embryos were induced by the test waters without dilution. Zinc alone also induced the same anomaly. Zinc in the test seawater was ascertained as one of the metals that caused the anomalies, but not all of the toxicity was caused by zinc. It was speculated that interactive effects, involving zinc and possibly manganese and nickel, were occurring.     

Effect of acute nitrogen dioxide exposure on the composition of fatty acid associated with phospholipids in alveolar lavage

In vivo exposure of rats to 10 ppm nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) for 12h caused changes in fatty acids composition of alveolar lavage phospholipids. Among the fatty acid species, the relative ratio of palmitic acid, myristic acid and palmitoleic acid increased significantly. While the relative ratio of stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid decreased significantly. Both the increase in the incorporation of palmitic acid in phosphatidylcholine which would be released into the alveoli and the increase in the release of phosphatidylcholine into the alveoli may account for the changes in the fatty acid composition of the present findings.     

Effect of surfactant alkyl chain length on soil cadmium desorption using surfactant/ligand systems

The effect of surfactant alkyl chain length on soil Cd desorption was studied using nonionic surfactants of polyethylene oxide (PEO) of PEO chain lengths of 7.5 (Triton X-114), 9.5 (Triton X-100), 30 (Triton X-305), or 40 units (Triton X-405) in combination with the I- ligand. Triplicate 1 g soil samples were equilibrated with 15 ml of surfactant-ligand mixture, at concentrations of 0.025, 0.50 or 0.10, and 0.0, 0.168 or 0.336 mol/l, respectively. After shaking the samples for 24 h, the supernatant fraction was analyzed for Cd content to determine the percent of Cd desorbed from the soil. After five successive washings, 53%, 40% and 25% of Cd had been desorbed by 0.025, 0.050 or 0.10 mol/l of Triton X-114, respectively, in the presence of 0.336 mol/l of I-, whereas with the same conditions, Triton X-100 desorbed 61%, 57% and 56% Cd and either Triton X-305 or Triton X-405 desorbed 51, 40 and 14 to 16% Cd. The most efficient Cd desorption was obtained using 0.025 mol/l Triton X-100 in admixture with 0.336 mol/l I-. Increased surfactant concentration was detrimental to Cd desorption consistent with a process that blocked ligand access to the soil particle surface. After 5 washings,the cumulative cadmium desorption decreased with increasing surfactant alkyl chain length, indicating that the metal-ligand complexes are preferably stabilized by the micelles' hydrophobic octyl phenyl (OP) group rather than by the hydrophilic PEO group. In the absence of ligand, the surfactants alone desorbed less than 1% Cd from the contaminated soil, suggesting that the ligand, rather than the surfactant, extracts the metal, to be subsequently stabilized within the surfactant micelles.     

大型动物的种群恢复:大象种群增长的生态学效应

博茨瓦纳北部及其毗邻地区分布着世界上最大的非洲象种群(Loxodonta africana),而在100年前,由于过度捕猎,大象的种群数量极为稀少.     

Climate change adaptation practices of apple growers in Nagano, Japan

By an interview survey with apple growers in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, we found that their recognition of and reaction to climate change depends on their sales channels. Against rising air temperature, more farmers on direct sales (Type D farmers) than those on sales via the markets (Type M farmers) recognized the delay in fruit maturity as the effect of climate change, specifically temperature rise, (Type D: 62%, Type M: 15%). In response to the delay in maturity, Type D farmers simply delayed the harvest to full maturity by about 10 days than they did 20 years ago. On the other hand, Type M farmers recognized delayed reddening of the fruits as the most salient result of climate change (Type D: 8%, Type M: 46%), and took measures to accelerate the coloring by placing reflective materials on ground and/or picking off leaves around the fruits. The contrasting behaviors can be explained by the difference in the critical trait of the products. For Type M farmers, timing of the shipment is critical to avoid competition with shipments from other apple growing areas, and the good coloring is the prerequisite for the shipment. For Type D farmers, by contrast, full maturity is more important than coloring, since their contract with the customers hinges on the palatability of the fruits rather than the timing. This study has thus identified positioning of the farmers with the sales channel as a determinant in their adaptation behavior and vulnerability to climatic changes.     

挥发性氯代烃在干燥土壤中的平衡吸附研究

吸附是挥发性氯代烃（volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons,VCHs）污染土壤的主要机制之一.采集长三角地区3类典型水稻土,用静态平衡吸附实验进行干燥土壤对6种VCHs的平衡吸附研究.结果表明,干燥土壤的平衡吸附等温线难以用Langmuir方程和BET方程描述,但用Dubinin-Astak...     

Seasonality of spawning by tropical anguillid eels around Sulawesi Island, Indonesia

Remarkably little is known about the life histories of the many tropical anguillid eels distributed across the Indo-Pacific region, and since the Danish expedition to study eels in the region in 1928 and 1929, research on these eels has only begun again in recent years. Sampling for anguillid leptocephali in the Indonesian Seas has been carried out recently to learn about the spawning ecology and larval distributions of tropical eels there. The leptocephali of Anguilla marmorata, Anguilla bicolor pacifica, Anguilla borneensis, Anguilla interioris, and Anguilla celebesensis were collected around Sulawesi Island both in May 2001 and October of 2002. The development of genetic identification techniques has enabled these leptocephali to be identified to species, and their distributions and sizes during different seasons indicated that there are differing life history patterns among sympatric species in the region. A. celebesensis was found to have been spawning in Tomini Bay of northeastern Sulawesi Island in March and April 2001, but apparently, no spawning had occurred in the late summer and fall of 2002. Studies on anguillid glass eels have suggested that tropical anguillids may spawn throughout much of year, but our research on leptocephali in Tomini Bay and data on the downstream migration of tropical anguillids in the major tributary to Tomini Bay indicate that A. celebesensis may have a distinct seasonal pattern of spawning possibly related to the regional monsoon cycles. This is the first evidence of seasonality of spawning in tropical anguillid eels whose life histories are only just beginning to be revealed.