幽蚊幼虫对紫外辐射(UVR)的敏感性

在小型温带湖泊中,鱼类的捕食一般调节着幽蚊幼虫的物种结构和丰度.然而,没有鱼类的湖泊间的幽蚊丰度差别也很明显.安大略省萨德伯里的许多无鱼湖泊的湖水清澈透明.这就产生了这样的可能性:这类湖泊中幽蚊丰度低可能归因于紫外辐射(UVR)引起的死亡.为了确定UVR是否影响幽蚊存活率,我们在罗斯罗伊湖(一个几乎没有幽蚊的水清、无鱼的湖泊)4个水深处进行了为期2～4天的6个现场实验.对第3和第4龄虫C.Punctipennis随机进行3种处理:石英(UVR+PAR)控制;OP3聚丙烯酸酯塑料(只是PAR)控制以及无光控制.在UVR+PAR下的生存率大大低于其他的处理方法.在只是PAR下的生存率较高,与无光控制没有什么不同.死亡时间随着孵化深度和幼虫期的增加而增加.这些结果表明,罗斯罗伊湖,也许还有其他的无鱼、水清湖泊中幽蚊种群规模小可能是缘于UVR引起的死亡.     

Organochlorine contaminant assessment in great blue herons using traditional and nonlethal monitoring techniques

A nonlethal method is discussed for the evaluation of contaminant concentrations in whole eggs. Concentrations of pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, DDE, and the PCB congeners, BZ-60, BZ-118, BZ-138, BZ-180, and BZ-170 were quantified in tissue samples from great blue herons (Ardea herodias). All tissues within whole eggs from two colonies were homogenized together and analysed for these chlorinated contaminants. Contents and chorio-allantoic membranes (CAMs) of additional whole eggs were separated and analysed. Contaminant distributions were determined for the CAM and contents of whole eggs from the same colonies. CAM tissues remaining in hatched eggs were also analysed for comparative purposes. Utilizing the distributions derived for contaminants between CAM and egg contents and the chemical concentrations determined in CAMs from hatched eggs, contaminant burdens in whole eggs were calculated. This process produced concentration estimates that described actual, whole egg burdens of chlorinated contaminants within a factor of 2 (1.03-3.7). Contaminant burdens in eggs from the two colonies were also statistically different for DDE and total PCB concentrations.     

A rare case of 68,XX triploidy diagnosed by amniocentesis

68,XX triploidy was found in the amniotic fluid cell culture of a 40-year-old patient. Elective termination of the pregnancy revealed a fetus with multiple congenital anomalies. While this case does show some common features with monosomy X, a greater similarity to the triploidy syndrome is observed.     

1971～200O年间安大略省基拉尼公园里的甲壳类浮游动物群落从酸化水体中得到恢复:pH6作为恢复的目标

尽管大气中SO2- 4的沉降减少,地表水的酸度也因此降低,但尚未记录到广泛的生物从酸化中恢复过来.本文通过考察1971～2000年间加拿大安大略省基拉尼公园的46个湖泊甲壳类浮游动物种的丰富度(物种数目)和组成的时间变化趋势,来估计由于水质有了重大改善即pH现在＞6后湖泊中生物的恢复程度,并与其他两组(从未酸化的湖泊和仍然酸化的湖泊[pH＜6])作比较.在这三组湖泊中,物种丰富度的时间趋势无法加以区别,物种丰富度的变化也不能说明恢复的程度.对比之下,在pH值增加到6以上的湖泊中,其浮游动物群落的组成(以物种多度的多变量指数表征)则有所变化,从"损害"状态返回到了中性湖泊的典型状态.在酸性湖泊也记录到浮游动物组成有某些恢复.虽然仍为酸性,这些湖泊的pH水平已经升高.基拉尼省公园里甲壳类浮游动物恢复的程度和速度为北美和欧洲其他酸化地区的将来预示了光明的前景.     

Phylogenetic diversity of epibiotic bacteria in the accessory nidamental glands of squids (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae and Idiosepiidae)

Bacterial communities were identified from the accessory nidamental glands (ANGs) of European and Western Pacific squids of the families Loliginidae and Idiosepiidae, as also in the egg capsules, embryo and yolk of two loliginid squid species, and in the entire egg of one idiosepiid squid species. The results of phylogenetic analyses of 16S RNA gene (rDNA) confirmed that several phylotypes of α-proteobacteria, γ-proteobacteria and Cytophaga–Flavobacteria–Bacteroides phylum were present as potential symbiotic associations within the ANGs. Several identified clones were related to reference strains, while others had no known close relatives. Gram positive strains were rare in loliginid squids. Several bacterial groups may play important roles in the function of the ANGs, such as production of the toxic compounds involved in egg protection and carotenoid pigments. Within the eggs, no bacteria were associated with embryo or yolk of Loligo vulgaris and Sepioteuthis lessoniana, but α- and γ-proteobacteria were present in the egg capsules. Most bacterial strains detected in the egg capsules were the same as those found in the ANGs. The cephalopods of temperate regions (European cuttlefishes and the squid L. vulgaris) appear to be associated with one Agrobacterium strain (Agro2) while tropical-subtropical strains (Asian and Australian loliginids) are associated with Silicibacter-related strains, suggesting a biogeographic clustering for the Agrobacterium-like strains.     

Long-term trends in the Australasian gannet (Morus serrator) population in Australia: the effect of climate change and commercial fisheries

The Australasian gannet (Morus serrator) population has increased considerably over the past century, both in New Zealand and Australia. Since 1980, the population in Australian waters has increased threefold, from 6,600 breeding pairs to approximately 20,000 pairs in 1999-2000, a rate of 6% per year. Reasons for the increase in the Australasian gannet population are poorly understood; here we consider the possible effects of recent fluctuations in climatic and oceanographic conditions, and changes in major local commercial fisheries. A significant trend towards more frequent, and stronger, El Niño Southern Oscillation events, warmer summer sea surface temperatures in Bass Strait, increased annual catches and catch per unit effort in the Victorian pilchard (Sardinops sagax) fishery and potential increased discarding of fisheries bycatch may account for at least some of the observed increase in the Australasian gannet population. The potential interactive effects of these factors on prey distribution and abundance and consequently on gannet numbers are discussed.     

Regional policy models for forest biodiversity analysis: lessons from coastal Oregon.

The crisis in the early 1990s over conservation of biodiversity in the forests of the Pacific Northwest caused an upheaval in forest policies for public and private landowners. These events led to the development of the Coastal Landscape Assessment and Modeling Study (CLAMS) for the Coast Range Physiographic Province of Oregon, a province containing over two million hectares of forest with a complex mixture of public and private ownership. Over a decade, CLAMS scientists developed regional data bases and tools to enable assessments of the implications of current policies for biodiversity and have begun using these data and tools to test ideas for solving policy problems. We summarize here four main lessons from our work: (1) Regional ecosystem perspectives, while rewarding, are difficult to achieve. Helping policy makers and the public understand biodiversity policies for an entire province can assist in developing more reasoned policies. However, this result is difficult to achieve because needed scientific building blocks generally do not exist, few policy institutions address regional cross-ownership issues, people can find it difficult to take a regional view, and the appropriate region for analysis changes with the policy problem. (2) Interest in environmental policy analysis may come as much from a pursuit of power as a pursuit of understanding. Biodiversity policy analyses are often viewed as weapons in an ongoing political battle. Also, results that might destabilize existing policies generally will not be well received by those in power. (3) The relationship of regional analyses to civic processes remains challenging and unsettled. Communication between citizens and scientists takes real effort. Also, collaborative processes both inspire and constrain regional policy analysis, and scientific work often proceeds at a different pace than these processes. In the end, CLAMS's most important effect on the civic dialogue may be to change how people think about the Coast Range. (4) An important role exists for anticipatory assessments done independently by scientists. Independent review will be especially important as policy analyses shift to management of nonfederal forests. Our future efforts in CLAMS will focus on evaluating ideas for fundamental changes in forest management.     

An Exploration of Dynamical Systems Modelling as a Decision Tool for Environmental Policy

A weakness often found in conventional environmental management tools is that of treating the dynamics of environmental effects and the underlying dynamics of structural change as external factors, precluding their ability to capture the evolutionary behaviour which characterizes economic systems. This article suggests a spatial dynamic modelling framework which addresses explicitly complex sectorial linkages and their environmental effects. The economic dynamics of the model are given spatial reference by means of a set of sector-based suitabilities, which allows us to explore both local environmental degradation effects as they unfold, and how these impacts then affect the economic productivity of the system as a whole. The approach is illustrated by calibrating the model with 1971-1981 data for the island of Crete, and then running it to explore how the economic dynamics of the island might evolve to the year 2001. This article presents a means through which to endogenize the environment and its explicit linkages with sectorial economic dynamics which can be of considerable use to environmental management in all its dimensions.     

MONITORING TRANSIENT WATER QUALITY EVENTS ELECTRONICALLY1

ABSTRACT: Electronic instruments are ideally suited to gathering information regarding transient events. Data loggers equipped with water quality sensors offer an opportunity to study events on fine time scales which cannot be sampled using other means. The utility and significance of this type of data gathering is illustrated with data gathered from two small streams. Three examples are used to illustrate some types of transients that can be observed using electronic data acquisition techniques.