The apportionment of quadratic entropy: a useful alternative for partitioning diversity in ecological data

Many methods that study the diversity within hierarchically structured populations have been developed in genetics. Among them, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) (Excoffier et al., 1992) has the advantage of including evolutionary distances between individuals. AMOVA is a special case of a far more general statistical scheme produced by Rao (1982a; 1986) and called the apportionment of quadratic entropy (APQE). It links diversity and dissimilarity and allows the decomposition of diversity according to a given hierarchy. We apply this framework to ecological data showing that APQE may be very useful for studying diversity at various spatial scales. Moreover, the quadratic entropy has a critical advantage over usual diversity indices because it takes into account differences between species. Finally, the differences that can be incorporated in APQE may be either taxonomic or functional (biological traits), which may be of critical interest for ecologists.     

Response of multixenobiotic defence mechanism in Dreissena polymorpha exposed to environmental stress

Multixenobiotic defence mechanism (MXDM) has been recently described as a first line defence system in many aquatic organisms and it has raised attention for its potential as an early biomarker of exposure to environmental stress. In order to investigate the relevance of this biomarker in the freshwater zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, we examined its response to exposure and to cessation of exposure. For this purpose, depurated zebra mussels were transplanted to natural rivers or exposed to medium experimentally contaminated with fuel oil 2 in the laboratory. After the exposure period, mussels were submitted to depuration in clean water in the laboratory. The level of MXDM activity was assessed by the efflux method that allows a simple and fast measure of the rate of rhodamine B efflux. MXDM activity was induced following exposure and induction appears earlier after laboratory exposure (3 days) than after in the field exposure (3-14 days). The level of MXDM response could not be directly correlated to exposure dose in the laboratory and to isolated physicochemical parameters or AOX levels in the field. The behaviour of MXDM activity seems to reflect the occurrence of exposure to a global stress rather than to specific compounds. Our results highlighted the possibility to monitor MXDM response in the freshwater zebra mussel. In spite of the difficulty to interpret responses resulting from the lack of specificity of response, multixenobiotic defence mechanism displays qualities to represent a biomarker of general stress in freshwater ecosystems.     

Is Diversification a Suitable Option to Reduce Drought-Induced Risk of Forest Dieback? An Economic Approach Focused on Carbon Accounting

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - Extreme or recurrent drought events are the principal source of stress on forests, impairing their overall health. They result in financial losses for...     

粘土矿物比率对沙尘源区的指示

为了探讨中国北方沙尘源区矿物组成特征并建立沙尘气溶胶的矿物示踪指标,在亚太地区气溶胶特征实验(ACE-Asia)期间对新疆阿克苏、甘肃敦煌、陕西榆林和内蒙古通辽沙尘气溶胶的矿物组成进行了研究.结果显示,中国主要沙尘源区沙尘气溶胶中高岭石与绿泥石的比率存在明显差异,西部沙尘源区(以阿克苏站点为代表)高岭石与绿泥石的比值较小(平均值为0.3),而北部沙尘源区(以榆林站点为代表)高岭石与绿泥石的比值相对较高(平均值为0.7).沉降区长武尘暴样品的粘土矿物比率和气团轨迹分析证实,在区域范围,高岭石与绿泥石的比值为较好的沙尘源区矿物示踪指标.而亚洲沙尘与撒哈拉沙尘的对比显示,高岭石与绿泥石的比值在全球范围有着沙尘源区指示的意义.     

Identification of 1-methyloctyl butanoate as the major sex pheromone component from females of the saddle gall midge,Haplodiplosis marginata (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

The saddle gall midge, Haplodiplosis marginata (von Roser) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), has undergone a resurgence recently as a pest of cereals in Belgium and other European countries. An effective monitoring tool of saddle gall midge flights is needed to understand the enigmatic population dynamics of this pest, and to design an integrated management strategy. Therefore, volatile compounds emitted by females (alkan-2-ols and alk-2-yl butanoates) were identified, and the chirality of the emitted esters was determined to be the R absolute configuration. In field-trapping experiments, racemic non-2-yl butanoate attracted substantial numbers of H. marginata males. Thus, this compound will be useful in baited traps for monitoring seasonal flight patterns, and improving integrated management of the saddle gall midge in agricultural systems.