Context dependency and generality of fever in insects

Fever can reduce mortality in infected animals. Yet, despite its fitness-enhancing qualities, fever often varies among animals. We used several approaches to examine this variation in insects. Texas field crickets (Gryllus texensis) exhibited a modest fever (1 °C increase in preferred body temperature, T _pref) after injection of prostaglandin, which putatively mediates fever in both vertebrates and invertebrates, but they did not exhibit fever during chronic exposure to heat-killed bacteria. Further, chronic food limitation and mating status did not affect T _pref or the expression of behavioural fever, suggesting limited context dependency of fever in G. texensis. Our meta-analysis of behavioural fever studies indicated that behavioural fever occurs in many insects, but it is not ubiquitous. Thus, both empirical and meta-analytical results suggest that the fever response in insects ‘is widespread, although certainly not inevitable’ (Moore 2002). We highlight the need for future work focusing on standardizing an experimental protocol to measure behavioural fever, understanding the specific mechanism(s) underlying fever in insects, and examining whether ecological or physiological costs often outweigh the benefits of fever and can explain the sporadic nature of fever in insects.     

新疆原煤中汞含量分布及燃煤大气汞排放量估算

通过对新疆不同地区45个煤矿进行采样,分析新疆煤炭汞含量的空间分布特征,同时对燃煤大气汞释放量进行估算,确定新疆煤炭消费对大气汞排放的贡献。结果表明新疆原煤中汞含量处于较低水平,平均含量为5.43×10-2 mg/kg,远小于我国其他地区,新疆原煤汞含量空间分布具有明显的地域差异性,最高点位于奇台地区,原煤汞含量为17.05×10-2mg/kg,最低点位于塔城地区,原煤汞含量为2.03×10-2 mg/kg,总体呈北疆地区高南疆地区低的特点。初步估算显示,2008年新疆各行业燃煤大气汞排放总量为2039.02kg,其中民用燃煤汞排放量约占5.13%,远小于14%～15%的全国平均值,在全国处于较低水平。     

中国农田肥料N2O直接和间接排放重新评估

农田肥料(氮肥、复合肥、有机肥)是我国N₂O最大的排放源,其估计直接决定了排放总量的可靠性.为此,重新评估了中国农田肥料N₂O的直接和间接排放,选择2008年县域尺度活动数据、具有空间分异性的本土排放因子和参数来重新评估其排放规模、结构、空间格局及不确定性;通过与IPCC、EDGAR等国内外研究结果的对比分析,阐述该排放清单的可靠性和全面性.结果表明,2008年我国农田肥料N₂O排放总量为617.1 Gg(处于213.7~1149.2 Gg之间),其中,氮肥直接排放为458.8 Gg(74.5%),有机肥直接排放为121.0 Gg(19.6%),挥发沉降和淋溶径流造成的间接排放分别为28.0 Gg(4.5%)和9.3 Gg(仅占1.5%左右).排放集中在华北平原、东北的松辽平原、华中的淮河流域和四川盆地,以及华南的珠三角、雷州半岛和台湾地区的县(区、市、旗),主要分布在江苏(52.4 Gg)、四川(48.0 Gg)、湖北(43.2 Gg)、广东(40.8 Gg)、河南(39.6 Gg)、安徽(38.4 Gg)、湖南(31.6 Gg)、山东(28.9 Gg),其累积规模为全国总量的52%,其中,近50%的贡献源于164个县(区、市、旗).本排放清单具有更高的准确度和空间分辨率,而基于IPCC (2006)排放因子及参数的估计排放总量高估了约8.3%,对直接排放和间接排放则分别低估了12.5%和高估了330%.此外,在空间格局上还表现出高值区低估和低值区高估的特点,在491和1225个县(区、市、旗)的相对偏差超过了100%和50%,特别指出的是,间接排放在大部分县(区、市、旗)的相对偏差达到135%左右.     

高分辨率降水氧氘同位素变化及洞穴水响应:以河南鸡冠洞为例

大气降水稳定同位素受温度、雨量、海拔高程、水汽源等多种因素控制,进而影响洞穴水及沉积物的同位素变化.为了更好地认识我国南北交汇带季风敏感区洞穴水对降水的响应过程,本研究分析了2015年8月4~6日河南栾川县鸡冠洞强降雨和洞内4处地下水点样品,并结合2009~2015年栾川地区近6年大气降水氧氘同位素数据研究发现:1采用HYSPLIT模型可以将鸡冠洞强降雨划分为不同水汽来源的2个阶段:高空来自南中国海的水汽以及近地面来自内陆局地蒸发的水汽,并且可以记录在单场降雨期间雨水的δ~(18)O变化特征上.2近地面来自内陆局地蒸发水汽的蒸发过程一定程度上掩盖了温度效应,并使局地大气降水线的斜率、截距和雨水过量氘均减小.3此次降雨期间鸡冠洞洞穴滴水δ~(18)O特征主要响应夏季风海源水汽的降水;鸡冠洞洞穴滴水对降雨响应最快,间隔时间约为3 h,滴水δ~(18)O随滴率升高变重,之后缓慢变轻;地下河具有相似的模式,稍有滞后;靠近洞口的池水反映出不同阶段的雨水δ~(18)O变化的差异.     

Incorporating stakeholder decision support needs into an integrated regional Earth system model

A new modeling effort exploring the opportunities, constraints, and interactions between mitigation and adaptation at regional scale is utilizing stakeholder engagement in an innovative approach to guide model development and demonstration, including uncertainty characterization, to effectively inform regional decision making. This project, the integrated Regional Earth System Model (iRESM), employs structured stakeholder interactions and literature reviews to identify the most relevant adaptation and mitigation alternatives and decision criteria for each regional application of the framework. The information is used to identify important model capabilities and to provide a focus for numerical experiments. This paper presents the stakeholder research results from the first iRESM pilot region. The pilot region includes the Great Lakes Basin in the Midwest portion of the United States as well as other contiguous states. This geographic area (14 states in total) permits cohesive modeling of hydrologic systems while also providing strong gradients in climate, demography, land cover/land use, and energy supply and demand. The results from the stakeholder research indicate that, for this region, iRESM should prioritize addressing adaptation alternatives in the water resources, urban infrastructure, and agriculture sectors, including water conservation, expanded water quality monitoring, altered reservoir releases, lowered water intakes, urban infrastructure upgrades, increased electric power reserves in urban areas, and land use management/crop selection changes. For mitigation in this region, the stakeholder research implies that iRESM should focus on policies affecting the penetration of renewable energy technologies, and the costs and effectiveness of energy efficiency, bioenergy production, wind energy, and carbon capture and sequestration.     

重金属对秀丽隐杆线虫繁殖的影响

为了探究重金属单独及联合暴露对秀丽隐杆线虫(Caenorhabditis elegans)繁殖的影响及其作用机制,采用96孔板液相暴露试验,以环境相关浓度(0.1~50.0 μg/L)的Cd、Hg、Pb暴露同步化处理秀丽隐杆线虫,24 h后统计其怀卵数及阴门畸形率,以及连续记录72 h内子一代秀丽隐杆线虫的个体数,最后利用2×2析因设计方差分析阐明重金属的两两联合作用模式. 结果表明:与对照组相比,Cd、Hg、Pb单独及联合暴露对秀丽隐杆线虫的繁殖具有显著抑制作用,ρ(Cd)为50.0 μg/L、ρ(Hg)为10.0 μg/L、ρ(Pb)为50.0 μg/L暴露组秀丽隐杆线虫子一代数量分别降低了43.5%、33.8%、51.0%;Cd-Hg暴露组〔当ρ(Cd)、ρ(Hg)分别为50.0、10.0 μg/L时〕、Hg-Pb暴露组〔当ρ(Hg)、ρ(Pb)分别为10.0、50.0 μg/L时〕、Cd-Pb暴露组〔当ρ(Cd)、ρ(Pb)分别为50.0、50.0 μg/L时〕秀丽隐杆线虫子一代个体数分别降低了44.7%、61.0%、53.3%. 进一步研究发现,Cd、Hg、Pb单独及联合暴露会引起秀丽隐杆线虫子宫内受精卵数量降低以及产卵器阴门结构畸形率升高. 2×2析因设计方差分析结果发现,Cd、Hg、Pb两两联合暴露对秀丽隐杆线虫的繁殖表现为没有交互作用或者交互方式为拮抗. 研究显示,秀丽隐杆线虫子宫内怀卵数的降低是其子一代数量显著减少的主要原因,而阴门结构的损伤可能使产卵行为受损,从而进一步加剧重金属对秀丽隐杆线虫繁殖的抑制作用.      

Detection Method for Avian Influenza Viruses in Water

Recent events have shown that humans may become infected with some pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (AIV). Since soil and water, including lakes, rivers, and seashores, may be contaminated by AIV excreted by birds, effective methods are needed for monitoring water for emerging viruses. Combining water filtration with molecular methods such as PCR is a fast and effective way for detecting viruses. The objective of this study was to apply a convenient method for the detection of AIV in natural water samples. Distilled water and lake, river, and seawater were artificially contaminated with AIV (H5N3) and passed through a filter system. AIV was detected from filter membrane by real-time RT-PCR. The performance of Zetapor, SMWP, and Sartobind D5F membranes in recovering influenza viruses was first evaluated using contaminated distilled water. SWMP, which gave the highest virus recoveries, was then compared with a pre-filter combined GF/F filter membrane in a trial using natural water samples. In this study, the cellulose membrane SMWP was found to be practical for recovery of AIVs in water. Viral yields varied between 62.1 and 65.9% in distilled water and between 1 and 16.7% in natural water samples. The borosilicate glass membrane GF/F combined with pre-filter was also feasible in filtering natural water samples with viral yields from 1.98 to 7.33%. The methods described can be used for monitoring fresh and seawater samples for the presence of AIV and to determine the source of AIV transmission in an outbreak situation.     

Building regional priorities in forests for development and adaptation to climate change in the Congo Basin

Indentifying common priorities in shared natural resource systems constitutes an important platform for implementing adaptation and a major step in sharing a common responsibility in addressing climate change. Predominated by discourses on REDD + (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) with little emphasis on adaptation there is a risk of lack of policy measures in addressing climate change in the Congo Basin. Forest products and ecosystem services provide security portfolios for the predominantly rural communities, and play major roles in national development programmes in both revenue and employment opportunities. Thus, raising the profile of forests in the policy arena especially in the twin roles of addressing climate change in mitigation and adaptation and achieving resilient development is crucial. Within the framework of the Congo Basin Forests and Climate Change Adaptation project (COFCCA) project, science policy dialogue was conducted to identify and prioritize forest based sectors vulnerable to climate change but important to household livelihoods and national development. The goal of the prioritization process was for the development of intervention in forest as measures for climate change adaptation in Central Africa. Participants constituted a wide range of stakeholders (government, Non Governmental Organizations, research institutions, universities, community leaders, private sectors etc.) as representatives from three countries directly involved in the project: Cameroon, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. Building on national priorities, four forest related sectors were identified as common priorities at the regional level for focus on climate change adaptation. These sectors included: (1) energy with emphasis on fuel wood and Charcoal; (2) Water principally quality, quantity, accessibility, etc.; (3) Food with emphasis on Non Timber Forest Products, and (4) Health linked to healthcare products (medicinal plants). Using these prioritized sectors, the project focused on addressing the impacts of climate change on local communities and the development of adaptation strategies in the three pilot countries of the Congo Basin region. The four sectors constitute the key for development in the region and equally considered as priority sectors in the poverty reduction papers. Focused research on these sectors can help to inject the role of forests in national and local development and their potentials contributions to climate change adaptation in national and public discourses. Mainstreaming forest for climate change adaptation into national development planning is the key to improve policy coherence and effectiveness in forest management in the region.     

Torpor and energetic consequences in free-ranging grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus): a comparison of dry and wet forests

Many endotherms save energy during food and water shortage or unpredictable environment using controlled reductions in body temperature and metabolism called torpor. In this study, we measured energy metabolism and water turnover in free-ranging grey mouse lemurs Microcebus murinus (approximately 60 g) using doubly labelled water during the austral winter in the rain forest of southeastern Madagascar. We then compared patterns of thermal biology between grey mouse lemurs from the rain forest and a population from the dry forest. M. murinus from the rain forest, without a distinct dry season, entered daily torpor independent of ambient temperature (T _a). There were no differences in torpor occurrence, duration and depth between M. murinus from the rain and dry forest. Mouse lemurs using daily torpor reduced their energy expenditure by 11% in the rain forest and by 10.5% in the dry forest, respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean water flux rates of mouse lemurs remaining normothermic between populations of both sites. In contrast, mean water flux rate of individuals from the dry forest that used torpor was significantly lower than those from the rain forest. This study represents the first account of energy expenditure, water flux and skin temperature (T _sk) in free-ranging M. murinus from the rain forest. Our comparative findings suggest that water turnover and therefore water requirement during the austral winter months plays a more restricting role on grey mouse lemurs from the dry forest than on those from the rain forest.