Differential timing and latitudinal variation in sex ratio of Aquatic Warblers during the autumn migration

Differential migration has been extensively reported in spring, but less so in autumn, particularly in relation to sex in monomorphic bird species. Here, we analysed the autumn passage of a monomorphic, globally threatened passerine, the Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola throughout Western Europe, with regard to age and sex. We showed that, overall, adults migrated earlier than first-year birds, and males migrated earlier than females during the autumn migration. This may be caused by an overall social dominance of adults over immatures, and differentiated migration strategy of males and females. In addition, we found male-skewed sex proportions, with a tendency to an equalised ratio in more southern stopover sites. This may indicate a male bias in the global population or different migration strategies of the sexes. Differential migration may cause the age and sex classes to be exposed differently to various threats affecting demographic structure of the species.     

Unusually high-pitched neonate distress calls of the open-habitat Mongolian gazelle (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Procapra gutturosa</Emphasis>) and their anatomical and hormonal predictors

In neonate ruminants, the acoustic structure of vocalizations may depend on sex, vocal anatomy, hormonal profiles and body mass and on environmental factors. In neonate wild-living Mongolian gazelles Procapra gutturosa, hand-captured during biomedical monitoring in the Daurian steppes at the Russian-Mongolian border, we spectrographically analysed distress calls and measured body mass of 22 individuals (6 males, 16 females). For 20 (5 male, 15 female) of these individuals, serum testosterone levels were also analysed. In addition, we measured relevant dimensions of the vocal apparatus (larynx, vocal folds, vocal tract) in one stillborn male Mongolian gazelle specimen. Neonate distress calls of either sex were high in maximum fundamental frequency (800–900 Hz), but the beginning and minimum fundamental frequencies were significantly lower in males than in females. Body mass was larger in males than in females. The levels of serum testosterone were marginally higher in males. No correlations were found between either body mass or serum testosterone values and any acoustic variable for males and females analysed together or separately. We discuss that the high-frequency calls of neonate Mongolian gazelles are more typical for closed-habitat neonate ruminants, whereas other open-habitat neonate ruminants (goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa, saiga antelope Saiga tatarica and reindeer Rangifer tarandus) produce low-frequency (<200 Hz) distress calls. Proximate cause for the high fundamental frequency of distress calls of neonate Mongolian gazelles is their very short, atypical vocal folds (4 mm) compared to the 7-mm vocal folds of neonate goitred gazelles, producing distress calls as low as 120 Hz.     

Three-year lifecycle,large body,and very high threshold temperature in the cricket <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gryllus argenteus</Emphasis> for special adaptation to desiccation cycle in Malawi

In temperate climates, the initiation and termination of diapause synchronize the stress-tolerant stage with the stressful season and reproduction with the non-stressful season in many insects. Synchronization is often regulated by photoperiodism.Voltinism and the ultimate size of adults are also important determinants for their lifecycle, and different diapause stages and voltinism patterns are known in crickets.Here, we investigated the life history of the African cricket Gryllus argenteus from Malawi, which is a typical arid tropical highland. The climate is characterized by alternating arid and wet seasons, each of which lasts for half a year, and where the available heat mass is much less than lowlands at the same latitude. We first measured the nymphal duration at each rearing temperature and calculated the lower developmental threshold (t ₀) to be 20.19 °C based on Ikemoto and Takai (2000) and 19.38 °C based on a conventional line-fitting method. These values are very high relative to many other insects. The local temperature in winter does not fall below 15 °C, but this is much higher than the lethal limit. This suggested that critical stress in this locality was not coldness but low precipitation in winter. We estimated, based both on local temperature change and the Ikemoto and Takai’s t ₀, that G. argenteus required 3 years to complete its lifecycle unlike wet lowland species, where univoltinism or multi-voltinism are commonplace. Photoperiodism was observed in this species, but due to a lag between annual cycles in photoperiod, temperature, and humidity, photoperiodism alone cannot atune their lifecycle with local conditions.Synchronization in this species was achieved by three different adaptations: photoperiodism, high t ₀, and large body size, which give it a long lifecycle. Although the species cannot achieve a univoltine lifecycle because of its high t₀ value, it can escape from dry season by entering diapause at moderate temperatures, probably thereby achieving adaptive synchrony of lifecycle with both favorable and unfavorable seasons. A comparison between a conventional photothermogram and a newly formulated photohydrogram or photohygrogram demonstrates that even though sufficient heat is available, scarcity of water and thus scarcity of foliage should force the cricket to maintain diapause at intermediate temperature. The results suggested that high t ₀, large body size, and multi-ennial lifecycle mutually affect each other and formulate a unique adaptation under such an extreme environment.     

土地利用/覆盖变化对长江上游非点源污染影响研究

在国内外相关研究的基础上,利用输出系数模型,结合RS和GIS技术,对长江上游的非点源污染负荷进行了空间模拟和负荷估算.模拟结果表明,在不考虑流域损失的前提下,由于土地利用造成的非点源污染负荷TN总量从20世纪70年代的123万t下降至2000年的116万t,基本呈逐年减少的趋势,由土地利用造成的TP的变化趋势与TN基本相同,从70年代的3.7万t下降到2000年的3.5万t左右.就省份、土地利用类型和水系而言,四川省、种植用地和草地以及金沙江水系和嘉陵江水系对长江上游的非点源污染贡献较大.在非点源污染负荷强度上,重庆市和嘉陵江水系单位面积负荷最高,是今后应重点治理的地区.结果表明,该模型可以对长江上游这样的超大尺度空间的非点源污染进行较好的空间模拟.     

含有机物铁泥的超临界水氧化法资源化

氨基染料生产过程中产生大量含有机物的铁泥,对环境造成严重污染并造成资源的极大浪费.利用超临界水氧化法对含有机物铁泥进行资源化处理研究,并对产物进行了X射线衍射分析(XRD)、色差实验与电子探针分析.研究结果显示,用超临界水氧化法处理铁泥可以将铁泥中所含的有机物完全氧化,真正实现环境友好;超临界水首先将铁泥氧化成α-Fe2O3与γ-Fe2O3,再经过800℃煅烧后可以作为氧化铁红颜料使用;超临界反应压力对样品的晶型与颜色影响不大.     

医疗废物焚烧中二恶英的产生及控制

医疗废物的安全处置一直被世界各国所重视,我国自SARS灾难后,强化了医疗废物的治理力度。本文针对目前主要采用焚烧法处置医疗废物过程中二恶英的生成途径进行了论述,并结合二恶英的分子结构、毒性及危害提出了控制对策与建议。     

乡村生活空间网络结构特征与优化——以江汉平原典型乡建片区为例

乡村生活空间网络是一定地域乡村居民依托社区节点,通过日常生活实践彼此联系而形成的社会空间系统,探究其空间结构与优化策略对认识乡村生活空间内涵、重塑乡村日常生活秩序具有重要意义。以江汉平原典型乡建片区培育的9个节点社区为研究对象,基于乡村生活空间网络三元系统,构建社区生活质量指标体系,运用改进引力模型与社会网络分析法描述网络结构总体与节点特征,提出乡村生活空间网络优化策略。研究表明：区域乡村生活空间网络结构处于发育阶段,网络兼具整体松散与局部集聚特征,社区间联系正在加强;乡村生活空间网络节点质量有待提升,网络呈现层次清晰的3级节点体系,核心节点虽具有无法替代的网络地位但本身质量不高,次级节点的结构具有相似性需要择优培育,边缘节点需要丰富网络内外联系;基于此,必须构建“1心、8点、1轴、3区”的乡村生活空间网络结构。为评估并识别区域网络节点特征,预测并构建区域网络化发展体系提供了新思路,为平原农区的乡建片区提供了网络化发展的新模式。     

Enhanced arsenate removal from aqueous solution by Mn-doped MgAl-layered double hydroxides

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, Mn-doped MgAl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were successfully synthesized for efficient removal arsenate from aqueous solution. The...     

Probabilistic health risk assessment of nitrosamines in drinking water of Shaoxing,Zhejiang, China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrosamines (NAms) are potent genotoxic and carcinogenic but widely detected in drinking water. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of...