Density-mediated, context-dependent consumer-resource interactions between ants and extrafloral nectar plants

Interspecific interactions are often mediated by the interplay between resource supply and consumer density. The supply of a resource and a consumer's density response to it may in turn yield context-dependent use of other resources. Such consumer-resource interactions occur not only for predator-prey and competitive interactions, but for mutualistic ones as well. For example, consumer-resource interactions between ants and extrafloral nectar (EFN) plants are often mutualistic, as EFN resources attract and reward ants which protect plants from herbivory. Yet, ants also commonly exploit floral resources, leading to antagonistic consumer-resource interactions by disrupting pollination and plant reproduction. EFN resources associated with mutualistic ant-plant interactions may also mediate antagonistic ant-flower interactions through the aggregative density response of ants on plants, which could either exacerbate ant-flower interactions or alternatively satiate and distract ants from floral resources. In this study, we examined how EFN resources mediate the density response of ants on senita cacti in the Sonoran Desert and their context-dependent use of floral resources. Removal of EFN resources reduced the aggregative density of ants on plants, both on hourly and daily time scales. Yet, the increased aggregative ant density on plants with EFN resources decreased rather than increased ant use of floral resources, including contacts with and time spent in flowers. Behavioral assays showed no confounding effect of floral deterrents on ant-flower interactions. Thus, ant use of floral resources depends on the supply of EFN resources, which mediates the potential for both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions by increasing the aggregative density of ants protecting plants, while concurrently distracting ants from floral resources. Nevertheless, only certain years and populations of study showed an increase in plant reproduction through herbivore protection or ant distraction from floral resources. Despite pronounced effects of EFN resources mediating the aggregative density of ants on plants and their context-dependent use of floral resources, consumer-resource interactions remained largely commensalistic.     

Ecological and evolutionary mechanisms for low seed: ovule ratios: need for a pluralistic approach?

Central to the ecology and evolution of a broad range of plants is understanding why they routinely have submaximal reproduction manifested as low seed : ovule and fruit : flower ratios. We know much less about the processes responsible for low seed : ovule ratios than we do for fruit : flower ratios. Current hypotheses for low seed : ovule ratios are largely drawn from those for fruit : flower ratios, including proximate (ecological) causes of pollen limitation, resource limitation, and pollen quality, as well as the ultimate (evolutionary) hypothesis of "bet hedging" on stochastic pollination. Yet, such mechanisms operating on fruit : flower ratios at the whole-plant level may not best explain low seed : ovule ratios at the individual-flower level. We tested each of these proximate and ultimate causes for low seed : ovule ratios using the specialized pollination mutualism between senita cacti (Pachycereus schottii) and senita moths (Upiga virescens). Seed : ovule ratios were consistently low (approximately 0.61). Such excess ovule production by senita likely has a strong genetic component given the significant differences among plants in ovule number and the consistency in ovule production by plants within and among flowering seasons. Excess ovule production and low seed : ovule ratios could not be explained by pollen limitation, resource limitation, pollen quality, or bet hedging. Nevertheless, phenotypic selection analyses did show significant selection gradients for increased ovule number, suggesting that other evolutionary processes may be responsible for excess ovule production and low seed : ovule ratios. In contrast, low fruit : flower ratios at the whole-plant level were explained by an apparent equilibrium between pollen and resource limitation. Thus, mechanisms responsible for low fruit : flower ratios at the whole-plant level are not necessarily in accord with those of low seed : ovule ratios at the individual-flower level. This suggests that we may need to adopt a more pluralistic approach to seed : ovule ratios and consider alternative hypotheses, including a greater array of proximate and ultimate causes. Initial results of this study suggest that floral allometry, selection on correlated floral traits, stigma clogging with pollen grains, and style clogging with pollen tubes may provide promising avenues for understanding low seed : ovule ratios.     

氯基和硫基肥对土壤镉水稻生物有效性的影响

为探明氯基和硫基化肥单施或混施对土壤镉（Cd）水稻生物有效性的影响,选取典型水稻土红黄泥（第四纪红色黏土母质发育）,按不同比例添加氯基肥（KCl、NH₄Cl）和硫基肥［K₂SO₄、（NH₄）₂SO₄］,在3种外源Cd水平下（0、0.5和2.0 mg ·kg^-1）进行水稻盆栽试验,研究土壤pH、Cd形态、水稻植株各部位和糙米Cd富集情况.结果表明,施用氯基和硫基肥均会使土壤酸化,但氯基肥的影响更显著.水稻灌浆期,单施氯基肥较单施硫基肥的土壤pH值平均降低了0.28;水稻成熟期,氯基肥对残渣态Cd具有活化作用,而硫基肥会将酸可提取态Cd钝化为残渣态;氯基和硫基肥混施较单施同种肥料更易促进水稻植株富集Cd;糙米Cd富集量在氯基和硫基肥1 ：1处理时最高,为0.21 mg ·kg^-1（2.0 mg ·kg^-1外源Cd水平）,较单施氯基肥提高了16.4%,较单施硫基肥显著提高了113.3%.因此,氯基肥和硫基肥混施会使水稻糙米Cd富集量上升,为保障粮食品质安全,水稻种植更宜单施硫基肥.     

水稻磷盈亏对镉吸收转运的影响

磷（P）是作物生长的必需营养元素,Cd污染耕地中P盈亏对水稻Cd吸收转运的影响和效应还不清晰.通过水培试验施加不同水平的P（NaH₂PO₄）,研究Cd胁迫下,缺P(1.5～6.0 mg·L^-1,以P元素计,同下)和富P(12.0～48.0 mg·L^-1)对水稻Cd吸收、转运和累积的影响.结果表明：（1） Cd胁迫下,ρ（P）的增加(1.5～48.0 mg·L^-1),水稻生物量无明显变化,叶片光合色素（叶绿素a、叶绿素b和类胡萝卜素）的含量先上升后下降,高浓度的P抑制光合色素的合成;（2）在缺P和富P条件下,随着P浓度的提高,水稻各部位Cd的含量增加,尤其是糙米中Cd含量分别显著增加132.1%和191.2%;（3）糙米的P/Cd比值在缺P和富P下呈现分段减少规律,同时糙米中Cd含量与P/Cd呈显著（P<0.01）负相关. Cd胁迫下,水稻缺P和富P时提高P浓度均会促进水稻根系对Cd的吸收与转运,提高Cd在地上部位的累积,增加稻米Cd超标的风险.     

Modeling Hydrologic Benefits of Low Impact Development: A Distributed Hydrologic Model of The Woodlands,Texas

Low Impact Development (LID) is alternative design approach to land development that conserves and utilizes natural resources to minimize the potential negative environmental impacts of development, such as flooding. The Woodlands near Houston, Texas is one of the premier master‐planned communities in the United States. Unlike in a typical urban development where riparian corridors are often replaced with concrete channels, pervious surfaces, vegetation, and natural drainage pathways were preserved as much as possible during development. In addition, a number of detention ponds were strategically located to manage runoff on site. This article uses a unique distributed hydrologic model, Vflo?, combined with historical (1974) and recent (2008 and 2009) rainfall events to evaluate the long‐term effectiveness of The Woodlands natural drainage design as a stormwater management technique. This study analyzed the influence of LID in The Woodlands by comparing the hydrologic response of the watershed under undeveloped, developed, and highly urbanized conditions. The results show that The Woodlands drainage design successfully reflects predeveloped hydrologic conditions and produces peak flows two to three times lower than highly urbanized development. Furthermore, results indicate that the LID practices employed in The Woodlands successfully attenuate the peak flow from a 100‐year design event, resulting in flows comparable to undeveloped hydrologic conditions.     

Analysis of culturable and unculturable microbial community in bensulfuron-methyl contaminated paddy soils

To investigate the influence of bensulfuron-methyl(BSM)on culturable microbial quantities and unculturable microbial community structures,conventional and molecular biological methods were employed in five BSM treated soils with three replications,respectively. The results obtained with traditional culture-dependent methods showed that a low-level of BSM had slight and transient effects on culturable microorganisms;nevertheless,high concentration of BSM resulted in a dramatic decrease in bacterial colony fo...     

Comparative low lethal effects of three insecticides on demographical traits and enzyme activity of the Spodoptera exigua (Hübner)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Many species of devastating insect pests have acquired a high degree of resistance to insecticides in the field during the last few decades....     

白腐菌联合纳米零价铁强化去除水中Cd(II)

采用白腐菌和纳米零价铁(nZVI)联合体系强化去除水中Cd (II),并考察pH值、Cd (II)初始浓度、温度、nZVI投加量对Cd (II)去除的影响,分析nZVI对白腐菌胞内外富集镉的影响特性,同时结合扫描电镜、红外光谱、X射线光电子能谱、三维荧光光谱等手段分析联合体系对Cd (II)的强化去除机制.结果表明,在pH=6,Cd (II)初始浓度为50mg/L,温度为30℃,nZVI投加量为0.1g/L的条件下反应180min后,Cd (II)的去除率可达到99.5%以上.联合体系对Cd (II)的去除过程符合准二级动力学,主要去除机制为白腐菌对Cd (II)的胞外络合吸附,添加nZVI能促进白腐菌对Cd (II)的胞外吸附,FTIR和XPS分析表明,羟基、羧基和氨基参与了Cd (II)的吸附,白腐菌胞外聚合物(EPS)能与铁发生内层配位形成P-O-Fe键,加速富含羟基官能团的纤铁矿、磁铁矿等铁矿物形成,从而促进对溶液中Cd (II)的吸附去除.     

Nitrogen modulates early growth and physio-biochemical attributes in fragrant rice grown under cadmium and multiwall carbon nanotubes stresses

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrogen (N) modulates plant growth, but its impact on the early growth and physio-biochemical characteristics of rice under cadmium (Cd) and...