Preparation and activation: determinants of age at reproductive maturity in male baboons

Age at maturity is a particularly important life history trait, but maturational data are rare for males in natural populations of mammals. Here we provide information on three maturational milestones and their social and demographic correlates among 43 wild male baboons, Papio cynocephalus, in a natural population in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. We examined (1) age at testicular enlargement, which signals puberty and the onset of subadulthood, (2) age at attainment of adult dominance rank, which we consider to be the beginning of adulthood, and (3) age at first sexual consortship, which is the best measure available for age at first reproduction in male baboons. Testicular enlargement (median age = 5.69 years) occurred earlier among sons of high ranking mothers, and was not influenced by rainfall or seasonality. Attainment of adult dominance rank (median age = 7.41 years) was also accelerated among sons of high-ranking mothers, and among males whose mothers had died while the males were juveniles. First sexual consortship (median age = 7.92 years) was not influenced directly by maternal characteristics, but attainment of adult dominance rank always preceded first consortship. The lag time between attainment of adult rank and first consortship (median = 2.5 months; range = 5–526 days), was predicted by the number of sexually cycling females in the group when the male attained rank, and by how high ranking the male became in his first months as an adult. We suggest that the age at which a male baboon is ready to begin reproducing is influenced by a relatively stable maternal characteristic that exerts its influence early in development, but the timing with which this potential is realized depends on activation by more proximate, often stochastic triggers such as female availability. This two-level organization of influences is likely to contribute to the variance both in age at first reproduction and in lifetime fitness. Differences in the relative magnitude of the two levels will lead to both intra- and interspecific variability in the opportunity for maternal selection and sexual selection.     

Environmental and genetic influences on mating strategies along a replicated food availability gradient in guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

Food availability is expected to influence the relative cost of different mating tactics, but little attention has been paid to this potential source of adaptive geographic variation in behavior. Associations between the frequency of different mating tactics and resource availability could arise because tactic use responds directly to food intake (phenotypic plasticity), because populations exposed to different average levels of food availability have diverged genetically in tactic use, or both. Different populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in Trinidad experience different average levels of food availability. We combined field observations with laboratory “common garden” and diet experiments to examine how this environmental gradient has influenced the evolution of male mating tactics. Three independent components of variation in male behavior were found in the field: courtship versus foraging, dominance interactions, and interference competition versus searching for mates. Compared with low-food-availability sites, males at high-food-availability sites devoted more effort to interference competition. This difference disappeared in the common garden experiment, which suggests that it was caused by phenotypic plasticity and not genetic divergence. In the diet experiment, interference competition was more frequent and intense among males raised on the greater of two food levels, but this was only true for fish descended from sites with low food availability. Thus, the association between interference competition and food availability in the field can be attributed to a genetically variable norm of reaction. Genetically variable norms of reaction with respect to food intake were found for the other two behavioral components as well and are discussed in relation to the patterns observed in the field. Our results indicate that food availability gradients are an important, albeit complex, source of geographic variation in male mating strategies.     

Assessment of herbaceous plant habitats in water-constrained environments: predicting indirect effects with fuzzy logic

Herbaceous plant production plays a key role in determining the function of rangeland ecosystems in the semi-arid and Mediterranean regions. Therefore, assessment of herbaceous plant habitats is important for understanding the ecosystem functioning in these regions and for applied purposes, such as range management and land evaluation. This paper presents a model to assess herbaceous plant habitats in a basaltic stony environment in a Mediterranean region. The model is based on geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and fuzzy logic, while four indirect variables, which represent major characteristics of herbaceous habitats, are modeled: rock cover fraction; wetness index (WI); soil depth; and slope orientation (aspect). A linear unmixing model was used to measure rock cover on a per pixel basis using a Landsat TM summer image. The wetness index and local aspect were determined from digital elevation data with 25 m × 25 m pixel resolution, while soil data were gathered in a field survey. The modeling approach adopted here is process-based and assumes that water availability plays a crucial role in determining herbaceous plant production in Mediterranean and semi-arid environments. The model rules are based on fuzzy logic and are written based on the hypothesized water requirements of the herbaceous vegetation. The results show that on a polygon basis there is positive agreement between the model proposed here and previous mapping of the herbaceous habitats carried out in the field using traditional methods. Intrapolygon tests show that the use of a continuous raster data model and fuzzy logic principles provide an added value to traditional mapping. Moreover, herbaceous biomass measurements at two time intervals—mid- and peak winter season—corresponded with the habitat assessment predictions achieved using a new scenario that is proposed in this research. This scenario suggests that rockiness increases herbaceous production on south-facing slopes, while in other slope aspects the rock cover has lower impact on herbaceous growth. Due to its simplicity, the model suggested here can be used by planners and managers, to adjust range activities over large areas. The process-based approach should allow adaptation of the model to other regions more effectively than models that were formulated on a purely empirical basis. The model could also be used to study the relationship between water availability and ecosystem productivity on a regional scale.     

产品生命周期可得性水足迹计算方法

水足迹方法试图量化评价人类活动对水资源可得性的影响,从而为水资源可持续利用提供科学的依据.水足迹的评价方法尚未统一,目前全球应用最为广泛的是WFN（water footprint network,水足迹协作网络）水足迹计算方法.基于LCA（life cycle assessment,生命周期评价）方法的基本框架,围绕水资源可得性的水量、水质和空间分布3个因素,在分析现有水足迹计算公式的基础上,指出了WFN水足迹计算方法的不足.根据国际水足迹标准（ISO 14046）的原则和要求,改进了WFN的水足迹计算公式,提出了产品生命周期WAF（water availability footprint,可得性水足迹）定义和评价方法,其中包括单元过程数据计算、背景过程数据处理和生命周期汇总.通过方法对比和案例研究得到:WAF方法统一了水消耗量与水污染量定义中的水质基准,可以明确区分水污染和水净化两类过程,还可以反映区域水资源稀缺程度的影响;采用WAF方法,在现有LCA数据库和软件的支持下可以更为规范地完成生命周期水足迹建模与计算但目前单元过程数据计算中各种污染物的基准浓度选取有不可避免的主观性,将直接影响到水足迹计算结果及其客观性,有待进一步研究.      

FPSO泡沫灭火系统的有效性研究

从泡沫灭火剂的选择、种类特性、取样送检要求、兼容性等几方面对FPSD泡沫灭火系统的有效性进行了研究,旨在从泡沫灭火系统的设计、采办、布局、安装、调试、操作及日常维护等整个生产周期出发,确保FPSO泡沫灭火系统的完整、可用和有效,以期为油田的安全开发提供参考。     

浙江省城市汽车站地表灰尘中重金属含量及其来源研究

为了解不同区域城市汽车站地表灰尘重金属的积累、有效性及其可能来源,在浙江省范围内选择了73个城市汽车站,采样并分析了地表灰尘颗粒组成及Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd、Cr、Ni、Hg、As、Se、Al、Fe、Mn和Co等元素的含量,用连续提取程序研究了地表灰尘中主要污染元素的化学形态.同时,应用相关分析、主成分分析和聚类分析等方法探讨了城市汽车站地表灰尘中重金属的可能来源及各城市汽车站地表灰尘组成的差异.颗粒组成分析结果表明,浙江省城市汽车站地表灰尘以粗颗粒组成为主,地表灰尘主要来源于车站附近的土壤、建筑、垃圾等,大气沉降对地表灰尘的贡献相对较小.与浙江省土壤背景值相比,Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd、Cr、Ni、Hg、As和Se等元素均有不同程度的污染,其平均含量分别为287.1、424.0、172.8、1.21、122.3、54.4、0.71、16.00和2.07mg·kg-1.因子分析将13个元素变量压缩为3个因子,可解释浙江省城市汽车站地表灰尘元素的来源:Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd、Cr和Ni主要与交通活动、工业污染等有关;Al、Fe、Mn和Co与当地成土母质等地质背景有关;Hg、As和Se等元素受交通污染、居民生活污染和工业污染等多重影响.根据地表灰尘元素组成的差异,可把城市汽车站分为5类.重金属元素化学形态研究表明,城市汽车站地表灰尘中不同元素的化学形态有较大的差异,有效性较高的元素为Zn、Mn和Cd,其次为Cu、Ni和Hg,而Pb、Cr和Fe的活性相对较低.     

热带胶园土壤磷素形态和生物有效性

采用Hedley的磷素分级方法研究热带胶园土壤磷的形态,结果表明、热带胶园土壤磷主要以ResidualP、NaOH－Po和NaOH－Pi形态存在;各种形态磷的损失质量分数均高于38％;其中ResidualP和NaOH－Po的损失量最高,分别占全磷损失量的52％和16％,它们是长期耕作条件下热带胶园土壤磷两种最重要的有效磷源。     

不同有机物料对水稻根表铁膜及砷镉吸收转运的影响

通过盆栽试验研究了油菜秸秆、蚕豆秸秆、泥炭、猪粪堆肥和生物炭这5种有机物料对贵州石灰岩黄壤区某砷（As）和镉（Cd）复合污染稻田土壤As/Cd有效性、水稻根表铁膜及As/Cd吸收转运的影响.结果表明,施用有机物料显著提高了有机质和水稻生物量;除油菜秸秆对土壤pH值影响不明显外,施用有机物料显著提高土壤pH值,使土壤有效Cd含量降低34.77%~82.69%;猪粪堆肥和生物炭使土壤有效As含量显著提高,油菜秸秆和泥炭处理使土壤有效As含量显著降低;施用有机物料有助于水稻根表铁膜的形成,并使其中Cd、As含量分别提高17.73%~151.03%和28.49%~94.86%,使水稻糙米Cd含量降低15.87%~79.45%,As含量降低27.04%~82.51%,降幅以生物炭处理最大;有机物料还显著降低Cd在根-茎-叶-籽粒的转运系数及As从茎向籽粒转运系数.相关分析表明,土壤pH、有效Cd和铁膜Cd含量是影响籽粒Cd累积的主要因素,土壤pH、有机质和铁膜As含量是影响籽粒As累积的主要因素.有机物料通过改变土壤pH、有机质含量及铁膜中As和Cd含量,影响水稻对As和Cd的吸收和转运.     

不同钝化材料对红壤中铜有效性的影响及机理

选取3种钝化材料（赤泥、硼泥、钙镁磷肥）,通过盆栽试验,观测了在不同铜污染水平红壤上,3种钝化材料对小油菜（Brassica campestris,L var Conmunis）吸收铜的影响。结果表明：在铜污染红壤上,3种钝化材料降低土壤EDTA提取态铜含量的效果显著。其中,在高铜污染水平红壤上,施用高量赤泥、硼泥处理降低效果最为明显,较污染对照降低了41.48%、44.44%。在低铜污染水平红壤上,施用高量赤泥处理降低效果最为明显,较对照处理降低了35.83%。施用3种钝化材料均能促进小油菜生长,增加小油菜的生物量,降低小油菜对铜的吸收量。其中,低铜污染水平红壤上,施用高量赤泥、高量硼泥与硼泥-赤泥联合施用处理降低铜含量的效果最为明显,与污染对照相比,小油菜铜含量分别降低82.64%,72.71%,85.14%;在高铜污染水平红壤上,施用高量赤泥与硼泥、赤泥联合施用处理降低小油菜铜含量的效果最为明显,小油菜铜含量分别为36.37,36.32 mg.kg^-1。结果表明,用量为45 000 kg.hm^-2的赤泥是最佳的功能钝化材料。