Influence of aluminium on the restoration potential of a terrestrial vascular plant,Portulaca Oleracea L. as a biomonitoring tool of fresh water aquatic environments

In the present study, the influence of aluminium on the regeneration potential of leaf and stem-cuttings of Portulaca oleracea was studied in order to identify a terrestrial plant species as an alternate biomonitoring toolof fresh water environment. The leaves and stem cuttings of theterrestrial plant, P. oleracea grew well in the distilled water producing adventitious and lateral roots. The aluminium treated leaves and stem cuttings showed a reduction in the growthof the adventitious and lateral roots and increase in the decay of leaves and stem cuttings with increasing aluminium concentration. The tolerance index calculated for the leaves and the stem cuttings showed that the leaves were more sensitivethan stems to aluminium. Since all the parameters studied showedconcentration dependent changes, the terrestrial plant, P. oleracea can be considered a suitable biomonitoring tool of fresh water environment besides its usage in the Al toxicity testing.     

Trait space of rare plants in a fire‐dependent ecosystem

The causes of species rarity are of critical concern because of the high extinction risk associated with rarity. Studies examining individual rare species have limited generality, whereas trait‐based approaches offer a means to identify functional causes of rarity that can be applied to communities with disparate species pools. Differences in functional traits between rare and common species may be indicative of the functional causes of species rarity and may therefore be useful in crafting species conservation strategies. However, there is a conspicuous lack of studies comparing the functional traits of rare species and co‐occurring common species. We measured 18 important functional traits for 19 rare and 134 common understory plant species from North Carolina's Sandhills region and compared their trait distributions to determine whether there are significant functional differences that may explain species rarity. Flowering, fire, and tissue‐chemistry traits differed significantly between rare and common, co‐occurring species. Differences in specific traits suggest that fire suppression has driven rarity in this system and that changes to the timing and severity of prescribed fire may improve conservation success. Our method provides a useful tool to prioritize conservation efforts in other systems based on the likelihood that rare species are functionally capable of persisting.     

CO2浓度升高对半干旱区春小麦光合作用及水分生理生态特性的影响

大气CO₂浓度升高已成为世界范围内重要环境问题。为了解大气CO₂浓度升高对春小麦光合作用及水分生理生态特性的影响,在典型半干旱区定西利用开顶式气室(OTC)试验平台,以春小麦“定西24号”为供试品种,开展了CO₂浓度增加模拟试验。试验设对照(390μmol·mol^?1)、480μmol·mol^?1和570μmol·mol^?1等3个CO₂浓度(摩尔分数)梯度。结果表明:在对照和增加CO₂浓度条件下,春小麦叶片净光合速率和蒸腾速率日变化均呈“双峰型”分布,出现明显的“午休”现象;胞间CO₂浓度的日变化表现为斜“V”字型曲线;叶水势日变化呈现反抛物线曲线走向,在中午后出现水势曲线拐点。在不同生育时期内,净光合速率、气孔导度和胞间CO₂浓度均表现为开花期最大,乳熟期最小。而蒸腾速率表现为开花期最大,拔节期最小,叶片水平水分利用效率表现为孕穗期最大,乳熟期最小。随着CO₂浓度升高,春小麦叶片净光合速率、胞间CO₂浓度、水分利用效率和水势提高,气孔导度和蒸腾速率降低。与对照大气CO₂浓度相比,在480μmol·mol^?1浓度和570μmol·mol^?1浓度下,整个生育期净光合速率平均分别提高了14.68%和28.20%,气孔导度平均降低了15.29%和24.83%,胞间CO₂浓度平均提高了10.38%和26.15%,蒸腾速率平均减小了6.63%和12.41%,WUE平均增加了22.9%和46.9%。随着CO₂浓度升高,蒸腾失水减少,叶片水势不断增加,从而增强了春小麦对干旱胁迫的抵御能力。研究结果为我国半干旱区春小麦对全球气候变化下的敏感性及适应性提供理论参考。     

中亚热带马尾松林凋落物分解过程中的微生物与酶活性动态

采用凋落物原位分解法,研究了中亚热带马尾松林中马尾松、槲栎凋落叶单独及混合(自然质量比8∶2)分解过程中的微生物数量与酶活性动态.结果表明:①3类凋落物的年分解常数K的大小为:混合凋落物(0.94)>槲栎凋落物(0.86)>马尾松凋落物(0.67);②3类凋落物真菌数量和微生物数量均在夏季(135 d时)达到最大值,而此时细菌和放线菌数量最低;③3类凋落物纤维素酶活性、酸性磷酸酶活性均与凋落物干重剩余率呈显著正相关(P<0.05),而马尾松与混合型凋落物中的多酚氧化酶活性同凋落物干重剩余率呈极显著负相关(P<0.01);④微生物数量和多酚氧化酶活性均总体表现为槲栎凋落物>混合凋落物>马尾松凋落物,酸性磷酸酶活性多表现为槲栎凋落物最低,与分解常数K排列有一定的差异,说明凋落物分解是微生物和多种酶共同作用的结果.整体研究表明,凋落物质量和季节气候的差异显著影响微生物群落及其调控的生态过程,与纯马尾松凋落叶相比,针阔混合使微生物数量和多酚氧化酶活性显著提高,这可能是导致分解加快的重要原因.     

水热法制备玉米叶基生物炭对亚甲基蓝的吸附性能研究

以农业废弃物玉米叶和玉米秆为原材料,采用水热法制备生物炭,通过批试验方法考察了接触时间、污染物初始浓度、生物炭投加量、反应体系温度及溶液p H值等因素对2种生物炭吸附亚甲基蓝的影响,并对吸附规律进行了探讨.吸附动力学拟合结果发现,准二级动力学能更好地拟合吸附过程(R~2=0.9986~0.9999);颗粒内扩散方程拟合结果表明,2种生物炭对亚甲基蓝的吸附由液膜扩散和颗粒内扩散2个过程控制.玉米叶基生物炭对亚甲基蓝的吸附可以通过Freundlich方程来进行拟合(R~2=0.9898),说明吸附在生物炭表面是多分子层吸附过程;而玉米杆基生物炭对亚甲基蓝的吸附更符合Langmuir方程(R~2=0.9825),说明吸附在生物炭表面是单分子层吸附过程.与玉米杆基生物炭相比,玉米叶基生物炭具有更好的吸附性能,拟合理论最大吸附量为玉米杆基生物炭的1.25倍.     

Size-Dependent Selective Leaf Damage by Insects and Some Methodological Implications of This Phenomenon

The area of leaves on birch (Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa) auxiblasts and brachyblasts and the degree of their damage by the complex of leaf-gnawing and leaf-mining insects were studied in a light birch forest. The results showed that phyllophagous insects, primarily snout beetles, prefer young leaves on the apexes of auxiblasts. Thus, selective damage is inflicted on smaller leaves, both on the auxiblasts and in the entire sample. This phenomenon is widespread and may manifest itself in different ways, depending on the pattern of leaf area distribution along the extended shoot and the feeding preferences of the insects. Thus, it is necessary to reconsider research methods and approaches based on the assumption that insects damage leaves nonselectively, irrespective of their size.     

PHREATOPHYTE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND ITS POTENTIAL REDUCTION WITHOUT ERADICATION1

ABSTRACT: The continuous availability of ground water to riparian phreatophytic vegetation results in large evapotranspiration (ET) losses in summer. Chemical or physical eradication of this vegetation can have undesirable environmental side effects. Spraying phreatophyte foliage with a nontoxic antitranspirant (AT) may reduce transpiration without eradication. Transpiration rate per unit leaf area was similar for several phreatophyte species, but ET per unit land area of phreatophytes depneds more on stand density than species. The mean ET for saltcedar in June was 8.1 mm/day measured by Bowen ratio, compared with 7.9 mm by lysimeters. ATs and growth-retardants reduced transpiration by over 50 percent in laboratory tests where foliage was thoroughly sprayed. In the field AT sprayed by a back-pack mistblower reduced ET by 20–35 percent initially and 10 percent after a month. No ET reduction occurred when AT was sprayed by helicopter on saltcedar, because excessive droplet size and heavy salt deposits on the foliage resulted in poor spray adherence. Wax-based AT was relatively nontoxic to fish and wildlife. Dissolved oxygen could be reduced for aquatic life, but further AT dilution in streams and ponds would minimize this. Helicopter spraying may affect bird nests and egg hatchability. Although ATs significantly reduce ET, their high cost and spraying difficulties preclude current use on phreatophytes. With improvement they may economically help to conserve water in riparian areas in future years.     

玉米叶吸附剂对水溶液中Pb2+的吸附性能研究

研究了玉米叶对水溶液中Pb2+的吸附性能,借助正交和单因素试验探讨各因素对吸附率的影响,利用红外光谱研究吸附机理,并采用Langmuir、Freundlich和Temkin模型对吸附数据进行拟合.结果表明:金属初始质量浓度和体系pH值是影响吸附的重要因素;玉米叶吸附铅离子的最佳pH值为5.0,金属质量浓度和吸附剂投加量最佳比值为80 mg/L:0.170 g,在25℃时玉米叶对铅离子的吸附较快,180min后达到吸附平衡;吸附数据更加符合Freundlich和Temkin等温吸附模型,由Langmuir等温吸附模型可知玉米叶最大吸附量为103.266mg/g,吉布斯自由能△Ge为负值,该过程吸热且自发进行.红外光谱分析表明,参与作用的官能团为羟基、羧基、酰胺或脂肪族C-x(x代表Cl、Br、I).     

乌鲁木齐树木叶片汞浓度时空特征及环境意义

城市大气环境由于受人为活动影响,具有较高大气汞浓度和时空分布不均一特征。植被叶片虽具有较强富集大气汞的能力,但能否指示城市大气汞时空变化,目前尚有存疑。本文通过连续监测新疆乌鲁木齐市区内6个采样点5种常见树种叶片,在生长季（2019年5～10月）内的汞浓度,分析树叶汞浓度的时空分布变化特征,进而寻找潜在的最优树种叶片,反演乌鲁木齐大气汞污染程度。结果表明,城市内的局地污染能够显著提高叶片汞浓度;树种叶片对大气汞浓度的敏感性存在明显差异（P<0.01）;落叶阔叶树的叶汞浓度与叶片生长时间呈显著正相关关系（P<0.01）,即叶片在整个生长期不断积累大气汞;而针叶汞浓度一年之内与生长时间无显著关系。考虑到圆冠榆叶片对大气汞浓度敏感性较高且分布范围更广,圆冠榆作为乌鲁木齐城市大气汞的生物监测器较为合适。本研究为研究城市大气汞浓度生物监测提供了典型的案例与借鉴。     

Responses of plant, insect and spider biodiversity to local and landscape scale management intensity in cereal crops and grasslands

The aim of this study was to determine the relative effects of landscape scale management intensity, agroecosystem type, local management intensity and edges on diversity patterns of functional groups of plants, carabid beetles, spiders and grasshoppers. Nine landscapes were selected differing in percent intensively used agricultural area (IAA), each with a pair of organic and conventional winter wheat fields and a pair of organic and conventional mown meadows. Within fields, plants were surveyed in the edge and in the interior. Carabid beetles and spiders were captured by funnel traps, while grasshoppers were sweep-netted in the meadows. Diversity patterns of study organisms were affected both by local variables (local management, agroecosystem type and within-field position) and by landscape scale management intensity. Species richness of grasses, presumably because of sowing low-diversity mixtures, and hunting spiders decreased with percent cover of IAA. Meadows differed from wheat fields in that they had higher species richness of forbs and grasses, as well as higher densities of hunting spiders. In contrast, more carabid individuals, especially of non-carnivore species, were captured in wheat fields. In field edges with their reduced management intensity and increased immigration, species richness of plants, carabids and spiders was higher than in the interiors regardless of agroecosystem type and management. Organic management enhanced forb richness and cover in both agroecosystem types. Organic management also increased grass cover in wheat fields, but not in meadows, and promoted species richness of non-carnivore carabids and hunting spiders, but not grasshoppers. The results show that agri-environmental management needs to be targeted to the agroecosystem's field size, because higher edge area led to higher species richness. Organic management affected several functional groups positively (forbs, non-carnivore carabids, hunting spiders), while lower landscape scale management intensity only increased species richness of grasses and spiders. The great differences in responses of functional groups to local cereal and grassland as well as landscape management suggest implementing more scale and group specific targets for agri-environmental schemes to improve their efficiency.