旱作小麦─玉米垅种沟盖地膜带田集水调水与增产效应研究

旱作垅种（小麦）沟盖（玉米）地膜带田优于目前推广的沟种（小麦）垅盖（玉米）带田种植形式。在作物共生期相互调水作用更趋合理,平衡了小麦、玉米不同生育阶段对水分的供需矛盾,作物的生态条件更加适宜,群体结构更加协调,提高了作物的生产量,前者比后者增产９０％～１２５％。     

旱作小麦─玉米垅种沟盖地膜带田集水调水与增产效应研究

旱作垅种（小麦）沟盖（玉米）地膜带田优于目前推广的沟种（小麦）垅盖（玉米）带田种植形式。在作物共生期相互调水作用更趋合理，平衡了小麦、玉米不同生育阶段对水分的供需矛盾，作物的生态条件更加适宜，群体结构更加协调，提高了作物的生产量，前者比后者增产９０％～１２５％。     

A Critical Analysis of Illinois’ Fish Mercury Monitoring Program, 1974–1998

Mercury contamination in fish is a serious public health concern that contrasts with other health benefits of eating fish. Like most US states, Illinois has monitored fish mercury contamination for decades to warn the public of mercury exposure risks by consuming fish. Has this monitoring program been effective in detecting public mercury exposure risks? I analyzed fish mercury contamination data from Illinois inland lakes (1974–1998; >?2,300 samples, 18 fish species, 149 lakes) and found that: (a) sampling and analyses have been severely limited since 1985; (b) sampling effort varied widely among lakes and species, and (c) trends and spatial patterns were confused by this variability. As a result of a severely limited and nonstrategic monitoring program, public mercury exposure risks via Illinois fish consumption remain unclear, despite much effort over many years. Illinois monitors fewer fish per angler than many US states, but is not alone in this regard. Illinois should resurrect and redesign its fish contaminant monitoring program to one that strategically and systematically assesses human mercury exposure risk. Other US states and nations may also benefit from similar retrospective examinations of monitoring programs intended to protect public health.     

Increased Infectious Disease Susceptibility Resulting from Outbreeding Depression

Abstract:  The mechanisms by which outbreeding depression leads to reduced fitness are poorly understood. We considered the hypothesis that outbreeding can depress fitness by increasing the susceptibility of hybrid individuals and populations to infectious disease. Competitive breeding trials in experimental ponds indicated that outbred largemouth bass (  Micropterus salmoides ) crossed from two geographically and genetically distinct populations suffered a reduction in fitness of approximately 14% relative to parental stocks. We measured the comparative susceptibility of these same outbred stocks to a novel viral pathogen, largemouth bass virus. Following experimental inoculation, F2 generation hybrids suffered mortality at a rate 3.6 times higher than either F1 generation hybrids or wild-type parental fish. Analysis of viral loads indicated that viral replication was more rapid in F2 fish than in F1 hybrids or wild-type parental fish. We attribute these results to the disruption of coadapted gene complexes in the immune systems of outbred fish in the F2 generation. Increased susceptibility to infectious disease may be an important but underappreciated mechanism by which outbreeding reduces the fitness of individuals and populations and by which novel infectious diseases emerge in populations of hybrid organisms.