Conservation mycology in Australia and the potential role of citizen science

Fungi are undoubtedly important for ecosystem functioning; however, they have been omitted or given scant attention in most biodiversity policy documents, management plans, and formal conservation schedules throughout the world. This oversight may be due to a general lack of awareness in the scientific community and compounded by a scarcity of mycology‐associated curricula at the tertiary level and a lack of mycologists in research institutions. Although molecular techniques advance the systematic cataloging of fungi and facilitate insights into fungal communities, the scarcity of professional mycologists in the environmental sciences hampers conservation efforts. Conversely, citizen science initiatives are making significant contributions to the mycology discipline by increasing awareness and extending the scope of fungal surveys. Future research by professional and amateur mycologists into the distribution of fungi and their function in ecosystems will help identify wider and more effective conservation goals.     

Use of genetic,climatic, and microbiological data to inform reintroduction of a regionally extinct butterfly

Species reintroductions are increasingly used as means of mitigating biodiversity loss. Besides habitat quality at the site targeted for reintroduction, the choice of source population can be critical for success. The butterfly Melanargia russiae (Esper´s marbled white) was extirpated from Hungary over 100 years ago, and a reintroduction program has recently been approved. We used museum specimens of this butterfly, mitochondrial DNA data (mtDNA), endosymbiont screening, and climatic‐similarity analyses to determine which extant populations should be used for its reintroduction. The species displayed 2 main mtDNA lineages across its range: 1 restricted to Iberia and southern France (Iberian lineage) and another found throughout the rest of its range (Eurasian lineage). These 2 lineages possessed highly divergent wsp alleles of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia. The century‐old Hungarian specimens represented an endemic haplotype belonging to the Eurasian lineage, differing by one mutation from the Balkan and eastern European populations. The Hungarian populations of M. russiae occurred in areas with a colder and drier climate relative to most sites with extant known populations. Our results suggest the populations used for reintroduction to Hungary should belong to the Eurasian lineage, preferably from eastern Ukraine (genetically close and living in areas with the highest climatic similarity). Materials stored in museum collections can provide unique opportunities to document historical genetic diversity and help direct conservation.     

Quantifying progress toward a conservation assessment for all plants

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) set an ambitious target to achieve a conservation assessment for all known plant species by 2020. We consolidated digitally available plant conservation assessments and reconciled their scientific names and assessment status to predefined standards to provide a quantitative measure of progress toward this target. The 241,919 plant conservation assessments generated represent 111,824 accepted land plant species (vascular plants and bryophytes, not algae). At least 73,081 and up to 90,321 species have been assessed at the global scale, representing 21–26% of known plant species. Of these plant species, at least 27,148 and up to 32,542 are threatened. Eighty plant families, including some of the largest, such as Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, and Rubiaceae, are underassessed and should be the focus of assessment effort if the GSPC target is to be met by 2020. Our data set is accessible online (ThreatSearch) and is a baseline that can be used to directly support other GSPC targets and plant conservation action. Although around one‐quarter of a million plant assessments have been compiled, the majority of plants are still unassessed. The challenge now is to build on this progress and redouble efforts to document conservation status of unassessed plants to better inform conservation decisions and conserve the most threatened species.     

基于BP神经网络算法的密云水库水质参数反演研究

密云水库是北京市重要的地表饮用水源地,在保障首都水源安全方面起着重要作用,而密云水库水质参数的区域监测已成为当前亟待解决的问题。为了实现密云水库水质参数大范围、实时获取,该文基于遥感和GIS技术,采用BP神经网络算法,结合地面监测数据和Landsat 8遥感影像,分别建立了反演总磷、总氮、氨氮和COD(化学需氧量)4个水质参数的BP神经网络模型,并反演了密云水库2013-2018年非结冰期主要水质参数,分析了密云水库主要水质参数的年际变化特征、季节变化特征和空间分异特征。结果表明,(1)水质参数的Landsat 8敏感波段分别为:总氮为1、4波段,氨氮为1-7波段,总磷为1、3-7波段,COD为2-5波段。(2)密云水库主要水质参数在2013-2018年总体呈下降趋势,氨氮和COD为Ⅰ类水质,总磷为Ⅱ类水质,总氮为Ⅲ类水质。(3)4个水质参数指标春季最高、秋季次之、夏季最低,总氮、总磷、氨氮和COD的春季值分别是夏季值的1.08、1.36、1.6、1.45倍。(4)密云水库不同水质参数的空间差异性较大,总体来看,水库北部和东部的4个水质参数含量相对较高,这种分布与北部和东部村庄密集以及密云水库两大入库河流有关。综上所述,基于BP神经网络算法的密云水库水质反演研究是可行的,且得到了较为可信的研究结果,该研究可为密云水库水质管理与政策制定提供重要的科学依据。     

多能硫杆菌1,5-二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶/加氧酶的酶学特征及基因检测

从固体平板的生长情况及RubisCO酶活性测定结果，表明多能硫杆菌是通过卡尔文循环固定的CO2，并具有该循环的关键酶──1，5－二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶／加氧酶．进一步将多能硫杆菌染色体DNA用各种限制性内切酸酶切，Southern转移到硝酸纤维素滤膜上，与光合细菌Rhodobactersphaeroides的RubisCO基因（rbcL－rbcS）探针杂交，显示出杂交带型，说明多能硫杆菌具有R．sphaeroides同源的羧化酶基因，并初步将该基因定位在3．0kb的PstⅠ片段内．     

Hydroquinones from defensive secretion of a giant Pacific millipede, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acladocricus setigerus</Emphasis> (Diplopoda: Spirobolida)

Summary. The presence of considerable quantities of hydroquinones including hydroquinone, 2-methylhydroquinone, 2,3- dimethoxyhydroquinone, 2-methoxy-3-methylhydroquinone, and 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methylhydroquinone renders the defensive secretion of Acladocricus setigerus (Silvestri, 1897) significantly different from that of other quinone-producing millipedes. In addition, two hitherto undescribed compounds, namely, 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methylhydroquinone and 2-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyphenol, were characterized from the defensive secretion. However, it is uncertain if the latter compound is formed after the release of the secretion. The two major compounds, 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone and 2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, constitute about 75% of the defensive fluid. Furthermore, hydrocarbons, which are typically present in the secretions of most other arthropods that use benzoquinones as repellents, are notably absent in the secretion of A. setigerus.     

Mo6+对活性污泥系统反硝化性能的影响

采用对比实验的方法,在不同初始硝酸盐氮和COD质量浓度的条件下,对人工模拟的活性污泥系统投加不同质量浓度的Mo6 ,以此考察Mo6 对活性污泥系统反硝化性能的影响。结果发现,Mo6 的质量浓度小于5mg?L-1以下时能够促进硝酸盐氮的去除,质量浓度为1mg?L-1时促进效果最好。Mo6 的质量浓度在4mg?L-1以下时,可以使COD去除效率增加,质量浓度为2mg?L-1时有最佳促进作用。Mo6 的质量浓度小于1g?L-1时可提高反硝化活性污泥的TTC-脱氢酶活性,过高质量浓度则表现出抑制作用。综合Mo6 的对硝酸盐氮和COD去除的影响规律以及对活性污泥TTC-脱氢酶活性的影响,认为Mo6 在质量浓度为1mg?L-1时对反硝化的促进作用最强。     

温度对等离子体与催化剂结合脱除Nox的影响

考察了温度对介质阻挡放电和CuZSM-5催化剂"一段法"结合脱除氮氧化物(NOx)的影响.实验表明,在250℃和300℃时,对于NO/N2,NO/O2/N2和 NO/C2H4/N2三个体系,"一段法"脱除NOx的活性都相对较低.在NO/O2/C2H4/N2体系中,250℃介质阻挡放电和CuZSM-5结合脱除NOx产生了明显的协同效应.在300℃,等离子体对脱除NOx起负作用.相对低温(150℃)时,等离子体的促进作用很小.电学实验表明,当反应温度由25℃升至450℃,"一段法"体系的李萨如(Lissajous)图形由平行四边形(25℃)逐渐变为椭圆形(450℃),表明较高温度时催化剂的介电性质发生了变化.原位发射光谱证明在不同温度下,"一段法"体系中等离子体气相产生的活性物种数量明显不同.     

慢生型大豆根瘤菌(Bradyrhizobium japonicum)聚羟丁酸合成酶基因(phbC)突变体的构建及其特性

通过转座子Tn5诱变和同源重组，构建了Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110聚羟丁酸合成酶基因(phbC)突变体．序列测定确定了转座子插入的精确位置，所获得的4个转座子诱变的质粒其Tn5插在phbC基因内两个相距仅9bp的位点．被Southern和PCR证实的突变体菌株仍能产生相当于野生型菌株12．97％—25．10％的PHB，并且在突变体和野生型菌株总DNA杂交图上都呈现出一条约5kb的阳性带，推测在B.japonicum基因组中存在不止一个聚羟丁酸合成酶基因．图3表4参17     

A comparative study of prognostic MM5 meteorological modeling with aircraft, wind profiler, lidar, tethered balloon and RASS data over Philadelphia during a 1999 summer episode

This study presents a comparative evaluation of the prognostic meteorological Fifth Generation NCAR Pennsylvania State University Mesoscale Model (MM5) using data from the Northeast Oxidant and Particle Study (NE-OPS) research program collected over Philadelphia, PA during a summer episode in 1999. A set of model simulations utilizing a nested grid of 36 km, 12 km and 4 km horizontal resolutions with 21 layers in the vertical direction was performed for a period of 101 h from July 15, 1999; 12 UTC to July 19, 1999; 17 UTC. The model predictions obtained with 4 km horizontal grid resolution were compared with the NE-OPS observations. Comparisons of model temperature with aircraft data revealed that the model exhibited slight underestimation as noted by previous investigators. Comparisons of model temperature with aircraft and tethered balloon data indicate that the mean absolute error varied up to 1.5 °C. The comparisons of model relative humidity with aircraft and tethered balloon indicate that the mean relative error varied from –11% to –22% for the tethered balloon and from –5% to –30% for the aircraft data. The mean relative error for water vapor mixing ratio with respect to the lidar data exhibited a negative bias consistent with the humidity bias corresponding to aircraft and tethered balloon data. The tendency of MM5 to produce estimates of very low wind speeds, especially in the early-mid afternoon hours, as noted by earlier investigators, is seen in this study also. It is indeed true that the initial fields as well as the fields utilized in the data assimilation also contribute to some of the differences between the model and observations. Studies such as these which compare the grid averaged mean state variables with observations have inherent difficulties. Despite the above limitations, the results of the present study broadly conform to the general traits of MM5 as noted by earlier investigators.