Waterproof and translucent wings at the same time: problems and solutions in butterflies

Although the colour of butterflies attracts the most attention, the waterproofing properties of their wings are also extremely interesting. Most butterfly wings are considered “super-hydrophobic” because the contact angle (CA) with a water drop exceeds 150°. Usually, butterfly wings are covered with strongly overlapping scales; however, in the case of transparent or translucent wings, scale cover is reduced; thus, the hydrophobicity could be affected. Here, we present a comparative analysis of wing hydrophobicity and its dependence on morphology for two species with translucent wings Parantica sita (Nymphalidae) and Parnassius glacialis (Papilionidae). These species have very different life histories: P. sita lives for up to 6 months as an adult and migrates over long distance, whereas P. glacialis lives for less than 1 month and does not migrate. We measured the water CA and analysed wing morphology with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. P. sita has super-hydrophobic wing surfaces, with CA > 160°, whereas P. glacialis did not (CA = 100–135°). Specialised scales were found on the translucent portions of P. sita wings. These scales were ovoid and much thinner than common scales, erect at about 30°, and leaving up to 80% of the wing surface uncovered. The underlying bare wing surface had a remarkable pattern of ridges and knobs. P. glacialis also had over 80% of the wing surface uncovered, but the scales were either setae-like or spade-like. The bare surface of the wing had an irregular wavy smooth pattern. We suggest a mode of action that allows this super-hydrophobic effect with an incompletely covered wing surface. The scales bend, but do not collapse, under the pressure of a water droplet, and the elastic recovery of the structure at the borders of the droplet allows a high apparent CA. Thus, P. sita can be translucent without losing its waterproof properties. This characteristic is likely necessary for the long life and migration of this species. This is the first study of some of the effects on the hydrophobicity of translucency through scales’ cover reduction in butterfly wings and on the morphology associated with improved waterproofing. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Plant leaf economics and reproductive investment are responsive to gradients of land use intensity

Relationships between functional leaf traits across large sets of plant species emphasized the existence of a major axis describing a trade-off between rapid acquisition and conservation of resources forming the so-called “leaf economics spectrum”. It is uncertain which environmental factors determine the economics spectrum and whether traits associated with reproduction co-vary with the economics spectrum. To determine these trait-environment relationships for agricultural ecosystems, this study was conducted at field, pasture, and heathland sites forming a strong land use gradient in Northwest Germany. The abundance of 49 species was recorded in 85 plots together with their traits (canopy height, specific leaf area, leaf N, leaf N:P, leaf and stem dry matter content, life cycle, reproductive investment (RI) in seed mass and seed number), as well as parameters describing soil resources and land use disturbances. RLQ multivariate analysis of the data set related an environmental table to a species trait table using a species abundance table to extract the joint structure between them. Thereafter, we clustered the species on the RLQ axis to extract functional groups. Traits associated with the leaf economics spectrum were strongly related to soil resources that co-varied with disturbance intensity. A division of the whole land use gradient into agricultural and heathland sites showed that RI was not decoupled from trait-environment relationships although the direction of the RI-environment relationship was opposite in the two subsets. Species were clumped rather than linearly arranged in the trait-environment space and the functional groups broadly corresponded to weed communities, pastures with differing intensities, and heathlands. The trade-off in plant economics responding to soil resources supports predictions of previous theoretical and empirical work. Different RI-environment relationships in agricultural sites and heathlands emphasize the relevance of local scales in trait-environment studies. In general, the results point to some of the biological mechanisms controlling functions and services of agricultural ecosystems.     

不同HRT下污水中有机物在ABR中的转化过程及污泥形态特征

采用效果检测、粒径分布与电镜扫描等方法,研究厌氧折流板反应器（ABR）在不同水力停留时间（HRT）下污水中有机物（COD）的转化过程及污泥形态变化特征.结果表明,HRT从15 h到4 h的各运行阶段,COD去除率稳定在90.0%以上.沿程分析表明,当HRT为10、7.5、5和4 h时,ABR第一隔室分别承担约90%、78.56%、74.18%及58.91%的去碳比重,且承担COD去除的主要功能隔室由第一隔室过渡到第一、二隔室.随着HRT缩短,ABR第一隔室中挥发性脂肪酸（VFAs）总量显著上升.组成分析知,乙酸在总VFAs的比重由51.36%逐渐升高至58.77%,丁酸、丙酸含量相对较少,变化较小.随着运行时间推移,ABR中污泥形态发生显著变化,到111 d时,基本实现颗粒化;同时,沿水流方向颗粒化程度呈递减趋势.扫描电镜（SEM）观察显示,ABR一定程度上存在生物相分离现象,各隔室分别以丝状菌、甲烷多球菌、单球菌和杆菌为主.     

原子氧作用下聚合物薄膜材料表面形貌变化研究综述

原子氧作用造成航天器用聚合物薄膜的表面形貌发生显著变化,服役性能下降。基于此,从试验和仿真2个方面对相关研究进行了综述,总结了聚酰亚胺薄膜粗糙度及透过率随原子氧通量的变化,发现随累积通量增加,薄膜表面粗糙度增大,造成其透过率下降,但变化规律仍不清楚。对改性聚酰亚胺薄膜、其他聚合物薄膜及空间环境协合效应下聚合物薄膜的形貌变化进行了分析,分析了原子氧与聚合物材料作用仿真方法,对原子氧掏蚀形貌仿真结果进行了总结,指出了聚合物薄膜形貌变化机理研究中的关键科学问题。     

岩溶山地土壤氧化铁形态及其与成土环境的关系

土壤氧化铁的数量和形态是成土过程和成土环境的反映.以重庆金佛山为研究对象,采用化学选择溶解法,分析了岩溶山地土壤铁氧化物数量与形态,并探讨了氧化铁数量、形态与成土环境、岩溶环境退化和石漠化发生发展的关系.结果表明,山顶区与坡腰区全铁含量差异大,山顶土壤全铁51.49 g.kg-1,坡腰区全铁含量86.29 g.kg-1,土壤全铁主要受母质影响.山顶区气温低,土壤发育程度弱,黏粒游离铁含量低（29.16 g.kg-1）,黏粒部分铁的游离度小（35.40%）;坡腰区气温高,土壤风化程度较深,黏粒游离铁含量高（43.92 g.kg-1）,黏粒铁的游离度高（60.41%）.山顶区低温潮湿,土壤有机质含量高,铁的活化度和络合度高（73.51%和17.21%）,显著高于坡腰区（13.06%和0.41%）.在坡腰区,灌丛马尾松退化或转化为旱地后,土壤有机质含量下降,黏粒流失,游离铁有伴随黏粒迁移的趋势,使土壤全铁和黏粒游离铁减少;灌丛马尾松土壤全铁98.25g.kg-1,坡耕地84.52 g.kg-1;灌丛马尾松黏粒游离铁50.81 g.kg-1,坡耕地47.86 g.kg-1.土壤铁氧化物数量与形态可以表征岩溶环境退化及石漠化发生发展状况.     

Crystallisation kinetics of mullite glass-ceramics obtained from alumina–silica wastes

Mullite-based glass-ceramics were produced from aluminium hydroxide sludge resulting from the anodisation process and waste glasses. Phase development for crystallisation of amorphous mullite was investigated between 900°C and 1200°C. The kinetic parameters such as activation energy of crystallisation and Avrami exponent for the samples were evaluated from differential thermal analysis curves using various heating rates (5–30°C) and particle size ranges ( < 45, 80–125 and 355–400 μm). The growth morphology parameters ‘n’ and ‘m’ are in the range of 2.5–5.4 and 1.5–4.4, respectively, indicating that bulk nucleation is dominant in mullite crystallisation followed by two- to three-dimensional growth of mullite crystals controlled by diffusion from a varying number of nuclei.     

Common volatiles are major attractants for neonate larvae of the specialist flea beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Altica koreana</Emphasis> (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Olfactory stimuli play an important role in the host searching of larval phytophagous insects. Previous studies indicate that larvae that have to find feeding sites after hatching are generally attracted to host volatiles. However, there are few studies on the olfactory responses of neonate larvae to host volatiles in cases when those larvae hatched on the host plant. In the present study, we determined the olfactory responses of neonate larvae of the specialist flea beetle, Altica koreana Ogloblin, to host and six non-host plants, using a static-air "arena." Larvae responded significantly to the host plant Potentilla chinensis Ser. and five of six non-host plants, compared to the control. Larvae did not prefer the host plant over the non-host plants (except Artemisia sp.) when offered a choice. Additionally, odours of a non-host plant, which were unattractive to neonate larvae, may have masked the attractive odour of the host plant. These results indicate that common volatiles can play a major role in attracting larvae of this specialist to plants, but attraction to such odours may not be the major mechanism of host choice.     

Bedded Sediment Conditions and Macroinvertebrate Responses in New Mexico Streams: A First Step in Establishing Sediment Criteria

Excess fine sediments in streambeds are among the most pervasive causes of degradation in streams of the United States. Simple criteria for acceptable streambed fines are elusive because streambed fines and biotic tolerances vary widely in the absence of human disturbances. In response to the need for sediment benchmarks that are protective of minimum aquatic life uses under the Clean Water Act, we undertook a case study using surveys of sediment, physical habitat, and macroinvertebrates from New Mexico streams. Our approach uses weight of evidence to develop suggested benchmarks for protective levels of surficial bedded sediments <0.06 mm (silt and finer) and <2.0 mm (sand and finer). We grouped streams into three ecoregions that were expected to produce similar naturally occurring streambed textures and patterns of response to human disturbances. Within ecoregions, we employed stressor response models to estimate fine sediment percentages and bed stability that are tolerated by resident macroinvertebrates. We then compared individual stream sediment data with distributions among least‐disturbed reference sites to determine deviation from natural conditions, accounting for natural variability across ecoregion, gradient, and drainage area. This approach for developing benchmark values could be applied more widely to provide a solid basis for developing bedded sediment criteria and other protective management strategies in other regions.     

Net primary productivity of China's terrestrial ecosystems from a process model driven by remote sensing

The terrestrial carbon cycle is one of the foci in global climate change research. Simulating net primary productivity (NPP) of terrestrial ecosystems is important for carbon cycle research. In this study, China's terrestrial NPP was simulated using the Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS), a carbon-water coupled process model based on remote sensing inputs. For these purposes, a national-wide database (including leaf area index, land cover, meteorology, vegetation and soil) at a 1 km resolution and a validation database were established. Using these databases and BEPS, daily maps of NPP for the entire China's landmass in 2001 were produced, and gross primary productivity (GPP) and autotrophic respiration (RA) were estimated. Using the simulated results, we explore temporal-spatial patterns of China's terrestrial NPP and the mechanisms of its responses to various environmental factors. The total NPP and mean NPP of China's landmass were 2.235 GtC and 235.2 gCm(-2)yr(-1), respectively; the total GPP and mean GPP were 4.418 GtC and 465 gCm(-2)yr(-1); and the total RA and mean RA were 2.227 GtC and 234 gCm(-2)yr(-1), respectively. On average, NPP was 50.6% of GPP. In addition, statistical analysis of NPP of different land cover types was conducted, and spatiotemporal patterns of NPP were investigated. The response of NPP to changes in some key factors such as LAI, precipitation, temperature, solar radiation, VPD and AWC are evaluated and discussed.     

Observation and simulation of net primary productivity in Qilian Mountain, western China

We modeled net primary productivity (NPP) at high spatial resolution using an advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) image of a Qilian Mountain study area using the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS). Two key driving variables of the model, leaf area index (LAI) and land cover type, were derived from ASTER and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Other spatially explicit inputs included daily meteorological data (radiation, precipitation, temperature, humidity), available soil water holding capacity (AWC), and forest biomass. NPP was estimated for coniferous forests and other land cover types in the study area. The result showed that NPP of coniferous forests in the study area was about 4.4 tCha(-1)y(-1). The correlation coefficient between the modeled NPP and ground measurements was 0.84, with a mean relative error of about 13.9%.