Association of Coloration Mode with Population Declines and Endangerment in Australian Frogs

Abstract: Successful protection of biodiversity requires increased understanding of the ecological characteristics that predispose some species to endangerment. Theory posits that species with polymorphic or variable coloration should have larger distributions, use more diverse resources, and be less vulnerable to population declines and extinctions, compared with taxa that do not vary in color. We used information from literature on 194 species of Australian frogs to search for associations of coloration mode with ecological variables. In general, species with variable or polymorphic color patterns had larger ranges, used more habitats, were less prone to have a negative population trend, and were estimated as less vulnerable to extinction compared with nonvariable species. An association of variable coloration with lower endangerment was also evident when we controlled statistically for the effects of range size. Nonvariable coloration was not a strong predictor of endangerment, and information on several characteristics is needed to reliably identify and protect species that are prone to decline and may become threatened by extinction in the near future. Analyses based on phylogenetic‐independent contrasts did not support the hypothesis that evolutionary transitions between nonvariable and variable or polymorphic coloration have been accompanied by changes in the ecological variables we examined. Irrefutable demonstration of a role of color pattern variation in amphibian decline and in the dynamics and persistence of populations in general will require a manipulative experimental approach.     

Growth and Foliar Nitrogen Status of Four Plant Species Exposed to Atmospheric Ammonia

A chamber study was conducted to evaluate the growth response and leaf nitrogen (N) status of four plant species exposed to continuous ammonia (NH₃) for 12 weeks (wk). This was intended to evaluate appropriate plant species that could be used to trap discharged NH₃ from the exhaust fans in poultry feeding operations before moving off-site. Two hundred and forty bare-root plants of four species (Juniperus virginiana (red cedar), Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis (thornless honey locust), Populus sp. (hybrid poplar), and Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) were transplanted into 4- or 8-L polyethylene pots and grown in four environmentally controlled chambers. Plants placed in two of the four chambers received continuous exposure to anhydrous NH₃ at 4 to 5 ppm while plants in another two chambers received no NH₃. In each of the four chambers, 2 to 4 plants per species received no fertilizer while the rest of the plants were fertilized with a 100 ppm solution containing 21% N, 7% phosphorus, and 7% potassium. The results showed that honey locust was the fastest-growing species. The superior growth of honey locust among all species was also supported by its total biomass, root, and root dry matter (DM) weights. For all species there was a trend for plants exposed to NH₃ to have greater leaf DM than their non-exposed counterparts at 6 (43.0 vs. 30.8%; P = 0.09) and 12 wk (47.9 vs. 36.6%; P = 0.07), and significantly greater (P ≤ 0.05) leaf N content at 6 (6.44 vs. 3.67%) and 12 wk (7.05 vs. 3.51%) when exposed to NH₃. Numerically greater leaf DM due to NH₃ exposure was also consistently measured in poplar at both sampling periods. Hybrid poplar, as well as honey locust and reed canary grass, deposited 1.5 to 2-fold greater N in their leaves than red cedar tissues as a result of NH₃ exposure compared to non-exposed plants. Regardless of the effect of NH₃ on foliar color and damage score of the plants, the increase of foliar N content (g 100 g^?1 of fresh foliage weight) after NH₃ exposure at 6 and 12 wk was 0.45 and 0.87 for grass,1.25 and 1.34 for locust, and 2.67 and 6.09 for poplar. However, only honey locust likely benefited from ambient NH₃ as indicated by its consistent leaf color quality and lower damage score, compared with other species that were adversely affected by atmospheric NH₃.     

Effect of density-driven flow on the through-diffusion experiment

Diffusion is one of the main mechanisms of solute transport in pore water of geologic media. The effective diffusion coefficient of a solute in a rock is usually measured by the through-diffusion experiment. However, in this experiment, the effect of advection, induced by density difference between dense aqueous solution and pure water, has not been considered. To evaluate the effect of density-driven flow, a through-diffusion experiment using Fontainebleau sandstone was conducted for KCl and KI aqueous solutions with various densities. The measured effective diffusion coefficients were positively correlated with the density difference; the effective diffusion coefficient of a 1 M KI solution (density difference, 0.119 g/cm³) was one order of magnitude larger than that of a 0.1 M KCl solution (density difference, 0.005 g/cm³). The result is explained by a theoretical model using a diffusion–advection equation including Darcy's law. Based on the theory, a diagram to evaluate the condition at which the measured effective diffusion coefficient does not include the effect of advection is presented.     

有机物辛醇／水分配系数的计算方法：分子碎片常数法

辛醇／水分配系数是表征有机污染物环境行为的重要参数之一，本文应用于碎片常数计算了１３０余个有机化合物的辛醇／水分配系数对数值，通过计算值与实测值的比较发现，两者之间表现出相当好的一致性，其平均绝对误差为０．１３５，此外，还探讨了该方法应用于不同类型有机污染物时需要注意的问题。     

博斯腾湖夏季水下光场特征分析及影响因素探讨

2011年8月,在新疆博斯腾湖17个站点进行水样采集,同步对11个站点进行水下光场原位测定.结果发现,博斯腾湖夏季总颗粒物吸收系数光谱表现出明显的浮游植物吸收特征,而浮游植物光谱曲线有明显的硅藻吸收光谱特征.在光合有效辐射波段,有色可溶性有机物（CDOM）吸收系数与浮游植物吸收系数对总吸收的贡献相当,而非色素颗粒物对总吸收的贡献最低.水下光谱衰减系数的最小值出现在580nm左右的绿光波段,PAR漫射衰减系数平均值为0.53m-1,平均真光层深度约为9.69m,大于湖水平均深度.在博斯腾湖虽然纯水和CDOM在总吸收中占有很重要的部分,但主导漫射衰减的因子仍为颗粒物.通过本文研究,以期能为干旱地区湖泊环境保护和水质遥感监测提供数据和理论基础.     

“固化赤泥-人工膜”复合防渗材料研究

赤泥本身具有良好的防渗性能,加入石灰作为激发剂,更可提高其防渗性。根据《土工合成材料测试手册》和GB/T 50123—1999《土工试验方法标准》进行渗透试验,结果表明:室内试验在赤泥中加入8%石灰,并夹一层人工防渗膜形成的复合防渗材料,在固化28 d后,其渗透系数可达(7.3～7.4)×10-9 cm/s。在工业试验中,夹入不同厚度和质地的人工防渗膜的石灰(8%)固化赤泥,渗透系数可达到6.32×10-9～1.89×10-7 cm/s。研究成果在中原某铝厂赤泥堆场防渗工程中得到了应用。     

Application of interface material and effects of oxygen gradient on the performance of single-chamber sediment microbial fuel cells (SSMFCs)

Single-chamber sediment microbial fuel cells(SSMFCs) have received considerable attention nowadays because of their unique dual-functionality of power generation and enhancement of wastewater treatment performance. Thus, scaling up or upgrading SSMFCs for enhanced and efficient performance is a highly crucial task. Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, an innovative physical technique of using interface layers with four different pore sizes embedded in the middle of SSMFCs was utilized in this study.Experimental results showed that the performance of SSMFCs employing an interface layer was improved regardless of the pore size of the interface material, compared to those without such layers. The use of an interface layer resulted in a positive and significant effect on the performance of SSMFCs because of the effective prevention of oxygen diffusion from the cathode to the anode. Nevertheless, when a smaller pore size interface was utilized, better power performance and COD degradation were observed. A maximum power density of 0.032 mW/m~2 and COD degradation of 47.3% were obtained in the case of an interface pore size of 0.28 μm. The findings in this study are of significance to promote the future practical application of SSMFCs in wastewater treatment plants.     

北京地区大气温湿廓线对气溶胶垂直分布的影响

目的分析北京地区大气温湿廓线对气溶胶垂直分布的影响。方法利用北京地区2017年9月至2018年8月每日两次(08时和20时)的气象探空、地面PM_(2.5)浓度和气溶胶激光雷达消光系数资料,分析不同污染条件下大气温湿廓线与气溶胶消光系数廓线的关系。结果地面PM_(2.5)浓度和210m气溶胶消光系数的相关系数达到0.77。春季、秋季和冬季污染条件下的近地面消光系数约是清洁条件下的5倍,夏季污染条件下的近地面消光系数约是清洁条件下的3倍。相比清洁条件下,污染条件下各季节的大气温度垂直递减率偏小,并且低层大气相对湿度偏大。结论大气温度廓线代表大气层结稳定性,影响气溶胶的扩散高度,而相对湿度廓线与气溶胶吸湿增长密切相关,两者对气溶胶消光系数的垂直分布都有重要影响。     

基于Revised IMPROVE方法和MIE方法计算北京地区气溶胶消光系数的对比分析

目的对比分析IMPROVE方程的改进算法(Revised IMPROVE)和MIE方法在北京地区计算消光系数的适用性。方法基于2012年6月3日至6月30日北京地区大气颗粒物成分的浓度观测数据,分别采用Revised IMPROVE和MIE方法计算颗粒物的消光系数,其中MIE方法的粒径分布采用总量双峰分布体积谱和化学组分体积谱两种方案进行循环试验获取最优拟合结果,使用散射积分浊度计和黑碳仪的实测数据对计算结果进行对比分析。结果 RevisedIMPROVE方程、总量双峰体积谱MIE方法和化学组分体积谱MIE方法都能较好地计算出了大气颗粒物消光系数,与观测结果回归方程的相关系数R分别达到0.952、0.9686和0.9734。体积谱分布参数的循环试验方法还同时可以获得气溶胶的体积谱分布参数,总量双峰体积谱和化学组分体积谱MIE方法得到的细颗粒和粗颗粒几何平均粒径分别为0.74、7.5μm和0.48、6.0μm。结论采用化学组分体积谱MIE方法计算的消光系数与观测结果最为接近,Revised IMPROVE方程也有较好的准确性,采用化学组分体积谱MIE方法得到的颗粒物体积谱峰值与实际观测结果也较为一致。     

大直径薄壁半环拉伸模具的设计

分析半环件的成形规律,制定加工工艺方案,对毛坯展开料、模具的几个主要参数、拉伸零件所需冲床规格进行了计算。