The downfall of mating: the effect of mate-carrying and flight muscle ratio on the escape ability of a pierid butterfly

In many species, the ability to evade predators is known to be periodically impaired by increased weight loads due to feeding and reproduction. Not only may extra weight reduce escape speed, but feeding and mating can also make the prey more noticeable to visually hunting predators. A number of butterfly species mate for hours, and if a mating couple is disturbed, one of the butterflies is responsible for flying, whereas its partner remains still. This study investigated the ability of male Pieris napi butterflies to fly while mating, with the prediction that mate carrying impairs flight ability compared to single flying males and that males with relatively high flight muscle ratios (FMR; male thorax mass/male + female body mass) will have better flight performance in copula. Our results clearly show that whereas single males always take off at steep angles and fly upwards, couples invariably have a negative take-off angle and rarely gain height. Moreover, landing height of the couples is positively associated with higher FMR. Hence, male flight ability when in copula is positively associated with a high relative thorax mass. Butterfly pairs may thus be at greater risk of predation as a consequence of their impaired flight ability, especially couples with critically low FMRs (<16%).     

ACCURACY AND PRECISION OF NRCS MODELS FOR SMALL WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: In the last 30 years, the National Resource Conservation Service's TR‐55 and TR‐20 models have seen a dramatic increase in use for stormwater management purposes. This paper reviews some of the data that were originally used to develop these models and tests how well the models estimate annual series peak runoff rates for the same watersheds using longer historical data record lengths. The paper also explores differences between TR‐55 and TR‐20 peak runoff rate estimates and time of concentration methods. It was found that of the 37 watersheds tested, 25 were either over‐ or under‐predicting the actual historical watershed runoff rates by more than 30 percent. The results of this study indicate that these NRCS models should not be used to model small wooded watersheds less than 20 acres. This would be especially true if the watershed consisted of an area without a clearly defined outlet channel. This study also supports the need for regulators to allow educated hydrologists to alter pre‐packaged model parameters or results more easily than is currently permitted.     

Use of the Dynamic Model `MAGIC' to Predict Recovery Following Implementation of the Gothenburg Protocol

Reduction of sulphur deposition causesrecovery of acidified surface waters. Processes in thecatchment delay recovery. The acidification model MAGICwas applied to the Vikedal and Tovdal rivers in southernNorway. Response in water chemsitry is delayed by 10–20 yr. The delay is due to release of old sulphate atVikedal and cation exchange at Tovdal. Assuming that theGothenburg protocol is fully implemented by the year2010, much of the predicted increase of ANC will occur inthe next 10 yr with a levelling off by about 2040. Ifnitrogen leaching increases in the future, however,recovery of ANC will not be as rapid, nor as complete.Critical load for acidity calculated by steady-statemodels is confirmed by the MAGIC predictions. Futurerequirement for mitigation measures such as liming willdecrease in the future as acid deposition decreases. Bythe year 2046 the liming requirement will be reduced byabout 45% at Vikedal and 65% at Tovdal. One of the mainpurposes of the Norwegian national monitoring programmeis to provide documentation of changes in environmentalquality due to long-range transported air pollutants.Modelling applications such as this clearly show that thedata fill this purpose.     

高流量负荷下低浓度VOCs废气的生物法处理

高流量负荷下生物膜填料塔净化低浓度甲苯废气的实验结果表明,当气体流量在0.8m/h,入口气体甲苯浓度为105mg/m,停留时间18.3s时,甲苯的净化效率可达到61.9%,出口气体甲苯浓度低于国家对现有企业的排放标准(≤60mg/m³).适宜的操作温度应控制在20～25℃之间,氮磷营养添加量的配比应控制为C:N:P=200:5:1.依据实验结果数据,对相关的机理问题进行了分析探讨.     

海绵城市设施的降雨径流和污染负荷频谱分析方法

海绵城市设施效果目前主要用年径流总量控制率和年径流污染物总量削减率评价,它们通过对事件数据进行累加得到.为直接分析事件,建立了适用于降雨、径流和污染事件的频谱分析方法 .在方法例证研究中,年径流总量控制率显示海绵设施能够完全还原自然径流总量,最佳规模为201 m³.而径流频谱显示,与自然对照相比,海绵设施截留小雨(导致径流总频次减少)、对大雨控制不足,只在中雨下接近自然径流,它不能还原自然径流事件,通过计算频谱相似度得到的最大修复程度为0.66,最佳规模为238 m³.污染负荷频谱提供了大量细节信息,例如,没有初雨池的弃流器只在1.5～8.0 kg·hm^-2·d^-1的排污量范围内污染削减效果较好,在其他情况下效果较差.降雨频谱和年径流总量控制率的比较表明,频谱不会对原始数据做任何改变,只原样地呈现事件累积频率分布,其表征水文特征的真实性更高.     

三重属性的承载力约束下中国水资源利用效率动态演进特征分析

基于水资源资源禀赋-社会经济-生态环境三重属性约束建立承载力测算模型,创新性地将水资源承载力作为投入要素,构建SFA效率测算模型,运用2003～2017年中国31个省份面板数据,应用Kernel密度估计和Markov链对水资源使用效率的动态演进特征进行分析.结果表明:①中国大部分省份水资源承载力在稳步提升,西北、华...     

Body mass estimations for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plateosaurus engelhardti</Emphasis> using laser scanning and 3D reconstruction methods

Both body mass and surface area are factors determining the essence of any living organism. This should also hold true for an extinct organism such as a dinosaur. The present report discusses the use of a new 3D laser scanner method to establish body masses and surface areas of an Asian elephant (Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark) and of Plateosaurus engelhardti, a prosauropod from the Upper Triassic, exhibited at the Paleontological Museum in Tübingen (Germany). This method was used to study the effect that slight changes in body shape had on body mass for P. engelhardti. It was established that body volumes varied between 0.79 m³ (slim version) and 1.14 m³ (robust version), resulting in a presumable body mass of 630 and 912 kg, respectively. The total body surface areas ranged between 8.8 and 10.2 m², of which, in both reconstructions of P. engelhardti, ∼33% account for the thorax area alone. The main difference between the two models is in the tail and hind limb reconstruction. The tail of the slim version has a surface area of 1.98 m², whereas that of the robust version has a surface area of 2.73 m². The body volumes calculated for the slim version were as follows: head 0.006 m³, neck 0.016 m³, fore limbs 0.020 m³, hind limbs 0.08 m³, thoracic cavity 0.533 m³, and tail 0.136 m³. For the robust model, the following volumes were established: 0.01 m³ head, neck 0.026 m³, fore limbs 0.025 m³, hind limbs 0.18 m³, thoracic cavity 0.616 m³, and finally, tail 0.28 m³. Based on these body volumes, scaling equations were used to assess the size that the organs of this extinct dinosaur have.     

Effects of seed aerosols on the growth of secondary organic aerosols from the photooxidation of toluene

Hydroxyl radical （.OH）-initiated photooxidation reaction of toluene was carried out in a self-made smog chamber. Four individual seed aerosols such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sodium silicate and calcium chloride, were introduced into the chamber to assess their influence on the growth of secondary organic aerosols （SOA）. It was found that the low concentration of seed aerosols might lead to high concentration of SOA particles. Seed aerosols would promote rates of SOA formation at the start of the reaction and inhibit its formation rate with prolonging the reaction time. In the case of ca. 9000 pt/cm^3 seed aerosol load, the addition of sodium silicate induced a same effect on the SOA formation as ammonium nitrate. The influence of the four individual seed aerosols on the generation of SOA decreased in the order of calcium chloride〉sodium silicate and ammonium nitrate〉ammonium sulfate.     

用碳链准长度估算多环芳烃的分配系数

根据极化效应指数理论计算出多环芳烃的分子极化指数和碳链准长度（N＇）,研究发现,碳链准长度N’与多环芳烃在正辛醇/水两相的分配系数logK_ow有良好的线性关系,它可表示为logK_ow＝0.5441＋0.3767N’n＝32R＝0.9804s＝0.2214。用N’估算和预测多环芳烃的分配系数logK_ow与测定值和Leo碎片法估算值一致,并且准碳链长度N’可直接从分子结构计算得到,经验成分较少,也不需要引入其它结构校正因子。     

饮用水水源地严格管理水质的对策分析——对实行严格水资源管理问题上的看法和建议

2012年1月国务院发布了《关于实行最严格水资源管理制度的意见》,这是众所关注的要事,实行了最严格水资源管理的原则精神以及确定县级以上政府负总责的规定.但对如何严格管理的技术路线和对策措施上,特针对现实中存在的主要问题提出以下3点看法和建议:①达到地面水环境质量Ⅱ类水质的饮用水水源地不一定未受污染;②保护区内企业车间排水口符合第一类污染物最高允许排放浓度规定是满足饮用水水源地要求的必要条件;③《地面水环境质量标准》(GB 3838-2002)对第一类污染物规定的Ⅱ类水质,是否体现了水环境背景值有较大存疑.