Is The Ca + K + Mg/Al Ratio in the Soil Solution a Predictive Tool for Estimating Forest Damage?

The ratio between (Ca +K +Mg) and Al in nutrientsolution has been suggested as a predictive tool forestimating tree growth disturbance. However, the ratiois unspecific in the sense that it is based on severalelements which are all essential for plant growth;each of these may be growth-limiting. Furthermore,aluminium retards growth at higher concentrations. Itis therefore difficult to give causal and objectivebiological explanations for possible growthdisturbances. The importance of the proportion ofbase-cations to N, at a fixed base-cation/Al ratio, isevaluated with regard to growth of Picea abies.The uptake of elements was found to be selective;nutrients were taken up while most Al remained insolution. Biomass partitioning to the roots increasedafter aluminium addition with low proportions of basecations to nitrogen. We conclude that the low growthrates depend on nutrient limitation in thesetreatments. Low growth rates in the high proportionexperiments may be explained by high internal Alconcentrations. The results strongly suggest thatgrowth rate is not correlated with the ratio in therooting medium and question the validity of usingratios as predictive tools for estimating forestdamage. We suggest that growth limitation of Picea abies in the field may depend on lowproportions of base cations to nitrate. It istherefore important to know the nutritional status ofthe plant material in relation to the growth potentialand environmental limitation to be able to predict andestimate forest damage.     

NUTRIENT LOAD CHARACTERIZATION FROM INTEGRATED SOURCE DATA FOR THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RWER1

ABSTRACT: Nutrient data from all available sources for the lower Mississippi River were examined for potential differences among sampling agencies and geographic locations for the period between 1960 and 1998. Monthly means grouped by parameter, sampling location and agency, were calculated and compared as paired sets, excluding those months where data were not available for both sets. Some significant differences were found between various agencies collecting nutrient data on the river, as well as between various stretches of river, especially in the case of phosphorus nutrient data. Results were used to synthesize data sets from which a history of nutrient loading in the Mississippi River was determined. General trends in nitrate+nitrite, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus and silica loads, as well as changes in nutrient proportions and the specific limiting nutrient (by month) are reported. This study provides a useful summary of contemporary and historical nutrient data that may assist in the evaluation of Mississippi River water quality and its potential effect on the Gulf of Mexico.     

微囊藻毒素-RR对烟草细胞活力及营养生理的影响

采用0.1,1.0,10.0μg/mL的微囊藻毒素-RR(MC-RR)处理烟草BY-2悬浮细胞,测定了细胞活力、细胞内蛋白质含量、可溶性糖含量、硝态氮含量及总磷含量,并且检测了酸性磷酸酶(ACP)的活力变化情况.结果表明,中、高浓度毒素处理细胞2d后,细胞活力及蛋白质含量与对照相比均显著下降.高浓度MC-RR处理降低了胞内可溶性糖的含量,暴露2d后仅为对照的45.57%;低浓度MC-RR处理在后期增加了胞内可溶性糖含量.高浓度毒素处理细胞4d后,细胞内硝态氮含量显著低于对照;中、低浓度毒素处理细胞7d后降低了胞内硝态氮含量.3组毒素处理均降低了胞内总磷含量,到实验结束时,低、中、高浓度处理组的胞内磷含量分别为对照的74.98%、76.47%和84.00%.3组处理组ACP活力与对照相比呈现先降低后升高的趋势.     

Song dialects do not restrict gene flow in an urban population of the orange-tufted sunbird, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nectarinia osea</Emphasis>

Geographic variation in vocalizations is widespread in passerine birds, but its origins and maintenance remain unclear. In this study, we test the hypothesis that song dialect, a culturally transmitted trait, is related to the population genetic structure of the orange-tufted sunbird, Nectarinia osea. To address this, we compared mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation together with allele frequencies at five microsatellite loci from an urban population of sunbirds exhibiting two distinct song dialects on a microgeographic scale. Our findings reveal no association between dialect membership and genetic composition. All genetic measures, from both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, indicate high levels of gene flow between both dialect populations. The low F _ST values obtained from mtDNA and microsatellite analysis imply that the variation among dialects does not account for more than 2%, at best, of the overall genetic variation found in the entire population. These measures fall well within the range of similar measures obtained in other studies of species exhibiting vocal dialects, most of which fail to detect any dialect-based genetic differentiation. The persistence of dialects in the orange-tufted sunbird may thus best be explained by dispersal of individuals across dialect boundaries and possibly from surrounding areas, followed by postdispersal vocal matching. Because genetic structuring appears weaker than cultural structure in this species, we discuss the behavioral mechanisms underlying dialect maintenance in the presence of apparent gene flow.     

Queen–worker–brood coadaptation rather than conflict may drive colony resource allocation in the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus

Conflicts of interest among genetically heterogeneous nestmates in social insect colonies have been emphasized as driving colony resource allocation. However, potential intracolonial conflicts may not actually be realized so that resource allocation could be shaped primarily by among-colony selection that maximizes colony productivity. To elucidate the causal basis of patterns of resource allocation, I experimentally manipulated three fundamental aspects of colony social structure (relatedness among workers, relatedness among larvae, and queen presence) in the ant Temnothorax curvispinosus and measured effects on colony resource allocation to new workers, gynes, and males. The experimental manipulations had widespread effects on patterns of colony resource allocation, but there was little evidence for realized conflicts over the sex ratio and caste ratio. Decreasing nestmate relatedness caused decreased colony productivity, suggesting that more closely related nestmates have more favorably interacting phenotypes. Together, these results suggest that resource allocation in T. curvispinosus may be shaped more by among-colony selection than intracolonial conflict, leading to queen–worker–brood coadaptation.     

Disease prevention and resistance in social insects: modeling the survival consequences of immunity,hygienic behavior,and colony organization

Understanding the origin of disease resistance in social insects is difficult due to the lack of well-established phylogenies of presocial and eusocial species and the absence of extant basal and intermediate forms. Moreover, comprehensive accounts of infection-control traits in social insect lineages are not available. Therefore, to explore the evolution of pathogen control in social insects we used cellular automata models to analyze the efficacy of immunity and nest hygiene, which we assumed were basal traits, and allogrooming, which likely followed the transition to eusociality, and their interactions with colony demography and patterns of worker spatial distribution. Models showed that nest hygiene provided an immediate survival benefit and that immunity lowered overall disease susceptibility under both constant and periodic exposure scenarios. Allogrooming increased survivorship in chronically challenged colonies but also increased pathogen transmission rates under conditions of periodic exposure. Colonies having demographies biased towards young or old individuals had slightly higher mortality than those with heterogeneous demographies. The distribution of older individuals relative to the nest center had no significant effect on susceptibility and provided only a minor survival advantage. Models indicated that nest hygiene and immunity function on different temporal scales and can interact with demography to lower disease risks. Our results suggest how infection control systems in social insects could have been built upon the inducible immune defenses and nest hygienic behaviors of solitary and presocial ancestors and served as important preadaptations to manage disease exposure and transmission in colonies of eusocial species.     

长江口及邻近海域表层沉积物中营养元素的分布特征及其控制因素

对2003年6月采集的长江口及邻近海域的24个表层沉积物样品进行分析,分别得到C、N、P三种营养元素的三种形态的含量,并由此得到不同形态营养元素的平面分布及其在总量中所占的份额,即IC、IP为C、P的优势形态,而ON为N的优势形态。在此基础上,进一步分析了影响不同营养元素分布的因素,得出上覆水体的温度、沉积物粒度以及水动力条件等对沉积物中营养元素的分布具有重要影响。     

生物脱氮除磷工艺中的丝状菌

在生物脱氮除磷工艺中,污泥膨胀是运行管理的难题。介绍了生物脱氮除磷工艺中丝状菌的种类和数量的变化,数据表明,生物脱氮除磷工艺中的丝状菌主要是微丝菌,其次是0675型和0914型菌。经分析认为,污泥龄的增加会促进丝状菌长度的明显增长并导致污泥膨胀,生物残渣的浓度是造成长泥龄污泥膨胀的原因之一。厌氧阶段有分解生物残渣的功能,可改善菌胶团菌的微环境,从而抑制丝状菌的过剩生长,控制污泥膨胀。     

雀形目八种鸟核型的比较研究

采用空气干燥法制备骨髓细胞染色体标本 ,报道了雀形目 5科 8种鸟的核型 ,其中八色鸫科为世界首次报道核型的科 .比较研究表明 :臂间倒位和小染色体缺失在所描述类群的染色体进化中起着重要作用 .图版 2表 6参 15     

柚园间种作物及施用不同有机肥对土壤与柚果的影响

柚树间种短期经济作物在提高柚园经济效益的同时,还可提高土壤的有机质和N、P、K养分质量分数,改善柚园小区气候,增加有机肥来源。间种物残余体作为绿肥,可显著地提高柚果产量和质量。