Optimizing vermicomposting of animal wastes: effects of rate of manure application on carbon loss and microbial stabilization

Vermicomposting is the process whereby organic residues are broken down by earthworms and microorganisms. Addition of manure has been shown to be of critical importance and determines most of the changes that take place during vermicomposting. Here, we study how the rate of manure applied affects microbial biomass and activity and carbon losses. For this, we designed continuous feeding reactors in which new layers of manure were added sequentially to form an age gradient inside the reactors. We compared two application rates of pig slurry (1.5 and 3kg) and set up six reactors for each one; half of the 12 reactors initially contained a population of 500 earthworms (Eisenia fetida). We found that earthworms increased microbial biomass and were more active in reactors fed with 3kg of slurry. However, the differential rates of respiration were not reflected in C losses. The results thus showed that loss of C was not affected by the rate of pig slurry applied. We conclude that despite the strong effect that the rate of manure has on microbe-earthworm relationships, it did not affect carbon losses. We therefore recommend the use of low application rates of manure when the objective is the microbial stabilization of the residue.     

Population Biology of Gametophytes in Homosporous Polypodiophyta

Modern data on the diversity of morphology and morphogenesis of gametophytes in homosporous ferns, their vegetative reproduction, and the existence of their colonies growing separately, independently of sporophytes, are reviewed. The ontogenetic states of gametophytes are identified and characterized. The problem of gametophyte chemical interactions mediated by antheridiogen, an exohormone, is discussed. These intrapopulation interactions determine the polyvariant character of gametophyte ontogeny and the complex age and sex structure of their colonies.     

Determining size and dispersion of minimum viable populations for land management planning and species conservation

The concept of minimum populations of wildlife and plants has only recently been discussed in the literature. Population genetics has emerged as a basic underlying criterion for determining minimum population size. This paper presents a genetic framework and procedure for determining minimum viable population size and dispersion strategies in the context of multiple-use land management planning. A procedure is presented for determining minimum population size based on maintenance of genetic heterozygosity and reduction of inbreeding. A minimum effective population size (N _e ) of 50 breeding animals is taken from the literature as the minimum shortterm size to keep inbreeding below 1% per generation. Steps in the procedure adjustN _e to account for variance in progeny number, unequal sex ratios, overlapping generations, population fluctuations, and period of habitat/population constraint. The result is an approximate census number that falls within a range of effective population size of 50–500 individuals. This population range defines the time range of short- to long-term population fitness and evolutionary potential. The length of the term is a relative function of the species generation time. Two population dispersion strategies are proposed: core population and dispersed population.     

An ecosystem report on the Panama Canal: monitoring the status of the forest communities and the watershed

In 1996, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Republic of Panama's Environmental Authority, with support fromthe United States Agency for International Development, undertook a comprehensive program to monitor the ecosystem of the Panama Canal watershed. The goals were to establish baselineindicators for the integrity of forest communities and rivers. Based on satellite image classification and ground surveys, the2790 km² watershed had 1570 km² of forest in 1997, 1080 km² of which was in national parks and nature monuments. Most of the 490 km² of forest not currently in protected areas lies along the west bank of the Canal, and its managementstatus after the year 2000 turnover of the Canal from the U.S. to Panama remains uncertain. In forest plots designed to monitorforest diversity and change, a total of 963 woody plant specieswere identified and mapped. We estimate there are a total of 850–1000 woody species in forests of the Canal corridor. Forestsof the wetter upper reaches of the watershed are distinct in species composition from the Canal corridor, and have considerably higher diversity and many unknown species. Theseremote areas are extensively forested, poorly explored, and harbor an estimated 1400–2200 woody species. Vertebrate monitoring programs were also initiated, focusing on species threatened by hunting and forest fragmentation. Large mammals are heavily hunted in most forests of Canal corridor, and therewas clear evidence that mammal density is greatly reduced in hunted areas and that this affects seed predation and dispersal. The human population of the watershed was 113 000 in 1990, and grew by nearly 4% per year from 1980 to 1990. Much of this growth was in a small region of the watershed on the outskirts of Panama City, but even rural areas, including villages near and within national parks, grew by 2% per year. There is no sewage treatment in the watershed, and many towns have no trashcollection, thus streams near large towns are heavily polluted. Analyses of sediment loads in rivers throughout the watershed did not indicate that erosion has been increasing as a result ofdeforestation, rather, erosion seems to be driven largely by total rainfall and heavy rainfall events that cause landslides.Still, models suggest that large-scale deforestation would increase landslide frequency, and failure to detect increases inerosion could be due to the gradual deforestation rate and the short time period over which data are available. A study of runoff showed deforestation increased the amount of water fromrainfall that passed directly into streams. As a result, dry season flow was reduced in a deforested catchment relative to aforested one. Currently, the Panama Canal watershed has extensive forest areasand streams relatively unaffected by humans. But impacts of hunting and pollution near towns are clear, and the burgeoningpopulation will exacerbate these impacts in the next few decades.Changes in policies regarding forest protection and pollution control are necessary.     

Urban Plants as Genetic Reservoirs or Threats to the Integrity of Bushland Plant Populations

Abstract:  Remnant plants in urban fringes and native plants in gardens have the potential to contribute to the conservation of threatened plants by increasing genetic diversity, effective size of populations, and levels of genetic connectedness. But they also pose a threat through the disruption of locally adapted gene pools. At Hyams Beach, New South Wales, Australia, four bushland stands of the rare shrub, Grevillea macleayana McGillivray, surround an urban area containing remnant and cultivated specimens of this species. Numbers of inflorescences per plant, fruits per plant, and visits by pollinators were similar for plants in urban gardens and bushland. Urban plants represented a substantial but complex genetic resource, displaying more genetic diversity than bushland plants judged by H_e , numbers of alleles per locus, and number of private alleles. Of 27 private alleles in urban plants, 17 occurred in a set of 19 exotic plants. Excluding the exotic plants, all five stands displayed a moderate differentiation ( F_ST = 0.14 ± 0.02), although the urban remnants clustered with two of the bushland stands. These patterns may be explained by high levels of selfing and inbreeding in this species and by long-distance dispersal (several seeds in the urban stand were fathered by plants in other stands). Genetic leakage (gene flow) from exotic plants to 321 seeds on surrounding remnant or bushland plants has not occurred. Our results demonstrate the conservation value of this group of urban plants, which are viable, productive, genetically diverse, and interconnected with bushland plants. Gene flow has apparently not yet led to genetic contamination of bushland populations, but high levels of inbreeding would make this a rare event and difficult to detect. Remnant plants in urban gardens could successfully contribute to recovery plans for endangered and vulnerable species.     

Variation in Population Parameters: Adaptation to Toxic Environmental Factors

Some mechanisms of adaptation of natural populations to toxic environmental factors are discussed. The dandelion and hole-nesting birds are used as examples for demonstrating that an increase in the variation of reproductive parameters upon chemical environmental pollution favors the survival of those individuals in the populations that are better adapted to changes in the climate and other environmental conditions. The increased variation in reproductive parameters may promote the elimination of less fit individuals from populations. The ensuing energy loss is the cost of maintaining the population size in the chemically degraded environment.     

万家寨引黄工程沿线植物群落优势种群分布格局研究

应用扩散系数、聚集指数、平均拥挤度、Green指数、聚集强度和负二项分布的χ2拟合检验等方法,研究了山西万家寨引黄工程优势种群的分布格局,并阐述了各指数间的关系。结果表明:绝大多数自然种群都服从聚集分布,而沙棘、苔草和蒲公英呈随机分布。这主要与物种本身的生态和生物学特性有关,也与物种间的竞争排斥作用有关。在判定物种分布格局的5种方法中,以方差/均值比率和负二项分布的检验联合运用效果较好,不仅生态学意义明显,而且结果具有严格的统计学意义。     

Shelter recovery in urban Haiti after the earthquake: the dual role of social capital

This paper documents the culture‐specific understanding of social capital among Haitians and examines its benefits and downsides in post‐disaster shelter recovery following the 12 January 2010 earthquake. The case study of shelter recovery processes in three socioeconomically diverse communities (Pétion‐Ville, Delmas and Canapé Vert) in Port‐au‐Prince suggests that social capital plays dual roles in post‐disaster shelter recovery of the displaced population in Haiti. On the one hand, it provides enhanced access to shelter‐related resources for those with connections. On the other hand, it accentuates pre‐existing inequalities or creates new inequalities among displaced Haitians. In some cases, such inequalities lead to tensions between the have and have‐nots and instigate violence among the displaced.     

污水深度处理生物滤层中菌群的时空分布特征

以生物滤柱为反应器,对污水进行深度处理。试验表明,生物滤层中的菌群由于生化特性的不同,启动阶段异养菌要比自养菌的生长提前一周左右。生物滤柱异养菌、自养菌的形成对稳定运行非常关键,启动阶段较高的COD容积负荷不利于亚硝化、硝化细菌的产生。异养菌在竞争中占有优势,主要生长在滤柱的进水端和悬浮生物膜中。进水有机物浓度较低,造成亚硝化细菌的分布同异养菌分布基本一致。硝化细菌由于较弱的竞争能力,主要生长在滤柱的出水端和吸附生物膜中。底物浓度的改变使生物膜中的菌群对有机物、溶解氧以及生存空间的竞争也发生变化,最终导致其分布也随之改变。     

盐胁迫下八宝景天不同生态型对土壤中Cd积累特征

采用Cd含量为2.22 mg·kg^-1的潮褐土开展盆栽试验,通过外源添加NaCl研究不同生态型八宝景天对Cd和盐分复合胁迫的生长响应以及Cd吸收积累的差异.结果表明,在Cd单一或与盐分复合胁迫下,八宝景天各生态型间地上部生物量和Cd含量均表现出显著差异,盐分胁迫进一步加剧了八宝景天的生长抑制,高盐胁迫下八宝景天各生态型地上部Cd含量总体呈下降趋势,这与盐分引起土壤pH显著升高导致Cd生物有效性降低有关.此外,不同生态型对盐分胁迫表现出的生长和Cd吸收响应有显著差异,LN生态型地上部生物量在各处理下均显著高于其他生态型,且在1% NaCl处理下生物量仍没有显著下降,耐性指数可达0.91.同时,其地上部Cd含量在不同处理下均显著高于其他生态型,其原因为LN生态型在Cd富集和解毒的生理机制方面更具优势,而这些同样是其耐盐性的重要生理机制.综上可知,尽管盐分胁迫减少了八宝景天地上部Cd富集量,但其不同生态型间差异显著,LN生态型在2% NaCl处理下地上部Cd富集量仍可达84.4 μg·plant^-1,且较其他生态型显著提高48.4%~89.3%,因此,LN生态型八宝景天具有应用于修复盐渍化土壤Cd污染的潜力.