The Influence of Linear Elements on Plant Species Diversity of Mediterranean Rural Landscapes: Assessment of Different Indices and Statistical Approaches

This paper mainly aims to study the linear element influence on the estimation of vascular plant species diversity in five Mediterranean landscapes modeled as land cover patch mosaics. These landscapes have several core habitats and a different set of linear elements -habitat edges or ecotones, roads or railways, rivers, streams and hedgerows on farm land- whose plant composition were examined. Secondly, it aims to check plant diversity estimation in Mediterranean landscapes using parametric and non-parametric procedures, with two indices: Species richness and Shannon index.Land cover types and landscape linear elements were identified from aerial photographs. Their spatial information was processed using GIS techniques. Field plots were selected using a stratified sampling design according to relieve and tree density of each habitat type. A 50×20 m² multi-scale sampling plot was designed for the core habitats and across the main landscape linear elements. Richness and diversity of plant species were estimated by comparing the observed field data to ICE (Incidence-based Coverage Estimator) and ACE (Abundance-based Coverage Estimator) non-parametric estimators.The species density, percentage of unique species, and alpha diversity per plot were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in linear elements than in core habitats. ICE estimate of number of species was 32% higher than of ACE estimate, which did not differ significantly from the observed values. Accumulated species richness in core habitats together with linear elements, were significantly higher than those recorded only in the core habitats in all the landscapes. Conversely, Shannon diversity index did not show significant differences.     

Hyperspectral Characteristics of Canopy Components and Structure for Phenological Assessment of an Invasive Weed

Spectral reflectance values of four canopy components (stems, buds, opening flowers, and postflowers of yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis)) were measured to describe their spectral characteristics. We then physically combined these canopy components to simulate the flowering stage indicated by accumulated flower ratios (AFR) 10%, 40%, 70%, and 90%, respectively. Spectral dissimilarity and spectral angles were calculated to quantitatively identify spectral differences among canopy components and characteristic patterns of these flowering stages. This study demonstrated the ability of hyperspectral data to characterize canopy components, and identify different flowering stages. Stems had a typical spectral profile of green vegetation, which produced a spectral dissimilarity with three reproduction organs (buds, opening flowers, and postflowers). Quantitative differences between simulated flower stages depended on spectral regions and phenological stages examined. Using full-range canopy spectra, the initial flowering stage could be separated from the early peak, peak, and late flowering stages by three spectral regions, i.e. the blue absorption (around 480 nm) and red absorption (around 650 nm) regions and NIR plateau from 730 nm to 950 nm. For airborne CASI data, only the red absorption region and NIR plateau could be used to identify the flowering stages in the field. This study also revealed that the peak flowering stage was more easily recognized than any of the other three stages.     

都昌县多宝砂山物种多样性研究及保护初探

对鄱阳湖都昌县多宝砂山地区土地风沙化过程中物种多样性的变化特征进行了分析,依据植物种在各类型风沙化土地的出现频率与不同风沙化阶段各生活型植物种的组成,探讨了风沙化过程中植物种的绝灭与定居特点.物种多样性指数分析表明:风沙化过程是物种多样性衰减的过程,风沙化首先导致特有种的绝灭,其次为稀有种.从植物的生活型来看,多年生草本与乔木类植物受风沙化影响最大,而灌木类植物可存活于风沙化过程的各个阶段,在风沙化过程中植物种的绝灭速率大于定居速率.最后,针对造成多宝砂山生物多样性衰减的原因,提出了治理对策,即在控制人类行为干扰的同时,要加强对固定沙丘的管理与保护.      

长江口沙洲表层沉积物磷的赋存形态及生物有效性

利用磷的连续分级提取方法,研究了长江口沙洲沉积物中磷的赋存形态分布特征,并探讨了沉积物中磷的生物有效性.结果表明,沙洲沉积物中总磷的含量为437.6～1103.7μg·g-1,其中79.5%以无机磷的形式存在,而无机磷中以碎屑态磷灰石磷为主;有机磷约占总磷的20.5%.磷的生物有效性分析结果显示,潜在的生物有效性磷主要包括弱吸附态磷、铁结合态磷和有机磷等3种赋存形态,而长江口沙洲沉积物中潜在的生物有效性磷含量较少,约为60.5～510.9μg·g-1,平均仅占沉积物总磷的28.86%.     

不同氮源和曝气方式对淡水藻类生长的影响

利用水族箱微宇宙研究了2种氮源水体中不同曝气条件对藻类生长的影响.试验使用铵态氮(NH₄⁺-N)和硝态氮(NO₃^--N)作为氮源,每种氮源水体分别设置不曝气、连续曝气、昼间曝气和夜间曝气4个处理.结果显示:试验初期以NH₄⁺-N为主要氮源的水体中藻类生长明显好于以NO₃^--N为主要氮源的水体.试验后期则以NO₃^--N为主要氮源的藻类生长情况更好.连续曝气对于2种氮源水体中藻类生长有着不同的影响;昼间曝气对2种氮源的藻类生长影响不大;而夜间曝气对藻类生长有明显的抑制作用.NH₄⁺-N含量较高的水体中蓝藻容易成为优势种,而NO₃^--N含量高的水体中则以绿藻为主.不同曝气条件下藻类优势种没有明显差别.     

Portrayals of Endangered Species in Advertising: Exercising Intertextuality to Question the Anthropocentric Lens

This paper examines recent advertisements used by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about the predicament of endangered, vulnerable, and threatened species. By engaging in a critical discourse analysis of a selection of advertisements, this study demonstrates how the WWF uses intertextuality as a discourse strategy to articulate its message and objectives. In this paper, I argue that by engaging in the juxtaposition of various paratexts (“layers of meaning”), the WWF produces a narrative which reveals an anthropocentric lens through which we view the world. The advertisements are found to resort to paratexts of anthropomorphism with the intent of extending the bounds of personhood to non-human animal species. In closing, I maintain that intertextuality is employed not only to question the dominant human-centric paradigm, but serve the heuristic function of encouraging a more empathetic identification with the animals in question and the creation of a more holistic worldview.     

Dry and heat stress affects H2S production of Salmonella on selective plating media

The pH of Salmonella pre-enrichment media can become acidic (pH 4.0–5.0) when feeds/ingredients are incubated for 24?h. Salmonella in feed that have been stressed by heat and desiccation exhibit different pH tolerances than non-stressed cultures. Acidic conditions can result in cell injury/death and affect biochemical pathways. In this study, eight serotypes of Salmonella were grown in sterile meat and bone meal that was subjected to desiccation and heat stress. Cultures of non-stressed and stressed isolates were subsequently exposed to acidic pH from 4.0 to 7.0 in 0.5?pH increments (3 replicates/pH increment) in citrate buffer. At 6 and 24?h, serial dilutions were plated in duplicate on XLT-4 (xylose lysine tergitol-4) agar. Four serotypes showed an impaired ability to decarboxylate lysine on XLT-4. This inability to decarboxylate lysine was dependent on isolate, stress status, and incubation time. When the isolates’ ability to decarboxylate lysine was examined using biochemical tests, cultures were found to be able to decarboxylate lysine with the exception of S. Infantis. This suggests that XLT-4 contains a biochemical stressor(s) which affects the rate of decarboxylation by these Salmonella. These results suggest that acidic conditions may influence the detection and confirmation of Salmonella in feed.     

广西红树林资源与保护

广西的红树林现有面积为8374.9 hm2,分布于北海市、钦州市和防城港市.红树植物有15种,其中真红树植物11种,半红树植物5种,无瓣海桑为人工引种.红树林的建群种主要有白骨壤、桐花树、秋茄、红海榄、木榄、海漆、老鼠筋和银叶树8种,主要群落可划分为8个群系,15个群落类型.红树林是广西的优势海洋资源之一,其动植物资源潜力大,生态景观旅游价值高,同时是良好的生态养殖场所.如何合理利用红树林资源,本文提出了针对性的建议.     

Characterizing ionic species in PM2:5 and PM10 in four Pearl River Delta cities, South China

PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)samples were collected at four major cities in the Pearl River Delta(PRD),South China,during winter and summer in 2002.Six water-soluble ions,Na~ ,NH_4~ ,K~ ,Cl~-,NO_3~- and SO_4~(2-)were measured using ion chromatography.On average,ionic species accounted for 53.3% and 40.5% for PM_(2.5)and PM_(10),respectively in winter and 39.4% and 35.2%,respectively in summer. Secondary ions such as sulfate,nitrate and ammonium accounted for the major part of the total ionic species.Sulfate was the most abundant species followed by nitrate.Overall,a regional pollution tendency was shown that there were higher concentrations of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium in Guangzhou City than those in the other PRD cities.Significant seasonal variations were also observed with higher levels of species in winter but lower in summer.The Asian monsoon system was favorable for removal and diffusion of air pollutants in PRD in summer while highly loading of local industrial emissions tended to deteriorate the air quality as well.NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-) ratio indicated that mobile sources have considerably contribution to the urban aerosol,and stationary sources should not be neglected. Besides the primary emissions,complex atmospheric reactions under favorable weather conditions should be paid more attention for the control of primary emission in the PRD region.     

The Response of Hydrophytes to Environmental Pollution with Heavy Metals

The effects of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ni²⁺ at low and high concentrations (0.025 and 0.25 mg/ml) on the accumulation capacity, the state of the pigment complex, and photosynthesis rate have been studied in model experiments with three floating hydrophytes (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L., Lemna gibba L., and Potamogeton natans L.) and four submerged hydrophytes (Elodea canadensis Michx., Lemna trisulka L., Ceratophyllum demersum L., and Potamogeton lucens L.). Copper and cadmium are especially toxic at the concentrations studied. The effect of Cu²⁺ was the strongest in hydatophytes, and the effect of Cd²⁺, in pleustophytes. It is hypothesized that the differences between hydrophytes with respect to accumulation of metals and decrease in photosynthesis rate may cause predominant elimination of submerged species. Therefore, changes in the species structure of hydrophyte communities may be expected in waters polluted with metals.