“z值评价-风险评估-技术核验”统计评价模型用于低样本量能力验证——以水质监测为例

为解决低样本量下的能力验证z比分数评价结果可能偏离参加者真实能力水平的问题,建立了"z值评价-风险评估-技术核验"统计评价模型,以"一带一路"共建国家"水中铁和氟化物的检测"国际能力验证项目为例进行了验证。结果显示:样本量为14家(低样本量)、指定值与样本真值相对误差的绝对值大于4%时,铁检测项目获得"满意"评价结果的14家参加者中,5家存在数据"不准确"中/高风险;氟化物检测项目获得"满意"评价结果的11家参加者中,7家存在数据"不准确"中/高风险。技术核验反映出的突出问题是参加者未按照检测方法的要求实施质量控制措施,标准曲线绘制、试剂配制、关键仪器参数设置记录缺失,原始记录可追溯性较差。由此证实了数据风险点的存在,同时也印证了该统计评价模型的可靠性和必要性。     

半干旱区春季沙尘气溶胶谱分布的观测研究

为研究半干旱区沙尘细粒子的粒谱特征,利用WPS粒谱仪对内蒙古朱日和地区春季粒径为0.01~10.0mm的沙尘气溶胶进行了40多天的连续观测,得到不同天气条件下的气溶胶谱分布.研究表明,沙尘气溶胶有明显的日分布规律,不同天气背景下的沙尘气溶胶浓度变化特征不同,受气象要素影响较大.非沙尘日和沙尘日均有浓度变化较稳定的粒径段,沙尘日出现稳定粒径段的粒径小于非沙尘日,2种天气背景下的平均谱在0.07~0.20mm;非沙尘日、沙尘日和沙尘时段的气溶胶谱型在0.01~0.1mm、0.1~1.0mm和1.0~10mm 3个粒径段分布明显不同,分别符合对数正态分布、Lorentz分布和负指数分布.     

Particle size distribution and pollutants in road-deposited sediments in different areas of Zhenjiang,China

An understanding of road-deposited sediment (RDS) characteristics on an impervious surface is essential to estimate pollutant washoff characteristics and to minimise the impacts of pollutants on the water environment. A total of 62 RDS samples were collected from four different land-use types (commercial, residential, intense traffic and riverside park) in Zhenjiang City, China. The samples were fractionated into seven grain-size classes and analysed for particle size distribution and concentrations of pollutants. The samples are found to consist predominantly of fine particles (60–80%, <250 μm). The maximum mean concentrations of zinc, lead and copper were 686.93, 589.19 and 158.16 mg/kg, respectively, with the highest metal concentrations found in samples from the intense traffic area. The maximum mean contents of organic matter (12.55%), nitrogen (6.31 mg/g) and phosphorus (5.15 mg/g) were found in samples from the commercial area. The concentrations of heavy metals were highest in the smallest particle size fraction analysed (63 μm). The organic matter and nitrogen content generally increased with decreasing particle sizes in the <500-μm particle size range. The results also revealed that most of the total nitrogen (TN) is attached to the finer sediments and that to effectively reduce TN loads in particulates, treatment facilities must be able to remove the finer particles (down to 125 μm for TN).     

Individual and collective foraging decisions: a field study of worker recruitment in the gypsy ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphaenogaster senilis</Emphasis>

In social insects, the decision to exploit a food source is made both at the individual (e.g., a worker collecting a food item) and colony level (e.g., several workers communicating the existence of a food patch). In group recruitment, the recruiter lays a temporary chemical trail while returning from the food source to the nest and returns to the food guiding a small group of nestmates. We studied how food characteristics influence the decision-making process of workers changing from individual retrieving to group recruitment in the gypsy ant Aphaenogaster senilis. We offered field colonies three types of prey: crickets (cooperatively transportable), shrimps (non-transportable), and different quantities of sesame seeds (individually transportable). Colonies used group recruitment to collect crickets and shrimps, as well as seeds when they were available in large piles, while small seed piles rarely led to recruitment. Foragers were able to “measure” food characteristics (quality, quantity, transportability), deciding whether or not to recruit, accordingly. Social integration of individual information about food emerged as a colony decision to initiate or to continue recruitment when the food patch was rich. In addition, group recruitment allowed a fast colony response over a wide thermal range (up to 45°C ground temperature). Therefore, by combining both advantages of social foraging (group recruitment) and thermal tolerance, A. senilis accurately exploited different types of food sources which procured an advantage against mass-recruiting and behaviorally dominant species such as Tapinoma nigerrimum and Lasius niger.     

Seasonal decline in reproductive performance varies with colony size in the fairy martin, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petrochelidon ariel</Emphasis>

Reproductive success within populations often varies with the timing of breeding, typically declining over the season. This variation is usually attributed to seasonal changes in resource availability and/or differences in the quality or experience of breeders. In colonial species, the timing of breeding may be of particular importance because the costs and benefits of colonial breeding are likely to vary over the season and also with colony size. In this study, we examine the relationship between timing of breeding and reproductive performance (clutch size and nest success) both within and between variable sized colonies (n = 18) of fairy martins, Petrochelidon ariel. In four of these colonies, we also experimentally delayed laying in selected nests to disentangle the effects of laying date and individual quality/experience on reproductive success. Within colonies, later laying birds produced smaller clutches, but only in larger colonies. The general seasonal decline in nest success was also more pronounced in larger colonies. Late laying birds were generally smaller than earlier laying birds, but morphological differences were also related to colony size, suggesting optimal colony size also varies with phenotype. Experimentally delayed clutches were larger than concurrently produced non-delayed clutches, but only in larger colonies. Similarly, delayed clutches were more likely to produce fledglings, particularly later in the season and in larger colonies. We suggest that the reduced performance of late breeding pairs in larger colonies resulted primarily from inexperienced/low quality birds preferring to settle in larger colonies, possibly exacerbated by an increase in the costs of coloniality (e.g., resource depletion and ectoparasite infestations) with date and colony size. These findings highlight the importance of phenotype-related differences in settlement decisions and reproductive performance to an improved understanding of colonial breeding and variation in colony size.     

Love thy neighbour? Social nesting pattern,host mass and nest size affect ectoparasite intensity in Darwin’s tree finches

Social nesting behaviour is commonly associated with high prevalence and intensity of parasites in intraspecific comparisons. Little is known about the effects of interspecific host breeding density for parasite intensity in generalist host–parasite systems. Darwin’s small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Islands, nests in both heterospecific aggregations and at solitary sites. All Darwin finch species on Santa Cruz Island are infested with larvae of the invasive blood-sucking fly Philornis downsi. In this study, we test the prediction that total P. downsi intensity (the number of parasites per nest) is higher for nests in heterospecific aggregations than at solitary nests. We also examine variation in P. downsi intensity in relation to three predictor variables: (1) nest size, (2) nest bottom thickness and (3) host adult body mass, both within and across finch species. The results show that (1) total P. downsi intensity was significantly higher for small tree finch nests with many close neighbours; (2) finches with increased adult body mass built larger nests (inter- and intraspecific comparison); (3) parasite intensity increased significantly with nest size across species and in the small tree finch alone; and (4) nest bottom thickness did not vary with nest size or parasite intensity. These results provide evidence for an interaction between social nesting behaviour, nest characteristics and host mass that influences the distribution and potential impact of mobile ectoparasites in birds.     

Long-lasting consequences of elevated yolk testosterone levels on female reproduction

Maternal yolk androgens in bird eggs represent an important pathway along which offspring phenotype is shaped. Most of the hormone-mediated maternal effects are highly important in the context of sibling competition. However, there is also increasing evidence for long-lasting effects far beyond the nestling period, and these effects may have important consequences on the reproductive success of the offspring. Here, we investigated the effects of experimentally elevated yolk testosterone concentrations on growth and reproduction in female canaries. Elevated yolk testosterone concentrations enhanced the post-natal growth rate, but not the asymptotic mass, and reduced the survival probability. The latter may be a consequence of the higher growth rate, which may have rendered females hatching from testosterone-treated eggs (T-females) more vulnerable to harsh environmental conditions. Adult T-females made a larger investment in their clutch by laying more but not heavier eggs than females hatching from control-treated eggs. Our results suggest that the observed long-lasting effect on clutch size relates to changes in the growth trajectory rather than being a direct consequence of testosterone, since studies manipulating early growth conditions obtained similar results. Clearly, further studies are now required in order to investigate the intriguing relationship between yolk testosterone, elevated growth rates, and clutch size.     

Structure and resilience of the social network in an insect colony as a function of colony size

Social interactions are critical to the organization of worker activities in insect colonies and their consequent ecological success. The structure of this interaction network is therefore crucial to our understanding of colony organization and functioning. In this paper, I study the properties of the interaction network in the colonies of the social wasp Ropalidia marginata. I find that the network is characterized by a uniform connectivity among individuals with increasing heterogeneity as colonies become larger. Important network parameters are found to be correlated with colony size and I investigate how this is reflected in the organization of work in colonies of different sizes. Finally, I test the resilience of these interaction networks by experimental removal of individuals from the colony and discuss the structural properties of the network that are related to resilience in a social network. This contribution is part of the special issue “Social Networks: new perspectives” (Guest Editors: J. Krause, D. Lusseau, and R. James).     

辽东湾浮游生物粒径结构稳定性分析

基于2012~2014年春、夏、秋、冬季辽东湾网采浮游生物及环境因子的调查资料,采用显微测微计法结合粒径谱理论分析了辽东湾南、北2个区域的浮游生物粒径结构特征,并构建了浮游生物群落稳定性评估模型.结果表明,辽东湾海域浮游生物不同营养级间能量传递效率近似相等,但生态转化效率偏低; 2012~2014年辽东湾南部区域稳定性系数平均为0.53,北部区域平均为0.47,南部区域浮游生物群落整体上较北部稳定,夏季表现更为明显,说明南部区域受环境胁迫影响较小;海水营养状况分析表明,北部区域属于富营养化水平较高海域,营养指数(E)平均为1.69,南部区域基本属于低营养水平,营养指数(E)平均为0.42,富营养化会导致系统偏离稳定状态;本文构建的浮游生物群落稳定性评估模型可尝试比较不同海域浮游生物群落的健康状况.     

曼谷湾沉积物重金属元素的富集效应与生物有效性

2010年在曼谷湾(泰国湾北部)及其北部主要河口(湄干河、拉塞河、湄南河和邦巴功河)采集了46个表层沉积物样品,分析了样品中重金属元素(Cd、Co、Cu、Pb、Zn)的含量水平,并用Al均一化数据,获得消除了粒度效应的重金属地球化学特征.利用1mol/L的HCl对该区沉积物进行了处理,通过分析沉积物重金属在酸溶相和残渣相的分布,揭示其生物有效性.结果表明,曼谷湾周边河流沉积物中重金属元素含量明显高于曼谷湾;曼谷湾沉积物中重金属(Co、Cu、Pb、Zn)从北向南随着离岸距离的增加而增加,Cd没有明显分布规律;地累积指数显示Cd和Pb存在显著的地球化学富集特征.Cd和Pb在酸溶相中的比例相对较高,表明其生物有效性较高,易引发二次污染.