Heterogeneity of soil surface ammonium concentration and other characteristics, related to plant specific variability in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem

Heterogeneity and dynamics of eight soil surface characteristics essential for plants—ammonium and nitrate concentrations, water content, temperature, pH, organic matter, nitrification and ammonification rates—were studied in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem on four occasions over a year. Soil properties varied seasonally and were influenced by plant species. Nitrate and ammonium were present in the soil at similar concentrations throughout the year. The positive correlation between them at the time of greatest plant development indicates that ammonium is a readily available nitrogen source in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The results presented here suggest that plant cover significantly affects soil surface characteristics.     

Improving safety and availability of complex systems using a risk-based failure assessment approach

This paper presents a structured risk-based failure assessment (RBFA) approach, which provides a complete solution to avoid repeated and potential failures to improve overall plant safety and availability. Technological advancements and high product demand have encouraged designers to design mega-capacity systems to enhance system utilization and improve revenues. However, these benefits make the systems more complex and thus prone to unnoticed failure. It is an overwhelming task to address all the failures due to the limited resources and time constraints. This leads to substandard and poor quality failure assessments, which cause repeated failures. To address this common industry concern, a four phase RBFA framework is proposed which is not limited to the identification of root cause(s) but also includes other actions such as failure monitoring. The four phases include the plan phase, the assessment phase, the analysis phase and the implementation-tracking phase. These phases cover identification of failure, failure analysis, root cause(s) analysis, and failure monitoring. In this paper, the applicability and advantages of the proposed approach are examined through two real case studies pertaining to bearing failure and drive coupling failure. By implementing the proposed approach, significant improvements have been experienced in the system availability in both the cases.     

氮添加对侵蚀退化红壤化学性质及芒萁叶功能性状的影响

蕨类植物芒萁(Dicranopteris dichotoma)是我国南方红壤侵蚀区重要的水土保持植物,但目前氮添加对芒萁叶功能性状及其基部土壤化学性质以及这二者之间关系的影响尚不清楚.以芒萁作为研究对象,采用盆栽实验,设置CK(0 g m-2 a-1)、N1(1.1 g m-2 a-1)、N2(2.3 g m-2 a-...     

The need to look beyond the production and provision of relief seed: experiences from southern Sudan

Free distribution of seeds in selected areas of southern Sudan has been widespread as a way of increasing food security. Field research in areas targeted for seed relief found that farmer seed systems continue to meet the crop and varietal needs of farmers even following the 1998 famine. Donor investments in seed multiplication of improved sorghum have not been sustained due to a lack of effective demand for the improved seed beyond that created by the relief agencies. The article argues that rather than imposing outside solutions, whether through seed provisioning or seed production enterprises, greater attention needs to be given to building on the strengths of existing farmer systems and designing interventions to alleviate the weaknesses. The case is made to support dynamically the process of farmer experimentation through the informed introduction of new crops and varieties that can potentially reinforce the strength and diversity of local cropping systems.     

土壤铜形态和生物有效性对施用生物质炭的响应

采用改进的Tessier方法对土壤Cu形态进行分级,研究了添加生物质炭对土壤重金属Cu形态、生物有效性和小麦生长及生理指标的影响。结果表明,石灰性土壤中Cu主要以碳酸盐结合态、氧化态和残渣态形式存在,三者占土壤Cu的90%以上。添加生物质炭后,土壤中的碳酸盐结合态铜、氧化态铜含量有所减少,但不显著;有机物结合态铜含量增加了131.25%,达到极显著水平,其中主要增加了紧有机结合态。添加生物质炭在培养一定时间后（30 d后）土壤有效态铜含量降低,120天时最大降低幅度达50.66%,添加生物质炭提高了冬小麦的根系重、茎秆干重、籽粒干重和灌浆期旗叶叶绿素含量,降低了根系、茎秆和籽粒的含铜量以及超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性,并随着生物质炭施用量的增加有显著性差异。综合看来,生物质炭对土壤铜污染具有钝化作用。     

Ranging behavior of the mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: a test of the ecological constraints model

The ecological constraints model predicts that daily travel distance and home range size of social animals will increase as group size increases in order to meet the dietary needs of additional group members. This theory has been supported more predominantly by studies of frugivorous primate species than by studies of folivorous species. We examined the ranging patterns of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, who include both herbaceous vegetation and fruit in their diet, to determine how ecological, behavioral, and social parameters influence movement patterns. Data were collected from three groups of gorillas with overlapping home ranges at a low-altitude location (1,450–1,800 m) and one group at a high-altitude location (2,100–2,500 m) in Bwindi from September 2001 to August 2002. We analyzed daily travel distance and home range size in relation to group size, while also considering patterns of frugivory, rainfall, and location (proxy for food availability) within the park. Both daily travel distance and home range size were positively related to group size. In addition, the degree of frugivory positively influenced daily travel distance and home range size, while rainfall negatively influenced daily travel distance only. Finally, groups at the low-altitude location, with higher fruit availability, traveled less than the group at the high-altitude location. These results demonstrate that mountain gorillas in Bwindi provide support for the ecological constraints model, but further studies are needed to determine how fine-scale spatial and temporal availability of food resources influence movement patterns. Ranging patterns of Bwindi gorillas are compared to those observed in other gorilla populations in the context of the ecological constraints model.Communicated by D. Watts     

Effects of food availability on dispersal and cub sex ratio in the Mednyi Arctic fox

Since the Pleistocene, Arctic foxes, Alopex lagopus, on Mednyi Island in the North Pacific have been isolated in a small area with rich food resources and no other terrestrial carnivores. This situation provides an unusually simple system within which the effect of food dispersion on demography and social organisation was examined. We studied the composition, location and dispersal of 67 Arctic fox groups and mapped their major food resources (seabird colonies) during 1994–2000 on Mednyi. We compared our observations with the predictions of models of sex-ratio determination. Our observations are most consistent with the predictions of Julliard's (2000) model, where mothers are expected to produce more offspring of the most dispersing sex in low-quality habitats, and more offspring of the most philopatric sex in high-quality habitats. The polygynous foxes on Mednyi Island lived where the principal food resources were patchily distributed (present on 11% of the shoreline), and cub survival to dispersal age or reproductive adult was higher in rich (25/45) than in poor (24/79) home ranges. Furthermore, dispersal was strongly sex-biased: most females (60%) remained on their natal ranges, whereas very few males (9%) did so. Significantly more female than male cubs (54 compared with 24) emerged from dens in resource rich ranges, whereas the sex ratio on poor ranges was approximately equal (51 females and 56 males). While our observations are also to some extent consistent with the local resource enhancement (LRE) hypothesis (which predicts a bias towards the sex most likely to cooperate with parents), this does not account for the observed spatial variability.     

有机物料对淹水植稻过程中有机-无机复混肥肥料氮有效性的影响

通过淹水植稻试验，研究了几种有机－无机复混肥肥料氮的有效性及影响因素．结果表明：含不同有机物料（木薯渣、人粪渣、泥炭和花生麸）的有机－无机复混肥肥料氮的有效性不同：有机物料能够延缓前期肥料氮的释放，促进中后期水稻氮素的供应；不同有机物料对水稻氮素供应的影响亦有不同；有机物料的组分是影响有机－无机复混肥肥料氮有效性的主要因素之一．     

Age-specific filial cannibalism in a paternal mouthbrooding fish

Entire-brood cannibalism by mouthbrooding males of the cardinal fish Apogon doederleini was investigated in temperate waters of southern Japan during two breeding seasons. The rate of cannibalism was 17–18% in each season and did not differ among age-groups. However, the seasonal pattern of cannibalism differed markedly among age-groups: young (1- and 2-year-old) males frequently cannibalized early broods, especially the first brood, of the season, whereas cannibalism by middle-aged (3- and 4-year-old) and old (5- and 6-year-old) males mainly occurred late in the breeding season. We explain this difference in terms of trade-offs between current and future reproduction. Young males, whose future reproductive success is enhanced by the growth increment, may allocate more time and energy to growth by cannibalizing early broods. In contrast, for older males who have had more breeding cycles and grow little, cannibalism could be a way to reverse the deterioration in their somatic condition that occurs as the breeding season progresses. It is also likely that the current reproductive loss entailed by the cannibalism is effectively compensated by quick re-mating with another female. Received: 24 February 1997 / Accepted after revision: 20 July 1997     

华北平原地区某铅冶炼厂附近土壤重金属有效性研究(Heavy Metal Availability in Soil near a Lead Smelter in the North China Plain)

为研究华北平原地区某铅冶炼厂对附近农田土壤和居民点内土壤重金属有效性的影响,在距离冶炼厂烟囱1000m和2500m处设置A1和A2两个采样断面(两断面间有一居民点),采取0～20cm土样,测定DTPA-Ni、Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd含量.结果表明,A1断面DTPA-Ni、Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd平均含量均低于A2断面.A1断面土壤DTPA-Pb和Cd变化范围分别为7.18～37.8和0.250～0.950mg·kg-1,平均值分别为25.2和0.580mg·kg-1;A2断面DTPA-Pb和Cd变化范围分别为14.7～133和0.280～2.35mg·kg-1,平均值分别为59.9和1.16mg·kg-1.所有样品的DTPA-Ni、Cu和Zn含量均小于5.5mg·kg-1.随着采样点距离冶炼厂烟囱距离的增加,土壤中DTPA-Ni、Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd含量呈非线性下降,可用幂方程(Ni、Cu和Pb)或对数方程(Zn和Cd)拟合.用Pb和Cd的拟合方程计算得到的研究区内居民点中心位置土壤DTPA-Pb和Cd含量分别为30.0和0.731mg·kg-1,高于地带性土壤背景值.DTPA-Ni、Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd的含量之间均存在极显著线性正相关关系(p<0.01).以上结果表明,冶炼厂造成研究区内土壤Pb和Cd有效性远高于正常水平,并导致Ni、Cu和Zn有效性有一定程度的升高,附近居民点内居民受到土壤高铅和高镉有效性的威胁;土壤铅和镉升高的范围达到距离冶炼厂烟囱2.8km以外区域.