Conserving Slow-Growing, Long-Lived Tree Species: Input from the Demography of a Rare Understory Conifer, Taxus floridana

Abstract:  Although land preservation and promotion of successful regeneration are important conservation actions, their ability to increase population growth rates of slow-growing, long-lived trees is limited. We investigated the demography of Taxus floridana Nutt., a rare understory conifer, in three populations in different ravine forests spanning its entire geographic range along the Apalachicola River Bluffs in northern Florida (U.S.A.). We examined spatial and temporal patterns in demographic parameters and projected population growth rates by using four years of data on the recruitment and survival of seedlings and established stems, and on diameter growth from cross-sections of dead stems. All populations experienced a roughly 10-fold increase in seedling recruitment in 1996 compared with other years. The fates of seedlings and stems between 8 and 16 mm differed among populations. The fates of stems in two other size classes (the 2- to 4-mm class and the 4- to 8-mm class) differed among both populations and years. Individual stems in all populations exhibited similarly slow growth rates. Stochastic matrix models projected declines in all populations. Stochastic matrix analysis revealed the high elasticity of a measure of stochastic population growth rate to perturbations in the stasis of large reproductive stems for all populations. Additional analyses also indicated that occasional episodes of high recruitment do not greatly affect population growth rates. Conservation efforts directed at long-lived, slow-growing rare plants like Taxus floridana should both protect established reproductive individuals and further enhance survival of individuals in other life-history stages, such as juveniles, that often do not appear to contribute greatly to population growth rates.     

太湖流域近地表大气二氧化碳本底体积分数观测研究

基于2003年1月至2005年6月用气相色谱法对太湖流域近地表大气中二氧化碳本底体积分数的监测资料,对太湖流域近地表大气二氧化碳体积分数的变化特征进行了分析研究。结果表明:在观测时段内,太湖流域近地表大气二氧化碳体积分数平均值为(413.7±19.2)×10-6,且呈上升的趋势,主要受人类活动、工农业生产和交通运输业发展的影响;二氧化碳体积分数季节变化明显,冬春季高,夏秋季低,冬季出现峰值,平均体积分数为(417.8±3.7)×10-6,夏季出现谷值,平均体积分数为(400.8±14.7)×10-6,一年中最高值(424.0±1.1)×10-6出现在12月份,最低值(387.7±1.4)×10-6出现在8月份,主要受源汇强度变化影响;二氧化碳体积分数日变化基本呈双峰态,这是源汇强度变化和边界层稳定程度相互作用的结果。     

人工湿地对有机污染物的去除效果与动态特征

通过对荣成人工湿地污水处理系统1999年1月至2004年12月间监测数据进行分析,确定系统的处理效果及有机污染物去除效果的动态特征。结果表明,人工湿地对SS、COD、BOD5均有很好的去除效果,出水质量浓度分别为27.6±6.6、90.0±12.5和22.7±4.3 mg.L-1,去除率分别为73.9%、63.8%和72.5%。大肠菌群、粪大肠菌群去除率分别为99.7%和99.6%。对NH4 -N和TP去除效果较差,出水质量浓度分别为11.2±2.7和2.03±0.29 mg.L-1,去除率分别为45.1%和30.2%。BOD5、COD的去除效果和季节变化有一定关系,每年的4—7月BOD5去除效果最佳,1月和12月去除效果最差。COD的去除效果每年6月和7月最高,1月和12月最低。分析BOD5、COD和SS去除效果的年际变化发现,BOD5和COD年平均去除率从1999年到2004年有增加的趋势。     

Long series relationships between global interannual CO2 increment and climate: evidence for stability and change in role of the tropical and boreal-temperate zones

Interannual variability in global CO₂ increment (averaged from the Mauna Loa and South Pole Stations) shows certain strong spatial relationships to both tropical and temperate temperatures. There is a fairly strong positive year-round correlation between tropical mean annual temperatures (leading by 4 months) and annual CO₂ throughout the time series since 1960, agreeing with the generally held view that the tropics play a major role in determining inter-annual variability in CO₂ increment, with a major CO₂ pulse following a warm year in the tropics. This ‘almost no lag’ climatic response is very strong during winter and relatively stable in time. However, the correlation with tropical temperature appears to have weakened in the first years of the 1990s in correspondence of the Pinatubo eruption and the positive phase of the AO/NAO. A secondary concurrent temperature signal is linked to summer variations of north temperate belt. Northern summer temperatures in the region 30–60 °N—and especially in the land area corresponding to the central east USA—have become relatively more closely correlated with CO₂ increment. This trend has become increasingly stronger in recent years, suggesting an increasing role for growing season processes in the northern midlatitudes in affecting global CO₂ increment. Once non-lagged annual tropical temperature variations are accounted for, terrestrial ecosystems, especially the temperate-boreal biomes, also show a coherent large scale lagged response. This involves an inverse response to annual temperature of preceding years centered at around 2 years before. This lagged response is most likely linked to internal biogeochemical cycles, in particular N cycling. During the study period north boreal ecosystems show a strengthening of the lagged correlation with temperature in recent years, while the lagged correlation with areas of tropical ecosystems has weakened. Residuals from a multiple correlations based on these climatic signals are directly correlated with SO, confirming an additional important role of upwelling in interannual variability of CO₂ increment. Cooler summers following the Pinatubo eruption and the possible influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO/AO) are discussed as factors responsible for the shift in the relative importance of different regions over time during the series of data.     

北京城市大气甲烷自动连续观测与结果分析

本文提出了自动连续监测北京城市背景下大气温室气体的方法 ,报道了 2 0 0 0年监测得到的CH4 日变化和总的变化趋势。对高密度观测获得的数据分析发现 ,北京大气CH4 的日变化呈现单周期正弦变化 ,平均浓度极大值 1.60 μg/L出现在凌晨 5 :0 0— 6:0 0 ,极低值 1.40 μg/L出现在午后 14:0 0— 15 :0 0 ,其原因很大程度上受制于光化学汇的日变化。通过研究不同季节、不同天气情况下CH4 的日变化规律发现 ,北京显然是CH4 的排放源 ,在强风条件下得到接近华北地区本底值的浓度。日变化季节差异反映了城市背景下大气CH4 的浓度主要受到汇的调制和人类活动的影响。同时 ,虽然北京大气CH4 浓度季变化仍呈双峰模态 ,但冬季峰值明显低于夏季 ,显示北京大气治理取得成效 ,人为源强度变小     

Temporal variability of bioavailable Cd,Hg, Zn,Mn and Al in an upwelling regime

Monthly variability of Cd, Hg, Zn, Mn and Al concentrations in mussels (Mytilus californianus) soft tissue and brown seaweed (Macrocystis pyrifera) was studied at a pristine rocky shore off San Quintin Bay, Baja California, México. The results were related to climatic and hydrographic conditions and to the physiological state of the mussels (condition index) by correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). A "normalization" to account for the variability induced by the physiological state of the mussel was performed. The PCA was performed in two ways to relate the environmental variables and the condition index to: (1) the metal concentrations in mussels, and (2) the "normalized" mussel concentrations. The association of the variability of Cd with the upwelling season was revealed in both PCAs. The temporal variability of this metal in mussels was highly correlated to that in seaweed, suggesting that the dissolved phase determined the variability of Cd in mussels. However, for Hg, Zn, Mn and Al the results from both PCAs were different. The first PCA showed the relationship of these metals to pluvial precipitation and to the condition index. The PCA for the normalized mussel concentrations showed that, after eliminating the effect of the condition index, only Al was related to pluvial precipitation. Manganese, and to a less degree Zn, were related to these metals in seaweed. Because zinc is an essential element in mussels, some regulation of their internal concentrations is likely. Mercury was not detected in seaweed, but because of its reactive nature, it is not expected that the dissolved fraction could be a significant pathway; therefore, it can be concluded that its temporal variability was determined by the variability in the condition index only.     

Environmental and phylogenetic correlates of Eulemur behavior and ecology (Primates: Lemuridae)

The extent of diversity within closely related taxa may be a function of their shared evolutionary history or of selective forces causing adaptive changes. Examining variation among taxa within a single genus may help to identify flexibility in trait variation because recently diverged populations are more likely living in the environment of adaptation. This study examines correlates of diversity in Eulemur, a genus that has a wide distribution in a variety of habitat types throughout Madagascar. Previously published data were gathered from 11 long-term studies of Eulemur populations. Variables were categorized into multiple datasets: (1) environmental characteristics, (2) social organization, and (3) ecology, which included subsets for ranging behavior, diet, and activity budget. Molecular phylogenies from the literature were used to create the fourth and final dataset, a dissimilarity matrix of evolutionary distance among the 12 species and subspecies. Principal components and cluster analyses were implemented to examine the overall ecological similarity among Eulemur populations and to determine which variables contribute most to the variation among taxa. Partial Mantel tests were conducted to test for correlations among the dataset matrices. The results suggest ecological flexibility for the genus, in particular, populations in similar environments displayed similar activity patterns. In contrast, social organization showed no relationship with environment but was correlated with phylogenetic distance among populations. While Eulemur seems to demonstrate some flexibility for ecological adaptations, characteristics related to group size and sex ratio more closely track phylogeny and thus may be less flexible.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible to authorized users.     

天津市郊农田土壤中有机氯农药残留的局地分异

在天津3处典型污灌与非污灌农田各采集了10个表土样品，测定了其中α-HCH，β-HCH，γ-HCH，δ－HCH、p,p'-DDE,p,p'-DDD,p,p'-DDT和p'-DDT等8种有机氯农药含量，籍以研究该地区有机氯农药在地块中的局部分异。结果表明，所研究地块中两类化合物含量均表现出显著的非均一特征。其中污灌土地中的（DDT）以及污灌农田中的HCH含量都具有与灌溉方向密切相关的空间分布特征。这样的规律性空间变异导致他们的空间波动幅度高于其他地块。鉴于上述趋势性和非趋势性空间分异，在开展相关时人有必要在目标地块中采集重复样或混合样。     

Allelochemical effects of ergoline alkaloids fromIpomoea parasitica onHeliothis virescens

Lysergol, elymoclavine and three other van Urk-positive alkaloids were identified by 2D chromatography in the seed extract ofIpomoea parasitica. The presence of the same ergoline alkaloids was also demonstrated in vegetative tissue ofI. parasitica. Heliothis virescens larvae reared on a diet containing an alkaloid extract ofI. parasitica showed an increase in the consumption index and a reduction in the effiency of conversion of food. No difference was observed in the approximated digestibility. The percentages of pupation and emergence were reduced and the malefemale ratio was altered in insects fed on a diet containing the alkaloid extract ofI. parasitica or lysergol. The increases in the concentration of ergoline alkaloids inI. parasitica at the seedling stage and at flowering support the theory that these compounds play a defensive role against herbivory in the plant.