Value of Semi-Open Corridors for Simultaneously Connecting Open and Wooded Habitats: a Case Study with Ground Beetles

Abstract:  To counteract habitat fragmentation, the connectivity of a landscape should be enhanced. Corridors are thought to facilitate movement between disconnected patches of habitat, and linear strips of habitat connecting isolated patches are a popular type of corridor. On the other hand, the creation of new corridors can lead to fragmentation of the surrounding habitat. For example, heathland corridors connect patches of heathland and alternatively hedgerows connect patches of woodland. Nevertheless, these corridors themselves also break up previously connected patches of their surrounding habitat and in so doing fragment another type of habitat (heathland corridors fragment woodlands and woodland strips or hedgerows fragment heathlands). To overcome this challenge we propose the use of semi-open habitats (a mixture of heathland and woodland vegetation) as conservation corridors to enable dispersal of both stenotopic heathland and woodland species. We used two semi-open corridors with a mosaic of heathland and woody vegetation to investigate the efficiency of semi-open corridors for species dispersal and to assess whether these corridors might be a suitable approach for nature conservation. We conducted a mark-recapture study on three stenotopic flightless carabid beetles of heathlands and woodlands and took an inventory of all the carabid species in two semi-open corridors. Both methodological approaches showed simultaneous immigration of woodland and heathland species in the semi-open corridor. Detrended correspondence analysis showed a clear separation of the given habitats and affirmed that semi-open corridors are a good strategy for connecting woodlands and heathlands. The best means of creating and preserving semi-open corridors is probably through extensive grazing .     

外源氮输入对互花米草生长及叶特征的影响

入侵种互花米草（Spartina alterniflora）是滨海盐沼湿地的多年生草本植物,研究人类活动引起的外源氮输入对其生长的影响有助于了解滨海湿地生态系统结构和功能的未来变化趋势。运用随机区组试验设计方法,模拟海滩水分条件（间歇淹水和持续淹水）,研究了互花米草的地上部生物量、叶片光合特征以及形态特征对外源氮输入的响应。结果表明：互花米草地上部生物量在施氮条件下显著增加,且在土壤处于间歇淹水状态时表现更为明显;施氮条件下植株分蘖数比对照处理分别增加了60.0%和60.2%,是引起地上部生物量增加的主要原因。施加氮素促进了互花米草叶片的生长,叶面积、叶数、叶长和叶宽均显著增加,而叶数的变化是导致植物叶面积增加的主要因素。外源氮输入促进了互花米草叶绿素含量的增加,而对净光合速率的季节变化特征无明显影响。持续淹水处理的植物地上部生物量、生长速率、分蘖数、净光合速率和叶面积均低于间歇淹水处理,说明持续淹水状态对互花米草生长造成了一定的抑制作用。     

神农架林区不同类型植物的叶片特征与光合性能研究

以神农架林区木鱼镇茶山上生长的8种不同类型植物为试验材料,于晴天选择其植株上东南朝向的顶部成长叶,采用LI-COR6400便携式光合测定系统、调制叶绿素荧光成像系统(IMAGING-PAM M-Series)及双通道PAM-100测量系统(Dual-PAM-100)和常规方法研究了其叶片特征、光合性能及相互间的关系,将有助于了解神农架植物的光合生产力及其植被管理。结果表明,不同类型植物叶片的叶片特征和光合性能存在明显的物种差异。比叶重(SLW)为乔木灌木草本;气孔参数以气孔导度(Cond)差异最大;草本植物的光合能力明显高于灌木和乔木,而灌木和乔木间的差异不大;叶绿素含量(Chl)及其组分的差异较小,类胡萝卜素(Car)和花青素含量(Ant)及其与Chl的比值差异极大。不同类型植物叶片特征和光合性能指标的变异系数在7.3%～73.0%间,Chla/Chlb最小,Car/Ant最大;Chla/Chlb、基于叶温的蒸汽压亏缺(VpdL)和胞间CO2浓度(Ci)小于15%,Cond、单位鲜重Car、PSII实际量子产量和PSI非光化学能量耗散的量子产量为40%～50%,单位干重Car、Ant、Chl/Ant和Car/Ant则大于60%,其他指标在20%～40%。相关分析显示,Pn受Cond、叶片含水量和单位干重Chl的正向调控,Ant和Car对Pn无决定性作用;PSII和PSI的实际量子产量依赖于Ci和Chl,Car过高导致其降低;PSI的光保护受SLW的负调控及单位鲜重Chl和单位干重Car的正调控;光合机构的光损伤受Ci的负调控和Chl/Car的正调控。     

温带落叶林的植物物候特征及其对气候变化的响应

植被物候是气候变化对生物圈产生长期或短期影响的重要指示因子。气候变化已经明显改变了许多物种的营养生长和繁殖物候,尤其是在温带地区。研究温带森林物候变化及其对全球变暖的响应,对认识森林物种共存,协同进化以及森林保护和经营等有重要意义。通过概述温带森林下物候研究的进展发现,光照和积温是影响木本植物展叶及繁殖物候的关键因素,林下层树木通过更早展叶,以尽量减少生长季林冠层遮阴对下层树木生长的影响,更早时期开花的树木具有从顶部向四周次第开花的时空格局,林冠层树种开花具有较好的同步性。而草本植物的物候通常受融雪时间和冠层动态的影响更大,并且,温带森林下不同生活史对策的草本植物的物候特征对气候变化的响应也不尽相同,存在明显的季节动态。繁殖物候、光照的季节变化、光合特征、授粉成功之间的联系决定了林下不同繁殖特性的草本植物的繁殖成功率。量化的、多指标、多对象的定位监测是精准物候研究的基础,物候变化的机理和建立可预测的物候模型将是未来研究的重点。     

Characteristics of night soil and leaf co-composting using aerobic static method

The main purpose of this work is to investigate the characteristics of night soil and leaf co-composting using aerobic static composting method. Three influencing factors, including proportion of night soil and leaf, aeration rate and aeration pattern, were investigated through the evolution of the principal physicochemical properties, i.e., temperature, oxygen consumption rate, organic matters, moisture content, carbon, nitrogen, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and Germination index (GI). It was found that the 3∶1 (w∶w) mixture of night soil and leaf was capable of achieving the highest composting temperature, longest retention time of high temperature (55°C), and fastest organic matter degradation. The 0.14 m³·min^-1·m^-3 aeration rate was most beneficial to composting, and the mixture of night soil and leaf maintained the highest temperature for the longest duration and achieved the highest CO₂ content and GI. The continuous aeration pattern during composting was superior to an intermittent aeration pattern, since the latter delayed the composting process.     

云南部分烟区替代进口烟叶烤烟种植的气候论证

基于云南部分植烟地、津巴布韦多年烟叶品质和气象数据,应用对比分析和系统聚类法研究了烤烟化学品质、评吸质量和致香物质含量与气象条件的关系。结果表明,烟叶5种化学品质类型对烤烟大田生长期气象条件的要求明显不同,烤烟成熟期气象要素对烟叶品质影响突出;烟叶主要化学品质指标、致香成分含量对评吸质量的影响既有一致性,也有差异性;云南烟区若大田生长中后期(尤其成熟期)日照偏少、雨量偏多,可引起某些主要化学成分含量比例失衡,降低多数致香物质成分含量,而有利于少数致香物质成分积累,从而导致烟叶评吸质量下降,尤其影响烟叶香气质和香气量评分。云南在气候上可出产类似津巴布韦优质烟叶的地域较少,宜在大田中后期日照较多、雨量偏少、气温适当较高的气候区中选择替代进口烟叶烤烟种植基地。     

GC-EAD responses to semiochemicals by eight beetles in the subcortical community associated with Monterey pine trees in coastal California: similarities and disparities across three trophic levels

Summary.  Antennae of six sympatric bark and ambrosia beetles (Scolytidae), Dendroctonus valens LeConte, Gnathotrichus retusus (LeConte), Hylastes tenuis Eichhoff, Ips mexicanus (Hopkins), Ips plastographus maritimus Lanier, and Pseudohylesinus sericeus (Mannerheim), and two scolytid predators, Enoclerus sphegeus (F.) (Cleridae) and Lascontonus tuberculatus Kraus (Colydiidae), were analyzed by gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) for their responses to synthetic Ips spp. pheromone components, and host and nonhost volatiles. The beetles emerged from cut logs of pitch canker-infected Monterey pine trees, Pinus radiata D. Don. There were significant disparities in EAD response patterns to the hemiterpene and monoterpene alcohol pheromone components that are typically produced by Ips spp. Antennae of I. p. maritimus responded strongly to ( ± )-ipsdienol, ( ± )-ipsenol, amitinol, and lanierone; antennae of I. mexicanus responded strongly to (1S,2S)-(–)-cis-verbenol, with weaker responses to ( ± )-ipsdienol, ( ± )-ipsenol, and amitinol; antennae of H. tenuis responded to (1S, 2R)-(–)-trans-ver-benol, with less pronounced responses to (–)-cis-verbenol and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol; and antennae of D. valens, G. retusus, and P. sericeus generally responded to all Ips spp. pheromone components except 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (D. valens and G. retusus) and E-myrcenol (G. retusus and P. sericeus). Ips mexicanus responded only to the (–)-enantiomers of ipsenol and ipsdienol, whereas I. p. maritimus responded to (–)-ipsenol, but to both the (+)- and (–)-enantiomers of ipsdienol. The antennae of the two predaceous insects (E. sphegeus and L. tuberculatus) responded to a range of the Ips spp. pheromone components. Host monoterpenes elicited no antennal responses from E. sphegeus, G. retusus, H. tenuis, and I. mexicanus, but several monoterpenes elicited various levels of responses from D. valens and I. p. maritimus antennae. Interestingly, antennae of female D. valens responded to (–), but not (+)-limonene. α- and β-Pinene elicited weak responses from L. tuberculatus antennae. EAD responses to selected nonhost volatiles were almost identical among the six scolytid species, with trans-conophthorin eliciting the strongest response in most cases, followed by three C₆- alcohols and two C₈-alcohols. The antennal responses by most of these species to linalool or geranylacetone were very weak; (E)-2-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, and benzyl alcohol elicited almost no response. The response pattern of P. sericeus to nonhost volatiles differed slightly from the rest of the scolytids: a strong response to linalool, weaker response to the C₈-alcohols. The two predaceous Coleoptera generally had weak, but detectable, responses to nonhost volatiles, except for a relatively strong response to trans-conophthorin by L. tuberculatus. No notable differences in EAD responses were observed between males and females of the two Ips spp. Our results provide an electrophysiological baseline for future efforts to identify attractive and repellent semiochemicals (aggregation pheromones, host kairomones, or nonhost interruptants) for this guild of scolytids and their key predators that are associated with moribund and pitch canker- infected P. radiata.     

Repeatability and heritability of sperm competition outcomes in males and females of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tribolium castaneum</Emphasis>

Differences among males in their success in achieving fertilisations when females mate with more than one partner are now recognised as an important target of sexual selection. However, very few studies have attempted to determine whether particular males are consistently successful in sperm competition and whether success in sperm competition is a heritable trait. Additionally, the potential heritability of female traits that influence the outcome of sperm competition has received only limited attention. Using the polyandrous beetle Tribolium castaneum, we examined repeatability of male success in sperm competition by mating pairs of males carrying different visible genetic markers to a string of different females. Males showed consistency in their ability to successfully transfer sperm to females, but not in their success in sperm competition. Furthermore, when we independently compared success in sperm competition of fathers with their sons, we found no evidence for heritability of this trait. Similarly, females that exhibited high or low first male sperm precedence did not tend to have daughters that showed the same pattern. Our results suggest that we should be wary of assuming that success in sperm competition is heritable through either sex.     

草酸改性杨树叶对六价铬的吸附性能

利用草酸改性杨树叶为试验材料,对溶液中六价铬进行吸附去除。试验结果表明:当p H=2,吸附剂剂量为0.3 g,反应时间为120 min时,该材料对50 m L浓度为50 mg/L含铬废水的去除率达99.1%;伪二级动力学方程能较好地拟合该材料对Cr(VI)的吸附动力学过程,揭示其吸附主要是离子交换吸附;Langmuir方程能较好模拟该材料对Cr(VI)的等温吸附过程,表明其吸附主要是单分子层吸附,最大吸附量为40.91 mg/g。热力学研究表明,Cr(VI)在该材料表面的吸附是一个自发、吸热的物理吸附过程。     

Effects of carbaryl on the aminotransferases in the mid gut of blister beetle,Mylabris pustulata (Thunb)

The activity levels of aminotransferases such as alanine aminotransferases (AlAT), aspartate aminotransferases (AAT), isoleucine aminotranferases (IlAT), leucine aminotransferases (LAT), valine aminotrasferases (VAT) were measured in the mid gut of the blister beetle; Mylabris pustulata (Thunb) exposed to sublethal doses of carbaryl. The insecticide markedly inhibited the activity levels of all aminotransferases exposed for either short or prolonged treatments. The beetles regained normal enzymic activity after withdrawal from the treatment. It is possible that chronic exposures of beetles to carbaryl may induce impairment in protein synthesis in the mid gut of the beetle.