Do female roe deer in good condition produce more sons than daughters

In polygynous roe deer Capreolus capreolus, males are only slightly heavier than females and the overall sex ratio at birth is close to unity. We studied offspring sex ratio and litter size (range 1–4, n = 74) of culled females, in utero, which provided an opportunity to examine responses of sex ratio to maternal condition. Male embryos were heavier than their sisters, and male fawns (9 months old) heavier than female fawns, suggesting a higher growth rate in males. There was no evidence for differential mortality between the sexes from birth to 9 months old. Heavier adult females produced larger embryos than lighter, or primiparous females. The overall sex ratio of embryos did not differ from unity, but adult does had more male embryos (55%) than primiparous does (32%), and the proportion of male embryos in a litter increased with the mother's body mass. Litter size also tended to increase with maternal age and body mass. We argue that this pattern reflects adaptive variation in offspring sex ratio.     

采用微机控制气相色谱法在野外进行稻田甲烷排放率的连续观测

介绍一套稻田甲烷排放率的野外全自动观测系统。该系统采用微机控制、气相色谱法，在供电正常的情况下，实现了稻田甲烷样品的自动采集和分析，同时配有八个温度传感器，以测量空气、水及土壤的温度。温度和甲烷测定数据由微机自动贮存，可长期连续工作，无需值守。本系统对稻田甲烷测量的标准偏差为２４５μＶ·Ｓ（峰面积），变异系数为１．１８％（ｎ＝５）。若将色谱条件做适当改变，即可测量其它微量气体。     

水样品中重碳酸根离子排斥色谱法研究

本文研究了用离子排斥色谱法分析了水样品中重碳酸根的最佳色谱条件，分离方式和流动相的选择，样品溶液ｐＨ值与峰高的关系，实验结果显示，该方法具有简便，用样量少，灵敏度高于和干扰少等优点，测量下限为０．１２μｇ．ｍｌ＾－１ＨＣＯ＾－３在１－１０μｇ．ｍ＾－１和１０－１００μｇ．ｍｌ＾－１浓度范围内，ＨＣＯ３浓度与峰高的线性相关系数在０．９９５以上，该方法用于自来水和油田水样品的分析获得较好的结果。     

新型堆肥装置设计及其应用研究

根据城市生活垃圾的特点和性质,利用物料平衡和热力学原理进行好氧堆肥实验装置的设计,并对堆肥发酵仓容积的确定和配套辅助设备进行了研究,得出当堆肥装置直径小于225m时,需采取保温措施。通过强制通风静态仓式堆肥小试实验进行的城市生活垃圾堆肥结果表明,通过30℃及以上的水浴加热,可实现固体废物的堆肥化。     

气相色谱法分离和测定合成革用胶粘剂中的挥发性有机物

对合成革用胶粘剂中的发挥有机成份进行了色谱分离，并测定了胶粘剂中的9种挥发性有机物，方法的加标回收率为89.4%～102.8%，变异系数为1.2%～5.0%。     

离子色谱法在大气降水监测中的应用研究

研究了用离子色谱法直接测定大气降水中阳离子的色谱条件、线性范围.实验研究表明,Na+、NH+4、K+、Mg2+、Ca2+方法的最小检出限分别为0.049、0.043、0.011、0.004、0.056 mg·L-1;相对标准偏差分别为4.1%、0.6%、3.7%、1.0%、1.2%;加标回收率为97%～105%.用离子色谱法直接测定大气降水中的阳离子,操作简单、快捷,具有可靠的准确度和良好的精密度,且灵敏度高,实验结果令人满意.     

空气与废气中的正丁烷、丁酮、醋酸异丙酯的快速测定法

采用活性炭吸附，二硫化碳解析，毛细管气相色谱法同时测定空气与废气中的正丁烷、丁酮、醋酸异丙酯，采样体积以45L计，方法最低检出限分别为：正丁烷0．002mg／m^3，丁酮0.0024mg／m^3，醋酸异丙酯0．0028mg／m^3。     

Perchlorate as an environmental contaminant

Perchlorate anion (ClO4-) has been found in drinking water supplies throughout the southwestern United States. It is primarily associated with releases of ammonium perchlorate by defense contractors, military operations, and aerospace programs. Ammonium perchlorate is used as a solid oxidant in missile and rocket propulsion systems. Traces of perchlorate are found in Chile saltpeter, but the use of such fertilizer has not been associated with large scale contamination. Although it is a strong oxidant, perchlorate anion is very persistent in the environment due to the high activation energy associated with its reduction. At high enough concentrations, perchlorate can affect thyroid gland functions, where it is mistakenly taken up in place of iodide. A safe daily exposure has not yet been set, but is expected to be released in 2002. Perchlorate is measured in environmental samples primarily by ion chromatography. It can be removed by anion exchange or membrane filtration. It is destroyed by some biological and chemical processes. The environmental occurrence, toxicity, analytical chemistry, and remediative approaches are discussed.     

Sensitivity analyses of woody species exposed to air pollution based on ecophysiological measurements

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Air pollution has been of a major problem in the Pearl River Delta of south China, particularly during the last two decades. Emissions of air pollutants from industries have already led to damages in natural communities and environments in a wide range of the Delta area. Leaf parameters such as chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf area (LA), dry weight (DW) and leaf mass per area (LMA) had once been used as specific indexes of environmental stress. This study aims to determine in situ if the daily variation of chlorophyll fluorescence and other ecophysiological parameters in five seedlings of three woody species, Ilex rotunda, Ficus microcarpa and Machilus chinensis, could be used alone or in combination with other measurements for sensitivity indexes to make diagnoses under air pollution stress and, hence, to choose the correct tree species for urban afforestation in the Delta area. METHODS: Five seedlings of each species were transplanted in pot containers after their acclimation under shadowing conditions. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were made in situ by a portable fluorometer (OS-30, Opti-sciences, U.S.A). Ten random samples of leaves were picked from each species for LA measurements by area-meter (CI-203, CID, Inc., U.S.A). DW was determined after the leaf samples were dried to a constant weight at 65 degrees C. LMA was calculated as the ratio of DW/LA. Leaf N content was analyzed according to the Kjeldhal method, and the extraction of pigments was carried out according Lin et al. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The daily mean Fv/Fm (Fv is the variable fluorescence and Fm is the maximum fluorescence) analysis showed that Ilex rotunda and Ficus microcarpa were more highly resistant to pollution stress, followed by Machilus chinensis, implying that the efficiency of photosystem II in I. rotunda was less affected by air pollutants than the other two species. Little difference in daily change of Fv/Fm in I. rotunda between the polluted and the clean site was also observed. However, a relatively large variation of Fv/Fm appeared in the other two species, particularly in M. chinensis, suggesting that they were more sensitive to air pollutants than I. rotunda. The mean LA was reduced for all species growing at the polluted site. The mean LMA for all species exceeded the sclerophylly threshold given by Cowling and Campbell and increased for those under pollution stress, which could be explained as one of the acclimation strategies for plants to air pollution stress. Little difference in leaf chlorophyll content was observed in F. microcarpa and M. chinensis, while remarkable differences were found in I. rotunda growing at the polluted and the clean site. Content of leaf carotenoids was largely reduced in I. rotunda growing at the polluted site, but increased in F. microcarpa and M. chinensis, compared with plants growing at the clean site. Plants growing at the clean site had a lower leaf N content than those growing at the polluted site. In addition, species with a higher resistance to pollution stress showed less difference in leaf N content than those sensitive species. CONCLUSION: Based on Fv/Fm measurements of the three woody species, I. rotunda showed the highest resistance to air pollutants from ceramic industries, followed by F. microcarpa. M. chinensis was the most sensitive species to air pollution, had lowest capacities to cope with the air pollution stress, which was consistent with visual injury symptoms observed in the crown profiles of plants at the polluted site. Fv/Fm, LAM, LA, leaf pigments and N content could be used alone or in combination to diagnose the extent of the physiological injury. The ratio of Fv/Fm, however, was the best and most effective parameter. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: Tree species which have higher air-pollutant resistance, as diagnosed by such ecophysiological parameters, should be considered first and planted widely for urban afforestation or forest regeneration in areas where the forest was seriously degraded or forest health was markedly effected by the same kind of air pollutants.     

Oviposition by butterflies on young leaves: Investigation of leaf volatiles

Summary Various butterflies select young foliage on which to lay their eggs; volatiles emitted by young and old leaves have been compared (by sorption enrichment, followed by GC-MS) to gauge possible qualitative and quantitative differences between the two age groups. The plants investigated are cabbage (Brassica oleracea), two milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca andA. curassavica), the bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) and the lime (C. aurantiifolia). The chemical compounds identified belong to three classes, isoprenoids, fatty acid derivatives and benzenoids. Quantitative differences were found between young and old leaves, of which a few may be characteristic of young leaves only. Thirty-four single trials withDanaus plexippus exposed to volatiles from young and old leaves are recorded.