RESPONSES OF HETEROTHROPHIC BACTERIAL POPULATIONS TO pH CHANGES IN COAL ASH EFFLUENT1

ABSTRACT: Total culturable heterotrophic bacteria in a coal ash basin and drainage system were monitored over a period of two years. In the first year heavy (bottom) ash was sluiced to the basin resulting in a pH of 6.5. During the second year fly ash was precipitated and added to the sluice lowering the basin pH to 4.6. Sulfate concentrations during 1975 ranged from 16–73 ppm (mean 33) and in 1976 from 44–88 ppm (mean 72). Mean annual basin temperatures were 28.8 and 26.0 C, respectively. Approximately 1500 m in the receiving swamp below the basin, mean pH and temperature were 6.8 and 22.2 C for the first year, and 5.4 and 22.1 C for the second. Total culturable bacteria and diversity (colony types) were reduced at all sampling stations by 44 and 30 percent, respectively, whereas the percentage of the population comprised of chromagenic bacteria increased by 51 percent at the lower pH; Data indicated the pH had a greater effect than did water temperature when temperature was within the range of 15–25 C. The predominant genera within the system in the first year were Bacillus, Sarcina, Achromobacter, Flavobacterium, and Pseudomonas. In the second year, at the lower pH, predominant genera were Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Chromobacterium, Bacillus, and Brevibacterium.     

Demographic impact of introducing modern medicine to a subsistence-level agrarian population: A simulation

Typical of many peasant communities in the Third World, the highland Indian population of Nuñoa, Peru operates close to its capacity for providing members with adequate nutrition. High birth and mortality rates maintain population stability in groups such as this. The introduction of modern medical services could decrease mortality and stimulate population growth, thus upsetting stability of the population size.Development of Third World countries includes improving health of subsistence-level populations by providing modern medical services. However, such changes would have secondary effects which should be anticipated. Using the Nuñoa population as a representative data base, and making a number of simplifying assumptions to increase the generality of this case, a simulation model has been devised to explore some of the consequences of introducing modern medical services.The model predicts that decreased mortality would initiate population growth. Some growth would be supported by changes in individual consumption patterns. But unless decreases in birth rate stabilized the population, it would increase beyond the level sustainable by local resources. Starvation or emigration would cause the population to crash. The model identifies several strategies for reducing birth rate sufficiently to avoid a population crash. Despite these strategies, increased equilibrium size of population would reduce per capita consumption. Since the population lives at the subsistence level, hardship, hunger, and even starvation could result. Thus, introduction of modern medical services could involve a trade-off between short-term improvements in health and. long-term economic hardship for the population. The model suggests that improved well-being of the population would require not only modern medical services but also (a) reduced birth rates; and (b) the improved technology necessary to increase food production.     

BACTERIAL POPULATIONS OF AQUATIC SYSTEMS RECEIVING DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRESS1

ABSTRACT: Bacterial populations in a fast flowing stream receiving chemical wastes and in a slower flowing pond receiving a thermal addition 3–5°C above ambient temperature were compared with populations in a nonpolluted converging stream and an adjacent unheated pond. Parameters measured were total aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, bacterial diversity, percent chromagens of the total bacterial populations, and water temperature. Analyses of monthly samples plated on dilute Standard Plate Count Agar indicated that chemical additives to the waste stream significantly decreased the percent of chromagenic bacteria, and that thermal stress significantly altered total counts and bacterial diversity in the flowing pond. The effects of potential pollutants on these aquatic systems were assessed and are discussed on the basis of results obtained over a 16-month period.     

洞庭湖地区不同生态类型区鼠类群落组成及其演替趋势

20 0 1年对洞庭湖地区 3种生态类型区鼠类群落结构的取样调查结果表明 ,黑线姬鼠和社鼠是洞庭湖地区 3种生态类型区的主要优势鼠种。黑线姬鼠以农田为主要栖息地 ,在不同作物地间进行季节性迁移 ,并侵入到丘陵山林之中 ;社鼠是林地内的优势种 ;山区和丘陵的林缘农田生境则以这 2种鼠为优势种。从洞庭湖区鼠类群落的历史资料看 ,曾经为农田生态系统优势鼠种之一的褐家鼠的比例已大大降低 ,形成了以黑线姬鼠占绝对地位的格局。在房舍 ,褐家鼠的优势地位已被小家鼠取代     

不同相伴阴离子对镉污染红壤微生物区系及群落功能多样性的影响

通过外加醋酸镉和氯化镉的室内培养试验研究了不同相伴阴离子对镉污染红壤中微生物区系及群落功能多样性的影响 .结果表明 :在相同镉浓度下相伴OAc-对镉污染红壤的细菌、放线菌和真菌数量及微生物群落功能多样性的抑制作用大于相伴Cl-.统计分析显示 ,在供试红壤中OAc-与Cl-对其微生物区系及微生物群落代谢剖面 (AWCD值 )、Shannon指数的影响均达到显著差异 (P <0 0 5 ) ,且在红砂土上表现更为明显 .外加醋酸钾和氯化钾的培养试验结果表明 ,阳离子为钾时 ,相伴OAc-与Cl-对红壤微生物区系结构及群落功能多样性没有产生明显抑制作用 ,相伴OAc-甚至存在一定的刺激作用 .可见 ,相伴OAc-对镉污染红壤微生物的毒害作用大于相伴Cl-,其原因并非是阴离子本身的毒性效应 ,而镉的生物有效性变化可能是不同相伴阴离子镉盐导致毒性差异的原因之一 .     

Intra-specific variations of two Leymus chinensis divergence populations in Songnen Plain, Northeast China

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅｉｎｔｒａ ａｎｄｉｎｔｅｒ ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｖａｒｉａｔｉｏｎｓｏｆｐｌａｎｔｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｓｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎｗｅｌｌｄｏｃｕｍｅｎｔｅｄｆｏｒｍａｎｙｐｌａｎｔｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｓ (Ｂａｓｓｏｗ ,1 997;Ｃａｌｌａｗａｙ ,1 994;Ｄｅｌｐｈ ,1 993;Ｆｏｒｄ ,1 981 ;Ｊｏｎｅｓ,1 999;Ｍｏｎｓｏｎ ,1 989;Ｐａｖｏｎｅ ,1 985;Ｖａｖｒｅ,1 997) .Ｈｏｗｅｖｅｒ,ｍｏｓｔｏｆｔｈｅｓｔｕｄｉｅｓｆｏｃｕｓｅｄｏｎｉｎｔｅｒ ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｖａｒｉａｔｉｏｎｓｉｎｍａｌ…     

不同干扰下阿拉善荒漠啮齿动物群落格局的变动特征

干扰广泛被认为是影响物种多样性变化的最主要的因素。近年来,物种多样性对干扰的响应是生态学家关注和研究的热点问题之一。2002-2011年,在内蒙古阿拉善荒漠区对人为不同利用（干扰）方式形成的禁牧、轮牧、过牧和开垦4种不同区域中,通过对啮齿动物群落的物种数、物种总捕获率、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Pielou均匀性指数等4个变量的时间序列资料的比较,分析了这些变量的年间变动特点及在不同干扰条件下的变动规律,并对不同干扰区各变量的趋势进行分析,探讨啮齿动物群落对不同干扰过程的响应。结果表明：4个变量的最高值均出现在受中等干扰的轮牧区中,物种总捕获率2003年出现了各区的第1个高峰,总捕获率分别为过牧区10.75%、轮牧区19.60%、禁牧区11.20%、开垦区10.55%;2008年出现第2个高峰,4个区物种总捕获率均达到了各区的最高峰,捕获率分别为过牧区29.60%、轮牧区34.15%、禁牧区14.20%、开垦区27.10%。过牧区与轮牧区群落物种总捕获率、Shannon-Wiener指数和Pielou均匀性指数显著相关（p〈0.05）,变动规律相似。过牧区与轮牧区、禁牧区与过牧区、轮牧区与禁牧区之间的物种总捕获率呈极显著正相关（p〈0.01）。过牧区与轮牧区相似度较高（I=0.8568）;过牧区Shannon-Wiener指数表现为有显著的下降趋势（Y=-0.142 lnt＋1.487,F=6.320,p＜0.05）,表明随着过牧时间的积累,对生境的干扰逐步加重,啮齿动物群落的多样性会逐渐降低。     

Scale invariant measures of pattern intensity and grain: A simulation experiment

We propose new dimensionless and scale-invariant measures for detection of pattern intensity, defined as the level of aggregation of individuals regardless their kind, and pattern grain, the level of segregation among individuals of at least two different kinds in point-pattern spatial data using tessellation methodology. Both real and simulated data on spatial distribution of plants in ecological communities show that the proposed parameters can be considered fingerprints of particular point patterns. This approach allows definition of both pattern intensity and grain for any kind of tessellated plane in an operational way, rendering these available for quantification and testing.     

Limited contributions of released animals from zoos to North American conservation translocations

With the loss of biodiversity accelerating, conservation translocations such as reintroductions are becoming an increasingly common conservation tool. Conservation translocations must source individuals for release from either wild or captive-bred populations. We asked what proportion of North American conservation translocations rely on captive breeding and to what extent zoos and aquaria (hereafter zoos) fulfill captive breeding needs. We searched for mention of captive breeding and zoo involvement in all 1863 articles included in the North American Conservation Translocations database, which comprises journal articles and grey literature published before 2014 on conservation translocations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America before 2014 as identified by a comprehensive literature review. Conservation translocations involved captive breeding for 162 (58%) of the 279 animal species translocated. Fifty-four zoos contributed animals for release. The 40 species of animals bred for release by zoos represented only 14% of all animal species for which conservation translocations were published and only 25% of all animal species that were bred for releases occurring in North America. Zoo contributions varied by taxon, ranging from zoo-bred animals released in 42% of amphibian conservation translocations to zero contributions for marine invertebrates. Proportional involvement of zoos in captive-breeding programs for release has increased from 1974 to 2014 (r = 0.325, p = 0.0313) as has the proportion of translocation-focused scientific papers coauthored by zoo professionals (from 0% in 1974 to 42% in 2013). Although zoos also contribute to conservation translocations through education, funding, and professional expertise, increasing the contribution of animals for release in responsible conservation translocation programs presents a future conservation need and opportunity. We especially encourage increased dialogue and planning between the zoo community, academic institutions, and governments to optimize the direct contribution zoos can make to wildlife conservation through conservation translocations.