Using spider web types as a substitute for assessing web-building spider biodiversity and the success of habitat restoration

Arthropods have been regarded as good indicators of habitat quality due to their sensitivity to changes in habitat state. However, there are many constraints to working with arthropods that make them inaccessible to land managers and most volunteer-driven initiatives. Our study examined a novel approach for detecting changes in web-building spider communities by focussing on the types of webs that spiders build rather than the spider itself. This method was cost-effective, easy-to-use, and importantly, we found a strong congruency between the diversity of web architecture and the diversity of web-building spider genera. The metrics derived from this method could distinguish differences in web-building communities among habitat types that represented a successional gradient, and thus we concluded that the method was useful for monitoring the progress of restoration. Many other applications for the method are possible such as environmental impact assessment and agricultural pest management, and we encourage development in these areas.     

Modification of expected conflicts between Drinking Water Quality Index and Irrigation Water Quality Index in water quality ranking of shared extraction wells using Multi Criteria Decision Making techniques

Groundwater resources play a crucial role in most arid/semi-arid regions such as Karaj plain, Iran. Excavation of wells and exploiting water resources of aquifers have long been known as ordinary solutions to supply water demands for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes. In many agricultural areas such as the above-mentioned region, extraction wells have been utilized for both drinking and agricultural consumptions, while measures taken for water quality monitoring and protecting public health are seriously limited. On the other hand, most of the shared extraction wells in the region used for drinking purpose have been located near the agricultural lands and they are highly under the risk of getting polluted by Agricultural pesticides. The current paper firstly intends to demonstrate the results obtained from Drinking water Quality Index (DWQI) as well as Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) and secondly determines probable conflicts that may be aroused in ranking of water wells using these two methods Subsequently, Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques such as Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA), Compromise Programing (CP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were employed to decrease effects of the conflicts. It was clarified that MCDMs, to some extent, alleviated contradictions in wells’ ranks −determined by DWQI/IWQI- and authenticated this procedure as an appropriate method for water quality ranking in agricultural societies.     

Distribution of crops at late Early Bronze Age Titriş Höyük, southeast Anatolia: towards a model for the identification of consumers of centrally organised food distribution

The extensively excavated areas of domestic architecture at the late Early Bronze Age urban settlement of Titri? Höyük in southeast Turkey provide us with a rare opportunity to study the distribution of crops and their processing by-products between different households, as well as to assess differences in indoor and outdoor activities, with the potential of identifying patterns of spatial organisation in the processing and storing of crops, and the preparation of food. The Outer Town area of Titri? Höyük was substantially reorganized in the late EBA, possibly to make room for victims of regional political conflicts. The similarity in the range of agricultural products found in the households, matching the regularity of the centrally planned houses, indicates that not only the rehousing of the new occupants of Outer Town, but also their supply of agricultural products, may have been organized and provided by a central power in the city. A model for the identification of the consumer end of centrally organized food distribution is suggested.     

植物磷营养高效的分子生物学研究进展

挖掘利用植物自身的磷高效营养遗传资源是农业可持续发展的关键。磷高效营养性状涉及根形态、根分泌物、膜与体内磷转运以及菌根等许多方面,表现为数量遗传性状及受多基因控制。近年来,许多高亲和磷转运子基因已被克隆, 磷向地上部转运和磷吸收负反馈调节的控制基因也被发现, 对于根系分泌有机酸和酸性磷酸酶的基因的控制也有了一定的了解, 但目前对于根毛、排根、根构型以及菌根的营养学意义性状的分子生物学研究进展缓慢。     

植物磷营养高效的分子生物学研究进展

挖掘利用植物自身的磷高效营养遗传资源是农业可持续发展的关键.磷高效营养性状涉及根形态、根分泌物、膜与体内磷转运以及菌根等许多方面,表现为数量遗传性状及受多基因控制.近年来,许多高亲和磷转运子基因已被克隆,磷向地上部转运和磷吸收负反馈调节的控制基因也被发现,对于根系分泌有机酸和酸性磷酸酶的基因的控制也有了一定的了解,但目前对于根毛、排根、根构型以及菌根的营养学意义性状的分子生物学研究进展缓慢.     

Applications of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the modelling and design of ventilation systems in the agricultural industry: a review

The application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the agricultural industry is becoming ever more important. Over the years, the versatility, accuracy and user-friendliness offered by CFD has led to its increased take-up by the agricultural engineering community. Now CFD is regularly employed to solve environmental problems of greenhouses and animal production facilities. However, due to a combination of increased computer efficacy and advanced numerical techniques, the realism of these simulations has only been enhanced in recent years. This study provides a state-of-the-art review of CFD, its current applications in the design of ventilation systems for agricultural production systems, and the outstanding challenging issues that confront CFD modellers. The current status of greenhouse CFD modelling was found to be at a higher standard than that of animal housing, owing to the incorporation of user-defined routines that simulate crop biological responses as a function of local environmental conditions. Nevertheless, the most recent animal housing simulations have addressed this issue and in turn have become more physically realistic.     

Root architecture

<正>Numerous research publications over the past 20 years have made it quite clear that a better understanding of the molecular and genetic basis for variation in root system architecture(RSA)will greatly aid the development of crop varieties with improved and more ef ficient nutrient and water acquisition under limiting conditions.In many parts of the world,especially in developing     

Biogeochemical features of fallow lands in the steppe zone

Fallow lands in ancient agricultural areas of Northwestern Crimea which had experienced repeated phases of agricultural activity at different time periods (the Late Bronze Age, antiquity, and the last 150?200 years) have been studied. Differences in biogeochemical fluxes for virgin and fallow soils are analyzed from the chemical elements determining the composition of secondary clay minerals. The most informative and evolutionarily significant biogeochemical indicators of relict agricultural loads and duration of fallow periods are specified.     

Restoration of brook valley meadows in the Netherlands

Until recently, restoration measures in Dutch brook valley meadows consisted of re-introducing traditional management techniques, such as mowing without fertilisation and low-intensity grazing. In the Netherlands, additional measures, such as rewetting and sod cutting, are now carried out on a large scale to combat negative influences of drainage and acidifying influences by atmospheric deposition. An analysis of successful and unsuccessful projects shows that restoration of brook valley meadows is most successful if traditional management techniques are applied in recently abandoned fields that had not been drained or fertilised. Large-scale topsoil removal in former agricultural fields that had been used intensively for several decades is often unsuccessful since seed banks are depleted, while hydrological conditions and seed dispersal mechanisms are sub-optimal. In areas with an organic topsoil, long-term drainage had often led to irreversible changes in chemical and physical properties of the soil. Successful sites were all characterised by a regular discharge of calcareous groundwater provided by local or regional hydrological systems, and, where not very long ago, populations of target species existed. On mineral soils, in particular, sod removal in established nature reserves was a successful measure to increase the number of endangered fen meadow species. It is argued that attempts to restore species-rich meadows should be avoided on former agricultural fields, where pedological processes have led to almost irreversible changes in the soil profile and where soil seed banks have been completely depleted. From a soil conservation point of view, such areas should be exploited as eutrophic wetlands that are regularly flooded.     

Les monuments funéraires en trou de serrure de l’Edjereh et de l’Amadror (Ahaggar,Algérie)

In this work, we will try to illuminate that in the Ahaggar region (Algeria) funerary monuments are very abundant with a various architecture. A series of archaeological field explorations has made it possible to gather the necessary observations and measurements. The most spectacular architecture is the so-called “keyhole architecture”, also identified as “corridor and enclosure”, which has been recognised in the central Ahaggar, with the exception of the Téfedest area, which has not yet produced any examples. The here is to present some keyhole monuments recognised during our various missions in the Edjereh and Amadror regions, some of which have been the subject of archaeological excavations in the past.     

Does agricultural efficiency contribute to slowdown of deforestation in the Brazilian Legal Amazon?

Historically, agricultural production in the Amazon has been painted as the most environmentally impacting activity. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the increase in agricultural efficiency and the slowdown of deforestation rates in the past decade, correlating these data with municipalities’ agricultural specialization. With the data from the 2006 and 2017 Brazilian Agricultural Census we classified municipalities according to its vegetal or animal specialization and estimated a production frontier using the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA), considering a set of production factors and technological variables. Our results demonstrated that most part of municipalities have no specialization or are based in cattle ranching activities, and the overall agricultural efficiency in the Amazon municipalities grew from 69.5% in 2006 to 74.1% in 2017. The new institutional path in the 21st century contributed to slow deforestation in agricultural activities through an increase in productivity (yield/ha) in the last decade, mainly for vegetal production. Cattle ranching also increased output and efficiency, but it remains the most environmental impacting activity. However, several municipalities could not develop their agricultural production value relative to the most productive areas, suggesting that some factors —technological and productive— that could lead to output increase are not being efficiently allocated, which results in concentrating deforestation in inefficient systems and limiting the effectiveness of current policies. Technological diffusion, especially for small farmers, and private support in environmental issues could contribute to slowdown deforestation without loss of agricultural output.     

Feeding habits of the squirrel Sciurus variegatoides (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

Food items consumed by the squirrel Sciurus variegatoides atrirufus were determined in an agricultural setting in the Nicoya Peninsula (9 degrees 47' N, 84 degrees 56' W), Costa Rica, where two life zones (Premontane Moist Forest Basal Belt Transition, and Tropical Dry Forest) predominate. By analyzing the gut contents of 120 squirrels, from February 1987 through January 1988, it was determined that coconut (Cocos nucifera), indian almond (Terminalia catappa) and flamboyant (Delonix regia) were the most common dietary items. There were differences in food consumption according to age: adults preferred coconut, whereas young individuals preferred almond. This finding can be explained in terms of fruit characteristics, as well as tree architecture and accessibility for squirrels; almendro trees provide higher protection and a more accessible food resource, so that it was better used by young individuals.     

The blind men and the elephant: the impact of context and scale in evaluating conflicts between plant hydraulic safety and efficiency

Given the fundamental importance of xylem safety and efficiency for plant survival and fitness, it is not surprising that these are among the most commonly studied features of hydraulic architecture. However, much remains to be learned about the nature and universality of conflicts between hydraulic safety and efficiency. Although selection for suites of hydraulic traits that confer adequate plant fitness under given conditions is likely to occur at the organismal level, most studies of hydraulic architecture have been confined to scales smaller than the whole plant, such as small-diameter branches and roots. Here we discuss the impact of the spatial and temporal contexts in which hydraulic traits are studied on the interpretation of their role in maintaining plant hydraulic function. We argue that further advances in understanding the ecological implications of different suites of plant hydraulic traits will be enhanced by adopting an integrated approach that considers variation in hydraulic traits throughout the entire plant, dynamic behavior of water transport, xylem tension and water transport efficiency in intact plants, alternate mechanisms that modulate hydraulic safety and efficiency, and alternate measures of hydraulic safety and safety margins.     

Implications of climate change for agricultural productivity in the early twenty-first century

This paper reviews recent literature concerning a wide range of processes through which climate change could potentially impact global-scale agricultural productivity, and presents projections of changes in relevant meteorological, hydrological and plant physiological quantities from a climate model ensemble to illustrate key areas of uncertainty. Few global-scale assessments have been carried out, and these are limited in their ability to capture the uncertainty in climate projections, and omit potentially important aspects such as extreme events and changes in pests and diseases. There is a lack of clarity on how climate change impacts on drought are best quantified from an agricultural perspective, with different metrics giving very different impressions of future risk. The dependence of some regional agriculture on remote rainfall, snowmelt and glaciers adds to the complexity. Indirect impacts via sea-level rise, storms and diseases have not been quantified. Perhaps most seriously, there is high uncertainty in the extent to which the direct effects of CO₂ rise on plant physiology will interact with climate change in affecting productivity. At present, the aggregate impacts of climate change on global-scale agricultural productivity cannot be reliably quantified.     

三峡工程与江汉平原农业持续发展

三峡工程与江汉平原农业持续发展朱俊林（湖北大学生态学研究所,武汉４３００６２）ＩｎｆｌｕｅｎｃｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＴｈｒｅｅ＿ＧｏｒｇｅＰｒｏｊｅｃｔｏｎｔｈｅＡｇｒｉｃｕｌｔｕｒｅｉｎＪｉａｎｇｈａｎＰｌａｉｎＡｒｅａａｎｄｔｈｅＡ┐ｇｒｉｃｕｌｔｕｒａ...     

Treatment of dairy wastewater using constructed wetlands and intermittent sand filters

In Ireland, the most common method of disposal of dairy parlour washings is by land spreading. This treatment method has numerous problems, namely high-labour requirements and the potential for eutrophication of surface and ground waters. Constructed wetlands are commonly used for treatment of secondary municipal wastewaters and they have been gaining popularity for treatment of agricultural wastewaters in Ireland. Intermittent sand filtration may offer an alternative to traditional treatment methods. As well as providing comparable treatment performance, they also have a smaller footprint, due to the substantially higher organic loading rates that may be applied to their surfaces. This paper discusses the performance and design criteria of constructed wetlands for the treatment of domestic and agricultural wastewater, and sand filters for the treatment of domestic wastewater. It also proposes sand filtration as an alternative treatment mechanism for agricultural wastewater and suggests design guidelines.     

探讨监测传粉者的方法

种子植物的有性生殖依赖于花粉传递, 传粉者是花粉传递的媒介。传粉者为野生植物和农作物提供的传粉服务, 是我们绿色星球最重要的生态过程之一, 在维持生物多样性和农作物生产方面具有重要作用。农业集约化、生境破碎、全球气候变暖等因素加剧了传粉者衰减和灭绝的风险, 对生态系统的功能和农业生产造成了不利影响。为了维系植物与传粉者生态互作关系的稳定性, 人们建立了一系列从局部地区到国际、由普通民众到科研人员参与的传粉者监测项目, 以期掌握传粉生态系统的状况和发展趋势, 为自然和农业生态系统的健康提供预警和反馈。本文强调了监测传粉者的首要前提条件, 即正确区分传粉者和访花者; 总结了监测传粉者的直接和间接方法, 包括群落水平的直接观察监测, 以及利用关联数据进行间接推断与调查; 介绍了具有潜力的由大众参与的公众监测项目。针对7种常见传粉者类群, 讨论了可行的适用于各类群的监测方法, 为监测拓展到更多的传粉者类群提供了可能。期望能为生物多样性的保护、传粉者动态的精准监测提供建议与参考。     

Migration and Agricultural Change: The Case of Smallholder Agriculture in Highland Ecuador

A large and growing number of agricultural households in less developed countries are also engaged in international migration. Thousands of farmers from the highland provinces of Cañar and Azuay, Ecuador, have immigrated to metropolitan New York, where they work in menial jobs and remit, as a group, millions of dollars annually. This paper examines the effects of international migration on agricultural production and land-use in two regions of Cañar Province. An agricultural survey was administered in two communities to determine land-use and agricultural production of migrant and nonmigrant households. Contrary to most reports on the subject, migration has neither led to agricultural abandonment nor have remittances been dedicated to agricultural improvements. Semisubsistence agriculture remains an important riskaverse economic and cultural activity, but cultivation is a poor investment. A large investment in housing and land has converted much of the region into a peri-urban landscape of cultivated real estate.     

Food Shortages and International Agricultural Programs

The most recent data indicate an unconscionable 842 million people are chronically hungry in the world, 94 percent in developing countries. India, China, and other Asian countries that were the center of concern over hunger in 1960 have been among the most successful at increasing food production and consumption. Current food shortages, both chronic and acute, are concentrated in sub-Sahara Africa. There, production has lagged behind needs and fluctuations from natural and human-caused disasters have generated recurring food shortages and need for food aid. Three elements played critical roles in Asia and are likely to be the key to solving food shortages in Africa: rural/agricultural economic growth that generated increased incomes for the rural poor, stability of food prices, and non-agricultural economic growth. U.S. universities have educated many of the agricultural scientists in developing countries and those at CGIAR centers. The international agricultural programs of U.S. universities that have been important in maintaining links between U.S. and foreign institutions and in facilitating the training of developing country scientists need continued financial support.