河岸带生态系统退化机制及其恢复研究进展

恢复和重建自然和人为干扰导致的退化河岸带生态系统是目前恢复生态学、流域生态学等学科研究的重要内容之一．对河岸带生态系统的干扰表现在河流水文特征改变、河岸带直接干扰和流域尺度干扰3个方面,分别具有不同的影响机制．河流水文特征改变通过改变河岸土壤湿度、氧化还原电位、生物生存环境以及沉积物传输规律对河岸带生态系统产生影响;河岸带直接干扰通过人类活动及外来物种入侵而直接影响河岸带植被多样性;流域尺度干扰则主要表现在河道刷深、河道淤积、河岸带地下水位降低和河流冲刷过程改变等．河岸带生态恢复评价对象包括河岸带生态系统各要素,评价指标已从单一的生态指标转向综合性指标．河岸带生态恢复应在景观或者流域尺度上进行考虑,识别对其影响的生物和物理过程以及导致其退化的干扰因子,通过植被重建与水文调控来进行．扩展研究尺度和研究对象及采用多学科的研究方法将是今后相关研究中的重要问题．     

河道生态系统特征及其自净化能力研究现状与发展

河道生态系统包括河道水体和河岸带两大部分,具有净化水体、降低污染物浓度的功能.研究河道生态系统的自净化能力对河道生态系统的健康评价及水环境管理具有重要的意义.目前该领域的研究主要侧重于两个方面:一方面是运用水质模型的方法模拟评价河道水体的自净化能力,另一方面则是研究河岸植被缓冲带对净化水体的作用.系统总结了目前研究的特点与不足,指出了今后应该重视的研究领域,主要包括:(1)应加强研究陆地生态系统空间异质性对河道自净化能力的影响研究;(2)需要系统解剖河道剖面形态结构与空间布局对河道水质自净化能力的影响;(3)重视面向外部复杂环境的参数获取方法的研究;(4)综合河岸生态系统与河道水体生态系统,系统研究非点源污染在陆-水迁移和水体运移中河道生态系统自净化能力的时空变化特征,从而为开展河道生态系统健康评价,河道生态系统管理提供科学的依据.     

河岸带生态系统植被与土壤对水文变化的响应研究进展

河岸带的植被与土壤是生态系统重要组成部分,对于维持河岸带的生态健康、生态系统服务与可持续性具有至关重要的作用。水文变化是河岸带生态系统的首要干扰因子,系统总结了水文变化对河岸带植被的特征以及植被形态、群落分布、繁殖、生存策略的影响,并阐述了河岸带水文和植被对土壤氮磷迁移转化的影响机制。根系作为土壤与植物地上部分之间物质、能量流动与信号传导的关键纽带,目前对根系的研究还较欠缺,需要加强水文变化对河岸带湿地植物根系形态、结构、功能特征的影响机理研究,以及湿地植物对水文变化的适应机制和耐受阈值方面的探究。在微观方面,应加强水文变化与植被等多因素耦合对土壤氮磷迁移转化过程的机理研究。河流形态和土壤的多样性决定着河岸带水文作用特征的复杂性,今后需注重河岸带个性特征与水文响应的关系研究。河岸带是横向的水陆生态过渡带和河流上下游的纵向生态廊道,亟需综合考虑和模拟流域土壤、植被与水文、人类活动之间的耦合关系,预测未来气候与社会经济情境下的河岸带生态系统演变规律,为河岸带生态系统的生态调节、生物多样性保护与生态恢复等提供理论依据与技术支撑。     

广西桂林漓江河岸带植被配置类型与退化机制研究

河岸带植被结构与组成等配置状况直接影响其稳定河岸、净化水质、生物多样性、生物栖息地以及旅游景观等重要功能。查明漓江河岸带主要植被配置类型及其各自退化表现、原因与恢复途径, 是开展河岸带退化植被恢复的基础与前提。该研究通过野外实地调查与测量, 对漓江桂林-阳朔河段 51 个河岸带断面的地形、土壤、植被等进行了系统调查, 分析了河岸带植被退化的主要表现、主导干扰因素, 并通过流域与河岸带尺度综合的角度 , 提出了漓江河岸带植被恢复的思路。从岸坡地形与植被组合出发, 按照自然、近自然、人工等干扰程度 , 广西漓江河岸带可划分为江心洲宽滩地疏林灌草自然型、丘陵陡坡林灌草自然型、平原农田缓坡灌草近自然型、平原滩地林草近自然型、聚落阶地疏灌林草人工-自然混合型、城镇岸坡林草人工型等 6 种典型植被配置模式。漓江河岸带植被退化主要表现为多样性差、景观破碎、生态功能弱 , 而城镇、交通、旅游等不合理开发建设是主导性的干扰因素。从生态稳定和景观美观的角度 , 提出了漓江河岸带植被恢复与优化的思路, 以期为广西漓江河岸带生态修复提供科学依据。     

荒漠区垂直河岸带植物多样性格局及其成因

荒漠区河岸植物多样性格局特征和影响机制研究可为河岸带生物多样性保护和管理提供依据。艾比湖荒漠区垂直河岸样带的植物多样性格局及其土壤影响机制的研究表明:(1)距河2.0—3.0 km(T3.0)和0.9—1.5 km(T1.5)的样带植物本质多样性、α多样性整体高于距河0.1—0.2 km(T0.2)和0.2—0.4 km(T0.4)的样带(P0.05);(2)T0.4样带多样性最低,物种相似性最高,且植物生活型和土壤属性均较T0.2有较大的变化,反映了距河0.2—0.4 km区域群落性质的转变,0.2—0.4 km可作为确定河岸带宽度的参考样带;(3)影响植物多样性的土壤因素和途径沿T0.2—T3.0样带趋于简单化,即由近河带(T0.2)贫营养(碳磷比(C/P)、土壤有机质(SOM))和高土壤水分(SWC)、盐分(TS)的限制作用,到远离河流旱胁迫加剧时对植物多样性影响逐渐突出的土壤全磷(P)和SWC;(4)根据T1.5、T3.0植物多样性特征,研究区土壤水分在7.0—7.5%间,C/P在26.1—30.2之间以及盐分低于1.0%时能维持较高的多样性。最后对保护区河岸带和缓冲带宽度的确定、河岸带管理、植被资源保护以及生态系统恢复等提出针对性建议,以期为制定有效的河岸带生物多样性维护和资源管理对策提供理论参考和科学依据。     

河岸带对陆地水体氮素输入的截流转化作用

氮素是陆地水体的重要污染物之一,相邻高地土壤中的氮素经非点源途径通过河岸带进入水体.河岸带是高地和水体之间的过渡带,健康的河岸带系统能够通过物理的、生物的和生物化学的过程,实现对氮素的截留转化.本文系统地介绍了氮素进入陆地水体的主要途径和河岸带对陆地水体氮素污染物截留转化的机制,并从河岸带水文过程、土壤特征、植被状况、人为活动等方面,论述了影响河岸带氮素截留转化作用的因素;在此基础上,对目前河岸带研究中存在的问题进行了讨论,并对我国开展河岸带的研究提出了建议.     

水电开发对河岸植被影响研究进展

河岸植被是河流生态系统的重要组成部分, 在维持河流生态系统完整性和河岸生物多样性保护方面具有重要作用。目前, 水电开发影响下河岸植被的物种组成、多样性、种间关联等几方面日益受到关注, 是河流生态学研究中的重要热点。文章阐述了水电开发后河流水文、河岸生境、繁殖体扩散、外来物种入侵等影响下河岸植被的响应机制。探讨了河岸植被与生态环境的相关性, 提出了今后河岸植被与水电开发相互作用机制, 及水电开发的正负生态效应综合影响研究。     

河岸植被缓冲带与河岸带管理

河岸带是水陆交错带的一种景观表现形式,即岸边陆地上同河水发生作用的植被区域,是介于河溪和高地植被之间的生态过渡带,目前,河岸带的保护和管理日益为人们所关注,并成为自然资源经营及管理中不可缺少的部分,本文对国外河岸带管理有关的研究和实践进行了总结,对河岸带管理的目标、作用、一般途径、面临的问题以及将来发展趋势进行了讨论,并详细地介绍了USDA－FS的河岸植被缓冲带系统,文章最后指出,有必要在国内尽快开展河岸带管理的研究和实践。     

消落带生态系统氮素截留转化的主要机制及影响因素

消落带是陆地与水体(河流、湖泊、水库、湿地以及其他特殊水体)之间的生态过渡带,具有独特的生态水文学和生物地球化学过程,是截留和转化NH₄⁺、NO₃^-等非点源氮素进入水体的最后一道生态屏障.整合已有相关研究成果发现: 1)植物固持作用改变氮素在土壤-植被-土壤-大气中相对存在位置;2)微生物反硝化作用将氮素从系统内永久性地去除,是消落带生态系统氮素截留转化的主要机制,但其相对贡献率仍有很大的不确定性.在不同流域背景条件下,影响消落带生态系统氮素生物地球化学循环的主要生态因子变化较大,很难确定地下水位高低、植被状况、微生物属性和土壤基质等哪一个生态因子是驱动消落带生态系统氮素循环的关键因子.研究方法的局限性、大的时空尺度数据的缺乏及对植被宽度认识的模糊性,是导致消落带生态系统氮素截留转化结果变异性大的主要原因.因此,应在消落带生态系统具体研究区位环境因子基础上,利用数学模型、GIS、RS等分析方法及同位素示踪和气体联用测定等定量分析技术,从不同时空尺度研究消落带生态系统氮素的循环与转化规律,以实现消落带生态系统氮素截留转化最优化,为消落带生态系统的科学管理提供理论基础.     

湖滨带退化生态系统的恢复与重建

湖滨带是水陆生态交错带的一种类型,在湖泊流域生态系统中发挥着重要作用,具有较高的生态、社会和经济价值.湖滨带的功能包括:缓冲带功能、保持生物多样性及生境保护功能、护岸功能和经济美学价值.湖滨带退化的原因主要是人为因素引起的生物群落结构的逆向演替及生态功能下降,退化湖滨带生态恢复与重建的理论基础是恢复生态学,其生态恢复技术可划分为三大类:湖滨带生境恢复与重建技术、湖滨带生物恢复与重建技术、湖滨带生态系统结构与功能恢复技术.云南洱海湖滨带近3年的生态恢复与重建试验的生态调查结果表明,试验区水生植被得到恢复,水质净化作用明显,藻类得到抑制,浮游动物的构成和数量发生变化,湖滨带湿地生态系统的生物多样性和稳定性增加.     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.