化石燃料——二氧化碳排放的元凶

在燃烧过程中,化石燃料中的碳转变为二氧化碳进入大气,使大气中二氧化碳浓度增大。而二氧化碳作为一种温室气体具有吸热和隔热的功能。它在大气中增多的结果是形成一种无形的玻璃罩,使太阳辐射到地球上的热量无法向外层空间发散,其结果是地球表面变热起来,加重了温室效应。     

地球是活的?

“地球是活的”。这是现任英国雷丁大学控制论学系访问教授J.诺沃诺克提出的几乎与当今所有知名学者都不同的新见解。诺沃诺克及其助手们认为,地球本身就是一个具有生命力的特大有机体,或者说是有生命的机体与无生命的地球紧密配合的一个能自动调节的巨大统一体。生命在改变和调整自己适应环境的同时,也在改造和调节着环境,使之愈来愈适宜于自己的生存与繁衍。正是由于生命的存在,才使大气、海洋和地球表面的物理化学状态逐渐变得如此适宜和舒适。归根到底,是地球上的生命对大气、海洋起着调节和控制作用,从而改变着环境,使之适合于自己,而不单纯是生命去适应环境或被环境所选择。这一见解无疑与由环境决定生命的传统观点和现代理论(包括自然选择学说)相悖。诺沃诺克于1972年第一次提出了他的这些见解,他把它称为“盖娅假说”(盖娅是希腊神话中的大地女神名)。最初的观点,按他的原话就是“生命,或生物圈,以最有利于     

谈“生物来自生物”的假说实验

地球上的生命起源子非生命物质,经过十几亿年的化学进化,演变成原始生命(非细胞形态);再经过三十多亿年的生物进化,才出现各式各样的生物,从此打破了地球上的空寂。生物是从哪里来的?由繁殖来的即生物来自生物(但最初的生物来自非生命物质).而在历史上,人们对于生物的来源曾出现过许多不同的认识。从古代到十七世纪,无论东方还是西方都盛行一种“自然发生论”。这一观点根据简单的观察。认为生物是从非生命物质迅速而直接地产生出来的。例如;腐草化萤、白石化羊、汗水生虱,腐肉生蛆、湿土     

早期地球的环境变化和生命的化学进化

生命起源是当代最大的科学疑谜之一,也是历来人类普遍关注的一个焦点。在地球上最早的生物出现之前,有机物经历了漫长而复杂的化学进化过程,称为生命的化学进化。地球上生命的化学进化与非生物部分的早期演化过程,是密切地相互关联、相互作用并相互制约的。文章着重阐述与生命的化学关系最为密切的冥古宙和太古宙的地球演化历史,指出这两个阶段所形成的还原性原始大气和古海洋条件在生命的化学进行中起了极其重要的作用,并且从宇宙形成、太阳系演化和地球环境早期演化的角度,探讨地球生命的化学进化历程;以地球形成初期发生了一系列复杂的有机化学反应过程,由无机分子生成生物小分子,再进一步生成生物大分子,直至最后产生原始细胞。此外,文章评述当前国际上最流行的生命化学进化学说,对早期地球的化学进化是发生在地球表面的原始海洋、粘土矿物、火山喷发等,或是来源于地球之外的宇宙空间进行了综合的阐述。     

关于生命的起源

几种可能的答案地球上生命怎样来的呢?这里有几种可能的答案:(1)生命没有起源。物质和生命永恒存在。宇宙间任何星球变化到可以居住生物时,生命的“种子”便由宇宙的某处移过来。因此,地球上的生命是从其他星球而来的。(2)生命在超自然因素的作用下在地球上出现。这是神造说。(3)地球上生命是通过地球表面上的化学过程,通过物质的逐步变化发展,在特殊条件下逐渐发生的。恩格斯在“自然辩证法”里批判了前两种说法,主张第三种观点。现代科学支持恩格斯关于生命起源的辩证唯物主义观点。     

谈地球生物学的重要意义

地球生物学是地球科学与生命科学交叉形成的一级学科,它研究作为地球系统三大基本过程之一的生命过程,即生物圈与地球其他圈层的相互作用.不仅是地球影响生物圈.而且生物圈也影响地球系统.这种相互作用或影响,从地球历史早期到现在,是一直在协同、耦合地进行着.生命与地球环境的协同演化是地球生物学的核心.当前地球生物学发展的重点是地球微生物学.宏体生物能反映地球环境对它们的影响及它们对环境的适应,但除植物外,它们对环境的影响有限.了解生物圈与地圈双向的相互作用必须研究地球微生物学.生命科学和整个自然科学都在向微观方向发展,不断形成新的理论和技术方法.古生物学不能停留在以古动、植物学为主的阶段,而要与生命科学和整个自然科学保持同步发展.现在我们已经找到了解决微生物与地质研究相结合问题的途径.微生物功能群具有重要的地质学意义,是研究地球微生物学的突破口.地球生物学是古生物学的继承和超越.分类系统学将仍然是研究的基础,但是包含了传统古生物学的地球生物学在学科内容和技术方法上将更多地与物理、化学、生物等学科交叉融合.其结果将使古生物学在时间上更前溯,在空间上更开拓,为古生物学在地球系统科学研究和为国民经济主战场服务中开辟更广阔的前景.     

化石,您好!

地球上各种生物的演变都是一个漫长而复杂的过程。地球上的生命是怎样起源的？现在地球上各种生物又是怎样来的？长久以来一直是人类所关注的问题。自古以来,对于地球上的各种生物的来源就存在着争论。特创论认为,现在地球上的所有生物都是由神创造出来的;进化论者认为...     

人口发展与生物多样性

地球上现有生物约２００万种,历史上曾达到２５００万种,这种生物的多样性是生命发展的基本特征之一。从进化的角度来看,地球上生物发展的总趋势是种类由少到多,由单一环境到适应多种多样的环境;从遗传的角度来看,生物多样性为生命提供了一个无比庞大基因库,使生物在漫长的进化历程中,在遗传与变异的对立统一运动中始终保持旺盛的活力,不仅使生物适应环境的能力趋于完善,且使生物具有抵抗环境骤变的巨大潜能;从生态系统的角度来看,生物多样性是生态系统稳定的基本保证。就人的自然属性来说,人类是多样性生物大家庭中的一员,其…     

微生物——地球生命的先驱者, 生态环境的维护者

尽管对地球生命起源的时间和早期生命形式还有很大争议,但大部分科学家认为在距今约38-40亿年前,地球上就出现了最低等的原始生命,距今约24-6亿年前的元古代产生了早期的原核微生物.早期的地球虽然已形成了原始的岩石圈、水圈和大气圈,但地壳很不稳定,火山活动频繁;距今7 000万年前,地球环境才变得与今天的状况基本相似,约6 300万年前才出现了灵长类动物的共同祖先,并最终在240万年前出现人类.现代科学研究揭示,地球从一个没有生命的荒芜星球演变成一个充满微生物、植物、动物的蓝色星球,不仅经历了生命的出现与数十亿年的进化,而且也经历了生物对地球环境的改变,今天的地球环境实际上是地质、气候、生物共同作用的结果,而早在人类出现前就在地球上生活了数十亿年的微生物对地球环境的演变更是做出了巨大的贡献.     

天然生物地球电池效应、形成机制及生态学意义

天然生物地球电池(biogeobattery)是一种发生在地球表层氧化-还原界面的自然现象,是微生物在厌氧区域氧化有机碳、硫化物等电子供体,产生的电子经胞外介体"长距离"传输至好氧区,从而与空间上隔离的氧气等电子受体发生还原反应的过程。由于生物电流的偶联,使得过去认为因空间隔离而难以发生的氧化-还原反应,可以快速、即时的进行。Biogeobattery的科学本质是:通过微生物驱动电子流动,偶联空间上隔离的生物地球化学过程。Biogeobattery可能容易发生在有机物丰富、具备氧化-还原界面的生境,如海底沉积物环境、有机物污染区域等;它对于有机物厌氧矿化、温室气体排放、C/N/S等元素地球化学循环、污染物自然恢复等关键生物地球化学过程有重要影响,具有重大生态学意义,正成为地球科学、微生物学及生态学共同关注的国际前沿和热点。从"人工"biogeobattery(沉积物微生物燃料电池)入手,阐述了biogeobattery效应及其形成机制,从电池的电势、阴极-阳极响应关系、传导介质等方面详细介绍其研究方法,论述了biogeobattery的生态学意义,展望了研究重点。     

大青沟植物群落稳定性研究

大青沟森林植物群落是经过长期环境变迁后残留下来的森林群落类型,具有适应环境的特殊机制,运用群落演替与相关分析相结合的方法分析了群落的稳定性,在大青沟地区以水曲国主的群落在长期的自然演替过程中已达到与生境条件相互适应的动态平衡过程,它仅仅是一种小生境条件作用下稳域性稳定植被系统,以蒙古栎为主的群落在当地处于稳定状态,并与当地的大气候条件相适应,其它群落类型则处于相对不稳定的状态     

Exchange of Natural Enemies for Biological Control: Is it a Rocky Road?—The Road in the Euro-Mediterranean Region and the South American Common Market

The access and benefit sharing (ABS) regulations from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for the use of natural resources became an important issue because the biodiversity of developing countries was heavily accessed and unilaterally exploited by pharmaceutical and seed companies. However, natural enemies used for biological control are living and unmodified genetic resources which cannot be patented and have been treated as resources such as drugs, seeds, or other commercial products. Consequently, the ABS requirements have limited not only the use of natural enemies but also the positive effects that scientifically supported biological control strategies have on the society, the environment, and the economy, reducing problems of pesticide residues, water and soil contamination, and non-target effects. During the last several years, the biological control scientific community has faced new and extremely complicated legislation dictated by a high and diverse number of governmental agencies at different levels, making the access to natural resources for biocontrol purposes a rocky road. Society at large should be aware of how the strict ABS regulations affect the use of natural enemies as biological resources to secure food production, food safety, and global environmental protection. We discuss in here the current difficulties derived from CBD for the exchange of natural enemies taking as example the Euro-Mediterranean region, Argentina, and Brazil to demonstrate how long and diverse are the steps to be followed to obtain the required permits for access and exportation/importation of natural enemies. We then argue that the public visibility of biocontrol strategies should be increased and their benefits highlighted in order to persuade legislators for the development of a less bureaucratic, more expedient, and more centralized regulatory frame, greatly favoring the practice and benefits of biological control. We finally propose a general framework in which ABS issues should be dealt in ways to attend the CBD, but also to make the use of natural resources for the biological control of pests to secure food production and security a possible alternative.     

橡胶草的研究进展

天然橡胶是一种不可替代的重要战略工业原料, 用途广泛。巴西橡胶树作为天然橡胶的主要来源, 受种植面积限制, 难以满足全球日益增长的对天然橡胶的需求。而南美叶疫病也是巴西橡胶树(Hevea brasiliensis)安全的潜在威胁。蒲公英属产胶植物(橡胶草)最早发现于20世纪30年代, 可产生高质量的天然橡胶, 具有生长周期短、地理适应范围广、适合机械化生产等特点, 被认为是一种理想的产胶备选作物。该文从橡胶草种质资源、遗传改良、栽培技术及产胶生物学机制等方面综述了国内外橡胶草的研究进展和存在的问题, 并为我国开展橡胶草相关研究提出建议。     

Massively parallel sequencing of single cells by epicPCR links functional genes with phylogenetic markers

Many microbial communities are characterized by high genetic diversity. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing can determine community members, and metagenomics can determine the functional diversity, but resolving the functional role of individual cells in high throughput remains an unsolved challenge. Here, we describe epicPCR (Emulsion, Paired Isolation and Concatenation PCR), a new technique that links functional genes and phylogenetic markers in uncultured single cells, providing a throughput of hundreds of thousands of cells with costs comparable to one genomic library preparation. We demonstrate the utility of our technique in a natural environment by profiling a sulfate-reducing community in a freshwater lake, revealing both known sulfate reducers and discovering new putative sulfate reducers. Our method is adaptable to any conserved genetic trait and translates genetic associations from diverse microbial samples into a sequencing library that answers targeted ecological questions. Potential applications include identifying functional community members, tracing horizontal gene transfer networks and mapping ecological interactions between microbial cells.     

Self-organization, layered structure, and aggregation enhance persistence of a synthetic biofilm consortium

Microbial consortia constitute a majority of the earth's biomass, but little is known about how these cooperating communities persist despite competition among community members. Theory suggests that non-random spatial structures contribute to the persistence of mixed communities; when particular structures form, they may provide associated community members with a growth advantage over unassociated members. If true, this has implications for the rise and persistence of multi-cellular organisms. However, this theory is difficult to study because we rarely observe initial instances of non-random physical structure in natural populations. Using two engineered strains of Escherichia coli that constitute a synthetic symbiotic microbial consortium, we fortuitously observed such spatial self-organization. This consortium forms a biofilm and, after several days, adopts a defined layered structure that is associated with two unexpected, measurable growth advantages. First, the consortium cannot successfully colonize a new, downstream environment until it self-organizes in the initial environment; in other words, the structure enhances the ability of the consortium to survive environmental disruptions. Second, when the layered structure forms in downstream environments the consortium accumulates significantly more biomass than it did in the initial environment; in other words, the structure enhances the global productivity of the consortium. We also observed that the layered structure only assembles in downstream environments that are colonized by aggregates from a previous, structured community. These results demonstrate roles for self-organization and aggregation in persistence of multi-cellular communities, and also illustrate a role for the techniques of synthetic biology in elucidating fundamental biological principles.     

Temperature and trophic structure are driving microbial productivity along a biogeographical gradient

Temperature is known to influence ecosystem processes through its direct effect on biological rates such as respiration and nutrient cycling. These changes can then indirectly affect ecologically processes by altering trophic dynamics, the persistence of a species in a given environment, and, consequently, its distribution. However, it is not known if this direct effect of temperature on biological rates is singularly the most important factor for the functioning of ecosystems, or if trophic structure and the adaptation of a species to the local environment also play an essential role. Understanding the relative importance of these factors is crucial for predicting the impact that climate change will have on species and ecosystems. To achieve a more complete understanding of the impact of changing temperatures, it is necessary to integrate perspectives from biogeography, such as the influences of species distribution and local adaptation, with ecosystem and community ecology. By using the microbial community inhabiting the water‐filled leaves of Sarracenia purpurea, we tested the importance of temperature, trophic structure, and local adaptation on ecosystem functioning. We accomplished this by collecting communities along a natural temperature gradient and maintaining these communities in a common garden, factorial experiment. To test for the importance of local adaptation and temperature, the origin of each community was crossed with the temperature from each site. Additionally, to test the importance of top‐down trophic regulation for ecosystem functioning, the presence of the mosquito larvae top predator was manipulated. We found that temperature has a greater effect on ecosystem functioning than origin, and that top‐down trophic regulation increased with temperature. Our results emphasize the synergistic effects of temperature and biotic interactions when predicting the consequences of global warming on ecosystem functioning.     

中国自然湿地螺类生态学研究进展

螺类是软体动物腹足纲的通称,是湿地生态系统大型无脊椎动物的重要组成部分。湿地螺类在维持湿地生物多样性和复杂食物网结构,保障湿地物质循环和能量流动等方面具有重要的生态功能。从基本组成、生活型、功能群方面归纳了螺类群落结构特征;分析了螺类的时空分布格局;重点讨论了影响螺类群落结构的温度、盐度、底质等非生物因子和植被、物种间影响等生物因子以及人类对螺类的影响;概述了湿地演替过程中螺类群落的变化和螺类的环境指示功能。依据目前中国自然湿地螺类的研究特点和国际研究动态,展望了未来我国螺类群落的生态学研究的重点。     

Study of developmental homeostasis: From population developmental biology and the health of environment concept to the sustainable development concept

The study of the indices of developmental homeostasis in natural populations leads to the definition of the fundamentals of population developmental biology, which is associated with the assessment of the nature of phenotypic diversity and the mechanisms of population dynamics and microevolutionary changes. Characterization of environmental quality based on the assessment of population status by developmental homeostasis determines the fundamentals of the health of environment concept. The use of the ideas of developmental homeostasis and the health of environment in the studies of homeostatic mechanisms of biological systems of different levels (from the organism and population to the community and ecosystem) is promising. This gives new opportunities for understanding the mechanisms that provide sustainability and their ratio at different levels as well as for the characterization of ontogenetic stability significance. The notion of developmental homeostasis, or homeorhesis, is promising for the elaboration of the ecological and biological basics of sustainable development.     

Correlation between Thermodynamic Efficiency and Ecological Cyclicity for Thermodynamic Power Cycles

A sustainable global community requires the successful integration of environment and engineering. In the public and private sectors, designing cyclical (“closed loop”) resource networks increasingly appears as a strategy employed to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. Patterning industrial networks on ecological ones has been shown to provide significant improvements at multiple levels. Here, we apply the biological metric cyclicity to 28 familiar thermodynamic power cycles of increasing complexity. These cycles, composed of turbines and the like, are scientifically very different from natural ecosystems. Despite this difference, the application results in a positive correlation between the maximum thermal efficiency and the cyclic structure of the cycles. The immediate impact of these findings results in a simple method for comparing cycles to one another, higher cyclicity values pointing to those cycles which have the potential for a higher maximum thermal efficiency. Such a strong correlation has the promise of impacting both natural ecology and engineering thermodynamics and provides a clear motivation to look for more fundamental scientific connections between natural and engineered systems.     

Chemical signaling processes in the marine environment

Understanding the mechanisms by which environmental chemical signals, chemical defenses, and other chemical agents mediate various life-history processes can lead to important insights about the forces driving the ecology and evolution of marine systems. For chemical signals released into the environment, establishing the principles that mediate chemical production and transport is critical for interpreting biological responses to these stimuli within appropriate natural, historical contexts. Recent technological advancements provide outstanding opportunities for new discoveries, thus allowing quantification of interactions between hydrodynamic, chemical, and biological factors at numerous spatial and temporal scales. Past work on chemically mediated processes involving organisms and their environment have emphasized habitat colonization by larvae and trophic relationships. Future research priorities should include these topics as well as courtship and mating, fertilization, competition, symbiosis, and microbial chemical ecology. There are now vast new opportunities for determining how organisms respond to chemical signals and employ chemical defenses under environmentally realistic conditions. Integrating these findings within a larger ecological and evolutionary framework should lead to improved understanding of natural physicochemical phenomena that constrain biological responses at the individual, population, and community levels of organization.