邻体干扰模型的改进及其在营林中的应用

 本文研究了植物群落中优势种个体间的相互干扰问题。在前人工作基础上提出了邻体干扰指数的改进模型及野外资料搜集方法。保证了数学模型的逻辑一致性,增加了生态学的解释意义。本文还讨论了邻体干扰效应模型的选择问题,进而提出了约束条件下的材积增长的数学优化模型。以四川省重庆市缙云山马尾松林为例,进行了实例研究。     

邻体干扰模型的改进及其在营林中的应用

本文研究了植物群落中优势种个体间的相互干扰问题。在前人工作基础上提出了邻体干扰指数的改进模型及野外资料搜集方法。保证了数学模型的逻辑一致性,增加了生态学的解释意义。本文还讨论了邻体干扰效应模型的选择问题,进而得出了约束条件下的材积增长的数学优化模型。以四川省重庆市缙云山马尾松林为例,进行了实例研究。     

植物邻体干扰的研究范畴、热点及意义

系统介绍了确定邻体和度量邻体竞争指数的常用方法,以及邻体干扰研究的热点问题和研究意义。植物邻体干扰研究热点主要包括：(1)邻体干扰对植物个体存活率的影响;(2)邻体干扰对生物多样性的影响;(3)构件水平上的邻体干扰效应;(4)基株对邻体干扰的适应;(5)邻体干扰对植物个体生长速率的影响。     

青杄林恢复演替过程中的邻体竞争效应及邻体干扰指数的改进模型

本文研究了青杄(Picea wilsonii)个体生长速度与其邻体效应之间的相互关系。结果表明乔木演替初期种山杨、白桦以及青杄自身对青杄生长的影响均为竞争关系。由以基株为中心、两米为半径圆内所有个体所测得的邻体干扰可以解释青杄生长速度变异的百分之三十以上。在本文中,我们还改进了邻体干扰指数,提出应该考虑基株自身的个体大小,由改进的指数模型能够解释青杄生长速度变异的百分之四十五左左。因此可以说改进指数要优于原先的指数。根据本文所得的结果,我们可以断定青杄林恢复演替的动力是优势植物种间的竞争。     

光皮桦群落邻体干扰指数的研究

影响植物个体生长的因素很多 ,这其中不仅有其自身的遗传特性在起作用 ,而且与其所处的生境立地质量以及它对环境资源的利用状况也有着密切地内在联系。生境在影响植物生长的同时 ,植物的生命活动及生长过程也在不断地影响和改变着环境条件 ,使其朝着有利于或不利于邻体生长的方向发展。生物与环境之间这种相互作用、相互影响 ,就是生态学领域里的邻体干扰。本文通过对福建卫闽光皮桦 (Ｂｅｔｕｌａｌｕｍｉｎｉｆｅｒａ)群落邻体干扰指数的研究 ,分析了邻体干扰指数与光皮桦生长速度间的相互联系 ,揭示了光皮桦个体大小与邻体干扰指数和生…     

红松天然种群邻体影响半径

以天然红松种群为研究对象,采用生长方程回归分析、分段拟合判定的方法,探讨不同坡位红松邻体影响半径的变化.结果表明,红松树种邻体干扰指数与生长量呈显著负相关(R²为0.61～0.89),相关程度因邻体影响范围和坡位而异,R²达到最大值所对应的影响范围即为邻体影响半径;对红松树种进行邻体干扰指数与影响范围的线性分段拟合,邻体干扰指数随影响范围的增加而增加,其在一定的范围内上升较快,而超出该范围则上升幅度变缓,其转折点所对应的影响范围即为邻体影响半径,线性回归显著(R²为0.41～0.55);不同坡位的邻体影响半径有一定的差异,表现为下坡位=上坡位＞中坡位.     

红松天然种群邻体影响半径

以天然红松种群为研究对象,采用生长方程回归分析、分段拟合判定的方法,探讨不同坡位红松邻体影响半径的变化．结果表明,红松树种邻体干扰指数与生长量呈显著负相关（R^2为0．61～0．89）,相关程度因邻体影响范围和坡位而异,R^2达到最大值所对应的影响范围即为邻体影响半径;对红松树种进行邻体干扰指数与影响范围的线性分段拟合,邻体干扰指数随影响范围的增加而增加,其在一定的范围内上升较快,而超出该范围则上升幅度变缓,其转折点所对应的影响范围即为邻体影响半径,线性回归显著（R^2为0．41～0．55）;不同坡位的邻体影响半径有一定的差异,表现为下坡位=上坡位〉中坡位．     

热带柚木(Tectona grandis L. f.)人工林中不同邻体干扰强度下林木CO2气体交换特征

研究以海南岛尖峰岭21a生的珍贵树种柚木人工林为对象,以邻体干扰指数为干扰强度评价指标,用Li-6400(Li-cor, Inc., USA)便携式光合作用测定系统研究了邻体干扰强度对柚木个体CO2气体交换的日动态和季节变化特性,光合-光响应特性及光合-CO2响应特性的影响.结果表明:邻体干扰并未改变个体叶片光合作用日进程,但对日净光合速率(Pn)的影响差异较大,表现为弱、中、强和极强度干扰下日Pn时段均值比为2.5 : 2.3 : 1.7 : 1.0,弱干扰下日最大净光合速率为极强干扰下的2.8倍;随着干扰强度的增加,柚木叶片的蒸腾速率、气孔导度等特征参数也出现不同程度的下降.邻体干扰对光合-光响应和光合-CO2响应特征参数的影响明显,弱干扰下柚木叶Asat、Qsat 、αA、CE、Vcmax和Jmax分别是极强干扰下的2.7、1.3、1.4、2.7、1.9和2.8倍,Qcomp和Rd则受邻体干扰的影响不明显.干扰强度对光合光响应和光合CO2响应特征的影响随光环境和CO2浓度的改变而有所差异,光环境的改变对弱干扰下柚木个体的影响明显要强于强度以上干扰的个体,而CO2浓度的改变对弱干扰个体的影响则明显要弱于强度干扰以上个体的影响.因此,在林分结构相对单一、经营管理措施基本一致的人工林内,邻体干扰是个体竞争的主要影响因素之一,干扰强度的不同将影响种内个体光合碳同化能力出现差别,导致个体生长差异.可以基于邻体干扰指数评价柚木人工林内种内竞争程度的大小,并以此为依据合理调整柚木人工林的林分结构,达到对环境资源的最合理利用.     

水曲柳落叶松人工混交林中树木个体生长的竞争效应模型

本研究从水曲柳落叶松混交林中树木的种内种间竞争机制出发,对与距离有关的竞争模型和邻体干扰模型进行了改进,提出了以竞争指数分量和竞争效应系数来量化树木间的空间竞争。根据野外的实测数据,以年材积生长量为因变量各竞争指数分量为自变量,通过多元回归分析建立了树木个体生长的竞争效应模型,回归结果有很好的拟合优度。本研究为空间竞争模型的进一步改进和生态学研究植物竞争生长关系提供了新的思路。     

植物空间分布格局中邻体距离的概率分布模型及参数估计

最近邻体法是一类有效的植物空间分布格局分析方法,邻体距离的概率分布模型用于描述邻体距离的统计特征,属于常用的最近邻体法之一。然而,聚集分布格局中邻体距离(个体到个体)的概率分布模型表达式复杂,参数估计的计算量大。根据该模型期望和方差的特性,提出了一种简化的参数估计方法,并利用遗传算法来实现参数优化,结果表明遗传算法可以有效地估计的该模型的两个参数。同时,利用该模型拟合了加拿大南温哥华岛3个寒温带树种的空间分布数据,结果显示:该概率分布模型可以很好地拟合美国花旗松(P.menziesii)和西部铁杉(T.heterophylla)的邻体距离分布,但由于西北红柏(T.plicata)存在高度聚集的团簇分布,拟合结果不理想;美国花旗松在样地中近似随机分布,空间聚集参数对空间尺度的依赖性不强,但西北红柏和西部铁杉空间聚集参数具有尺度依赖性,随邻体距离阶数增加而变大。最后,讨论了该模型以及参数估计方法的优势和限制。     

Pandemic bounds for an epidemic on an infinite lattice

Exact results have previously been obtained concerning the spread of infection in continuous space contact models describing a class of multi-type epidemics. Pandemic lower and upper bounds were obtained for the spatial final size. Pandemic results have also been obtained for a discrete space model on the integer lattice using an infinite matrix formulation of the final size equations. However, the proof required restrictive constraints to be placed on the model parameters which do not hold in general and will not be valid when infection modifies behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to remove these constraints and give a general proof of the pandemic results for the multi-type epidemic on the lattice Z(N).     

A statistical test of unbiased evolution of body size in birds

Abstract.— Of the approximately 9500 bird species, the vast majority is small-bodied. That is a general feature of evolutionary lineages, also observed for instance in mammals and plants. The avian interspecific body size distribution is right-skewed even on a logarithmic scale. That has previously been interpreted as evidence that body size evolution has been biased. However, a procedure to test for unbiased evolution from the shape of body size distributions was lacking. In the present paper unbiased body size evolution is defined precisely, and a statistical test is developed based on Monte Carlo simulation of unbiased evolution. Application of the test to birds suggests that it is highly unlikely that avian body size evolution has been unbiased as defined. Several possible explanations for this result are discussed. A plausible explanation is that the general model of unbiased evolution assumes that population size and generation time do not affect the evolutionary variability of body size; that is, that micro- and macroevolution are decoupled, which theory suggests is not likely to be the case.     

A general solution for optimal egg size during external fertilization, extended scope for intermediate optimal egg size and the introduction of Don Ottavio 'tango'

Egg sizes of marine invertebrates vary greatly, both within and between species. Among the proposed causes of this are a trade-off between egg size, egg number and survival probability of offspring, and a selection pressure exerted by sperm limitation during external fertilization. Although larger eggs are indeed a larger target for sperm, producing larger eggs also implies making fewer of them. There has been discussion about whether sperm limitation can (theoretically) and does (in nature) select for larger egg size than under ad libitum sperm. In one specific model, based on a particular fertilization kinetics model and an empirically derived mortality function, the theoretical possibility of a negative shift in optimal egg size with sperm concentration was demonstrated. Here we present a generalized analytical model to explore the effects of survival and fertilization probabilities on optimal egg size. It is demonstrated that incorporating fertilization kinetics greatly increases the scope for intermediate optimal egg size, as opposed to eggs of minimal or maximal size. Second, we present a general analytical qualitative solution to the question whether optimal egg size depends on sperm concentration. It is shown that, under the condition that an intermediate optimal egg size exists, this qualitative outcome of the model (positive, negative or no relation between optimal egg size and sperm limitation) depends on the structure of the fertilization kinetics part of the model. Finally, we evaluate fertilization kinetics models with respect to the general solution, using two previously published kinetics models ('Don Giovanni' and 'Don Ottavio') and a novel alteration of one of them in which sperm concentration covaries with egg concentration (Don Ottavio 'tango'). For all three models the relationship between optimal egg size and sperm concentration is shown to be always negative. This paper thus shows how biologically realistic relationships between egg size on the one hand and survival and fertilization probability on the other hand predict optimal egg size to be intermediate, and that this optimum is in general expected to increase when sperm become more limiting.     

Gastric evacuation of horse mackerel. II. The effects of different prey types on the evacuation model

Gastric evacuation experiments were performed on horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus. Discrete meals of different sizes of krill Meganyctiphanes norvegicus, mysids Neomysis integer , brown shrimp Crangon crangon , and herring Clupea harengus were fed to test the effect of prey type on the gastric evacuation. A general evacuation model without meal size as a variable was fitted to the data on dry weights by means of non-linear regression. With the exception of mysid evacuation the estimated parameters for curvature, predator weight effect, and temperature effect of the general evacuation model were very similar for all other food types and also confirmed the results obtained with smelt Osmerus eperlanus. In contrast the evacuation of mysids showed a strong exponential curvature, rather the effect of prey size than of prey type. The prey specific evacuation constants of the model revealed a linear relationship to the energy content. A general consumption model for field estimates is presented that can be used for prey types that have not yet been tested in the experiments, provided the energy content is known.     

Morphologically-structured models of growing budding yeast populations

It has been well recognized that many key aspects of cell cycle regulation are encoded into the size distributions of growing budding yeast populations due to the tight coupling between cell growth and cell division present in this organism. Several attempts have been made to model the cell size distribution of growing yeast populations in order to obtain insight on the underlying control mechanisms, but most were based on the age structure of asymmetrically dividing populations. Here we propose a new framework that couples a morphologically-structured representation of the population with population balance theory to formulate a dynamic model for the size distribution of growing yeast populations. An advantage of the presented framework is that it allows derivation of simpler models that are directly identifiable from experiments. We show how such models can be derived from the general framework and demonstrate their utility in analyzing yeast population data. Finally, by employing a recently proposed numerical scheme, we proceed to integrate numerically the full distributed model to provide predictions of dynamics of the cell size structure of growing yeast populations.     

Ecogeographic size variation in small-bodied subfossil primates from Ankilitelo, southwestern Madagascar

Variation in body size is well documented for both extant and extinct Malagasy primates, and appears to be correlated with geographic patterns of resource seasonality. Less attention has been paid to extant lemurs in subfossil collections, although it has been suggested that subfossil forms of extant species are characterized by greater size than their modern counterpart. This trend of phyletic size change has been related to climate change, habitat fragmentation, or human hunting. However, space- and time-averaging in the subfossil samples of previous studies may have obscured more general ecogeographic patterns underlying these size differences. Our objective is to examine size variation in subfossil still-extant primates within a regional comparative context to determine if subfossil and living forms conform to similar ecogeographic patterns. We report on the subfossil still-extant primate assemblage from Ankilitelo, southwestern Madagascar (approximately 500 yr BP) to test this hypothesis. The Ankilitelo primates were compared with museum specimens of known locality. Extant taxa were assigned to one of five distinct ecogeographic regions, including spiny thicket, dry deciduous forest, succulent woodland, lowland and subhumid rainforest. Comparisons of tooth size in extant lemurs reveal significant geographical patterns of variation within genera. In general, the primates from Ankilitelo are indeed larger than their modern counterpart. However, these differences fit an ecoregional model of size variation, whereby Ankilitelo species are comparable in size to living forms inhabiting ecoregions present near the cave today. This suggests that Malagasy primates have been subjected to similar patterns of resource seasonality for at least 500 years.     

Anesthetic inhibition of firefly luciferase, a protein model for general anesthesia, does not exhibit pressure reversal.

The surprising observation that pressures of the order of 150 atmospheres can restore consciousness to an anesthetized animal has long been central to theories of the molecular mechanisms underlying general anesthesia. We have constructed a high-pressure gas chamber to test for "pressure reversal" of the best available protein model of general anesthetic target sites: the pure enzyme firefly luciferase, which accounts extremely well for animal potencies (over a 100,000-fold range). We found no significant pressure reversal for a variety of anesthetics of differing size and polarity. It thus appears that either firefly luciferase is not an adequate model for general anesthetic target sites or that pressure and anesthetics act at different molecular sites in the central nervous system.     

A simple semiempirical model for the effect of molecular confinement upon the rate of protein folding

A simple two-state model for the dependence of the rate of folding of a polypeptide confined within a spherical cavity upon the size of the cavity relative to that of the polypeptide is presented. A general prediction of the model is that decreasing the size of the cavity will increase the rate of refolding until the cavity becomes only slightly larger than the native state of the protein, at which point a further decrease in cavity size decreases the rate of refolding. The model qualitatively accounts for the behavior of several previously published simulations of folding within a cavity, as well as recently reported experimental measurements of the relative rate of refolding of each of five proteins encapsulated within wild-type and mutant GroEL-GroES complexes that have been engineered to provide internal cavities with similar surface composition and varying volume.     

Sample size for collecting germplasms — a polyploid model with mixed mating system

The present paper discusses a general expression for determining the minimum sample size (plants) for a given number of seeds or vice versa for capturing multiple allelic diversity. The model considers sampling from a large 2 k-ploid population under a broad range of mating systems. Numerous expressions/results developed for germplasm collection/regeneration for diploid populations by earlier workers can be directly deduced from our general expression by assigning appropriate values of the corresponding parameters. A seed factor which influences the plant sample size has also been isolated to aid the collectors in selecting the appropriate combination of number of plants and seeds per plant. When genotypic multiplicity of seeds is taken into consideration, a sample size of even less than 172 plants can conserve diversity of 20 alleles from 50,000 polymorphic loci with a very large probability of conservation (0.9999) in most of the cases.