Ecological and Landscape Rehabilitation of a Quarry Site in Hong Kong

Quarrying for granite in Hong Kong, mainly for construction aggregates, has left huge and unsightly scars on the landscape. Recent government policy demands rehabilitation of the disturbed lands and restoration of the landscape adopting the ecological approach. At an active quarry, a method was tested for controlled restoration: blasting of the vertical rocky production faces to pile up the debris and to form artificial slopes that mimic those of the environs in a landform replication approach. On the scree blast piles, a soil cap of fine‐earth materials with organic amendments was installed to grow mainly tropical leguminous trees. The restoration trial largely failed, with extensive death or poor performance of most plants. The inability of the soil and the site to support vegetation was investigated. The main physical problems are shallow solum, large cavities in the bouldery substrate, high stone content, excessively coarse texture, compaction, and limited available‐moisture storage. The main chemical problems are the lack of nitrogen and phosphorus related to the meager organic‐matter content, low cation exchange capacity, and base saturation. Suggestions are made to ameliorate habitat conditions for plant growth in a comprehensive ecosystem‐reconstitution package that encompasses the landform, hydrology, microclimate, soil, and plant assemblage. Recommendations are given on the application of organic amendments to establish and maintain soil structure, restore decomposition regime, and raise nutrient and moisture storage capacities for a modified approach that could overcome the site difficulties.     

花胸散白蚁多型行为的初步分析

该文在花胸散白蚁Reticulitermes fukienensis Light的侦察行为和取食行为方面进行了比较详细的探讨,同时还分析了其消化系统发育与取食行为变化之间的相互关系。实验结果表明年龄是影响花胸散白蚁多型行为的一个比较重要的因素。而且发现幼蚁和工蚁的消化系统发育是与其取食行为相一致的,特别是后肠囊从幼蚁的细条消化道发育为成年工蚁的膨大囊袋这一过程是花胸散白蚁群体中存在着取食多型行为的强有力的证据。     

香港芒萁群落养分的研究

本文研究香港芒萁群落养分的分配、季节动态和循环。研究结果表明：(1)N、P、K浓度在活物质大于死物质,地上部分大于地下部分。(2)植物的养分贮量是活物质大于死物质,地下部分大于地上部分。(3)当年生芒萁地上部养分贮量随生物量的增加而增加,但是,干物质生产率超过养分吸收率,使得N、P、K浓度由于生物量的增加而降低。(4)虽然芒萁群落的净第一性生产力大于其邻近的草地和灌木林,但其净第一性生产量中的N和P量却小于灌木林。(5)以土壤中的总N和总P来计算,生态系统中的N和P主要贮存于土壤库中,但以土壤有效K来计算,则有大约36％～50％的K贮存于植被中。(6)在研究期间,立枯体和死地被物中的N、P、K贮量逐渐增加,这表明在火灾后生态系统的立枯体和死地被物养分库有一个累积过程。(7)N、P、K通过枯枝落叶的归还量分别占它们在地上部净第一性生产量中的49.1％、30.8％和13.1％,而地上部净第一性生产量中的N和P的31.2％和46.6％来自于养分的内部循环。     

中国香港植物新记录

报道了香港6种本土维管植物新记录以及2个归化物种新记录,其中包含两个新记录属。6个新记录本土种分别是山楝Aphanamixis polystachya (Wall.) R. Parker、求米草Oplismenus undulatifolius (Ard.) Roemer & Schuit.、椭果雀梅藤Sageretia ellipsoidea Yi Yang, H. Sun & H. Peng、钩刺雀梅藤Sageretia hamosa (Wall.) Brongn.、短柱络石Trachelospermum brevistylum Hand.-Mazz.、海南姜Zingiber hainanense Y. S. Ye, L. Bai & N. H. Xia;两个归化种是卵叶链荚豆Alysicarpus ovalifolius (Schum.) J. Léonard和美洲马瓟儿Melothria pendula L.;两个新记录属是山楝属Aphanamixis Blume和番马瓟属Melothria L.。本文描述了每个种的分布、生境、物候、主要识别特征以及与相似种的区别。     

Variability of crown ether toxicity

Crown ethers are toxic to Escherichia coli. At a sublethal dosage, the crown ether affects the three phases in the bacterial growth curve as evidenced by an appearance of a lag period, an occasional decrease in the stationary phase at a lower microbial population. Potassium ion but not sodium ion can reduce the lag induced by the presence of 18-crown-6. On the contrary, the presence of either potassium ion or sodium ion lengthens the lag due to substituted 18-crown-6 ethers. Explanations to this variable toxicity are proposed.     

Age composition,growth and body condition of the introduced Sarotherodon mossambicus (Cichlidae) in Plover Cove Reservoir,Hong Kong

Synopsis Age composition, growth and body condition of the Sarotherodon mossambicus (Peters) stock in the Plover Cove Reservoir were investigated. The fish in this reservoir have a relatively short life cycle; the stock consisted of mainly two to three age groups. Influx of recruits in September and October maintained a high proportion of O-age group fish in the stock. This percentage remained high until the following March or April when the I-age group attained dominance. Length-weight analyses indicated that S. mossembicus conform to the allometric formula W = aLⁿ with a and n exhibiting marked seasonal variations. Growth was most rapid during the first 20 months of life and decreased noticeably after 30 months. In general growth was limited to those months when the water temperature was above 20° C. Both body condition and visceral fat content exhibited seasonal variations which were not correlated with each other or with variations in temperature. However, body condition appears to be directly related to feeding intensity. Mean body condition decreased with increasing age and also decreased progressively during this study. This progressive decrease was probably related to the progressive decrease in salinity of the water and also the carrying capacity of the reservoir rather than to the nutrient content of the water. Mean values for the body condition of females were in general higher than for males, suggesting that females are more robust than males.Maximum accumulations of fat occurred in June and July, corresponding to the breeding period. Such accumulations are thought to be a prerequisite before spawning.     

Form and functional morphology of Raetellops pulchella (Bivalvia: Mactridae): an example of convergent evolution with anomalodesmatans

Abstract. The bivalve Raetellops pulchella is a highly specialized, deposit-feeding member of the Mactridae. Studies of its form and function provide an example of how the bivalve body plan can be modified to facilitate the exploitation of mud as a food resource, and help in understanding how this lifestyle has evolved. Adaptations to this lifestyle include an overall reduction in ctenidial size and loss of the descending lamellae of both outer demibranchs. This reduction is associated with the enlargement of the labial palps to process inhaled sediment. In the mantle cavity, a waste canal below the posterior mantle flaps facilitates pseudofeces removal. The midgut is long and capacious, presumably to cope with the large amounts of ingested organic material. In addition, individuals of R. pulchella have unusually thin, brittle, and rostrate shells, with narrow siphonal gapes. They possess a shell buttress in each valve extending from the hinge plate to above the posterior adductor muscle. This buttress functions to prevent the brittle shell valves from fracturing when adduction occurs. A buttress is also seen in some representatives of the Anomalodesmata; in particular, the situation in R. pulchella is most like that seen in individuals of the similarly deposit-feeding species Offadesma angasi (Anomalodesmata: Periplomatidae). I interpret the similar shell form of these deposit-feeding clams as an example of convergent evolution.     

香港地区蚜虫物种多样性

蚜虫是半翅目中一类体型较小的昆虫,广布于世界各地,其中绝大部分是农林害虫。目前,国内许多地区已开展蚜虫物种多样性和区系研究,但香港地区因蚜虫研究基础薄弱,至今尚未开展过系统研究。作者研究和整理了英国自然历史博物馆和中国科学院动物研究所动物标本馆已有的香港地区蚜虫标本,并参考大量相关文献,从分类阶元、特有物种、动物地理区划和寄主植物四个方面分析了香港地区蚜虫物种多样性。研究发现香港地区已知蚜虫7科44属70种,分别占中国已知科、属、种的53.85%、16.60%和6.83%,多样性较为丰富,其中有香港地区特有种6种。香港地区在动物地理区划中位于东洋界华南区闽广沿海亚区,蚜虫物种以分布于东洋界、古北界 东洋界、东洋界 澳洲界成分为主。现记载香港地区共有蚜虫的寄主植物30科58属,其中蚜科的寄主植物最为丰富,其次为扁蚜科和斑蚜科;寄主植物中寄生蚜虫类群最多的3个科分别为:禾本科、桑科和樟科。虽然香港地区面积仅占中国总面积的万分之一,但该地区复杂的地形地貌、适宜的气候环境以及丰富的植被共同构成了有利于蚜虫生存的小生境,因此蚜虫物种多样性较高,这也是我国南方地区蚜虫物种丰富的鲜明体现。     

香港蜘蛛区系研究

本文报道了香港地区蜘蛛2个新纪录科29个新记录种,并初步分析了香港蜘蛛区系的特点。香港蜘蛛共计24科90属148种,特有种占20％,区系组成与新加坡近似。     

香港喜盐草属植物的核型分析

报道了分布于我国香港特别行政区的喜盐草属(Halophila Thou.) 2种植物的染色体数目和核型,其体细胞中期染色体数目均为2n=18。它们的核型公式分别为：喜盐草(H. ovalis (R. Br.) Hook. f.) 2n=2x=18=4m+14sm;贝克喜盐草(H. beccarii Asch) 2n=2x=18=8m+10sm(首次报道)。核型均属于2B型。