果园转型生态公益林防控薇甘菊的生态改造

【背景】深圳大面积果园已转型为生态公益林,但果树被入侵的薇甘菊攀爬覆盖,严重地段已导致群落退行性演替,问题亟待解决。【方法】选取有多种生境的转型果园,分片区开展以植树为核心的生态改造试验,树种以种植后不进行人工除草抚育的血桐、幌伞枫、阴香为主,辅以提高物种多样性为目标的演替中后期树种,均采用袋装大苗于2011年5月种植。【结果】在树冠连续、郁闭的果林片区,所植苗木死亡,林下草本稀少,始终无薇甘菊。在其他非郁闭片区,血桐与幌伞枫生长良好且从未被覆盖;阴香虽于秋冬季被全覆盖但不死亡,次年春新枝穿透覆盖层正常生长;其余种苗木对薇甘菊处于劣势。【结论与意义】郁闭度高的果林片区林下光照弱,能阻止薇甘菊定居,无需人工干预;血桐和幌伞枫分别具抗/耐受薇甘菊覆盖的特性,种后均无需抚育;其余树种则需抚育。因此,掌握各个树种的特性,适地种植、按需精准定株抚育是转型果园低成本、技术简单、一劳永逸地防控薇甘菊生态改造的精髓。在应对有害藤本危害时,勿忽略筛选出不惧该藤本的植物种的可能,在不使用农药、无有效动物或微生物天敌的情况下,它们有可能成为生态安全的防控改造树种。     

Spectral feature differences between shrub and grass communities and shrub coverage retrieval in shrub-encroached grassland in Xianghuang Banner,Nei Mongol,China北大核心CSCD

Aims: Shrub-encroached grassland has become an important vegetation type in China's arid and semi-arid region. Our study objective is to explore the spectral features of shrub and grass communities, as well as their empirical relationships with shrub coverage. The quantitative estimation of shrub cover based on medium-resolution Landsat satellite imagery provides the practical basis for long term retrieval of large areas of shrub expansion in the grassland region. Methods: Linear models and Multiple Endmember Spectral Analysis Model (MESMA) based on medium resolution Landsat satellite imagery were developed to quantify the shrub coverage in a shrub-encroached grassland region in Xianghuang Banner, Nei Mongol using the spectral features and their seasonal differences between the shrub and grass communities. Important findings: Compared to Leymus chinensis and Stipa krylovii dominated grass communities, Caragana microphylla community had a higher normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), modified red edge normalized difference vegetation index (mNDVI705), and red edge slope. The red edge position of C. microphylla community shifted to longer wavelengths. The average and the maximum shrub coverage was 13% and 25%, respectively, in the shrub-encroached grassland based on both models. The correlation coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) of the linear model was 0.31 and 0.05, respectively. We found that the linear model based on seasonal differences of shrub and grass community was more suitable for retrieving shrub coverage in the study area from medium resolution imagery than the MESMA model that is based on mid-summer images.     

Effective aerial monitoring of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms is dependent on understanding cellular migration

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) degrade water quality and may produce toxins. The distribution of CHABs can change rapidly due to variations in population dynamics and environmental conditions. Biological and ecological aspects of CHABs were studied in order to better understand CHABs dynamics. Field experiments were conducted near Hartington, Ontario, Canada in ponds dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa and CHABs floating experiments were conducted at Lake Taihu during the summers of 2015 and 2016. Single colonies composed of hundreds to thousands of cells with an average median of 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter were the basic form assumed by the Microcystis, and this remained the same throughout the growing season. Thorough mixing of the water column followed by calm conditions resulted in over 90% of the cyanobacteria floating after 1 h. Multiple colonies floated on the water surface in four types of assemblages: aggregates, ribbons, patches, and mats. It is the mats that are conventionally considered the blooming stage of cyanobacteria.Presence of CHABs on open water surfaces also depends on environmental influences such as direct and indirect wind effects. For example, field tests revealed that the surface coverage of CHABs can be reduced to half within an hour at wind speeds of 0.5 m/s.Because our findings indicated that blooming involves surface display of cyanobacteria essentially presenting as a two-dimensional plane under defined conditions, the use of surface imagery to quantify CHABs was justified. This is particularly important in light of the fact that traditional detection methods do not provide accurate distribution information. Nor do they portray CHABs events in a real-time manner due to limitations in on-demand surveillance and delays between sample time and analyzed results. Therefore, a new CHAB detection method using small unmanned aerial systems with consumer-grade cameras was developed at a maximum detection altitude of 80 m. When cyanobacteria were floating on the surface, CHABs detection through RGB band cameras and spectral enhancement techniques was efficient and accurate. Small unmanned aerial systems were capable of providing coverage up to 1 km² per mission and the short intervals between sampling and results (approx. 2 h) allowed for the rapid analysis of data and for implementing follow-up monitoring or treatments. This method is very cost-effective at an estimate of as low as $100 CAD per mission with an average cyanobacterial detection accuracy of 86%. Thus, it is a good candidate method to fill the urgent need for CHABs detection, providing cost effective, rapid, and accurate information to improve risk management at a local level as well as to help quickly allocate resources for purposes of mitigation.     

An evaluation of sequencing coverage and genotyping strategies to assess neutral and adaptive diversity

Whole genome sequences (WGS) greatly increase our ability to precisely infer population genetic parameters, demographic processes, and selection signatures. However, WGS may still be not affordable for a representative number of individuals/populations. In this context, our goal was to assess the efficiency of several SNP genotyping strategies by testing their ability to accurately estimate parameters describing neutral diversity and to detect signatures of selection. We analysed 110 WGS at 12× coverage for four different species, i.e., sheep, goats and their wild counterparts. From these data we generated 946 data sets corresponding to random panels of 1K to 5M variants, commercial SNP chips and exome capture, for sample sizes of five to 48 individuals. We also extracted low‐coverage genome resequencing of 1×, 2× and 5× by randomly subsampling reads from the 12× resequencing data. Globally, 5K to 10K random variants were enough for an accurate estimation of genome diversity. Conversely, commercial panels and exome capture displayed strong ascertainment biases. Besides the characterization of neutral diversity, the detection of the signature of selection and the accurate estimation of linkage disequilibrium (LD) required high‐density panels of at least 1M variants. Finally, genotype likelihoods increased the quality of variant calling from low coverage resequencing but proportions of incorrect genotypes remained substantial, especially for heterozygote sites. Whole genome resequencing coverage of at least 5× appeared to be necessary for accurate assessment of genomic variations. These results have implications for studies seeking to deploy low‐density SNP collections or genome scans across genetically diverse populations/species showing similar genetic characteristics and patterns of LD decay for a wide variety of purposes.     

Generalized and species-specific prediction models for aboveground biomass in semi-steppe rangelands

Aims The accurate estimation of aboveground biomass in vegetation is critical for global carbon accounting. Regression models provide an easy estimation of aboveground biomass at large spatial and temporal scales. Yet, only few prediction models are available for aboveground biomass in rangelands, as compared with forests. In addition to the development of prediction models, we tested whether such prediction models vary with plant growth forms and life spans, and with the inclusion of site and/or quadrat-specific factors.     

Influence of fire and mechanical sagebrush reduction treatments on restoration seedings in Utah,United States

Overabundance of woody plants in semiarid ecosystems can degrade understory herbaceous vegetation and often requires shrub reduction and seeding to recover ecosystem services. We used meta‐analysis techniques to assess the effects of fire and mechanical shrub reduction over two post‐treatment timeframes (1–4 and 5–10 years) on changes in cover and frequency of 15 seeded species at 63 restoration sites with high potential for recovery. Compared to mechanical treatments, fire resulted in greater increases in seeded species. Native shrubs did not increase, and forbs generally declined over time; however, large increases in perennial grasses were observed, suggesting that seeding efforts contributed to enhanced understory herbaceous conditions. We found greater increases in a few non‐native species than native species across all treatments, suggesting the possibility that interference among seeded species may have influenced results of this regional assessment. Differences among treatments and species were likely driven by seedbed conditions, which should be carefully considered in restoration planning. Site characteristics also dictated seeded species responses: while forbs showed greater increases in cover over the long term at higher elevation sites considered to be more resilient to disturbance, surprisingly, shrubs and grasses had greater increases in cover and frequency at lower elevation sites where resilience is typically much lower. Further research is needed to understand the causes of forb mortality over time, and to decipher how greater increases of non‐native relative to native seeded species will influence species diversity and successional trajectories of restoration sites.     

科尔沁沙地优势固沙灌木叶片氮磷化学计量内稳性

为科学认识科尔沁沙地优势固沙灌木的生态适应性和固沙植被演变规律, 该研究对科尔沁沙地流动沙丘、半固定沙丘、固定沙丘和丘间低地的优势固沙灌木小叶锦鸡儿(Caragana microphylla)和盐蒿(Artemisia halodendron)进行野外调查, 研究了这两种固沙灌木的叶片氮(N)、磷(P)化学计量特征、灌丛土壤养分状况以及内稳性特征。结果表明: 1)与盐蒿相比, 灌木小叶锦鸡儿具有较高的叶片N含量及N:P, 而P含量仅为盐蒿的1/2; 2)两种优势固沙灌木灌丛下土壤的全N、全P含量及速效N、速效P含量高于该地区土壤的平均水平, 小叶锦鸡儿灌丛下土壤养分含量显著高于盐蒿灌丛下土壤; 3)盐蒿叶片N、P化学计量内稳性指数(H)表现为H_P > H_N:P > H_N, 说明盐蒿更易受土壤N的限制; 小叶锦鸡儿叶片N、P化学计量内稳性指数表现为H_N:P > H_N > H_P, 意味着小叶锦鸡儿更易受土壤P的限制。在N含量较低的沙化草地, H_N较高的固沙灌木小叶锦鸡儿比盐蒿更具生长优势, 对于该地区生态恢复及保护具有不可替代的作用。然而, 小叶锦鸡儿额外吸收的N, 使其生长过程可能易受P的限制, 因此在沙地恢复过程中应注意土壤P的供应。     

泌桐高速公路生态护坡不同草灌混播10a后的植被群落特征

稳定的边坡群落是公路边坡生态防护的目标,为探究高速公路生态护坡工程10 a演替后群落特征,该研究以泌桐高速公路为依托,布设自然恢复、单一狗牙根播种和5个不同播种密度的草灌混播生态防护措施,分析不同恢复方式对边坡群落组成、生活型和物种多样性的影响。结果表明:(1)调查样方内共有52种植物,分属于17科49属。禾本科、菊科和豆科植物共26属29种,占种总数的55.77%,表明这三大科植物在边坡群落演替过程中起着重要作用。(2) 10 a演替后不同恢复方式下群落中多年生植物比例高于一年生草本植物。(3)在草灌混播样地中,群落物种多样性指数随着播种密度的增加呈先增加后降低的单峰变化趋势,在播种密度为每平方米500株时达到最大。(4)草灌混播的生态恢复效果优于纯草本种植和自然恢复方式。(5)播种密度对草灌混播群落类型,地上生物量和物种多样性指数没有显著影响。从植物的生长效果及成本方面考虑,初播密度每平方米为500~600株的草灌混播可构建较为稳定的边坡植物群落,实现最佳的边坡恢复效果,可应用于类似区域边坡生态恢复工程。     

滇南喀斯特地区灌木群落和人工林土壤元素化学计量特征

在云南喀斯特地区,为提升退化灌木群落的生态系统服务功能,营造了不同树种的人工林分。这些人工林分如何影响土壤化学性质还未得到充分认识。以云南泸西县灌木群落及三种常见人工林(云南松(Pinus yunnanensis)、赤杨(Alnus japonica)和侧柏(Platycladus orientalis))土壤为研究对象探讨喀斯特地区在人工林建造后土壤的13种元素全量、可利用性含量和化学计量学特征变异格局,为喀斯特石漠化治理提供理论依据。结果表明,1)基于判别分析,四种群落土壤化学计量特征可以显著区分。土壤Fe、P、K、Mn全量及交换性Ca、交换性Mg和NH_4~+-N对区分四种群落土壤贡献最大。2)四种群落之间相比,侧柏林土壤C、N、S、Na全量和NO_3~--N含量均低于其他三种群落,土壤肥力较低;赤杨林铵态氮含量最高;云南松林有效Fe、有效Cu含量/N、C素具有显著相关性,占所有元素对数的38.5%,说明该地土壤元素积累的相互依赖性。与灌木群落相比,人工林土壤元素全量和可利用性含量相关性比例均更高。这些研究结果对今后基于适地适树人工林营造、生态系统服务功能提升和经营利用,均具有重要指导意义。     

Fast protein sequencing of monoclonal antibody by real-time digestion on emitter during nanoelectrospray

Growth in the pharmaceutical industry has led to an increasing demand for rapid characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. The current methods for antibody sequence confirmation (e.g., N-terminal Edman sequencing and traditional peptide mapping methods) are not sufficient; thus, we developed a fast method for sequencing recombinant monoclonal antibodies using a novel digestion-on-emitter technology. Using this method, a monoclonal antibody can be denatured, reduced, digested, and sequenced in less than an hour. High throughput and satisfactory protein sequence coverage were achieved by using a non-specific protease from Aspergillus saitoi, protease XIII, to digest the denatured and reduced monoclonal antibody on an electrospray emitter, while electrospray high voltage was applied to the digestion mixture through the emitter. Tandem mass spectrometry data was acquired over the course of enzyme digestion, generating similar information compared to standard peptide mapping experiments in much less time. We demonstrated that this fast protein sequencing method provided sufficient sequence information for bovine serum albumin and two commercially available monoclonal antibodies, mouse IgG1 MOPC21 and humanized IgG1 NISTmAb. For two monoclonal antibodies, we obtained sequence coverage of 90.5–95.1% for the heavy chains and 98.6–99.1% for the light chains. We found that on-emitter digestion by protease XIII generated peptides of various lengths during the digestion process, which was critical for achieving sufficient sequence coverage. Moreover, we discovered that the enzyme-to-substrate ratio was an important parameter that affects protein sequence coverage. Due to its highly automatable and efficient design, our method offers a major advantage over N-terminal Edman sequencing and traditional peptide mapping methods in the identification of protein sequence, and is capable of meeting an ever-increasing demand for monoclonal antibody sequence confirmation in the biopharmaceutical industry.