Variations of chemical element composition of bee and beekeeping products in different taxons of the biosphere

Geographical variations in element composition of bee products are poorly investigated though a lot of attempts are made to utilize the data in ecological monitoring. So the comparison of chemical element composition of bee and beekeeping products in different taxons of the biosphere may become valuable to test the efficiency of such approach. For this purpose content of 25 elements in bee body, bee bread, propolis and honey from Ribnitsa district of Moldavia (unpolluted area, control), Henty province of Mongolia (selenium deficient area) and Voskresensk district of Moscow region (mineral fertilizers production) were determined by means of the ICP-MS. Among 3 investigated regions Mongolia was characterized by the lowest Se levels and the highest accumulation of Al, Ca, Cd, Cu, Co, K, Mn, Mg, Na, Ni, P, Zn and V in bee bodies. The highest levels of Pb, Cr, Fe, Si, Sr and B, Se, Li, Sn were typical for Voskresensk and Moldavia bees accordingly. The highest correlation coefficients were registered between element concentrations in bee body and bee bread (r = +0.97–0.99, P < 0.0001), less significant – in bee body and propolis (r = +0.5–0.7; P < 0.001) and no correlation was demonstrated between element composition of bee body and honey. Propolis was characterized by significantly higher capacity to accumulate Pb, Cr, Sn and Al than bee body. Compared to bee body honey accumulated the lowest level of Mn and the highest of Si in Se-deficient Mongolia but the opposite phenomenon was demonstrated in Moldavia with moderately increased Se content in the environment. The results suppose that the most promising object for ecological monitoring is bee body. Element composition of propolis seems to reflect prolonged accumulation of elements, especially Pb, Al, Sn and Cr, by plant resin rather than dynamic temporal elements loading. Accumulation levels of elements in bee bread may be used on a par with bee body mineral content only in cases with equal honey content in bee bread. Honey utilization in monitoring of geochemical elements loading should be used with caution due to peculiarities of pollen/nectar elements distribution.     

PCR-DGGE detection of the bacterial community structure in the Inner Mongolia steppe with two different DNA extraction methods

Compared with conventional methods, molecular biological technique, such as PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), is informative in examining the structure of the soil bacterial community through the extraction of microbial DNA from soil and generation of bacterial community profiles by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA genes. Extraction efficiency of soil microbial DNA is the most important step in these methods. At present, the frozen-thawing method and bead-beating method are most widely used in genomic extraction. Nevertheless, comparison of these two methods has not been conducted in different soil types, especially in humus-rich soil. In this study, extraction efficiencies of the two methods were compared in humus-rich steppe soil in Inner Mongolia based on the PCR-DGGE analysis of bacterial community structure. The results indicated that the bead-beating method is better than the frozen-thawing method in genomic DNA extraction efficiency. In addition, 21 bands in the DGGE pattern with the bead-beating method were further selected, cloned and sequenced. Based on similarity matching, all the sequences formed five major clusters: Actinobacteria; α-, β-, γ-, Proteobacteria ; Bacteriodetes ; Gemmatimonadetes and Acidobacteria . Of the 21 clones obtained from DGGE patterns, YC4 showed 99.7% similarity to Pseudomonas sp. (DQ339153); YC5, YC18 and YC19 showed 99.9 % similarity to Gram-positive bacterium (AB008510), Virgisporangium ochraceum (AB006162) and Micromonospora chalcea (X92613), respectively.     

不同耕作方式对内蒙古旱作农田土壤水热状况的影响

为了研究免耕留茬覆盖和传统耕作土壤水热状况的差异,20052008年在内蒙古呼和浩特市清水河县进行定位试验,结果表明:(1)免耕留茬覆盖能有效的调节土壤温度,出现高温时抑制温度上升,低温时抑制温度降低的现象;土壤温度24h变化的振幅随着土壤深度的增加呈现逐渐减小的趋势,表层010cm的变化幅度最大,变化范围为17.634℃;不同耕作方式的土壤温度均从09:00开始升高,至15:00达到最高值,之后缓慢下降,到06:00达到最低值;土壤温度随季节动态变化的趋势,受制于气候。(2)测定期内免耕留高茬覆盖平均土壤含水量较传统耕作增加了7.37%,免耕留低茬覆盖较传统耕作增加了5.93%;燕麦苗期,不同耕作方式的土壤含水量随土层深度增加,呈增大的态势。分蘖期,不同耕作方土壤含水量在020cm呈下降趋势,之后逐渐升高。燕麦花期,不同耕作方土壤含水量在040cm呈下降趋势,之后逐渐上升,至80100cm土层深度达到最大值;土壤含水量主要受季节影响,随降雨量变化而变化。(3)免耕留茬覆盖耕作方式增加土壤有机质和土壤含水量,其热容量增大,因此能调节和保持温度变化平缓。     

内蒙古蛇类新纪录——双斑锦蛇

2007年8月17日在内蒙古赤峰市巴林右旗北部的赛罕乌拉国家级自然保护区进行野生动物多样性调查时,首次发现双斑锦蛇(Elaphe bimaculata),随后又分别于2008年8月、2009年10月4次在保护区内发现该蛇种,2次为成年个体,1次为幼体,经核查鉴定该蛇为内蒙古蛇类新纪录。     

Patterns of above- and belowground biomass allocation in China’s grasslands: Evidence from individual-level observations

Above- and belowground biomass allocation not only influences growth of individual plants, but also influences vegetation structures and functions, and consequently impacts soil carbon input as well as terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling. However, due to sampling difficulties, a considerable amount of uncertainty remains about the root: shoot ratio (R/S), a key parameter for models of terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling. We investigated biomass allocation patterns across a broad spatial scale. We collected data on individual plant biomass and systematically sampled along a transect across the temperate grasslands in Inner Mongolia as well as in the alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicated that the median of R/S for herbaceous species was 0.78 in China’s grasslands as a whole. R/S was significantly higher in temperate grasslands than in alpine grasslands (0.84 vs. 0.65). The slope of the allometric relationship between above- and belowground biomass was steeper for temperate grasslands than for alpine. Our results did not support the hypothesis that aboveground biomass scales isometrically with belowground biomass. The R/S in China’s grasslands was not significantly correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) or mean annual precipitation (MAP). Moreover, comparisons of our results with previous findings indicated a large difference between R/S data from individual plants and communities. This might be mainly caused by the underestimation of R/S at the individual level as a result of an inevitable loss of fine roots and the overestimation of R/S in community-level surveys due to grazing and difficulties in identifying dead roots. Our findings suggest that root biomass in grasslands tended to have been overestimated in previous reports of R/S.     

Study on Age and Bunch Structure of Four Stipa Species in Inner Mongolia Plateau

The age status of four Stipa L. species, S. baicalensis Roshev., S. grandis P. Smim., S. krylovii Roshev., and S. klemenzii Roshev. in Inner Mongolia plateau was analyzed using a transect sampling method. The ontogeny of Stipa species was divided into five stages: the seedling, juvenile, reproductive, presenile, and senile. Dynamics of the population age speetra were determined mainly by the appearance of new individuals and their death rate. The survival rate of the seedlings was very low while that of file adults was high. The considerable longevity of bunch life allowed the old individuals to accumulate in the population. Both S. grandis and S. krylovii had higher proportion of seedlings than others. The proportion of the juveniles and the reproductives in the population decreased from S. baicalensis community to S. klemenzii community, but the old individuals including the preseniles and the seniles showed a reverse pattern. The aging process occurred in bunch level was characterized by the fragmentation of bunch and the within-bunch- self-thinning of the tillers. The process of within-bunch-self-thinning can be described by power equation Y: aXb. Meanwhile as a response to enviroument changes especially to the fluctuation of annual precipitation and its seasonal distribution both the numbers of reproductive shoots and vegetative shoot mass within a bunch were variable.     

内蒙古锡林河流域不同生境中蝗虫种类组成的分析

本文对内蒙古锡林河流域不同生境中蝗虫种类发生的情况进行了分析。经过系统取样和大面积扫网调查,共采集到蝗虫21种,这些种类在各生境中出现的情况,与生境的复杂程度存在很大的关系。在复杂的生境中,蝗虫种类最丰富。根据锡林河流域不同生境中蝗虫种类发生的情况,经过比较分析,我们认为在该区域存在的沙带生境是典型草原的“蝗虫库”。“蝗虫库”的存在,对牧业生产构成一定的潜在威胁。经存在度分析表明,一些常见的种类,生态分布幅度宽,同时,它们又是当地的优势种害虫,为害大,是重点防治对象。     

A new,well-preserved genus and species of fossil Glaphyridae (Coleoptera,Scarabaeoidea) from the Mesozoic Yixian Formation of Inner Mongolia,China

A new genus and species of fossil Glaphyridae, Cretohypna cristata gen. et sp. n., is described and illustrated from the Mesozoic Yixian Formation. This new genus is characterized by the large body; large and strong mandibles; short labrum; elytra without longitudinal carina; and male meso- and possible metatibia apically modified. A list of described fossil glaphyrids of the world is provided. This significant finding broadens the known diversity of Glaphyridae in the Mesozoic China.     

Multiple paternities increase genetic diversity of offspring in Brandt's voles

Mating system and philopatry influence the genetic structure of a social group in mammals. Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) lives in social groups year-round and has male biased dispersal, which makes the vole a model system for studies of genetic consequences of mating system and philopatry. This study aimed to test the hypotheses that: (1) multiple paternity (MP) would exist in Brandt's voles, enhance offspring genetic diversity and reduce genetic relatedness between littermates; (2) promiscuity would occur in this species in that males and females mate with multiple partners; and (3) plural breeders of a social group would be genetically related because of philopatry of female juveniles in Brandt's voles. Paternity analysis indicated that MP occurred in 11 (46%) of 24 social groups examined and that promiscuity existed in this species. Multiple paternity litters had twice the offspring genetic diversity and half the average within-litter genetic relatedness of single paternity litters. We also found plural breeding females in six social groups. Average pairwise genetic relatedness of plural breeders ranged from 0.41 to 0.72 in four social groups, suggesting first-order kinship. Future studies need to investigate effects of reproductive skew and MP on population genetic structure of Brandt's voles.     

Response of white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) to temperature and precipitation in the mountain forest steppe and taiga of northern Mongolia

The mountain forest steppe and taiga in northern Mongolia have experienced a forest decline in area and quality since the end of the last century. Changes in land use, climate, fire frequency and pest occurrence are considered to be the main drivers of this vegetation shift and desertification. Because this region is the source for major rivers, is home to a unique flora and fauna and represents an important source of timber for Mongolia, the ability of different tree species to respond to these changes and regenerate is of increasing interest. Our contribution focuses on the climate-growth relationship of old and young birch trees from two valleys in the Mongolian province of Selenge Aimag.The research site Bugant, located in the Western Khentey Mountains, was the most important logging centre in Mongolia during socialist times. Today, the vegetation is dominated by succession forests of light taiga. The research site Altansumber, on the border of the Sant and Khushat soum, is dominated by light taiga and mountain forest steppe. Traditional nomads who depend on these forests for different reasons inhabit this area.Wood cores were sampled and chronologies of young and old birch trees at Bugant and Altansumber were created. Climate data were obtained from the Eroo station, which is known in the region for its long and reliable climate record. We analysed the climate-growth relationships of the chronologies from 1962 to 2009. At both sites and in both age classes, correlations with temperature were predominantly negative, particularly in April (Bugant, south- and east-facing slopes) and May (Altansumber, north-facing slopes). Precipitation of the late summer of the previous year (August/September) positively correlated with the growth of birch at Altansumber. We assume that the significant negative correlation between winter precipitation (December/January) and the growth of old birches at both sites is due to positive effects of snow cover on the survival rate of herbivorous insect populations. Our results indicate that during the early vegetation period, younger birch trees are more dependent on water availability than older ones. Negative pointer years were characterized by below-average precipitation during the current summer period and above-average spring temperatures. For the old trees, positive pointer years were characterized by above-average summer precipitation. We conclude that water availability is the most crucial factor for the growth of white birch in northern Mongolia.