Sheep prefer clean forage over forage contaminated with military explosives TNT, RDX and HMX

The common military explosives 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNT), 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX) are distributed in many military training areas, and are thus encountered by grazing animals. The aim of this study was to examine small ruminant's intake of forage contaminated with explosives. An indoor, experimental setup was used to determine if contamination of forage by these compounds affected intake by sheep. The results clearly demonstrate that contamination by any of the three explosives reduced forage intake in sheep; in order of increasing avoidance: RDX < TNT < HMX. The results are discussed in a risk assessment context.     

虾塘养殖中后期微型浮游动物的摄食压力

2008年8月底到10月初,用现场稀释法对虾塘中≤200 μm、≤100 μm和≤20 μm 3个粒级的微型浮游动物对浮游植物的摄食压力进行了研究。共进行了三次培养实验,结果表明：浮游植物的生长率为0.0834～0.4498 d-1,微型浮游动物的摄食率为0.1212～0.2998 d-1,微型浮游动物摄食率对浮游植物生长率比值(g:k)为0.4271～3.4901,占浮游植物现存量的11.41%～25.90%,对初级生产力的摄食压力为48.20%～314.69%。≤20 μm微型浮游动物的摄食率、对浮游植物现存量和初级生产力的摄食压力,占微型浮游动物(≤200 μm)的相关比例范围为73.85%～97.69%、76.67%～97.91%、78.87%～98.59%。这表明≤20 μm微型浮游动物比≥20 μm的微型浮游动物在对虾养殖中后期虾塘能量流动和物质循环方面起到更重要的作用。     

苏北海滨湿地互花米草种子特征及实生苗生长

摘　要　在江苏盐城新洋港滩涂由海向陆建立样地：零星互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)斑块(SAP)?稳定互花米草滩下边缘(SAFI)?2003年互花米草定居处(SAF03)?1989年互花米草定居处(SAF89),对互花米草的种子特征及幼苗生长进行了研究。结果表明：(1) 各样地种子产量有极显著差异(p< 0.01),大小顺序为SAP > SAF03 > SAFI > SAF89,种子产量与植株结实率、穗长、单穗种子数成正比。(2) 4月份SAP、SAFI、SAF03和SAF89互花米草短暂土壤种子库分别为673.7 /m2、2328.7 /m2、5948.8 /m2和3990.4 /m2,种子保存率分别为0.5%、3.9%、6.9%和15.8%,且在各样地差异极显著(p< 0.01)。(3) 7月份SAP、SAFI、SAF03和SAF89实生苗数分别为72 /m2、5 /m2、0和0。SAP与SAFI种子萌发率显著高于SAF03与SAF89(p< 0.01)。(4)表层土壤水分含量和种群内部光照衰减是影响实生苗生长的关键因素。在表层土壤水分含量高和低光照衰减的生境中种子繁殖对互花米草种群延续和扩张贡献较大。     

Comparison of tree sprouting in three regeneration stages of an evergreen broadleaved forest in a karst landscape, SW China

Little is known about the role of tree sprouting in the regeneration of karst forest communities. In Shilin Stone Forest Geographical Park, southwestern China, all genets with the largest stem ?3 cm DBH (diameter at breast height) and/or stumps ?3 cm BD (basal diameter) were identified and number of sprouts counted in 10 transects (10 m × 100 m) in each of three evergreen broadleaved forest stands representing three regeneration stages (about 10, 20, and 30 years old). Species with >10 genets accounted for 72.4% of the 76 species, and all of them showed evidence of sprouting. One-third to two-thirds of the genets in the three forests were sprouting, with an average of 4.0–5.7 sprouts per sprouting genet. Sprouting capability (sprouting genets/total genets) and intensity (sprouts per sprouting genet) differed significantly among the three forest stages. More than 90% of the damaged genets were sprouting. The number of sprouts in a non-damaged genet was determined by intrinsic sprouting ability, and the number of sprouts in damaged genets was determined by stump size. As the forest developed, percentage of damaged genets increased, the portion of shoots ≥3 cm DBH co-existing in a genet decreased, and the portion of shoots <3 cm DBH sprouted from damaged genet increased. Thus the role of sprouting changed from contributing recruitment in the young stage to persistence in the later stage.     

围栏放牧下土壤-植被碳密度空间分布格局

对围封13年且放牧的冷季高寒矮嵩草草甸,进行了从围栏入口到内部不同距离植被和土壤碳密度状况的调查.结果表明:1)入口到50 m植被现存碳密度平均为1298.0gC·m-2,60～180m有所下降(平均为997.3 g C·m-2),200～300 m反而升高(平均为1285.5 g C·m-2).当年净初级生产碳密度分布趋势与其相同,0～50 m、60 ～180 m和200～300 m平均分别为742.5、571.0和745.7 g C·m-2.这种分布趋势与放牧过程中绵羊觅食频度和强度有关.一般在中央地带放牧强度大,绵羊觅食时间长,边缘地带受围栏效应或围栏外环境因素影响,放牧强度相对较弱,一定程度上对植被生长发育起到了保护作用,使边缘地带植被碳密度得到提高.2)从围栏入口到草场内部土壤碳密度变化趋势表现复杂,入口到100 m增加,100～170 m减小,然后略有升高.土壤碳密度最高值出现在95 m处(15.42 g C·m-2),最低值出现在170 m处(14.12 gC· m-2).目前尚不清楚为何出现这种格局,但至少认为,土壤有机质的动态转化过程受多种因素影响,与植被碳密度相比具有一定的迟滞效应.具体如何影响有机质的动态转化及其迟滞效应,有待进一步研究.     

不同放牧强度下克氏针茅(Stipa krylovii)草原的根系特征

以呼伦贝尔克氏针茅草原不同放牧强度下的演替群落为对象,开展群落及其群落建群种的地下生物量和根系形态特征研究.结果表明:从轻度放牧到重度放牧,群落种类组成和根系功能群类型趋于简单化;群落地下生物量的空间分布形态呈“T”型;不同放牧强度下草原群落的建群种出现了明显替代现象,轻度放牧样地群落建群种为密丛型根系的克氏针茅,中度放牧为疏丛型根系的糙隐子草(Cleistogenes squarrosa,重度放牧为鳞茎型根系的碱韭(Allium polyrhizum);随着放牧强度的增大,群落建群种根冠比逐渐增加,分别为0.47、1.0、4.1,并且群落建群种根系数量、根系体积、根系生物量、比根长及根长密度等各指标均发生了明显变化.另外,3种放牧强度样地群落建群种根冠比、根长密度均与土壤速效氮含量呈现显著正相关(P＜0.05).     

光强在低温弱光胁迫后番茄叶片光合作用恢复中的作用

为了研究光强在低温弱光胁迫后番茄叶片光合作用恢复中的作用,以番茄品种浙粉202为材料,研究了低温弱光后恢复期全光照与遮荫对光合作用和叶绿素荧光参数的影响。结果表明：低温弱光（8℃/12℃,PFD 80 μmol·m^-2·s^-1）导致番茄叶片P_n、Φ_PSⅡ、qP和F_v′/F_m′的下降,但诱导了NPQ的上升,未引起F_v/F_m的变化;全光照（100%光照）下恢复1 使得植株叶片P_n、F_v/F_m、Φ_PSⅡ、qP、NPQ和F_v′/F_m′均大幅下降,随后光合和荧光参数可缓慢恢复至对照水平;遮荫（40%光照）恢复植株F_v/F_m、Φ_PSⅡ和F_v′/F_m′仅在第一天稍有下降,而P_n和qP还略有上升,NPQ虽有所降低但仍显著高于对照水平,随后光合和荧光参数均可迅速恢复到对照水平。说明低温弱光虽抑制了光合作用的进行,但并未引起光抑制的发生;全光照恢复加剧了叶片光抑制的发生,而遮荫恢复可通过叶片PSⅡ光化学活性的快速恢复和天线色素热耗散能力的增强以保护光合机构免受伤害,有利于光合作用的迅速恢复。     

Invertebrate grazing and riparian shade as controllers of nuisance algae in a eutrophic river

1. Algal growth in lotic systems is controlled either from the bottom‐up (e.g. nutrients and light, which determine growth rates) or from the top‐down (e.g. grazing pressure, which reduces accumulated biomass). Nutrient‐enriched streams that support large and diverse grazing macroinvertebrate populations and those with shaded riparian corridors rarely suffer from excessive algal growth. 2. In this study, the density of benthic algivorous macroinvertebrates was experimentally manipulated in shaded and open nutrient‐enriched stream habitats of the Owennagearagh River, south‐west Ireland. The ability of macroinvertebrate grazers and riparian shade to control benthic algal growth [particularly the nuisance alga, Cladophora glomerata (L. Kütz)] was investigated. Three sites with markedly different concentrations of plant nutrients (one site upstream and two sites downstream of the sewage outfall) were selected. The density of grazing invertebrates colonising ceramic tiles was reduced using high‐voltage localised electric pulses. Replicates of treatment (grazer‐excluded) and control (grazed) tiles were deployed in open and shaded (<25 and >80% canopy cover, respectively) patches of stream bed, in each site. 3. After 2‐week Cladophora cover, periphytic chlorophyll a and biofilm ash‐free dry mass (AFDM) were quantified for all experimental tiles. Values for all three parameters were highest on grazer‐excluded tiles from open patches. Grazed tiles from open patches accrued little Cladophora and had significantly lower levels of chlorophyll a and AFDM. Nutrient inputs were found to have an impact on the density of grazing invertebrates, with higher densities of Baetis nymphs at the most nutrient‐enriched site. 4. Our results demonstrate that in eutrophic, high‐light streams, filamentous algae can quickly accumulate to nuisance levels in the absence of invertebrate grazers. In future, greater attention should be paid to the role of grazing invertebrates in controlling nuisance algae in streams, in addition to algal–nutrient relationships.     

Herbivory in omnivorous fishes: effect of plant secondary metabolites and prey stoichiometry

1. Many animals that consume freshwater macrophytes are omnivorous (i.e., they include both plant and animal matter in their diet). For invertebrate omnivorous consumers, selection of macrophyte species depends partly on the presence of secondary metabolites in plants, plant carbon/nutrient balances and/or physical structure of plants. However, little is known about the mechanisms influencing consumption of macrophytes in aquatic vertebrates. 2. For two fish species, the omnivorous rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) and herbivorous grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), feeding preferences were determined in three choice experiments. We tested (i) whether the presence of secondary metabolites and macrophyte stoichiometry affects macrophyte species selection by fish, (ii) the importance of macrophyte stoichiometry by manipulating the macrophytes experimentally and (iii) the rate of herbivory when the most palatable macrophyte is offered simultaneously with a common animal prey. 3. In a choice experiment with five species of submerged macrophytes (Callitriche sp., Chara globularis, Elodea nuttallii, Myriophyllum spicatum and Potamogeton pectinatus), Myriophyllum was clearly consumed least by both fishes, which strongly correlated with the highest phenolic concentration of this macrophyte. Additionally, a significant negative relationship was found between consumption and C : N ratio of the five macrophytes. The two most consumed macrophytes also had the lowest dry matter concentration (DMC). 4. In a second choice experiment, the C : N ratio of the least (Myriophyllum) and most (Potamogeton) palatable plants was manipulated by growing the macrophytes under fertilised and unfertilised conditions and subsequently feeding them to rudd. The avoidance of consumption of the chemically defended Myriophyllum by rudd was partly alleviated by the lowered C : N ratio. 5. The third choice experiment showed that both fishes preferred animal prey (the amphipod Gammarus pulex) over the most palatable macrophyte (Potamogeton) when offered simultaneously. The C : N ratio of the amphipods was about half that of the lowest C : N ratio measured in the macrophytes. Consumption by the fishes could not clearly be related to C : P or N : P ratios of prey items in any of the experiments. 6. We conclude that omnivorous fish avoid macrophytes that are chemically defended. However, when these defences are only minor, stoichiometry (C : N ratio) in combination with DMC may be a determining factor for consumption by vertebrate facultative herbivores.     

Characteristics of rare earth (RE = Eu,Tb, Tm)‐doped Y2O3 phosphors for thermometry

The temperature‐dependent photoluminescences of Y₂O₃:Eu (6% Eu), Y₂O₃:Tb (4% Tb) and Y₂O₃:Tm (1% Tm) were investigated for high‐temperature phosphor thermometry. Two different phases, the monoclinic phase and cubic phase, were considered because the fluorescence spectra vary with the phase. To employ the intensity ratio method, we investigated their photoluminescence spectra under the excitation light of an Hg–Xe lamp as the temperature was elevated from room temperature to more than 1200 K. As a result, it was confirmed that the luminescence intensity of all of the phosphors varied with elevating temperature, i.e. thermal quenching, with the variations depending on the type of rare earth impurity and their phases. The results indicate that Y₂O₃:Eu phosphors are applicable to the intensity ratio method because they show appropriate variations in the intensity ratio of two emission lines, and they also have strong and sharp peak intensities without excessive optical noise or black body radiation over a wide range of temperatures. The intensity ratios for Y₂O₃:Tb provide such small variations with temperature that the temperature resolution is low, despite the strong emission intensities. As for Y₂O₃:Tm, the intensity ratios also have a low temperature resolution and their emission intensities are weak. Therefore, Y₂O₃:Tb and Y₂O₃:Tm are not appropriate for the intensity ratio method for phosphor thermometry. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.