生态保护项目绩效评估的技术方法体系

自20世纪90年代以来,以各种形式的生态补偿政策和工程项目为代表的生态保护项目在全球广泛实施。1998年长江大洪水之后,我国也陆续实施了天然林保护工程、退耕还林还草工程、京津风沙源治理工程、森林生态效益补偿基金、退田还湖还湿工程、生态转移支付等一系列生态保护项目。近年来,政府、研究人员和社会各界越来越重视这些项目产生的生态、经济和社会效益。不过,我国生态保护项目绩效评估还处于起步阶段,主要体现在定量化不足、研究设计不严密、基准线选取不规范、评估方法过于简易、因果推理证据不足、评估结果可信度较差。不管是从学术研究、国家战略,还是实际生态管理的角度,都迫切需要推动和完善我国生态保护项目的绩效评估。结合过去十多年的理论和案例研究经验,对绩效评估的研究设计、基准线选取、评估方法、以及评估分析中面临的问题和挑战进行了系统地归纳与梳理,以期为进一步开展生态保护项目绩效评估提供技术参考。     

宁德水产养殖区水质状况及驱动力分析

水产养殖对海岸带生态系统的水环境有显著影响,研究水产养殖地区的水质动态及其驱动力对海洋牧场建设和海岸带生态系统管理有着重要意义。以宁德为研究区域,基于2017年夏季和冬季水质监测和遥感影像等数据,通过地理信息系统技术和统计分析软件,分析了水产养殖区域的水质现状、水质变化和驱动力。结果表明,该海域水质处于重污染状态,富营养化水平较高。除了悬浮物和总磷之外,其他水质指标都呈现出显著的季节性差异,不同季节影响水质的因素也不相同。水质的季节性变化是初始水质状况、养殖活动和自然因素共同作用的结果。基于研究结果,笔者建议结合高分遥感技术对养殖区水面覆盖和利用进行监测,对养殖类型和行为(如饵料类型和投放方式)进行调控,开展水质长期监测和风险应急管理,保障海洋牧场社会经济效益的同时降低生态环境影响、防控生态和人体健康风险。     

Syntaxin-1通过激活突触递质传递加速早期突触的形成

Syntaxin-1是一种多结构域蛋白,通过与synaptobrevin-2和SNAP-25形成SNARE复合体调节囊泡融合.然而,syntaxin-1在突触形成过程中是否发挥作用,目前尚不清楚.本研究显示syntaxin-1的表达水平与突触形成过程高度相关.Syntaxin-1的R151A和I155A突变影响其在突触形成中的促进作用,而Habc结构域或跨膜结构域在突触形成中无显著作用.结果表明,syntaxin-1通过激活突触囊泡释放来加速突触的形成.     

Energy–water and seasonal variations in climate underlie the spatial distribution patterns of gymnosperm species richness in China

Studying the pattern of species richness is crucial in understanding the diversity and distribution of organisms in the earth. Climate and human influences are the major driving factors that directly influence the large‐scale distributions of plant species, including gymnosperms. Understanding how gymnosperms respond to climate, topography, and human‐induced changes is useful in predicting the impacts of global change. Here, we attempt to evaluate how climatic and human‐induced processes could affect the spatial richness patterns of gymnosperms in China. Initially, we divided a map of the country into grid cells of 50 × 50 km² spatial resolution and plotted the geographical coordinate distribution occurrence of 236 native gymnosperm taxa. The gymnosperm taxa were separated into three response variables: (a) all species, (b) endemic species, and (c) nonendemic species, based on their distribution. The species richness patterns of these response variables to four predictor sets were also evaluated: (a) energy–water, (b) climatic seasonality, (c) habitat heterogeneity, and (d) human influences. We performed generalized linear models (GLMs) and variation partitioning analyses to determine the effect of predictors on spatial richness patterns. The results showed that the distribution pattern of species richness was highest in the southwestern mountainous area and Taiwan in China. We found a significant relationship between the predictor variable set and species richness pattern. Further, our findings provide evidence that climatic seasonality is the most important factor in explaining distinct fractions of variations in the species richness patterns of all studied response variables. Moreover, it was found that energy–water was the best predictor set to determine the richness pattern of all species and endemic species, while habitat heterogeneity has a better influence on nonendemic species. Therefore, we conclude that with the current climate fluctuations as a result of climate change and increasing human activities, gymnosperms might face a high risk of extinction.     

6-gingerol protects nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cells from oxidative injury by activating autophagy

BACKGROUNDTo date, there has been no effective treatment for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cells (NPMSCs) showed encouraging results in IDD treatment, but the overexpression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) impaired the endogenous repair abilities of NPMSCs. 6-gingerol (6-GIN) is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory reagent that might protect NPMSCs from injury.AIMTo investigate the effect of 6-GIN on NPMSCs under oxidative conditions and the potential mechanism.METHODSThe cholecystokinin-8 assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of hydrogen peroxide and the protective effects of 6-GIN. ROS levels were measured by 2´7´-dichlorofluorescin diacetate analysis. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) was detected by the tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide assay. TUNEL assay and Annexin V/PI double-staining were used to determine the apoptosis rate. Additionally, autophagy-related proteins (Beclin-1, LC-3, and p62), apoptosis-associated proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3), and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins (PI3K and Akt) were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Autophagosomes were detected by transmission electron microscopy in NPMSCs. LC-3 was also detected by immunofluorescence. The mRNA expression of collagen II and aggrecan was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the changes in collagen II and MMP-13 expression were verified through an immunofluorescence assay.RESULTS6-GIN exhibited protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced injury in NPMSCs, decreased hydrogen peroxide-induced intracellular ROS levels, and inhibited cell apoptosis. 6-GIN could increase Bcl-2 expression and decrease Bax and caspase-3 expression. The MMP, Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry and TUNEL assay results further confirmed that 6-GIN treatment significantly inhibited NPMSC apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide. 6-GIN treatment promoted extracellular matrix (ECM) expression by reducing the oxidative stress injury-induced increase in MMP-13 expression. 6-GIN activated autophagy by increasing the expression of autophagy-related markers (Beclin-1 and LC-3) and decreasing the expression of p62. Autophagosomes were visualized by transmission electron microscopy. Pretreatment with 3-MA and BAF further confirmed that 6-GIN-mediated stimulation of autophagy did not reduce autophagosome turnover but increased autophagic flux. The PI3K/Akt pathway was also found to be activated by 6-GIN. 6-GIN inhibited NPMSC apoptosis and ECM degeneration, in which autophagy and the PI3K/Akt pathway were involved.CONCLUSION6-GIN efficiently decreases ROS levels, attenuates hydrogen peroxide-induced NPMSCs apoptosis, and protects the ECM from degeneration. 6-GIN is a promising candidate for treating IDD.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of Quercus fabri Hance in China revealed by genotyping‐by‐sequencing

Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure among Quercus fabri populations is essential for the conservation and utilization of Q. fabri resources. Here, the genetic diversity and structure of 158 individuals from 13 natural populations of Quercus fabri in China were analyzed using genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS). A total of 459,564 high‐quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained after filtration for subsequent analysis. Genetic structure analysis revealed that these individuals can be clustered into two groups and the structure can be explained mainly by the geographic barrier, showed gene introgression from coastal to inland areas and high mountains could significantly hinder the mutual introgression of genes. Genetic diversity analysis indicated that the individual differences within groups are greater than the differences between the two groups. These results will help us better understand the genetic backgrounds of Q. fabri.     

40种蕨类植物matK基因的系统分类及分子进化研究

采用“放松分子钟”模型、氨基酸位点正选择模型和分子内共进化网络估算方法,对蕨类植物Ⅱ型内含子成熟酶蛋白K(Maturase K,MATK)编码基因matK的进化趋势进行研究。结果显示:matK基因在蕨类植物系统学研究中具有一定的应用价值,与rbcL基因和psaA基因联合后能显著提升系统发育树的可信度;蕨类植物MATK蛋白中存在少数曾经历正选择的位点;MATK蛋白内部有多对氨基酸位点共同构成共进化网络。在被子植物兴起环境改变后,MATK蛋白部分位点发生适应性进化,通过位点间共进化网络协同作用方式提升蕨类植物对新光合环境的适应能力。     

Genomic analysis of Asian honeybee populations in China reveals evolutionary relationships and adaptation to abiotic stress

The geographic and biological diversity of China has resulted in the differential adaptation of the eastern honeybee, Apis cerana, to these varied habitats. A. cerana were collected from 14 locations in China. Their genomes were sequenced, and nucleotide polymorphisms were identified at more than 9 million sites. Both STRUCTURE and principal component analysis placed the bees into seven groups. Phylogenomic analysis groups the honeybees into many of the same clusters with high bootstrap values (91%–100%). Populations from Tibet and South Yunnan are sister taxa and together represent the earliest diverging lineage included in this study. We propose that the evolutionary origin of A. cerana in China was in the southern region of Yunnan Province and expanded from there into the southeastern regions and into the northeastern mountain regions. The Cold‐Temperate West Sichuan Plateau and Tropical Diannan populations were compared to identify genes under adaptive selection in these two habitats. Pathway enrichment analysis showing genes under selection, including the Hippo signaling pathway, GABAergic pathway, and trehalose‐phosphate synthase, indicates that most genes under selection pressure are involved in the process of signal transduction and energy metabolism. qRT‐PCR analysis reveals that one gene under selection, the AcVIAAT gene, involved in the GABAergic pathway, is responding to cold temperature stress. Through homologous recombination, we show that the AcVIAAT gene is able to replace the CNAG_01904 gene in the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and that it makes the fungus less sensitive to conditions of oxidative stress and variations in temperature. Our results contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary origin of A. cerana in China and the molecular basis of environmental adaptation.     

The effect of grazing on winter survival of midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus) of different genders

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of grazing on midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus) population characteristics and survival of animals of different genders. The experiment used a randomized complete block design and was conducted in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, China, in 2002 (The agricultural reclamation plots set up in 1994). From April 2006 to October 2010, midday gerbils were live‐trapped in 3 light grazing plots, 3 overgrazed plots, and 3 grazing exclusion plots. The quantity of vegetation was investigated in the two different grazing intensity areas and grazing exclusion area to determine the relationship between gerbils and plant food availability. The results suggested that there was higher gerbil density, individual body mass, and daily body mass growth rate in the grazing exclusion sites than the other sites across the whole year. Females had higher survival in grazing exclusion areas than in other treatments, but the males’ survival showed the opposite pattern. Our results indicated that grazing negatively influenced the midday gerbil population by reducing food availability. Grazing influenced the survival rates of male midday gerbils positively, but had negative effects on females. The reason for gendered differences in survival rates of midday gerbils requires further investigation.