苏干湖湿地植被地上生物量空间格局及其对水盐的响应

地上生物量是反映湿地植物群落数量特征和生产能力的重要因子,内陆盐沼湿地植被地上生物量空间分布格局及其水盐响应机制,对湿地生态水文学研究具有重要的理论意义。采用湿地群落学调查和支持向量回归模型（SVR）相结合的方法,将苏干湖湿地划分为山洪区、泉水区等5个分区,研究了植被地上生物量的空间异质及其影响因素。结果表明：支持向量回归模型在内陆盐沼湿地植被地上生物量反演方面具有较高的拟合精度;苏干湖不同区域湿地植物群落地上生物量空间格局呈现出复杂的空间分异规律,对地下水埋深和土壤全盐量的响应也存在明显差异：河洪区的植被地上生物量随地下水埋深、土壤全盐量的增加呈先增大后减小的趋势,湖水区的植被地上生物量与地下水埋深呈显著正相关关系,而土壤全盐量则相反,山洪区的植被地上生物量随地下水埋深的增加呈先增大后减小的趋势,泉水区的植被地上生物量随地下水埋深的增加逐渐减小,台地区的植被地上生物量与地下水埋深和土壤全盐量均无显著相关性。苏干湖湿地不同等级植被地上生物量在空间上呈现出多斑块组成的镶嵌体结构形态,体现了湿地植物应对土壤水盐等环境因子变化的生态适应机制。     

基于SWCI-NDVI特征空间的县域耕地地力遥感反演

利用遥感反演县域耕地地力状况,快速、准确、高效地实现耕地定级,是区域耕地资源利用与管理的客观需求。本研究以东平县为研究区,利用Landsat-TM卫星影像和耕地地力评价资料,构建以地表含水量指数(SWCI)、归一化植被指数(NDVI)为特征参量的水分植被地力指数(MVFI),进而优选得到最佳反演模型,并在县域空间上进行推广应用和精度验证。结果表明: MVFI与耕地地力综合指数(IFI)的相关系数为-0.753,能综合反映小麦长势、土壤墒情和地力水平,具有明确的生物物理意义;最佳反演模型为二次模型,反演精度较高;模型适用于县域耕地地力的反演,反演结果与地力评价结果的空间分布规律和均匀程度相似,高、中、低等级耕地的面积差均低于2.9%。本研究提出的基于特征空间理论的耕地地力遥感反演方法,可有效提高县域耕地地力的评价效率和预测精度。     

Potential short-term earthquake forecasting by farm animal monitoring

Whether changes in animal behavior allow for short-term earthquake predictions has been debated for a long time. Before, during and after the 2016/2017 earthquake sequence in Italy, we deployed bio-logging tags to continuously observe the activity of farm animals (cows, dogs, and sheep) close to the epicenter of the devastating magnitude M6.6 Norcia earthquake (Oct–Nov 2016) and over a subsequent longer observation period (Jan–Apr 2017). Relating 5,304 (in 2016) and 12,948 (in 2017) earthquakes with a wide magnitude range (0.4 ≤ M ≤ 6.6) to continuously measured animal activity, we detected how the animals collectively reacted to earthquakes. We also found consistent anticipatory activity prior to earthquakes during times when the animals were in a building (stable), but not during their time on a pasture. We detected these anticipatory patterns not only in periods with high, but also in periods of low seismic activity. Earthquake anticipation times (1–20 hr) are negatively correlated with the distance between the farm and earthquake hypocenters. Our study suggests that continuous bio-logging of animal collectives has the potential to provide statistically reliable patterns of pre-seismic activity that could yield valuable insights for short-term earthquake forecasting. Based on a priori model parameters, we provide empirical threshold values for pre-seismic animal activities to be used in real-time observation stations.     

Possible Mechanism for Synchronized Detection of Weak Magnetic Fields by Nerve Cells

We propose that biological systems may detect static and slowly varying magnetic fields by the modification of the timing of firing of adjacent nerve cells through the local influence of the magnetic field generated by current from one cell's firing on its nearest neighbors. The time delay of an adjacent nerve cell pulse with respect to the initial clock nerve cell pulse could serve as a signal for sensing the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the current flows in the cells. It has been shown that changes in static magnetic fields modify concentrations of reactive oxygen species, calcium, pH, the growth rates of fibrosarcoma cells, and membrane potentials. These are linked to changes in membrane potentials that can either inhibit or accelerate the firing rate of pacemaker or clock cells. This mechanism may have applications to animals' use of magnetic fields for navigation or other purposes, possibly in conjunction with other mechanisms. Bioelectromagnetics. © 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society.     

Predators,fire or resources: What drives the distribution of herbivores in fragmented mesic forests?

Trophic interactions and disturbance events can shape the structure and function of ecosystems. However, the effects of drivers such as predation, fire and climatic variables on species distributions are rarely considered concurrently. We used a replicated landscape‐scale predator management experiment to compare the effects of red fox Vulpes vulpes control, time‐since‐fire, vegetation type and other environmental variables on native herbivore distributions. Occurrence data for four native herbivores and an invasive predator – the red fox – were collected from 240 sites across three baited (for lethal fox control) and three unbaited forest blocks (4659–9750 ha) in south‐western Victoria, Australia, and used to build species distribution models. The herbivore taxa were as follows: red‐necked wallaby Macropus rufogriseus, black wallaby Wallabia bicolour, grey kangaroo Macropus fuligenosus and Macropus giganteus and common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula. Fox control and fire had little effect on herbivore occurrence, despite the literature suggesting it can influence abundance, while climate, proximity to farmland and topography were more influential. This may be because the region’s high productivity and agricultural pastures subsidise food resources for both predators and prey within the forest blocks and so dampen trophic interactions. Alternatively, these drivers may affect herbivore abundance, but not herbivore occurrence. Understanding the drivers of herbivore distributions is an important step in predicting the effects of herbivory on other species, particularly after management interventions such as predator control and prescribed burns.     

Partitioning plant spectral diversity into alpha and beta components

Plant spectral diversity – how plants differentially interact with solar radiation – is an integrator of plant chemical, structural, and taxonomic diversity that can be remotely sensed. We propose to measure spectral diversity as spectral variance, which allows the partitioning of the spectral diversity of a region, called spectral gamma (γ) diversity, into additive alpha (α; within communities) and beta (β; among communities) components. Our method calculates the contributions of individual bands or spectral features to spectral γ‐, β‐, and α‐diversity, as well as the contributions of individual plant communities to spectral diversity. We present two case studies illustrating how our approach can identify 'hotspots’ of spectral α‐diversity within a region, and discover spectrally unique areas that contribute strongly to β‐diversity. Partitioning spectral diversity and mapping its spatial components has many applications for conservation since high local diversity and distinctiveness in composition are two key criteria used to determine the ecological value of ecosystems.     

Evidence of mesenchymal stromal cell adaptation to local microenvironment following subcutaneous transplantation

Subcutaneous transplantation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) emerged as an alternative to intravenous administration because it avoids the pulmonary embolism and prolongs post‐transplantation lifetime. The goal of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by which these cells could affect remote organs. To this aim, murine bone marrow–derived MSC were subcutaneously transplanted in different anatomical regions and the survival and behaviour have been followed. The results showed that upon subcutaneous transplantation in mice, MSC formed multicellular aggregates and did not migrate significantly from the site of injection. Our data suggest an important role of hypoxia‐inducible signalling pathways in stimulating local angiogenesis and the ensuing modulation of the kinetics of circulating cytokines with putative protective effects at distant sites. These data expand the current understanding of cell behaviour after subcutaneous transplantation and contribute to the development of a non‐invasive cell‐based therapy for distant organ protection.     

Balancing STING in antimicrobial defense and autoinflammation

Rapid detection of microbes is crucial for eliciting an effective immune response. Innate immune receptors survey the intracellular and extracellular environment for signs of a microbial infection. When they detect a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), such as viral DNA, they alarm the cell about the ongoing infection. The central signaling hub in sensing of viral DNA is the stimulator of interferon genes (STING). Upon activation, STING induces downstream signaling events that ultimately result in the production of type I interferons (IFN I), important cytokines in antimicrobial defense, in particular towards viruses. In this review, we describe the molecular features of STING, including its upstream sensors and ligands, its sequence and structural conservation, common polymorphisms, and its localization. We further highlight how STING activation requires a careful balance: its activity is essential for antiviral defense, but unwanted activation through mutations or accidental recognition of self-derived DNA causes autoinflammatory diseases. Several mechanisms, such as post-translational modifications, ensure this balance by fine-tuning STING activation. Finally, we discuss how viruses evade detection of their genomes by either exploiting cells that lack a functional DNA sensing pathway as a niche or by interfering with STING activation through viral evasion molecules. Insight into STING’s exact mechanisms in health and disease will guide the development of novel clinical interventions for microbial infections, autoinflammatory diseases, and beyond.     

磁场对蜜蜂行为影响的研究进展

地球内部存在着天然磁性现象,被称为地磁场。当今社会电子通讯发达,电磁波信号频繁,地球表面充满了电磁场。蜜蜂作为重要的授粉昆虫,其活动范围大部分都处于磁场环境中。目前研究者普遍认为蜜蜂能利用磁场进行导航,但环境中异常的磁场同样会影响蜜蜂的定位导航、飞行行为、采集活动和学习认知能力等。本文对前人的研究结果进行了综述,以期系统地了解磁场对蜜蜂行为特性的影响。