青藏公路沿线白昼交通运输等人类活动对藏羚羊迁徙的影响

To study effects of traffic during daytime and other human activities, we conducted surveys on the migration of Tibetan antelope Pantholops hodgsoni along the Qinghai-Tibet highway between Kunlun Mountain Pass to Wudaoliang,using line transects (LT) from June to September in 2001 and 2002, Data were collected for 64 days with 17 days in 2001, and 47days in 2002. The Stationary Observation Method (SOM) was also adopted for the investigation of status of the disturbance from traffic when antelopes passing the highway and the traffic situation from August 6 to 28 (6 : 30-19: 00), 4 to 20 (6: 00- 18: 00) and from December 21 to 29 (9：00- 19: 00) in 2002. The results showed that,the period of migration in 2002 was more prolonged than in 2001, and it took at least 45 min for each group to cross the highway, with success ratio of only 30.2 %, and the traffic flow of summer daytime was 76/h, while the winter‘s traffic flow was 29/h. Highway and rail traffic should be managed during daylight hours from June to August, to allow for the migration of the antelopes. Also conservation education and a further survey should be emphasized for the protection on the species [Acta Zoologica Sinica 50 (4) : 669-674, 2004].     

青藏铁路、公路对野生动物活动的影响

2003年8月和2004年8月,在不冻泉保护站(35°17′N;93°16′E)至五道梁(35°13′N;93°04′E)一带调查青藏公路的运营和青藏铁路的建设对野生动物活动的影响,并分析了野生动物对青藏铁路上所建立的动物通道的利用情况。结果表明,青藏铁路的建设增加了青藏公路的交通运输量,青藏公路在铁路修建期间会对藏羚羊(Pantholops hodgsoni)、藏原羚(Procapra picticaudata)和藏野驴(Equus kiang)的活动产生部分影响。同时,野生动物通过自身的适应和行为调节可以减少环境改变产生的影响,如公路两侧动物的活动高峰正好是公路上车流量较少的时段、动物可以利用野生动物通道来通过青藏铁路等。藏野驴、藏羚羊与藏原羚均可利用通道穿越铁路,而藏羚羊对通道的利用频次和通道到公路的距离显著的正相关(p<0.5),大多数的动物通道因其高度、宽度和到公路的距离以及人类活动等因素的影响而不能被动物利用。总的看来,动物能够通过自己的适应和行为调节,可以适应青藏铁路修建对该地区的环境所带来的变化。     

Purdue开展谷物基因研究促进生物燃料发展

Purdue大学的2位研究人员Nick Carpita和Maureen McCann指出,鉴别与植物细胞壁生长有关的基因并研究其功能,有助于开发新的、更高产的交通运输生物燃料。他们研究包括谷物在内的草类细胞壁的构成,目的是发掘更多的富含糖类并可高效转化为生物燃料的生物质。此外,研究小组还将分析玉米和柳枝稷基因。大部分植物只运用它们基因组中的10％左右进行细胞壁构建,