Changes in the acoustic behavior of resident bottlenose dolphins near operating vessels

Maritime traffic is an issue of major ecological concern, and vessel noise may be an important source of disturbance for coastal cetaceans. In the Sado estuary, Portugal, core habitat areas of a small resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) overlap with routes of intense maritime traffic, which presents an opportunity to assess vocal responses of these dolphins to specific vessel noise sources. Field recordings of dolphin vocalizations were made from April to November 2011, using a calibrated system. Dolphin behavior and group size were recorded, as well as the operating boat condition (no boats or specific boat type) in a 1,000 m radius. Spectral analyses of vocalizations allowed the categorization and quantitative analysis of echolocation click trains and social calls, including whistles. Mean overall call rates decreased significantly in the presence of operating vessels. Creaks (fast click trains) were significantly reduced in the presence of ferry boats. Significant differences were also observed in the whistles' minimum, maximum, and start frequencies. These changes in call emission rates and temporary shifts in whistles characteristics may be a vocal response to the proximity of operating vessels, facilitating communication in this busy, noisy estuary.     

Functional Casein-Poly saccharide Conjugates Prepared by Controlled Dry Heating

Casein was conjugated with dextran and galactomannan in a controlled dry state at a relative humidity of 79% and at 60°C for 24 hr. The covalent attachment of polysaccharides to casein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and HPLC. The emulsifying activity of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 1.5 times higher than that of casein. The emulsion stability of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 10 times higher than that of casein. The improvement in these emulsifying properties reached a steady state when the conjugation of casein with polysaccharide was done for 24 hr in a controlled dry state, suggesting the rapid formation of conjugates through a Maillard reaction in the case of casein. Compared to commercial emulsifiers, the casein-polysaccharide conjugates showed better emulsifying properties in acidic and high-salt concentration systems.     

Taylor's law and body size in exploited marine ecosystems

Taylor's law (TL), which states that variance in population density is related to mean density via a power law, and density‐mass allometry, which states that mean density is related to body mass via a power law, are two of the most widely observed patterns in ecology. Combining these two laws predicts that the variance in density is related to body mass via a power law (variance‐mass allometry). Marine size spectra are known to exhibit density‐mass allometry, but variance‐mass allometry has not been investigated. We show that variance and body mass in unexploited size spectrum models are related by a power law, and that this leads to TL with an exponent slightly <2. These simulated relationships are disrupted less by balanced harvesting, in which fishing effort is spread across a wide range of body sizes, than by size‐at‐entry fishing, in which only fish above a certain size may legally be caught.     

Phylogeny and mechanisms of shared hierarchical patterns in birdsong

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Spectrum structures and biological functions of 8-mers in the human genome

The spectra of k-mer frequencies can reveal the structures and evolution of genome sequences. We confirmed that the trimodal spectrum of 8-mers in human genome sequences is distinguished only by CG2, CG1 and CG0 8-mer sets, containing 2,1 or 0 CpG, respectively. This phenomenon is called independent selection law. The three types of CG 8-mers were considered as different functional elements. We conjectured that (1) nucleosome binding motifs are mainly characterized by CG1 8-mers and (2) the core structural units of CpG island sequences are predominantly characterized by CG2 8-mers. To validate our conjectures, nucleosome occupied sequences and CGI sequences were extracted, then the sequence parameters were constructed through the information of the three CG 8-mer sets respectively. ROC analysis showed that CG1 8-mers are more preference in nucleosome occupied segments (AUC > 0.7) and CG2 8-mers are more preference in CGI sequences (AUC > 0.99). This validates our conjecture in principle.     

高黎贡山雉类生境预测

物种分布信息对野生动物的保护和管理至关重要。基于物种访查数据和气候数据,采用基于物种生境偏好、利比希最小因子定律和谢尔福德耐受性定律构建的生态位模型,综合考虑物种出现点和环境变量,预测了高黎贡山白尾梢虹雉Lophophorus sclateri、血雉Ithaginis cruentus、白鹇Lophura nycthemera、白腹锦鸡Chrysolophus amherstiae的潜在分布区域。结果表明,模型对4种雉类的预测均达到较好效果;白尾梢虹雉、血雉、白鹇和白腹锦鸡的潜在生境总面积分别为6 432 km^2、8 464 km^2、9 573 km^2和13 691 km^2,白鹇和白腹锦鸡的潜在生境面积大于白尾梢虹雉和血雉,但后两者具有更多的高质量生境。高黎贡山北段是4种雉类潜在生境的重叠区,为高黎贡山雉类保护的优先区域,尤其是白尾梢虹雉,建议加大该区域的雉类调查和保护力度。     

点柄乳牛肝菌研究进展

点柄乳牛肝菌（Suillus granulatus）味道鲜美营养丰富,并具有良好的药用活性,是广受欢迎的野生食药用菌。从分类学、发生规律、药用活性、与植物关系及驯化研究方面系统阐述了点柄乳牛肝菌的现状,并对其未来发展及应用进行了展望。     

Gender and ecological restoration: time to connect the dots

Although the human dimension of ecological restoration has increasingly been recognized in recent years, the gender dimension thereof remains largely unexplored. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature by providing an overview of the current knowledge on gender and ecological restoration. Our analysis of selected academic literature on ecological restoration revealed that scholars have only marginally addressed gender issues in their publications. However, in restoration practice, various initiatives that highlight the importance of including a women's rights and gender perspective can be found. These initiatives seem to indicate that applying a gender approach to restoration practice creates a double benefit. First, integrating gender considerations into restoration efforts is desirable from a human rights and gender equality perspective. Second, different case studies suggest that integrating gender considerations can promote the efficiency and effectiveness of restoration work. Integrating a social and gender dimension into restoration policy and practice should therefore be recommended. This integration process can learn from a wide range of literature on gender and the environment, and from existing practices of gender mainstreaming in this field. Furthermore, international law provides useful policy intentions on gender and restoration that could be used as entry points. To conclude, this article summarizes the main challenges for “connecting the dots” between gender and ecological restoration and formulates some recommendations for the Society for Ecological Restoration.