Impact of the Arundo scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on the weight of Arundo donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae) rhizomes in Languedoc southern France and Mediterranean Spain

Arundo donax L. (Poaceae) is native to Mediterranean Europe and invasive in the Rio Grande Basin of North America. Rhizomes from nine sites in France and Spain infested with a candidate control agent, the armoured scale Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) weighed 50% less than those from nine sites without scale.     

Rhizome dynamics and resource storage in Phragmites australis

Seasonal changes in rhizome concentrations of total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC), water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and mineral nutrients (N, P and K) were monitored in two Phragmites australis stands in southern Sweden. Rhizome biomass, rhizome length per unit ground area, and specific weight (weight/ length ratio) of the rhizomes were monitored in one of the stands.Rhizome biomass decreased during spring, increased during summer and decreased during winter. However, changes in spring and summer were small (< 500 g DW m-2) compared to the mean rhizome biomass (approximately 3000 g DW m^–2). Winter losses were larger, approximately 1000 g DW m-2, and to a substantial extent involved structural biomass, indicating rhizome mortality. Seasonal changes in rhizome length per unit ground area revealed a rhizome mortality of about 30% during the winter period, and also indicated that an intensive period of formation of new rhizomes occurred in June.Rhizome concentrations of TNC and WSC decreased during the spring, when carbohydrates were translocated to support shoot growth. However, rhizome standing stock of TNC remained large (> 1000 g m^–2). Concentrations and standing stocks of mineral nutrients decreased during spring/ early summer and increased during summer/ fall. Only N, however, showed a pattern consistent with a spring depletion caused by translocation to shoots. This pattern indicates sufficient root uptake of P and K to support spring growth, and supports other evidence that N is generally the limiting mineral nutrient for Phragmites.The biomass data, as well as increased rhizome specific weight and TNC concentrations, clearly suggests that reloading of rhizomes with energy reserves starts in June, not towards the end of the growing season as has been suggested previously. This resource allocation strategy of Phragmites has consequences for vegetation management.Our data indicate that carbohydrate reserves are much larger than needed to support spring growth. We propose that large stores are needed to ensure establishment of spring shoots when deep water or stochastic environmental events, such as high rhizome mortality in winter or loss of spring shoots due to late season frost, increase the demand for reserves.     

Glyphosate in fisheries management

Glyphosate is the active ingredient of the broad-spectrum, translocated herbicide Roundup. Glyphosate is cleared for safe use in or near watercourses, being rated virtually non-toxic by the World Health Organisation. Trials in and alongside Irish fishery watercourses first commenced in 1989 and are continuing to date. The aim of this work is to evaluate the product's efficacy in clearing nuisance reed species in recreational fisheries. The longevity of control and impact on the habitat and its fauna is also investigated. Trials in canal fisheries have demonstrated the capacity of glyphosate to remove obstructive stands of reeds (mainly Schoenoplectus lacustris, Glyceria maxima, Phragmites australis, Sparganium erectum and Typha latifolia), so creating reed-free areas and swims for anglers. These swims remained open for three years following a single application. In 1992 a trial over a 3 km length of the River Boyne, a renowned salmonid fishery, was undertaken. The results clearly demonstrated the ability of glyphosate to provide long-term control of dense (354 shoots m^–2) Schoenoplectus infestations in a large watercourse. In the year following, less than one shoot per m² was present in the channel. In 1994 a small increase in density (7.6 shoots m^–2 was recorded, so enabling unobstructed angling in a stretch of river that had been virtually unfishable for years. Trout (Salmo trutta L.) and salmon (Salmo salar L.) also used the newly exposed gravels for spawning in the winter of 1993, thereby improving fish recruitment and production in the fishery.     

Shoreline algal wash as a factor in reed decline in Lake Constance-Untersee

This paper assesses the chemical and mechanical impact of algal wash (Cladophora, Spirogyra, Chara) upon the lakeside reed belt (Phragmites australis) using field mapping methods, bioassays with Scenedesmus acutus in batch culture, and field experiments. Heavy mats of filamentous algae are correlated with a reduction in number of the outermost reed stalks. The water pressed from decaying heaps of Cladophora and Spirogyra reduced the growth rate of Scenedesmus significantly, but mats from Chara did not. It is assumed that the toxic substance is an organic compound. In field experiments the detrimental effect could not be clearly evidenced. The reasons for this are discussed. It is concluded that mechanical impact is of major importance.     

中国北方地区的本底植被

根据现代地植物学和古生态研究结果．恢复、评估了我国北方地区的原生植被和潜在植被状况．并论述它们对生态建设的意义。潜在植被分布表明．温带或亚热带郁闭森林仅可以发育在北方的东南边缘地带,而东北中西部、华北平原大部、黄土高原东南部和青藏高原东缘等地区为郁闭度较低的疏林或森林草原可能发育地带。这些地区是北方农业发展和生态恢复的主要区域;东北西部、内蒙古东南部、陕北、宁夏东南部、陇东南和青海省东中部等地区．潜在地带植被当属温带草原．宜发展牧业．是目前退耕还草的重点区域。在全新世中期,东北地区东北部的原生植被为温带落叶阔叶林;东北的南部、河北东部、山东东部、淮河流域等地生长着暖温带落叶阔叶林;在黄土高原东南部、黄淮平原西部和青藏高原东部边缘等地区,原生森林面积比目前大得多．分别分布着以松属和落叶阔叶树占优势的稀疏森林和以云、冷杉占优势的山地寒温带森林．为这些地区勾勒了未来生态恢复所能达到的理想境界。根据原生植被分布．黄土高原西北部地区同样不适合发展林业．退耕以后所能够恢复的也只能是草,而不是林;再往西北．到了毛乌素沙地西北部及其我国西北内陆的广袤半荒漠、荒漠地带．原生地带植被中从未出现森林．在绝大多数情况下均不宜发展林业。     

中国块菌要览及其保护策略

截至目前报道的中国块菌有28种,其中黑块菌4种,白块菌24种.具有重要经济价值和生态价值的黑块菌类有印度块菌复合种和中国夏块菌,其中印度块菌复合种与欧洲法国黑孢块菌属于姊妹类群,中国夏块菌与欧洲夏块菌也是姊妹类群.虽然欧洲意大利白块菌在中国尚未找到、波氏块菌在中国的存在尚待最终确认,但是,最近的更多白块菌新种的发现,说...     

芦苇型湿地生态系统的潜水水质状态研究

以白洋淀芦苇滩地为实验地,研究了湿地生态系统中潜水的水质状况.苇地潜水运动受到芦苇根孔的强烈影响.受芦苇根区生物呼吸作用的影响,潜水pH值(6.94士0.14)显著低于淀水(9.17).潜水中CO2分压约为淀水的85～1039倍.潜水水质类型在离淀2.7至6.7m发生变化,逐渐由ClN3转变为CCa.自苇地边缘至中央,HT(总硬度),Ar(总碱度)与∑C(主要离子总量)逐渐升高.潜水中Mg2+/Ca2+的平均摩尔比值为0.60,明显低于淀水(1.31).淀水和潜水Cl-,SO2-,Na++K+含量无显著差异,平均值分别是176,116和112mg/L.苇地濒水区为一过渡带,对磷氮污染物具备首先的过滤作用.在离淀0.7m处TN,TP和活性磷酸盐的减少量分别为63.3%,84.6%,80.8%.     

The effect of the armored scale,Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), on shoot growth of the invasive plant Arundo donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae)

The effect of feeding by the armored scale, Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Leonardi, 1920) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on the growth of the plant Arundo donax L. (Poaceae) was evaluated under field conditions in its native range. The study was designed to evaluate the impact of R. donacis, a candidate agent for biological control of A. donax which is invasive in arid riparian ecosystems of the Southwestern USA and Mexico. The study was carried out at five A. donax sites in the Province of Alicante, Spain, differing in altitude and climate. At each site, 30 infested lateral shoots were selected and 15 were randomly treated monthly with imidacloprid insecticide. Shoot lengths were measured monthly over a 1-year period in a comparative growth analysis. Shoots infested with R. donacis had an over 2-fold reduced growth rate as compared to treated shoots. Growth of shoots varied by site, and the effect of R. donacis on growth was most pronounced in the late spring, when mature females produced first instar scale crawlers. The impact of R. donacis on A. donax growth under field conditions in the native range, combined with its narrow host specificity, indicate that R. donacis is a promising candidate for biological control of A. donax in North America and other areas invaded by this weed.     

Growth and nutrients accumulation potentials of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) in different habitats in Egypt

Arundo donax L. has a high biomass production and a tendency toward community dominance in many habitats and thereby a tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions. Therefore, the present study investigated the potentiality of A. donax to accumulate nutrients and trace metals in its biomass. Six main habitats (Nile Bank, Drain Bank, Canal Bank, Field Edges, Railways and Roadsides) were recognized. At each habitat, six quadrats (each 1 m²), distributed equally in two sites, were selected for growth measurements (e.g., density, shoot height, diameter, leaf area and biomass), plant and soil analyses. Plants from Nile, Canal and Drain Banks had the highest values of most growth measurements, while those from Railways and Roadsides had the lowest. Canal Bank plants accumulated the highest concentrations of P, Cu and Pb in their leaves; Zn in the stem; and Mg, Cd and Fe in the rhizome. The bioaccumulation factor (BF) of A. donax, for Cd, Fe, Mn and Zn, was greater than 1, while the translocation factor (TF) of most trace metals was less than unity in most habitats. In conclusion, A. donax showed morphological plasticity in response to habitat heterogeneity, and its growth was most vigorous in the riparian habitats. The high BF, as well as the significant positive correlations between trace metals, especially Cd, in soil and plant, renders A. donax a powerful phytoremediator.