Rates of small-scale species mobility in alvar limestone grassland

Abstract. Small-scale species frequency and cumulative species frequency were studied in four plots in limestone grassland of the Veronica spicata-Avenula pratensis association on Stora Alvaret on the Baltic island of Öland, Sweden. Species mobility was expressed as increase in cumulative species frequency in 20 subplots of 100 cm². Observed cumulative frequencies from 1985–1989 in all four plots, and from 1985–1995 in one plot were compared with values following from two null models, a ‘minimal mobility’ model and a random mobility model. In ca. 50 % of the cases the observed cumulative frequency was not significantly different from the random expectation. However, in many such cases the mean annual frequency was either very high or very low. Three ways of calculating the mobility rate are presented though only one is used: (observed cumulative frequency -lowest annual frequency) / expected cumulative frequency. Values × 100 range from 0 to 100. There were slight differences between the four plots which were interpreted in terms of differences in grazing intensity and soil depth. It is stressed that the idea of the Carousel model has never been meant to suggest that all species would show random mobility, which we now quantify, but that species differ in their mobility rate and that the mean rate is much higher than generally realized.     

Geochemical baseline determination and pollution assessment of heavy metals in urban soils of Karachi,Pakistan

Karachi is one of the most populated urban agglomerations in the world. No categorical study has yet discussed the geochemical baseline concentrations of metals in the urban soil of Karachi. The main objectives of this study were to establish geochemical baseline values and to assess the pollution status of different heavy metals. Geochemical baseline concentrations of heavy metals were estimated using the cumulative frequency distribution (CDF) curves. The estimated baseline concentrations of Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Fe were 56.23, 12.9, 36.31, 123.03 and 11,776 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The pollution status of heavy metals in urban soils was evaluated using different quantitative indices (enrichment factor–EF, Geo-accumulation Index–I_geo, and pollution index–PI). Enrichments factors of the selected heavy metals determined by using Fe as a normalizer showed that metal contamination was the product of anthropogenic activities. The urban soils of Karachi were found to have a moderate to moderately severe enrichment with Pb, whereas Cr and Cu has moderate and Zn has minor enrichment. I_geo results indicated moderate soil contamination by Pb at some of the sampling locations. PI for Pb, Cr, Cu and Zn was found in the range of 0.04–3.42, 0.19–1.55, 0.27–2.45 and 0.32–1.57, respectively. Large variations in PI values of Pb revealed that soil in those areas of the city which are influenced by intensive anthropogenic activities have exceptionally high concentrations of Pb. The findings of this study would contribute to the environmental database of the soil of the region and would also facilitate both at the local and the international scales, in a more accurate global environmental monitoring, which will eventually facilitate the development of management and remediation strategies for heavy metal contaminated urban soil.     

盐分增量法测定植被蒸散

采用“盐分增量法”测定了松嫩平原大安古河道试验站典型的羊草．星星草．碱地蒲公英群落分布区的植被蒸散量。结果表明,盐分增量法是一种测定植被蒸散量的新方法,可有效地测定植被蒸散量;植被日均蒸发量随植被盖度增加不断减少,日均蒸腾量随植被盖度增加逐渐增大,由于蒸腾量增加幅度大于同期蒸发量减少幅度,植被日均蒸散量随植被盖度增加而增大。     

Crop row spacing and its influence on the partitioning of evapotranspiration by winter-grown wheat in Northern Syria

A study was conducted during the 1996–97 crop growth season at ICARDA in northern Syria, to investigate the influence of wheat canopy architecture on the partitioning of moisture between soil evaporation and crop transpiration, on a soil with high hydraulic conductivity. The study was conducted on the long-term two course wheat-lentil rotation trial, established on a swelling clay soil (Calcixerollic xerochrept). The wheat canopy architecture was manipulated by sowing the crop at either of two row-spacings, 0.17 or 0.30 m, both at a constant sowing rate equivalent to 120 kg ha^–1. In this study, evapotranspiration from the crop was inferred from changes in soil moisture content over time, evaporation and rainfall interception were measured daily using microlysimetry, drainage was estimated as being the difference between potential daily evapotranspiration, and the evapotranspiration estimated from the soil water deficit. Between sowing and day 80 (tillering stage), evapotranspiration was calculated to consist mainly of soil evaporation. However, after day 80, transpiration became an increasingly dominant component of evapotranspiration. For both row-spacings, cumulative evapotranspiration over the season was approximately 373 mm. In the narrow-row crop, transpiration and soil evaporation were approximately 185 mm and 183 mm of water respectively. Conversely for the wide row-spaced crop, 172 mm of water was transpired while about 205 mm of water evaporated from the soil surface. While green leaf area index did not differ between row-spacings, the architecture of the crops as a result of sowing affected solar radiation penetration such that more incident radiation was intercepted at the soil surface of the wide row-spaced crop. This is likely to have made some contribution to the elevated levels of evaporation from the soil beneath the canopy of the wide-sown crop.     

低能离子束在植物种粒和微生物中的穿透深度

计算了低能离子注入生物体中的穿透深度,考虑生物媒质为匀相多组元系统,求出了平均射程的一般理论公式,将其用于植物种粒和微生物中。以30keV的N 注入水稻种子和100keV的As 注入微生物细胞为例,计算了平均穿透深度,结果与实验资料一致。指出抽真空过程中水分蒸发及离子注入时的热效应和机械效应对植物种子结构的动态影响,可使穿透深度大大加大。     

毛乌素沙地南缘沙丘生物结皮对凝结水形成和蒸发的影响

在水分极度匮乏的荒漠生态系统,凝结水是除降雨之外最重要的水分来源之一,它对荒漠生态系统结构、功能和过程的维持产生重要的影响。为探明半干旱沙区生物结皮表面的凝结水形成和蒸发特征,采用自制的微型蒸渗计(直径7 cm、高5 cm的PVC管)实验观测了不同类型地表(裸沙、浅灰色藻类结皮、黑褐色藻类结皮和苔藓结皮)对凝结水形成和蒸发的影响。结果表明:(1)观测期间共有20次凝结水形成记录,除降雨天气外,几乎每天都能观测到水分凝结现象;(2)不同类型地表凝结水总量依次为(1.998±0.075),(2.326±0.083),(2.790±0.058)和(3.416±0.068) mm,生物结皮表面的凝结水总量显著大于裸沙(P < 0.05);随生物结皮的发育,不同类型生物结皮表面的凝结水总量呈增加的趋势,凝结水总量之间差异显著(P < 0.05);观测期间不同类型地表日平均凝结水量依次为(0.100±0.003),(0.116±0.004),(0.140±0.002)和(0.171± 0.003) mm,不同类型地表日平均凝结水量之间差异极显著(P < 0.01);(3)凝结水形成过程的观测结果显示,凝结水19:00开始形成,23:00-凌晨1:00形成不明显,1:00-7:00继续形成,除浅灰色藻类结皮外,太阳升出后在黑褐色藻类结皮和苔藓结皮表面继续形成少量的凝结水;凝结水7:30开始蒸发,10:30到11:00之间结束蒸发,凝结水在裸沙和浅灰色藻类结皮中的保持时间显著大于黑褐色藻类结皮和苔藓结皮中的保持时间(P < 0.05);(4)凝结水的形成受大气温度、地表温度、空气相对湿度和大气地表温度差等气象因素的影响,但其形成过程不与某一个气象因素呈简单的线性关系。     

A Simple Method for Mass-Production of Liposomes,in Particular Large Liposomes,Suitable for Delivery of Free Amino Acids to Filter Feeding Zooplankton

In marine fish larviculture the live feed organisms are often enriched in order to enhance their nutritional value. One of the challenges is to enhance the phospholipids (PL) content, and another is to enhance the content of specific water soluble nutrients, like free amino acids (FAA). There are a few studies where this has been achieved by the use of liposomes. The aim of this study was to develop a simple method for mass-production of liposomes within a size range of 1–5 μm a size range suitable to feed live food organisms. Furthermore, the liposomes should have a high FAA concentration and be stable under conditions typical for short-time enrichment of live feed organisms. The method used in the present study is based on a combination of a reverse-phase evaporation method for preparing liposomes and re-hydration of freeze-dried, empty liposomes. The liposomal membrane was made of soy phosphatydilcholine and was loaded with a highly concentrated free amino acids solution. Most of the liposomes produced were 2–8 μm in diameter and the FAA encapsulation efficiency was 42.6%. Two experiments simulating 2 hr of live food enrichment were used to evaluate the liposomes. The results showed the liposome did not disintegrate or aggregate when suspended in seawater and that only 9% of the FAA content of the liposomes was lost after 2 hr suspension. The developed method was easy and reliable, producing tens of grams of liposomes per batch.