Stream-dwelling insects and extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields: a ten-year study

Changes in the structure of benthic insect communities at an experimental site and at a reference site in the Ford River, Michigan were monitored over a 10-year period to determine whether extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF) affected those communities. Five of 10 biotic parameters monitored are presented: taxon evenness (J), richness (S), numerical dominance of chironomids, and total insect mass. Data were separated into three seasons because coefficient of variation values were lower in the summer than in the spring and fall. Two-way ANOVA tests for the biotic variables were often significantly different between sites and among years, but the interaction terms were less frequently significant. Biotic parameters were regressed against stream discharge, water temperatures, years, and ELF cumulative ground field exposures. At the experimental site, discharge accounted for more variation than did water temperature or years for all biotic parameters except chironomid numerical dominance in the fall. Intervention analyses, using the B.A.C.I parametric or the R.I.A non-parametric showed significant differences in three of 15 cases; namely, for the highly varying chironomid numerical dominance values in the spring and fall and for the low varying total insect mass values in the summer. For those tests, the Before Impact period spanned April 1984 through May 1986. The After Impact period (full ELF power) spanned June 1989 through August 1993. Trend analysis for total insect mass at the experimental site in the summer showed discharge to be more important than water temperatures or ELF ground field exposures. Natural physical factors appear to be more important than the anthropogenic ELF fields in accounting for seasonal and yearly changes in the community.     

羌塘国家级自然保护区地表土壤冻结天数时空变化特征

利用1981—2018年羌塘自然保护区周边5个气象台站的地表逐日最低温度和平均气温资料,采用线性回归和Mann-Kendall非参数检验方法,分析了近38 a以及全球变暖1.5℃和2℃阈值时羌塘自然保护区地表土壤冻结天数的时空变化特征。结果表明:(1)近38 a近地表土壤冻结开始日期呈推迟趋势,变化率为7.72 d·10 a^-1,冻结终止日期以8.17d·10 a^-1的速率显著提早;冻结持续时间和冻结天数均呈显著缩短趋势,平均每10年分别缩短14.69和11.19 d;同时段内,自然保护区大部分土壤冻结参数的变化率均大于青藏高原。(2)在年代际变化上,自然保护区呈现土壤冻结开始日期推迟、冻结终止日期提前、冻结持续时间和冻结天数缩短的变化特征。(3)土壤冻结参数在21世纪初均发生了气候突变,较青藏高原土壤冻融时间的突变点偏晚。(4)在全球变暖1.5℃时,RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下的自然保护区土壤冻结参数变化值相同,冻结开始日期推迟25 d,冻结终止日期提早22 d,冻结持续时间和冻结天数分别缩短46和28 d;变暖2.0℃时,RCP4.5和RCP8.5情景下的土壤冻结开始日期推迟35和33 d,冻结终止日期提早30和29 d,冻结持续时间减少64和62 d,冻结天数缩短40和39 d。     

青藏高原高寒湿地GPP变化特征及对生长季积温的响应

基于涡度相关系统,利用2004-2016年的涡度相关系统观测资料,做了青藏高原高寒湿地生长季总初级生产力（GPP）在不同时间尺度上对生长季有效积温（GDD）响应的研究。结果表明：高寒湿地生态系统在生长季的日GPP、GDD与月际GPP、GDD都表现为先增大后减小的单峰变化趋势,都在7月或8月达到峰值,在5月达到最小值。在整个生长季尺度上,GPP与GDD变异性较大,没有明显的变化趋势。2004-2016年整个生长季GPP与GDD的均值分别为（458.82±25.78）gC m^-2季^-1和（1060.89±84.07）℃。在日尺度、月尺度、生长季尺度上,GPP与GDD都呈极显著正相关关系（P < 0.01）。但是,通过比较生长季分别每个月GPP与GDD的关系发现,5、9月的GPP与GDD没有显著相关性（P > 0.05）,而在7月相关性最为显著（P < 0.01）。整体上看,高寒湿地生态系统植被的总初级生产力与热量条件表现为正相关关系,由此说明在全球气候变暖的背景下,将会提高青藏高原高寒湿地生态系统植被的光合生产能力。     

A conceptual model of the Amblyomma americanum life cycle in northeast Missouri

The geographic distribution of Amblyomma americanum (the lone star tick) has increased as has its role as a pathogen vector. The objectives of this study were to determine seasonal activity patterns of each life stage of A. americanum in the northwestern part of the species range and the relationship of these activity patterns among life stages and degree days. Tick activity was monitored over four years since 2007 in a forest and old field habitat located in northeast Missouri. Every other week from February to December, ticks were collected using bait and drag methods. Autocorrelations demonstrated yearly seasonal patterns in each life stage and cross‐correlations between life stages depicted a relationship between activity at a life stage and the previous stage's activity. Cross‐correlations indicated that degree days were related to activity. These data indicated that A. americanum generally complete their life cycle in a minimum of two years in northeast Missouri, with overwintering occurring predominantly in the nymphal and adult stages. These data provide a baseline to compare the life cycle of A. americanum in northeast Missouri to populations in different parts of the species range or at different times in the region.     

Functional analysis and tissue-differential expression of four FAD2 genes in amphidiploid Brassica napus derived from Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea

Fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2), which resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plays a crucial role in producing linoleic acid (18:2) through catalyzing the desaturation of oleic acid (18:1) by double bond formation at the delta 12 position. FAD2 catalyzes the first step needed for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in the glycerolipids of cell membranes and the triacylglycerols in seeds. In this study, four FAD2 genes from amphidiploid Brassica napus genome were isolated by PCR amplification, with their enzymatic functions predicted by sequence analysis of the cDNAs. Fatty acid analysis of budding yeast transformed with each of the FAD2 genes showed that whereas BnFAD2-1, BnFAD2-2, and BnFAD2-4 are functional enzymes, and BnFAD2-3 is nonfunctional. The four FAD2 genes of B. napus originated from synthetic hybridization of its diploid progenitors Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, each of which has two FAD2 genes identical to those of B. napus. The BnFAD2-3 gene of B. napus, a nonfunctional pseudogene mutated by multiple nucleotide deletions and insertions, was inherited from B. rapa. All BnFAD2 isozymes except BnFAD2-3 localized to the ER. Nonfunctional BnFAD2-3 localized to the nucleus and chloroplasts. Four BnFAD2 genes can be classified on the basis of their expression patterns.