Plant Conservation in the Future: New Challenges, New Opportunities

Throughout the world, plant diversity is being reduced rapidly by the extinction of species and of local differentiated populations. In presenting possible solutions to this very serious problem Ⅰ will first briefly describe the factors that have led to the development of China's wealth of biodivenity; then examine the causes of extinction,with an emphasis on the situation in China; and conclude with recommendations on how to most effectively conserve plants in this huge and botanically diverse country.     

UV Light Inactivation of Human and Plant Pathogens in Unfiltered Surface Irrigation Water

Fruit and vegetable growers continually battle plant diseases and food safety concerns. Surface water is commonly used in the production of fruits and vegetables and can harbor both human- and plant-pathogenic microorganisms that can contaminate crops when used for irrigation or other agricultural purposes. Treatment methods for surface water are currently limited, and there is a need for suitable treatment options. A liquid-processing unit that uses UV light for the decontamination of turbid juices was analyzed for its efficacy in the treatment of surface waters contaminated with bacterial or oomycete pathogens, i.e., Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, and Phytophthora capsici. Five-strain cocktails of each pathogen, containing approximately 10⁸ or 10⁹ CFU/liter for bacteria or 10⁴ or 10⁵ zoospores/liter for Ph. capsici, were inoculated into aliquots of two turbid surface water irrigation sources and processed with the UV unit. Pathogens were enumerated before and after treatment. In general, as the turbidity of the water source increased, the effectiveness of the UV treatment decreased, but in all cases, 99.9% or higher inactivation was achieved. Log reductions ranged from 10.0 to 6.1 and from 5.0 to 4.2 for bacterial pathogens and Ph. capsici, respectively.     

水土保持药用植物--连翘

连翘是一种值得推广的水土保持药用植物。文中对连翘生理特点、经济效益和生态效益进行了介绍,并对连翘的推广开发做了分析。     

Opening remarks,SIVB 2001 Congress: Opportunities and Challenges in Plant Biotechnology

Summary US Senator Christopher Bond joined Dr. Roger Beachy at the podium during the SIVB 2001 Congress Plenary Session on Opportunities and Challenges in Plant Biotechnology to Benefit Health and Sustainability, on June 17, 2001 in St. Louis, MO. Senator Bond presented an advocate's view regarding the benefits of plant biotechnology development. The strengths of the biotechnology regulatory system were extolled. The opportunities of this new technology to produce more and nutritionally superior food, additional plant-based medicines and vaccines, plant-based renewable sources of energy, and renewable industrial products were outlined. The benefits to the environment by adopting plant biotechnological innovations were discussed. Developing public policy regarding this new technology should be based on facts, science and reason.     

Dry-season Mosquito Breeding Associated with Irrigation in the Northeast Kimberley Region of Western Australia: Potential Impact on Mosquito-borne Disease Transmission

Recent Ross River virus activity prior to the onset of the wet season in the Kimberley region of Western Australia points to an increased dry season mosquito-borne disease risk at Kununurra, compared to other Kimberley towns. This study describes a preliminary investigation into the role of the Ord River Irrigation Area at Kununurra in mosquito production during the dry season. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the irrigation area has provided the opportunity for year-round breeding of arbovirus vector mosquitoes. A 10-day adult and larval mosquito sampling survey, in August 2003, revealed that mosquito breeding was occurring during the driest month of the year at Kununurra, supporting the hypothesis that mosquitoes can breed year-round. Importantly, significantly larger numbers and percentage of adult Culex annulirostris, an important disease vector in Australia, were collected within the irrigation area (44.6% of total catch) compared to nearby reference (nonirrigated) breeding sites (9.8%) (mean difference 76.2 per trap per night; 95% CI 38.6, 113.7; P <0.001). Larval Cx. annulirostris were also collected at several sites within the irrigation area, whereas none were collected at reference sites. These results indicate that mosquito breeding associated with anthropogenic environmental changes may be responsible for an increased health risk at the end of the dry season. Mosquito management needs to be given a high priority to ensure this potential health risk is not further exacerbated. Several control strategies to reduce breeding of disease vector mosquitoes are identified, primarily focusing on modification of breeding habitats and alteration of irrigation protocols.     

黄河水灌溉水稻根系及植株生态效应的研究

沿黄稻区是一个水稻新区 ,具有独特的生态类型。由于黄河水携带有大量泥沙并含有一定量的营养物质 ,使得在黄河水灌溉条件下水稻根系及植株的生育状况与井水灌溉有较大不同。从目前的报道来看 ,对井灌条件下水稻根系及根系对地上部发育的影响进行了较多研究 ,从不同角度探讨了水稻根系的发育规律及其对产量的影响。川田信一郎曾对不同水分条件下根的发育形态以及施用堆肥对水稻“浅层根”分布进行了研究[10 ],番场宏治研究了土壤水分条件对水稻根分布的影响[9],山崎耕宇研究了水稻根系的形成及其与产量的关系[8]。于贵瑞等研究了高产水稻群…     

The Role of the Limnologist in Ground Water Studies

The following topics are discussed: the advantages of an interdisciplinary approach to ground water studies; the porous aquifer as an open system; the problem of the terminology used in ground water ecology; the interest of ecologists in hydrogeological terminology; biological activity in the unsaturated zone of porous aquifers; the distribution of ground water fauna in the saturated zone of porous aquifers; ground water animals as environmental indicators; the manipulation of ground water ecosystems; basic lines for the further development of ground water ecological studies.     

Sampling of Nesidiocoris tenuis (Heteroptera: Miridae) in tomato crops

The number of N. tenuis on the upper, middle, and bottom leaves of tomato plants was correlated; nymphs were most abundant on middle and adults on upper leaves. The dispersion pattern of N. tenuis is aggregated and can be described using a negative binomial distribution. A binomial sampling method is proposed.     

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Integrated Conservation and Development Projects and Local Perceptions of Conservation in Madagascar

This paper explores local perceptions of internationally financed conservation and development projects in Madagascar and the success of these projects at influencing perceptions. Interviews, surveys, and focus group sessions were conducted in the peripheral zones of three Malagasy national parks: Ranomafana, Andohahela, and Masoala. Relevant questions explored community demographics, socioeconomic status, and local perceptions of the parks. The principal finding is that while a majority of people living in the peripheral zones do find conservation a valuable goal, they see it as a luxury they cannot afford. Despite their efforts and innovation, conservation and development projects have had a minimal impact on socioeconomic or associational life in the Ranomafana and Andohahela peripheral zones, and a significant but modest impact in the Masoala peripheral zone, by providing economic alternatives to destructive resource use. As a result, they are limited in their success at promoting conservation outcomes.     

Opportunities for Phytoremediation and Bioindication of Arsenic Contaminated Water Using a Submerged Aquatic Plant:Vallisneria natans (lour.) Hara.

The identification of plants with high arsenic hyperaccumulating efficiency from water is required to ensure the successful application of phytoremediation technology. Five dominant submerged plant species (Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara., Potamageton crispus L., Myriophyllum spicatum L., Ceratophyllum demersum L. and Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle) in China were used to determine their potential to remove As from contaminated water. V. natans had the highest accumulation of As among them. The characteristics of As accumulation, transformation and the effect of phosphate on As accumulation in V. natans were then further studied. The growth of V. natans was not inhibited even when the As concentration reached 2.0 mg L^?1. After 21 d of As treatment, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) reached 1300. The As concentration in the environment and exposure time are major factors controlling the As concentration in V. natans. After being absorbed, As(V) is efficiently reduced to As(III) in plants. The synthesis of non-enzymic antioxidants may play an important role under As stress and increase As detoxication. In addition, As(V) uptake by V. natans was negatively correlated with phosphate (P) uptake when P was sufficiently supplied. As(V) is probably taken up via P transporters in V. natans.     

Adapting Agricultural Water Use to Climate Change in a Post-Soviet Context: Challenges and Opportunities in Southeast Kazakhstan

The convergence of climate change and post-Soviet socio-economic and institutional transformations has been underexplored so far, as have the consequences of such convergence on crop agriculture in Central Asia. This paper provides a place-based analysis of constraints and opportunities for adaptation to climate change, with a specific focus on water use, in two districts in southeast Kazakhstan. Data were collected by 2 multi-stakeholder participatory workshops, 21 semi-structured in-depth interviews, and secondary statistical data. The present-day agricultural system is characterised by enduring Soviet-era management structures, but without state inputs that previously sustained agricultural productivity. Low margins of profitability on many privatised farms mean that attempts to implement integrated water management have produced water users associations unable to maintain and upgrade a deteriorating irrigation infrastructure. Although actors engage in tactical adaptation measures, necessary structural adaptation of the irrigation system remains difficult without significant public or private investments. Market-based water management models have been translated ambiguously to this region, which fails to encourage efficient water use and hinders adaptation to water stress. In addition, a mutual interdependence of informal networks and formal institutions characterises both state governance and everyday life in Kazakhstan. Such interdependence simultaneously facilitates operational and tactical adaptation, but hinders structural adaptation, as informal networks exist as a parallel system that achieves substantive outcomes while perpetuating the inertia and incapacity of the state bureaucracy. This article has relevance for critical understanding of integrated water management in practice and adaptation to climate change in post-Soviet institutional settings more broadly.     

Tangled webs: reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey link streams and riparian zones

1. Streams and their adjacent riparian zones are closely linked by reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey. We review characteristics of these prey subsidies and their strong direct and indirect effects on consumers and recipient food webs. 2. Fluxes of terrestrial invertebrates to streams can provide up to half the annual energy budget for drift‐feeding fishes such as salmonids, despite the fact that input occurs principally in summer. Inputs appear highest from closed‐canopy riparian zones with deciduous vegetation and vary markedly with invertebrate phenology and weather. Two field experiments that manipulated this prey subsidy showed that it affected both foraging and local abundance of stream fishes. 3. Emergence of adult insects from streams can constitute a substantial export of benthic production to riparian consumers such as birds, bats, lizards, and spiders, and contributes 25–100% of the energy or carbon to such species. Emergence typically peaks in early summer in the temperate zone, but also provides a low‐level flux from autumn to spring in ice‐free streams. This flux varies with in‐stream productivity, and declines exponentially with distance from the stream edge. Some predators aggregate near streams and forage on these prey during periods of peak emergence, whereas others rely on the lower subsidy from autumn through spring when terrestrial prey are scarce. Several field experiments that manipulated this subsidy showed that it affected the short‐term behaviour, growth, and abundance of terrestrial consumers. 4. Reciprocal prey subsidies also have important indirect effects on both stream and riparian food webs. Theory predicts that allochthonous prey should increase density of subsidised predators, thereby increasing predation on in situ prey and causing a negative indirect effect via apparent competition. However, short‐term experiments have produced either positive or negative indirect effects. These contrasting results may be due to characteristics of the subsidies and individual consumers, but could also result from differences in experimental designs. 5. New study approaches are needed to better determine the direct and indirect effects of reciprocal prey subsidies. Experiments coupled with comparative research will be required to measure their effects on individual consumer fitness and population demographics. Future work should investigate whether reciprocal prey fluxes stabilise linked stream–riparian ecosystems, explore how landscape context affects the magnitude and importance of subsidies, and determine how impacts of human disturbance can propagate between streams and riparian zones via these trophic linkages. Study of these reciprocal connections is helping to define a more holistic perspective of catchments, and has the potential to shape new directions for ecology in general.     

水与村落关系的生态学思考

村落是地表突出且普遍的景观。从生态学角度而言 ,村落系以农村人群为中心 ,伴生生物为主要生物群落 ,建筑设施为重要栖息环境的人工生态系统。村落具有景观、分布、结构、功能、生命过程、新陈代谢和分类区划等生态学特征。从生态学角度对村落生态系统进行研究 ,形成具有特色的生态学分支村落生态学 (ｖｉｌｌａｇｅｅｃｏｌｏｇｙ) ,村落生态学具有确定性定义和研究内容[1 ] 。我国是一个农业大国 ,目前全国分布有 5 0 0多万个村落 ,6万多个集镇 ,市镇人口约占 30 % ,农村人口约占 70 % ,是农村生态系统的重要组成部分。我国 5 5个少数民…     

野生经济植物与水土保持

目前我国人均占有的水、土资源少的情况下,既加强水土保持,恢复原有的生态系统,又为山区经济发展创造条件,以达到人与自然的和谐发展的工作中,野生经济植物资源的合理利用有着特别重要的作用。第一,许多好的经济植物是当地的乡土植物,适应当地的气候、土壤条件,稍加人工抚育即可成活、生长和取得较好的效益。第二,实行谁种植、谁管理、谁受益的制度,管理的投入可以从收入中提取,以减少国家对水土流失治理的投入。第三,发展优良的经济植物,也给全社会增加吃、穿、用的各种物质资源,有些可以出口创汇,增加国家财富积累。发展山区野生经济植物,对治理水土流失和增加农民收入都有重要的现实意义。     

The effect of fixed‐count subsampling on macroinvertebrate biomonitoring in small streams

• 1 When rigorous standards of collecting and analysing data are maintained, biological monitoring adds valuable information to water resource assessments. Decisions, from study design and field methods to laboratory procedures and data analysis, affect assessment quality. Subsampling ‐ a laboratory procedure in which researchers count and identify a random subset of field samples ‐ is widespread yet controversial. What are the consequences of subsampling?
• 2 To explore this question, random subsamples were computer generated for subsample sizes ranging from 100 to 1000 individuals as compared with the results of counting whole samples. The study was done on benthic invertebrate samples collected from five Puget Sound lowland streams near Seattle, WA, USA. For each replicate subsample, values for 10 biological attributes (e.g. total number of taxa) and for the 10‐metric benthic index of biological integrity (B‐IBI) were computed.
• 3 Variance of each metric and B‐IBI for each subsample size was compared with variance associated with fully counted samples generated using the bootstrap algorithm. From the measures of variance, we computed the maximum number of distinguishable classes of stream condition as a function of sample size for each metric and for B‐IBI.
• 4 Subsampling significantly decreased the maximum number of distinguishable stream classes for B‐IBI, from 8.2 for fully counted samples to 2.8 classes for 100‐organism subsamples. For subsamples containing 100–300 individuals, discriminatory power was low enough to mislead water resource decision makers.

     

海洋生境修复和生物资源养护原理与技术研究进展及展望

由于人类活动导致的海洋生境、生态系统以及生物资源的衰退已经引起了全球的高度重视。以生态修复的原理为基础,综述了海洋生境修复和生物资源养护的关键设施、关键技术、监测与效果评价以及综合管理的国内外研究进展,并对海洋生境修复与生物资源养护的研究热点和重点进行了展望,以期为我国海洋生境修复和生物资源养护提供参考。     

Water and community development in the Little Colorado River Basin

Water has historically been a critical limiting factor affecting community development throughout the American West. Within the Little Colorado River Basin of northeastern Arizona, abundant groundwater resources enabled local agricultural communities to overcome the limitations of unstable surfacewater sources. However, industrialization has led to sharp increases in groundwater consumption in the basin and to a decline in groundwater levels and/or quality at several locations. This paper examines the broader historical and regional implications of recent groundwater changes in the basin. Emphasis is placed upon the relationship between local developments and the rapid expansion of metropolitan centers in southern Arizona.     

光合细菌的分离鉴定及对养殖水的净化研究

水质的恶化是影响水生生物存活率和产量的主要障碍 ,因此如何净化水质已成为养殖技术的难点和研究热点。从养虾池底泥分离得到 4株光合细菌 (PSB) ,经初步鉴定分别为纤细红螺菌、球形红假单胞菌和沼泽红假单胞菌 ;将其混合培养后处理养虾池水 ,结果表明 ,PSB可以有效分解底泥中污染物 ,去除水体中的COD、氨氮 (第 4dCOD去除率为 72 .5 9% ,氨氮去除率达 89.2 % ) ,养殖池PSB的使用量以 1mg/L为宜。     

Water state and diffusion through lipid bilayers: Effect of hydration degree

The dependences of adsorbed water state (obtained from the variations in ¹H NMR spectra with the angle between the bilayer normal and magnetic field direction) and water diffusion along the bilayer normal (measured using pulsed field gradient ¹H NMR) on hydration degree have been studied in macroscopically oriented bilayers of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine. The angle dependences of the shape of NMR spectrum are qualitatively different only for water concentrations higher and lower than that achieved by hydration from saturated vapors (χ_eq, about 23%). At concentrations lower than χ_eq, all water in the sample either makes the hydration shells of the lipid polar heads or is in fast exchange with the shell water, so the spin-echo signal from water is detected only within a narrow range of angles close to the magic angle, 54.7°. At concentration exceeding χ_eq, the spin-echo signal from water is retained at all orientations, suggesting that a portion of water between bilayers (quasi-free water) slowly exchanges with water bound to the polar heads. There is an inverse dependence of the coefficient of water self-diffusion through the bilayer system on the hydration degree, which is described in the Tanner model with account of water self-diffusion in the hydrophobic part of the bilayer. Bilayer permeability, distribution coefficient of molecules between aqueous and lipid phases, and water self-diffusion coefficient in the hydrophobic region of the bilayer are estimated.