Spatial Variability in Species Composition in Birds and Insects

If spatial patterns of change within a habitat were similar for both vertebrates and insects, then vertebrates would provide useful surrogates for designing reserves for the conservation of invertebrates. Data from two eucalypt habitats were analysed to determine levels of habitat richness, site richness and species turnover in birds and insects. For birds the relatively low species richness and turnover indicated that sites within the habitat were similar in composition. In wet eucalypt forests Diptera were very speciose with over 1,000 morphospecies sorted. Species turnover was slightly higher than for birds, indicating a large number of species change from site to site. In dry eucalypt woodland, insects trapped through the winter months were not speciose but turnover between sites was very large. This suggests reserves designed to conserve insects may need to be larger than for birds in order to include the high site variability and richness of insect communities.Spatial patterns of birds and insects were investigated further, to determine if sites that were closer together were more similar for both birds and insects. No patterns were found for birds in either habitat suggesting birds are not responding to changes in the environment at this scale. Diptera in wet eucalypt forest showed higher similarity between close sites than distant sites, while for winter insects in dry eucalypt woodland the relationship was significant when two outlier points were removed. Overall, birds are not good surrogates for insects in either habitat as no relationship between birds and insects in site-to-site similarity was found.     

麦蚜自然种群的空间动态

一、引言在生态学中研究种群动态有两个分支,一是追踪数量随时间变化,既所谓数量动态的问题,另一是考查种群个体在空间散布状态的变化,即所谓空间动态的问题。关于空间动态中分布型的研究过去多采用传统的块面调查,用     

Spatial Variability of Soil Properties in the Shortgrass Steppe: The Relative Importance of Topography, Grazing, Microsite, and Plant Species in Controlling Spatial Patterns

We conducted a study to evaluate the relative importance of topography, grazing, the location of individual plants (microsite), and plant species in controlling the spatial variability of soil organic matter in shortgrass steppe ecosystems. We found that the largest spatial variation occurs in concert with topography and with microsite-scale heterogeneity, with relatively little spatial variability due to grazing or to plant species. Total soil C and N, coarse and fine particulate organic matter C and N, and potentially mineralizable C were significantly affected by topography, with higher levels in toeslope positions than in midslopes or summits. Soils beneath individual plants (Bouteloua gracilis and Opuntia polyacantha) were elevated by 2–3 cm relative to surrounding soils. All pools of soil organic matter were significantly higher in the raised hummocks directly beneath plants than in the soil surface of interspaces or this layer under plants. High levels of mineral material in the hummocks suggest that erosion is an important process in their formation, perhaps in addition to biotic accumulation of litter beneath individual plants. Over 50 y of heavy grazing by cattle did not have a significant effect on most of the soil organic matter pools we studied. This result was consistent with our hypothesis that this system, with its strong dominance of belowground organic matter, is minimally influenced by aboveground herbivory. In addition, soils beneath two of the important plant species of the shortgrass steppe, B. gracilis and O. polyacantha, differed little from one another. The processes that create spatial variability in shortgrass steppe ecosystems do not affect all soil organic matter pools equally. Topographic variability, developing over pedogenic time scales (centuries to thousands of years), has the largest effect on the most stable pools of soil organic matter. The influence of microsite is most evident in the pools of organic matter that turn over at time scales that approximate the life span of individual plants (years to decades and centuries).     

Factors Controlling the Spatial Variability of Mercury Distribution in Spanish Topsoil

This study characterized the sources and scales of mercury variability in agricultural soils of the river Ebro (9.5 million ha) using geostatistical methods and data from 624 samples. The Ebro basin (20% of Spanish land mass) is an important agricultural area that is industrialized. Spatial analysis was done on a local scale (20 km) and indicated that high Hg concentrations were related to mining and specific agronomic practices, such as sewage effluents from irrigation. The intermediate scale (100 km) was associated with mercury from atmospheric deposition (mining, smelting, and industrial activities). The regional scale (220 km) corresponded to mineralogical structure and bedrock influence. The analysis demostrates that while geographical and geochemical processes and anthropogenic influences, such as industrialization and agricultural practices, can influence the content and distribution of mercury in the valley, the calcareous nature of the soils (alkaline pH and low organic matter) minimize the effect of the mercury load.     

Effects of Interaction Between Cadmium and Plumbum on Phytochelatins and Glutathione Production in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Phytochelatins (PCs) may function as a potential biomarker for metal toxicity. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of metal interactions on the production of PCs and glutathione (GSH),the most prominent cellular thiol. In the present study, the effects of interactions between cadmium (Cd) and plumbum (Pb) on the production of PCs and GSH were monitored over a period of 14 d in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) tissues. The results showed that combination of Cd and Pb led to synergistic growth inhibition in wheat. Exposure to Cd or Pb increased levels of PCs in a concentration-, tissue-, and time-dependent manner. Cadmium was more effective that Pb in increasing PCs production. Compared with the effects of Cd or Pb alone on the production of PCs, the combination of Cd and Pb acted synergistically, resulting in an enhanced production of PCs. Cadmium also stimulated GSH production in a concentration-, tissue-, and time-dependent manner. However, Pb had no obvious effects on GSH levels. The combination of Pb and Cd antagonized GSH production over the course of the growth period. The results of the present study suggest that metal interactions should be considered in the application of PCs and GSH as potential biomarkers for the evaluation of metal toxicity.     

小麦开花后旗叶中蔗糖合成与籽粒中蔗糖降解

在小麦开花后,旗叶中蔗糖磷酸合成酶（SPS）活性在开花后14d内一直维持较高水平,蔗糖合成酶（SS）的活性在开花后14-28d较高,蔗糖的含量与SPS活性呈显著正相关,籽粒中蔗糖合成酶（SS）在开花后28d内一直维持较高的活性;与此相对应,籽粒蔗糖的含量在开花后28d内呈明显的下降趋势。而旗叶和籽粒中SS活性均与籽粒淀粉的积累速率呈极显著正相关。     

Spatial characterization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal molecular diversity at the submetre scale in a temperate grassland

Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form spatially complex communities in terrestrial ecosystems, the scales at which this diversity manifests itself is poorly understood. This information is critical to the understanding of the role of AMF in plant community composition. We examined small-scale (submetre) variability of AMF community composition (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting) and abundance (extraradical hyphal lengths) in two 1 m(2) plots situated in a native grassland ecosystem of western Montana. Extraradical AMF hyphal lengths varied greatly between samples (14-89 m g soil(-1)) and exhibited spatial structure at scales <30 cm. The composition of AMF communities was also found to exhibit significant spatial autocorrelation, with correlogram analyses suggesting patchiness at scales <50 cm. Supportive of overall AMF community composition analyses, individual AMF ribotypes corresponding to specific phylogenetic groups exhibited distinct spatial autocorrelation. Our results demonstrate that AMF diversity and abundance can be spatially structured at scales of <1 m. Such small-scale heterogeneity in the soil suggests that establishing seedlings may be exposed to very different, location dependent AMF communities. Our results also have direct implications for representative sampling of AMF communities in the field.     

小麦旗叶Rubisco周转与籽粒含氮量的关系

随着旗叶的衰老,Rubisco含量逐渐减少.延缓小麦旗叶的衰老进程(抽穗期施氮肥),可增加旗叶Rubisco的含量,提高籽粒的全氮含量.在小麦旗叶全展后28d内,Rubisco的15N丰度处于较高水平,表明仍有Rubisco的重新合成;而在28d以后,Rubisco的15N丰度处于低水平,表明无Rubisco的重新合成.但这时籽粒的15N丰度却上升.旗叶全展后14d内Rubisco的15N丰度高于旗叶中全氮的丰度,说明此时期Rubisco重新合成的速率高于其它蛋白质;旗叶衰老过程中Rubisco的15N丰度的净转移高于全氮,Rubi-sco净N转移也高于全氮,表明Rubisco向籽粒中转移的氮素多于其它蛋白质,对籽粒含氮量的影响最大.     

Effects of Bacteria on Cadmium Bioaccumulation in the Cadmium Hyperaccumulator Plant Beta Vulgaris Var. Cicla L.

To investigate the effects of two cadmium-tolerant bacteria, Staphylococcus pasteuri (S. pasteuri X1) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A. tumefaciens X2), on cadmium uptake by the cadmium hyperaccumulator plant Beta vulgaris var. cicla L., a pot experiment with artificially contaminated soil was conducted. The results demonstrated that both cadmium-tolerant bacteria enhanced the dry weight of Beta vulgaris var. cicla L. The total dry weights of plants in the control CK20, S. pasteuri X1 and A. tumefaciens X2 treatments were 0.85, 1.13, and 1.38 g/pot, respectively. Compared with the control CK20 findings, the total dry weight of plants was increased by 32.8 and 61.1% after inoculation with S. pasteuri X1 and A. tumefaciens X2, respectively, indicating that A. tumefaciens X2 more strongly promoted the growth of Beta vulgaris var. cicla L. than S. pasteuri X1. In addition, inoculation with S. pasteuri X1 and A. tumefaciens X2 significantly (p < 0.05) promoted cadmium uptake by plants and improved the bioaccumulation of cadmium by the plants from the soil. Moreover, the inoculation of S. pasteuri X1 and A. tumefaciens X2 effectively facilitated the transfer of cadmium in the soil from the Fe-Mn oxide and residual fractions to the soluble plus exchangeable and weakly specially adsorbed fractions in the rhizosphere soils of plants. The bacterial enhancement of cadmium phytoavailability might provide a potential and promising method to increase the efficiency of phytoextraction.     

Variability of C,N and P content of a tropical semiarid soil as affected by soil genesis,erosion and land clearing

Several transects of topsoil samples were taken immediately after land clearing and one year later from a savannah soil in the semiarid NE of Brazil. Natural spatial variability of key fertility indicators (C, N, P) was large with coefficients of variation >50%. This variability was related to heterogeneity of the soil parent material, and to relative slope position which affected deposition and removal of erodible materials. The distribution of gravel and different particle size fractions was an indicator of the variability as related to soil formation and erosional resorting. One year after the site was cleared and planted to trees, the decrease in C, N and resin-extractable P was in the same range as the initial spatial variability. Treatment effects were therefore difficult to observe but became more obvious when regression analysis on soil textural components was used to reduce data variability.     

冬小麦籽粒淀粉合成相关酶活性的日变化

蔗糖向淀粉的转化是决定小麦籽粒产量的重要因素。田间条件下研究了两个小麦(TriticumaestivumL.)品种“鲁麦22”和“鲁麦14”籽粒淀粉合成相关酶:蔗糖合酶(sucrosesynthase,SS)、腺苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶(ADP-glucosepyrophosphorylase,ADPGPPase)、可溶性淀粉合酶(solublestarchsynthase,SSS)、束缚态淀粉合酶(starchgranule-boundsynthase,GBSS)的活性以及籽粒ATP含量的日变化。结果表明,上述酶活性呈现明显的昼夜变化特征,酶活性一般在白天较低,而在夜间呈现较高活性,而籽粒ATP含量趋势相反。相关分析表明,白天较低的酶活性可能与气温超过其适宜温度有关。对籽粒淀粉合成相关酶活性日变化的可能因子进行了讨论。     

Determining the Causes of Spatial and Temporal Variability of Wheat Yields at Sub-field Scale Using a New Method of Upscaling a Crop Model

Wheat yields in the Mediterranean climate of Western and Southern Australia are often limited by water. Our measurements on a 70 ha growers field showed linear relationships between grain yield and the plant available soil water storage capacity (PAWc) of the top 100 cm of the soil profile. PAWc was linearly related to apparent soil electrical conductivity measured by proximal sensing using electromagnetic induction (EM38). The APSIM wheat model also employs PAWc as one of the systems parameters and simulated linear relationships between PAWc and yield. These relationships were used to transform an EM38-derived PAWc map of the field into yield maps for three major season types (dry, medium and wet) and nitrogen (N) fertiliser management scenarios. The results indicated that the main cause of temporal and spatial yield variability within the field was due to interactions of seasonal rainfall, PAWc and N fertiliser applications. Spatial variability was low in low rainfall years when yields across the field were low and the higher soil water storage capacity sites were often underutilised. With adequate N, spatial variability increased with seasonal rainfall as sites with higher PAWc conserved more water in wet seasons to give higher yield response than sites with low PAWc. The higher yield response of high PAWc sites to rainfall gave rise to larger temporal variability compared with sites with low PAWc. Provision of adequate N is required for the water limited yield potential to be expressed and this increased both spatial and temporal variability. Sites with low PAWc performed poorly irrespective of rainfall and N application. PAWc is inherently low on deep coarse sands; these sites should be considered for a change in land use. Elsewhere, strategic management interventions should aim to improve PAWc through sub-soil amelioration and deep root growth to increase the capital asset of the farm. The resulting increase in yields will occur in favourable seasons and with adequate fertiliser provisions. The largest grain yield response to water and N will be obtained on sites with the highest PAWc and it is at those sites that the greatest profits from fertiliser use could be achieved in wet seasons.     

Spatial heterogeneity of periphytic microbial communities in a small pesticide-polluted river

Spatial variability in the microbial community composition of river biofilms was investigated in a small river using two spatial scales: one monitored the upstream–downstream pesticide contamination gradient, referred to as the 'between-section variability', and the other monitored a 100-m longitudinal transect (eight sampling sites per section) within each sampling section, referred to as the 'within-section variability'. Periphyton samples were collected in spring and winter on artificial substrates placed in the main channel of the river. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to assess the prokaryotic and eukaryotic community richness and diversity, and HPLC pigment analysis to assess the global taxonomic composition of the photoautotrophic community. In order to try to reduce the biological variability due to differences in flow velocity and in light conditions within each sampling section, and consequently to take into account only the changes due to water chemistry, nine plates (three per sampling section) subjected to similar physical conditions were chosen, and the results for these plates were compared with those obtained for all 24 plates. As shown by DGGE and by HPLC analyses, using these three substrate plates exposed to similar environmental conditions did indeed reduce the within-section variability and maximize the between-section variability. This sampling strategy also improved the evaluation of the impact of pollutants on the periphytic communities, measured using short-term sensitivity testing.     

15个小麦农家品种抗叶锈基因分析

本研究旨在明确小麦农家品种中可能含有的抗叶锈病基因,为抗源的选择和利用提供理论依据。以15个小麦农家品种、感病对照品种郑州5389和36个含有已知抗叶锈病基因的载体品种为材料,苗期接种19个具有鉴别力的叶锈菌生理小种进行基因推导,同时利用12个与抗叶锈病基因紧密连锁的分子标记进行分析。为明确其成株期抗性,分别于2016-2017年和2017-2018年在河北保定对小麦农家品种、感病对照品种郑州5389与慢锈品种SAAR进行田间接种,调查并记录田间严重度及普遍率。基因推导和分子标记检测结果显示,在15个小麦农家品种中共检测到7个抗叶锈病基因,其中部分品种还有多个抗性基因,如红狗豆含有Lr1和Lr46;黄花麦含有Lr13和Lr34;大白麦含有Lr14b和Lr26;洋麦含有Lr37和Lr46;成都光头含有Lr34和Lr46;墨脱麦和西山扁穗含有Lr26和Lr46。部分品种含有1个成株期慢叶锈病抗性基因,如同家坝小麦、武都白茧儿、边巴春麦-6、白花麦含有Lr34;红抢麦、白扁穗和白火麦含有Lr46。这些携带有效抗叶锈病基因的农家品种,可为小麦抗叶锈病育种提供抗源。     

Spatial variability of soil fertility factors in the Xiangcheng tobacco planting region, China

It is essential to understand the spatial variability of soil properties in tobacco planting regions, so that the right decision can be made as to how many fertilizer rates are likely to be appropriated for the high-quality tobacco production. A total of 159 soil samples were taken from the surface soil (0-20cm) in the Xiangcheng tobacco planting fields, Henan Province, in April 2002 to examine the concentration of soil organic matter, pH, available N, available P, and available K. The spatial variability was evaluated using geostatistics and geographic information system (GIS) analyses. The results show that among those five soil fertility factors, the variation coefficient of soil pH was the smallest, while that of available P was the greatest, which resulted from different cultivation methods and uneven fertilization. Analysis of the isotropic variogram indicated that the soil pH, organic matter, and available P semivariogram were well described with spherical models, with the distance of spatial dependence being 21020, 19150, and 8460m, respectively, whereas the available N and available K semivariogram were well described with an exponential model, with the distance of spatial dependence being ranged from 7484 to 25320 m. Soil pH value was strongly spatially dependent with C0/sill being 0.1935, while the other four soil fertility factors were moderately spatially dependent with C0/sill ranging between 0.3528 to 0.5260. Through the Kriging analysis, the spatial distribution maps of soil properties were drawn using the arcview software. This study provides a scientific basis for field management, which targets soil quality improvement in the Xiangcheng tobacco planting region.     

Spatial variability of soil fertility factors in the Xiangcheng tobacco planting region, China

It is essential to understand the spatial variability of soil properties in tobacco planting regions, so that the right decision can be made as to how many fertilizer rates are likely to be appropriated for the highquality tobacco production. A total of 159 soil samples were taken from the surface soil (0-20 cm) in the Xiangcheng tobacco planting fields, Henan Province, in April 2002 to examine the concentration of soil organic matter, pH, available N, available P, and available K. The spatial variability was evaluated using geostatistics and geographic information system (GIS) analyses. The results show that among those five soil fertility factors, the variation coefficient of soil pH was the smallest, while that of available P was the greatest, which resulted from different cultivation methods and uneven fertilization. Analysis of the isotropic variogram indicated that the soil pH, organic matter, and available P semivariogram were well described with spherical models, with the distance of spatial dependence being 21020, 19150, and 8460 m, respectively, whereas the available N and available K semivariogram were well described with an exponential model, with the distance of spatial dependence being ranged from 7484 to 25320 m. Soil pH value was strongly spatially dependent with C0/sill being 0.1935, while the other four soil fertility factors were moderately spatially dependent with C0/sill ranging between 0.3528 to 0.5260. Through the Kriging analysis, the spatial distribution maps of soil properties were drawn using the arcview software. This study provides a scientific basis for field management, which targets soil quality improvement in the Xiangcheng tobacco planting region.     

Immobilization of Zinc and Cadmium in Polluted Soils by Polynuclear Al13 and Al-Montmorillonite

We investigated the suitability of two aluminum-based binding agents, polynuclear Al₁₃ and Al-coated montmorillonite (Al-mont-morillonite), for the immobilization of heavy metals in two contaminated agricultural soils: a loamy luvisol from an arable site in Rafz, Canton Zürich, Switzerland, and a sandy podsol from Szopienice, Upper Silesia, Poland. Both soils were polluted by lead, zinc, and cadmium: the soil from Szopienice by the emissions of a nearby zinc-lead smelter, and the soil from Rafz by sewage sludge applications. While the samples from Szopienice exhibited extremely high loads of these metals, the samples from Rafz were only moderately contaminated. The samples from both soils were slightly acidic. The Rafz soil contained 2.5% organic matter, that from Szopienice only 1.5%. Destruction of the organic matter in the Szopienice samples by H₂O₂ led to a significant release of Zn and Cd into solution. This indicated that organic matter is an important factor for the immobilization of heavy metals in this soil. The treatment of the Szopienice samples with 8?mmol Al₁₃ per kg dry soil resulted in a considerable mobilization of the two metals. As the pH of the samples did not decrease, this effect was presumably due to direct interactions between the applied aluminium and organic matter. After destruction of soil organic matter, the two binding agents exhibited an immobilizing effect on Zn, which, however, was weak compared with the binding of the metal by the organic matter prior to its destruction. In the case of the Rafz samples, metal mobilization was observed only for Al₁₃ if applied in high doses (4 and 8?mmol per kg soil), but not for Al-montmorillonite. In this soil, Al-montmorillonite as well as Al₁₃ at low doses (1.2?mmol per kg soil and less) decreased soluble zinc concentrations significantly. The mobilization of metals at high doses of the applied binding agents and the dependence of this effect on the type of soil show that care has to be taken with this remediation method and that the proper doses of applied binding agents can be crucial for the success of metal immobilization in polluted soils.