NVVC/NHJ Durrer prizes 2013

At the annual Spring Congress of the NVVC, the Durrer prizes were awarded to the authors of two of the best original/review articles published in the year 2013, one paper being more basically oriented and one paper being more clinically oriented. This annual tradition has existed since the year 2006.     

NVVC/NHJ Durrer prizes 2014

At the annual 2015 Spring Congress of the NVVC, the Durrer prizes were awarded to the authors of two of the best original/review articles published in the year 2014, one paper being more basically oriented and one paper being more clinically oriented. This has been an annual tradition since the year 2006.     

NVVC/NHJ Durrer Prizes 2012

At the annual Spring Congress of the NVVC the Durrer prizes were awarded to the authors of the best original/review articles published in the year 2012, one paper being more basically-oriented and one paper being more clinically-oriented. This annual tradition exists already since the year 2006.     

1967—2006年太子河流域径流系数的变化特征

利用太子河流域6个主要支流（海城河、南沙河、北沙河、兰河、细河、太子河南支）1967—2006年日均降水和径流资料,分析了各支流径流系数的变化趋势及其与降水的关系.结果表明：1967—2006年,位于高山丘陵区的太子河南支的年均径流系数较大,而人类活动影响较多的海城河流域的年均径流系数较小;除南沙河的年径流系数总体呈上升趋势外,其余各条支流的年径流系数均呈下降趋势,以南支和兰河的下降趋势尤为明显;除细河流域的年径流系数没有发生突变外,其余各条支流的年径流系数都发生了突变,且突变出现的年份各不相同;年降水量对年径流系数的影响极显著.     

生态径流评价中的Tennant法应用

Tennant法在生态径流研究中起着重要作用.但是,对于保护河流生命健康与维持生物多样性来说,Tennant法存在着某些不合理之处;在具体应用中又有年均值比和同期均值比之别.鉴于Tennant法在我国应用较为广泛,文中对该方法的合理性及应用中的不同理解进行了探讨和评价.认为:Tennant法在生态径流评价中存在一定局限性;Tennant法的同期均值比相对年均值比合理.     

Relationships between shrubs and annual communities in a sandy desert ecosystem: a three-year study

A field study was designed to investigate the effect of shrubs on the dynamics and structure of annual plant communities in a sandy desert ecosystem. Densities of emerging and reproductive plants of all annual species were monitored in permanent quadrats located under shrubs and in open areas between shrubs during three successive years; a relatively dry one, a relatively wet one, and a very dry one. A total of 29 species were recorded in the study. Of these, 19 species did not show any evidence for differences in abundance between the two habitats. Nine species exhibited year-to-year variation in their responses to the shrub-opening gradient, being more common in a particular habitat during one year, and showing no response or even an opposite response during a different year. Only one species was consistently more abundant under shrubs throughout the whole study period, and no species was consistently more abundant in the openings. These findings contradict the hypothesis that annual species associated with desert shrub communities can be categorized into distinct groups based on their preference for shrubs vs. openings. Ordination analyses of community-level patterns indicated that annual communities inhabiting the openings were more stable than those inhabiting the shrub habitat. The main lesson from this study is the importance of long-term observations in studies attempting to characterize community-level responses to environmental gradients.     

The phenology of Ophrys sphegodes (the early spider orchid): what annual censuses can miss

Ophrys sphegodes is a rare species in the United Kingdom. The largest extant population of the species, at Castle Hill National Nature Reserve in Sussex, has been monitored each year since 1975. At each annual census, which is conducted during the peak period of flowering (May), the co-ordinates of each plant are recorded, allowing the fate of individuals to be followed from one census to the next. In the present study the population was monitored throughout one complete year. The data collected allow the phenology of the species to be described and the effectiveness of the annual census to be assessed. The study shows that a substantial number of Ophrys sphegodes plants emerge above ground and re-enter the below ground phase before the census date. These results suggest that reliance on annual census records alone may result in the size of the population being underestimated and incorrect life-histories being ascribed to individual plants. True counts of the population may be obtained only if 'dormant' plants are retrospectively added to the population.     

Why breed every other year? The case of albatrosses.

Albatrosses exhibit extremely low reproductive rates, each pair brooding only one egg and subsequent chick at a time. Furthermore, in several of the species, the majority of successful pairs breed only once every second year (termed 'biennial' breeding). Thus, on average, these latter species have an annual fecundity of about half an offspring per year, while other albatrosses produce an egg and chick every year. Using our 40-year bank of demographic data, we compared 12 species of albatrosses according to these two breeding strategies to examine potential causes of biennial breeding. Biennial breeding could be due to physiological constraints, larger animals breeding more slowly, or ecological constraints, more distant pelagic feeding trips being energetically costly, or both. We tested these hypotheses by looking for predicted associations between the duration of the rearing period, the distance to the oceanic feeding zone and breeding frequency. We also looked for associations of these variables with other life-history traits. Body size had a strong influence on the duration of the rearing period, but not on the distance that birds travelled to the feeding zone. Both the duration of the rearing period and distance to the feeding zone appeared to have direct influences on breeding frequency, as revealed by a path analysis, and thus both hypotheses to explain biennial breeding were supported. Finally, breeding frequency exhibited a strong trade-off with adult survival and age at maturity, indicating that slower breeders live through more breeding seasons, perhaps mitigating their lower annual reproductive output.     

Annual cycles in moult, body mass, luteinizing hormone, prolactin and gonadal steroids during the development of sexual maturity in the White stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Annual variations in moult, body mass, and the plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone, prolactin and the gonadal steroids, oestradiol and testosterone, were measured in captive White storks ( Ciconia ciconia ). Data were collected at approximately monthly intervals for 13 months on storks hatched over five successive years, the youngest ones being in their first, the oldest in their fifth, year of life.
Moulting of wing feathers occurred during the summer months, April through August. Young birds began to moult at least one month earlier, and replaced more wing feathers each year, than did three- to five-year-old birds. Body mass exhibited remarkably consistent annual cycles with minima of2–9-3-5 kg, during the summer months, and maxima of3–8-4-5 kg, during the winter months. Young males were heavier at all times of the year than young females, although this difference was gradually reduced to non-significant levels by four years of age. Luteinizing hormone, prolactin and the gonadal steroids, oestradiol and testosterone, exhibited annual cyclic changes, usually of a bi-modal nature. No major differences in hormone profiles, however, were found between any of the age groups. The phenomenon of deferred maturity in the stork does not parallel that of puberty found in many mammals.     

Endogenous opiates: 1984

This paper is the seventh in an annual series of reviews of research involving the endogenous opiate peptides, each installment being restricted to work published during the previous year. As in the past three years, the review this year is limited to non-analgesic and behavioral studies of the opiate peptides. The specific topics this year include: stress, tolerance and dependence, consummatory responses, gastric and renal activity, alcohol, mental illness, learning and memory, cardiovascular responses, respiratory effects, thermoregulation, seizures and neurological disorders, activity, and miscellaneous other topics.     

Citation analysis: Maintenance of h-index and use of e-index

Citation analysis numbers are being used as measures of faculty productivity and/or impact. However, after establishing initial citation numbers how does one conduct maintenance on their citation record? During this time of budgetary uncertainty it is more vital than ever to incorporate citation analysis into annual review packages or any departmental report that relies on such faculty data. The focus of this paper is to describe the next step in this process.     

Lifetime patterns of pairing success in male Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana

Analyses of lifetime fitness in birds are typically based on estimates of breeding success, in particular the number of offspring fledged. Small and isolated bird populations often have a male‐skewed adult sex ratio, so that male lifetime productivity depends to a large degree on pairing success, but few studies have focused on patterns of lifetime pairing success. The Norwegian population of Ortolan Buntings Emberiza hortulana is strongly male‐skewed, such that in any year about half of all males are unpaired. Pairing success of first‐year males (16–44%) was significantly lower than for older males (52–89%). Lifetime pairing success was correlated with lifespan and was strongly skewed, with a majority of males being paired only once or never, and only 11% paired three or more times despite a stable lifetime annual survival rate of 63%. Males that were paired in one year were more likely to be paired the next year than males that were unpaired in the previous year. The shortage of females caused even the older males to have a substantial probability of becoming unpaired, and 49% of long‐lived males (known as adults for at least 4 years) were unpaired after years in which they were paired. Pairing success in the Ortolan Bunting therefore follows similar age‐related and lifetime patterns in breeding success documented in other species. However, even the older males ran a high risk of not being paired, contrasting with earlier distinctions between pre‐breeding and breeding lifespans. I discuss the importance of knowledge of pairing success for the management of endangered and declining populations.     

Adjustment of the annual cycle to climatic change in a long-lived migratory bird species

Climate change has advanced the phenology of many organisms. Migratory animals face particular problems because climate change in the breeding and the wintering range may be asynchronous, preventing rapid response to changing conditions. Advancement in timing of spring migration may have carry-over effects to other parts of the annual cycle, simply because advancement of one event in the annual cycle also advances subsequent events, gradually causing a general shift in the timing of the entire annual cycle. Such a phenotypic shift could generate accumulating effects over the years for individuals, but also across generations. Here we test this novel hypothesis of phenotypic response to climate change by using long-term data on the Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea. Mean breeding date advanced by almost three weeks during the last 70 years. Annual arrival date at the breeding grounds during a period of 47 years was predicted by environmental conditions in the winter quarters in the Southern Ocean near the Antarctic and by mean breeding date the previous year. Annual mean breeding date was only marginally determined by timing of arrival the current year, but to a larger extent by arrival date and breeding date the previous year. Learning affected arrival date as shown by a positive correlation between arrival date in year (i+1) relative to breeding date in year (i) and the selective advantage of early breeding in year (i). This provides a mechanism for changes in arrival date being adjusted to changing environmental conditions. This study suggests that adaptation to changing climatic conditions can be achieved through learning from year to year[Current Zoology 55(2):92-101,2009].     

科尔沁沙地固定沙丘植被物种多样性对降水变化的响应

应用１９８６年到１９９２年固定沙丘样方调查数据和同期降水量资料,对科尔沁沙地物种多样性与年降水量的变化进行了分析。结果表明植物种丰富度以对降水量变化的反响比较强烈,一个干旱年份可减少固定沙丘植物种丰富度,而随后的恢复却需要３年友上的时间。物种多样性指数随降水量变化而变化,二者呈正相关。灰色关联分析表明,物种多样性指数Ｄ对降水量变化的反响来看,生长期降水量对物种多样性的影响大于年降水。在固定沙丘植被     

Inter‐annual variation in primary production of a semi‐arid grassland related to previous‐year production

Mean annual precipitation accounts for a large proportion of the variation in mean above‐ground net primary production (ANPP) of grasslands worldwide. However, the inter‐annual variation in production in any grassland site is only loosely correlated with precipitation. The longest record of variation in production and precipitation for a site corresponds to a shortgrass steppe in Colorado, USA. A previous study of this record showed that current‐year precipitation accounted for 39% of the inter‐annual variation in ANPP. In this note, we show that ca. one third of the unexplained variation is related to previous‐year ANPP: ANPP per mm of precipitation was higher in years preceded by wet, more productive years than in years preceded by average years; similarly, ANPP per mm of precipitation was lower in years preceded by dry, less productive years than in years preceded by average years. Since previous‐year ANPP was, in turn, associated with precipitation of a year before, current‐year ANPP was also explained by precipitation of two previous years. Our finding not only increases our predictive ability, but it also changes our understanding of how ANPP responds to fluctuations in precipitation. If ANPP is thought to vary according to current‐year precipitation only, it will simply track annual precipitation in time. According to this new result, however, ANPP fluctuations are buffered if wet, more productive years alternate with dry, less productive years, and they are amplified if wet or dry sequences of several years take place.     

Human Proteome Organisation’s 7th World Congress, 2008

The annual world congress of Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) is one of the premier meetings in proteomics. Rotating between Europe, North America and Asia/Oceana, this year’s host city was Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Proteomics still being a rapidly evolving field, HUPO meetings provide a platform for technical advancements in protein purification and separation techniques, innovations in mass spectrometry and applications in bioinformatics and computational biology. A special focus of this year’s meeting was on proteome biology, indicating that the state of technology has progressed to a level permitting interrogation of biological systems in a meaningful way.     

The effects of background mortality on optimal reproduction in a seasonal environment

We consider optimal annual routines of reproductive behaviour in a seasonal environment. In our model the condition of the organism is adversely affected by hard work, but can recover during easy periods. Our analysis concentrates on the effects of background mortality (i.e., mortality that cannot be avoided) on the optimal strategy and how often an organism following this strategy breeds. In particular, we are concerned with whether reproduction occurs at specific times of year (entrained to the annual cycle), and if so then how many reproductive bouts occur per year. We find that an increase in background mortality can have various effects. If the animal is entrained to the annual cycle and has one breeding attempt per year, then breeding tends to occur earlier and there may be two breeding attempts per season. Another possible outcome is that breeding is no longer entrained. If the animal is entrained but sometimes skips reproduction so that it does not breed every year, then an increase in mortality may make it more likely that the animal breeds every year. We show that as background mortality increases the resultant increase in the frequency of breeding contributes to the increase in annual mortality. We also explore the effects of mortality on the timing of reproduction within a year, highlighting the tension between the interests of the parent and that of the young.     

Dendrochronology in Coniferous forests around Lake Rara,West Nepal

In two forest stands, one domonated byAbies spectabilis, and the other byPinus wallichiana-Picea smithiana, 198 cores were taken from 105 conifers in May 1983 and the annual ring widths were measured. The annual ring widths usually had significant similarities between cores taken from the same tree and with cores taken from different trees. these similarities increased with tree size. The climatic change affected the large trees more strongly than it did the small trees. Micro environmental changes, such as canopy gap affected the small trees more strongly. Annual ring widths were also correlated with the annual precipitations at Jumla 30 km south of the plots for a recent 20 year period. A multiple regression analysis between ring width and seasonal precipitation showed that the growth ofA. spectabilis was correlated primarily with the rain from May to August and secondarily with that from September to December in the previous year.     

Breeding seasons of sea-birds in the Galapagos Islands

The sea-birds breeding in the Galapagos Islands show a diversity of breeding cycles. Some species have rigidly fixed annual breeding while others breed throughout the year but have peaks of breeding at less than annual intervals. The eight species which have non-annual breeding are probably breeding as often as possible with the interval between the end of a breeding attempt and the start of the next being the time needed to moult the wing and tail feathers. Only one species is definitely known to breed and moult at the same time.
Although there are well marked seasonal fluctuations in the sea temperature, regular sampling failed to demonstrate any regular fluctuations in the surface plankton. The available evidence suggests that food for some sea-birds is erratic and unpredictable. Some non-annual breeding species have their breeding synchronized by severe food shortages which delay breeding, presumably because females cannot find enough food to form eggs, until conditions improve.
Timing of the breeding season in annual breeders is less easily explained but some species may be feeding well away from the islands in areas where there is a regular fluctuation in the food supply. Most of the annual breeders have prolonged breeding seasons and in two species breeding is out of phase on different islands. Perhaps species are influenced by some weak annual variation in food supply which makes it disadvantageous to breed in a few months of the year.     

黑龙江省植物花期对气温变化的响应

为了解黑龙江省植物花期对气温变化的响应趋势。利用1951~2007年采集于黑龙江省的188种植物标本信息,分析黑龙江省植物花期变化与年均温、上年均温和春季、夏季、秋季均温变化的关系。结果表明:黑龙江省42.0%以上植物的花期与气温间存在显著的相关性(P<0.05)。这些植物中,25%以上物种的相对采集时间指数与年均温、上年均温及各季节均温存在显著正相关(P<0.05)关系,且多为草本植物。其余草本植物及木本植物的相对采集时间指数与年均温、上年均温及各季节均温多呈显著负相关(P<0.05),如春季均温每升高1℃,木本植物花期平均提前12.65%。年均温、上年均温和春季、夏季、秋季均温每升高1℃,黑龙江省植物花期分别整体提前4.47%、7.08%、3.87%、5.84%和6.73%。花期对气温变化的响应,在短花期植物中相对明显。相较于春季、秋季及年均温,黑龙江省植物花期对夏季均温变化的响应更为敏感。