Spatial variation in sapwood area to leaf area ratio and specific leaf area within a crown of silver birch

Spatial variation in sapwood area to leaf area ratio (Huber value, HV) and specific leaf area (SLA) was examined in branches of closed-canopy trees of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). HV increased basipetally within a crown and decreased with increasing branch order, but exhibited no significant radial trend along a primary branch. HV was primarily determined by branch position in a crown and branch diameter at the sampling point, being independent of the size of the tree and branch. Greater HV in the lower-crown branches is considered a means to mitigate differences in hydraulic transport capacity between the branches located in different canopy layers. Beside branch position and sampling location on a branch, SLA depended significantly on several other variables characterising tree and branch size. SLA increased basipetally within a crown and along a primary branch, but exhibited no significant trend with branch orders. Because height caused leaf area (A_L) to diminish more rapidly than leaf dry weight, A_L primarily determined the vertical variation in SLA.     

Preoptic area sleep-regulating mechanisms

Evidence is summarized for the existence of a sleep-regulating mechanism within the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, including the results of lesion, stimulation, and neuronal recording studies. Recent findings employing the c-fos protein immunohistochemical method, have localized putative sleep-regulatory neurons to the ventrolateral preoptic area (vlPOA) and the median preoptic nucleus (MnPn). Electrophysiological studies have confirmed the presence of neurons with sleep-related discharge in the vlPOA. Neurons in the vlPOA that exhibit c-fos protein immunoreactivity during sleep contain the inhibitory neuromodulators galanin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). These neurons also project to monoaminergic arousal systems, particularly the histaminergic cell groups in the posterior hypothalamus. POA neurons can be hypothesized to provide sleep-related inhibitory control over multiple arousal systems in the forebrain and brainstem.     

Global protected area impacts

Protected areas (PAs) dominate conservation efforts. They will probably play a role in future climate policies too, as global payments may reward local reductions of loss of natural land cover. We estimate the impact of PAs on natural land cover within each of 147 countries by comparing outcomes inside PAs with outcomes outside. We use 'matching' (or 'apples to apples') for land characteristics to control for the fact that PAs very often are non-randomly distributed across their national landscapes. Protection tends towards land that, if unprotected, is less likely than average to be cleared. For 75 per cent of countries, we find protection does reduce conversion of natural land cover. However, for approximately 80 per cent of countries, our global results also confirm (following smaller-scale studies) that controlling for land characteristics reduces estimated impact by half or more. This shows the importance of controlling for at least a few key land characteristics. Further, we show that impacts vary considerably within a country (i.e. across a landscape): protection achieves less on lands far from roads, far from cities and on steeper slopes. Thus, while planners are, of course, constrained by other conservation priorities and costs, they could target higher impacts to earn more global payments for reduced deforestation.     

The lateral hypothalamic area

Summary An ultrastructural analysis of the rat lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) was undertaken in order to provide an initial step in the characterization of this complex area which appears to participate in a number of important neural functions. The organization of the normal tuberal LHA was compared to the area following acute and chronic denervating lesions. In the normal animal, the principal features of the LHA are the presence of lateral hypothalamic neurons, a major sagittal pathway (the medial forebrain bundle, MFB) and the interposed neuropil richly populated by a variety of synaptic terminal types. Alterations in the synaptic organization of the LHA following rostral and caudal MFB lesions were most pronounced in animals with acute and chronic caudal lesions. A 10% reduction of synaptic terminals containing 800–1000 Å diameter dense core vesicles and a 10% increase in terminals containing lucent core vesicles was observed in animals with caudal lesions while no significant redistribution of synaptic terminal types occurred with rostral lesions. The preliminary degeneration experiments indicate that identification of the numerous and diverse afferents to the LHA neuropil may be aided by this method but that a detailed and systematic ultrastructural analysis will be required to identify sources of input with certainty.Presented in part at the 27th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Bal Harbour, FLA, 1975Recipient of Research Associate Award, Veterans AdministrationSupported by the Veterans Administration and by NIH Grants NS 12080. Skilled technical assistance was provided by Robin Isaacs, Marilyn Woodward and Sharon Keigher     

铜矿区超积累Cu植物的研究

1　引　　言土壤重金属污染一直是环境污染问题之一 ,而且土壤中的重金属污染具有严重性、长期性和广泛性的特点[1 ,6] .但常规的一些物理化学方法因费用过高、对土壤性质破坏等一系列问题而难以广泛应用 ,植物修复为重金属污染带来了希望[5,7,9,1 3] .植物修复主要是基于重金属超积累植物 (ｈｙｐｅｒ ａｃｃｕｍｕｌａｔｏｒ)的研究而兴起的 .超积累植物是指地上部分能富集重金属占干重的 1 0 0ｍｇ·ｋｇ-1 (Ｃｕ、Ｐｂ、Ｃｄ)或 1 0 0 0 0ｍｇ·ｋｇ-1 (如Ｚｎ)的一类植物[2～ 4,8] .在过去 2 0年内 ,已报道的超积累植物已有 4 0 0余种 …     

Lateral preoptic area glutamate neurons relay nociceptive information to the ventral tegmental area

1. Download : Download high-res image (171KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Changes in otolith area: sensory area ratio with body size and depth

Synopsis The ratio between the sensory areas of the sulcus acusticus and the sagittal otolith (S : O ratio) in the species Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus was analyzed using a digital image processing system. Sagittal growth in both species is negatively allometric with respect to total fish length but is more negative in the deeper-dwelling species, Merluccius paradoxus. In contrast, the sulcus acusticus undergoes a relative increase in size, that is, the S : O ratio increases with fish length. There was a clear relationship between the increase in the S : 0 ratio and depth.     

中国西南与台湾地区维管植物的间断分布格局及形成机制

植物的间断分布格局及其形成机制是植物地理学研究的重要问题之一。本文在对中国大陆与台湾名录整理比较的基础上,对中国西南与台湾地区的植物间断分布格局及形成机制进行了分析。结果表明,两地同种型间断分布的维管植物有198种(包括变种和亚种),隶属于56科129属,其中蕨类植物86种,裸子植物3种,双子叶植物56种,单子叶植物53种;两地异种型间断分布的维管植物有22属,隶属于15科,其中蕨类植物6属,裸子植物1属,双子叶植物7属,单子叶植物兰科8属。间断分布类群以草本植物为主,主要是蕨类和兰科植物。间断分布类群在台湾地区主要分布在中部到东北部,在大陆的分布主要集中在川东–鄂西地区、川西–滇西北地区–藏东南地区和滇东南–桂西–黔西南地区。在垂直高度上,海拔1,550–2,350m是间断分布类群最集中分布的海拔范围。我们推测中国西南与台湾地区的间断分布类群有3种来源:北半球温带、中国西南和热带亚洲来源。     

Choice of area for assessment

Multiple areas for assessment of skeletal maturity of an individual (hand, foot, knee, elbow, shoulder, hip) provide the broadest basis for accurate appraisal. Such studies are becoming progressively less feasible because: (1) the amount of radiation exposure involved may not be permitted; and (2) the greater time, expense and technical assistance required may not be justified by the knowledge yielded. For most statistical series it is desirable today to limit radiographs to one area. The left hand, including lower forearm, would seem the area of choice. It is most convenient, permits maximum subjects cooperation, is cheapest, most rapidly done, and may be repeated most often without objection. Uniformity and clarity of radiograms are also easiest to obtain. Standardization of techniques for use with both fixed and portable machines by widely separated workers is most readily attained. For special purposes the choice of area must be determined by the information sought. Special measures will often have to be devised to answer the questions being investigated.     

海南中部山区到东部沿海区域植物区系比较研究

海南岛地形中高周低,从中部山区到东部沿海平原地区,由于自然条件及历史上人类干扰程度的不同,因此植物区系组成发生了一定程度的变化。为探讨植物区系组成的变化与保护区的次生性、面积及海拔高度等因素的关系,该研究采用样方和样线调查法,对海南岛中偏东部会山保护区进行物种调查,并结合该团队以往调查的中部五指山原自然保护区(现属热带雨林国家公园)、东部非沿海的白石岭保护区和东北部沿海的铜鼓岭自然保护区的数据,对4个保护区的植物区系组成特点进行了比较分析。结果表明:(1)五指山、会山、白石岭、铜鼓岭保护区分别分布有1 893、1 415、634、913种野生种子植物,中部的2个保护区植物种类明显高于其他2个保护区。(2)保护区之间的物种相似性与海拔差和面积差呈显著负相关(P<0.05)。(3)4个保护区均为热带成分占主导地位,在属水平上五指山热带亚洲分布最多,其他3个保护区泛热带分布最多; 在种水平上均为热带亚洲分布最多且铜鼓岭占比最大。综上认为,从中部山区到东部沿海平原地区表现出次生性越大,海拔高度越低,生境类型越少,植物物种数越少; 同时,在属和种的水平上,呈现出热带成分增加,温带成分、中国特有分布和孑遗属、种均减少的特征。     

Does the species/area relationship account for the density/area relationship?

The best-known macroecological generalisation is the species/area relationship: larger areas contain more species. It has also been observed that the estimated densities of individual species is lower when they are censused over a larger area. Let us call this the density/area relationship. Numerous explanations for the density/area relationship have been proposed – including the idea that the relationship is artefactual. One possible explanation is that it is a necessary consequence of the species/area relationship – after all, if a larger area is to contain more species then the average abundance of individual species must decline. We study a data set that allows us to study both relationships simultaneously. We conclude that the density/area relationship observed for the individual species in this study is consistent with the species/area relationship explanation: in other words, the densities of individual species decline, quantitatively, in the manner required to fit more species into communities with larger areas. We conclude that whatever explains the species/area relationship also explains the density/area relationship and discuss, in particular, the habitat heterogeneity hypothesis.     

Accuracy in the estimation of quantitative minimal area from the diversity/area curve

The problem of representativity is fundamental in ecological studies. A qualitative minimal area that gives a good representation of species pool [C.M. Bouderesque, Methodes d'etude qualitative et quantitative du benthos (en particulier du phytobenthos), Tethys 3(1) (1971) 79] can be discerned from a quantitative minimal area which reflects the structural complexity of community [F.X. Niell, Sobre la biologia de Ascophyllum nosodum (L.) Le Jolis en Galicia, Invest. Pesq. 43 (1979) 501]. This suggests that the populational diversity can be considered as the value of the horizontal asymptote corresponding to the curve sample diversity/biomass [F.X. Niell, Les applications de l'index de Shannon a l'etude de la vegetation interdidale, Soc. Phycol. Fr. Bull. 19 (1974) 238]. In this study we develop a expression to determine minimal areas and use it to obtain certain information about the community structure based on diversity/area curve graphs. This expression is based on the functional relationship between the expected value of the diversity and the sample size used to estimate it. In order to establish the quality of the estimation process, we obtained the confidence intervals as a particularization of the functional (h-phi)-entropies proposed in [M. Salicru, M.L. Menendez, D. Morales, L. Pardo, Asymptotic distribution of (h,phi)-entropies, Commun. Stat. (Theory Methods) 22 (7) (1993) 2015]. As an example used to demonstrate the possibilities of this method, and only for illustrative purposes, data about a study on the rocky intertidal seawed populations in the Ria of Vigo (N.W. Spain) are analyzed [F.X. Niell, Estudios sobre la estructura, dinamica y produccion del Fitobentos intermareal (Facies rocosa) de la Ria de Vigo. Ph.D. Mem. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 1979].