Seasonal Shifts in Nocturnal Habitat Use by Coastal Bat Species

Sensitivity of bats to land use change depends on their foraging ecology, which varies among species based on ecomorphological traits. Additionally, because prey availability, vegetative clutter, and temperature change throughout the year, some species may display seasonal shifts in their nocturnal habitat use. In the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA, the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius), tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), and northern yellow bat (Lasiurus intermedius) are species of conservation concern that are threatened by habitat loss. Our objective was to identify characteristics of habitat used by these species during their nightly active period and compare use between summer and winter. We conducted acoustic surveys at 125 sites during May–August and at 121 of the same 125 sites December–March 2018 and 2019 in upland forests, bottomland forests, fields, ponds, and salt marsh and used occupancy models to assess habitat use. The northern long-eared bat and southeastern myotis (i.e., myotis bats) used sites that were closer to hardwood stands, pine stands, and fresh water year-round. We did not identify any strong predictors of tri-colored bat habitat use in summer, but during winter they used bottomland forests, fields, and ponds more than salt marsh and upland forests. During summer and winter, northern yellow bats used sites close to fresh water and salt marsh. Additionally, during summer they used fields, ponds, and salt marsh more than upland and bottomland forests, but in winter they used bottomland forests, fields, and ponds more than upland forest and salt marsh. Our results highlight important land cover types for bats in this area (e.g., bottomland forests, ponds, and salt marsh), and that habitat use changes between seasons. Accounting for and understanding how habitat use changes throughout the year will inform managers about how critical habitat features may vary in their importance to bats throughout the year. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.     

土壤水分胁迫对夏玉米植株性状整齐度的影响

利用大型防雨设施池栽,严格调控水量,研究夏玉米全程及阶段性土壤水分胁迫对植株性状整齐度的影响。结果表明,夏玉米生育全程水分胁迫,植株性状整齐度全面劣化,产量极低;苗期阶段水分胁迫导致大、小苗,壮、弱苗两极分化明显,株高整齐度显著下降,其负效应持续至生育后期,生育进程推迟,千粒重显著降低,对产量造成一定影响;穗期阶段水分胁迫对穗长、穗料数整齐度影响明显,产量降幅度较大;花粒期阶段水平胁迫对千粒重及穗     

播种深度对夏玉米幼苗性状和根系特性的影响

选用郑单958(ZD958)和先玉335(XY335)为试验材料,在砂培和大田条件下设置3、5、7和9 cm 4个播种深度,并在大田条件下以不同播种深度混播作为对照(CK),研究播种深度对夏玉米幼苗性状和根系特性的影响.结果表明： 随着播种深度的增加,夏玉米的出苗率下降,出苗时间延长.ZD958和XY335播深9 cm的出苗率较3 cm的分别降低9.4%和11.8%,出苗时间较3 cm的均延长1.5 d.随着播种深度的增加,幼苗长度及幼苗整齐度显著降低,中胚轴长度显著增加,胚芽鞘长度差异不显著;初生胚根长度逐渐减小,次生胚根总长度逐渐增加,总根长度差异不显著;幼苗与中胚轴的总干质量增加,总根干质量差异不显著.随播种深度的增加,种子萌发时幼苗各部位可溶性糖含量增加,营养物质消耗量增加,幼苗根系生长速度增加,根系活力降低,总节根数及节根层数增加.播深增加后出苗率及幼苗活力的降低导致收获穗数的显著降低,最终影响产量形成.此外,播深一致有利于群体整齐度的提高和群体性状的改善,从而提高产量.     

Proteomic analysis of physiological function response to hot summer in liver from lactating dairy cows

Lactation performance of dairy cattle is susceptible to heat stress. The liver is one of the most crucial organs affected by high temperature in dairy cows. However, the physiological adaption by the liver to hot summer conditions has not been well elucidated in lactating dairy cows. In the present study, proteomic analysis of the liver in dairy cows in spring and hot summer was performed using a label-free method. In total, 127 differentially expressed proteins were identified; most of the upregulated proteins were involved in protein metabolic processes and responses to stimuli, whereas most of the downregulated proteins were related to oxidation–reduction. Pathway analysis indicated that 3 upregulated heat stress proteins (HSP90α, HSP90β, and endoplasmin) were enriched in the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, whereas several downregulated NADH dehydrogenase proteins were involved in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. The protein–protein interaction network indicated that several upregulated HSPs (HSP90α, HSP90β, and GRP78) were involved in more interactions than other proteins and were thus considered as central hub nodes. Our findings provide novel insights into the physiological adaption of liver function in lactating dairy cows to natural high temperature.     

The Effect of Endophytic Fungi on Nematode Populations in Summer-dormant and Summer-active Tall Fescue

Summer-active (continental) and summer-dormant (Mediterranean) tall fescue morphotypes are each adapted to different environmental conditions. Endophyte presence provides plant parasitic nematode resistance, but not with all endophyte strains and cultivar combinations. This study sought to compare effects of four nematode genera on continental and Mediterranean cultivars infected with common toxic or novel endophyte strains. A 6-mon greenhouse study was conducted with continental cultivars, Kentucky 31 (common toxic) and Texoma MaxQ II (novel endophyte) and the Mediterranean cultivar Flecha MaxQ (novel endophyte). Endophyte-free plants of each cultivar were controls. Each cultivar × endophyte combination was randomly assigned to a control, low or high inoculation rate of a mixed nematode culture containing stunt nematodes (Tylenchorhynchus spp.), ring nematodes (Criconemella spp.), spiral nematodes (Helicotylenchus spp.), and lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.). Endophyte infection had no effect on nematode population densities. The cultivar × endophyte interaction was significant. Population densities of stunt nematode, spiral nematode, and ring nematodes were higher for Flecha MaxQ than other cultivar × endophyte combinations. Novel endophyte infection enhances suitability of Flecha MaxQ as a nematode host.     

Lichenological evidence for the recognition of inland rain forests in western North America

Aim The coastal temperate rain forests of north‐western North America are internationally renowned as the archetypal expression of the temperate rain forest biome. Less well documented is the existence of somewhat similar forests 500–700 km inland on the windward slopes of the Columbia and Rocky Mountains. Here we attempt to show that these inland ‘wetbelt’ forests warrant rain forest status. Location North‐western North America. Methods We use tree‐dwelling macrolichens to assess the degree of environmental congruence between the coastal temperate rain forests and their inland counterparts. Results We report three key findings: (1) 40% of oceanic, epiphytic macrolichens found in Pacific coastal rain forests occur also in inland regions; (2) epiphytic species richness decreases with decreasing latitude, such that roughly 70% of disjunct oceanic species are restricted to regions north of 51° N; and (3) the southward decline in lichen diversity is correlated with a parallel decrease in summer precipitation, but not with mean annual precipitation. Main conclusions These observations are consistent with the recognition of an inland rain forest formation between 50 and 54° N. Inland rain forests represent a small, biologically significant ecosystem whose continued fragmentation and conversion to tree plantations warrant close scrutiny.     

Natural variation in life history strategy of Arabidopsis thaliana determines stress responses to drought and insects of different feeding guilds

Plants are sessile organisms and, consequently, are exposed to a plethora of stresses in their local habitat. As a result, different populations of a species are subject to different selection pressures leading to adaptation to local conditions and intraspecific divergence. The annual brassicaceous plant Arabidopsis thaliana is an attractive model for ecologists and evolutionary biologists due to the availability of a large collection of resequenced natural accessions. Accessions of A. thaliana display one of two different life cycle strategies: summer and winter annuals. We exposed a collection of 308 European Arabidopsis accessions, that have been genotyped for 250K SNPs, to a range of stresses: one abiotic stress (drought), four biotic stresses (Pieris rapae caterpillars, Plutella xylostella caterpillars, Frankliniella occidentalis thrips and Myzus persicae aphids) and two combined stresses (drought plus P. rapae and Botrytis cinerea fungus plus P. rapae). We identified heritable genetic variation for responses to the different stresses, estimated by narrow‐sense heritability. We found that accessions displaying different life cycle strategies differ in their response to stresses. Winter annuals are more resistant to drought, aphids and thrips and summer annuals are more resistant to P. rapae and P. xylostella caterpillars. Summer annuals are also more resistant to the combined stresses of drought plus P. rapae and infection by the fungus Botryris cinerea plus herbivory by P. rapae. Adaptation to drought displayed a longitudinal gradient. Finally, trade‐offs were recorded between the response to drought and responses to herbivory by caterpillars of the specialist herbivore P. rapae.     

沙葱萤叶甲成虫不同夏滞育阶段的转录组分析(英文)

【目的】本研究旨在揭示内蒙古草原新害虫沙葱萤叶甲Galeruca daurica专性夏滞育相关的重要基因以及代谢通路。【方法】应用RNA-Seq技术,对沙葱萤叶甲成虫不同夏滞育阶段［滞育前期(PD)、滞育期(D)及滞育后期(TD)］进行转录组测序、分析及基因功能预测,基于RNA-Seq数据筛选夏滞育不同阶段差异表达基因;利用qPCR对基于RNA-Seq数据筛选的10个差异表达基因的表达水平进行验证。【结果】从9个文库中获得202 770 198 clean reads,将12 078 060条转录本组装获得82 292 条unigene,平均长度为783.59 bp,N50为1 545 bp。沙葱萤叶甲D vs PD和TD vs D 比较组分别有2 395(2 119上调和277下调)和62(59上调和3下调)个差异基因。KEGG分析表明,D vs PD和TD vs D比较组差异表达基因分别显著富集于糖孝解/糖异生通路和脂肪酸生物合成通路;此外,许多与钙离子信号转导相关的基因在滞育期间差异表达。10个差异表达基因的qPCR分析表明,RNA-Seq与qPCR结果高度一致。【结论】糖孝解/糖异生、脂肪酸生物合成及钙离子信号通路可能在沙葱萤叶甲滞育调节中起着重要的作用。本研究为进一步研究沙葱萤叶甲成虫专性夏滞育的分子机理奠定了基础。