Latitudinal Variation in Leaf and Tree Traits of the Mangrove Avicennia germinans (Avicenniaceae) in the Central Region of the Gulf of Mexico

The variation in leaf mass per area, leaf nutrients (% carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), and the allometric relation between tree height and diameter of the black mangrove, Avicennia germinans, were explored in nine mangrove forests in similar environments along a 5° latitudinal gradient in the central region of the Gulf of Mexico, as indicated by a southward increase in temperature and precipitation. There was no correlation between leaf nitrogen or phosphorus content and latitude. Leaf mass per area and leaf carbon content were positively correlated with latitude and negatively correlated with temperature and annual rainfall, whereas asymptotic tree height and maximum diameter showed the opposite trend. Such patterns suggest a trade-off between leaf traits and tree size which may be constrained by the same environmental factors along a dry-cold to humid-warm latitudinal gradient.     

Acute effect of a single whole-body cryostimulation on prooxidant–antioxidant balance in blood of healthy, young men

1. We have examined the prooxidative–antioxidative reaction to extremely low temperatures (−130 °C) during a one-time cryostimulation in 15 young, clinically healthy individuals.

2. The total lipid peroxides as the total oxidative status (TOS) and the total antioxidative status (TAS) were measured in blood plasma collected in the morning of the day of cryostimulation, 30 min after the cryostimulation, and on the following morning.

3. The level of stress expressed by total oxidative status in plasma, resulting from exposure to extremely low temperatures, was statistically significantly lowered 30 min after leaving the cryochamber than prior to the exposure. The next day, the TOS level still remained lower than the initial values. The TAS level decreased after leaving the cryochamber and remained elevated the following day.

滇南人工种子繁殖灯台树林木生长状况研究

以不同环境条件下人工灯台树林木50cm处直径、株高、枝下高、分台数、分枝数和冠幅的实测数据为基础,用方差分析、多重比较分析和均值比较等方法研究了灯台树的生长状况。结果表明,灯台树幼林植株长势具有随年均温、最冷月温和相对湿度递增,但随海拔高度递减,呈现良好的长势。     

城市胁迫生境下二球悬铃木叶片的发育稳定度及其环境指示功能

对采自上海市区14个样点的二球悬铃木叶片发育稳定度、叶片气孔密度和气孔长径进行研究。结果表明,在3个采样时期,根据叶片宽度确定的非稳态不对称指数(FA1)和根据叶片侧脉长度确定的偏向性不对称指数(RDA1)在不同环境胁迫程度(UESL)下均表现出显著的差异,但进一步分析表明,各样点FA1与环境胁迫程度UESL之间呈显著的非线性回归关系,而RDA1与环境胁迫程度之间却未显示类似关系。此外,FA1与叶片气孔密度和气孔长径之间的显著相关关系表明,它们可共同作为指示小尺度上环境胁迫的有效指标,而RDA1是叶片的一种正常发育状态参数,并不适于反映环境胁迫状态。     

堰蜒逃逸行为的影响因子

通过野外和室内实试检测蝘蜒逃逸行为的影响因子。野外研究显示,蝘蜒可接近距离与隐蔽所间距呈显著正相关。与动物体温和基底温度无关;在开阔生境中,成体和幼体的可接近距离相似．而郁闭生境中成体的可接近距离显著大于幼体。室内试验表明。两性蝘蜒的可接近距离差异显著,繁殖期雌体的可接近距离大于雄体。     

The impact of climate change on lakes in the Netherlands: a review

Climate change will alter freshwater ecosystems but specific effects will vary among regions and the type of water body. Here, we give an integrative review of the observed and predicted impacts of climate change on shallow lakes in the Netherlands and put these impacts in an international perspective. Most of these lakes are man-made and have preset water levels and poorly developed littoral zones. Relevant climatic factors for these ecosystems are temperature, ice-cover and wind. Secondary factors affected by climate include nutrient loading, residence time and water levels. We reviewed the relevant literature in order to assess the impact of climate change on these lakes. We focussed on six management objectives as bioindicators for the functioning of these ecosystems: target species, nuisance species, invading species, transparency, carrying capacity and biodiversity. We conclude that climate change will likely (i) reduce the numbers of several target species of birds; (ii) favour and stabilize cyanobacterial dominance in phytoplankton communities; (iii) cause more serious incidents of botulism among waterfowl and enhance the spreading of mosquito borne diseases; (iv) benefit invaders originating from the Ponto-Caspian region; (v) stabilize turbid, phytoplankton-dominated systems, thus counteracting restoration measures; (vi) destabilize macrophyte-dominated clear-water lakes; (vii) increase the carrying capacity of primary producers, especially phytoplankton, thus mimicking eutrophication; (viii) affect higher trophic levels as a result of enhanced primary production; (ix) have a negative impact on biodiversity which is linked to the clear water state; (x) affect biodiversity by changing the disturbance regime. Water managers can counteract these developments by reduction of nutrient loading, development of the littoral zone, compartmentalization of lakes and fisheries management.     

Visualizing environmental correlates of species geographical range limits

Although many studies have treated aspects of species geographical distributions and numerous approaches exist for understanding overall ecological correlates of distributions, software tools for exploring environmental correlates of distributional limits are relatively few. We focused on the challenge of understanding spatial correlates of distributional limits, and developed an extension to arcview that provides a simple, univariate test and visualization for such explorations. The ‘Boundary U‐test’ seeks out environmental variables that show steep gradients associated with user‐defined boundaries across geography. We illustrate the tool and its applications with an example of the likely historical distribution of Mexican wolf (Canis lupus).     

The Distribution of Grazing Pressure in Relation to Vegetation Resources in Semi-arid West Africa: The Role of Herding

In semi-arid West Africa, livestock are increasingly managed by sedentary producers in close proximity to expanding cropped lands. To evaluate the agricultural and environmental implications of this trend, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of grazing management on the spatial distribution of grazing pressure, the forage provided animals during the grazing period, and local herd-forage ratios across three agropastoral landscapes characterized by varying cultivation pressure. During the 19-month study period, data on herbaceous vegetation, livestock populations, and grazing itineraries were collected. These data were referenced to land units averaging 70 ha in area. Using this approach, each of 3,819 grazing itineraries was characterized as to: 1. the sum of the products of the palatable forage mass of a particular land unit and the time spent grazing by the herd within that unit (FAT, expressed in kg-hours ha⁻¹); and 2. the average palatable herbaceous forage mass encountered by livestock across the itinerary weighted by the time spent in the land units crossed (FA, expressed in kg ha⁻¹). The spatial dispersion of livestock grazing around human settlements was found to decline with a reduction in herding labor investment (herded>herd-release>free pasture). Multiple regression analyses of itinerary data demonstrate that both FAT and FA also decline with a reduction in herding labor investment. Herded and herd-release managed livestock were offered more palatable forage and grazed areas of higher forage availability than free-pastured animals. This supports arguments that as the investment of time and effort into herding declines, feed supply to livestock will decline and the potential for grazing-induced environmental change will increase.     

东北老工业基地煤炭矿区环境问题与生态对策

在对我国东北老工业基地煤炭矿区环境问题进行分析的基础上,提出了解决该地区煤炭矿区环境问题的生态对策,包括着重强调煤炭矿区的生态可持续发展对于采矿工业的复兴具有重要推进作用,而澳大利亚关于最佳实践的经验对于今后采煤矿区的发展具有重要借鉴意义。推行生态多元综合治理的土地复垦一修复模式是今后煤炭矿区环境保护的方向。     

Exploration of environmental changes relates to lifestyle

Decision making in informed animals is often described by optimalitymodels. However, how information about an environment is acquiredis rarely investigated. Cost/benefit considerations suggestthat species differ in this respect according to their lifestyle.We tested the hypothesis that resident species react to changesin their familiar environment earlier and explore it more intensivelythan do nomadic species by observing the response to environmentalchanges (presentation of novel objects) in 10 parrot species.Phylogenetic relationships were taken into account. Residentstouched the novel objects significantly earlier and exploredmore objects than did nomads. In addition, species with a highproportion of fruits in their food spectrum explored more thandid species with other food preferences. The results are inaccordance with different costs and benefits of informationgathering for species that differ in their lifestyle and ecologicaldemands.