Sex‐related site fidelity of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to the Fueguian Archipelago feeding area,Chile

We investigated sex‐related site fidelity by humpback whales to the Fueguian Archipelago, a new feeding area in the eastern South Pacific, by examining the resighting histories of 45 males and 39 females recorded from 2003 to 2012. Results indicated an overall annual return to the feeding area of 74.8%, and annual sex ratio is roughly equal in the population. The probability of an individual being resighted across years and in subsequent years was not significantly different for both males and females, however, the proportion of resighting within a year was significantly higher for individual males compared to females. Potential sources of sex‐related bias were analyzed, but none were found to be significant. Greater intraannual resighting frequency for males may reflect sex‐based differences in spatial occupation and short‐range movements due to potential differences in energy budgets.     

高光谱植被指数与水稻叶面积指数的定量关系

基于不同水稻品种、施氮水平和不同生育期下的大田试验,确立了水稻叶面积指数（LAI）与冠层光谱特征参数的定量关系.结果表明：水稻叶面积指数与部分高光谱植被指数存在良好的相关性,其中原始光谱组成的2波段差值指数（DI）形式相关性最好,其次为比值（RI）和归一化（NI）植被指数.相关最好的原始光谱植被指数是由近红外波段组成的差值指数DI(854,760),相关最好的一阶导数光谱植被指数是红光和近红外光组成的导数差值指数DI(D₆₇₆, D₇₇₈),但总体上导数光谱指数不如原始光谱指数与LAI关系密切.独立试验数据检验结果表明,以差值指数DI(854,760)为变量建立的水稻LAI监测模型具有较好的表现,可用于水稻LAI的估测.     

荒漠人工固沙植被区土壤水分的时空变异性

表层土壤水分具有高度的时间和空间变异性.研究的目的:(1)揭示沙坡头人工固沙植被区浅层土壤水分的时空变异性特征;(2)确定驱动土壤水分变异的主要环境因子.在人工固沙植被区内一个4500m2的网格样地上每隔10m设置取样点,在连续7个月的时间内 (2005年4～10月),每隔15d用时域反射仪测量各样点表层以下15cm和30cm深度的土壤容积含水量.结果表明,该区网格尺度上浅层土壤水分的分布具有明显的空间变异性,其变异性随着土壤水分含量的降低而减小;相对海拔是驱动土壤水分空间变异的主要环境因子,其作用在降雨后尤为显著,且其对土壤下层的影响比上层更明显;植被和土壤水分含量的相关性时间序列与相对海拔一致--降雨使其相关性增加;土壤质地(土壤粒径分布)和土壤水分含量的相关性时间序列特征与植被和相对海拔相反,且其对土壤上层的影响比下层更明显.因此,在沙坡头荒漠人工固沙植被区,降雨后的短暂湿润期,地形和植被是驱动浅层土壤水分变异的主要影响因子,而随着降雨之后土壤逐渐变干,土壤质地的影响变得更加明显.     

岩溶植物光合-光响应曲线的两种拟合模型比较

用直角双曲线和非直角双曲线两种模型,对桂林岩溶区石山植物红背山麻杆（Alchornea trewioides）、九龙藤（Bauhinia championii）、青檀（Pteroceltis tatarinowii）和圆叶乌桕（Sapium rotundifolium）光合作用的光响应曲线进行拟合。结果表明,直角双曲线拟合的表观量子效率（α）、最大净光合速率（Pmax）、暗呼吸速率（Rd）、光补偿点（Lcp）和光饱和点（Lφ）数值均高于相应的非直角双曲线拟合结果;直角双曲线模型拟合的参数值大小和曲线变化趋势不符合实际情况;非直角双曲线模型拟合结果更符合生理意义。红背山麻杆和九龙藤具有较高的表观量子效率和较低的光补偿点,对光能的利用效率和耐荫性均强于圆叶乌桕和青檀。     

Large herbivores limit CO2 uptake and suppress carbon cycle responses to warming in West Greenland

Changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle may ameliorate or exacerbate future climatic warming. Research on this topic has focused almost exclusively on abiotic drivers, whereas biotic factors, including trophic interactions, have received comparatively little attention. We quantified the singular and interactive effects of herbivore exclusion and simulated warming on ecosystem CO₂ exchange over two consecutive growing seasons in West Greenland. Exclusion of caribou and muskoxen over the past 8 years has led to dramatic increases in shrub cover, leaf area, ecosystem photosynthesis, and a nearly threefold increase in net C uptake. These responses were accentuated by warming, but only in the absence of herbivores. Carbon cycle responses to herbivore exclusion alone and combined with warming were driven by changes in gross ecosystem photosynthesis, as limited differences in ecosystem respiration were observed. Our results show that large herbivores can be of critical importance as mediators of arctic ecosystem responses to climate change.     

Morphological patterns of the intraparietal sulcus and the anterior intermediate parietal sulcus of Jensen in the human brain

Distinct parts of the intraparietal sulcal cortex contribute to sensorimotor integration and visual spatial attentional processing. A detailed examination of the morphological relations of the different segments of the complex intraparietal sulcal region in the human brain in standard stereotaxic space, which is a prerequisite for detailed structure-to-function studies, is not available. This study examined the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the related sulcus of Jensen in magnetic resonance imaging brain volumes registered in the Montreal Neurological Institute stereotaxic space. It was demonstrated that the IPS is divided into two branches: the anterior ramus and the posterior ramus of the IPS, often separated by a submerged gyral passage. The sulcus of Jensen emerges between the anterior and posterior rami of the IPS, and its ventral end is positioned between the first and second caudal branches of the superior temporal sulcus. In a small number of brains, the sulcus of Jensen may merge superficially with the first caudal branch of the superior temporal sulcus. The above morphological findings are discussed in relation to previously reported functional neuroimaging findings and provide the basis for future exploration of structure-to-function relations in the posterior parietal region of individual subjects.     

黄土丘陵区不同侵蚀环境下土壤有机碳对植被恢复的响应

植被恢复是提高土壤有机碳累积和储存的重要措施。以黄土丘陵区两个典型侵蚀环境下的小流域即黄土区坊塌流域和砒砂岩区满红沟流域退耕坡面为研究对象,分析了土壤有机碳含量(SOCC)、有机碳密度(SOCD)在同一侵蚀环境不同群落下的变化以及在同一群落不同侵蚀环境间的差异,旨在探明不同侵蚀环境下土壤有机碳对植被恢复的响应。结果表明:1)同一侵蚀环境下,与坡耕地相比,自然恢复方式下退耕地植被恢复初期SOCC、SOCD均显著降低,之后随植被恢复均显著升高(P0.05);人工恢复方式下退耕地20—25年柠条锦鸡儿群落和13—14年刺槐群落SOCC、SOCD均显著升高(P0.05),说明同一侵蚀环境内,退耕地在两种恢复方式下均能显著提高土壤有机碳累积和储存。2)同一侵蚀环境下,与相近恢复年限的自然恢复群落相比,刺槐群落SOCC、SOCD均显著高于长芒草+铁杆蒿群落(P0.05),砒砂岩区柠条锦鸡儿群落SOCC、SOCD均显著低于铁杆蒿群落(P0.05),黄土区柠条锦鸡儿群落SOCC显著低于而SOCD显著高于铁杆蒿群落(P0.05),说明相同恢复时间内,相对于自然恢复方式,人工刺槐造林在两种侵蚀环境下均能累积与储存较多的土壤有机碳,而柠条锦鸡儿造林在两种侵蚀环境下累积土壤有机碳的效果均不佳,在黄土区储存土壤有机碳效果好于砒砂岩区。3)同一群落下,黄土区人工和自然恢复群落SOCC均高于砒砂岩区;黄土区人工恢复群落SOCD均显著高于而自然恢复群落SOCD均低于砒砂岩区(P0.05),说明黄土区人工恢复累积和储存土壤有机碳及自然恢复累积土壤有机碳的效果较好,而砒砂岩区自然恢复储存土壤有机碳的效果较好。     

Centres of diversity quantified—A maximum variance approach to a biogeographic problem

Summary A quantitative method that optimizes the mapping of species diversity in phytogeographic studies is described. Diversity is computed on the basis of species number per unit area. The optimal size of unit area for which diversity is computed is held to be that which maximises the diversity difference between species-rich and species-poor regions. An example is given using Turkish Papaver. A very high correspondence is found between intuitive insights based on long study and the computer-generated diversity maps. Phytogeographic elements were also determined by computer after gridding Turkey at the scale discovered to be optimal for diversity and scoring the grid squares for presence-absence of each species. In this case, too, quite high correspondence was found between the computer and intuitive results.Nomenclature follows Cullen (1965).The authors express their thanks to Mr. K. Roberts, University of Western Ontario Computing Centre of writing the original maximum variance program and to the National Research Council of Canada for supporting the computing side of the project.     

Anatomical brain asymmetry in monkeys: frontal, temporoparietal, and limbic cortex in Macaca

Measurements evaluating possible cerebral hemispheric asymmetries were taken by hand on frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex on 60 formalin-fixed Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis brain specimens. No statistically significant (P less than 0.05) right/left side differences in the mean length of four sulci in visual-processing areas of the cortex were found. The sulcus adjacent to the region cytoarchitecturally homologous to the motor speech area in the human brain did not show pronounced asymmetry. In both species, however, a small parietal lobe sulcus showed greater development on the left hemisphere than in the right. In measurements made using digital planimetry, right/left side differences in the area of the dorsal cingulate gyrus were not found. Behavioral evidence suggests that monkeys do not exhibit a consistent pattern of cerebral dominance for functions associated with most of these regions of the brain.     

The loss in hydrophobic surface area resulting from a Leu to Val mutation at the N-terminus of the aldehyde dehydrogenase presequence prevents import of the protein into mitochondria

An apparent conservative mutation, Leu to Val, at the second residue of the rat liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) presequence resulted in a precursor protein that was not imported into mitochondria. Additional mutants were made to substitute various amino acids with nonpolar side chains for Leu2. The Ile, Phe, and Trp mutants were imported to an extent similar to that of the native precursor, but the Ala mutant was imported only about one-fourth as well. It was shown that the N-terminal methionine was removed from the L2V mutant in a reaction catalyzed by methionine aminopeptidase. The N-terminal methionine of native pALDH and the other mutant presequences was blocked, presumably by acetylation. Because of the difference in co-translational modification, the L2V mutant sustained a significant loss in the available hydrophobic surface of the presequence. Import competence was restored to the L2V mutant when it was translated using a system that did not remove Met1. The removal of an Arg-Gly-Pro helix linker segment (residues 11-14) from the L2V mutant, which shifted three leucine residues toward the N-terminus, also restored import competence. These results lead to the conclusion that a minimum amount of hydrophobic surface area near the N-termini of mitochondrial presequences is an essential property to determine their ability to be imported. As a result, both electrostatic and hydrophobic components must be considered when trying to understand the interactions between precursor proteins and proteins of the mitochondrial import apparatus.