Heliobacterium modesticaldum,sp. nov., a thermophilic heliobacterium of hot springs and volcanic soils

Enrichment cultures for heliobacteria at 50°C yielded several strains of a thermophilic heliobacterium species from Yellowstone hot spring microbial mats and volcanic soils from Iceland. The novel organisms grew optimally above 50°C, contained bacteriochlorophyll g, and lacked intracytoplasmic membranes. All isolates were strict anaerobes and grew best as photoheterotrophs, although chemotrophic dark growth on pyruvate was also possible. These thermophilic heliobacteria were diazotrophic and fixed N₂ up to their growth temperature limit of 56°C. Phylogenetic studies showed the new isolates to be specific relatives of Heliobacterium gestii and, as has been found in H. gestii, they produce heat-resistant endospores. The unique assemblage of properties found in these thermophilic heliobacteria implicate them as a new species of this group, and we describe them herein as a new species of the genus Heliobacterium, Heliobacterium modesticaldum.     

Vertical migration of autotrophic micro-organisms during a vernal bloom at the coastal Baltic Sea – coexistence through niche separation

Vertical migration of two dinoflagellate species (Peridiniellacatenata and Scrippsiella hangoei) and a phototrophic ciliate(Mesodinium rubrum) were studied during the peak and decline of avernal bloom at the SW coast of Finland. During the diel cycle, part of thepopulations of P. catenata and M. rubrum wereobserved in the deeper layers with elevated nutrient concentrations, whileS. hangoei remained in the upper nutrient depleted mixed layer.Using a correspondence analysis the vertical distribution patterns of thespecies and chlorophyll a were examined over a temporal scale of hoursand weeks. The vertical migration was reflected in much higher variabilityin the depth distribution of P. catenata and M. rubrum over a diel scale, compared to S. hangoei. The analysisrevealed also significant differences in species specific depth distributionpatterns over both time scales. It is discussed that the co-existence of thetwo dominant dinoflagellate species during the vernal bloom is due to nicheseparation through behavioural adaptations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

低丘红壤区农林间作系统的水分生态特征及生产力

低丘红壤区农林间作系统的水分生态特征及生产力张斌张桃林（中国科学院南京土壤研究所,２１０００８）ｙｄｒａｕｌｉｃＥｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌＣｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓｏｆＡｌｅｙＣｒｏｐｐｉｎｇＳｙｓｔｅｍｓａｎｄＩｔｓＰｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｖｉｔｙｉｎＬｏ...     

东北三省部份地区森林脑炎疫源地流行病学调查

１９９２～１９９４年,对黑龙江省密山市及吉林省珲春市森林脑炎疫源地进行了流行病学调查,对东北三省九地人血清进行了抗体检测。从密山和珲春地区捕获的２１８５只嗜群血蜱和１２３只森林革蜱中分离出了９株森林脑炎病毒。从当地捕获的野鼠血清中查到特异性抗体,阳性率为１２．０％。在黑龙江省的新青、密山及吉林省的珲春、抚松、靖宇等地居民血清中检出特异性抗体,阳性率分别为２．８％、２．２％、１０．９％、１．２％和４．３％。从而认为原森林脑炎自然疫源地仍然相当稳定地存在。随着经济开发,对外口岸开放,旅游事业发展,外来人群进入,其森林脑炎的威胁有可能增加,应引起重视。     

春季高寒草地牧草根中营养物质含量和保护酶活性的变化及其生态适应性研究

本文研究了高寒草地３种立地条件下垂穗披碱草（Ｃｌｉｎｅｌｙｍｕｓｎｕｔａｎｓ）在春季萌动过程中根系碳水化合物和保护酶活性的变化,结果表明：（１）入冬时根系中碳水化合物贮量高、保护酶活性强的牧草春季萌动早、生长快、抗寒性较强。（２）当春季气温波动式回升时,牧草根系中可溶性糖含量、ＳＯＤ（超氧化物歧化酶）和ＰＯＤ（过氧化物酶）活性随气温上升而下降,随气温下降而上升。其中火烧地牧草根中ＳＯＤ和ＰＯＤ酶活性一直保持较高水平,并对温度变化反应敏感,而抗寒性也较强。因此春季高寒山区牧草根内的代谢改组（增加可溶性糖）和酶系统的调节（增加ＳＯＤ、ＰＯＤ活性）是其对生态环境适应的重要生理反应。     

Thermoanaerobacter mathranii sp. nov., an ethanol-producing, extremely thermophilic anaerobic bacterium from a hot spring in Iceland

The extremely thermophilic ethanol-producing strain A3 was isolated from a hot spring in Iceland. The cells were rod-shaped, motile, and had terminal spores; cells from the mid-to-late exponential growth phase stained gram-variable but had a gram-positive cell wall structure when viewed by transmission electron microscopy. Strain A3 used a number of carbohydrates as carbon sources, including xylan, but did not utilize microcrystalline cellulose. Fermentation end products were ethanol, acetate, lactate, CO₂, and H₂. The temperature optimum for growth was between 70 and 75° C, and growth occurred in the range of 50–75° C. The pH range for growth was 4.7–8.8, with an optimum at pH 7.0. Strain A3 was sensitive to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, penicillin G, neomycin, and vancomycin at 100 mg/l but was not sensitive to chloramphenicol and neomycin at 10 mg/l, which indicates that strain A3 belongs to the eubacteria. Addition of 50.66 kPa H₂ or 2% NaCl did not affect growth. The isolate grew in the presence of exogenously added 4% (w/v) ethanol. The G+C ratio was 37 mol%. 16S rDNA studies revealed that strain A3 belongs to the genus Thermoanaerobacter. Genotypic and phenotypic differences between strain A3 and other related species indicate that strain A3 can be assigned to a new species, and the name Thermoanaerobacter mathranii is proposed. Received: 7 October 1996 / Accepted: 14 March 1997     

不同水氮水平下小麦品种对光、水和氮利用效率的权衡

通过再裂区设计田间试验,以3个春小麦品种(和尚头、西旱2号和宁春4号)为材料,设置两个灌溉水平(充分灌水4500 m³·hm^-2和有限灌水3000 m³·hm^-2)和5个施氮水平(0、75、150、225、300 kg N·hm^-2),研究小麦光能利用效率(LUE)、水分利用效率(WUE)、氮素利用效率(NUE)对水氮的响应特性及其相互关系.结果表明: 3个小麦品种间LUE、WUE和NUE差异显著.在一定范围内增加灌水和施氮量则LUE升高,过量施氮则LUE下降.强抗旱和中等抗旱品种(和尚头和西旱2号)WUE受灌水量的影响比不抗旱品种(宁春4号)小.施氮可以调节小麦WUE,中等施氮水平(和尚头和西旱2号在150 kg N·hm^-2时,宁春4号在225 kg N·hm^-2时)有最高的WUE.随施氮量增加,植株氮素累积量先增后减,氮素干物质生产效率(NUE_b)、氮素收获指数(NHI)、氮肥农学利用效率(NAE)和氮肥偏生产力(PFP)均显著降低.灌溉水平对NHI无显著影响;随灌水量增加,小麦氮素积累量显著增加,强抗旱和中等抗旱品种NUE_b和NAE显著降低,不抗旱品种 NUE_b和PFP显著升高,对其他指标无显著影响.3个小麦品种氮素获取能力与氮素利用效率呈极显著负相关,NUE_b与LUE、WUE呈显著负相关,LUE与WUE呈显著正相关,春小麦氮素利用效率与光能利用效率、水分利用效率间存在明显的权衡关系.当灌水量为3000 m³·hm^-2,强抗旱和中等抗旱品种在150 kg N·hm^-2,不抗旱品种在225 kg N·hm^-2时,有较高的资源利用效率.     

Satellite chlorophyll fluorescence measurements reveal large‐scale decoupling of photosynthesis and greenness dynamics in boreal evergreen forests

Mid‐to‐high latitude forests play an important role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, but the representation of photosynthesis in boreal forests by current modelling and observational methods is still challenging. In particular, the applicability of existing satellite‐based proxies of greenness to indicate photosynthetic activity is hindered by small annual changes in green biomass of the often evergreen tree population and by the confounding effects of background materials such as snow. As an alternative, satellite measurements of sun‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) can be used as a direct proxy of photosynthetic activity. In this study, the start and end of the photosynthetically active season of the main boreal forests are analysed using spaceborne SIF measurements retrieved from the GOME‐2 instrument and compared to that of green biomass, proxied by vegetation indices including the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) derived from MODIS data. We find that photosynthesis and greenness show a similar seasonality in deciduous forests. In high‐latitude evergreen needleleaf forests, however, the length of the photosynthetically active period indicated by SIF is up to 6 weeks longer than the green biomass changing period proxied by EVI, with SIF showing a start‐of‐season of approximately 1 month earlier than EVI. On average, the photosynthetic spring recovery as signalled by SIF occurs as soon as air temperatures exceed the freezing point (2–3 °C) and when the snow on the ground has not yet completely melted. These findings are supported by model data of gross primary production and a number of other studies which evaluated in situ observations of CO₂ fluxes, meteorology and the physiological state of the needles. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of space‐based SIF measurements to light‐use efficiency of boreal forests and their potential for an unbiased detection of photosynthetic activity even under the challenging conditions interposed by evergreen boreal ecosystems.     

Scale dependence of temperature as an abiotic driver of species' distributions

Aim Scale dependence of patterns and processes remains one of the major unresolved problems in ecology. The responses of ecosystems to environmental stressors are reported to be strongly scale dependent, but projections of the effects of climate change on species' distributions are still restricted to particular scales and knowledge about scale dependence is lacking. Here we propose that the scale dependence of those species' niche dimensions related to climate change is strongly related to the strength of climatic cross‐scale links. More specifically, we hypothesize that the strong cross‐scale links between micro‐ and macroclimatic conditions are related to high cross‐scale similarity (low scale dependence) of species' realized temperature niches and, thus, species' spatial distributions. Location This study covers seven orders of magnitude of spatial scale, ranging from local‐scale (below a metre) and regional‐scale (kilometre) investigations in central European wetland ecosystems to continental‐scale (thousands of kilometres) studies of species' distributions. Methods We combined data on the spatial occurrence of species (vegetation records at local and regional scales, digitized distribution maps at the continental scale) with information about the corresponding temperature regime of vascular plant species occurring in environmentally stable wetland ecosystems characterized by strong cross‐scale links between micro‐ and macroclimatic conditions. Results We observed high cross‐scale similarity of the characteristics of species temperature niches across seven orders of magnitude of spatial scale. However, the importance of temperature as an abiotic driver decreased nonlinearly with decreasing scale, suggesting greater importance of additional (biotic) drivers of species' occurrence at small spatial scales. Main conclusions We report high cross‐scale similarity of realized temperature niches for species inhabiting ecosystems where small‐scale environmental noise is low and cross‐scale links between micro‐ and macroclimatic conditions are strong. By highlighting a strong relationship between abiotic and biotic cross‐scale similarity, our results will help to improve niche‐based species distribution modelling, one of the major assessment tools for determining the ecological effects of climate change.     

Analysis of behaviour patterns and thermal responses to a hot–arid climate in rural China

Climate can greatly affect building design, life style and thermal perception for all groups of people; however, this phenomenon has not yet been rigorously evaluated in China's hot–arid climate. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a thermal comfort survey by evaluating the influence of the hot–arid climate upon the behavioural patterns and thermal comfort responses of 160 residents in 65 traditional vernacular houses in Turfan, China, in 2011. In this survey, there were 206 sets of effective data, and the features of the traditional residential buildings and the human behaviour patterns in Turfan were described and analysed. The results showed that the diversified courtyards and shade spaces were the most obvious features of traditional houses in Turfan. People here typically spend most of their time in one of two spaces for eating, resting, and entertaining. It was found that the preferred temperature was 26.5 °C. The preferred air velocity occurred at 0.62 m/s. A suitable air velocity range of 0.15–1.24 m/s was suggested in Turfan. Moreover, the neutral temperature of the local people was 30.1 °C (t_g or t_o). The upper limits of the 80% acceptable zone by using the direct and indirect acceptability method were 32.7 and 33.8 °C, respectively. The neutral temperature and upper limit of the acceptable zone in Turfan were higher than those of the adaptive standards. Attention should be paid to the role of thermal comfort in influencing building design by using simple passive cooling strategies. The above results are believed to be potentially valuable for the design and evaluation of residential buildings located in hot–arid climate.