Climate change in our backyards: the reshuffling of North America's winter bird communities

Much of the recent changes in North American climate have occurred during the winter months, and as result, overwintering birds represent important sentinels of anthropogenic climate change. While there is mounting evidence that bird populations are responding to a warming climate (e.g., poleward shifts) questions remain as to whether these species‐specific responses are resulting in community‐wide changes. Here, we test the hypothesis that a changing winter climate should favor the formation of winter bird communities dominated by warm‐adapted species. To do this, we quantified changes in community composition using a functional index – the Community Temperature Index (CTI) – which measures the balance between low‐ and high‐temperature dwelling species in a community. Using data from Project FeederWatch, an international citizen science program, we quantified spatiotemporal changes in winter bird communities (n = 38 bird species) across eastern North America and tested the influence of changes in winter minimum temperature over a 22‐year period. We implemented a jackknife analysis to identify those species most influential in driving changes at the community level and the population dynamics (e.g., extinction or colonization) responsible for these community changes. Since 1990, we found that the winter bird community structure has changed with communities increasingly composed of warm‐adapted species. This reshuffling of winter bird communities was strongest in southerly latitudes and driven primarily by local increases in abundance and regional patterns of colonization by southerly birds. CTI tracked patterns of changing winter temperature at different temporal scales ranging from 1 to 35 years. We conclude that a shifting winter climate has provided an opportunity for smaller, southerly distributed species to colonize new regions and promote the formation of unique winter bird assemblages throughout eastern North America.     

Understory vegetation as an indicator for floodplain forest restoration in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley,U.S.A.

In the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (MAV), complete alteration of river‐floodplain hydrology allowed for widespread conversion of forested bottomlands to intensive agriculture, resulting in nearly 80% forest loss. Governmental programs have attempted to restore forest habitat and functions within this altered landscape by the methods of tree planting (afforestation) and local hydrologic enhancement on reclaimed croplands. Early assessments identified factors that influenced whether planting plus tree colonization could establish an overstory community similar to natural bottomland forests. The extent to which afforested sites develop typical understory vegetation has not been evaluated, yet understory composition may be indicative of restored site conditions. As part of a broad study quantifying the ecosystem services gained from restoration efforts, understory vegetation was compared between 37 afforested sites and 26 mature forest sites. Differences in vegetation attributes for species growth forms, wetland indicator classes, and native status were tested with univariate analyses; floristic composition data were analyzed by multivariate techniques. Understory vegetation of restoration sites was generally hydrophytic, but species composition differed from that of mature bottomland forest because of young successional age and differing responses of plant growth forms. Attribute and floristic variation among restoration sites was related to variation in canopy development and local wetness conditions, which in turn reflected both intrinsic site features and outcomes of restoration practices. Thus, understory vegetation is a useful indicator of functional progress in floodplain forest restoration.     

三峡工程运行后对洞庭湖湿地的影响

长江三峡工程建成运行后,其下游第一个大型通江湖泊——洞庭湖的水文、水质以及湿地环境等均发生了很大变化。三峡工程已经开始影响到洞庭湖的泥沙淤积、水位波动、水质以及植被演替等。以三峡水库调度运行方案、河湖交互作用和洞庭湖湿地植被分布格局为基础,从长江三峡工程对洞庭湖水文、水质以及湿地植被演替等方面综述了三峡工程对洞庭湖湿地的综合影响。三峡工程减缓了长江输入洞庭湖泥沙的淤积速率,对短期内增加洞庭湖区调蓄空间、延长洞庭湖寿命有利。总体上减少了洞庭湖上游的来水量,改变了洞庭湖原来的水位/量变化规律。给洞庭湖水环境质量造成了直接或间接的影响,对其水质改变尚存一定争议,但至少在局部地区加剧了污染。水位变化和泥沙淤积趋缓协同改变了洞庭湖湿地原有植被演替方式,改以慢速方式演替,即群落演替的主要模式为:水生植物—虉草或苔草—芦苇—木本植物。展望了今后的研究趋势与方向,为三峡工程与洞庭湖关系的进一步研究提供参考。     

调蓄河湖群菹草(Potamogeton crispus L.)功能性状特征及其与环境因子的关系

调水工程引起的多环境因子关联变化对沉水植物群落的影响机制有待深入探讨。以南水北调东线工程调蓄河湖群中菹草种群为研究对象,分析了京杭运河(YH)、高邮湖(GY)、洪泽湖(HZ)、骆马湖(LM)、南四湖上级湖(NS1)、南四湖下级湖(NS2)和东平湖(DP)7个调蓄河湖中菹草个体功能性状特征及其与环境因子间的关系。结果表明:(1)除高锰酸盐指数(COD_(Mn))、浊度(Tur)和底泥有机质含量(S_o)外,总氮(TN)、硝氮(NO_3-N)、氨氮(NH_4-N)、总磷(TP)、正磷酸盐(PO_4-P)、硅酸盐(SiO_4-Si)、叶绿素a(Chla)、总溶解性固体(TDS)、透明度(SD)、消光系数(K)、水温(T)、电导率(Cond)、酸碱度(pH)、溶解氧(DO)和底泥含水率(S_w)在河湖间差异达到了极显著水平;(2)菹草株高、茎分支数、茎节数、茎节长、茎直径、相对茎长、叶片数、叶厚、叶长、叶宽、叶面积、比叶面积、株重、茎重、叶重、茎叶比、茎干物质比、叶干物质比在河湖间差异极显著;(3)河湖群内菹草种群18个功能性状中,按变异系数从小到大依次为:叶宽、茎直径、叶长、茎干物质比、叶干物质比、叶面积、株高、茎节长、相对茎长、茎叶比、叶厚、茎节数、茎重、叶片数、株重、比叶面积、叶重、茎分支数;7个调蓄河湖间,按照所有性状变异系数平均值从大到小排序依次为:南四湖下级湖、洪泽湖和京杭运河、高邮湖、东平湖、南四湖上级湖、骆马湖;(4)环境因子共解释了功能性状方差变异的49.43%;叶性状主要受营养因子(TN、NO_3-N、SiO_4-Si)影响;茎性状与光照因子(Chla和SD)密切相关;底泥因子(S_o)对茎叶生物量分配起主要作用。     

Is CD36 gene polymorphism in region encoding lipid-binding domain associated with early onset CAD?

CD36 is a fatty acid translocase in striated muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. Some study suggested that alterations in CD36 gene may be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The aim of the current study was to compare the frequency of CD36 variants in region encoding lipid-binding domain in Caucasian patients with early-onset CAD, no-CAD adult controls and neonates. The study group comprised 100 patients with early onset CAD. The genetic control groups were 306 infants and 40 no-CAD adults aged over 70 years. Exons 4, 5 and 6 including fragments of flanking introns were studied using the denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography technique and direct sequencing. Changes detected in analyzed fragment of CD36: IVS3-6 T/C (rs3173798), IVS4-10 G/A (rs3211892), C311T (Thr104Ile, not described so far) in exon 5, G550A (Asp184Asn, rs138897347), C572T (Pro191Leu, rs143150225), G573A (Pro191Pro, rs5956) and A591T (Thr197Thr, rs141680676) in exon 6. No significant differences in the CD36 genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies were found between the three groups. Only borderline differences (p = 0.066) were found between early onset CAD patients and newborns in the frequencies of 591T allele (2.00% vs 0.50%) and CGCGCGT haplotype (2.00% vs 0.50%) with both IVS3-6C and 591T variant alleles. In conclusion, CD36 variants: rs3173798, rs3211892, rs138897347, rs5956, rs143150225 rs141680676 and C311T do not seem to be involved in the risk of early-onset CAD in Caucasian population.     

微生物技术“学习情境”项目教学改革探索与实践

针对卫生行业对高职医学生物技术专业人才需求,对接企业就业岗位群,设置微生物技术"学习领域"课程,开发设计来源于企业生产或服务实践的以工作过程为导向的"学习情境"教学单元。强化职业导向,开展理论实践一体化项目教学及云班课互动教学改革。采取多元化考核形式,以产品或项目成果为指引,给学生提供感知和体验工作过程的机会。经过多个学习情境项目教学的长期强化训练,学生积累了适应未来岗位的综合技能和素质。     

Highlights of B/D‐HPP and HPP Resource Pillar Workshops at 12th Annual HUPO World Congress of Proteomics

At the 12th Annual HUPO World Congress of Proteomics in Japan, the Human Proteome Project (HPP) presented 16 scientific workshop sessions. Here we summarize highlights of ten workshops from the Biology and Disease‐driven HPP (B/D‐HPP) teams and three from the HPP Resource Pillars. Highlights of the three Chromosome‐centric HPP sessions appeared in the many articles of the 2014 C‐HPP special issue of the Journal of Proteome Research 1 .     

Early Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases – The Long Awaited Holy Grail and Bottleneck of Modern Brain Research – 19th HUPO BPP Workshop

The HUPO Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) held its 19th workshop in Dortmund, Germany, from May 22 to 24, 2013. The focus of the spring workshop was on strategies and developments concerning early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases     

The Legal Regulation of Floats and Gliders—In Quest of a New Regime?

This article analyzes the legal status of unmanned instruments (particularly, floats and gliders) for observation purposes in the ocean environment. These new kinds of instruments are being deployed by the thousands into the oceans, not the least as part of the Argo Project of the International Oceanographic Commission. Their uncontrolled drifting has raised legal questions, especially when such instruments enter waters subject to the jurisdiction of foreign states. The authors argue that the current international legal framework is insufficient to address the pertinent issues, and that a new legal regime is needed.