Multi-scale variation in spatial heterogeneity for microbial community structure in an eastern Virginia agricultural field

To better understand the distribution of soil microbial communities at multiple spatial scales, a survey was conducted to examine the spatial organization of community structure in a wheat field in eastern Virginia (USA). Nearly 200 soil samples were collected at a variety of separation distances ranging from 2.5 cm to 11 m. Whole-community DNA was extracted from each sample, and community structure was compared using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) DNA fingerprinting. Relative similarity was calculated between each pair of samples and compared using geostatistical variogram analysis to study autocorrelation as a function of separation distance. Spatial autocorrelation was found at scales ranging from 30 cm to more than 6 m, depending on the sampling extent considered. In some locations, up to four different correlation length scales were detected. The presence of nested scales of variability suggests that the environmental factors regulating the development of the communities in this soil may operate at different scales. Kriging was used to generate maps of the spatial organization of communities across the plot, and the results demonstrated that bacterial distributions can be highly structured, even within a habitat that appears relatively homogeneous at the plot and field scale. Different subsets of the microbial community were distributed differently across the plot, and this is thought to be due to the variable response of individual populations to spatial heterogeneity associated with soil properties.     

Mother–young distance in Japanese Black cattle at pasture

Distance between dam and offspring (1–121 days old) in a herd of Japanese Black cattle (Bos taurus) grazing a tropical grass (Paspalum notatum) pasture (1.5 ha) was investigated during 7-h grazing periods over grazing seasons from May (spring) to October (autumn). The mother–young distance was not constant throughout the grazing period, repeatedly increasing and decreasing. Although significant periodicity was always detected in the mother–young distance, there was no consistent dominant cycle, indicating the complexity of the within-day pattern of mother–young distance. The mean mother–young distance over the grazing period increased as a calf aged, reaching a plateau at an age of about 33 days. The mean distance of a calf from its mother was usually shorter than that from a non-mother cow, with the difference between the mean distances decreasing sharply until a calf became about 35 days old. The results and literature show that mutual independence of mother and young rapidly develops in the first 30–50 days after parturition. Electronic Publication     

Structured population on two patches: modeling dispersal and delay

We derive from the age-structured model a system of delay differential equations to describe the interaction of spatial dispersal (over two patches) and time delay (arising from the maturation period). Our model analysis shows that varying the immature death rate can alter the behavior of the homogeneous equilibria, leading to transient oscillations around an intermediate equilibrium and complicated dynamics (in the form of the coexistence of possibly stable synchronized periodic oscillations and unstable phase-locked oscillations) near the largest equilibrium.     

上下视野空间选择性注意的ERP研究

该文主要研究上、下视野空间选择性注意早期所诱发的ＥＲＰ反应,探讨注意上、下视野视觉信息处理的特征与差别。１０名被试的主要实验果为：１）对上、下视野的选择注意产生类似于注意左、右视野时Ｐ１、Ｎ１,Ｐ２的相对增强;２）偶极子定位显示,上、下视野刺激的早期注意反应（Ｐ１）以交叉方式投射到枕区,即下视野刺激的注意反应偏向枕区的背侧,而上视野刺激的注意反应偏向枕区的腹侧;３）上下视野的早期注意反应（Ｐ１）具     

Effect of patch size and plant density of Paterson"s curse (Echium plantagineum) on the oviposition of a specialist weevil, Mogulones larvatus

This study examines the oviposition response of a specialist weevil (Mogulones larvatus) to patches of its host, the noxious weed Paterson"s curse/salvation Jane (Echium plantagineum). We simultaneously examined the effect of patch size and plant density (and their interaction), on the recorded oviposition patterns. Our results show that oviposition first occurred on the largest patches with the highest number of plants. However, there was no significant effect of patch size or number of plants per patch at the end of the experiment. At this time the level of attack per plant was negatively correlated with plant density. This negative effect of density on the level of oviposition was not mediated by a reduction in plant size at higher densities. The pattern observed may indicate a risk-spreading strategy by females. Received: 15 July 1999 / Accepted: 14 April 2000     

Conformational analysis of protein and nucleic acid fragments with the new grid search algorithm FOUND

The new computer algorithm FOUND, which is implemented as an integrated module of the DYANA structure calculation program, is capable of performing systematic local conformation analyses by exhaustive grid searches for arbitrary contiguous fragments of proteins and nucleic acids. It uses torsion angles as the only degrees of freedom to identify all conformations that fulfill the steric and NMR-derived conformational restraints within a contiguous molecular fragment, as defined either by limits on the maximal restraint violations or by the fragment-based DYANA target function value. Sets of mutually dependent torsion angles, for example in ribose rings, are treated as a single degree of freedom. The results of the local conformation analysis include allowed torsion angle ranges and stereospecific assignments for diastereotopic substituents, which are then included in the input of a subsequent structure calculation. FOUND can be used for grid searches comprising up to 13 torsion angles, such as the backbone of a complete -helical turn or dinucleotide fragments in nucleic acids, and yields a significantly higher number of stereospecific assignments than the precursor grid search algorithm HABAS.     

Effect of population spatial structure on pollination and seed set of a clonal distylous plant,Persicaria japonica (Polygonaceae)

In order to assess the mechanisms through which the spatial structure of the population influences female reproductive success, spatial distribution of clones, degrees of limitation of legitimate (inter-morph) pollination, type and abundance of pollen loaded on the stigmas, and seed set were measured for many clones of two natural populations of the distylous clonal plant,Persicaria japonica. Within the populations, according to the spatial relation to the nearest opposite morph clone, individual clones were assorted into two spatial types,i.e., clones that congregated with clones of the opposite morph (congregating clones), and clones that occurred singly at a considerable distance from the nearest opposite-morph clone (single clones). The pollination success,i.e., the proportion of legitimately pollinated flowers, and seed set were severely limited in the single clones compared to the congregating clones. Since artificial legitimate pollination improved the seed set in single clones, at least to some degree pollination failure was responsible for the reduced seed set in the single clones.     

华北平原及黄土高原啮齿动物物种丰富度的空间格局及其分异

在采用网格法对华北平原及黄土高原啮齿动物调查的基础上,分析了啮齿动物物种丰富度空间格局。华北平原物种丰富度最低,其次为晋、翼山地和汾、渭谷地,而南蒙高原和黄土高原的丰富度较高;物种丰富度纬向变化不明显,而经向变化显著,由东向西,物种丰富度呈递增趋势;丰富度在海拔上的变化并不存在相关的地理模式;丰富度与山地面积呈正相关,与平原面积呈负相关,而与丘陵面积相关不显著,丰富度与各地地貌类型面积的总和呈明显的正相关;丰富度与温度相关不明显,而与降雨量呈负相关。在华北平原及黄土高原,生境结构类型愈复杂的地区,啮齿动物物种丰富度愈高。     

Patterns in species associations in plant communities: the importance of scale

Abstract. Present discussions on competitive interactions and the occurrence of predictable patterns in species composition – including assembly rules – are likely to benefit from appropriate analyses of the spatial structure in plant communities. We suggest such an analysis when we specifically want to detect scale regions where fine-scale local processes may affect the spatial pattern of species composition. We combine indirect ordination in the form of Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and geostatistics in the form of variography. The species abundance data in the sampled quadrats are summarized as positions on the axes in the ordination. Each axis is used as a regionalized variable in the variography to obtain the spatial dependence of the quadrats. The spatial pattern found will suggest the relevant scale region in which to perform an analysis of species associations. A significant spatial dependence (the ‘range’ in geostatistical jargon) will define the size of a sampling plot that will minimize both the problem of being too small and thus having the risk of oversampling of e.g. clonal individuals and of being too large which will risk including individuals that do not interact. We also suggest that plots are spaced at least a ‘range’ apart to insure spatial and statistical independence. Comparisons of species compositions in such plots will reveal any positive or negative associations between species on a scale where these should reflect species-species interactions. To illustrate the method it is applied to three different data sets from two different plant communities.