临泽绿洲边缘区棉花群体光合速率、蒸腾速率及水分利用效率

在甘肃河西走廊中部黑河中游绿洲边缘区,于6月下旬和8月上旬,利用Li-8100土壤碳通量测定系统与改进的同化箱联合对田间条件下早熟陆地棉(Gossypium hirsutum)品种新陆早8号的群体光合特性进行了研究.结果表明：试验地6月下旬的土壤呼吸速率和土壤蒸发速率显著高于8月上旬（P＜0.01）;棉花群体光合速率日变化均呈“单峰型”,6月下旬的群体光合速率显著高于8月上旬,其日平均值分别为（43.11±1.26）和（24.53±0.60）μmol CO₂·m^-2·s^-1, 差异极显著（P＜0.01）;群体蒸腾速率日变化也呈“单峰型”,6月下旬和8月上旬的日平均值分别为（3.10±0.34）和（1.60±0.26）mmol H₂O·m^-2·s^-1,两者存在极显著差异（P＜0.01）;6月下旬和8月上旬的群体水分利用效率日平均值分别为（15.67±1.77）和（23.08±5.54） mmol CO₂·mol^-1 H₂O,但差异不显著（P＞0.05）.两生育时期棉花群体光合速率与温度、光合有效辐射及土壤含水量均呈正相关关系.表明棉花群体光合速率在6月下旬和8月上旬均没有出现中午光合下调,8月由于土壤水分降低和植物叶片衰老,棉花群体光合速率和蒸腾速率显著降低,但水分利用效率并无显著下降.     

Timing and size of blooms of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in relation to temperature in Narragansett Bay, RI

The ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi is at the northern extreme of its geographic range in Narragansett Bay, an estuary on the northeast coast of the United States. Blooms have typically been observed in late summer and fall according to records from 1950 to 1979. We document an expansion of the seasonal range of this important planktonic predator to include springtime blooms during the 1980s and 1990s. This shift to an earlier seasonal maximum is associated with increasing water temperature in Narragansett Bay. Temperatures in spring have risen, on average, 2 °C from 1950 to 1999 with warm years being associated with the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. During 1999, M. leidyi appeared earlier in spring and was more abundant than during any previous year for which records are available. Changes in the seasonal pattern and abundance of this predator are likely to have important effects on planktonic ecosystem dynamics of Narragansett Bay. These include reduction of zooplankton abundance in spring followed by increases in size and frequency of summer phytoplankton blooms. Earlier blooms of M. leidyi may also reduce survival of eggs and larvae of fish because, as in 1999, they coincide with the period of peak spawning.     

Beyond ecosystem modeling: A roadmap to community cyberinfrastructure for ecological data‐model integration

In an era of rapid global change, our ability to understand and predict Earth's natural systems is lagging behind our ability to monitor and measure changes in the biosphere. Bottlenecks to informing models with observations have reduced our capacity to fully exploit the growing volume and variety of available data. Here, we take a critical look at the information infrastructure that connects ecosystem modeling and measurement efforts, and propose a roadmap to community cyberinfrastructure development that can reduce the divisions between empirical research and modeling and accelerate the pace of discovery. A new era of data‐model integration requires investment in accessible, scalable, and transparent tools that integrate the expertise of the whole community, including both modelers and empiricists. This roadmap focuses on five key opportunities for community tools: the underlying foundations of community cyberinfrastructure; data ingest; calibration of models to data; model‐data benchmarking; and data assimilation and ecological forecasting. This community‐driven approach is a key to meeting the pressing needs of science and society in the 21st century.     

The effect of the armored scale,Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), on shoot growth of the invasive plant Arundo donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae)

The effect of feeding by the armored scale, Rhizaspidiotus donacis (Leonardi, 1920) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) on the growth of the plant Arundo donax L. (Poaceae) was evaluated under field conditions in its native range. The study was designed to evaluate the impact of R. donacis, a candidate agent for biological control of A. donax which is invasive in arid riparian ecosystems of the Southwestern USA and Mexico. The study was carried out at five A. donax sites in the Province of Alicante, Spain, differing in altitude and climate. At each site, 30 infested lateral shoots were selected and 15 were randomly treated monthly with imidacloprid insecticide. Shoot lengths were measured monthly over a 1-year period in a comparative growth analysis. Shoots infested with R. donacis had an over 2-fold reduced growth rate as compared to treated shoots. Growth of shoots varied by site, and the effect of R. donacis on growth was most pronounced in the late spring, when mature females produced first instar scale crawlers. The impact of R. donacis on A. donax growth under field conditions in the native range, combined with its narrow host specificity, indicate that R. donacis is a promising candidate for biological control of A. donax in North America and other areas invaded by this weed.     

吸虱昆虫群落数量分类及其与小兽宿主的协同进化关系

以云南省16种主要小兽宿主体表吸虱群落为分类单元,以基于共54个群落特征变量的各群落优势虱种的相对优势度D_r、染虱率R_L、虱指数I_L、总染虱率R_LT和总虱指数I_LT及各群落的结构参数（平均丰富度 、平均均匀度 、平均多样性指数 及平均优势度指数 ）来探讨云南省吸虱昆虫与其宿主协同进化的关系。运用SPSS12.0统计软件中的系统聚类分析,对16种主要小兽宿主体表吸虱群落进行数量分析。结果将16种小兽宿主体表吸虱群落分为8个类群。隶属同一个属的小兽,其体表吸虱群落相似程度高,在系统聚类分析中聚为一类; 大多数吸虱群落相似性大小与相应小兽宿主在动物分类上的近缘性高低呈高度一致。结果提示： 吸虱昆虫与其所寄生的小兽宿主存在同步进化的关系,特定的小兽宿主,其体表吸虱群落的构成比较稳定,宿主动物的近缘关系越近,其体表吸虱群落的相似性越高,这是吸虱昆虫与小兽宿主协同进化的一个重要生态学证据。     

Impact of climatic variation on populations of pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa in a core area of its distribution

• 1 There is growing appreciation of climatic effects on insect population dynamics at the margins of distribution limits. Climatic effects might be less important and/or involve different drivers and processes near the centre of distributions.
• 2 We evaluated the effects of interannual variation in temperatures, radiation and precipitation on populations of pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa in Central–South Portugal, a low altitude area with a relatively mild Mediterranean climate near the centre of the north–south range of the species.
• 3 We tested for effects of climate on mortality of young larvae, growth rates, final larval mass and fecundity.
• 4 Results indicated high mortality of early instars associated with low minimum and maximum daily temperatures and low precipitation. Low minimum temperatures were further associated with high parasitism by the larval parasitoid Phryxe caudata (Rondani) (Diptera, Tachinidae). Furthermore, larval growth rates were higher with high solar radiation during December and January, which was itself negatively related to precipitation and air temperature. Slow larval growth rates led to lower final mass at pupation in the spring, and smaller egg masses and smaller initial colony sizes during the next autumn.
• 5 Thus climatic factors, and temperature in particular, apparently contributed to population dynamics of T. pityocampa in the core of its distribution, as well as at its northern limits. The most specific climatic parameters of importance, however, and the connections between climate, physiology and insect demographics in the core area were clearly different from northern areas.

     

Genomics in a changing arctic: critical questions await the molecular ecologist

Molecular ecology is poised to tackle a host of interesting questions in the coming years. The Arctic provides a unique and rapidly changing environment with a suite of emerging research needs that can be addressed through genetics and genomics. Here we highlight recent research on boreal and tundra ecosystems and put forth a series of questions related to plant and microbial responses to climate change that can benefit from technologies and analytical approaches contained within the molecular ecologist's toolbox. These questions include understanding (i) the mechanisms of plant acquisition and uptake of N in cold soils, (ii) how these processes are mediated by root traits, (iii) the role played by the plant microbiome in cycling C and nutrients within high‐latitude ecosystems and (iv) plant adaptation to extreme Arctic climates. We highlight how contributions can be made in these areas through studies that target model and nonmodel organisms and emphasize that the sequencing of the Populus and Salix genomes provides a valuable resource for scientific discoveries related to the plant microbiome and plant adaptation in the Arctic. Moreover, there exists an exciting role to play in model development, including incorporating genetic and evolutionary knowledge into ecosystem and Earth System Models. In this regard, the molecular ecologist provides a valuable perspective on plant genetics as a driver for community biodiversity, and how ecological and evolutionary forces govern community dynamics in a rapidly changing climate.     

Fe- and S-Metabolizing Microbial Communities Dominate an AMD-Contaminated River Ecosystem and Play Important Roles in Fe and S Cycling

Indigenous Fe- and S-metabolizing bacteria play important roles both in the formation and the natural attenuation of acid mine drainage (AMD). Due to its low pH and Fe-S-rich waters, a river located in the Dabaoshan Mine area provides an ideal opportunity to study indigenous Fe- and S-metabolizing microbial communities and their roles in biogeochemical Fe and S cycling. In this work, water and sediment samples were collected from the river for physicochemical, mineralogical, and microbiological analyses. Illumina MiSeq sequencing indicated higher species richness in the sediment than in the water. Sequencing also found that Fe- and S-metabolizing bacteria were the dominant microorganisms in the heavily and moderately contaminated areas. Fe- and S-metabolizing bacteria found in the water were aerobes or facultative anaerobes, including Acidithiobacillus, Acidiphilium, Thiomonas, Gallionella, and Leptospirillum. Fe- and S-metabolizing bacteria found in the sediment belong to microaerobes, facultative anaerobes, or obligatory anaerobes, including Acidithiobacillus, Sulfobacillus, Thiomonas, Gallionella, Geobacter, Geothrix, and Clostridium. Among the dominant genera in the sediment, Geobacter and Geothrix were rarely detected in AMD-contaminated natural environments. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that pH, S, and Fe concentration gradients were the most important factors in structuring the river microbial community. Moreover, a scheme explaining the biogeochemical Fe and S cycling is advanced in light of the Fe and S species distribution and the identified Fe- and S-metabolizing bacteria.