Impacts of climate variability on tree demography in second growth tropical forests: the importance of regional context for predicting successional trajectories

Naturally regenerating and restored second growth forests account for over 70% of tropical forest cover and provide key ecosystem services. Understanding climate change impacts on successional trajectories of these ecosystems is critical for developing effective large‐scale forest landscape restoration (FLR) programs. Differences in environmental conditions, species composition, dynamics, and landscape context from old growth forests may exacerbate climate impacts on second growth stands. We compile data from 112 studies on the effects of natural climate variability, including warming, droughts, fires, and cyclonic storms, on demography and dynamics of second growth forest trees and identify variation in forest responses across biomes, regions, and landscapes. Across studies, drought decreases tree growth, survival, and recruitment, particularly during early succession, but the effects of temperature remain unexplored. Shifts in the frequency and severity of disturbance alter successional trajectories and increase the extent of second growth forests. Vulnerability to climate extremes is generally inversely related to long‐term exposure, which varies with historical climate and biogeography. The majority of studies, however, have been conducted in the Neotropics hindering generalization. Effects of fire and cyclonic storms often lead to positive feedbacks, increasing vulnerability to climate extremes and subsequent disturbance. Fragmentation increases forests’ vulnerability to fires, wind, and drought, while land use and other human activities influence the frequency and intensity of fire, potentially retarding succession. Comparative studies of climate effects on tropical forest succession across biogeographic regions are required to forecast the response of tropical forest landscapes to future climates and to implement effective FLR policies and programs in these landscapes.     

Vascular plants promote ancient peatland carbon loss with climate warming

Northern peatlands have accumulated one third of the Earth's soil carbon stock since the last Ice Age. Rapid warming across northern biomes threatens to accelerate rates of peatland ecosystem respiration. Despite compensatory increases in net primary production, greater ecosystem respiration could signal the release of ancient, century‐ to millennia‐old carbon from the peatland organic matter stock. Warming has already been shown to promote ancient peatland carbon release, but, despite the key role of vegetation in carbon dynamics, little is known about how plants influence the source of peatland ecosystem respiration. Here, we address this issue using in situ ¹⁴C measurements of ecosystem respiration on an established peatland warming and vegetation manipulation experiment. Results show that warming of approximately 1 °C promotes respiration of ancient peatland carbon (up to 2100 years old) when dwarf‐shrubs or graminoids are present, an effect not observed when only bryophytes are present. We demonstrate that warming likely promotes ancient peatland carbon release via its control over organic inputs from vascular plants. Our findings suggest that dwarf‐shrubs and graminoids prime microbial decomposition of previously ‘locked‐up’ organic matter from potentially deep in the peat profile, facilitating liberation of ancient carbon as CO₂. Furthermore, such plant‐induced peat respiration could contribute up to 40% of ecosystem CO₂ emissions. If consistent across other subarctic and arctic ecosystems, this represents a considerable fraction of ecosystem respiration that is currently not acknowledged by global carbon cycle models. Ultimately, greater contribution of ancient carbon to ecosystem respiration may signal the loss of a previously stable peatland carbon pool, creating potential feedbacks to future climate change.     

独立学院生物化学实验课程的改革与实践

随着知识经济和人才需求的不断发展和提高,教育模式显得相对滞后,严重影响了学生创新思维和应用能力的培养。独立学院生物化学实验教学改革,包括优化实验教学体系,完善实验教学内容,改革实验教学方法和实验考核方式等方面,从而达到独立学院培养应用型人才的目的。     

青藏高原高寒草甸生长期CO2排放对气温升高的响应

采用高度分别为0.4 m(OTC-1)和0.8 m(OTC-2)的开顶式增温小室(open top champers,OTCs),对青藏高原高寒草甸生态系统进行模拟增温处理,研究了高寒草甸生态系统的CO2排放强度及过程对气温升高的响应.结果表明:在平均气温分别提高1.25℃(OTC-1)和3.68℃(OTC-2)的条件下,对照及2种不同幅度增温处理高寒草甸生态系统CO2排放通量表现出明显的季节变化特征,并同时在植被生长旺盛期(7-8月)达到峰值,分别为2.31、2.35和6.38μmol·m-2·s-1;CO2排放通量在不同季节都表现出随增温幅度的升高而逐渐增大的趋势,表明随着气温升高,CO2排放通量逐渐增大;不同处理CO2排放通量与气温、5 cm土壤温度和5 cm土壤含水量之间表现出显著的相关关系,CO2排放通量与气温及5 cm土壤温度之间均符合指数关系,而与5 cm土壤含水量之间则符合二次多项式关系.     

Serum free prostate-specific antigen and zinc levels in experimental acute pancreatitis

Serum free prostate-specific antigen (fPSA) is the most useful tumor marker for prostatic cancer screening. However, recently, fPSA has also been detected in sera from patients with pancreatic diseases. In addition, it has been shown that zinc (Zn) concentration might change in both serum and tissues in pancreatic disease. In the present study, we measured serum concentrations of fPSA and Zn as possible markers and prognostic factors in an experimental acute-pancreatitis model. Twenty-five female Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups: the control group (n=10) and the experimental group (n=15). Acute pancreatitis was induced by injection of ethyl alcohol into the common biliary duct. The animals were sacrificed 24 h later to detect the concentrations of serum fPSA and Zn. fPSA values were detected to be significantly higher in the experimental group p<0.001). There was also a significant decrease in the serum Zn level of the acute-pancreatitis group (p<0.001). In conclusion, these findings suggested that a combination of these parameters might represent a significant improvement on the diagnostic value of each of them separately and provide a powerful tool for differential diagnosis and prognosis in pancreatic diseases.     

Increasing ocean temperature reduces the metabolic performance and swimming ability of coral reef damselfishes

Tropical coral reef teleosts are exclusively ectotherms and their capacity for physical and physiological performance is therefore directly influenced by ambient temperature. This study examined the effect of increased water temperature to 3 °C above ambient on the swimming and metabolic performance of 10 species of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) representing evolutionary lineages from two subfamilies and four genera. Five distinct performance measures were tested: (a) maximum swimming speed (U_crit), (b) gait‐transition speed (the speed at which they change from strictly pectoral to pectoral‐and‐caudal swimming, U_p?c), (c) maximum aerobic metabolic rate (MO_2?MAX), (d) resting metabolic rate (MO_2?REST), and (e) aerobic scope (ratio of MO_2?MAX to MO_2?REST, A_SC). Relative to the control (29 °C), increased temperature (32 °C) had a significant negative effect across all performance measures examined, with the magnitude of the effect varying greatly among closely related species and genera. Specifically, five species spanning three genera (Dascyllus, Neopomacentrus and Pomacentrus) showed severe reductions in swimming performance with U_crit reduced in these species by 21.3–27.9% and U_p?c by 32.6–51.3%. Furthermore, five species spanning all four genera showed significant reductions in metabolic performance with aerobic scope reduced by 24.3–64.9%. Comparisons of remaining performance capacities with field conditions indicate that 32 °C water temperatures will leave multiple species with less swimming capacity than required to overcome the water flows commonly found in their respective coral reef habitats. Consequently, unless adaptation is possible, significant loss of species may occur if ocean warming of ≥3 °C arises.     

构建生物药物分析实验教学改革新模式

生物药物分析实验是生物药物分析理论课程的重要补充,是培养学生掌握和巩固理论知识以及实验操作技能的重要途径。为适应现代高等教育对本科生的培养要求,对生物药物分析原有单一的实验教学模式进行改革已势在必行。我学院生物药物分析实验教学改革从实验教学内容、实验教学方法、实验教学手段等方面进行实践探索,建立了"验证性-综合设计性实验教学"、"科研-实验教学相结合"、"开放式实验教学"等新型的实验教学模式,在近几年的本科实验教学活动中,对于培养学生的实际操作能力、独立分析问题和解决问题的能力,团队协作等方面的能力起到了明显的效果,受到学生好评。     

三种控释肥在赤红壤中的氧化亚氮排放

采用静态箱收集和对比法,研究了无作物种植条件下包膜与否对高氮、均衡及高钾3种氮磷钾配比复合肥在华南赤红壤发育的菜园土中氧化亚氮(N2O)排放情况.结果表明:肥料氮磷钾配比不同,N2O排放量差异显著,3种类型复合肥N2O累积排放量表现为均衡型≥高氮型＞高钾型;同一类型复合肥,包膜控释能显著降低N2O排放量,包膜控释高氮、均衡及高钾型复合肥N2O排放总量分别为不包膜复合肥N2O排放量的34.4％、30.5％和89.3％;与不包膜相比,复合肥包膜能降低肥料在土壤中的N2O日排放通量,滞后和削减N2O排放高峰,减少土壤氮素损失以及由N2O排放造成的全球增温潜势.     

Bioethanol production from sugarcane and emissions of greenhouse gases – known and unknowns

Bioethanol production from sugarcane is discussed as an alternative energy source to reduce dependencies of regional economies on fossil fuels. Even though bioethanol production from sugarcane is considered to be a beneficial and cost‐effective greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategy, it is still a matter of controversy due to insufficient information on the total GHG balance of this system. Aside from the necessity to account for the impact of land use change (LUC), soil N₂O emissions during sugarcane production and emissions of GHG due to preharvest burning may significantly impact the GHG balance. Based on a thorough literature review, we show that direct N₂O emissions from sugarcane fields due to nitrogen (N) fertilization result in an emission factor of 3.87±1.16% which is much higher than suggested by IPCC (1%). N₂O emissions from N fertilization accounted for 40% of the total GHG emissions from ethanol–sugarcane production, with an additional 17% from trash burning. If LUC‐related GHG emissions are considered, the total GHG balance turns negative mainly due to vegetation carbon losses. Our study also shows that major gaps in knowledge still exist about GHG sources related to agricultural management during sugarcane production, e.g. effects of irrigation, vinasse and filter cake application. Therefore, more studies are needed to assess if bioethanol from sugarcane is a viable option to reduce energy‐related GHG emissions.     

Stomatal acclimation to vapour pressure deficit doubles transpiration of small tree seedlings with warming

Future climate change is expected to increase temperature (T) and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in many regions, but the effect of persistent warming on plant stomatal behaviour is highly uncertain. We investigated the effect of experimental warming of 1.9–5.1 °C and increased VPD of 0.5–1.3 kPa on transpiration and stomatal conductance (g_s) of tree seedlings in the temperate forest understory (Duke Forest, North Carolina, USA). We observed peaked responses of transpiration to VPD in all seedlings, and the optimum VPD for transpiration (D_opt) shifted proportionally with increasing chamber VPD. Warming increased mean water use of Carya by 140% and Quercus by 150%, but had no significant effect on water use of Acer. Increased water use of ring‐porous species was attributed to (1) higher air T and (2) stomatal acclimation to VPD resulting in higher g_s and more sensitive stomata, and thereby less efficient water use. Stomatal acclimation maintained homeostasis of leaf T and carbon gain despite increased VPD, revealing that short‐term stomatal responses to VPD may not be representative of long‐term exposure. Acclimation responses differ from expectations of decreasing g_s with increasing VPD and may necessitate revision of current models based on this assumption.