Gopher Tortoise Demographic Responses to a Novel Disturbance Regime

The long-term viability of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations is jeopardized by increased urbanization and habitat degradation owing to fire suppression. Because the species' remaining natural habitats in the southeastern United States exist within a mosaic of anthropogenic land uses, it is important to understand demographic responses to contrasting land uses and habitat management regimes. We examined differences in demographic parameters among fire-suppressed sandhill, restored sandhill, and former sandhill (i.e., ruderal) land use-land cover (LULC) types at Archbold Biological Station in south-central Florida, USA. Using Program MARK, we estimated population size, and sex-specific and LULC-specific survivorship based on 6 years of mark-recapture data. We also analyzed individual growth trajectories and clutch sizes to determine whether growth rates or reproductive output differed among LULC types. Tortoises in an open, ruderal field occurred at a higher density (7.79/ha) than in adjacent restored (1.43/ha) or fire-suppressed (0.40/ha) sandhill. Despite this higher density, both adult survivorship and body size were significantly higher in the ruderal field. Furthermore, the larger female body size in the ruderal field likely contributed to increased annual survivorship and slightly larger average clutch sizes. We did not detect offsetting negative demographic effects; in particular, we did not find significant biological or statistical differences in body condition, asymptotic body size, or growth rate among the 3 LULC types. Our results suggest that anthropogenic, grass-dominated land-cover types may be important components of the habitat mosaic currently available to this at-risk species. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.     

THE WATTLED CRANE BUGERANUS CARUNCULATUS (GMELIN)

The southern African endemic Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana has two geographically isolated populations. Little is known about the smaller eastern population, which is restricted to the Polokwane Plateau, South Africa. To provide input for a conservation strategy for the eastern population, this study evaluated its habitat preference. Territories previously supporting Short-clawed Lark (1995–2005) were visited in the 2008/09 breeding season. Biophysical habitat parameters were measured at each site to determine the differences between active territories and those no longer active. Active territories had significantly less grass cover, more bare ground, shorter grass, smaller trees and had burned more recently. Bush encroachment and a reduction in the fire frequency were identified as serious threats to the Short-clawed Lark. However, overgrazing and harvesting of wood in rural areas may benefit the species.     

Fire mediated patterns of population densities in mountain big sagebrush bird communities

We employed a chronosequence approach to evaluate patterns of bird abundance in relation to post-fire vegetation recovery in mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata vaseyana). We estimated population density for 12 species of birds within the perimeters of 4 fires that had undergone 8–20 years of vegetation recovery and on adjacent unburned areas in the northwestern Great Basin, USA. Six species showed negative responses to fire persisting up to 20 years. Two species showed positive responses with effects persisting for <20 years. Understory vegetation was similar between burned and unburned areas irrespective of recovery time, and shrub canopy cover was similar between burned and unburned sites after 20 years of recovery. Persistent reductions in bird densities lead us to conclude that shrub canopy cover alone is not a sufficient metric for predicting recovery of songbird abundances following disturbance in mountain big sagebrush. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.     

Joint distribution of first exit times of a two dimensional Wiener process with jumps with application to a pair of coupled neurons

Motivated by a neuronal modeling problem, a bivariate Wiener process with two independent components is considered. Each component evolves independently until one of them reaches a threshold value. If the first component crosses the threshold value, it is reset while the dynamics of the other component remains unchanged. But, if this happens to the second component, the first one has a jump of constant amplitude; the second component is then reset to its starting value and its evolution restarts. Both processes evolve once again until one of them reaches again its boundary. In this work, the coupling of the first exit times of the two connected processes is studied.     

The Fire Refuge Value of Patches of a Fire‐Sensitive Tree in Fire‐prone Savannas: Callitris intratropica in Northern Australia

Patches of fire‐sensitive vegetation often occur within fire‐prone tropical savannas, and are indicative of localized areas where fire regimes are less severe. These may act as important fire refugia for fire‐sensitive biota. The fire‐sensitive tree Callitris intratropica occurs in small patches throughout the fire‐prone northern Australian savannas, and is widely seen as an indicator of low‐severity fire regimes and of good ecosystem health. Here, we address the question: to what extent do Callitris patches act as refuges for other fire‐sensitive biota, and therefore play a broader conservation role? We contrast floral and faunal species composition between Callitris patches and surrounding eucalypt savanna, using three case studies. In the first case study, a floristic analysis of 47 Callitris patches across Western Australia's Kimberley region showed that woody species in these patches were overwhelmingly widespread, fire‐tolerant savanna taxa. No species of special conservation concern occurred disproportionately within Callitris patches. Similarly, there was no concentration of fire‐sensitive fauna or flora in five Callitris patches in the East Kimberley. Finally, there was no difference in ant species composition among 12 Callitris patches and surrounding eucalypt savannas in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, and there were no fire‐sensitive ant species in Callitris patches. Our three case studies from throughout the northwestern Australia provide no evidence that Callitris patches act as important refuges for fire‐sensitive flora or fauna within fire‐prone eucalypt savannas. This calls into question the notion that Callitris is a strong indicator of general ecosystem health.     

火后泥石流研究进展

林火次生灾害的发生对环境质量和人类的健康与安全具有重要影响.火后泥石流是最危险的林火次生灾害之一,了解其发生条件、掌握其发生状况,是火后灾害风险评估的重要基础.本文从植被、降雨阈值、物源3方面阐述了火对泥石流的影响,分析了火后泥石流起动的地形地质、降雨、坡面条件以及浅层滑坡与地表径流引发火后泥石流的起动机制,并综述了火后泥石流预测预报与治理措施的研究进展.最后提出了在未来的研究中应该着重关注4个方面:量化火行为及环境因子与火后泥石流的关系;火后泥石流起动、运动过程的定量分析;火后泥石流机理模型研究;火后泥石流快速高效治理措施研究.     

Purification and Properties of Polyol: NADP Oxidoreductase from Pichia quercuum

In order to explain the fermentation mechanism of xylitol production from d-xylose by Pichia quercuum, enzymatic study was carried out. Three kinds of enzymes that catalyzed the reduction of d-xylose to xylitol were purified from the extract of the yeast cells by ammonium sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, hydroxylapatite chromatography and disc electrophoresis. The purification showed 27-fold, 135-fold and 93-fold increases of specific activities of reductase I, IIa and lib, respectively, over the crude extract. The reductase Ha was homogeneous in disc gel electrophoresis. The activity ratio of reductase I: IIa: IIb in the crude extract was estimated to be approximately 2: 1:1. The three enzymes were active with a variety of aldoses and had a specific requirement for NADPH. On the basis of the substrate specificity, coenzyme requirement and the stoichiometry of the reaction, the enzymes belong to polyol: NADP oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.21, trivial name, aldose reductase). The molecular weights for reductase I, IIa and IIb were estimated to be 160,000, 61,000 and 61,000, respectively, by gel filtration. Disc gel electrophoresis suggested that reductase Ila and lib were charge isomeric proteins with the same molecular size. Some other properties of the three enzymes were also described.     

Impact of the invasion of the imported fire ant

The impact of the imported fire ant (IFA) is complex, in large part, because several very different species of “Fire Ants” have invaded and one of these has two forms, all of which are hard to separate by the public, as well as, some investigators not focused on the ant. Each of these different “IFA” species and forms differ in their impact. Further, these ants impact a number of “things” ranging from the environment and wildlife (plants and animals) as well as people, their environment and infrastructure. In addition, they can not only lead to death of living things (including people), but they can destroy many aspects of our environment and infrastructure at the cost of millions of dollars. But there are some beneficial aspects and some people can make many thousands of dollars due to their presence. This is an attempt to look at these issues.     

抑制瘢痕细胞中串珠素表达对Ⅰ型胶原蛋白生成量的影响

目的：硬膜外瘢痕,又叫硬膜外纤维化,是指在硬膜外腔的手术涉及范围内形成的瘢痕组织或纤维化,是机体对创伤的修复反应。瘢痕的粘连和收缩会牵拉硬膜和神经根,限制其活动,被瘢痕包绕的神经根受到非正常的牵拉和挤压,神经纤维的轴浆运输、动脉血供、静脉回流受阻,神经根和背侧神经节对机械压迫很敏感,会产生一系列症状,如疼痛、麻木及下肢肌力降低等。近年来,对硬膜外瘢痕防治的研究大多是椎板切除术后如何通过物理或化学屏障来减少术后因瘢痕粘连导致的并发症。但对通过瘢痕形成过程中抑制其主要构成成分的生成来减轻椎板切除术后硬膜外瘢痕形成的相关研究还较少。通过减少椎板切除术后硬膜外瘢痕主要成分Ⅰ型胶原蛋白的生成来实现抑制椎板切除术后硬膜外瘢痕的形成。方法：选用30只250克两月鼠龄的SD雄性大鼠随机按1、2、3、4、5、6周分为6组,行后路4、5腰椎全椎板切除术。术后1、2、3、4、5、6周时每周取一组大鼠全锥板切除术后硬膜后方瘢痕组织,分别行病理切片HE染色,组织块贴壁法细胞培养。筛选第三周瘢痕组织培养的成纤维细胞进行慢病毒干扰串珠素表达并设对照组,通过Western-blot、RT-PCR分析Ⅰ型胶原蛋白生成量与对照组的差别并进行统计学分析。结果：慢病毒干扰小组Ⅰ型胶原蛋白生成量较对照组及纯病毒组明显减少（RT-PCR F=509.331,q A,B=-43.371,P〈0.01,q A,C=-46.133,P〈0.01,Western-Blot F=337.578;q A,B=-112.433,P〈0.01,q A,C=-89.227,P〈0.01）。结论：干扰串珠素表达能有效减少术后硬膜外瘢痕成纤维细胞生成Ⅰ型胶原蛋白,对抑制椎板切除术后硬膜外瘢痕形成应有一定作用。通过慢病毒介导的shRNA干扰成纤维细胞中的串珠素后,其生成的Ⅰ型胶原蛋白量与对照组相比较差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,这说明通过抑制瘢痕成纤维细胞的串珠素表达能够有效减少Ⅰ型胶原蛋白的生成。这种方法不论从Ⅰ型胶原蛋白是瘢痕主要构成成分方面,还是Ⅰ型胶原蛋白在瘢痕生成过程中分泌胶原中占得比例增多导致机体由胎儿期的无瘢痕愈合转化至成体的瘢痕愈合这个方面来将,理论上都能够做到有效地抑制、减少硬膜外瘢痕的形成,因此通过干扰硬膜外成纤维细胞串珠素表达从而达到抑制硬膜外瘢痕的形成这一理论是可行的,为进一步进行椎板切除术后抑制硬膜外瘢痕形成的体内试验奠定了理论基础。