Land use intensification in grasslands: higher trophic levels are more negatively affected than lower trophic levels

Increasing land use intensity and human influence are leading to a reduction in plant and animal species diversity. However, little is known about how these changes may affect higher trophic levels, apart from simply reducing species numbers. Here we investigated, over 3 years, the influence of different land practices on a tritrophic system in grassland habitats. The system consisted of the host plant Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae), two monophagous weevils, Mecinus labilis Herbst and Mecinus pascuorum Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and their parasitoid Mesopolobus incultus Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). At over 70 sites across three geographic regions in Germany, we measured plant species diversity and vegetation structure, as well as abundance of P. lanceolata, the two weevils, and the parasitoid. Land use intensity (fertilization) and type (mowing vs. grazing) negatively affected not only plant species richness but also the occurrence of the two specialized herbivores and their parasitoid. In contrast, land use had a mostly positive effect on host plant size, vegetation structure, and parasitization rate. This study reveals that intensification of land use influences higher trophic organisms even without affecting the availability of the host plant. The observed relationships between land use, vegetation complexity, and the tritrophic system are not restricted locally; rather they are measureable along a broad range of environmental conditions and years throughout Germany. Our findings may have important implications for the conservation of insect species of nutrient‐poor grasslands.     

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Saudi Arabia

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) testing is the practice of obtaining a cellular biopsy sample from a developing human oocyte or embryo, acquired via a cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF); evaluating the genetic composition of this sample; and using this information to determine which embryos will be optimal for subsequent uterine transfer. PGD has become an increasingly useful adjunct to IVF procedures. The ability to provide couples who are known carriers of genetic abnormalities the opportunity to deliver healthy babies has opened a new frontier in reproductive medicine. The purpose of the PGD is enables us to choose which embryos will be implanted into the mother. In the present study 137 families who had undergone IVF at Habib Medical Centre, were enrolled for the PGD analysis. The couple visited the clinic for the sex selection, recurrent fetal loss and with the recurrent IVF failure. 802 embryos were tested by the biopsy method and 512 are found to be normal and 290 were abnormal embryos. In this study only 24% of the embryos were transferred and the remaining was not transferred because of the abnormalities or undesired sex of the embryos. The structural and numerical abnormalities were found to be 16.8%.     

长期施肥对紫色土农田土壤动物群落的影响

土壤动物在陆地生态系统物质循环和能量流动中起着重要作用,直接或间接的参与土壤有机质的分解与矿化;长期施肥对土壤理化性质产生影响的同时,改变了土壤动物群落组成.为查明紫色土长期施肥对土壤动物群落的影响及其响应关系,于2008年的5、7、9和11月分别对紫色土农田无肥对照(CK)、单施氮肥(N)、常规化肥氮磷钾(NPK)、有机肥(OM)、有机肥与化肥氮磷钾混施(OMNPK)、秸秆还田(RSD)和秸秆还田与化肥氮磷钾混施(RSDNPK)等7种长期施肥定位试验地的土壤动物群落进行调查,采用改良的干漏斗和湿漏斗两种方法,共获得土壤动物9454只,隶属7门17纲24目.分析表明,OM和RSDNPK两种施肥方式下土壤动物群落的多样性显著高于CK、N和NPK等3种施肥方式,说明有机物料的长期投入有利于提高土壤动物群落丰富度和多样性.方差分析表明施肥方式对土壤动物主要类群密度的影响差异性极显著(F=42.412,P=0.0001),对土壤动物群落类群影响存在不均衡性.施肥方式主要影响农田土壤动物类群的种群个体数量、线虫动物门个体数量、大蚓类个体数量、甲螨亚目个体数量、密度-类群指数DG及土壤动物群落类群数等六个指标,初步认为这些主要类群因素能够预测长期施肥引起的土壤肥力变化,可能对指示土壤质量的变化具有一定潜力.     

盐胁迫下施肥对棉花生长及氮素利用的影响

利用海水配制不同含盐量(0、0.15%、0.3%)的土壤盆栽棉花,在可移动遮雨棚内研究了不同施肥(N、NK、NP、NPK)处理对棉花生长、氮素吸收与利用的影响.结果表明: 盐胁迫和施肥均影响棉花生物产量、棉株氮素农学利用效率、氮素生物利用效率和氮素积累量,且两者存在显著的互作效应.施肥能提高盐胁迫下棉株氮素利用效率及氮素积累量,并显著增产,不同施肥处理中以N、P、K肥料配合施用的效果最好;施肥效果受盐胁迫程度的影响,低盐胁迫(0.15%)下的施肥效果好于中度盐胁迫(0.3%).     

Nitrogen fertilization increases diversity and productivity of prairie communities used for bioenergy

Using prairie biomass as a renewable source of energy may constitute an important opportunity to improve the environmental sustainability of managed land. To date, assessments of the feasibility of using prairies for bioenergy production have focused on marginal areas with low yield potential. Growing prairies on more fertile soil or with moderate levels of fertilization may be an effective means of increasing yields, but increased fertility often reduces plant community diversity. At a fertile site in central Iowa with high production potential, we tested the hypothesis that nitrogen fertilization would increase aboveground biomass production but would decrease diversity of prairies sown and managed for bioenergy production. Over a 3 year period (years 2–4 after seeding), we measured aboveground biomass after plant senescence and species and functional‐group diversity in June and August for multispecies mixtures of prairie plants that received no fertilizer or 84 kg N ha^?1 year^?1. We found that nitrogen fertilization increased aboveground biomass production, but with or without fertilization, the prairies produced a substantial amount of biomass: averaging (±SE) 12.2 ± 1.3 and 9.1 ± 1.0 Mg ha^?1 in fertilized and unfertilized prairies, respectively. Unfertilized prairies had higher species diversity in June, whereas fertilized prairies had higher species diversity in August at the end of the study period. Functional‐group diversity was almost always higher in fertilized prairies. Composition of unfertilized prairies was characterized by native C₄ grasses and legumes, whereas fertilized prairies were characterized by native C₃ grasses and forbs. Although most research has found that nitrogen fertilization reduces prairie diversity, our results indicate that early‐spring nitrogen fertilization, when used with a postsenescence annual harvest, may increase prairie diversity. Managing prairies for bioenergy production, including the judicious use of fertilization, may be an effective means of increasing the amount of saleable products from managed lands while potentially increasing plant diversity.     

NH4 : NO3 nutrition influence on biomass productivity and root respiration of poplar and willow clones

Nitrogen fertilization often improves the yield of intensively managed, short‐rotation coppices. However, information of N nutrition form on the growth of common species and clones used for biomass production is limited. Thus, this study aims at evaluating N form effects on the growth of two Salicaceae clones. Cuttings of the poplar clone Max 4 (Populus maximovizcii × P. nigra) and the willow clone Inger (Salix triandra × S. viminialis) were fertilized in a pot experiment with four ratios of nitrate (NO₃^?) to ammonium (50%, 62.5%, 75% and 87.5% NO₃^? balanced with ammonium (NH₄⁺) to constant total N) for one growing season and under stable soil pH. Plants were harvested for analysis of biomass and morphology of leaves, stem and roots. Respiration of fine and coarse roots (RR) was determined and related to biomass growth. Salix cv. Inger accumulated more total dry matter than Populus cv. Max 4. In both Salicaceae clones, the total biomass was significantly influenced by the nitrate ratio and greatest in plants fertilized with 50% NO₃^? of the total N supply. Both clones possess a different leaf and root morphology, but no significant influence of the NO₃^? ratio on the morphology was found. Fine RR rates differed significantly between clones, with significantly greater fine RR in Max 4; 87.5% NO₃^? fertilization increased the fine RR. Fine RR and total accumulated plant biomass were closely related. Our study is the first to show the tremendous influence of fine root respiration, especially including the carbon‐intensive reduction of NO₃^? to NH₄⁺, on the aboveground growth of Salicaceae clones. Ways to improve yield in SRC are thus to lower the assimilate consumption by fine roots and to match fertilization regimes to the used clones or vice versa.     

The hydatidiform mole

ABSTRACT

The hydatidiform mole (HM) is a placental pathology of androgenetic origin. Placental villi have an abnormal hyperproliferation event and hydropic degeneration. Three situations can be envisaged at its origin: 1. The destruction/expulsion of the female pronucleus at the time of fertilization by 1 or 2 spermatozoa with the former being followed by an endoreplication of the male pronucleus leading to a complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) 2. A triploid zygote (fertilization by 2 spermatozoa) leading to a partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) but can also lead to haploid and diploid clones. The diploid clone may produce a normal fetus while the haploid clone after endoreplication generates a CHM 3. A nutritional defect during the differentiation of the oocytes or the deterioration of the limited oxygen pressure during the first trimester of gestation may lead to the formation of a HM.

In countries with poor medical health care system, moles (mainly the CHM) can become invasive or, in rare cases, lead to gestational choriocarcinomas.     

油橄榄授粉受精和胚胎发育过程观察

该研究以油橄榄“鄂植-8”为材料,应用压片荧光观察花粉在柱头和花柱中的萌发及生长情况,采用石蜡制片法观察油橄榄的胚珠结构特点和授粉受精过程。结果表明：油橄榄为1子房2心室4胚珠,珠心较发达,由多层细胞构成,属于厚珠心椭圆型胚珠,胚珠直生;花开时花粉粒落到柱头上立刻萌发,随后花粉管在花粉通道中生长,再后进入子房经子房内表面,大部分花粉管不能到达胚珠,仅少数沿胎座生长经珠柄进入珠孔,释放2个精子,2个精核分别进入卵细胞和极核,并与卵核及极核相互融合;观察到合子中雌、雄性核仁融合的过程。授粉受精各阶段经历的时间为花粉落到柱头上立刻萌发;授粉后6d左右,花粉管长入胚珠的珠孔,随后释放精子;10 d左右完成授粉受精,30 d左右形成心型胚,40 d左右胚发育几乎成熟。在进行子房石蜡切片中,共观察到612个完整子房切片,发育完整的子房为97.53％,完成授粉受精的胚珠为15.52％。油橄榄在自然授粉下,约85％的胚珠授粉受精过程不能完成,在一定程度上影响其坐果。该研究结果为油橄榄授粉受精、高效生产等提供了理论依据。     

Disentangling the role of management,vegetation structure,and plant quality for Orthoptera in lowland meadows

Seminatural grasslands provide habitats for various species and are important for biodiversity conservation. The understanding of the diverse responses of species and traits to different grassland managenient methods is therefore urgently needed. We disentangled the role of grassland management (fertilization and irrigation), vegetation structure (biomass, sward height) and plant quality (protein and fiber content) for Orthoptera communities in lowland hay meadows in Germany. We found vegetation structure to be the most important environmental category in explaining community structure of Orthoptera (species richness, total individuals, fiinctional diversity and species composition). Intensively used meadows (fertilized, irrigated, high plant biomass) were characterized by assemblages with few species, low functional diversity, and low conservation value. Thereby, the relatively moderate fertilizer inputs in our study system of up to -75 kg N/ha/year reduced functional diversity of Orthoptera, while this negative effect of fertilization was not detectable when solely considering taxonomic aspects. We found strong support for a prominent role of plant quality in shaping Orthoptera communities and especially the trait composition. Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of considering both taxonomic and functional comp on ents (functio nal diversity) in biodiversity research and we suggest a stronger involvement of plant quality measures in Orthoptera studies.     

辅酶Q10联合金凤丸对体外授精-胚胎移植患者卵巢功能及子宫内膜容受性的影响

目的:探讨辅酶Q10联合金凤丸对体外授精-胚胎移植患者卵巢功能及子宫内膜容受性的影响。方法:选择2017年7月～2017年10月接诊的185例体外授精-胚胎移植患者进行研究,通过随机数表法将其分为观察组(n=95)和对照组(n=90)。对照组采用金凤丸进行治疗,观察组在对照组的基础上加用辅酶Q10进行治疗。治疗后,比较两组血清卵泡刺激素(FSH)、促黄体生成素(LH)、睾酮(T)、雌二醇(E_2)、胰岛素(INS)、子宫内膜厚度、孕激素(P)水平、获卵数、受精率及妊娠率。结果:治疗后,两组患者血清FSH、LH、T、E_2、INS水平均较治疗前明显下降,且观察组以上指标水平均显著低于对照组(P0.05);两组患者子宫内膜厚度和血清P水平均较治疗前明显升高,且观察组以上指标均显著高于对照组(P0.05);两组患者获卵数无明显差异,观察组患者受精率、妊娠率均显著高于对照组(P0.05)。结论:辅酶Q10联合金凤丸可明显增加子宫内膜厚度,提高妊娠率。