Land use induced changes of organic carbon storage in soils of China

Using the data compiled from China's second national soil survey and an improved method of soil carbon bulk density, we have estimated the changes of soil organic carbon due to land use, and compared the spatial distribution and storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) in cultivated soils and noncultivated soils in China. The results reveal that ～ 57% of the cultivated soil subgroups ( ～ 31% of the total soil surface) have experienced a significant carbon loss, ranging from 40% to 10% relative to their noncultivated counterparts. The most significant carbon loss is observed for the non‐irrigated soils (dry farmland) within a semiarid/semihumid belt from northeastern to southwestern China, with the maximum loss occurring in northeast China. On the contrary, SOC has increased in the paddy and irrigated soils in northwest China. No significant change is observed for forest soils in southern China, grassland and desert soils in northwest China, as well as irrigated soils in eastern China. The SOC storage and density under noncultivated conditions in China are estimated to ～ 77.4 Pg (10¹⁵ g) and ～ 8.8 kg C m^?2, respectively, compared to a SOC storage of ～ 70.3 Pg and an average SOC density of ～ 8.0 kg C m^?2 under the present‐day conditions. This suggests a loss of ～ 7.1 Pg SOC and a decrease of ～ 0.8 kg C m^?2 SOC density due to increasing human activities, in which the loss in organic horizons has contributed to ～ 77%. This total loss of SOC in China induced by land use represents ～ 9.5% of the world's SOC decrease. This amount is equivalent to ～ 3.5 ppmv of the atmospheric CO₂ increase. Since ～ 78% of the currently cultivated soils in China have been degraded to a low/medium productivities and are responsible for most of the SOC loss, an improved land management, such as the development of irrigated and paddy land uses, would have a considerable potential in restoring the SOC storage. Assuming a restoration of ～ 50% of the lost SOC during the next 20–50 years, the soils in China would absorb ～ 3.5 Pg of carbon from the atmosphere.     

Effect of parity on bone mineral density in female rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago

This cross-sectional study investigates the relationship between parity, bone mineral density, and spontaneous osteopenia/osteoporosis in a large skeletal population of female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) from the free-ranging colony of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. The sample consists of 119 mature female monkeys aged 4.0-22.2 years at time of death. The data consist of measurements of bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), obtained from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) of the last lumbar vertebra. After controlling for age, there is a significant increase in BMD of the spine with increasing parity (P = 0.0006), up to a parity of 7 offspring. Thus, high parity initially has a positive effect on BMD in female rhesus monkeys, but this positive effect disappears with parities that are greater than 7 offspring. After controlling for parity, however, age has a negative (P = 0.015) effect on BMD, beginning several years after the attainment of peak BMD (age 9.5 years). Thus, it appears that parity initially mitigates the effects of aging, but the positive effect of parity on BMD is eventually overwhelmed by the aging process. Mean BMC and BMD values are higher in parous females compared to nulliparous females in the same age range. Similarly, females with low parity have significantly lower mean BMD values than do age-matched high-parity controls, and the frequency of osteopenia and osteoporosis is greater in low-parity females. Forty-three percent (43%) of the osteopenic/osteoporotic females in the sample are members of the low-parity group, even though it composes only 13% (16/119) of the entire sample. This study demonstrates that the free-ranging female rhesus monkeys from Cayo Santiago are a good nonhuman primate model for the study of bone mineral density, parity, osteopenia, and osteoporosis.     

HomeRange: A global database of mammalian home ranges

Motivation

Home range is a common measure of use of space by animals because it provides ecological information that is useful for conservation applications. In macroecological studies, values are typically aggregated to species means to examine general patterns of use of space by animals. However, this ignores the environmental context in which the home range was estimated and does not account for intraspecific variation in home range size. In addition, the focus of macroecological studies on home ranges has historically been biased towards terrestrial mammals. The use of aggregated numbers and the terrestrial focus limit our ability to examine home-range patterns across different environments, their variation in time and variation between different levels of organization. Here, we introduce HomeRange, a global database with 75,611 home-range values across 960 different species of mammals, including terrestrial, aquatic and aerial species.

Main types of variables contained

The dataset contains estimates of home ranges of mammals, species names, methodological information on data collection, method of home-range estimation, period of data collection, study coordinates and name of location, in addition to species traits derived from the studies, such as body mass, life stage, reproductive status and locomotor habit.

Spatial location and grain

The collected data are distributed globally. Across studies, the spatial accuracy varies, with the coarsest resolution being 1°.

Time period and grain

The data represent information published between 1939 and 2022. Across studies, the temporal accuracy varies; some studies report start and end dates specific to the day, whereas for other studies only the month or year is reported.

Major taxa and level of measurement

Mammalian species from 24 of the 27 different taxonomic orders. Home-range estimates range from individual-level values to population-level averages.

Software format

Data are supplied as a comma-delimited text file (.csv) and can be loaded directly into R using the “HomeRange” R package ( https://github.com/SHoeks/HomeRange ).     

Natural products as modulators of the nuclear receptors and metabolic sensors LXR,FXR and RXR

Nuclear receptors (NRs) represent attractive targets for the treatment of metabolic syndrome-related diseases. In addition, natural products are an interesting pool of potential ligands since they have been refined under evolutionary pressure to interact with proteins or other biological targets.This review aims to briefly summarize current basic knowledge regarding the liver X (LXR) and farnesoid X receptors (FXR) that form permissive heterodimers with retinoid X receptors (RXR). Natural product-based ligands for these receptors are summarized and the potential of LXR, FXR and RXR as targets in precision medicine is discussed.     

On the Balance of Intercalation and Conversion Reactions in Battery Cathodes

A thermodynamic analysis of the driving forces is presented for intercalation and conversion reactions in battery cathodes across a range of possible working ion, transition metal, and anion chemistries. Using this body of results, the importance of polymorph selection as well as chemical composition on the ability of a host cathode to support intercalation reactions is analyzed. It is found that the accessibility of high energy charged polymorphs in oxides generally leads to larger intercalation voltages favoring intercalation reactions, whereas sulfides and selenides tend to favor conversion reactions. Furthermore, it is observed that Cr‐containing cathodes favor intercalation more strongly than those with other transition metals. Finally, it is concluded that two‐electron reduction of transition metals (as is possible with the intercalation of a 2 + ion) will favor conversion reactions in the compositions studied.     

Habitat assessment by parasitoids: consequences for population distribution

The ideal free distribution (IFD) is a stable distribution ofcompetitors among resource patches. For equally efficient competitors,equilibrium is reached when the per capita rate of intake equalizesacross patches. The seminal version of the IFD assumes omniscience,but populations may still converge toward the equilibrium providedthat competitors 1) accurately assess their environment by learningand 2) remain for an optimal (rate-maximizing) time on eachencountered patch. In the companion article (Tentelier C, DesouhantE, Fauvergue X. 2006. Habitat assessment by parasitoids: mechanismsfor patch time allocation. Behav Ecol. Forthcoming), it is shownthat the parasitoid wasp Lysiphlebus testaceipes adapts itsexploitation of aphid host colonies based on previous experience,in a manner consistent with these two conditions. We thereforepredicted that a randomly distributed population of initiallynaive wasps should converge toward the IFD. We tested this predictionby introducing 1300 L. testaceipes females into a 110-m² greenhousecontaining 40 host patches. Just after introduction, the parasitoidrate of gain was positively affected by host number and negativelyaffected by parasitoid number but, as predicted, these effectsvanished in the course of the experiment. Six hours after introduction,the expected rate of gain reached a constant. Surprisingly,this passage through equilibrium was not accompanied by a decreasein the coefficient of variation among gain rates or by a shiftfrom a random to an aggregated distribution of parasitoids.These results challenge our understanding of the link betweenindividual behavior and population distribution.     

Population Dynamics of the Dioecious Amazonian Palm Mauritia flexuosa: Simulation Analysis of Sustainable Harvesting

The dioecious, tropical palm Mauritia flexuosa has high ecological and economic value, but currently some wild populations are harvested excessively, which is likely to increase. In this study, we investigated the population dynamics of this important palm, the effects of harvesting, and suggested sustainable harvesting regimes. Data were collected from populations in the Ecuadorian Amazon that were assumed to be stable. We used a matrix population model to calculate the density-independent asymptotic population growth rate (λ= 1.046) and to evaluate harvesting scenarios. Elasticity analysis showed that survival (particularly in the second and fifth size class) contributes more to the population growth rate, than growth and fecundity. To simulate a stable population at carrying capacity, density dependence was incorporated and applied to the seedling survival and growth parameters in the transition matrix. Harvesting scenarios were simulated with the density-dependent population models to predict sustainable harvesting regimes for the dioecious palm. We simulated the removal of only female palms and showed how both sexes are affected with harvest intensities between 15 and 75 percent and harvest intervals of 1–15 yr. By assuming a minimum female threshold, we demonstrated a continuum of sustainable harvesting schedules for various intensities and frequencies for 100 yr of harvest. Furthermore, by setting the population model's λ= 1.00, we found that a harvest of 22.5 percent on a 20 yr frequency for the M. flexuosa population in Ecuador is consistent with a sustainable, viable population over time.     

Life history strategy and adult and larval behavior of Macrodiplosis selenis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a species that induces leaf‐margin fold galls on deciduous Quercus (Fagaceae)

Life historical, behavioral and ecological traits of Macrodiplosis selenis, which induces leaf‐margin fold galls on Quercus serrata, Q. mongolica and Q. dentata (Fagaceae) in Japan and South Korea, were studied. Daily activity and larval development indicate that M. selenis is a diurnal and univoltine gall midge. In April, females lay their eggs both on upper and under surfaces of fresh leaves. The duration of the egg stage varies from 5 to 9 days, depending on daily temperatures. Hatched larvae crawl to the upper surface of the leaf margin, where they start to induce galls. Larvae become full‐grown in October, drop to the ground in November and overwinter in cocoons on the ground, while larvae of congeners mature in May and drop to the ground in June. A relatively long period of the second larval stadium from July to October on the host trees seems to be effective for M. selenis in avoiding summer mortalities caused by predation and aridity on the ground and by ectoparasitoids that attack mature larvae or pupae on the host leaves. The spatial distribution pattern of M. selenis leaf galls is contagious and the mean gall density per leaf is significantly correlated with the mean crowding. This study adds new insights of life history strategy and adult and larval behavioral pattern to the ecological knowledge of gall midges, and these kinds of information are essential for further studies of M. selenis population dynamics and interactions with other Quercus‐associated herbivores.     

围栏条件下母体密度应激对根田鼠 F1代性器官指数的影响

为探讨自然条件下母体密度应激对根田鼠F1代性器官指数的影响,通过在围栏内建立不同密度的母体种群获得相应的F1代个体,以此建立了不同密度的子代种群,并测定了母体种群建群者的血浆皮质酮含量,将建立子代种群后剩余的F1代个体带回实验室饲养.实验结束后,测定了全部F1代个体的性器官指数及皮质酮含量.结果表明,高密度母体种群建群者的皮质酮含量显著高于低密度母体种群建群者;出生于高密度母体种群的F1代个体处于高密度子代种群,其性器官指数显著低于出生于低密度母体种群且处于低密度子代种群的F1代个体,而皮质酮含量显著高于后者;出生于高密度母体种群的F1代个体处于低密度子代种群,其性器官指数及皮质酮含量与出生于低密度母体种群且处于低密度子代种群的F1代个体间无显著差异.此外,实验室饲养条件下,出生于高密度和低密度母体种群的F1代个体间的睾丸指数无显著差异.本研究结果说明,在根田鼠种群中,单一的母体密度应激对子代的性器官指数无影响,但生前应激子代在性成熟后,当再次遭遇密度应激时,其性器官指数显著降低,母体密度应激和当前环境对种群的未来繁殖能力具有耦合效应.