Climate change and Australia: Trends,projections and impacts

Abstract This review summarizes recent research in Australia on: (i) climate and geophysical trends over the last few decades; (ii) projections for climate change in the 21st century; (iii) predicted impacts from modelling studies on particular ecosystems and native species; and (iv) ecological effects that have apparently occurred as a response to recent warming. Consistent with global trends, Australia has warmed ～0.8°C over the last century with minimum temperatures warming faster than maxima. There have been significant regional trends in rainfall with the northern, eastern and southern parts of the continent receiving greater rainfall and the western region receiving less. Higher rainfall has been associated with an increase in the number of rain days and heavy rainfall events. Sea surface temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef have increased and are associated with an increase in the frequency and severity of coral bleaching and mortality. Sea level rises in Australia have been regionally variable, and considerably less than the global average. Snow cover and duration have declined significantly at some sites in the Snowy Mountains. CSIRO projections for future climatic changes indicate increases in annual average temperatures of 0.4–2.0°C by 2030 (relative to 1990) and 1.0–6.0°C by 2070. Considerable uncertainty remains as to future changes in rainfall, El Niño Southern Oscillation events and tropical cyclone activity. Overall increases in potential evaporation over much of the continent are predicted as well as continued reductions in the extent and duration of snow cover. Future changes in temperature and rainfall are predicted to have significant impacts on most vegetation types that have been modelled to date, although the interactive effect of continuing increases in atmospheric CO₂ has not been incorporated into most modelling studies. Elevated CO₂ will most likely mitigate some of the impacts of climate change by reducing water stress. Future impacts on particular ecosystems include increased forest growth, alterations in competitive regimes between C3 and C4 grasses, increasing encroachment of woody shrubs into arid and semiarid rangelands, continued incursion of mangrove communities into freshwater wetlands, increasing frequency of coral bleaching, and establishment of woody species at increasingly higher elevations in the alpine zone. Modelling of potential impacts on specific Australian taxa using bioclimatic analysis programs such as bioclim consistently predicts contraction and/or fragmentation of species' current ranges. The bioclimates of some species of plants and vertebrates are predicted to disappear entirely with as little as 0.5–1.0°C of warming. Australia lacks the long‐term datasets and tradition of phenological monitoring that have allowed the detection of climate‐change‐related trends in the Northern Hemisphere. Long‐term changes in Australian vegetation can be mostly attributed to alterations in fire regimes, clearing and grazing, but some trends, such as encroachment of rainforest into eucalypt woodlands, and establishment of trees in subalpine meadows probably have a climatic component. Shifts in species distributions toward the south (bats, birds), upward in elevation (alpine mammals) or along changing rainfall contours (birds, semiarid reptiles), have recently been documented and offer circumstantial evidence that temperature and rainfall trends are already affecting geographic ranges. Future research directions suggested include giving more emphasis to the study of climatic impacts and understanding the factors that control species distributions, incorporating the effects of elevated CO₂ into climatic modelling for vegetation and selecting suitable species as indicators of climate‐induced change.     

Ectopic expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the pigmented epithelium rescues the retinal abnormalities and visual function common in albinos in the absence of melanin

Albino mammals have profound retinal abnormalities, including photoreceptor deficits and misrouted hemispheric pathways into the brain, demonstrating that melanin or its precursors are required for normal retinal development. Tyrosinase, the primary enzyme in melanin synthesis commonly mutated in albinism, oxidizes l-tyrosine to l-dopaquinone using l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) as an intermediate product. L-DOPA is known to signal cell cycle exit during retinal development and plays an important role in the regulation of retinal development. Here, we have mimicked L-DOPA production by ectopically expressing tyrosine hydroxylase in mouse albino retinal pigment epithelium cells. Tyrosine hydroxylase can only oxidize l-tyrosine to L-DOPA without further progression towards melanin. The resulting transgenic animals remain phenotypically albino, but their visual abnormalities are corrected, with normal photoreceptor numbers and hemispheric pathways and improved visual function, assessed by an increase of spatial acuity. Our results demonstrate definitively that only early melanin precursors, L-DOPA or its metabolic derivatives, are vital in the appropriate development of mammalian retinae. They further highlight the value of substituting independent but biochemically related enzymes to overcome developmental abnormalities.     

祁连山东段高寒植被群落特征及其与地形气候因子关系研究

地形气候因子与物种分布的关系影响着高寒植被群落的演替,同时对山地水源涵养林功能和结构的维持具有重要的意义。以祁连山东段水源涵养林为研究对象,基于野外植物群落物种组成及地形气候因子调查数据,运用数量分类与排序等方法,探究了高寒植物群落特征及其与地形气候因子的关系。结果表明:65个调查样方中出现181个植物种,隶属40科,124属。科的物种组成及占总物种数比例分别为菊科30个种,占16.57%;蔷薇科17个,占9.44%;禾本科13个种,占7.22%;豆科11个种,占6.11%。毛茛科10个种,占5.56%。单属种82个,占总属数的66.13%。群落层片由乔木层、灌木层和草本层组成,乔木8种,灌木25种,草本148种。乔木层优势种有青海云杉、祁连圆柏、红桦。灌木层优势种有金露梅、山生柳、匙叶小檗、高山绣线菊。草本层优势种有甘肃薹草、珠芽蓼、早熟禾、唐松草、甘青蒿。TWINSPAN将高寒植被群落划分为7个群丛类型:群丛I红桦-红花蔷薇-甘肃薹草B.albosinensis-Rosa moyesii-C.kansuensis,群丛II青海云杉-匙叶小檗-甘肃薹草P.crassifolia-B....     

云南纵向岭谷区道路网络对生态系统影响的尺度效应

云南纵向岭谷区具有复杂的生态系统,其生物多样性在全球中具有重要地位,但是由于人类活动的影响,尤其是道路网络的发展及其导致的土地利用变化,使得该地区生态系统退化日益严重.选取2km×2km、4km×4km、6km×6km、… \,20km×20km网格进行多尺度相关分析和方差分析,研究云南纵向岭谷区道路网络与生态系统分布的相关性及其独立和交互作用,分析道路网络对生态系统影响的尺度效应.然后又进一步研究了道路网络和地形因子(比如海拔、坡度和坡向等)对生态系统的独立和交互作用.研究结果表明,道路网络与生态系统分布的相关性与路网等级有关,其相关程度与路网等级呈反比,随着尺度的变化,道路网络与生态系统分布的相关性表现为增强型、减弱型、质变型和无尺度效应这4种类型.在大多数尺度下,道路网络和地形因子对生态系统分布既有独立作用,也有交互作用.其中,高等级路网的独立作用比较显著,而低等级路网的独立作用不太显著.但是,随着尺度的增大,县乡路网、乡村路网和小路网对生态系统分布的独立和交互作用均显著,且表现出高度的相似性,表明地形对低等级道路具有明显的干扰或屏蔽效应.     

神农架米心水青冈-曼青冈群落的地形异质性及其生态影响

地貌单元和地形的局部变化严重制约着光照、温度、水分甚至土壤资源的再分配 ,从而对植被的分布产生影响。以永久性监测样地为基础 ,利用数字高程模型模拟 0 .96 hm2样地的地形表面 ,在地理信息系统的支持下分析了米心水青冈 -曼青冈群落的地形异质性状况 ,并结合群落调查的结果探讨了地形因素对群落组成的影响。结果表明研究范围内样方的平均坡度在 18.2～ 74 .6°之间。坡向可以分为南坡、西南坡及东南坡 3部分 ,坡度及坡向差异显著。对坡度、坡向等地形因素及群落的物种组成进行半方差分析 ,发现三者的空间异质性尺度分别为 2 85 .8m,2 80 .5 m及 6 .1m。地形因素的变化尺度远大于植被组成的变化 ,说明小尺度下地形因素不是影响群落内种群分布格局的唯一因素。坡度和坡向因子的块金值分别为 2 1.8及 4 98.0 ,说明两者在小尺度下的某些过程不能忽视。植物与地形因素的相关分析表明不同的种对地形的适应性不同 ,群落中的 2 4种主要植物可以分为 4个生态种组。因此 ,群落的物种组成变化受到多种因素的影响 ,这种影响可以在地形变化中得到反映。     

Retinal projections in European Salamandridae

Summary The retinal projections to the brain were studied in three species of European Salamandridae using anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase and autoradiography. The results obtained were basically identical for all species and confirmed earlier findings on the fiber supply to the preoptic nucleus and the basal optic neuropil. In the anterior thalamus projections to three distinct terminal fields are clearly visible: (i) the diffusely stained corpus geniculatum thalamicum, (ii) the neuropil of Bellonci, pars lateralis, and (iii) a dorsomedial terminal field, the neuropil of Bellonci, pars medialis. Caudal to these terminal fields is an almost terminal-free region, the lateral neuropil. In the posterior thalamus a medial terminal field, the uncinate field, and a laterally located terminal field, the posterior thalamic neuropil, are distinguishable. The tectum opticum displays as many as four dense layers of retinofugal fibers and terminals in the rostral part and, in addition, a more densely stained strip of neuropil running from rostral to caudal over the tectum. The extent of ipsilateral fibers is greater than previously reported in other urodele species. They supply the medial and the lateral parts of the neuropil of Bellonci, the uncinate field, and reach the tectum opticum via the medial optic tract. Further, they form terminals in the innermost optic fiber layer throughout the rostral half of the ipsilateral tectum. A small proportion of ipsilateral fibers contributes very sparsely to all other thalamic terminal fields, leaving only the caudal part of the tectum and several layers of the rostral tectum completely free of a direct retinofugal fiber supply.     

桂西北喀斯特区域植被变化趋势及其对气候和地形的响应

基于1999—2010年的SPOT NDVI数据,分析了河池市植被变化趋势及空间差异,并结合气象和地形数据分析了植被与气候、地形的关系。结果表明:(1)桂西北喀斯特地区植被变化总体上呈恢复趋势,年均气候因子对植被变化的作用不明显;(2)200—500m的海拔范围内植被恢复显著,但400—500m的海拔范围内有小面积植被退化现象,随着海拔增加,植被变化趋于稳定;(3)6—15°的坡度范围内植被恢复最显著,而2—6°及大于25°坡度范围存在植被退化的现象;(4)不同坡向上的植被恢复差异不明显,但随着坡向由阴坡转阳坡,植被总体恢复呈减小趋势。喀斯特地区人类生态建设取得一定成效,但由于人类活动的负面影响,在海拔400—500m、坡度大于25°的阳坡区域仍存在植被减少的现象。     

南丰蜜桔可溶性固形物近红外检测的多元线性回归变量筛选

文章采用反向区间偏最小二乘法结合连续投影算法,筛选南丰蜜桔近红外检测的多元线性回归变量。对南丰蜜桔近红外光谱进行多元散射校正后,利用反向间隔偏最小二乘法,从500～1750 nm中初选出7个光谱区间,用于多元线性回归变量筛选。利用通过遗传算法和连续投影算法筛选出的变量建立了多元线性回归模型。经比较发现,利用反向区间偏最小二乘法结合连续投影算法筛选出的变量建立的多元线性回归模型,预测结果最优,模型预测相关系数为0.937,模型预测均方根误差为0.613 oBrix。结果表明,反向区间偏最小二乘法结合连续投影算法,可以有效地筛选近红外光谱的多元线性回归变量,提高南丰蜜桔可溶性固形物模型的预测精度。     

Intake of stigmasterol and β-sitosterol alters lipid metabolism and alleviates NAFLD in mice fed a high-fat western-style diet

Objective

To investigate and compare the effects of two common dietary phytosterols, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, in altering lipid metabolism and attenuating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).