The long-term trends and seasonal variation of the aeroallergen Alternaria in Derby, UK

Very little is known in the UK about long term trends of theAlternaria spore although it is known to trigger asthma. It hasrecently become apparent that Alternaria spore levels areincreasing in Derby and a detailed study of Alternaria wasundertaken to investigate the increase in numbers, seasonal variationand diurnal periodicity. The seasonal (June—October)Alternaria spore concentrations show a distinct upward trendand there is evidence of an earlier seasonal start and an increase inthe seasonal duration. There has been a dramatic rise in the number ofdays with an Alternaria spore count above 50 spores per cubicmetre, with the peak daily count usually occurring in August butoccasionally in late July or early September. August generally has thehighest monthly total and for 1991–1998 there was a positivecorrelation with monthly rainfall and average temperature. Day to dayspore levels show a positive correlation between Alternariaspore concentrations and maximum temperature but a slight negativecorrelation with daily rainfall. The peak time for spore capture is14.00–22.00, and more than half the daily Alternariacatch is caught between 18.00 and 24.00 hours. The upward trend inAlternaria spore concentrations may be responsible forincreasing levels of respiratory disease, especially during harvesttime.     

试析世纪之交植物生理学研究的动向

简要介绍了当今植物生理学研究中值得注意的四个动向,它们是从研究生物大分子到阐明复杂生命活动——基因组学、基因结构与功能的研究;实现生命整体性的重要环节——信号传递的研究;生命活动的能量和物质基础——代谢及其调节的研究;植物与环境(非生物和生物环境)的相互关系——生物的协同进化和适应的研究。     

不同季节黄瓜上烟粉虱自然种群生命表研究

1引言自从Morris等[10]应用生命表技术研究云杉卷叶蛾(Choristoneura fumiferana)自然种群动态以来,生命表技术成为昆虫种群动态的重要研究方法.庞雄飞等[11~13]在Mor-ris和Miller生命表的基础上进行了补充和改进,提出组建由作用因子组配的生命表和相应的分析方法.烟粉虱(Bemisia tabaci)属同翅目粉虱科.我国早在1949年就有烟粉虱的记载[27].长期以来,烟粉虱不是我国的主要害虫,近年来,由于一系列原因使烟粉虱成为蔬菜、园林植物上的重要害虫[1,5,9,16,17,21,22,25].有学者应用生命表方法评价各种措施对烟粉虱种群的控制作用[19,20].本研…     

Different trends of neighboring populations of Lesser Kestrel: Effects of climate and other environmental conditions

The sensitivity of population trends to the climate and environment is generally considered a species-specific trait. However, evidence that populations may show different responses to the climate and environmental conditions is growing. Whether this differential sensitivity may arise even among neighboring populations remains elusive. We compared the trends of two neighboring populations of the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, using data from a 12-year survey of 158 colonies in Sicily, Italy; the two populations inhabiting a lowland and an highland area, respectively. Population trends were modeled through the TRIM algorithms implemented in R (package rtrim). A reversed U-shaped population trend was observed in the lowland, while the highland population showed oscillations around a stable trend. Sahel rainfall 2 years before each annual survey significantly affected population variation in the lowland, while rainfall in March and an index of primary productivity in the breeding areas affected population variation in the highland. This suggests that the population in the lowland may be limited mainly by winter survival in Sahel, because the lowland may be an optimal breeding area for this species. In contrast, the highland population, which occupies a different part of the climatic niche of the species, may be limited mainly by reproductive output, because rainfall in March and the primary productivity in May could represent prey availability immediately before and during the breeding months. Overall, our findings suggest that population-specific environmental sensitivity might occur even over small (<100 km) geographical scales, highlighting the need for population-specific conservation strategies.     

FUZZY综合评判在棉红铃虫测报上的应用

本文以在浙江省宁波市镇海区进行的１２年棉红铃虫（ＰｅｃｔｉｎｏｐｈｏｒａｇｏｓｓｙｐｉｅｌｌａＳａｕｎｄｅｒｓ）性信息素诱蛾试验为基础,通过相关分析,选取第一代蛾高峰期前累计诱蛾,棉花现蕾期和６月中旬到７月上旬的降水量３个参数,构建对第二代平均卵量进行综合评判的模型。由于多种因子对诱蛾量的影响具有不确定性和模糊性,采用ＦＵＺＺＹ综合评判模型建模。以回报准确率为标准,对９种权重、４类评判矩阵和６种广义算子以及它们的特性作了比较和讨论。在构建的２１６个模型中,有９４个模型的历史符合率达到１００％。在这些模型的基础上,得到了一个优化评判模型。该模型与常规线性回归模型比较具有准确、方便、所含信息多等待点。在评判模型的基础上,增加第一次发现卵量的日期,构建了预报模型,该模型加强了预报的功能。模拟运行,可得到“预报速查表”;预测结果与大田相符。该研究为性信息素和其它行为调节物质在测报上的应用以及动态经济阈值的研究提供了一些新的思路。     

Human occupation explains species invasion better than biotic stability: evaluating Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (Moraceae) (jackfruit) invasion in the Neotropics

Aims Biological invasions are recognized to put native species in risk of extinction. In this study, I tested whether the invasion of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (Moraceae; jackfruit) in the Neotropics was explained by its biotic stability, an intrinsic force, or by human occupation, an extrinsic force.Methods I used an ensemble framework combining 12 ecological niche models (ENMs) and 4 atmosphere-ocean general circulation models. ENMs were constructed for the pre-industrial time period in the Indo-Malaya biogeographic region, the native habitat of A. heterophyllus, and were then projected to past (last glacial maximum, 21000 years ago and mid-Holocene, 6000 years ago) and future (end of century, 2080) periods. The ENMs were used to establish the biotic stability of A. heterophyllus in areas where it was predicted to be present concomitantly within these four time periods. This biotic stability was projected onto the Neotropics, and then I used a null model and logistic regression to test what the main driver of A. heterophyllus invasion.Important findings In general, the presence of A. heterophyllus in the Neotropics was not explained by biotic stability, tested by the null model. However, human occupation explained much of its presence in the invaded habitat, once all standardized coefficients related to this driver was significant positive in the logistic regression. Based on these results, humans sustained the presence of A. heterophyllus in the Neotropics, probably because of the additive influences of propagule pressure and habitat disturbance. Thus, the recommendation is that the cultivation of A. heterophyllus in the Neotropics must be regulated and supervised, primarily near reserve areas.     

气候变化对桂林植物物候的影响

利用线性倾向估计、Mann-Kendall突变检测等方法,对桂林气候(1951～2009年)和3种植物物候(1983～2009年)的趋势变化特征进行了分析,并探讨了物候期与气温、日照、降水等气象因子的相关性及其对主要气候影响因子的响应情况。结果表明:在当地气候变化背景下,桂林市植物物候期发生了不同程度的变化,春季物候期提前,秋季物候期推迟,绿叶期延长;平均气温是影响植物物候期最为显著的气象因子,气温每增高1℃,春季物候平均提前5d左右,秋季物候平均推迟8d左右,绿叶期延长约27d;春季物候和绿叶期的突变一般发生在气温突变之后,但秋季物候期突变与其影响月份气温的突变并无关系。以上分析说明植物物候对气候变化响应比较敏感,通过分析气候和植物物候变化的规律,掌握气候对当地植物物候的可能影响,可为农业生产、生态环境监测和评估等提供理论依据。     

A statistical test of unbiased evolution of body size in birds

Abstract.— Of the approximately 9500 bird species, the vast majority is small-bodied. That is a general feature of evolutionary lineages, also observed for instance in mammals and plants. The avian interspecific body size distribution is right-skewed even on a logarithmic scale. That has previously been interpreted as evidence that body size evolution has been biased. However, a procedure to test for unbiased evolution from the shape of body size distributions was lacking. In the present paper unbiased body size evolution is defined precisely, and a statistical test is developed based on Monte Carlo simulation of unbiased evolution. Application of the test to birds suggests that it is highly unlikely that avian body size evolution has been unbiased as defined. Several possible explanations for this result are discussed. A plausible explanation is that the general model of unbiased evolution assumes that population size and generation time do not affect the evolutionary variability of body size; that is, that micro- and macroevolution are decoupled, which theory suggests is not likely to be the case.