Oxygenation measurement by multi‐wavelength oxygen‐dependent phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence: catchment depth and application in intact heart

Oxygen delivery and metabolism represent key factors for organ function in health and disease. We describe the optical key characteristics of a technique to comprehensively measure oxygen tension (PO₂) in myocardium, using oxygen‐dependent quenching of phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence of porphyrins, by means of Monte Carlo simulations and ex vivo experiments. Oxyphor G2 (microvascular PO₂) was excited at 442 nm and 632 nm and protoporphyrin IX (mitochondrial PO₂) at 510 nm. This resulted in catchment depths of 161 (86) µm, 350 (307) µm and 262 (255) µm respectively, as estimated by Monte Carlo simulations and ex vivo experiments (brackets). The feasibility to detect changes in oxygenation within separate anatomical compartments is demonstrated in rat heart in vivo.

Schematic of ex vivo measurements.     

Fishing gears involved in entanglements of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea of Korea

Entanglement of marine mammals in fishing gear is a global issue. It is considered a significant threat to minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the East Sea of Korea. A total of 214 entanglements of minke whales in this area between 2004 and 2007 were used to investigate types and parts of fishing gears involved in entanglements. The majority of entanglements were mainly caused by three types of fishing gears: set nets, pots, and gill nets (n= 207, 96.7%). Other entanglements were associated with bottom trawls, purse seines, and trawls. A total of 65 entanglements were attributed to the main and branch lines of fishing gears. The most common body part of minke whales which attached to fishing gears was the mouth (n= 63, 30.4%). Most entanglements took place within 10 nmi from land (n= 179, 86.5%), and between 10 and 220 m of water depth. The mean length of entangled minke whales in set nets was significantly smaller than that of whales in pots and gill nets samples (P < 0.001). Also, the mean body length of minke whales that entangled in the coastal area and shallow waters was significantly shorter than that of whales in the offshore area and deep waters (P < 0.001). This information can be used as fundamental data to conserve and manage this population of minke whales in the East Sea of Korea, and also to modify fishing gear to reduce entanglements. Future studies should focus on investigating the impact of these entanglements on the population and the effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce entanglements of minke whales in this area.     

Growth of pikeperch in relation to lake characteristics: total phosphorus, water colour, lake area and depth

The growth of pikeperch Sander lucioperca was studied in 41 lakes in central Finland. The backcalculated average total length of 3 year‐old pikeperch was used as an indicator of growth. The growth correlated positively with total phosphorus and water colour and negatively with lake area and depth. The reason for differences in growth may be differences in the amount of suitable food, foraging success or temperature dynamics in different lakes.     

Predicting Secchi disk depth from average beam attenuation in a deep,ultra-clear lake

We addressed potential sources of error in estimating the water clarity of mountain lakes by investigating the use of beam transmissometer measurements to estimate Secchi disk depth. The optical properties Secchi disk depth (SD) and beam transmissometer attenuation (BA) were measured in Crater Lake (Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA) at a designated sampling station near the maximum depth of the lake. A standard 20 cm black and white disk was used to measure SD. The transmissometer light source had a nearly monochromatic wavelength of 660 nm and a path length of 25 cm. We created a SD prediction model by regression of the inverse SD of 13 measurements recorded on days when environmental conditions were acceptable for disk deployment with BA averaged over the same depth range as the measured SD. The relationship between inverse SD and averaged BA was significant and the average 95% confidence interval for predicted SD relative to the measured SD was ±1.6 m (range = −4.6 to 5.5 m) or ±5.0%. Eleven additional sample dates tested the accuracy of the predictive model. The average 95% confidence interval for these sample dates was ±0.7 m (range = −3.5 to 3.8 m) or ±2.2%. The 1996–2000 time-series means for measured and predicted SD varied by 0.1 m, and the medians varied by 0.5 m. The time-series mean annual measured and predicted SD’s also varied little, with intra-annual differences between measured and predicted mean annual SD ranging from −2.1 to 0.1 m. The results demonstrated that this prediction model reliably estimated Secchi disk depths and can be used to significantly expand optical observations in an environment where the conditions for standardized SD deployments are limited.     

The arctic fox Alopex lagopus in Fennoscandia: a victim of human-induced changes in interspecific competition and predation?

After a marked decline at the beginning of the 1900s, the arctic fox Alopex lagopus population in Fennoscandia has remained at a very low level. We suggest that the main cause for the population crash was winter starvation caused by (1) over-hunting of reindeer Rangifer tarandus populations, and thus reduced carcass availability in the mountains, and (2) increased interspecific competition for these carcasses because of increased invasion of red foxes Vulpes vulpes from lower altitudes. The failure of arctic fox populations to recover, despite increasing reindeer populations in the mid 1900s, can be explained by a concurrent strong increase in red fox numbers. Analyses of countywide hunting statistics from Norway 1891–1920 suggest that there actually was an increase in red fox numbers in the period of arctic fox decline, and that the increase in reindeer populations from the 1920s to the 1950s was accompanied by a new increase in red fox numbers. We conclude that restoring arctic fox populations most likely will require a substantial and lasting reduction of red fox populations.     

Dynamic Regulation of Fluorescent Proteins from a Single Species of Coral

To gain a better understanding of the natural function of fluorescent proteins, we have undertaken quantitative analyses of these proteins in a single species of coral, Montastraea cavernosa, residing around Turneffe atoll, on the Belizean Barrier Reef. We identified at least 10 members of a fluorescent protein family in this species, which consist of 4 distinct spectral classes. As much as a 10-fold change in the overall expression of fluorescent proteins was observed from specimen to specimen, suggesting that fluorescent proteins are dynamically regulated in response to environmental or physiological conditions. We found that the expression of some proteins was inversely correlated with depth, and that groups of proteins were coordinately expressed. There was no relationship between the expression of fluorescent proteins and the natural coloration of the Montastraea cavernosa specimens in this study. These findings have implications for current hypotheses regarding the properties and natural function of fluorescent proteins.     

播种深度对夏玉米幼苗性状和根系特性的影响

选用郑单958(ZD958)和先玉335(XY335)为试验材料,在砂培和大田条件下设置3、5、7和9 cm 4个播种深度,并在大田条件下以不同播种深度混播作为对照(CK),研究播种深度对夏玉米幼苗性状和根系特性的影响.结果表明： 随着播种深度的增加,夏玉米的出苗率下降,出苗时间延长.ZD958和XY335播深9 cm的出苗率较3 cm的分别降低9.4%和11.8%,出苗时间较3 cm的均延长1.5 d.随着播种深度的增加,幼苗长度及幼苗整齐度显著降低,中胚轴长度显著增加,胚芽鞘长度差异不显著;初生胚根长度逐渐减小,次生胚根总长度逐渐增加,总根长度差异不显著;幼苗与中胚轴的总干质量增加,总根干质量差异不显著.随播种深度的增加,种子萌发时幼苗各部位可溶性糖含量增加,营养物质消耗量增加,幼苗根系生长速度增加,根系活力降低,总节根数及节根层数增加.播深增加后出苗率及幼苗活力的降低导致收获穗数的显著降低,最终影响产量形成.此外,播深一致有利于群体整齐度的提高和群体性状的改善,从而提高产量.     

塔里木荒漠河岸林物种多样性沿地下水埋深梯度的分布格局

探讨荒漠河岸林土壤水分、物种多样性的空间变异性及其相互关系,可为干旱区天然林保护、可持续经营和生态恢复提供科学依据。以塔里木荒漠河岸林为研究对象,基于野外样带调查和采样测定,系统分析了地下水埋深（GWD）梯度下林地土壤水分与物种多样性的空间变异及其权衡关系。结果表明：随GWD增加和土壤水分减少,荒漠河岸林群落物种数减少、结构简化、群落发生退化,退化顺序为浅根系的中生草本植物和灌木,最后留存的是抗旱性较强的乔灌木或灌木;同时土壤水分和物种丰富度、物种多样性指数均呈显著的线性递减趋势,而物种均匀度指数降幅较小。GWD与土壤水分、物种多样性之间均呈极显著的相关（P<0.01）,土壤水分与物种多样性的相对收益随GWD增加而逐渐降低,表明GWD是控制荒漠河岸林土壤水分和物种多样性空间变异的关键因素。荒漠河岸林土壤水分与物种多样性权衡关系的转折点为GWD 4.5m左右,转折点以下（GWD<4.5m）二者沿GWD以相同速率变化,呈协同关系;转折点以上（GWD>4.5m）土壤水分与物种多样性的权衡明显增大,土壤水分相对收益剧降,即维持当前相应的物种多样性以消耗土壤水分为代价,系统通过反馈调节使物种多样性降低。综上表明,维持塔里木荒漠河岸林物种多样性和生态系统功能的合理GWD在4.5m左右,这为塔里木河流域荒漠河岸林保育与生态输水工程实施提供科学依据。     

尖峰岭热带天然林不同土层细菌群落多样性和组成的海拔变异规律

土壤微生物群落结构沿海拔梯度的变异是微生物生物地理学分异和群落空间分布的重要内容,然而,热带森林土壤微生物多样性及其群落特征的海拔模式尚不明确。研究海南省尖峰岭自然保护区0—20cm和20—40cm土壤细菌多样性和群落组成沿海拔梯度(400—1410m)的变化及其与环境因子的关系。结果表明：在0—20cm土壤微生物生物量碳、生物量氮和生物量磷随海拔升高(峰顶降低)而增加,20—40cm土壤微生物生物量碳、生物量氮和生物量磷随海拔升高呈先升高后降低趋势;整体上,变形菌门、放线菌门、酸杆菌门、拟杆菌门、厚壁菌门在0—20cm中占优势,丰度总和占该层细菌总量的88.17%;变形菌门、放线菌门、酸杆菌门、厚壁菌门、绿弯菌门在20—40cm中占优势,丰度总和占该层细菌总量的90.82%;随海拔增加,0—20cm细菌多样性线性减少,20—40cm细菌多样性变化不显著;沿海拔梯度,0—20cm细菌群落组成可分为低(409—1018m),中(1018—1357m)和高(1410m)三个海拔聚集群落,20—40cm细菌群落组成随海拔无显著性变化;两土层细菌多样性与土壤pH显著正相关,土壤细菌群落组成在0...     

Comparing temporal patterns in body condition of ringed seals living within their core geographic range with those living at the edge

Ecological theory suggests that demographic responses by populations to environmental change vary depending on whether individuals inhabit central or peripheral regions within the species’ geographic range. Here, we tested this prediction by comparing a population of ringed seals Pusa hispida located at high latitudes as part of their core range (core) with a population located at the southern extremity of their range (peripheral). First, we compared the two regions’ environmental trends in timing of sea-ice breakup and freeze-up, open-water duration and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We found that the core region shifted to progressively warmer conditions in the early 1990s; whereas, in the peripheral region, the warming trend shifted in 1999 to one with no warming trend but high inter-annual variability. Next, we examined how body condition, inferred from blubber depth, responded to temporal changes in sea-ice and climatic variables – variables that have been shown to influence ringed seal demography. Core seals displayed minimal seasonal changes in body condition; whereas peripheral seals displayed a 20–60% amplitude seasonal change in body condition with a phase shift to earlier initiation of fat accumulation and loss. Finally, we tested for interannual differences and found that both core and peripheral seals responded similarly with decreased body condition following more positive NAO. Environmental variables influenced body condition in opposite directions between the two regions with core seals declining in body condition with later spring breakup and shorter open-water duration, whereas peripheral seals showed opposite relationships. Seals living at the core likely benefit from an evolved match between adaptation and environmental variation resulting in dampened seasonal and interannual fluctuations in body condition. Knowledge of how different populations respond to environmental change depending on geographic location within a species range can assist in anticipating population specific responses to climate warming.