Dietary plasticity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in response to long‐term environmental change

Corrigan LJ, Winfield IJ, Hoelzel AR, Lucas MC. Dietary plasticity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in response to long‐term environmental change.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2011: 20: 5–13. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract –  In the face of widespread environmental change impacts, there is a need to better understand mechanisms promoting flexibility and resilience of ecosystem components to such change to inform strategies for conservation. Glacial relict species are especially vulnerable to such changes. We investigated the behavioural responses of a native, glacial relict species, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) to long‐term environmental changes. It was hypothesised that changes in feeding behaviour would occur as a key intermediary to reduction in habitat availability (through climate change and eutrophication) or competitive interactions [with introduced roach (Rutilus rutilus)]. Stomach content analysis was used to assess the diet of 199 charr caught from Windermere, United Kingdom, in the months of March, June, September and November 2003–2007. The results were compared to data from 1940 to 1951 prior to the environmental changes and revealed a marked increase in the contribution of benthic invertebrates in the present diet. Stable isotope analysis confirms the results of the stomach analysis, suggesting that the charr have switched their diet from zooplanktivory towards benthivory. We discuss the possibility that habitat modification and roach population expansion in Windermere have contributed to changes in charr diet. Complementary studies suggest that this diet shift is more likely to be a response to the increasing roach population than to habitat modification; however, further study in Windermere would be required to elucidate the exact mechanism. Long‐term data sets such as these provide information that is useful for determining the directivity of ecological change and the capability of species to respond to change.     

SoilFlex‐LLWR: linking a soil compaction model with the least limiting water range concept

Soil compaction impacts growing conditions for plants: it increases the mechanical resistance to root growth and modifies the soil pore system and consequently the supply of water and oxygen to the roots. The least limiting water range (LLWR) defines a range of soil water contents within which root growth is minimally limited with regard to water supply, aeration and penetration resistance. The LLWR is a function of soil bulk density (BD), and hence directly affected by soil compaction. In this paper, we present a new model, ‘SoilFlex‐LLWR’, which combines a soil compaction model with the LLWR concept. We simulated the changes in LLWR due to wheeling with a self‐propelled forage harvester on a Swiss clay loam soil (Gleyic Cambisol) using the new SoilFlex‐LLWR model, and compared measurements of the LLWR components as a function of BD with model estimations. SoilFlex‐LLWR allows for predictions of changes in LLWR due to compaction caused by agricultural field traffic and therefore provides a quantitative link between impact of soil loading and soil physical conditions for root growth.     

Predicting the degree of phosphorus saturation using the ammonium acetate–EDTA soil test

As a result of the important role played by phosphorus (P) in surface water eutrophication, the susceptibility of soils to release P requires evaluation. The degree of phosphorus saturation, assessed by oxalate extraction (DPS_ox), has been used as an indicator. However, most laboratories do not include DPS_ox in routine soil tests because of cost and time. This study evaluates the suitability of the ammonium acetate extraction in the presence of EDTA (AAEDTA), the standard soil test P (STP) in Wallonia (Southern Belgium), to predict DPS_ox; we also compared it with the Mehlich 3 extraction. Ninety‐three topsoil samples were collected in agricultural soils throughout Wallonia. Good correlations were found between the AAEDTA and the Mehlich 3 methods for P, Fe and Al (r = 0.85, 0.77 and 0.86, respectively). An exponential relationship was found between P_AAEDTA and DPS_ox. Results of principal component analysis and regression demonstrated that STP can be used to predict DPS_ox (r = 0.93) after logarithmic transformation. Soil test Al was also a good indicator of the P sorption capacity (PSC_ox) of soils (r = 0.86). Including the clay fraction in regression equations only slightly improved the prediction of PSC_ox (r = 0.90), while other readily available data (such as pH or organic carbon) did not significantly improve either DPS_ox or PSC_ox predictions.     

Greenhouse gas mitigation potential of agricultural land in Great Britain

The aim of this paper is to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential of croplands and grasslands in Great Britain under different management practices. We consider the feasible land management options for grass and cropland using county level land‐use data with estimates of per‐area mitigation potential for individual and total GHGs, to identify the land management options with the greatest cost‐effective mitigation potential. We show that for grasslands, uncertainties still remain on the mitigation potential because of their climatic sensitivity and also their less intensive management. For croplands in Great Britain, the technical mean GHG mitigation potentials for all cropland management practices range from 17 Mt CO₂‐eq. per 20 yr to 39 Mt CO₂‐eq. per 20 yr. There are significant regional variation in all cases, with the greatest potentials in England, negligible potential in Wales and intermediate potential in Scotland, with country differences largely driven by the areas of cropland and grassland in each country. Practices such as agronomic improvement and nutrient management are the most promising options because of their impact on N₂O emissions and also their larger potential at low cost. In terms of annual emissions from agriculture, calculated mitigation potentials are small, where the technical mitigation potential of agronomy and nutrient management strategies are ca. 4.5 and 3.8%, respectively (agricultural emissions account for ca. 9% or 47.7 Mt CO₂‐eq., of total Great Britain GHG emissions, Department of Energy and Climate Change, UK). However when compared with the land use, land‐use change and forestry sector (LULUCF) emissions, nutrient management would reduce further emission reductions by approximately half of the 2005 LULUCF sink (i.e. ?1.6 Mt CO₂‐eq. per year).     

兴办“森林医院”产业的建议

森林中富足的负氧离子(O3-)和"芬多精"具有治疗多种疾病的功能,还有其丰富的绿色食品和山泉水也有治病强身功效。因此,兴办"森林医院"可以以纯自然物质治病,具有不吃药、不打针、无痛苦、效果好的特点。黑龙江省森工林区具备自然环境优越、交通条件便利、旅游业发达、院址选定有基础等优越的办院条件,兴办"森林医院"的经济效益、社会效益和生态效益前景可观。     

统筹城乡背景下农机社会化服务的现状与实践—以成渝经济区为例

农机社会化服务是推动农业机械化发展的有效方式,新时期成渝经济区在统筹城乡社会经济发展背景下农机社会化服务正在进行着多元化的实践。为此,通过实证研究,分析了成渝经济区农机社会化服务的现状及作用,探讨了农机社会化服务与统筹城乡发展二者之间双向互动支撑的发展态势。同时,提出了促进成渝经济区农机社会化服务的针对性建议。     

A Preliminary Ichthyoplankton Survey of the Tsitsikamma National Park

An ichthyoplankton survey using bongo nets was conducted within the Tsitsikamma National Park over an 18-month period between January 1991 and July 1992. Four sampling stations along the coast were chosen, approximately 5 km apart. At each station four samples were taken along a transect perpendicular to the coast, between 0,35 km and 3,8 km offshore. Horizontal tows were taken at three and 15 m below the surface over reef and sand substrata respectively. Larvae belonging to 24 of the 35 families and 55 of the 97 species known to occur in the area were captured. Engraulid larvae completely dominated the catches while amongst the reef-associated taxa sparids and blenniids were prominent. Seasonally occurring cold upwelling events impacted negatively on egg and larval abundance. Mean values for egg and larval abundances were 1207 and 282 per 100 m³ respectively. A relationship between larval number and plankton volume was revealed. Most larvae captured were between 2,0 and 20,3 mm (SL), and in the preflexion condition. The absence of larger size classes in samples was attributed to net avoidance.     

Effects of iron injection timing on suckling and subsequent nursery and growing-finishing performance and hematological criteria

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Fe injection timing after birth on suckling and subsequent nursery and growing-finishing pig performance. The injectable Fe source used in both experiments was GleptoForte (Ceva Animal Health, LLC., Lenexa, KS). GleptoForte contains gleptoferron which is a Fe macromolecule complex. In Exp. 1, a total of 324 newborn pigs (DNA 241 × 600, initially 1.6 ± 0.04 kg body weight [BW]) within 27 litters were used. Two days after birth, all piglets were weighed, and six barrows and six gilts per litter were allotted to 1 of 6 treatments consisting of no Fe injection or 200 mg of injectable Fe provided in a single injection on d 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 of age. Pigs were weaned (~21 d of age) and allotted to nursery pens with all pigs in each pen having received the same Fe treatment. In Exp. 2, a total of 1,892 newborn pigs (PIC 359 × C40; initially 1.5 ± 0.02 kg BW) within 172 litters were used. One day after birth, piglets were weighed, and 11 pigs within each litter were allotted to 1 of 6 treatments consisting of no Fe injection or 200 mg of injectable Fe provided on d 1, 3, 5, or 7 of age, or 200 mg on d 1 plus 200 mg on d 12 of age. Pigs were weaned (19 d of age) and placed in a commercial wean-to-finish facility in a total of 15 pens with equal representation of treatments in each pen. In both experiments, not providing an Fe injection after birth decreased (P < 0.05) preweaning average daily gain (ADG), weaning weight, and hemoglobin and hematocrit values compared with all other treatments. In Exp. 1, increasing the age that piglets received an Fe injection until 4 or 6 d after birth provided marginal evidence for an improvement (quadratic; P = 0.070) in preweaning ADG. For the nursery period, increasing the age that piglets received an Fe injection improved (quadratic; P = 0.013) d 80 BW, but there was no evidence of a difference (P > 0.10) in d 173 BW at the end of the grow-finish period. In Exp. 2, increasing the age that piglets received a 200 mg Fe injection showed no evidence of difference (P > 0.10) for subsequent nursery and growing-finishing ADG. In both experiments, hemoglobin and hematocrit values were decreased (linear; P < 0.05) at weaning with increasing age when pigs received an Fe injection. These experiments suggest that providing a 200 mg Fe injection within 7 d after farrowing is sufficient for optimizing preweaning and subsequent growth performance.