Effects of shade,altitude and management on multiple ecosystem services in coffee agroecosystems

Agroforestry systems provide diverse ecosystem services that contribute to farmer livelihoods and the conservation of natural resources. Despite these known benefits, there is still limited understanding on how shade trees affect the provision of multiple ecosystem services at the same time and the potential trade-offs or synergies among them. To fill this knowledge gap, we quantified four major ecosystem services (regulation of pests and diseases; provisioning of agroforestry products; maintenance of soil fertility; and carbon sequestration) in 69 coffee agroecosystems belonging to smallholder farmers under a range of altitudes (as representative of environmental conditions) and management conditions, in the region of Turrialba, Costa Rica. We first analyzed the individual effects of altitude, types of shade and management intensity and their interactions on the provision of ecosystem services. In order to identify potential trade-offs and synergies, we then analyzed bivariate relationships between different ecosystem services, and between individual ecosystem services and plant biodiversity. We also explored which types of shade provided better levels of ecosystem services. The effectiveness of different types of shade in providing ecosystem services depended on their interactions with altitude and coffee management, with different ecosystem services responding differently to these factors. No trade-offs were found among the different ecosystem services studied or between ecosystem services and biodiversity, suggesting that it is possible to increase the provision of multiple ecosystem services at the same time. Overall, both low and highly diversified coffee agroforestry systems had better ability to provide ecosystem services than coffee monocultures in full sun. Based on our findings, we suggest that coffee agroforestry systems should be designed with diversified, productive shade canopies and managed with a medium intensity of cropping practices, with the aim of ensuring the continued provision of multiple ecosystem services.     

Quantifying production potentials of winter wheat in the North China Plain

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the major winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) producing areas in China. Current wheat yields in the NCP stabilize around 5 Mg ha⁻¹ while the demand for wheat in China is growing due to the increase in population and the change in diet. Since options for area expansion of winter wheat are limited, the production per unit of area need to be increased. The objective of this study is to quantify the production potential of winter wheat in the NCP taking into account the spatial and temporal variability caused by climate. We use a calibrated crop growth simulation model to quantify wheat yields for potential and water-limited production situations using 40 years of weather data from 32 meteorological stations in the NCP. Simulation results are linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) facilitating their presentation and contributing to the identification of hotspots for interventions aimed at yield improvements. In the northern part of the NCP, average simulated potential yields of winter wheat go up to 9.7 Mg ha⁻¹, while average water-limited yields only reach 3 Mg ha⁻¹. In the southern part of the NCP, both average potential and water-limited yields are about 7.5 Mg ha⁻¹. Rainfall is the limiting factor to winter wheat yields in the northern part of the NCP, while in the southern part, the joint effect of low radiation and high temperature are major limiting factors. Temporal variation in potential yields throughout the NCP is low in contrast with the temporal variation in water-limited yields, which is especially great in the northern part. The study calls for the collection of location-specific and disaggregated irrigated and rainfed wheat yield statistics in the NCP facilitating the identification of hotspots for improvement of current wheat yields.     

重金属超富集植物龙葵对镉响应的蛋白组学分析

龙葵是典型的重金属超富集植物,但是我们对其重金属耐受和超富集的分子机理仍不完全清楚。为了从蛋白组学层面探究重金属超富集植物龙葵如何响应金属镉,本研究采用双向电泳和MALDI-TOF MS分析方法,鉴定了重金属超富集植物龙葵叶片和根中Cd胁迫下差异表达的蛋白。双向电泳在根和叶片中分别至少得到927和1 025个蛋白点,其中Cd胁迫下差异表达的蛋白点在根中有45个,叶片中有57个。采用MALDITOF MS分析,在根和叶片中分别鉴定了9个和12个蛋白点,分别代表了9个和6个差异表达的蛋白。生物信息学分析表明,这些蛋白涉及到激素合成、防御响应、能量代谢和细胞结构等。这些结果为进一步揭示重金属超富集植物龙葵响应Cd胁迫的分子调节机制,以及为通过现代生物技术手段进行重金属污染的植物修复提供了理论依据。     

Ability of different plant species to promote microbiological processes in semiarid soil

In semiarid climate soils, the establishment of a plant cover is fundamental to avoid degradation and desertification processes. A better understanding of the ability of plants to promote soil microbial processes in these conditions is necessary for successful soil reclamation. Six different plant species were planted in a semiarid soil, in order to know which species are the most effective for the reclamation of semiarid areas. Six years after planting, the rhizosphere soils were studied by measuring chemical (pH, electrical conductivity, total organic carbon and other carbon fractions), physical (% of saggregates), microbiological (microbial biomass carbon and soil respiration), and biochemical (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, β-glucosidase and urease activities) parameters. In general, in all the soil–plant systems plant nutrients, organic matter and microbial activity increased compared to the control soil. For some species, such as Rhamnus lycioides, the increase in the total organic carbon content (TOC) in the rhizosphere zone was almost 200%. A positive correlation was found between TOC and water-soluble carbon (p<0.001); both parameters were negatively correlated with electrical conductivity. Microbial biomass carbon and soil respiration were highest in the rhizosphere of Stipa tenacissima (98% and 60%, respectively, of increase on soil control values) and Rosmarinus officinalis (94% and 51%, respectively, of increase on soil control values). These microbiological parameters were correlated with the percentage of stable aggregates (p<0.01). Enzyme activities were affected by the rhizosphere, their values depending on the shrub species.     

7种负蝗酯酶同工酶的比较

采用聚丙烯酰胺垂直板凝胶电泳（PAGE）的分析方法研究了短额负蝗Atractomorpha sinensis、柳枝负蝗A．psittacina、令箭负蝗A．sagittaris、长额负蝗A．1ata、奇异负蝗A．peregrina、云南负蝗A．yunnanensis和纺梭负蝗A．burri的酯酶（EST）同工酶。结果表明，7种负蝗共显出24条酶带，依各酶带迁移距离的不同，可以将其分为6个泳动区。7种负蝗各有其酶谱特征，种间的酶谱差异明显，彼此易于区分。同时，7种负蝗都同时在ESTV和ESTVI区各自出现了1条活性很强的酶带，推测可能是负蝗属的特征带。聚类结果显示，云南负蝗与纺梭负蝗的亲缘关系最近，与令箭负蝗的关系最远。     

Combining ability among male sterile two-type and restorer lines of Zinnia elegans and implications for the breeding of this ornamental species

Nineteen parental lines including five male sterile A-lines (AH002A, AH003A, AH209A, S5001A, J16A) and fourteen restorers (A1-GH, A3, S5, J6, J7N, J7J, J8, J9, J10, J11, J12, J13, J14, J17) were crossed using the North Carolina II statistical method. Studies of combining ability and heritability were conducted on selected parents along with their seventy F₁ hybrids for main ornamental traits. Plant height, crown size and length of node had obvious additive genetic effects, high (>0.50) broad sense heritability and high narrow sense heritability (length of node was medium). Pedicel length showed approximately equivalent maternal and paternal additive genetic effects, high broad sense heritability and medium (0.30–0.50) narrow sense heritability. Number of whorls of ray florets across capitulum and number of branches were able to take advantage of heterosis. The relationship between general combining ability and specific combining ability in Zinnia elegans depended on materials and traits. Male sterile two-type line was pivotal in the hybridization breeding of Z. elegans. S5001A, AH002A and A1-GH, A3, J14 which performed high negative GCA effects in PH, PL, LN and type I in PH, PL, NW, LN were ideal female and male parents of potted flowering plants; AH209A, J16A and S5, J10, J17 which displayed positive GCA effects and almost type I in PH, PL, LN were ideal female and male parents of cut flowers, respectively. For potted flowering plants, AH002A × J17, AH209A × A1-GH and S5001A × J6 with high negative SCA effects in PH, PL and LN were the most promising combinations, AH002A × S5, AH003A × A3 and J16A × J6 were the subprime combinations; for cut flowers, AH209A × S5, AH209A × J17 and J16A × J17 with high positive SCA effects in PH, PL and LN were the primary combinations, AH209A × J9 and S5001A × J10 were the secondary combinations.     

Global warming, elevational ranges and the vulnerability of tropical biota

Tropical species with narrow elevational ranges may be thermally specialized and vulnerable to global warming. Local studies of distributions along elevational gradients reveal small-scale patterns but do not allow generalizations among geographic regions or taxa. We critically assessed data from 249 studies of species elevational distributions in the American, African, and Asia-Pacific tropics. Of these, 150 had sufficient data quality, sampling intensity, elevational range, and freedom from serious habitat disturbance to permit robust across-study comparisons. We found four main patterns: (1) species classified as elevational specialists (upper- or lower-zone specialists) are relatively more frequent in the American than Asia-Pacific tropics, with African tropics being intermediate; (2) elevational specialists are rare on islands, especially oceanic and smaller continental islands, largely due to a paucity of upper-zone specialists; (3) a relatively high proportion of plants and ectothermic vertebrates (amphibians and reptiles) are upper-zone specialists; and (4) relatively few endothermic vertebrates (birds and mammals) are upper-zone specialists. Understanding these broad-scale trends will help identify taxa and geographic regions vulnerable to global warming and highlight future research priorities.     

Mineralization of Organic Nitrogen in Soils with Contrasting Fertility Was Regulated Differently by Addition of Biochar and Animal Manures

ABSTRACT

How to restore the soil fertility and productivity in a damaged and then reclaimed area with extremely low fertility is a big concern worldwide. To explore the method of soil restoration in the coal mining subsidence area, the effects of biochar application coupled with organic fertilizer (animal manures) on the process of organic nitrogen (N) mineralization were studied in a 149 days leaching experiment. Biochar were applied (wt/wt) at the rates of 0%, 1%, and 3%. Two organic fertilizers with different C/N ratio (chicken and sheep manures) were applied at the rate of 200 mg N·kg^?1 soil. A vegetable soil with high-fertility was used as the comparison. The results showed that when treated with chicken manure, the reclaimed soil had 11.13% lower mineralization potential and 20.00% lower inorganic nitrogen production from mineralization than the vegetable soil. Compared with the non-biochar treatment, biochar at both application rates decreased N leaching in chicken manure-treated reclaimed soil, i.e., by 21.49% (1% biochar) and 28.31% (3% biochar), respectively, whereas only high rate of biochar application decreased N leaching in chicken manure-treated vegetable soil by 8.10%. However, N leaching in sheep manure-treated reclaimed soil was unaffected by the biochar application. Thus, the effect of the biochar on the organic nitrogen mineralization was affected by both soil and organic fertilizer type.     

Effects of disturbance on the biodiversity and abundance of isopods in temperate grasslands

Connell's ‘intermediate disturbance hypothesis’ was tested using a relatively simple, species poor isopod community in grass heaths and in a coastal sand dune grassland. Variation in diversity resulted from disturbance both to the soil profile and sward structure due to grazing. Predictions from a spatial survey were tested using a 20 years time series. These changes were related to changes in rabbit activity, anthropogenic soil disturbance and on one site, deposition of blown sand. Changes in the soil profile resulted in diversity initially increasing due to decreases in the density of the commonest species, leading to an increase in equitability. Prolonged disturbance to the soil profile both due to sand blowing onto one site and rotavating on another, lead to a reduction in diversity due to one of the species being eliminated. The isopod community was most diverse when least disturbed by grazing, of intermediate diversity under intermediate grazing intensity and least diverse when most heavily grazed. In these simple communities, differences in diversity were mostly determined by differences in equitability rather than in species richness. We conclude that maximising heterogeneity of sward structure could have advantages for the conservation of both invertebrate biodiversity and vertebrates that feed on them.