Effect of dietary medicinal herbs on lipid metabolism and stress recovery in red sea bream <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagrus major</Emphasis>

The effect of dietary medicinal herbs on lipid metabolism and stress recovery was investigated in red sea bream Pagrus major. Fish (mean body weight 24.0 ± 0.2 g) were fed on test fish meal diets supplemented with either Massa Medicata (Mm), Crataegi Fructus (Cf), Artemisia capillaries (Ac), or Cnidium officinale (Co), or with a mixture of the four herbs (HM) for 12 weeks. A control group was fed a diet without herbs in the same manner. A high survival rate was observed in the herbal diet groups. The final mean body weight, feed efficiency, protein efficiency ratio, and apparent protein and lipid retention in the Ac, Co, and HM groups were higher than those in the control and Mm groups. Final carcass, hepatic lipid and triglyceride contents, and plasma triglyceride and nonesterified fatty acid levels were lower in the Ac, Co, and HM groups compared to those of control and Mm groups. However, final hepatic phospholipid, plasma phospholipid, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were higher in the Ac, Co, and HM diets groups than in the control and Mm groups. The Cf, Co, Ac, and HM groups showed faster recovery time in the 2-phenoxyethanol anesthesia test and a higher recovery rate in the 10-min air exposure test than those of the control and Mm groups. Moreover, the Cf, Ac, Co, and HM diet groups had a significantly lower plasma cortisol level than the control and Mm diet group, but the glucose level in the herbal diet groups was higher than that in the control group after a 1-h air exposure. These results indicate that the addition of medicinal herbs to the fish diet improved lipid utilization and stress recovery in red sea bream.     

Soil bacterial community responses to cadmium and lead stabilization during ecological restoration of an abandoned mine

Ecological restoration refers to the gradual recovery of damaged ecosystems by utilizing their self-recovery capacity and artificial measures. It is considered as an effective technique to alleviate heavy metal pollution in open-pit mining soils. However, little is known about the stability of heavy metals and soil bacterial responses in artificially restored soil-plant systems. In this study, different vegetation restoration strategies were established in the Dabaoshan mining area, China, and the accumulation and transfer of Cd/Pb in the soil-plant system and the responses of the soil bacterial community were investigated. Results showed that ecological restoration with a combination of trees, shrubs and grasses/herbs could increase soil cation-exchange capacity and organic matter content, but not soil pH. The mixture of trees, shrubs and grasses/herbs was most effective for reducing the available Pb content to 33.7% of the content in the control, and the mixture of trees and grasses/herbs was beneficial in reducing Cd to 60.4% of the content in the control. Data showed that ecological restoration could change the quantity, composition and community structure of soil microorganisms. The soils in which a mixture of trees, shrubs and grasses/herbs were grown had the greatest abundance and diversity of bacteria; the abundances of Proteobacteria increased by 12% and Actinobacteria by 5% from those of the control. Plant coverage, soil available Cd content, and organic matter emerged as major determinants of bacterial community composition. This study demonstrates a promising remediation strategy for limiting Cd/Pb mobility in mining areas.     

丛枝菌根真菌在药用植物上的应用研究进展

为了将农业生态系统中广泛分布的丛枝菌根真菌(AMF)资源科学地应用于药用植物,本文对AMF分类、中国药用植物资源现状及AMF在药用植物上的应用分别进行了总结。AMF不仅能改善药用植物的营养水平,促进其生长;而且能促进药用植物体内萜类、甾体类及黄酮类等活性物质的合成与积累;此外,AMF对药用植物因连作引发的各种土传病虫害也表现出积极的生防作用。因此,AMF在药用植物栽培领域具有极大的应用潜力。同时,鉴于菌根专性共生的特性,提出了扩大与AMF共生的药用植物种类、AMF与其他有益微生物混合接种、共生体建成过程中土壤生态环境变化等尚待探究的问题,以期为该领域的深入研究提供借鉴与参考。     

香格里拉灌木、草本植物区系与垂直分布格局

草地作为全球生态系统功能服务最重要的组成部分，是农林牧业发展的基础，探究灌木、草本植物区系与地理分布特征对于揭示区域物种多样性和生物保护策略具有十分重要的意义。本研究通过野外样地调查和历史记录数据库，采用吴征镒植物区系分区方法，对香格里拉灌木和草本植物多样性、区系特点与垂直分布格局进行系统分析。结果表明：1)该区灌木、草本植物物种丰富，共有121科619属2 442种，其中草本植物占优，有94科514属2 048种。2)在科、属构成中，优势科属明显，单种科、寡种属比例高，占比分别为32.23%和51.05%，中国特有属极其丰富，共有28种。3)区系成分多样，含有13个科地理成分及15个属地理分布类型，科的区系分布类型以世界分布、泛热带分布和北温带分布为主，热带性与温带性分布的比值为1.29，热带分布型稍占优势；属的区系分布类型以北温带分布、东亚分布、泛热带分布为主，且热带性与温带性分布的比值为0.39，温带分布型占据主导地位。4)在垂直分布上，随着海拔的升高，热带区系成分占比逐渐降低、温带区系成分逐渐上升，物种丰富度呈先升后降的单峰分布格局，灌木、草本植物物种丰富度峰值位于2 600～2 900 m和3 200～3 500 m处，各海拔段草本物种数量均极显著高于灌木(P < 0.01)。本研究旨在展现“三江并流”世界自然遗产中心地带的植物多样性和同纬度地区植物分区特点，对当地灌木和草本植被生态修复物种选择和合理利用具有重要参考价值。     

Intercropping with herbs minimizes cadmium availability through altering physicochemical dynamics and metabolite profiles in wheat rhizosphere

For the past few years, the production of safe crops in Cd-contaminated soil has attracted more and more attention, and the intercropping of wheat and herbaceous plants has gradually become an effective way. However, how the physicochemical and metabolic processes because of the intercropping change Cd availability are still unclear. In this study, we studied the influence of changes in soil physicochemical properties induced by intercropping of wheat with different herbs on soil Cd availability of Cd. Meanwhile, we innovatively studied the effect of intercropping on rhizosphere metabolites and evaluated the impact on Cd transfer. Results showed that the highest wheat biomass was presented in the intercropping system with the Cichorium intybus L. (W4) and Aus hypochondriacus L. (W5) increasing by 57.66% and 54.05% individually, compared with monocropping, while W1, W2, and W3 increasing slightly. Further, the Cd accumulation in wheat grains under W4 and W5 treatment decreased by 44.95% and 43.12%, respectively. Structural equation model confirmed that the increased pH, CEC contributed to the decreased Cd availability in soil, as well the changed metabolic profiles in wheat rhizosphere after intercropping. Specially, up-regulation of fatty acid metabolism allowed wheat plants to maintain a normal intracellular environment under stress conditions. Similarly, up-regulation of saccharide and amino acid metabolism induced the accumulation of sugars and proteins, which positively increased wheat biomass and Cd-binding proteins, thus inhibiting the migration of soil Cd into wheat tissue. Collectively, this study provided reasonable insights towards understanding the metabolic mechanisms how intercropping altered Cd availability.