Temporal variability in water quality of agricultural tailwaters: Implications for water quality monitoring

Accurate assessments of non-point source pollution and the associated evaluation of mitigation strategies depend on effective water quality monitoring programs. Intensive irrigation season water quality monitoring was conducted on three agricultural drains (6 h to daily sampling) along with analysis of decade long records from two larger agricultural drains (biweekly to monthly sampling) in the San Joaquin Valley, California. Analyses revealed significant temporal variability in concentrations of nutrients, salts, and turbidity over short time-scales (<1 day), as well as significant differences in monthly and annual mean concentrations. Statistical techniques were used to evaluate the sampling intensity required to meet rigorous confidence and accuracy criteria, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of different sampling strategies (e.g. grab samples versus composite samples). The number of samples required to determine mean constituent concentrations within 20% of the mean at a 95% confidence level ranged from 2 to 39 samples per month (SPM) for total phosphorus, 1-16 SPM for total nitrogen, 5-25 SPM for turbidity, and 1-3 SPM for electrical conductivity. Using a daily composite sample (4 subsamples per composite) instead of discrete samples was shown to maintain the same accuracy and confidence standards, while reducing the required sample number by up to 50%. This study emphasizes the value of a statistical approach for evaluating water quality monitoring strategies, and provides a framework through which cost-benefit analysis can be implemented in the development of monitoring plans.     

Spatial niche variability for young Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) in heterogeneous streams

Abstract– Habitat is important in determining stream carrying capacity and population density in young Atlantic salmon and brown trout. We review stream habitat selection studies and relate results to variable and interacting abiotic and biotic factors. The importance of spatial and temporal scales are often overlooked. Different physical variables may influence fish position choice at different spatial scales. Temporally variable water flows and temperatures are pervasive environmental factors in streams that affect behavior and habitat selection. The more frequently measured abiotic variables are water depth, water velocity (or stream gradient), substrate particle size, and cover. Summer daytime, feeding habitats of Atlantic salmon are size structured. Larger parr (>7 cm) have a wider spatial niche than small parr. Selected snout water velocities are consistently low (3–25 cm. s^?1). Mean (or surface) water velocities are in the preferred range of 30–50 cm. s^?1, and usually in combination with coarse substratum (16–256 mm). However, salmon parr demonstrate flexibility with respect to preferred water velocity, depending on fish size, intra- and interspecific competition, and predation risk. Water depth is less important, except in small streams. In large rivers and lakes a variety of water depths are used by salmon parr. Summer daytime, feeding habitat of brown trout is also characterized by a narrow selection of low snout water velocities. Habitat use is size-structured, which appears to be mainly a result of intraspecific competition. The small trout parr (<7 cm) are abundant in the shallow swift stream areas (<20–30 cm depths, 10–50 cm. s^?1 water velocities) with cobble substrates. The larger trout have increasingly strong preferences for deep-slow stream areas, in particular pools. Water depth is considered the most important habitat variable for brown trout. Spatial niche overlap is considerable where the two species are sympatric, although young Atlantic salmon tend to be distributed more in the faster flowing and shallow habitats compared with trout. Habitat use by salmon is restricted through interspecific competition with the more aggressive brown trout (interactive segregation). However, subtle innate differences in behavior at an early stage also indicate selective segregation. Seasonal changes in habitat use related to water temperatures occur in both species. In winter, they have a stronger preference for cover and shelter, and may seek shelter in the streambed and/or deeper water. At low temperatures (higher latitudes), there are also marked shifts in habitat use during day and night as the fish become nocturnal. Passive sheltering in the substrate or aggregating in deep-slow stream areas is the typical daytime behavior. While active at night, the fish move to more exposed holding positions primarily on but also above the substrate. Diurnal changes in habitat use take place also in summer; brown trout may utilize a wider spatial niche at night with more fish occupying the shallow-slow stream areas. Brown trout and young Atlantic salmon also exhibit a flexible response to variability in streamflows, wherein habitat selection may change considerably. Important topics in need of further research include: influence of spatial measurement scale, effects of temporal and spatial variability in habitat conditions on habitat selection, effects of interactive competition and trophic interactions (predation risk) on habitat selection, influence of extreme natural events on habitat selection use or suitability (floods, ice formation and jams, droughts), and individual variation in habitat use or behavior.     

绿豆主要农艺性状的相关分析

对７３９份绿豆品种资源主要农艺性状进行了独立性检验、变异系数测定及相关分析。缫表明：（１）粒色与粒大小及种皮有无光泽呈极显著相关。（２）单株荚数、单株产量、主茎分枝数的变异度大，株高及百粒重的变异度较大，荚长、生育期的变异度中等，而单荚粒数变异度较小。（３）单株产量与单株荚数呈极显著的正相关，与生育期呈极显著的负相关。     

Phylogenetic relationships in Origanum spp. based on rDNA sequences and intra-genetic variation of Greek O. vulgare subsp. hirtum revealed by RAPD

Origanum species are among the most widely spread herbs in the Mediterranean basin. Eventhough they are used as a spice, evaluation of their genetic diversity and evolution has only recently drawn attention. In order to study phylogenetic relationships, 14 ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 clones belonging to the most common Origanum species were sequenced and a parsimony tree was constructed, using the approximate likelihood ratio test. All Origanum species were clearly separated from allied genera of the Mentheae tribe while a clear distinction between the Greek and the Spanish accessions was revealed. In addition the germplasm variability of the most common Greek oregano (O. vulgare subsp. hirtum) was investigated using the RAPD markers. The use of 10 random decamers resulted in 133 unambiguous and reproducible bands detected across 27 entries. Two main groups were identified by the UPGMA clustering using Jaccard's similarity coefficient, and major genetic dissimilarities among Greek O. vulgare subsp. hirtum populations and O. onites/O. virens species were detected. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that genetic variability is distributed mainly within populations; however, significant Φ_st values were detected between different geographical localities, supporting noteworthy genetic differentiation among O. vulgare subsp. hirtum populations.     

莲草直胸跳甲成虫产卵选择性及叶位与幼虫发育适合度的关系

采用室内自由选择法和发育测定法研究莲草直胸跳甲(Agasicles hygrophila)成虫对喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)叶位的产卵选择性及后代发育与不同叶位叶片的适合度.结果表明:(1)莲草直胸跳甲成虫嗜好在中部叶片的叶背产卵,以在第2对叶上的选择系数最高,选择率为35.18%,与第1对叶上的28.03%差异不显著,但显著高于对其他叶位的选择系数;(2)相对于在叶表进行取食,初孵幼虫显著趋向在叶背,且这样取食的1龄幼虫存活率高、发育历期显著缩短,这与雌虫选择在叶背产卵的习性相符,说明其选择有一定生物学意义,即有利于后代发育;(3)叶龄对莲草直胸跳甲各龄幼虫发育有显著影响,叶位越低,各龄幼虫的发育历期越长,但存活率上以取食第1叶位的为最高.     

Effects of size and morphology on swimming performance in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

Abstract –  Our study assesses swimming capacity (speed and stamina) and possible morphometric determinants of locomotor performance of juvenile brown trout ( Salmo trutta L.). We addressed these issues at the individual level to have an approach of the functional significance of intraspecific variation in morphological design. Both swimming speed and endurance time showed significant positive relationships with fish length. Size-corrected values of speed and endurance time were negatively correlated suggesting a phenotypic trade-off between burst and prolonged swimming. Size was also highly correlated with all the morphological variables measured. Therefore, we used the residuals of the regressions of those variables on fish length to remove the effect of body size. A principal components analysis (PCA) summarised the 12 morphological variables into two factors, which accounted for 44.3% of the variance. PC1 combined several measures of body depth and width, whereas PC2 represented mainly postanal length relative to abdomen length. Relationships between the scores of the two factors and size-corrected values of maximum swimming speed and endurance time were weak. PC2 showed a significant positive relationship with endurance time; that is, individuals with longer caudal regions were able to swim against water flow for longer periods of time. Stoutness (PC1) showed a marginally significant negative correlation with endurance time. The lack of stronger relationships could be because of the low morphometric variability among the test individuals, all proceeding from the same population, reared in a common environment, and measured at the same ontogenetic stage.     

The Effect of Training on Yili Horse 1 600 m Test Results and Heart Rate Variability

【Objective】 The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of different training stages on the performance and heart rate variability(HRV) of Yili horses and to provide data for reference in the conditioning training of 1 600 m distance Yili horses.【Method】 Eight 3-year-old Yili horses (stallions) were selected as test subjects.A 3-month speed specific performance training program was conducted, and a speed test race was organized in the last week of each month of training, and HRV was collected before, immediately after, 0.5 h after, and 1 h after 1 600 m test race.Among them, the time-domain indexes included the mean of all R-R intervals (Mean RR), the standard deviation of all R-R intervals (SDNN), the mean heart rate (Mean HR), the root mean square of the difference between adjacent R-R intervals (RMSSD), the number of adjacent R-R intervals with a difference greater than 50 ms (NN50), and the percentage of adjacent R-R intervals with a difference greater than 50 ms to the total number of heartbeats (pNN50).Frequency domain metrics included very low frequency (VLF), low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF) and nonlinear metrics:standard deviation (Y) of all R-R-spacing (SD1), standard deviation (X) of all R-R-spacing (SD2).Consequently, the variability of HRV indexes in horses at different training stages was analyzed.【Result】 The race time in the post training period in 1 600 m speed test race of Yili horses was significantly lower than that in the early training period (P<0.05), and Mean RR, NN50 and pNN50 in the middle and post training periods were significantly lower than that in the early training period (P<0.05).Mean HR in the beginning of training was significantly lower than that in post training (P<0.05).VLF and LF in the end of training were significantly lower than that in the beginning of training (P<0.05).【Conclusion】 Under the conditions of this test, the HRV indexes of 1 600 m test race of Yili horses in different conditioning training stages were analyzed.The outcomes demonstrated that the types of neural activity in Yili horses at the beginning, middle and end of training presented some differences, showing changes of increased sympathetic excitability and decreased parasympathetic excitability, and the horses' athletic performance improved.Therefore, HRV could be considered as an effective tool to evaluate the training load and intensity of Yili horses during training.     

Nutrient dynamics in a mangrove creek (North Brazil) during the dry season

During the dry season, dissolved inorganic nutrients and organic carbon (DOC) in a mangrove tidal creek (Bragança, North Brazil) presented a clear tidal signature: silicate, phosphate, ammonium and DOC covaried with salinity, with minima at high tide and maxima at low tide. Hydrodynamical calculations explained most diel variability as dilution of nutrientrich groundwater input by estuarine water. Creek nutrients tended to lower concentrations towards the end of the dry season, probably due to changes in groundwater dynamics. Ammonium was about 44% higher in the night than during the day, while silicate, phosphate nitrate + nitrite showed differences < 5%, indicating preferential autotrophic uptake of ammonium as nitrogen source. Nitrification and/or nitrogen fixation are probably sources of nitrate + nitrite, which contributed only 12% to the dissolved inorganic nitrogen pool. Dissolved oxygen (7%) and DOC (11%) were lower during the night, suggesting the existence of a labile, algalderived DOC pool. There is a loose coupling between aquatic primary production, groundwater dynamics and tidal regime.     

Soil and foliar phosphorus as indicators of sustainability for Pinus radiata plantation forestry in New Zealand

We investigated how multiple-crop forestry has influenced the magnitude and variability of soil and plant phosphorus (P) fertility and site disturbance. Kinleith Forest, on Mamaku Plateau, covers >100,000 ha and comprises mainly plantation Pinus radiata. Three study areas in the forest were chosen to represent natural state (native forest), first crop of P. radiata (24 years growth), and second crop of P. radiata (4 years growth of second crop). The adjacent areas have similar relief and climate, and the soils are all the same age, being predominantly Andic Haplohumods developed in 1770 calendar-year-old non-welded tephra (Taupo Ignimbrite, ca. 0.5–0.8 m in thickness) and overlying a buried paleosol on earlier tephric material.

Soil properties were compared using a random geometric sampling scheme stratified in a 40-m grid. Soil samples (0–20 cm) were taken at 1.5, 4.5 and 13 m spatial intervals in random directions away from each primary node, providing 192 sample sites for each study area. Additionally at selected sites, samples of the current year's foliage from the upper crowns were collected, the thickness of Taupo Ignimbrite (i.e. depth to buried paleosol) was recorded by augering, and site disturbance was assessed using a new six-point scale based on change relative to a modal soil profile. Geostatistics and geographical information systems (GIS) were used to assess variability and effects of forest management on the measured properties. Soil Bray-2 P concentrations were below guidelines for satisfactory growth (12 mg kg⁻¹) at all sites, and no differences were recorded between the different management areas. However, the amount of within-site variability in Bray-2 P increased with the number of crops. Foliar P concentrations were only marginally deficient in both the first and second crops, indicating that P is currently not significantly limiting growth. The lack of difference in foliar P between first and second crops indicates no crop-to-crop decline in foliar P status and suggests that no site P fertility decline has occurred. The soils have an unusual ability to continue releasing P through successive sequential extractions in the Bray-2 P test, indicating a strong buffering capacity, and this may explain the apparent lack of deficiency even with Bray-2 P values of <12 mg kg⁻¹. The site disturbance index increased and the spatial distribution of P data became increasingly variable with crop rotation.

GIS, inverse-distance weighting and kriging proved useful in illustrating the trends between crops. The spatial variability of results indicated that there was no obvious pattern to the variability and that more site-specific forest management in the region would be difficult. However, there was some evidence that less disturbance during harvesting may minimise variability of soil P supply.     

Modeling spatial variability in the life-cycle costs of low-volume forest roads

Cost estimation is probably the most decisive factor in the process of computer-aided, preliminary planning for low-volume road networks. However, the cost of construction is normally assumed to be route-independent for a specific project area, resulting in sub-optimal layouts. This is especially true for mountainous terrain and in areas with unstable subsoil. Here, we present a model for more accurately estimating spatial variability in road life-cycle costs, based on terrain surface properties as well as geological properties of the subsoil. This parametric model incorporates four structural components: embankment, retaining structures, pavement, and drainage and stream-crossing structures. It is linked to a geo-database that allows users to derive location-specific parameter values as input. In applying this model, we have demonstrated that variability in costs ranges widely for mountainous areas, with the most expensive construction being approximately five times greater there than on more favorable sites. This variability strongly affects the optimal layout of a road network. First, when location-specific slope gradients are considered, costs are reduced by about 17% from those calculated via currently available engineering practices; when both slope gradient and geotechnical formations are included, those costs are decreased by about 20%. Second, the length of the road network is increased by about 4% and 10% respectively, compared with current practices.