Overview of a Passive Tracking Index for Monitoring Wild Canids and Associated Species

Population density estimates for many animal species are often difficult or expensive to obtain, and they rely on assumptions that, if violated, result in unmeasurable estimation errors. Density estimates also may be unnecessary for research or management purposes, because an index that tracks changes in a population within appropriate time and geographic constraints could provide the information necessary to make management decisions or to evaluate the impact of a control program. We review research on a passive tracking index where observations are made on a series of tracking plots placed on lightly used dirt roads. The number of sets of tracks (individual intrusions) are recorded for each species of interest on each plot on consecutive days. The mean number of intrusions over the plots is calculated for each day for each species. The index is the mean of the daily means. These design and measurement methods present valuable advantages over most traditional tracking plot methods. Because no scents or baits are used as attractants, no conditioning of animals to the plots biases the results. This also permits multiple species, predator and prey alike, to be simultaneously monitored. Using the number of animal intrusions as observations produces results that are far more sensitive to change than tracking surveys where only presence or absence of spoor are recorded for each plot. Of particular importance, the statistical properties inherent to this data structure permit calculation of standard errors, confidence intervals and statistical tests, without subjectively subdividing the data.     

Tillage, mineralization and leaching: phosphate

Phosphate is usually the limiting nutrient for the formation of algal blooms in freshwater bodies, so tillage practices must minimize phosphate losses by leaching and surface run-off from cultivated land. Mineral soils usually contain 30–70% of their phosphate in organic forms, and both organic and inorganic phosphate are found in the soil solution. Some organic phosphates, notably the inositol phosphates, are as strongly sorbed by soil as inorganic phosphates, and this decreases their susceptibility to mineralization. The strength with which both categories are sorbed lessens the risk of their being leached as solutes but makes it more likely that they will be carried from the soil on colloidal or particulate matter, and the greatest losses of phosphate from the soil usually occur by surface run-off and erosion. Recent studies at Rothamsted have, however, shown substantial concentrations of phosphate in drainage from plots that have long received more phosphate as fertilizer than is removed in crops. These losses probably occurred because preferential water flow carried the phosphate rapidly from the surface soil to the field drains. For lessening losses of phosphate by leaching and run-off, the prime requirement of tillage is that it should encourage flows of water through the soil that help it to retain phosphate. Primary and secondary tillage should ensure that the surface roughness and porosity of the top-soil encourage the flow of water into the soil matrix where it will move relatively slowly and allow phosphate to be sorbed, thereby avoiding problems from run-off and preferential flow. Inversion tillage can be useful for lessening the loss of phosphate by run-off and erosion. Secondary tillage could be used to decrease the size of the aggregates and increase the surface area for sorption. Although tillage will increase the mineralization of organic phosphate, pulses of mineralization are unlikely to be so rapid or to lead to such large losses as with nitrate. The strength with which phosphate is sorbed also lessens the problem. As with nitrate, the key to managing phosphate is basically good husbandry.     

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Two Euschistus spp. Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Southeastern Farmscapes

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are ubiquitous, cryptic, phytophagous pests that are found in many crops. In agroecosystems, individuals disperse from adjacent noncrop hosts and tend to aggregate or cluster within fields. In this study, we characterized the distribution of Euschistus servus (Say) and Euschistus tristigmus (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) over 2 yr at three southeastern United States farmscapes. Stink bugs were captured in pheromone-baited traps, and Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) used to identify the location of significant aggregations by habitat type and season. Euschistus servus adults were more likely to be captured in pecan orchards, cotton, other crops, or unmanaged habitats than in woodland habitats. Significant aggregations of E. servus were detected in a variety of habitats including pecan, corn, cotton, peanut, and tobacco, as well as fallow and hay fields, pastures, and hedgerows. Fewer adult E. tristigmus were captured than E. servus adults, and E. tristigmus adults were typically trapped and aggregated in woodland habitats. The resulting data provide an important understanding regarding the seasonal movement and relative abundance levels of stink bug populations, which are critical to the development of integrated pest management strategies.     

标准样地在耕地后备资源开发适宜性评价中的应用研究

运用河北省农用地分等成果,探讨标准样地在耕地后备资源评价中的应用,提出了用“4层控制”及限制性指标作为控制层,用标准自然质量分与后备资源自然质量分相减,得到后备资源开发潜力分,根据开发潜力分确定开发级别,最终确定耕地后备资源开发适宜性程度。     

小区谷物联合收获机气吹式割台设计与试验

为解决现有小区谷物联合收获机割台中有残留、不易清机等问题,设计了一种采用正面气流将禾吹弯再切割的气吹式割台。根据力学原理建立了均匀气流吹禾模型,以小麦顺利进入割台而不掉落为要求,计算得气流支管出口风速为47.35 m/s。以能产生均匀气流为目标,通过理论计算得到气流管道的主要结构参数为:气流总管锥度1∶14.29,气流支管排列间距100 mm。对影响割台残留量和损失率的3个关键工作参数:气流支管出口与割刀的垂直和水平距离、气流支管出口与水平夹角进行了单因素试验和正交试验。单因素试验表明:气流支管出口与割刀的垂直和水平距离在15~27 cm内对割台损失率的影响呈现先降后升的趋势,气流支管与水平夹角对割台损失率和残留量的影响先缓慢减小,后增加较快。正交试验表明:最优组合为气流支管出口与割刀的水平距离21 cm、气流支管出口与割刀的垂直距离21 cm、气流支管出口与水平的夹角10°,此时总损失率为0.88%,割台残留量为1.21 g。气吹式割台残留量少,总损失率低,达到了小区小麦种子收获技术要求。     

上海半自然森林更新苗物种组成与多样性研究

城市半自然森林具有独特的群落结构和生物多样性特征,研究城市化影响的半自然森林更新特征,可以为城市生物多样性保育与地带性植被恢复重建提供借鉴。文章以上海辰山残存半自然森林1 hm^2固定监测样地为对象,调查分析半自然森林更新苗的物种组成特征。结果表明:1 hm^2样地更新苗共5 937株,分属22科32属37种,其中上海自然分布的乡土种占57.89%,明显高于城市人工林的乡土树种比例;香樟、构树、天竺桂、朴树和小蜡等5种更新苗占总数的57.2%,聚集性分布格局明显;在11个植被群落类型中,各类型更新苗的丰富度普遍较高,不同树种的更新苗存活和发育潜力存在差异。     

低氮胁迫对谷子苗期性状的影响和耐低氮品种的筛选

筛选和培育耐低氮能力强的作物品种,是提高作物氮素利用效率,减少氮肥施用量,降低环境污染的有效措施。本研究以45份谷子品种为试材,采用水培的方法,在低氮(0.1mmol·L~(-1))和正常氮(5mmol·L~(-1))条件下,测定苗高、根长和根数等22个氮效率相关指标,采用综合耐低氮系数法以及基于主成分分析的隶属函数法评价参试谷子品种的耐低氮性。结果表明,与正常氮条件相比,低氮胁迫下,谷子苗期根长、根冠比、地上部氮素生理效率、地下部氮素生理效率、单株氮素生理效率有不同程度提高,其余17个指标都有不同程度降低。两种评价方法均根据45个谷子品种的耐低氮能力将其划分为强耐低氮型、耐低氮型、中间型、较敏感型和敏感型5类。筛选出耐低氮性较强的品种5份,编号分别为11、14、17、35和39。利用GGE双标图对品种-耐低氮相关指标的分析表明,编号39和14的耐低氮品种主要耐低氮性状为地下部干重、地下部鲜重、根长;编号为11、35和17的耐低氮品种主要耐低氮性状为地上部鲜重、叶片数、叶宽、叶长、单株氮累积量、地上部氮累积量、单株干质量、地上部干重、地下部氮累积量、根数、苗高和SPAD。可见不同谷子品种的耐低氮机制存在一定差异,研究结果可为谷子耐低氮品种的选育提供材料基础。     

磷钾肥和多效唑对高羊茅越夏性研究Ⅳ.高温对高羊茅叶片中抗氧化物质的影响

采用了裂裂区设计,以耐热较强的冷季型草坪草高羊茅(Festuca arundineceaSchreb.cv.Huntdog 5)为实验材料,研究了冷季型草坪草高羊茅在不同磷钾肥施肥量和多效唑喷施浓度下叶片中叶绿素、类胡萝卜素、总酚和类黄酮含量的变化及其与草坪草耐热性的关系,同时用综合评定法判定了它们的耐热性。研究结果表明:叶绿素、类胡萝卜素、总酚和类黄酮含量的变化均达到极显著,综合得出在A2B3C2(AP2O5=60 kg/hm2,B140 kg/hm2,C多效唑=250 mg/L)处理下,高羊茅的叶片细胞中抗氧化物质含量相对较高,能显著增强高羊茅耐热性和延缓植株衰老,有利于其安全越夏。     

Interplant competition as a biasing factor in evaluating pre-treatment effects in cucumber

Evaluation of effects of different environmental conditions on plant growth may be seriously biased by interplant competition if treatment plots are not well-bordered. This is shown with an experiment where low- and high-light pre-treated cucumber plants were grown for 6 weeks in a mixture, either in a shaded or in an unshaded glasshouse compartment. In these mixed stands, the high-light pre-treated plants, compared to the low-light pre-treated plants, produced 80% more leaf area in the shaded compartment and 40% more leaf area in the unshaded compartment. However, when both pre-treatments were not mixed but grown separately, as in grower's practice, the calculated advantage of high-light pre-treatment with respect to leaf area development appeared to be only 15% (shaded) and 5% (unshaded).With an explanatory growth model, it is shown that in a mixture, the absolute difference between the components increases in time due to interplant competition, but that the percentage difference remains constant in time and therefore corresponds with the difference in initial status. Deviations from constancy of percentage difference occur in favour of types with a greater plant height or producing a greater leaf area per unit biomass than their competitors.     

新型固氮菌剂对长豇豆生长发育的影响

研究了施用催娩克氏菌菌剂对长豇豆的影响。结果表明 ,用 5 %菌剂浸种、在移植第 1d和 2 0d用0 5 %菌剂喷施叶面和淋根 ,可促进长豇豆种子萌发、提高幼苗素质、促进荚果发育及提高小区产量