Stress Reactivity and Coping in Horse Adaptation to Environment

“Coping” or “coping strategy”, defined as the behavioral and physiological efforts of animal to master the situation, is more and more in interest of researchers dealing with applied animal behavior and welfare. Knowledge about “coping styles” may be helpful in understanding individual adaptive capacity to stressful events. At least two types of animal coping strategy (or coping style) can be involved: (1) active copers (proactive) and (2) passive copers (reactive). The individual differences in stress response to threatening situations have been found in horses, and these animals can show specific coping strategies such as other species. This article reviews the set of behavioral, psychoneuroendocrine, and psychoneuroimmune mechanisms involved in animal adaptation to environmental challenges and discusses the relationship between behavioral and physiological factors involved in stress response of the horse. Exploring coping strategies in horses and in any captive animal can be successful when a multidimensional approach including behavioral, neural, hormonal, and hematological measures is considered. Knowledge on stress coping styles can provide valuable information to predict the behavior of individuals during response to specific challenging situations. Moreover, assessing individual differences in adaptation strategies can be useful in horse selection to different exploitation tasks and reproduction.     

不同大豆品系多点鉴定及抗旱性评价

为了评价大豆新品系的适应性、丰产性和抗旱性,2021年对20个大豆新品系在银川、张掖和庆阳3个生态区进行多点联合鉴定,分析其在不同环境下的生育期、产量、品质及抗旱性。结果表明,20个大豆新品系在庆阳试点均表现早熟,而在银川试点相对晚熟。折合产量在银川试点最高(4 284.69 kg/hm2),在庆阳试点最低(1 871.01 kg/hm2)。庆阳试点的蛋白质含量最高(405.0 g/kg),张掖试点的粗脂肪含量最高(208.3 g/kg)。其中,6个品系在成株期表现为极强或强抗旱性,加权抗旱系数与籽粒蛋白含量呈极显著正相关(γ=0.612 9,P=0.003 1),蛋白质含量与脂肪含量呈负相关。综合分析,陇豆655-2和陇豆609在不同生态区适应性和丰产性均好,但抗旱性较差,适合在灌区种植。     

The global adaptation of bread wheat at high latitudes

Spring sown bread wheat is grown at high latitudes in Europe, Asia and North America. However, it is not clear what the associations are among environments, particularly in Asia and North America, and whether or not cultivars developed in one region may adapt in another. A yield trial comprised of cultivars developed in northern Kazakhstan, western Siberia, the Canadian Prairies, northern USA, northeastern China and broadly adapted genotypes bred by CIMMYT in Mexico was planted in all the above mentioned environments in 2002–2004. In general, cultivars performed best within the regions they were developed. However, cultivars developed in northern Kazakhstan/western Siberia were the most broadly adapted at high latitudes; they were not significantly different for grain yield from the locally developed cultivars in both China and Canada. Stronger photoperiod response, greater plant height and larger seed weight appeared to be key adaptive features of these materials. At lower latitudes, the Kazakh/Siberian cultivars were significantly lower yielding than all other materials. When low latitude Mexican sites were removed from the analysis, the Chinese locations tended to associate, whereas most Canadian and Kazak/Siberian locations were negatively associated with those from China. SSR analysis of the cultivars from each region split the materials into two general groups, one based on North American cultivars and one comprised of Kazakh/Siberian and Chinese cultivars. Lines developed in Mexico were spread across these two groupings. Evidence suggests that considerable scope exists to improve bread wheat adaptation at high latitudes globally through intercrossing materials originating from Asia and North America.     

Consequences of climate change for European agricultural productivity, land use and policy

This paper reviews the knowledge on effects of climate change on agricultural productivity in Europe and the consequences for policy and research. Warming is expected to lead to a northward expansion of suitable cropping areas and a reduction of the growing period of determinate crops (e.g. cereals), but an increase for indeterminate crops (e.g. root crops). Increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations will directly enhance plant productivity and also increase resource use efficiencies.

In northern areas climate change may produce positive effects on agriculture through introduction of new crop species and varieties, higher crop production and expansion of suitable areas for crop cultivation. Disadvantages may be an increase in the need for plant protection, the risk of nutrient leaching and the turnover of soil organic matter. In southern areas the disadvantages will predominate. The possible increase in water shortage and extreme weather events may cause lower harvestable yields, higher yield variability and a reduction in suitable areas for traditional crops. These effects may reinforce the current trends of intensification of agriculture in northern and western Europe and extensification in the Mediterranean and southeastern parts of Europe.

Policy will have to support the adaptation of European agriculture to climate change by encouraging the flexibility of land use, crop production, farming systems etc. In doing so, it is necessary to consider the multifunctional role of agriculture, and to strike a variable balance between economic, environmental and social functions in different European regions. Policy will also need to be concerned with agricultural strategies to mitigate climate change through a reduction in emissions of methane and nitrous oxide, an increase in carbon sequestration in agricultural soils and the growing of energy crops to substitute fossil energy use. The policies to support adaptation and mitigation to climate change will need to be linked closely to the development of agri-environmental schemes in the European Union Common Agricultural Policy.

Research will have further to deal with the effect on secondary factors of agricultural production, on the quality of crop and animal production, of changes in frequency of isolated and extreme weather events on agricultural production, and the interaction with the surrounding natural ecosystems. There is also a need to study combined effects of adaptation and mitigation strategies, and include assessments of the consequences on current efforts in agricultural policy to develop a sustainable agriculture that also preserves environmental and social values in the rural society.     

Seasonal patterns of photochemical capacity and spring phenology reveal genetic differentiation among native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) populations in Scotland

Environment-driven genetic differentiation among populations is a common feature among forest trees, and an understanding of how populations have adapted to their home site conditions is essential for management and conservation practices. In Scotland, 84 native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) woodlands are recognised by the Forestry Commission and they occupy highly diverse environments from the maritime west coast to continental sites in eastern Scotland. However, it is not known whether adaptations to local environments along sharp temperature and rainfall gradients have occurred in different populations and as a result, the seed transfer guidelines of the species are based only on data from isozymes and monoterpenes. In this study of an outdoor common-garden trial, we used chlorophyll fluorescence to examine whether seedlings from 32 open-pollinated families and eight populations from sites experiencing contrasting annual temperature regimes differed in their response to variation in natural outdoor temperatures between September 2009 and May 2010. In addition, growth initiation in spring was recorded. Photochemical capacity at photosystem II F_v/F_m showed a distinct seasonal trend and remained at relatively high levels (∼0.7) until November. Following a period of over 2 weeks with temperatures below or close to 0 °C, F_v/F_m started decreasing towards its minimum values recorded in early March when population means varied between 0.35 and 0.45. By early May and along with rising temperatures, photochemical capacity had recovered to the same level as observed in early November. Populations were found to respond differently to the cold period starting in December. The largest drop in photochemical capacity was observed in seedlings from a low-altitude population located in the maritime western Scotland, while in seedlings from higher-altitude locations in the cooler eastern Scotland, the response was smaller. In March, the recovery of photochemical capacity was slowest in seedlings from the mildest and coolest sites. Evidence of adaptive genetic differentiation was also found in spring phenology. Initiation of shoot elongation and needle flush were earlier in families from higher altitudes (cooler areas), but population differences were not significant at the α = 0.05 level. These results suggest that adaptation to the spatially heterogeneous environment in Scotland has taken place in Scots pine and that in order to minimise the risk of planting maladapted seed stock, the patterns of environmental and adaptive genetic variation should be taken into account in the management of genetic resources in this species.     

The impact of climate change on maize yields in the United States and China

This study analyzes the impacts of climate change on maize yields using an econometric model that incorporates climate, economic, and technology variables. The major finding is climate change will not universally cause negative impacts of maize yields in the United States and China. The results of a simulation of climate change on maize yields over the period 2008-2030 show that a combination of changes in temperature and precipitation can either bring positive or negative effects on maize yields. Furthermore, variation in regional climatic and economic conditions makes the impacts of climatic change on maize yields substantially different in different regions. In this research, the impacts of climate change on maize yields are not simply examined by climate factors. Economic and technology adaptation effects on maize yields are also incorporated. Thus, even with significant changes in climate conditions that alter the maize crop’s growing environment and affect crop yields, a decrease in maize supply due to a decrease in maize yields would lead to an increase in the maize price, which in turn would induce farmers to add more investments in production inputs to raise yields. Thus, the decrease in actual yields may not be as dramatic as predicted in only climate factor considered cases. In this research, findings gained from the study can be used for early-staged policymaking decisions and advanced problem prevention programs. To ensure the continuous increase in maize yields in the future, further studies and research, as well as efficient environmental policies and actions are required.     

从顺应论看商标词的翻译

本文以Verschueren的顺应理论为基础,探讨了商标词的翻译过程中,译者该如何使译文对标识性,对消费者的文化、心理认知,以及目的语的语言系统做出各种顺应。     

国审小麦连麦2号丰产性、稳产性及适应性分析

[目的]为了全面了解国审小麦新品种连麦2号的育种价值和生产特性。[方法]以2002～2005年度黄淮南片小麦和江苏省区域试验的结果为依据,通过产量、变异系数和适应度对该品种的丰产性、稳产性、广适性进行研究分析。[结果]结果表明,国审小麦新品种连麦2号具有丰产、稳产、抗逆、广适的特点,其群体结构合理,在较高肥水力水平下产量表现良好。[结论]连麦2号在黄淮南片麦区具有广阔的推广利用前景。     

野生小灵猫捕获初期对环境适应能力的观察

本文采用观察、统计的方法 ,收集了捕获初期的小灵猫在采食、运动、生长发育、繁殖率及对外伤和疾病的抵抗力等方面的数据和行为特征。分析出外界因子对小灵猫适应性的影响 ,总结出遮光、安静和引诱进食对捕捉初期小灵猫驯化的重要性 ,形成了一套有利于在生产实践中加强小灵猫驯化和适应的实际方法     

对芨芨草草场资源在鄂尔多斯市开发利用的建议

芨芨草草场广泛分布于内蒙古荒漠草原及草原化荒漠地带，也广泛分布于鄂尔多斯市。它适应性强，耐旱、耐寒、耐瘠薄，具有返青早，产量高，品质好等特点，家畜喜食。它既是优良牧草，又是用途广泛的经济植物和水土保持植物。