Dietary Photoprotective Compounds Ameliorate UV Tolerance in Shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) through Induction of Antioxidant Activity

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on bioaccumulation of UV‐absorbing compounds acquired through the diet, in larvae and postlarvae of Pleoticus muelleri, and to assess tissue antioxidant activity, survival, and development. Mysis stage I were exposed to two artificial radiation treatments: M‐PAR (photosynthetically active radiation, range = 400–700 nm) and M‐PAR + UVR (280–700 nm). The experimental larvae received a mixed dietary treatment of Artemia persimilis and the microalga Pavlova lutheri, reared under two radiation regimes: PAR (D‐PAR) and PAR + UVR (D‐PAR + UVR). Shrimp from all treatments reached 8 d postlarval stage (PL8), except those under M‐PAR + UVR treatment fed the D‐PAR‐cultured algae, which had 0% survival. Larvae in M‐PAR + UVR and M‐PAR treatments fed with D‐PAR + UVR diet presented the highest survival rates (70 and 75%, respectively), with 37 and 41% increase in PL size. UV‐absorbing compounds were detected in microalgae and PL subject to PAR + UVR treatments. Antioxidant activity, quantified by measuring the free‐radical 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl in homogenates of PL8, decayed drastically under radiation treatment M‐PAR + UVR fed with algae of the D‐PAR + UVR treatment. It is concluded that the bioaccumulation of UV‐absorbing compounds and the highest antioxidant activity in PL could improve the biochemical and photophysiological responses of shrimp under UVR stress.     

Hydrological and water cycle processes of inland river basins in the arid region of Northwest China

The increasing shortage in water resources is a key factor affecting sustainable socio-economic development in the arid region of Northwest China(ARNC). Water shortages also affect the stability of the region's oasis ecosystem. This paper summarizes the hydrological processes and water cycle of inland river basins in the ARNC, focusing on the following aspects: the spatial-temporal features of water resources(including air water vapor resources, runoff, and glacial meltwater) and their driving forces; the characteristics of streamflow composition in the inland river basins; the characteristics and main controlling factors of baseflow in the inland rivers; and anticipated future changes in hydrological processes and water resources. The results indicate that:(1) although the runoff in most inland rivers in the ARNC showed a significant increasing trend, both the glaciated area and glacial ice reserves have been reduced in the mountains;(2) snow melt and glacier melt are extremely important hydrological processes in the ARNC, especially in the Kunlun and Tianshan mountains;(3) baseflow in the inland rivers of the ARNC is the result of climate change and human activities, with the main driving factors being the reduction in forest area and the over-exploitation and utilization of groundwater in the river basins; and(4) the contradictions among water resources, ecology and economy will further increase in the future. The findings of this study might also help strengthen the ecological, economic and social sustainable development in the study region.     

Abrupt temperature change and a warming hiatus from 1951 to 2014 in Inner Mongolia,China

An abrupt temperature change and a warming hiatus have strongly influenced the global climate.This study focused on these changes in Inner Mongolia, China. This study used the central clustering method, Mann-Kendall mutation test and other methods to explore the abrupt temperature change and warming hiatus in three different temperature zones of the study region based on average annual data series.Among the temperature metrics investigated, average minimum temperature(Tnav) shifted the earliest,followed by average temperature(Tnv) and average maximum temperature(Txav). The latest change was observed in summer(1990 s), whereas the earliest was observed in winter(1970 s). Before and after the abrupt temperature change, Tnav fluctuated considerably, whereas there was only a slight change in Txav.Before and after the abrupt temperature change, the winter temperature changed more dramatically than the summer temperature. Before the abrupt temperature change, Tnav in the central region(0.322°C/10 a)and west region(0.48°C/10 a) contributed the most to the increasing temperatures. After the abrupt temperature change, Tnav in winter in the central region(0.519°C/10 a) and in autumn in the west region(0.729°C/10 a) contributed the most to the temperature increases. Overall, in the years in which temperature shifts occurred early, a warming hiatus also appeared early. The three temperature metrics in spring(1991)in the east region were the first to exhibit a warming hiatus. In the east region, Txav displayed the lowest rate of increase(0.412°C/a) in the period after the abrupt temperature change and before the warming hiatus,and the highest rate of increase after the warming hiatus.     

近60年河北省冬小麦干旱风险时空规律

干旱是造成作物减产的主要自然灾害,开展作物干旱成因机制和时空特征研究,对于稳定区域粮食生产有重要意义。本研究基于河北省内18个国家标准气象站点1958—2016年的长时间序列观测资料,采用水分亏缺指数(CWDI)作为干旱评价指标,分析了近60年来河北省冬小麦的干旱风险时空格局;通过CWDI对不同气象因子的敏感性分析,进一步探究了冬小麦干旱的成因机制。研究表明,冬小麦生育期需水量和干旱风险呈先增后减再增加的特征,在拔节–抽穗阶段的干旱风险最高,其次是抽穗-成熟阶段。冬小麦全生育期间干旱等级以重旱和特旱为主,特别在其产量形成的关键生长中后期,河北省东南部黑龙港地区面临较高的旱灾风险。冬小麦干旱受降水、气温、湿度等多种因素的影响,其中影响最大的是降水;气温是影响冬小麦生育后期干旱程度的关键因子,伴随近几十年气候变化冬小麦生长期内温度明显升高,将增加冬小麦生长期的耗水量和灌溉需求。本研究揭示了气候变化影响下河北省冬小麦干旱风险的时空演变规律,识别出了干旱灾害的高风险区和关键生育期阶段,可为优化冬小麦灌溉管理和农田防灾减灾提供参考依据。     

基于完全分解模型的安徽省用水变化驱动效应测度与分析

为了探索安徽省用水变化驱动效应,采用完全分解模型,从人口、经济增长、技术进步、结构变动4层面对用水变化驱动效应进行了测算。结果表明,(1)经济增长对用水变化具有正向驱动作用,是用水增加的主导因素,2001—2014年,共贡献了472.26亿m~3用水,增量效应高达819.75%;(2)人口、技术进步、产业结构变动对用水变化具有抑制作用,其中,以技术进步因素最显著,2001—2014年,技术进步共减少用水333.87亿m3,减量效应达到579.53%,结构变动因素次之,考察样本期,共减少用水量78.4亿m~3,减量效应为136.09%,人口变动因素影响不大,减量效应仅为4.13%;(3)在人口、经济增长、技术进步、结构变动因素共同作用下,年均增加用水4.43亿m~3,若按惯性发展模式,2020年用水将增至298.67亿m~3,远超政府设定的270.84亿m~3红线目标。基于研究结果,提出了大力发展节水型现代农业,积极对传统工业进行节水技术改造,强化第三产业节水型器具推广,着力提升以现代服务业为主的第三产业比重等政策建议。     

Impact of newly introduced perennial bioenergy crops on soil quality parameters at three different locations in W‐Germany

The land areas used for bioenergy crop cultivation are increasing across Europe. For several years now, various perennial crops have been cultivated, including Miscanthus , switchgrass and reed canary grass, and the newly introduced cup plant, giant knotweed, tall wheatgrass, virginia mallow, and wild plant mixtures. We investigated the impact that many of these perennial bioenergy crops (PECs) have on the soil organic C and N pools, microbial properties, and earthworm activity at three different study sites in W‐Germany with varying soil conditions after an experimental period of five years. Silage maize (Zea maize ) in rotation with green rye (Cecale cereale ) or Triticale was used for comparison (= annual energy crops; AEC). The overall intention of this study was to gain insights into the future trends of soil quality with changes in land‐use towards bioenergy production. Our results emphasized that in general, soil quality was improved through the cultivation of perennials. For example, after five years of investigation, the mean soil organic carbon contents increased, on average, by 1–2% at two of the three study sites, the soil microbial biomass increased from 13% (virginia mallow) to 27% (tall wheatgrass) (p < 0.05) compared to AEC treatment and the mean earthworm activity (cast production) was significantly improved in PECs compared to AEC. These trends were mainly found in silty to loamy soils, but the results were slightly different in sandy soils and dry climate conditions. We suggest that this might be traced back to unfavourable growing conditions for perennial crops during the first years of establishment. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive field investigation of the impact of these newly introduced perennial crops on soil quality indicators that considers various site‐ and soil‐specific growth conditions.     

Assessment of the effect of silver nanoparticles on the relevant soil protozoan genus Acanthamoeba

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are used in a broad range of consumer products and industrial applications. During the regular product life cycle and disposal, AgNP are continuously released into the environment. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential ecotoxicological effects of AgNP exposure on amoebae. The Acanthamoeba castellanii ATCC 30234 strain and environmental isolate Acanthamoeba strain C5/2, which are both affiliated with genotype T4, were chosen as representatives of ecologically important soil protozoan organisms. The amoebae were exposed to citrate‐stabilized AgNP (30 and 70 nm in size) for 24 h and 96 h at concentrations ranging from 600 µg L⁻¹ to 20 mg L⁻¹. A newly adopted cell culture based microscopic assay was applied to assess the adherence ability of the amoeba trophozoites. The general metabolic activity of Acanthamoeba was determined to be a second independent endpoint by means of intracellular reduction of the redox dye AlamarBlue®. The fate of AgNP within the amoebae and test solutions was visualized by light‐ and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both Acanthamoeba strains showed a significant dose‐dependent decrease of adherence ability (p  < 0.04) and metabolic activity (p < 0.01) after 96 h of AgNP exposure. The environmental Acanthamoeba strain C5/2 lost both its adherence ability and metabolic activity at lower AgNP concentrations than the type strain, indicating a higher sensitivity to ionic silver. This was confirmed by the application of AgNO₃, provoking a higher effect level in strain C5/2. AgNP was visualized intracellularly by transmission electron microscopy within the cytoplasm of Acanthamoeba . This is the first report to show the ecotoxicological effects of short‐term AgNP exposure on the soil protist Acanthamoeba , causing both changes in the adherence ability and metabolic activity of this amoeba. This combined approach may be a powerful tool in the future for predicting potential harmful ecotoxicological effects of AgNP exposure using soil protozoans.     

Short-term water management at early filling stage improves early-season rice performance under high temperature stress in South China

Asymmetric warming and frequent temperature extremes are the consequences of climate change that are affecting crop growth and productivity over the globe while heat stress at early filling stage is of serious concern for the early-season rice in double cropping rice system of South China. In present study we assessed different short-term water management strategies to cope with the high temperature at early filling stage in rice. Water was applied as flood irrigation at two various depths i.e., 4–5 cm (I1) and 5–10 cm (I2) during 9:00–18:00 and then drained off at 18:00 as well as applied over-head during different time spans i.e., over-head sprinkle irrigation during 11:00–12:00, 13:00–14:00 and 14:00–15:00 at 60–80% relative humidity (RH) at early filling stage and regarded as S1, S2 and S3, respectively. A control was maintained with the maintenance of 1 cm water layer as normal farmer practice of this region. A fragrant rice cultivar, ‘Yuxiangyouzhan’ in early March (regarded as early season rice) in both 2014–15 and the effectiveness of different water management strategies were measured by estimating physio-biochemical responses, photosynthesis, yield and quality of rice exposed to high temperature stress at early filling stage. Our results showed that water treatments lowered lipid peroxidation (in terms of reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) contents) whilst proline and protein contents were affected differently. The water treatments also regulated the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), nevertheless, improved plant photosynthesis and gas exchange, rice yield and quality attributes considerably by lowering severity of canopy temperatures than control (CK). On average, both flood and sprinkler water application were proved effective against high temperature stress, nonetheless, flood irrigated treatments were remained more effective than sprinkler which provided 26.58 and 43.63% higher grain yields in 2014–15, respectively than CK. On average, 5.58 and 11.92% higher grain yields were recorded in flood irrigation than sprinkler irrigation whereas among individual water application treatments, I1 was noted as the most effective regarding grain yield of rice (26.76 and 49.35% higher yield than CK) in both years which suggests that maintenance of 4–5 cm water layer might be helpful for the rice to withstand against high temperature stress at post heading and/or early filling stage in early-season rice production in South China.     

RCPs气候情景下三江平原典型流域耕地动态模拟

选取三江平原典型流域挠力河流域为研究区,以1990、2002和2014年3期Landsat影像、DEM数据和社会经济统计资料等多源数据为基本信息源,结合3S技术,运用FLUS模型定量模拟代表性浓度路径情景系列(RCPs)下耕地动态变化特征。结果表明:24 a间挠力河流域的旱地面积变化幅度较小,水田面积持续增加,1990—2002年水田扩张剧烈,2002—2014年扩张速度趋于缓和;3个时点的旱地均沿东北-西南轴方向进行分布,主轴沿顺时针缓慢旋转,空间变化稳定,分布范围逐渐减小。水田沿东北-西南走向分布,1990—2002年其主轴逆时针旋转,后顺时针旋转至45.31°,整体分布较为离散,极化特征不明显;通过对比不同空间分辨率及时间尺度下模拟精度,确定最优模拟空间分辨率为200 m,最优模拟时间点为2038年;MESSAGE气候模式下,未来挠力河流域的旱地面积先减少后增加,水田继续维持扩张态势,2029年后面积将以2%速度逐年下降,其分布将更加聚集,主轴沿顺时针旋转,重心逐渐向东北方向进行偏移;AIM气候模式下,气候波动对水田的影响程度大于旱地,旱地面积持续缓慢增加,水田面积在波动中下降,空间分布的极化特征突出。     

Three decades following afforestation are sufficient to yield δ13C depth profiles

Vertical gradients in stable carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) in soil profiles can serve to approximate decomposition of organic matter under field conditions. This study tested the time (0, 30, and ≥ 150 y) required for the development of vertical δ¹³C profiles in topsoil by comparing arable, afforested and continuously forested sites, and showed that three decades following afforestation of former cropland are sufficient to develop distinct δ¹³C depth profiles.