Differing trophic niches of three French stygobionts and their implications for conservation of endemic stygofauna

1. Groundwater ecosystems represent the greatest proportion of unfrozen freshwater on Earth and harbour high numbers of rare taxa with restricted distributions. Stygofaunal abundance, species richness, and ecology play essential roles in groundwater ecosystem services and functioning, as well as providing an important contribution to global biodiversity. However, as global depletion and contamination of groundwater pose serious and often irreversible threats to stygofauna, more information is urgently needed about the ecology of rare groundwater species to guide effective strategies for their conservation or restoration.
2. In this study, analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes were used to compare and evaluate trophic niches and diets of a vulnerable stygobiont isopod, Gallasellus heilyi living in sympatry in French groundwater ecosystems with the isopod Caecosphaeroma burgundum and the amphipod Niphargus ladmiraulti.
3. Stable isotope results showed trophic niche partitioning among the three stygobiont species and indicated that G. heilyi and C. burgundum occupy the role of primary consumers and N. ladmiraulti that of predator. Moreover, although G. heilyi and C. burgundum were shown to rely on the same food sources, indicating similar diets, and their trophic niches did not overlap, suggesting trophic specialization.
4. The results suggest that detritus (i.e. decaying organic material) is an important food source for G. heilyi, and its availability could determine the survival of this endangered species. As a practical conservation measure for G. heilyi and the whole stygofauna community, we suggest reconnecting surface and subterranean ecosystems, as they probably were before natural sinks and many wells were filled up or closed.

     

添加物对木耳液体菌种老化的影响

以黑木耳品种‘黑威15’为试验材料,研究营养物质对木耳液体菌种生长及老化的影响,筛选抗老化及易老化培养基,研究其抗氧化酶活性、底物降解酶活性、抗氧化物质及膜质过氧化程度变化规律。结果表明,①与对照组相比,添加磷酸二氢钾及VB1可延缓菌丝老化,且促进菌丝生长。添加硫酸镁对菌丝老化有缓解作用,但抑制菌丝生长。添加过量氮源可促进菌丝生长且加速菌丝老化。②与对照及易老化培养基相比,抗老化培养基中菌丝总蛋白含量、过氧化物酶、超氧化物歧化酶、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶、淀粉酶活性显著提高。表明活性氧自由基清除系统相关酶活性的提高对延缓菌丝老化具有重要作用。③SOD活性随菌龄增加而逐渐减小,与菌龄呈显著负相关。在抗老化培养基中,丙二醛含量随菌龄增加而降低,两者间呈显著负相关。在对照及易老化培养基中,MDA含量随菌龄增加呈上升趋势,两者间呈显著正相关。研究对分析木耳菌丝老化机制及解决液体菌种老化问题具有理论价值。     

Determination of Naringin Content in Peel of Guangxi Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr by HPLC

[Objectives]To establish a method for determining the naringin content in the peel of Guangxi Citrus maxima(Burm.)Merr.[Methods]The high performance liquid chro...     

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.     

Transpiration efficiency of Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) in response to drought stress

Drought is a major abiotic stress responsible for severe crop losses worldwide. Development of new crop varieties with increased drought tolerance is one way to increase crop productivity. The aim of this study was to characterise the diversity of nine accessions belonging to Amaranthus tricolor and A. cruentus, in response to drought stress using a dry-down protocol to characterise the transpiration efficiency (TE). Plants were subjected to either a gradual dry down or well-watered conditions. Results showed that TE was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in water-deficient (WD) plants compared to water-sufficient (WS) plants, 2.40 g kg^?1–7.13 g kg^?1 and 2.19 g kg^?1–4.84 g kg^?1, respectively. There was no significant difference in the fraction of transpirable soil water (FTSW) threshold decline between the amaranth genotypes. TE was highly correlated with yield under both WS (r = 0.89, P < 0.001) and WD conditions (r = 0.662, P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with root-to-shoot ratio under both WS (r = ?0.488, P < 0.05) and WD conditions (r = ?0.460, P < 0.05). Significant genotypic differences were seen for growth rate and stress susceptibility index (SSI). The result obtained in this investigation underline the need to identify genotypic variation in water use efficiency in amaranth.

Abbreviations: FTSW: Fraction of transpirable soil water; NTR: normalised transpiration rate; SSI: Stress susceptibility index; TE: transpiration efficiency; WHC: water holding capacity; WD: water-deficient; WS: water-sufficient.     

Study on Quality Standards of Children Antipyretic Lotion

[Objectives]To establish suitable quality standards of children antipyretic lotion.[Methods]Qualitative identification was performed for Paederia scandens and A...     

The role of ear environment in postharvest susceptibility of maize to toxigenic Aspergillus flavus

A kernel screening assay (KSA) was used to assess the genetic and environmental effects on the vulnerability of maize to aflatoxin accumulation. Kernels of 26 inbred lines that had been grown in seven environments, and 190 lines of the Intermated B73xMo17 (IBM) population grown in one location in the United States, were inoculated with a toxigenic strain of A. flavus and incubated in the dark at 30°C for 6 days. Percent kernel colonization (PKC), sporulation and aflatoxin were influenced by the maize genotypes (G), the location (“ear environment” or E) and the GxE interactions. Overall, low broad‐sense heritabilities were observed for PKC, sporulation and aflatoxin. PKC was significantly correlated with sporulation in all environments. Aflatoxin was positively correlated with colonization for two and with sporulation for all ear environments. Higher grain sulphur or magnesium in IBM was associated with less colonization or aflatoxin. Postharvest susceptibility of maize to aflatoxin is thus influenced by factors that are modulated by the ear environment. In a KSA, sporulation could be a proxy test for aflatoxin accumulation.     

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.     

蚯蚓堆肥和蚯蚓发酵液体肥在设施葡萄上应用研究

以设施栽培的‘红地球’葡萄为试验材料，采用单因素完全随机设计，研究了蚯蚓堆肥与蚯蚓发酵液体肥对葡萄叶片光合能力、植株生长情况、土壤状况和果实品质及产量的影响。结果表明：利用蚯蚓堆肥与蚯蚓发酵液体肥，提高叶绿素相对含量与净光合速率11.12%、15.31%，促进葡萄的生长，提高叶片面积、茎粗和新稍生长量7.58%、6.42%、18.86%，开花期促进茎叶磷素的吸收，成熟期促进茎叶钾素的吸收；改善土壤理化性质，降低土壤容重30.43%，显著增加总孔隙度8.63%，增加土壤EC值38.23%，pH值降低8.32%，提高速效氮、磷、钾10.56%、11.11%、12.67%，提升有机质3.15 g?kg-1；活化土壤微生物，提高脲酶、磷酸酶和蔗糖酶66.86%、54.60%、82.03%，细菌、放线菌、真菌数量是对照的3.20倍、0.43倍、3.28倍，提高微生物碳氮14.98%、20.23%，增加可溶性蛋白、Vc、可溶性固形物、糖酸比24.31%、9.74%、5.49%、23.46%，降低可滴定酸13.51%；产量增加了21.73%，并土壤理化性质以及土壤微生物关系密切。     

积雪特性参数分析及雪深模型建立

通过2015~2016年冬季积雪观测试验,测量自然条件下雪深、雪层温度、雪层密度、雪层液态含水率等积雪特性参数,分析积雪特性参数影响因子和发育变化规律,构建径向基神经网络雪深模型。结果表明,空气、地表温度及水汽压是影响雪参数发育三大主要气象因子。在时长为124 d覆雪期中,雪深最大平均融雪速率达3.20 mm·d-1,出现在融雪后期。雪层密度随雪深增加波浪式上升,其中稳定期全层密度0.1~0.4 g·cm-3;雪层液态含水率0.5%~3.5%,分层液态含水率中层较大,积雪表层和底部波动较小;全层积雪孔隙率平均值为72.3%,积底层孔隙率廓线下降最快,极差最大。经两次优化后,雪深模型最大绝对误差为0.614 1 cm,最大相对误差为5.85%,模拟精度控制在6 mm以内。