Open-design Recirculating Systems for Zebrafish Culture

The zebrafish is an established vertebrate-animal model in biomedical research. Currently, their mass culture is mainly done using systems provided by commercial suppliers. Commercial systems are compact, recirculating, and use auto-cleaning tanks. These features minimize space use, labour cost, and water wastage; thus, facilitating maintenance of a large number of zebrafish using minimal resources. However, the often considered costs associated with these systems often impose a barrier to current and prospective researchers, especially those with limited funds or working in labs with no access to institutional centralized zebrafish culture facilities. In contrast to commercial systems, custom-made zebrafish maintenance systems are also described in the literature. To distinguish custom-made system from commercial systems, we termed them as “open-design” systems. Open-design systems are cost-effective, modular, and frequently being improved by zebrafish researchers. However, for further development and to present them as a viable option for zebrafish researchers around the world, a review of their current status and technical understanding is required. Here, we compile the disparate data on the purpose and technological development of the open-design systems. We believe this review will be a valuable resource for all zebrafish users and help streamline the open-design technology for zebrafish culture.     

Impact of grassland contract policy on soil organic carbon losses from alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Carbon storage in the soils on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau plays a very important role in the global carbon budget. In the 1990s, a policy of contracting collective grasslands to smaller units was implemented, resulting in a change from the traditional collective grassland management to two new management patterns: a multi‐household management pattern (MMP: grassland shared by several households without enclosures) and a single‐household management pattern (SMP: grassland enclosed and used by only one household). In 2016, 50 MMP and 54 SMP winter pastures on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau were sampled to assess the differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) between the two management patterns. Results showed that average SOC was significantly greater under MMP than under SMP, with an estimated 0.41 Mg C/ha/yr lost due to SMP following the new grassland contract. Based on the government's grassland policy, four grassland utilization scenarios were developed for both summer and winter pastures. We found that if the grassland were managed under SMP, likely C losses ranged between 0.31 × 10⁷ and 6.15 × 10⁷ Mg C/yr across the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau relative to MMP, which more closely resembles pre‐1990s grassland management. Previous estimates of C losses have only considered land use change (with cover change) and ignored the impacts driven by land management pattern changes (without cover change). The new data suggest that C losses from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau are greater than previously estimated, and therefore that the grassland contract policy should be reviewed and SMP households should be encouraged to reunite into the MMP. These findings have potential implications for land management strategies not only on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau but also other grazing regions globally where such practices may exist.     

Public perceptions of ecosystem services and preferences for design scenarios of the flooded bank along the Three Gorges Reservoir: Implications for sustainable management of novel ecosystems

The newly formed extensive flooded land associated with the Three Gorges Reservoir hold great potentials to provide ecosystem services (ESs) for surrounding cities and communities. Conflicting values and conventional management strategies may complicate and inhibit broad-scale decision-making for this novel ecosystem. Public attitudes are a crucial influence in the way this process plays out. This study was conducted to assess how the reservoir bank is perceived by the general public of Chongqing Municipality in terms of importance of riparian ESs, and preference for corresponding landscape design styles through photo-questionnaire interviewing. Although Chongqing citizens know little of the “ecosystem services” concept, they do recognise riparian environmental and ecological benefits especially the bank protection and pollution interception functions, while benefits of habitats for wildlife and flood attenuation were of less concern. Recreational values were least appreciated, which is inconsistent with other studies. This may be attributed to a wider, intensive environmental education in various social media in today’s China. But publicity has been dominated by toxic air, water and soil pollution control rather than the benefits of nature conservation and personal contact with nature. In line with recognition of ESs, there is quite strong preference for the forested design scenario and particularly vegetation components across the socio-demographic spectrum. Overall, socio-demographic variables have very low explanatory power for the perceptual responses. Our study also revealed misunderstandings around riparian functions and a gap between public expectations and special abiotic and biotic prerequisites in restoring novel ecosystems. Finally, we discuss the relevance of this research to urban novel ecosystems in general, and implications for raising public awareness, engaging appropriate public values in sustainable design and management of such ecosystems.     

The ecosystem services concept: a new Esperanto to facilitate participatory planning processes?

Landscape Ecology - Several case studies investigated the role of ecosystem services in participatory planning processes. However, no systematic study exists that cuts across a large number of...     

More evidence that anaerobic oxidation of methane is prevalent in soils: Is it time to upgrade our biogeochemical models?

Estimating future fluxes of CH₄ between land and atmosphere requires well-conceived process-based biogeochemical models. Current models do not represent the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in land surface soils, in spite of increasing evidence that this process is widespread. Our objective was to determine whether AOM, or potential AOM, commonly occurs in 20 hydromorphic soils spanning a wide range of chemical properties. Bulk soil samples were collected under shallow water near the shoreline of 15 recently drained fish ponds in southern Bohemia (Czech Republic), as well as from below the water table at 3 peatland locations in northeast Scotland and 2 acid sulfate soils on the southern coast of Finland. Each soil slurry was incubated under both oxic and anoxic conditions, with or without the addition of alternative electron acceptors (SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻) or H₂PO₄⁻. Here, “oxic” and “anoxic” conditions refer to anoxic soil respectively incubated in a headspace containing air or argon. Using the isotope dilution method, we determined the gross production and oxidation rates of CH₄ after 2 days incubation under oxic headspace conditions, and after 2, 21 and 60 days incubation under anoxic conditions. Large differences in net CH₄ fluxes were observed between soil types and between incubation conditions. AOM was detected in each of the 20 bulk soil samples, which spanned >6 pH units and 2 orders of magnitude in organic C content. Significant positive relationships were found between AOM and gross CH₄ production rates under anoxic conditions, resulting in AOM rates that were sometimes higher than CH₄ oxidation rates under oxic headspace conditions. There was no relationship between net and gross CH₄ production rates, such that 2 soil types could display similar low net rates, yet conceal very large differences in gross rates. The effects of alternative electron acceptors on AOM were idiosyncratic and resulted in no net trend. We did find, however, a negative effect of SO₄²⁻ and H₂PO₄⁻ on gross CH₄ production rates under anoxic and oxic conditions respectively. Under oxic headspace conditions, CH₄ oxidation was related to soil organic C content. Taken collectively, our results suggest that AOM, or potential AOM, is prevalent over a wide range of soil types, that AOM may contribute substantially to CH₄ oxidation in soils, and that AOM in soils should be integrated to current process-based CH₄ cycling models.     

Characterization of Nitrate-Reducing and Amino Acid–Using Bacteria Prominent in Nitrotoxin-Enriched Equine Cecal Populations

Horses can be at risk for nitropoisoning by consuming plants containing 3-nitro-1-propionic acid or 3-nitro-1-propanol and to a lesser extent by plants containing nitrate. Populations of equine cecal microbes enriched for enhanced rates of 3-nitro-1-propionic acid (NPA) or nitrate metabolism were cultured for NPA- or nitrate-metabolizing bacteria on basal enrichment medium or tryptose soy agar supplemented with either 5-mM NPA or nitrate and under H₂:CO₂ (20:80) as the energy source. After 72 hours, separated colonies picked from plates, or roll tubes were cultured in fresh broth medium for 72 hours and then identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Isolates from the NPA-enriched populations were identified as Streptococcus lutetiensis (five strains), Escherichia coli (two strains), and Sporanaerobacter acetigens (one strain). Strains isolated from nitrate-enriched populations were identified as Escherichia coli (one strain) and Wolinella succinogenes (three strains). None of these strains degraded NPA. Enriched populations of equine cecal microbes, the isolated pure strains and the type strain of Denitrobacterium detoxificans, a competent NPA-metabolizing microbe, were examined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE analysis indicated that none of the strains in the enriched population of equine cecal microbes were similar to D. detoxificans. However, we report for the first time the isolation of the anaerobic amino acid–using Sporanaerobacter acetigenes from the equine cecum.     

菌渣还田对生菜生长、土壤养分及酶活性的影响研究

为考查菌渣的肥效及其对生态环境的影响,布置生菜栽培盆栽实验,研究施用菌渣还田对生菜生长、土壤养分、酶活性及微生物的影响。试验空白、菌渣、复合化肥、菌渣+复合化肥4个处理。结果表明：（1）施用菌渣,能促进青椒生长,但对生菜的生长促进不及化肥。（2）施加肥料能显著提高土壤养分,与空白处理相比,施纯菌渣对土壤全氮增加58.6%,碱解氮增加73.3%,硝态氮增加35.3%。（3）施菌渣能显著提高土壤酶活性和土壤微生物数量,施纯菌渣处理的土壤过氧化氢酶活性、脱氢酶活性和脲酶活性分别是化肥处理的1.31、1.40、1.44倍;土壤细菌、放线菌和真菌数量分别为化肥处理的1.56、1.72、1.72倍。施用菌渣可提高农田土壤养分、有机质含量、土壤酶活性和微生物数量,减少养分流失,改善农田土壤生态环境,具有良好的推广应用价值。     

Micro-scale heterogeneity in urban forest soils affects fine root foraging by ornamental seedlings of Buddhist pine and Northeast yew

Urban soils are frequently characterized by a strong heterogeneity caused by intense anthropogenic activity and land use changes. Soil heterogeneity is commonly known to affect tree root development, but little has been detected concerning root foraging by ornamental trees in heterogeneous urban soils at micro-scale. In this study, Buddhist pine [Podocarpus macrophyllus (Thunb.) D. Don] and Northeast yew (Taxus cuspidata S. et Z.) were selected as ornamental tree species for a two-year study. In the first-year, seedlings were cultured under contrasting photoperiods to generate different morphologies. In the second year, seedlings were transplanted to pots filled with soils collected from an urban forest. Controlled-release fertilizers (N-P₂O₅-K₂O, 14-13-13) were evenly broadcasted to a half patch of the pot (heterogeneity) or to both halves (homogeneity) on the surface 5 cm beneath the pot-top at the rate of 0.135 g N seedling⁻¹. In the fertilized heterogeneous patch, larger Buddhist pine seedlings had greater dry weight, length, surface area, volume, number of tips, and morphological foraging-precision in fine roots. Compared to Northeast yew seedlings under natural photoperiod in the first year, those under the extended photoperiod had larger size, greater fine root biomass, and length but lower foraging-precision in the second year. N and P concentrations in second-year fine roots mainly increased with the availability of patches generated by fertilization for both species. In conclusion, the ability to forage for nutrients by ornamental tree seedlings in heterogeneous urban forest soils was species-specific. Buddhist pine seedlings had higher foraging precision in heterogeneous urban soils than Northeast yew seedlings due to their response to the extended photoperiod during culture.