Large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure in the longest tropical river in Asia

Although the Mekong River is one of the world's 35 biodiversity hot spots, the large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure remain poorly addressed. This study aimed to investigate the fish distribution patterns in the Lower Mekong River (LMR) and to identify their environmental determinants. Daily fish catch data (i.e. from December 2000 to November 2001) at 38 sites distributed along the LMR were related to 15 physicochemical and 19 climatic variables. As a result, four different clusters were defined according to the similarity in assemblage composition and 80 indicator species were identified. While fish species richness was highest in the Mekong delta and lowest in the upper part of the LMR, the diversity index was highest in the middle part of the LMR and lowest in the delta. We found that fish assemblages changed along the environmental gradients and that the main drivers affecting the fish assemblage structure were the seasonal variation of temperature, precipitation, dissolved oxygen, pH and total phosphorus. Specifically, upstream assemblages were characterised by cyprinids and Pangasius catfish, well suited to low temperature, high dissolved oxygen and high pH. Fish assemblages in the delta were dominated by perch‐like fish and clupeids, more tolerant to high temperatures, and high levels of nutrients (nitrates and total phosphorus) and salinity. Overall, the patterns were consistent between seasons. Our study contributes to establishing the first holistic fish community study in the LMR.     

Optimization of carbon stock models to local conditions using farmers' soil tests: A case study with AMGv2 for a cereal plain in central France

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is associated with environmental benefits and crop productivity; therefore, monitoring of SOC stocks is important when assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems. This study applied a hybrid method and the results of on-farm soil tests to calibrate the AMGv2 model and adapt it to local conditions. The method was applied to soils in the Limagne plain (France), which shifted to cereal production since the 1960s. Based on analysing 988 soil test data, covering the period from 1954 to 2019, it was found that SOC stocks showed a significant decrease in the three main soil types of the study area. An optimization procedure estimated that the initial ratios of stable to total carbon fall in the ranges 0.42 and 0.46 for vertisols, 0.48 and 0.52 for calcisols, and 0.56 and 0.60 for fluvisols. Simulations using these values estimated that SOC stocks declined between 1960 and 2018 by between −31 and −17%, depending on soil type. The optimized model was used to forecast the evolution of SOC stocks up to 2050. These simulations showed a further decline in SOC stocks with continuation of current practices, even assuming a 15% increase in crop yields. They indicated that stopping straw exports would stabilize stocks, while a systematic introduction of cover crops would increase stocks about 3.8% over the period considered. It is concluded that this hybrid procedure can improve the adaptation of predictive models to local conditions.     

酒精糟液香菇深层发酵富集微量元素的研究(续)

2 4 3　通气量对香菇富硒的影响香菇是好氧菌 ,培养基的溶氧对香菇的生长及代谢至关重要。采用不同装液量进行实验。结果表明 ,过高或过低的溶氧都不利于香菇富硒 ,当5 0 0mL三角瓶装液体积为 2 5 0mL时 ,富硒率最高。图 7　通气量对香菇富硒的影响2 4 4　培养时间对香菇生长及富硒的影响图 8　培养时间对香菇富硒的影响　　从图 8可看出 ,随着香菇培养时间的延长 ,富硒率不断升高 ,当培养时间为 14 4h时达到最高 ,随后开始下降。这主要是因为培养前期 ,随着香菇的不断生长 ,对硒的同化能力不断提高 ,而在培养后期 ,由于菌体衰老生命力…     

The influence of rapid growth on sodium salicylate pharmacokinetics in male turkeys

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of growth on the pharmacokinetics of sodium salicylate (SS) in male turkeys. SS was administered intravenously at a dose of 50 mg/kg. Plasma drug concentrations were assessed by high‐performance liquid chromatography, and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental analysis. As the age increased from 6 to 13 weeks (body weight increase from 2.35 to 9.43 kg), median body clearance decreased from 1.34 to 0.87 ml/min/kg. This caused a significant increase in the median mean residence time from 3.42 to 4.44 hr. Elimination phase proved to be biphasic and two elimination half‐lives (T_1/2el) were distinguished. Whereas T_1/2el1 was found to increase with age by 128%, T_1/2el2 represented a later but faster and less age‐dependent phase of elimination (increase by 56% in the respective groups). Volume of distribution decreased with age. These effects may lead to different therapeutic response to SS in turkeys of different age and body weights.     

Genomic characterization of the first oral avian papillomavirus in a colony of breeding canaries (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serinus canaria</Emphasis>)

Papillomaviruses are non-enveloped, DNA viruses that infect skin and mucosa of a wide variety of vertebrates, causing neoplasias or simply persisting asymptomatically. Avian papillomaviruses, with six fully sequenced genomes, are the second most studied group after mammalian papillomaviruses. In this study, we describe the first oral avian papillomavirus, detected in the tongue of a dead Yorkshire canary (Serinus canaria) and in oral swabs of the same bird and other two live canaries from an aviary in Madrid, Spain. Its genome is 8,071 bp and presents the canonical papillomavirus architecture with six early (E6, E7, E1, E9, E2, E4) and two late open reading frames (L1 and L2) and a long control region between L1 and E6. This new avian papillomavirus L1 gene shares a 64% pairwise identity with FcPV1 L1, so it has been classified as a new species (ScPV1) within the Ethapapillomavirus genus. Although the canary died after showing breathing problems, there is no evidence that the papillomavirus caused those symptoms so it could be part of the oral microbiota of the birds. Hence, future investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of the virus.     

Changes in technical efficiency of the broiler production in Poland, 1994–2013

1. The effects of changes in technical efficiency on the increase of broiler production are presented for the period 1994–2013 based on the panel data from seven farms located in southern and central Poland. A total of 766 cycles were analysed.

2. The Cobb–Douglas production function was used to assess the changes of output elasticities as well as technical changes in broiler production, for 5-year sub-periods separately.

3. Technical indices of broiler production significantly improved between years 1994–2013: feed conversion ratio decreased from 2.50 kg/kg to 1.78 kg/kg, mortality rate from 8.8% to 4.0% and daily weight gain increased from 37.1 g/d to 58.7 g/d, respectively.

4. Before accession to the EU, there was a substantial increase of fixed capital connected with modernisation of buildings and equipment. In the period 1994–2013, inputs of fixed capital per kilogram of livestock increased by 72% and at the same time the input of labour decreased by 56%.

5. Technical changes in years 1994–1998 contributed to a rapid production increase at a rate of 4.6% annually and only by up to 0.7% annually during 2009–2013. The slowdown of production rate increase after 2009 was partially caused by decreasing the stocking density.     

基于两性生命表的以朱砂叶螨为猎物的加州新小绥螨四川种群生长发育、繁殖及捕食率

为全面掌握加州新小绥螨四川种群的种群特征，本试验运用两性生命表开展了以朱砂叶螨为猎物的加州新小绥螨四川种群的生长发育、繁殖与捕食率研究。结果表明，加州新小绥螨四川种群不同发育阶段重叠，在雌成螨产卵期结束前雌成螨特定年龄-阶段存活率S_xj明显高于雄成螨。单位时间（12 h）特定年龄-阶段繁殖力f_x5、特定年龄繁殖力m_x最大值分别为1.74和1.12粒/雌，单雌总产卵量为49.28粒。种群内禀增长率为0.27/d、周限增长率为1.31/d、净增殖率为26.61粒/个体、世代平均周期为12.34 d。在未成熟阶段，加州新小绥螨各螨态特定年龄-阶段捕食率C_xj均呈双峰型，雌成螨和雄成螨捕食率均随时间明显波动。加州新小绥螨取食朱砂叶螨的转化率为4.55、内禀捕食率为0.54、周限捕食率为1.72头。以朱砂叶螨为猎物时，加州新小绥螨四川种群表现出较好的个体发育、种群增长和捕食能力，可作为控制朱砂叶螨的生防资源，值得进一步研究和开发利用；同时朱砂叶螨可作为加州新小绥螨四川种群人工繁殖选择的猎物之一。     

Influence of larval and juvenile life history on age at first maturity in two tropical amphidromous fish species

This study investigates how age at first maturity of two tropical amphidromous species Sicyopterus lagocephalus (Pallas, 1770) and Cotylopus acutipinnis (Guichenot, 1863) varies in relation to their larval and juvenile life history. Reproductive stage was estimated based on histological observation of ovaries of more than 200 females of each species caught monthly over 1 year. The age of fish was estimated by interpreting the daily increments deposited on otoliths during the oceanic larval phase, and the juvenile phase in the river. The age at first maturity was approximately 9 months for S. lagocephalus and 7 months for C. acutipinnis, corresponding to approximately 70–130 and 90–130 days after they returned to freshwater respectively. For both species, the time spent in freshwater before maturity was significantly influenced by the duration of the pelagic larval stage at sea (PLD) and the season of return in freshwater. Individuals with a long PLD, or returning in freshwater during the warmer season, maturated faster once in freshwater. This reproductive advantage may minimise the risk of extirpation due to catastrophic events at each generation and thus probably benefits amphidromous species living in very unpredictable tropical rivers.     

我国蔬菜育苗产业现状及发展动态

蔬菜育苗是蔬菜生产中的关键环节之一,不仅可以节约用种量、增加复种指数,而且便于集约化管理,在我国有广阔的市场前景。为此,阐述了我国目前主要的几种育苗方法及相关技术,指出现阶段我国蔬菜育苗产业存在着育苗企业良莠不齐、缺乏规范化管理、育苗方法技术滞后和劳动者技术水平低等问题,并有针对性地提出了解决措施。目前,随着我国农业种植结构的调整,蔬菜育苗产业正向基质低廉化、育苗工厂化、育苗专业化及种苗标准化等方向发展。