System for quasi‐continuous simultaneous measurement of oxygen diffusion rate and redox potential in soil

Oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) and redox potential (E_H) are quantitative indices representing oxygen availability and redox status in soils, which is valuable information for better understanding causes and effects of soil aeration. Because these indices are spatially and temporally highly variable, continuous measurements and adequate numbers of repetitions are essential for accurate in situ monitoring. Here, we present a new, fully automated recording system for in situ measurements where ODR and E_H are measured at the same platinum electrode. The conflict between electrode polarization for ODR and the resulting biased E_H readings is solved by reducing the polarization time and introducing a recovery interval between two consecutive measurement cycles. The shorter polarization time ensures accurate E_H readings. It also results in moderately overestimated ODR readings, but this can be corrected before data analysis. The recovery interval restricts temporal resolution of the E_H‐ODR data pairs to 8 h. We illustrate the use of the system with measurements in a field experiment in Zürich, Switzerland. ODR curves at different depths ran roughly parallel to the corresponding curves of O₂ concentration in soil air but ODR was much more sensitive to precipitation. Low ODR was a necessary but not a sufficient condition for declining E_H. E_H ran parallel to O₂ concentration in soil air rather than to ODR. The fully automated system allows for time series of replicate measurements in multifactorial field studies with reasonable labor requirements. It may be particularly suitable for studies examining the effects of soil tillage, compaction, and irrigation, where structure‐related soil properties such as porosity, gas permeability, and soil aeration play a dominant role.     

基于格网的石漠化地区生态系统服务与经济空间耦合

[目的]分析石漠化地区生态系统服务价值与经济的空间耦合关系,为石漠化地区生态环境保护与社会经济协调发展提供依据。[方法]以贵州省盘州市为例,基于格网尺度,计算了研究区生态服务价值(ESV)与国内生产总值GDP,并利用耦合协调模型,对两者间的耦合协调发展程度进行定量评估。[结果]①盘州市ESV热点区主要分布在东北部的几个少数民族乡镇,冷点区主要分布在经济发展较快且城市化率较高的区域;②盘州市GDP在空间上呈现出局部高的特点,高值区主要集中在石桥镇、亦资街道、翰林街道等工业镇和政治、经济、文化中心;③盘州市ESV与GDP耦合协调度值较低,空间上存在明显的自相关性,耦合协调度较低的区域主要分布在盘州市东南部、北部以及中部;④盘州市ESV与GDP耦合协调度类型以严重失调衰退经济损益型为主,占区域总面积的79.95%。[结论]盘州市ESV与GDP在空间上存在一定矛盾,耦合协调度较低,兼顾生态环境保护与经济发展有助于提升协调度。     

Primary productivity in patches of heterogeneous swards after 12 years of low-intensity cattle grazing

In low-intensity grazing systems, patch grazing leads to a mosaic structure of short (frequently defoliated) and tall (rarely defoliated) patches, with the stocking rate determining the proportion of these patch types on the pasture. Little is known about the long-term effects of patch grazing on the productivity of contrasting sward height patches developed under varying stocking rates. On a 12-year low-intensity cattle pasture we investigated aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and its seasonal variation in different patch types (‘short’, ‘medium’ and ‘tall’) under three stocking rates (‘moderate’, ‘lenient’ and ‘very lenient’) over two years. Additionally, we determined stocks of soil phosphorus, potassium and magnesium as well as soil pH. ANPP was affected by an interaction of patch type and stocking rate and ranged from less than 300 g/m² in short patches under very lenient stocking to more than 1,000 g/m² in medium patches under moderate stocking. In contrast with observations at the start of the experiment, ANPP in short patches was similar to or less than that in medium and tall patches. As topsoil phosphorus and potassium stocks were lowest in short patches, this indicates a long-term redistribution of nutrients by grazing animals, which limits short-patch productivity. Productivity of medium patches increased with stocking rate, and soil potassium concentration showed a similar trend, pointing towards enhanced nutrient cycling under more intensive stocking. We conclude that nutrient redistribution may lead to increasing trade-offs between ecological and agronomic aims in long-term low-intensity grazing systems.     

单细胞转录组测序技术及其在肌内脂肪细胞研究中的应用

单细胞转录组测序(single-cell RNA sequencing,scRNA-seq)技术在单细胞水平对转录组进行测序,可从表达量、细胞量及细胞组成等多种角度描述样本,主要包括单细胞分离、mRNA反转录、文库构建、转录组测序和数据分析等步骤。单细胞分离是scRNA-seq技术操作的第一步,常用的细胞分离方法有连续稀释法、显微操作法、荧光激活流式细胞术、激光捕获显微切割术和微流控技术。基于不同细胞捕获、cDNA扩增和文库构建开发了许多scRNA-seq方法,如CEL-seq2、Drop-seq、MARS-seq、SCRB-seq、Smart-seq、Smart-seq2等。与传统测序方法相比,scRNA-seq可识别单个细胞的基因表达信息、记录细胞的空间位置、跟踪不同细胞谱系在分化过程中的轨迹,这为研究难以大量提取的肌内脂肪细胞分子特异性和发生分化过程带来极大便利。作者简要介绍了scRNA-seq技术的关键步骤,比较分析了单细胞分离和转录组测序方法的优缺点,综述了肌内脂肪细胞的起源以及scRNA-seq在肌内脂肪细胞的亚群和标记基因鉴定以及细胞分化轨迹追踪中的应用,以期为肌内脂肪细胞的深入研究提供参考依据。     

Impact of Caligus treatments on unit costs of heterogeneous salmon farms in Chile

We measure the impact that sanitary treatments that control ectoparasite Caligus rogercresseyi abundance have on unit production costs of Salmo salar farms in Chile. We follow complete production cycles for a sample of farms between 2009 and 2015. We estimate a simultaneous salmon biomass growth and Caligus abundance model. The statistical analysis determines the effect of antiparasitic treatments, location of farms, environmental conditions and Caligus abundance on the salmon growth profile. Using outside cost information, we simulate how unit production costs vary by treatment and farm characteristics. Our results suggest that unit production costs increase on average by $1.4?US/kg with Caligus and treatments. Treatment costs are compensated by higher harvesting levels, and unit production costs are invariant to the situation without treatment. All estimated effects differ depending on farm’s environmental and spatial conditions, suggesting that the design of cost-effective intervention calls for discriminatory regulation under heterogeneous conditions.     

Assessment of diffusive phosphate supply in soils by microdialysis

Standard procedures to assess P availability in soils are based on batch experiments with various extractants. However, in most soils P nutrition is less limited by bulk stocks but by strong adsorption and transport limitation. The basic principle of root‐phosphate uptake is to strip phosphate locally from the solid phase by forming a radial depletion zone in the soil solution, optionally enhanced by release of mobilizing substances. Microdialysis (MD), a well‐established method in pharmacokinetics, is capable to mimic important characteristics of P root uptake. The sampling is by diffusional exchange through a semipermeable membrane covering the probes with their sub‐mm tubular structure. Additionally, the direct environment of the probe can be chemically modified by adding, e.g ., carboxylates to the perfusate. This study is the first approach to test the applicability of MD in assessing plant available phosphate in soils and to develop a framework for its appropriate use.We used MD in stirred solutions to quantify the effect of pumping rate, concomitant ions, and pH value on phosphate recovery. Furthermore, we measured phosphate yield of top‐soil material from a beech forest, a non‐fertilized grassland, and from a fertilized corn field. Three perfusates have been used based on a 1 mM KNO₃ solution: pure (1), with 0.1 mM citric acid (2), and with 1 mM citric acid (3). Additionally, a radial diffusion model has been parametrized for the stirred solutions and the beech forest soil.Results from the tests in stirred solutions were in good agreement with reported observations obtained for other ionic species. This shows the principal suitability of the experimental setup for phosphate tests. We observed a significant dependency of phosphate uptake into the MD probes on dialysate pumping rate and on ionic strength of the outside solution. In the soils, we observed uptake rates of the probes between 1.5 × 10⁻¹⁵ and 6.7 × 10⁻¹⁴ mol s⁻¹ cm⁻¹ in case of no citrate addition. Surprisingly, median uptake rates were mostly independent of the bulk soil stocks, but the P‐fertilized soil revealed a strong tailing towards higher values. This indicates the occurrence of hot P spots in soils. Citrate addition increased P yields only in the higher concentration but not in the forest soil. The order of magnitude of MD uptake rates from the soil samples matched root‐length related uptake rates from other studies. The micro‐radial citrate release in MD reflects the processes controlling phosphate mobilization in the rhizosphere better than measurements based on “flooding” of soil samples with citric acid in batch experiments. Important challenges in MD with phosphate are small volumes of dialysate with extremely low concentrations and a high variability of results due to soil heterogeneity and between‐probe variability. We conclude that MD is a promising tool to complement existing P‐analytical procedures, especially when spatial aspects or the release of mobilizing substances are in focus.     

基于GIS的土壤肥力质量综合评价——以天然云冷杉针阔混交林为例

以吉林汪清林业局金沟岭林场中41块天然云冷杉针阔混交林样地为对象,采用主成分-聚类分析,结合GIS技术,对该区域土壤肥力质量进行综合评价。结果表明,按主成分-聚类分析结果将41块样地分为4类:第1类土壤肥力质量综合得分为11.17~18.86(优),包括5块样地;第2类土壤肥力质量综合得分为3.01~7.44(良),包括8块样地;第3类土壤肥力质量综合得分为-6.97~1.27(一般),包括24块样地;第4类土壤肥力质量综合得分为-12.40~-9.63(差),包括4块样地。然后采用Arc GIS软件对综合得分进行普通Kriging插值,其标准均方根预测为0.9544,在1的附近,这基本达到插值精度的要求。从生成的研究区土壤肥力质量综合得分空间分布图来看,森林土壤肥力质量由西向东呈现先降低后升高的趋势;由北向南,森林土壤肥力质量变化幅度逐步减小,表明研究区南部土壤肥力质量变化较北部均匀。就研究区的整体土壤肥力质量而言,土壤肥力质量中等以上(优,良,一般)样地数占所研究区样地总数比例为90.24%,表明所研究区森林土壤肥力质量整体处于良好水平。     

不同放牧制度对荒漠草原表层土壤氮素空间异质性的影响

以荒漠草原不同放牧制度下表层土壤氮素含量为研究对象,采用GS+软件和地统计学分析方法对其空间异质性分布进行了研究.结果显示,划区轮牧区表层士壤碱解氮含量显著低于对照区和自由放牧区,土壤全氮含量没有发生显著性变化.样点间土壤氮素含量差异表明,表层土壤氮素含量存在空间异质性.划区轮牧使得土壤碱解氮含量和土壤全氮含量空间分布受随机因素影响大,自由放牧使土壤全氮含量空间分布受随机因素影响大,围封状态的对照区土壤碱解氮含量和土壤全氮含量空间分布几乎不受随机因素影响.划区轮牧能够减小土壤氮素空间分布的异质性,自由放牧导致表层土壤碱解氮含量空间差异较大.在划区轮牧区,土壤碱解氮含量和土壤全氮含量空间分布都比较均匀,呈片状分布,自由轮牧区土壤碱解氮整体呈破碎斑块分布.     

Differential overstory leaf flushing contributes to the formation of a patchy understory

Understory individuals were found to form patches in a 100-year-old deciduous broad-leaved forest. The closed forest canopy was uniform, and so the light conditions at various locations across the forest floor differed little after the leaf flush of the overstory. To explain the distribution pattern in the understory, a hypothesis was proposed: in spring, the forest floor is divided into patches according to the timing of leaf flush of the overstory individuals, and the light conditions are more favorable for understory plants under the crowns of trees with later-flushing leaves. In the plot, three groups of early, intermediate, and late, were recognized in the overstory concerning the timing of leaf flush. As for the start of leaf flush, a difference of 31.6 days was recognized among tree species, and for the end of leaf flush, a difference of 40.3 days. In the spring of 1998, the relative photosynthetic-photon-flux density under an intensively studiedCastanea crenata tree (late-flushing species) usually showed higher values than that under a similarly studiedAcer mono tree (early-flushing species). Analysis of the spatial-distribution pattern using Morisita’s1δ index revealed that the understory community had an aggregated distribution. In the overstory, the late- and the intermediate-flushing-species groups showed aggregated distributions, while the early-flushing-species group showed random distribution. Spatial correlation between the understory and the overstory was analyzed by using Morisita’sRδ index. The distribution of whole understory community spatially co-occurred with that of the late-flushing-species group of the overstory. In contrast, the understory community was less developed below the members of the early-flushing-species group of the overstory. We consider that the data presented here support our hypothesis, and we suggest that the growth and survival of understory individuals were promoted in the places receiving light for long periods in spring.