Stable isotopes and gut contents indicate differential resource use by coexisting asp (Leuciscus aspius) and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

Differential use of habitat and prey resources is an important mechanism that may allow coexistence of sympatric species. Unlike interactions between smaller cyprinid and percid fishes, the resource use by coexisting predatory asp (Leuciscus aspius) and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) is relatively unknown. Here, gut content and stable isotope analyses were used to study ontogenetic dietary shifts and interspecific trophic niche overlap between asp and pikeperch coexisting in two reservoirs. The hypothesis that both species show an ontogenetic dietary shift from small invertebrates to large fish prey, but at the same time use different prey resources to reduce potential competitive interactions, was validated. The isotopic niches of the two predators showed no, or only a moderate, degree of overlap (0%–65%). The ontogenetic changes in the degree of interspecific isotopic niche overlap were different in the two reservoirs, suggesting that trophic segregation can be dynamic and variable among systems. Gut contents revealed that small (<100 mm standard length) asp consumed mostly terrestrial invertebrates and emerged aquatic insects, whereas small pikeperch foraged on zooplankton, larval and pupal stages of aquatic insects and fish. Larger individuals (>100 mm) of both species were predominantly piscivorous, with asp consuming more cyprinid prey and pikeperch more percid prey. Coexisting asp and pikeperch populations are able to utilise different prey resources, thereby reducing potential negative competitive interactions.     

Cannibalism facilitates gigantism in a nine‐spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) population

Cannibalism is a taxonomically widespread phenomenon that can fundamentally affect the structure and stability of aquatic communities, including the emergence of a bimodal size distribution (“dwarfs” and “giants”) in fish populations. Emergence of giants could also be driven or facilitated by parasites that divert host resources from reproduction to growth. We studied the trophic ecology of giant nine‐spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) in a Finnish pond to evaluate the hypotheses that gigantism in this population would be facilitated by cannibalism and/or parasitic infections by Schistocephalus pungitii cestode. Stomach content analyses revealed an initial ontogenetic dietary shift from small to large benthic invertebrates, followed by cannibalism on 10–20‐mm‐long conspecifics by giant individuals. However, stable nitrogen isotopes (δ¹⁵N) indicated a concave relationship between fish size and trophic position, with relatively low trophic position estimates suggesting only facultative cannibalism among giants. The unexpectedly high trophic position of the intermediate‐sized fish may reflect substantial, but temporary, predation on eggs or young‐of‐the‐year conspecifics, but may also partly result from starvation caused by S. pungitii infection. However, it seems implausible that parasitic infections (i.e. castration) would explain gigantism among nine‐spined sticklebacks because all >100‐mm giants were unparasitised. Hence, the present results suggest that an ontogenetic niche shift from an invertebrate diet to intercohort cannibalism may facilitate the occurrence of gigantism in nine‐spined sticklebacks.     

浑善达克沙地杨树水分利用特征

为探究浑善达克沙地杨树的水分利用特征。本文利用氢和氧同位素示踪技术,测定了降雨、土壤水与地下水的δ18O值,利用多元线性混合模型定量计算了杨树对不同土层土壤水分的利用比例。结果表明:①浑善达克沙地大气降雨方程线为:δDLWML=7.84δ^18OLWML+9.12,斜率比全国降雨方程偏小,体现了研究区降雨少,蒸发大的气候特征;②土壤含水量与地下水位埋深、降雨量、植物生长期的变化有着显著的相关关系。降雨量较大与地下水位埋深较浅的时期,土壤含水量明显增大,在植物生长前期和中期,土壤含水量明显较低;③杨树在雨季,利用了大量的浅层土壤水(0~40 cm),在较为干旱的旱季,利用了大量的深层土壤(160~200 cm)水与少量的地下水。     

Cultivation effects on soil texture and fertility in an arid desert region of northwestern China

In arid desert regions of northwestern China, reclamation and subsequent irrigated cultivation have become effective ways to prevent desertification, expand arable croplands, and develop sustainable agricultural production. Improvement in soil texture and fertility is crucial to high soil quality and stable crop yield. However, knowledge on the long-term effects of the conversion of desert lands into arable croplands is very limited. To address this problem, we conducted this study in an arid desert region of northwestern China to understand the changes in soil physical-chemical properties after 0, 2, 5, 10, 17, and 24 years of cultivation. Our results showed that silt and clay contents at the 17-year-old sites increased 17.5 and 152.3 folds, respectively, compared with that at the 0-year-old sites. The soil aggregate size fraction and its stability exhibited an exponential growth trend with increasing cultivation ages, but no significant change was found for the proportion of soil macroaggregates (>5.00 mm) during the 17 years of cultivation. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content at the 24-year-old sites was 6.86 g/kg and increased 8.8 folds compared with that at the 0-year-old sites. The total (or available) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents showed significant increasing trends and reached higher values after 17 (or 24) years of cultivation. Changes in soil physical-chemical properties successively experienced slow, rapid, and stable development stages, but some key properties (such as soil aggregate stability and SOC) were still too low to meet the sustainable agricultural production. The results of this long-term study indicated that reasonable agricultural management, such as expanding no-tillage land area, returning straw to the fields, applying organic fertilizer, reducing chemical fertilizer application, and carrying out soil testing for formula fertilization, is urgently needed in arid desert regions.     

Nutritional Contribution of Biofloc within the Diet of Growout and Broodstock of Litopenaeus vannamei,Determined by Stable Isotopes and Fatty Acids

The relative contributions of feed sources were determined through the isotopic signal (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) and fatty acid profile of feed items, shrimp muscle, and eggs of Litopenaeus vannamei reared in a biofloc system. In the growout phase, the isotope analysis showed the biofloc particle size class ≥250 μm contributed 55–100%; size ≥50 < 250 μm contributed 0–22%; and artificial feed contributed 0–45%. Principal component analysis applied to fatty acid profiles showed that biofloc ≥250 μm and artificial feed were the most important items in shrimp growout. For the egg production, isotope analysis suggested that the most important feed sources according to their relative contributions were polychaetes (0–100%), followed by artemia biomass (0–86%) and semi‐moist feed (0–66%), with lower contributions from squid, mussel, and the muscle of L. vannamei broodstock that had been cultured in biofloc. In terms of fatty acids, the most important items were artemia, polychaetes, and semi‐moist feeds. This work clarified the importance of feed sources for shrimp during culture in biofloc systems and during reproduction. Analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids can be successfully used to trace the assimilation of nutrients during the nutrition of shrimp.     

Composition of organic C fractions in soils of different texture affected by sugarcane monoculture

ABSTRACT

Sugarcane is a strategic commodity in Indonesia. It is usually raised in a monoculture system. There is a lack of information about the effects of extended sugarcane monoculture on the soil carbon fraction. The aim of this study was to determine the relative changes in the soil organic C fractions in response to the duration of sugarcane monoculture on Entisols, Inceptisols, and Vertisols. The measured variables were the percentages of sand, silt, and clay, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), pH (H₂O), cation exchange capacity (CEC), NH₄ ⁺, NO₃ ^-, labile carbon fraction (soil carbon mineralization (C-Min), soil microbial carbon (C-Mic), and carbon particulate organic matter (C-POM)), and stable carbon fraction (humic and fulvic acids). Soil type with sugarcane monoculture period had significant influences on the percentages of clay, sand, silt, CEC, and pH (H₂O). Soil type and sugarcane monoculture period had no apparent significant effect on C-Min or C-POM but did significantly influence C-Mic. The humic and fulvic acid levels in all three soil types were affected by the duration of sugarcane monoculture. To establish the impact of long-term sugarcane monoculture on the physicochemical properties of soils with various textures, it is more appropriate to measure the soil stable carbon fractions such as humic and fulvic acid rather than the soil labile carbon fractions such as C-Min, C-POM, or C-Mic.     

基于稳定同位素的上海地产蔬菜种植模式及产地判别

为保护蔬菜的优质优价及质量安全,以上海9个农业产区(宝山区、崇明区、奉贤区、嘉定区、金山区、闵行区、浦东新区、青浦区和松江区)蔬菜为研究对象,分析不同产区蔬菜的δ¹⁵N值差异及其对种植模式(常规、绿色或有机种植)的指示;对δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H和δ¹⁸O值进行单因素方差分析,并应用主成分分析(PCA)、偏最小二乘判别分析(PLS-DA)及支持向量机(SVM)方法,建立上海地产蔬菜产地判别模型。结果表明,宝山区、松江区和嘉定区蔬菜的δ¹⁵N值占前三,且分别与δ¹⁵N值最低的浦东新区蔬菜(4.44‰)存在显著差异,且仅有浦东新区蔬菜可能为绿色或有机种植的比例低于50%;δ¹³C、δ²H和δ¹⁸O值只在部分产区间差异显著,PCA可初步实现浦东新区蔬菜与其他8个产区的鉴别;PLS-DA最优模型可以很好地实现浦东新区蔬菜产地判别(预测准确率为98.80%),SVM最优模型可以很好地实现宝山区(预测正确率96.38%)、嘉定区(预测正确率92.77%)和青浦区(预测正确率91.57%)蔬菜的产地判别,SVM最优模型可以较好地实现金山区、松江区、崇明区和奉贤区蔬菜的产地判别。本研究结果为上海地产蔬菜种植模式及产地判别提供了参考方法,并为其溯源和质量安全保护提供了基础数据。     

稳定同位素技术鉴别库尔勒香梨产地可行性研究

为开展碳、氮、氢、氧(C、H、O、N)稳定同位素鉴别库尔勒香梨产地的可行性研究,明确新疆库尔勒香梨δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H、δ¹⁸O值,本研究以甘肃香梨和陕西红香酥梨作为对照,采用稳定同位素比值质谱仪(IRMS)分析新疆库尔勒香梨与对照样品的δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H、δ¹⁸O值,并采用正交校正的偏最小二乘判别分析(OPLS-DA) 鉴别新疆库尔勒香梨产地真实性。结果表明,新疆、甘肃两个产区香梨与陕西产区红香酥梨的δ¹³C、δ¹⁵N、δ²H、δ¹⁸O值存在显著差异(P<0.05)。新疆产区的66份库尔勒香梨判别准确率为95.45%;甘肃产区的20份香梨样品判别准确率为60%;陕西产区的23份红香酥梨样品判别准确率为95.65%。C、N、H、O 4种稳定同位素可有效鉴别新疆库尔勒香梨和陕西红香酥梨,但在新疆库尔勒香梨与甘肃香梨鉴别方面,误判率较高,如果能结合其他鉴别技术,则有可能出现较好的鉴别效果。本研究为库尔勒香梨产地真实性鉴别提供了科学依据。     

明胶骨原料碳、氮稳定同位素的地域性差异研究

为探讨不同地域来源的明胶骨原料中碳、氮稳定同位素的分布特征及其相关性,本试验采用元素分析-稳定同位素比率质谱仪测定了广西、内蒙古和山东3个主产区的牛骨样品及当地牧草饲料样品中的¹³C和¹⁵N同位素组成,并结合线性回归讨论了牛骨样品中δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N值的相关性与牛食谱组成的关系。结果表明,广西地区骨样品中δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N值的相关性较好(R²=0.401 8),而内蒙古和山东地区骨样品中δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N值的相关性较差(R²<0.1),反映了3地牛食物的来源稳定性及主要成分存在明显差异,对各地牛食谱结构推测的结果与实际牧草饲料样品中δ¹³C和δ¹⁵N值的地区分布规律也较为一致。本研究初步揭示了明胶骨原料中碳、氮稳定同位素产生地域性差异的原因,不仅为动物生态学研究提供了有益信息,更为动物制品产地溯源研究提供了新思路。     

基于溶解无机碳中碳氧同位素及化学组分的瓶装饮用水产地真实性鉴别

为了鉴别我国市场上销售的瓶装饮用水的产地和产品类型,本试验分析了瓶装饮用水溶解无机碳(DIC)中的δ¹⁸O_DIC和δ¹³C_DIC、水中的δ¹⁸O和δ²H值、矿物元素(K、Ca、Na、Mg、Sr)含量、阴离子(Cl^-、SO₄^2-、HCO₃^-)含量、pH值与电导率等水化学指标,结合费希尔判别分析(Fisher-DA)建立模型,对瓶装饮用水的类别和产地进行鉴别。结果表明,不同产地瓶装饮用水的δ¹⁸O_DIC、δ¹³C_DIC、δ¹⁸O、δ²H值均具有显著差异,而且矿物元素与阴离子的含量变化范围广,具有不同的地域性特征。产地溯源判别模型对不同产地瓶装饮用水的判别准确率高达100%,且采用水化学指标还能区分瓶装饮用水的类型。正态化重要性分析显示,对产地具有指示效应的前五项重要指标分别为K、Cl^-和δ¹³C_DIC、δ²H和pH值。综上所述,通过稳定同位素指纹信息和水化学指标的差异进行融合分析,结合多元统计模型可有效鉴别市场上瓶装饮用水的真实性,保护消费者的合法权益,维护市场公平。