Quantifying trophic interactions and niche sizes of juvenile fishes in an invaded riverine cyprinid fish community

Quantifying feeding interactions between nonindigenous and indigenous fishes in invaded fish communities is important for determining how introduced species integrate into native food webs. Here, the trophic interactions of invasive 0+ European barbel Barbus barbus (L.) and the three other principal 0+ fishes in the community, Squalius cephalus (L.), Leuciscus leuciscus (L.) and Phoxinus phoxinus (L.), were investigated in the River Teme, a River Severn tributary in Western England. B. barbus has been present in the River Teme for approximately 40 years. Analyses of stomach contents from samples collected from three sites between June and September 2015 revealed that, overall, fishes displayed a generalist feeding strategy, with most prey having low frequency of selection. Relationships of diet composition versus body length and gape height were species‐specific, with increasing dietary specialisms apparent as the 0+ fishes increased in length and gape height. The trophic niche size of invasive B. barbus was always significantly smaller than S. cephalus and L. leuciscus and was significantly smaller than P. phoxinus at two sites. This was primarily due to differences in the functional morphology of the fishes; 0+ B. barbus were generally restricted to foraging on the benthos, whereas the other fishes were able to forage on prey present throughout the water column. Nevertheless, the invasive B. barbus were exploiting very similar prey items to populations in their native range, suggesting these invaders were strongly pre‐adapted to the River Teme and this arguably facilitated their establishment and invasion.     

A comparison of changes in stable isotope ratios in the epidermal mucus and muscle tissue of slow‐growing adult catfish

Although stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for determining diet, migration patterns and the structure of food webs in aquatic systems, the slow response of isotopic ratios in the widely used muscle tissue often hampers this approach, particularly in slow‐growing or adult fishes. We conducted a diet‐switch experiment to compare the changes in the stable carbon isotope ratio (δ¹³C values) in the epidermal mucus and muscle tissue of five‐year‐old catfish (Silurus asotus). The isotope ratios in noninvasively sampled mucus changed more rapidly than those in the muscle tissue. As isotopic change in mucus was relatively rapid, this technique can be used over a finer timescale than traditional isotopic analyses using the muscle tissue. The isotopic change half‐life in our experimental condition was 200 days, which would not be short enough for some research purposes. Examining mucus along with the muscle would enable food habits of slow‐growing fishes to be determined over different timescales. However, the rate of isotopic change in the mucus was negatively affected by the size of fish and was slower than the previously reported rates in juvenile steelhead. These findings suggest that mucus turnover rates need to be determined prior to the field data interpretation.     

Exploiting chemical ecology to manage hyperparasitoids in biological control of arthropod pests

Insect hyperparasitoids are fourth trophic level organisms that commonly occur in terrestrial food webs, yet they are relatively understudied. These top‐carnivores can disrupt biological pest control by suppressing the populations of their parasitoid hosts, leading to pest outbreaks, especially in confined environments such as greenhouses where augmentative biological control is used. There is no effective eco‐friendly strategy that can be used to control hyperparasitoids. Recent advances in the chemical ecology of hyperparasitoid foraging behavior have opened opportunities for manipulating these top‐carnivores in such a way that biological pest control becomes more efficient. We propose various infochemical‐based strategies to manage hyperparasitoids. We suggest that a push‐pull strategy could be a promising approach to ‘push’ hyperparasitoids away from their parasitoid hosts and ‘pull’ them into traps. Additionally, we discuss how infochemicals can be used to develop innovative tools improving biological pest control (i) to restrict accessibility of resources (e.g. sugars and alternative hosts) to primary parasitoid only or (ii) to monitor hyperparasitoid presence in the crop for early detection. We also identify important missing information in order to control hyperparasitoids and outline what research is needed to reach this goal. Testing the efficacy of synthetic infochemicals in confined environments is a crucial step towards the implementation of chemical ecology‐based approaches targeting hyperparasitoids. © 2019 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Effect of organic amendment amount on soil nematode community structure and metabolic footprints in soybean phase of a soybean-maize rotation on Mollisols

It has been well documented that organic amendment affects soil nematode community structure. However, little is known about the effect of organic amendment amount on soil nematodes. To assess the effect of the amount of organic amendments on soil nematode community structure and metabolic activity, the community composition, abundance, and metabolic footprints of soil nematodes were determined in a long-term field experiment with various amounts of organic amendment in Northeast China. Fertilization treatments included an unfertilized control (CK), chemical fertilizer without manure amendment (OM₀), manure applied at 7.5 Mg ha^-1 plus chemical fertilizer (OM₁), and manure applied at 22.5 Mg ha^-1 plus chemical fertilizer (OM₂). A total of 46 nematode genera were found. Treatments with the largest amount of organic amendment had the smallest number of plant parasite genera (5), but a largest number of dominant genera (7). Soil nematodes, bacterivores, and fungivores were the most abundant in OM₂, followed by OM₁, and the lowest in OM₀ and CK. Organic amendment increased the enrichment index (EI), and the large amount of organic amendment increased the metabolic footprints of bacterivore (Baf) and fungivore (Fuf) and enrichment footprint (Ef). The relationships between Baf (or Fuf) and the increases in soil organic carbon (ΔSOC) and total nitrogen (ΔTN) were stronger than those of bacterivore (or fungivore) abundance with ΔSOC and ΔTN, except for the relationship between bacterivore abundance and ΔSOC. The EI and Ef were positively correlated with ΔSOC and ΔTN. These findings suggest that the amount of organic amendment affects soil nematode activity and function at entry levels in soil food web, and that metabolic footprints of soil nematodes may be better indicators than their abundances in assessing their relationships with soil nutrients.     

Ontogenetic resource use and trophic dynamics of endangered juvenile Tachypleus tridentatus among diversified nursery habitats in the northern Beibu Gulf,China

Horseshoe crabs, the most well-known example of “living fossils”, are iconic and ecologically important macroinvertebrates in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Their blood is a crucial resource for manufacturing Limulus or Tachypleus amebocyte lysate to detect bacterial endotoxins or fungal contamination in drug and medical devices. An enhanced understanding of their ecological roles and trophic interactions in the food webs is fundamental to facilitate resource management for the declining populations in Asia. Foraging information of the Asian species, however, is mainly derived from preliminary, scattered reports from a limited number of study locations. In this study, resource utilization, trophic niche dynamics, and trophic interaction of the juvenile tri-spine horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus (instars 1–12, approximately 0.5–8 years old) across ontogeny was assessed in diversified nursery habitats along the northern Beibu Gulf, China, using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Our results suggest that: (i) T. tridentatus are ecological generalists given the vast range of carbon isotopic values and trophic niche width estimates exhibited between multiple instar groups; (ii) juvenile T. tridentatus across most habitat types predominantly assimilated energy from a variety of basal production sources in the food web, but primarily depended on sedimentary organic matter and seagrass resource pools; (iii) ontogenetic shifts in juvenile dietary proportions were evident, with decreased reliance on sedimentary organic matter, coupled with increased reliance on benthic macroinvertebrate grazers, detritivores, and omnivores with age; and (iv) nearly all juvenile instars occupied similar trophic positions in the food web with slight shifts in trophic position present with increasing size. Our findings indicate that resource availability and ontogenetic diet shifts strongly influence horseshoe crab trophic dynamics, and age should be accounted when formulating habitat conservation measures based on resource use for Asian horseshoe crabs.     

甜瓜种质叶部SPAD值的变异分析

为了探讨不同甜瓜种质资源叶部SPAD值分布,以210份甜瓜种质为试材,分析了甜瓜开花期和坐果期叶部SPAD值的变异。结果表明,开花期叶部SPAD值野生甜瓜最大,其次为厚皮甜瓜、薄皮甜瓜;坐果期厚皮甜瓜叶部SPAD值最大,叶部SPAD值基本符合正态分布,属于数量性状。开花期与坐果期叶部SPAD值之间均呈极显著相关,叶部SPAD值随着叶位升高而增加,中部叶位L14的叶部SPAD值最大,且变异系数最小,可作为甜瓜叶部SPAD值的测定叶位。基于种质的SPAD值、种质类型及来源,210份甜瓜种质可聚为4类,各类SPAD值分布范围出现一定差异。研究结果可为甜瓜种质资源的评价利用提供参考依据。     

论鸦片战争前茶叶在中美贸易中的地位及其成因

荷兰人将中国茶带到美洲殖民地，英国人将饮茶习惯普及。独立后的美国迫切展开与中国直接贸易，1784年“中国皇后号”的首航标志着中美贸易的开端。从首次贸易到鸦片战争时期，茶叶始终占据了中美贸易的核心商品地位，且在美国对华贸易商品中所占比例整体呈稳步增长趋势。美国对茶叶的消费需求、经济发展的需要以及华商对美商提供的有利的交易方式等因素促进了中美茶叶贸易的发展，茶叶贸易也给美国早期的发展带来了重大的影响。     

干热河谷冲沟侵蚀劣地不同坡位草被生长和土壤水分关系研究

金沙江干热河谷区冲沟侵蚀极为发育,形成大量侵蚀劣地,对该区域侵蚀劣地不同坡位草被生长特征和土壤水分状况进行了调查分析。结果表明,1)侵蚀劣地不同坡位草被生长差异较大,草被盖度和地上生物量大小均表现为:坡上部坡中部坡下部,且坡下部与坡上部和坡中部之间草被生长状况存在极显著差异(P0.01);2)同等降雨状况下,不同坡位土壤水分含量随时间延长均呈现指数递减趋势,但其衰减速率不同,导致土壤水分含量存在差异,衰减速率表现为:坡上部坡中部坡下部,土壤水分含量表现为相反顺序;3)监测时段内土壤水分(土壤平均含水量和末次土壤含水量)与草被覆盖度和生物量之间均呈现极显著正相关关系(P0.01),说明侵蚀劣地不同坡位下土壤水分差异是决定草被生长差异的关键因素。     

变形轴中心孔最佳位置的确定

以往生产中只能凭直观或用外圆打表测量方法来确定变形轴中心孔最佳位置，这既不方便又不准确．经分析与计算，得出变形轴中心孔最佳位置为０．３５Ｌ．     

Variation in infiltration with landscape position: Implications for forest productivity and surface water quality

Variation of infiltration rates with landscape position influences the amount, distribution, and routing of overland flow. Knowledge of runoff patterns gives land managers the opportunity to affect changes that optimize water use efficiency and reduce the risk of water quality impacts. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of landscape position and associated soil properties on infiltration in a small (147 ha) forest/pasture watershed in the Ozark Highlands. Three previously reported studies measured infiltration rates using double ring, sprinkling, single ring, and tension infiltrometers on soils at varying landscape positions. Although large variation in infiltration rates was observed among measurement techniques, upland and side slope soils (Nixa and Clarksville) had consistently lower infiltration rates compared to the soil in the valley bottom (Razort). A conceptual understanding of watershed runoff is developed from these data that includes infiltration excess runoff from the Nixa and Clarksville soils and saturation excess runoff on the Razort soil. Management of the soil water regime based on this understanding would focus on increasing infiltration in upland soils and maintaining the Razort soil areas in forest. Forest productivity would be enhanced by increasing plant-available water in upland soils and decreasing flooding on the Razort soil. Surface water quality would be improved by reducing the transport of potential water contaminants from animal manure applied to upland pastures.