Molecular phylogeny of the apterygotan insects based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes

Basal hexapodan orders (Apterygota) are traditionally divided in two well defined taxonomic groups, Entognatha and Ectognatha. Entognathy (the enclosed mouthparts condition) is considered the most distinctive character joining the Ellipura (Protura+ Collembola) with the order Diplura, whereas the presence of exposed mouthparts (ectognathy) is the feature shared by Microcoryphia and Zygentoma with the pterygote insects. In spite of the growing interest for the evolutionary history of the Apterygota, there is no complete agreement among the general phylogenetic hypotheses based on the study of morphological characters. In this study we analyzed the DNA sequence of segments of the nuclear Elongation Factor-1α(EF-1α) and of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA genes, and used different methods of phylogenetic reconstruction. The 12S gene seems to be more suited than the EF-1α to resolve some of the most outstanding systematic disputes, whereas the lack of resolution at the deeper nodes does not allow to assess the phylogenetic relationships within Microcoryphia and between ectognathan orders. We have obtained a fairly high support for the monophyly of the orders Diplura and Zygentoma. In the 12S analysis, the Ellipura and the Entognatha form monophyletic assemblages. In addition, the study of the distribution of introns in the EF-1α suggests a relationship between Collembola and Diplura.     

基于MODIS的中国陆地气溶胶光学厚度时空分布特征

利用MODIS 08_C5气溶胶产品2000—2008年月均值资料,通过线性回归和相关分析方法,探讨中国大陆地区550 nm气溶胶光学厚度的时空分布特征和变化趋势。结果表明:南疆盆地、长江中下游地区以及四川盆地常年处于气溶胶光学厚度高值区;全国各地气溶胶光学厚度季节变化有明显差异,大部分地区年内呈先增大后减小趋势,4月达到其年内最高值,且多年光学厚度月均值与全国每月发生沙尘总次数呈显著相关关系;沙尘月发生10次以上地区,沙尘月发生次数与光学厚度月均值之间呈显著线性相关关系,而沙尘月发生10次以下地区,沙尘月发生次数与光学厚度月均值之间没有明显的关系。     

Comparative study on different sediment transport capacity based on dimensionless flow intensity index

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Sediment transport plays a vital role in the development of soil erosion process models. The primary purpose of this study is to establish new sediment transport...     

基于数学形态学的粘连大米籽粒分割研究

在大米籽粒检测中经常会有大米籽粒重叠和粘连的现象。将粘连在一起的大米籽粒群分离是图像处理中一项重要而困难的问题。对这一情况,提出了一种有效的分割算法,先对图像进行二值化处理,然后对图像进行数学形态学变换,通过腐蚀运算将大米籽粒群图像层层剥离,直至粘连籽粒分开,再使用膨胀运算和八链码方法恢复出原始的各个大米籽粒个体,从而将大米籽粒群分离开。实验证明,该算法能成功地分离开粘连大米籽粒。     

基于养殖流程的水产品质量追溯系统编码体系的构建

本文以HACCP体系为指导原则,从分析水产养殖品的业务流程入手,提出了一种产品编码与过程编码相结合编码方法,建立了适用于国情同时又符合国际标准的水产养殖产品质量追溯编码方案。并以此为基础,首次在国内建立了水产养殖产品质量追溯技术体系。     

Determination of the organic carbon content in bog and river waters of the taiga zone based on their optical density

Based on the data of long-term studies of bog and river waters in the taiga zone of Western Siberia, highly significant linear regression models for the relationships between the organic matter content and optical density of the water were developed. The parameters of the relationships obtained are proposed to be used for the determination of the water-soluble carbon content. The inclusion only of the optical density values into the calculated formulas makes them convenient for practical application. Regression models were developed on the basis of the data on determining the carbon content using the bichromate method, which is widely used in soil and hydrochemical studies. The calculated method forms prerequisites for the operational monitoring of the water-soluble organic substances, since the obtained results can be comparable with the earlier published data on the carbon content determined by the same method. These regression models seem to also be suitable for the determination of the organic carbon in the water extracts of organic soils.     

Oral toxicity of beta-N-acetyl hexosaminidase to insects

Insect chitin is a potential target for resistance plant proteins, but plant-derived chitin-degrading enzymes active against insects are virtually unknown. Commercial beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase (NAHA), a chitin-degrading enzyme from jack bean Canavalia ensiformis, caused significant mortality of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda larvae at 75 microg/gm, but no significant mortality was noted with Aspergillus niger NAHA. Maize Zea mays callus transformed to express an Arabidopsis thaliana clone that putatively codes for NAHA caused significantly higher mortality of cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne larvae and significantly reduced growth rates (as reflected by survivor weights) of S. frugiperda as compared to callus that expressed control cDNAs. Tassels from model line Hi-II maize (Z. mays) plants transformed with the NAHA gene fed to S. frugiperda caused significantly higher mortality than tassels transformed to express glucuronidase; mortality was significantly correlated with NAHA expression levels detected histochemically. Leaf disks from inbred Oh43 maize plants transformed with the NAHA gene on average had significantly less feeding by caterpillars than null transformants. Leaf disks of Oh43 transformants caused significant mortality of both S. frugiperda and corn earworm Helicoverpa zea larvae, which was associated with higher expression levels of NAHA detected by isoelectric focusing, histochemically, or with antibody. Overall, these results suggest that plant NAHA has a role in insect resistance. Introduction of NAHA genes or enhancement of activity through breeding or genetic engineering has the potential to significantly reduce insect damage and thereby indirectly reduce mycotoxins that are harmful to animals and people.     

基于颜色分量与直方图的玉米苗期背景分割方法研究

对土壤背景进行有效分割是玉米苗期田间杂草识别的前提和基础。本研究利用颜色分量G-R和G-B与灰度直方图来实现玉米苗期图像与背景图像的分割,解决了玉米苗期田间杂草识别中受影响及环境适应性差等问题。通过对不同环境下苗期玉米图像的植被颜色和背景颜色分量的统计分析表明,采用G-R和G-B双阈值颜色特征分割,进行土壤背景分离取得了很好的效果。     

The effect of habitat configuration on arboreal insects in fragmented woodlands of south-eastern Australia

The reduction in area of habitat patches and the concurrent increase in edge habitat associated with fragmentation of native vegetation have been shown to have a marked effect on the persistence of vertebrates in landscapes dominated by agriculture. However, because of the relatively large grain size they can distinguish, the spatial scale at which vertebrates become affected is likely to be different from that for invertebrates. Thus, although the high degree of fragmentation currently present in the sheep/wheat growing areas of Australia has been debilitating for vertebrates, this result cannot be extrapolated to the general state of species diversity. This study investigates the distribution of an arboreal insect fauna across a variety of habitat configurations common in the wheat/sheep belt of New South Wales. The aim was to determine the response of insects to habitat fragmentation at the scale associated with current agricultural practices, and to determine whether an “interior” fauna exists. Insects living on Callitris glaucophylla were sampled in the edge and interior of large state forests, in broad and narrow roadside strips and in small isolated remnants. Forest interiors had a significantly different fauna from the other four habitat configurations, and where differences between configurations occurred, interior sites tended to have fewer species and fewer individuals than the edge habitats. This result implies that the arboreal insects we studied are not adversely affected by this level of habitat fragmentation and the optimum arrangement of habitat for the conservation of insects may be quite different from that for proposed for vertebrates. However, this conclusion must be considered in the light of the dubious prognosis for long-term persistence of small habitat patches, and the possibility that fragmentation-sensitive species have already been lost from this environment.     

Native fluorescence from juvenile stages of common food storage insects

Insect infestation of stored foods has significant economic and health consequences; the development of novel methods of detection thus presents considerable opportunities. The fluorescence from nine species of storage insects (beetles and moths) was studied; the juvenile stages of all nine species exhibited fluorescence under long-wave (365 nm) UV light; none of the adult insects emit fluorescence, so the fluorophore(s) might be a compound(s) associated with the unsclerotized cuticle. The spectra of larval stages of Ephestia kuehniella, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Corcyra cepahlonica, Tribolium castaneum, and Tribolium confusum exhibited excitation maxima in the range from 345 to 350 nm and emission maxima in the range from 421 to 427 nm, suggesting that fluorescence arises from a common chromophore; similarities in fluorescence properties implicate one of the many pteridine ring-containing compounds (pterins) commonly found in insects. Larvae and even eggs were readily imaged on foods using fluorescence under 365-nm excitation. Fluorescence thus appears to be ubiquitous in immature food storage insects, and fluorescence detection may be useful as a general method to detect insects in foods and agricultural commodities during storage or processing.     

Organic farming in isolated landscapes does not benefit flower-visiting insects and pollination

Organic farming has often been found to provide benefits for biodiversity, but the benefits can depend on the species considered and characteristics of the surrounding landscape. In an intensively farmed area of Northeast Italy we investigated whether isolated organic farms, in a conventionally farmed landscape, provided local benefits for insect pollinators and pollination services. We quantified the relative effects of local management (i.e. the farm system), landscape management (proportion of surrounding uncultivated land) and interactions between them. We compared six organic and six conventional vine fields. The proportion of surrounding uncultivated land was calculated for each site at radii of 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 m. The organic fields did not differ from the conventional in their floral resources or proportion of surrounding uncultivated land. Data were collected on pollinator abundance and species richness, visitation rates to, and pollination of experimental potted plants. None of these factors were significantly affected by the farming system. The abundance of visits to the potted plants in the conventional fields tended to be negatively affected by the proportion of surrounding uncultivated land. The proportion fruit set, weight of seeds per plant and seed weight in conventional and organic fields were all negatively affected by the proportion of surrounding uncultivated land. In vine fields the impact of the surrounding landscape was stronger than the local management. Enhancement of biodiversity through organic farming should not be assumed to be ubiquitous, as potential benefits may be offset by the crop type, organic-management practices and the specific habitat requirements in the surrounding landscape.     

Effects of treatment and flow on the deoxygenation rate constant

The laboratory bench-scale experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of varying degrees of waste treatment and the flow conditions in the receiving waters on the deoxygenation rate constant (k), and ultimate biochemical oxygen demand (L), and the total O₂ utilisation of the receiving waters. Industrial wastewaters were collected from 10 major industrial plants located along the Houston Ship Channel in Texas. Two different degrees of treatment for industrial wastewaters were studied. Three different flow conditions studied were the high, the average and the low flow in the Houston Ship Channel. The k values increased for both further treatment and decreased flow in the reactor runs. The L values were higher for the average flow conditions than for the low flow conditions. The total O₂ utilization was found to increase with a decrease in the flow of the receiving waters.     

Identifying rarity in insects: the importance of host plant range

Some phytophagous insects are rare because their host plants are rare. This study uses data on the distribution of plants and insects from Great Britain to establish whether a threshold exists for the geographical range of a host plant below which its specific insects can be consistently described as rare. Data on four well-studied insect taxa (macro-moths, gelechiid micro-moths, beetles, and tephritid flies) that have been afforded conservation status as Red Data Book (RDB) or scarce (nationally Notable-A and -B) are examined. The proportion of species that are rare in these taxa declines as host plant range increases. Extrapolating these patterns of host range/phytophagous insect rarity to less studied groups (aphids, agromyzid flies and tortricid micro-moths) identifies a large number of insects that are probable candidates for conservation. Empirical evidence supports the view that many of the species selected by this process are indeed rare and in need of conservation. Identifying a host plant range below which insect herbivores are therefore rare provides an economical and objective method for producing a shortlist of phytophagous insect species rare enough to warrant conservation measures.     

Potential significance of insects in the removal of contaminants from aquatic systems

Larvae of many aquatic insects live on or in sediments and thus come into contact with contaminants which accumulate there. The larvae may bioconcentrate these contaminants in their tissues and when they emerge as adults may transport contaminants out of the aquatic system. A simple model was developed to consider the potential significance of this transport for three levels of insect production (100, 15 and 1 g m^?2 yr^?1) and three bioconcentration factors (10000, 1000 and 100X). The period of time it would take insects to remove 50% of contaminants from a sediment layer 30 cm thick was estimated to range from 1.2 yr for conditions of high production and a bioconcentration factor of 10000 to 12000 years for conditions of low production and a bioconcentration factor of 100. Moderate levels of production, coupled with bioconcentration factors of 10 000 and 1000, would result in removal of 50% of contaminants in 8 and 80 yr. Contaminants bioconcentrated in tissues of adult aquatic insects may enter into terrestrial food webs and could be biomagnified still further as they pass from lower to higher trophic levels. Because this evaluation was based on several assumptions and a selected set of conditions, the significance of insects in a particular situation must be determined on a case-by-case basis.     

杏鲍菇形态特征获取的图像分割算法

食用菌工厂化生产中,菇房环境对食用菌生长的影响很大,由工人根据食用菌的形态特征来判断菇房环境是否适宜,会由于个体主观差异或人为因素不能及时判断,造成菇房环境调节滞后,影响了食用菌的产量和质量。以杏鲍菇为研究对象,提出了获取杏鲍菇形态特征的蚁群算法改进的模糊C均值（FCM）聚类分割算法,该算法能够针对杏鲍菇生产中获取的图像,进行有效地分割,从而满足自动获取杏鲍菇形态特征的需要。     

Impacts of herbivorous insects on decomposer communities during the early stages of primary succession in a semi-arid woodland

Changes in nutrient inputs due to aboveground herbivory may influence the litter and soil microbial community responsible for processes such as decomposition. The mesophyll-feeding scale insect (Matsucoccus acalyptus) found near Sunset Crater National Monument in northern Arizona, USA significantly increases piñon (Pinus edulis) needle litter nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations by 50%, as well as litter inputs to soil by 21%. Because increases in needle litter quality and quantity of this magnitude should affect the microbial communities responsible for decomposition, we tested the hypothesis that insect herbivory causes a shift in soil microbial and litter microarthropod function. Four major findings result from this research: (1) Despite increases in needle inputs due to herbivory, soil carbon (C) was 56% lower beneath scale-susceptible trees than beneath resistant trees; however, soil moisture, N, and pH were similar among treatments. (2) Microbial biomass was 80% lower in soils beneath scale-susceptible trees when compared to resistant trees in the dry season, while microbial enzyme activities were lower beneath susceptible trees in the wet season. (3) Bacterial community-level physiological profiles differed significantly between susceptible and resistant trees during the dry season but not during the wet season. (4) There was a 40% increase in Oribatida and 23% increase in Prostigmata in susceptible needle litter relative to resistant litter. Despite these changes, the magnitude of microbial biomass, activity, and community structure response to herbivory was lower than expected and appears to take a long time to develop. These results suggest that herbivores impact soils in subtle, but important ways; we suggest that while litter chemistry may strongly mediate soil fertility and microbial communities in mesic ecosystems, the influence is lower than expected in this primary succession xeric ecosystem where season mediates differences in microbial populations. Understanding how insect herbivores alter the distribution of susceptible and resistant trees and their associated decomposer communities in arid environments may lead to better prediction of how these ecosystems respond to climatic change.     

Effects of suspended sediment concentration and grain size on three optical turbidity sensors

Purpose

Optical turbidity sensors have been successfully used to determine suspended sediment flux in rivers, assuming the relation between the turbidity signal and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) has been appropriately calibrated. Sediment size, shape and colour affect turbidity and are important to incorporate into the calibration process.

Materials and methods

This study evaluates the effect of SSC and particle size (i.e. medium sand, fine sand, very fine sand, and fines (silt + clay)) on the sensitivity of the turbidity signal. Three different turbidity sensors were used, with photo detectors positioned at 90 and 180 degrees relative to the axis of incident light. Five different sediment ratios of sand:fines (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0) were also evaluated for a single SSC (1000 mg l^-1).

Results and discussion

The photo detectors positioned at 90 degrees were more sensitive than sensor positioned at 180 degrees in reading a wide variety of grain size particles. On average for the three turbidity sensors, the sensitivity for fines were 170, 40, and 4 times greater than sensitivities for medium sand, fine sand, and very fine sand, respectively. For an SSC of 1000 mg l^-1 with the treatments composed of different proportions of sand and fines, the presence of sand in the mixture linearly reduced the turbidity signal.

Conclusions

The results indicate that calibration of the turbidity signal should be carried out in situ and that the attenuation of the turbidity signal due to sand can be corrected, as long as the proportion of sand in the SSC can be estimated.     

黄土坡面细沟流水动力学特性

我国是土壤侵蚀最严重的国家之一,黄土高原地区的水土流失造成严重的生态环境恶化问题.为探求黄土细沟流的水动力学特性,从水力学及河流运动力学的角度出发,系统研究6种坡度(2.、4.、6.、8.、10.、12.),5种流量(8、16、24、32和40 L/min)组合水槽冲刷试验条件下细沟水流水动力学特征.结果表明:细沟流平均流速与径流流量呈幂函数关系,坡度对其影响较小,其原因同水流强度与床面形态的相互制约有关;黏性底层厚度与坡度、流量均呈现负相关关系;阻力系数与雷诺数无关,说明水流强度增加的同时,床面形态发育愈显著,即水流耗散能量增加愈显著,其值在0.16 ～1.45之间变化.研究结果对细沟水流水动力学的探究具有一定的理论价值,进而对黄土坡面水土流失治理及生态修复均具有一定的指导意义.