Pontoons made from plastic pipe were tested as an alternative to racks for deepwater culture of the Sydney rock oyster. The growth and mortality of oysters permanently suspended in water on trays beneath floating pontoons were compared with oysters on trays in an intertidal zone. For both culled spat (30–31 g whole oyster weight) and seconds oysters (37–39 g) beneath pontoons the growth rate, measured by weight increases, was three times that of oysters on intertidal racks over a 5-month period. Mortality (from unknown causes) was higher beneath the pontoons. The mean mortality of spat oysters was 40% compared with 24% on the intertidal trays, and for seconds oysters was 51% compared with 34%. 相似文献
Calcareous wastes from the salt industry occupy approximately 150ha of land in Cheshire, a county devoid of natural calcareous substrata. The wastes are pumped into lagoons and on drying put become colonised by plants. The resulting lime beds vary in the extent to which they are invaded by plants but a number of areas support rich and varied grassland communities. The Witton lime beds, Northwich, support large populations of a number of species of base-rich habitats, which are uncommon in Cheshire and are of restricted distribution in northwest England as a whole. These include a number of orchid species, of which Dactylorhiza praetermissa and Gymnadenia conopsea are the most abundant. Information analysis was used to analyse the vegetation of Witton lime beds and the vegetation groupings recognised were used to examine possible successional sequences. The edaphic factors limiting growth in lime wastes were examined and the effects of fertilizer additions on the growth of indigenous species at Witton are described. Phosphorus was the major element limiting growth but on older wastes, with a higher unreacted lime content, phosphorus only partially removed the infertility. The findings are discussed in terms of the conservation and management of Witton lime beds to ensure continued floristic diversity and the possible reclamation of other lime waste areas. 相似文献
Ten biochemical properties, comprising oxygen uptakes with and without added glucose, dehydrogenase, invertase, amylase. protease, urease, phosphatase, and sulphatase activities, and the invertase/amylase ratio, were measured in a climosequence of nine soils in tussock grasslands in New Zealand. Generally, these properties had no consistent distribution pattern. Some activities, however, were greater in the more developed soils of the sequence while others were lower in the “alpine” soil.The influence of 10 environmental and soil factors on the activities was assessed by principal components analysis. Nearly 90% of the total variance could be accounted for by only three components. The amounts of variance in individual activities accounted for by these components differed, but were usually high. The percentage of organic C, soil moisture regime, and mean annual temperature accounted for much of the variance in all three components; total N was unimportant. As a result of the principal components analysis, the soils could be grouped biochemically into arrangements that were consistent with either the pedological classification of the soils or the influence of a dominant environmental factor. The usefulness of principal components analysis for other ecological studies of soil biochemical properties is indicated. 相似文献
It is expected that a significant impact of global warming will be disruption of phenology as environmental cues become disassociated
from their selective impacts. However there are few, if any, models directly connecting phenology with population growth rates.
In this paper we discuss connecting a distributional model describing mountain pine beetle phenology with a model of population
success measured using annual growth rates derived from aerially detected counts of infested trees. This model bridges the
gap between phenology predictions and population viability/growth rates for mountain pine beetle. The model is parameterized
and compared with 8 years of data from a recent outbreak in central Idaho, and is driven using measured tree phloem temperatures
from north and south bole aspects and cumulative forest area impacted. A model driven by observed south-side phloem temperatures
and that includes a correction for forest area previously infested and killed is most predictive and generates realistic parameter
values of mountain pine beetle fecundity and population growth. Given that observed phloem temperatures are not always available,
we explore a variety of methods for using daily maximum and minimum ambient temperatures in model predictions. 相似文献
The importance of the spatial as well as the temporal structure of habitat patches for urban biodiversity has been recognised,
but rarely quantified. In dynamic environments the rate of habitat destruction and recreation (i.e. the landscape turnover
rate), the minimum amount of potential habitat, its spatial configuration as well as the environmental conditions determining
habitat quality are crucial factors for species occurrence. We analysed species responses to environmental parameters and
to the spatio-temporal configuration of urban brownfield habitats in a multi-species approach (37 plant and 43 insect species).
Species presence/absence data and soil parameters, site age, vegetation structure and landscape context were recorded by random
stratified sampling at 133 study plots in industrial areas in the city of Bremen (Germany). Based on the field data, we predicted
species occurrences by species distribution models using a multi-model inference approach. Predicted species communities were
driven by successional age both at the scale of a single building lot and at the landscape scale. Minimum average succession
time of brownfield habitats required to support all and especially regionally rare species depended on the proportion of available
open space; the larger the potential habitat area the faster the acceptable turnover. Most plant, grasshopper, and leafhopper
species modelled could be maintained at an intermediate turnover rate (mean age of 10–15 years) and a proportion of open sites
of at least 40%. Our modelling approach provides the opportunity of inferring optimal spatio-temporal landscape configurations
for urban conservation management from patch scale species-environment relationships. The results indicate that urban planning
should incorporate land use dynamics into the management of urban biodiversity.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 相似文献
To compare Cd removal from different soils with three washing agents recovered from sewage sludge (dissolved organic matter (DOM), soluble humic-like substances (HLS), soluble humic substances (SHS)). Also, to investigate how washing with these agents changes soil organic-matter composition (OM).
Materials and methods
Sandy clay loam (S1) and clay (S2) highly contaminated with Cd (300 mg kg?1) were washed with DOM, HLS, or SHS solutions at various pHs, and with various washing times and washing modes (single or double). Cd distribution and OM composition were determined (including content of humic substances (HS), fulvic fraction (FF), labile humic acids (L-HA), and stable humic acids (S-HA)).
Results and discussion
Cd removal proceeded with pseudo-second-order kinetics. Equilibrium was reached in 30 min (S1) and 60 min (S2). DOM, HLS, and SHS removed 75–82% of Cd from S1, and 80–87% from S2. The most mobile fraction of Cd was removed after one wash. S2 retained more OM, including HS, than S1. Although washing did not change the HA/FF ratio in most variants, washing with DOM and HLS increased the percentage of L-HA in both soils. Washing with SHS increased S-HA content in both soils, but the percent content of S-HA was similar to that in the unwashed soil.
Conclusions
DOM, HLS, and SHS derived from sewage sludge can effectively remediate clay and sandy clay soils highly contaminated with Cd. Washing with an SHS solution can increase the content of the most stable carbon forms (HA), which is beneficial for carbon sequestration in remediated soils.
The Bransfield Strait and adjacent waters represent one of the most important areas of larval retention off the Antarctic Peninsula. The species composition of larval fish assemblages has been described in detail in previous surveys carried out in the area, but the role of environmental parameters influencing the spatial distribution of early life stages was poorly known. By applying generalized additive models and multivariate analyses, we evaluated the role of environmental variables in shaping the small‐scale distribution of larval fish and investigated the spatial structure of the larval assemblage. It consisted of a few dominant notothenioid species, such as Champsocephalus gunnari, Lepidonotothen squamifrons, Lepidonotothen larseni, Pleuragramma antarctica and Trematomus scotti, and several other rarely caught species. Sea water temperature, salinity and sampling depth were the most important factors determining the spatial distribution of fish with different relative contributions, together explaining more than 80% of total deviance observed. Species richness was mostly affected by salinity, probably due to the narrow range of salinity preference by the species. Cluster analysis of abundance and presence data identified six and five distinct groups, respectively, each of them with substantial contributions of single or rarely two species. Differences in reproductive strategies of adult populations and spatial distribution of early life stages driven by different larval behaviour in response to environmental factors contribute to maintaining a well‐structured larval fish assemblage, ensuring spatial and food niche partitioning. 相似文献
There are limited reports of infectious agents affecting Australian cowtail stingrays. In the present study, a new species of ascaridoid nematode belonging to the genus Mawsonascaris is described. The most distinct characteristic features were observed in females (the presence of a polar spine in the eggs and a flap‐like projection in the vulval area). An identification key for Mawsonascaris spp. is provided. Additionally, internal transcribed spacers (ITS) sequences were obtained for the new species. Alignment of the ITS sequence of the specimens in the present study with those deposited in GenBank showed that there exists no other highly similar sequence. Phylogenetic analyses resulted in a distinct grouping of our specimens supporting morphological distinction from previously described Mawsonascaris spp. Histology was used to investigate the pathology caused by the infection. Necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis were evident at the border of the nodules formed by parasite. A large number of parasites were present in muscularis mucosae and submucosa but not in the muscularis of the stomach. The parasites were associated with an increased inflammatory response, which was also found in the muscularis mucosae and submucosa. Similar pathology has been described in elasmobranchs infected by cestodes, although with more severe lesions. 相似文献