The anatomy of a (potential) disaster: Volcanoes, behavior, and population viability of the short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus)

Catastrophic events, either from natural (e.g., hurricane) or human-induced (e.g., forest clear-cut) processes, are a well-known threat to wild populations. However, our lack of knowledge about population-level effects of catastrophic events has inhibited the careful examination of how catastrophes affect population growth and persistence. For the critically endangered short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus), episodic volcanic eruptions are considered a serious catastrophic threat since approximately 80% of the global population of ∼2500 birds (in 2006) currently breeds on an active volcano, Torishima Island. We evaluated how short-tailed albatross population persistence is affected by the catastrophic threat of a volcanic eruption relative to chronic threats. We also provide an example for overcoming the seemingly overwhelming problems created by modelling the population dynamics of a species with limited demographic data by incorporating uncertainty in our analysis. As such, we constructed a stochastic age-based matrix model that incorporated both catastrophic mortality due to volcanic eruptions and chronic mortality from several potential sources (e.g., contaminant exposure, fisheries bycatch) to determine the relative effects of these two types of threats on short-tailed albatross population growth and persistence. Modest increases (1%) in chronic (annual) mortality had a 2.5-fold greater effect on predicted short-tailed albatross stochastic population growth rate (lambda) than did the occurrence of periodic volcanic eruptions that follow historic eruption frequencies (annual probability of eruption 2.2%). Our work demonstrates that periodic catastrophic volcanic eruptions, despite their dramatic nature, are less likely to affect the population viability and recovery of short-tailed albatross than low-level chronic mortality.     

生物结皮对高寒退化草地植物群落的影响

生物结皮在各类生态系统中扮演着重要的角色,具有调控土壤水分,养分含量与侵蚀敏感性等作用,并可直接或间接地影响地上植物群落,但对植物群落发展存在促进还是抑制作用尚不清楚。本研究于2017年在青海贵南县森多镇高寒草原,设置大样方,对生物结皮种类和分布格局进行调查。结果表明：在青藏高原高寒退化草地生态系统中,生物结皮的存在显著影响了植物的群落结构,降低了杂草的比例;苔藓生物结皮的盖度与草本植物盖度在初级发育阶段的生物结皮（地衣和苔藓共存）的样方中呈显著正相关关系（P<0.05）,在高级发育阶段的生物结皮（仅有苔藓结皮存在）的样方中正相关关系极显著（P<0.01）。由此可见,生物结皮是高寒草地生态系统的重要组成部分,有调节高寒退化植物群落的结构和功能的作用。     

甘南高寒地区施用有机肥对燕麦草产量和土壤肥力的影响

为探究不同有机肥对高寒地区燕麦草产量及土壤肥力的影响,本试验共设置 ５ 个不同的施肥处理,生育期 120 d后测定了燕麦鲜草产量和干草产量,并分析了土壤的理化性质。试验结果表明：不同的有机肥对高寒地区燕麦草产量影响较大,燕麦鲜草产量结合播种施 1 号燕麦专用有机肥作基肥,在分蘖期追施 2 号燕麦专用有机肥处理组最高,为 82 000 kg/hm2,本试验生产的有机肥处理组次之。此外,经土壤化学性质检测,各处理组有机质含量均较施肥前有所增加,本试验生产的有机肥处理组有机质、全氮、全磷、全钾含量最高,说明以牛羊粪为原料通过益生菌发酵自制的有机肥可以有效提高土壤肥力水平。     

Molecular identification of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides causing yam anthracnose in Nigeria

Four forms of Colletotrichum representing three distinct virulence phenotypes were found associated with foliar anthracnose of yam in Nigeria: the highly virulent (= severity of disease) slow-growing grey (SGG); the moderately virulent fast-growing salmon (FGS); the weakly virulent fast-growing grey (FGG); and the moderately virulent fast-growing olive (FGO) morphotype. Isolates of the four forms were identified as C. gloeosporioides , based on morphology. The reaction of monoconidial cultures on casein hydrolysis medium (CHM), PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA (ITS1-5·8S-ITS2) were used to establish the identity of the yam anthracnose pathogen(s). All yam isolates were distinguished from C. acutatum by the absence of protease activity on CHM. On ITS PCR and enzymatic digestion of PCR products, all FGS, FGO and SGG isolates produced RFLP patterns identical to those of C. gloeosporioides reference isolates, while FGG isolates revealed unique ITS RFLP banding patterns. Sequence analysis of the ITS1 region and of the entire ITS region revealed that SGG, FGS and FGO isolates were highly similar (98–99% nucleotide identity) and showed 97–100% identity to C. gloeosporioides . Less than 93% similarity of these fungal isolates to reference C. acutatum and C. lindemuthianum isolates was observed. The molecular study confirmed that foliar anthracnose of yam is caused by C. gloeosporioides . While a high similarity was found among most C. gloeosporioides fungi from yam, isolates of the FGG form did not cluster with any previously described Colletotrichum species, and probably represent a distinct species.     

日粮中添加油料籽实对奶牛生产性能及乳脂脂肪酸组成的影响

本文旨在研究在日粮中添加油料籽实对中国荷斯坦奶牛乳脂肪酸组成及生产性能的影响,为提高奶牛乳脂中共轭哑油酸(CLA)含量,改善乳品质寻找合适的途径.试验选取16头泌乳前期(62±11)d、胎次一致(3胎)、泌乳量相近的中国荷斯坦奶牛,随机分为4组(对照组、菜籽组、亚麻籽组、葵花籽组),每组4头.试验共进行40 d(预试期10 d,正试期30 d),分别在正试期第1天、第15天和第30天测定乳产量、分析乳成分,用气相色谱仪分析乳脂肪酸组成.结果表明,与对照组相比,日粮中添加油料籽实,显著提高了奶牛的泌乳性能(P<0.05),降低了乳脂率(P<0.05),对乳中其他常规成分影响差异不显著(P>0.05);日粮中添加葵花籽后乳脂中CLA含量提高98.28%(P<0.05).菜籽组、亚麻籽组、葵花籽组的乳脂中C14:0和C16:0的含量分别比对照组降低了17.86%和26.75%、15.99%和27.18%、21.99%和21.74%.乳脂中多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)含量分别比对照组提高40.83%、47.06%和41.52%(P<0.05).乳脂中的t11-C18:1(x)与CLA(y)的比例(%)存在正相关性,y=0.34x 0.20,R<'=0.696 2(P<0.01).日粮中添加植物油籽显著提高了乳脂中CLA、PUFA的比例,降低了C14:0和C16:0的比例,改善了乳脂的构成,提高了乳品质.     

Isolation and Characterization of Zein from Corn Distillers' Grains and Related Fractions

Corn distillers' grains with solubles (CDGS), the major coproduct of fermentation of corn to produce ethanol, were extracted with 0.1M NaOH, 0.1% dithiothreitol (DTT), and 0.5% SDS yielding 35% of the total nitrogen and ≈25% of the protein nitrogen. Gel electrophoresis revealed that the extractable proteins contained zein plus other proteins similar to the extractable proteins from corn flour. Although difficult to extract, the proteins isolated from the fermentation coproducts appeared undegraded and apparently survived gelatinization, fermentation, distillation, and drying during the production of ethanol. Extraction of CDGS with 60% ethanol at 60°C yielded 1.5–3.9% of crude zein. When the ethanol contained DTT, yields of crude zein were increased to 3.2–6.6%. Protein contents of the crude zeins were only 37–57%, indicating that lipids and pigments were coextracted with the ethanol. Gel electrophoresis showed that the protein fractions extracted by ethanol contained primarily α-zein whereas the proteins extracted by ethanol + DTT contained α- + β-zein. Further confirmation of the presence of zein in the crude prolamin preparations was obtained by amino acid analyses. The amino acid compositions of the crude zeins paralleled those of commercial zein and α-zein.