城市化对杭州市繁殖鸟类物种多样性与功能多样性格局的影响

2007年3月至2007年8月,在杭州地区的城区、城乡结合区、农田区、农林交错区和自然林区等不同城市化程度的栖息地内各设置了90条100 m×3000 m调查样线,采用样线法对鸟类种类及其数量进行调查,采用实地调查与查阅文献相结合的方法确定每种鸟类的营巢类型和功能团,采用Shannon-Wiener指数计算鸟类群落的物种多样性和功能多样性.同时,对栖息地的人为干扰、植被盖度、人工设施指数等3项参数进行测定,并以此计算出各样线的城市化综合指数.调查结果显示,研究区内共记录有繁殖鸟类96种,分属于林冠枝干营巢功能团、灌草丛营巢功能团、林冠枝干/灌草丛营巢功能团、自然洞穴营巢功能团、人工建筑营巢功能团、自然洞穴/人工建筑营巢功能团、地面营巢功能团、水面营巢功能团和寄生功能团等9种功能团.对鸟类群落的物种数、物种多样性、功能团丰富度、功能多样性与城市化综合指数进行回归分析发现,城市化对鸟类群落的物种数、物种多样性、功能团丰富度和功能多样性均有着极显著性的影响,并且随着城市化程度的提高这些参数值均明显下降.不过,物种数和物种多样性与功能团丰富度和功能多样性间的下降模式存在明显差异.其中,物种数和物种多样性基本旱线性下降模式,即随着城市化程度的提高,物种丰富度及多样性基本为匀速下降;而功能团丰富度和功能多样性则呈二次函数下降模式,即在城市化初期,功能团丰富度和功能多样性下降不明显,但随着城市化程度的继续提高,功能团丰富度和功能多样性呈现加速下降的趋势.可见,鸟类群落的物种多样性和功能多样性对城市化的响应存在差异.虽然适度城市化可使物种多样性下降,但对功能多样性的影响却不明显;而群落的功能多样性则对高度城市化更为敏感.进一步对鸟类群落功能多样性与物种多样性的回归分析显示,功能多样性与物种多样性亦呈二次函数曲线关系,即在低多样性水平时,功能多样性与物种多样性基本呈线性关系,但随着多样性水平的逐渐升高,功能多样性的增长速度则明显慢于物种多样性的增长速度.由此可见,当群落物种多样性达到一定水平时,物种的增加不会明显地提高群落的功能多样性.     

Screening method for the detection of aflatoxin, ochratoxin, zearalenone, penicillic acid, and citrinin.

A modification of the official method for ochratoxins and a screening method for zearalenone, aflatoxin, and ochratoxin is described and expanded to include citrinin and penicillic acid. The method uses 0.5N phosphoric acidchloroform (1+10) in the initial extraction; the extract is divided and eluted from 2 columns to provide a quantitative thin layer chromatographic (TLC) method for aflatoxin and ochratoxin in corn and dried beans. Aflatoxin and zearalenone are eluted from one column and ochratoxin, penicillic acid, and citrinin from the other. Ochratoxin A recoveries are low (50%) in peanuts. Zearalenone, penicillic acid, and citrinin were qualitatively recovered from corn and beans; zearalenone and penicillic acid were recovered from peanuts but citrinin was not. Several TLC solvents were used to separate interferences.     

Mercury: observations of the 3.4-millimeter radio emission

Observations of the 3.4-millimeter radio emission from Mercury during 1965 and 1966 yielded the following relationship between average brightness temperature T(B) of the disk and the planetocentric phase angle i: T(B) = 277 (+/- 12) + 97 (+/- 17) cos [i + 29 deg (+/- 10 deg)] degrees K The errors are statistical standard; the phase shift corresponds to a phase lag-that is, the maximum and minimum of insolation lag the maximum and minimum of planetary radiation.     

Prognostic factors for successful outcome following urethral rupture in dogs and cats

Twenty dogs and 29 cats were identified with urethral rupture. Males predominated in both groups. The most common cause of urethral rupture in dogs was vehicular trauma, and in cats it was trauma associated with urethral obstruction and catheterization. Clinicopathological findings, type of surgical correction, time to surgery, type of urinary diversion, and duration of urinary diversion were not statistically associated with the outcome. In this study, the presence of multiple traumatic injuries was associated with a poor outcome.     

Linkage mapping and genome analysis in a Saccharum interspecific cross using AFLP, SRAP and TRAP markers

Framework genetic linkage maps of two progenitor species of cultivated sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum ‘La Striped’ (2n = 80) and S. spontaneum ‘SES 147B’ (2n = 64) were constructed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP), and target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP) markers. The mapping population was comprised of 100 F₁ progeny derived from the interspecific cross. A total of 344 polymorphic markers were generated from the female (S. officinarum) parent, out of which 247 (72%) were single-dose (segregating in a 1:1 ratio) and 33 (9%) were double-dose (segregating in a 3.3:1 ratio) markers. Sixty-four (19%) markers deviated from Mendelian segregation ratios. In the S. spontaneum genome, out of a total of 306 markers, 221 (72%) were single-dose, 43 (14%) were double-dose, and 42 markers (14%) deviated from Mendelian segregation ratios. Linkage maps with Kosambi map distances were constructed using a LOD score ≥5.0 and a recombination threshold of 0.45. In Saccharum officinarum, 146 markers were linked to form 49 linkage groups (LG) spanning 1732 cM whereas, in S. spontaneum, 121 markers were linked to form 45 LG spanning 1491 cM. The estimated genome size of S. officinarum ‘La Striped’ was 2448 cM whereas that of S. spontaneum ‘SES 147B’ was 3232 cM. Based on the two maps, genome coverage was 69% in S. officinarum and 46% in S. spontaneum. The S. officinarum parent ‘La Striped’ behaved like an auto-allopolyploid whereas S. spontaneum ‘SES 147B’ behaved like a true autopolyploid. Although a large disparity exists between the two genomes, the existence of simple duplex markers, which are heterozygous in both parents and segregate 3:1 in the progeny, indicates that pairing and recombination can occur between the two genomes. The study also revealed that, compared with AFLP, the SRAP and TRAP markers appear less effective at generating a large number of genome-wide markers for linkage mapping in sugarcane. However, SRAP and TRAP markers can be useful for QTL mapping because of their ability to target gene-rich regions of the genome, which is a focus of our future research.     

Use of molasses as a carbon source during the nursery rearing of Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis (Latreille, 1817) in a Biofloc technology system

The present work evaluated the use of molasses as a carbon source during the nursery rearing of Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis in a Biofloc technology system. During a 30 days trial, three replicate tanks were randomly assigned to the following treatments: 1.) molasses (with molasses addition) and 2.) control (without molasses addition). Bacteriological analysis was used to quantify the abundance of presumptive Vibrio spp. between control and molasses treatment. The concentration of this microorganism was lower in molasses compared with control. For the immunological analysis, shrimp haemolymph was collected to determine the total haemocyte count and the total protein concentration. The immunological results were not different between treatments. The performance results of shrimp reared with molasses addition showed that the survival rate (88.87 ± 6.36), the mean final weight (1.22 ± 0.38) and the specific growth rate (0.0309 ± 1.06) were significantly higher compared with control (80.5 ± 2.42; 1.03 ± 0.13; 0.0256 ± 0.97 respectively). Moreover, the addition of molasses contributed to the maintenance of water quality and lower concentration of presumptive Vibrio spp. The control presented an unstable variation of Vibrio spp. reaching values of 80 × 10² CFU/ml, while the highest result of molasses was 20 × 10² CFU/ml, confirming the beneficial effects of molasses addition.     

Idiopathic granulomatous pneumonia in seven horses

The history, clinical signs and pathological findings in seven adult horses with histologically confirmed idiopathic granulomatous disease, primarily of the lungs, are reviewed. They ranged in age from eight to 21 years, five were geldings and two were females, they belonged to five breeds and there were no seasonal or geographical associations. The primary clinical signs were chronic weight loss, exercise intolerance and respiratory distress which did not respond to conventional treatment. The most consistent physical findings were depression, anorexia, tachycardia, tachypnoea and adventitious lung sounds. Thoracic radiographs revealed a diffuse, structured, nodular, interstitial pulmonary pattern in each horse. Haematological measurements suggested a chronic inflammatory process and the cytology of transtracheal washes was consistent with a mild suppurative inflammation. Idiopathic granulomatous pneumonia was confirmed histologically in each of the horses, either postmortem or by a lung biopsy. The horses responded poorly to medical treatment and only one of three treated horses is still alive.     

Urban Influences on Stream Chemistry and Biology in the Big Brushy Creek Watershed, South Carolina

Naturally high total dissolved solids and upstream agricultural runoff often mask the influence of urban land cover on stream chemistry and biology. We examined the influence of headwater urbanization on the water chemistry, microbiology, and fish communities of the Big Brushy Creek watershed, a 96 km² drainage basin in the piedmont of South Carolina, USA. Concentrations of most major anions and cations (especially nitrate, sulfate, chloride, sodium, potassium, and calcium) were highest in the urban headwaters and decreased downstream. Generally, the highest concentrations of suspended coliform bacteria occurred in the urban headwaters. In contrast, stream habitat quality and the abundance, species richness, and species diversity of fishes did not differ significantly between urban and rural sites. Discharge of wastewater treatment plant effluent at one rural location caused an increase in concentrations of many solutes and possibly the abundance of benthic algae. We hypothesize that atmospheric dry deposition and domestic animal wastes are important sources of stream solutes and of coliform bacteria, respectively, in the urban headwaters. The lack of significant differences in fish abundance and diversity between urban and rural sites may indicate that urban development in the Big Brushy Creek watershed has not yet degraded habitat conditions greatly for stream fishes. Alternatively, agriculture or other land uses may have degraded stream habitat quality throughout the watershed prior to urbanization.