Contribution of Different Organs to Grain Filling in Durum Wheat under Mediterranean Conditions I. Contribution of Post‐Anthesis Photosynthesis and Remobilization

Under Mediterranean conditions, drought affects cereals production principally through a limitation of grain filling. In this study, the respective role of post‐anthesis photosynthesis and carbon remobilization and the contribution of flag leaf, stem, chaff and awns to grain filling were evaluated under Mediterranean conditions in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) cultivars. For the purpose, we examined the effects of shading and excision of different parts of the plant and compared carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) in dry matter of flag leaf, stem, chaff, awns and grain at maturity and in sap of stem, flag leaf, chaff and awns, this last measurement providing information on photosynthesis during a short period preceding sampling. Source–sink manipulations and isotopic imprints of different organs on final isotope composition of the grain confirmed the high contribution of both carbons assimilated by ears and remobilized from stems to grain filling, and the relatively low contribution of leaves to grain filling. Grain Δ was highly and significantly associated with grain yield across treatments, suggesting the utilization of this trait as an indicator of source–sink manipulations effects on grain yield. Chaff and awns Δ were better correlated with grain Δ than stem and leaf Δ, indicating that chaff were more involved in grain filling than other organs. Moreover, in chaff, sap Δ was highly significantly correlated with dry matter Δ. These results suggest the use of Δ for a rapid and non‐destructive estimation of the variation in the contribution of different organs to grain filling.     

Distances Walked by Long Established and Newcomer Horses in an Open Stable System in Northern Germany

Group housing is claimed to possibly provide horses with a species-appropriate movement possibility, and hence, better welfare. Thus, this study analyzed the daily walked distances of 51 horses held in one group in a “HIT Active Stable” (Hinrichs Innovation + Technik) in Northern Germany by using global positioning system (GPS) technology during a 7 ½-month time span. The daily walking distances of the whole group, as well as newcomers, were investigated. The horses traveled an average of 8.43 km/day. Linear mixed models were applied. The observation day had a significant effect on the daily walking distances (P < .01) due to season and the available area per horse. The age as covariate also had a significant effect (P < .01). The breed had no significant effect (P = .96). No significant differences were found in sex (P = .69), which can be explained by the fact that only mares and geldings were investigated, which do not show increasing locomotion caused by sexual behavior as stallions do. On six of the first nine days, new horses moved significantly more compared to the remaining 24 of the 30 observation days directly after individuals’ inclusion. This is probably due to more exploration and rank-fighting behavior. Similar walking distances were seen among the horses on the single observation days because all horses had to travel the same distance to reach resources. Further, it is suspected that not all horses can sufficiently live out their urges to move, especially in winter, when pasture is inaccessible.     

Effects of cover crop growth and decomposition on the distribution of aggregate size fractions and soil microbial carbon dynamics

Although the effects of cover crops (CC) on various soil parameters have been fully investigated, less is known about the impacts at different stages in CC cultivation. The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of CC cultivation stages and residue placement on aggregates and microbial carbon (C_mic). Additionally, the influence of residue location and crop species on CO₂ emissions and leached mineralized nitrogen (N_min) during the plant degradation period was also investigated. Within an incubation experiment, four CC species were sown in soil columns, with additional columns being kept plant‐free. After plant growth, the columns were frozen (as occurs in winter under field conditions) and then incubated with the plant material either incorporated or surface‐applied. With CC, concentrations of large and medium macroaggregates were twice that of the fallow, confirming positive effects of root growth. Freezing led to a decrease in these aggregate size classes. In the subsequent incubation, the large macroaggregates decreased far more in the samples with CC than in the fallow, leading to similar aggregate size distributions. No difference in C_mic concentration was found among the CC cultivation stages. CO₂ emissions were roughly equivalent to the carbon amounts added as plant residues. Comparison of columns with incorporated or surface‐applied residues indicated no consistent pattern of aggregate distribution, CO₂ emission or C_mic and N_min concentrations. Our results suggest that positive effects of CC cultivation are only short term and that a large amount of organic material in the soil could have a greater influence than CC cultivation.     

Dietary plasticity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in response to long‐term environmental change

Corrigan LJ, Winfield IJ, Hoelzel AR, Lucas MC. Dietary plasticity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in response to long‐term environmental change.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2011: 20: 5–13. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract –  In the face of widespread environmental change impacts, there is a need to better understand mechanisms promoting flexibility and resilience of ecosystem components to such change to inform strategies for conservation. Glacial relict species are especially vulnerable to such changes. We investigated the behavioural responses of a native, glacial relict species, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) to long‐term environmental changes. It was hypothesised that changes in feeding behaviour would occur as a key intermediary to reduction in habitat availability (through climate change and eutrophication) or competitive interactions [with introduced roach (Rutilus rutilus)]. Stomach content analysis was used to assess the diet of 199 charr caught from Windermere, United Kingdom, in the months of March, June, September and November 2003–2007. The results were compared to data from 1940 to 1951 prior to the environmental changes and revealed a marked increase in the contribution of benthic invertebrates in the present diet. Stable isotope analysis confirms the results of the stomach analysis, suggesting that the charr have switched their diet from zooplanktivory towards benthivory. We discuss the possibility that habitat modification and roach population expansion in Windermere have contributed to changes in charr diet. Complementary studies suggest that this diet shift is more likely to be a response to the increasing roach population than to habitat modification; however, further study in Windermere would be required to elucidate the exact mechanism. Long‐term data sets such as these provide information that is useful for determining the directivity of ecological change and the capability of species to respond to change.     

Do combined applications of crop residues and inorganic fertilizer lower emission of N2O from soil?

Emissions of N₂O were measured following addition of ¹⁵N‐labelled residues of tropical plant species [Vigna unguiculata (cowpea), Mucuna pruriens and Leucaena leucocephala] to a Ferric Luvisol from Ghana at a rate of 100 mg N/kg soil under controlled environment conditions. Residues were also applied in different ratio combinations with inorganic N fertilizer, at a total rate of 100 mg N/kg soil. N₂O emissions were increased after addition of residues, and further increased with combined (ratio) applications of residues and inorganic N fertilizer. However, ¹⁵N‐N₂O production was low and short‐lived in all treatments, suggesting that most of the measured N₂O‐N was derived from the applied fertilizer or native soil mineral N pools. There was no consistent trend in magnitude of emissions with increasing proportion of inorganic fertilizer in the application. The positive interactive effect between residue‐ and fertilizer‐N sources was most pronounced in the 25:75 Leucaena:fertilizer and cowpea:fertilizer treatments where 1082 and 1130 mg N₂O‐N/g residue were emitted over 30 days. N₂O (log_e) emission from all residue amended treatments was positively correlated with the residue C:N ratio, and negatively correlated with residue polyphenol content, polyphenol:N ratio and (lignin + polyphenol):N ratio, indicating the role of residue chemical composition in regulating emissions even when combined with inorganic fertilizer. The positive interactive effect in our treatments suggests that it is unlikely that combined applications of residues and inorganic fertilizer can lower N₂O emissions unless the residue is of very low quality promoting strong immobilisation of soil mineral N.     

土地利用变化对土壤水补给来源影响研究

为探究不同植被类型深剖面土壤水补给来源,以黄土区长武塬为研究区,采集两种土地利用方式(农地、18 a苹果园、26 a苹果园)下20 m深土壤剖面,测定土壤水及其稳定性和放射性同位素含量,基于同位素方法对不同土地利用类型下不同深度土壤水来源进行溯源分析。研究表明：(1)苹果园土壤水含量明显低于农地,说明果园耗水强度更大,对深层土壤水影响更为显著。(2)农地、18 a和26 a苹果园下降水偏移量分别为-22‰、-20‰和-6‰,说明降水补给土壤水后受到蒸发作用影响,且农地土壤水比果园受到的蒸发效应更强。(3)该区土壤水补给主要以活塞流为主;对于补给不同深度土壤的可能水源,6 m以下补给水的同位素组成(δ²H=-83.8‰,δ¹⁸O=-12.1‰)较0～6 m (δ²H=-68.8‰,δ¹⁸O=-10.1‰)更为贫化,且6 m以下补给水的氢氧稳定同位素组成与日降水量≥50 mm·d^-1的降水更相似。与农地(δ²H=-70.6‰,δ¹⁸O=-...     

On System Stability under Random Perturbations

In this paper we concider the problem of stability of stochastic evolution systemsin Hilbert space drived by a cylindrical Brownian mothin. We regard the stochestic evolutionequation dXt = AXtdt +G(Xt)dBt as a deterministic system of the form dXt=AXtdt under randomperturbation,and obtain stability of its solution. It is shown that under certain assumptions,itsevolution solution and L2-contimuous evulution solution are exponertially stable.     

The Stability of Quaternion Metrices and Their Judging Criteria

Some conceptions of stable quaternion matrices and some judging criteria are given.The Robrach theorem,Taussky theorem,Ostrowski Schneider theorem and Gerschgorin theorem are generalized to quaternion field.The conclusion about two quaternion matrices,i.e.,inferior positive matrices are unstable,interior negative matrices are stable and some other results are pointed out.     

稻田水体碳氮稳定同位素组成与时空变化研究

利用稳定同位素技术研究了稻田沟渠、池塘、湿地等水体的碳、氮稳定同位素组成特征与时空变化。结果表明,水中颗粒性有机物(Particulate organic matter,POM)δ13C值(稳定性碳同位素比值)在-31.5‰~-24.3‰之间变化,平均值为-27.7‰,可能主要来自于浮游植物和浮游动物的贡献。POM稳定性碳同位素比值存在明显的季节变化,呈现出春、夏季高于秋、冬季的趋势。浮游动物与POM稳定性碳同位素比值之间的时空变化存在一定的相关性,说明研究区内浮游动物对内源有机碳的利用可能主要来自POM。颗粒性有机物δ15N存在秋、冬季高于春、夏季的趋势,但空间差异不显著,其中湿地的变化幅度相对较大(3.2‰~6.3‰),δ15NPOM平均值为4.1‰,说明研究区固氮作用较小,外源物的污染程度较低。     

针铁矿吸附态和包裹态有机碳在稻田土壤中的矿化及其激发效应

南方水稻土富含铁氧化物,土壤有机碳通过与铁氧化物结合的形式长期固存于土壤中;由于土壤中氧化铁和有机碳主要通过吸附、键和与包裹等形式存在,所以不同的碳铁复合物的稳定性存在一定的差异。尽管已有较多研究分析了土壤中有机碳与铁矿的结合与赋存形式,但是有机碳与铁矿间的结合方式对有机碳在水稻土中矿化及其激发效应的影响机制尚不明确。以葡萄糖为典型小分子外源有机碳,通过制备针铁矿吸附态葡萄糖和包裹态葡萄糖,采用室内模拟培养实验,研究了两种铁矿结合态葡萄糖在淹水水稻土中的矿化特征及其激发效应。结果表明：与单独添加葡萄糖处理相比,碳铁复合物的添加分别使CO2和13CO2释放量增加了0.39倍~0.53倍和0.87倍~1.07倍,却使CH4和13CH4释放量分别降低了0.44倍~0.59倍和0.25倍~0.44倍。相对于针铁矿吸附态葡萄糖,针铁矿包裹态葡萄糖显著抑制了CH4释放。而且,碳铁复合物的添加均在一定程度上促进了土壤原有有机碳矿化释放CO2,但抑制了来源于土壤原有有机碳的CH4释放。其中,针铁矿包裹态葡萄糖对来源于土壤原有有机碳的CH4释放量是针铁矿吸附态葡萄糖的1.33倍。针铁矿包裹态葡萄糖的快速矿化的碳库比例显著高于针铁矿吸附态葡萄糖,且其半衰期（T1/2）比针铁矿吸附态葡萄糖大10.85倍,其快库转化速率（k1）和慢库转化速率（k2）比铁矿吸附态葡萄糖的小10.74倍和19倍。其次,针铁矿包裹态葡萄糖对土壤有机质CO2累积激发效应表现为较弱的正激发(6.44 mg?kg-1),而对土壤有机质CH4累积激发效应则表现为负激发(-15.49 mg?kg-1),即针铁矿包裹态葡萄糖的添加抑制了土壤原有有机碳的矿化(-9.05 mg?kg-1),从而增强了土壤有机碳的固持潜力。因此,不同结构碳铁复合物的添加抑制了土壤原有有机碳的矿化,且针铁矿包裹态有机碳比针铁矿吸附态有机碳在水稻土中具有更强的稳定性和固碳效应。该研究结果也表明,水稻土中与铁氧化结合的小分子有机碳相对于游离态的有机碳,具有更强的生物稳定性,更低的矿化速率,而且能够抑制土壤有机碳的矿化,产生负激发效应,有利于增加土壤的长期固碳效应。