Population impacts of endangered short-tailed albatross bycatch in the Alaskan trawl fishery

We conduct a decision analysis that explores the effects of trawl-related fishery mortality on achieving the population recovery goals for the US federally-endangered short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus), proposed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A population model is constructed and its parameters estimated using data on counts of the numbers of albatross chicks and eggs at Torishima Island, Japan, where 83% of the world’s population of this species is found. Bayesian inference is used to assign probabilities to alternative plausible rates of fishing mortality and as the basis for population projections with different levels of trawl mortality to determine their effects on achieving the population recovery goals. The analyses of the impact of trawl mortality on the Torishima short-tailed albatross population suggests that exceeding the current expected incidental take in the Alaskan groundfish trawl fishery, two in any 5-year period, by as much as a factor of 10 would have little impact on when the proposed recovery goals for the species are achieved. A quantitative approach that addresses uncertainty, such as that outlined in this study, could aid the process to evaluate allowable limits in light of species recovery goals by addressing both take limits and recovery goals within the same framework.     

Impact of soil engineering by two contrasting species of earthworms on their dispersal rates

By burrowing galleries and producing casts, earthworms are constantly changing the structure and properties of the soils in which they are living. These changes modify the costs and benefits for earthworms to stay in the environment they modify. In this paper, we measured experimentally how dispersal behaviour of endogeic and anecic earthworms responds to the cumulative changes they made in soil characteristics. The influence of earthworm activities on dispersal was studied in standardised mesocosms by comparing the influence of soils modified or not modified by earthworm activities on earthworm dispersal rates.The cumulative use of the soil by the earthworms strongly modified soil physical properties. The height of the soil decreased over time and the amount of aggregates smaller than 2 mm decreased in contrast to aggregates larger than 5 mm that increased. We found that: (i) earthworm activities significantly modified soil physical properties (such as bulk density, soil strength and soil aggregation) and decreased significantly the dispersal rates of the endogeic species, whatever the species that modified the soil; (ii) the decreasing in the dispersal proportion of the endogeic species suggests that the cost of engineering activities may be higher than the one of dispersal; (iii) the dispersal of the anecic species appeared to be not influenced by its own activities (intra-specific influences) or by the activities of the endogeic species (inter-specific influences). Overall these results suggest that the endogeic species is involved in a process of niche construction, which evolved jointly with its dispersal strategy.     

紫云英类受体蛋白激酶Nip43靶蛋白的筛选与初步鉴定

以紫云英类受体蛋白激酶Nip43的S-TKs结构域构建诱饵载体,通过酵母双杂交技术,筛选获得17个候选的阳性克隆。经过测序分析和Blast比对,最终确定了1个互作蛋白EPN。EPN蛋白是网格蛋白聚合反应中的配体蛋白,可调控网格蛋白的聚合反应。通过实验验证显示,靶蛋白EPN与Nip43蛋白互作最强的区域为ENTH/ANTH结构域。Real-time q PCR检测表明,epn基因参与了根瘤菌早期结瘤过程。     

基因型、环境及其互作对烤烟主要致香成分的影响

在河南(许昌)、云南(玉溪)、贵州(贵阳)3个不同的生态类型区种植NC89、K326、NC297和中烟1004个烤烟品种,探讨基因型、环境及其互作对烤烟5种主要致香物质含量的影响。结果表明,环境因素是影响美拉德反应产物、苯丙氨酸类降解产物含量的关键因素,基因型控制着西柏烷类产物的含量,基因型对类胡萝卜素降解产物和新植二烯的影响主要通过与生态因素互作起作用。互作分析显示,NC89与河南许昌环境条件互作,苯丙氨酸类化合物的含量较高;K326与云南玉溪环境条件互作,高西柏烷类产物降解产物的含量较高;NC297与云南玉溪的环境条件互作,类胡萝卜素降解产物的含量较高。中烟100与河南许昌、云南玉溪环境条件互作,美拉德反应产物、新植二烯的含量较高。     

Effects of polymerization changes in maize proteins during nixtamalization on the thermal and viscoelastic properties of masa in model systems

Although nixtamalization is widely used in the food industry, a comprehensive understanding of the influence of proteins on the viscoelastic behavior and thermal properties in masa is still lacking. In this work, the effect of protein changes and its influence on the masa viscoelastic behavior were studied using model systems. Mixtures of lime-starch, zein-starch and lime-zein-starch were cooked at 90 °C from 20 to 150 min. Zein changes during cooking were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Thermal transition temperatures and enthalpies were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dynamic oscillatory tests were undertaken on model system samples with 50% (w/v) moisture content, using a strain-controlled rheometer. SDS-PAGE showed that zein polymerizes during cooking. In the zein-starch model system, no visible protein bands were found after 30 min cooking; however, when lime was present, five bands were observed in all samples. Thermal transitions were observed around 55–62 °C for all model systems, probably corresponding to starch retrogradation. Rheological studies showed that protein exhibited higher influence in the gel strength by increasing the elastic character of the system. It was hypothesized that the combined effects of lime on starch, zein polymerization and the formation of calcium-zein bonds during cooking, yield a stronger and more elastic gel structure.     

Influence of the Color,Shape, and Size of the Clay Model on Arthropod Interactions in Turfgrass

Many predatory arthropods occur naturally in turfgrass, and they provide adequate control of lepidopteran pests, such as fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Recording predation is challenging under field conditions because predators rarely leave any evidence. Clay models were successfully employed for studying predation, and this technique is underutilized in turfgrass. Little is known about whether the characteristics of clay models, such as color, shape, and size, influence arthropod interactions in turfgrass. To improve the utility of clay models in turfgrass, the influence of the color, shape, and size of clay models on arthropod interactions was studied by exposing clay models during daytime and nighttime in a turfgrass field. The results showed that arthropods interacted with clay models, and various types of impressions were recorded, including paired marks, scratches, cuts, and pricks. Although the color of the clay model had no significant effects on arthropod interactions during the night, significantly greater numbers of impressions were noticed on the blue and green models than on the yellow models during the daytime. The caterpillar-shaped models captured significantly greater densities of impressions than the beetle-shaped models. Additionally, the number of impressions significantly increased with an increase in the size of the model regardless of shape.     

Short-season cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) may be a suitable response to late planting in sub-Saharan regions

In Cameroon, seed cotton yields have not increased over the last 20 years because of the shortening of the rainy season and the worsening socioeconomic context. Farmers consequently often delay planting their crops. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether local indeterminate long-season cottons, grown at the recommended density, were more consistent with the farmers’ current constraints than determinate short-season cultivars from Latin America that could be sown more densely. We carried out a 3-year three-location survey in northern Cameroon, which included two planting dates (recommended and delayed) and two planting densities (recommended and high). We show that these three factors acted independently. Late planting had a highly negative impact on most traits at both plant and plot scale by delaying flowering, reducing seed cotton yield and fibre quality. Dense sowing mainly had an impact on individual plant traits by reducing boll retention and elongating main-stem internodes. Local cultivars have already evolved favourably (enhanced earliness, yield performance, harvest index, ginning out-turn, and fibre maturity) and could be improved further by crossing with highly determinate cottons. However, such a strategy requires further investigation to ensure that a more determinate growth pattern would not have a negative impact on the adaptive response of the traditional cotton plant to other adverse conditions.     

Nutrient Dynamics

Summary

Environmental concerns currently trigger the development of more sustainable soil fertility management strategies. It appears that effective sustainable practices are those that enhance natural soil processes. Soil processes include the decomposition of residues and mineralization of organic matter, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, nitrate leaching, denitrification and sulfur reduction. Natural soil processes also include less well-understood interactions, namely, those leading to the dissolution of minerals by organic acids, as well as rhizospheric and mycorrhizospheric interactions. Plants, associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts, supply and distribute carbon and energy, sustaining most of the biotic mechanisms responsible for nutrient release from soil, and maintaining organic pools of nutrients. Among these pools, the microbial biomass and fine roots pools, with their very fast turnover time, are particularly important as they can maintain large amounts of nutrients in very labile form and, therefore, increase soil fertility. Agricultural soil systems are very dynamic and are characterized by large spatial and temporal variations, which are largely driven by plant development. In addition, nutrient dynamics in agricultural soil systems seem particularly influenced by temperature, moisture, and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization. Nitrogen losses from soil are reduced in systems where nitrogen release corresponds to plant demand. Biological nitrogen fixation is a sound way to input nitrogen in cropping systems. Phosphorus losses can be reduced through increased reliance on the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis of crops. Soils are diverse and complex systems, which, furthermore, respond to increasingly unpredictable climatic variations. Optimal agricultural soil management is a moving target and, hence, a challenging goal that will never be totally reached.     

Community structure of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Robinia pseudoacacia in uncontaminated and heavy metal contaminated soils

The significance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in soil remediation has been widely recognized because of their ability to promote plant growth and increase phytoremediation efficiency in heavy metal (HM) polluted soils by improving plant nutrient absorption and by influencing the fate of the metals in the plant and soil. However, the symbiotic functions of AMF in remediation of polluted soils depend on plant–fungus–soil combinations and are greatly influenced by environmental conditions. To better understand the adaptation of plants and the related mycorrhizae to extreme environmental conditions, AMF colonization, spore density and community structure were analyzed in roots or rhizosphere soils of Robinia pseudoacacia. Mycorrhization was compared between uncontaminated soil and heavy metal contaminated soil from a lead–zinc mining region of northwest China. Samples were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) screening with AMF-specific primers (NS31 and AM1), and sequencing of rRNA small subunit (SSU). The phylogenetic analysis revealed 28 AMF group types, including six AMF families: Glomeraceae, Claroideoglomeraceae, Diversisporaceae, Acaulosporaceae, Pacisporaceae, and Gigasporaceae. Of all AMF group types, six (21%) were detected based on spore samples alone, four (14%) based on root samples alone, and five (18%) based on samples from root, soil and spore. Glo9 (Rhizophagus intraradices), Glo17 (Funneliformis mosseae) and Acau3 (Acaulospora sp.) were the three most abundant AMF group types in the current study. Soil Pb and Zn concentrations, pH, organic matter content, and phosphorus levels all showed significant correlations with the AMF species compositions in root and soil samples. Overall, the uncontaminated sites had higher species diversity than sites with heavy metal contamination. The study highlights the effects of different soil chemical parameters on AMF colonization, spore density and community structure in contaminated and uncontaminated sites. The tolerant AMF species isolated and identified from this study have potential for application in phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated areas.     

促进市民社交的城市公园设计方法研究——以美国达拉斯市主街公园为例

随着我国城市化进程的不断推进,城市公园作为城市公共开放空间的重要组成部分,在促进市民社会交往上起到了重要作用。以美国达拉斯市主街公园为例,通过实地调研和现场访谈的方式了解使用者的真实感受和需求,找出城市公园中对市民社会交往起积极作用的设计元素,总结出在打造高质量社交空间时应注重的五个方面：提高空间的多样性、增强视线的通透性、促进城市公园与周边环境的相互渗透、提高城市公园的安全性、引导人与人之间话题的开启,旨在为城市居民塑造更加友好的城市环境。