Protected wading bird species threaten relict centenarian cork oaks in a Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve: A conservation management conflict

Conservation management conflicts frequently arise when an overpopulation of a protected organism has negative effects on other valuable elements in the same ecosystem. We studied the interactions between a colony of protected tree-nesting wading birds and a remnant population of centenarian cork oaks that was part of the formerly dominant forests in the Doñana Biological Reserve (SW Spain). A significant increase in the tree mortality rates has been recorded in areas that are yearly influenced by the bird colony.We analysed a cohort of surviving trees using a gradient of nesting bird influence. Tree-nesting history, bird isotopic signature (δ¹⁵N), tree health-related parameters (defoliation, δ¹³C and leaf surface coverage by faeces) and several soil variables were evaluated. Bird influence was related to increased soil salinity. This increase correlated to increased water-use efficiency for the leaves and to crown defoliation, suggesting that the heavily occupied trees are under higher stress and in poorer health condition than the unoccupied ones. We tested structural equations models (SEM) that were based on hypothesised bird effects on the health of the trees. Soil-mediated effects of the nesting birds best explained the symptoms of the declining health of the trees, whereas the percent of leaves’ surface that was covered by faeces did not improve the fitted SEM model.For the reserve’s managers, a challenging trade-off exists between preserving the relict trees, which have a high genetic diversity and a key ecological role in these savannah-like ecosystems, and maintaining the current nesting area for these protected, but expanding, wading birds.     

Labile, recalcitrant, and microbial carbon and nitrogen pools of a tallgrass prairie soil in the US Great Plains subjected to experimental warming and clipping

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes are largely controlled by the small but highly bio-reactive, labile pools of these elements in terrestrial soils, while long-term C and N storage is determined by the long-lived recalcitrant fractions. Changes in the size of these pools and redistribution among them in response to global warming may considerably affect the long-term terrestrial C and N storage. However, such changes have not been carefully examined in field warming experiments. This study used sulfuric acid hydrolysis to quantify changes in labile and recalcitrant C and N fractions of soil in a tallgrass prairie ecosystem that had been continuously warmed with or without clipping for about 2.5 years. Warming significantly increased labile C and N fractions in the unclipped plots, resulting in increments of 373 mg C kg⁻¹ dry soil and 15 mg N kg⁻¹ dry soil, over this period whilst clipping significantly decreased such concentrations in the warmed plots. Warming also significantly increased soil microbial biomass C and N in the unclipped plots, and increased ratios of soil microbial/labile C and N, indicating an increase in microbial C- and N-use efficiency. Recalcitrant and total C and N contents were not significantly affected by warming. For all measured pools, only labile and microbial biomass C fractions showed significant interactions between warming and clipping, indicating the dependence of the warming effects on clipping. Our results suggest that increased soil labile and microbial C and N fractions likely resulted indirectly from warming increases in plant biomass input, which may be larger than warming-enhanced decomposition of labile organic compounds.     

室内模拟条件下玉米秸秆的分解特征及物质组成变化

以玉米秸秆为材料,研究了在室内模拟的条件下不同处理的玉米秸秆的腐解率、粗纤维以及全钾含量的变化。结果表明,随着腐解时间的延长,各处理的腐解率不断增大,在其他条件一致的前提下,添加微生物的处理平均腐解率 大于未添加微生物的处理,秸秆长度为1 cm的处理平均腐解率大于秸秆长度为3 cm的处理;粗纤维含量的变化总体趋势是下降,其他条件一致的前提下,秸秆长度为1 cm的处理粗纤维含量小于秸秆长度为3 cm的处理,在添加物微生物的处理中秸秆长度为1 cm且C/N=25的处理粗纤维平均含量最小,其含量为31.57%;其他条件一致的前提下,秸秆长度为1 cm的处理全钾含量大于秸秆长度为3 cm的处理。     

Carbon stocks, soil respiration and microbial biomass in fire-prone tropical grassland, woodland and forest ecosystems

A thorough understanding of the role of microbes in C cycling in relation to fire is important for estimation of C emissions and for development of guidelines for sustainable management of dry ecosystems. We investigated the seasonal changes and spatial distribution of soil total, dissolved organic C (DOC) and microbial biomass C during 18 months, quantified the soil CO₂ emission in the beginning of the rainy season, and related these variables to the fire frequency in important dry vegetation types grassland, woodland and dry forest in Ethiopia. The soil C isotope ratios (δ¹³C) reflected the 15-fold decrease in the grass biomass along the vegetation gradient and the 12-fold increase in woody biomass in the opposite direction. Changes in δ¹³C down the soil profiles also suggested that in two of the grass-dominated sites woody plants were more frequent in the past. The soil C stock ranged from being 2.5 (dry forest) to 48 times (grassland) higher than the C stock in the aboveground plant biomass. The influence of fire in frequently burnt wooded grassland was evident as an unchanged or increasing total C content down the soil profile. DOC and microbial biomass measured with the fumigation-extraction method (C_mic) reflected the vertical distribution of soil organic matter (SOM). However, although SOM was stable throughout the year, seasonal fluctuations in C_mic and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) were large. In woodland and woodland-wooded grassland C_mic and SIR increased in the dry season, and gradually decreased during the following rainy season, confirming previous suggestions that microbes may play an important role in nutrient retention in the dry season. However, in dry forest and two wooded grasslands C_mic and SIR was stable throughout the rainy season, or even increased in this period, which could lead to enhanced competition with plants for nutrients. Both the range and the seasonal changes in soil microbial biomass C in dry tropical ecosystems may be wider than previously assumed. Neither SIR nor C_mic were good predictors of in situ soil respiration. The soil respiration was relatively high in infrequently burnt forest and woodland, while frequently burnt grasslands had lower rates, presumably because most C is released through dry season burning and not through decomposition in fire-prone systems. Shifts in the relative importance of the two pathways for C release from organic matter may have strong implications for C and nutrient cycling in seasonally dry tropical ecosystems.     

维生素C对青鱼幼鱼生长、免疫及抗氨氮胁迫能力的影响

以初始体质量为(7.27 ±0.40)g的青鱼为研究对象,采用维生素C(VC)含量分别为0(对照组)、16.3、33.9、69.1、137.8和277.5 mg/kg 6种等氮等能实验饲料,饲养青鱼8周后,选取0、69.1和277.5 mg/kg VC组进行24 h氨氮胁迫(20 mg/L),研究VC对青鱼幼鱼生长、免疫及抗氨氮胁迫能力的影响.结果显示:以特定生长率为指标,折线模型分析表明青鱼有效维生素C需要量为63.0 mg/kg.肌肉、肝脏和血清中VC积累量与饲料中VC含量呈正相关性,当VC添加量达到137.8 mg/kg时,肌肉和肝脏中VC积累量达到饱和.饲料中添加VC对血清总超氧化物歧化酶(T-SOD)活性及丙二醛(MDA)含量无显著影响,饲料中添加VC显著提高了血清谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-px)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性(P＜0.05);血清中谷胱甘肽(GSH)含量和鳃丝Na+/K+-ATP酶活力(NKA)随饲料中VC添加量的增加呈升高趋势,而血清皮质醇含量(COR)呈下降趋势.氨氮胁迫有使肝脏和肌肉VC含量、血清T-SOD、CAT、GSH-px活性、GSH含量和鳃丝NKA活性降低,血清VC含量、COR和MDA含量增加趋势.其中,对照组T-SOD、CAT、NKA活性、GSH、MDA和COR胁迫前后差异显著(P＜0.05),氨氮胁迫使VC添加组青鱼肝脏VC含量显著降低(P＜0.05),而CAT、NKA活力、GSH、COR胁迫前后均无显著变化.69.1 mg/kg VC组T-SOD活性胁迫前后无显著差异,但GSH-px活性和MDA含量胁迫前后差异显著(P＜0.05),而277.5 mg/kg VC添加组GSH-px活力和MDA含量胁迫前后差异不显著,但T-SOD活性显著降低,血清VC含量显著升高(P＜0.05).研究表明,青鱼获得最好生长的饲料有效VC添加量为63.0 mg/kg,氨氮胁迫使青鱼产生免疫应激反应,而补充VC可有效增强机体免疫,缓解机体免疫应激,改善青鱼抗氨氮胁迫能力.     

可燃气体检测与报警装置设计

文章介绍了以STC12C5201AD为核心的可燃气体检测与报警装置设计.该装置用催化型可燃气体传感器将气体浓度转换为对应的电压值,然后采用A/D进行采集和标度变换,最后由单片机进行信息处理,判断浓度是否超标,并控制报警动作.     

RF-IC卡门禁系统设计

门禁系统能够给各种需要一定程度管理的场所带来极大的方便.它不仅能制止非法人员的侵入,也可对合法人员的行为时间进行记录,在很大程度上提高了其在安全管理方面的层次,具有较高的现实意义和市场需求.文章主要介绍了RF_IC卡门禁系统,并对系统的总体设计方案作了简要论述.     

杉木人工林凋落物分解对氮沉降增加的响应

通过野外模拟试验,研究了杉木人工林凋落叶分解对氮沉降增加的响应。试验设计为4种处理:N0（0 kg/(hm2·a),对照）、N1（60 kg/(hm2·a)）、N2（120 kg/(hm2·a)）、N3（240 kg/(hm2·a)）,每种处理重复3次。经660 d分解后,N0、N1、N2、N3处理凋落物残留率分别为24.58%、21.99%、15.46%和25.17%,分解系数分别为0.776 4、0.807 6、1.018 8和0.760 8,95%的凋落物分解所需时间分别为3.99、3.95、3.06和4.11年,表明N1、N2 促进了凋落物的分解,而N3则表现出一定的抑制作用。模拟氮沉降在一定程度增加了凋落叶中的氮含量,从而降低了碳氮比。除N3处理外,凋落物分解系数与凋落物中的氮含量呈显著的正线性关系,而与碳氮比呈负相关。      

与鸭C4结合蛋白互作的鸭疫里默菌外膜蛋白的筛选及鉴定

旨在筛选并鉴定与鸭C4结合蛋白（C4b-binding protein,C4BP）互作的鸭疫里默氏菌（Riemerella anatipestifer,R.anatipestifer）外膜蛋白。本研究将保存的R.anatipestifer复苏培养,提取外膜蛋白,以鸭C4BPα作为诱饵蛋白进行His pull-down及LC-MS/MS蛋白质谱鉴定,筛选与鸭C4BP可能发生互作的候选外膜蛋白;将各候选蛋白进行克隆、原核表达,免疫小鼠制备多克隆抗体,利用Far-western blot验证与鸭C4BP发生相互作用的R.anatipestifer外膜蛋白;针对候选蛋白及C4BPα各功能结构域进行克隆及原核表达,利用Far-western blot鉴定候选蛋白及与C4BP的相互作用位点;利用ELISA对补体因子C3b、C4b及C4BP在R.anatipestifer表面沉积情况进行测定,验证候选蛋白的功能。结果显示,经His pull-down及LC-MS/MS蛋白质谱分析,共筛选出3个与鸭C4BP发生相互作用的R.anatipestifer外膜蛋白,即ECE-1、SODs和Omp62;成功获得3个外膜蛋白多克隆抗体,ELISA检测3种多克隆抗体效价均超过1∶6 400,Western blot检测3种多克隆抗体可以与重组蛋白发生特异性反应;Far-western blot结果显示,仅ECE-1能够与C4BP发生相互作用,并且只有ECE-1全长能与鸭C4BP相互作用,而鸭C4BP与ECE-1的相互作用区域位于C4BPα的SCR 2和SCR 3;当健康鸭血清稀释度为3.125%时,ECE-1抗体能够显著促进补体因子C3b、C4b在R.anatipestifer表面的沉积作用（P<0.05）,当健康鸭血清稀释度为6.25%时,ECE-1抗体能够显著抑制C4BP在R.anatipestifer表面的沉积作用（P<0.05）。本研究成功筛选并鉴定出1个与C4BP互作的R.anatipestifer外膜蛋白ECE-1,为进一步阐明R.anatipestifer免疫逃逸机制奠定了基础。