长期有机无机肥配施对双季稻产量及氮肥利用率的影响

采用田间小区试验,在长期定位试验基地进行不施氮肥(CK)、单施化肥(T1)、猪粪替代20%氮肥(T2)、沼渣沼液替代20%氮肥(T3)、猪粪堆肥替代20%氮肥(T4)、早稻绿肥或晚稻稻草替代20%氮肥(T5)6种不同施肥方式试验,研究不同施肥方式对双季稻产量及氮肥利用率的影响。结果表明:长期有机无机肥配施能显著提高水稻穗粒数和有效穗数,增产效果明显,其中以T4增产效果最好,早、晚稻产量分别比单施化肥增产9.05%和13.56%;长期有机无机肥配施能促进营养器官中的氮素营养向籽粒转运和再利用,减少氮素营养在营养器官中的累积,从而提高氮肥利用率,其中以T4早、晚稻的氮肥农学利用率(16.59、16.23 kg/kg)、氮肥吸收利用率(38.96%、37.71%)、氮肥偏生产力(55.44、51.16 kg/kg)以及晚稻氮肥生理利用率(43.02 kg/kg)最高。长期有机无机肥配施能显著提高双季稻产量和氮肥利用率,在4种有机无机肥配施模式中,T4的效果最好。     

Disturbance ecology benchmarks for Schima–Castanopsis forests in the central Himalayas

Roughly 2.8 billion people burn wood for basic energy needs, and traditional wood-fuel represents ~55% of global wood harvest. With increasing anthropogenic disturbance of natural forests, the “stability/fragility” paradigm of forest ecology is gradually being replaced by a “disturbance/recovery” paradigm. In order to understand effects of human-induced disturbances on natural forest ecosystems, and to plan for recovery of disturbed forests, appropriate metrics become necessary. Such metrics will aid in assessment and management of forests for carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem health, and sustainability of natural resources. Such metrics are especially needed in “wood-fuel hotspots” of the world where over 275 million people live and harvest wood-fuel unsustainably. In this article, I provide metrics of human-induced disturbance in Nepal’s Schima–Castanopsis dominated forests and show relationships of disturbance intensity with forest structure and composition, site productivity potential, natural regeneration, and tree species diversity. Benchmark data were collected from survey of two protected reference forests and compared against three other forests representing a disturbance gradient. The Schima–Castanopsis association is a common dominant forest type in the warm temperate zone of the central Himalayas, and the findings from this study should have wider application.     

Interactions between phosphorus availability and microbes in a wheat–maize double cropping system: A reduced fertilization scheme

Mechanisms controlling phosphorus(P) availability and the roles of microorganisms in the efficient utilization of soil P in the wheat–maize double cropping system are poorly understood. In the present study, we conducted a pot experiment for four consecutive wheat–maize seasons(2016–2018) using calcareous soils with high(30.36 mg kg^–1) and low(9.78 mg kg^–1) initial Olsen-P content to evaluate the effects of conventional P fertilizer application to both wheat and maize(Pwm) ...     

Herders and Wolves in Post-Soviet Society: An Ethnographic Study in Mongolia’s Ikh Nart Nature Reserve

This article links ecological, social, and cultural data to analyze relationships between wolves and herders in a pastoral setting, the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogobi Aimag, Mongolia, an area representative of the broader Gobi-Steppe ecosystem in northern Asia. This article is specifically interested in understanding the contemporary lifestyles of herders in this area, their relationships with wolves, and the perceived and actual risks posed by wolves to both livestock and humans. Data show that herders differed in their views of and actions toward wolves based mainly on the size of herds they managed. But, their cultural stories continue to reflect traditional values and images of wolves and herders. This research argues for an appreciation of cultural contexts in conservation planning, especially in transitional societies.     

ED50 and ED95 of rocuronium during alfaxalone anesthesia in dogs

ObjectiveTo determine the median effective dose (ED₅₀) and effective dose required to depress the twitch value by 95% (ED₉₅) of rocuronium during alfaxalone anesthesia in dogs.Study designA randomized, prospective, crossover experimental study.AnimalsA total of eight adult Beagle dogs (four female, four male), weighing 10.3–14.6 kg and aged 6–8 years.MethodsThe dogs were anesthetized three times with 1.25-fold the individual minimum infusion rate of alfaxalone at intervals of ≥ 14 days. Neuromuscular function was monitored with train-of-four (TOF) stimulation of the peroneal nerve by acceleromyography. After recording the control TOF ratio (TOFRC) and first twitch of TOF (T1C), a single bolus dose of rocuronium 100, 175 or 250 μg kg^–1 (treatments R100, R175 or R250) was administered intravenously. The maximum suppression of the first twitch of TOF (T1) was recorded and calibrated with T1C to construct the dose–response curve, from which ED₅₀ and ED₉₅ were calculated. Time from rocuronium administration to TOF ratio/TOFRC > 0.9 (duration TOFR0.9) was recorded.ResultsED₅₀ and ED₉₅ of rocuronium during alfaxalone anesthesia were 175 and 232 μg kg^–1, respectively. The median (range) duration TOFR0.9 was longer in treatment R250 [10.1 (9.2–10.9) minutes] than in treatments R100 [3.1 (2.9–4.4) minutes; p < 0.0001] and R175 [7.7 (6.9–8.1) minutes; p < 0.0001]; and longer in treatment R175 than in treatment R100 (p < 0.0001).Conclusions and clinical relevanceThe duration of TOFR0.9 correlated positively with the dosage of rocuronium, indicating that recovery time of rocuronium was also dose-dependent in dogs anesthetized with alfaxalone. The duration TOFR0.9 of rocuronium 250 μg kg^–1 was 10 minutes during alfaxalone anesthesia in dogs.     

Emotions as Drivers of Wildlife Stewardship Behavior: Examining Citizen Science Nest Monitors’ Responses to Invasive House Sparrows

Growing evidence suggests wildlife stewardship behaviors might be affected by emotional dispositions toward particular species. To test this hypothesis, we studied wildlife management choices made by backyard citizen scientists (N = 448) involved in two North American bird nest monitoring projects. Our exploratory study characterized nest monitors’ efforts to manage invasive house sparrows, which compete with native songbirds for nesting sites, and examined the relative influence of cognitive and affective factors on management orientations. Results revealed that nearly all respondents engaged in some form of house sparrow management, and most respondents favored a combination of lethal and non-lethal management approaches. Core affect, emotional dispositions, and experiential variables were the primary drivers of citizen scientists’ management decisions, with anger toward house sparrows and firsthand contact with house sparrow damage as the strongest positive correlates of lethal management orientations. Findings highlight the potentially powerful influence of affect and emotions on wildlife stewardship actions.     

Dog and owner characteristics affecting the dog–owner relationship

The nature of the relationship between companion dogs and their owners has important impact on the effect of life for both dog and owner. Identifying factors that affect the dog–owner relationship will assist the understanding of how the successful relationship is achieved and how the less successful relationship is mended, with potential benefits for the welfare of both species. In the present study, we investigated the effect of several dog and owner characteristics, including the personality of the dog, on the dog–owner relationship as measured by the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS). Data were collected by inviting owners of dogs that had been tested on the Danish Dog Mentality Assessment (DMA) to answer an online questionnaire. We were able to match 421 owner answers with their dogs' DMA test results. The questionnaire consisted of the 28 items of the MDORS, as well as questions about the owners and their dogs. Using factor analysis, 5 dog personality traits could be derived from the dogs' test results on the DMA. The predictive value of questionnaire-based owner and dog variables and the 5 dog personality traits on the dog–owner relationship was tested using multiple linear regressions: 1 for each of the 3 subscales of the MDORS. Overall, the variables investigated only predicted a small proportion of the variance in MDORS scores, and owner characteristics appeared to influence the dog–owner relationship more than dog personality traits did. We found that children in the family and using the dog only for company were negatively associated with the owners' perception of the relationship with their dogs. The only dog characteristics to predict the dog–owner relationship were fearfulness and fear-related behavior problems.