Threats to at-risk salmonids of the Canadian Rocky Mountain region

Trout and charr, members of the salmonid family, have high conservation value but are also susceptible to anthropogenic threats in part due to the specificity of their habitat requirements. Understanding historical and future threats facing these species is necessary to promote their recovery. Of freshwater trout and charr in the Canadian Rocky Mountain region, westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus; a charr species) and Athabasca rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are of conservation concern. And indeed, range contractions and declining populations are evident throughout much of their ranges. Range contraction was most evident in the southern Alberta designatable unit (DU) of westslope cutthroat trout. Diminished populations were also evident in the downstream watersheds of the Alberta bull trout range, and throughout the Athabasca rainbow trout range. We assessed historical and future threats to evaluate the relative importance of individual threats to each DU and compare their impact among species. Individual threats fall into the broad categories of angling, non-native species and genes, habitat loss and alteration, and climate change. Severity of each threat varies by DU and reflects the interaction between species’ biology and the location of the DU. Severity of threats facing each DU has changed over time, reflecting extirpation of native populations, changes in management and industry best practices, expansion of non-native species and progressing climate change. The overall threat impact for each DU indicates a high probability of substantial and continuing declines and calls for immediate action.     

新疆生鲜乳质量安全发展现状及存在的问题

阐述了新疆生鲜乳生产现状，发现乳产业中存在的质量安全问题，并在此基础上对国内外生鲜乳质量安全研究现状进行分析，对现有生鲜乳质量安全检测技术进行介绍，期望能为新疆生鲜乳行业的健康快速发展提供一定的帮助。      

稻瘟病菌CAAX蛋白酶MoRce1的功能研究

 蛋白质的翻译后异戊烯化修饰(CAAX修饰)能够介导真核生物中许多重要蛋白质的亚细胞定位以及蛋白与蛋白间的相互作用。稻瘟病菌(Magnaporthe oryzae)引致的稻瘟病是水稻最重要病害之一,造成全球水稻严重减产。为深入了解稻瘟病菌致病机理,更好地防控稻瘟病,我们研究了异戊烯修饰是否影响稻瘟病菌的生长发育和致病性。首先从稻瘟病菌基因组数据库中鉴定到一个稻瘟病菌的异戊烯蛋白酶MoRce1,同源比对发现MoRce1保守结构域在各物种之间变化较大,猜测在不同物种中该蛋白可能出现了功能分化。经同源重组方法敲除MoRCE1基因,发现MoRCE1缺失突变体在胁迫培养条件下细胞壁完整性明显缺陷,但是对营养生长、产孢、萌发以及致病性没有明显影响,说明MoRce1蛋白可能通过参与稻瘟病菌细胞壁合成相关蛋白的异戊烯化修饰进而影响该菌细胞壁的完整性,其具体机制还有待深入研究。     

反刍动物高能量饲料添加剂脂肪酸钙制作工艺参数筛选

以猪脂肪、氢氧化钠、氯化钙为原料,在实验室条件下探索脂肪酸钙的加工工艺和加工过程。利用正交试验设计(L_(16)4~5)对脂肪酸钙的加工工艺系数进行反复筛选,探索脂肪酸钙的最佳加工工艺参数。结果表明,脂肪酸钙的最佳加工工艺参数为氢氧化钠用量占脂肪重的27%、氯化钙用量占脂肪重的25%、皂化反应时间为5h、复分解温度为90℃、用水量为脂肪的4倍。     

Large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure in the longest tropical river in Asia

Although the Mekong River is one of the world's 35 biodiversity hot spots, the large‐scale patterns of fish diversity and assemblage structure remain poorly addressed. This study aimed to investigate the fish distribution patterns in the Lower Mekong River (LMR) and to identify their environmental determinants. Daily fish catch data (i.e. from December 2000 to November 2001) at 38 sites distributed along the LMR were related to 15 physicochemical and 19 climatic variables. As a result, four different clusters were defined according to the similarity in assemblage composition and 80 indicator species were identified. While fish species richness was highest in the Mekong delta and lowest in the upper part of the LMR, the diversity index was highest in the middle part of the LMR and lowest in the delta. We found that fish assemblages changed along the environmental gradients and that the main drivers affecting the fish assemblage structure were the seasonal variation of temperature, precipitation, dissolved oxygen, pH and total phosphorus. Specifically, upstream assemblages were characterised by cyprinids and Pangasius catfish, well suited to low temperature, high dissolved oxygen and high pH. Fish assemblages in the delta were dominated by perch‐like fish and clupeids, more tolerant to high temperatures, and high levels of nutrients (nitrates and total phosphorus) and salinity. Overall, the patterns were consistent between seasons. Our study contributes to establishing the first holistic fish community study in the LMR.     

Impact of grassland contract policy on soil organic carbon losses from alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Carbon storage in the soils on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau plays a very important role in the global carbon budget. In the 1990s, a policy of contracting collective grasslands to smaller units was implemented, resulting in a change from the traditional collective grassland management to two new management patterns: a multi‐household management pattern (MMP: grassland shared by several households without enclosures) and a single‐household management pattern (SMP: grassland enclosed and used by only one household). In 2016, 50 MMP and 54 SMP winter pastures on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau were sampled to assess the differences in soil organic carbon (SOC) between the two management patterns. Results showed that average SOC was significantly greater under MMP than under SMP, with an estimated 0.41 Mg C/ha/yr lost due to SMP following the new grassland contract. Based on the government's grassland policy, four grassland utilization scenarios were developed for both summer and winter pastures. We found that if the grassland were managed under SMP, likely C losses ranged between 0.31 × 10⁷ and 6.15 × 10⁷ Mg C/yr across the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau relative to MMP, which more closely resembles pre‐1990s grassland management. Previous estimates of C losses have only considered land use change (with cover change) and ignored the impacts driven by land management pattern changes (without cover change). The new data suggest that C losses from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau are greater than previously estimated, and therefore that the grassland contract policy should be reviewed and SMP households should be encouraged to reunite into the MMP. These findings have potential implications for land management strategies not only on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau but also other grazing regions globally where such practices may exist.     

Utilizing a DUALEM‐421 and inversion modelling to map baseline soil salinity along toposequences in the Hunter Valley Wine district

In the oldest commercial wine district of Australia, the Hunter Valley, there is the threat of soil salinization because marine sediments underlie the area. To understand the risk requires information about the spatial distribution of soil properties. Electromagnetic (EM) induction instruments have been used to identify and map the spatial variation of average soil salinity to a certain depth. However, soils vary with depth dependent on soil forming factors. We collected data from a single‐frequency and multiple‐coil DUALEM‐421 along a toposequence. We inverted this data using EM4Soil software and evaluated the resultant 2‐dimensional model of true electrical conductivity (σ – mS/m) with depth against electrical conductivity of saturated soil pastes (EC_p – dS/m). Using a fitted linear regression (LR) model calibration approach and by varying the forward model (cumulative function‐CF and full solution‐FS), inversion algorithm (S1 and S2), damping factor (λ) and number of arrays, we determined a suitable electromagnetic conductivity image (EMCI), which was optimal (R² = 0.82) when using the full solution, S2, λ = 3.6 and all six coil arrays. We conducted an uncertainty analysis of the LR model used to estimate the electrical conductivity of the saturated soil‐paste extract (EC_e – dS/m). Our interpretation based on estimates of EC_e suggests the approach can identify differences in salinity, how these vary with parent material and how topography influences salt distribution. The results provide information leading to insights into how soil forming factors and agricultural practices influence salinity down a toposequence and how this can guide soil management practices.     

Soil organic carbon allocation and dynamics under perennial energy crops and their feedbacks with soil microbial biomass and activity

The cultivation of perennial instead of annual energy crops has received growing interest. Previous studies identified numerous beneficial effects of perennial energy crop (PEC) cultivation for the agricultural landscape such as promotion of agrobiodiversity, reduced requirements for agrochemicals and fertilizers as well as a large potential for carbon accumulation in soil. However, the mere presence of soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation gives no indication about the persistence of the SOM for example after a recultivation of the stands. Therefore, this study focused on SOM pools of different density fractions and soil microbial parameters. Six different PECs were tested against a typical benchmark system as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The study has shown that all PEC species increased soil microbial activity and provided an insight how they sequester carbon in soil. Moreover, significant modifications in basic soil properties caused by plant growth were observed. For example, the cultivation of giant knotweed has lowered the soil pH by more than 0.5 pH units compared to the benchmark system. After 5 years of PEC cultivation, total soil organic carbon stocks were increased between 1,500 ± 400 and 4,500 ± 1,500 kg C ha^-1 for the upper 10 centimetres of soil. The distribution among different soil fractions showed species-specific patterns. Tall wheatgrass and Virginia mallow showed particular high accumulation rates in the mineral-associated SOM fraction which indicates long residence times of the SOM after a possible recultivation of the fields.