Pocono mesic till barrens in retreat: topography,fire and forest contagion effects

The Pocono mesic till barrens (PMTB) are a unique assemblage of fire-maintained shrub communities that support numerous rare species. Historically these barrens covered a large area in the vicinity of Long Pond, Pennsylvania, USA. However, due largely to regional fire suppression instituted in the early 1960s, over 70% of the area covered by barrens succeeded to fire-intolerant forest that does not support the rare species. We investigated the influence of forest proximity on barrens succession across three geomorphic types during periods of high fire frequency and fire suppression, testing the hypothesis that forest processes such as seed rain, shading, and detrital enrichment of soils enhances barrens succession through a contagion effect. Evidence of a forest contagion effect should be shown by increased rates of barrens succession with increasing proximity to the nearest forest edge. In order to detect a forest contagion effect, barrens persistence and barrens succession were modeled in proximity zones of 0-50 m, 50-100 m, 100-200 m, and greater than 200 m from the nearest forest edge. We used existing GIS data layers for fire, geomorphology, and vegetation distribution in 1938, 1963, and 1992. The layers were modified and overlain using ArcView software to determine persistence and succession rates for each unique combination of layers in each proximity zone from 1938 to 1963 (pre-fire suppression) and 1963 to 1992 (post-fire suppression). ANCOVA results indicate that proximity to the nearest forest edge significantly affected barrens persistence rates in both time periods, but succession rates were significantly affected in 1938 to 1963 only. Twenty-eight percent of the 1938 barrens succeeded to forest by 1963; 56% of the 1963 barrens became forest by 1992. Results support previous findings that barrens persistence is enhanced by increased fire frequency, and that barrens persist longer where they overlie flat glacial till than on other geomorphology types.     

Contrasting time-scale effects of land-use legacy on species richness,diversity and composition in Mediterranean scrubland communities

Context

It is known that land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes affect plant community assembly for decades. However, both the short- and the long-term effects of contrasting LULC change pathways on this assembly are seldom explored.

Objectives

To assess how LULC change pathways affect woody plant community parameters (i.e. species richness, diversity and evenness) and species’ presence and abundance, compared with environmental factors and neutral processes.

Methods

The study was performed in Mediterranean limestone scrublands in NE Spain. Cover of each woody species was recorded in 150 scrubland plots belonging to five LULC change pathways along the past century, identified using land-cover maps and fieldwork. For each plot, total woody and herbaceous vegetation cover, local environmental variables and geographical position were recorded. Effects of these pathways and factors on plant community parameters and on species presence and abundance were assessed, considering spatial effects potentially associated to neutral processes.

Results

Species richness and diversity were associated with LULC change pathways and elevation, while evenness was only associated with this last. Pathways and environmental variables explained similar variance in both species’ presence and cover. In general, while community parameters were affected by recent-past (1956) use, species presence and abundance were associated with far-past (pre-1900) cropping. No relevant spatial effect was detected for any studied factor.

Conclusions

Historical LULC changes and current environmental factors drive local-scale community assembly in Mediterranean scrublands to an equal extent, while contrasting time-scale effects are found at community and species level. Neutral, dispersal-based processes are found to be non-relevant.

     

Effect of allele combinations at Ppd-1 loci on durum wheat grain filling at contrasting latitudes

Flowering time is the most critical developmental stage in wheat, as it determines environmental conditions during grain filling. Thirty-five spring durum genotypes carrying all known allele variants at Ppd-1 loci were evaluated in fully irrigated field experiments for three years at latitudes of 41°N (Spain), 27°N (northern Mexico) and 19°N (southern Mexico). Relationships between weight of central grains of main spikes (W) and thermal time from flowering to maturity were described by a logistic equation. Differences in flowering time between the allele combination causing the earliest (GS100/Ppd-B1a) and the latest (Ppd-A1b/Ppd-B1a) flowering were 7, 20 and 18 days in Spain, northern Mexico and southern Mexico, respectively. Flowering delay drastically reduced the mean grain filling rate (R) and W at all sites. At autumn-sowing sites, an increase of 1°C in mean temperature during the first half of the grain filling period decreased W by 5.2 mg per grain. At these sites, W was strongly dependent on R. At the spring-sowing site (southern Mexico), W depended on both R and grain filling duration. Our results suggest that incorporating the allele combinations GS100/Ppd-B1a and GS105/Ppd-B1a (alleles conferring photoperiod insensitivity) in newly released varieties can reduce the negative effects of climate change on grain filling at the studied latitudes.     

Biochemical composition and quality of captive-spawned cobia Rachycentron canadum eggs

Interest in the commercial production of cobia Rachycentron canadum continues to rise as additional insight is gained into the hardy and fast growing nature of this species. However, research regarding the biochemical composition of captive-spawned eggs and egg and larval quality remains scarce. Such data is essential as a common bottleneck to production is a steady supply of fingerlings for grow-out. This study quantified the biochemical composition and quality of cobia eggs produced over 2 spawning seasons by broodstock on a traditional ‘trash fish’ diet which is commonly fed to tank spawning cobia. Throughout the study, batch fecundity, proportion of floating eggs and percent hatch averaged > 1 million eggs,  0.8 and 70%, respectively. Batch fecundity was significantly higher during the second spawning season as a result of the increased size of the females which weighed 18/22 kg and 22/26 kg at the beginning of each season. A positive correlation was found between the proportion of floating eggs and hatch rate for both spawning seasons. No correlations were found between egg composition (total lipid (30.0 ± 1.1% dry wt), protein (25.4 ± 2.2% dry wt), carbohydrate (2.4 ± 0.3% dry wt), vitamin E (10.2 ± 0.6 μg/g wet wt) or dry weight (119.1 ± 5.5 μg/egg)) and egg quality (proportion of floating eggs, hatch rate, larval growth and larval survival). Further, no differences in egg composition were noted between seasons or over the course of each season. The fatty acid composition of cobia eggs varied between seasons possibly due to changes in the quality of frozen feed (fish, shrimp, squid) given to the broodstock. The only correlation between the fatty acid profile and egg quality was a decrease in the proportion of floating eggs as the total amount of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids increased. No relationship between egg quality and amino acid content was noted with the most prominent amino acids being glutamate, leucine, alanine, proline, lysine and aspartate nor were any differences detected between spawning seasons.     

早熟高产晚稻新品种湘优196示范表现及其配套栽培技术

介绍了湘优196的品种特征特性,产量表现。对该品种的丰产栽培技术进行了总结归纳,并通过试验示范提出了相应的配套栽培技术。     

一种茶叶鲜叶分级机的研制

在茶叶生产过程中,鲜叶原料分级是其中重要工序之一。当前,茶叶生产企业普遍采用传统滚筒式鲜叶分级机进行分级,对于机采作业而然,存在着鲜叶分级等次少、分级效果差、损伤率高、不方便收集等系列问题,难以适应机采鲜叶的分级要求。针对于这一情况,我们设计了一种新型螺旋导向鲜叶分级机构。本设计增加了筛筒长度,将鲜叶筛选分为四级,增加了分选等级;同时,通过筛筒内设置的双螺旋导向叶片的阻隔作用,延长筛选时间,提升筛选质量,通过改变筛筒形状结构,选用新型复合材料和不锈钢材料,降低机械对鲜叶的损伤率;其次,采用抽屉式的收集结构,更方便筛选后鲜叶的收集。此外,采用风机进行初步分选,减少了鲜叶分级后短碎叶含量,提升了后续分选效果,通过这一系列的改进设计,有望整体提升鲜叶筛选的效率及分级效果,从根本上解决机采鲜叶的分级问题。     

核桃细菌性疫病菌的特性及其与核桃内生菌的竞争

为了明确从湖北省丹江口市核桃病幼果上分离到的一株核桃细菌性疫病菌DW3F3的基本形态、生理生化特性、致病性相关特征以及与寄主内生菌的互作关系,对该病原菌进行了显微观察、生物膜形成测定,不同培养基上多糖和色素含量测定,18项生理生化指标测定,通过毛细管法和滴落法观察其趋化作用,并测试其与寄主内生菌的竞争能力。结果表明,病原菌DW3F3为杆状,极生鞭毛,有运动性,能形成生物膜。DW3F3在YPGAI、King's B和NA培养基上生长较好,而在NYG、PDA和LB培养基上产生多糖和色素较多。DW3F3有较强的耐盐性,致死温度达60℃,对纤维素和淀粉都有较强的分解能力,对HCl、NaCl和寄主叶片表现出一定的趋性。在与核桃叶部内生菌的共培养中,DW3F3表现出一定竞争优势。DW3F3有树生黄单胞菌核桃致病变种(Xanthomonas arboricola pv.juglandis,Xaj)的基本特征及致病相关特性,这些特征可能与其致病性强及病害难以控制有关。     

Assessing wild bees in perennial bioenergy landscapes: effects of bioenergy crop composition,landscape configuration,and bioenergy crop area

Context

Wild bee populations are currently under threat, which has led to recent efforts to increase pollinator habitat in North America. Simultaneously, U.S. federal energy policies are beginning to encourage perennial bioenergy cropping (PBC) systems, which have the potential to support native bees.

Objectives

Our objective was to explore the potentially interactive effects of crop composition, total PBC area, and PBC patches in different landscape configurations.

Methods

Using a spatially-explicit modeling approach, the Lonsdorf model, we simulated the impacts of three perennial bioenergy crops (PBC: willow, switchgrass, and prairie), three scenarios with different total PBC area (11.7, 23.5 and 28.8% of agricultural land converted to PBC) and two types of landscape configurations (PBC in clustered landscape patterns that represent realistic future configurations or in dispersed neutral landscape models) on a nest abundance index in an Illinois landscape.

Results

Our modeling results suggest that crop composition and PBC area are particularly important for bee nest abundance, whereas landscape configuration is associated with bee nest abundance at the local scale but less so at the regional scale.

Conclusions

Strategies to enhance wild bee habitat should therefore emphasize the crop composition and amount of PBC.