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.     

小麦对行免耕播种机试验研究

为解决一年可熟区小麦免耕播种作业的技术难题，提出了小麦对行免耕播种的思想；设计了2BMD-12型小麦对行免耕播种机．在玉米行何播种小麦．避开玉米秸秆和根茬。采用了新型高效的带状粉碎防堵机构，防堵性能优良。田问性能试验表明：2BMD-12型小麦对行免耕播种机在玉米直立秸秆和大量秸秆覆盖下。如能实现对行，可以顺利进行播种作业，满足作业质量和作物高产对施肥量的要求．适合我国中小地块、中小功率的特点。     

灭茬旋耕深松起垄通用机传动系统的研究设计

为实现用一种机型解决灭茬、旋耕两种机型通用问题，在分析现有驱动式作业机传动系统的优缺点和存在的问题基础上，采用了拨叉式变速，双侧边链传动和过载保护的传动方案，实现了灭茬、旋耕通用；并提高了传动系统的工作可靠性。     

Circular Disc Blade Considerations in Soil Force Prediction Modelling

Previous soil-disc force prediction models have considered spherical and concave blades, as used on disc ploughs and harrows, with many simplifying assumptions. This study proposes an approach applying the fundamental equation of earth moving mechanics for calculating the soil passive reaction acting on a rotating fiat disc blade as used on a zero-till single disc seeder. The study considers the effects of disc variable depth of cut, sweep and tilt angles, free rotation and a scrubbing reaction at the beveled edge. This paper outlines the modeling approach and prediction results for a fixed circular blade operating at 90° sweep angle over a range of speeds and at two tilt angles. To account for the varying depth across the circular disc shape width, elemental wide blade force reactions acting on wide blade segments of elemental width were integrated across the disc working width. By including inertia forces due to speed as well as additional bulldozing forces due to the loose soil accumulation in front of the blade the draught and upward vertical forces acting on the vertical disc blade were predicted with a deviation of 6%-19% and 1.5%-14% from measured data, respectively. The model was able to predict the effect of increasing the tilt angle from 0° to 20° on reducing both draught and upward vertical forces. Further development and validation of the model will be described in subsequent papers, reflecting a step by step approach of increasing complexity to model a disc blade as used on a zero-till single disc seeding system.     

云南瓢虫科昆虫名录补遗(二)

本文报道了在云南省采集的七种瓢虫科昆虫,为西南林学院学报1984年第1期92～105页登载的“云南瓢虫科昆虫名录”及西南林学院学报1986年第1期97～98页“云南瓢虫科昆虫名录补遗(一)”的补充记载。迄今已报道云南省瓢虫科昆虫共186种。     

Soil water characteristics in glacial till at two forest sites in Sweden

Soil water characteristics were determined in 6 soil profiles along a Norway spruce forested sandy‐loamy till hillslope in Southern and Northern Sweden, respectively. The soil moisture class was mesic at both sites, i.e. having well drained soil water conditions. Two different Podzols; Leptic and Orthic, were developed at each site respectively. The vertical distribution of soil water retention capacity (SWRC) was similar in the different profiles at each site respectively. The SWRC of the mineral soil was significantly higher in the spodic B horizon compared to the other horizons. In concordance with the vertical distribution of SWRC, the largest amount of organic matter in the mineral soil, measured as ignition loss, was also found in the spodic B horizon. The significantly higher SWRC in the spodic B horizon, i.e. the ¡lluvial horizon, was suggested to depend on the accumulated organic‐sesquioxide material in this horizon. As SWRC reached maximum values in the spodic B horizon at all tensions applied, it was further suggested that soil formation in the studied profiles enhanced the formation of both micro‐ and macropores in the spodic B horizon. The variation of SWRC, at a certain level in the soil, was often larger within a profile than between the profiles at each site respectively.     

拖拉机配套旋耕起垄机的设计与研制

研制了手扶拖拉机配套的小型旋耕起垄机,该机具具有工作可靠、结构简单、造价低和一机多用等特点,更换不同的刀轴既可作为旋耕机又可作为旋耕起垄机使用,从而提高了机具的利用率,降低了作业成本。     

Early life history connectivity of Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) in the Ross Sea

A recent population hypothesis for Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica), a critical forage species, argued that interactions between life history and circulation associated with glacial trough systems drive circumpolar distributions over the continental shelf. In the Ross Sea, aggregations of eggs and larvae occur under fast ice in Terra Nova Bay, and the hypothesis predicted that dispersing larvae encounter outflow along the western side of Drygalski Trough. The outflow advects larvae towards the shelf‐break, and mixing with trough inflow facilitates return toward the inner shelf. To examine the hypothesis, we compared samples of P. antarctica collected near Coulman Island in the outflow, along Crary Bank in the inflow, and a third set taken over the rest of the Ross Sea. We ruled out misidentification using an innovative genetic validation. Silverfish larvae comprised 99.5% of the catch, and the highest population densities were found in Drygalski Trough. The results provided no evidence to reject the population hypothesis. Abundance indices, back‐calculated hatching dates, length distributions and growth were congruent with a unified early life history in the western Ross Sea, constrained by cryopelagic early stages in Terra Nova Bay. By contrast, a sample in the Bay of Whales revealed much smaller larvae, suggesting either a geographically separate population in the eastern Ross Sea, or westward connectivity with larvae spawned nearby by fish sourced from troughs upstream in the Amundsen Sea. These results illustrate how hypotheses that integrate population structure with life history can provide precise spatial predictions for subsequent testing.