Impact of soil engineering by two contrasting species of earthworms on their dispersal rates

By burrowing galleries and producing casts, earthworms are constantly changing the structure and properties of the soils in which they are living. These changes modify the costs and benefits for earthworms to stay in the environment they modify. In this paper, we measured experimentally how dispersal behaviour of endogeic and anecic earthworms responds to the cumulative changes they made in soil characteristics. The influence of earthworm activities on dispersal was studied in standardised mesocosms by comparing the influence of soils modified or not modified by earthworm activities on earthworm dispersal rates.The cumulative use of the soil by the earthworms strongly modified soil physical properties. The height of the soil decreased over time and the amount of aggregates smaller than 2 mm decreased in contrast to aggregates larger than 5 mm that increased. We found that: (i) earthworm activities significantly modified soil physical properties (such as bulk density, soil strength and soil aggregation) and decreased significantly the dispersal rates of the endogeic species, whatever the species that modified the soil; (ii) the decreasing in the dispersal proportion of the endogeic species suggests that the cost of engineering activities may be higher than the one of dispersal; (iii) the dispersal of the anecic species appeared to be not influenced by its own activities (intra-specific influences) or by the activities of the endogeic species (inter-specific influences). Overall these results suggest that the endogeic species is involved in a process of niche construction, which evolved jointly with its dispersal strategy.     

车辆AMT离合器离散变结构控制

以车圆舞曲机械式自动变速系统（AMT）的离合器液压执行机构为研究对象，建立系统非线性动力学模型。进一步应用基于微分几何的反馈线性化方法，将原非线性系统等价为完全可控型线性化模型。在此基础上设计了离散变结构控制器，并且证明了离散变结构系统的稳定性，实验结果证明，这一控制器跟踪精度高，并且对系统的非线性和不确定性表现出很强的鲁棒性。     

肉鸡生产系统的DYNAMO模型建立

根据系统动力学的理论,借助PD plus软件,在对肉鸡生产系统的分析基础上,对肉鸡生产的微机化研究作了初步探讨。重点是肉鸡生产系统辨识和系统反馈结构流图的绘制,因为建立模型的立足点在于肉鸡生产规模的变化是一个动态非平衡过程,这个过程是由其内在的反馈结构所决定。最后,从模型的内、外部作了可信度检验。     

Analysis of soil-vegetation systems' sensitivity to changes of climate-dependent carbon turnover parameters

 The nonlinear model of the carbon cycle in soils (NAMSOM) was used to analyze the sensitivity of soil organic matter levels to variations in carbon turnover parameters. We were able to predict the sensitivity of soil organic matter levels to variations of climate-dependent carbon turnover parameters, which allowed us to compare the sensitivity of soil organic matter levels to net primary productivity of plant communities and plant debris decomposition rate constants across the range of soils in the European part of Russia. The results indicate that meadow steppes show the lowest sensitivity to variations of these parameters. In passing from meadow steppes to the northern taiga and to semideserts, the sensitivity increases. In general, soil organic matter levels of boreal forest ecosystems are about 2–3 times more sensitive to input and decomposition of plant debris than to decomposition of humus. In subboreal grassland ecosystems the sensitivity to humus decomposition increases and becomes closer to the degree of sensitivity shown by soil organic matter levels to variations of productivity and decomposition of plant debris. The proposed method may be useful for predicting the response of ecosystems to climatic change. Received: 1 December 1997     

Qualitative modelling of the kelp forest of Lessonia nigrescens Bory (Laminariales: Phaeophyta) in eulittoral marine ecosystems of the south–east Pacific: an approach to management plan assessment

This contribution aims at the assessment of the sustainability of a management plan for Lessonia nigrescens in Chilean coastal ecosystems, specially when the harvest pressure could be increased due to that this macroalgae is considered as a food source for the abalon (Haliotis discus hannoi) farming along the Chilean coast. Three qualitative conceptual models were developed and compared; the first and second ones assuming homogeneous and heterogeneous environmental conditions, respectively, and the third expanded one considering eco-social components under the assumption of environmental heterogeneity. For all these models, the factors described by Vásquez [Bot. Mar. 38 (1995) 251] were included in the management plan for the harvesting of brown macroalgae. Based on Levins's Loop Analysis, the system will have a just weakly unstable moving equilibrium if the harvesting activities do not negatively affect the macrophyta's reproduction and recruitment processes. Therefore, coincidence of reproduction and/or recruitment with harvesting must be avoided in a putative management plan. Regarding the qualitative predictions of the system's behaviour after negatively affecting reproduction and recruitment, only an ecological model assuming a heterogeneous environment shows realistic responses in comparison to experimental studies on the same species. This contribution is the first approach considering the dynamical behaviour of L. nigrescens and its surroundings. Nevertheless, further models, based on the same modelling theory, may integrate more variables from social and economical fields in order to improve the scope of this complex system. Further comparative studies should focus on the assessment of the significance of the structural functions of L. nigrescens and other macroalgae for the conservation of this benthic system.     

Dual plant host effects on two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Mycorrhizal fungi may simultaneously associate with multiple plant hosts, and the implications of this for the fungi involved are not well understood. To address this question, two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Glomus clairoideum (a treatment referred to as “Glo”) and Scutellospora fulgida (a treatment referred to as “Scut”), were grown separately in pots that each consisted of two plant compartments separated by a root-free-compartment (RFC). Fungi within each two-plant-compartment pot were exposed to either two individuals of indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), two individuals of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), or one of each. A non-inoculated treatment (“Non”) was included to help gauge the potential influence of greenhouse contaminant fungi, cross-contamination, or any misidentification of non-AMF hyphae. The two host species had additive effects on the growth of AM hyphae in plant compartments of Scut, Glo, and Non pots, and in the RFCs of Scut pots. In Glo RFCs, however, they were antagonistic in their effects. Synergism between hosts in Non RFCs suggested that any potential contaminants or misidentification could not explain this result. Underyielding was not seen in shoot weight, root weight, or root length in dual host pots, and also therefore could not explain the result. Hyphal growth in the Scut treatment was evenly distributed between the RFC and plant compartments (or marginally skewed toward the RFC), while hyphal growth in the Glo treatment was skewed toward plant compartments (nearer roots). However, hyphal lengths were more highly correlated across plant compartments within a common pot in the Glo treatment, suggesting that this AMF bridged the RFC to experience the entire two-host pot as a single environment to a greater extent than Scut did. These AMF differed in how they responded to both the species composition of the two-host environment and its spatial structure; potential implications for mycorrhizal community dynamics are discussed.     

黄瓜采摘机器人远近景组合闭环定位方法

针对黄瓜采摘机器人远景定位精度不高,以致切伤果实和茎蔓的问题,设计了一种基于机器视觉具有空间位置反馈功能的末端执行器。对温室环境下黄瓜果实采摘区域图像信息获取方法加以研究,综合HIS色彩空间H、S分量进行阈值分割,结合RGB色彩空间G通道边缘分布特征以及黄瓜形状特征,提取黄瓜采摘区域。基于摄像机线性透视模型,研究了采摘切割点空间定位方法,最终向采摘机械臂控制器反馈位置微调信息。采用远近景组合闭环定位方法,对采摘目标进行闭环定位,有效地解决了采摘机器人一次远景定位误差较大的问题。试验结果表明,排除温室复杂光照情况,机器人末端执行器定位精度达到2mm,满足采摘作业要求。     

人工纳米材料对植物—微生物影响的研究进展

随着纳米科技的快速发展和纳米产品的广泛使用,人工纳米材料(ENMs)的环境生态效应研究逐渐成为国内外关注的热点。本文整合了ENMs的毒性机制,综述了ENMs对植物和微生物影响方面的研究进展。此外,鉴于植物与微生物之间存在的密切联系,进一步概述了植物和微生物对ENMs生态效应的反馈作用,揭示了植物和微生物的相互作用可影响ENMs对植物-微生物体系的生态效应。因此,将植物-微生物以及土壤作为一个整体是全面评价ENMs生态效应的关键,也是未来研究的发展方向。最后分析了目前研究中方法和技术等方面中存在的不足,提出了以后研究中应关注的重点。     

基于“360度反馈评价”的学科馆员绩效评价

目前,国内学科馆员绩效评价方面的研究,都集中在学科馆员评价指标体系的设计上。没有专门针对学科馆员绩效评价的评价方法的研究。引入＂360度反馈评价＂到学科馆员绩效评价中,阐述了＂360度反馈评价＂的概念、运用于学科馆员绩效评价中的意义、评价程序及应注意的问题与对策,以期进一步改进和完善现有的学科馆员绩效评价体系。     

酶工程选修课教学改革初探

介绍了高职院校生物技术专业选修课《酶工程》的内容选取、授课方式、考核方式、反馈交流机制几方面的教学实践。以期提高教学质量。