Sacred sites as habitats of culturally important plant species in an Indian megacity

Cultural ecosystem services related to urban green spaces contribute significantly to liveable cities. While previous studies highlight the intersection of cultural ecosystem services with societal values, spiritual or religious values associated with urban nature have received less attention. In India, as in other parts of the world, sacred sites are known for their biological richness, but analyses from urban sacred sites are largely missing. Based on a stratified random sampling approach, we analysed the cultivated and wild plant species assemblages of 69 sacred sites in the megacity of Bengaluru, India, in relation to biological and cultural features, and parameters related to the urban matrix and type of sacred sites (temple vs. katte). Unlike other urban studies, we found a dominance of native species in the cultivated and spontaneous species pools (121 species in total), with Ficus religiosa and Azadirachta indica as most frequently planted species. Culturally relevant species prevailed in the species pool (89%), with overlaps between religious (36%), medicinal (50%) and ornamental (62%) plants; only 11% of species were weeds. Urban matrix parameters (age of development, housing density) and size and type of sacred sites were related to differences in species assemblages. We identified key species for different classes of age and housing density, and for types of sacred sites. Our study demonstrates that urban sacred sites have an important potential in harbouring both native and culturally significant species that can support urban livelihoods in developing countries by a range of cultural and provisioning ecosystem services, including medicinal uses. As such sites are conserved by communities for spiritual or cultural beliefs, local biodiversity can be enhanced, e.g. by adapting management practices through community participation. This would strengthen the important contribution of sacred sites within the green infrastructure of rapidly growing megacities.     

钙对苜蓿幼苗抗寒性及相关生理指标影响的研究

先用50mmol/L CaCl2浸泡图牧吉苜蓿，公农一号苜蓿种子，蒸馏水处理作对照，之后将其幼苗放在低温下胁迫。结果表明：Ca^2 不但能提高图牧吉苜蓉幼苗的抗寒性，而且，也能提高公农一号苜蓿幼苗的抗寒性，同时，图牧吉苜蓿，公农一号苜蓿的超氧化物歧化酶，过氧化物酶，过氧化氢酶等酶活性及脯氨酸与抗坏血酸含量也得到提高。由此推测，Ca^2 提高图牧吉苜蓿，公农一号苜蓿幼苗的抗寒性可能与Ca^2 提高其超氧化物歧化酶，过氧化物酶，过氧化氢酶等酶活性及脯氨酸与抗坏血酸含量有关。     

Physiological Indices and Selection of Methods on Rapid Identification for Sweet Potato Drought Resistance

The relationships between the changes of relative water content （RWC）, malondialdehyde （MDA） contents, superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity and free proline contents in sweet potato leaves, and drought resistant ability under different concentration of polyethylene glycol （PEG） treatment applied at rhizosphere of sweet potato seedlings were studied. A highly positive correlation between RWC and drought resistance （r =0.783, P〈0.01）, a highly negative correlation between MDA contents and drought resistance （r = -0.848, P〈0.01）, a highly positive correlation between SOD activity and drought resistance （r = 0.777, P〈0.01） was observed. Free proline contents in leaves was not related obviously to the sweet potato drought resistance under 25% PEG treatment. The stronger the drought resistance of variety, the less decrease of RWC and increase of MDA contents, the more increase of SOD activity. By determining these physiological indices in sweet potato leaves under 25% PEG treatment, rapid identification of drought resistant ability of different varieties can be obtained in the lab.     

植物群落的内禀冗余

植物落处于各种扰动之中，扰动导致群落的总体功能降低，为适应各种形式的扰动，群落的功能补偿作用就发生了，并由此产生了生长冗余，组分冗余及内颤冗余，内禀冗余是植物群落中组分冗余的一种特殊形式，是对波动的环境及人为或动物扰动适应的结果，是落功能最大化的产物，内禀冗余的作用是使群落多样性，物种多样性得以保持，使群落对各种扰动的抵抗能力增强，在一定条件下，内禀冗余阻碍了群落中当前有益物种产量最大限度地实现，但从生态学观点看，它对植物群落中目标物种的持续较高水平的输出具有重要作用，因此，保留以内禀冗余形式存在的非目标植物种对群落的稳定是有益的。     

河南省农业综合生产能力的评价研究

本文建立了农业综合生产能力的评价指标体系，讨论了两种评价方法，并通过计算机测评系统，对河南省农业综合生产能力进行了系统的测算和分析。     

景观生态学原理与方法在荒漠化研究中应用的理论分析

荒漠化发生发展的过程实际上是指在自然和人为因素的作用下，生态系统结构遭受破坏、功能过程受阻和演变发生异化的过程，其防治的根本措施是恢复和重建健康的生态系统。所以，景观生态学理念在荒漠化的研究和防治中有着重要的意义。本文从荒漠化与生态系统结构、功能变化、荒漠化与生物多样性、荒漠化生态系统的物质循环和能量流动以及荒漠化生态系统的稳定性等方面论述了景观生态学理念在荒漠化研究中应用的可行性，并重点分析了景观生态学关于景观格局变化的评价指标与荒漠化土地动态变化之间的关系。     

The re-emergence of indigenous forest in an urban environment, Christchurch, New Zealand

Christchurch, the second largest city in New Zealand is a planned city on a coastal plain on the east coast of the South Island. The birth of the city and the subsequent century of development was characterised by colonial values and tree and garden planting with familiar European species along with those from Australia, North America, and eventually all other continents. The image of an “English garden city” with classical parks of oaks and willow-lined rivers became the accepted norm and the way in which the city has been promoted to potential tourists. Gardening is one of the top two recreational activities and exotic species greatly outnumber native species in the flora and in gardens. This has had serious consequences for the highly fragmented and degraded indigenous vegetation and its co-adapted wildlife. A few hardy indigenous species continued to regenerate through this period, but since the 1970s, there has been a progressive change of attitude and interest in reclaiming the natural heritage of the city, manifest in widespread private and public planting of indigenous species and active habitat restoration. In this article we examine the indigenous and exotic shrub and tree components of the Christchurch flora as planted street trees, in domestic gardens, and in parks. We also present data on shrub and tree regeneration in parks and domestic gardens in the city. Indications are that the more sensitive, less intrusive management of urban environments, combined with the greater density of indigenous seed sources, has allowed regeneration of a wide range of indigenous species across a broad spectrum of habitats – from neglected gardens to pavement cracks to exotic plantations. This is despite the competition from the prodigious seed banks and density of exotic trees, shrubs, and ground covers and albeit minimal impacts of introduced browsing and seed eating mammals. If the present trends continue through appropriate management and facilitation, these tentative signs of native forest regeneration should eventually proliferate into a sustainable mixed origin urban forest that resurrects and preserves the natural character of the region.     

尿素水平对青山羊血液生化指标的影响

应用饲养试验与氮平衡试验,研究了不同尿素水平的日粮对青山羊血清总蛋白(STP)、血清清蛋白(ALB)、血清球蛋白(GLB)、血清清球蛋白比值(A/G)、血清尿素氮(SUN)及血清谷丙转氨酶的含量变化的影响。试验采用4×4拉丁方试验设计,试验分4个阶段,在基础日粮一致的情况下,采用4、9、14、0(对照)g/kg·DM4种不同的处理,试验结果表明:不同尿素水平极显著影响ALB、SUN浓度和GPT活性浓度(P<0.01),对血清清球比(A/G)无显著差异(P>0.05),尿素水平与STP、GLB浓度存在负相关;血清含氮生化指标STP、ALB、GLB、A/G、GPT、SUN随时间呈动态变化,出现高峰的时间比瘤胃氨浓度出现的时间平均推迟1～2h。进食尿素后,血液生化指标由平稳逐渐缓慢升高到高峰,随后又下降并趋于平衡。     

Effects of Medium-chain Triglyceride on Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Indices in Broilers

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of medium-chain triglyceride replacing the soybean oil in the basal diet on growth performance and serum biochemical indices of broilers.One hundred and forty four healthy,similar body weights AA broilers at the age of 14 days were randomly assigned to four groups with six replicates ger group and six broilers per replicate.Groups A,B,C and D were respectively fed with 0,0.6%,1.2% and 2% medium-chain triglyceride substituted the equivalent amount of soybean oil (using corn flour to balance the energy levels in each group) .The test lasted for 28 days and the indexes were measured once every two weeks.The results showed that the average daily gain and average daily feed intake of groups B,C and D were higher than that of group A,and the F/G was lower than group A.The average daily gain of groups C and D at 28 to 42 days old and group D at 14 to 42 days old were significantly higher than that of group A (P < 0.05).The serum glucose,total content of amino acid,total protein and albumin of groups B,C and D at age of 28 and 42 days old were higher than that of group A,while the serum triglyceride,total cholesterol and urea nitrogen levels were lower.The total cholesterol content at 42 days old and triglyceride concentrations at 28 days old of group C were significantly lower than those of group A (P < 0.05).The results indicated that medium-chain triglyceride could raise average daily gain and reduce the total cholesterol content and triglyceride concentrations of broilers,which were useful for improving the growth performance.