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    10 February 2010, Volume 29 Issue 02
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    Articles
    Changes in duration days and accumulated temperature of 16 plant species phenology in Minqin desert area.
    Chang-Zhao-Feng, HAN Fu-Gui, ZHONG Sheng-Nian
    2010, 29(02):  193-200. 
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    With climate warming, the plant phenology in Northwest China desert area has an advancing trend. Based on  34year phenological observation data of 16 plant species in the Minqin desert area of Gansu, and by using one linear trend equation,  this paper analyzed the changes in the duration days of the phenology of these plant species and in the accumulated temperature in the phenological duration. With the increase of air temperature , there was an increasing trend in the duration days of the phenology. The accumulated temperature in the duration of the phenology increased significantly, and spring and autumn were the more sensitive seasons in the changes of the accumulated temperature. The increase or decrease of the accumulated temperature was mainly caused by the increase or decrease of the duration days of phenology, followed by the increase of air temperature, which suggested that the duration days of the phenology of plant species could not be shortened or extended indefinitely with the increase or decrease of air temperature.
    Intra and interspecific competition of endangered plant Magnolia zenii
    2010, 29(02):  201-206. 
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    By using Hegyi's singletree competition index model, the intra and interspecific competition intensities of endemic and endangered plant  Magnol ia zenii from Baohuashan National Forest Park in Zhenjiang City of Jiangsu Province were quantitatively analyzed, with the methods suitable for treating the surveyed data of clonal ramet discussed. The main competitive stress to the M. zenii population came from interspecific competition, which accounted for 907% of the total. The competition intensity of interspecific competition with M. zenii followed the order of Phoebe sheareri>Acer henryi>Juglans cathayensis>M. zenii>Phyllostachys heterocycla>Platycarya strobilacea>Liquidambar formosana>Gleditsia sinensis>Celtis sinensis. The relationship of the competition intensity between competitive trees and objective trees in the whole forest with the DBH of objective trees nearly conformed to power function, while that between other competitive and objective trees with the DBH of objective trees conformed to logarithm function. There was a significant negative correlation between the whole forest competition intensity and the DBH of objective trees. The predicated results showed that when the DBH of M. zenii reached 30 cm, the change in competition intensity was very small. As for clonal ramet, it was suggested that the method of taking the summation of basal areas at breast height of a species’clonal ramet cluster as the equal area of single tree of the same species was more reasonable.
    Variation characteristics of perennial plant species water relation parameters under extreme arid condition.
    2010, 29(02):  207-214. 
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    With four perennial plant species (Populus euphratica Oliv.,Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb., Calligonum caput medusae Schrenk. and Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.) in the southern fringe of Takelamakan Desert as test objects, the variation characteristics of their main water relation parameters P100 (osmotic potential at maximum turgor), P0 (osmotic potential at zero turgor), emax(maximum cell elasticity modulus), and RWCa (cell relative water content at incipient plasmolysis) in growth period were analyzed based on pressurevolume curves (P-V curves). In the meantime, the predawn water potential of test species was measured, and the soil water content was monitored. As for the ability of maint
    aining turgor at low water potential, it was in order of T. ramosissima>P. euphratica>A. sparsifolia>C. caputmedusae. The common response of the four species to water stress was to keep relatively high water content when incipient plasmolysis occurred. As for the mechanisms of droughtendurance, C. caput medusae and A. sparsifolia belonged to the type of keeping high water potential to delay dehydration, while P. euphratica and T. ramosissima belonged to the type of keeping low water potential to endure dehydration. Among the four species, A. sparsifolia had the highest predawn water potential, while T. ramosissima had the lowest one. C. caput medusae and P. euphratica had a stable predawn water potential during its growth period. The variation tendency of predawn water potential was consistent with the change characteristics of water relation parameters of the species. No signs of serious drought stress were observed in any of the test species
     during their growth period. Irrigation had no significant effects on the water relation parameters of test species, suggesting that the four pe
    rennial plant species were well adapted to the harsh environmental condition. The root systems of the species could access groundwater to satisfy their large demands for water. To protect the root systems of the species and to maintain a stable groundwater level would be the most important prerequisite for the restoration and reestablishment of the perennial plant species.
    Relationships of |Arctium lappa community distribution and species composition with eco environmental factors.
    2010, 29(02):  215-220. 
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    By using correlation analysis, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), and two way indicative species analysis (TWINSPAN), this paper analyzed the relationships of Arctium lappa community distribution and species composition with eco environmental factors. No significant correlations were observed between the importance value of  A. lappa and eco-environmental factors, suggesting that A. lappa was a idespread specie. The distribution of accompanying species in A. lappa community was positively correlated with relative air humidity, mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, and altitude, and negatively correlated with soil organic matter content and sunshine hours. The
    A. lappa community was zoned into four main production areas, i.e., Northeast China, Northwest China, Southwest China, and Southeastern coastal area, which was consistent with the records in the Chinese Medical Code.
    Relationships of condensed tannin content in larch needles with larch stand age and its family.
    2010, 29(02):  221-225. 
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    In order to study the effects of larch stand age, its family, and growth period on the constitutive resistance of larch needles, the needles of Lari
    x olgensis    73-26, L. olgensis 73-28, L. kaempferi 5×L. gmelinii 9, and L. kaempferi3×L. gmelinii 2 in different stand age groups were collected in July and August, with their condensed tannin content analyzed. The condensed tannin content in larch needles differed significantly under the interactive effects of stand age × family and of stand age × family × growth period, being significantly higher in young than in middleaged and nearmatured stands, in L. kaempferi5×L. gmelinii 9 and L. kaempferi 3×L. gmelinii 2 than in L. olgensis 73-26 and 73-28, and in July (fast growth period) than in August (slow growth period). It was suggested that more hybrid larch with stronger constitutive resistance should be planted, and the pest control for middle aged and near matured larch stands should be strengthened after August.

    Characteristics of photosynthetically active radiation in near surface layer of four introduced plant sites in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.
    2010, 29(02):  226-232. 
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    Based on the micro climate observation data from 2008 to 2009, the diurnal and seasonal variations of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) in the near surface layer of four introduced plant sites in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden were analyzed. All the plant sites showed obvious diurnal and seasonal variations in PAR. The highest PAR appeared in rainy season, which reached 406.6 mol·m-2·d-1 in open field, while the lowest one appeared in fog cool season, which was 236.0 mol·m-2·d-1 in open field. In the sites with tall trees, including the Rain Forest Valley, Dipterocarp Garden, and Arboretum, the PAR was relatively lower. with the effects of solar elevation angle and canopy gap, there was a “jump up” for the PAR in rainy season. Spatially, the PAR appeared to be higher in the sites with  tall trees. Tempora
    lly, rainy season had a higher PAR than other seasons. The PAR in the sites with tall trees and large shelters was less than 10% of that in open field, and the PAR ratio was only 1.6% in the Rain Forest Valley compared with the open field in fog cool season, which was the lowest among all the sites. However, this ratio reached 98.7% in dry  hot season in the Tropical Fruits Garden, which had little shading. Generally, the temporal and spatial heterogeneities of PAR existed in different plant sites, which could definitely affect the rhythm of the introduced plant species in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden.
    Seed germination characteristics of endangered plant Sinia rhodoleuca.
    2010, 29(02):  233-237. 
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    In this paper, the biological characteristics of Sinia rhodoleuca seed germination were studied, aimed to understand the underlying mechanisms relevant to the impediment in the regeneration of S. rhodoleuca population. The optimal temperature for the seed germination of S. rhodoleuca was 25 ℃, with a germination rate being 56.67%. At 20 ℃ and 30 ℃, both the germination velocity and the germination rate were low; at 30 ℃, the seedlings grew abnormally; at  15 ℃, the germination was inhibited. When the soil moisture content was in the range of 20%~30%, the seed could germinate normally; with the increase of the moisture content from 20% to 30%, the germination started earlier, and
     the germination velocity was higher. The seed germination was lightneeded, and no seeds could be germinated in the dark. There was no significant difference in the germination rate in sand, loamy soil, and sandy soil, but the seedlings grew better in loamy and sandy soils. The seeds from different geographical provenances differed significantly in their quality, with those of Rongshui population having the highest germination rate and better seedlings growth. The narrow suitable range of temperature and the lack of light in understory limited the seed
     germination of S. rhodoleuca, and the low germination velocity, uneven germination, and slow growth made S. rhodoleuca be at a disadvantage in interspecific competition, which could be the main causes leading to the poor regeneration of S. rhodoleuca population.
    Effects of planting mode in forest on understory plant species diversity in mountain area of Eastern Liaoning Province in the reform of collective forest property.
    2010, 29(02):  238-243. 
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    Based on the datasets from sampling plots, and by using species richness index, evenness index, and diversity index, this paper studied the effects of planting ginseng and Pimpinella brachycarpa on the understory plant species diversity in the mountain area of eastern Liaoning Province, and analyzed the differences in the test indices among different planting practice sites. The planting of ginseng and P. brachycarpa decreased the species diversity of shrub layer significantly. Planting ginseng decreased the species richness and increased the evenness of herb layer significantly, but had no significant effects on the species diversity of herb layer. Planting P. brachycarpa decreased the test indic
    es of herb layer significantly. All the test indices of herb layer had significant differences between the sites of planting ginseng and P. brachycarpa.

    Community characteristics of beach wetland vegetations along a habitat gradient in Dafeng Milu Reserve of Jiangsu Province.
    2010, 29(02):  244-249. 
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    Line transect and plot sampling methods were applied to investigate the beach wetland vegetations in the third core area of Dafeng  Milu National Nature Reserve in  Jiangsu Province, and principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis, and several diversity indices were adopted to analyze the community characteristics of the vegetations. In 34 sampling plots, a total of 11 species were recorded, belonging to 5 families and 11 genera. The vegetations could be classified into 5 communities, with marked dominant species of herbaceous and few accompanying species. From nearsea to inshore, the distribution of the beach wetland vegetations was Spartina alterniflora co
    mmunity→Suaeda glauca community→Zoysia macrostachya community→Phragmites australis community→Imperata cylindrica var. major community. All the communities had low species diversity index, ecological dominance index, and community evenness index, and their species richness had a trend of increasing first, decreasing then, and increasing later. The results of PCA indicated that soil salinity was one of the most important factors affecting the community distribution.
    Dynamic characteristics of vegetation restoration in geotechnical residue field of Jinping Hydropower Station.
    2010, 29(02):  250-255. 
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    Vegetation restoration is a basic and strategic engineering measure for the reconstruction of abandoned land and the prevention of soil erosion, while the dynamic characteristics of species diversity in the vegetation restoration can reflect the degree of vegetation recovery. By using closure and infiltration storage regulated supply (CSR) engineering as the applied restoration background, and with the geotechnical residue field of Jinping Hydropower Station as test object, the dynamic characteristics of vegetation communities in the field were studied through community investigation and diversity analysis. The plants selected at the early stage of vegetation recovery generally showed good adaptat
    ion to the environment, with legumes being the dominant in the community. The species of Gramineae, Compositae, and other perennial herbaceous plants increased gradually with time, and played important roles in maintaining community function. There was a close correlation between community dynamics and species diversity. With the process of succession, the community composition, diversity, and evenness increased, while ecological dominance decreased.
    Effects of substrate and water level on the growth of invasive species Spartina alterniflora.
    2010, 29(02):  256-260. 
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    A laboratory simulation experiment was conducted to study the effects of substrate type and water level on the expansion of invasive species Spartina alterniflora. Several phenotypic parameters of S. alternilora seedlings, such as survival rate, height growth, biomass, and biomass allocation, were determined. The results showed that substrate type, water level, and their interaction had significant effects on the S. alterniflora seedlings growth, and the interaction of substrate type and water level significantly affected the survival rate of seedlings. On the same substrate types, the decrease of water level increased the root length significantly. On sand substrate, the height growth was inhibited with decreased water level, and the rhizome length was significantly shorter than that on sandsoil mixture and soil substrate; on sandsoil mixture and soil substrate, the growth of seedlings was the best at moderate water level, and the rhizome length decreased significantly with decreased water level. It was deduced that the expansion rate of S. alterniflora population varied with habitat, being higher on sand soil mixture and soil substrate.
    Enrichment characteristics of Cd and Pb by four kinds of plant under hydroponic culture.
    2010, 29(02):  261-268. 
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    A hydroponic experiment with different concentrations of Cd and Pb was conducted to investigate the capabilities of sunflower, ricinus, alfalfa, and mustard in accumulating Cd and Pb. After treated for five weeks, the Cd and Pb contents in the roots and shoots of test plants increased with increasing concentrations of medium Cd and Pb. In treatment 20 mg Cd·L-1, sunflower roots had the highest Cd content (237.86 mg·kg-1), and its shoots accumulated 89.48 mg·kg-1 of Cd. In treatment 200 mg Pb·L-1, mustard roots showed better capability in enriching Pb (597.22 mg·kg-1). In treatment 100 mg Pb·L-1, sunflower shoots had the highest content of Pb (318.33 mg·kg-1). For the test plants, the enrichment coefficients of Cd and Pb decreased with increasing concentrations of medium Cd and Pb, and had definite correlations with plant biomass and the concentrations of medium Cd and Pb. In the treatments with combined application of Cd and Pb, there existed definite antagonism in the Cd and Pb uptake by the plants. Through the comparison of plant biomass and of the enrichment characteristics of Cd and Pd by roots and shoots, it was considered that relative to the other three test plants, sunflower could be selected as a potential candidate for the phytoextraction of soil Cd and Pb.
    Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with common tree species in a tropical rain forest in Bawangling of Hainan Island, China.
    2010, 29(02):  269-273. 
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    An investigation was made on the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and dark septate endophytes (DSE) associated with 16 common plant species belonging to 12 families in a tropical rain forest in Bawangling of Hainan Island, China. The fungi were identified by alkaline lysising and acid fuchsin staining. Among the surveyed plant species, 13 of them (occupying 81% of the total) were typically colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), while 3 species (about 19%) did not form AM. Eleven AMF species in 3 genera were isolated from the rhizosphere soi
    ls by wetsieving, of which, 3 species came from Acaulospora, 7 species from Glomus, and 1 species from Gigaspora. Glomus was the dominant genus. A. foveata was the most common species, which was found in the rhizosphere soils of 14 plant species. G. macrocarpum had the highest ability to produce spores, and its relative abundance was 59%. Eleven plant species (about 69% of the total) were found to be colonized by DSE, occupying 69% of the total; and 11 plant species were simultaneously colonized by AMF and DSE.
    Soil respiration under different vegetation types in Nanjing urban green space.
    2010, 29(02):  274-280. 
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    By using Li6400 portable photosynthetic apparatus connected to soil chamber, the soil respiration rate under three vegetation types (lawn, open woodland, and closetonature forest) in Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden was measured from October 2007 to September 2008, with related affecting factors analyzed. The soil respiration rate had obvious seasonal fluctuation, being the highest in summer (August) and the lowest in winter (December). For the closetonature forest, open woodland, and lawn, their soil respiration rate in summer was 3.28, 4.07, and 7.58 μmol·m-2·s-1, and that in winter was 0.82, 0.99, and 1.42 μmol·m-2·s-1, respectively. The annual mean soil respiration rate differed significantly with vegetation type (P<0.05), which was in  order of close-to-nature forest<open woodland<lawn. The soil respiration rate had significant exponential correlation with soil temperature, but no correlation with soil moisture.  The Q10 value increased with increasing soil depth, and was larger in close-to-nature forest than in open woodland and lawn. Our results indicated that the rapid development of lawn in urban green space could increase the urban soil CO2 emission.
    Soil nutrient characteristics in juvenile waterlevelfluctuating zone of Three Gorges Reservoir.
    2010, 29(02):  281-289. 
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    Taking the soils of secondary shrubs and abandoned farmland in the juvenile water-level-fluctuating zone in Three Gorges Reservoir as test objects, this paper studied the characteristics of their nutrients. The nutrient contents except that of available phosphorous were higher in shrub soil than in abandoned farmland soil. The coefficient of variation of soil available phosphorus was 91%, while those of other nutrients were about 50%. No significant difference was observed in the nutrient contents with altitude change. The contents of soil total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the backwater area of water-level-fluctuating zone increased rapidly, comp
    ared to those in control zone. Soil nutrient contents except that of available phosphorous decreased with increasing soil depth. Due to the water back area was at its juvenile stage, no significant relationship was found between soil nutrients and soil moisture.
    Effects of different years continuous cropping and grafting on the biological activities of eggplant soil.
    2010, 29(02):  290-294. 
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    This paper studied the effects of different years continuous cropping and grafting on the microbial amounts and enzyme activities of eggplant soil. With the increasing year of continuous cropping, the amounts of bacteria and actinomyces as well as the activities of catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase,  and protease in own-ooted eggplant rhizosphere soil decreased, while that of fungi increased. There were significant positive correlations between soil microbial amounts and soil enzyme activities. The main factors affecting the amounts of soil bacteria and actinomyces were the activities of soil catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and protease, and the main factor affecting the amount of soil fungi was the activity of soil protease. Grafting increased the enzyme activities of eggplant soil, and relieved the stress of continuous cropping.
    Effects of different tillage modes on soil properties and crop yield in a rain-fed field of Inner Mongolia.
    2010, 29(02):  295-302. 
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    A 4-year (2005-2008) field experiment was conducted on a typical slope field in Qingshuihe County of Inner Mongolia to study the ef
    fects of no tillage with low stubble (NL), no tillage with high stubble (NH), no tillage with low stubble and residues (NLS), no tillage with high stubble and residues (NHS), and conventional tillage (CT) on the soil properties and maize yield. No tillage increased soil microbial biomass C, N, and P, and soil organic matter and nutrient contents. In 2007 and 2008, the microbial biomass and the organic matter and nutrient contents in 0-10 cm soil layer were in  order of NHS>NLS>NH>NL>CT. During the first three years of no tillage, maize yield was unstable; but in the 4th year, the yield was increased. Path analysis showed that soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, and especially microbial biomass carbon had direct effects on maize yield. The results indicated that no tillage was advantageous to the improvement of soil ecological environment and soil fertility in rain-fed farmlands of Inner Mongolia.
    Characteristics of soil cultivable microbial flora in alpine artificial grasslands in Bayanbulak.
    2010, 29(02):  303-308. 
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    By using dilute plate counting method, the characteristics of microbial flora in 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers of alpine artificial grasslands established for 4, 8, 15, and 20 years in Bayanbulak were studied, with related ecological affecting factors analyzed. The amount of soil bacteria was the highest in 4-year old grassland and the lowest in 20-year old grassland, and was 2.19 and 1.58 times higher in 8-year old and 15-year old grasslands than in natural grassland, respectively. The amount of soil fungi was in order of 4year old grassland>20-year old grassland>15-year old grassland > 8-year old grassland > natural grassland; and the amount of soil actinomyces was the highest in natural grassland, followed by in 8-, 20-, 4-, and 15-year old grasslands. The three soil microbial groups reached the maximum in August and the minimum in September. The total amount of soil microbes and the amount of soil bacteria had significant positive correlations with vegetation coverage, and the amount of soil fungi was significantly positively correlated with soil moisture content and soil conductivity. Soil pH had the greatest effects on the amount of soil actinomyces, and the main ecological factors affecting the total amount of soil microbes were vegetation coverage and the time of grassland establishment.
    Responses of herbaceous layer vegetation to nitrogen fertilization in Shapotou Area.
    2010, 29(02):  309-313. 
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    Taking the herbaceous layer vegetation in Shapotou area as test object, this paper studied its species richness, abundance, coverage, height growth, and aboveground biomass under effects of different nitrogen (N) fertilization levels. Oneyear observation showed that comparing with the control, all N fertilization treatments except 50 g N·m-2had positive effects on the species richness. With increasing N fertilization level, the species abundance decreased, with a decrement of 86.7% in treatment 50 g N·m-2, and the species coverage decreased after an initial increase, with the maximum in treatment 20 g N·m-2 and having a significant difference (P<0.05) with the control. The responses of heig
    ht growth to N fertilization levels varied with plant species. Aboveground biomass was higher at low N fertilization level but lower at high fertilization level. In a word, low N fertilization level benefited the community biodiversity and productivity, while high N fertilization level had restriction effects.
    Effects of different dose UVB radiation on the morphological and physiological indices of winter wheat seedlings.
    2010, 29(02):  314-318. 
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    Enhanced UV-B radiation has different effects on different plants, and even, on the different varieties of same plant species. Taking two winter wheat varieties (Keyi 26 and Taishan 269) with different UV-B tolerance as test materials, this paper compared their morphological indices, biomass, and physiological indices under effects of different dose UV-B radiation. For the two test varieties, high dose UV-B radiation decreased their plant height, leaf color value, tiller number, fresh weight, Fv/Fm, and photosynthesis rate, but increased their leaf MDA and flavonoid contents and relative electric conductivity. In these aspects, wheat variety Taishan 269 showed more apparent variations than Keyi 26, suggesting that the former was more sensitive to enhanced UV-B radiation. Low dose UV-B radiation promoted the plant height, leaf color value, tiller number, fresh mass, and especially, flavonoid content of test varieties, but had less effects on the Fv/Fm, leaf MDA content, and leaf relative electric conductivity.
    Effects of sand burial depth of Achnatherum inebrians seed on its germination and seedling growth.
    2010, 29(02):  324-328. 
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    This paper studied the effects of different sand burial depths (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm) of Achnatherum inebrians seed on its germination and seedling growth under a constant temperature regime, aimed to approach the proliferation mechanism of A. inebrians population and to supply theoretical basis for the control and exploitation of A. inebrians. Sand burial depth of A. inebrians seed had significant effects on its seedling emergence percentage, date of first emergence, seedling height, and biomass allocation (P<0.001). The seedling emergence rate was the highest (92%) when the seed was buried at the depth of 2 cm, but the lowest (58.7%) when the sand burial depth was 5 cm. The seed
    ling height reached the maximum (10.8 cm) when the sand burial depth was 3 cm, but was the shortest, being 6.3 and 7.1 cm when the seed was buried at the depths of 0 and 5 cm, respectively. The above and below ground biomass of A. inebrians was the maximum at the sand burial depth of 2 cm, but the minimum at the sand burial depth of 5 cm; and the root was the longest (nearly 5 cm) at sand burial of 2-3 cm and the shortest (1 cm) at sand burial of 5 cm. It was suggested the optimum sand burial depth of A. inebrians seed for its seedling emergence and growth would be 2-3 cm.
    Effects of Oecophylla smaragdina on the insect pests of grapefruit at flowering stage.
    2010, 29(02):  329-332. 
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    In March 2008, the flowering stage of grapefruit,  the  plantation was divided into two sections, one section was introduced with Oecophylla
    smaragdina, and the other was used as the control. 20 branches were selected from each section to investigate the main pests (Contarinia citrt and Thrips spp.) of grapefruit and the percentage of undamaged leaves. In control section, the individual numbers of the two pest species maintained at a higher level, and their population density and the damaged rate of grapefruit flowers were significantly higher than those in the O. smaragdina introduced section (P<0.05). The existence of O. smaragdina decreased the C. citrt-damaged rate of grapefruit flowers by 70%-80% and the Thrips spp.damaged rate of grapefruit flowers by approximately 60%, and increased the percentage of undamaged leaves by 30%. It was suggested that in the pest control of grapefruit plantation, the roles of  O. smaragdina should be fully considered, and its protection and introduction should be strengthened.
    Sexual dimorphism in head and body size of |Teratoscincus roborowskii and its food habits in different seasons.
    2010, 29(02):  333-338. 
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    From April 2008 to May 2009, 155 individuals of geckoes (Teratoscincus roborowskii) were collected from the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Turpan Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, aimed to study their sexual dimorphism and diet composition. The geckoes were maintained separately for a short time to collect their fecal samples for diet analysis, and their morphological characters were measured. All the geckoes were marked by toe clipping, and reintroduced to the collected locality after the fecal collection and morphological measurement. No significant differences were observed in the morphological characters between male and female juveniles. At mature stage, the males had wider head, while the females had larger venter size. An isometric growth pattern with the increase of snoutvent length was showed in the head length of all the individuals and in the head width of the males, but the growth rate of head width declined gradually with the ontogeny of the females. T. roborowskii  mostly ate arthropod and Capparis spinosa fruit. The food niche width was 4.15 in April-May, 4.23 in June-July, and 4.48 in August-September, and the food niche overlap was the highest between June-July and August-September.
    Oviposition preference for Pieris rapae (lepidoptera: Pieridae) pupae body size and developmental performance of progeny in Brachymeria lasus (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae)
    2010, 29(02):  339-343. 
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    The relationship between oviposition preference and progeny performance is one of the central themes in evolutionary ecology. To test whether the oviposition selection of mother parasitoids among hosts with different body size is in accordance with the performance of progeny parasitoids in Brachymeria lasus (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), the host pupae of Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) were manipulated by starvation at larval stages to obtain host pupae with wide variation in body size.  B. lasus obviously preferred large host pupae, and accordingly, allocated more female offspring. The body size of offspring parasitoids increased linearly with host pupa size, but the development time was un
    affected by host pupa size. Our results supported the predictions of ‘host sizequality’ model.
    Effects of temperature and photoperiod acclimation on digestive tract morphology and energy budget of tree sparrow (Passer montanus).
    2010, 29(02):  344-350. 
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    Four groups of Passer montanus were domesticated under different temperature (5 ℃ and 25 ℃) and photoperiod (16L∶8D and 8L∶16D) for four weeks, and their digestive tract morphology with body mass as the covariate was analyzed by the covariance with twofactors temperature and photoperiod and with single factor within groups, and by the Tukey’s HSD multicomparison. The decrease of temperature or the shortening of photoperiod made the length of digestive tract increased significantly, and vice versa. Temperature had significant effects on
     the dry mass of digestive tract, and its interaction with photoperiod affected the net fresh mass of digestive tract and the dry mass of digestive organs significantly. The total length of digestive tract and the length of digestive organs except large intestine, as well as the total mass of digestive tract and the mass of digestive organs, had significant differences among the groups. All the results suggested that different temperature and photoperiod induced the changes in the structure and function of digestive tract, which was closely related to the energy demand of the individuals, and their responses to the environmental stresses.
    Carabidae communities in different land use types in |Sanjiang Plain.
    2010, 29(02):  351-356. 
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    By using pitfall trap, the Carabidae communities in six different land use types including poplar forest, pine forest, birchoak forest, soybean field, and soybean field ridge and ditch in  Sanjiang Plain were investigated from June to September 2007. A total of 871 Carabidaes belonging to 34 species were collected, of which, Chlaenius pallipes, Synuchus orbicollis and Chlaneius tristis  were the dominant groups, accounting for 19.4%, 19.3%, and 13.2%, respectively. The richness index was the highest in poplar forest and the lowest in birchoak forest, while the ShannonWiener index and Pielou index were the highest in soybean farmland and the lowest in poplar forest. Variance analysis showed that land use type and sampling time had significant effects on Carabidae abundance, which was the highest in poplar forest and the lowest in pine forest (F=2.987, P<0.05), and the highest in September and the lowest in July (F=8.172, P<0.05), but had no significant effects on the richness, diversity, and evenness of Carabidae.
    Insect diversity in different habitats in Guangzhou of China.
    2010, 29(02):  357-362. 
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    From May 2005 to December 2006, six investigations were made on the insect communities in the urban area, farmland, coastal wetland, and forestland in Guangzhou. A total of 10595 specimens were collected, belonging to 216 families and 22 orders. The indices Margalef species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and complexity of community were the highest in forestland, followed by in farmland and urban area, and in coastal wetland; while the dominance index was the highest in coastal wetland, followed by in urban area, farmland, and forestland.
     The temporal dynamics of the diversity indices varied with habitat. The ShannonWiener index and richness index in forestland, farmland, and coastal wetland were the highest in June-July, while those in urban area were the highest the in September-October. The ShannonWiener index and evenness index fluctuated most in farmland, while the richness index and McNaughton index fluctuated most in forestland and urban area, respectively. Forestland and farmland had the highest similarity in term of the numbers of common families, while coastal wetland had
     the most distinct family composition, as compared to other habitats. It could be concluded that the insect diversity and abundance in uangzhou varied with habitat, e.g., forestland had the highest insect diversity because it was less affected by urbanization processes in city, while coastal wetland showed the simplified insect community due to the urbanization. Therefore, during urbanization, it would be necessary to protect the natural environment for the maintenance of biodiversity.
    Population composition and niche of arthropod community in pine shoot tunnel bored by Dioryctria rubella.
    2010, 29(02):  363-369. 
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    Taking seven pine plantations in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Guangdong provinces of China as test sites, an investigation was made on the population composition and niche of arthropod community in the pine shoot tunnel bored by Dioryctria rubella. The populations of the arthropod community were identified as 2 classes, 9 orders and 13 families, i.e., Arachnida including Araneae and Acarina, and Insecta including Collembola, Dermaptera, Psocoptera, Hemiptera, Thysanoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Among the 13 families, Acarina and Staphylinidae were the dominant populations, Poduridae was the abundant population, Psocidae, Labiduridae, Formicidae, Silvanidae, Curculionidae, Thripidae and Braconidae were the frequent populations, while Scolytidae, Pentatomidae and Erigonidae were the rare populations. The spatiotemporal niche overlap calculated by Levins and Pianka formula was the largest between D. rubella  and Staphylinidae, indicating their closest relationship. The spatial pattern of dominant population Staphylinidae calculated with aggregation index and zero frequency methods was of aggregative, and the population type was of inverse zero frequent-dependent in terms of aggregation degree.
    Annual variations of zooplankton community structure in Shanghai downtown rivers.
    2010, 29(02):  370-376. 
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    From November 2007 to October 2008, a monthly investigation was conducted to study the annual variations of zooplankton community structure and water environmental factors in the Wuchaogang River, Henggang River, Chaoyang River, and Caoyanghuanbang River of Shanghai downtown. A total of 63 species were identified, including 44 Rotifera (69%), 13 Cladocera (21%), and 6 Copepoda (10%). The dominant species were Rotaria rotatoria, R. neptunia, Brachionus calyciflorus, Keratella cochlearis, Asplanchna priodonta, Polyarthra dolichoptera, Daphnia magna, Moina irrasa, and Microcyclops leuckarti. In the four rivers, the zooplankton’s average abundance ranged from 726 to 2571 ind·L-1, and the biomass ranged from 12.04 to 44.27 mg·L-1. Both the zooplankton community density and the biomass were significantly positively correlated with dissolved oxygen (P<0.05), and the water body’s phosphate, nitrate, and nitrite contents had definite effects on the zooplankton abundance and biomass. Based on the analysis on the annual variations of zooplankton community structure in the four downtown rivers, no significant seasonal variations were found. Overall, the zooplankton community structure and density were in recovering, suggesting that a better aquatic ecosystem was being constructed in the four downtown rivers.
    Genetic characteristics of five Hyriopsis cumingii  wild populations based on mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA sequencing.
    2010, 29(02):  377-381. 
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    Hyriopsis cumingii is a major commercially important mussel for freshwater pearl culture in China. In this study, direct sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA) 16S rRNA gene region (473 bp) was used to investigate the genetic variability of H. cumingii populations from five lakes in China. For the test individuals, no nucleotide position had gaps or insertions of base pairs, and 32 positions were variable in all the sequences with 473 base pairs. Different H. cumingii populations were indicated by different positions of genetic sequence, which could be used as the genetic markers to identify the populations, and in specific, positions 222(C→G) and 325(A→G) for Poyang Lake population, positions 233(A→G) for Taihu Lake population, positions 40(A→G), 138(A→T), and 294(C→T) for Chaohu Lake population, and position 241(A→C) for Hongze Lake population. A total of 7 haplotypes were identified in the five populations, of which, 3 unique haplotypes (Hap1, Hap2, and Hap4) were to Poyang Lake population. The level of genetic diversity was found higher in Poyang Lake population than in the other populations. Mitochondrial DNA data showed that Poyang Lake population was richer in genetic resources and had higher potentiality in breeding.
    Heavy metals in orchard and vegetable garden soils of Sanya City: Spatial distribution and contamination evaluation.
    2010, 29(02):  382-386. 
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    Through field sampling and by using standard comparison and geoaccumulation index methods, the heavy metals contamination status of surface soils in the orchards and vegetable gardens of Sanya City was evaluated. In the test surface soils, the average concentrations of Hg, Cd, Cr, Pb and As were all lower than the Grade Ⅱ of China National Environment Quality Standard (GB 15618-1995), but those of Hg, Cd and Pb were higher than the background values of farmlands in Hainan Island, showing a slight pollution in certain areas. The variation coefficients of the metals were all > 1, suggesting their extremely uneven distribution in the soils. The spatial distribution patterns of the five heavy metals obt
    ained by using Kriging algorithm approach displayed spatial heterogeneity of soil heavy metals contamination, which provided guidance for the sustainable development and utilization of orchards and vegetable gardens in Sanya City.
    Improvement and validation of vegetation interface process model.
    2010, 29(02):  387-394. 
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    In order to improve the prediction capability of vegetation interface process (VIP) model, some parameterization schemes were updated, including the descriptions about the root depth with sinusoid of relative development stages, the root distribution density in soil depths, and the specific leaf area (SLA) variation in growth stages. The improved model was used to simulate the leaf area index, plant biomass, and soil moisture content at the Luancheng Agricultural Station in Hebei Province, and validated by the field observation data during the same periods. The results showed that the model performances in simulating soil moisture content, leaf area  index, and other state variables were improved.
    Application of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model in the research of the effects of climate change on water resources: A case study in central agricultural area of Henan Province.
    2010, 29(02):  395-400. 
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    In order to evaluate the effects of climate change on water resources, an evaluation model for the upper reaches of Shahe River (the central agricultural area of Henan Province) was set up, based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. By using 1∶4000000 digital river data, the error automatically produced by using 1∶250000 DEM was removed. In the meantime, the hydrological and meteorological data in 1999-2002 and 2003-2006 were respectively applied to calibrate and verify the model, based on the sensitivity analysis of parameters. During the calibration period, the Ens=0.96 and r2=0.95; and during the verification period, the Ens=0.81 and r2=0.87. Both of these indicated that the model could be successfully applied to simulate the monthly runoff. The simulated results from 1966 to 2007 showed that the surface runoff and groundwater had the same changing trend with precipitation. Evapotranspiration was the main output of the water resources in the area, and the surface runoff was about 2 times of the groundwater. The runoff showed a lag behind precipitation, and the precipitation lagged 3 onths to become groundwater.
    Optimization of SSR detection system forArabidopsis thaliana.
    2010, 29(02):  401-406. 
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    Taking Arabidopsis thaliana as test material and by the methods of single factor selection and L16(45) orthogonal design, the amplification component, program, and electrophoresis detection in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in simple sequence repeat (SSR)detection system were optimized. The optimized 25 μl reaction system contained 1×PCR Buffer, 20 ng DNA template, 1.5 mmol·L-1 of Mg2+, 0.3 μmol·L-1 of primers, 150 μmol·L-1of dNTPs, and 1.0 U of Taq DNA polymerase. The PCR amplification procedures consisted of an initial denaturing for 5 min at 94 ℃, followed by 30 cycles of denaturation for 30 s at 94 ℃, annealing for 30 s at 57 ℃, and an extension for 45 s at 72 ℃, with an ad
    ditional extension period of 10 min at 72 ℃. By using nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide (EB) staining, the amplification products bands of SSR were easy to be identified. In the SSR system, amplification bands were clear and stable, and there were fewer nontarget bands.
    Design of wetland ecological corridor based on multi-scale remote sensing image segmentation.
    2010, 29(02):  407-412. 
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    For the protection of ecoenvironment and biodiversity in Jiansanjiang area of Northeast China, the method of multi-scale remote sensing image segmentation was adopted to design an ecological corridor between two national nature reserves Sanjiang and Honghe. The width of this corridor was defined by calculating the division threshold value of NDVI standardized change intensity index, and the structure of the corridor was designed by using a moving window algorithm and a K-means cluster analysis algorithm. The division threshold value was set at 20%, background noise of non-wetland was at 9.43%, and optimal width of wetland ecological corridor was 1298 m. Among the regions suffered from eight different intensities of human disturbance, clusters c1, c2, c3, and c4 were the regions less affected by human disturbance, mainly distributed in the primitive ecoenvironment of Nongjiang River, Wusuli River, Sanjiang Nature Reserve, and Honghe Nature Reserve. To construct the wetland ecological corridor between the two nature reserves, the c1, c2, c3, and c4 were defined as ‘core’, ‘test’, ‘m
    arginal’, and ‘buffer’ zones, respectively. In ‘core’ zone and ‘test’ zone, swamp occupied 75% and 72.2%, with an accuracy as high as 93.7% and 75.8%, respectively; and ‘marginal’ and ‘buffer’ zones played the role of edge guardrail. The width of the ‘buffer’ zone was 945 m. Our study provided a reliable and scientific reference for the construction and restoration of wetland ecological corridor.