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    10 April 2008, Volume 27 Issue 04
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    Articles
    Carbon isotope discrimination in leaf juice of Acacia mangium and its relation to water-use efficiency.
    SUN Gu-chou;ZHAO Ping;CAI Xi-an;ZENG Xiao-ping;LIU Xiao-jing;RAO Xing-quan;WANG Hua
    2008, 27(04):  497-503 . 
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    By using PMS pressure chamber and isotope mass spectrometer (MAT-252), the leaf juice of Acacia mangium was obtained, and the carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) representing most of the recently fixed carbon in the juice was determined. At the same time, the wateruse efficiency of A. mangium was estimated. The results indicated that the carbon isotope ratio in the air of forest canopy (δa, 10 m high above ground) was averagely -7.57‰±1.41‰ in cloudy days, and -8.54‰±0.67‰ in sunny days. The diurnal change of the carbon isotope ratio in photosynthetic products of leaf juice (δp) was of saddle type in cloudy days, but dropped down from morning to late afternoon in sunny days. A strong negative correlation between δp and leaf/air water vapor deficit (D) was observed in sunny days, but a much smaller change in δp was found in cloudy days. The δp also decreased with decreasing leaf water potential (Ψ), reflecting that water stress could cause the decrease of δp. The carbon isotope discrimination of the leaf juice was positively correlated with the ratio between intercellular (Pi) and atmospheric (Pa) partial pressure of CO2. For A. mangium, the isotope effect in diffusion of air CO2 via stomata was denoted by a=4.6‰, and that in net C3 diffusion with respect to Pi was indicated by b=28.2‰. The results were in reasonable accord with the theoretically diffusional and biochemical fractionation of carbon isotope. It was defined that the carbon isotope discrimination of photosynthetic products in A. mangium leaf juice was in proportion to that from photosynthetic products in dry material. It fit well in water-use efficiency estimated by the carbon isotope discrimination in leaf juice, and by gas exchange method (R2=0.86, P<0.001). The application of leaf juice to measure the instant carbon isotope discrimination would reduce the effects of fluctuating environmental factors during the synthesis of dry matters, and improve the eco-physiological studies on carbon and water balance when scaling from the plant to canopy in the fields.
    Growth characteristics and biomass allocation of Setaria viridison different types of sandy land.
    HE Yu-hui;ZHAO Ha-lin;LIU Xin-ping;ZHANG Tong-hui;YUE Guang-yang
    2008, 27(04):  504-508 . 
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    Taking an unfenced mobile sandy land as the control, this paper studied the growth characteristics and biomass allocation of Setaria viridis on five types of fenced sandy lands, i.e., mobile sandy land, semimobile sandy land, semi-fixed sandy land, fixed sandy land, and interdunal lowland. The results showed-that with the improvement of the environment, the ramet number on fenced sandy lands decreased, while the leaf length, leaf length/width ratio, and the longest ear length increased. The plant height was in the order of interdunal lowland> fixed sandy land>semi-fixed sandy land>semi-mobile sandy land>mobile sandy land, but the root length and root length /plant height ratio were in adverse. The aboveground and underground biomass of S. viridis differed with different types of fenced sandy lands, but the allocation patterns were similar. The aboveground biomass occupied more than 80% of the total, while underground biomass was less than 20%.
    Analysis of interspecific associations of Carex lasiocarpa community in recent 30-year succession in Sanjiang Plain.
    LOU Yan-jing1,2;ZHAO Kui-yi1
    2008, 27(04):  509-513 . 
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    A series of techniques including the analysis of variance, X2test and Ochia index were used together with a 2×2 contingency table in order to analyze the interspecific associations of dominant species of Carex lasiocarpa community in Sanjiang Plain in 1973, 1983 and 2003. The results indicated that with the process of succession, the association of species showed significantly positive correlation in each stage, and the sequence of association was in the order of 1983>1973>2003. The property of interspecific associations between the main species pairs, namely the proportion of positive and negative associations, remained unchanged. The proportion of the species pairs of significant association gradually increased; the association intensity of species pairs gradually strengthened. The association status or association degree of the same species pairs varied according to succession stage.
    Growth characteristics and relative competitive capacity of Plantago virginica and P. asiatica.
    LI Yun1;XIAO Yi-an1,2;WANG Chun-xiang1; LI Xiao-hong2;ZENG Jian-jun2;CHEN Xiang1; ZHANG Sheng-qiang2
    2008, 27(04):  514-518 . 
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    Based on intensive field investigation, this paper compared the growth characteristics and relative competitive ability between invasive Plantago virginica and native P. asiatica. The results showed that P. asiaticahad higher vegetative growth effort, whereas P. virginica showed higher sexual reproductive ability. P. virginica was found remarkably in advantageous position in terms of mean spike length and spike number per plant than P. asiatica. However, the leaf area of P. virginica was smaller than that of P. asiatica. It was indicated that P. virginica invested most on reproduction, whereas P. asiatica invested on vegetative growth. Both intraspecific and interspecific competitions between P. virginica and P. asiatica negatively affected various growth parameters such as spike number per plant, mean spike length, individual’s above-ground biomass and its total biomass. The interspecific relative competitive ability measured as relative neighbor effect index (RNE) of P. asiatica was significantly higher than that of P. virginica. The results conclusively showed thatP. asiatica would not be replaced by P. virginica in nature.
    Seed settlement velocity of five weed species.
    GUO Qiang1;ZHU Min2;XU Le2;ZHAI Bao-ping1
    2008, 27(04):  519-523 . 
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    Longdistance dispersal of seed by wind is usually considered to be important for the evolutional processes of plant species. The settlement velocity of a wind-dispersed seed is a major component of its dispersal ability. In this paper, the seed settlement velocity of five weed species with pappus was studied under the laboratory conditions without the influence of wind or air currents. The seeds ofSolidago canadensis, Aster tataricus, Conyza canadensis, Phragmites communis and Lagedium sibiricum were freely released from the heights of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 m, and their settlement time from each height was recorded. The results indicated that the seed settlement velocity of the weed species was 14.1, 20.4, 20.8, 23.3 and 33.3 cm·s-1, respectively. Among the test weed species, S. canadensis had the slowest seed settlement velocity, and thus, was more suitable for long-distance wind dispersal.
    Effects of low temperature stress on physiological characteristics of six tree species seedlings.
    HE Yue-jun1,2;XUE Li1;REN Xiang-rong1;CAO He1; LIANG Li-li1;XU Yan1
    2008, 27(04):  524-531 . 
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    With the seedlings of Dillenia turbinata, Peltophorum tonkinense, Garcinia oblongifolia, Alstonia scholaris, Khaya senegalensis and Ormosia pinnata as tested materials, this paper studied the effects of low temperature stress on their physiological characteristics. The results showed that under low temperature stress, the relative electrical conductivity of the seedlings had a slight increase. Except for P. tonkinense at 0 ℃, the free proline content in tested tree species seedlings treated with low temperature was higher than the control, but the soluble protein and chlorophyll contents fluctuated slightly. The MDA content in D. turbinate, G. oblongifolia and K. senegalensis seedlings increased with decreasing temperature, while that in other tree species seedlings changed slightly. Under low temperature stress, D. turbinata seedlings had a significantly higher SOD activity,P. tonkinense seedlings were in adverse, and the seedlings of other tree species changed slightly. Principal component analysis indicated that the cold resistance of tested tree species was in the order of O. pinnata>A. scholaris>K. senegalensis>G. oblongifolia>P. onkinense>D. turbinata.
    Changes of stem water potential of Tamarix ramosissima under drought stress in ower reaches of Tarim River.
    FU Ai-hong1,2,3;CHEN Ya-ning1,2;CHEN Ya-peng1,2
    2008, 27(04):  532-538 . 
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    In 2005 and 2006, measurement was made on the stem water potential of Tamarix ramosissima at the Yahepu and Alagan sections of the lower reaches of Tarim River. The results showed that the diurnal variation of the stem water potential of T. ramosissima was different from that of other plants, being higher at 8:00 and lower at 14:00 and 20:00, or slightly increased after 20:00. This phenomenon illustrated that temperature was not a predominant factor affecting the stem water potential of T. ramosissima in the lower reaches of Tarim River. The stem water potential of T. ramosissima had significant negative correlation with the depth of groundwater but no evident correlation with soil salinity, suggesting its stronger responses to groundwater depth than to soil salinity. This study provided a scientific basis for the effective water transfer and the speedup of the restoration of damaged ecosystem in the lower reaches of Tarim River.
    Simulation of long-term effects of forest cutting on forest landscape.
    JIN Long-ru1,3;HE Hong-shi1,2;GONG Xia1,3;ZHOU Yu-fei1,3;BU Ren-cang1; SUN Ke-ping4
    2008, 27(04):  539-544 . 
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    By using spatially explicit landscape model (LANDIS), the 400 years’ forest landscape changes in Youhao Forestry Bureau in Xiao Xing’an Mountains under forest cutting and non-cutting scenarios were simulated, and the distribution area, age class, and aggregation index of six dominant species were calculated with APACK. The results showed that opposite to noncutting, the fire regime under forest cutting was characterized by high frequency, low fire severity, and small fire damaged area. Cutting had less effect on the distribution of the species, but changed their age structure significantly, being mostly manifested in the decrease of over-matured cohorts and the increase of young, middleaged, quasi-matured, and matured cohorts. Cutting also reduced the aggregation degree of species distribution, resulting in the fragmentation of forest landscape to some extent.
    Urban green space landscape pattern of Shenyang City based on QuickBird image.
    TAN Li1,2;HE Xing-yuan1;CHEN Wei1;LI Xiao-yu1;XU Wen-duo1;ZHOU Na3;HU Jian-bo1,2;TANG Ling1,2
    2008, 27(04):  545-550 . 
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    Based on the QuickBird image in August 2006, and by using GIS technique and spatial pattern analysis software FRAGSTATS, this paper analyzed the urban green space landscape pattern of Shenyang City at patch composition, class level, and landscape level. The results showed that within the 3rd ring road of the City, there were 18 261 patches of green space, covering an area of 173.71 km2. 62.25% of the patches were mediumsized, and 85.59% of the total area was made up of large patches. The distribution of urban green space was not uniform, and the structure was not reasonable. Farmland had the largest patch area and the highest assembly degree, while residential green space and attached green space were highly fragmented and distributed separately. The landscape Shannon’s diversity index was at intermediate level (1.6), patch types were rich and landscape Shannon’s evennessindex was high (0.73), and contagion index was 0.83. There existed a phenomenon that fewer green space landscapes controlled the whole green space pattern. It was suggested that in Shenyang City, the structure and distribution of urban green space should be adjusted, and the proportion of medium-sized patches such as residential green space should be increased.
    Light use efficiency in different canopy layers of Zea mays stand.
    LIN Tong-bao1;QU Yi-wei1;ZHANG Tong-xiang2;ZHANG Hui-na1;CUI Guo-jin1
    2008, 27(04):  551-556 . 
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    The study on the light use efficiency in the upper, middle, and lower canopy layers of Zea mays stand showed that the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intercepted by the entire canopy was 87.7% of the total incident, and the interception rate in middle and upper layers was as much as 75%. Within the range of visible spectra, the interception rate was in the sequence of upper layer>middle layer>lower layer. The diurnal variations of the three layers leaf temperature had a similar trend, and the differences among the layers were mainly related to canopy microclimate. The variations of non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN) were in accordance with those of leaf temperature, photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), and photosynthetic rate (Pn). There was a trade-off tendency between the energies used for photochemical reactions and heat transformation.
    Nitrogen load from rural nonpoint source in river network region, Taihu Lake: A case study from Dapu Town in Yixing City.
    WANG Ning1,2;GUO Hong-yan1;WANG Xiao-rong1;ZHU Jian-guo3; YANG Lin-zhang3
    2008, 27(04):  557-562 . 
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    With soil loss equation and GIS platform, the nitrogen load from rural non-point sources was estimated by a combination of field experiments and survey in Dapu Town, Yixin City, Jiangsu Province. Results showed that the nonpoint discharge of nitrogen from Dapu Town were about 207.0 t·a-1, which was composed of 80.6 tons of farmland, 61.1 tons of living sewage, 49.3 tons of fishery, 10.5 tons of garbage and 5.4 tons of sediment production per year, which occupied 39.0%, 29.5%, 23.8%, 5.1% and 2.6%, respectively. The critical control factors of the five nitrogen sources were farmland, living sewage and fishery. The average nitrogen discharge from four villages, Fangqiang, Dapu, ubei and Punan, were 80.4, 73.0, 60.4 and 52.3 kg·hm-2·a-1, which were much higher than that from other villages. Therefore the four villages were critical control areas.
    Soil respiration and its regulating factor along an elevation gradient in Wuyi Mountain of Southeast China.
    SHI Zheng1;WANG Jia-she2;HE Rong1;FANG Yan-hong2;XU Zi-kun2;QUAN Wei1; ZHANG Zeng-xin1;RUAN Hong-hua1
    2008, 27(04):  563-568 . 
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    Soil respiration is an important component in carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystem. As an index of the metabolic activity of heterotrophic microbes and plant roots, soil respiration shows spatial heterogeneity. In this paper, the monthly soil respiration rate and its regulating abiotic and biotic factors (soil temperature, soil moisture, soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen, soil total sulfur, soil microbial biomass, and fine root biomass) in four different plant communities (evergreen broadleaf forest, coniferous forest, subalpine dwarf forest, and alpine meadow) along an elevation gradient in Wuyi Mountain was measured from April 2005 to March 2006. The results showed that with increasing elevation, soil respiration rate decreased, while the contents of soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen, soil total sulfur, soil microbe biomass, and fine root biomass increased. Soil respiration rate in evergreen broadleaf forest was 1.82 times as large as that in alpine meadow. The spatial variation of soil respiration linearly correlated with soil temperature. Our findings suggested that among the main soil factors affecting soil respiration, soil temperature was the controlling factor on the vertically spatial variation of soil respiration.
    Spatial distribution of soil organic matter in Shen-Fu oil-sewage irrigation area.
    LIN Xin1;LI Xiao-jun2;SUN Tie-heng1,2;LI Pei-jun1,2;SUN Li-na1
    2008, 27(04):  569-572 . 
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    The spatial distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) and the affecting factors were studied based on the GIS technology in typical oil-sewage irrigation area of Shen-Fu, China. The results were followed the SOM content decreased from upper to lower reaches along ShenFu wastewater irrigation ditch and there was a negative correlation between the SOM content and the distance to the ditch. The mean content of SOM in surface layer was 1.7 fold more than that of subsurface layer in ShenFu irrigation area. The spatial distribution of the SOM content was affected significantly by land use type, sewage irrigation style, and irrigation duration. The coefficient of variance for SOM in paddy field was bigger than that in glebe. Along wastewater current in the ditch, the SOM content decrease gradually, but in lower reaches the SOM content was higher. The SOM content increased with sewage irrigation duration prolonged. Compared to the short duration in sewage irrigation area, the SOM contents of surface layer and subsurface layer in paddy irrigated 36-50 years increased by 71%-136% and 151%-187% respectively, and that of surface layer in glebe land after being irrigated for 16 years was 3.2%-3.6%.
    Molecular ecology of anammox bacteria in constructed rapid infiltration system.
    JIANG Xin1,2;MA Ming-chao1;LI Jun2;ZHONG Zuo-shen1
    2008, 27(04):  573-577 . 
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    In this paper, the specific16S rDNA primers of anammox bacteria from constructed rapid infiltration system (CRI) were used for PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed. The anammox bacteria were found at the depth of 50 cm in CRI, and the 16S rDNA partial sequence was 831 bp. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the anammox bacteria were closed to anoxic biofilm clone Pla1-48, uncultured anoxic sludge bacterium KU2, and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing planctomycete KOLL2a, with the similarity of DNA sequence being above 97%. The finding of anammox bacteria in CRI provided a new approach for the technical improvement and the increase of denitrification in CRI.
    Effects of dicofol concentration and food density on the population growth of rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus.
    YAO Sheng; XI Yi-long;ZHAO Lan-lan;YANG Dong-qing
    2008, 27(04):  578-582 . 
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    By the method of population accumulative culture, this paper studied the effects of different concentration (0.03, 0.3, 3.0, 30 and 300 μg·L-1) of dicofol and different algal food densities (3.0 and 5.0×106 cells·ml-1 of Scenedesmus obliquus) on the population growth of rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. The results showed that dicofol concentration, algal food density, and their interaction had significant effects on the population growth rate of the rotifer (P<0.05). Both algal food density and dicofol concentration affected the maximal population density (P<0.01) significantly, but the reverse was found for their interaction (P>0.05). Compared with the control, when the algal density was 3.0×106 cells·ml-1, the population growth rate of the rotifer had a significant increase at 0.03-30 μg·L-1 of dicofol, and its maximal population density was decreased at 3 μg·L-1 of dicofol but increased at 300 μg·L-1 of dicofol significantly. However, when the algal density was 5.0×106 cells·ml-1, dicofol had no significant effects both on the population growth rate and on the maximal population density of the rotifer. The results suggested that higher algal food densities mitigated the stimulating effects of dicofol at 0.03-30 μg·L-1 and 300 μg·L-1 on the population growth rate and maximal population density of B. calyciflorus, and the repressing effect of dicofol at 3 μg·L-1 on the maximal population density of the rotifer.
    Ecological characteristics of nematode communities in rhizosphere soil at different habitats of Cryptomeria fortunei.
    WANG Shao-jun1lCAI Qiu-jin2;RUAN Hong-hua1
    2008, 27(04):  583-590 . 
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    To examine the effects of different habitats on the nematode communities in rhizosphere soil, an investigation was made on the ecological characteristics of nematode communities in rhizosphere soils of coniferous-broadleaved mixed forest, coniferous forest, and Cryptomeria fortunei nursery in Northern Fujian from September 2003 to August 2004. A total of 56 327 nematode individuals belonging to 2 classes, 4 orders, 12 families and 35 genera were collected. The numbers of nematodes varied significantly (P<0.01) with habitats, being in the sequence of coniferous-broadleaved mixed forest>coniferous forest>C. fortunei nursery, and decreased in the order of spring>winter>autumn>summer. There was a significant difference in the vertical distribution of nematode functional groups in the soil profile, i.e., 0-5 cm>5-10 cm>10-20 cm, but two dominant groups of herbivores had a distribution of 0-5 cm>10-20 cm>5-10 cm. An obvious spatial heterogeneity in the root biomass and soil physical and chemical characters (e.g., moisture content, porosity, and contents of organic matter, total and available N, and available P) was observed in the three habitats, and the numbers of nematodes had a significant positive correlation with it. It was suggested that the community structure and its dynamic changes of soil nematodes could be used as an important biological indicator for soil ecosystem health and for the diseases management of C. fortunei.
    Electroantennogram responses of aphid parasitoid Aphidius gifuensis to aphid pheromones and hostplant volatiles.
    DONG Wen-xia1,2;ZHANG Feng2,3;FANG Yu-ling2;ZHANG Zhong-ning2
    2008, 27(04):  591-595 . 
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    Aphidius gifuensis is a predominant parasitoid of aphid pests. To study the nature of its olfactory responses is critical to the successful implementation of biological control of aphids. In this paper, electroantennogram (EAG) technique was used to investigate the responses of A. gifuensis to the aphid sex pheromones, alarm pheromones, and host-plant (tobacco) volatiles. The results showed that both male and female A. gifuensis had responses to sex heromone components ［(-)-(1R, 4aS, 7S, 7aR)-nepetalactol and (+)-(4aS, 7S, 7aR)-nepetalactone］, aphid-alarm pheromone ［(E)-β-farnesene］, and tobacco volatiles, but their sensory perception to these semiochemicals was differed. The females were much more sensitive to nepetalactol, nepetalactone, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, (E)-2-hexenal, methyl salicylate, and (±)-linalool, suggesting that the males and females adopted different chemical strategies to host location, and perceived different chemical fingerprint in relation to host in host-finding behavior. The sensory perception of A. gifuensis to different odor components was also differed, e.g., green leaf volatiles (E)-2-hexenal, cis-3-hexen-1-ol and hexanal elicited larger EAG responses than terpenoids, indicating that the parasitoids might use green leaf volatiles as long-range cues in their habitat location.
    The relations of atmospheric circulation and ocean temperature to the occurrence area attacked by soybean pod borers in China as well as its longterm forecast.
    WU Rui-fen1;HUO Zhi-guo2;WANG Peng-fei3; Lü Jing-hua3;YAN Wei- xiong1
    2008, 27(04):  596-600 . 
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    This paper analyzed the relationships between occurrence area attacked by soybean pod borers in China during 1952-2001 and 74 atmospheric circulation parameters from previous January to current April, and monthly and average different period combination of ocean temperature from 286 gridding points. The atmospheric circulation and ocean temperature factors were screened out. Through step regression, the occurrence area forecast models concerning atmospheric circulation and ocean temperature were established and verified separately. The results showed that the occurrence area attacked by soybean pod borers could be preferably simulated and predicted by these models. The forecast accuracy reached 88% by the atmospheric circulation model and 86% by the ocean temperature model through extending prediction for2002-2004.
    Diurnal variation patterns of microclimate and their effects on human comfort degree in Nanjing City.
    HUANG Hai-xia; LI Jian-long;HUANG Liang-mei
    2008, 27(04):  601-606 . 
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    In July-September 2005, a 24 hours synchronous observation was conducted on the air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed in the urban center, urban lake, suburb, and urban forest of Nanjing City, aimed to investigate the effects of the diurnal variation patterns of these microclimatic factors on the human comfort degree in these habitats. The results indicated that in all testhabitats, air temperature was the lowest at 4:00, and the highest at 13:00-14:00. Urban forest had the lowest mean air temperature, while urban center had the highest one. The air temperature in urban center and urban lake increased rapidly at 17:00, and that in urban center and suburb had a larger diurnal variation range. The relative humidity in the four habitats was the highest at 0:00-5:00, and the lowest at 16:00-17:00. Urban forest had the highest humidity, while urban center had the lowest one. Wind speed and its variation range in urban forest and suburb were bigger at daytime than at night, and the wind speed decreased at 11:00-12:00. There existed a weak ‘heat island effect’ in Nanjing, with a diurnal difference of mean air emperature less than 0.5℃ between urban center and suburb. The human comfort degree at daytime in Nanjing was always higher in urban forest than in urban center and suburb.
    Emergy analysis of regional agro-economic development.
    WU Gang1;WANG Yong-xiang1;FU Xiao1;SUN Xiao-wei2;LIU Jian-min2; YU De-yong1
    2008, 27(04):  607-614 . 
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    Emergy analysis was used to compare the resource utilization, product production, environmental stress, and sustainability of two agro-economic systems in Chaoyang (an agricultural base) and Fushun (an industrial base) of Liaoning Province over past 25 years. The results demonstrated that during the production process in the two systems, the dependence on purchased resources was increasing, and, because of the higher dependence on the purchased nonrenewable resources, a heavier load was produced on the environment. During the past 25 years, the ecological sustainability of the two systems decreased dramatically. In Chaoyang, the sustainability had a more rapid decrease, with its sustainability index being decreased from 1.25 to 0.11. The same process of industrialization of Chaoyang as Fushun brought more stress to its weaker environment. Environmental protection and restoration rather than greater amount of purchased non-renewable resources should be a good strategy to reduce the loss of non-renewable indigenous resources in two bases.
    Factors influencing mangroves intertidal zonation.
    YE Yong, CAO Chang-qing
    2008, 27(04):  615-618 . 
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    It is obvious that the mangrove forest ecosystem has zonation phenomenon, and the factors influencing mangrove zonation including inherent and environmental factors. Inherent factors include the difference in reproduction types, dispersal capacity of propagule (size, shape, buoyancy, etc.) and anchoring ability (such as rooting time), propagule energy accumulation (increasing energy per unit mass from flower to mature propagule), anatomical and physiological characteristics of seedlings. Environmental factors include soil physiochemical conditions (salinity, redox, pH and sulfur content) and bio-factors (animal predation, interspecific competition). Each factor described above may be the main factor influencing mangrove zonation in a special region.
    Effects of environmental moisture and precipitation on insects: A review.
    CHANG Xiao-na;GAO Hui-jing;CHEN Fa-jun;ZHAI Bao-ping
    2008, 27(04):  619-625 . 
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    Climatic factors are closely related to the individual’s development and growth, and the population dynamics of insect pests. Environmental moisture (including atmospheric relative humidity and soil moisture content) can directly cause the changes of insects’ water content and destroy their water balance in vivo, and consequently, affects their individual’s development and populationoccurrence. As resulting in the changes of environmental moisture, precipitation can also affects field population dynamics of insects by physically washing out. Therefore, the studies on the impacts of environmental moisture and precipitation on insects have a wider significance for the integrated pest management (IPM). This paper reviewed the impacts of environmental moisture and precipitation, as well as other environmental factors (e.g., temperature), on the growth and development, survival, behavior, reproduction, and population ecology of insects, and introduced the applied studies on the regulation of environmental moisture (e.g., via irrigation) to control the occurrences of insect pests (e.g., Helicoverpa armigera) in fields.
    Research progress on phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil.
    QU Ran1,2;MENG Wei1;LI Jun-sheng1;DING Ai-zhong2;JIN Ya-bo3
    2008, 27(04):  626-631 . 
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    The contamination harm by soil heavy metals is extensive. The cost of traditional physical and chemical remediation methods is expensive. Moreover, the disturbance of traditional methods on environment is severe. It has been proven that phytoremediation is more effective than other methods and easily operated. This paper discussed the phytoremediation technique of single plants, combination of plants and microbes, as well as combination of plants and chemical treatment, and emphatically introduced the research of hyperaccumulation plant and the synthesis of phytochelatin (PCs). It is forecasted that future disquisitive emphases are the application of biochelator along with combination remediation of animals, plants and microbes.
    Research advances on environmental behavior and ecological toxicology of BTEX.
    FAN Ya-wei1;ZHOU Qi-xing1,2
    2008, 27(04):  632-638 . 
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    BTEX are a general designation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, which are commonly found together in crude oil and oil products. These compounds are also produced as raw materials for the manufacture of pesticides, plastics and synthetic fibers. BTEX exist abroad in air, water and soil environment, and cause serious adverse effects on corresponding ecosystems as well as human health. Pollution sources and distribution characteristics of BTEX were analyzed in various mediums, and the transfer and transformation in environment were discussed. Influences on human health especially in the aspect of reproductive and developmental toxicity were reviewed. The pivots of further researches of BTEX were suggested.
    Research progress of bioleaching for remediation of heavy metal polluted river sediment.
    CHEN Gui-qiu;ZENG Guang-ming;YUAN Xing-hong;CHEN Yao-ning
    2008, 27(04):  639-644 . 
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    The biological technique to remediate river sediment polluted by heavy metal is a method to remove heavy metal or to reduce its toxicity from sediment, which includes microbial remediation, phytoremediation and phytomicrobial remediation. It has received wide attention for its advantages of low cost, high efficiency and dehydration. In this paper the progress of the biological technique to remediate heavy metal polluted river sediment during last decade was summarized. The bioleaching technique was described in detail from aspects of microbiology, molecubr biology and biosurfactant. The prospect of biological remediation of polluted sediment was also discussed.
    Research progress ofin situ capping materials for contaminated sediment remediation.
    ZHU Ling-yan1,2;ZHANG Zi-zhong1,2;ZHOU Qi-xing1
    2008, 27(04):  645-651 . 
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    In situ capping is an emerging technology for contaminated sediment remediation, and has shown its advantages of better remediation performance, less ecological risk, and lower construction and management cost over the traditional technologies such as controlled natural recovery and sediment removal. Since the late 1970s, this technology has been successfully applied in many contaminated sites in the United States, German, Japan, Australia, Norway, Canada, and other countries. With the advancement of both engineering projects and theoretical researches, in situ capping technology has been improved significantly, and especially, the development of capping materials has brought a broad and bright future for this technology. In this paper, the applications and performances of various in situ capping materials in the world during the last twenty years were reviewed and summarized, aimed to promote the application of in situ capping in China.
    Water conservation performance of four types of super absorbent polymer.
    GONG Xin-ling1,2;GAO Jun-xia3;YIN Guang-hua1;ZHANG Zi-kun1,2;LIU Zuo-xin1
    2008, 27(04):  652-656 . 
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    With laboratory test and field experiment, this paper studied the water conservation performance of four types of super absorbent polymer (SAP) in deionized water and loam soil, and the effects of the type and dosage of SAP on the soil water storage and maize yield. The results showed that the water conservation performance of SAP was highly related to its type and particle size. The SAP composed of polyacrylate and with smaller particle size presented a higher water conservation capability in deionized water and loam soil, with the evaporation rate reduced to 0.76 and 0.75 times of CK. The dosage of SAP had an optimal range. Excess or scarcity would restrain the water conservation of SAP. The water conservation performance of SAP in field was affected by the water uptake by crop. Application of SAP could improve maize yield and its water use efficiency (WUE). In the test four types of SAP, starchacrylic acid graft copolymers had significant yieldincreasing effect, and HJW could increase the WUE of maize by 15.06%.
    Ecological footprints of primary and middle school student’s households in Huanggu District of Shenyang City.
    WANG Jun1,2;LIU Jian-xing1;ZHANG Su-wu1;WANG Qing1; GU Xiao-wei1; LI Guang-jun1
    2008, 27(04):  657-660 . 
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    The componential method of ecological footprint calculation was applied to analyze the effect of the student household’s consumption from five primary and middle schools on the environment in Huanggu District of Shenyang City. The results showed that the food was the biggest component of ecological footprint in primary and middle school students’ households, accounting for 71% of the total personal ecological footprint. According to the types of land occupied by ecological footprint, arable land was the largest item, accounting for 40% of the total footprint. The income level of households was not directly related with the ecological footprint, for example, the low or high incomes might generate high ecological footprint. The results would be helpful for the primary and middle school students and their parents to understand the relation of their consumption and the surrounding environment and to enhance the students’ consciousness of environmental protection.
    Chaotic and fractal characteristics of transpiration rate of Cornus officinalis plantation.
    ZHANG Jin-song;MENG Ping;GAO Jun;WANG He-song
    2008, 27(04):  661-666 . 
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    Based on the data measured with thermal dissipation probes in 2005 and2006, and by the method of phase space reconstruction, the chaotic and fractal characteristics of transpiration rate (Tr) of Cornus officinalis plantation in the mountainous region of North China were analyzed. The results showed that the plantation transpiration was a chaotic motion, and characterized by fractal pattern. At the lag time (τ) of 10 min, the fractal dimension (D), Renyi entropy (K2), embedding dimension (m), and average predictability time scale (T) in main growth seasons were 1.054, 0.0082, 10, and 122.0 min in 2005 and 1.041, 0.0086, 10, and 116.3 min in 2006, and the least and most limit amount of the independent variables for describing or simulating the dynamics of the plantation transpiration were 2 and 10, respectively. Despite the significant difference in the amount or external appearance of Tr between the two years, less difference in D and K2 was observed at same τ, suggesting that there were no differences in the natural characteristics or internal patterns of Tr in different years.
    Analysis of river habitat diversity based on current velocity gradients: Example from the core reach of Chinese Sturgeon Nature Reserve of Yangtze River, in Yichang, Hubei Province.
    ZHANG Hui1,2;WEI Qi-wei1,2,3;YANG De-guo1,3;DU Hao1,3;ZHANG Hui-jie1,2;CHEN Xi-hua1,3
    2008, 27(04):  667-674 . 
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    Eight metrics for quantifying current velocity gradients along horizontal or vertical directions were proposed, and water velocity and depth data of 285 transects were collected during December 2-10, 2005, in the reach from Gezhouba Dam to Honghuatao of Yangtze River byAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), to study the habitat diversity of this reach. The result showed that the major water depth in the reach between Gezhouba Dam and onghuatao was 4.71-12.04 m. The analysis on Kmean algorithm of transectaveraged velocity and eight metrics showed that the areas of types 7, 8 and 2 predominated over the other, together occupying 8866% of total area of the whole reach. The reach between Gezhouba Dam and Miaozui had the most diversified hydraulic environment. Rtype cluster showed that the eight metrics had no close relationships with the average current velocity of the transect, indicating that the areas with similar current velocity were not necessary to have similar spatial velocity gradients. Therefore, it was necessary to use these metrics to portray the character of the water current. ADCP has great potential for studying diversity of river current habitats and riverine ecosystem rehabilitation. However, data collecting criterion and data processing should be discussed further.
    Evaluation of urban harmonious development based on environmental priority principle: A case study in Great Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration.
    Evaluation of urban harmonious development based on environmental priority principle: A case study in Great Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration.
    2008, 27(04):  675-680 . 
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    Taking the Great Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration as an example, this paper evaluated the harmonious development of urban economy and environment based on the environmental priority principle. The results indicated the improved coordination degree assessment method was more simple, understandable, and operable. The assessment results could effectively reveal the real status and diversity of the urban economy and environmental development. The coordination degree in Great Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration was spatially in the shape of “hamburger”. From exterior to interior, the relationship in industrial functions among cities was of server and tobe served, and that in resource use was of supply and occupation. This study could provide a scientific reference to the decision-making departments on the coordination of economy and environmental development.