Table of Content

10 November 2016, Volume 35 Issue 11

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Leaf N and P contents of different functional groups in relation to precipitation and temperature in China Grassland Transect.

YU Hai-ling1,2, LI Yu-zhe1, FAN Jiang-wen1*, ZHONG Hua-ping1

2016, 35(11):  2867-2874. 

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Traversing from Inner Mongolia to QinghaiTibet Plateau, China Grassland Transect (CGT) spans large climate gradients with main grassland types distributed. Elucidating the variation of N and P contents of different plant functional groups in terms of climatic factors (precipitation and temperature) is important to reveal the mechanisms of plant N and P contents in response to climate change. In this study, we divided CGT into two parts: the QinghaiTibet Plateau alpine region and the Inner Mongolia steppe region, then measured the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents for 329 leaf samples collected at 132 sites along CGT. Based on the ecological stoichiometry theory, we aimed to explore the spatial patterns of N and P contents for different plant functional groups (legumes, grasses, sedges and forbs) in relation to the climatic factors. The results showed that, (1) the N and P contents of plants in QinghaiTibet Plateau alpine region were significantly higher than those in Inner Mongolia steppe region; (2) among different functional groups, legumes had the highest N and P contents and grasses had the lowest N and P contents; (3) in general, N and P contents of sedges and forbs significantly varied with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature. Our results also indicated that composition of plant community could affect the patterns of plant N∶P at community level. The correlations between N and P contents and climatic factors varied among plant functional groups, and forbs and sedges contributed mostly to the spatial pattern of communitylevel N and P contents with the changes in precipitation and temperature across the grassland transect.

 

Rainfall effect on soil respiration and ecosystem respiration of a subalpine meadow in Qilian Mountains.

XIE Huan-huan1, MA Wen-ying1, ZHAO Chuan-yan2*, QIAO Yu1, ZHAO Yu-hao1, WANG Fang-yuan1

2016, 35(11):  2875-2882. 

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Soil moisture is one of the most important factors influencing soil respiration. Rainfall plays an important role in disturbing soil moisture. Thus, studying the relationship between rainfall and soil respiration will contribute to understanding the mechanism of soil respiration. In this paper, soil respiration (R_s) and ecosystem respiration (R_e) in a subalpine meadow in the Tianlaochi catchment in the Qilian Mountains, Qinghai before and after rainfall were observed using a LI-8100 automatic instrument (LI-COR, Inc., NE, USA) in natural and artificial rainfall experiments. The results showed that R_s and R_e decreased by 66.87% and 9.88% after shortterm rainfall (rainfall duration was less than 1 h), respectively. Continuous rainfall had a negative effect on respiration rate in several hours after the rainfall, but promoted respiration rate the next day and later; R_e and R_s increased 1-2 folds respectively compared with the values before rainfall. The intensity of inhibition effects of rainfall duration and rainfall amount on respiration rate increased with the increase of the rainfall duration and rainfall amount, but it would become weaker when the duration was over 60 min or the amount was over 30 mm. A small amount of precipitation would stimulate respiration rate significantly. For example, R_s and R_e were increased by 1.81% and 41.65%, respectively when the precipitation was 0.2 mm.

Impacts of Praxelis clematidea invasion on soil nutrient and microbiological characteristics.

QUAN Guo-ming1,2, DAI Ting-ting1, ZHANG Jia-en1*, XU Jia-lin1

2016, 35(11):  2883-2889. 

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Praxelis clematidea is one of the nastiest invasive exotic weeds in southern China and poses lots of serious threats to biodiversity, agricultural production and ecological security of native ecosystems. In order to explore impacts of P. clematidea invasion (with an invasion period of 4 to 5 years) on soil ecosystem, we investigated the changes of soil chemical and microbiological properties, including soil nutrient, soil microbial biomass, soil enzyme activity, and metabolic activity, carbon substrate utilization and function diversity of soil microbial community from invaded and native sites in Hainan Island using field plot experiments. The results showed that compared with the native bush sites, the contents of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, alkaline nitrogen and available potassium were significantly decreased while the content of total potassium was significantly increased in the P. clematidea invasion sites. However, there was no significant difference in the contents of total phosphorus and available phosphorus between the invaded and native sites. Soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as the activities of soil urease, protease, invertase and hydrogen peroxidase in the invaded sites were significantly lower than those in the native bush sites, while the activity of soil cellulase was significantly increased by the P. clematidea invasion. Functional diversity of soil microbial community, calculated from the average well color development (AWCD) of 31 carbon sources in a Biolog EcoPlate, was significantly decreased by the P. clematidea invasion. Compared with the native bush sites, AWCD, microbial utilization efficiency of carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, McIntosh index (U), and  richness index (S) of soil microbial community were significantly decreased, while Pielou index (E) was significantly increased in the P. clematidea invasion sites. There was no significant difference in Shannon’s index (H) and Simpson’s dominance index (D_s) between the invaded and native sites. Our results suggested that P. clematidea invasion could consume enormous soil nutrients and cause soil degradation in the invaded region.

Effects of irrigation methods on soil respiration rate in sunlight greenhouse.

YANG Yang1, ZHANG Yu-long1*, QI Jin-hu2, FAN Qing-feng1, WANG Zhan1

2016, 35(11):  2890-2895. 

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A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three irrigation modes (furrow irrigation, drip irrigation, and infiltrating irrigation) on soil respiration through cultivation of tomato. The cumulative amount of CO₂ was determined by alkali absorption method. The results demonstrated that the soil respiration rates of the three treatments all tended to increase at first and then decrease during the growth period, peaking on 28, 30 and 36 days after the first irrigation, respectively. Soil respiration rate was different, and the cumulative CO₂ amount showed significant differences among the three treatments, being 604.46, 529.52 and 448.70 g·m^-2 under furrow irrigation, drip irrigation, and infiltrating irrigation, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that daily average respiration rate had a significant exponential relationship with average daily soil temperature at 5, 15 and 25 cm depths (P<0.05) for furrow irrigation, drip irrigation, and infiltrating irrigation treatments, respectively. A significant linear relationship was found between soil daily average respiration rate and daily average soil water content at 15 cm depth. Thus, choosing a suitable irrigation method could not only create good soil moisture condition for crop growth, but also effectively regulate CO₂ concentration within the greenhouse, which plays an important role in producing high quality vegetables and reducing soil carbon emission.

Coupling effect of water and fertilizer on phosphatase activities of alfalfa soil.

ZHANG Ai-ming1,2*, LIU Yun-chao2,3, LI Xiao-lan2, CHEN Feng-zhen1, SHA Ru-la1,2

2016, 35(11):  2896-2902. 

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Phosphorus is one of the limiting factors for plant growth. Though organic phosphorus is dominant in soil, it can only be used after mineralization and hydrolysis by phosphatase. Therefore, study on soil phosphatase activities would provide a method to activate phosphorus in soil, which is not labile. By using alfalfa and chestnut soil in our pot experiment, soil phosphatase activities were studied under different phosphorus and water treatments. The results showed that alkaline phosphomonoesterase activities (99.2-170.0 mg paranitrophenol·kg^-1 soil·h^-1) were higher than acid phosphomonoesterase activities (24.7-56.9 mg paranitrophenol·kg^-1 soil·h^-1); soil acid phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase activities were significantly affected by waterfertilizer interaction, and higher phosphorus content inhibited soil inorganic pyrophosphatase activities under routine water treatment. Severe drought reduced soil acid phosphomonoesterase, phosphodiesterase and inorganic pyrophosphatase activities, while phosphorus fertilizer increased soil acid and alkaline phosphomonoesterase activities. Therefore, soil water and phosphorus control might inhibit or activate soil phosphatase activities.

Ecosystem services of Grain for Green Project in the provinces of the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze and Yellow River.

SHI He-xiong1, WANG Bing1,2, NIU Xiang1,2*

2016, 35(11):  2903-2911. 

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Based on resource area data of Grain for Green Project in the provinces of the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze and Yellow River by the end of 2014, the continuous observation and periodical inventory of complete index system of forest ecosystem services (referred to as forest ecology continuous investigation) were applied to assess seven services, including water conservation, soil conservation, carbon fixation and oxygen release, trees’ nutrient accumulation, atmosphere purification, biodiversity conservation, forest protection, and their characteristics were analyzed by using data envelopment analysis model. The results showed that the total value of ecosystem services of Grain for Green Project in the study region was 10071.5×10⁸ yuan·a^-1, in which water conservation service had the highest value, accounting for 36.54% of the total value. Among the three vegetation restoration models of Grain for Green Project, ecosystem services of returning farmland to forests and closing hillsides to facilitate afforestation were better than those of afforestation on barren hills and wasteland. Among the three forest types, ecosystem services of ecological forests were better than those of economic forests and shrubs. Model of data envelopment analysis showed that water and soil conservation services (including water conservation and soil conservation) in the provinces of the upper and middle reaches of Yangtze and Yellow River played a leading role of ecosystem services. Carbon sequestration, atmosphere purification and biodiversity protection services were related to background environment, hydrothermal conditions and associated tree species of the returning farmland area, having certain regional characteristics. Accordingly, in the conversion mode and tree species selection and forest tending, the input/output efficiency of ecosystem services should be focused, to improve effectiveness of the engineering technology and scale, thus increasing the output of ecosystem services value of Grain for Green Project.

Effects of habitat and cooling on seedling growth and biomass allocation of six Gramineae species in an alpine meadow.

MA Bing, BU Hai-Yan*, GE Wen-Jing, WANG Xue-Jing, YANG Hui-Xian, XIA Yu-Bin, XU Dang-Hui, LIU Wei

2016, 35(11):  2912-2917. 

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The effects of habitat and cooling on morphological characteristics, biomass allocation and survival rate of seedlings of six Gramineae species were studied in the eastern QinghaiTibet Plateau, in order to provide basis for understanding growth strategies of alpine plants in different conditions. The results showed that the seedlings of the six species allocated more biomass to shoots to increase competition of light resources when growth conditions were simulated as grassland (covered by vegetation), while the seedlings had higher biomass and growth rate when plants were assumed to grow in bare area. The treatment of cooling in the early stage of seedlings played a significant role in subsequent growth, and the seedlings encountered cooling allocated more resources to the roots. The survival rate of seedlings under conditions covered by vegetation was significantly higher than that under exposed conditions, while the treatment of cooling had no significant effect on the survival of seedlings. Therefore, the six species in this study showed significant morphological plasticity to the changed environmental conditions, and no significant variation in seedling survival to abnormal temperature might be an adaptive selection of plants to adverse alpine environment.

Biomass allocation patterns and allometric models of Larix principisrupprechtii in Mt. Taiyue, Shanxi.

ZHU Jiang, HAN Hai-rong, KANG Feng-feng*, CHENG Xiao-qin, WANG Tian, WANG Luo-xin, TIAN Ping

2016, 35(11):  2918-2925. 

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Biomass is one of the basic characteristics of forest ecosystems. The allocation patterns and estimation models of biomass are important for evaluating productivity, ecological functions and carbon cycle of forest. A study on the biomass allocation patterns and allometric models of Larix principisrupprechtii was conducted in Mt. Taiyue, Shanxi, China. The results showed that a significant linear relationship existed between the aboveground biomass and belowground biomass (P<0.001). Proportions of stemwood, stembark, branch, needle, cone, and root relative to the wholetree biomass were 47.20%, 10.36%, 15.16%, 6.80%, 0.78% and 19.69%, respectively. The vertical distribution of canopy biomass increased gradually from the upper layer (22.70%) to lower layer (29.11%) and middle layer (48.19%). The proportion of branch biomass increased with the increase of diameter at breast height (DBH), while it was opposite for the needle biomass. The proportion of root biomass decreased with the decrease of root diameter. The proportion of stump root biomass and coarse root biomass increased with the increase of DBH, while it was opposite for the other roots. There were significant exponential relationships between the component biomass and the parameters (DBH, tree height, age, canopy length) of the trees (P<0.05). The allometric models explained more than 90% variations of stemwood, stembark, root and wholetree biomass, and 81.3% and 74.4% variations of branch biomass and needle biomass, respectively. DBH and tree height were reliable predictors for estimating the biomass of L. principisrupprechtii.

Module traits and biomass allocation of Humulus scandens seedlings during population selfthinning.

FAN Xing1, CAI Jian1, LIU Jin-ping1*, YOU Ming-Hong2, FAN Xuan1, WANG Si-si1

2016, 35(11):  2926-2934. 

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Humulus scandens is a dioecious climbing herb. In April, a uniformly distributed wild H. scandens population was selected and managed only for controlling weeds. From the beginning of May, some parameters of H. scandens seedling, including density and height of population, individual’s module traits and biomass allocation, were determined for six consecutive times at an interval of 10 d. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among population density, individual’s  module traits and biomass allocation during population selfthinning, and to explore the selfthinning law of H. scandens population. The results showed that H. scandens seedling was characterized by a significant selfthinning phenomenon. Population density decreased by 71% within 60 days. During seedling from upright growth to lateral growth, density and height of population were significantly reduced. Due to selfthinning, stem traits of remained plants were significantly changed in the following order: internode length > main stem length > stem diameter for stem traits; leaf traits varied in the following order: leaf area > petiole length > leaf thickness > leaf width > leaf length > total leaf number > reserved leaf number; and root traits: total root length > root volume > root number > root length > maximum root length. Component biomass and single plant biomass of remained plants were significantly elevated, yet biomass per unit area declined gradually. Allocation ratio of aboveground biomass of remained plants was relatively stable (P>0.05), while the ratios of root to stem and leaf to stem changed significantly (P<0.01). There was highly significant allometric relationship among leaf, stem, petiole biomass, root biomass and aboveground biomass (P<0.01). Leaf and stem presented a constant growth pattern with the increase of aboveground biomass. Meanwhile, leaf, petiole and root presented an allometric growth pattern with the increasing aboveground biomass. There was a highly significant correlation between aboveground biomass and leaf, stem, petiole and root biomass (P<0.01). The allometric relationship between stem biomass and density abided by the rule of final output constant. Leaf, petiole and root biomass did not follow -3/2 selfthinning rule, nor -4/3 selfthinning rule and -1 selfthinning rule. Both aboveground biomass and total single plant biomass were significantly correlated with the density (P<0.01). For remained plants, the allometric relationships among aboveground biomass, total biomass and density followed the rule of final output constant.

Phenotypic diversity of Prunus armeniaca stone and almond in Inner Mongolia.

DUAN Guo-zhen1, TIAN You-liang1, BAI Shu-lan1, HE Yan-hong1, DAI Hai-yang2, XUE Hai-feng1, LI Ji-yang1, JIN Ya1, BAI Yu-e1*

2016, 35(11):  2935-2941. 

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Apricot is an ecological and economic tree species in Inner Mongolia, and the study of its diversity can provide theoretical foundation for the selection and genetic improvement of new varieties of the apricot. Taking apricot from 10 provenances as the object, a multivariate analysis was conducted on the phenotypic characters of apricot stone and almond. The results showed that extremely significant difference appeared both among and within provenances. The average variation coefficient of each characteristic of 10 provenances reached 16%, with a range of 9%-28%. The average coefficient of phenotypic differentiation among provenances achieved 61.56%, which was higher than the coefficient of phenotypic differentiation within provenances, indicating that the differentiation derived mainly from interprovenances. The Simpson diversity index and Shannon diversity index of the apricot’s phenotypic character of stone and almond ranged from 0.839 to 0.862 and 2.855 to 3.016 respectively, and the average value of diversity index from the apricot stone was all higher than that of the almond. There existed a clear correlation between phenotypic character and longitude, temperature, precipitation and altitude, which showed obvious zonal patterns. Meanwhile, by systematical cluster analysis on the phenotypic characteristics of apricot, the 10 provenances were grouped into 3 categories, being consistent with the geographical factors.

The characteristics of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of greening plants in Lanzhou downtown.

ZHOU Pan-pan, ZHANG Ming-jun*, WANG Sheng-jie, WANG Jie, ZHAO Pei-pei, LIU Xue-mei

2016, 35(11):  2942-2951. 

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Selecting fourteen public green spaces in Lanzhou downtown as the sampling sites, leaves and xylems of four greening plants Platycladus orientalis, Buxus megistophylla, Sophora japonica, and Forsythia suspensa were collected. Combined with the monitoring data of the automatic meteorological station on New Campus of Northwest Normal University supported by Bureau of Meteorology in Lanzhou City, the variations of temporal and spatial differences of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in leaf and xylem water of the four plants were analyzed, and their correlations with temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and air pressure were discussed. The results indicated that δ¹⁸O of deciduous plants was more enriched than that of evergreen plants, while δ¹⁸O of xylem water of deciduous and evergreen plants changed slightly in sampling period and was similar to that of leaf water. The variation of d in leaf water of the four plants was opposite to the variation of δ¹⁸O. The slope and intercept of transpiration line for plant leaves were far from those of the precipitation line equation, and the slope of transpiration line for leaf and xylem water of B. megistophylla was the lowest. The δ¹⁸O and d of leaf water in evergreen and deciduous plants were correlated with meteorological elements. However, the response of leaf water to meteorological elements was in contrast with d, and there were good correlations of δ¹⁸O and d with wind speed and air pressure.

Effects of biochar on seedling growth, nutrient absorption of japonica rice and mineral element contents of substrate soil.

ZHOU Jin-song1,2, YAN Ping2, ZHANG Wei-ming1, ZHAO Bei-ping2, YANG Zhong-liang2, CHEN Wen-fu1*

2016, 35(11):  2952-2959. 

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Effects of biochar on growth and development of japonica rice seedlings and nutrient contents of substrate soil in northeastern China were ascertained to verify the application potential of biochar in rice seedling production in northeastern China cold region. On the basis of the conventional paddy soil in northeastern China with exogenous additions of biochar (5.0%-20.0%, w/w), effects of biochar on plant height, dry matter accumulation, the uptake of mineral elements (N, C, S, P, K, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mg, Ca and Na) of rice seedlings and the change of mineral element contents in substrate soil were studied in northeastern China cold area. It was found that biochar addition had remarkable effects on plant height, dry matter accumulation of rice seedlings. Plant height of rice seedlings increased by 1.2%, 5.0% and 6.0% while dry matter accumulation increased by 18.2%, 27.7% and 43.4% compared with those of the control respectively when 5.0%, 10.0% and 15.0% of biochar were applied in substrate soil. With the increase of biochar addition, uptakes of N, C, S, P, K, Mn, Ca, Na, Mg, Zn, Cu and Fe of rice seedlings presented a similar trend of first ascending and later descending. When the biochar application rate was 5.0%, the contents of mineral elements Mn, Zn and Cu arrived at the peak. When the biochar application rate was 10.0%, the content of mineral element Fe reached the peak. When the biochar application rate was 15.0%, the contents of mineral elements N, C, S, P, K, Ca, Na and Mg reached the peak. N, C, S, P, Zn, Cu, Mg and Na contents in nursery substrates all increased with the increase of biochar application. However, K and Fe contents decreased gradually, and Mn and Ca contents had no obvious change with the increase of biochar application. The results suggested that the application of biochar in the nursery substrates by 10.0%Symbolm@@15.0% could promote the growth of rice seedlings, the absorption and utilization of most mineral elements by rice seedlings, and the ability of immobilizing and maintaining some important nutrients in nursery substrates.

Effects of reduced nitrogen application on nitrogen uptake and use efficiency of rice in Taihu area.

LIU Hong-jiang, ZHENG Jian-chu, GUO Zhi, CHEN Liu-gen*, ZHANG Yue-fang, WANG Xin

2016, 35(11):  2960-2965. 

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A field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of reduced nitrogen application on nitrogen uptake and use efficiency of rice, thus determining suitable nitrogen application rate on high yielding rice field in Taihu area, improving nitrogen use efficiency of rice and reducing the effects of nitrogen loss through runoff from paddy fields on agricultural ecological environment. Based on the investigation of the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied to rice by local farmers, five treatments including no nitrogen fertilization (N0), local custom fertilization with 360 kg·hm^-2 nitrogen application (N1), and nitrogen reduction of 10% (N2), 20% (N3), and 30% (N4) were conducted, with deep application of basic fertilizer by machinery and straw return. Nitrogen reduction obviously decreased soil available nitrogen content in different rice growth stages. Nitrogen reduction of 10% increased rice yield by 1.9%. Nitrogen accumulation of rice gradually decreased with the increasing extent of nitrogen reduction, there was no significant difference between N1 and N2 treatments, and N3 and N4 treatments significantly decreased nitrogen accumulation of rice. Nitrogen use efficiency for grain yield gradually increased with the increasing extent of nitrogen reduction. Combined with deep application of basic fertilizer by machinery and straw return, nitrogen reduction of 10% on the basis of the amount of local custom fertilization ensured the high yield of rice, and at the same time obviously increased agronomic efficiency, recovery efficiency, physiological efficiency and partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer.

Effects of amendments on growth and physiological characteristics of maize seedlings on salinealkali soil.

WANG Ming-hua, LI Ming*, GAO Qi, ZHEN Shan-ji, LI Qiao, GAO Hong-xiu, JIN Ping

2016, 35(11):  2966-2973. 

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In order to study the protective mechanism and optimal proportion of gypsum, flyash and polyacrylamide (PAM) on maize growth under saline alkali stress, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the ionic content, antioxidant enzyme activity, chlorophyll content, and other physiological indicators of maize hybrid Zhengdan 958 seedlings. The results showed that the amendments significantly decreased Na⁺, MDA, proline and soluble sugar contents, and increased Ca²⁺ and K⁺ contents, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD and CAT), chlorophyll a content, fluorescence parameters F₀ and F_m, thereby the total root length, root surface area, root volume, root number, biomass and plant high were also significantly increased. Correlation analysis showed that Na⁺ content was significantly correlated with CAT activity (-0.60), MDA content (0.79) and chlorophyll content (-0.59), and the Na⁺ and MDA contents and CAT activity were significantly correlated with the growth of maize shoot and root. The combination of gypsum and PAM (12 g gypsum + 0.75 g PAM·kg^-1 soil) had the best effects.

Effects of salt-alkaline mixed stress on proline and polyamine metabolism in leaves of naked oat seedlings.

LIU Jian-xin*, WANG Jin-cheng, LIU Xiu-li

2016, 35(11):  2974-2982. 

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To explore the proline and polyamine metabolism-responsive mechanisms of naked oat (Avena nuda) under saltalkaline mixed stress, a naked oat cultivar ‘Dingyou No. 6’ was cultured with perlitesandy pot in greenhouse. The contents of proline and polyamine and the activities of proline and polyaminemetabolizing enzymes of naked oat leaves on 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days by the treatments using Hoagland nutrient solution added with mixed saltalkali (molar ratio of NaCl∶Na₂SO₄∶NaHCO₃∶Na₂CO₃=12∶8∶9∶1) at 25 and 75 mmol·L^-1 were investigated after the seedlings had three leaves. The results showed that both low and high levels of saltalkaline stress significantly increased the proline contents in leaves during the whole stress compared with the control, and the increment was higher under the high concentration stress. Activities of pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) in leaves were enhanced significantly under the low concentration stress, while the activities of ornithine-δ-aminotransferase (δ-OAT) and proline dehydragenase (ProDH) were inhibited obviously. The δ-OAT activities were enhanced significantly, but P5CS and ProDH activities were decreased obviously under the high concentration stress. These changes demonstrated that the proline in naked oat seedlings was mainly metabolized through the pathway of glutamate under low concentration stress, and an ornithine pathway was predominant under high concentration stress. Moreover, the contents of free putrescine (Put), free spermidine (Spd), free spermine (Spm), conjugated Spd, bound Spd and bound Spm in leaves were increased significantly in the whole period of both levels of stress, and the contents of conjugated Put, conjugated Spm and bound Put were increased significantly in the 1-5 days of saltalkaline stress, but they were obviously decreased on day 7 under the same stress. All of these changes were more obvious under the high concentration stress than that under the low concentration stress. The values of Put/PAs and (cPAs+bPAs)/fPAs were increased significantly in the first 3 days, but decreased or without significant changes in the 5-7 days under the same stress, while the changes of (Spd+Spm)/Put demonstrated the contrary trend. Low concentration stress had lower Put/PAs value and higher (Spd+Spm)/Put value in the whole period, and the (cPAs+bPAs)/fPAs value was lower in the first day under the low concentration stress compared with the high concentration stress; during the 3-7 days, there were no significant differences between the two concentration treatments. Furthermore, the activities of arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) were increased significantly in the whole period under each level of stress, and the diamine oxidase activities in the first 3 days of the stress decreased or slightly changed while a significant increase was observed in the 5-7 days. The change of polyamine oxidase (PAO) activities demonstrated the contrary to the DAO. These changes were much greater under the high concentration stress than under the low concentration stress. All of the results mentioned above suggested that salt-alkaline stress enhanced the capabilities for the transformation of free polyamine to conjugated and bound polyamines in the early period (1-3 days), and the low-concentration stress had stronger capabilities for the transformation of Put to Spd and Spm in the late period (5-7 days) compared with the high concentration stress, while the rate of PAs synthesis and decomposition in the whole period under the high concentration stress was faster than that under the low concentration stress.

Diatom composition of epiphytic bryophytes on trees and its ecological distribution in Wuhan City.

QIN Bo1, ZHENG Min2, CHEN Xu1*, YANG Xiang-dong3

2016, 35(11):  2983-2990. 

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Epiphytic bryophytes on trees are a useful indicator of air pollution and they provide habitats for a large number of diatoms. Until now, little knowledge is available about these diatoms and their autoecology. In this paper, twentytwo epiphytic bryophyte samples on trees from the main parks and campuses in Wuhan City and four samples from Dajiuhu National Natural Reserve (for comparison) were collected for diatom analysis, in combination with tree and bryophyte identifications. In total, 13 genera and 73 species of diatoms were identified, which were dominated by three Pennatae taxa, i.e. Luticola mutica, Pinnularia borealis and Hantzschia amphioxys. Seven samples had more than 10 diatom species within each sample, indicating high diatom richness in epiphytic bryophytes. Three clusters were identified by principal component analysis and clustering analysis, including one dominated by L. mutica, a second with H. amphioxys and Humidophila contenta codominated assemblages, and a third dominated by the diatom P. borealis. All of these dominant diatom species are cosmopolitan droughttolerant species. The high abundance of droughttolerant species was mainly responsive to dry conditions on tree bark. Twentysix samples were divided into different groups according to their host tree species and bryophyte species and locations, respectively. The ANOSIM analysis revealed that there was no parasitehost relationship between diatoms and bryophytes, but tree species might influence diatom composition. Diatom communities in Wuhan City were significantly different from those in Dajiuhu National Natural Reserve. The results revealed the characteristics of epiphytic diatom composition on epiphytic bryophytes, thus improving our knowledge about the biodiversity of terrestrial diatoms and their potential as an environmental indicator.

Species diversity of corticolous lichen communities in habitat of Rhinopithecus roxellana of Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China.

TIE Jun1,2*, LI Yan-fen3, WANG Chuan-hua4,5

2016, 35(11):  2991-2998. 

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Corticolous lichen communities were numerically classified based on species coverage by twoway indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) in habitat of Rhinopithecus roxellana of Shennongjia Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China. Seventeen plots were established, types of lichen communities in these plots were defined, and species richness index, species diversity index and evenness index of each lichen communities were analyzed. The results indicated that: (1) There were 52 lichen species belonging to 21 genera in 12 families in the 17 plots, and these lichen species could be grouped into eight types: Association Ⅰ: Heterodermia tremulans + Hypogymnia hypotrypa; Association Ⅱ: Ramalina sinensis + Parmelina quercina; Association Ⅲ: H. hypotrypa + Lobaria isidiophora; Association Ⅳ: Anzia opuntiella + L. isidiophora + Flavoparmelia caperata; Association Ⅴ: R. calicaris var. japonica + F. caperata; Association Ⅵ: F. caperata + Bryoria asiatica; Association Ⅶ: Cetrelia olivetorum + Cetrelia pseudolivetorum; Association Ⅷ: Hypogymnia hypotrypella + C. cetrarioides. (2) The similarity between association Ⅰ and association Ⅲ was the highest (0.321), followed by association Ⅲ and Ⅳ (0.305). Association Ⅱ and Ⅷ, association Ⅳ and Ⅷ had the lowest similarity (0.000). Species diversity index of association Ⅲ was the highest (2.062), followed by association Ⅴ (2.047), and association Ⅱ (0.721). Evenness index of association Ⅰ (0.809) was the highest, followed by association Ⅴ (0.802), and association Ⅱ was the lowest (0.301). (3) Species diversity of corticolous lichen in R. roxellana habitat of Shennongjia National Nature Reserve was mainly affected by humidity, temperature, illumination and altitude.

Mass spectrometry identification of differential expression proteins from an efficient bioflocculant-producing strain A9 under different carbon source culture conditions.

LIU Jin-liang1, JIANG Bin-hui1, ZHAO Xin1, HU Xiao-min1*, YANG Cheng-cheng1, LI Feng-da2, MA Yun-feng3

2016, 35(11):  2999-3004. 

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To study the differential proteome expression of an efficient bioflocculant-producing strain A9 cultured respectively in ordinary broth medium, dextrose medium and mannose medium, proteins were compared and analyzed by twodimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and identified by mass spectrometry. The results showed significant differences of proteome expression among test groups cultured with different carbon sources. There were 54 differential proteins identified by mass spectrometry, including dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase, triosephosphate isomerase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate kinase, aconitase, phosphate acyltransferase, peptidylprolylcistrans isomerase, elongation factor G, etc, which were mainly related to synthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates, transportation and metabolism of lipids, posttranslational modification of proteins, and structure and generation of ribosomes. The proteomic research of bioflocculant-producing strain A9 in different media would provide theoretical basis for optimizing culture conditions of strain A9.

Isolation and identification of ammonifying bacteria in the flue-cured tobacco and characteristics of degrading organic nitrogen.

ZHOU Jia-xi1, ZHANG Xiao-min2, HU Da-ming2, HUI Jian-quan2, YU Tao1, ZOU Xiao1*

2016, 35(11):  3005-3011. 

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During a survey of ammonifying bacteria, three highactivity strains of ammonifying bacteria, viz., GZUIFR-YC01, GZUIFR-YC02, and GZUIFR-YC03, were screened from flue-cured tobacco (Hunan A₃B₁ and Yunnan C₃F produced in 2013) after enrichment culturing. Based on the morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, GZUIFR-YC01, GZUIFR-YC02, and GZUIFR-YC03 were identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, and Brevibacillus parabrevis, respectively. In addition, L. fusiformis (GZUIFR-YC02) grew better than S. maltophilia (GZUIFR-YC01) and B. parabrevis (GZUIFR-YC03). While each of the three strains had a strong ability to degrade organic nitrogen, L. fusiformis (GZUIFR-YC02) was the best. This study provides reference to nitrogen transformation by microbes during the progress of tobacco leaf aging.

Winter habitat characteristics of Sichuan Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus).

FU Yi-qiang1*, WEN Long-ying1, DAI Bo1, CHEN Ben-ping2, ZHANG Zheng-wang3

2016, 35(11):  3012-3016. 

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Sichuan Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus) is an endangered species endemic to the mountains of Southwest China. So far, little information is known about its winter habitat. We studied the winter habitat characteristics of Sichuan Partridges at the Laojunshan National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, China in January, 2013 and from January to February, 2014. The habitat characteristics of totaling 48 plots used by the partridges and 30 control ones were measured. It was found that Sichuan Partridges preferred the habitats with lower altitude, gentle slope, small coverage of trees, short bamboos, low and lessdense herbs, large coverage of 1.0 m layer, small coverage of 4.0-5.0 m layers, and close to trails and forest edge. In addition, Sichuan Partridges also preferred the sites close to water resources and with abundant leaf litter. Security and food condition might be the key factors influencing winter habitat selection by the Sichuan Partridge.

Acclimation of captive Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) before reintroduction in Dongzhai of Henan Province.

HUANG Zhi-xue1, WANG Ke1, CAI De-jing1, ZHU Wen-ping1, PAN Xiao-yan1, LIU Dong-ping2*

2016, 35(11):  3017-3022. 

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Thirtyfour captive Crested Ibises (Nipponia nippon) were acclimatized in a large cage prior to release to the wild at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve of Henan Province from March to October, 2013. The captive Crested Ibises gained flying ability similar to wild ones within a week, and shifted nocturnal roost from ground to artificial roost bars, and finally to trees within 10 days. The ibises acclimatized a variety of foraging habitats in two months, stepwise from dry land to marsh, and from shallow water to deep water. The acclimated Crested Ibises had defense instinct against natural raptors, with the vigilance distance and flushing distance as 300 and 50 m respectively; but the ibises showed little vigilance against their care keepers. In the acclimating cage, 66.7% of the breeding pairs divorced. The longer a pair bred together, the more stable the pair bonded. Chick rearing experience had no significant influence on the reproductive success, and overcrowded nesting and frequent disturbance were the main factors resulting in the breeding failure of the ibises in the acclimating cage. The result indicated that captive Crested Ibises could be released to the wild after acclimation for 2-3 months. Improving acclimating management, such as roost bar construction and food supplementation, will enhance the acclimating efficiency. Post-release monitoring and evaluation on adaptability, survival rate and reproductive success are necessary to assess the acclimation efficiency.

Seasonal variations of soil nematode community at different secondary succession stages of evergreen broadleaved forests in Ailao Mountain.

LI Zhi-peng1,2, WEI Zu-fen3, YANG Xiao-dong1*

2016, 35(11):  3023-3031. 

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In order to understand the effects of vegetation succession on soil nematode community, we investigated soil properties, microorganism amount and nematode communities in dry season (April) and rainy season (August) at different stages of secondary succession in evergreen broadleaved forests of Ailao Mountain. Our results showed that the total abundance and genus number of nematodes and the densities of herbivores, fungivores and predatoromnivores increased, while the density of bacterivores decreased along vegetation succession. The mature index (MI) and trophic diversity (TD) of nematode communities were higher in mature stage forests as compared to early stage forests, but there was an opposite trend for Wasilewska index (WI). Canonical redundancy analysis showed that soil nematode communities were affected by soil moisture, pH and inorganic N contents at different stages of secondary succession. Magnitude of seasonal effects (R²) on nematode community structure was in order of evergreen broad-leaved forest (14%), Populus bonatii forest (15%), Alnus nepalensis forest (22%), and tea plantation (33%). With vegetation succession, soil nematode food web complexity increased, and its dependence on resources of plant roots and fungi was enhanced. Meanwhile, the seasonal stability of trophic structure, community structure and functional index of nematode communities increased along the chronosequence of succession.

Effects of the damage by Carposina sasakii Matsumura on soluble protein content and defensive enzyme activities in apple fruits.

ZHANG Shun-yi1,2, QIN Hua-wei1, MEN Xing-yuan1, CHEN Zhen-zhen2, YU Yi1, XU Yong-yu2*, LI Li-li1*

2016, 35(11):  3032-3036. 

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To clarify the effects of the damage by Carposina sasakii Matsumura on soluble protein content and defensive enzyme activities in fruits of various apple cultivars, the damage degree, soluble protein content, and SOD, POD and CAT activities in apple fruits treated with C. sasakii inoculation or artificial needling were measured after 12 days. The relationships between wormholes and the soluble protein content or defensive enzyme activities were also analyzed. The results showed that cultivar ‘Gala’ had more wormholes than cultivars ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ after C. sasakii inoculation. The protein contents induced by C. sasakii damage in all 3 cultivars were significantly lower than those by artificial needling, but there was no significant difference between the control group and the group treated by C. sasakii. The SOD activities induced by C. sasakii damage were significantly higher than those by artificial needling. The activities of POD were increased significantly, and the increments in ‘Jonagold’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ were significantly higher than those in ‘Gala’. There was no significant difference between the CAT activities in fruits damaged by C. sasakii and the control group, while both of them were higher than those by artificial needling. The CAT activities were positively associated with wormhole numbers of apple fruits. The damage by C. sasakii could induce biochemical reactions in hostplants, for example, the change of the protein contents and defensive enzymes, and the defensive enzymes in apple fruits might play an important role in defending the damage by C. sasakii.

Host species of the insect pest Bactrocera dorsalis in Mengzi, Yunnan, and population dynamics of Bactrocera dorsalis and its related environmental factors in loquat garden.

YAN Zhen-hua1, ZHANG Jin-long1, FANG Xue-jiao1, ZHU Wen-lu2, ZHANG Wen-hua2, WU Ge-ying2, ZHANG Ling3, TAO Mei1, CHEN Guo-hua1*

2016, 35(11):  3037-3044. 

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Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an important insect pest of fruits and vegetables. Here we conducted an investigation on its host species in different orchards and vegetable gardens over the year in 2014 in Mengzi, Yunnan, China. We found that 20 species of fruits, which belonged to 19 genera in 8 families, were damaged by B. dorsalis. The fruit species including loquat, peach, jujube, guava, mango and wax apple were seriously damaged by B. dorsalis. We collected and incubated damaged fruits, and four fruit fly species were identified, including B. dorsalis, B. cucuribitae, B. tau, and B. latifrons. B. dorsalis can damage fruits in all seasons of the year with overlapping generations. In the loquat orchards, B. dorsalis population increased in May and reached a peak in August, with the maximum trap value （362.27±16.68） heads per bottle. The population dropped rapidly after October and reached the lowest level in December (（6.14±3.06） heads per bottle). Multiple meteorological factors were found to influence B. dorsalis population fluctuations. Average monthly temperature, monthly lowest temperature, rainy days within a month and mean daily sunshine time were the main factors influencing B. dorsalis’s population dynamics.

Effects of physical characteristics of pepper leaves on host selection of Bemisia tabaci.

HE Jing1, ZHOU Fu-cai1,2*, CHEN Xue-hao2, SU Hong-Hua2, YANG Ai-min2, HENG Sen2

2016, 35(11):  3045-3050. 

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Effect of ten pepper varieties with different resistances on host selection was studied by releasing whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) to the cage. In addition, physical traits of pepper leaves (trichome density, vascular bundle depth, wax content and leaf color) were investigated to explore the antiselection mechanism of pepper leaves to whiteflies. The results showed that the host preference of whiteflies was significantly different for the ten varieties and there were significant differences in leaf trichome density, vascular bundle depth, wax content and leaf color among the ten varieties. The population index of whiteflies was positively correlated with leaf trichome density, but negatively correlated with leaf vascular bundle depth and leaf color. There was no significant correlation between wax content and the population index of whiteflies. After 24hour release, the regression equations between population index (Y) and leaf trichome density, leaf vascular bundle depth, or leaf color were as follows: Y=0.632x+13.493 (r=0.953, P=0.000) for leaf trichome density, Y=-587.572x+449.035 (r=0.660, P=0.038) for leaf vascular bundle depth, and Y=-209.815x+259.088 (r=0.642, P=0.046) for leaf color. The multi-step regression equation of population index (Y) and trichome density (X₁), vascular bundle depth (X₂), leaf color (X₄) was as follows Y=0.583X₁+26.999X₂-56.126X₄+56.953, the respective path coefficients of the equation were P_X1→ Y=-0.879, P_X2→Y=0.030, P_X4→Y=-0.172. After 72hour release, there was no obvious correlation between leaf color and population index. These results indicated that at the early stage of host selection by whiteflies, leaf color played the major role; 72 hours later, however, leaf trichome density played the major role. Moreover, whiteflies had a similar trend of  host selection between spawning and feeding.

Effects of magnetic field of offshore wind farm on the survival and behavior of marine organisms.

YUAN Jian-mei, BEN Cheng-kai, GAO Ji-xian, YU Wen-wen, ZHANG Hu*, LIU Pei-ting, WU Yang-ping

2016, 35(11):  3051-3056. 

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Magnetic field of wind farm is mainly generated by the submarine cables in the operation of wind farm, and its effects on marine organisms have been less studied. In order to know whether the marine organisms in adjacent sea areas and in aquaculture environment were affected by magnetic field generated during the operation of wind farm, we took Rudong Longyuan windpower demonstration area as an example and selected 12 economic categories of marine organisms along the coastal water of Jiangsu. Six intensities of magnetic field (Test Ⅰ: 1.00 mT; Test Ⅱ: 0 mT, （0.045±0.01） mT, （0.20±0.01） mT, （0.90±0.01） mT, （4.05±0.01） mT, and ambient magnetic field (CK)) were installed to check their influence on the survival and behavior of marine organisms. Significant difference (P<0.05) was detected on survival rate and behavior of fish Acanthopagrus schlegeli between 1 mT magnetic field (21 days) group and control group, but such effects disappeared 14 days after removal of the magnetic field. The survival rates of fish Acanthopagrus schlegeli, Cynoglossus semilaevis and shellfish Meretrix meretrix in （4.05±0.01） mT magnetic field group showed significant difference (P<0.05) compared with control group. The avoidance behaviors of shellfish Nassarius variciferus, fish Cynoglossus semilaevis and crab Helice tientsinensis in (4.05±0.01) mT magnetic field had significant differences (P<0.05) compared with control group. The results indicated that magnetic field of wind farm had tangible impacts on the survival and behavior of marine organisms in short term (21 days) but such effects disappeared after removal of the magnetic field.

Relationships between amphibian distribution and environmental factors in agricultural landscape.

ZHANG Li1,2, LIANG Guo-fu1,2*, GUO Hao-jie1,2, LI Cheng-xi1,2, SUN Bo-lin1,2, DING Sheng-yan1,2

2016, 35(11):  3057-3063. 

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Taking a typical plain agricultural landscape in Fengqiu County, Henan Province as the study area, the relationships of the abundance of amphibians and their single adult species with environmental conditions at both habitat and landscape scales with four dispersal abilities (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 m) were explored with the support of redundancy analysis (RDA). The explanatory variables were separated into three categories: habitat characteristics variables \[chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH₃^--N, total phosphorus (TP), pH, vegetation coverage (VEG), benthic fauna predators (PRE)\], landscape composition variables \[number of ponds (NP), total area of woodland (AW), Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI), Simpson’s diversity index (SIDI)\] and landscape configuration variables \[distance to other nearest road (DR), contagion index (CONTAG), landscape division index (DIVISION), aggregation index (AI)\]. The results showed that, at habitat scale, pH, COD, VEG and PRE had significant influences on amphibian distribution. At landscape level, DR was always the significant explanatory variable at different dispersal abilities. When the dispersal abilities were 250 m and 500 m, landscape composition was the most critical factor. With the increase of dispersal ability, the effects of DR and AI were more obvious. Therefore, with regard to the protection of amphibian species and their habitats in plain agricultural region, both habitat and landscape scales should be taken into full consideration.

 

Effects of multi-scale environmental factors on spatial heterogeneity of soil physical and chemical properties of riparian zone in Liuxi River of Guangzhou.

LIU Qing1,2,3, WEI Jian-bing4*, WU Zhi-feng5, ZHONG Shi-jin5, HE Yuan-qing2, JI Dong-qing2

2016, 35(11):  3064-3071. 

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The effects of multiscale catchment landscape features on soil physical and chemical properties of riparian zone along the secondorder tributaries of Liuxi River in Guangzhou City were analyzed. The objective of this study was to explore and identify the main factors that influence soil properties at different spatial scales and to provide scientific data for riparian zone management and restoration. The results showed that along the longitudinal direction of the riparian zone, topographic index, land slope, land elevation and landuse type were the governing factors on the spatial heterogeneity of soil water content, soil textures and pH. Along the transversal direction, the distance of a landscape from riverside and the vegetation coverage were the main factors affecting the spatial heterogeneity of soil dissolved organic carbon, nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) and bulk density. Along the vertical profile of the riparian zone, the intensity of human disturbance on soil, the root system distribution in soil profile and the groundwater tables were the major factors affecting the spatial heterogeneity of soil organic carbon, TN and NH₄⁺-N in the riparian zone.

Spatiotemporal patterns of central fishing ground of pelagic fishes in the sea area of central Eastern Central Atlantic.

PANG Zhi-wei, LI Xian-sen*, ZHU Jian-cheng, SUN Shan, YING Yi-ping

2016, 35(11):  3072-3079. 

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According to the marine environmental data obtained by remote sensing and fishing logs of Chinese vessels in waters of Cape Verde coast (FAO Fishing Area 34, Subdivision 3.11), central Eastern Central Atlantic, from January to August, 2012 and from December 2014 to July 2015, monthly changes of catch per unit effort (CPUE), spatiotemporal changes of central fishing ground, and their relationships to environmental factors, including chlorophyll a concentration,  sea surface temperature (SST), longitude and latitude, were analyzed by using a productioncentered method, statistical interpolation, mathematical statistics, and generalized additive models (GAM). The results showed that the monthly CPUE increased at first and then decreased. The central fishing ground had an obvious monthly variation; It moved from north to south and reached southernmost in March or April, and then moved from south to north. Chlorophyll a concentration of fishing centers in different months was 0-10 mg·m^-3, with 7-9 mg·m^-3 in majority. SST of fishing centers in different months was 17.3-27.6 ℃, with 19-21 ℃ in majority. GAM model analysis revealed that the optimum SST of fishing ground was 20-22 ℃, the optimum chlorophyll a concentration of fishing ground was 4.480-7.388 mg·m^-3, longitude concentrated around 16°40′ W, and latitude around 19° N. Regression analysis between CPUE and marine environmental data indicated that, except SST, chlorophyll a concentration and the spatial factors were strongly correlated to CPUE. The results of GAM showed that the relative importance of the four variables affecting the fishing grounds of pelagic fishes was in order of longitude, latitude, chlorophyll a concentration, and SST. The location changes of upwelling, caused and generated by ocean currents, had important impacts on the spatial and temporal variation of the Cape Verde coastal fishing ground.

Analysis on optimal habitats of purpleback flying squid in the open South China Sea based on remote sensing data.

XU Hong-yun1,2,3, CUI Xue-sen1,2, ZHOU Wei-feng1,2*, CHEN Guo-bao4*, Li An-zhou1,2,3

2016, 35(11):  3080-3085. 

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According to the data of purpleback flying squid (Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis) fishery data during 2010-2014 in the open South China Sea, combined with sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data from ocean remote sensing satellites, and catch per unit of effort (CPUE) as the fishery density index to calculate suitability index (SI) by external envelope method, habitat suitability index (HSI) model was built by using  arithmetic mean method. The results showed that optimal ranges of SST and SSHA in the main grounds of the open South China Sea were 26.4-29.6 ℃ and -0.014-0.114 cm, respectively. When HSI value was more than 0.6, percentage of fishing times reached 77.99% and the average CPUE was 4.13 t·d^-1. Our results indicated that the HSI model based on SST and SSHA could denote the main fishing grounds of purpleback flying squid, and the accuracy of the model was above 77%.

Spatial distribution of heavy metals and pollution evaluation in farmland soil surrounding Huludao Zinc Plant.

TIAN Li1,2, LI Guo-chen1, WANG Yan-hong1*, LI Bo1, NING Cui-ping1,2, CUI Jie-hua1, WANG Shi-cheng1

2016, 35(11):  3086-3092. 

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Soil samples from farmlands surrounding Huludao Zinc Plant were collected and the content and spatial distribution of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg and As were analyzed. Then, the characteristics of heavy metal pollution were evaluated with the methods of single factor pollution index, Nemerow multifactor index and enrichment factor. Finally, the principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to estimate the sources of heavy metals. The results indicated that the farmland soils surrounding the zinc plant showed different degrees of enrichment in heavy me-tals, and Hg and Cd showed higher degrees of pollution than the other metals. The study area was severely polluted as a whole. The distribution of heavy metals pollution in soils was mostly centered on the zinc plant. The PCA analysis showed that Zn, Cd, Cu, As, Pb and Hg in factor 1 were associated with anthropogenic activities such as industrial production and traffic, whereas Ni and Cr in factor 2 were mainly controlled by parent material and its weathering.

Adsorption and polymerization of dissolved silicate on goethite.

ZHANG Zhan-hua1,2, WANG Shao-feng1, XU Li-ying1, WANG Yu-long1,2, JIA Yong-feng1*

2016, 35(11):  3093-3101. 

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The adsorption and polymerization of dissolved silicates on iron oxides affect the distribution of trace elements in the aquatic environment. The study of silicate chemistry on iron oxide surfaces is theoretically and practically important to understand the migration and distribution of other solution anions or trace contaminants. In this work, the adsorption kinetics of dissolved silicates on goethite was investigated, and their polymerization behavior was characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results showed that the adsorption of silicates by goethite could be attributed to chemical adsorption and well fitted by pseudosecond order kinetic equation with R²>0.996. The polymerization of silicates occurred when monomeric silicates were adsorbed to goethite surface. Polymerization gradually increased over the reaction time, and the changes in the direction of polymerization might be accompanied. In addition, there was a gradual increase of IR absorption peak in the region of polymerization as the Fe/Si molar ratio decreased. Mineral morphology and surface structure may have effects on silicate polymerization. The infrared results also indicated that the adsorbed polymeric silicates on goethite surface probably showed similar structure to silicic acid (SiO₂xH₂O), which was significantly different from the previous reports on adsorption and polymerization of silicates on ferrihydrite. This indicated that surface structure of goethite could promote the polymerization of silicate on its surface.

A review on the tradeoffs and synergies among ecosystem services.

CAO Qi-wen1, WEI Xiao-mei1, WU Jian-sheng1,2*

2016, 35(11):  3102-3111. 

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As the linkage of human well-being and ecosystem, ecosystem services have become an important content of researches in geography, ecology and other related disciplines. It is essential to understand the tradeoffs and synergies among ecosystem services for the promotion of overall benefit and human wellbeing and for natural resources management and ecological planning. It has become a hotspot in the ecosystem services research. Firstly, this paper summarizes the connotation, classification and assessment methods of ecosystem services. Secondly, the progress of research on synergies and tradeoffs among ecosystem services is reviewed from the perspectives of theoretical basis, classification and methodologies. Lastly, the possible research trends in future are put forward from four perspectives, including the adoption of other disciplines’ theories and the construction of an integrated multidisciplinary research framework; the perfection of ecosystem services classification and the quantification of non-linear feature of synergies and tradeoffs; the depiction of spatial flow of ecosystem services and the strengthening of spatial and temporal integration of synergies and tradeoffs; and the systematic discovery of mechanism of synergies and tradeoffs and the application of the research findings in the field of land use planning and management.

Latitudinal variations in rates of feather color and song evolution in birds.

PAN Xiao-yu, XIA Can-wei*, ZHANG Yan-yun

2016, 35(11):  3112-3117. 

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One explanation for the latitudinal gradient of biodiversity is that evolutionary rates of traits that are important to speciation (e.g. color pattern, song) vary across latitude. The reasons for this include sympatry of sister species, effective population size, breeding season length and generation time. Sister species in sympatry encounter intense interspecific competition and cost of hybridization, which may lead to faster evolutionary rates through displacement of traits. Genetic drift can accelerate evolutionary rates in populations with a small effective size. Traits of sexual selection may undergo faster evolutionary rates in birds at higher latitudes that have a shorter breeding season. There is more accumulated divergence in traits among species with shorter generation time, even though the evolutionary rates are unchanged. In birds, color patterns and song features are essential for territory defense and mate attraction, and these features evolve faster in birds at high latitudes based on the studies from New World bird taxa. We further discussed the phylogenetic approach and variable selection in studies of evolutionary rates of avian traits. Quantification of divergence in traits from the bird’s viewpoint, including evolutionary tradeoff between color patterns and song features, may need to be taken into account in future research. In addition, we argue that more attention should be paid to Asian birds.

An assessment of the revised Gash interception model in a monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in lower subtropical China.

LIU Xiao-dong1, LONG Feng-ling1, CHEN Xiu-zhi2*, CHU Guo-wei2, ZHANG Qian-mei2

2016, 35(11):  3118-3125. 

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Gash analytic model and its revised versions are useful tools for the estimation and prediction of forest canopy interception during rainfall. This study aimed to explore the applicability of the revised Gash analytic model in a subtropical forest, which was of importance for further understanding the forest hydrological effects in the subtropical area. The modeling results using the revised Gash analytic model were compared with those of field data collected from a monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest in Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve in subtropical China. The results of the present study indicated that the throughfall, stemflow and canopy interception in the monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest in 2009 were estimated to 1310.9, 85.5 and 498.9 mm, accounting for 69.2%, 4.5% and 26.3% of the total rainfall, respectively. The model estimated canopy interception in 2009 was 473.0 mm, about 5.2% lower than the value by field measurements. Besides, the model simulation error was lower in dry season (1.8%) than in wet season (6.8%). With further consideration on the components of the rainfall intercepted, the evaporation after rainfall ceased was found to be the largest component, with a value of 231.4 mm. As a whole, the margin of simulation error reported in the existed literature ranged from 0.2% to 35.0%. Canopy water storage capacity, which is one of the key parameters affecting the accuracy of the modeling, ranged from 0.23 to 2.86 mm. This study demonstrated that the revised Gash analytic model was well suitable for the estimation of canopy rainfall interception in the subtropical monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest.

Individual adjacent competition model of Pinus tabuliformis plantation.

LIU Xian-zhao1*, LU Yuan-chang1, REN Yun-mao2

2016, 35(11):  3126-3130. 

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Understanding and modeling the competition relationships of individual trees play an important role in tending of forest plantation. A study was performed to calculate the competition of individual trees of Pinus tabuliformis plantation in Xishan Experiment Forest Farm, Beijing. The competitive intensity was analyzed by modified Hegyi index, and the weighted Voronoi diagram of objective trees was mapped by DBH and relative spatial position in order to determine its competition unit. Take formula S_i=∑〖DD(〗n〖〗j=1〖DD)〗λ〖SX(〗（αij-αi)a〖〗Lb〖SX)〗 as reference to model the competition relationship between an objective tree and other 3 or 4 nearest trees. The results showed that the competition of individual trees was high, especially in plantation with high density and lower slope position. Model combining with the DBH and crown diameter had a lower standard error, with the estimation effects (R²) of 0.83 and 0.84 for 3- and 4-neighborhood competition model, respectively. Based on the analysis of overlapping area of Voronoi diagram and crown canopy, the adjacent competition model of individuals provided a reference for stand structure optimizing and thinning in forest management.

A study on trophic level of the major fishery species from the Yangtze Estuary based on stable isotope technology.

YAN Guang-song1,2, ZHANG Tao1, ZHAO Feng1, WANG Si-kai1, YANG Gang1, WANG Yu1, ZHANG Long-zhen1*

2016, 35(11):  3131-3136. 

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Thirty three fishes and nine species of invertebrates were collected in the Yangtze Estuary during November 2014 to October 2015. The isotope composition and trophic level of common fishery organisms were analyzed by using the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope techniques. The results showed that fishery organisms had great variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes. δ¹⁵N values of fish ranged from 9.26‰ to 15.39‰, and δ¹³C values ranged from -29.78‰ to -14.25‰; invertebrates showed δ¹⁵N values between 7.73‰ and 13.53‰, and δ¹³C values from -22.22‰ to -14.84 ‰. We calculated the trophic level of each consumer by Scapharca subcrenata as baseline animal. The result showed that the trophic level of fishes ranged from 2.49 to 4.60 (including 3 levels); carnivorous Acipenser sinensis showed the highest level (4.60±0.02), while Hypophthalmichthys molitrix showed the lowest level (2.49±0.02); invertebrates ranged from 2.00 to 3.84 (including 2 levels), and crab Eriocheir sinensis showed the highest level (3.84±0.02). There was a positive relationship between trophic level and body length of Collichthys lucidus, Lateolabrax maculatus, Acanthogobius ommaturus. By analyzing the established estuarine food web continuous nutrition spectrum, this study provides a theoretical basis for development and protection of the fishery resources in the Yangtze Estuary.