Burrow Characteristics and Microhabitat Use of the Turpan Wonder Gecko Teratoscincus roborowskii (Squamata, Gekkonidae)

Burrow structural charactersitcs and microhabitat use of the Turpan wonder gecko Teratoscincus roborowskii （Gekkonidae） were studied between April and September of 2013 in the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden, in the Turpan Depression of Western China. Burrow depth, entrance orientation, entrance height and width were observed. We assessed microhabitat selection and noted differences in microhabitat use among males, females, and juveniles. The magnitude of selection was measured using Jacobs＇ index of selectivity. Entrance height and width of the burrows of adults were significantly larger than those of juveniles, but the difference in burrow depth was not significant. The directional orientation of the burrow entrance showed a preference for the north-northeast and south-southeast, which were likely influenced by local prevailing winds and sunlight. Both the adult and juvenile geckos prefer to construct their burrows in sandy soil within a layer of loose soil whose thickness is greater than 30 cm. A majority of the burrows were located within 20 m of the nearest plant. Nearly half （48%） of the entrances of juveniles were located within 5 m of the nearest vegetation, significantly different from those of the adults. Results showed that the Turpan wonder gecko did not utilize microhabitats according to their availability, but rather that it preferred rnicrohabitats which contained dead wood or the caper bush. Our results suggested that burrow characteristics and microhabitat selection were important factors in T. roborowskii adaptation to harsh and arid desert habitats.

Reproductive Strategy and Cycle of the Toad-headed Agama Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi(Agamidae) in Xinjiang,China

The reproductive strategy and cycle of Phrynocephalus grumgrzimailoi were studied at a locality close to Urumqi City, Xinjiang, China. The hatchlings of P. grumgrzimailoi need at least two years to reach sexual maturity, with the smallest mature male and female measured 48.02 mm and 47.01 mm snout-vent length(SVL), respectively. Adult females produce a single clutch per breeding season, with the clutch size ranging from 1 to 5. The clutch size and mass are significantly correlated with female SVL. There is no correlation of mean egg size with clutch size and relative fecundity in P. grumgrzimailoi, suggesting that the trade-off is absent between mean egg size and number. Females increase reproductive output mainly through increasing egg numbers. The copulation period lasts from April to June. Females begin vitellogenesis in April and lay eggs from May to July. Our results suggest that toad-headed lizards tend to select different reproductive strategies to adapt themselves to their arid or semi-arid habitats.

Assembly of a core–shell MOF with stability into polyacrylamide hydrogel for boosting extraction of uranium from seawater

Efficient and selective extraction of uranium(U(VI))from seawater is essential for sustainable nuclear power production.This study reports a novel adsorbent zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF)-67@SiO_(2)-A/polyacrylamide(PAM)which was synthesized by grafting the core–shell metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)-based nanostructures coated with the 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane(APTES)functionalized SiO_(2)(SiO_(2)-A)onto PAM hydrogel.The SiO_(2) shell was grown on the surface of MOF,which improved the acid-base resistance of MOF.The introduction of ZIF-67@SiO_(2)-A enhances the specific surface area and adsorption efficiency of the PAM.The ZIF-67@SiO_(2)-A/PAM shows remarkable adsorption capacity,fast adsorption kinetics,and good reusability for uranium.It has excellent adsorption property(6.33 mg·g^(-1),30 d)in natural seawater.The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transform infrared(FTIR),energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)mappings,and density functional theory reveal that the coordination by N and O in ZIF-67@SiO_(2)-A/PAM with uranium is the main mechanism of uranium adsorption.Thus,ZIF-67@SiO_(2)-A/PAM has great potential to capture uranium from natural seawater.

Hollow Zn/Co zeolitic imidazolate framework-implanted composite hydrogel for highly efficient uranium extraction from seawater

Efficient capture of uranium(VI)(U(VI))from seawater is of great significance to the sustainable development of nuclear energy and environmental protection,which is also a serious challenge at present.In this study,hollow Zn/Co zeolitic imidazolate framework(H-ZIF)was decorated on polyacrylamide/sodium alginate(PAM/SA)hydrogel by chelating and covalently crosslinking,and a new type of PAM/SA/H-ZIF hydrogel was synthesized.The combination of PAM/SA and H-ZIF gives PAM/SA/H-ZIF hydrogel excellent mechanical properties,good stability,and abundant surface functional groups,which is beneficial to improving the adsorption properties.The extraction amount of U(VI)by PAM/SA/H-ZIF is 171.14 mg·g^(-1)at C_(0)=99.52 mg·L^(-1)and pH=5.0.The adsorption equilibrium is reached in 120 min and the adsorption process fits well with Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order rate equation.The PAM/SA/H-ZIF also showed good recyclability and stability after 10 cycles of adsorption-desorption.More importantly,the rate of uranium adsorption is 0.196 mg·g^(-1)·day^(-1)after 30 days,which implies that the PAM/SA/H-ZIF could serve as a potential adsorbent for the development of uranium capture from seawater.

洞庭湖区麋鹿再野化初期秋冬季生境选择

深入了解生境特征和生境选择的季节性差异是开展野生动物生境有效管理的前提。2016年3月,原国家林业局和湖南省人民政府启动了麋鹿(Elaphurusdavidianus)再野化项目,来自江苏大丰的16头麋鹿(其中11头安装了GPS卫星跟踪颈圈)在湖南东洞庭湖国家级自然保护区君山后湖放归野外。冬季气候寒冷、食物匮乏,濒危物种个体野放后能否在冬季找到适宜生境是再野化项目能否成功的关键。2016年10月至2017年1月,借助GPS卫星和地面跟踪信息,我们采用样方法对再野化麋鹿种群秋、冬季生境选择进行了研究,测定了生境类型、食物丰富度、草本盖度、乔木盖度、距水源距离、距道路距离、距居民点距离、距隐蔽物距离、隐蔽级等9种生境因子。结果显示:(1)再野化麋鹿种群在秋、冬季对生境类型的选择差异极显著。冬季麋鹿偏好选择水塘、随机利用草本沼泽、避免利用灌草丛;而秋季对生境类型无明显偏好。(2)再野化麋鹿秋冬季对食物丰富度、草本盖度、乔木盖度、距道路距离、距居民点距离、距隐蔽物距离和隐蔽级的选择差异极显著;仅在距水源距离上的差异不显著。(3)秋季再野化麋鹿倾向于选择隐蔽级低、食物丰富度高、草本盖度高、距隐蔽物距离近的生境。其生境利用样方与对照样方在隐蔽级上的差异极显著;在食物丰富度、草本盖度、距隐蔽物距离上的差异显著;在距水源距离、乔木盖度、距道路距离、距居民点距离上的差异不显著。(4)冬季再野化麋鹿倾向于选择距水源近、食物丰富度高、草本盖度高的生境。其生境利用样方与对照样方在食物丰富度、草本盖度、距水源距离上的差异极显著;在距道路距离、距居民点距离、距隐蔽物距离、隐蔽级上的差异不显著。研究结果揭示了洞庭湖区再野化麋鹿种群秋冬季生境选择偏好,为再野化麋鹿种群保护及其生境修复提供了基础数据。