Chemometric study of spatial variations of environmental and ecological characteristics in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) Estuary and adjacent waters

Chemometric approach based on principal component analysis（PCA） was utilized to examine the spatial variances of environmental and ecological characteristics in the Zhujiang River（Pearl River） Estuary and adjacent waters（ZREAW） in the South China Sea. The PCA result shows that the ZREAW can be divided into different zones according to the principal components and geographical locations of the study stations,and indicates that there are distinct regional variances on environmental features and the corresponding phytoplankton biomass and community structures among different areas. The spatial distribution of ecological features was implied to be influenced by various degrees of the different water resources,such as the Pearl River discharges,the coastal current and the oceanic water from the South China Sea. The variation of the biomass maximum zone and the complex impacts on the spatial distributions of phytoplankton biomass and production were also evaluated.

Ecological Distribution and Significance of Metadiaptomus asiaticus Uljanirs,a Copepod Recently Found on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

1 Introduction In 2006,plankton investigation was carried out in the lakes in Ali district,Tibet.7 planktonic crustaceans were identified and reported.Metadiaptomus asiaticus Uljanirs was reported for the first time on the QTP(Yuan et al.,2007).However,detailed data on this species,especially its ecological significance,were not mentioned.In this

Oil pollution experiment in marine-enclosed experimental ecosystem Ⅰ. Ecological distribution of hydrocarbon-degradation bacteria

On the basis of the investigation into ecological distribution degradation and the self-purification ability of hydrocarbons by microbes, this paper deals with the study of ecological distribution of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and its correlation with environmental factors in a marine-enclosed experimental ecosystem in the eastern part of the Xiamen Bay.

Distribution and ecological aspects of the Siphonophora in the middle of South China Sea

This paper reports species composition, horizontal distribution and seasonal variation of total individual and dominant species of the Siphonophora and their relationship to the environmental factors. Materials from the water layers within 0～200 m were collected during the periods of September, 1983, April and May, July and August, and December, 1984 in the study region (12°-19°30′N, 111°-118°E, Fig. 1).

Distribution of chlorophyll a and some ecological factors in the Daya Bay

The marine environment, productivity and potential biotic resources in the waters of the Daya Bay were investigated by South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica from 1984 to 1986. The present paper deals mainly with the annual variation and distribution characteristics in chlorophyll a and with some of the ecological factors involved in chlorophyll distribution within the bay. Correlation models are established and discussed. The results could be helpful for further probing into ecosystem and for the exploitation-utilization of aquatic resources in this region.

Ecological characteristics of the abundance and distribution of bacteria in the waters nearby the front of the Hangzhou Bay

Abundance of total bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, coliform and oil degradable bacteria and their relations with salinity and suspended matter in the frontal waters in the Hangzhou Bay are described. The results obtained show that the highest abundances of total bacteria , heterotrophic bacteria are encountered around the front and near the northern shore of the Hangzhou Bay, where a positive correlation ( r =0. 70) between the total bacteria abundance and the total suspended matter (TSM) is persent. Moreover,the abundance of oil degradable bacteria being an indicator of oil pollution, is also high in that region.

CCA Inferred Environmental Implications of Common Ostracods on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

103 surface sediment samples in 71 water bodies, such as lakes with different salinity, swamps, shallow puddles and rivers on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP）, were collected to study the ecological distribution of living ostracods and their environmental implications. Total of 12 genus and 45 species living ostracods are identified. According to the frequencies and abundance of ostracods occurrence, Limnocythere dubiosa, Limnocytherellina kunlunensis, llyocypris bradyi, Candona candida, Eucypris rischtanica and Leucocythere dilatata are the common species on the QTP, with occurrence frequency of more than 8 and abundance of more than 570 in the 71 water bodies. Among them, L. dubiosa, occurring in 28 water bodies with 2177 shells, is the most widely distributed ostracod in this research. Canonical Correspondence Analysis （CCA） indicates high correlation between species and environmental variables, suggesting that the occurrence of species is strongly related to the changes in ecological conditions of habitats. Among eight environmental factors, salinity and pH value are the most affective variables that influence the species occurrence. L. kunlunensis is positively correlated with salinity while E. rischtanica is negatively correlated with salinity. C. candida has a positive correlation with salinity, as does I. bradyi although there is not such a strong correlation. L. dubiosa displays a positive correlation with pH value. Consequently, we discuss the environmental implications of the common living ostracods on the QTP based on the CCA as well as the distribution of ostracod species in different salinity and pH values water. L. dubiosa, L. kunlunensis and E. rischtanica are euryhaline species, among which, L. dubiosa is the most adaptable species on the QTP with large occurrence in sundry salinity water and the most widely adaptive range for pH values. L. kunlunensis prefers to saline water while E. rischtanica prefers to fresh water. Both L. kunlunensis and E. rischtanica can live in water from faintly acid to alkaline, in contrast, L. dubiosa only appears in neutral and alkaline water bodies. L bradyi only occurs in fresh water and oligohaline water with a large pH tolerance range tolerance range from weakly acidic water to alkaline water weakly acidic water to alkaline water. C. Candida lives in freshwater, with pH value above eight. The six common species reach maximum abundance in alkaline water （pH 8-10） except for llyocypris bradyi.

A comprehensive review on Polyalthia longifolia

Herbal plants act as a significant source for discovering new compounds with potential therapeutic activities.Polyalthia longifolia,which is commonly known as an Indian mast tree,has various pharmacological properties,such as an anticancer,ulcer protective,hypoglycemic,hypotensive,a corrosion inhibitor,a bio-adsorbent,and few more.Moreover,it is known as false ashoka owing to its close resemblance with Saraca indica(ashoka tree).Various compounds have been reported from the extract of some parts of the plant,such as leaves,bark,root,and seeds.These extracts possess an ability to treat a number of human ailments,such as fever,ulcer,skin diseases,helminthiasis,and cardiac problems.Studies performed on the leave extract shows evidence that some compounds cause cell death in various cancer cell lines.The plant also has some biological applications,such as antibacterial,antiviral,and antimicrobial,which makes it clinically significant and useful.This review is an effort to explore and gather plant information in an organized manner.It reveals detailed information about the propagation,synonyms,vernaculars,varieties of plant,medicinal significance,ecology and distribution,botanical and ethnobotanical description,phytochemical constituents,and pharmacological activity of the plant.

Effects of Wetland Utilization Change on Spatial Distribution of Soil Nematodes in Heihe River Basin, Northwest China

The first account of the effects of wetland reclamation on soil nematode assemblages were provided, three sites in Heihe River Basin of Northwest China, that is grass wetland(GW), Tamarix chinensis wetland(TW) and crop wetland(CW) treatments, were compared. Results showed that the majority of soil nematodes were presented in the 0–20 cm soil layers in CW treatments, followed by in the 20–40 cm and 40–60 cm layers in GW treatments. Plant-feeding nametodes were the most abundant trophic groups in each treatment, where GW(91.0%) > TW(88.1%) > CW(53.5%). Generic richness(GR) was lower in the TW(16) than that in GW(23) and CW(25). The combination of enrichment index(EI) and structure index(SI) showed that the soil food web in GW was more structured, and those in TW was stressed, while the enrichment soil food web was presented in the CW treatment. Several ecological indices which reflected soil community structure, diversity, Shannon-Weaver diversity(H′), Evenness(J′), Richness(GR) and modified maturity index(MMI) were found to be effective for assessing the response of soil namatode communities to soil of saline wetland reclamation. Furthermore, saline wetland reclamation also exerted great influence on the soil physical and chemical properties(p H, Electric conductivity(EC), Total organic carbon(TOC), Total nitrogen(Total-N) and Nitrate Nitrogen(N-NO3–)). These results indicated that the wetland reclamation had significantly effects on soil nematode community structure and soil properties in this study.

Anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria： ecological distribution, metabolism, and microbial interactions

Anammox （ANaerobic AMMonia OXidation） is a newly discovered pathway in the nitrogen cycle. This discovery has increased our knowledge of the global nitrogen cycle and triggered intense interest for anammox-based applications. Anammox bacteria are almost ubiquitous in the suboxic zones of almost all types of natural ecosystems and contribute significant to the global total nitrogen loss. In this paper, their ecological distributions and contributions to the nitrogen loss in marine, wetland, terrestrial ecosystems, and even extreme environments were reviewed. The unique metabolic mechanism of anammox bacteria was well described, including the particular cellular structures and genome compositions, which indicate the special evolutionary status of anammox bacteria. Finally, the ecological interactions among anammox bacteria and other organisms were discussed based on substrate availability and spatial organizations. This review attempts to summarize the fundamental understanding of anammox, provide an up-to-date summary of the knowledge of the overall anammox status, and propose future prospects for anammox. Based on novel findings, the metagenome has become a powerful tool for the genomic analysis of communities containing anammox bacteria; the metabolic diversity and biogeochemistry in the global nitrogen budget require more comprehensive studies.

Fauna characteristics and ecological distribution of Carnivora and Artiodactyla in Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve,China

Niubeiliang National Nature Reserve(NNR,108°45p-109°04p E,33°47p-33°56p N)is located on the east-ern range of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province,China and spans the southern and northern slopes of Mt.Qinling.A transect survey and investigation were carried out in NNR to determine the fauna characteristics and ecological distribution of carnivora and artiodactyla from May 2003 to August 2004.The NNR has 18 mammals(carnivore and artiodactyl),two of which belong to the first class and seven to the second class of state key protected wildlife in China.The results of this study indicated that ungulates were abun-dant in the NNR,as all ungulates that were distributed within Mt.Qinling could be found within the reserve.However,only 45.5%of the carnivores distributed within Mt.Qinling were detected within the NNR.Among the mammals,there were 12 oriental species(66.7%),1 palearctic specie(5.5%)and 5 widely-distributed species(27.8%).The NNR is a crossing area of palearctic species and oriental species on the zoogeo-graphical regions,and it is a transitional area from the oriental realm to the palearctic realm.The results of the analysis on the ecological distribution of carnivore and artiodactyl in the area showed that their elevation ranges had large differences.The species whose elevation ranges above 1300 m,about 1000 m,and in 450-700 m occupied one third respectively.The results also indicated that species richness for the mam-mals in the NNR peaked at a middle elevation(rising at first,then descending with the increase in elevation).Not only on the southern slope,but also on the northern slope of Mt.Qinling,the number of species distributed in the area at 1800-2200 m a.s.l.was the largest(more than 80%),while the number of species distributed in the area above 2600 m a.s.l.was the smallest(about 50%).Elevation gradients of species richness for the mammals in the NNR also embodied the mammal distributions among the vegetation types.The number of species distributed in the mixed coniferous and broadleaf deciduous forest at middle elevations was the larg-est,while the number of species distributed in the broadleaf deciduous forest at middle and low elevations,subalpine coniferous forest,subalpine shrubbery and meadow was relatively smaller.

Myxomycetes associated with grasslands of the western central United States

The assemblages of myxomycetes associated with the three types of temperate grasslands(tall grass,mixed grass and short grass)found across the western central United States were examined by collecting samples for isolation of these organisms from nine study sites.Samples consisted of two types of ground litter,two types of aerial litter(dead but still attached plant parts)and dung.These were brought back to the laboratory and used to prepare a series of moist chamber cultures.These cultures yielded 1,301 collections of myxomycetes representing 59 species in 18 genera.Some collections could be identified only to genus and one in particular(Lepidoderma sp.)appears to be an undescribed taxon.Physarum spectabile was recorded for the first time in North America.Overall,only eight species(Badhamia melanospora,Didymium anellus,D.difforme,D.squamulosum,Perichaena depressa,Physarum cinereum,P.pusillum,and Stemonitis fusca)were recovered from all nine study sites and thus are considered to represent a core component of the myxomycete biota of temperate grasslands.