Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest chang...Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.展开更多
The article presents the biology of flowering and the daily dynamics of flowering of two species from the Lamiaceae family: ph. anisochila va ph. sogdiana of the distribution out in the Nuratau Mountains range.
Despite all efforts,long-term changes in the adult sex ratios of breeding duck populations are still unclear;this uncertainty is especially true for male-bias populations,which are often under the scrutiny of research...Despite all efforts,long-term changes in the adult sex ratios of breeding duck populations are still unclear;this uncertainty is especially true for male-bias populations,which are often under the scrutiny of researchers lacking convenient results for the active protection of endangered species.Species with male-bias populations are usually strongly affected by a decline in population size that leads to a higher extinction risk.In this study,we examined our long-term data of the abundance of breeding populations in six duck species(Mallard Anas platyrhynchos,Gadwall Mareca strepera,Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina,Common Pochard Aythya ferina,Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula,and Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula)from fishponds in South Bohemia,Czechia,between 2004 and 2022.This evidence was used to assess long-term changes in the adult sex ratio in these breeding populations and investigate the possible effects of the NAO index(North Atlantic Oscillation index)on them,indicating climate conditions in winter.We determined a long-term decrease of the proportion of females in the breeding season in two of the six examined species:Common Pochard and Red-crested Pochard,which is driven by the long-term increase in the number of males in contrast to the decreasing or stable number of females likely caused by different migration behaviours between females and males.In the case of Common Pochard,in breeding populations,we estimated 60-65%of males in the early 2000s rising to 75-80%in the early 2020s.However,we establish no significant effects linked to climate conditions of the previous winter in these species as a crucial cause of the changes of the proportion of females in the breeding population.展开更多
Natural regeneration is the basis of a dynamic and demographic balance of plant populations. The objective of this study was to assess the natural regeneration potential of woody species along secondary roads post-log...Natural regeneration is the basis of a dynamic and demographic balance of plant populations. The objective of this study was to assess the natural regeneration potential of woody species along secondary roads post-logging abandoned since 2008 and 2018. In the two Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC 2008 and AAC 2018), 24 regenerating sub-plots (i.e. 12 sub-plots for AAC 2008 and 12 sub-plots for AAC 2018) with a unit area of 5 m × 5 m were delimited with a total area of 0.06 ha (i.e. 0.03 ha for each AAC). The abundance and diversity of woody species were respectively inventoried and estimated. Two estimators of the specific richness were used to estimate the floristic diversity of each Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC). The results reveal globally 88 woody species in the AAC 2008 and 241 woody species in the AAC 2018, with respective average densities of 2933 stem/ha and 8033 stem/ha. There was a very highly significant difference between the mean densities of the two AAC (Kruskal-Wallis test;H = 2.36, p-value < 0.000). The results also highlight a great diversity and a relatively high abundance of woody species in the 2018 AAC compared to the 2008 AAC. Also, the spatial structuring of the sub-plots on the basis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrates that the floristic composition of the two AAC is globally different. The study suggests silvicultural interventions and the long-term assessment of regenerating woody species along abandoned secondary roads in order to guarantee the sustainable management of their population.展开更多
The dynamic structure of Mo-O species in Ag-Mo-P-O catalyst was studied by in situ confocal microprobe laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) and catalytic test. The results indicate Mo-O species of MoO3 transformed to Mo-O ...The dynamic structure of Mo-O species in Ag-Mo-P-O catalyst was studied by in situ confocal microprobe laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) and catalytic test. The results indicate Mo-O species of MoO3 transformed to Mo-O species of AgMoO2PO4 in C3H8/O2/N2 (3/1/4) flow at 773 K. This behavior is closely relative to oxidative dehydrogenation of propane and intrinsic properties of Mo-O species. The Mo-O species of AgMoO2PO4 may be active species for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane.展开更多
The flower-meristem-identity gene APETALA2(AP2), one of class-A genes, is involved in the establishment of the floral meristem and the forming of sepals and petals. Codon usage bias(CUB) identifies differences among s...The flower-meristem-identity gene APETALA2(AP2), one of class-A genes, is involved in the establishment of the floral meristem and the forming of sepals and petals. Codon usage bias(CUB) identifies differences among species, meanwhile dynamic analysis of base composition can identify the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary relationships of a specific gene. In this study, eight coding sequences(CDS) of AP2 gene were selected from different plant species using the Gen Bank database. Their nucleotide composition(GC content), genetic index, relative synonymous codon usage(RSCU) and relative codon usage bias(RCUB) were calculated with R Software to compare codon bias and base composition dynamics of AP2 gene codon usage patterns in different plant species. The results showed that the usage of AP2 gene codons from different plant species were influened by GC bias, especially GC3 s. Overall, base composition analysis indicated that the usage frequency of codon AT in the gene coding sequence was higher than GC among AP2 gene CDS from different plant species. Furthermore, most AP2 gene CDSs ended with AT; AGA, GCU and UGU had relatively high RSCU values as the most dominant codon; the usage characteristic of the AP2 gene codon in Malus domestica was similar to that of Vitis vinifera; Paeonia lactiflora was similar to Paeonia suffruticosa and Solanum lycopersicum was similar to Petunia×hybrida. There was a moderate preference in the usage of AP2 gene codon among different plant species from relatively low frequency of optimal codon(Fop) values and high effective number of codons(ENC) value. This study has revealed the usage characteristics of the AP2 gene codon from the comparision of AP2 gene codon preference and base dynamics in different plant species and provide a platform for further study towards transgenic engineering and codon optimization.展开更多
Riparian forests are classified as endangered ecosystems in general,particularly in sahelian countries like Burkina Faso because of human-induced alterations and civil engineering works.The modification of this import...Riparian forests are classified as endangered ecosystems in general,particularly in sahelian countries like Burkina Faso because of human-induced alterations and civil engineering works.The modification of this important habitat is continuing,with little attention being paid to the ecological or human consequences of these changes.The objective of this study is to describe the variation of woody species diversity and dynamic in riparian forests on different type of watercourse banks along phytogeographical gradient in Burkina Faso.All woody species were systematically measured in 90 sample plots with sides of 50 m × 20 m.Density,dominance,frequency and species and family importance values were computed to characterize the species composition.Different diver-sity indices were calculated to examine the heterogeneity of riparian forests.A total of 196 species representing 139 genera and 51 families were recorded in the overall riparian forests.The species richness of individuals with dbh ≥ 5cm increased significantly from the North to the South along the phytogeographical gradient and varied significantly between the different types of riparian forests.Similarity in tree species composition between riparian forests was low,which indicates high beta diversity and reflects differences in habitat conditions and topography.The structural characteristics varied significantly along the phyto-geographical gradient and between the different types of riparian forests.The diameter class distribution of trees in all riparian forests showed a reverse "J" shaped curve except riparian forest of stream indicating vegetation dominated by juvenile individuals.Considering the ecological importance of riparian forest,there is a need to delineate and classify them along watercourses throughout the country.展开更多
This paper discussed the keystone species concept and introduced the typical characteristics of keystone species and their identification in communities or ecosystems. Based on the research of the keystone species, th...This paper discussed the keystone species concept and introduced the typical characteristics of keystone species and their identification in communities or ecosystems. Based on the research of the keystone species, the concept of species importance (SI) was first advanced in this paper. The species importance can be simply understood as the important value of species in the ecosystem, which consists of three indexes: species structural important value (SIV), functional important value (FIV) and dynamical important value (DIV). With the indexes, the evaluation was also made on species importance of arbor trees in the Three-Hardwood forests (Fraxinus mandshurica, Juglans mandshurica, and Phellodendron amurense) ecosystem.展开更多
Cold atmospheric plasma shows a satisfactory ability to inactivate bacterial biofilms that are difficult to remove using conventional methods in some cases. However, the researches on the inactivation mechanism are no...Cold atmospheric plasma shows a satisfactory ability to inactivate bacterial biofilms that are difficult to remove using conventional methods in some cases. However, the researches on the inactivation mechanism are not quite sufficient. Poly-β-1–6-N-acetylglucosamine(PNAG),which is one of the important components in some biofilms, was used as the research subject,and the related mechanism of action triggered by different concentrations of the OH in plasma was studied using reactive molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that OH radicals could not only trigger the hydrogen abstraction reaction leading to cleavage of the PNAG molecular structure, but undergo an OH addition reaction with PNAG molecules. New reaction pathways appeared in the simulations as the OH concentration increased, but the reaction efficiency first increased and then decreased. The simulation study in this paper could, to some extent, help elucidate the microscopic mechanism of the interaction between OH radicals in plasma and bacterial biofilms at the atomic level.展开更多
Background: Schima genus of Theaceae is confined to subtropics and tropics of South, East and Southeast Asia.Thirteen species of Schima are distributed in subtropical China. Many of them appear as dominant canopy spec...Background: Schima genus of Theaceae is confined to subtropics and tropics of South, East and Southeast Asia.Thirteen species of Schima are distributed in subtropical China. Many of them appear as dominant canopy species in the subtropical forests. To date, Schima species richness distribution patterns of China have remained unknown.Meanwhile, there has been a longtime debate as to whether forests dominated by Schima species are early or late successional forests. We aim to clarify Schima species richness patterns and these species' roles in the forest succession and regeneration dynamics of the subtropical ecosystem in Yunnan Province, China.Method: We mapped Schima species richness distribution patterns in China. Based on 71 vegetation plots, we analyzed forest characteristics, population structure, and regeneration dynamics of Schima species in Yunnan.Results: Yunnan was found to harbor the greatest richness and the highest rarity-weighted richness of Schima species in the subtropical regions of China. We classified five primary and six secondary forest types containing Schima species as one of dominants. Yunnan had the high floristic diversity and varying stand structure of forests containing Schima species. The Schima species studied generally had a sporadic regeneration type and a long lifespan. Four species(Schima argentea, Schima villosa, Schima sinensis, Schima sericans) were shade-intolerant. But three species(Schima noronhae, Schima khasiana and Schima wallichii) were considered as bi-modal type species having shade-intolerant and shade-tolerant traits. Schima noronhae was seen to be a top dominant in late successional forests, while S. wallichii was found as a top-dominant in early or middle or late successional forests. S.khasiana, Schima villosa, Schima sinensis usually appeared as a top dominant in early or middle successional secondary forests, though they also presented as a second dominant in late-successional forests. Schima argentea and Schima sericans dominated only in the early or middle/seral successional forests. Schima species' regeneration establishment depended mainly on forest canopy gap formation through moderate human and natural disturbances.Conclusions: Yunnan has high species richness and rarity-weighted richness of Schima. Both moderate human and natural disturbances have provided regeneration niches for Schima species. Some of the Schima species studied as a second dominant(rare as the top-dominant) present in the late-successional forests. Some of them are more often as the top-dominant in early or middle successional forests, where as time goes by the dominance of Schima species would be replaced by their associated dominant taxa such as Castanopsis species.展开更多
Seventeen phytoplankton dominant species of 218 taxa were found to have contributed to more than 80% of the biomass after analysis of the January, 1955 to December, 1996 phytoplankton population at five stations in We...Seventeen phytoplankton dominant species of 218 taxa were found to have contributed to more than 80% of the biomass after analysis of the January, 1955 to December, 1996 phytoplankton population at five stations in West Lake after Qiantang River water had been drawn into the lake for a decade. The seasonal fluctuations were obvious; the maximum cell density of 90.91×10 7-93.58×10 7 cells/L and biomass of 57.41-58.61 mg/L occurred mainly in summer of 1996,largely as a result of the development of Lyngbya contorta, Merismopedia tenuissima, Oscillatoria limnetica, Spirulina laxissima and Scenedesmus quadricauda, etc. at Stations 2 and 4. At Station 1 located near the inlet for drawing water from the Qiantang River, the species number, cell density, biomass, chlorophyll a concentration and physico-chemical parameters (except for total nitrogen) were obviously greater than those at the other four stations, also greater than the corresponding parameters before the drawing of water from the Qiantang River into the lake. Compared with the results of study on the phytoplankton community in 1980 before the drawing of Qiantang River into the lake, the species number and the total individual density were increased, the dominant species changed somewhat, the biomass was decreased. The water quality was improved (especially at Station 1) after the drawing of river water into the lake. Based on criteria for evaluating trophic status, the biological and chemical indicators such as species composition and dominant species, and other parameters such as annual mean value cell densities (36.06×10 7-51.27×10 7 cells/L), biomass (29.03-39.74 mg/L), chl a concentrations (41.29-67.67μg/L), total nitrigen (1.72-2.89 mg/L), total phosphorus (0.12-0.16 mg/L) obtained at Stations 2, 3, 4 and 5, showed that West Lake is still at eutrophic lake.展开更多
Species abundance and seasonal succession of copepods in saline-alkaline ponds were studied in Zhaodian Fish Farm, Gaoqing County, Shandong Province, from 5 April 1997 to 1 September 1998. The results indicated that i...Species abundance and seasonal succession of copepods in saline-alkaline ponds were studied in Zhaodian Fish Farm, Gaoqing County, Shandong Province, from 5 April 1997 to 1 September 1998. The results indicated that in the conditions of salinity ranging from 1.36 to 20 g/L, total alkalinity changing from 2.4 to 7.2 mmol/L and pH 8–9, zooplankton in saline-alkaline ponds was composed of freshwater salt-tolerated species or halophile species, some of which are halobiont species and usually occurs in freshwater. In our study, copepods were predominant in many fish-culture ponds and all control ponds without fishes in spring, late autumn and early winter. Dominant species of copepods were Sinocalanus tenellus, Cyclops vicinus, Thermocyclops taiho- kuensis. The biomass of copepods in the control ponds without fishes was higher than that of the fish-culture ponds.展开更多
This study explores the relationship between the species composition of lichen and vascular plant species with microtopography at fine scale. We conducted our study in Hardengervidda National Park, Norway. Specificall...This study explores the relationship between the species composition of lichen and vascular plant species with microtopography at fine scale. We conducted our study in Hardengervidda National Park, Norway. Specifically, we aim to test whether the species richness of different plant lifeforms peaks at middle of the microtopography gradient, and then explain the observed patterns with an aid of snow cover gradient along microtopography and snow cover. We sampled 69 species of vascular plants and lichens in 151 plots of 4 m^2 along 23 transects during summer on Tronsbu, Sandhaug and Besso. Detrended correspondence analysis(DCA) was performed to explore how microtopographical gradient was related to the variation in the species composition. One-way ANOVA was performed to test the microtopographic variability in species richness.Afterwards, generalized linear model(GLM) was used to reveal species richness patterns along the snow cover gradient. The first axis in DCA represents the complex gradient from snow free ridge to wet snowbed habitats and the second axis represents a gradient from acidic to calcareous sites. Lichen’s species richness is greater in ridge than in snowbeds, while all other life forms follow the opposite trend. Species richness for total plant species, vascular plant species and herbaceous plant species increased with increase in weighted average snow indicator value(WASI), whilst species richness for lichen species declined substantially towards the maximum WASI value. In contrast, species richness for dwarf shrub species showed a unimodal relationship with WASI. This study shows that liquid water availability provides a good potential explanation for species composition and richness in mountains, which is controlled by snow cover and prevalent wind direction.展开更多
Thorn scrub vegetation in Mexico is distributed over 50 million ha, where native tree species are the source of forage, timber, firewood and charcoal. Research describing wood durability of species from this vegetatio...Thorn scrub vegetation in Mexico is distributed over 50 million ha, where native tree species are the source of forage, timber, firewood and charcoal. Research describing wood durability of species from this vegetation type has not been fully determined, nor classified according to international standards. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine and classify the natural durability of ten woody species. Their natural durability was determined according to the European Pre-Norm 807, the loss of dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyo) (MPa) was determined and wood mass loss (g) after being exposed to Trametes versicolor and Coniophora puteana fungi. Wood durability was classified accord- ing to the European Norm 350-1. Highly significant differences (p 〈 0.001) were found between the durability of woody species. The more durable species with lower MOEdyn lost were Condalia hooked (57.5% ± 0.6%), Havardia pallens (58.2% ± 0.4%) and Acacia schaffneri (58.9% ±6.3%). Species with lower mass loss after exposed to Coniophora puteana were Ebenopsis ebano (6.3% ±1.9%), Condalia hooked (8.6% ±2.3%) and Cordia boissieri (11.8% ±2.3%). E. ebano (7.1% ±2.4%), Condalia hooked (8.2% ± 2.5%) and Cordia boissieri (11.5% ± 3.1%) showed the lower mass lost after exposed to T. versicolor. According to European Norm 350-1, three woody species were classified as very durable and durable species.展开更多
Litter production and decomposition are critical to forest productivity,nutrient cycling,and carbon seques-tration in tropical woody ecosystems.However,nutrient release and leaf litter stoichiometry in tropical legume...Litter production and decomposition are critical to forest productivity,nutrient cycling,and carbon seques-tration in tropical woody ecosystems.However,nutrient release and leaf litter stoichiometry in tropical legume tree plantations over the long term after outplanting are poorly understood or even unknown.Toward improving our under-standing of the pattern of changes in the decomposition of N-fixing leaf litters and their possible impact on carbon stor-age,we measured litter production,mass loss and nutrient release for 240 d during litter decomposition for two tropical legume tree species(Plathymenia reticulata and Hymenaea courbaril),in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil.Litter production for P.reticulata was 5.689 kg ha^(−1) a^(−1) and 3.231 kg ha^(−1) a^(−1) for H.courbaril.The patterns of mass loss rates were similar;however,nutrient release was greater for P.reticulata,while H.courbaril showed immobilization of nutrients,especially for N,which increased by almost 20%in the early phase of decomposition followed by gradual release.Litter from the N-fixing species did differ in nutrient chemistries over time,which was not surprising given that initial nutrient concentrations varied broadly,except for C and P.Most of the nutrient concentrations increased as the remaining litter mass decreased in both species,except for C and K.The C:N and N:P ratios differed between the species,but N:P did not correlate to mass loss.Both species had N-rich leaves,but P.reticulata decomposition was very likely P-limited,while H.courbaril seemed to be co-limited by N and P.The results showed different patterns in nutrient release and the stoichi-ometry involved in the decomposition dynamics of the two tropical N-fixing species,even though they have similar litter decay rates.Both species,but especially P.reticulata,may help re-establish nutrient cycling in disturbed ecosystems.展开更多
Illegal wood harvesting, a factor that threats conservation efforts, was assessed in Chimanimani National Park (CNP), Zimbabwe, in April 2016. The study identified preferred indigenous woody species, determined the us...Illegal wood harvesting, a factor that threats conservation efforts, was assessed in Chimanimani National Park (CNP), Zimbabwe, in April 2016. The study identified preferred indigenous woody species, determined the uses, and collected local people’s perceptions on forest resource management by-laws and forest resource conservation in quantity. A three-stage sampling design was adopted;that is, 1) purposive sampling, where three wards (Chikukwa ward 11, Chikwakwa ward 17 and Ngorima ward 5b) were selected as study areas from a total of seventeen wards in Chimanimani District, 2) random sampling, where three villages [Batanai (75 households), Chikukwa (110 households) and Tamuka (46 households)], totalling 231 households, were selected from a total of 15 villages spread over the three wards. The third stage was the random of households where 46 questionnaires were administered and collected in the 3 randomly selected villages representing 20% of the targeted population. The study results highlighted that illegally harvested indigenous woody plants were principally for household uses. Preferred woody species included those of Brachystegia, Terminalia, Acacia, Bauhinia, Pericopsis, Combretum and Pericopsis genera. Quantities collected ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 tons of firewood monthly to 3 to 6 tons mostly for tobacco curing. Most respondents reported that by-laws were not effective in combating illegal wood harvesting. It was concluded that CNP woodlands are under stress due to illegal wood harvesting. It is recommended that a robust community-based strategy to conserve woody species and natural resource utilisation be developed.展开更多
In this work, we analyzed the impact of interventions on populations which exhibit unimodal dynamics. The six landmarks that characterize the “shape” of the unimodal reproduction curve f ( x ) of the difference equa...In this work, we analyzed the impact of interventions on populations which exhibit unimodal dynamics. The six landmarks that characterize the “shape” of the unimodal reproduction curve f ( x ) of the difference equation, X n+1 = f ( X n )?, are defined and used in order to examine and determine the behavior of dynamics of populations. By using the Li-Yorke criterion for determination of chaos we propose a qualitative intervention rule that can be applied without any explicit population equation. This proposed strategy for intervention brings out many interesting behaviors in population dynamics. A qualitative decision rule can be applied with a straight edge without any population equation and therefore offers a robust strategy for the management of populations.展开更多
Low-pressure air plasma cleaning is an effective method for removing organic contaminants on large-aperture optical components in situ in the inertial confinement fusion facility.Chemical reactions play a significant ...Low-pressure air plasma cleaning is an effective method for removing organic contaminants on large-aperture optical components in situ in the inertial confinement fusion facility.Chemical reactions play a significant role in plasma cleaning,which is a complex process involving abundant bond cleavage and species generation.In this work,experiments and reactive molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to unravel the reaction mechanism between the benchmark organic contaminants of dibutyl phthalate and air plasma.The optical emission spectroscopy was used to study the overall evolution behaviors of excited molecular species and radical signals from air plasma as a reference to simulations.Detailed reaction pathways were revealed and characterized,and specific intermediate radicals and products were analyzed during experiments and simulation.The reactive species in the air plasma,such as O,HO_(2)and O_(3)radicals,played a crucial role in cleaving organic molecular structures.Together,our findings provide an atomic-level understanding of complex reaction processes of low-pressure air plasma cleaning mechanisms and are essential for its application in industrial plasma cleaning.展开更多
The relationships between vegetation and environmental factors have always been a core concern of ecologists.The dynamic characteristics of plant communities during the growing season can directly reflect these relati...The relationships between vegetation and environmental factors have always been a core concern of ecologists.The dynamic characteristics of plant communities during the growing season can directly reflect these relation-ships,so we examined this issue for three typical ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau.During the growing season,the dominant species remained stable while non-dominant species changed significantly in the alpine meadow and alpine steppe and a mono-dominant community was found in the temperate desert shrub.Due to the seasonal variations of temperature and soil water content,plant species diversity varied significantly during the growing season.Patrick richness,Pielou evenness and Simpson diversity indices differed significantly in the alpine meadow and alpine steppe.The total biomass of these three ecosystems was the largest during the middle growing season.Biomass was greater in the alpine meadow than the alpine steeps or temperature desert.The root-to-shoot ratio was the lowest during the middle growing season for the alpine meadow and alpine steppe and largest during the early growing season for temperate desert shrub.RDA showed the belowground and total biomass were greatly affected by soil physicochemical factors.Multiple linear stepwise regression showed the above ground biomass was greatly affected by relative atmospheric humidity and belowground and total biomass were greatly affected by soil organic carbon,total nitrogen at 0-20 cm soil depth and pH at 10-20 cm soil depth.These findings pro-vide insights into understanding the relationships between vegetation and environmental factors and promote the sustainable utilization of local grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
基金funded by the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation Program (2022GXNSFAA035583 and 2020GXNSFAA159108)National Natural Science Foundation of China (32060305)+2 种基金Foundation of Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of Education, China (ERESEP 2021Z06)Chinese Forest Biodiversity Monitoring Network
文摘Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.
文摘The article presents the biology of flowering and the daily dynamics of flowering of two species from the Lamiaceae family: ph. anisochila va ph. sogdiana of the distribution out in the Nuratau Mountains range.
基金supported by the project 2021B0038 of the Internal Grant Agency of Faculty of Environmental Sciences,CZU Prague entitled“Effect of incubation behaviour on predation risk in ducks(Common Pochard Aythya ferina and Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula)in two different habitats”the project SS01010280 of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic entitled“Fishpond management optimization as a tool to biodiversity conservation under climate change”.
文摘Despite all efforts,long-term changes in the adult sex ratios of breeding duck populations are still unclear;this uncertainty is especially true for male-bias populations,which are often under the scrutiny of researchers lacking convenient results for the active protection of endangered species.Species with male-bias populations are usually strongly affected by a decline in population size that leads to a higher extinction risk.In this study,we examined our long-term data of the abundance of breeding populations in six duck species(Mallard Anas platyrhynchos,Gadwall Mareca strepera,Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina,Common Pochard Aythya ferina,Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula,and Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula)from fishponds in South Bohemia,Czechia,between 2004 and 2022.This evidence was used to assess long-term changes in the adult sex ratio in these breeding populations and investigate the possible effects of the NAO index(North Atlantic Oscillation index)on them,indicating climate conditions in winter.We determined a long-term decrease of the proportion of females in the breeding season in two of the six examined species:Common Pochard and Red-crested Pochard,which is driven by the long-term increase in the number of males in contrast to the decreasing or stable number of females likely caused by different migration behaviours between females and males.In the case of Common Pochard,in breeding populations,we estimated 60-65%of males in the early 2000s rising to 75-80%in the early 2020s.However,we establish no significant effects linked to climate conditions of the previous winter in these species as a crucial cause of the changes of the proportion of females in the breeding population.
文摘Natural regeneration is the basis of a dynamic and demographic balance of plant populations. The objective of this study was to assess the natural regeneration potential of woody species along secondary roads post-logging abandoned since 2008 and 2018. In the two Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC 2008 and AAC 2018), 24 regenerating sub-plots (i.e. 12 sub-plots for AAC 2008 and 12 sub-plots for AAC 2018) with a unit area of 5 m × 5 m were delimited with a total area of 0.06 ha (i.e. 0.03 ha for each AAC). The abundance and diversity of woody species were respectively inventoried and estimated. Two estimators of the specific richness were used to estimate the floristic diversity of each Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC). The results reveal globally 88 woody species in the AAC 2008 and 241 woody species in the AAC 2018, with respective average densities of 2933 stem/ha and 8033 stem/ha. There was a very highly significant difference between the mean densities of the two AAC (Kruskal-Wallis test;H = 2.36, p-value < 0.000). The results also highlight a great diversity and a relatively high abundance of woody species in the 2018 AAC compared to the 2008 AAC. Also, the spatial structuring of the sub-plots on the basis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrates that the floristic composition of the two AAC is globally different. The study suggests silvicultural interventions and the long-term assessment of regenerating woody species along abandoned secondary roads in order to guarantee the sustainable management of their population.
文摘The dynamic structure of Mo-O species in Ag-Mo-P-O catalyst was studied by in situ confocal microprobe laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) and catalytic test. The results indicate Mo-O species of MoO3 transformed to Mo-O species of AgMoO2PO4 in C3H8/O2/N2 (3/1/4) flow at 773 K. This behavior is closely relative to oxidative dehydrogenation of propane and intrinsic properties of Mo-O species. The Mo-O species of AgMoO2PO4 may be active species for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31372097)the Agricultural Science&Technology Independent Innovation Fund of Jiangsu Province,China(CX(13)2014)
文摘The flower-meristem-identity gene APETALA2(AP2), one of class-A genes, is involved in the establishment of the floral meristem and the forming of sepals and petals. Codon usage bias(CUB) identifies differences among species, meanwhile dynamic analysis of base composition can identify the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary relationships of a specific gene. In this study, eight coding sequences(CDS) of AP2 gene were selected from different plant species using the Gen Bank database. Their nucleotide composition(GC content), genetic index, relative synonymous codon usage(RSCU) and relative codon usage bias(RCUB) were calculated with R Software to compare codon bias and base composition dynamics of AP2 gene codon usage patterns in different plant species. The results showed that the usage of AP2 gene codons from different plant species were influened by GC bias, especially GC3 s. Overall, base composition analysis indicated that the usage frequency of codon AT in the gene coding sequence was higher than GC among AP2 gene CDS from different plant species. Furthermore, most AP2 gene CDSs ended with AT; AGA, GCU and UGU had relatively high RSCU values as the most dominant codon; the usage characteristic of the AP2 gene codon in Malus domestica was similar to that of Vitis vinifera; Paeonia lactiflora was similar to Paeonia suffruticosa and Solanum lycopersicum was similar to Petunia×hybrida. There was a moderate preference in the usage of AP2 gene codon among different plant species from relatively low frequency of optimal codon(Fop) values and high effective number of codons(ENC) value. This study has revealed the usage characteristics of the AP2 gene codon from the comparision of AP2 gene codon preference and base dynamics in different plant species and provide a platform for further study towards transgenic engineering and codon optimization.
基金supported by University of Frankfurt and BIOTA West project
文摘Riparian forests are classified as endangered ecosystems in general,particularly in sahelian countries like Burkina Faso because of human-induced alterations and civil engineering works.The modification of this important habitat is continuing,with little attention being paid to the ecological or human consequences of these changes.The objective of this study is to describe the variation of woody species diversity and dynamic in riparian forests on different type of watercourse banks along phytogeographical gradient in Burkina Faso.All woody species were systematically measured in 90 sample plots with sides of 50 m × 20 m.Density,dominance,frequency and species and family importance values were computed to characterize the species composition.Different diver-sity indices were calculated to examine the heterogeneity of riparian forests.A total of 196 species representing 139 genera and 51 families were recorded in the overall riparian forests.The species richness of individuals with dbh ≥ 5cm increased significantly from the North to the South along the phytogeographical gradient and varied significantly between the different types of riparian forests.Similarity in tree species composition between riparian forests was low,which indicates high beta diversity and reflects differences in habitat conditions and topography.The structural characteristics varied significantly along the phyto-geographical gradient and between the different types of riparian forests.The diameter class distribution of trees in all riparian forests showed a reverse "J" shaped curve except riparian forest of stream indicating vegetation dominated by juvenile individuals.Considering the ecological importance of riparian forest,there is a need to delineate and classify them along watercourses throughout the country.
基金The paper was supported by science foundation of Changbai Mountain Open Research Station Chinese Academy of Sci-ences and Heilongjiang Natural Science Foundation (C00-01).
文摘This paper discussed the keystone species concept and introduced the typical characteristics of keystone species and their identification in communities or ecosystems. Based on the research of the keystone species, the concept of species importance (SI) was first advanced in this paper. The species importance can be simply understood as the important value of species in the ecosystem, which consists of three indexes: species structural important value (SIV), functional important value (FIV) and dynamical important value (DIV). With the indexes, the evaluation was also made on species importance of arbor trees in the Three-Hardwood forests (Fraxinus mandshurica, Juglans mandshurica, and Phellodendron amurense) ecosystem.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11675095)the Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University(Grant No.2017JC017)。
文摘Cold atmospheric plasma shows a satisfactory ability to inactivate bacterial biofilms that are difficult to remove using conventional methods in some cases. However, the researches on the inactivation mechanism are not quite sufficient. Poly-β-1–6-N-acetylglucosamine(PNAG),which is one of the important components in some biofilms, was used as the research subject,and the related mechanism of action triggered by different concentrations of the OH in plasma was studied using reactive molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that OH radicals could not only trigger the hydrogen abstraction reaction leading to cleavage of the PNAG molecular structure, but undergo an OH addition reaction with PNAG molecules. New reaction pathways appeared in the simulations as the OH concentration increased, but the reaction efficiency first increased and then decreased. The simulation study in this paper could, to some extent, help elucidate the microscopic mechanism of the interaction between OH radicals in plasma and bacterial biofilms at the atomic level.
基金financially supported by Ministry of Science and Technology,China (Project No.2015FY210200–15)。
文摘Background: Schima genus of Theaceae is confined to subtropics and tropics of South, East and Southeast Asia.Thirteen species of Schima are distributed in subtropical China. Many of them appear as dominant canopy species in the subtropical forests. To date, Schima species richness distribution patterns of China have remained unknown.Meanwhile, there has been a longtime debate as to whether forests dominated by Schima species are early or late successional forests. We aim to clarify Schima species richness patterns and these species' roles in the forest succession and regeneration dynamics of the subtropical ecosystem in Yunnan Province, China.Method: We mapped Schima species richness distribution patterns in China. Based on 71 vegetation plots, we analyzed forest characteristics, population structure, and regeneration dynamics of Schima species in Yunnan.Results: Yunnan was found to harbor the greatest richness and the highest rarity-weighted richness of Schima species in the subtropical regions of China. We classified five primary and six secondary forest types containing Schima species as one of dominants. Yunnan had the high floristic diversity and varying stand structure of forests containing Schima species. The Schima species studied generally had a sporadic regeneration type and a long lifespan. Four species(Schima argentea, Schima villosa, Schima sinensis, Schima sericans) were shade-intolerant. But three species(Schima noronhae, Schima khasiana and Schima wallichii) were considered as bi-modal type species having shade-intolerant and shade-tolerant traits. Schima noronhae was seen to be a top dominant in late successional forests, while S. wallichii was found as a top-dominant in early or middle or late successional forests. S.khasiana, Schima villosa, Schima sinensis usually appeared as a top dominant in early or middle successional secondary forests, though they also presented as a second dominant in late-successional forests. Schima argentea and Schima sericans dominated only in the early or middle/seral successional forests. Schima species' regeneration establishment depended mainly on forest canopy gap formation through moderate human and natural disturbances.Conclusions: Yunnan has high species richness and rarity-weighted richness of Schima. Both moderate human and natural disturbances have provided regeneration niches for Schima species. Some of the Schima species studied as a second dominant(rare as the top-dominant) present in the late-successional forests. Some of them are more often as the top-dominant in early or middle successional forests, where as time goes by the dominance of Schima species would be replaced by their associated dominant taxa such as Castanopsis species.
基金NSFC (No .3 9670 15 5 )and"StudiesofphytoplanktoncommunityintheWestLakeafterwaterwasdrawnfromtheQiantangRiver"bytheInstituteofEnvironmentalScience ,Hangzhou ,China
文摘Seventeen phytoplankton dominant species of 218 taxa were found to have contributed to more than 80% of the biomass after analysis of the January, 1955 to December, 1996 phytoplankton population at five stations in West Lake after Qiantang River water had been drawn into the lake for a decade. The seasonal fluctuations were obvious; the maximum cell density of 90.91×10 7-93.58×10 7 cells/L and biomass of 57.41-58.61 mg/L occurred mainly in summer of 1996,largely as a result of the development of Lyngbya contorta, Merismopedia tenuissima, Oscillatoria limnetica, Spirulina laxissima and Scenedesmus quadricauda, etc. at Stations 2 and 4. At Station 1 located near the inlet for drawing water from the Qiantang River, the species number, cell density, biomass, chlorophyll a concentration and physico-chemical parameters (except for total nitrogen) were obviously greater than those at the other four stations, also greater than the corresponding parameters before the drawing of water from the Qiantang River into the lake. Compared with the results of study on the phytoplankton community in 1980 before the drawing of Qiantang River into the lake, the species number and the total individual density were increased, the dominant species changed somewhat, the biomass was decreased. The water quality was improved (especially at Station 1) after the drawing of river water into the lake. Based on criteria for evaluating trophic status, the biological and chemical indicators such as species composition and dominant species, and other parameters such as annual mean value cell densities (36.06×10 7-51.27×10 7 cells/L), biomass (29.03-39.74 mg/L), chl a concentrations (41.29-67.67μg/L), total nitrigen (1.72-2.89 mg/L), total phosphorus (0.12-0.16 mg/L) obtained at Stations 2, 3, 4 and 5, showed that West Lake is still at eutrophic lake.
基金The National Funds from Ministry of Agriculture of China (960080401) and the National Young Scientist Fund (39725023).
文摘Species abundance and seasonal succession of copepods in saline-alkaline ponds were studied in Zhaodian Fish Farm, Gaoqing County, Shandong Province, from 5 April 1997 to 1 September 1998. The results indicated that in the conditions of salinity ranging from 1.36 to 20 g/L, total alkalinity changing from 2.4 to 7.2 mmol/L and pH 8–9, zooplankton in saline-alkaline ponds was composed of freshwater salt-tolerated species or halophile species, some of which are halobiont species and usually occurs in freshwater. In our study, copepods were predominant in many fish-culture ponds and all control ponds without fishes in spring, late autumn and early winter. Dominant species of copepods were Sinocalanus tenellus, Cyclops vicinus, Thermocyclops taiho- kuensis. The biomass of copepods in the control ponds without fishes was higher than that of the fish-culture ponds.
基金Tone Martinessen for their field assistantship and Madan Krishna Suwal,for preparing study area map.We would like to acknowledge the Key Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.KFZD-SW-319)Ecopotential Project H 2020,Ecological and Environmental Change Research Group(EECRG)and the European Research Council(ERC)under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme(grant agreement No 741413)for financing this work.The first author would like to acknowledge Chinese Academy of Sciences-The World Academy of Sciences(CASTWAS)President Fellowship Programme for providing scholarship to pursue PhD.
文摘This study explores the relationship between the species composition of lichen and vascular plant species with microtopography at fine scale. We conducted our study in Hardengervidda National Park, Norway. Specifically, we aim to test whether the species richness of different plant lifeforms peaks at middle of the microtopography gradient, and then explain the observed patterns with an aid of snow cover gradient along microtopography and snow cover. We sampled 69 species of vascular plants and lichens in 151 plots of 4 m^2 along 23 transects during summer on Tronsbu, Sandhaug and Besso. Detrended correspondence analysis(DCA) was performed to explore how microtopographical gradient was related to the variation in the species composition. One-way ANOVA was performed to test the microtopographic variability in species richness.Afterwards, generalized linear model(GLM) was used to reveal species richness patterns along the snow cover gradient. The first axis in DCA represents the complex gradient from snow free ridge to wet snowbed habitats and the second axis represents a gradient from acidic to calcareous sites. Lichen’s species richness is greater in ridge than in snowbeds, while all other life forms follow the opposite trend. Species richness for total plant species, vascular plant species and herbaceous plant species increased with increase in weighted average snow indicator value(WASI), whilst species richness for lichen species declined substantially towards the maximum WASI value. In contrast, species richness for dwarf shrub species showed a unimodal relationship with WASI. This study shows that liquid water availability provides a good potential explanation for species composition and richness in mountains, which is controlled by snow cover and prevalent wind direction.
基金supported by the Professors improvement Program (PROMEP) and the Science and Technology Support Research Program (Granted to the first author PAICyT)
文摘Thorn scrub vegetation in Mexico is distributed over 50 million ha, where native tree species are the source of forage, timber, firewood and charcoal. Research describing wood durability of species from this vegetation type has not been fully determined, nor classified according to international standards. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine and classify the natural durability of ten woody species. Their natural durability was determined according to the European Pre-Norm 807, the loss of dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEdyo) (MPa) was determined and wood mass loss (g) after being exposed to Trametes versicolor and Coniophora puteana fungi. Wood durability was classified accord- ing to the European Norm 350-1. Highly significant differences (p 〈 0.001) were found between the durability of woody species. The more durable species with lower MOEdyn lost were Condalia hooked (57.5% ± 0.6%), Havardia pallens (58.2% ± 0.4%) and Acacia schaffneri (58.9% ±6.3%). Species with lower mass loss after exposed to Coniophora puteana were Ebenopsis ebano (6.3% ±1.9%), Condalia hooked (8.6% ±2.3%) and Cordia boissieri (11.8% ±2.3%). E. ebano (7.1% ±2.4%), Condalia hooked (8.2% ± 2.5%) and Cordia boissieri (11.5% ± 3.1%) showed the lower mass lost after exposed to T. versicolor. According to European Norm 350-1, three woody species were classified as very durable and durable species.
基金This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico(141513/2017-9)Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de AmparoàPesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro(E26/200.84/2019)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior(88881.361830/2019-01).
文摘Litter production and decomposition are critical to forest productivity,nutrient cycling,and carbon seques-tration in tropical woody ecosystems.However,nutrient release and leaf litter stoichiometry in tropical legume tree plantations over the long term after outplanting are poorly understood or even unknown.Toward improving our under-standing of the pattern of changes in the decomposition of N-fixing leaf litters and their possible impact on carbon stor-age,we measured litter production,mass loss and nutrient release for 240 d during litter decomposition for two tropical legume tree species(Plathymenia reticulata and Hymenaea courbaril),in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil.Litter production for P.reticulata was 5.689 kg ha^(−1) a^(−1) and 3.231 kg ha^(−1) a^(−1) for H.courbaril.The patterns of mass loss rates were similar;however,nutrient release was greater for P.reticulata,while H.courbaril showed immobilization of nutrients,especially for N,which increased by almost 20%in the early phase of decomposition followed by gradual release.Litter from the N-fixing species did differ in nutrient chemistries over time,which was not surprising given that initial nutrient concentrations varied broadly,except for C and P.Most of the nutrient concentrations increased as the remaining litter mass decreased in both species,except for C and K.The C:N and N:P ratios differed between the species,but N:P did not correlate to mass loss.Both species had N-rich leaves,but P.reticulata decomposition was very likely P-limited,while H.courbaril seemed to be co-limited by N and P.The results showed different patterns in nutrient release and the stoichi-ometry involved in the decomposition dynamics of the two tropical N-fixing species,even though they have similar litter decay rates.Both species,but especially P.reticulata,may help re-establish nutrient cycling in disturbed ecosystems.
文摘Illegal wood harvesting, a factor that threats conservation efforts, was assessed in Chimanimani National Park (CNP), Zimbabwe, in April 2016. The study identified preferred indigenous woody species, determined the uses, and collected local people’s perceptions on forest resource management by-laws and forest resource conservation in quantity. A three-stage sampling design was adopted;that is, 1) purposive sampling, where three wards (Chikukwa ward 11, Chikwakwa ward 17 and Ngorima ward 5b) were selected as study areas from a total of seventeen wards in Chimanimani District, 2) random sampling, where three villages [Batanai (75 households), Chikukwa (110 households) and Tamuka (46 households)], totalling 231 households, were selected from a total of 15 villages spread over the three wards. The third stage was the random of households where 46 questionnaires were administered and collected in the 3 randomly selected villages representing 20% of the targeted population. The study results highlighted that illegally harvested indigenous woody plants were principally for household uses. Preferred woody species included those of Brachystegia, Terminalia, Acacia, Bauhinia, Pericopsis, Combretum and Pericopsis genera. Quantities collected ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 tons of firewood monthly to 3 to 6 tons mostly for tobacco curing. Most respondents reported that by-laws were not effective in combating illegal wood harvesting. It was concluded that CNP woodlands are under stress due to illegal wood harvesting. It is recommended that a robust community-based strategy to conserve woody species and natural resource utilisation be developed.
文摘In this work, we analyzed the impact of interventions on populations which exhibit unimodal dynamics. The six landmarks that characterize the “shape” of the unimodal reproduction curve f ( x ) of the difference equation, X n+1 = f ( X n )?, are defined and used in order to examine and determine the behavior of dynamics of populations. By using the Li-Yorke criterion for determination of chaos we propose a qualitative intervention rule that can be applied without any explicit population equation. This proposed strategy for intervention brings out many interesting behaviors in population dynamics. A qualitative decision rule can be applied with a straight edge without any population equation and therefore offers a robust strategy for the management of populations.
基金the Joint Funds of National Natural Science Foundation of China and China Academy of Engineering Physics(NSAF)(No.U2030109)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52075129)。
文摘Low-pressure air plasma cleaning is an effective method for removing organic contaminants on large-aperture optical components in situ in the inertial confinement fusion facility.Chemical reactions play a significant role in plasma cleaning,which is a complex process involving abundant bond cleavage and species generation.In this work,experiments and reactive molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to unravel the reaction mechanism between the benchmark organic contaminants of dibutyl phthalate and air plasma.The optical emission spectroscopy was used to study the overall evolution behaviors of excited molecular species and radical signals from air plasma as a reference to simulations.Detailed reaction pathways were revealed and characterized,and specific intermediate radicals and products were analyzed during experiments and simulation.The reactive species in the air plasma,such as O,HO_(2)and O_(3)radicals,played a crucial role in cleaving organic molecular structures.Together,our findings provide an atomic-level understanding of complex reaction processes of low-pressure air plasma cleaning mechanisms and are essential for its application in industrial plasma cleaning.
基金This research was funded by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(Grant No.2019QZKK0405)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41771325,41171445).
文摘The relationships between vegetation and environmental factors have always been a core concern of ecologists.The dynamic characteristics of plant communities during the growing season can directly reflect these relation-ships,so we examined this issue for three typical ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau.During the growing season,the dominant species remained stable while non-dominant species changed significantly in the alpine meadow and alpine steppe and a mono-dominant community was found in the temperate desert shrub.Due to the seasonal variations of temperature and soil water content,plant species diversity varied significantly during the growing season.Patrick richness,Pielou evenness and Simpson diversity indices differed significantly in the alpine meadow and alpine steppe.The total biomass of these three ecosystems was the largest during the middle growing season.Biomass was greater in the alpine meadow than the alpine steeps or temperature desert.The root-to-shoot ratio was the lowest during the middle growing season for the alpine meadow and alpine steppe and largest during the early growing season for temperate desert shrub.RDA showed the belowground and total biomass were greatly affected by soil physicochemical factors.Multiple linear stepwise regression showed the above ground biomass was greatly affected by relative atmospheric humidity and belowground and total biomass were greatly affected by soil organic carbon,total nitrogen at 0-20 cm soil depth and pH at 10-20 cm soil depth.These findings pro-vide insights into understanding the relationships between vegetation and environmental factors and promote the sustainable utilization of local grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau.