The survey on bird communities was conducted by the belt-style method in six different sample plots in the Honghua抏rji Forests area in the northern Inner Mongolia in June 2001 and totally 28 bird species were recorde...The survey on bird communities was conducted by the belt-style method in six different sample plots in the Honghua抏rji Forests area in the northern Inner Mongolia in June 2001 and totally 28 bird species were recorded. Vegetation investigation was carried out in five 10 m×10 m quadrats at each plot. The asymptotic regression function formulae were adopted to identify the relationships between the vegetation coverage and the numbers of bird species and individuals. The analytical results showed that the changes of species number and density of bird as well as the formation of bird communities follow the changes of forest type and the total foliage. Both the number of bird species and their density decreased with the de-crease of total foliage. The similarity of bird community was very low at the breeding time. In the same classification of cluster, no similarity was higher than 0.65, which indicated that the composition of species had a great difference between all the bird communities. The bird breeding density was closely related to forest growth stage. From the bare grassland ecosystem to cli-max ecosystem, the density of bird species showed a gradually increasing trend.展开更多
Based on the vertical stratification type of vegetation in the 48 plots (15m×15 m) in Hetian Town, Changting County, Fujian Province, this study was conduct ed to determine the overall vegetation fractional cov...Based on the vertical stratification type of vegetation in the 48 plots (15m×15 m) in Hetian Town, Changting County, Fujian Province, this study was conduct ed to determine the overall vegetation fractional coverage (VFC), litter thickness, soi particle size distribution and nutrient content at different vertical level, analyze the correlations between vegetation characters and soil properties, and compare the dif ferences in the VFC, litter thickness, soil particle size distribution and nutrient con- tent among different erosion degrees and vertical structure types. The result., showed that the VFC and litter thickness were all negatively related to erosion de gree; they were positively related to soil organic matter content, total nitrogen con- tent and total phosphorus content, but not significantly correlated with soil tota potassium content. When the VFC was higher than 50% and litter thickness wa.' higher than 20 ram, the water and soil could be effectively conserved; and the plan litter showed better water and soil conservation effect than the upper vegetation o~ canopy layer. In the vertical structure types of different vegetations, the forest-shrub grass, forest-shrub, shrub-grass and pure grass all could promote vegetation growth improve soil structure and maintain soil fertility.展开更多
A surface variable, density of water-feather touching points (Dp) was proposed in this paper to express surface property of water repellency of contour feather. Tests in 29 species using breast contour feathers indi...A surface variable, density of water-feather touching points (Dp) was proposed in this paper to express surface property of water repellency of contour feather. Tests in 29 species using breast contour feathers indicated that Dp was small in tericolous species, medium in wading and diving species, large in swimming species, with only a few exceptions. This implied that birds achieve appropriate Dp by optimizing the microstructure of feather to meet the requirement of water repellency. Therefore, Dp was a morphological marker linking structure and function of feather in studies of adaptive evolution of birds.展开更多
Floristic composition and vegetation structure were described for the woodland vegetation around Dello Menna, Bale zone, southeast Ethiopia. A total 50 (20 m ×20 m) quadrats were sampled to identify and describ...Floristic composition and vegetation structure were described for the woodland vegetation around Dello Menna, Bale zone, southeast Ethiopia. A total 50 (20 m ×20 m) quadrats were sampled to identify and describe plant community types, species diversity, richness and evenness and to relate the identified plant community types with some environ- mental factors and describe the population structure of woody plant species. In each quadrrat, data on species identity, abundance, height and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) of woody plant species, altitude and slope were recorded. Vegetation classification was performed using PC - ORD software package. Sorensen's similarity coefficient was used to detect dissimilarities among communities. Shannon - Wiener diversity index, species richness and Shannon's evenness were computed to de- scribe species diversity of the plant community types. Results show that a total of 171 vascular plant species representing 53 families were re- corded. Fabaceae is the dominant family represented by 13 genera and 26 species (15%) followed by Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Anacardiaceae with eight species each (4.6%). Based on the results of vegetation classi- fication, three plant communities (Dalbergia microphylla community, Grewia bicolar- Acacia brevispica community, and Combretum molle- Combretum collinum community) are recognized and described. Species richness, diversity and evenness varied among the plant communities.Species richness and diversity exhibit a bell - shaped pattern along alti- tude. Species turn over among communities more or less follow altitud- inal gradients. Tukey's pairwise comparison of means among the plant community types shows significant variations in altitude, implying that altitude is one of the most important factors determining the distribution of plant communities. The community Dalbergia microphylla type exhibits the highest species richness and diversity. Analysis of population structure of the dominant species reveals various patterns. Future research directions and recommendations are suggested for the sustainable utilization.展开更多
Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on species diversity and vegetation structure of a lowland tropical rainforest was studied in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya, India. Tree species richness,density, basal area and...Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on species diversity and vegetation structure of a lowland tropical rainforest was studied in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya, India. Tree species richness,density, basal area and the diversity indices were found significantly(P<0.05) decreased with the increasing level of disturbances whereas, shrub density, basal area and herb density significantly increased with increasing disturbance level. In case of shrubs, Simpson's dominance index significantly(P<0.007) increased along the disturbance gradient,whereas Pielou's evenness index significantly(P<0.005) decreased with an increasing level of disturbance. Shannon-Weiner diversity index for herbs significantly(P<0.016) increased with increasing disturbance whereas, Simpson's dominance index was significantly(P<0.013) declined along the disturbance gradient. Results revealed that10-50 cm dbh classes constituted the highest stem density, and highest basal area was recorded in the >100 cm dbh class in all three sites. Density of the matured trees decreased with increasing DBH whereas, tree basal area tended to increase with increasing DBH in all three sites. Tree species richness was highest in the lower DBH classes.62.07% of the total tree species regenerated in the largely undisturbed site followed by 50% in the mildly disturbed and 26.32% in the highly disturbed site.The overall regeneration condition was found to be good in the largely undisturbed site. Mildly disturbed site exhibited fair regeneration and so was in the highly disturbed site. Discernable variations in species composition, diversity, regeneration and tree population structure revealed the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on rainforest vegetation dynamics. Higher degree of disturbance was furtherly found not only affecting species diversity but also promoting the growth of invasive weed species.Dominance of Hydnocarpus kurzii and Crypteronia paniculata in the highly disturbed site also indicated that these less-valued timber species may benefit from the vegetation mosaic produced by the disturbance; so differences in abundance of these species may be useful for bio-indication. Furthermore,present study suggests the need of adequate biodiversity conservation measures and adaptation of sustainable forest management approaches in disturbed areas of lowland tropical rainforest in the foothills of eastern Himalaya, India.展开更多
A known species, Physarum melleum, was found fruiting on living leaves of Dendrobium candidum, which was collected in China in 2004. Its morphological characters were revealed by light microscopy (LM), environmental s...A known species, Physarum melleum, was found fruiting on living leaves of Dendrobium candidum, which was collected in China in 2004. Its morphological characters were revealed by light microscopy (LM), environmental scanning elec- tron microscopy (ESEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Character variations were distinguished by its olive-yellow peridium and its always thinner capillitium containing globulose granular material between the large calcareous nodes. The cal- cium carbonate granules, deposited on stalks, peridium and hypothallus as well as within stalks, were globose and smooth.展开更多
Passive house has been constructed in China on a large-scale over the past couple years for its great energy saving potential.However,research indicates that there is a significant discrepancy in energy performance fo...Passive house has been constructed in China on a large-scale over the past couple years for its great energy saving potential.However,research indicates that there is a significant discrepancy in energy performance for heating and cooling between passive houses in different climate zones.Therefore,this research develops a comparative analysis on the energy saving potential of passive houses with the conventional around China.A sensitivity analysis of thermal characteristics of building envelope(insulation of exterior walls and windows,and airtightness)on energy consumption is further carried out to improve the climate adaptability of passive house.Moreover,the variation of energy consumption under different heat gain intensity is also compared,to evaluate the effects of envelope thermal characteristics comprehensively.Results suggest that the decrease of exterior wall insulation leads to the greatest increase in energy consumption,especially in severe cold zone in China.However,the optimal insulation may change with the internal heat gain intensity,for instance,the decrease of insulation(from 0.4 to 1.0 W/(m^(2)·K))could reduce the energy consumption by 4.65 kW·h/(m^(2)·a)when the heat gain increases to 20 W/m^(2)for buildings in Hot Summer and Cold Winter zone in China.展开更多
The performance-based passive control analysis of the Maxwell dampers between one 10-story and one 6-story adjacent RC frames is conducted in this work.Not only the optimal parameters but also the optimal arrangements...The performance-based passive control analysis of the Maxwell dampers between one 10-story and one 6-story adjacent RC frames is conducted in this work.Not only the optimal parameters but also the optimal arrangements of the Maxwell dampers are proposed based on the optimal target of making the total exceeding probability of the adjacent structures to be minimal.The applicability of the analytical expressions of the Maxwell damper damping parameters under different seismic performance targets are firstly examined and then the preferable damping parameters of the Maxwell dampers are proposed through the extensive parametric studies.Furthermore,the optimal arranging positions and optimal arranging numbers of the Maxwell dampers between the adjacent buildings are derived based on a large number of seismic fragility analyses,as well.The general arranging laws of the Maxwell dampers between the adjacent buildings are generated based on the discussion of the theoretical method through the simplified plane model.The optimal parameters and optimal arrangement of the Maxwell dampers presented make both the adjacent structures have preferable controlled effects under each seismic performance target which can satisfy the requirements of multi-performance seismic resistance of the modern seismic codes.展开更多
Extreme coastal events require careful prediction of wave forces. Recent tsunamis have resulted in extensive damage of coastal structures. Such scenarios are the result of the action of long waves on structures. In th...Extreme coastal events require careful prediction of wave forces. Recent tsunamis have resulted in extensive damage of coastal structures. Such scenarios are the result of the action of long waves on structures. In this paper, the efficiency of vegetation as a buffer system in attenuating the incident ocean waves was studied through a well controlled experimental program. The study focused on the measurement of forces resulting from cnoidal waves on a model building mounted over a slope in the presence and absence of vegetation. The vegetative parameters, along with the width of the green belt, its position from the reference line, the diameter of the individual stems as well as the spacing between them, and their rigidity are varied so as to obtain a holistic view of the wave-vegetation interaction problem. The effect of vegetation on variations of dimensional forces with a Keulegan-Carpenter number (KC) was discussed in this paper. It has been shown that when vegetal patches are present in front of structure, the forces could be limited to within F*≤I, by a percentile of 92%, 90%, 55%, and 96%, respectively for gap ratios of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. The force is at its maximum for the gap ratio of 1.0 and beyond which the forces start to diminish.展开更多
Forest vegetation of a protected area (Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary) in Kumaun region (west Himalaya) was analysed for structure, composition and representativeness across three different altitudinal belts, lower (1...Forest vegetation of a protected area (Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary) in Kumaun region (west Himalaya) was analysed for structure, composition and representativeness across three different altitudinal belts, lower (1,6oo-1,8oo m a.s.1.), middle (1,900-2,100 m a.s.1.) and upper (2,200-2,400 m a.s.1.) during 2oo9-2011 using standard phytosociological methods. Four aspects (east, west, north and south) in each altitudinal belt were chosen for sampling to depict maximum representation of vegetation in the sanctuary. Population structure and regeneration behaviour was analysed seasonally for two years to show the establishment and growth of tree species. A total of 147 plant species were recorded from the entire region of which 27 tree species were selected for detailed study. Highest number was recorded at upper (18 species), and lowest at lower altitudinal belt (15 species). The relative proportion of species richness showed higher contribution of tree layer at each altitudinal belt. The population structure, based on the number of individuals, revealed a greater proportion of seedling layer at each altitudinal belt. The relative proportion of seedlings increases significantly along altitudinal belts (p〈0.05) while opposite trends were observed in sapling and tree layers. The density of sapling and seedling species varied non-significantly across seasons (p〉0.05). The density values decreased in summer and increased during rainy season. As far as the regeneration status is concerned, middle and upper altitudinal belts showed maximum number of species with fair regeneration as compared to lower altitudinal belt. Overall density diameter distribution of tree species showed highest species density and richness in the smallest girth class and decreased in the succeeding girth classes. This study suggests that patterns of regeneration behaviour would determine future structural and compositional changes in the forest communities. It is suggested that the compositional changes vis-a-vis role of 'New' and 'Not regenerating' species need priority attention while initiating conservation activities in the sanctuary. This study calls for exploring other less explored Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Himalaya and across the world, to achieve overall biodiversity status in these protected areas and thus to justify their role in conserving biodiversity in the region.展开更多
The Borana rangelands are important areas of cattle production in Ethiopia. However, these rangelands are threatened by the increasing changes in the natural vegetation from grass and forbs dominated into unpalatable ...The Borana rangelands are important areas of cattle production in Ethiopia. However, these rangelands are threatened by the increasing changes in the natural vegetation from grass and forbs dominated into unpalatable bushy woody vegetation resulting in the loss of some of the highly desirable grass species. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of bush encroachment on the biodiversity, structure and cover of the native vegetation in bush encroached and non-encroached sites. Vegetation data were collected from both sites by laying quadrate plots along transects using a systematic sampling method. According to the results, higher number of species was recorded in the non-encroached sites than that in the encroached sites. The diversity indices for the non-encroached and the encroached sites were 3.16 and 2.67, respectively. The abundance and cover analysis indicated that there was high density and cover of herbaceous species in the non-encroached site. There was a significantly higher density of woody species cover in the encroached site. Generally, the bush encroachment in the Borana rangelands has hampered the diversity of the native vegetation, particularly the grasses and forbs and reduced the ground cover, exposing large parts of the rangelands for soil erosion and other degradation process.展开更多
Agricultural landscapes are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, a negative trend continues to be observed in many rural areas for the most prominent indicator species group, the farmland bird...Agricultural landscapes are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, a negative trend continues to be observed in many rural areas for the most prominent indicator species group, the farmland birds. However, clear cause-effect relationships are rarely reported and sometimes difficult to deduce, especially from monitoring data which are based only on the detection of species and counts of the numbers of individuals. Because the identification of habitat preferences is a precondition for farmland bird biodiversity conservation efforts, a monitoring scheme for the simultaneous collection and analysis of bird and land use data was developed and tested. In order to assign the occurrence of bird species to land characteristics at various spatial scales and different land use and crop types, we applied a hierarchical structured sampling design. The spatial scales were ‘agricultural landscape', ‘agricultural landscape types', ‘field crops and other habitats' and ‘vegetation structures'. These scales were integrated with a novel concept, the ‘habitat matrix'(HM). This method was applied to farmland breeding bird abundances on 29 plots, each 1 km2 in size, by the use of the territory mapping method. The same plots were enlarged by a 100 m buffer and the sizes and location of habitats documented. Vegetation height, coverage and density were also recorded for all crop fields in the study area. We propose that this monitoring method facilitates the identification of scale dependent relationships between farmland bird habitat characteristics and bird abundance. This is demonstrated by the farmland bird species Corn Bunting(Emberiza calandra), Skylark(Alauda arvensis), and Whinchat(Saxicola rubetra). The breeding territories of these species reveal large differences within the various spatial scales ‘agricultural landscape', ‘agricultural landscape types' and ‘field crops'. Throughout the breeding season the abundances varied, dependent on the field crop and the development of vegetation structures(height, coverage, and density). HM-analysis led to the identification of specific habitat configurations preferred by individual bird species within the agricultural landscape. These findings indicate that the methodology has the potential to design monitoring schemes for the identification of cause-and-effects of landscape configuration, land use and land use changes on the habitat suitability and abundance of farmland birds.展开更多
Based on the former performance capacity experiments of the magnet-friction energy dissipation devices, including the permanent magnet-friction energy dissipation device (PMF) and electromagnet-friction energy dissipa...Based on the former performance capacity experiments of the magnet-friction energy dissipation devices, including the permanent magnet-friction energy dissipation device (PMF) and electromagnet-friction energy dissipation devices (EMF), a 5-story steel frame model with spacious first story is designed and made according to a scale of 1/4. The magnet-friction energy dissipation devices can realize continuously varied controlling force, with rapid response and reverse recognition. Therefore, they overcome shortcomings usually found in energy dissipation devices whose force models are invariable. The two kinds of devices were fixed on the flexible first story of the structure model, and the shaking table tests have been carried out, respectively. In these tests, the performance of the devices and their effectiveness in structural control were confirmed. In this paper, the test results and analysis are discussed.展开更多
Based on the fractal theory, the spatial structure of China's vegetation has been analyzed quantitatively in this paper. Some conclusions are drawn as the following. 1) The relationships between size and frequency o...Based on the fractal theory, the spatial structure of China's vegetation has been analyzed quantitatively in this paper. Some conclusions are drawn as the following. 1) The relationships between size and frequency of patch area and patch shape index exist objectively for China's vegetation. 2) The relationships between perimeter and area exist objectively for China's vegetation. 3) The fractal dimension of evergreen needleleaf forests on mountains in subtropical and tropical zones is the largest, while the smallest for deciduous broadleafand evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone, reflecting the most complex spatial structure for evergreen needleleaf forests on mountains in subtropical and tropical zones and the simplest for deciduous broadleaf and evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone. 4) The fractal dimensions of China's vegetation types tend to decrease from thc subtropics to both sides. 5) The stability of spatial structure of deciduous broadleaf and evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone is the largest, while the smallest for double-cropping rice, or double-cropping rice and temperate-like grain, and tropical evergreen economic tree plantations and orchards, reflecting the steadiest for deciduous broadleaf and evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone and the most unstable for double-cropping rice, or double-cropping rice and temperate-like grain, and tropical evergreen economic tree plantations and orchards in spatial structure. 6) The stability of spatial structure of China's vegetation tends to decrease from the temperate zone to both sides, it is significantly pertinent to understand the formation, evolution, dynamics and complexity rule of ecosystem of vegetation.展开更多
A cell-free preparation obtained from extracts of activated Xenopus laevis eggs induced chromatin decondensation and nuclear formation from demembranated Xenopus sperm nuclei. Electron microscopy revealed that the rea...A cell-free preparation obtained from extracts of activated Xenopus laevis eggs induced chromatin decondensation and nuclear formation from demembranated Xenopus sperm nuclei. Electron microscopy revealed that the reassembled nucleus had a double-layered nuclear membrane, nuclear pore complexes, and decondensed chromatin etc. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated the presence of lamina in newly assembled nuclei. Western-blotting results showed that lamin LII was present in egg extracts and in lamina of the reassembled nuclei which were previously reported to contain only eggderived lamin LIII.展开更多
Seasonal shifts play an important role in soil microbial community composition. This study examined the hypothesis that soil microbial community structure would vary with seasonal shifts in the Wuyi Mountains in South...Seasonal shifts play an important role in soil microbial community composition. This study examined the hypothesis that soil microbial community structure would vary with seasonal shifts in the Wuyi Mountains in Southeast China, and that two representative tree species (Castanopisi carlesii and Cunninghamia lanceolata) may have different soil microbial community composition. Phospholipids fatty acid analysis (PLFA) of seasonal shifts and was used to assess the effect vegetation types on soil microbial community structure. A total of 22 different PLFAs were identified from all the soil samples. The bacterial PLFAs accounted for 62.37% of the total PLFAs, followed by fungi (28.94%), and the minimum was actinomycetes (6.41%). Overall, the level of PLFAs in C. carlesii soil was greater than those in C. lanceolata soil, and significant differences were observed in some seasons. The amounts of total, bacteria, actinomycic and fungal PLFAs significantly changed with the seasons and followed a sequence order (summer 〉 autumn 〉 spring 〉 winter). The bacteria/fungi PLFAs and G (+)/G (-) PLFAs of two vegetation types also changed with the seasons and the ratios in summer and autumn were higher than those in spring and winter. The correlation analysis of microbial PLFAs and soil physicochemical properties showed that the total, bacteria, fungal, actinomycic, G (+) and G (-) PLFAs were significantly positive correlation with TOC, TN, TP, TK and moisture content. We concluded that the seasonal shifts and vegetation types affect soil microbial community composition by changing the soil physicochemical properties.展开更多
The soil-structure interaction (SSI) decoupling is applied to simplify buried structure against internal blast load as spring effect. Shear failure, bending failure and combined failure modes are considered based on f...The soil-structure interaction (SSI) decoupling is applied to simplify buried structure against internal blast load as spring effect. Shear failure, bending failure and combined failure modes are considered based on five transverse velocity profiles for the rigid-plastic structural element. The critical equations for shear and bending failure are derived respectively. Pressureimpulse diagrams are accordingly developed to assess damage of the buried structures against internal blast load. Comparison is done to show influences of soil-structure interaction and shear-to-bending strength ratio of a structural element. A case study is conducted to show the application of damage assessment to a reinforced concrete beam element of buried structure.展开更多
This paper will present several passive-cooling technologies and design features that can be adopted to reduce building heat gain without the need of excess energy consumption. A typical residential unit will be selec...This paper will present several passive-cooling technologies and design features that can be adopted to reduce building heat gain without the need of excess energy consumption. A typical residential unit will be selected as case study and a three basic passive cooling strategies were selected to enhance the building envelop, as well as using appropriate shading devices and green roofing system that prove to be a good environment quality improver. IES energy simulation software will be used to evaluate the performance of the building. The study revealed a number of significant findings in reducing the energy consumption and enhancing the tenants' thermal comfort. American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Airconditioning Engineer (ASHRAE) standards specially via improving the performance of building envelop because it is the interface between internal and external environment. Moreover, improving the building envelope has recorded that overall energy and chiller energy consumption can be reduced up to 10.8% and 21.6% respectively, Therefore, it is anticipated that further reductions can be achieved via applying more passive cooling strategies. Finally, it could argue that the results of this paper will not only be applicable to Bahrain but also many countries that have similar climatic and environmental context.展开更多
In recent years, our govemment has been vigorously advocating the students' all-around development of morality, intelligence, fitness, aesthetics, and labor, and correspondently PE teaching is becoming more and more ...In recent years, our govemment has been vigorously advocating the students' all-around development of morality, intelligence, fitness, aesthetics, and labor, and correspondently PE teaching is becoming more and more significant. While the traditional teaching model in most cases has limited the development of the students' subjective initiative, which is teacher-centered and ignores the student's subjectivity, placing students in a state of passive learning. Presently, the knowledge-feeding teaching mode is faced with being banned. Along with the reform of the teaching objectives, the PE teaching reform is imperative under the direction of mobilizing students' learning initiative, adjusting the PE class structure, broadening the PE teaching and strengthening the design and implementation of the Combination with students' moral education development pattern.展开更多
文摘The survey on bird communities was conducted by the belt-style method in six different sample plots in the Honghua抏rji Forests area in the northern Inner Mongolia in June 2001 and totally 28 bird species were recorded. Vegetation investigation was carried out in five 10 m×10 m quadrats at each plot. The asymptotic regression function formulae were adopted to identify the relationships between the vegetation coverage and the numbers of bird species and individuals. The analytical results showed that the changes of species number and density of bird as well as the formation of bird communities follow the changes of forest type and the total foliage. Both the number of bird species and their density decreased with the de-crease of total foliage. The similarity of bird community was very low at the breeding time. In the same classification of cluster, no similarity was higher than 0.65, which indicated that the composition of species had a great difference between all the bird communities. The bird breeding density was closely related to forest growth stage. From the bare grassland ecosystem to cli-max ecosystem, the density of bird species showed a gradually increasing trend.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(4157141541071281)+1 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20131078)"Qinglan Project"of Jiangsu Province~~
文摘Based on the vertical stratification type of vegetation in the 48 plots (15m×15 m) in Hetian Town, Changting County, Fujian Province, this study was conduct ed to determine the overall vegetation fractional coverage (VFC), litter thickness, soi particle size distribution and nutrient content at different vertical level, analyze the correlations between vegetation characters and soil properties, and compare the dif ferences in the VFC, litter thickness, soil particle size distribution and nutrient con- tent among different erosion degrees and vertical structure types. The result., showed that the VFC and litter thickness were all negatively related to erosion de gree; they were positively related to soil organic matter content, total nitrogen con- tent and total phosphorus content, but not significantly correlated with soil tota potassium content. When the VFC was higher than 50% and litter thickness wa.' higher than 20 ram, the water and soil could be effectively conserved; and the plan litter showed better water and soil conservation effect than the upper vegetation o~ canopy layer. In the vertical structure types of different vegetations, the forest-shrub grass, forest-shrub, shrub-grass and pure grass all could promote vegetation growth improve soil structure and maintain soil fertility.
基金This study is supported by Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (QC05072) and Fund for Scientific Research of Northeast Forestry University
文摘A surface variable, density of water-feather touching points (Dp) was proposed in this paper to express surface property of water repellency of contour feather. Tests in 29 species using breast contour feathers indicated that Dp was small in tericolous species, medium in wading and diving species, large in swimming species, with only a few exceptions. This implied that birds achieve appropriate Dp by optimizing the microstructure of feather to meet the requirement of water repellency. Therefore, Dp was a morphological marker linking structure and function of feather in studies of adaptive evolution of birds.
基金supported by The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA),Sinana Agricultural Research Center (SARC)
文摘Floristic composition and vegetation structure were described for the woodland vegetation around Dello Menna, Bale zone, southeast Ethiopia. A total 50 (20 m ×20 m) quadrats were sampled to identify and describe plant community types, species diversity, richness and evenness and to relate the identified plant community types with some environ- mental factors and describe the population structure of woody plant species. In each quadrrat, data on species identity, abundance, height and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) of woody plant species, altitude and slope were recorded. Vegetation classification was performed using PC - ORD software package. Sorensen's similarity coefficient was used to detect dissimilarities among communities. Shannon - Wiener diversity index, species richness and Shannon's evenness were computed to de- scribe species diversity of the plant community types. Results show that a total of 171 vascular plant species representing 53 families were re- corded. Fabaceae is the dominant family represented by 13 genera and 26 species (15%) followed by Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Anacardiaceae with eight species each (4.6%). Based on the results of vegetation classi- fication, three plant communities (Dalbergia microphylla community, Grewia bicolar- Acacia brevispica community, and Combretum molle- Combretum collinum community) are recognized and described. Species richness, diversity and evenness varied among the plant communities.Species richness and diversity exhibit a bell - shaped pattern along alti- tude. Species turn over among communities more or less follow altitud- inal gradients. Tukey's pairwise comparison of means among the plant community types shows significant variations in altitude, implying that altitude is one of the most important factors determining the distribution of plant communities. The community Dalbergia microphylla type exhibits the highest species richness and diversity. Analysis of population structure of the dominant species reveals various patterns. Future research directions and recommendations are suggested for the sustainable utilization.
基金Department of Science & Technology, Government of India (GOI), New Delhi (Grant No. DST/ISSTAC/CO2-SR-227/14(G)-AICP-AFOLU-IV)
文摘Impact of anthropogenic disturbance on species diversity and vegetation structure of a lowland tropical rainforest was studied in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya, India. Tree species richness,density, basal area and the diversity indices were found significantly(P<0.05) decreased with the increasing level of disturbances whereas, shrub density, basal area and herb density significantly increased with increasing disturbance level. In case of shrubs, Simpson's dominance index significantly(P<0.007) increased along the disturbance gradient,whereas Pielou's evenness index significantly(P<0.005) decreased with an increasing level of disturbance. Shannon-Weiner diversity index for herbs significantly(P<0.016) increased with increasing disturbance whereas, Simpson's dominance index was significantly(P<0.013) declined along the disturbance gradient. Results revealed that10-50 cm dbh classes constituted the highest stem density, and highest basal area was recorded in the >100 cm dbh class in all three sites. Density of the matured trees decreased with increasing DBH whereas, tree basal area tended to increase with increasing DBH in all three sites. Tree species richness was highest in the lower DBH classes.62.07% of the total tree species regenerated in the largely undisturbed site followed by 50% in the mildly disturbed and 26.32% in the highly disturbed site.The overall regeneration condition was found to be good in the largely undisturbed site. Mildly disturbed site exhibited fair regeneration and so was in the highly disturbed site. Discernable variations in species composition, diversity, regeneration and tree population structure revealed the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on rainforest vegetation dynamics. Higher degree of disturbance was furtherly found not only affecting species diversity but also promoting the growth of invasive weed species.Dominance of Hydnocarpus kurzii and Crypteronia paniculata in the highly disturbed site also indicated that these less-valued timber species may benefit from the vegetation mosaic produced by the disturbance; so differences in abundance of these species may be useful for bio-indication. Furthermore,present study suggests the need of adequate biodiversity conservation measures and adaptation of sustainable forest management approaches in disturbed areas of lowland tropical rainforest in the foothills of eastern Himalaya, India.
基金Project (No. 2001BA744C) supported by the 10th Five-year National Key Technologies R & D Program, China
文摘A known species, Physarum melleum, was found fruiting on living leaves of Dendrobium candidum, which was collected in China in 2004. Its morphological characters were revealed by light microscopy (LM), environmental scanning elec- tron microscopy (ESEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Character variations were distinguished by its olive-yellow peridium and its always thinner capillitium containing globulose granular material between the large calcareous nodes. The cal- cium carbonate granules, deposited on stalks, peridium and hypothallus as well as within stalks, were globose and smooth.
基金Project(51825802)supported by the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of ChinaProject(2018YFE0106100)supported by the National Key R&D Program of China。
文摘Passive house has been constructed in China on a large-scale over the past couple years for its great energy saving potential.However,research indicates that there is a significant discrepancy in energy performance for heating and cooling between passive houses in different climate zones.Therefore,this research develops a comparative analysis on the energy saving potential of passive houses with the conventional around China.A sensitivity analysis of thermal characteristics of building envelope(insulation of exterior walls and windows,and airtightness)on energy consumption is further carried out to improve the climate adaptability of passive house.Moreover,the variation of energy consumption under different heat gain intensity is also compared,to evaluate the effects of envelope thermal characteristics comprehensively.Results suggest that the decrease of exterior wall insulation leads to the greatest increase in energy consumption,especially in severe cold zone in China.However,the optimal insulation may change with the internal heat gain intensity,for instance,the decrease of insulation(from 0.4 to 1.0 W/(m^(2)·K))could reduce the energy consumption by 4.65 kW·h/(m^(2)·a)when the heat gain increases to 20 W/m^(2)for buildings in Hot Summer and Cold Winter zone in China.
基金Projects(51408443,51178203)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(K201511)supported by the Science Foundation of Wuhan Institute of Technology,China
文摘The performance-based passive control analysis of the Maxwell dampers between one 10-story and one 6-story adjacent RC frames is conducted in this work.Not only the optimal parameters but also the optimal arrangements of the Maxwell dampers are proposed based on the optimal target of making the total exceeding probability of the adjacent structures to be minimal.The applicability of the analytical expressions of the Maxwell damper damping parameters under different seismic performance targets are firstly examined and then the preferable damping parameters of the Maxwell dampers are proposed through the extensive parametric studies.Furthermore,the optimal arranging positions and optimal arranging numbers of the Maxwell dampers between the adjacent buildings are derived based on a large number of seismic fragility analyses,as well.The general arranging laws of the Maxwell dampers between the adjacent buildings are generated based on the discussion of the theoretical method through the simplified plane model.The optimal parameters and optimal arrangement of the Maxwell dampers presented make both the adjacent structures have preferable controlled effects under each seismic performance target which can satisfy the requirements of multi-performance seismic resistance of the modern seismic codes.
文摘Extreme coastal events require careful prediction of wave forces. Recent tsunamis have resulted in extensive damage of coastal structures. Such scenarios are the result of the action of long waves on structures. In this paper, the efficiency of vegetation as a buffer system in attenuating the incident ocean waves was studied through a well controlled experimental program. The study focused on the measurement of forces resulting from cnoidal waves on a model building mounted over a slope in the presence and absence of vegetation. The vegetative parameters, along with the width of the green belt, its position from the reference line, the diameter of the individual stems as well as the spacing between them, and their rigidity are varied so as to obtain a holistic view of the wave-vegetation interaction problem. The effect of vegetation on variations of dimensional forces with a Keulegan-Carpenter number (KC) was discussed in this paper. It has been shown that when vegetal patches are present in front of structure, the forces could be limited to within F*≤I, by a percentile of 92%, 90%, 55%, and 96%, respectively for gap ratios of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. The force is at its maximum for the gap ratio of 1.0 and beyond which the forces start to diminish.
基金Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (File No: 09/560(0015)/2011-EMR-I)India and OCB programme of UNU, Tokyo, Japan for financial support to Balwant Rawat and Vikram Negi
文摘Forest vegetation of a protected area (Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary) in Kumaun region (west Himalaya) was analysed for structure, composition and representativeness across three different altitudinal belts, lower (1,6oo-1,8oo m a.s.1.), middle (1,900-2,100 m a.s.1.) and upper (2,200-2,400 m a.s.1.) during 2oo9-2011 using standard phytosociological methods. Four aspects (east, west, north and south) in each altitudinal belt were chosen for sampling to depict maximum representation of vegetation in the sanctuary. Population structure and regeneration behaviour was analysed seasonally for two years to show the establishment and growth of tree species. A total of 147 plant species were recorded from the entire region of which 27 tree species were selected for detailed study. Highest number was recorded at upper (18 species), and lowest at lower altitudinal belt (15 species). The relative proportion of species richness showed higher contribution of tree layer at each altitudinal belt. The population structure, based on the number of individuals, revealed a greater proportion of seedling layer at each altitudinal belt. The relative proportion of seedlings increases significantly along altitudinal belts (p〈0.05) while opposite trends were observed in sapling and tree layers. The density of sapling and seedling species varied non-significantly across seasons (p〉0.05). The density values decreased in summer and increased during rainy season. As far as the regeneration status is concerned, middle and upper altitudinal belts showed maximum number of species with fair regeneration as compared to lower altitudinal belt. Overall density diameter distribution of tree species showed highest species density and richness in the smallest girth class and decreased in the succeeding girth classes. This study suggests that patterns of regeneration behaviour would determine future structural and compositional changes in the forest communities. It is suggested that the compositional changes vis-a-vis role of 'New' and 'Not regenerating' species need priority attention while initiating conservation activities in the sanctuary. This study calls for exploring other less explored Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Himalaya and across the world, to achieve overall biodiversity status in these protected areas and thus to justify their role in conserving biodiversity in the region.
文摘The Borana rangelands are important areas of cattle production in Ethiopia. However, these rangelands are threatened by the increasing changes in the natural vegetation from grass and forbs dominated into unpalatable bushy woody vegetation resulting in the loss of some of the highly desirable grass species. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of bush encroachment on the biodiversity, structure and cover of the native vegetation in bush encroached and non-encroached sites. Vegetation data were collected from both sites by laying quadrate plots along transects using a systematic sampling method. According to the results, higher number of species was recorded in the non-encroached sites than that in the encroached sites. The diversity indices for the non-encroached and the encroached sites were 3.16 and 2.67, respectively. The abundance and cover analysis indicated that there was high density and cover of herbaceous species in the non-encroached site. There was a significantly higher density of woody species cover in the encroached site. Generally, the bush encroachment in the Borana rangelands has hampered the diversity of the native vegetation, particularly the grasses and forbs and reduced the ground cover, exposing large parts of the rangelands for soil erosion and other degradation process.
基金Funding from the German Federal Ministry of Food,Agriculture and Consumer Protection(BMELV)
文摘Agricultural landscapes are essential for the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, a negative trend continues to be observed in many rural areas for the most prominent indicator species group, the farmland birds. However, clear cause-effect relationships are rarely reported and sometimes difficult to deduce, especially from monitoring data which are based only on the detection of species and counts of the numbers of individuals. Because the identification of habitat preferences is a precondition for farmland bird biodiversity conservation efforts, a monitoring scheme for the simultaneous collection and analysis of bird and land use data was developed and tested. In order to assign the occurrence of bird species to land characteristics at various spatial scales and different land use and crop types, we applied a hierarchical structured sampling design. The spatial scales were ‘agricultural landscape', ‘agricultural landscape types', ‘field crops and other habitats' and ‘vegetation structures'. These scales were integrated with a novel concept, the ‘habitat matrix'(HM). This method was applied to farmland breeding bird abundances on 29 plots, each 1 km2 in size, by the use of the territory mapping method. The same plots were enlarged by a 100 m buffer and the sizes and location of habitats documented. Vegetation height, coverage and density were also recorded for all crop fields in the study area. We propose that this monitoring method facilitates the identification of scale dependent relationships between farmland bird habitat characteristics and bird abundance. This is demonstrated by the farmland bird species Corn Bunting(Emberiza calandra), Skylark(Alauda arvensis), and Whinchat(Saxicola rubetra). The breeding territories of these species reveal large differences within the various spatial scales ‘agricultural landscape', ‘agricultural landscape types' and ‘field crops'. Throughout the breeding season the abundances varied, dependent on the field crop and the development of vegetation structures(height, coverage, and density). HM-analysis led to the identification of specific habitat configurations preferred by individual bird species within the agricultural landscape. These findings indicate that the methodology has the potential to design monitoring schemes for the identification of cause-and-effects of landscape configuration, land use and land use changes on the habitat suitability and abundance of farmland birds.
文摘Based on the former performance capacity experiments of the magnet-friction energy dissipation devices, including the permanent magnet-friction energy dissipation device (PMF) and electromagnet-friction energy dissipation devices (EMF), a 5-story steel frame model with spacious first story is designed and made according to a scale of 1/4. The magnet-friction energy dissipation devices can realize continuously varied controlling force, with rapid response and reverse recognition. Therefore, they overcome shortcomings usually found in energy dissipation devices whose force models are invariable. The two kinds of devices were fixed on the flexible first story of the structure model, and the shaking table tests have been carried out, respectively. In these tests, the performance of the devices and their effectiveness in structural control were confirmed. In this paper, the test results and analysis are discussed.
基金Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40301002, No. 40335046)
文摘Based on the fractal theory, the spatial structure of China's vegetation has been analyzed quantitatively in this paper. Some conclusions are drawn as the following. 1) The relationships between size and frequency of patch area and patch shape index exist objectively for China's vegetation. 2) The relationships between perimeter and area exist objectively for China's vegetation. 3) The fractal dimension of evergreen needleleaf forests on mountains in subtropical and tropical zones is the largest, while the smallest for deciduous broadleafand evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone, reflecting the most complex spatial structure for evergreen needleleaf forests on mountains in subtropical and tropical zones and the simplest for deciduous broadleaf and evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone. 4) The fractal dimensions of China's vegetation types tend to decrease from thc subtropics to both sides. 5) The stability of spatial structure of deciduous broadleaf and evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone is the largest, while the smallest for double-cropping rice, or double-cropping rice and temperate-like grain, and tropical evergreen economic tree plantations and orchards, reflecting the steadiest for deciduous broadleaf and evergreen needleleaf mixed forests in temperate zone and the most unstable for double-cropping rice, or double-cropping rice and temperate-like grain, and tropical evergreen economic tree plantations and orchards in spatial structure. 6) The stability of spatial structure of China's vegetation tends to decrease from the temperate zone to both sides, it is significantly pertinent to understand the formation, evolution, dynamics and complexity rule of ecosystem of vegetation.
文摘A cell-free preparation obtained from extracts of activated Xenopus laevis eggs induced chromatin decondensation and nuclear formation from demembranated Xenopus sperm nuclei. Electron microscopy revealed that the reassembled nucleus had a double-layered nuclear membrane, nuclear pore complexes, and decondensed chromatin etc. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated the presence of lamina in newly assembled nuclei. Western-blotting results showed that lamin LII was present in egg extracts and in lamina of the reassembled nuclei which were previously reported to contain only eggderived lamin LIII.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.31500443)Fujian Province Department of Education Foundation (Grant No.JA15178)
文摘Seasonal shifts play an important role in soil microbial community composition. This study examined the hypothesis that soil microbial community structure would vary with seasonal shifts in the Wuyi Mountains in Southeast China, and that two representative tree species (Castanopisi carlesii and Cunninghamia lanceolata) may have different soil microbial community composition. Phospholipids fatty acid analysis (PLFA) of seasonal shifts and was used to assess the effect vegetation types on soil microbial community structure. A total of 22 different PLFAs were identified from all the soil samples. The bacterial PLFAs accounted for 62.37% of the total PLFAs, followed by fungi (28.94%), and the minimum was actinomycetes (6.41%). Overall, the level of PLFAs in C. carlesii soil was greater than those in C. lanceolata soil, and significant differences were observed in some seasons. The amounts of total, bacteria, actinomycic and fungal PLFAs significantly changed with the seasons and followed a sequence order (summer 〉 autumn 〉 spring 〉 winter). The bacteria/fungi PLFAs and G (+)/G (-) PLFAs of two vegetation types also changed with the seasons and the ratios in summer and autumn were higher than those in spring and winter. The correlation analysis of microbial PLFAs and soil physicochemical properties showed that the total, bacteria, fungal, actinomycic, G (+) and G (-) PLFAs were significantly positive correlation with TOC, TN, TP, TK and moisture content. We concluded that the seasonal shifts and vegetation types affect soil microbial community composition by changing the soil physicochemical properties.
文摘The soil-structure interaction (SSI) decoupling is applied to simplify buried structure against internal blast load as spring effect. Shear failure, bending failure and combined failure modes are considered based on five transverse velocity profiles for the rigid-plastic structural element. The critical equations for shear and bending failure are derived respectively. Pressureimpulse diagrams are accordingly developed to assess damage of the buried structures against internal blast load. Comparison is done to show influences of soil-structure interaction and shear-to-bending strength ratio of a structural element. A case study is conducted to show the application of damage assessment to a reinforced concrete beam element of buried structure.
文摘This paper will present several passive-cooling technologies and design features that can be adopted to reduce building heat gain without the need of excess energy consumption. A typical residential unit will be selected as case study and a three basic passive cooling strategies were selected to enhance the building envelop, as well as using appropriate shading devices and green roofing system that prove to be a good environment quality improver. IES energy simulation software will be used to evaluate the performance of the building. The study revealed a number of significant findings in reducing the energy consumption and enhancing the tenants' thermal comfort. American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Airconditioning Engineer (ASHRAE) standards specially via improving the performance of building envelop because it is the interface between internal and external environment. Moreover, improving the building envelope has recorded that overall energy and chiller energy consumption can be reduced up to 10.8% and 21.6% respectively, Therefore, it is anticipated that further reductions can be achieved via applying more passive cooling strategies. Finally, it could argue that the results of this paper will not only be applicable to Bahrain but also many countries that have similar climatic and environmental context.
文摘In recent years, our govemment has been vigorously advocating the students' all-around development of morality, intelligence, fitness, aesthetics, and labor, and correspondently PE teaching is becoming more and more significant. While the traditional teaching model in most cases has limited the development of the students' subjective initiative, which is teacher-centered and ignores the student's subjectivity, placing students in a state of passive learning. Presently, the knowledge-feeding teaching mode is faced with being banned. Along with the reform of the teaching objectives, the PE teaching reform is imperative under the direction of mobilizing students' learning initiative, adjusting the PE class structure, broadening the PE teaching and strengthening the design and implementation of the Combination with students' moral education development pattern.