Gene sequence-based genealogies of scuticociliates are different from those produced by morphological analyses.For this reason,11 representative scuticociliates and two ambiguously related genera were chosen to test t...Gene sequence-based genealogies of scuticociliates are different from those produced by morphological analyses.For this reason,11 representative scuticociliates and two ambiguously related genera were chosen to test the ability of combined phylogenetic analyses using both gene sequences and morphological/morphogenetic characteristics.Analyses of both the SSrRNA gene sequences and the combined datasets revealed a consistent branching pattern.While the terminal branches and the order level relationships were generally well resolved,the family level relationships remain unresolved.However,two other trees based on ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences and morphological/morphogenetic characters showed limited information,due to a lack of informative sites in these two datasets.Our data suggest,however,that the combined analysis of morphological/morphogenetic characters and gene sequences did produce some changes to the phylogenetic estimates of this group.展开更多
The Cambrian explosion has long been a basic research frontier that concerns many scientific fields. Here we discuss the cause-effect links of the Cambrian explosion on the basis of first appearances of animal phyla i...The Cambrian explosion has long been a basic research frontier that concerns many scientific fields. Here we discuss the cause-effect links of the Cambrian explosion on the basis of first appearances of animal phyla in the fossil record, divergence time, environmental changes, Gene Regulatory Networks, and ecological feedbacks. The first appearances of phyla in the fos- sil record are obviously diachronous but relatively abrupt, concentrated in the first three stages of the Cambrian period （541- 514 Ma）. The actual divergence time may be deep or shallow. Since the gene regulatory networks （GRNs） that control the de- velopment of metazoans were in place before the divergence, the establishment of GRNs is necessary but insufficient for the Cambrian explosion. Thus the Cambrian explosion required environmental triggers. Nutrient availability, oxygenation, and change of seawater composition were potential environmental triggers. The nutrient input, e.g., the phosphorus enrichment in the environment, would cause excess primary production, but it is not directly linked with diversity or disparity. Further in- crease of oxygen level and change of seawater composition during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition were probably crucial environmental factors that caused the Cambrian explosion, but more detailed geochemical data are required. Many researchers prefer that the Cambrian explosion is an ecological phenomenon, that is, the unprecedented ecological success of ruetazoans during the Early Cambrian, but ecological effects need diverse and abundant animals. Therefore, the establishment of the eco- logical complexity among animals, and between animals and environments, is a consequence rather than a cause of the Cam- brian explosion. It is no doubt that positive ecological feedbacks could facilitate the increase of biodiversity. In a word, the Cambrian explosion happened when environmental changes crossed critical thresholds, led to the initial formation of the meta- zoan-doruinated ecosystem through a series of knock-on ecological processes, i.e., ＂ecological snowball＂ effects.展开更多
The patterns of soil nitrogen （N） isotope composition at large spatial and temporal scales and their relationships to environmental factors illustrate N cycle and sources of N, and are integrative indicators of the ...The patterns of soil nitrogen （N） isotope composition at large spatial and temporal scales and their relationships to environmental factors illustrate N cycle and sources of N, and are integrative indicators of the terrestrial N cycle and its response to global change. The objectives of this study were： i） to investigate the patterns of soil N content and natural abundance of 15N （δ15N） values in different ecosystem types and soil profiles on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; ii） to examine the effects of climatic factors and soil characteristics on the patterns of soil N content and soil δ15N values; and iii） to test the relationship between soil δ15N values and soil C/N ratios across ecosystems and soil profiles. Soil profiles were sampled at 51 sites along two transects 1 875 km in length and 200 km apart and distributed in forest, meadow and steppe on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Each site was sampled every 10 cm from a soil depth of 0 to 40 cm and each sample was analyzed for soil N content and δ15N values. Our results indicated that soil N and 515N values （0-40 cm） in meadows were much higher than in desert steppe. Soil N decreased with soil depth for each ecosystem, while variations of soil ~15N values along soil profiles were not statistically significant among most ecosystems but for mountain meadow, lowland meadow, and temperate steppe where soil δ15N values tended to increase with soil depth. The parabolic relationship between soil δ15N values and mean annual precipitation indicated that soil δ15N values increased with increasing precipitation in desert steppe up to 500 mm, and then decreased with increasing precipitation across all other ecosystems. Moreover, the parabolic relationship between δ15N values and mean annual temperature existed in all individual ecosystem types. Soil N and δ15N values （0-0 cm） increased with an increase in soil silt and clay contents. Furthermore, a threshold of C/N ratio of about 11 divided the parabolic relationship between soil δ15N values and soil C/N ratios into positive （C/N 〈 11） and negative （C/N 〉 11） parts, which was valid across all ecosystems and soil profiles. The large explanatory power of soil C/N ratios for soil δ15N values suggested that C and N concentrations, being strongly controlled by precipitation and temperature, were the primary factors determining patterns of soil δ15N on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
Global climate change has become a major concern worldwide. The spatio-temporal characteristics of net ecosystem productivity(NEP), which represents carbon sequestration capacity and directly describes the qualitative...Global climate change has become a major concern worldwide. The spatio-temporal characteristics of net ecosystem productivity(NEP), which represents carbon sequestration capacity and directly describes the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of carbon sources/sinks(C sources/sinks), are crucial for increasing C sinks and reducing C sources. In this study, field sampling data, remote sensing data, and ground meteorological observation data were used to estimate the net primary productivity(NPP) in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem(IMGE) from 2001 to 2012 using a light use efficiency model. The spatio-temporal distribution of the NEP in the IMGE was then determined by estimating the NPP and soil respiration from 2001 to 2012. This research also investigated the response of the NPP and NEP to the main climatic variables at the spatial and temporal scales from 2001 to 2012. The results showed that most of the grassland area in Inner Mongolia has functioned as a C sink since 2001 and that the annual carbon sequestration rate amounts to 0.046 Pg C/a. The total net C sink of the IMGE over the 12-year research period reached 0.557 Pg C. The carbon sink area accounted for 60.28% of the total grassland area and the sequestered 0.692 Pg C, whereas the C source area accounted for 39.72% of the total grassland area and released 0.135 Pg C. The NPP and NEP of the IMGE were more significantly correlated with precipitation than with temperature, showing great potential for C sequestration.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30870280)a grant from the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity,King Saud University,Riyadh,Saudi Arabia
文摘Gene sequence-based genealogies of scuticociliates are different from those produced by morphological analyses.For this reason,11 representative scuticociliates and two ambiguously related genera were chosen to test the ability of combined phylogenetic analyses using both gene sequences and morphological/morphogenetic characteristics.Analyses of both the SSrRNA gene sequences and the combined datasets revealed a consistent branching pattern.While the terminal branches and the order level relationships were generally well resolved,the family level relationships remain unresolved.However,two other trees based on ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences and morphological/morphogenetic characters showed limited information,due to a lack of informative sites in these two datasets.Our data suggest,however,that the combined analysis of morphological/morphogenetic characters and gene sequences did produce some changes to the phylogenetic estimates of this group.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB835000)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40925005, 41272036)+1 种基金the "111 Project" (Grant No. P201102007)the key project from the State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Northwest University
文摘The Cambrian explosion has long been a basic research frontier that concerns many scientific fields. Here we discuss the cause-effect links of the Cambrian explosion on the basis of first appearances of animal phyla in the fossil record, divergence time, environmental changes, Gene Regulatory Networks, and ecological feedbacks. The first appearances of phyla in the fos- sil record are obviously diachronous but relatively abrupt, concentrated in the first three stages of the Cambrian period （541- 514 Ma）. The actual divergence time may be deep or shallow. Since the gene regulatory networks （GRNs） that control the de- velopment of metazoans were in place before the divergence, the establishment of GRNs is necessary but insufficient for the Cambrian explosion. Thus the Cambrian explosion required environmental triggers. Nutrient availability, oxygenation, and change of seawater composition were potential environmental triggers. The nutrient input, e.g., the phosphorus enrichment in the environment, would cause excess primary production, but it is not directly linked with diversity or disparity. Further in- crease of oxygen level and change of seawater composition during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition were probably crucial environmental factors that caused the Cambrian explosion, but more detailed geochemical data are required. Many researchers prefer that the Cambrian explosion is an ecological phenomenon, that is, the unprecedented ecological success of ruetazoans during the Early Cambrian, but ecological effects need diverse and abundant animals. Therefore, the establishment of the eco- logical complexity among animals, and between animals and environments, is a consequence rather than a cause of the Cam- brian explosion. It is no doubt that positive ecological feedbacks could facilitate the increase of biodiversity. In a word, the Cambrian explosion happened when environmental changes crossed critical thresholds, led to the initial formation of the meta- zoan-doruinated ecosystem through a series of knock-on ecological processes, i.e., ＂ecological snowball＂ effects.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program(973 Program)of China(No.2010CB833503)the Chinese Academy of Sciences for Strategic Priority Research Program(No.XDA05050602)+1 种基金the Key Projects in the National Science and Technology Pillar Program(No.2013BAC03B03)the Open Research Fund of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.O8R8B161PA)
文摘The patterns of soil nitrogen （N） isotope composition at large spatial and temporal scales and their relationships to environmental factors illustrate N cycle and sources of N, and are integrative indicators of the terrestrial N cycle and its response to global change. The objectives of this study were： i） to investigate the patterns of soil N content and natural abundance of 15N （δ15N） values in different ecosystem types and soil profiles on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; ii） to examine the effects of climatic factors and soil characteristics on the patterns of soil N content and soil δ15N values; and iii） to test the relationship between soil δ15N values and soil C/N ratios across ecosystems and soil profiles. Soil profiles were sampled at 51 sites along two transects 1 875 km in length and 200 km apart and distributed in forest, meadow and steppe on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Each site was sampled every 10 cm from a soil depth of 0 to 40 cm and each sample was analyzed for soil N content and δ15N values. Our results indicated that soil N and 515N values （0-40 cm） in meadows were much higher than in desert steppe. Soil N decreased with soil depth for each ecosystem, while variations of soil ~15N values along soil profiles were not statistically significant among most ecosystems but for mountain meadow, lowland meadow, and temperate steppe where soil δ15N values tended to increase with soil depth. The parabolic relationship between soil δ15N values and mean annual precipitation indicated that soil δ15N values increased with increasing precipitation in desert steppe up to 500 mm, and then decreased with increasing precipitation across all other ecosystems. Moreover, the parabolic relationship between δ15N values and mean annual temperature existed in all individual ecosystem types. Soil N and δ15N values （0-0 cm） increased with an increase in soil silt and clay contents. Furthermore, a threshold of C/N ratio of about 11 divided the parabolic relationship between soil δ15N values and soil C/N ratios into positive （C/N 〈 11） and negative （C/N 〉 11） parts, which was valid across all ecosystems and soil profiles. The large explanatory power of soil C/N ratios for soil δ15N values suggested that C and N concentrations, being strongly controlled by precipitation and temperature, were the primary factors determining patterns of soil δ15N on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
基金National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program),No.2015CB452702,No.2012CB416906National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41571098,No.41371196National Key Technology R&D Program,No.2013BAC03B04
文摘Global climate change has become a major concern worldwide. The spatio-temporal characteristics of net ecosystem productivity(NEP), which represents carbon sequestration capacity and directly describes the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of carbon sources/sinks(C sources/sinks), are crucial for increasing C sinks and reducing C sources. In this study, field sampling data, remote sensing data, and ground meteorological observation data were used to estimate the net primary productivity(NPP) in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem(IMGE) from 2001 to 2012 using a light use efficiency model. The spatio-temporal distribution of the NEP in the IMGE was then determined by estimating the NPP and soil respiration from 2001 to 2012. This research also investigated the response of the NPP and NEP to the main climatic variables at the spatial and temporal scales from 2001 to 2012. The results showed that most of the grassland area in Inner Mongolia has functioned as a C sink since 2001 and that the annual carbon sequestration rate amounts to 0.046 Pg C/a. The total net C sink of the IMGE over the 12-year research period reached 0.557 Pg C. The carbon sink area accounted for 60.28% of the total grassland area and the sequestered 0.692 Pg C, whereas the C source area accounted for 39.72% of the total grassland area and released 0.135 Pg C. The NPP and NEP of the IMGE were more significantly correlated with precipitation than with temperature, showing great potential for C sequestration.
