Distribution Pattern of Vascular Plant Species of Mountains in Nepal and their Fate Against Global Warming

This study aims to find the altitudinal distribution pattern of vascular plant species reported from high mountain of Nepal(Manang) along the whole Himalayan elevation gradient, and evaluate their fate against climate change. Data was gathered from multiple sources, field investigations, literatures, and herbarium specimens. Altogether, 303 vascular plant species were reported from Manang. We used a published data to calculate distribution range of each species by interpolating between its upper and lower elevation limits. The relationship between elevation and species richness is elucidated by generalized linear model. The consequence of global warming upon Manang's vascular plant species was estimated based on projected temperature change for next century and adiabatic lapse rate along the elevation gradient of the Himalayas. The vascular plant species richness has a unimodel relationship with elevation along the whole elevation gradient of Nepal as well as in three biogeographical regions of Nepal. Vascular plants of Manang are found distributed from low land Terai to high alpine regions of Nepal and their elevation distribution range varies from 200 to 4700 m. Out of 303 vascular plants of Manang, only seven species might be affected if temperature increase by 1.5°C, whereas at least 70 species will be affected with 5°C temperature increased. However, the majority of species(233 species) have wider distribution range(> 1000 m) and more than 5°C temperature tolerance range, thus they are likely to be less affected from global warming by the end of 21 st century.

Thermal Biology of Cold-climate Distributed Heilongjiang Grass Lizard,Takydromus amurensis

Thermal biology traits reflect thermal adaptations to an environment and can be used to infer responses to climate warming in animal species.Within a widespread genus or species,assessing the latitudinal or altitudinal gradient of thermal physiological traits is essential to reveal thermal adaptations and determine future vulnerability to climate warming geographically.We determined the thermal biology traits of a cold-climate distributed lizard,Takydromus amurensis,and integrated published thermal biology traits within the genus Takydromus to reveal a preliminary geographical pattern in thermal adaptation.The mean selected body temperature(cloaca temperature;T_(sel)),critical thermal maximum(CT_(max)),critical thermal minimum(CT_(min)),and optimal temperature for locomotion(i.e.,sprint speed;T_(opt)) of T.amurensis were 32.6,45.1,3.1,and 33.4℃,respectively.The resting metabolic rates of T.amurensis were po sitively related to temperature from 18℃ to 38℃.We compared the traits of tropical T.sexlineatus,subtropical T.septentrionalis,and T.wolteri with T.amurensis and found that the CT_(max) and thermal tolerance range(the difference between CT_(max) and CT_(min);TTR) increased toward high latitudes,whereas CT_(min) increased toward low latitudes in these four Takydromus lizards.According to this preliminary pattern,we speculate the species at medium and low latitudes would be more vulnerable to extreme heat events caused by ongoing climate warming.We highlight the importance of integrating thermal biology traits along geographical clues,and its potential contribution to evaluate the vulnerabilities of species in the context of climate warming.

Effects of acute salinity stress on the survival and prophenoloxidase system of Exopalaemon carinicauda

The ridgetail white prawn Exopalaemon carinicauda is a euryhaline shrimp species in the estuarine and coastal areas of China.In this study,survival rates,transcription levels of two prophenoloxidase system-related genes(Ec LGBP and Ecpro PO)and PO activity were determined quantitatively in juvenile and adult E.carinicauda under different salinity levels.The results showed that E.carinicauda juveniles could survive in a wider range of salinity conditions than adults.For juvenile E.carinicauda,the expression levels of Ec LGBP and Ec Pro PO were upregulated in low salinities and showed no significant difference at 20–40,while PO activities in low salinities were higher compared to those in high salinities.For adult E.carinicauda,the expression profiles of Ec LGBP and Ecpro PO had a different trend of up-regulation in salinity stress treatments and no obvious difference was observed in the gene expression levels and PO activity between 30 and 40.The salinity tolerance range of immunity for juvenile and adult E.carinicauda is 20–40 and 30–40,respectively.

Design and Parameter Optimization of Zero Position Code Considering Diffraction Based on Deep Learning Generative Adversarial Networks

Absolute measurement has consistently been the primary focus in the development of precision linear and angular displace-ment measurements.The scheme design of binary zero position codes is an important factor for absolute measurement.Designing and optimizing high-bit zero position codes with over 100 bits face considerable challenges.Simultaneously,the working parameters of zero position codes[unit code width(b),distance(d),and yaw angle(α)]remarkably affect their post-installation performance,particularly in absolute positioning and limit code application in multi-degree-of-freedom measurement schemes.This study addresses these challenges by proposing a design method for zero position codes that considers diffraction based on generative adversarial networks and aims to explore a design with increased efficiency and accuracy as well as optimization for high-bit zero position codes.Additionally,the tolerance range of zero positioning per-formance for each working parameter is examined.By leveraging the adversarial network structure,this study generates the optimization of a 150-bit code and processes the tests of the zero position code by using simulation results.The following working parameter ranges for code design are recommended on the basis of theoretical and experimental results:b greater than 10μm,d andαwithin 1000μm and 3490μrad,and avoidance of intervals with sharp changes in the full width at half maximum.The proposed code design and parameter optimization lay a solid foundation for research and engineering appli-cations in absolute measurement field and have considerable potential for generalization and wide applicability.