The distribution patterns and temporal dynamics of carabid beetles(Coleoptera:Carabidae)in the forests of Jiaohe,Jilin Province,China

Carabid beetles,predatory insects,are abundant in forests and sensitive to environmental changes.The distribution patterns and diversity of carabid beetles in several natural forests were studied to provide a basis for evaluating the importance of a forest in the protection of carabid beetle diversity.Carabids were captured by pitfall traps during their seasonal activity from 2012 to 2013 in a poplar-birch forest,ash-walnut forest and broad-leaved Korean pine forest.A total of 5252 individuals,representing 21 species,were collected.Carabid abundance was highest in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest and lowest in the ash-walnut forest.Carabus billbergi Mannerheim and Pterostichus pertinax(Tschitscherine)were the dominant beetle species in each stand.Carabus canaliculatus Adams was dominant in the poplar-birch and ash-walnut forests,and Leistus niger Gebler was dominant in the ash-walnut forest.The carabids were affected differently by stand factors.C.billbergi and P.pertinax was positively correlated with mean DBH.C.canaliculatus and L.niger were not positively correlated with any stand factors.The broad-leaved Korean pine forest with greater age,large DBH and thick leaf litter fostered a high diversity of carabid species.The main yearly activity period for most carabids was during July.Different carabid species responded differently to seasonality,and the activity period of several species was relatively late(August)in the year.

Urban heat mitigation by green and blue infrastructure:Drivers,effectiveness,and future needs

The combination of urbanization and global warming leads to urban overheating and compounds the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events due to climate change.Yet,the risk of urban overheating can be mitigated by urban green-blue-grey infrastructure(GBGI),such as parks,wetlands,and engineered greening,which have the potential to effectively reduce summer air temperatures.Despite many reviews,the evidence bases on quantified GBGI cooling benefits remains partial and the practical recommendations for implementation are unclear.This systematic literature review synthesizes the evidence base for heat mitigation and related co-benefits,identifies knowledge gaps,and proposes recommendations for their implementation to maximize their benefits.After screening 27,486 papers,202 were reviewed,based on 51 GBGI types categorized under 10 main divisions.Certain GBGI(green walls,parks,street trees)have been well researched for their urban cooling capabilities.However,several other GBGI have received negligible(zoological garden,golf course,estuary)or minimal(private garden,allotment)attention.The most efficient air cooling was observed in botanical gardens(5.0±3.5℃),wetlands(4.9±3.2℃),green walls(4.1±4.2℃),street trees(3.8±3.1℃),and vegetated balconies(3.8±2.7℃).Under changing climate conditions(2070–2100)with consideration of RCP8.5,there is a shift in climate subtypes,either within the same climate zone(e.g.,Dfa to Dfb and Cfb to Cfa)or across other climate zones(e.g.,Dfb[continental warm-summer humid]to BSk[dry,cold semi-arid]and Cwa[temperate]to Am[tropical]).These shifts may result in lower efficiency for the current GBGI in the future.Given the importance of multiple services,it is crucial to balance their functionality,cooling performance,and other related co-benefits when planning for the future GBGI.This global GBGI heat mitigation inventory can assist policymakers and urban planners in prioritizing effective interventions to reduce the risk of urban overheating,filling research gaps,and promoting community resilience.

Anthraquinone Covalently Modified Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient and Steady Electrocatalytic H2O2 Generation

Anthraquinone(AQ)modified carbon materials could be endowed with significantly improved oxygen re-duction reaction(ORR)activity.However,the application of these materials in the generation of hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)has been rarely investigated.For this motivation,AQ covalently modified carbon nanotube(AQ-CNT)was pur-posely synthesized for H2O2 generation.It was found that the cumulative H2O2 concentration reached up to 187.18 mg(Lh)over AQ(40)-CNT catalyst,nearly 2.0 times higher than that over CNT,and being superior to those over most carbon materials reported.The enhanced activity stemmed from the improved mass transfer fficiency of oxygen and the enhanced electrocatalytic activity.Noteworthily,the AQ(40)-CNT material exhibited satisfactory stability for H2O2 generation,which was ascribed to the strong interaction force of C-N covalent bond.The present work could provide a vital idea for designing electrode material with simultancously improved activity and stability for H2O2 gencration.

Preparation of Pt/γ-Al2O3-C Heterogeneous Catalyst for Highly Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde Towards Cinnamyl Alcohol

A Pt/γ-Al2O3-C heterogeneous catalyst with improved catalytic performance was successfully prepared. Bayberry talmin（BT）, an abundant natural plant polyphenol, was utilized to modifiy the surface of the Pt/γ-Al2O3 matrix and then stabilize Pt nanoparticles（NPs）. The catalyst was systematically and specifically characterized by a collec- tion of analytic tools including XRD, XPS, FTIR, TEM, and TG. It was found that the Pt NPs were envenly dispered on the γ-Al2O3-C matrix. Meanwhile, when the catalyst was applied for selective hydrogenation of cilmamalde- hyde（CMA） in the presence of KOH promoter in solvent, excellent catalytic performance was obtained. The selecti- vity to cinnamyl alcohol（CMO） reached 97.88% with 88.45% CMA conversion within 30 min in the presence of 0.037 mol/L KOH, without significant loss of catalytic activity even under cyclic measurements for 5 times. The excelleut catalytic performances should be ascribed predominantly to the uniform and stable dispersion ofPt NPs on the γ-Al2O3-C matrix and the excellent heat stability of BT.

In situ Growing PtCo Bimetallic Catalyst on Plant Tannin-grafted Collagen Fiber for Catalytic Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde with Desirable Performance

PtCox bimetallic nanoparticles（NPs） supported on tannin-grafted collagen fiber（CF-BT） have been pre- pared via a novel synthetic strategy, and applied for catalytic hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde（CAL）, a typic unsa- turated aldehyde. The catalysts were systematically artd specifically characterized by means of XRD, XPS, TEM-EDX and SEM to clarify the structure-property correlation. It was found that the PtCox/CF-BT catalysts exhi- bited significantly enhanced catalytic activity and desirable stability in catalytic hydrogenation of CAL, which is ascribed to the synergistic interaction between bimetallic components, the effective dispersion, the anchoring role of CF-BT matrix on bimetallic NPs, as well as the lower mass transfer resistance of the matrix.

Understorey plant community assemblage of Australian Eucalyptus woodlands under elevated CO_(2)is modulated by water and phosphorus availability

Aims Given the key functional role of understorey plant communities and the substantial extent of forest cover at the global scale,investigating understorey community responses to elevated CO_(2)(eCO_(2))concentrations,and the role of soil resources in these responses,is important for understanding the ecosystem-level consequences of rising CO_(2)concentrations for forest ecosystems.Here,we evaluated how experimentally manipulating the availabilities of the two most limiting resources in an extremely phosphorus-limited eucalypt woodland in eastern Australia(i.e.water and phosphorus)can modulate the response of the understorey community to eCO_(2)in terms of germination,phenology,cover,community composition and leaf traits.Methods We collected soil containing native soil seed bank to grow experimental understorey plant communities under glasshouse conditions.Important Findings Phosphorus addition increased total plant cover,particularly during the first 4 weeks of growth and under high water conditions,a response driven by the graminoid component of the plant community.However,the treatment differences diminished as the experiment progressed,with all treatments converging at〜80%lant cover after〜11 weeks.In contrast,plant cover was not affected by eCO_(2).Multivariate analyses reflected temporal changes in the composition of plant communities,from pots where bare soil was dominant to high-cover pots dominated by a diverse community.However,both phosphorus addition and the interaction between water availability and CO_(2)affected the temporal trajectory of the plant community during the experiment.eCO_(2)also increased community-level specific leaf area,suggesting that functional adaptation of plant communities to CO_(2)may precede the onset of compositional responses.Given that the response of our seed bank-derived understorey community to CO_(2)developed over time and was mediated by interactions with phosphorus and water availability,our results suggest a limited role of eCO_(2)in shaping plant communities in water-limited systems,particularly where low soil nutrient availability constrains productivity responses.

Effects of grassland management, endophytic fungi and predators on aphid abundance in two distinct regions

Aims Fungal endophytes of cool-season grass species produce alkaloids toxic to herbivores,affecting food webs in agricultural and natural ecosystems.Field studies about the effects of endophytes on herbi-vores are rare and show contradictory results,leading to uncertain conclusions about the nature of endophyte-grass symbiosis.We asked whether the environmental contexts of local and regional scales and predation could modify the effects of endophytes on herbivores.Methods In a full factorial field experiment,we quantified the abundance of the aphid species Rhopalosiphum padi on the potted host grass Lolium perenne,which was either infected or uninfected with the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium lolii.Predators were either excluded or had free access to the pots with the aphids.One hun-dred and sixty grass pots were located in two regions on altogether 40 grassland sites,half of the sites intensively and half extensively managed.We tested the importance of endophyte infection,study region,management intensity of grasslands,predation and all two-way interactions on aphid abundance.Important Findings Endophyte infection reduced aphid abundance significantly in one study region only.In both regions,we found that the impacts of aphidophagous predators and grassland management intensity on aphid abundance were substantially stronger and more consistent than that of endophytes on aphid abundance.Pots excluding preda-tors and pots placed on extensive grasslands contained higher aphid abundance.The impact of predators and management on aphid abundance were not modified by the endophyte.We conclude that the effect of endophytes on herbivores can be weak in field experi-ments and depends on environmental context at a regional scale.Hence,more field research efforts are necessary to detect the rela-tive importance of endophytes and the environmental context on biotic interactions in ecosystems.