Abstract:The biochemical composition of Prorocentrum donghaiense was analyzed and the effects of P. donghaiense and Alexandrium catenella on the transport of materials through a simulated marine food chain were investigated. The results showed that the content of phenylalanine, histidine and lysine in P. donghaiense was obviously lower than that in other dietary microalgae. Fed with P. donghaiense solely, the gross conversion efficiencies (GCEs) of A. salina increased gradually when the algal densities were lower than 4 × 10⁴ cells/ml, and decreased gradually at higher densities. When fed with the mixture of P. donghaiense and the diatom Nitzschia. closterium, A. salina preferred grazing on P. donghaiense to grazing on N. closterium, and the GCEs of A. salina decreased with the increasing density of P. donghaiense. Exposed to A. catenella, A. salina lost weight and no Chlorophyll a was detected in the guts, which indicated that A. salina did not ingest the algal cells. When the re-suspended cells and cell-free medium of A. catenella were mixed with N. closterium or P. donghaiense, respectively, the grazing and GCEs of A. salina were all diminished. Consequently, the large-scale blooms of P. donghaiense and A. catenella in the East China Sea could adversely affect zooplankton owing to insufficient food or nutrition, and therefore impact the material transfer efficiency through the food chain.

Abstract:The probing behaviors of the tea green leafhopper, Empoasca vitis (Gothe), on 9 tea cultivars were studied using video-text Direct Current-Electrical Penetration Graph, i.e., DC-EPG. The following 7 types of waveforms produced by the leafhopper stylet probing were determined: A, stylet pathway formation; S, salivation when stylets pierce into and stay in phloems; C, active ingestion before stylets reach phloems; E and F, passive ingestion in phloems; R, the insect resting with its stylet inserted into the leaf tissue and NP without probing. The 9 tested tea cultivars were categorized into 3 groups by the cluster analysis according to the number of probes per insect, waveform durations, or duration per probe of various waveforms on different tea cultivars. Waveforms S, E and F correlated to the main feeding activity of the leafhopper and may provide valuable information on predicting the resis-tance level of the tea plants to the leafhopper. The resistance level of the 9 tea cultivars to the leafhopper was ranked based on the durations of waveforms S, E and F, as well as the duration per probe including various waveforms. The ranking order of the resis-tance was: Longjingchangye > Hangdan > Zhenghedabaicha > Qianmei 601 > Hongyafoshuo > Zhongcha 102 > Zhongcha 302 > Longjing 43 > Anjibaicha, which corresponded to the resistance level determined by the population density (infestation) of the leaf-hopper on the 9 tea cultivars in the tea fields. Our study suggests that this simple and convenient DC-EPG technique might have great potential as a reliable tool to predict the resistance of tea cultivars to the tea leafhopper.

Abstract:The changes in the bird community structure of the largest natural secondary forest of Hong Kong over 10 years were investigated. Densities of the 10 most abundant species in 1993–1995 and 2003–2005 were compared using t-test. All resident habitat generalists showed significant decline in densities. Two forest specialists showed significant increase in densities: one is native and the other is exotic species. The trend of changes in the forest bird community of Hong Kong is mainly related to the absence of nearby forests that could act as “source” of forest dependent species to colonize the local secondary forests, and the invasion of exotic species.

Abstract:Via the survey of 250 plots, tree species diversity and community structure were discussed in the habitats of black- crested gibbons, Wuliang Mountain, Yunnan, China. The research showed that (1) 111 tree species from 33 families and 23 lianas from 18 families were recorded in all, in which dominant families included Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae, Fagaceae, Theaceae and Ericaceae; (2) two forest vegetation types existed in the study area: the semi-humid evergreen broad-leaved forest and mid-mountain humid evergreen broad-leaved forest; (3) the diversity index declined with the rising of elevation in each forest vegetation; however, the evenness index showed degressive trend only in semi-humid evergreen broad-leaved vegetation; (4) the age structure of six dominant species revealed that the tree layer in the study area would increase stably.

Abstract:The effects of the long-term application of inorganic fertilizers on microbial community diversity were investigated in a rice-planting soil derived from quaternary red clay in the Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, Chinese Academy of Sciences. After 13 years' application of different inorganic fertilizers for double rice crops, the community structure of bacteria, archaea, actinomycetes and fungi in the soil changed greatly. The similarity of the SSU rDNA DGGE patterns of these four kinds of microorganisms between the soil without rice-planting and the soil with rice-planting reached only 33% and 66%, respectively. The microbial community structure among treatments with NP, PK and NPK types of P fertilizers were more similar; the similarity of the SSU rDNA DGGE patterns of the four kinds of microorganisms under these treatments reached a high range of 75%–81%. The microbial community structure between the treatment with N and K fertilizers (NK) and the treatment without inorganic fertilization (CK) with the treatments with P fertilizers differed greatly; the similarity of the SSU rDNA DGGE patterns of the four kinds of microorganisms under these treatments reached 69%–77% and 55%–77%, respectively. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for fertilizing and utilizing soil, protecting microbial diversity, and accomplishing the sustainable development of agroecology.

Abstract:Little is known about the responses of the activities of soil enzymes that are related to mass cycle to simulated climate change. Therefore, 72 intact soil columns from the primary fir (Abies faxoniana Rehder & E. H. Wilson) forest were parked in environment-controlled chambers with the CK (outside ambient CO₂ concentration and temperature), EC (elevated concentration CO₂ with (347.1 22.1) μmol·mol^-1), ET (elevated temperature with (2.4 ± 0.4)°C), and ECT (elevated CO₂ concentration with (352.8 ± 27.6) μmol·mol^-1 and temperature with (2.2 ± 0.5)°C) treatments, and the activities of invertase, urease, nitrate reductase and acid phosphatase, which are related to the cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in mineral soil (MS) and organic layer (OL) were measured simultaneously to understand the responses of these enzymes to climate change. Significant monthly variations on the activities of the studied enzymes were found in both OL and MS with the highest enzyme activities in summer, which were of ecological significance for soil nutrient availability and tree nutrition in the subalpine forest ecosystem. Different monthly patterns of enzyme activities were attributed to enzyme sources and soil layer. EC treatment had influenced slightly on the activities of the studied enzymes resulting from the higher CO₂ concentration in soil atmosphere and no indirect effect from the EC owing to a lack of trees planted on soils. ET treatment increased enzyme activities in comparison with the CK treatment because ET was beneficial to microbial growth and propagation. The increments of the enzyme activities in OL were higher than those in MS, implying that OL is more sensitive to climate change. ECT treatment sharply increased enzyme activities in comparison with the EC and CK, but there was no significant difference between ET and ECT, which was also attributed to no indirect effect by EC treatment owing to trees not planted on soils, implying that the increment of enzyme activities resulted from the temperature effect. However, further studies on indirect effect and complex effect on soil enzyme activity caused by EC, ET and ECT are needed to understand the soil enzyme responses to the climate change.

Abstract:Using the litter bag technique, the decomposition rates and their influencing factors were studied by investigating three wetland macrophytes, Calamagrostics angustifolia, Carex meyeriana and Carex lasiocapa, in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. It was revealed that C. lasiocapa lost 28.91% of its weight, C. angustifolia lost 31.98% and C. meyeriana lost 32.99% after 164 days. Another finding was that the amount of organic carbon in the litter of C. angustifolia and C. lasiocapa fluctuated, but continuously decreased in that of C. meyeriana. However, all the three types of litter released organic carbon. Nitrogen was released substantially from the litter of both C. angustifolia and C. meyeriana, but accumulated in the litter of C. lasiocapa. Phosphorus concentrations in all the three types of litter apparently decreased first and then slightly increased. Overall, P release was observed in all the three types of litter. The C/N and C/P ratios varied significantly in the decomposition process. The decomposition rates and nutrient content variations were simultaneously influenced by the quality of the litter as well as the environmental factors in the Sanjian Plain, but they were more strongly affected by the quality of the litter.

Abstract:The Tarim River, located in central Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is situated north of the Taklimakana Desert. A reduction in groundwater levels and a concomitant increase in soil salinity have reduced vegetation in lower reaches of the river. Tamarix ramosissima is one of the dominant plant species in this riparian system. This species provides a buffer between the desert and the riparian zone, and contributes significantly to the function of the ecosystem and the maintenance of the biodiversity. Thus, an understanding of how T. ramosissima responds to changes in groundwater levels and soil salinity is necessary for ecological and economic management of this riparian system. We found a positive correlation (Pearson Correlation Coefficient = 0.80305) between T. ramosissima Abscisic Acid (ABA) and groundwater levels, and a negative correlation between ABA and soil salinity levels (Pearson Correlation Coefficient = -0.00961). From these relationships between ABA and groundwater/salinity we concluded that subsurface groundwater level of 3.12 m and soil salinity of 0.96 g/L can limit the normal growth and development of T. ramosissima; subsurface groundwater level of larger than 5.59 m and soil salinity of higher than 1.61 g/L will strongly impede the normal development of T. ramosissima. So we should take into account the resistance of plants to environmental stressors such as drought and salinity to keep the levels of salinity and groundwater on both sides of the main river within a range, in which trees, shrubs and herbs can grow well, and perform various ecological functions. Such conservation practice will not only avoid waste of water resources, but also contribute to efficient artificial water-recharge, helping to maintain the riparian zone of Tarim River and to promote “green corridor” maintenance.