Estimation of local probabilities for exceeding threshold values in environmental monitoring

Contour or isopleth maps of regionalized variables are widely used in decision making without regard for the inherent uncertainty of interpolated contours. One concept for addressing the accuracy of contours given the data is the computation of the conditional probability of the value being lower than the contour. Two simple techniques for an approximate computation, indicator kriging and approximation by normal distribution quantiles, are applied to immission data. Since the assumption of a stationary underlying process does not seem justifiable, a moving windows technique is adopted.     

Aluminum tolerance and aluminum-induced deposition of callose and lignin in the root tips of Melaleuca and Eucalyptus species

We exposed the roots of nine Myrtaceae species (Melaleuca bracteata F. Muell., Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, Melaleuca glomerata F. Muell., Melaleuca leucadendra [L.] L., Melaleuca quinquenervia [Cav.] S.T. Blake, Melaleuca viridiflora Sol. ex Gaertner, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., Eucalyptus deglupta Bl., and Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden) to 1 mM Al in a nutrient solution for either 24 h or 20 days to evaluate their sensitivity to excess Al and to determine whether callose and lignin formation can be used as interspecific indicators of Al sensitivity. Inhibition of root elongation by Al varied among the species. Melaleuca leucadendra, M. cajuputi, E. grandis, M. quinquenervia, and E. deglupta were tolerant to 1 mM Al, whereas M. viridiflora, E. camaldulensis, M. glomerata, and M. bracteata were sensitive to 1 mM Al. We found that Al induced callose formation in the root tips of each species, but lignin was formed only in the root tips of the most sensitive species, M. bracteata. Root elongation at 1 mM Al was negatively correlated with Al-induced callose formation but not with the Al-induced lignin formation in the root tips. These results suggest that Al-induced callose formation, rather than lignin formation, can be used as an interspecific indicator of Al sensitivity.     

安徽省森林生态网络指标体系及其评价方法的探讨

选用当前国内外常用的评价可持续发展的模型 ,即压力—状态—响应模型 ,分析安徽省森林生态网络建设的重要相关因子现状 ,找出干扰和影响安徽省森林生态的稳定与发展的因素 ,初步构建了安徽省森林生态网络指标体系。采用层次分析法结合专家意见咨询法 (德尔菲法 )计算出约束层与指标层对目标层的权重 ,调查 6个不同类型区县各指标现状值 ,分析评价其森林生态网络综合指数并进行了排序 ,并据此评价建设单位不同时段森林生态网络建设的效果及其与标准 (目标 )值的差距 ,结果比较符合实际     

IBQS: A synthetic index of soil quality based on soil macro-invertebrate communities

We developed a synthetic index of biological soil quality (IBQS) based on soil macro-invertebrate community patterns to assess soil quality. In 22 sites representing the diversity of agroecosystems encountered in France, invertebrate communities co-varied significantly with a set of 14 parameters describing the physical and chemical properties of soil (co-inertia, p < 0.001; RV = 0.70). Using hierarchical classification, sites could be separated into four homogeneous groups and, using the ‘indicator value’ method, 46 indicator taxa characteristic of one or another of these groups were identified. We then used a formula that takes into account the abundance of indicator species and their respective indicator values to score soils from 1 to 20. IBQS was able to detect the effects of management practices on soil quality. Soil quality varied from 6 to 20 in forests, 7 to 9 in pastures and 2 to 9 in crops respectively. This suggests that well-managed crops and pastures may have better soil quality than some forests. Our results confirm that soil macro-invertebrates provide an integrative measure of soil quality and that the proposed index can be used either in short- or long-term monitoring, provided that it is calibrated and validated with respect to the regional context of the study.     

Mycorrhizal fungi associated with high soil N:P ratios are more likely to be lost upon conversion from grasslands to arable agriculture

Agriculture often leads to altered composition and reduced diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities compared to natural grassland systems. However, the ecology of taxa that are lost in this transition has thus far not been well characterized. In this study we found that reduced or lost AMF taxa in farmlands were significantly stronger correlated with soil N:P ratio than a randomly sampled community; this indicates that taxa that prevail at high N:P ratio in grasslands are the ones most sensitive to agriculture. As a high N:P environment is also commonly argued to impose the highest AMF benefit to plants, the observation that those taxa are lost could indicate that agricultural fields are left with communities of reduced symbiotic quality.     

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in common moles (Talpa europaea)

Background

The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in common moles, Talpa europaea, was investigated in order to determine whether moles can serve as an indicator species for T. gondii infections in livestock.

Findings

In total, 86 moles were caught from 25 different sites in the Netherlands. Five different trapping habitats were distinguished: pasture, garden, forest, roadside, and recreation area. No positive samples (brain cysts) were found during microscopic detection (n = 70). Using the Latex Agglutination Test (LAT), sera of 70 moles were examined, whereby no sample reacted with T. gondii antigen. Real Time-PCR tests on brain tissue showed 2 positive samples (2.3%).

Conclusions

Because of the low number of positives in our study, the use of the common mole as an indicator species for livestock infections is currently not recommended.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-014-0048-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

低碳乡村评价指标体系的构建及实践研究———以云南省元江县为例简

低碳乡村是在低碳经济背景下的一种新型生态发展模式,是实现人与自然协调发展的必然趋势,是实现可持续发展的必然选择。笔者构建了一个具有3个层次、20个指标的低碳乡村评价体系,在此基础上,以元江县为实证研究对象,运用距离函数模型法,对元江县乡村低碳化进行了分析评价,以期为低碳乡村评价提供参考。     

豫中地区冬小麦肥效试验与相关参数研究

[目的]为了建立和完善科学施肥指标体系。[方法]研究了临颍县2007～2012年小麦3414氮肥用量、丰缺指标。[结果]提出了小麦不同产量水平的最佳施肥量。[结论]该研究对豫中冬麦区提高测土配方施肥技术的普及率、覆盖率、到位率,最大限度地发挥小麦的增产能力有着指导作用。     

青铜火鸡部分血液生理生化指标的检测

以英国布特火鸡血液的生理生化指标为标准,对吉林地区青铜火鸡血液中红细胞、白细胞及血清中总蛋白、白蛋白等16项的指标进行检测,对检测的指标加以分析判断,按统计学原理进行分析获得青铜火鸡生理生化参考值,与布特火鸡做比较,分析差异产生的原因。结果表明青铜火鸡红细胞总数高于石鸡略低于布特火鸡,血清蛋白偏高,谷草转氨酶低于布特火鸡2～4倍,谷丙转氨酶高于布特火鸡。     

Metabolic availability of lysine in feedstuffs determined using oral isotope delivery

Using the indicator amino acid oxidation technique in a standard curve assay, the availability of lysine in feedstuffs for pigs was determined using oral isotope delivery. In 8 barrows, 20 kg initial weight, indicator oxidation responded linearly to increasing levels of free lysine at 50, 60, 70 and 80% of requirements. The availability of lysine in peas was reduced from 75.8% to 68.3% after heating. Adding back the lysine lost during heating restored the availability to 76.5%. Using this method, the availability of lysine in soybean meal (87.5%) was similar to reported true ileal digestibility, while that in canola meal (71.4%) and cottonseed meal (75.1%) was lower and greater, respectively. The results for peas demonstrate that this method responds sensitively to small changes in lysine availability. Therefore, using oral isotope delivery with this method is suitable to determine the bioavailability of amino acids in feedstuffs for pigs.