Land Resource Carrying Capacity in Xilin Gol Grassland Transects: A Perspective on Food Nutritional Demand

Food safety is an important issue for the development of the national economy and society. Studying regional food supply and demand from the perspective of land resource carrying capacity can provide new references for regional resource sustainability. This study uses the data from farmer and herdsmen household questionnaires, statistical data, land use data, and other sources to construct a land resource carrying capacity (LCC) assessment framework, targeting the food supply and demand of residents in representative areas, specifically the typical grassland pastoral areas, sandy pastoral areas and agro-pastoral areas on the Xilin Gol grassland transects. The three food nutritional indicators of calories, protein and fat were selected for analyzing the balance of land resource carrying capacity. We found that: 1) Along the Xilin Gol grassland, the main local food supply showed a shift from meat and milk to grains, vegetables and fruits. 2) From north to south along the grassland transects, the calorie intake increased gradually, while the intake of protein and fat was highest in pastoral areas and lowest in agricultural areas. 3) The overall land resource carrying capacity of the Xilin Gol grassland transects was in a surplus state, but the land carrying capacity of typical grassland pastoral area was higher than the two other types of areas. This study provides an empirical reference for the sustainable development of regional food nutrition.     

Preliminary investigation of mercury in bone tissues of skua and penguin in Antarctica using AFS and Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence （SR-XRF）

Mercury （Hg） was investigated in bone tissues of skua （ Catharacta maccormick） and penguin （Pygoscelis adeliae） collected in the maritime Antarctic using atomic fluorescence spectrometry （AFS） and synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence （SR-XRF） method. The total levels of mercury in bone tissues of penguin and skua are much lower than those in other organs （e. g. , kidney, liver）. The toxic effects of mercury in bone tissues of seabirds in polar region are not known. We have used SR- XRF method to map the distribution of trace levels of mercury in bones. The levels of mercury are found to be enriched somewhere near the periosteal surface and/or endosteal surface. The distribution of mercury shows strongly correlation with that of some essential elements and probably poses negative effect on the bone metabolism inferring from the relationship of mercury with the other elements. These studies represent a first step toward understanding the toxic effects of mercury on bone of polar animals by suggesting the possible microscopic investigation.     

Correlations between heavy metals and organic carbon extracted by dry oxidation procedure in urban roadside soils

The organic fraction in soils has a significant influence on heavy metal transport. In this study, the organic carbon content was measured by dry oxidation procedure from 21 Xuzhou urban roadside soils to assess the relationships between the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cr) and the amount of organic carbon. The anthropogenic heavy metals (e.g. Pb, Cu, Zn) were strongly correlated with organic carbon (denoted by C_org−c) extracted by dry oxidation while natural heavy metal (e.g. Cr) showed no correlation to the C_org−c. The anthropogenic heavy metals were also strongly correlated with the amount of the total carbon. These results show that the anthropogenic heavy metals are mainly enriched in the organic matter in the Xuzhou urban roadside soils.     

Drought and institutional adaptation in the Great Plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan, 1914–1939

Agriculture in the southern Great Plains of Canada has been particularly vulnerable to prolonged episodes of drought. Using climate data and a precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration index, the extent of the region’s exposure to drought is examined. Between 1914 and 1917, the Dry Belt was particularly vulnerable to drought, whereas after 1928, a much larger region known as the Palliser Triangle covering most of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan was much more exposed to drought. These droughts provoked major institutional adaptation, in particular the establishment of the Special Areas Board by the Government of Alberta, and the creation of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration by the Government of Canada. Both organizations have proved to be relatively permanent public adaptations to the natural hazard of drought in the region. Moreover, these earlier experiences with prolonged drought as well as institution-building may be of value in helping the residents of the Palliser Triangle adapt to predicted climate changes in the future as well as anticipate some of the barriers to effective institutional adaptation.     

Isotopic variation of fishes in freshwater and estuarine zones of a large subtropical coastal lagoon

We used stable C and N isotope ratios of tissues from 29 fish species from a large subtropical lagoon in southern Brazil to examine spatial variability in isotopic composition and vertical trophic structure across freshwater and estuarine habitats. Nitrogen isotope ratios indicated a smooth gradation in trophic positions among species, with most fishes occupying the secondary and tertiary consumer level. Fish assemblages showed a significant shift in their carbon isotopic signatures between freshwater and estuarine sites. Depleted carbon signatures (from −24.7‰ to −17.8‰) were found in freshwater, whereas more enriched signatures (from −19.1‰ to −12.3‰) were obtained within the estuarine zone downstream. Based on our survey of the C₃ and C₄ plants and isotopic values for phytoplankton and benthic microalgae reported for ecosystems elsewhere, we hypothesized that the observed δ¹³C differences in the fish assemblage between freshwater and estuarine sites is due to a shift from assimilating organic matter ultimately derived from C₃ freshwater marsh vegetation and phytoplankton at the freshwater site (δ¹³C ranging from −25‰ to −19‰), to C₄ salt-marsh (e.g. Spartina) and widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima), benthic microalgae and marine phytoplankton at the estuarine sites (from −18‰ to −12‰). Our results suggested that fish assemblages are generally supported by autochthonous primary production. Freshwater fishes that likely were displaced downstream into the estuary during periods of high freshwater discharge had depleted δ¹³C values that were characteristic of the upper lagoon. These results suggest that spatial foodweb subsidies can occur within the lagoon.     

厦门海域鱼体稀土元素的生态化学特征

于1995—1996年在厦门海域采集了28种鱼类样品，用ICP—MS法测定了15种稀土元素(REE)的含量，研究了鱼体稀土元素的组成和分布模式及与海水环境之间的关系。结果表明，厦门海域鱼体REE总量介于12．4—596．5ng／g，平均为(77．5l2．8)岭g。鱼体明显官集轻稀土，同时轻、重稀土之间则存在较大的分馏作用，说明轻稀土的生物学效应比重稀土更为显著。鱼类稀土元素分布模式总体上与海水REE分布模式接近，并且鱼类REE含量与近岸陆架海水REE含量之间有很好的相关性，说明海洋鱼类对稀土元素的利用遵从丰度规律。鱼类对稀土元素的富集系数在103以上。稀土元素沿厦门海域食物链的迁移传递没有表现出明显的生物放大作用。     

The Bering Sea—A dynamic food web perspective

The Bering Sea is a high-latitude, semi-enclosed sea that supports extensive fish, seabird, marine mammal, and invertebrate populations and some of the world's most productive fisheries. The region consists of several distinct biomes that have undergone wide-scale population variation, in part due to fisheries, but also in part due to the effects of interannual and decadal-scale climatic variation. While recent decades of ocean observation have highlighted possible links between climate and species fluctuations, mechanisms linking climate and population fluctuations are only beginning to be understood. Here, we examine the food webs of Bering Sea ecosystems with particular reference to some key shifts in widely distributed, abundant fish populations and their links with climate variation. Both climate variability and fisheries have substantially altered the Bering Sea ecosystem in the past, but their relative importance in shaping the current ecosystem state remains uncertain.     

鱼类生长激素的体内代谢、分泌调控和作用机制研究的进展

主要对１９８３－１９９６年间关于鱼类生长激素的体内代谢、分泌调控和作用机制的研究进展予以综合评述。通过鱼类划性放射免疫测定法的建立和体风代谢动力学研究，证实，外源生长激素在鱼体内不会产生积累。鱼类生长激素的分泌调控受下丘脑分泌的生长激素释放因子（ＧＨＲＦ）和释放抑制因子（ＳＲＩＦ）的双重；促性腺激素释放激素（ＧｎＲＨ）、雌二醇（Ｅ２）、促甲状腺素释放激素（ＴＲＨ）和神经肽（ＮＹＰ）对鱼类生长激素的     

南方鲇成鱼的静止代谢率的季节变化

于１９９１年９月－１９９２年７月，运用连续流水呼吸仪测定由嘉陵江捕获的南方鲇成鱼的静止代谢率，在１０．０，１６．０，２１．８，２２．２和２７．４℃条件下，雌鱼的测定值是８．６９９，２１．９８０，２５．４１２，３０．５６３，３４．４６３和３２．４８３Ｏ２ｍｇ／（ｋｇ．ｈ）；雄鱼的是８．１４，１９．５６８，２６，８３０，２９。４２６，３２，１５６和３２．０９８Ｏ２ｍｇ／（ｋｇ．ｈ）。采用统计模型，将测