Response to climate change of different tree species and NDVI variation since 1923 in the middle arid region of Ningxia, China

The normalized difference vegetation index （NDVI） is used extensively to describe vegetation cover and ecological environ- ment change. The purpose of this study was to contrast the response of different tree species growing in the same habitat to climate change and retrieve past NDVI using tree-ring width data from tree cores collected from the transitional zone of Pinus tabulaeformis and Picea crassifolia in the Luoshan Mountains in the middle arid region of Ningxia. Correlation analysis indi- cated that radial growth ofP tabulaeJbrmis is more sensitive to precipitation and temperature change than that ofP crassifolia. Natural factors such as water availability and heat at this elevation are more suited to the growth ofP crassifolia, and are more advantageous to its renewal and succession. P. crassifolia is probably the better of the two species for protecting the forest ecosystem and conserving water in the Luoshan desertification area. Ring width of P. crassifolia correlates significantly with average NDVI for April-May （r =0.641, p 〈0.01）, and both of them are influenced positively by precipitation in April-May. The reconstructed NDVI for 1923-2007 shows the relatively low vegetation cover occurred in the 1920s-1930s, the 1960s-1970s, and the early 21 st century. The reconstructed NDVI better reflected the drought climate in the study area.     

Earthquakes as a potential contributing factor to climate change at multi-decadal scale

Climate changes at the multi-decadal scale are often associated with multi-decadal phase shifts of the dominant sea surface temperature （SST） pattern, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）. The PDO may be associated with the North Pacific branch of the Thermohaline Circulation （THC）. Great earthquakes （M 〉8）, particularly along the route of the THC, might modulate the vertical mixing and bring deep, cold water to surface, contributing to multi-decadal changes in surface currents and the PDO. This may eventually lead to multi-decadal climate changes. We tested this hypothesis for the Pacific Ocean where great earthquakes have been frequently recorded. We found associations between the PDO and recurrent earthquakes along the route of the deep currents of the THC in the modern period since 1900, and relationships between hydroclimate change in Monsoonal Asia and historical earthquakes since 1300. However, it should be noted that this hypothesis is very preliminary and has many gaps that needs further evidences from more observational records and modeling studies.     

浅谈如何做好为农服务类气象节目

文章通过分析农村受众对电视气象节目的心理需求,结合近几年内蒙古气象影视所开展的为农气象服务和自身工作体会,对如何利用影视平台做好为农气象服务进行探讨。     

Zoospore-derived monoecious gametophytes in Undaria pinnatifida (Phaeophyceae)

The annual life cycle of the brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifi da(Harvey)Suringer comprises a macroscopic diploid sporophyte stage and a microscopic haploid gametophyte stage.In 2011,an unusual zoospore-derived monoecious gametophyte isolate(designated as line 10-5-3)of U.pinnatifi da was observed.To understand this phenomenon,a comprehensive screening of eighty-two previously identifi ed male gametophyte cultures,isolated from three randomly selected cultivars(lines 10,7,and 5)was performed.Thirty-six of the isolates developed both antheridia and oogonia on the same fi lamentous fragment in a standard gametogenesis test(SGT: 18°C,60 μmol photons/(m 2·s)).Selfi ng of the monoecious gametophyte or crossing it with a normal male gametophyte both gave rise to morphologically normal sporophytic offspring.However,crossing resulted in a much higher fertilization rate(89.7%).The hybrid and selfed sporophytic offspring were grown to maturity in fl ow tanks at an ambient temperature of 10–18°C over a period of 69 days.Active zoospores were released from both types of mature sporophylls.The majority of these developed into male gametophytes,while 15%–20% developed into the observed monoecious structures on the same fi lament.Using PCR amplifi cation it was found that all the monoecious gametophyte isolates and the sporophytic offspring resulting from the selfi ng and crossing lacked the femalelinked microsatellite sequence(a part of the locus Up-AC-2A8,GenBank accession No.AY738602.1),indicating their male nature.U.pinnatifi da is an invasive species in some regions and the implications of the above fi ndings for this species in nature are briefl y discussed.     

Influence of dietary n-3 LC-PUFA on growth,nutritional composition and immune function in marine fish Sebastiscus marmoratus

A 60-day feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of dietary omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids(n-3 LC-PUFA) on growth, nutritional composition and immune function of marine fish Sebastiscus marmoratus. Five diets containing 3.6, 10.2, 18.2, 26.5, or 37.0 g/kg n-3 LC-PUFA were prepared. The results reveal significant influences of dietary n-3 LC-PUFA on the final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and condition factor. As dietary n-3 LCPUFA increased, weight gain and specific growth rate increased and were significantly higher in groups fed 18.2, 26.5 and 37.0 g/kg than in groups fed 3.6 and 10.2 g/kg( P 0.05); there was no significant difference between groups fed 18.2, 26.5, or 37.0 g/kg( P 0.05). With increasing dietary n-3 LC-PUFA, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexenoic acid content in muscle and liver increased significantly, immunoglobulin class M content gradually increased from 9.1 to 14.8 μg/L, and lysozyme activity content increased from 1355 to 2268 U/mL. Broken line model analysis according to weight gain indicated that a dietary n-3 LC-PUFA level of 18.2 g/kg is essential for normal growth at a fat level of 125 g/kg. Therefore, appropriate dietary n-3 LC-PUFA not only promote growth and improve the n-3 LC-PUFA content, but also enhance immune function in S. marmoratus.     

Sediment records of environmental changes in the south end of the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud area during the past 100 years

Previous studies carried out in the East China Sea （ECS） mud area focused on long-term environmental changes in sedimentary records during the Holoeene, especially during the mid-Holocene high-stand water levels period. These results indicate that sensitive grain size groups can be used as a sedimentary proxy to reconstruct the evolution of the East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM）. The studies have been carried out mainly in the northern and middle portions of the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud, however, similar research in the southern portion and the comparison between sedimentary proxy and modern measured data of EAWM are lacking. In this paper, we focused on a sedimentary record of the past 100 years with an enhanced resolution of 1.8 years. Investigations of the southern end of the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud area were conducted on the basis of 21~Pb chronology, grain-size analysis and chemical element analysis. The correspondence between the mean grain size （Mz） of sediment sensitive grain size and the measured EAWM was confirmed for the first time. We found that during the recent 100 years, the variation of the mean grain size of the sensitive population in the southern portion of the Zhejiang-Fujian mud was mainly controlled by the EAWM intensity changes; and not directly related to changes in the sediment discharge from Datong station of the Changjiang River （DTSD）. Finally, recent changes in the content of heavy metals in study area reflect the impact of human activities on the environment.     

Use of tetracycline hydrochloride and alizarin complexone for immersion marking black rockfish Sebastes schlegelii

We tested the utility of chemical marking techniques in the juvenile black rockfish Sebastes schlegelii. Juveniles(30–40 mm total length) were immersed in a range of tetracycline hydrochloride(TC) solutions at concentrations ranging from 300 to 500 mg/L, and alizarin complexone(ALC) solutions at concentrations ranging from 200 to 400 mg/L in filtered sea water(salinity of 30) for 24 h, respectively. Otoliths(sagittae, asteriscus), scales, fin rays(dorsal, pectoral, ventral, anal, and caudal fin rays), and fin spines(dorsal, ventral, and anal fin spines) were sampled and used to detect fl uorescent marks after a 60-day growth experiment. With the exception of 300 mg/L TC, acceptable marks were produced in the otoliths and fin spines by all concentrations of TC and ALC. In particular, we observed clearly visible marks in the sagittae, asteriscus, and fin spines under normal light at concentrations of 200–400 mg/L, 250–400 mg/L, and 250–400 mg/L ALC, respectively. Scales and fin rays had acceptable marks at much higher concentrations(≥350 mg/L TC, ≥250 mg/L ALC for scales and ≥350 mg/L TC, ≥300 mg/L ALC for fin rays). The best mark quality(i.e., acceptable marks were observed in all sampled structures after immersion marking) were obtained following immersion in TC at between 350–500 mg/L, and ALC between 300–400 mg/L. In addition, there was no significant difference in survival and growth of TC and ALC marked fish compared to their controls up to 60 days post-marking( P 0.05).     

Analysis of fatty acid composition of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus using multivariate statistics

Fatty acids （FAs） provide energy and also can be used to trace trophic relationships among organisms. Sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus goes into a state of aestivation during warm summer months. We examined fatty acid profiles in aestivated and non-aestivated A. japonicus using multivariate analyses （PERMANOVA, MDS, ANOSIM, and SIMPER）. The results indicate that the fatty acid profiles of aestivated and non-aestivated sea cucumbers differed significantly. The FAs that were produced by bacteria and brown kelp contributed the most to the differences in the fatty acid composition of aestivated and non- aestivated sea cucumbers. Aestivated sea cucumbers may synthesize FAs from heterotrophic bacteria during early aestivation, and long chain FAs such as eicosapentaenoic （EPA） and docosahexaenoic acid （DHA） that produced from intestinal degradation, are digested during deep aestivation. Specific changes in the fatty acid composition of A. japonicus during aestivation needs more detailed study in the future.     

Denitrification potential of marsh soils in two natural saline-alkaline wetlands

Little information is available on denitrification potential of marsh soils in natural saline-alkaline wetlands. The denitrification potentials of an open wetland in the floodplain(Erbaifangzi wetland) and a closed wetland(Fulaowenpao wetland) in backwater areas in Jilin Province of Northeast China were monitored by an anaerobic incubation at 30℃ for 25 days. Our results showed that the relative denitrification index(RDI) increased gradually with incubation time, and showed a rapid increase in the first 5 days of incubation. The RDI values declined quickly from surface soils to subsurface soils and then kept a small change in deeper soils along soil profiles over the incubation time. Denitrification proceeded much faster in the top 20 cm soils of open wetland than in the closed wetland, whereas no significant differences in RDI values were observed in deeper soils between both wetlands. The RDIs were significantly negatively correlated with bulk density and sand content, while a significantly positive correlation with clay content, soil organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorous. The maximum net NO–3-N loss through denitrification in 1 m depth were higher in the open wetland than the closed wetland with higher soil pH values. Future research should be focused on understanding the influencing mechanisms of soil alkalinity.     

Characterizing landscape spatial heterogeneity in multisensor images with variogram models

Most evaluation of the consistency of multisensor images have focused on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI） products for natural landscapes, often neglecting less vegetated urban landscapes. This gap has been filled through quantifying and evaluating spatial heterogeneity of urban and natural landscapes from QuickBird, Satellite pour l＇observation de la Terre （SPOT）, Ad- vanced Spacebome Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer （ASTER） and Landsat Thematic Mapper （TM） images with variogram analysis. Instead of a logarithmic relationship with pixel size observed in the corresponding aggregated images, the spatial variability decayed and the spatial structures decomposed more slowly and complexly with spatial resolution for real multisensor im- ages. As the spatial resolution increased, the proportion of spatial variability of the smaller spatial structure decreased quickly and only a larger spatial structure was observed at very coarse scales. Compared with visible band, greater spatial variability was observed in near infrared band for both densely and less densely vegetated landscapes. The influence of image size on spatial heterogeneity was highly dependent on whether the empirical sernivariogram reached its sill within the original image size. When the empirical semivariogram did not reach its sill at the original observation scale, spatial variability and mean characteristic length scale would increase with image size; otherwise they might decrease. This study could provide new insights into the knowledge of spatial heterogeneity in real multisen- sor images with consideration of their nominal spatial resolution, image size and spectral bands.