Environmental limitations on recruitment from seed in invasive Spartina densiflora on a southern European salt marsh

The South American cordgrass, Spartina densiflora, has invaded a range of different habitats that can support different native species assemblages on salt marshes in the Gulf of Cadiz, Spain. Little is known about the mechanisms of invasion. We examined the potential for seed germination and recruitment in a field transplant experiment, representing a wide range of environments, on elevational gradients across marshes with muddy and sandy sediments. The biotic resistance of native, perennial vegetation (where present) to recruitment of the alien was also investigated. Spartina densiflora seeds were able to germinate over a greater than 2-m range of elevation in the tidal frame. Germination success on unvegetated muddy sediments was related to sediment redox potential, with poor germination at strongly negative redox potentials on the lower sites. On sandy, well-drained sediments, germination was apparently constrained by water availability at the highest elevations. Comparison of vegetated and cleared plots on the upper marsh showed that there was a negative relationship between the presence of Atriplex portulacoides and germination on the muddy sediments. Recruitment (survival of seedlings for 12 weeks) was seen only on unvegetated muddy sediments at the highest elevation. Hence the invasive success and wide elevational tolerance of S. densiflora on the marshes of the Gulf of Cadiz are not reflected in its short-term ability to become established from its prolific seed production. Colonization of sub-optimal habitats may be largely by vegetative propagules and clonal growth.     

Temporal and spatial variability in shallow- and deep-water populations of the invasive Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea in the Western Mediterranean

The invasive green alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea represents an important threat to the diversity of Mediterranean benthic coastal ecosystems by interfering with native species and modifying benthic assemblages. The present study deals, for the first time, with the temporal and spatial variability of the biomass and phenology of C. racemosa considering both deep- and shallow-water populations. Two sampling depths (30 and 10 m) were sampled at three different rocky bottom sites every 3 months in the Archipelago of Cabrera National Park (Western Mediterranean). All morphometric variables analysed showed a spatial variation and temporal patterns depending on depth. Between depths, C. racemosa biomass, stolon length, number of fronds and frond length were usually significantly higher at deep-water populations, suggesting that C. racemosa grows better in deep-waters. Deep- and shallow-water populations displayed a high temporal variation although no evidence of seasonal patterns was found, in contrast with what has been reported by other authors. The sources of this variability are still unknown but probably both physical factors and differential herbivory pressures display a key role.     

Ecophysiological characteristics of invasive Spartina alterniflora and native species in salt marshes of Yangtze River estuary,China

Biological invasions represent one of the significant components of global change. A comparative study of invaders and co-occurring natives is a useful approach to gaining insights into the invasiveness of exotic plants. Spartina alterniflora, a C₄ grass, is a widespread invader in the coastal wetlands in China and other regions of the world. We conducted a comparative study of S. alterniflora and native C₃ species, Phragmites australis and Scirpus mariqueter, in terms of their gas exchange and efficiencies in resource utilization. We tested the hypothesis that S. alterniflora has growth-related ecophysiological advantages over the natives in its non-native range, which result in its rapid growth and enhance its invasiveness. Photosynthesis, leaf area index (LAI), specific leaf area (SLA), and the efficiency of resource use (light, water, and nitrogen) were examined monthly for eight months in 2004. Overall, S. alterniflora had greater LAI, higher maximal net photosynthetic rate (A_max), and longer growing season than those of the native species. On average, the efficiencies of S. alterniflora in light, water, and nitrogen utilization were respectively 10.1%, 26.1%, and 33.1% higher than those of P. australis, and respectively 70.3%, 53.5%, 28.3% higher than those of S. mariqueter. However, SLA of S. alterniflora was significantly lower than those of P. australis and S. mariqueter. Although there was no general pattern in the relationship between invasiveness and plant photosynthetic types, in this study, most of the ecophysiological characteristics that gave S. alterniflora a competitive advantage in the Yangtze River estuary were associated with photosynthetic pathways. Our results offer a greater understanding of the relationship between invasiveness and plant photosynthetic type. Our results also indicate that LAI and the length of the photosynthetic season, which vary with habitats, are also important in invasion success.     

Approach to modeling and virtual-reality-based simulation for plant canopy lighting

Over the past 20 years, significant progress has been made in virtual plant modeling corresponding to the rapid advances in information technology. Virtual plant research has broad applications in agronomy, forestry, ecology and remote sensing. As many biological processes are driven by light, it is the key for virtual plant to estimate the light absorbed by each organ. This paper presents the radiance equation suitable for calculating sun and sky light intercepted by plant organs based on the principles of the interaction between light and plant canopy firstly; analyzes the process principles of plant canopy primary lighting based on ray casting and projection secondly; describes the multiple scattering of plant lighting based on Monte Carlo ray tracing method and on the radiosity method thirdly; and confirms the research with 3D visualization based on Virtual Reality Modeling Language （VRML） finally. The research is the primary work of digital agriculture, and important for monitoring and estimating corn growth in Northeast China.     

我国核电厂设计中考虑的自然灾害综述与建议

我国是目前世界在建核电机组最多的国家,总装机容量世界第三,是名副其实的核大国,核安全是国家安全的重要内容,被提到了前所未有的高度.同时,我国也是世界上自然灾害最严重的国家之一,包括核电厂在内的重大工程建设高度重视自然灾害防御设计.日本311地震海啸引起福岛核事故后,核电厂设计中增强了对超设计基准自然灾害的考虑.本文对核...     

水生入侵植物对常见水华的抑藻效应及其影响机理

为促使水生入侵植物的资源化利用以减少其对环境的危害,本文选取我国3种常见水生入侵植物,即水浮莲(Pistia stratiotes)、凤眼莲(Eichhornia crassipes)、空心莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)作为研究对象,研究不同的植物化感作用方式(植物种植水抑藻、植物粗提物抑藻)对蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)、梅尼小环藻(Cyclotella meneghiniana)、铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)这3种常见水华微藻生长的抑制作用差异及其影响机理。结果表明,3种植物的种植水和粗提物均对不同微藻表现出选择性抑制作用,且种植水的抑藻效果总体强于粗提物。其中以空心莲子草种植水对铜绿微囊藻的抑制作用最强,共培养第7天藻细胞光密度OD750值下降78.19%,叶绿素a(chl a)含量下降96.61%。铜绿微囊藻在空心莲子草种植水影响下,藻细胞的呼吸速率先升高后降低,光合速率逐渐降低,超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase,SOD)、过氧化物酶(peroxidase,POD)、过氧化氢酶(catalase,CAT)等抗氧化酶的活性,以及蛋白质和膜脂过氧化产物丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA)的含量均呈现先升高后降低的趋势,由此可知铜绿微囊藻在共培养过程中受到了明显的胁迫和伤害。而在共培养第11天,实验组的胞外藻毒素含量较对照组仅增加8.69%,差异不显著(P0.05),说明空心莲子草种植水在有效抑制铜绿微囊藻生长的同时不会促进藻毒素的释放,具有较好的生态安全性。     

黄骅电厂二期工程温排水排放方案优选

在利用分步杂交有限元方法建立渤海湾潮流场的基础上,通过数值模拟的方法建立黄骅电厂温排水海域的温度场,对不同温排水设计方案进行了预测分析。设计方案充分考虑了排放口位置、排水量和温升对海域环境造成的影响,设计了一、二期工程排放口分建和合建时的五种方案。预测结果的对比分析显示,方案V(一、二期工程温排水集中由2排放)是最佳方案。     

某核电厂附近海域生态环境特征及潜在致灾生物研究

为了了解某核电厂周边海域的生态环境状况,筛选潜在威胁核电厂冷源安全的致灾生物,分析影响致灾生物时空分布的主要环境因素,本研究于2018年进行了4个季节的生态调查。结果表明,研究海域浮游植物密度秋季最高,春季优势种为东海原甲藻(Prorocentrumdonghaiense),其他季节优势种为中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)等硅藻。浮游动物密度夏季最高,以桡足类为主,春、夏季优势种还包括球型侧腕水母(Pleurobrachiaglobosa)和薮枝螅水母(Obeliasp.)。底栖动物的密度和生物量在秋季最高,优势种主要为豆形短眼蟹(Xenophthalmus pinnotheroides)、长吻沙蚕(Glycera chirori)和丝异须虫(Heteromastusfiliforms)。浮游植物、浮游动物和底栖动物群落均在夏季最为稳定,群落多样性水平和物种丰度较高,且分布较为均匀。浮游植物群落的细胞丰度与悬浮物和磷酸盐的浓度正相关性最高。浮游动物的密度受温度和盐度的影响较大。底栖动物的群落分布主要受悬浮物和无机营养盐的浓度影响。本研究共筛选出17种威胁该核电厂冷...     

广西涠洲岛滨海湿地潮下带海草、红树林与互花米草的分布和群落结构特征

系统报道了广西涠洲岛的潮下带海草、红树林以及互花米草的分布和群落结构特征.2019—2020年的调查结果表明,涠洲岛海草分布于南湾西侧,紧邻珊瑚礁区,面积4246 m2,为潮下带的生长形式,海草种类仅见卵叶喜盐草(Halophila ovalis);真红树植物有6种[红海榄(Rhizophora stylosa)、海漆...     

中国太阳能热发电站选址模型研究

太阳能热发电技术在我国新世纪能源战略中具有重要地位,太阳能热发电电站位置的合理选择对发电成本有直接影响,涉及到太阳能热发电技术本身、高时空分辨率的太阳能法直辐射分布、土地利用分布、水资源分布、社会经济分布,以及政策税收等众多因素。本文提出了一个太阳能热发电站选址的决策支持系统框架,就其中的太阳能直法辐射调查进行了初步试验。本文依据供需时空平衡原则进一步讨论了多种绿色能源互补的大能源系统运筹问题。