DNA and morphological identification of an invasive swimming crab,Charybdis japonica,in New Zealand waters

Mitochondrial DNA sequences were used to identify an invasive swimming crab found in Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand. A 457 base sequence of the cytochrome oxidase 1 gene was compared in New Zealand specimens and nine species of Charybdis from Australia and Asia. The New Zealand specimens aligned with C. japonica. The diagnostic morphological characters of C. japonica were also checked in 54 specimens of the species collected in Waitemata Harbour, and concur with the mtDNA result. This is the first record of C. japonica establishing populations outside its native range. C. japonica, along with C. hellerii and the Lessepsian migrant C. longicollis, are the only known invasive species of Charybdis. C. japonica and C. hellerii are two of the few Charybdis species that inhabit the intertidal zone, and it is likely that the intertidal characteristics of these species contribute to their success as invasive species.     

Temperature and salinity of sea water at the ocean floor in the New Zealand region

The temperature and salinity of the water at the ocean floor has been estimated by extrapolation of selected serial station data. Plots of extrapolated bottom water temperatures and salinities against bottom depth are presented, together with a chart showing the regional distribution of bottom water temperature. Discussion of the results in terms of water masses is offered.     

Larval stages,developmental ecology,and distribution of Scyllarus sp. Z (probably Scyllarus aoteanus Powell, 1949) (Decapoda: Scyllaridae)

Phyllosomata and nistos of Scyllarus sp. Z taken from plankton around and offshore northern New Zealand and in the Tasman Sea are presumed to be those of S. aoteanus Powell, 1949, the most common Scyllarus species in this area. The full larval and postlarval development of this species are described. Three features are characteristic of Scyllarus sp. Z phyllosomata; a dorsal crest on the cephalic shield, dorsal thoracic spines, and a forked telson in middle stages persisting as two prominent spines outreaching the telson posterior margin in the final stage. Scyllarus sp. Z's closest affinities are with a group of Scyllarus species whose phyllosomata have forked telsons in middle stages and medium to strong posterolateral telson spines in the final stage. The nisto is low in profile but distinctive in its armature. Too few Scyllarus sp. nistos have been described to suggest any group to which that of Scyllarus sp. Z can be assigned. The spatial and temporal distribution of the larvae and postlarvae of Scyllarus sp. Z are also described. Although early larval stages and postlarvae are found close to New Zealand, mid‐ and late‐stage larvae are widely distributed, some well beyond the known latitudinal range of the adults. There is probably an extended egg‐bearing and hatching period as early stage larvae are caught in most months. Variable rates of development of the larvae and/or delayed metamorphosis, are also possible.     

Stream channels are narrower in pasture than in forest

In the Hakarimata Range, west of Hamilton, New Zealand, second‐order streams appear to be wider in native than in pasture catchments, whereas streams in pine plantations (18 years old) appear to be suffering active stream‐bank erosion. A working hypothesis to explain these observations was that pasture vegetation replacing original forest encroaches on the stream channel, causing it to become narrower. To test the hypothesis, channel widths were measured up stream and down stream of “transitions” from native forest to pasture in 20 streams of different size in marginal ranges of the Waikato Basin. Small streams (catchment area <1 km², width in forest <2 m) were found to be half the width in pasture reaches as in forest. The degree of channel narrowing decreased as stream size increased and was minimal in large streams (catchment area >30 km², width in forest >10 m). This narrowing of stream channels implies that native forest clearance in New Zealand has reduced stream channel habitat. A concern regarding riparian planting for stream restoration is that sediment stored in pasture stream banks could be mobilised if grasses are extinguished by shading, resulting in turbid streamwater and sedimentation of fines in the channel.     

顾及单木三维形态的无人机立体影像单木识别算法

单木参数对当前的森林资源管理、生态研究以及生物多样性保护等具有重要意义。无人机立体影像数据与单木识别算法为单木参数的低成本、自动化获取提供了基础。现有研究表明,常用的基于局部最大值搜索的单木识别算法面对密集林分时存在严重的漏识别问题,影响了参数提取的精度,因此本文提出了顾及单木三维形态的无人机立体影像单木识别新算法。算法首先综合利用无人机立体影像的高程与RGB光谱信息,通过随机森林分类进行林冠区的提取;然后利用形态学的多层腐蚀、膨胀与连通区标记进行树冠相连单木的分离与树冠中心点的提取,从而实现单木自动化识别。本文选取内蒙古大兴安岭林区和四川王朗林区的4块样地进行验证,以目视解译数据为参考,分别与基于高程值的局部最大值搜索算法（算法A）、基于RGB光谱亮度值的局部最大值搜索算法（算法B）进行比较。结果显示：本文提出的算法在4个样地的平均F1-score为94.17%,与算法A和算法B相比分别提高了15.85%和9.37%;而对于密集样地,本文提出的算法在查全率上相比算法A和算法B分别提高51.79%和35.64%。结果表明本文提出的算法在不同林区均能够实现较好的单木识别效果,特别是能够有效避免密集林分下的漏识别问题,为基于无人机立体影像的单木识别研究提供了一种新的思路。     

Evaluation of image analysis methods used for quantification of particle angularity

Angularity is an important parameter in the characterization of particle morphology that is used to interpret the transport history of particles in sedimentary deposits. In the past, visual classification using silhouette charts was widely used to determine particle angularity, but this approach is subjective and time‐consuming. With advances in modern image analysis techniques and low‐cost software packages, it is possible to rapidly quantify particle angularity more objectively than using visual classification methods. This study re‐examines the performance of three existing image analysis methods and one new image analysis procedure, applied to six rock and sediment samples that were visually different in angularity. To facilitate comparison between the angularity results, measurements were reduced to rankings for each aggregate sample. These results show that the four image analysis methods rank the angularity of the samples differently, and that none rank the mean angularity index in the same order as the angularity ranking using visual classification. Therefore, further research is needed to develop an image analysis method that can quantify the angularity of sedimentary particles more precisely.     

Grain-size-sensitive creep of plagioclase accompanied by solution–precipitation and mass transfer under mid-crustal conditions

We report here on a study of three deformed granitoids: two mylonites and an ultramylonite from the inner ductile shear zone of the Ryoke metamorphic belt, SW Japan. Monophase layers composed of quartz, plagioclase or K-feldspar are present in all samples. The plagioclase-rich layers consist of grains 6–10 μm in size, and sometimes include patchy K-feldspar and quartz, indicating solution-precipitation. In the mylonite, the fine-grained plagioclase is mainly An_23–25 and, the composition of plagioclase porphyroclast is An_21–39 without any significant maximum. The An compositions together with textural observations indicate that fine-grained plagioclase nucleated from solution with mass transfer during deformation. In the ultramylonite, fine-grained plagioclase is widely changed to be An_15–37, indicating that the grain-size-reduction process includes fracturing of original plagioclase porphyroclasts in addition to the solution–precipitation process, which results in the composition concentrated around An₃₀. In all samples, the crystallographic orientations of fine-grained plagioclases are almost random and do not correlate with neighbouring porphyroclasts. Grain-size-sensitive creep occurred during rock deformation subsequent to the process of solution–precipitation that involved mass transfer via fluids.     

遥感图像村级道路提取方法研究

对高分辨率遥感图像0.64~0.72μm波段灰度图进行直方图拉伸增强对比度,通过设立阈值分割图像得到二值图,再基于数学形态学消除噪声填充孔洞。然后,利用软件进行自动矢量化。实验证明,该方法能有效处理遥感图像,已达到提取高分辨率遥感图像中村级道路的目的。     

基于IDL的岛屿岸线及港口码头的人工智能提取

岛屿岸线的确定是海岛地物信息遥感调查中重要的一步,对舟山岙山岛的Quickbird高分辨率遥感影像进行地物地理信息分析,提取出岛屿岸线及港口码头的空间基本地物特征,在此基础上运用面向对象分类方法和数学形态学的知识,在ENVI＋IDL图形图像处理平台上实现对岛屿岸线及港口码头的自动提取,提取结果与实际情况基本符合,并且可以为人工智能提所有海岛地物信息的取做准备。     

Sipunculus nudus Linnaeus, 1766 (Sipuncula): cosmopolitan or a group of pseudo‐cryptic species? An integrated molecular and morphological approach

Sipunculan taxonomy relies on a limited set of external morphological and internal anatomical characters. In addition, this marine group is characterized by an unusual large number of putatively cosmopolitan species. However, this ‘cosmopolitan’ status could be an artifact of their conserved morphology and the small number of unambiguous taxonomic characters available for delimiting species. Species delimitation can therefore be aided by molecular techniques. We investigated the case of the widespread and common species Sipunculus nudus Linnaeus, 1766 to determine its systematic validity. We analysed the morphology of multiple specimens of S. nudus collected from 11 localities around the world and undertook phylogenetic analyses using molecular sequence data from four genes (28S rRNA, 16S rRNA, histone H3 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I). High levels of genetic differentiation are present between distantly related populations of the putative species S. nudus. Five distinct lineages were identified by phylogenetic analyses, three of which – the best‐represented populations – can be distinguished morphologically. Our phylogenetic and morphological analyses thus do not favor the cosmopolitan status of S. nudus, suggesting instead that it constitutes a complex of morphologically similar but distinguishable species.