ROOST SITES AND COMMUNAL BEHAVIOR OF ANDEAN CONDORS IN CHILE*

The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is an endangered species. Even southern Patagonia, home to the most stable and abundant populations of Andean condors, is witnessing increasing pressure from development and tourism. Taking the case of Torres del Paine National Park, in the Chilean Patagonia, we examine monitoring of condor populations at roosting sites and communal bird behavior in response to humans as an effective tool for bird conservation within protected areas. Based on field data collected throughout 2007, we identify new roosting places, explore activity patterns and population characteristics of free‐ranging and roosting Andean condors, examine bird behavior in response to humans, and analyze the current and likely future ecological impacts of tourism on the condor population and its habitat. Our results reveal that the impact of tourism is still low and that the Andean condors do not seem to be declining in numbers in the park but that the importance of roosts and animal behavior in response to humans must be considered for future monitoring, bird‐conservation planning, and ecotourism management.     

THE USE OF LICHEN GROWTH RINGS IN LICHENOMETRY: SOME PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Certain species of crustose lichens have concentrically zoned margins which probably represent yearly growth rings. These marginal growth rings offer an alternative method of studying annual growth fluctuations, establishing growth rate–size curves, and determining the age of thalli for certain crustose species. Hence, marginal growth rings represent a potentially valuable, unexploited, tool in lichenometry. In a preliminary study, we measured the widths of the successive marginal rings in 25 thalli of Ochrolechia parella (L.) Massal., growing at a maritime site in north Wales. Mean ring widths of all thalli varied from a minimum of 1.02 mm (the outermost ring) to a maximum of 2.06 mm (the third ring from the margin). There is some suggestion that marginal ring width and thallus size are positively correlated; and hence that growth rates increase in larger thalli in this small population. In a further study on recently exposed bedrock adjacent to Breiðarlon, SE Iceland, we examined the potential for using marginal growth rings to estimate thallus age of a lichen tentatively identified as a Rhizocarpon (possibly R. concentricum (Davies) Beltram.) and thus confirm the timing of surface exposure ( c. 50 years). Collectively, these results suggest: 1) the measurement of marginal rings is a possible alternative method of studying the growth of crustose lichens; 2) O. parella may grow differently to other crustose species, exhibiting a rapidly increasing radial growth rate in thalli >40 mm; 3) where lichens with marginal rings grow on recently exposed surfaces (<60 yrs), minimum age estimates can be made using growth rings as an in situ indication of lichen growth rate; 4) it is suggested that this phenomenon could provide a valuable, previously unexploited, in situ lichenometric-dating tool in areas lacking calibration control.     

Dense cores in the L1630 molecular cloud: discovering new protostars with SCUBA

Maps of the 450- and 850-μm dust continuum emission from three star-forming condensations within the Lynds 1630 molecular cloud, made with the SCUBA bolometer array, reveal the presence of four new submillimetre sources, each of a few solar masses (two of which are probably class I and two of which are class 0), as well as several sources the existence of which was previously known. The sources are located in filaments and appear elongated when observed at 450 μm. They probably have dust temperatures in the range 10 to 20 K, in good agreement with previous ammonia temperature estimates. Attempts to fit their structures with power-law and Gaussian density distributions suggest that the central distribution is flatter than expected for a simple singular isothermal sphere.
Although the statistics are poor, our results suggest that the ratio of 'protostellar core' mass to total virial mass may be similar for both large and small condensations.     

利用等高线数据制作大规模3D遥感影像

把图像数据库的建库思想引入到大规模3D遥感影像的制作中。在此基础上，提出利用合并分割法制作大规模3D遥感影像。将经 过特殊处理的等高线数据制成小块DEM，采用两种模式将遥感影像与这些DEM进行纹理映射，从而制作成大规模3D遥感影像。这种方法提 高了大规模3D遥感影像的制作水平，进一步增强了大规模3D遥感影像的信息量与实用性。     

Modeling contaminant transport in homogeneous porous media with fractional advection-dispersion equation

The newly developed Fractional Advection-Dispersion Equation (FADE), which is FADE was extended and used in this paper for modelling adsorbing contaminant transport by adding an adsorbing term. A parameter estimation method and its corresponding FORTRAN based program named FADEMain were developed on the basis of Nonlinear Least Square Algorithm and the analytical solution for one-dimensional FADE under the conditions of step input and steady state flow. Data sets of adsorbing contaminants Cd and NH4+-N transport in short homogeneous soil columns and conservative solute NaCI transport in a long homogeneous soil column, respectively were used to estimate the transport parameters both by FADEMain and the advection-dispersion equation (ADE) based program CXTFIT2.1. Results indicated that the concentration simulated by FADE agreed well with the measured data. Compared to the ADE model, FADE can provide better simulation for the concentration in the initial lower concentration part and the late higher concentration part of the breakthrough curves for both adsorbing contaminants. The dispersion coefficients for ADE were from 0.13 to 7.06 cm2/min, while the dispersion coefficients for FADE ranged from 0.119 to 3.05 cm1.856/min for NaCI transport in the long homogeneous soil column. We found that the dispersion coefficient of FADE increased with the transport distance, and the relationship between them can be quantified with an exponential function. Less scale-dependent was also found for the dispersion coefficient of FADE with respect to ADE.     

Exposure and bioavailability of arsenic in contaminated soils from the La Parrilla mine, Spain

Arsenic derived from mining activity may contaminate water, soil and plant ecosystems resulting in human health and ecotoxicological risks. In this study, exposure assessment of arsenic (As) in soil, spoil, pondwater and plants collected from the areas contaminated by mine tailings and spoils in and around the La Parrilla mine, Caceres province, Spain, was carried out using AAS method. Water solubility, bioavailability and soil–plant transfer coefficients of As and phytoremediation potential of plants were determined. Arsenic concentrations varied from 148 to 2,540 mg/kg in soils of site 1 and from 610 to 1,285 mg/kg in site 2 exceeding the guideline limit for agricultural soil (50 mg/kg). Arsenic concentrations in pond waters varied from 8.8 to 101.4 μg/l. High concentrations of water-soluble As in the soils that ranged from 0.10 to 4.71 mg/kg in site 1 and from 0.46 to 4.75 mg/kg in site 2 exceeded the maximum permitted level of water-soluble As (0.04 mg/kg) in agricultural soils. Arsenic concentrations varied from 0.8 to 149.5 mg/kg dry wt in the plants of site 1 and from 2.0 to 10.0 mg/kg in the plants of site 2. Arsenic concentrations in plants increased in the approximate order: Retama sphaerocarpa < Pteridium aquilinum < Erica australis < Juncus effusus < Phalaris caerulescens < Spergula arvensis in site 1. The soil–plant transfer coefficients for As ranged from 0.001 to 0.21 in site 1 and from 0.004 to 0.016 in site 2. The bioconcentration factor based on water-soluble As of soil varied from 3.2 to 593.9 in the plants of site 1 whereas it varied from 2.1 to 20.7 in the plants of site 2. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Europe to report that the fern species P. aquilinum accumulates extremely low contents of As in its fronds despite high As levels in the soils. Therefore, the S. arvensis, P. caerulescens and J. effusus plant species grown in this area might be used to partly remove the bioavailable toxic As for the purpose of minimization of mining impacts until hypothetical hyperaccumulating and/or transgenic plants could be transplanted for the phytoremediation of As contaminated soils.     

NCEP-FNL与T213L31同化资料对比 分析中的地形差异影响

分析了2005年5月11日至6月10日的NCEP—FNL与T213L31分析资料在位势高度、温度和风场上的整体差异，揭示了低层差异最小，差异极值主要分布在3个关键区的特征。进一步通过地形高度差异与位势高度差异的相关性分析，认为青藏高原附近的地形高度差异的极值是引起两种资料位势高度差异的主要原因，并计算分析了这种差异对高原周围中低层大气环流的动力和热力影响。结果显示，在NCEP—FNL中的西南涡强度和热源作用较强，中层风速切变较弱。     

5种不同颜色空间的均匀性研究

颜色的均匀性是评价颜色空间的优劣和影响其选择使用的重要指标之一,其色差计算值对于颜色再现评价的再现过程控制具有重要作用.在中国颜色体系的基础上,分别从明度、色相和彩度的角度对颜色空间CIE L*a*b*、CIE L*u*v*、NC-IIIC、L*a*b*-N和CIECAM02-UCS的均匀性进行了分析和比较.结果表明,这几种颜色空间明度的均匀性都比较理想,而色相和彩度的均匀性较差.就这5种颜色空间而言,NC-IIIC和L*a*b*-N颜色空间均匀性要优于其他颜色空间.     

青蛤(Cyclina sinensis)组织蛋白酶L基因的表达与重组蛋白活性分析

利用荧光定量PCR方法检测了青蛤(Cyclina sinensis)在鳗弧菌(Vibrio anguillarum)胁迫下组织蛋白酶L基因(CsCPL)在各组织的表达差别及其在血淋巴中的时序表达关系。结果表明,CsCPL基因在青蛤血淋巴、肝脏、外套膜、鳃和闭壳肌等组织中普遍表达,其中以血淋巴表达水平最高。在鳗弧菌刺激后3—96h青蛤的血淋巴中CsCPL的表达量均出现明显上调,其中6h达到最大值并且与对照组有极其显著性差异(P0.01),说明该基因在青蛤免疫反应中具有重要作用。文章还对CsCPL基因进行了原核表达,其产物蛋白分子量约35kDa,经纯化及复性后具有明显的抑菌作用。     

青岛中港海水全浸初期不锈钢表面生物膜的细菌多样性分析

为了研究全浸15天不锈钢表面生物膜的形成情况,首先采用SEM及荧光显微镜进行观察,显示全浸15天不锈钢表面已有大量微生物及其腐蚀产物附着,表明其表面生物膜已经形成;进一步通过EDS对不锈钢表面进行元素分析,发现实海全浸15天的316L不锈钢表面出现了大量组成生物体的C、P等基本元素,并且还出现了不锈钢基体中所不存在而存在于生物膜及其代谢产物中O等元素,进一步证明了不锈钢表面生物膜的形成。采用16S rRNA基因结合PCR-RFLP技术分析手段对实海全浸15天的316L不锈钢表面生物膜细菌群落的多样性进行了研究,发现316L不锈钢表面附着细菌的OTU数为24,分别属于变形菌门和拟杆菌门,其中α-变形菌的OTU数是18,占总克隆数的72.3%,为绝对优势种群。