Carbon isotopic fractionation in lipids from methanotrophic bacteria: relevance for interpretation of the geochemical record of biomarkers

Experiments with cultured aerobic methane oxidising bacteria confirm that their biomarker lipids will be significantly depleted in 13C compared to the substrate. The methanotrophic bacteria Methylococcus capsulatus and Methylomonas methanica, grown on methane and using the RuMP cycle for carbon assimilation, show maximum 13C fractionation of approximately 30% in the resultant biomass. In M. capsulatus, the maximum fractionation is observed in the earliest part of the exponential growth stage and decreases to approximately 16% as cells approach stationary phase. This change may be associated with a shift from the particulate form to the soluble form of the methane monooxygenase enzyme. Less than maximum fractionation is observed when cells are grown with reduced methane availability. Biomass of M. capsulatus grown on methanol was depleted by 9% compared to the substrate. Additional strong 13C fractionation takes place during polyisoprenoid biosynthesis in methanotrophs. The delta 13C values of individual hopanoid and steroid biomarkers produced by these organisms were as much as l0% more negative than total biomass. In individual cultures, squalene was 13C-enriched by as much as 14% compared to the triterpane skeleton of bacteriohopaneaminopentol. Much of the isotopic dispersion in lipid metabolites could be attributed to shifts in their relative abundances, combined with an overall reduction in fractionation during the growth cycle. In cells grown on methanol, where there was no apparent effect of growth stage on overall fractionation there were still significant isotopic differences between closely related lipids including a 5.3% difference between the hopane and 3 beta-methylhopane skeletons. Hopane and sterane polyisoprenoids were also 13C-depleted compared to fatty acids. These observations have significant implications for the interpretation of specific compound isotopic signatures now being measured for hydrocarbons and other lipids present in sediments and petroleum. In particular, biomarker lipids produced by a single organism do not necessarily have the same carbon isotopic composition.     

Population pressure and land use change: from tree crops to sawah in Northwestern Kalimantan,Indonesia

The author describes the role of population pressure in the current transition from tree crops to wet rice cultivation (sawah) in Northwestern Kalimantan, Indonesia. He contends that this change is occurring "because the senescent trees no longer produce enough commodities to exchange for rice to feed an enlarged population." The historical background is described, policies of the Indonesian government are discussed, and data are presented on the rate of population growth     

雪崩、分形与雷暴放电中强闪的自组织演化

强调了雪崩、分形与远离平衡系统自组织演化的联系。利用2003年夏季青藏高原中部地区雷暴放电的地面电场野外观测资料,基于近年来发展的分形及多重分形分析中的去势涨落分析(detrend-ed fluctuation analysis,DFA)方法,对强闪前电场信号的关联及多重分形特征进行了分析,发现强放电前过程具有明显的分形和多重分形特征,多重分形谱与推广的二项倍增串级模式符合。分析在一定程度上表明了雷暴强放电发生的可能的自组织演化性。     

人工引雷的数值模拟

本文通过一个二维平面对称模式，针对甘肃地区雷暴云的特点，计算了在不同电荷分布情况下人工引雷成功时的触发高度、火箭发射点的地面电场值以及能成功引发闪电的范围大小。并对甘肃地区雷暴云在负电场区很难引雷成功的原因和在偶极性电荷分布的雷暴云下人工引雷的结果进行了一些分析。结果表明，下部小正电荷中心的高度、电量的大小对能成功引雷的范围、触发高度都有较大影响。整个云体的高度对触发高度有较大的影响，但对能触发闪