Development of an intra-lamellar microdialysis method for laminitis investigations in horses     

Ali R. Nourian  Paul C. Mills  Christopher C. Pollitt 《Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)》2010,183(1):22-26

Microdialysis (MD) was used for continuous monitoring of the lamellar extracellular fluid (ECF) in six mature healthy Standardbred horses. MD probes were introduced into the lamellar tissue under local anaesthesia. Following intravenous injection of gentamicin (5 mg/kg), MD and serum samples were collected for 24 h and analysed using a sensitive ELISA test for gentamicin and fluorescence polarization immunoassay for urea concentrations. Calibration of probes was performed through in vivo urea recovery and in vitro gentamicin and urea recovery. Data obtained from different body compartments were compared statistically. The concentration of gentamicin was significantly higher in serum than lamellar ECF for the first 8 h (P < 0.05), but remained above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the ECF for a further 4 h. The method will be useful to monitor changes in the lamellar ECF during laminitis and the local kinetics of drugs used therapeutically for this condition.  相似文献   

Nutrient Limitations of Carbon Uptake: From Leaves to Landscapes in a California Rangeland Ecosystem     

Benjamin Z. Houlton  Christopher B. Field 《Strength and Conditioning Journal》2010,63(1):120-127

Nutrient controls of ecosystem pattern and process have been widely studied at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, a well-studied California rangeland ecosystem. Here we review these studies, from leaf to landscape scales, with the intention of developing a deeper understanding of carbon (C)–nutrient interactions in such an ecosystem. At the leaf scale, several studies conducted on diverse plant species have revealed a strong positive relationship between leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations and maximal rates of photosynthesis. This relationship, which has subsequently been observed globally, can be explained by the nutritional requirements of photosynthetic machinery. Consistent with this local physiological constraint, N availability has been shown to limit carbon uptake of California rangeland ecosystems. In some cases phosphorus (P; and N plus P) limits productivity, too—particularly in serpentine soils, pointing to the importance of parent material in regulating CO₂ uptake at landscape scales. Nutrient dynamics are also affected by herbivory, which seems to accelerate N and P cycles over the short term (years), but may lead to nutrient limitation of plant production over the longer term (decades). Simulated global change experiments at Jasper Ridge have also provided insight into C–nutrient interactions in grasslands. In particular, several field-based experiments have shown that CO₂ doubling does not necessarily simulate productivity of California grasslands; rather, the strength and sign of net primary productivity (NPP) responses to CO₂ doubling varies across years and conditions. Although simulated N deposition stimulates NPP, N plus CO₂ combinations do not necessarily increase productivity beyond N treatments singly. Poorly understood feedbacks between plants, microbes, and P availability may underlie variation in the response of California grasslands to increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. We conclude that interactions between C, N, and P appear especially vital in shaping plant productivity patterns in California rangelands and the capacity of this ecosystem to store additional C in the future.  相似文献   

Wetland hydrology,area, and isolation influence occupancy and spatial turnover of the painted turtle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysemys picta</Emphasis>     

Bradley J. Cosentino  Robert L. Schooley  Christopher A. Phillips 《Landscape Ecology》2010,25(10):1589-1600

Habitat area and isolation have been useful predictors of species occupancy and turnover in highly fragmented systems. However, habitat quality also can influence occupancy dynamics, especially in patchy systems where habitat selection can be as important as stochastic demographic processes. We studied the spatial population dynamics of Chrysemys picta (painted turtle) in a network of 90 wetlands in Illinois, USA from 2007 to 2009. We first evaluated the relative influence of metapopulation factors (area, isolation) and habitat quality of focal patches on occupancy and turnover. Next, we tested the effect of habitat quality of source patches on occupancy and turnover at focal patches. Turnover was common with colonizations (n = 16) outnumbering extinctions (n = 10) between the first 2 years, and extinctions (n = 16) outnumbering colonizations (n = 3) between the second 2 years. Both metapopulation and habitat quality factors influenced C. picta occupancy dynamics. Colonization probability was related positively to spatial connectivity, wetland area, and habitat quality (wetland inundation, emergent vegetation cover). Extinction probability was related negatively to wetland area and emergent vegetation cover. Habitat quality of source patches strongly influenced initial occupancy but not turnover patterns. Because habitat quality for freshwater turtles is related to wetland hydrology, a change from drought to wet conditions during our study likely influenced distributional shifts. Thus, effects of habitat quality of source and focal patches on occupancy can vary in space and time. Both metapopulation and habitat quality factors may be needed to understand occupancy dynamics, even for species exhibiting patchy population structures.  相似文献   

Addressing foundational elements of regional land-use change forecasting   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Terry L. Sohl  Thomas R. Loveland  Benjamin M. Sleeter  Kristi L. Sayler  Christopher A. Barnes 《Landscape Ecology》2010,25(2):233-247

Regional land-use models must address several foundational elements, including understanding geographic setting, establishing regional land-use histories, modeling process and representing drivers of change, representing local land-use patterns, managing issues of scale and complexity, and development of scenarios. Key difficulties include managing an array of biophysical and socioeconomic processes across multiple spatial and temporal scales, and acquiring and utilizing empirical data to support the analysis of those processes. The Southeastern and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States, two heavily forested regions with significant forest industries, are examined in the context of these foundational elements. Geographic setting fundamentally affects both the primary land cover (forest) in the two regions, and the structure and form of land use (forestry). Land-use histories of the regions can be used to parameterize land-use models, validate model performance, and explore land-use scenarios. Drivers of change in the two regions are many and varied, with issues of scale and complexity posing significant challenges. Careful scenario development can be used to simplify process-based land-use models, and can improve our ability to address specific research questions. The successful modeling of land-use change in these two areas requires integration of both top-down and bottom-up drivers of change, using scenario frameworks to both guide and simplify the modeling process. Modular approaches, with utilization and integration of existing process models, allow regional land-use modelers the opportunity to better represent primary drivers of land-use change. However, availability of data to represent driving forces remains a primary obstacle.  相似文献   

Effects of adult Lumbricus terrestris on cocoons and hatchlings in Evans’ boxes     

Niki Grigoropoulou  Kevin R. Butt  Christopher N. Lowe 《Pedobiologia》2008,51(5-6):343-349

The basic ecology of well-researched earthworm species, such as Lumbricus terrestris, remains relatively unknown. In order to contribute to the limited body of knowledge, the present work aimed to investigate if specific behaviours could be detected between an adult and the cocoons it produced by comparison with a non-parental adult and cocoons. Modified Evans’ boxes (0.8×0.2×0.008 m) with recently mated adults allowed observation of their habits under what was essentially a 2-D system. Experimental manipulation (at 81 days) involved four treatments: (1) L. terrestris removal (LtRm); (2) L. terrestris replacement (LtRp), where individuals were replaced by others; (3) control, with no manipulation and (4) L. terrestris removal control (CLtRm) where individuals were removed and then reintroduced in the same box, to account for any effects of the removal method. Burrowing patterns of adults and later, hatchlings, were recorded throughout the duration of the experiment (191 days). Cocoon production across treatments did not differ significantly (p>0.05) and averaged 26±6.4 cocoons worm⁻¹ over a 26 week period. In the LtRm treatment mean cocoon production was 12.6±2.7 cocoons worm⁻¹ over 11 weeks. Forty one percent of cocoons were deposited in the upper 0.05 m of the soil profile. Cocoons below that depth were found deposited in side burrows (1–4 cm in length) and were coated with earthworm casts. Hatchling number and survival rate did not differ significantly across treatments (p>0.05) with means±s.d. of 2±2.2 and 62±29%, respectively. Hatchling mass in the LtRm treatment (0.4±0.38 g), was found to be significantly greater (p<0.01) than that of all other treatments (0.12±0.12 g). In this experimental set up, the presence of parental earthworms and other con-specifics had no significant effect on cocoon viability and hatchling survival, however, results indicated a negative effect of adult presence on hatchling growth.  相似文献   

Slow-cycle effects of foliar herbivory alter the nitrogen acquisition and population size of Collembola     

Mark A. Bradford  Tara Gancos  Christopher J. Frost 《Soil biology & biochemistry》2008,40(5):1253-1258

In terrestrial systems there is a close relationship between litter quality and the activity and abundance of decomposers. Therefore, the potential exists for aboveground, herbivore-induced changes in foliar chemistry to affect soil decomposer fauna. These herbivore-induced changes in chemistry may persist across growing seasons. While the impacts of such slow-cycle, ‘legacy’ effects of foliar herbivory have some support aboveground, such impacts have not been evaluated for soil invertebrates. Here, we investigate legacy effects on Collembola population structure and nitrogen acquisition. We collected foliar material (greenfall) from trees that had, in the preceding season, been exposed to insect herbivory by leaf-chewing Lepidoptera. Collembola populations were grown with the greenfall in soil microcosms across 16 weeks. While there were only modest effects of herbivory on the greenfall mass loss, Collembola abundance and biomass after 8 weeks of greenfall exposure were approximately 2.5-fold greater in the controls. Given that Collembola biomass percentage nitrogen was relatively fixed, this translated to approximately 2.5-fold greater biomass nitrogen. The herbivore treatment decreased the absolute amount of Collembola biomass nitrogen derived from both greenfall and soil, and the relative contribution of litter nitrogen and soil nitrogen to Collembola biomass nitrogen was dependent on both the herbivory treatment and greenfall initial nitrogen. Our results show that slow-cycle, legacy effects of foliar herbivory may affect soil faunal population structure and nitrogen acquisition, demonstrating the potential for aboveground herbivory to influence belowground animal ecology and nitrogen cycling across multi-annual timescales.  相似文献   

On modeling repeated binary responses and time-dependent missing covariates     

Lan Huang  Ming-Hui Chen  Fang Yu  Paul R. Neal  Gregory J. Anderson 《Journal of Agricultural, Biological & Environmental Statistics》2008,13(3):270-293

We develop a novel modeling strategy for analyzing data with repeated binary responses over time as well as time-dependent missing covariates. We assume that covariates are missing at random (MAR). We use the generalized linear mixed logistic regression model for the repeated binary responses and then propose a joint model for time-dependent missing covariates using information from different sources. A Monte Carlo EM algorithm is developed for computing the maximum likelihood estimates. We propose an extended version of the AIC criterion to identify the important factors that m a y explain the binary responses. A real plant dataset is used to motivate and illustrate the proposed methodology.  相似文献   

Life cycle traits of the parthenogenetic earthworm Octolasion cyaneum (Savigny, 1826)     

Christopher N. Lowe  Kevin R. Butt 《European Journal of Soil Biology》2008,44(5-6):541

This laboratory-based study provides baseline life cycle data for the obligatory parthenogenetic earthworm Octolasion cyaneum. Singleton and twin hatchlings were cultured individually with biomass, survival and reproductive condition recorded at 4-weekly intervals during a complete year. After maturation, cocoon production, masses and incubation time were also recorded along with viability and number of hatchlings per cocoon. Individual mean mass of singletons was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than twins at the outset (0.042 and 0.025 g respectively) and remained so until week 52 (2.22 and 1.96 g respectively). Singletons matured more rapidly than twins (24 vs. 32 weeks respectively) and produced more cocoons than twins (3.2 and 2.2 coc worm⁻¹ (4 weeks)⁻¹ respectively). Approximately 20% of all viable cocoons produced twins. Singleton hatchlings weighed significantly (P < 0.05) more than twin hatchlings (0.032 and 0.018 g respectively) but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between mean masses of singleton (mean masses 0.033 and 0.032 g) or twin (0.017 and 0.018 g) hatchlings produced by singleton and twin parents. The likelihood that a cocoon contained twins or a singleton was not influenced by the singleton/twin status of the parent. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the incubation times of cocoons produced by singletons and twins (129 and 128 days respectively).  相似文献   

Bioavailability of Arsenic and Antimony in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Review   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Saeed BAGHERIFAM  Trevor C. BROWN  Christopher M. FELLOWS  Ravi NAIDU 《土壤圈》2019,29(6):681-720

Arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are metalloids that belong to group 15 of the periodic table and exhibit toxic properties in the environment. They mostly occur naturally at low concentrations in soil, although these can be significantly elevated in both aquatic and terrestrial food chains as a result of dispersion from anthropogenic sources, e.g., mining activities. The bioavailability, i.e., the proportion of the contaminant in soil and dust that is available for uptake by plants and other living organisms, presents the greatest risk to terrestrial ecosystems. Various in vivo and in vitro methods have been used to measure As and Sb bioaccessibility in soil and dust. In vivo measurement of bioavailability can be time consuming, expensive, and unethical; thus, in vitro methods are commonly preferred. However, there is considerable uncertainty around the efficacy of in vitro tools used to measure the bioavailable fractions of As and Sb. The results of these methods are dependent on many variables, e.g., soil characteristics, contaminant sources, and chemical composition of in vitro methods. Therefore, substantial variations are observed between in vitro and in vivo results obtained from different test animals and endpoints. In this paper, we review the literature on As and Sb bioavailability in terrestrial ecosystems and current in vivo and in vitro techniques used for assessing bioavailability and bioaccessibility of metalloids. This would reveal research gaps and allow scientists and environmental policy makers to gain a deeper understanding of the potential risks associated with these metalloids in the environment.  相似文献   

日光温室墙体蓄放热层温度变化规律研究   总被引：3，自引：3，他引：0  

佟国红  David M Christopher 《农业工程学报》2019,35(7):170-177

墙体的蓄热保温性能决定了日光温室在室外环境作用下的温度变化。该文建立了单一材料墙体的温度变化估算模型,对黏土砖墙、砾石墙、加草黏土墙及夯土墙的温度变化进行了预测;采用CFD方法分析了墙体总厚度相同(0.60 m)和总厚度不同(0.60和0.72m)情况下,复合墙体各方案中蓄热材料层的温度变化特点。单一材料墙体温度变化预测结果显示,导温系数较大的砾石墙内部温度变化较其他墙体传播快;温度波动厚度还与墙内表面温度振幅有关,黏土砖墙内表面振幅从5℃增加到15℃,墙体内部振幅达到0.1℃时的波动厚度从0.42 m增加到0.54 m。此外,由预测的墙体温度变化可以确定单一材料墙体蓄放热层厚度。模型估算的夯土墙温度变化及蓄放热层厚度与已有文献测试值比较,吻合较好。复合墙体温度CFD模拟分析表明,墙总厚度0.60 m不变,蓄热材料层越厚内部温度衰减越快;蓄热材料层厚保持0.36 m,墙总厚度从0.60 m增加到0.72 m时,蓄热材料层温度均值最大升高1.7℃。研究还发现,复合墙体较厚的蓄热材料层比同材料单一材料墙体同厚度处温度衰减快,复合墙体蓄放热层厚度的确定取决于隔热层的位置。单一材料墙体及复合墙体蓄热材料层温度模拟模型可以为日光温室墙体的厚度及组成设计提供理论参考。  相似文献