The 10 Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

William F. Laurance  Bernard Dell  Stephen M. Turton  Michael J. Lawes  Lindsay B. Hutley  Hamish McCallum  Patricia Dale  Michael Bird  Giles Hardy  Gavin Prideaux  Ben Gawne  Clive R. McMahon  Richard Yu  Jean-Marc Hero  Lin Schwarzkopf  Andrew Krockenberger  Michael Douglas  Ewen Silvester  Michael Mahony  Karen Vella  Udoy Saikia  Carl-Henrik Wahren  Zhihong Xu  Bradley Smith  Chris Cocklin 《Biological conservation》2011,(5):1472-1480

We identify the 10 major terrestrial and marine ecosystems in Australia most vulnerable to tipping points, in which modest environmental changes can cause disproportionately large changes in ecosystem properties. To accomplish this we independently surveyed the coauthors of this paper to produce a list of candidate ecosystems, and then refined this list during a 2-day workshop. The list includes (1) elevationally restricted mountain ecosystems, (2) tropical savannas, (3) coastal floodplains and wetlands, (4) coral reefs, (5) drier rainforests, (6) wetlands and floodplains in the Murray-Darling Basin, (7) the Mediterranean ecosystems of southwestern Australia, (8) offshore islands, (9) temperate eucalypt forests, and (10) salt marshes and mangroves. Some of these ecosystems are vulnerable to widespread phase-changes that could fundamentally alter ecosystem properties such as habitat structure, species composition, fire regimes, or carbon storage. Others appear susceptible to major changes across only part of their geographic range, whereas yet others are susceptible to a large-scale decline of key biotic components, such as small mammals or stream-dwelling amphibians. For each ecosystem we consider the intrinsic features and external drivers that render it susceptible to tipping points, and identify subtypes of the ecosystem that we deem to be especially vulnerable.  相似文献   

Quality Control Verification and Mapping for Chemical Application   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Giles  D. K.  Downey  D. 《Precision Agriculture》2003,4(1):103-124

The quality of an agrochemical application is a combination of the efficacy of deposit, productivity of the operation, and avoidance of off-site movement. A GPS- and sensor-based system was developed to document the quality of spray applications from a self-propelled sprayer. Confirmation of the spray deposition was accomplished with spray sampling surfaces (water sensitive paper) located at surveyed sampling points in the test fields. An image analysis technique was developed to estimate quantitative and qualitative data, such as relative droplet size spectra, and spray coverage from the cards. Relative performance of two flow control techniques, namely conventional pressure-based control and blended-pulse flow control were documented. Blended-pulse control produced a wider dynamic range and superior consistency of deposit when speed varied over a 3:1 range, or a 6:1 variable rate range was desired. Real-time mitigation of spray drift was accomplished through droplet size changes when sensed weather conditions and sprayer location suggested a potential hazard.  相似文献   

The obesity-associated FTO gene encodes a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent nucleic acid demethylase     

Gerken T  Girard CA  Tung YC  Webby CJ  Saudek V  Hewitson KS  Yeo GS  McDonough MA  Cunliffe S  McNeill LA  Galvanovskis J  Rorsman P  Robins P  Prieur X  Coll AP  Ma M  Jovanovic Z  Farooqi IS  Sedgwick B  Barroso I  Lindahl T  Ponting CP  Ashcroft FM  O'Rahilly S  Schofield CJ 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2007,318(5855):1469-1472

Variants in the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene are associated with increased body mass index in humans. Here, we show by bioinformatics analysis that FTO shares sequence motifs with Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases. We find that recombinant murine Fto catalyzes the Fe(II)- and 2OG-dependent demethylation of 3-methylthymine in single-stranded DNA, with concomitant production of succinate, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide. Consistent with a potential role in nucleic acid demethylation, Fto localizes to the nucleus in transfected cells. Studies of wild-type mice indicate that Fto messenger RNA (mRNA) is most abundant in the brain, particularly in hypothalamic nuclei governing energy balance, and that Fto mRNA levels in the arcuate nucleus are regulated by feeding and fasting. Studies can now be directed toward determining the physiologically relevant FTO substrate and how nucleic acid methylation status is linked to increased fat mass.  相似文献   

The use of traffic counters to plan creel surveys: a case study of Lake Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia     

J. Douglas  & A. Giles 《Fisheries Management and Ecology》2001,8(6):543-546

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Life members     

Robert H. Johansen  Robert E. Thornton  W. J. Hooker  L. F. Salazar  C. R. Brown 《American Journal of Potato Research》1987,64(8):421-426

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Factors influencing infection of field grown potato by Verticillium albo-atrum     

C. C. Thanassoulopoulos  W. J. Hooker 《American Journal of Potato Research》1968,45(6):203-216

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Virus X resistance in potato     

W. J. Hooker  C. E. Peterson  Roland G. Timian 《American Journal of Potato Research》1954,31(7):199-212

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Two major ruminant acute phase proteins,haptoglobin and serum amyloid A,as serum biomarkers during active sheep scab infestation     

Beth Wells  Giles T Innocent  Peter D Eckersall  Eilidh McCulloch  Alasdair J Nisbet  Stewart TG Burgess 《Veterinary research》2013,44(1):103

Two ruminant acute phase proteins (APPs), haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), were evaluated as serum biomarkers (BMs) for sheep scab–a highly contagious ectoparasitic disease caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis, which is a major welfare and production threat worldwide. The levels of both APPs increased in serum following experimental infestation of sheep with P. ovis, becoming statistically significantly elevated from pre-infestation levels at 4 weeks post-infestation. Following successful treatment of infested sheep with an endectocide, Hp and SAA serum levels declined rapidly, with half lives of less than 3 days. In contrast, serum IgG levels which specifically bound the P. ovis-derived diagnostic antigen Pso o 2 had a half-life of 56 days. Taking into account pre-infestation serum levels, rapidity of response to infestation and test sensitivity at the estimated optimum cut-off values, SAA was the more discriminatory marker. These studies illustrated the potential of SAA and Hp to indicate current sheep scab infestation status and to augment the existing Pso o 2 serological assay to give disease-specific indications of both infestation and successful treatment.  相似文献   

Sudden forest canopy collapse corresponding with extreme drought and heat in a mediterranean-type eucalypt forest in southwestern Australia     

George Matusick  Katinka X. Ruthrof  Niels C. Brouwers  Bernard Dell  Giles St. J. Hardy 《European Journal of Forest Research》2013,132(3):497-510

Drought and heat-induced forest dieback and mortality are emerging global concerns. Although Mediterranean-type forest (MTF) ecosystems are considered to be resilient to drought and other disturbances, we observed a sudden and unprecedented forest collapse in a MTF in Western Australia corresponding with record dry and heat conditions in 2010/2011. An aerial survey and subsequent field investigation were undertaken to examine: the incidence and severity of canopy dieback and stem mortality, associations between canopy health and stand-related factors as well as tree species response. Canopy mortality was found to be concentrated in distinct patches, representing 1.5 % of the aerial sample (1,350 ha). Within these patches, 74 % of all measured stems (>1 cm DBHOB) had dying or recently killed crowns, leading to 26 % stem mortality six months following the collapse. Patches of canopy collapse were more densely stocked with the dominant species, Eucalyptus marginata, and lacked the prominent midstorey species Banksia grandis, compared to the surrounding forest. A differential response to the disturbance was observed among co-occurring tree species, which suggests contrasting strategies for coping with extreme water stress. These results suggest that MTFs, once thought to be resilient to climate change, are susceptible to sudden and severe forest collapse when key thresholds have been reached.  相似文献   

Erratum to: Quality control verification and mapping for chemical application     

D. K. Giles  D. Downey 《Precision Agriculture》2010,11(5):586-586

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