We examined the foraging behaviour and habitat use of two species of small Australian mammal (Antechinus flavipes and Sminthopsis murina) in response to predation risk in remnant eucalypt woodland. Predation risk was manipulated by providing refuge in the form of ground level wire netting to reduce risks from avian and mammalian predators. Giving-up-densities (GUD) using artificial food trays (20 mealworms in 1.5 l vermiculite) quantified the foraging behaviour in response to predation risk, by measuring the quitting harvest rate. Both A. flavipes and S. murina had lower GUDs (number of mealworms remaining) under the netting than in the open, most likely because these areas have lower predation risk. Animals also made greater visits to tracking tunnels under the netting compared to in the open. Tracking animal movements using fluorescent pigments also revealed preference for natural microhabitats that were structurally complex with animals moving most where logs and rock crevices were present. These results suggest that small mammals may use habitat structure to reduce their risks of predation. If future studies are able to demonstrate commensurate population-level responses, manipulation of habitat may be a useful management option to complement the direct control of exotic predators such as foxes and feral cats. 相似文献
Weed management using synthetic herbicides is undergoing a global decline, necessitating a re-evaluation of existing control measures and the development of novel weed management tools. ‘Mini-ridging’ is a non-discriminatory, physical weeding method that functions by burying weeds in the intrarow with a laterally shifted ridge of soil. In glasshouse trials using potted plants, we found that plant recovery after soil application was influenced by plant size, which in turn was influenced by plant species, developmental stage and/or age. The likelihood of plant recovery after soil application was negatively related to the depth of soil applied: very few plants survived total coverage by soil but, conversely, survival could be substantial if some parts of the plants were not covered. The results suggest that burial under a depth of 6 cm of soil would eliminate most plants regardless of species or growth stage. Larger plants would require the application of a greater total depth of soil to achieve this 6 cm of soil cover, and weed management would, therefore, tend to be more successful and more practical if weeds were targeted when still small. This research demonstrates the potential of plant burial as a simple and reliable means of non-chemical weed management, and re-emphasises that, for weed control to be effective, the applied soil layer must cover the whole plant. 相似文献
Certification of sustainable palm oil as organised through the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil is based on a simplified understanding of the global palm oil value chain – according to which instructions about production practices can be directly translated from the palm oil mill to the primary producer. The reality of palm oil provision is much more complex than this as is shown in the case of Thailand. On the basis of qualitative field study in Southern Thailand this paper clarifies that intermediary stages, such as the collection of oil palm fruit bunches at the ramp, play a key role in the organisation of the chain. The fluidity and complexity of the palm oil flow at the local level complicates the promotion of sustainability through certification. Global and national stakeholders, such as processing and trading firms, non‐governmental organisations and national governments, should therefore open this black box of local dynamics to more effectively contribute to sustainability in palm oil supply. 相似文献
Incubation of northern snake-necked turtle (Chelodina rugosa) eggs and subsequent sale of hatchlings for the pet industry has the potential to provide culturally suitable employment for indigenous communities in northern Australia. Developmental arrest in response to egg inundation is unique to C. rugosa. Eggs can be stored under water for up to 10 weeks without appreciable impact on egg or embryo survival, allowing the transport and sale of eggs into niche markets without high levels of mortality, and permitting eggs to accumulate in diapause until there are sufficient numbers to incubate as batches. Eggs that are not inundated or inundated for short periods experience similar survival rates to eggs inundated for lengthy periods. Incubation temperature influences embryo survival and development period in C. rugosa. Embryonic survival is greatest at 26 °C, steadily declining as temperature increases to 32 °C. A similar increase in incubation temperature decreases incubation period by approximately 40 days, however almost half of this variation is attributed to the increase in incubation temperature from 26 to 28 °C. Hatchling growth in C. rugosa is characterized by two phases. There is an initial phase of relatively slow growth under the partial influence of initial egg size and incubation duration, followed by a second phase of relatively rapid growth under the partial influence of water temperature and mass at hatching. Post-hatching survival is negatively correlated with duration of egg inundation and water temperature. Evidence suggests that inundation of C. rugosa eggs for 6 weeks, incubation of embryos at 28 °C and raising hatchlings in 28 °C water will yield the best overall outcomes. 相似文献
We report the analyses of a dataset spanning 39 years of near‐annual fishing for Dissostichus mawsoni in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, 1972–2011. Data on total length, condition and catch per unit effort (CPUE) were derived from the > 5500 fish caught, the large majority of which were measured, tagged and released. Contrary to expectation, the length frequency of the McMurdo Sound catch was dominated by fish in the upper two‐thirds of the overall distribution exhibited in the industrial catch for the Ross Sea shelf. Fish length and condition increased from the early 1970s to the early 1990s and then decreased. Fish length positively correlated with Ross Sea ice extent in early spring, a relationship possibly caused by more ice encouraging larger fish to move farther south over the shelf and into the study area. Fish condition positively correlated with the amount of open water in the Ross Sea during the previous summer (Feb), perhaps reflecting greater availability of prey with the higher productivity that more open water brings. Decreasing fish size corresponds to the onset of the fishery, which targets the large individuals. CPUE was constant through 2001 and then decreased dramatically. We hypothesize that this decrease is related to the industrial fishery, which began in the 1996–97 austral summer, and concentrates effort over the ice‐free Ross Sea continental slope. As a result of limited prey choices and close coupling among mesopredators of the region, Antarctic toothfish included, the fishery appears to be dramatically altering the trophic structure of the Ross Sea. 相似文献
Humic substances, which are integral components of total organic carbon (TOC), influence soil quality. The study aimed to investigate whether humic and non-humic fractions exhibit early, consistent, and measurable changes and affect TOC sensitivity and storage in a tropical sandy loam soils amended with corn cob biochar.
Materials and methods
There were four treatments with four replicates established in a randomized complete block design. Composite soil samples were taken from plots without biochar (CT), from plots incorporated with 15 t biochar ha?1 (BC-15), and 30 t biochar ha?1 without or with phosphate fertilizer (BC-30 and BC-30+P). The TOC, and humin, humic acid (HA), and fulvic acid (HA) fractions of soil organic carbon were determined for each treatment. The optical densities (400–700 nm) were measured on the soil-free extracts by spectrophotometry; the densities measured at 465 and 665 nm were used to calculate the E465/E665 ratios.
Results and discussion
The BC-30 and BC-30+P plots recorded the highest TOC, humin, humic acid (HA), and fulvic acid (FA) contents with respect to the lowest in the CT. The total exchangeable carbon stratification was significantly higher in all the biochar-treated plots relative to the CT. Spectral analysis showed higher values of E465/E665 (5.02 and 5.15) in the CT and BC-15-treated soils, respectively, compared with the BC-30 and BC-30+P-amended soils with E465/E665 ratios of 2.76 and 2.98, respectively.
Conclusions
Corn cob biochar applied to a tropical sandy loam:
? increased the concentrations of HA and FA and led to increased stratification of TOC, with a stronger effect on HA compared with FA;
? significantly lowered E465/E665 at the high biochar application rate of 30 t ha?1, implying the dominance of high molecular weight humic acid-like substances, and increased degree of aromaticity of the TOC.
New Forests - Adventitious rooting (AR) is an obligatory step for vegetative propagation of commercial woody species. Paper industries have interest in Eucalyptus globulus Labill and its hybrids... 相似文献
Potassium has important physiological functions in eucalypt plantations, increasing their productivity when applied to soil via mineral fertilizers. There is interest in identifying alternative sources to KCl owing to its high cost and limited reserves. The aim of the study was to test the effect of replacing KCl with NaCl and phonolite rock powder. Two comparisons were made: (1) application of 283 kg ha?1 of KCl compared with that of 2125 kg ha?1 of phonolite rock powder (equivalent to 170 kg ha?1 of K2O in both treatments); (2) application of 139 kg ha?1 of NaCl compared with that of 183 kg ha?1 of KCl (equivalent to 2.33 kmol Na and K, respectively). Radial growth, soil water content, leaf water potential (Ψ), accumulated transpiration, stem volume and biomass increment, as well as water use efficiency (WUE) were evaluated. In the first comparison, both fertilizations presented equal values for all characteristics evaluated. In the second, the accumulated transpiration in trees fertilized with KCl was 17% higher than that in plants fertilized with NaCl. In contrast, the WUE was 20% higher in the trees fertilized with NaCl than in those fertilized with KCl, reflecting the lower water consumption for the same increment in stem volume and biomass. We conclude that phonolite rock powder and NaCl are possible substitutes for conventional K fertilization performed with KCl.
The intra-varietal variation of plants of Irish and S. 23 perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) growing in nutrient solution was studied in separate experiments.The variation in shoot growth was due to differences in both the rate of production and size of the tillers, while in root growth it was related to the size of individual roots. Root relative to shoot growth was also related to the size of the individual roots.In both varieties the frequency-distribution of size of individual roots and rate of root growth compared with shoot growth was positively skew. Root characters were more variable than shoot characters. The results are discussed in relation to possible selection pressures and morphology. 相似文献
