Annual variations of biotic integrity in the upper Yangtze River using an adapted index of biotic integrity (IBI)

Adaptive modification and use of Karr's index of biotic integrity (IBI) for the upper Yangtze River, including 12 metrics in five categories, have typically occurred in line with the data collected by 6-year commercial fisheries investigation. These investigations were undertaken annually in four sections of the Upper Yangtze main channel between 1997 and 2002. These four monitoring sections (Yibin - YB, Hejiang - HJ, Mudong - MD, and Yichang - YC) were selected because they represent the part of the river that will be covering a 1000 kin stretch that includes the future Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), upstream of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), an area influenced by the construction of TGD. in addition, historical data were used to show changes in the watershed by comparison with field investigations recently. The biotic integrity of the four sections were calculated and classified into different levels annually for recognizing its spatial and temporal variations. It was observed that IBI scores were becoming lower diminishingly since 1997 in all the four sections. Because all the data were collected before the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir, it is obvious that human activities, especially over-fishing, must be crucial factor instead of damming in the upper Yangtze River in that period. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of plankton communities in Lake Donghu, China, as revealed by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and its relation to biotic and abiotic factors

The 16S and 18S rRNA genes of planktonic organisms derived from five stations with nutrient gradients in Lake Donghu, China, were studied by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting, and the relationships between the genetic diversity of the plankton community and biotic/abiotic factors are discussed. The concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), NH4-N and As were found to be significantly related (P < 0.05) to morphological composition of the plankton community. Both chemical and morphological analyses suggested that temporal heterogeneity was comparatively higher than spatial heterogeneity in Lake Donghu. Although the morphological composition was not identical to the DGGE fingerprints in characterizing habitat similarity, the two strongest eutrophic stations (I and II) were always initially grouped into one cluster. Canonical correspondence analysis suggested that the factors strongly correlated with the first two ordination axes were seasonally different. The concentrations of TN and TP and the densities of rotifers and crustaceans were generally the main factors related to the DGGE patterns of the plankton communities. The study suggested that genetic diversity as depicted by metagenomic techniques (such as PCR-DGGE fingerprinting) is a promising tool for ecological study of plankton communities and that such techniques are likely to play an increasingly important role in assessing the environmental conditions of aquatic habitats.

Use of the aquatic protozoa to formulate a community biotic index for an urban water system

Protozoan were collected from 16 stations in water system of Changde City (China) using the PFU method. Sampling programs were conduced on a yearly basis, with seasonal frequency at diverse sites in the water system and 488 species of protozoa was identified. At the same time, Water sampling from these stations was conducted and various water chemical parameters, including DO, COD, BOD5, NH3, TP, and Volatile Phenol, were analyzed. The aim of the research was, on one hand, using chemical method to take an investigation to the water pollution status of Changde City; on the other hand, using protozoan to make an evaluation to the water quality. With the chemical water parameters and protozoa data, a biotic index was derived for the investigated region. The species pollution value (SPV) of 469 protozoa species was established, and the community pollution value (CPV) calculated from SPV was used to evaluate water quality. The method of the biotic index was tested and the result showed that CPV calculated from SPV had a close correlation with the degree of water pollution (p < 0.00001). This indicated that the method of the biotic index is reliable. The water quality degrees divided by CPV were suggested. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a biotic index using the correlation of protozoan communities with chemical water quality

A method of comparing data on protozoan communities with chemical parameters is presented. Using data from an extensive survey of the River Hanjiang in China, each species of protozoa has been given a species pollution value (SPV) related to its occurrence in waters with different degrees of pollution. A comprehensive chemical index is calculated for each site based on water quality standards for eight chemical parameters. The index is calculated from the relationship between the observed levels of each chemical at a site, compared with the limits of the drinking water quality standards of the People's Republic of China. From the distribution of each species at sites with differing chemical index values, a SPV is calculated. The SPV for each species is obtained by summing the logarithmic value of 10 times the chemical pollution divided by the number of chemical parameters, then divided by the stations where the species occurs. The community pollution value (CPV), which is the average SPVs of all protozoa at a site, is used to evaluate water quality. The CPV has been shown to have a close correlation with the degree of water pollution. It is not necessary for all the protozoa in a sample to have SPVs listed in this paper, provided at least 56% of the protozoa in a sample have an SPV value, the CPV will be applicable.

Application and validation of a new biotic index using data from several water systems

Protozoans of Lake Donghu were collected from five stations using the PFU method. The sampling was conducted for one year and two times a month. The aim of this research was to test the applicability of a new protozoa biotic index, species pollution value (SPV) and community pollution value (CPV), established by the authors using data from the River Hanjiang. Each station's CPV was calculated from the SPV and the correlation analysis between the CPV and the comprehensive chemical index of stations I, II, III showed a significant correlation between them. The pollution status of the five stations was correctly evaluated by the CPV. These results suggested that the biotic index could be applied in water systems other than the River Hanjiang. The SPV of some protozoa species in Lake Donghu, not observed in the River Hanjiang were established. In order to further test the applicability of the biotic index, protozoan and chemistry data from the Rivers Torrente Stirone and Parma of Italy were used. The results showed that the CPV for the two rivers had a close relationship with the chemical water quality, which indicated that the biotic index could be applied in other parts of the world for the monitoring and estimating of water quality. Since the results of testing and verifying the biotic index in some other water systems in China were also satisfactory, this indicated that the biotic index has an extensive suitability for freshwater ecosystems. As long as more than 50% of the species in a sample have a SPV, the CPV calculated from the SPV is reliable for monitoring and evaluating water quality.

THE MATRIX ANALYSIS FOR AN OPTICAL FREE-SPACE SWITCHING NETWORK AND AN OPTICAL CROSSOVER NETWORK WITH 4-FUNCTION INTERCHANGE NODES

A matrix analysis for free-space switching networks, such as perfect shuffle-exchange omega, crossover and Banyan is presented. On the basis of matrix analysis, the equivalence of these three switching networks and the route selection between input and output ports are simply explained. Furthermore, an optical crossover switching network, where MQW SEED arrays are used as electrically addressed four-function interchange nodes, is described and the optical crossover interconnection of 64 x 64, and high-speed four-function, interchange nodes is demonstrated in the experiment.

小麦Ta-JA1基因功能的初步分析

茉莉酸是植物信号传递以及诱导植物产生防御反应的关键诱导激素之一，广泛存在于高等植物中，并在植物病虫害防御的信号传导通路中起着重要的作用。茉莉酸可以诱导植物抗性基因表达，产生茉莉酸调节蛋白来抵御病虫害。在禾本科的大麦中发现了一个分子量在32kDa茉莉酸调节蛋白家族（JPR-32），但其功能一直没有深入的研究。 木菠萝素是从桂木属木菠萝的种子中分离的一种可以和半乳糖或甘露糖特异结合的凝集素。近来的研究表明，植物的凝集素具有多种功能，主要有：可作为储存蛋白，对储存物质进行包装、运输;作为植物细胞的有丝分裂因子，参与细胞壁的延伸;生长调节及运输碳水化合物;具有酶的功能;参与豆科植物感染结瘤;协同其它防御蛋白参与植物防御反应。植物凝集素的功能复杂各异，对木菠萝素的功能研究更是相对较少。 本文在小麦中克隆出的cDNA（本文命名为Ta-JA1基因），该基因cDNA全长1158bp，编码304个氨基酸，分子量32.7kDa，与JPR-32蛋白质家族的基因序列具有很高的同源性。从蛋白结构分析中显示，Ta-JA1基因有两个典型的功能结构域：N末端的茉莉酸诱导的防御反应结构域和C末端的木菠萝素相关结构域。为我们研究这个新的蛋白家族的功能提供了一个典型的模式蛋白。本文即从Ta-JA1基因出发来研究这一类蛋白的相关功能。在此，我们构建了Ta-JA1基因的pBI121表达载体，并通过农杆菌介导叶圆片法转化烟草，成功获得转基因植株。通过硫酸铵盐析法获得了植物Ta-JA1蛋白粗提品，效率在0.01%左右。使用蛋白粗提物进行凝血效应分析，转基因植株的蛋白粗样品可以凝集新鲜的兔血，说明Ta-JA1蛋白具有植物凝集素的基本性质。选取烟草上典型的三类病原体：烟草花叶病毒，烟草黑胫病菌和烟草野火病菌。分别对转基因烟草进行侵染，并观察统计其抗病性，发现转基因烟草对烟草花叶病毒和烟草黑胫病具有显著的抗性，对烟草野火病也具有一定的抑制作用。通过与野生型烟草在抗盐，抗旱，抗虫和生长发育等方面的统计比较与分析，可以看出，基因烟草在抗逆性上也有了显著的提高，虽然Ta-JA1的过量表达没有影响转基因烟草的整体生长进程，开花期和结实情况与对照烟草相比也无明显变化，但是转基因烟草的种子在萌发时间上有了显著提高，一定数量上还表现出愈合的花冠筒上出现不同程度开裂，花冠筒上有附生舌状花瓣，及带有花瓣状颜色的花萼等异常花表型。