Changes in benthic algal communities following construction of a run-of-river dam

Ecological responses to dam construction are poorly understood, especially for downstream benthic algal communities. We examined the responses of benthic algal communities in downstream reaches of a tributary of the Xiangxi River, China, to the construction of a small run-of-river dam. From February 2003 to August 2006, benthic algae, chemical factors, and habitat characteristics were monitored upstream and downstream of the dam site. This period spanned 6 mo before dam construction and 37 mo after dam construction. Benthic algal sampling yielded 199 taxa in 59 genera that belonged to Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, and Cyanophyta. Some physical factors (flow velocity, water depth, and channel width) and 3 algal metrics (diatom species richness, Margalef diversity, and % erect individuals) were significantly affected by the dam construction, whereas chemical factors (e.g., NH4-N, total N, SiO2) were not. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordinations showed that overall algal assemblage structure downstream of the dam sites was similar to that of upstream control sites before dam construction and for 1 year after dam construction (p > 0.05). However, sites belonging to upstream and downstream reaches were well separated on NMS axis 1 during the 2(nd) and 3(rd) years after dam construction. Our results suggest that impacts of dam construction on benthic algal communities took 2 to 3 y to emerge. Further development of a complete set of indicators is needed to address the impact of small-dam construction. Our observations underscore the need for additional studies that quantify ecological responses to dam construction over longer time spans.

Parentage determination of an isolated Yangtze finless porpoise population Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis in the Yangtze Tian-e-Zhou Baiji National Natural Reserve based on molecular data

Reproductive behaviors are poorly known for the Yangtze finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis. In this study, the parentage of an isolated Yangtze finless porpoise population inhabiting the Yangtze Tian-e-Zhou Baiji National Natural Reserve is determined by analysis of microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences, and the porpoise's reproductive behaviors are studied. Overall 4 full parentage assignments and additional 3 single parentage assignments were determined for the population of 23 individuals. The analysis shows that their estimated reproductive cycle is shorter than that reported previously and there probably exists an overlapping between gestation and lactation period. The Study also shows that the female does not show fidelity to a particular male for breeding and vice versa, the oldest males did not monopolize mating and the dominance rank could not be so strict for the porpoise society. Moreover, the porpoise's mating pattern and relatedness among candidate parents are discussed here. These results provide important information for making guidelines of management and conservation for this protected population.

Short range scattering mechanism of type-II GaSb/GaAs quantum dots on the transport properties of two-dimensional electron gas

We have studied the scattering process of AlGaAs/GaAs two-dimensional electron gas with the nearby embedded GaSb/GaAs type-II quantum dots (QDs) at low temperature. Quantum Hall effect and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation were performed to measure the electron density n(2D), the transport lifetime tau(t) and the quantum lifetime tau(q) under various biased gate voltage. By comparing measured results of QDs sample with that of reference sample without embedded QDs, mobilities (transport mobility mu(t) and quantum mobility mu(q)) dominated by GaSb QDs scattering were extracted as functions of n(2D). It was found that the ratios of tau(t) to tau(q) were varying within the range of 1-4, implying the scattering mechanism belonging to the sort of short-range interaction. In the framework of Born approximation, a scattering model considering rectangular-shaped potential with constant barrier height was successfully applied to explain the transport experimental data. In addition, an oscillating ratio of tau(t)/tau(q) with the increasing n(2D) was predicted in the model.

The integration of coastal zone management into national development planning

The broad acceptance and collective commitment of countries to the tasks involved in the implementation of Agenda 21, Chapter 17, have profound implications vis-à-vis the interplay between coastal zone management (CZM) and national development planning (NDP). It appears that in many countries, CZM has evolved in isolation from the mainstream of national development processes. The paper examines various forms and elements for the effective integration of CZM into NDP.

Changes in individual plant traits and biomass allocation in alpine meadow with elevation variation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Plant traits and individual plant biomass allocation of 57 perennial herbaceous species, belonging to three common functional groups (forbs, grasses and sedges) at subalpine (3700 m ASL), alpine (4300 m ASL) and subnival (>= 5000 m ASL) sites were examined to test the hypothesis that at high altitudes, plants reduce the proportion of aboveground parts and allocate more biomass to belowground parts, especially storage organs, as altitude increases, so as to geminate and resist environmental stress. However, results indicate that some divergence in biomass allocation exists among organs. With increasing altitude, the mean fractions of total biomass allocated to aboveground parts decreased. The mean fractions of total biomass allocation to storage organs at the subalpine site (7%+/- 2% S.E.) were distinct from those at the alpine (23%+/- 6%) and subnival (21%+/- 6%) sites, while the proportions of green leaves at all altitudes remained almost constant. At 4300 m and 5000 m, the mean fractions of flower stems decreased by 45% and 41%, respectively, while fine roots increased by 86% and 102%, respectively. Specific leaf areas and leaf areas of forbs and grasses deceased with rising elevation, while sedges showed opposite trends. For all three functional groups, leaf area ratio and leaf area root mass ratio decreased, while fine root biomass increased at higher altitudes. Biomass allocation patterns of alpine plants were characterized by a reduction in aboveground reproductive organs and enlargement of fine roots, while the proportion of leaves remained stable. It was beneficial for high altitude plants to compensate carbon gain and nutrient uptake under low temperature and limited nutrients by stabilizing biomass investment to photosynthetic structures and increasing the absorption surface area of fine roots. In contrast to forbs and grasses that had high mycorrhizal infection, sedges had higher single leaf area and more root fraction, especially fine roots.

A nonlinear model for assessing multiple probabilistic risks: A case study in South five-island of Changdao National Nature Reserve in China

Several methods for estimating the potential impacts caused by multiple probabilistic risks have been suggested. These existing methods mostly rely on the weight sum algorithm to address the need for integrated risk assessment. This paper develops a nonlinear model to perform such an assessment. The joint probability algorithm has been applied to the model development. An application of the developed model in South five-island of Changdao National Nature Reserve, China, combining remote sensing data and a GIS technique, provides a reasonable risk assessment. Based on the case study, we discuss the feasibility of the model. We propose that the model has the potential for use in identifying the regional primary stressor, investigating the most vulnerable habitat, and assessing the integrated impact of multiple stressors. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of salidroside in medicinal plants belonging to the Rhodiola L. Genus originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Rhodiola L. genus (Crassulaceae) is one of the most important medicinal plant products used by Tibetans in Chinese phytotherapy. Fourteen species were examined for their content of salidroside. A considerable quantitative variation was observed using high-performance liquid chromatography and this depended on species and regional factors. It was found that all samples contained salidroside at concentrations ranging between 0.02 mg g(-1) (R. sinuate) and 15.95 mg g(-1) (R. sacra), respectively. The content of salidroside in R. sacra was significantly higher than in other popular medicinal plants of this genus. This finding indicated that there may be more Rhodiola species present in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau which may be used as a potential source of salidroside.