Application of static and dynamic enclosures for determining dimethyl sulfide and carbonyl sulfide exchange in Sphagnum peatlands: Implications for the magnitude and direction of flux

A static enclosure method was applied to determine the exchange of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and carbonyl sulfide (OCS) between the surface of Sphagnum peatlands and the atmosphere. Measurements were performed concurrently with dynamic (flow through) enclosure measurements with sulfur-free air used as sweep gas. This latter technique has been used to acquire the majority of available data on the exchange of S gases between the atmosphere and the continental surfaces and has been criticized because it is thought to overestimate the true flux of gases by disrupting natural S gas gradients. DMS emission rates determined by both methods were not statistically different between 4 and >400 nmol m−2 h−1, indicating that previous data on emissions of at least DMS are probably valid. However, the increase in DMS in static enclosures was not linear, indicating the potential for a negative feedback of enclosure DMS concentrations on efflux. The dynamic enclosure method measured positive OCS flux rates (emission) at all sites, while data using static enclosures indicated that OCS was consumed from the atmosphere at these same sites at rates of 3.7 to 55 nmol m−2 h−1. Measurements using both enclosure techniques at a site devoid of vegetation showed that peat was a source of both DMS and OCS. However, the rate of OCS efflux from decomposing peat was more than counterbalanced by OCS consumption by vegetation, including Sphagnum mosses, and net OCS uptake occurred at all sites. We propose that all wetlands are net sinks for OCS.

Relationships between Testate Amoebae Assemblages (Protozoa) and Geographic Factors in Yunnan Plateau Lakes, China

Knowledge of the effect of geographic factors on the assemblages of protozoan testate amoebae is still limited, despite there having been a number of studies on this fauna. We applied statistical analyses to data on the distribution of testate amoebae from nine major lakes in the Yunnan Plateau, southwest China. Cluster analysis, based on community structure, separated the lakes into two groups - the oligotrophic/mesotrophic lakes and the hypercutrophic lakes - confirming the idea that the testate amoebae assemblages in lakes are closely related to the trophic status. Additionally, within the oligotrophic/mesotrophic lakes, there was distinct geographic clustering. Linear regression analysis and the Mantel test both revealed that similarity of species composition decreased with increasing geographic distance among the oligotrophic/mesotrophic lakes.

东北多年冻土对气候变化的响应

近地表面多年冻土对寒区生态系统的植被覆盖、水文条件、土地利用和工程建设具有重要影响，随着气候变化研究的广泛开展，区域冻土环境的变化也成为学者关心的重要议题。中国东北的多年冻土处于欧亚大陆多年冻土带的南缘，多年冻土不如以北地区发育，是十分脆弱的多年冻土。然而，多年冻土在东北寒区生态系统中却起着重要的作用。若东北多年冻土发生退缩，则有可能加速落叶松北移和湿地退缩的过程，也会对C的释放产生重要影响。因而探明现实气候条件下东北区域多年冻土的影响因子和发育状况以及未来气候条件下多年冻土的退缩趋势，将有助于促进东北寒区生态系统的冻土和其它学科研究，同时也可为寒区开发建设提供有意义的参考。 本研究从分析东北多年冻土的主要影响因子——气候、地形和土壤条件等入手，准确地掌握了多年冻土的发育状况，并以此为根据进行了景观尺度上多年冻土分布信息的提取和融深信息的研究。同时，在区域尺度上对多年冻土的现实分布和未来气候条件下多年冻土的可能分布状况进行了探讨。最终得到以下重要结论： （1）冻结数对东北多年冻土分布具有重要的指示作用 冻结数模型具有明确的物理意义，可以指示多年冻土的发生状况。研究中，利用地形、纬度等因子，结合气温和降水数据模拟了现实气候条件下东北地区的冻结数值；并依据冻结数模型的区划标准对东北多年冻土进行分区。结果表明，冻结数在指示多年冻土分布时具有重要作用。 （2）土壤含水量、地形坡度和群落因子对多年冻土具有重要影响 以大兴安岭呼中国家级自然保护区为例，调查了该区多年冻土活动层厚度，并利用多重对比分析和相关分析的统计方法，对多年冻土活动层的影响因子进行了分析。结果表明，多年冻土活动层厚度与多个环境因子之间存在着复杂的关系。其中，土壤表层含水量与活动层厚度具有极显著的负相关关系（P<0.001），其相关系数在0.90以上，说明含水量越高，活动层厚度越浅。地形坡度和活动层厚度的相关性也达到显著水平（相关系数为0.321，P=0.006），表明坡度越陡，活动层厚度越大。几乎每个样带的海拔与活动层厚度都有显著的相关性，但在整体研究区域内海拔与活动层厚度不存在相关性。这说明活动层厚度的变异仅在本研究的样带尺度上具有规律性，而在稍大尺度上这种规律性就消失了。对于不同的群落活动层厚度的多重对比分析表明，群落的差异对活动层厚度也有明显的影响，其中狭叶杜香-泥炭藓群落（Larix gmelini-Ledum palustre var. anqustum-sphagnum magellanicum）更有利于多年冻土的保存。 （3）景观尺度上的多年冻土分布状况 在景观尺度上，以呼中国家级自然保护区为研究区，应用神经网络方法，同时以土地覆盖、等效纬度、坡向和土壤湿度多种影响因子为数据源，对多年冻土分布信息进行提取。结果表明，考虑土地覆盖、等效纬度和土壤湿度的数据源组合可以获得高精度最高的多年冻土分布信息，分类精度可以达到89.0%，多年冻土面积占研究区面积百分比达到46.71%，为780.1 km2。 （4）景观尺度上多年冻土的融深状况 研究考虑了包括植被和等效纬度两个影响活动层厚度的重要因子，并将Stefan公式进行变形，简化为包含热量条件的等效纬度因子和植被条件的C因子的函数关系。最后应用该函数关系模拟了呼中自然保护区活动层厚度空间分布，模拟结果的精度为87.25%。在模拟结果中，面积和所占比例最大的活动层厚度为70-80 cm间的活动层厚度，所占面积达到341.4 km2 ，占整个研究区面积的20.43%。而面积最小的活动层厚度为30-40 cm间的活动层厚度，面积为0.02 km2 。通过群落与活动层厚度的空间分布对比发现，呼中自然保护区占最大比例的活动层（70-80 cm）所对应的植物群落主要为落叶松-丛桦-笃斯-藓类群落（Larix gmelini-Betula ovalifolia-Vaccini uliginosum-moss）。说明呼中自然保护区冻土湿地植被主要以该群落类型为主，演替处于中间阶段。 （5）区域尺度上多年冻土的分布状况 利用证据权重法，以可能影响多年冻土分布的气候、地形和土壤等因子作为数据源，对研究区在现实气候条件下的多年冻土分布进行预测，获得了多年冻土在现实气候条件下的分布概率等信息。结果表明，当分布概率大于0.17时，划分出的多年冻土的精度最高，为78.71 %。此时，多年冻土面积为2.03×104 km2 ，约占研究区总面积的1.76%。 （6）东北多年冻土分布对气候变化的响应 利用空间代时间的方法和Kappa指数，对证据权重法在预测未来气候变化条件下多年冻土分布的准确性进行了验证，结果表明，证据权重法预测气候变化条件下多年冻土的分布状况是可行的。 在CGCM3模拟的三种气候模式下，多年冻土在2050年和2100年都将发生明显的退缩。2050年，SRES A1、SRES A2和SRES B1三种气候情景下多年冻土的面积分别为786.38 km2，705.94 km2和1 028.81 km2。与现实气候下多年冻土的面积2.03×104 km2相比，多年冻土分别退缩了96.13%，96.53%和94.94%。而2100年的模拟结果表明，三种气候情景模式下，多年冻土已经全部退化。 （7）气候变化条件下东北多年冻土的分区变化 研究将冻结数等值图与2000年中国东北冻土分区图进行叠加，计算了不同多年冻土亚区的边界对应的冻结数值，建立了利用冻结数进行中国东北多年冻土分区的标准。根据冻结数指标确定的新的中国东北冻土分区与原中国东北冻土分区进行Kappa指数认证。结果表明，冻结数分区标准更适用于中国东北多年冻土的区划。 利用新的冻结数分区标准对CGCM3模拟的三种气候情景模式下的气候变化数据进行区划表明，三种气候模式下东北多年冻土区在21世纪都会有非常明显的退缩。2050年时冻土区缩减了37.7%-42.6%，2100年时缩减了62.5%-74.0%。同时，研究结果显示，东北多年冻土区域的退缩不仅发生在多年冻土区的南界，同时多年冻土的中心退缩也较为明显，即大片连续多年冻土亚区和大片连续—岛状多年冻土亚区的退缩最为剧烈。2050年时，三种气候情景下，大片连续多年冻土亚区将退缩88.8%以上；2100年时，SRES A2模式下，大片连续多年冻土亚区将完全消失。

The Apertospathulidae, a new family of haptorid ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora)

We studied the morphology of three rare haptorid ciliates, using live observation and silver impregnation: Apertospathula verruculifera n. sp., Longispatha elegans n. gen., n. sp., and Rhinothrix porculus (Penard, 1922) n. gen., n. comb. Simple ethanol fixation (50-70%, v/v) is recommended to reveal the ciliary pattern of "difficult" ciliates, such as R. porculus, by protargol impregnation. The three genera investigated have a distinct feature in common, viz., a lasso-shaped oral bulge and circumoral kinety, where the right half is slightly to distinctly longer than the left and the circumoral kinety is open ventrally. Thus, they are united in a new spathidiid family, the Apertospathulidae n. fam., which probably evolved from a Bryophyllum-like ancestor by partial reduction of the oral bulge and circumoral kinety. Apertospathula verruculifera has a wart-like process, the palpus dorsalis, at the anterior end of the dorsal brush. The right branch of the circumoral kinety is only slightly longer than the left one. Longispatha elegans has a straight oral bulge and circumoral kinety, the right branch of which extends to the posterior end of the body while the left branch ends in the anterior third of the body. Rhinothrix porculus, a curious ciliate with a snout-like dorsal elongation of the oral bulge, the palpus oralis, has a highly characteristic ciliary pattern: the oral pattern is as in Longispatha, but the bulge and circumoral kinety extend spirally to the posterior end of the body while the somatic kinetics course meridionally. This is achieved by inserting some shortened kinetics in the curves of the oral bulge.