Biodiversity changes in the lakes of the Central Yangtze

The Central Yangtze ecoregion in China includes a number of lakes, but these have been greatly affected by human activities over the past several decades, resulting in severe loss of biodiversity. In this paper, we document the present distribution of the major lakes and the changes in size that have taken place over the past 50 years, using remote sensing data and historical observations of land cover in the region. We also provide an overview of the changes in species richness, community composition, population size and age structure, and individual body size of aquatic plants, fishes, and waterfowl in these lakes. The overall species richness of aquatic plants found in eight major lakes has decreased substantially during the study period. Community composition has also been greatly altered, as have population size and age and individual body size in some species. These changes are largely attributed to the integrated effects of lake degradation, the construction of large hydroelectric dams, the establishment of nature reserves, and lake restoration practices.

Land-cover changes in an urban lake watershed in a mega-city, Central China

Urbanization can exert a profound influence on land covers and landscape characteristics. In this study, we characterize the impact of urbanization on land cover and lacustrine landscape and their consequences in a large urban lake watershed, Donghu Lake watershed (the largest urban lake in China), Central China, by using Landsat TM satellite images of three periods of 1987, 1993 and 1999 and ground-based information. We grouped the land covers into six categories: water body, vegetable land, forested land, shrub-grass land, open area and urban land, and calculated patch-related landscape indices to analyze the effects of urbanization on landscape features. We overlaid the land cover maps of the three periods to track the land cover change processes. The results indicated that urban land continuously expanded from 9.1% of the total watershed area in 1987, to 19.4% in 1993, and to 29.6% in 1999. The vegetable land increased from 7.0% in 1987, 11.9% in 1993, to 13.9% in 1999 to sustain the demands of vegetable for increased urban population. Concurrently, continuous reduction of other land cover types occurred between 1987 and 1999: water body decreased from 30.4% to 23.8%, and forested land from 33.6% to 24.3%. We found that the expansion of urban land has at least in part caused a decrease in relatively wild habitats, such as urban forest and lake water area. These alterations had resulted in significant negative environmental consequences, including decline of lakes, deterioration of water and air quality, and loss of biodiversity.

Guidewire retention following central venous catheterisation: a human factors and safe design investigation.

BACKGROUND: Central Venous Catheterisation (CVC) has occasionally been associated with cases of retained guidewires in patients after surgery. In theory, this is a completely avoidable complication; however, as with any human procedure, operator error leading to guidewires being occasionally retained cannot be fully eliminated. OBJECTIVE: The work described here investigated the issue in an attempt to better understand it both from an operator and a systems perspective, and to ultimately recommend appropriate safe design solutions that reduce guidewire retention errors. METHODS: Nine distinct methods were used: observations of the procedure, a literature review, interviewing CVC end-users, task analysis construction, CVC procedural audits, two human reliability assessments, usability heuristics and a comprehensive solution survey with CVC end-users. RESULTS: The three solutions that operators rated most highly, in terms of both practicality and effectiveness, were: making trainees better aware of the potential guidewire complications and strongly emphasising guidewire removal in CVC training, actively checking that the guidewire is present in the waste tray for disposal, and standardising purchase of central line sets so that differences that may affect chances of guidewire loss is minimised. CONCLUSIONS: Further work to eliminate/engineer out the possibility of guidewires being retained is proposed.

Distribution, feeding and body condition of four small fish species in the near-shore and central areas of Liangzi Lake, China

Small fish abundance is usually high in heavily vegetated habitats in Yangtze lakes, China. Visual and swimming barriers created by dense macrophytes beds could reduce feeding efficiency and growth of small fishes. We tested the hypothesis that small fishes in habitats with dense macrophytes would show decreased feeding efficiency and reduced growth rates by comparing feeding efficiency (measured as the relative weight of fore-gut contents), total length, and condition factor of four small young-of-the-year fishes collected in the near-shore (heavily vegetated) and central (less vegetated) areas of Liangzi Lake. Feeding efficiency, total length, or condition factor were each significantly reduced in the near-shore area compared with the central area for Ctenogobius giurinus, Pseudorasbora parva and Carassius auratus auratus. This supports our hypothesis that vegetation abundance may mediate feeding efficiency and growth of small fishes. Although Hypseleotris swinhonis did not show significant decreases in feeding efficiency or growth in the near-shore area, there was not any reversed tendency, i.e. increased feeding rate or growth in the near-shore area compared to the central area.

Developments in transgenic fish in the people's Republic of China

In the People's Republic of China, genetically modified (GM) fish are being developed primarily to produce desirable alterations to growth rates or feed-conversion efficiency. Up to the present, no transgenic fish have been commercially approved for human consumption. This review introduces advances in the People's Republic of China in transgenic fish studies, biosafety studies of fast-growth GM fish, and the regulation of GM fish.

New data on the morphology and systematic status of Spinitectus petrowi and Spinitectus gigi (Nematoda : Cystidicolidae) parasitic in catfishes in central China

Two little-known nematode species of the genus Spinitectus Fourment, 1883, S. petrowi Belous, 1965 (prevalence 25%, intensity 1-8) and S. gigi Fujita, 1927 (prevalence 10%, intensity 2-3), were collected from the gastrointestinal tract of the yellow catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson), from Liangzihu Lake, Hubei Province, central China, in September of 2002. The light and scanning electron microscopical examination of this material, supplemented by a few museum specimens of S. gigi collected from the catfish Clarias fuscus (Lacepede) in southern China, made it possible to study in detail the morphology of these parasite species and to redescribe them. The first species, whose correct name is S. petrowi Belous, 1965, exhibits some morphological features (e.g., unusually short vestibule, shape of pseudolabia and of the left spicule) not found in most other congeners; a unique feature is the presence of peculiar pairs of transversely oriented peg-like cuticular spines with rounded ends on the ventral surface of the female tail. Spinitectus gigi was found to have 28-31 cuticular spines in the first ring, relatively long distances between the 2nd-7th rings of spines, and anterior rings divided into 2 sectors; the excretory pore is located at the level of the 4th ring of cuticular spines; males posses 4 pairs of preanal- and 6 pairs of postanal caudal papillae and a pair of small phasmids. Spinitectus bagri Wang, Wu et Yu, 1993 and S. wulingensis Yu et Wang, 1997 are considered junior synonyms of S. petrowi, whereas S. clariasi Ky, 1971, S. ophicephali Ky, 1971 and S. yuanjiangensis Wang, Wit et Yu, 1997 are regarded to be junior synonyms of S. gigi. Spinitectus petrowi was not previously reported from China.

Some nematodes of fishes from central China, with the redescription of Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus)fulvidraconis (Camallanidae)

The present paper comprises a systematic survey of nematodes based on helminthological examinations of 176 specimens of freshwater fishes, belonging to 22 species, from central China (mostly lakes in Hubei Province) collected during the autumn of 2001. The following six species were recorded: Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) fulvidraconis Li, 1935, Camallanus cotti Fujita, 1927, Dentiphilometra monopteri Moravec et Wang, 2002, Pingus sinensis Hsu, 1933, Proleptinae gen. sp. larv., and Eustrongylides sp. larv. Data on their morphology, morphological variability, host range, prevalence, intensity and distribution are provided. SEM studies of P. fulvidraconis and larval Physalopterinae, used for the first time in these species, revealed some additional morphological details and made it possible to redescribe the former. In contrast to the existing description of P. fulvidraconis, this species was found to possess two spicules and a V-shaped gubernaculum with unequal arms (originally mistaken for the left spicule), as well as deirids, whose location can be considered an important taxonomic feature. Larvae of the Physalopterinae have not previously been reported from fishes in China. The finding of larval Eustrongylides in Paramisgurnus dabryanus represents a new host record. All but one nematode species from this zoogeographically interesting region are briefly described and illustrated.

A new genus and species of freshwater monostiliferous hoplonemertean (Nemertea, Enopla) from the People's Republic of China

A new genus and species of freshwater monostiliferous hoplonemertean, Limnemertes poyangensis gen. et sp. nov., from Poyang Lake, People's Republic of China, is described and illustrated. The taxon is compared and contrasted with previously described freshwater hoplonemerteans. This is the fourth species of freshwater nemertean to be described from China and the first recorded from Poyang Lake.

Observations on two species of phyllodistomes (Trematoda : Gorgoderidae) from fishes of the Hubei Province, central China, with an erection of Neophyllodistomum gen. n.

Two rare trematode species so far reported in the genus Phyllodistomum Braun, 1899, P. pawlovskii (Zmeev, 1936) and P. serrispatula Chin, 1963, were found in the urinary system the yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson) of Bao'an Lake (prevalence 8 %) and the swamp eel Monopterus albus (Zouiev) of Liangzi Lake (prevalence 6 9/6), respectively, from the Hubei Province, central China. In contrast to the original description, P. pawlovskii showed a considerable morphological variability particularly in the shape, size and topography of testes. A unique morphological feature of P. serrispatula is the presence of many conspicuous lateral outgrowths on the hindbody and, principally based on this character, a new genus Neophyl-lodistomum is erected (type species N. serrispatula (Chin, 1963) comb. n.)) to accommodate this species. Both trematode species are briefly redescribed. P. pawlovskii and N. serrispatula are reported for the first time from the Hubei Province and the former from the Yangtze River drainage system.

Composition of volatile oil of Primula obconica in Central China

Primula obconica was introduced to Europe from Hubei, China in 1880, and has been cultivated worldwide as one of popular ornamental plants. The volatile oil of wild P. obconica collected from its original place, Yichang, Hubei was first investigated. A total of 43 compounds constituting 93.49% of the oil were identified by using GC and GC-MS. The major compounds were methyl 2,4-dihydroxy-5-methyl benzoate (30.41%), methyl 2,6-dihydroxy-4-methyl benzoate (29.27%), and hypnone (8.92%) etc. In comparison with the published data of some European cultivars, the native P. obconica seems to be allergen-free due to absence of primin and miconidin.

Records of enchytraeidae (Clitellata) from the People's Republic of China

Eleven species of terrestrial and aquatic Enchytraeidae are reported from southeastern China. Fridericia multisegmentata and Enchytraeus athecatus are new to science, while most of the others are recorded from the country for the first time.

SESTON IN A SEASONALLY FLOODED LAKE OF THE CENTRAL CHANGJIANG RIVER (CHINA)

Seston was studied during inundation in a seasonally flooded lake of Changjiang River system (Lake Chenhu, Hanyang, P.R. China). Particulate organic matter (POM), particulate inorganic matter (PIM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) concentrations were highest upon initial inflow of river water, as a result of the riverine transport of allochthonous seston into the lake, and during the initial draining phase, coinciding with the postflood development of phytoplankton biomass and accumulation of detritus from the decomposition of the inundated vegetation grown during the preceding period of exposure. However seston concentrations were lowest shortly after the termination of flood inflow, presumably due to sedimentation and river water dilution. Seston food quality, based on POM : PIM, C : N and Algal-AFDW : POM ratios, was higher during the early high water phase than during the filling and draining phases.