Local Spring Research Articles

E-survey (surveys based on e-mail & web) Analysis and identification of cold responsive proteins in Kohdasht spring wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Abstract Spring wheat is cultivated early in the spring in moderate climatic areas or cultivated late in the winter when freezing period is over. To understand plant’s response to the cold stress, former studies have led researchers to the identification of several proteins either in wheat or in other plants. In order to achieve further information regarding with the mechanism of spring wheat response to the cold stress at protein expression level, proteomics was applied for an Iranian local spring wheat cv. Kohdasht ( L T 50 = − 4 to − 6 ∘ C ). Seedlings were first grown in a controlled growth room at 20 ∘ C for 14 days and subsequently were transferred to 4 ∘ C (experimental day 0) for 42 days (cold treatment), or they were maintained at 20 ∘ C (control treatment). Sampling was done on days 0, 21 and 42 of the cold exposure. Protein extraction was carried out and two dimensional analysis were done. Proteins that showed at least two levels of expression changes were identified and mass spectrometry was carried out for their identification. The study led us to the identification of 92 proteins several of which seem to play important role in plant’s response to the cold stress such as cold regulated protein and ferredoxin-NADP(H) oxidoreductase as well as heat shock protein 70. Here we report proteomics analysis of cold responsive proteins and discuss their role in Kohdasht spring wheat cultivar.

Origin and evolution of oilfield brines from Tertiary strata in western Qaidam Basin: Constraints from 87Sr/86Sr, δD, δ18O, δ34S and water chemistry

Chemistry of major and minor elements, 87Sr/86Sr, δD, δ18O and δ34S of brines were measured from Tertiary strata and Quaternary salt lakes in the western Qaidam Basin. The water chemistry data show that all oilfield brines are CaCl2 type. They were enriched in Ca2+, B3+, Li+, Sr2+, Br−, and were depleted in Mg2+, SO42−, which indicated that these brines had the characteristics of deeply circulated water. The relationship between δD and δ18O shows that all data of these brines decline towards the Global Meteoric Water Line (GWL) and Qaidam Meteoric Water Line (QWL), and that the intersection between oilfield brines and Meteoric Water Lines was close to the local spring and fresh water in the piedmont in the western Qaidam Basin. The results suggest that oilfield brines has initially originated from meteoric water, and then might be affected by water-rock metamorphose, because most oilfield brines distribute in the range of metamorphosing water. The 87Sr/86Sr values of most oilfield brines range from 0.71121 to 0.71194, and was less than that in salt lake water (>0.712), but close to that of halite in the study area. These imply that salt dissolution occurred in the process of migration. In addition, all oilfield brines have obviously much positive δ34S values (ranging from 26.46‰ to 54.57‰) than that of salt lake brines, which was caused by bacterial sulfate reduction resulting in positive shift of δ34S value and depleteed SO42− in oilfield brines. Combined with water chemical data and δD, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, δ34S values, we concluded that oilfield brines mainly originate from the deeply circulated meteoric waters, and then are affected by salt dissolution, water-rock metamorphose, sulfate reduction and dolomitization during the process of migration. These processes alter the chemical compositions of oilfield brines and accumulate rich elements (such as B, Li, Sr, Br, K and so on) for sustainable utilization of salt lake resources in the Qaidam Basin.

Locality and circulation in the Habsburg Empire: disputing the Carlsbad medical salt, 1763–1784

By looking at the fierce debates in the city of Carlsbad in Bohemia around the fabrication of medical salt by a local doctor, David Becher, from 1763 to 1784, the paper examines the interactions between different spheres or levels of circulation of knowledge in the Habsburg Empire. The dispute crystallized around the definition of the product, about its medical qualities and its relation with the water of the local mineral spring. The city's inhabitants contested the vision of the medical experts, fearing that the extraction of the medical salt from the spring water and its sale outside the town would have a negative effect on the number of visitors to the spa. Their vision implied a more or less 'popularized' form of alchemical thinking as it identified the mineral water with the extracted 'salt', conceived as the 'essence' of the water, produced by evaporation. The Carlsbad salt dispute highlights the complex interactions among the different networks in which knowledge circulated through the Habsburg Empire in the eighteenth century. The different actors relied on specific networks with different logics of discourse and different modes of circulation. In each case the relation between the local, the regional and the imperial had to be negotiated. The paper thus sketches out the different geographies of knowledge in the Habsburg Empire but also its localization in and around Carlsbad.

Season, Weather, and Habitat Effects on Mourning Dove Nest Density

We examined key factors thought to influence Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) nest density (nests/ha) in Blue Oak woodlands (Quercus douglasii), riparian woodlands (Salix spp., Populus fremontii), and commercial walnut (Juglans spp.) orchards in northern California (north of UTM: Zone 51N, 324397E, 4207703N, datum WGS84). We hypothesized that nest density could be used to characterize the suitability of habitats for breeding Mourning Doves because nest success has often been shown to not vary predictably by habitat type. Because weather does affect nest success, we examined the influence of spring rainfall and ambient temperature, as well as habitat on nest density. We recorded all Mourning Dove nests found in surveys conducted every 3rd wk from mid-April to mid-August, which encompassed the nesting season, in each of 6 to 10 randomly placed survey plots in each of 4 study areas during 1992–1995, with a supplemental survey during September 1994. Survey date, habitat type, and spring weather affected period nest density (PND; mean number of all active nests/ha present during any given survey); and habitat type and weather affected cumulative nest density (CND; total number of different nests produced annually/ha). Seasonally, PND was relatively low in April, high from May to July, lower in August, and zero by September. Riparian woodlands tended to support higher PND and CND compared to walnut orchards and Blue Oak woodlands in that order. This effect was pronounced during the warm-dry springs of 1992 and 1994, but was not always evident during the relatively cool-wet springs of 1993 and 1995 (weather characterized relative to April mean high temperature and March to May mean rainfall). The best predictive model (lowest AICC) for PND contained a quadratic trend with survey timing, and effects due to habitat type, high temperature and rainfall deviations from long-term average, number of rain-days, and tree density. The best model for CND contained habitat, temperature, rainfall, rain-days, and tree density. Nest success increased at a declining rate as nest density increased in Blue Oak and riparian woodlands, demonstrating probable density-dependent resource or mortality limits on nest success that did not affect nest density within the ranges we recorded. Nest density measures should be useful to land managers in assessing responses of nesting Mourning Doves to available nesting habitats and local spring weather.

Use of digital cameras for phenological observations

Vegetation phenology such as the onset of green-up and senescence is strongly controlled by climate and other environmental factors, and in turn affects the terrestrial carbon balance. Therefore, phenological observation is important as an indicator of global warming and for estimation of the terrestrial carbon balance. Because phenological responses differ from species to species, precise monitoring from the species scale to the global scale is required. In this study, we analyzed images from digital cameras, which have proliferated in recent years, to investigate their utility as remote sensors. We collected daily images taken by digital cameras in national parks across Japan over 8 years in wetland mixed deciduous forest, and evergreen broadleaved forest. Values of red, green, and blue (RGB) channels in each pixel within images were extracted, and a vegetation green excess index (2G-RBi) was calculated to detect phenology. The time series of 2G-RBi showed clear phenological patterns of each vegetation type in each year at the species or community scale. Even physiological damage due to a typhoon was detected. The dates of green-up were estimated easily and objectively from the second derivative of 2G-RBi, and a trend in yearly green-up dates of various types of vegetation was demonstrated. Furthermore, a strong correlation between interannual variations in green-up dates and local spring temperature was found, and the sensitivity of green-up date to temperature was revealed. The results suggest the utility of digital cameras for phenological observations at precise temporal and spatial resolutions, despite a year-to-year drift of color balance of camera as a technical device. As a form of near-surface remote sensing, digital cameras could obtain significant ecological information. Establishing camera networks could help us understand phenological responses at a wide range of scales.

Mechanical properties of rippled structure in suspended stacks of graphene

We studied the mechanical properties of a suspended graphene layers which have ripples with stripe pattern, by using an atomic force spectroscopy. The local spring constant of the rippled graphene layer has larger value at concave region and smaller at convex region. The attractive force and pull-off force between a tip and the sample also have larger values at the concave region. A local spring constant mapping on the suspended graphene with ripple was obtained and nonlinear behavior of the force-distance curve was analyzed regarding local deformation of the sample.

Bird population trends are linearly affected by climate change along species thermal ranges.

Beyond the effects of temperature increase on local population trends and on species distribution shifts, how populations of a given species are affected by climate change along a species range is still unclear. We tested whether and how species responses to climate change are related to the populations locations within the species thermal range. We compared the average 20 year growth rates of 62 terrestrial breeding birds in three European countries along the latitudinal gradient of the species ranges. After controlling for factors already reported to affect bird population trends (habitat specialization, migration distance and body mass), we found that populations breeding close to the species thermal maximum have lower growth rates than those in other parts of the thermal range, while those breeding close to the species thermal minimum have higher growth rates. These results were maintained even after having controlled for the effect of latitude per se. Therefore, the results cannot solely be explained by latitudinal clines linked to the geographical structure in local spring warming. Indeed, we found that populations are not just responding to changes in temperature at the hottest and coolest parts of the species range, but that they show a linear graded response across their European thermal range. We thus provide insights into how populations respond to climate changes. We suggest that projections of future species distributions, and also management options and conservation assessments, cannot be based on the assumption of a uniform response to climate change across a species range or at range edges only.

Spring distribution and density of minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata along an offshore bank in the central North Sea

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 408:265-274 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08598 Spring distribution and density of minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata along an offshore bank in the central North Sea Marijke N. de Boer* Wageningen IMARES, Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, Postbus 167, 1790 AD Den Burg, The Netherlands *Email: seven.seasmc@yahoo.co.uk ABSTRACT: Minke whales were recorded in the central North Sea in an area characterised by frontal features and high productivity northeast of the Dogger Bank (4677 km2). Survey efforts were carried out from 28 March to 2 July 2007, at a finer scale than in earlier studies in the region, using 2 vessels as platforms of opportunity and a dedicated line-transect survey vessel following distance sampling methods. The high density of whales indicated that this offshore bank slope is an important spring habitat for minke whales in the North Sea. In total, 77 sightings of minke whales comprising 130 individuals were recorded. The peak density of minke whales was estimated to be 0.029 whales km–2 (minimum estimate, 95% CI: 0.012 to 0.070) in May. During peak abundance, the minke whales temporarily congregated in the area, suggesting that the whales were taking advantage of the local spring abundance of sandeels. The density found was higher than previous studies have suggested for the central North Sea. The results correspond to recent observations of minke whale redistribution within the North Sea, and these may be related to a decline in sandeel availability elsewhere in the North Sea. Offshore banks that aggregate prey may therefore become increasingly important feeding habitats for minke whales and other top predators in the North Sea. The observed habitat preference of minke whales along this offshore bank appeared to be similar to that observed in coastal areas, and this suggests some degree of generality regarding the preference for this type of habitat. KEY WORDS: Minke whale · Distribution · Density · Relative abundance · Offshore bank · Platform of opportunity · Line-transect survey · Central North Sea Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: de Boer MN (2010) Spring distribution and density of minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata along an offshore bank in the central North Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 408:265-274. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08598 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 408. Online publication date: June 03, 2010 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.

Local Temperature Fine-Tunes the Timing of Spring Migration in Birds

Evidence for climate-driven phenological changes is rapidly increasing at all trophic levels. Our current poor knowledge of the detailed control of bird migration from the level of genes and hormonal control to direct physiological and behavioral responses hampers our ability to understand and predict consequences of climatic change for migratory birds. In order to better understand migration phenology and adaptation in environmental changes, we here assess the scale at which weather affects timing of spring migration in passerine birds. We use three commonly used proxies of spring-time climatic conditions: (1) vegetation "greenness" (NDVI) in Europe, (2) local spring temperatures in northern Europe, and (3) the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAO) as predictors of the phenology of avian migration as well as the strength of their effect on different subsets of populations and the dependence of correlations on species-specific migratory strategy. We analyze phenological patterns of the entire spring migration period in 12 Palaearctic passerine species, drawing on long-term data collected at three locations along a longitudinal gradient situated close to their northern European breeding area. Local temperature was the best single predictor of phenology with the highest explanatory power achieved in combination with NAO. Furthermore, early individuals are more affected by climatic variation compared to individuals on later passage, indicating that climatic change affects subsets of migratory populations differentially. Species wintering closer to the breeding areas were affected more than were those travelling longer distances and this pattern was strongest for the earliest subsets of the population. Overall, our results suggest that at least early subsets of the population are affected by local conditions and early birds use local conditions to fine-tune the date of their spring arrival while individuals arriving later are driven by other factors than local conditions e.g. endogenous control. Understanding what cues migratory organisms use to arrive at an optimum time is important for increasing our knowledge of fundamental issues like decision making in organisms during migration and is crucial for future protection of migratory organisms.

Diffuse and concentrated recharge evaluation using physical and tracer techniques: results from a semiarid carbonate massif aquifer in southeastern Spain

In the high-permeability, semiarid carbonate aquifer in the Sierra de Gador Mountains (southeastern Spain), some local springs draining shallow perched aquifers were of assistance in assessing applicability of the atmospheric chloride mass balance (CMB) for quantifying total yearly recharge (RT) by rainfall. Two contrasting hydrological years (October through September) were selected to evaluate the influence of climate on recharge: the average rainfall year 2003–2004, and the unusually dry 2004–2005. Results at small catchment scale were calibrated with estimated daily stand-scale RT obtained by means of a soil water balance (SWB) of rainfall, using the actual evapotranspiration measured by the eddy covariance (EC) technique. RT ranged from 0.35 to 0.40 of rainfall in the year, with less than a 5% difference between the CMB and SWB methods in 2003–2004. RT varied from less than 0.05 of rainfall at mid-elevation to 0.20 at high elevation in 2004–2005, with a similar difference between the methods. Diffuse recharge (RD) by rainfall was quantified from daily soil water content field data to split RT into RD and the expected concentrated recharge (RC) at catchment scale in both hydrological years. RD was 0.16 of rainfall in 2003–2004 and 0.01 in 2004–2005. Under common 1- to 3-day rainfall events, the hydraulic effect of RD is delayed from 1 day to 1 week, while RC is not delayed. This study shows that the CMB method is a suitable tool for yearly values complementing and extending the more widely used SWB in ungauged mountain carbonate aquifers with negligible runoff. The slight difference between RT rates at small catchment and stand scales enables results to be validated and provides new estimates to parameterize RT with rainfall depth after checking the weight of diffuse and concentrated mechanisms on RT during moderate rainfall periods and episodes of marked climatic aridity.

Changes in weather persistence: Insight from Inuit knowledge

Since the 1990s, local residents from around the Arctic have reported changes in weather predictability. Examination of environmental measurements have not, until now, helped describe what the local inhabitants have been reporting, in part because prior studies did not focus directly on the persistence aspect of weather. Here we show that there is evidence of changes in persistence in weather over the last two decades for Baker Lake, Nunavut, Canada. Hourly data indicate that for local spring, the persistence of temperature has changed dramatically in the last 15 years with some years showing a strong drop in day-to-day persistence in the local spring afternoons, somewhat at odds with changes in persistence on a more global scale. Changes in daily persistence may have implications for human health, agriculture, and ecosystems worldwide. More importantly, the approach of merging indigenous knowledge with scientific methods may offer unexpected benefits for both.

Facing Down the Hydro-Crisis

17 In March 1997, in rural Hebei and Henan Provinces in China, several hundred farmers from neighboring villages clashed over access to water resources to irrigate their crops, leading to dozens of injuries. The rivers that used to supply all their needs were drying up. Two years later, violent conflicts over water escalated in the same region. Hundreds more villagers were injured and water diversion facilities destroyed. In 1999, some 700 soldiers were sent to quell fighting that claimed six lives and injured 60 others in clashes that erupted between two Yemeni villages fighting over a local spring. In 2001, civil unrest in Pakistan over severe water shortages led to protests, riots, and bombings, killing one and injuring dozens. In 2004, a similar dispute in a bordering region of India led to four deaths and more than 30 injuries. Between 2004 and 2006, at least 250 people were killed and many more injured in Somalia and Ethiopia in fighting over water wells and pastoral lands. Villagers there call it the War of the Well and tell stories of “well warlords, well widows, and well warriors.” Across the globe, these sorts of public protests, disputes, and violence over water are increasingly common as problems of contamination, shortages, and allocation grow. In rural villages and expanding cities around the world, water is an increasingly scarce and contaminated resource. As populations and water demands continue to expand, the heightened risk of violent conflicts over water use and contamination suggest new calls for fundamental changes in the way we manage and use this precious resource. The world of water is changing— not just how much water is available, or who controls it, but the whole way we think about and manage this precious commodity. The assumptions we made in the last century about the availability and use of water no longer seem to apply. And for water managers, planners, hydrologists, engineers, economists, policy makers, and concerned citizens, the time has come for new thinking and new solutions. Over the past several centuries, societies have developed different technologies, practices, and institutions for supplying safe and reliable freshwater, dealing with extreme events, as well as collecting, treating, and disposing of wastewater. These tools brought enormous benefits to humankind. But they have also failed to solve some of our most difficult water problems, and in key ways they are unsuited to our new Peter H. Gleick is co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, a MacArthur fellow, and member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of seven books, including the biennial report, The World’s Water (Island Press).

Modeling Piezoresponse Force Microscopy for Low-Dimensional Material Characterization: Theory and Experiment

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is an atomic force microscopy-based approach utilized for measuring local properties of piezoelectric materials. The objective of this study is to propose a practical framework for simultaneous estimation of the local stiffness and piezoelectric properties of materials. For this, the governing equation of motion of a vertical PFM is derived at a given point on the sample. Using the expansion theorem, the governing ordinary differential equations of the system and their state-space representation are derived under applied external voltage. For the proof of the concept, the results obtained from both frequency and step responses of a PFM experiment are utilized to simultaneously identify the microcantilever parameters along with local spring constant and piezoelectric coefficient of a periodically poled lithium niobate sample. In this regard, a new parameter estimation strategy is developed for modal identification of system parameters under general frequency response. Results indicate good agreements between the identified model and the experimental data using the proposed modeling and identification framework. This method can be particularly applied for accurate characterization of mechanical and piezoelectric properties of biological species and cells.

Special Issue on Dynamic Modeling, Control and Manipulation at the Nanoscale

Special Issue on Dynamic Modeling, Control and Manipulation at the Nanoscale

Effect of high sulfate concentration on the corrosivity: a case study from groundwater in Harran Plain, Turkey

Corrosion, which tends to increase the concentrations of certain metals in tap water, is one of the most important water quality problems as it can affect public health and public acceptance of water supply and the cost of providing safe water. In this context, this study aimed at investigating the scale formation tendency or corrosivity of groundwater in the semi-arid Harran Plain. The degree of scale formation tendency/corrosivity of water was determined considering pHs, Langelier Index, and Ryznar Index of groundwater samples. Except for well no.4, which is close to a local hot spring, all the wells had corrosive characteristics. The amount of CO(2) from the soil zone respiration and high sulfate concentration in the wells are important factors affecting corrosiveness. Results showed that precipitation, excessive irrigation, and change in groundwater level caused seasonal variation in corrosive characteristics.

Basin-Scale Coherence in Phenology of Shrimps and Phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean

Climate change could lead to mismatches between the reproductive cycles of marine organisms and their planktonic food. We tested this hypothesis by comparing shrimp (Pandalus borealis) egg hatching times and satellite-derived phytoplankton bloom dynamics throughout the North Atlantic. At large spatial and long temporal (10 years or longer) scales, hatching was correlated with the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom. Annual egg development and hatching times were determined locally by bottom water temperature. We conclude that different populations of P. borealis have adapted to local temperatures and bloom timing, matching egg hatching to food availability under average conditions. This strategy is vulnerable to interannual oceanographic variability and long-term climatic changes.

Genetic diversity of local spring bread wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) of West and East Siberia in gliadin genes

A considerable polymorphism in gliadin genes was detected in the local wheats of West Siberia (Altai krai, Omsk oblast, and Kurgan oblast) and the local cultivars characteristic of several East Siberian regions (Krasnoyarsk krai, Irkutsk oblast, Tuva, and Yakutia), and the genetic formulas were determined. The common alleles characteristic of the wheats of both regions were detected, namely, Gli-A1f, Gli-A1j, Gli-A1i, Gli-A1m, Gli-B1e, Gli-B1m, Gli-D1a, Gli-A2q, Gli-A2k, Gli-A2u, Gli-D2a, and Gli-D2q, as well as 14 novel alleles unknown earlier. It was demonstrated that several genotypes had formed in Siberia. Of them, the genotypes Gli-Alf_Gli-Ble_Gli-D1a and Gli-Alj_Gli-Ble_Gli-D1a occur both in West and East Siberia, whereas the genotypes Gli-Ali Gli-Blm Gli-D1a Gli-A2new10, Gli-A1m_Gli-B1b_Gli-D1a_Gli-A2f, and Gli-A1m_Gli-B1m_Gli-D1a_Gli-A2u are found only in East Siberia.

A RESEARCH OF THE HOT SPRING SERVICE FOR THE AGED LIVING IN REMOTE SNOW FALL REGION

This research focused on the potential of the welfare service for the aged by using local hot spring in remote snowfall region in Hokkaido. The daily going out and social interaction behaviors of 42 aged people who take the service were investigated. As a result following things were found. 1: 20% of purposes of going out is to take the service. 2: This service reduces the number of people in the category of "have hardly meet with local acquaintances" in their daily life, and gives a chance to communicate with people in the hot spring.

Note: Effects of spring temperatures on the first egg-laying dates of the nuthatch(Sitta europaea)

I examined long-term changes in the egg-laying dates of the nuthatch (Sitta auropaea) from 1982 to 2007 in the Hrvatsko Zagorje area (northwestern Croatia) in relation to mean spring temperature and to potential climate change effects. Negative correlations between egg-laying date and year, and egg-laying date and local mean spring temperatures (mean of March-April values) were statistically significant. Based on the linear regression slopes, the models indicate that in 2007, nuthatches laid 6.5 days earlier than in 1982. These results suggest that nuthatch breeding in the Hrvatsko Zagorje area responds to climate fluctuations by shifting the date of clutch initiation.

Geochemistry of a spring-dense karst watershed located in a complex structural setting, Appalachian Great Valley, West Virginia, USA

The distribution and chemistry of the springs in the Tuscarora Creek watershed is controlled by both geologic structure and karst dissolution. The watershed is located in eastern West Virginia in the structurally complex Great Valley of the Appalachian Valley and Ridge province. The upper portion of the stream parallels strike along a mapped fault zone and is bordered by clastic rocks that comprise North Mountain. The lower reaches of the stream flow cross-strike through Cambro-Ordovician carbonates. The controlling chemical signature in the spring water is carbonate dissolution. Little evidence was seen for the recharge from adjacent clastic rocks although differences in the Ca/Mg molar ratio between springs indicated the presence of localized spring basins in headwater reaches. Na, Cl and Ca generally increased from upstream to downstream in the cross-strike reaches. Comparison of stream and cumulative spring discharge was consistent with significant groundwater base-flow contribution directly to the creek, particularly in the strike-parallel region. The largest spring in the watershed (>162 L/s) was sampled during and after a large storm event along with the adjacent creek. The creek displayed a typical dilution response with each flood pulse, whereas the spring had only a limited or delayed response. The overall chemical and thermal stability of the spring, relative to the creek, indicated the lack of significant direct hydraulic connection between the two. The conceptual model for the area includes localized flowpaths in the headwater region where the stream flow is parallel to strike and a thrust fault. In addition to the shallow localized flowpaths, a deeper, more regional flowpath likely exists for a large spring further downstream.