1,663 research outputs found
Land use influences the spatiotemporal controls on nitrification and denitrification in headwater streams
N and C cycles in headwater streams are coupled, and land use can modify these cycles by increasing N availability and removing riparian vegetation. To increase our understanding of how land use modifies the controls on N cycling, we quantified rates of 2 microbial N transformations in a total of 18 agricultural and urban streams (with and without riparian buffers) for 3 y to examine how riparian vegetation and land use influence sediment nitrification and denitrification. Nitrification rates were highest in agricultural streams in late spring. Nitrification was not related to streamwater NH4+ concentrations but was positively related to sediment C content (linear regression, r2 = 0.72, p \u3c 0.001). This result suggests that benthic decomposition provided NH4+ (via mineralization) to increase sediment nitrification. Denitrification rates did not differ among landuse types but were positively related to sediment C content and streamwater NO3â concentration (multiple linear regression, R2 = 0.78, p \u3c 0.001). Sediment C content, the primary predictor of denitrification rates, did not differ among land uses, but streamwater NO3â concentration, the secondary predictor of denitrification rates, was highest in winter and in agricultural streams, indicating that land use and season were more important determinants of denitrification than coupled nitrification. Substrate availability (N and C) for N transformations generally did not differ between buffered and unbuffered streams within a similar landuse type, probably because of the confounding influence of tile drainage systems, which effectively decouple stream channels from their riparian zones. Land use influenced the delivery of the necessary substrates for N transformations but decreased the role of riparian zones in stream N cycling by simplifying the drainage network of headwater streams
Nitrous oxide emission from denitrification in stream and river networks
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and stratospheric ozone destruction. Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loading to river networks is a potentially important source of N2O via microbial denitrification that converts N to N2O and dinitrogen (N2). The fraction of denitrified N that escapes as N2O rather than N2 (i.e., the N2O yield) is an important determinant of how much N2O is produced by river networks, but little is known about the N2O yield in flowing waters. Here, we present the results of whole-stream 15N-tracer additions conducted in 72 headwater streams draining multiple land-use types across the United States. We found that stream denitrification produces N2O at rates that increase with stream water nitrate (NO3â) concentrations, but that \u3c1% of denitrified N is converted to N2O. Unlike some previous studies, we found no relationship between the N2O yield and stream water NO3â. We suggest that increased stream NO3â loading stimulates denitrification and concomitant N2O production, but does not increase the N2O yield. In our study, most streams were sources of N2O to the atmosphere and the highest emission rates were observed in streams draining urban basins. Using a global river network model, we estimate that microbial N transformations (e.g., denitrification and nitrification) convert at least 0.68 Tg·yâ1 of anthropogenic N inputs to N2O in river networks, equivalent to 10% of the global anthropogenic N2O emission rate. This estimate of stream and river N2O emissions is three times greater than estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Continuous monitoring reveals multiple controls on ecosystem metabolism in a suburban stream
1. Primary production and respiration in streams, collectively referred to as stream ecosystem metabolism, are fundamental processes that determine trophic structure, biomass and nutrient cycling. Few studies have used highâfrequency measurements of gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) over extended periods to characterise the factors that control stream ecosystem metabolism at hourly, daily, seasonal and annual scales.
2. We measured ecosystem metabolism at 5âmin intervals for 23âmonths in Shepherd Creek, a small suburban stream in Cincinnati, Ohio (U.S.A.).
3. Daily GPP was best predicted by a model containing light and its synergistic interaction with water temperature. Water temperature alone was not significantly related to daily GPP, rather high temperatures enhanced the capacity of autotrophs to use available light.
4. The relationship between GPP and light was further explored using photosynthesisâirradiance curves (PâI curves). Light saturation of GPP was evident throughout the winter and spring and the PâI curve frequently exhibited strong counterclockwise hysteresis. Hysteresis occurred when water temperatures were greater in the afternoon than in the morning, although light was similar, further suggesting that light availability interacts synergistically with water temperature.
5. Storm flows strongly depressed GPP in the spring while desiccation arrested aquatic GPP and ER in late summer and autumn.
6. Ecosystem respiration was best predicted by GPP, water temperature and the rate of water exchange between the surface channel and transient storage zones. We estimate that c. 70% of newly fixed carbon was immediately respired by autotrophs and closely associated heterotrophs.
7. Interannual, seasonal, daily and hourly variability in ecosystem metabolism was attributable to a combination of light availability, water temperature, storm flow dynamics and desiccation. Human activities affect all these factors in urban and suburban streams, suggesting stream ecosystem processes are likely to respond in complex ways to changing land use and climate
Entanglement and Timing-Based Mechanisms in the Coherent Control of Scattering Processes
The coherent control of scattering processes is considered, with electron
impact dissociation of H used as an example. The physical mechanism
underlying coherently controlled stationary state scattering is exposed by
analyzing a control scenario that relies on previously established entanglement
requirements between the scattering partners. Specifically, initial state
entanglement assures that all collisions in the scattering volume yield the
desirable scattering configuration. Scattering is controlled by preparing the
particular internal state wave function that leads to the favored collisional
configuration in the collision volume. This insight allows coherent control to
be extended to the case of time-dependent scattering. Specifically, we identify
reactive scattering scenarios using incident wave packets of translational
motion where coherent control is operational and initial state entanglement is
unnecessary. Both the stationary and time-dependent scenarios incorporate
extended coherence features, making them physically distinct. From a
theoretical point of view, this work represents a large step forward in the
qualitative understanding of coherently controlled reactive scattering. From an
experimental viewpoint, it offers an alternative to entanglement-based control
schemes. However, both methods present significant challenges to existing
experimental technologies
Metacognition as Evidence for Evidentialism
Metacognition is the monitoring and controlling of cognitive processes. I examine the role of metacognition in âordinary retrieval casesâ, cases in which it is intuitive that via recollection the subject has a justiïŹed belief. Drawing on psychological research on metacognition, I argue that evidentialism has a unique, accurate prediction in each ordinary retrieval case: the subject has evidence for the proposition she justiïŹedly believes. But, I argue, process reliabilism has no unique, accurate predictions in these cases. I conclude that ordinary retrieval cases better support evidentialism than process reliabilism. This conclusion challenges several common assumptions. One is that non-evidentialism alone allows for a naturalized epistemology, i.e., an epistemology that is fully in accordance with scientiïŹc research and methodology. Another is that process reliabilism fares much better than evidentialism in the epistemology of memory
Theoretical description of adiabatic laser alignment and mixed-field orientation: the need for a non-adiabatic model
We present a theoretical study of recent laser-alignment and
mixed-field-orientation experiments of asymmetric top molecules. In these
experiments, pendular states were created using linearly polarized strong ac
electric fields from pulsed lasers in combination with weak electrostatic
fields. We compare the outcome of our calculations with experimental results
obtained for the prototypical large molecule benzonitrile (CHN) [J.L.
Hansen et al, Phys. Rev. A, 83, 023406 (2011)] and explore the directional
properties of the molecular ensemble for several field configurations, i.e.,
for various field strengths and angles between ac and dc fields. For
perpendicular fields one obtains pure alignment, which is well reproduced by
the simulations. For tilted fields, we show that a fully adiabatic description
of the process does not reproduce the experimentally observed orientation, and
it is mandatory to use a diabatic model for population transfer between
rotational states. We develop such a model and compare its outcome to the
experimental data confirming the importance of non-adiabatic processes in the
field-dressed molecular dynamics.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure
Diverged subpopulations in tropical Urochloa (Brachiaria) forage species indicate a role for facultative apomixis and varying ploidy in their population structure and evolution
Abstract
Background
Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) is a genus of tropical grasses sown as forage feedstock, particularly in marginal soils. Here we aimed to clarify the genetic diversity and population structure in Urochloa species to understand better how population evolution relates to ploidy level and occurrence of apomictic reproduction.
Methods
We explored the genetic diversity of 111 accessions from the five Urochloa species used to develop commercial cultivars. These accessions were conserved from wild materials collected at their centre of origin in Africa, and they tentatively represent the complete Urochloa gene pool used in breeding programmes. We used RNA-sequencing to generate 1.1 million single nucleotide polymorphism loci. We employed genetic admixture, principal component and phylogenetic analyses to define subpopulations.
Results
We observed three highly differentiated subpopulations in U. brizantha, which were unrelated to ploidy: one intermixed with U. decumbens, and two diverged from the former and the other species in the complex. We also observed two subpopulations in U. humidicola, unrelated to ploidy; one subpopulation had fewer accessions but included the only characterized sexual accession in the species. Our results also supported a division of U. decumbens between diploids and polyploids, and no subpopulations within U. ruziziensis and U. maxima.
Conclusions
Polyploid U. decumbens are more closely related to polyploid U. brizantha than to diploid U. decumbens, which supports the divergence of both polyploid groups from a common tetraploid ancestor and provides evidence for the hybridization barrier of ploidy. The three differentiated subpopulations of apomictic polyploid U. brizantha accessions constitute diverged ecotypes, which can probably be utilized in hybrid breeding. Subpopulations were not observed in non-apomictic U. ruziziensis. Sexual Urochloa polyploids were not found (U. brizantha, U. decumbens) or were limited to small subpopulations (U. humidicola). The subpopulation structure observed in the Urochloa sexualâapomictic multiploidy complexes supports geographical parthenogenesis, where the polyploid genotypes exploit the evolutionary advantage of apomixis, i.e. uniparental reproduction and clonality, to occupy extensive geographical areas
Model comparison to evaluate a shell quality bio-complex in layer hens
Reducing the incidence of egg shell breakage is an important selection goal in egg layer hens breeding. Breaking strength provides an indicator of static shell resistance correlated with shell thickness. Acoustic egg tests combine shell\u27s resonance profile with egg mass to calculate dynamic stiffness (KDyn) a quantitative indicator of integral shell resistance, and a novel direct detection of both cracks and micro-cracks (MCr) making it possible for use in selection programs aiming improvement of shell quality. A shell quality bio-complex was defined to improve overall shell quality, including: breaking strength at equator (BSe) and poles (BSp), KDyn, and MCr, on multiple eggs/hen-age. A total of 81,667; 101,113; and 72,462 records from 4 generations of three pure lines were evaluated. Two models were tested in the brown-egg line: I) four-trait linear repeatability model and II) three-trait linear (BS, KDyn)-threshold (MCr) in the three lines. Models were implemented with AIREMLF90 and THRGIBBS1F90. Heritability and repeatability (Model I) estimates were: h2 = 0.14, 0.18, 0.33, and 0.02; r = 0.16, 0.28, 0.43, and 0.03 for BSe, BSp, KDyn, and MCr, respectively. Corresponding values in White Plymouth Rock were h2 = 0.14, 0.17, 0.33, and 0.02; r = 0.21, 0.33, 0.44, and 0.04, and in White Leghorn were h2 = 0.14, 0.23, 0.36, and 0.02; r = 0.24, 0.38, 0.52, and 0.02. Genetic correlations between BSe and BSp were between 0.51 and 0.68. The BS traits were moderately correlated with KDyn (+0.23 to +0.51), and tended to be negatively correlated with MCr. KDyn, and MCr (â0.46 to â0.62). Model II had similar results; except for increased h2 = 0.06 and r = 0.09 for MCr. Results indicate that BSe and BSp are different traits; while incidence of MCr is low in heritable but showed negative genetic correlations with the other traits. This makes MCr unsuitable for direct selection; but favors indirect selection against MCr via BSe, BSp, and KDyn for a holistic selection to improve shell quality, in particular to achieve the ultimate goal, reduction of egg breakage
Connectivity and Nitrate Uptake Potential of Intermittent Streams in the Northeast USA
Non-perennial streams dominate the extent of stream networks worldwide. Intermittent streams can provide ecosystem services to the entire networkâincluding nitrate uptake to alleviate eutrophication of coastal watersâand are threatened by lack of legal protection. We examined 12 intermittent streams in the temperate, humid climate of the Northeast USA. Over 3 years of monitoring, continuous flow was observed a median of 277 d yrâ1, with no-flow conditions from early summer into fall. Estimated median discharge was 2.9 L sâ1 or 0.36mm dâ1. All intermittent streams originated from source wetlands (median area: 0.27 ha) and the median length of the intermittent stream from the source wetland to the downstream perennial stream was 344m. Through regional geospatial analysis with high resolution orthophotography, we estimated that widely available, âhigh resolutionâ (1:24,000) hydrography databases (e.g., NHDPlus HR) only displayed 43% of the total number of intermittent streams. Whole-stream gross nitrate-N uptake rates were estimated at six intermittent streams during continuous flow conditions using pulse additions of nitrate and a conservative tracer. These rates displayed high temporal variability (range: no detect to over 6,000mg N mâ1 dâ1); hot moments were noted in nine of the 65 pulse additions. Whole-stream gross nitrate-N uptake rates were significantly inversely related to discharge, with no measurable rates above 7 L sâ1. Temperature was significantly positively correlated with whole-stream gross nitrate-N uptake rates, with more hot moments in the spring. Microbial assays demonstrated that nitrate cycling in intermittent streams are consistent with results from low order, perennial forested streams and highlighted the importance of debris dams and poolsâpotential locations for transient storage. Our assessment suggests that intermittent streams in our region may annually contribute 24â47% of the flow to perennial streams and potentially remove 4.1 to 80.4 kg nitrate-N kmâ2 annually. If development in these areas continues, perennial streams are in danger of losing a portion of their headwaters and potential nitrate uptake areas may become nitrate sources to downstream areas. These results argue to manage fluvial systems with a holistic approach that couples intermittent and perennial components
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