Rural vegetation characteristics and biodiversity conservation strategies in the Yangtze river delta urban agglomeration

The integrated green development of the Yangtze River Delta is a long-term major strategy. The rural ecological status is the basis for the healthy development of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. This study focuses on the expansion of demand for rural vegetation biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service functions in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. A total of 256 plant communities in 28 villages were investigated, and the composition of family, genera and species and life forms were analyzed respectively; through clustering, 47 community types and 8 vegetation types were divided, and the composition and distribution characteristics of plant community were analyzed; and then it analyzed the species biodiversity and compared the characteristics of rural transformation in the Yangtze River Delta with the vegetation characteristics of urban areas and natural areas. Finally, specific countermeasures for biodiversity conservation and reconstruction of the Yangtze River Delta rural vegetation was proposed in terms of species protection, habitat maintenance, plant community conservation, and ecological aesthetics guidance

Diversity of endosymbionts in camellia spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), estimated by 16S rRNA analysis and their biological implications

Camellia spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a major pest in tea, which poses a serious threat to tea production. Similar to many insects, various bacterial symbioses inside A. camelliae may participate in the reproduction, metabolism, and detoxification of the host. However, few reports included research on the microbial composition and influence on A. camelliae growth. We first applied high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region in the 16S rRNA of symbiotic bacteria to study its component and effect on the biological trait of A. camelliae by comparing it with the antibiotic treatment group. The population parameters, survival rate, and fecundity rate of A. camelliae were also analyzed using the age–stage two-sex life table. Our results demonstrated that phylum Proteobacteria (higher than 96.15%) dominated the whole life cycle of A. camelliae. It unveiled the presence of Candidatus Portiera (primary endosymbiont) (67.15–73.33%), Arsenophonus (5.58–22.89%), Wolbachia (4.53–11.58%), Rickettsia (0.75–2.59%), and Pseudomonas (0.99–1.88%) genus. Antibiotic treatment caused a significant decrease in the endosymbiont, which negatively affected the host's biological properties and life process. For example, 1.5% rifampicin treatment caused a longer preadult stage in the offspring generation (55.92 d) compared to the control (49.75d) and a lower survival rate (0.36) than the control (0.60). The decreased intrinsic rate of increase (r), net reproductive rate (R0), and prolonged mean generation time (T) were signs of all disadvantageous effects associated with symbiotic reduction. Our findings confirmed the composition and richness of symbiotic bacteria in larva and adult of A. camelliae by an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 analysis and their influence on the development of the host by demographic research. Together, the results suggested that symbiotic bacteria play an important role in manipulating the biological development of their hosts, which might help us for developing new pest control agents and technologies for better management of A. camelliae

Optimization of NiFe2O4/rGO composite electrode for lithium-ion batteries

The combination of carbon compositing and the proper choice of binders in one system offer an effective strategy for improving electrode performance for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Here, we focus on the optimization of reduced graphene oxide content in NiFeO/reduced graphene oxide (abbreviated to NiFeO/rGO) composites and the proper choice of binders to enhance the cycling stability of the NiFeO electrode. The NiFeO/rGO composites were fabricated by a hydrothermal-annealing method, in which the mean size of spinel NiFeO nanoparticles was approximately 20\ua0nm. When tested as anode materials for LIBs, the NiFeO/rGO electrodes with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) binder exhibited excellent lithium-storage performance including high reversible capacity, good cycling durability and high-rate capability. The capacity could be retained as high as 1105\ua0mAh\ua0g at a current density of 100\ua0mA\ua0g for over 50 cycles, even cycled at higher current density of 1000\ua0mA\ua0g, a capacity of 800\ua0mAh\ua0gcan be obtained, whereas the electrode with the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder suffered from rapid capacity decay under the same test conditions. As a result, the NiFeO/rGO composites with CMC binder electrode in this work are promising as anodes for high-performance LIBs, resulting from the synergistic effect of optimal graphene content and proper choice of binder

Silver(I), nickel(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes based on bidentate bis-imidazolium salt with a quinoxaline linker: syntheses, structures, and characterization

<p>Quinoxaline-bridged bidentate bis-imidazolium dicarbene ligand 1,1′-(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl)bis(3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium) hexafluorophosphate salt H₂L·2PF₆ (<b>3</b>) was prepared by a two-step reaction based on 2,3-bis(imidazol-1-yl)quinoxaline (<b>1</b>). First, the 2,3-bis(imidazol-1-yl)quinoxaline reacted with CH₃I resulting in the 1,1′-(quinoxaline-2,3-diyl)bis(3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium) iodide salt H₂L·2I (<b>2</b>), then through anion exchange reactions with NH₄PF₆ in water produced the desired bis-imidazolium bidentate ligand H₂L·2PF₆ (<b>3</b>). Reaction of the bidentate bis-imidazolium ligands H₂L·2PF₆ (<b>3</b>) with Ag₂O in acetonitrile gave the macrocyclic binuclear silver(I) carbene complex [Ag₂(L)₂]·2PF₆·CH₃CN (<b>4</b>). Nickel carbene complex [Ni(L)PPh₃Cl]·PF₆·2DMSO (<b>5</b>) was obtained via transmetalation of <b>4</b> with Ni(PPh₃)₂Cl₂ in DMSO. The bidentate carbene ligand is a chelating ligand in <b>5</b>, while bridging in <b>4</b>. The imidazolium ligand H₂L·2PF₆ (<b>3</b>) and transition metal carbene complexes <b>4</b> and <b>5</b> have been fully characterized by elemental analysis, NMR, ESI-MS spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses. Furthermore, the UV and luminescent properties of <b>3</b>–<b>5</b> were also studied.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Diversity of endosymbionts in camellia spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), estimated by 16S rRNA analysis and their biological implications.docx

Camellia spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a major pest in tea, which poses a serious threat to tea production. Similar to many insects, various bacterial symbioses inside A. camelliae may participate in the reproduction, metabolism, and detoxification of the host. However, few reports included research on the microbial composition and influence on A. camelliae growth. We first applied high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region in the 16S rRNA of symbiotic bacteria to study its component and effect on the biological trait of A. camelliae by comparing it with the antibiotic treatment group. The population parameters, survival rate, and fecundity rate of A. camelliae were also analyzed using the age–stage two-sex life table. Our results demonstrated that phylum Proteobacteria (higher than 96.15%) dominated the whole life cycle of A. camelliae. It unveiled the presence of Candidatus Portiera (primary endosymbiont) (67.15–73.33%), Arsenophonus (5.58–22.89%), Wolbachia (4.53–11.58%), Rickettsia (0.75–2.59%), and Pseudomonas (0.99–1.88%) genus. Antibiotic treatment caused a significant decrease in the endosymbiont, which negatively affected the host's biological properties and life process. For example, 1.5% rifampicin treatment caused a longer preadult stage in the offspring generation (55.92 d) compared to the control (49.75d) and a lower survival rate (0.36) than the control (0.60). The decreased intrinsic rate of increase (r), net reproductive rate (R0), and prolonged mean generation time (T) were signs of all disadvantageous effects associated with symbiotic reduction. Our findings confirmed the composition and richness of symbiotic bacteria in larva and adult of A. camelliae by an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 analysis and their influence on the development of the host by demographic research. Together, the results suggested that symbiotic bacteria play an important role in manipulating the biological development of their hosts, which might help us for developing new pest control agents and technologies for better management of A. camelliae.</p

3D Heterogeneous Co3O4@Co3S4 Nanoarrays Grown on Ni Foam as a Binder-Free Electrode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

CoO@CoS nanoarrays on Ni foam (abbreviated as CoO@CoS NAs) were prepared by using a facile synthesis method, which involves hydrothermal preparation, low-temperature thermal decomposition of Co(OH)(CO)11HO, and sulfurization. The material exhibited good electrical conductivity, high specific capacity, and cycling stability with a reversible capacity of 1050mAhg at 200mAg after 40 cycles and an initial coulombic efficiency of 82.25%. At a high current density (1500mAg), the capacity reached up to 808.1mAhg. The excellent lithium-storage performance of CoO@CoS NAs can be ascribed to the synergistic effect between CoO and CoS, along with the contribution of the Ni foam. The method described in this paper can be extended to enhance the electrochemical performance of other metal oxides