Public perception of an ecological rehabilitation project in inland river basins in northern China: Success or failure.

The need for environmental protection challenges societies to deal with difficult problems because strategies designed by scientists to protect the environment often create negative effects on impoverished local residents. We investigated the effects of China's national and regional policies related to environmental protection and rehabilitation projects in inland river basins, by studying the effect of projects in the Heihe and Shiyang river basins, in northwest China. Interviews and surveys were conducted at 30 sites in the lower reaches of these two arid basins, an area that has experienced severe ecological degradation. The survey results show the ecological rehabilitation projects adversely affected the livelihoods of 70.35% of foresters, 64.89% of farmers and 62.24% of herders in the Minqing region in the lower Shiyang River Basin; also, the projects negatively affected 51.9% of residents in the Ejin Qi in the lower Heihe River Basin. This caused 16.33% of foresters, 39.90% of farmers and 45.32% of herders in the Minqing region to not support the project and 37.5% of residents in the Ejin Qi region said they will deforest and graze again after the project ends. The negative impacts of the policies connected to the projects cause these attitudes. The projects prohibit felling and grazing and require residents to give up groundwater mining; this results in a great amount of uncompensated economic loss to them. Extensive survey data document the concerns of local residents, concerns that are supported by the calculation of actual incomes. In addition, the surveys results show poorer interviewees believe the projects greatly affected their livelihoods. While citizens in this region support environment protection work, the poor require considerable assistance if one expects them to support this type of work. Governmental assistance can greatly improve their living conditions, and hence encourage them to participate in and support the implementation of the projects within and outside the districts where they live.

Estimation of parameters of a biochemically based model of photosynthesis using a genetic algorithm.

Photosynthesis response to carbon dioxide concentration can provide data on a number of important parameters related to leaf physiology. The genetic algorithm (GA), which is a robust stochastic evolutionary computational algorithm inspired by both natural selection and natural genetics, is proposed to simultaneously estimate the parameters [including maximum carboxylation rate allowed by ribulose 1.5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) carboxylation rate (V(cmax)), potential light-saturated electron transport rate (J(max)), triose-phosphate utilization (TPU), leaf dark respiration in the light (R(d)) and mesophyll conductance (g(m))] of the photosynthesis models presented by Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry, and Ethier and Livingston. The results show that by properly constraining the parameter bounds the GA-based estimate methods can effectively and efficiently obtain globally (or, at least near globally) optimal solutions, which are as good as or better than those obtained by non-linear curve fitting methods used in previous studies. More complicated problems such as taking the g(m) variation response to CO(2) into account can be easily formulated and solved by using GA. The influence of the crossover probability (P(c)), mutation probability (P(m)), population size and generation on the performance of GA was also investigated.

Molecular characterization of PeSOS1: the putative Na(+)/H (+) antiporter of Populus euphratica.

Populus euphratica is a salt-tolerant tree species growing in semi-arid saline areas. A Na(+)/H(+) antiporter gene was successfully isolated from this species through RACE cloning, and named PeSOS1. The isolated cDNA was 3665 bp long and contained a 3438 bp open reading frame that was predicted to encode a 127-kDa protein with 12 hypothetical transmembrane domains in the N-terminal part and a long hydrophilic cytoplasmic tail in the C-terminal part. The amino acid sequence of this PeSOS1 gene showed 64% identity with the previously isolated SOS1 gene from the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana. The level of protein expressed by PeSOS1 in the leaves of P. euphratica was significantly up-regulated in the presence of high (200 mM) concentrations of NaCl, while the mRNA level in the leaves remained relatively constant. Immunoanalysis suggested that the protein encoded by PeSOS1 is localized in the plasma membrane. Expression of PeSOS1 partially suppressed the salt sensitive phenotypes of the EP432 bacterial strain, which lacks the activity of the two Na(+)/H(+) antiporters EcNhaA and EcNhaB. These results suggest that PeSOS1 may play an essential role in the salt tolerance of P. euphratica and may be useful for improving salt tolerance in other tree species.

[Analysis of the spatial and temporal changes in soil CO2 efflux and its related factors from alpine meadow in Qilian Mountains].

Continuous field experiment was carried out on alpine meadow along different elevation gradient in Qilian Mountains during the growing season of 2004 using a soil respiration chamber (Li-6400-09) connected to a portable photosynthesis system (Li-6400). The possible effect of water-heat factors and root parameter on characteristics of alpine meadow soil respiration was statistically analyzed. The results indicate that soil CO2 efflux has apparent spatial variation laws. Spatial variation patterns of soil respiration from different alpine meadow along elevation gradient are gradually decreased and its coefficient of variation increases gently. The curves of day change of soil CO2 efflux have a simple peak value, and it is low at night, with lowest at 02:00-06:00, and starts to rise rapidly during 07:00-08:30, and then descends during 16:00 -18:30. The peak CO2 efflux appears during 11:00-16:00. The diurnal average of soil CO2 efflux is between (0.56 +/- 0.32) - (2.53 +/- 0.76) micromol x (m2 x s)(-1). As for seasonal variation, soil CO2 fluxes of various are relatively high in summer and autumn but relatively low in spring and winter. The maximum of average soil CO2 efflux occurrs in July and August [4.736 micromol (m2 x s)(-1), and the second is in June and September, and the third is in May and October. Soil CO2 efflux of alpine meadow during growth season is positively correlated with soil temperature, root biomass and soil water content at depths of 10 cm to different degrees. These results indicate that the temperature, soil moisture and root biomass have great effects on the spatial variation of soil CO2 efflux in the area.

[Temporal variation of soil respiration on sloping pasture of Heihe River basin and effects of temperature and soil moisture on it].

Employing LiCor 6400 gas exchange analyzer and soil respiration chamber attachment (LiCor Inc., Lincoln, NE, USA), this paper continuously measured the soil surface CO2 effluxes on the sloping pasture of Heihe River basin from early April to late October 2003 to investigate the soil CO2 efflux rate and its feedback to the changes of climate and land use. The results showed that from May to October, the diurnal variation of soil respiration was low at night, the lowest at 7:00, 6:30, 5:30, 6:00 and 7:00, raised rapidly at 7:00 - 8:30, and then descended at 16:00 - 18:30. The maximum soil CO2 efflux appeared at 15:00, 14:30, 14:30, 13:30, 14:00 and 15:00. The mean daily soil respiration rate was 0.31 - 6.98 micromol m(-2) s(-1), with the maximum in July and August, the second in May and September, and nearly consistent in April and October. Soil respiration rate had an exponential and power correlation with temperature and soil moisture, respectively.