Afforestation in China cools local land surface temperature

China has the largest afforested area in the world (∼62 million hectares in 2008), and these forests are carbon sinks. The climatic effect of these new forests depends on how radiant and turbulent energy fluxes over these plantations modify surface temperature. For instance, a lower albedo may cause warming, which negates the climatic benefits of carbon sequestration. Here, we used satellite measurements of land surface temperature (LST) from planted forests and adjacent grasslands or croplands in China to understand how afforestation affects LST. Afforestation is found to decrease daytime LST by about 1.1 ± 0.5 °C (mean ± 1 SD) and to increase nighttime LST by about 0.2 ± 0.5 °C, on average. The observed daytime cooling is a result of increased evapotranspiration. The nighttime warming is found to increase with latitude and decrease with average rainfall. Afforestation in dry regions therefore leads to net warming, as daytime cooling is offset by nighttime warming. Thus, it is necessary to carefully consider where to plant trees to realize potential climatic benefits in future afforestation projects.The area of planted forest (PF) in China has increased by ∼1.7 million hectares per year (about 41% of the global afforestation rate) during the last 2 decades (1, 2). China had the largest PF area in the world in 2008, at ∼62 million hectares (Fig. 1), or ∼23% of global plantation area (264 million hectares) (1, 2). The Chinese government launched several projects to convert croplands (CR) and marginal lands into forests, to reduce soil and water quality degradation, in the 1980s and 1990s (2). This afforestation contributed to increased carbon storage (3, 4) but also altered local energy budgets, which has the potential to offer feedback on local and regional climates (5–10).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Spatial distribution of planted forest in China and an example of a 40 × 40 km sample area. (A) Spatial distribution map of PF with mean annual precipitation background. (B) Land cover types; (C) daytime LST; and (D) nighttime LST for the example sample area.Forests generally have a lower albedo than grasslands (GR) and CR. Thus, afforestation increases the amount of absorbed solar radiation at the surface (9, 10). Surface cooling will result if this extra energy is dissipated as evapotranspiration (ET) (11) or heat convection (7); otherwise, afforestation will result in surface warming. The biophysical effects of afforestation on local climate can be much larger than the small global cooling effect resulting from uptake of CO₂ by growing forests (8, 12, 13). However, these biophysical effects are also complex and depend on “background” climate (14). Afforestation generally cools the surface in tropical areas but warms it in boreal lands (6, 8–10). The effects of afforestation in temperate regions are not clear. The large area under afforestation in China, the diversity of projects (over former CR, GR, or marginal lands), and the broad range of background climates (most plantations are in temperate regions with varying degrees of annual average rainfall) provide an interesting test bed to assess how afforestation affects local temperature.In this article, we investigate how plantations affect land surface temperature (LST) across China, using satellite-derived LST data sets from Earth Observing System (EOS)-Terra and EOS-Aqua Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments during the period from 2003 to 2010 (Methods). These LST data depend on the radiative properties of the land surface (15, 16) and, therefore, have a larger diurnal amplitude than the standard 2-m air temperature data from meteorological stations (17). The primary objective of this investigation is to quantify the space–time distribution of differences in LST between PF and adjacent GR or CR (ΔLST), during both daytime and nighttime.     

The Past as a Lens for Biodiversity Conservation on a Dynamically Changing Planet: Trophically integrated ecometric models as tools for demonstrating spatial and temporal functional changes in mammal communities

We are in a modern biodiversity crisis that will restructure community compositions and ecological functions globally. Large mammals, important contributors to ecosystem function, have been affected directly by purposeful extermination and indirectly by climate and land-use changes, yet functional turnover is rarely assessed on a global scale using metrics based on functional traits. Using ecometrics, the study of functional trait distributions and functional turnover, we examine the relationship between vegetation cover and locomotor traits for artiodactyl and carnivoran communities. We show that the ability to detect a functional relationship is strengthened when locomotor traits of both primary consumers (artiodactyls, n = 157 species) and secondary consumers (carnivorans, n = 138 species) are combined into one trophically integrated ecometric model. Overall, locomotor traits of 81% of communities accurately estimate vegetation cover, establishing the advantage of trophically integrated ecometric models over single-group models (58 to 65% correct). We develop an innovative approach within the ecometrics framework, using ecometric anomalies to evaluate mismatches in model estimates and observed values and provide more nuance for understanding relationships between functional traits and vegetation cover. We apply our integrated model to five paleontological sites to illustrate mismatches in the past and today and to demonstrate the utility of the model for paleovegetation interpretations. Observed changes in community traits and their associated vegetations across space and over time demonstrate the strong, rapid effect of environmental filtering on community traits. Ultimately, our trophically integrated ecometric model captures the cascading interactions between taxa, traits, and changing environments.

Climate and habitats are changing at a rapid pace (1–3), shifting species ranges and resulting in a redistribution of plants and animals in Earth’s ecosystems (4–7). Relationships between functional traits and the environmental conditions in which they occur form the foundation of functional ecosystems (8–12). Ecometric methods facilitate comparisons of communities based on the distribution of functional traits both within and between communities in relation to their environment, even if they share no species in common (13–15). Ecometric relationships have been used to study rates and magnitudes of biotic responses to environmental changes, measure ecological function in communities past and present, and reconstruct paleoenvironments (14–16). Examples include using leaf margins of deciduous woody plants for paleotemperature (17, 18), molar crown height of large mammalian herbivores for ecosystem aridity and precipitation (19–21), and reptile body size for paleotemperature (22). These tools have allowed investigations of the environmental filtering processes that have sorted functional traits into the community distributions that we find today (16, 23–25). Ecometric approaches enhance our ability to integrate data sampled at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing us to understand the dynamics of ecosystem function at local, regional, and global areas over decades, centuries, and millennia (10, 14, 15).Large mammals play an important role in ecosystem function (26–28) and are known to be sensitive indicators of ecosystem change. Here, we study two groups that occupy different trophic levels, Artiodactyla (bison, deer, giraffes, and their relatives), which are almost exclusively primary consumers (herbivores), and Carnivora (cats, wolves, bears, and their relatives), most of which are secondary consumers (carnivores and omnivores). Herbivores are closely tied to the climate because it directly affects the habitats to which they are adapted, the species that are their predators, and the vegetation they consume (29–34). Carnivores and omnivores are closely tied to their prey species, some of which are artiodactyls, the habitats to which they are adapted, and the species with whom they compete (35, 36). Both groups contribute to ecosystem function through biomass consumption, nutrient cycling, energy flow, fire modification, and species interactions (26–28, 37–39). All trophic levels are susceptible to climate change, exploitation, habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and urbanization (27, 40–43), threats that disproportionately impact large herbivores and carnivores (44–46).We use locomotor traits of artiodactyls and carnivorans to assess whether using taxa from across trophic levels influences ecometric results and armed with that knowledge, whether trait-environment relationships have shifted through time at five paleontological sites. One straightforward measure of locomotor performance is the ratio of the distal to proximal hind limb segments, which relates to stance and stride (47–56). A proxy for this ratio is the ankle gear ratio, which is measured from a single bone, the calcaneum (Fig. 1 A and B), and can be measured equally well in living mammals and in fragmentary fossils. Note that the ankle gear ratio is positively correlated with distal limb length and speed in carnivorans but negatively correlated in artiodactyls (48). In Carnivora, a high ratio (e.g., as found in cats) arises from elongation of the distal portion of the calcaneum and results in a more digitigrade posture, longer strides, and greater cursoriality or springing ability than in carnivorans with low ratios (e.g., bears) (16, 47). In Artiodactyla, a longer distal foot, longer strides, and greater cursoriality are associated with a lower calcaneal ratio because their highly derived astragalus forms an extra segment, and the proximal end of the calcaneum envelops and supports its upper joint. The distal portion of the calcaneum is therefore longer in taxa with low ratios (e.g., hippos and camels), allowing for a greater range of rotation during limb extension, and shorter in more cursorial taxa (e.g., gazelles) (48, 57).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Ankle gear ratio measures and geography. (A) Carnivoran calcaneum (Canis familiaris) and measurement schema. (B) Artiodactyl calcaneum (Odocoileus virginianus) and measurement schema. In (A) and (B), measurement A is the total length of the calcaneum and measurement B is the length of the calcaneal tuber to the sustentacular process. Gear ratio is calculated as measurement A divided by measurement B following Polly (36) and Short and Lawing (37). (C) Global relationship between the ankle gear ratios of carnivorans and artiodactyls (y = −0.77x2 + 1.60x + 1.27, R² = 0.14, P < 0.001). (D) Global distribution of carnivoran ankle gear ratio. (E) Global distribution of artiodactyl ankle gear ratio. Silhouettes are from PhyloPic.org.Functionally, the ankle gear ratio captures the trade-off between speed and strength of forward propulsion and is directly related to efficiency of running, walking, springing, climbing, and digging (58). The ankle ratio thus reflects the efficiency with which large mammals navigate landscapes like brush, forest, or open areas (16, 47, 48). The distribution of the ankle ratio within and among communities is correlated with the average openness of the environment, and the ratio’s variance is correlated with local variety in vegetative cover (47–56). If either the vegetation cover or the community composition is altered, the relationship becomes mismatched until the functional alignment of the fauna and environment can become realigned either by restoration of the vegetation or replacement of the fauna with new species whose traits match the altered landscape. Ecometric models can measure the alignment and mismatch of traits and their environments. Projected though time, ecometric models can provide new lines of evidence to contribute to paleoenvironmental interpretations and evaluating ecometric trait change through time will improve our understanding of past functional trait turnover.Here, we construct a likelihood model of the relationship between vegetation cover and the community-level means and variances of the ankle gear ratios (an ecometric model). We use it to assess the geographic distribution of present-day functional traits and their relationship to vegetation cover at a global scale. We test whether ecometric models with multiple trophic levels are more informative than those including only single trophic levels. We also investigate how an ecometric likelihood model can provide more nuance to vegetation reconstructions and how they can be used to reconstruct past vegetation cover. We address three questions: a) How is gear ratio related between trophic levels and across geographic space? b) Does integrating primary consumers (artiodactyls) and secondary consumers (carnivorans) into a single ecometric model improve our estimates of vegetation cover? c) What can ecometric likelihoods tell us about trait-environment relationships across space and through time?     

First record of three nematode species in Slovakia with new data on their morphology

Summary During a survey of the nematode fauna of river bank vegetation in the central and south eastern regions of the Slovakia three species were found which are all new records for the country viz. Aulolaimus nannocephalus Andrássy, 1972, Hemicycliophora aberrans Thome, 1955 and Paratylenchus paramonovi Bagaturia & Solovyova in Solovyova, 1972.     

彩色多普勒对先心病并感染性心内膜炎的诊断及临床价值

目的：为了评价感染性心内膜炎（ＩＥ）的临床疗效。方法：使用彩色多普勒超声心动图对１９例先心病并ＩＥ患者的声像图特征进行探讨，同时定量观察了７例动脉导管未闭并ＩＥ其赘生物治疗前后的变化。结果：先天性心脏病易合并感染性心内膜炎。ＩＥ赘生物经有效的临床治疗会明显缩小。结论：彩色多普勒对先心病并ＩＥ有诊断、鉴别诊断价值，对观察赘生物的动态变化具有重要的临床意义。     

鼻内窥镜下儿童腺样体吸割术探讨

目的探讨鼻内窥镜治疗儿童腺样体肥大的方法和疗效。方法回顾性分析196例儿童腺样体肥大手术患者的临床资料,采用气管插管全麻,在3mm30°鼻内窥镜下行腺样体吸割术。结果全部患儿术后打鼾、张口呼吸、鼻塞等症状均不同程度地减轻或者消失,104例患者半年后复查腺样体无残留。结论在鼻内窥镜引导下腺样体吸割术方法更为简单,疗效更加确切,出血少,针对性强,适宜临床推广使用。     

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??Objective To explore the clinical features of infective endocarditis and the factors related to efficacy. Methods The clinical data of 33 patients with infective endocarditis admitted to our hospital from november 2013 to november 2015 were retrospectively analyzed??including the pathogenic characteristics??underlying diseases??vegetation distributions??treatment program and prognosis. Results The pathogen detection rate of those cases was 75.76%??and the rate of being with underlying disease was 93.94%. The vegetation laid mainly in the heart valves??63.64%????followed by implant artificial material??the impact place of residual shunt and blood flow. For all the cases??the combination of the surgery with the full course of antibiotic therapy had good effect. Conclusion The positive blood culture in patients of infective endocarditis is high. The disease is more common in children with basic heart diseases. The combination of the early radical surgery and the full course of antibiotic therapy are the key to the treatments.     

OSAHS上气道气流场数值模型的建立与阻塞平面的分析

目的建立儿童阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征（obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome,OSAHS）上气道气流场数值模型,并应用其评价分析阻塞因素及平面。方法根据9例OSAHS患儿的上气道CT影像,对病态和模拟腺样体切除术后病例通过表面重建的方法进行三维重建,然后用有限元法对术前术后上气道气流进行数值模拟,分析气流流场特征。结果病态模型中,鼻咽部气流形态主要以湍流为主,术后模型中,以层流为主,上气道压强均降低。病态模型的鼻咽部、鼻阈和中鼻道是鼻腔气流高流速区,术后模型中鼻腔气流高流速区仅为鼻阈和中鼻道。结论数字化三维重建模型能应用于临床,并客观分析OSAHS患儿的阻塞因素和平面,为临床个体化诊断提供新的方法和客观理论依据。     

儿童感染性心内膜炎33例临床特点及疗效分析

目的 探讨儿童感染性心内膜炎的临床特点及影响疗效的因素。方法 回顾性研究2013年11月至2015年11月上海儿童医学中心心内科诊断并治疗的33例感染性心内膜炎患儿的临床资料,分析其病原学特点、心脏基础疾病、赘生物分布特点、治疗方案及预后情况。结果 感染性心内膜炎病原菌的检出率为75.76%。具有先天性心脏基础疾病的比例为93.94%。赘生物主要位于反流的瓣膜,占63.64%,其次为植入的人工材料、缺损处分流及血流冲击处等。手术结合足疗程的抗感染治疗效果较好。结论 感染性心内膜炎的血培养阳性率高,且多发生于具有心脏基础疾病的患儿。早期彻底的手术治疗联合全程抗感染治疗是治疗感染性心内膜炎的关键。     

鼻内窥镜直视下腺样体切除术46例分析

目的 探讨鼻内镜下经鼻腺样体切除术的疗效和优点。方法 在鼻内镜下对4-16岁的腺样体肥大患者经鼻行腺样体切除术46例．治疗由腺样体肥大引起的睡眠呼吸障碍、慢性鼻窦炎、鼻阻塞和咽鼓管功能障碍等，并进行随访。结果 术后腺样体切除彻底，无残体存留，鼻咽部结构显示良好，无出血、咽鼓管损伤等并发症，随访1～3年，病人睡眠打鼾、鼻阻塞、流脓涕及头痛等症状消失。结论 鼻内镜下腺样体肥大切除手术能在直视下进行，增加了手术的安全性和准确性，手术疗效显著，并发症少。