Studies on plant diversity are usually based on the total number of species in a community.However,few studies have examined species richness(SR)of different plant life forms in a community along largescale environmen...Studies on plant diversity are usually based on the total number of species in a community.However,few studies have examined species richness(SR)of different plant life forms in a community along largescale environmental gradients.Particularly,the relative importance(RIV)of different plant life forms in a community and how they vary with environmental variables are still unclear.To fill these gaps,we determined plant diversity of ephemeral plants,annual herbs,perennial herbs,and woody plants from 187 sites across drylands in China.The SR patterns of herbaceous plants,especially perennial herbs,and their RIV in plant communities increased with increasing precipitation and soil nutrient content;however,the RIV of annual herbs was not altered along these gradients.The SR and RIV of ephemeral plants were affected mainly by precipitation seasonality.The SR of woody plants had a unimodal relationship with air temperature and exhibited the highest RIV and SR percentage in plant communities under the harshest environments.An obvious shift emerged in plant community composition,SR and their critical impact factors at 238.5 mm of mean annual precipitation(MAP).In mesic regions(>238.5 mm),herbs were the dominant species,and the SR displayed a relatively slow decreasing rate with increasing aridity,which was mediated mainly by MAP and soil nutrients.In arid regions(<238.5 mm),woody plants were the dominant species,and the SR displayed a relatively fast decreasing rate with increasing aridity,which was mediated mainly by climate variables,especially precipitation.Our findings highlight the importance of comparative life form studies in community structure and biodiversity,as their responses to gradients differed substantially on a large scale.展开更多
Mountains are important reservoirs of biodiversity and endemism on a global scale, but little is known about the altitudinal configuration of this diversity and its driving factors in arid mountains. We explored varia...Mountains are important reservoirs of biodiversity and endemism on a global scale, but little is known about the altitudinal configuration of this diversity and its driving factors in arid mountains. We explored variations in composition, diversity, cover,and life forms of vascular plants along a complete altitudinal gradient(1300-4000 m a.s.l) in Sierra de Velasco, an arid mountain in northwestern Argentina.We evaluated the influence of environmental variables on plant diversity and cover. Field sampling was conducted in the northern sector of the Sa. de Velasco,on the western slope in eight 50 m wide altitudinal bands at 400 m elevation intervals. We used rectangular plots(20 × 4 m;n:10/altitudinal band) to register the vascular plants of all the growth forms, and linear transects(20 m long.;n:30/altitudinal band) to quantify the vegetation cover using the point intercept method. Diversity was calculated using hill numbers.Data analysis included non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS), indicator species analysis,generalized linear models(GLMs), and variance partitioning analysis. A total of 232 species from 51families and 158 genera were registered. Species composition showed greater similarity at intermediate elevations. Plant diversity and cover exhibited a unimodal distribution, peaking at intermediate elevations(2100-2500 m). In contrast, life forms' distribution showed divergent patterns. Therophytes and succulents predominated at low altitudes,phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes at medium altitudes, and chamaephytes and geophytes at high altitudes. The altitudinal patterns of plant diversity and cover were primarily driven by climatic factors.Conservation efforts in the Sierra de Velasco should focus on the middle and upper zones due to their high biodiversity and vulnerability to climate change.展开更多
Plant life form diversity and its direct gradient analysis on a larger scale climate change gradient were tested, based on the data from Northeast China Transect platform. The results showed that the species numbers, ...Plant life form diversity and its direct gradient analysis on a larger scale climate change gradient were tested, based on the data from Northeast China Transect platform. The results showed that the species numbers, life form richness and life form diversity were relative higher at the eastern forests and the ecotone between typical vegetation, while those on the meadow grasslands and typical steppes were lower. Although plant life forms can reflect the climate variations, life form diversity is not consistent with the major global gradient along the NECT.展开更多
A study was conducted to identify plant species,diversity,life form and relevant species to Mediterranean climate,Irano-Torunian and Sahara-Sindian in Postband region（N 27°58＇4＂-28°2＇16＂,E 53°17＇3...A study was conducted to identify plant species,diversity,life form and relevant species to Mediterranean climate,Irano-Torunian and Sahara-Sindian in Postband region（N 27°58＇4＂-28°2＇16＂,E 53°17＇34＂-53°22＇30＂）.In total,95 species belonging to 29 families and 69 genera of flora were surveyed and identified from December 2006 to June 2008.Composite and Gramineae were important families in terms of species frequency.According to Raunkiaer＇s system and using X^2 tests,the life-form spectrum showed that therophytes accounted for 47% of all species,and hemicryptophytes for 31%,phanerophytes for 12%,chamaeophyte for 7%,and cryptophytes for 3%.In geographical distribution,29% species with the most frequency belonged to Irano-Torunian region.Results show that therophytes were more than normal spectrum and phaneropytes were less than normal spectrum,which was in agreement with data obtained in arid climate.展开更多
Antioxidant systems are vital in life activities of macrophytes.Species with diff erent life forms need to cope with distinct environments by modifying physiological characters,especially antioxidant systems.In order ...Antioxidant systems are vital in life activities of macrophytes.Species with diff erent life forms need to cope with distinct environments by modifying physiological characters,especially antioxidant systems.In order to find diff erences among life forms and consequence of lake eutrophication,we studied three antioxidant enzymes activity(superoxide dismutase(SOD),ascorbate oxidase(APX)and catalase(CAT))and total soluble phenolics(TP)content in leaves of 26 macrophyte species in September 2013 in Lake Erhai,China.We found that antioxidation varied accordingly with life forms.The activities of SOD and APX in emergent macrophytes(EM)and floating-leaved macrophytes(FM)were much lower than those of submerged macrophytes(SM).On the contrary,TP content was much higher in EM and FM species.There was a negative correlation between TP and antioxidant enzyme activities(CAT and APX).The results suggested that EM and FM species rely on phenolics might to adapt to adverse environments(higher herbivores predation pressure and UV radiation intensity),while SM species more rely on antioxidant enzymes possibly due to lower demand for antioxidation and/or lack of light and inorganic C availability for phenolics synthesis.We also found FM species represent highest fitness in term of antioxidant system,which would lead to overgrowth of FM species and littoral zone bogginess during lake eutrophication.Finally,it is necessary to carry out the verification experiment under the control condition in the later stage,especially for the dominant ones in eutrophic lakes,to understand the exact adaptive mechanisms of them.展开更多
Biomass allocation patterns among plant species are related to their adaptive ecological strategies. Ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plant life forms represent three typical growth strategies of plants that grow in a...Biomass allocation patterns among plant species are related to their adaptive ecological strategies. Ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plant life forms represent three typical growth strategies of plants that grow in autumn and early spring in the cold deserts of China. These plants play an important role in reducing wind velocity in the desert areas. However, despite numerous studies, the strategies of biomass allocation among plant species with these three life forms remain contentious. In this study, we conducted a preliminary quadrat study during 2014–2016 in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China, to investigate the allocation patterns of above-ground biomass(AGB) and below-ground biomass(BGB) at the individual level in 17 ephemeral, 3 ephemeroid and 4 annual plant species. Since ephemeral plants can germinate in autumn, we also compared biomass allocation patterns between plants that germinated in autumn 2015 and spring 2016 for 4 common ephemeral species. The healthy mature individual plants of each species were sampled and the AGB, BGB, total biomass(TB), leaf mass ratio(LMR) and root/shoot ratio(R/S) were calculated for 201 sample quadrats in the study area. We also studied the relationships between AGB and BGB of plants with the three different life forms(ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual). The mean AGB values of ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plants were 0.806, 3.759 and 1.546 g/plant, respectively, and the mean BGB values were 0.106, 4.996 and 0.166 g/plant, respectively. The mean R/S value was significantly higher in ephemeroid plants(1.675) than in ephemeral(0.154) and annual(0.147) plants. The mean LMR was the highest in annual plants, followed by ephemeroid plants and ephemeral plants, reflecting the fact that annual plants allocate more biomass to leaves, associated with their longer life span. Biomass of ephemeral plants that germinated in autumn was significantly higher than those of corresponding plants that germinated in spring in terms of AGB, BGB and TB. However, the R/S value was similar in plants that germinated in autumn and spring. The slope of regression relationship between AGB and BGB differed significantly among the three plant life forms. These results support different biomass allocation hypotheses. Specifically, at the individual level, the AGB and BGB partitioning supports the allometric hypothesis for ephemeroid and annual plants and the isometric hypothesis for ephemeral plants.展开更多
The present study was conducted in the alpine pastures of Tungnath （30° 14＇ N and 79° 13＇ E） to observe life-form and growth-form patterns of alpine plant species under grazed and ungrazed conditions and...The present study was conducted in the alpine pastures of Tungnath （30° 14＇ N and 79° 13＇ E） to observe life-form and growth-form patterns of alpine plant species under grazed and ungrazed conditions and to work out the plant life form spectrum. Species were categorized as plant habit, height and length of growth-cycle and life-form classes according to Raunkiaer＇s system. The results show that in total of 68 species at grazed site, hemicryptophytes （He） accounted for 50.00% species, followed by cryptophytes （26.47%）, chamaephytes （16.18%）, phanemphytes （4.41%） and therophytes （2.94%）. At the ungrazed site in 65 plant species, hemicryptophytes （He） accounted fo＇r 49.23% species, cryptophytes （26.15%）, chamaephytes （15.38%）, phanerophytes （6.15%） and ther6phytes （3.08 % species）. In general, hemicrptophyte are dominant^in both sites i.e. graged and ungrazed. Growth form categories were classified as forbs, shrubs, grasses and sedges＇and undershrubs, according to plant habit and height. On the basis of length of the growth cycle, species were categorized as plant species of short growth cycle, intermediate growth cycle and long growth cycle. The short forbs of plant habit and height, had the highest emergence, and grasses and sedges had the lowest emergence in representative species. Percentage of species with long growth cycle was highest in both sites.展开更多
Adaptive fuzzy neural inference systems are used to illustrate the primary nodal number of plant life-forms. Categorization of two candidate areas is carried out using the water-energy dynamic (for Ecuador, South Amer...Adaptive fuzzy neural inference systems are used to illustrate the primary nodal number of plant life-forms. Categorization of two candidate areas is carried out using the water-energy dynamic (for Ecuador, South America) and Macedonia, Southern Europe), within which the life-form spectra are distributed. Genetic optimization methods are used to expand the primary nodal number to the complete number of life-form categories. The distribution of the elements exhibits a stochastic, binomial distribution and the utopia line and curve are summarized which enhance accuracy of the climatic data and of the consequent numbers of plant species occurrences. Expansion of the distribution of each life-form category is approximated within the Z utopia hyperplane with use of the functional approximation algorithm. This process gives additional structure and informative value to the Z plane, enhancing our ability to make informed policy decisions concerning species and ecosystem conservation.展开更多
It is not too much to say that molecular biology, including genome research, has progressed based on the determination of nucleotide or amino acid sequences. However, these ap-proaches are limited to the analysis of r...It is not too much to say that molecular biology, including genome research, has progressed based on the determination of nucleotide or amino acid sequences. However, these ap-proaches are limited to the analysis of relatively small numbers of the same genes among spe-cies. On the other hand, by graphical presenta-tion of the ratios of the numbers of amino acids present to the total numbers of amino acids presumed from the target gene(s) or genome or those of the numbers of nucleotides present to the total numbers of nucleotides calculated from the target gene(s) or genome, we can readily draw conclusions from extraordinarily huge data sets integrated by human intelli-gence. 1) Assuming polymerization of amino acids or nucleotides in a simulation analysis based on a random choice, proteins were formed by simple amino acid polymerization, while nucleotide polymerization to form nucleic acids encoding specific proteins needed certain specific control. These results proposed that protein formation chronologically preceded codon formation during the establishment of primitive life forms. In the prebiotic phase, amino acid composition was a dominant factor that determined protein characteristics;the “Amino Acid World”. 2) The genome is constructed homogeneou- sly from putative small units displaying similar codon usages and coding for similar amino acid compositions;the unit is a gene assembly en-coding 3,000 - 7,000 amino acid residues and this unit size is independent not only of genome size, but also of species. 3) In codon evolution, all nucleotide alterna-tions are correlated, not only in coding regions, but also in non-coding regions;the correlations can be expressed by linear formulas;y = ax + b, where “y” and “x” represent nucleotide con-tents, and “a” and “b” are constant. 4) The basic pattern of cellular amino acid compositions obtained from whole cell lysates is conserved from bacteria to Homo sapiens, and resembles that calculated from complete genomes. This basic pattern is characterized by a “star-shape” that changes slightly among species, and changes in amino acid composi-tion seem to reflect biological evolution. 5) Organisms can essentially be classified according to two codon patterns. Biological evolution due to nucleotide sub-stitutions can be expressed by simple linear formulas based on mathematical principles, while natural selection must affect species pre- servation after nucleotide alternations. There-fore, although Darwin’s natural selection is not directly involved in nucleotide alternations, it contributes obviously to the selection of nu-cleotide alternations. Thus, Darwin’s natural selection is doubtless an important factor in biological evolution.展开更多
Objective and Background: This study aimed at determining the predictors of chronic physical and mental quality of life (QOL) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) focusing on neuropsychological functions post...Objective and Background: This study aimed at determining the predictors of chronic physical and mental quality of life (QOL) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) focusing on neuropsychological functions post trauma. Materials and Methods: This is a longitudinal study in which 257 patients having inclusion criteria were enrolled. Neuropsychological tasks including logical memory, verbal paired associates, visual memory, verbal expression, auditory comprehension, semantic judgment and semantic categories were implemented. The appearance of psychiatric disorder, Agnosia, Apraxia, Dysarthria and pragmatic linguistic disorder post trauma were evaluated at discharge. QOL was studied 6 months after injury by filling SF-36 questionnaire via phone interview with patients. Results: Appearance of some post-traumatic disorders including agnosia, pragmatic linguistic disorder and psychiatric disorder were significantly correlated to poor QOL. The final step of logistic regression model showed that TBI severity, verbal memory, auditory comprehension and semantic acceptability scores were predictors of unfavorable mental QOL as well as TBI severity, injury severity scale (ISS) score and multifocal lesions for unfavorable physical QOL. Discussion: Thus, it is recommended that clinicians choose medical therapeutic priorities to improve the verbal neuropsychological sequela and provide preliminaries for a chronic favorable mental QOL. Furthermore, to prevent of chronic unfavorable physical QOL, early care of organic injuries should be considered especially in patients with severe and multifocal TBI.展开更多
Background: Post hepatitis C virus chronic liver disease (CLD) is prevalent among the Egyptian population with a bad impact upon their quality of life (QOL). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the long term and ...Background: Post hepatitis C virus chronic liver disease (CLD) is prevalent among the Egyptian population with a bad impact upon their quality of life (QOL). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the long term and fatal complications of CLD and it also has its negative impact on patient’s quality of life. Aim: To assess impact of CLD and HCC on the quality of life of group of hospitalized elderly patients. Methodology: Ninety elderly patients were divided into three groups: 30 elderly with post hepatitis C virus CLD, 30 elderly with HCC and 30 others free of liver disease as control group (Cn), all were recruited from the in-patient ward and the outpatient clinic of the Geriatric Department, Ain-Shams University Hospital. After giving consent, comprehensive geriatric assessment was done with assessment of their quality of life by using the Short Form-36 health survey (SF-36). Investigations including liver enzymes, serum albumin, serum bilirubin and abdominal ultrasound were done. Results: All QOL domains were the highest among control group, followed by HCC group and the least among CLD group. The differences were statistically significant in most subscales and total score [Mean of Cn = 81.9 ± 12.4, Mean of CLD = 47.5 ± 21.9, Mean of HCC = 62.3 ± 16.1;P Cn/CLD ≤ 0.001, P Cn/HCC ≤ 0.001, P CLD/HCC = 0.004]. Albumin was the only biochemical marker correlated positively with total SF score and two subscales (PF and EF) [r = 0.408;P = 0.025]. Conclusion & Recommendation: Our study showed a decrease in the QOL of Egyptian post hepatitis C virus CLD and HCC patients compared with Egyptian population norms. The results showed that CLD were more affected than HCC patients. This had a particularly serious negative impact on their life. The findings indicate a need for updated counseling and educational materials designed to provide adequate information and consistent healthcare service to this patient setting.展开更多
Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) has a dramatic impact on patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL). Chronic use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications for pain management may improve symptoms but on l...Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) has a dramatic impact on patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL). Chronic use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications for pain management may improve symptoms but on long term may affect HRQoL negatively. The objective of the present study was to compare the impact of two different classes of analgesics, traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors on HRQoL among osteoarthritis patients using the SF-36 questionnaire. Methods: Clinic based cross-sectional study conducted at Al-Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), over a period of six months. Ethical Approval was obtained from the ethics committee at Al-Qassimi Clinical Research Center. Total of 200 osteoarthritis patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were involved in the study. Patients’ demographics were collected from their medical records. The Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used to measure patients’ HRQoL. SF-36 data were scored using health outcomes scoring software 4.5. Results: Mean age of the subjects was 62.19 ± 9.81 years with females constituting 151 (75.5%) of the patients. In general, females scored lower in most of the HRQoL domains compared to males and there was significant difference between the two groups in the mental health (p = 0.005) & mental component (p = 0.042) domains. Compared to selective COX-2 inhibitors, patients on NSAIDs scored higher on all domains of SF-36 except physical functioning. There was significant difference in mental health domain for patients treated with NSAIDs (p = 0.02). Celecoxib was only better than NSAIDs in osteoarthritis patients with more than one musculoskeletal disorders in the domain of bodily pain (p = 0.009). Conclusion: NSAIDs-treated patients did not differ significantly from celecoxib-treated patients in all domains of the SF-36 except for the mental health domain.展开更多
The gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) represents a major problem for public health because of its high prevalence. The chronic character of the symptoms can have a very important impact on the quality of life (Qo...The gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) represents a major problem for public health because of its high prevalence. The chronic character of the symptoms can have a very important impact on the quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the GERD on the quality of life of our patients and to determine the main aggravating factors. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational study of 100 patients presenting signs of GERD in the gastroenterology department of the university medical center Hassan II-Fez, for a period of 3 months (October to December 2014). We used the Reflux-Qual short form (RQS®) to evaluate the QoL of our patients. Results: Over the study period, 100 patients were included. The average age of our patients was 47 years [20 - 75 years] with a sex-ratio F/M in 2.12. Among our patients, 20% (n = 20) were chronic cigarette smokers. The diagnosis of GERD was clinical in 75% of the cases (n = 75) and based on 24-hour pH monitoring in the remaining 25% (n = 25). Approximately 2/3 of the patients were receiving proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) treatment at the time of the questionnaire. The impairment of QoL was moderated to severe (RQS® p = 0.01), female sex (p = 0.03) and the frequency of symptoms (p = 0.001). Moreover, patients having a GERD that requiring a daily and continuous administration of PPIs had a lower index of RQS® (p = 0.001). The quality of life impairment was not associated with chronic cigarette smoking (p = 0.3). Conclusion: The impairment of the QoL was moderated to severe (RQS® < 16) for 2/3 of the patients (n = 62). This impairment was associated with elderly, female sex, frequency and in case of GERD requiring continuous administration of PPIs.展开更多
Pop art,as a major school of art,was an important art activity in the 60s of the 20th century in the West world. It played an important role in the history of art. Pop art created a dialogue of life and art,broken the...Pop art,as a major school of art,was an important art activity in the 60s of the 20th century in the West world. It played an important role in the history of art. Pop art created a dialogue of life and art,broken the narrow concept-"Art for art",and expanded the scope of art. Pop art now is the watershed of modern art and post-modern art to some art theory. It is rather necessary to understand and draw the knowledge from pop art. The relationship of my works and pop art is from the unconscious intention beginning to a consciously excavating. To show the meaning of my work and features,I make full use of the artistic characteristics of pop art and rational use of its advantages to endow my work a life and clarity,giving a strong and simple visual effects to readers,to make my work more extroverted and more sentimental.展开更多
The future distribution of invading species depends on the climate space available and certain life history traits that facilitate invasion.Here,to predict the spread potential of plant species introduced in North Ame...The future distribution of invading species depends on the climate space available and certain life history traits that facilitate invasion.Here,to predict the spread potential of plant species introduced in North America north of Mexico(NAM),we compiled distribution and life history data(i.e.,seed size,life form,and photosynthetic pathways)for 3021 exotic plant species introduced to NAM.We comparatively examined the species’range size and climate space in both native and exotic regions and the role of key life history traits.We found that large climate space for most exotic plants is still available in NAM.The range sizes in global exotic regions could better predict the current range sizes in NAM than those in global native regions or global native plus exotic regions.C3 species had larger ranges on average than C4 and CAM plants,and herbaceous species consistently showed stronger relationships in range size between native and exotic regions than woody species,as was the case within the C3 species group.Seed size was negatively related to range size both in native regions and in NAM.However,seed size surprisingly showed a positive correlation with global exotic range size and no correlation with the current actual global(native plus exotic)range size.Our findings underline the importance of species’native distribution and life history traits in predicting the spread of exotic species.Future studies should continue to identify potential climate space and use underappreciated species traits to better predict species invasions under changing climate.展开更多
In floristic research,the grid mapping method is a crucial and highly effective tool for investigating the flora of specific regions.This methodology aids in the collection of comprehensive data,thereby promoting a th...In floristic research,the grid mapping method is a crucial and highly effective tool for investigating the flora of specific regions.This methodology aids in the collection of comprehensive data,thereby promoting a thorough understanding of regional plant diversity.This paper presents findings from a grid mapping study conducted in the Surkhan-Sherabad botanical-geographic region(SShBGR),acknowledged as one of the major floristic areas in southwestern Uzbekistan.Using an expansive dataset of 14,317 records comprised of herbarium specimens and field diary entries collected from 1897 to 2023,we evaluated the stages and seasonal dynamics of data accumulation,species richness(SR),and collection density(CD)within 5 km×5 km grid cells.We further examined the taxonomic and life form composition of the region's flora.Our analysis revealed that the grid mapping phase(2021–2023)produced a significantly greater volume of specimens and taxonomic diversity compared with other periods(1897–1940,1941–1993,and 1994–2020).Field research spanned 206 grid cells during 2021–2023,resulting in 11,883 samples,including 6469 herbarium specimens and 5414 field records.Overall,fieldwork covered 251 of the 253 grid cells within the SShBGR.Notably,the highest species diversity was documented in the B198 grid cell,recording 160 species.In terms of collection density,the E198 grid cell produced 475 samples.Overall,we identified 1053 species distributed across 439 genera and 78 families in the SShBGR.The flora of this region aligned significantly with the dominant families commonly found in the Holarctic,highlighting vital ecological connections.Among our findings,the Asteraceae family was the most polymorphic,with 147 species,followed by the continually stable and diverse Poaceae,Fabaceae,Brassicaceae,and Amaranthaceae.Besides,our analysis revealed a predominance of therophyte life forms,which constituted 52%(552 species)of the total flora.The findings underscore the necessity for continual data collection efforts to further enhance our understanding of the biodiversity in the SShBGR.The results of this study demonstrated that the application of grid-based mapping in floristic studies proves to be an effective tool for assessing biodiversity and identifying key taxonomic groups.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFF0805602)National Natural Science Foundation of China(32225032,32001192,32271597)+1 种基金the Innovation Base Project of Gansu Province(2021YFF0703904)the Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province(24JRRA515,22JR5RA525,23JRRA1157).
文摘Studies on plant diversity are usually based on the total number of species in a community.However,few studies have examined species richness(SR)of different plant life forms in a community along largescale environmental gradients.Particularly,the relative importance(RIV)of different plant life forms in a community and how they vary with environmental variables are still unclear.To fill these gaps,we determined plant diversity of ephemeral plants,annual herbs,perennial herbs,and woody plants from 187 sites across drylands in China.The SR patterns of herbaceous plants,especially perennial herbs,and their RIV in plant communities increased with increasing precipitation and soil nutrient content;however,the RIV of annual herbs was not altered along these gradients.The SR and RIV of ephemeral plants were affected mainly by precipitation seasonality.The SR of woody plants had a unimodal relationship with air temperature and exhibited the highest RIV and SR percentage in plant communities under the harshest environments.An obvious shift emerged in plant community composition,SR and their critical impact factors at 238.5 mm of mean annual precipitation(MAP).In mesic regions(>238.5 mm),herbs were the dominant species,and the SR displayed a relatively slow decreasing rate with increasing aridity,which was mediated mainly by MAP and soil nutrients.In arid regions(<238.5 mm),woody plants were the dominant species,and the SR displayed a relatively fast decreasing rate with increasing aridity,which was mediated mainly by climate variables,especially precipitation.Our findings highlight the importance of comparative life form studies in community structure and biodiversity,as their responses to gradients differed substantially on a large scale.
文摘Mountains are important reservoirs of biodiversity and endemism on a global scale, but little is known about the altitudinal configuration of this diversity and its driving factors in arid mountains. We explored variations in composition, diversity, cover,and life forms of vascular plants along a complete altitudinal gradient(1300-4000 m a.s.l) in Sierra de Velasco, an arid mountain in northwestern Argentina.We evaluated the influence of environmental variables on plant diversity and cover. Field sampling was conducted in the northern sector of the Sa. de Velasco,on the western slope in eight 50 m wide altitudinal bands at 400 m elevation intervals. We used rectangular plots(20 × 4 m;n:10/altitudinal band) to register the vascular plants of all the growth forms, and linear transects(20 m long.;n:30/altitudinal band) to quantify the vegetation cover using the point intercept method. Diversity was calculated using hill numbers.Data analysis included non-metric multidimensional scaling(NMDS), indicator species analysis,generalized linear models(GLMs), and variance partitioning analysis. A total of 232 species from 51families and 158 genera were registered. Species composition showed greater similarity at intermediate elevations. Plant diversity and cover exhibited a unimodal distribution, peaking at intermediate elevations(2100-2500 m). In contrast, life forms' distribution showed divergent patterns. Therophytes and succulents predominated at low altitudes,phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes at medium altitudes, and chamaephytes and geophytes at high altitudes. The altitudinal patterns of plant diversity and cover were primarily driven by climatic factors.Conservation efforts in the Sierra de Velasco should focus on the middle and upper zones due to their high biodiversity and vulnerability to climate change.
文摘Plant life form diversity and its direct gradient analysis on a larger scale climate change gradient were tested, based on the data from Northeast China Transect platform. The results showed that the species numbers, life form richness and life form diversity were relative higher at the eastern forests and the ecotone between typical vegetation, while those on the meadow grasslands and typical steppes were lower. Although plant life forms can reflect the climate variations, life form diversity is not consistent with the major global gradient along the NECT.
文摘A study was conducted to identify plant species,diversity,life form and relevant species to Mediterranean climate,Irano-Torunian and Sahara-Sindian in Postband region（N 27°58＇4＂-28°2＇16＂,E 53°17＇34＂-53°22＇30＂）.In total,95 species belonging to 29 families and 69 genera of flora were surveyed and identified from December 2006 to June 2008.Composite and Gramineae were important families in terms of species frequency.According to Raunkiaer＇s system and using X^2 tests,the life-form spectrum showed that therophytes accounted for 47% of all species,and hemicryptophytes for 31%,phanerophytes for 12%,chamaeophyte for 7%,and cryptophytes for 3%.In geographical distribution,29% species with the most frequency belonged to Irano-Torunian region.Results show that therophytes were more than normal spectrum and phaneropytes were less than normal spectrum,which was in agreement with data obtained in arid climate.
基金Supported by the State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology(No.2016FBZ08)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province(No.2015ZBBF6008)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31200356)
文摘Antioxidant systems are vital in life activities of macrophytes.Species with diff erent life forms need to cope with distinct environments by modifying physiological characters,especially antioxidant systems.In order to find diff erences among life forms and consequence of lake eutrophication,we studied three antioxidant enzymes activity(superoxide dismutase(SOD),ascorbate oxidase(APX)and catalase(CAT))and total soluble phenolics(TP)content in leaves of 26 macrophyte species in September 2013 in Lake Erhai,China.We found that antioxidation varied accordingly with life forms.The activities of SOD and APX in emergent macrophytes(EM)and floating-leaved macrophytes(FM)were much lower than those of submerged macrophytes(SM).On the contrary,TP content was much higher in EM and FM species.There was a negative correlation between TP and antioxidant enzyme activities(CAT and APX).The results suggested that EM and FM species rely on phenolics might to adapt to adverse environments(higher herbivores predation pressure and UV radiation intensity),while SM species more rely on antioxidant enzymes possibly due to lower demand for antioxidation and/or lack of light and inorganic C availability for phenolics synthesis.We also found FM species represent highest fitness in term of antioxidant system,which would lead to overgrowth of FM species and littoral zone bogginess during lake eutrophication.Finally,it is necessary to carry out the verification experiment under the control condition in the later stage,especially for the dominant ones in eutrophic lakes,to understand the exact adaptive mechanisms of them.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA20020101)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31400394)
文摘Biomass allocation patterns among plant species are related to their adaptive ecological strategies. Ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plant life forms represent three typical growth strategies of plants that grow in autumn and early spring in the cold deserts of China. These plants play an important role in reducing wind velocity in the desert areas. However, despite numerous studies, the strategies of biomass allocation among plant species with these three life forms remain contentious. In this study, we conducted a preliminary quadrat study during 2014–2016 in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China, to investigate the allocation patterns of above-ground biomass(AGB) and below-ground biomass(BGB) at the individual level in 17 ephemeral, 3 ephemeroid and 4 annual plant species. Since ephemeral plants can germinate in autumn, we also compared biomass allocation patterns between plants that germinated in autumn 2015 and spring 2016 for 4 common ephemeral species. The healthy mature individual plants of each species were sampled and the AGB, BGB, total biomass(TB), leaf mass ratio(LMR) and root/shoot ratio(R/S) were calculated for 201 sample quadrats in the study area. We also studied the relationships between AGB and BGB of plants with the three different life forms(ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual). The mean AGB values of ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plants were 0.806, 3.759 and 1.546 g/plant, respectively, and the mean BGB values were 0.106, 4.996 and 0.166 g/plant, respectively. The mean R/S value was significantly higher in ephemeroid plants(1.675) than in ephemeral(0.154) and annual(0.147) plants. The mean LMR was the highest in annual plants, followed by ephemeroid plants and ephemeral plants, reflecting the fact that annual plants allocate more biomass to leaves, associated with their longer life span. Biomass of ephemeral plants that germinated in autumn was significantly higher than those of corresponding plants that germinated in spring in terms of AGB, BGB and TB. However, the R/S value was similar in plants that germinated in autumn and spring. The slope of regression relationship between AGB and BGB differed significantly among the three plant life forms. These results support different biomass allocation hypotheses. Specifically, at the individual level, the AGB and BGB partitioning supports the allometric hypothesis for ephemeroid and annual plants and the isometric hypothesis for ephemeral plants.
文摘The present study was conducted in the alpine pastures of Tungnath （30° 14＇ N and 79° 13＇ E） to observe life-form and growth-form patterns of alpine plant species under grazed and ungrazed conditions and to work out the plant life form spectrum. Species were categorized as plant habit, height and length of growth-cycle and life-form classes according to Raunkiaer＇s system. The results show that in total of 68 species at grazed site, hemicryptophytes （He） accounted for 50.00% species, followed by cryptophytes （26.47%）, chamaephytes （16.18%）, phanemphytes （4.41%） and therophytes （2.94%）. At the ungrazed site in 65 plant species, hemicryptophytes （He） accounted fo＇r 49.23% species, cryptophytes （26.15%）, chamaephytes （15.38%）, phanerophytes （6.15%） and ther6phytes （3.08 % species）. In general, hemicrptophyte are dominant^in both sites i.e. graged and ungrazed. Growth form categories were classified as forbs, shrubs, grasses and sedges＇and undershrubs, according to plant habit and height. On the basis of length of the growth cycle, species were categorized as plant species of short growth cycle, intermediate growth cycle and long growth cycle. The short forbs of plant habit and height, had the highest emergence, and grasses and sedges had the lowest emergence in representative species. Percentage of species with long growth cycle was highest in both sites.
文摘Adaptive fuzzy neural inference systems are used to illustrate the primary nodal number of plant life-forms. Categorization of two candidate areas is carried out using the water-energy dynamic (for Ecuador, South America) and Macedonia, Southern Europe), within which the life-form spectra are distributed. Genetic optimization methods are used to expand the primary nodal number to the complete number of life-form categories. The distribution of the elements exhibits a stochastic, binomial distribution and the utopia line and curve are summarized which enhance accuracy of the climatic data and of the consequent numbers of plant species occurrences. Expansion of the distribution of each life-form category is approximated within the Z utopia hyperplane with use of the functional approximation algorithm. This process gives additional structure and informative value to the Z plane, enhancing our ability to make informed policy decisions concerning species and ecosystem conservation.
文摘It is not too much to say that molecular biology, including genome research, has progressed based on the determination of nucleotide or amino acid sequences. However, these ap-proaches are limited to the analysis of relatively small numbers of the same genes among spe-cies. On the other hand, by graphical presenta-tion of the ratios of the numbers of amino acids present to the total numbers of amino acids presumed from the target gene(s) or genome or those of the numbers of nucleotides present to the total numbers of nucleotides calculated from the target gene(s) or genome, we can readily draw conclusions from extraordinarily huge data sets integrated by human intelli-gence. 1) Assuming polymerization of amino acids or nucleotides in a simulation analysis based on a random choice, proteins were formed by simple amino acid polymerization, while nucleotide polymerization to form nucleic acids encoding specific proteins needed certain specific control. These results proposed that protein formation chronologically preceded codon formation during the establishment of primitive life forms. In the prebiotic phase, amino acid composition was a dominant factor that determined protein characteristics;the “Amino Acid World”. 2) The genome is constructed homogeneou- sly from putative small units displaying similar codon usages and coding for similar amino acid compositions;the unit is a gene assembly en-coding 3,000 - 7,000 amino acid residues and this unit size is independent not only of genome size, but also of species. 3) In codon evolution, all nucleotide alterna-tions are correlated, not only in coding regions, but also in non-coding regions;the correlations can be expressed by linear formulas;y = ax + b, where “y” and “x” represent nucleotide con-tents, and “a” and “b” are constant. 4) The basic pattern of cellular amino acid compositions obtained from whole cell lysates is conserved from bacteria to Homo sapiens, and resembles that calculated from complete genomes. This basic pattern is characterized by a “star-shape” that changes slightly among species, and changes in amino acid composi-tion seem to reflect biological evolution. 5) Organisms can essentially be classified according to two codon patterns. Biological evolution due to nucleotide sub-stitutions can be expressed by simple linear formulas based on mathematical principles, while natural selection must affect species pre- servation after nucleotide alternations. There-fore, although Darwin’s natural selection is not directly involved in nucleotide alternations, it contributes obviously to the selection of nu-cleotide alternations. Thus, Darwin’s natural selection is doubtless an important factor in biological evolution.
文摘Objective and Background: This study aimed at determining the predictors of chronic physical and mental quality of life (QOL) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) focusing on neuropsychological functions post trauma. Materials and Methods: This is a longitudinal study in which 257 patients having inclusion criteria were enrolled. Neuropsychological tasks including logical memory, verbal paired associates, visual memory, verbal expression, auditory comprehension, semantic judgment and semantic categories were implemented. The appearance of psychiatric disorder, Agnosia, Apraxia, Dysarthria and pragmatic linguistic disorder post trauma were evaluated at discharge. QOL was studied 6 months after injury by filling SF-36 questionnaire via phone interview with patients. Results: Appearance of some post-traumatic disorders including agnosia, pragmatic linguistic disorder and psychiatric disorder were significantly correlated to poor QOL. The final step of logistic regression model showed that TBI severity, verbal memory, auditory comprehension and semantic acceptability scores were predictors of unfavorable mental QOL as well as TBI severity, injury severity scale (ISS) score and multifocal lesions for unfavorable physical QOL. Discussion: Thus, it is recommended that clinicians choose medical therapeutic priorities to improve the verbal neuropsychological sequela and provide preliminaries for a chronic favorable mental QOL. Furthermore, to prevent of chronic unfavorable physical QOL, early care of organic injuries should be considered especially in patients with severe and multifocal TBI.
文摘Background: Post hepatitis C virus chronic liver disease (CLD) is prevalent among the Egyptian population with a bad impact upon their quality of life (QOL). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the long term and fatal complications of CLD and it also has its negative impact on patient’s quality of life. Aim: To assess impact of CLD and HCC on the quality of life of group of hospitalized elderly patients. Methodology: Ninety elderly patients were divided into three groups: 30 elderly with post hepatitis C virus CLD, 30 elderly with HCC and 30 others free of liver disease as control group (Cn), all were recruited from the in-patient ward and the outpatient clinic of the Geriatric Department, Ain-Shams University Hospital. After giving consent, comprehensive geriatric assessment was done with assessment of their quality of life by using the Short Form-36 health survey (SF-36). Investigations including liver enzymes, serum albumin, serum bilirubin and abdominal ultrasound were done. Results: All QOL domains were the highest among control group, followed by HCC group and the least among CLD group. The differences were statistically significant in most subscales and total score [Mean of Cn = 81.9 ± 12.4, Mean of CLD = 47.5 ± 21.9, Mean of HCC = 62.3 ± 16.1;P Cn/CLD ≤ 0.001, P Cn/HCC ≤ 0.001, P CLD/HCC = 0.004]. Albumin was the only biochemical marker correlated positively with total SF score and two subscales (PF and EF) [r = 0.408;P = 0.025]. Conclusion & Recommendation: Our study showed a decrease in the QOL of Egyptian post hepatitis C virus CLD and HCC patients compared with Egyptian population norms. The results showed that CLD were more affected than HCC patients. This had a particularly serious negative impact on their life. The findings indicate a need for updated counseling and educational materials designed to provide adequate information and consistent healthcare service to this patient setting.
文摘Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) has a dramatic impact on patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL). Chronic use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications for pain management may improve symptoms but on long term may affect HRQoL negatively. The objective of the present study was to compare the impact of two different classes of analgesics, traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors on HRQoL among osteoarthritis patients using the SF-36 questionnaire. Methods: Clinic based cross-sectional study conducted at Al-Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), over a period of six months. Ethical Approval was obtained from the ethics committee at Al-Qassimi Clinical Research Center. Total of 200 osteoarthritis patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were involved in the study. Patients’ demographics were collected from their medical records. The Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used to measure patients’ HRQoL. SF-36 data were scored using health outcomes scoring software 4.5. Results: Mean age of the subjects was 62.19 ± 9.81 years with females constituting 151 (75.5%) of the patients. In general, females scored lower in most of the HRQoL domains compared to males and there was significant difference between the two groups in the mental health (p = 0.005) & mental component (p = 0.042) domains. Compared to selective COX-2 inhibitors, patients on NSAIDs scored higher on all domains of SF-36 except physical functioning. There was significant difference in mental health domain for patients treated with NSAIDs (p = 0.02). Celecoxib was only better than NSAIDs in osteoarthritis patients with more than one musculoskeletal disorders in the domain of bodily pain (p = 0.009). Conclusion: NSAIDs-treated patients did not differ significantly from celecoxib-treated patients in all domains of the SF-36 except for the mental health domain.
文摘The gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) represents a major problem for public health because of its high prevalence. The chronic character of the symptoms can have a very important impact on the quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the GERD on the quality of life of our patients and to determine the main aggravating factors. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, observational study of 100 patients presenting signs of GERD in the gastroenterology department of the university medical center Hassan II-Fez, for a period of 3 months (October to December 2014). We used the Reflux-Qual short form (RQS®) to evaluate the QoL of our patients. Results: Over the study period, 100 patients were included. The average age of our patients was 47 years [20 - 75 years] with a sex-ratio F/M in 2.12. Among our patients, 20% (n = 20) were chronic cigarette smokers. The diagnosis of GERD was clinical in 75% of the cases (n = 75) and based on 24-hour pH monitoring in the remaining 25% (n = 25). Approximately 2/3 of the patients were receiving proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) treatment at the time of the questionnaire. The impairment of QoL was moderated to severe (RQS® p = 0.01), female sex (p = 0.03) and the frequency of symptoms (p = 0.001). Moreover, patients having a GERD that requiring a daily and continuous administration of PPIs had a lower index of RQS® (p = 0.001). The quality of life impairment was not associated with chronic cigarette smoking (p = 0.3). Conclusion: The impairment of the QoL was moderated to severe (RQS® < 16) for 2/3 of the patients (n = 62). This impairment was associated with elderly, female sex, frequency and in case of GERD requiring continuous administration of PPIs.
文摘Pop art,as a major school of art,was an important art activity in the 60s of the 20th century in the West world. It played an important role in the history of art. Pop art created a dialogue of life and art,broken the narrow concept-"Art for art",and expanded the scope of art. Pop art now is the watershed of modern art and post-modern art to some art theory. It is rather necessary to understand and draw the knowledge from pop art. The relationship of my works and pop art is from the unconscious intention beginning to a consciously excavating. To show the meaning of my work and features,I make full use of the artistic characteristics of pop art and rational use of its advantages to endow my work a life and clarity,giving a strong and simple visual effects to readers,to make my work more extroverted and more sentimental.
文摘The future distribution of invading species depends on the climate space available and certain life history traits that facilitate invasion.Here,to predict the spread potential of plant species introduced in North America north of Mexico(NAM),we compiled distribution and life history data(i.e.,seed size,life form,and photosynthetic pathways)for 3021 exotic plant species introduced to NAM.We comparatively examined the species’range size and climate space in both native and exotic regions and the role of key life history traits.We found that large climate space for most exotic plants is still available in NAM.The range sizes in global exotic regions could better predict the current range sizes in NAM than those in global native regions or global native plus exotic regions.C3 species had larger ranges on average than C4 and CAM plants,and herbaceous species consistently showed stronger relationships in range size between native and exotic regions than woody species,as was the case within the C3 species group.Seed size was negatively related to range size both in native regions and in NAM.However,seed size surprisingly showed a positive correlation with global exotic range size and no correlation with the current actual global(native plus exotic)range size.Our findings underline the importance of species’native distribution and life history traits in predicting the spread of exotic species.Future studies should continue to identify potential climate space and use underappreciated species traits to better predict species invasions under changing climate.
基金supported by the grant from the State Programs"Grid Mapping of the Flora of Uzbekistan'during 2020–2024"the grant from the State Programs"Creation of the Digital Platform of the Plant World of Central Uzbekistan"during 2025–2029the State Research Project"Taxonomic Revision of Polymorphic Plant Families of the Flora of Uzbekistan"from the Institute of Botany,Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan (A-FA-2021-427)
文摘In floristic research,the grid mapping method is a crucial and highly effective tool for investigating the flora of specific regions.This methodology aids in the collection of comprehensive data,thereby promoting a thorough understanding of regional plant diversity.This paper presents findings from a grid mapping study conducted in the Surkhan-Sherabad botanical-geographic region(SShBGR),acknowledged as one of the major floristic areas in southwestern Uzbekistan.Using an expansive dataset of 14,317 records comprised of herbarium specimens and field diary entries collected from 1897 to 2023,we evaluated the stages and seasonal dynamics of data accumulation,species richness(SR),and collection density(CD)within 5 km×5 km grid cells.We further examined the taxonomic and life form composition of the region's flora.Our analysis revealed that the grid mapping phase(2021–2023)produced a significantly greater volume of specimens and taxonomic diversity compared with other periods(1897–1940,1941–1993,and 1994–2020).Field research spanned 206 grid cells during 2021–2023,resulting in 11,883 samples,including 6469 herbarium specimens and 5414 field records.Overall,fieldwork covered 251 of the 253 grid cells within the SShBGR.Notably,the highest species diversity was documented in the B198 grid cell,recording 160 species.In terms of collection density,the E198 grid cell produced 475 samples.Overall,we identified 1053 species distributed across 439 genera and 78 families in the SShBGR.The flora of this region aligned significantly with the dominant families commonly found in the Holarctic,highlighting vital ecological connections.Among our findings,the Asteraceae family was the most polymorphic,with 147 species,followed by the continually stable and diverse Poaceae,Fabaceae,Brassicaceae,and Amaranthaceae.Besides,our analysis revealed a predominance of therophyte life forms,which constituted 52%(552 species)of the total flora.The findings underscore the necessity for continual data collection efforts to further enhance our understanding of the biodiversity in the SShBGR.The results of this study demonstrated that the application of grid-based mapping in floristic studies proves to be an effective tool for assessing biodiversity and identifying key taxonomic groups.
