We measured the concentrations of heavy metal elements,i.e.,V,Cr,Mn,Ni,Cu,Zn,Cd,Se and Pb and the semi-metal element As in feces of Chinese Egret(Egretta eulophotes)on Caiyu Island in Zhangpu County,Fujian Province,China using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) and compared the differences between the topsoil of their nesting and non-nesting areas before and after breeding.The results show that no Se and Cd was detected in any of the samples,including feces and soil,while heavy metal concentrations in the non-nesting soil were not significantly different before and after breeding(p > 0.05),but the differences in concentrations of Zn and Pb in the nesting soil were highly significant before and after breeding(p < 0.01).A comparison of the concentrations of the elements in the nesting and non-nesting soils also reveals that before breeding,the concentration of Zn in these two soils were significantly different(p < 0.01).After breeding,concentrations of Cu,Zn,As and Pb in the nesting and non-nesting soil were significantly different(p < 0.01) while V and Ni concentrations showed merely significant differences(p < 0.05).These findings indicate that the colonial breeding activities of E.eulophotes play an important role in the transfer of heavy metals between wetland and island eco-systems and that such activities may,over time,result in heavy metal contamination of the heronry soil on the island.
Comparison of histopathological response and quantitative measurement of giant cell(GC)induced by Meloidogyne javanica in tomato root were studied under potassium-deficient(0.2 mmol/L K+)and replete conditions(control,6.0 mmol/L K+).K+-deficient stress did not impede the formation and maintenance of GC.The mean number of GC per feeding site as well as the mean diameter of GC did not differ between the treatments.However,the thickness of cell wall including components resulted from the accumulated polysaccharide and the length of cell-wall ingrowth increased 5-25 d after inoculation in K+-deficient as compared with K+-replete conditions.An increase of cell-wall ingrowth suggested a kind of compensational response to the potassium stress.
