scholarly journals Comparative reproductive biology of the six species of Rhododendron (Ericaceae) in Hong Kong, South China

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai-chit Ng ◽  
Richard T Corlett

Six rhododendron species grow wild in Hong Kong: Rhododendron farrerae Tate and Rhododendron simsii Planch. are common and widespread, Rhododendron moulmainense Hook. f. is restricted, and Rhododendron championiae Hook. f., Rhododendron hongkongense Hutch., and Rhododendron simiarum Hance are rare. The length and timing of the flowering period varied between species, but peak flowering for all was between late February and early May, when weather is variable and unpredictable. All species were more or less self-sterile, had sucrose-dominated nectar, and were visited by diverse insects, of which Apis cerana, Bombus eximius, and Xylocopa spp. are the major pollinators. Seeds of all species, except R. simiarum, had a light requirement for germination. There were large differences between species in the pollen/ovule ratio (176-1343), daily nectar production (0.9-38.7 µL per flower), large bee visits (0.35-4.28 per flower per 100 h) and total visits (0.92-14.53), mean seed production per flower (2-135) and per plant (100 - 14 800), and mean seed weight (0.11-0.45 mg). The large-bee visitation rate was significantly correlated across species with mean daily nectar production and mean seed set. The two common species had the smallest flowers, lowest nectar production, lowest pollen/ovule ratios, fewest large bee visitors, and produced fewest seeds.Key words: breeding system, China, pollination, rarity, Rhododendron, seeds.

Ibis ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.K. KWOK ◽  
RICHARD T. CORLETT

2020 ◽  
pp. 56-61
Author(s):  
Rui Leão ◽  
Charles Lai

Parallel to the discourse of Tropical Architecture and the work of UK architects in the British colonial territories in the Middle East, Africa, and India after the WWII, climate adaptation designs or devices such as brise-soleil, perforated cement bricks, sun shading screens, courtyards, etc., started to emerge in modernist buildings in Asia. This article is a preliminary survey of these cases in Hong Kong and Macau since the 1950s. It discusses how tropicality was used in response to the post-war revisionism of Modern Movement that placed emphasis on local identity and culture.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 6217-6227 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Wang ◽  
X. L. Wei ◽  
A. J. Ding ◽  
C. N. Poon ◽  
K. S. Lam ◽  
...  

Abstract. Tropospheric ozone is of great importance with regard to air quality, atmospheric chemistry, and climate change. In this paper we report the first continuous record of surface ozone in the background atmosphere of South China. The data were obtained from 1994 to 2007 at a coastal site in Hong Kong, which is strongly influenced by the outflow of Asian continental air during the winter and the inflow of maritime air from the subtropics in the summer. Three methods are used to derive the rate of change in ozone. A linear fit to the 14-year record shows that the ozone concentration increased by 0.58 ppbv/yr, whereas comparing means in years 1994–2000 and 2001–2007 gives an increase of 0.87 ppbv/yr for a 7-year period. The ozone changes in air masses from various source regions are also examined. Using local wind and carbon monoxide (CO) data to filter out local influence, we find that ozone increased by 0.94 ppbv/yr from 1994–2000 to 2001–2007 in air masses from Eastern China, with similar changes in the other two continent-influenced air-mass groups, but no statistically significant change in the marine air. An examination of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column obtained from GOME and SCIAMACHY reveals an increase in atmospheric NO2 in China's three fastest developing coastal regions, whereas NO2 in other parts of Asia decreased during the same period, and no obvious trend over the main shipping routes in the South China Sea was indicated. Thus the observed increase in background ozone in Hong Kong is most likely due to the increased emissions of NO2 (and possibly volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well) in the upwind coastal regions of mainland China. The CO data at Hok Tsui showed less definitive changes compared to the satellite NO2 column. The increase in background ozone likely made a strong contribution (81%) to the rate of increase in "total ozone" at an urban site in Hong Kong, suggesting the need to consider distant sources when developing long-term strategies to mitigate local ozone pollution.


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