不同生态型芦竹对Cd、Hg、Pb、Cu的富集与分布

介绍了生态型芦竹(Arundo donax Linn)的生物特性,并对芦竹修复湿地重金属污染能力进行了研究。芦竹具有生物量大、根系发达、适应性强等特点,在重金属污染环境下,有较好的耐受性。研究不同生态型芦竹对Cd、Hg、Pb、Cu的富集与分布,对重金属污染湿地的修复具有指导作用。采集了4个不同环境下的芦竹样本,对重金属富集量和在植物器官中的分布情况进行研究分析。结果表明,芦竹对镉、铅、汞有较好吸收,地上部叶内富集量分别为57.40～33.22mg·kg-1,412.4～312.4mg·kg-1,21.5～11.8mg·kg-1,地上部茎内富集量分别为19.50～4.02mg·kg-1,83.1～43.6mg·kg-1,30.0～19.4mg·kg-1。芦竹对铜的富集能力较弱,地上部叶内和茎内富集量分别是12.4～2.8mg·kg-1,1.4～0.4mg·kg-1。铜和铅在植物器官中的分布为根>叶>茎,镉在植物器官中的分布为叶>根>茎,汞在植物中的分布为根>茎>叶。富集量还与土壤中重金属质量分数有关,一般是随着土壤中重金属质量分数的增大而增加。镉、铅、铜在植物叶中的富集系数大于1,汞在植物茎中的富集系数大于1。综合分析结果表明,芦竹在污染或非污染环境中都能较好地富集镉、铅、汞,基于芦竹具有较大生物量特点,芦竹对湿地重金属污染具有较大的修复潜力。研究芦竹对重金属的吸收与分布,旨在为湿地的植物修复技术提供参考依据。     

无机硅叶面肥及土壤调理剂对水稻铅、镉吸收的影响

喷施叶面阻控剂和施用土壤调理剂是目前污染稻田治理的主要措施,针对不同污染类型、污染程度稻田研发效果较好的叶面阻控剂及土壤调理剂是研究重点。文章通过2019年的田间试验研究无机硅叶面肥及土壤调理剂对中重度铅镉复合污染稻田水稻铅镉阻控效果。共设3个处理:常规施肥处理(CK)、常规施肥+喷施无机硅叶面肥处理(L-Si)、常规施肥+施用无机硅土壤调理剂处理(S-Si)。结果表明:L-Si处理土壤中铅质量分数较对照(116.00±4.35)mg·kg-1高18.97%;S-Si处理较对照(5.51±0.06)能够显著提高稻田土壤pH值0.73,土壤中铅和镉分别较对照(116.00±4.35)、(1.89±0.03)mg·kg-1高12.07%和14.81%。L-Si处理下铅在根、叶片、稻米中富集较对照分别减少11.69%、12.40%和38.46%;镉在叶片、稻壳、稻米中较对照显著减少了18.10%、5.84%和40.84%。而S-Si处理中铅在根、茎、叶、稻壳、稻米中富集量较对照显著减少11.69%、36.93%、15.16%、23.47%和51.28%;镉在根、茎、叶、稻壳、稻米中富集量显著降低12.93%、42.28%、61.75%、59.85%和49.21%。L-Si及S-Si处理水稻产量较对照(7052.27±95.07)kg·hm^-2分别提高3.24%和4.09%。综上所述,无机硅经叶面吸收后,在减少叶片中铅富集的同时减少了根系对土壤铅的吸收,将经根系吸收的铅富集于茎和稻壳中;而在减少叶片中镉富集的同时并未减少根系对镉吸收,将经根系吸收的镉富集于根和茎中。无机硅土壤调理剂在将土壤中铅和镉固定于土壤中的同时阻隔了水稻根系对铅和镉下吸收,因此水稻根、茎、叶、稻壳、稻米中铅和镉的含量均显著降低。     

氮肥形态对李氏禾富集铜的影响及生理响应

土壤重金属污染是环境和生态领域研究的热点及难点。超富集植物受到土壤各种特性的影响,需要采取强化措施来提高植物修复效率。该文旨在加深对李氏禾(Leersia hexandra Swartz)累积铜的认知,为植物修复铜污染土壤提供理论数据。在土壤中铜污染水平分别为低(100 mg·kg~(-1))、中(300 mg·kg~(-1))、高(500 mg·kg~(-1))时,研究不同氮肥(NH_4)_2SO_4、CO(NH_2)_2、Ca(NO_3)_2、NH_4NO_3处理对超富集植物李氏禾累积铜、植物生长的影响以及生理响应,氮肥按肥土质量比0.3‰以水溶液的形式每周添加1次,李氏禾生长两个月后,收获,进行植株分析。结果表明:在土壤铜污染水平为500 mg·kg~(-1)时,施加Ca(NO_3)_2后李氏禾根、茎、叶中的铜富集量达到最大,分别为6 167.15、1 251.99和975.92 mg·kg~(-1),约为对照处理组的2.5~4.0倍,相对于其他各氮肥处理和对照组差异达显著。在低、中、高Cu污染水平下,施加(NH_4)_2SO_4处理组李氏禾株高均显著高于其他处理组,分别为68.5、65.2和65 cm;CO(NH_2)_2组李氏禾生物量分别为12.75、13.45和11.63 g·10 plants-1;叶绿素质量浓度分别为24.139、22.615、23.752 mg·L~(-1);可溶性蛋白质量分数分别为21.704、23.506和20.940 mg·g~(-1);金属硫蛋白质量分数分别为9 131.06、10 014.02和11 018.04 pg·g-1,均高于其他处理组;而NH_4NO_3处理组李氏禾叶片中丙二醛(MDA)物质的量浓度最少,分别为0.893、0.957和0.859mmol·L~(-1),有效地缓解了铜对李氏禾的损伤。因此,适量施加氮肥可以有效提高李氏禾的生物量以及根、茎、叶各部分铜累积量,增强了李氏禾对铜污染土壤的修复效果。     

黄石国家矿山公园草本植物重金属富集能力研究

为探究草本植物各部位对重金属的富集能力,筛选可能具有重金属污染修复潜力的草本植物,将经过六年植被自然恢复及现代生态修复后的黄石矿山公园的土壤和草本植物作为研究对象,采用原子吸收光谱法(AAS)测定黄石矿山公园内优势植物蕨菜(Pteridium aquilinum var.latiusculum)、铁线蕨(Adiantum capillus-veneris)、凤尾蕨(Pteris cretica var.nervosa)、蜈蚣草(Eremochloa ciliaris)、贯众(Cyrtomium macrophyllum)、芒草(Miscanthus sinensis)、白茅(Imperata cylindrica)、苔草(Carex spp.)、早熟禾(Poa annua)等9种草本植物的根、茎、叶及其根系土壤中的重金属含量,分析生态修复过程中草本植物对土壤重金属的富集和转移能力。结果表明,黄石市国家矿山公园的土壤受到重金属镉(Cd)、铜(Cu)的严重污染,与湖北省土壤环境背景值相比,Cd的平均污染指数达46.88,Cu次之,为10.67。草本植物对重金属元素的富集能力差别较大,蜈蚣草对重金属的富集作用较强,综合富集系数为11.14,治理土壤重金属Cd污染效果明显。蕨菜Zn含量为1568.15mg·kg~(-1),富集系数和转移系数分别为1.13、1.19;早熟禾Zn含量为1202.64mg·kg~(-1),富集系数和转移系数分别为1.08、1.08。蕨菜和早熟禾是典型的Zn富集型植物。聚类结果亦显示蕨菜富集效果最好,蜈蚣草次之,二者均可作为重金属污染土壤的修复植物。     

施肥对大白菜吸收电镀污染土壤中重金属的影响

采用田间试验,研究了在不同施肥条件下重金属在土壤-作物系统中迁移、积累的特性.结果表明,不同施肥处理对降低植物重金属吸收的影响能力大小依次为有机肥＞复合肥＞尿素,一般地,作物不同部位对Cr、Cu 积累量的大小顺序为根＞叶＞茎,重金属在土壤-作物系统中迁移能力大小依次为Cu＞ Ni＞Cr,3种施肥处理对降低土壤中有效态重金属含量的影响能力大小依次为有机肥＞复合肥＞尿素.     

天津市典型污灌区冬小麦各生育期的重金属分析

通过对天津市冬小麦生长的各个阶段的各个部位及土壤中重金属含量的分析,评价了污灌区农田土壤-植被系统的污染状况,运用转运系数和富集系数表征了重金属元素在作物中迁移和积累的能力.结果表明,冬小麦田土壤质量属2级尚清洁标准,土壤中Cd污染最严重,Hg污染次之.返青期、拔节期、抽穗期和成熟期,同一时期冬小麦不同部位的重金属含量整体呈现自下至上递减的趋势,即根>茎>叶>果实,而同一部位冬小麦的不同时期的重金属含量各有特点.从转运系数和富集系数上看,根富集重金属的能力要大于茎、叶和果实;重金属由土壤向根迁移的过程中,迁移能力顺序为:Pb>Cd>Hg>Cr>As,Pb迁移能力最强.冬小麦果实中As,Cd,Cr,Hg,Pb和Se含量均超过《食品中污染物限量》中规定的限值,说明研究区域目前已经不宜再种植冬小麦.     

不同浓度胺鲜酯对籽粒苋富集重金属镉锌的影响

植物生长调节剂具有提高植物富集土壤重金属的能力,从而提高植物修复污染农田土壤的效率。采用盆栽方式,比较叶面喷施不同质量浓度(0、5、10、15 mg·L~(-1))胺鲜酯(DA-6)对籽粒苋(Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.)生长、富集镉(Cd)和锌(Zn)及土壤有效态Cd和Zn的影响。结果表明,10 mg·L~(-1)处理显著提高籽粒苋植株的生物量;DA-6对籽粒苋根系分布层土壤和根际土pH无显著影响,但能显著提高籽粒苋根际土有效态Cd和Zn含量;DA-6处理的籽粒苋叶、茎和根中Cd含量均呈增加趋势,但仅15 mg·L~(-1)处理能显著提高籽粒苋叶、茎中Cd含量,DA-6处理对籽粒苋根中Cd含量无显著影响;DA-6对籽粒苋叶、茎、根中Zn含量均无显著影响;10 mg·L~(-1)处理能显著强化籽粒苋叶、茎对Cd和Zn的累积量,DA-6处理对籽粒苋根中Cd和Zn的累积量无显著影响;DA-6处理籽粒苋后,除籽粒苋叶中5 mg·L~(-1)处理和10 mg·L~(-1)处理的Zn富集系数显著低于对照外,其它处理的籽粒苋叶、茎、根中Cd和Zn富集系数及运转系数均无显著差异。因此,叶面喷施10 mg·L~(-1)DA-6能显著强化籽粒苋地上部对Cd、Zn的累积量,但DA-6处理对Cd和Zn的富集和运转并无显著促进作用。     

施肥及作物生长对田间非点源产污的影响

为了揭示施肥及作物生长对田间非点源污染的影响,分别在节瓜地布设不施肥、无机肥、无机肥＋有机肥、有机肥、有机肥＋多肽肥、多肽肥等6种施肥处理的小区,并于节瓜生长的初瓜期、盛瓜期、清藤期采用放水浸泡土壤的方法,测试不同施肥及作物生长状态下田间非点源产污强度。研究表明：在节瓜的生长过程中,各试验小区非点源产污强度呈现初瓜期〉清藤期〉盛瓜期的趋势。各营养元素的主要输出时段有所差异,总N、NH4-N的为初瓜期,总P、总K的为清藤期,NO3-N的为盛瓜期。在灌溉水作用下整个作物生长阶段的非点源产污总量从大到小依次为,有机肥、无机肥＋多肽肥、无机肥＋有机肥、不施肥、多肽肥、无机肥,试验表明该多肽肥具有一定的减污效果。     

城市污泥和建筑垃圾混合基质对臭椿生长及重金属转移的影响

城市污泥与建筑垃圾是城镇主要固体废弃物,为促进其安全低成本的土地利用,采用盆栽方式,配置城市生污泥体积占比为0%、20%、40%、60%、80%和100%等6种生污泥与建筑垃圾混合基质,播种臭椿种子,分析混合基质的理化性状与植物当年生长量变化.结果显示,随着污泥含量增加,基质中黏粒含量、电导率、有机质、养分和重金属砷、镉、钴、铜、镍、锌含量显著增加,而铬、铅变化不大.污泥含量40%及以下的基质中各重金属含量均达到国家《土壤环境质量标准》旱地Ⅰ-Ⅱ级标准,污泥占比60%和80%基质中各重金属含量均达到III级标准.污泥含量为20%和40%的基质最适宜臭椿生长,植株干重比对照提高54.57%以上,高于40%则抑制臭椿生长,高比例污泥基质中臭椿萌发与生长差,基质黏粒含量高、透气透水性差是主要原因.臭椿根茎叶重金属含量及富集系数随着生长基质中重金属增加而增加,臭椿对镉的富集系数最大,在0.1-0.5之间,对锌、镍的富集系数次之,叶片对重金属的富集系数大多高于根茎.综合考虑植株生物量、重金属污染,未经前处理的生污泥与建筑垃圾直接混合成植物生长基质是完全可行的,生污泥占比为40%的混合基质适宜种植臭椿,臭椿对基质中的重金属具有较强的富集能力.     

亚高山森林不同演替阶段物种间作用对土壤酶的影响及其对不同肥料的响应

为揭示西南亚高山森林恢复过程中不同演替阶段物种间相互作用对土壤酶活性的影响,采用盆栽试验,选取亚高山森林演替后期针叶树种云杉(Picea asperata)和阔叶树种红桦(Betula albo-sinensis)以及演替中期灌丛树种高山柳(Salix oritrepha),研究物种间相互作用对土壤酶活性的影响及其对不同施肥种类(无机肥和有机肥)的响应.结果表明:(1)与对照相比,添加有机肥提高了土壤多酚氧化酶、转化酶、纤维素酶和蛋白酶活性;添加无机肥后,土壤转化酶活性增加了16%-41%,纤维素酶和蛋白酶活性却显著降低;多酚氧化酶活性在单栽高山柳土壤中增加129%,而在红桦土壤中降低了43%.(2)对照组中,蛋白酶活性表现为在高山柳土壤显著低于红桦、云杉土壤;无机肥组中,蛋白酶活性表现为云杉土壤红桦土壤高山柳土壤;转化酶活性在无机肥和有机肥组中均表现为云杉根系土壤显著低于红桦和高山柳根际土壤;(3)物种混栽后,在对照组中,除云杉-红桦混栽土壤蛋白酶活性低于单栽红桦和云杉土壤蛋白酶活性外,其余物种两两混栽后土壤酶活性与单栽植物土壤酶活性没有显著差异性;但是添加无机肥和有机肥后,与单栽植物土壤酶活性相比,物种混栽可提高土壤蛋白酶和转化酶活性.(4)不同土壤酶活性受不同的土壤因子调控.可见,不同种类植物根际土壤酶活性对无机肥和有机肥的响应不同,而且物种间相互作用对土壤酶的影响及其对肥料的响应因物种而异;本研究结果不仅为认识亚高山森林恢复演替过程中微生物功能和养分循环对植物作用与施肥的响应机制提供了重要的科学依据,还为深入了解西南亚高山森林植被更新与恢复的影响机制提供了重要支撑.(图3表2参27)     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.