纳米颗粒对淡水藻类生长的影响:毒性机制与复合毒性

近年来,纳米颗粒在生活、工业生产中的应用日益广泛,而这些纳米颗粒的应用引起的一系列环境问题越来越被密切关注.纳米材料在使用过后不可避免地会释放到水环境中,不仅会影响水生生物的生长代谢,也会污染水体,影响水源水质.而藻类作为水生食物链的初级生产者,对于纳米颗粒在水环境中的积累和迁移起着至关重要的作用.本文首先总结了不同种类的纳米颗粒对水环境中不同藻类生长代谢的影响和相关的毒性机制,包括破坏细胞完整性、氧化应激胁迫、破坏光合系统、基因水平异常和有毒物质的释放等.其次,系统总结了纳米颗粒表面特性(如粒径、晶型、表面电荷、亲疏水性、光敏性、表面涂覆、老化和纳米颗粒的均相与非均相等)、水环境影响因素(如自然有机物质、环境胶体、离子强度、pH、硬度、光照和温度等)和藻类胞外聚合物对纳米材料毒性的影响.最后,还综述了水环境中关键污染物和纳米颗粒对藻类的复合毒性.对于纳米颗粒对水环境中藻类生长的毒性作用、影响机制以及复合毒性的系统总结,有利于全面了解纳米颗粒的环境行为和生物毒性.     

碳纳米材料的水环境行为及对水生生物毒理学研究进展

随着纳米科技的迅猛发展,人工碳纳米材料的生产和使用逐年递增,越来越多的碳纳米材料进入水环境中,对水生生物产生毒性效应。本文在介绍了碳纳米球、石墨烯、碳纳米管3种碳纳米材料的基础上,分析了碳纳米材料的水环境行为,重点综述了碳纳米材料对水生生物毒性效应研究现状,以及可能的致毒机制,并指出今后碳纳米材料对水生生物毒理学亟待加强的研究领域。     

纳米材料对底栖动物的毒性效应研究进展

随着纳米技术的飞速发展,纳米材料被广泛应用于各个领域,在纳米材料生产运输、使用以及使用后的废弃过程中,纳米材料不可避免地会被释放到环境中。一旦纳米材料进入到水体,它们会经过一系列的迁移转化最终沉降在底泥中,并可能会对底栖动物产生潜在毒性效应。笔者重点总结和归纳了不同类型的常见人工纳米材料对底栖动物的毒性效应与其暴露环境和纳米材料自身物理化学特性的关系,发现在不同的毒性评价指标包括筑穴行为、生存率、发育繁殖、摄食率以及生物累积效应中,生物累积是底栖动物对纳米材料反应最为灵敏的评价指标。同时,底栖动物对纳米材料的生物累积不仅与纳米颗粒的大小和聚集程度有关,而且也与生物体内的消化微环境和和消化过程(pH、消化速率、同化效率和肠道的停留时间)相关。在归纳总结基础上,提出了完善纳米水生生物毒性效应研究的建议。     

Nano-QSAR: 纳米毒理学领域的新方法

随着纳米毒理学实验研究的不断深入,反映纳米材料生物毒性效应的数据也不断丰富,以这些数据为基础建立的定量结构活性关系(QSAR)模型开始发挥其在纳米材料潜在毒性研究和预测方面的作用。纳米材料的QSAR(Nano-QSAR)研究以经典QSAR模型为指导,结合纳米材料特殊的物理化学性质,提供了一种对纳米材料快速筛选和优先测试的新途径。本文就Nano-QSAR的前期研究现状,从纳米材料结构描述符、毒性效应数据和建模方法3个方面分析了模型的构建流程和框架;通过列举部分研究成果和主要的模型指标,初步探讨了建模方法的选择和结构描述符的识别;最后指出目前Nano-QSAR研究面临的挑战和今后努力的方向。     

二氧化钛纳米材料的环境健康和生态毒理效应

伴随着纳米科技的迅猛发展,各式各样的纳米材料被开发和生产出来,逐步进入到周围环境及生命体中,纳米材料的生物安全性和生态毒理学问题已引起了社会各界的普遍关注.纳米二氧化钛(TiO2)因具有良好的光催化特性、耐化学腐蚀性和热稳定性,而被广泛应用于涂料、废水处理、杀菌、化妆品、食品添加剂和生物医用陶瓷材料等与日常生活紧密相关的领域,因此,其将不可避免地进入环境和生态系统中引起相应的生物学效应(毒理学).论文从流行病学调查和实验研究两方面出发,综述了纳米TiO2对生物体(皮肤、肺、肝、肾和脑)、细胞(细胞膜、细胞生长和凋亡)和生态系统的影响,探讨了其毒性产生的可能机制.希望今后进一步加强对纳米TiO2的环境健康和生态毒性研究,以建立纳米TiO2的环境健康安全暴露评价体系,促进纳米技术的健康、安全和可持续发展。     

基于土壤模式生物的纳米材料毒理研究进展

随着纳米科技与工业的高速发展,大量的纳米材料被广泛应用并最终汇聚到土壤环境中,对土壤生态和人体健康造成潜在影响。由于土壤生物具有多样性,选择具有代表性、敏感性并便于获取的土壤模式生物作为实验受体进行纳米材料的生物安全评估及环境毒理效应研究尤为重要。较为系统地回顾和总结了几种典型土壤模式生物的特点,为纳米材料毒理研究中受试生物的选择提供参考,在此基础上整理了大量基于典型土壤模式生物的纳米材料毒性研究资料,归纳了不同层次的研究方法,分析探索了纳米材料毒性机理,并展望了未来的研究重点。     

纳米材料对藻细胞毒性效应及致毒机理

纳米材料因其独特的性质被广泛应用于生物医疗、光学工程、催化等领域。随着纳米材料的生产量逐年增大,越来越多的纳米粒子被释放到水生生态环境中,其生态毒性效应影响也备受人们的关注。本文根据纳米材料的分类总结了不同种类纳米材料对水生生态系统的初级生产者藻类的毒性效应,归纳了纳米材料影响藻类毒性大小的主要因素,如纳米材料的物理化学性质、水体性质和藻种等,并探讨了纳米材料对藻类的致毒机理,如金属离子溶出、氧化损伤和遮光效应等,最后总结展望了纳米毒理学研究的发展方向,以期为纳米材料对藻类的毒性研究提供一定的理论依据。     

水体中金属(氧化物)纳米颗粒的环境行为与污染控制研究进展

金属(氧化物)纳米材料在生产和使用过程中,可以通过各种途径进入到水环境中,对水生生物、生态环境和人体健康产生威胁.理解纳米颗粒在水体中的环境行为,对于评估纳米材料的归趋及其对环境和人体的健康风险至关重要.本文概述了金属(氧化物)纳米颗粒的性质、来源和毒性危害,汇总了表征纳米颗粒浓度、粒径及形貌的分析方法与技术,分析了它们在水环境中的环境行为以及影响其稳定性的主要环境因素,并总结了水体中金属(氧化物)纳米颗粒的去除方法和效果的最新研究进展.随着金属(氧化物)纳米材料的广泛应用,未来有必要加强对自然水体中纳米颗粒环境行为的研究,并系统开展纳米颗粒健康风险评估工作,为预测纳米材料进入水环境后的归趋和风险提供科学依据.     

表面活性剂对二氧化钛纳米颗粒和锌离子复合细菌毒性的影响

纳米颗粒和重金属的复合生态毒性已受到广泛关注.作为水体中的常见污染物,表面活性剂可能会影响纳米颗粒和重金属的复合毒性.本文选取常见的阴离子表面活性剂十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)和非离子表面活性剂Tween 80,以Zn~(2+)为重金属代表,通过细菌毒性实验研究表面活性剂对nano-TiO_2和Zn~(2+)对大肠杆菌复合毒性的影响,通过纳米颗粒性质表征、颗粒沉降实验、吸附实验、细菌细胞外膜渗透性测定等揭示毒性影响机制.研究表明,nano-TiO_2通过吸附Zn~(2+)降低了Zn~(2+)在介质中的溶解浓度,两者复合毒性小于其叠加毒性; SDBS和Zn~(2+)作用后降低了Zn~(2+)自身的生物可利用性,同时增强了细胞外膜渗透性.当SDBS浓度大于50 mg·L-1,Zn~(2+)浓度大于4 mg·L-1时,两者复合毒性表现为协同效应.3种污染物共存时,nano-TiO_2的存在降低了Zn~(2+)和SDBS的复合毒性.Tween 80对nano-TiO_2和Zn~(2+)的单独毒性及复合毒性影响均不明显.本研究结果可为表面活性剂存在下纳米颗粒和重金属对细菌或其它生物的复合毒性评价提供理论依据.     

人工纳米材料对贝类生态毒理效应的研究进展

纳米技术已成为21世纪发展最迅猛的技术领域之一。纳米材料因其具备新异的物理、化学特性而广泛应用于各种领域,包括农业,电子工业,生物医学,制造业,医药品和化妆品等,因此纳米颗粒不可避免会释放到水环境中。贝类由于其具有分布广,处于食物链中的关键位置,滤食食性,对重金属及污染物有较强的生物累积能力,且很多贝类具有养殖和商业价值,因而纳米颗粒对贝类的生态毒性效应备受关注。本文通过对已有相关研究成果进行归纳分析,重点阐述了3方面的内容:1)人工纳米材料在水环境中的行为;2)贝类作为水生污染监测指示生物的重要意义;3)人工纳米材料对贝类的毒性效应,主要包括贝类对纳米颗粒摄取、积累和转移,并从组织细胞水平,分子和基因水平,胚胎发育和个体生长水平等阐述了纳米材料对贝类的毒性效应。     

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.     

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     

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.     

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.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

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.