螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物对水中磷酸盐的去除作用

通过试验研究了螺蛳壳、鱼骨以及螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物对水中磷酸盐的去除作用。结果表明,当磷酸盐初始质量浓度C0为20 mg·L-1、pH值为7、T为303 K条件下,螺蛳壳投加量为4 g·L-1时对水中磷酸盐的去除率在36 h时达最大值86%;鱼骨投加量为2 g·L-1时,在不存在钙离子的情况下鱼骨对磷酸盐的去除率较低,当反应时间为5 h时仅为36%左右;螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物可以有效去除水中的磷酸盐,特别是较短时间内(12 h以内)其去除能力明显优于单独投加螺蛳壳或鱼骨,投加量为6 g·L-1时其对水中磷酸盐的去除率在12 h时达最大值96%。pH值,水中共存的Cl-、SO42-、Na+、K+和Mg2+对螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物去除水中磷酸盐的影响较小,HCO3-会抑制螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物对水中磷酸盐的去除,而Ca2+则会促进螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物对水中磷酸盐的去除。螺蛳壳和鱼骨混合物对水中磷酸盐的主要去除机制包括螺蛳壳和鱼骨对磷酸盐的表面吸附作用以及钙磷化合物沉淀作用。鱼骨可以为钙磷化合物沉淀的异质成核提供核心,促进钙磷化合物沉淀的生成;螺蛳壳和鱼骨所释放出来的钙离子可以为钙磷化合物沉淀的形成提供钙源。     

镧和阳离子表面活性剂联合改性活性炭对水中磷酸盐和硝酸盐的吸附作用

采用镧(La)和阳离子表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基氯化铵(HDTMA-Cl)对活性炭进行联合改性,并考察了La和HDTMA联合改性活性炭(La-HDTMA改性活性炭)对水中磷酸盐和硝酸盐的吸附性能.实验结果表明,La-HDTMA改性活性炭对磷酸盐和硝酸盐具备一定的吸附去除能力.La-HDTMA改性活性炭对水中磷酸盐和硝酸盐的吸附动力学过程符合准二级动力学模型,吸附平衡数据可以采用Langmuir、Freundlich和Dubinin-Radushkevich(D-R)等温吸附模型加以描述.根据Langmuir等温吸附模型计算得到的La-HDTMA改性活性炭对磷酸盐和硝酸盐最大吸附量分别为4.15 mg·g-1和11.2 mg·g-1.当p H值由4增加到8时,La-HDTMA改性活性炭对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力增加;当p H值超过8时,对磷酸盐的吸附能力则下降.LaHDTMA改性活性炭对水中硝酸盐的吸附能力随p H值的增加而下降.水中共存的Cl-、HCO-3和SO2-4等阴离子会抑制La-HDTMA改性活性炭对磷酸盐和硝酸盐的吸附.水中共存的硝酸盐会抑制La-HDTMA改性活性炭对磷酸盐的吸附,共存的磷酸盐亦会抑制La-HDTMA改性活性炭对硝酸盐的吸附.采用1 mol·L-1Na OH溶液可以使71%吸附剂上的磷酸盐解吸下来,采用1 mol·L-1的Na Cl溶液可以使97%吸附剂上的硝酸盐解吸下来.La-HDTMA改性活性炭对水中磷酸盐的吸附机制主要是阴离子交换、静电吸引、配位体交换作用和路易斯酸碱反应,对硝酸盐的吸附机制主要是阴离子交换和静电吸引作用.     

锆负载量对锆镁改性膨润土吸附水中磷酸盐的影响

制备了锆氧化物(ZrO_2)含量分别为2.98%、7.81%、13.73%和33.70%的4种锆镁改性膨润土,并考察了锆负载量对锆镁改性膨润土吸附水中磷酸盐的影响.结果表明,较高的吸附剂投加量有利于水中磷酸盐被锆镁改性膨润土所吸附去除.锆镁改性膨润土吸附水中磷酸盐的动力学过程符合准二级动力学模型.锆镁改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐的吸附等温行为可以采用Langmuir、Freundlich和Dubinin-Redushckevich (D-R)等温吸附模型进行描述.增加溶液pH值不会导致锆镁改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐吸附能力的下降.锆镁改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力随其锆含量的增加而增加.但是,从总体上,锆镁改性膨润土中单位质量ZrO_2对水中磷酸盐的最大吸附量则随其锆含量的增加而降低.研究结果说明,锆镁改性膨润土适合作为一种吸附剂去除水中的磷酸盐,较高的锆负载量有利于增强锆镁改性膨润土吸附水中磷酸盐的能力,而较低的锆负载量则有利于提高锆镁改性膨润土中单位质量ZrO_2对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力.     

共存钙离子对镧铝改性稻壳生物炭除磷性能的影响

本研究利用稻壳制备高介孔率生物炭,然后用共沉淀法负载金属La、Al,制得镧铝改性稻壳基生物炭吸附剂.通过控制反应时间、磷浓度、共存阴离子、初始pH等条件,研究共存钙离子时对吸附剂除磷性能的影响.结果表明,La、Al在稻壳基生物炭上负载后呈无定型态;吸附剂的除磷过程符合伪二阶动力学模型和Langmuir模型,且Ca~(2+)的加入有利于提高磷的去除率,含Ca~(2+)体系的最终除磷效果是无Ca~(2+)时的2.6倍;含竞争阴离子时,Ca~(2+)的加入会使F~-对磷吸附的抑制作用减弱,使HCO_3~-对磷吸附的抑制作用略微增强;在pH值为2.0—8.0时,Ca~(2+)能提高改性生物炭的吸附容量,而pH8.0时主要是钙离子与磷酸盐的沉淀作用使体系中磷大量被去除.     

镧-四氧化三铁-沸石复合材料制备及去除水中磷酸盐和铵

采用La3+、Fe~(2+)、Fe3+和粉末状天然沸石制备了一种镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料,通过批量吸附实验考察了该复合材料对水中磷酸盐和铵的吸附作用.结果表明,镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对水中磷酸盐和铵的单位吸附量随吸附剂投加量的增加而降低,对磷酸盐和铵的去除率随吸附剂投加量的增加而增加.当溶液pH值由6逐渐增加到11时,镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对水中磷酸盐和铵的吸附能力逐渐下降.镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对水中磷酸盐的吸附平衡数据可以采用Langmuir、Freundlich和Dubinin-Redushkevich(D-R)等温吸附模型加以拟合,对铵的吸附平衡数据可以采用Langmuir和D-R等温吸附模型加以拟合.根据Langmuir模型计算得到的镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对水中磷酸盐和铵的最大单位吸附量分别为12.9 mg·g~(-1)(以磷计)和6.99 mg·g~(-1)(以铵计).镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对水中磷酸盐和铵的吸附动力学过程可以采用准二级动力学方程加以描述.升高反应温度增强了镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对水中磷酸盐和铵的吸附.溶液存在的氯离子、硫酸根离子和碳酸氢根离子对镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料吸附磷无负面影响.溶液存在的钾离子对镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料吸附铵的负面影响最大,其次为钠离子,钙离子的负面影响最小.1 mol·L~(-1)NaOH溶液可以使50%左右吸附到吸附剂上的磷酸盐解吸下来.1 mol·L~(-1)NaCl溶液可以使98%左右吸附到吸附剂上的铵解吸下来.当溶液pH值为7时,镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对磷酸盐的吸附机制主要是配位体交换作用.镧-Fe_3O_4-沸石复合材料对铵的吸附机制主要是阳离子交换作用.     

氢氧化镧改良沉积物对水中磷的吸附特征

考察了氢氧化镧改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附特征,并考察了被改良沉积物所吸附磷酸盐的形态分布特征.结果发现,氢氧化镧改良沉积物对水中低浓度磷酸盐的吸附可以采用线性模型进行描述,而对高浓度磷酸盐的吸附则适合采用Langmuir模型进行描述.准二级动力学比准一级动力学模型更适合用于拟合改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附动力学过程,膜扩散和颗粒内扩散共同控制了缓慢吸附阶段的速率.强碱性条件不利于改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附.溶液共存的Cl~-、SO_4~(2-)、HCO~3~-、Na~+、K~+和Mg~(2+)对改良沉积物吸附水中磷酸盐的影响较小,而溶液共存的Ca~(2+)会促进改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附.改良沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力明显强于未改良沉积物.改良沉积物的最大磷酸盐单位吸附量明显高于未改良沉积物,并且改良沉积物的最大单位吸附量随着氢氧化镧添加量的增加而增加.改良沉积物的初始吸附速率随着氢氧化镧添加量的增加也随之增加.改良沉积物的磷吸附-解吸平衡浓度(EPC0)明显低于未改良沉积物.被改良沉积物所吸附的磷酸盐中大部分(84%)以较为稳定的NaOH-rP和HCl-P形态存在,仅仅只有16%左右会以容易释放的NH_4Cl-P和BD-P形态存在.以上结果显示,添加氢氧化镧不仅可以增强沉积物对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力,而且可以降低沉积物中磷的释放风险,氢氧化镧是一种有希望的可以用于沉积物内源磷释放的改良剂.     

镧改性沸石改良太湖底泥的磷吸附特征

采用镧改性沸石对太湖底泥进行改良,通过吸附试验分析镧改性沸石改良太湖底泥的磷酸盐吸附特征.结果表明,Langmuir和Freundlich等温吸附模型可以较好地描述太湖底泥对水体中较高浓度磷酸盐(1～15 mg·L-1)的吸附平衡,根据Langmuir吸附方程,未改良太湖底泥对水体中磷的最大吸附容量为791 mg·kg-1,镧改性沸石添加量为10、25和50 g·kg-1的改良太湖底泥对水体中磷的最大吸附容量分别为937、1 037和1 505mg.kg-1.准二级动力学模型可以较好地描述太湖底泥对磷酸盐的吸附动力学过程.太湖底泥对磷酸盐的去除能力随pH值增加而降低,其对磷酸盐的吸附属于自发和吸热过程.改良太湖底泥对磷酸盐的吸附能力明显高于未改良太湖底泥,并且其吸附能力随镧改性沸石添加量的增加而增加.镧改性沸石添加量为10～50 g · kg-1的改良太湖底泥的磷吸附-解吸平衡浓度为0.129～0.241 mg·L-1,明显低于未改良太湖底泥(0.386 mg·L-1).被改良底泥中镧改性沸石所吸附的磷以NaOH-P和HCl-P等较稳定的形态存在,厌氧状态下不易释放.     

热处理富钙海泡石对水体中砷的吸附特征

以富钙海泡石为研究对象,利用简单易行的热处理方法改性,并用X-射线荧光光谱仪(XRF)、X-射线衍射仪(XRD)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM-EDS)对原状和热处理富钙海泡石进行成分和结构分析,研究改性材料对As3+和As5+的吸附特征和影响因素。结果表明,热处理改性显著增加了富钙海泡石对砷的吸附性能,当pH值为7时,对As3+和As5+的最大理论吸附量分别为25.61和30.30 mg·g-1,且吸附等温式符合Langmuir模型;利用吸附动力学方程拟合发现,改性富钙海泡石对As3+动力学吸附符合准二级动力学模型,而对As5+的吸附符合准一级动力学模型和准二级动力学模型。材料粒径对热处理富钙海泡石吸附砷影响较小,当pH值为6~11时,热处理富钙海泡石对砷的吸附影响很小;共存阴离子中PO43-对砷吸附量的影响最大。该研究表明成本较低的热处理富钙海泡石可有效去除废水中的砷。     

富磷污泥生物炭去除水中Pb(Ⅱ)的特性研究

以城市污水厂富磷剩余污泥为研究对象,考察高温热解制备生物炭吸附剂对水中Pb(Ⅱ)的去除效果.研究表明,随着热解温度升高,制备的生物炭对Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附能力增强;在相同热解温度下,生污泥生物炭对Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附能力比消化污泥生物炭大.采用700℃热解1 h制备生污泥生物炭以研究对Pb(Ⅱ)吸附的影响因素,结果显示:吸附180 min达到吸附平衡;富磷污泥生物炭对Pb(Ⅱ)的去除率随pH增加而升高;生物炭投加量增加,对Pb(Ⅱ)去除率上升,而单位吸附容量迅速减小.污泥生物炭对Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附符合准二级反应动力学,Langmuir模型比Freundlich模型能更好地拟合等温吸附线.在pH 5.0、吸附时间3 h、生物炭投加量20 g.L-1条件下,对Pb(Ⅱ)的最大吸附量为34.5 mg.g-1,表明富磷污泥生物炭可以作为一种廉价的吸附剂.     

木本泥炭对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附性能

以木本泥炭为吸附材料,用于去除水中的Cr(Ⅵ).研究了溶液pH值、吸附时间、木本泥炭用量、缓冲液浓度和初始浓度对Cr(Ⅵ)吸附的影响,以及溶液pH值对Cr(Ⅵ)解吸附的影响.结果表明,木本泥炭对Cr(Ⅵ)的去除率随溶液pH值的增大而减小,当溶液pH值为4时,木本泥炭对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附能力最强,3.33 g·L~(-1)木本泥炭对100 mg·L~(-1)Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附量为29. 98 mg·g~(-1);当磷酸盐缓冲液浓度在0. 10—0.20 mol·L~(-1)范围内时,随着缓冲液浓度的增大Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附量逐渐减小;木本泥炭对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附符合准一级反应动力学,其吸附等温线符合Langmuir吸附模型;当溶液pH值小于6时,Cr(Ⅵ)的解吸率低于0.32%.     

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.