新型甲醛被动式检气管的研制

新研制的甲醛被动式检气管是建立在气体分子扩散和化学吸收原理基础上的，检气管内的惰性担体上浸渍了对甲醛特效的希夫试剂。当管内进入甲醛气体时，即发生显色反应，检气管的显色长度的平方与甲醛浓度及采样时间的乘积成线性关系。检出下限为０．０１５ｍｇ＃Ｌ（采样５ｈ），它集采样与分析为一体，结构简单，不需动力，便于携带和操作方便，应用于检测某厂刨花板车间和制胶车间的甲醛气体，与传统的注射器采样比色分析法对比，结     

硫化氢气体快速检测方法研究

研究了快速监测硫化氢气体的新方法——硫化氢被动式检气管方法。该法是基于气体分子扩散(Fick)定律和化学吸收原理,将检气管内的海棉载体涂渍上对硫化氢有特效的显色剂(缓冲液G和醋酸铅)。测定时,硫化氢通过检气管端口扩散进入管内,在经过载体时,与载体上的显色剂发生反应,从而产生明显的颜色变化(浅黄色变成棕黑色)。检气管显色长度的平方与硫化氢质量浓度及采样时间的乘积在50~1500mg·m-3范围内成线性关系,从而快速监测环境中硫化氢的时间加权平均质量浓度。该检气管集采样与分析为一体,可快速测定硫化氢气体的质量浓度。与传统的采样分析方法比较,该检气管结构简单,操作方便,不受被测环境的空间大小、有无电源等影响;携带方便,利于外出测定和大面积布点测定。经过应用实验表明,该检气管具有较高的灵敏度,达到设计要求。     

大气汞形态测定中吸附剂的选择及性能

本文选择了上试-402树脂作为常温高效选择性吸附氯化甲基汞的吸附剂,改进了Cbromosorb W-SE30-HCl吸附剂管的制备方法,并同时组装了一套由微孔纤维滤膜与Chromosorb W-SE30-HCl、402树脂、螺旋银丝、镀金细砂等四种吸附管串联组成的采样系统,由小型采样机抽气采样,于常温下同时依次富集颗粒汞、氯化汞、氯化甲基汞、单质汞及二甲基汞,系统小型轻便,适于野外采样。采样后,四种吸附剂分别采用高低两种温度脱汞。上述五种形态汞均由装有高温石英原子化器的AAs定量测定。     

北京地区大气中汞污染状况的初步调查

用镀金细砂填充的石英采样管在采暖期的非采暖期于北京地区七个采样点收集空气中的气态汞，用二步汞齐化原子吸收法测定其浓度并与实时分析结果进行比较，两种方法的结果都表明，采暖期北京地区大气中汞的浓度低于非采暖期大气中汞的浓度，对于除燃煤以外汞的来源尚需进一步研究。     

浙西地区典型节能灯加工集聚区大气气态总汞污染特征研究

汞是最具危害性的全球性重金属污染物，而节能灯生产引起的汞污染问题则日益突出。选取浙西地区某典型节能灯加工集聚区为研究对象，等间距设置7个采样点及1个对照点，每3个月采样一次，采用多台高时间分辨率自动测汞仪(Tekran2537A)对集聚区周边环境中大气气态总汞(TGM)开展了为期2 a的实时同步观测，通过分析节能灯加工集聚区TGM质量浓度特征及其时空变化特征，旨在明确规模化节能灯加工产业对当地大气环境的影响，明晰其大气汞污染现状，以期为后续深入研究和环境修复提供理论支持。结果表明：浙西地区典型节能灯加工集聚区TGM质量浓度[(3.22±0.78) ng·m-3]显著高于全球TGM质量浓度背景值(1.5~2.0 ng·m-3)和研究区设置对照点TGM质量浓度水平[(1.20±0.35) ng·m-3]，显示集聚区大气已受到一定程度的汞污染。同时，研究区内各采样点TGM质量浓度波动幅度较大(0.93~6.74 ng·m-3)，说明节能灯加工带来的人为排汞对采样点环境影响显著。此外，节能灯加工集聚区TGM质量浓度具有明显的季节性和空间异质性。在季节上表现为：冬季>秋季>夏季>春季，受研究区温度和土壤环境条件影响较大，且TGM质量浓度波动情况与当地春耕秋种时节较为频繁的人为活动情况相一致。在水平分布上表现为：随节能灯加工集聚区中心距离的增加而逐渐减小，各采样点组间TGM质量浓度标准差变化幅度大，组内变化不大，说明汞的大气传输和扩散可能与空气的稀释作用、汞的干湿沉降及地形、风向、风速等因素有关，同时，小范围内空气交换速度不大，TGM质量浓度保持相对稳定。因此，浙西地区节能灯加工产业已对当地大气环境产生了一定的影响，必须采取有效措施控制节能灯加工带来的大气汞污染问题。     

汞的高灵敏分光光度测定—在阴离子表面活性剂存在下用3,5-Br_2-DMPAP作显色剂

这是一种在水相直接比色的汞的分光光度测定方法。十二烷基磺酸钠存在时。汞与2-(3,5-二溴吡啶偶氮)-5-二甲氨基酚的显色反应呈现了相当高的灵敏度,其摩尔吸光系数为1.1×10~5。该体系可以用来定量测定土壤、矿物及水样中微量汞,为环境保护中汞的监视提出了一个新的方法。     

天津汉沽附近地面大气中汞的分布

天津汉沽大气中汞的主要来源为天津化工厂氯碱车间、低洼地的河底泥及汞盐泥堆等向大气释放、扩散的汞。 根据1980年—1981年在天津市汉沽定点采样分析得知,颗粒态汞通常仅占总汞的少部分(约10％),并出现于近地面的大气中。挥发态汞的组成,以巯基棉收集分离为无机汞与有机汞,其含量有一定规律。     

贵州省务川地区土法炼汞工人汞蒸汽暴露调查及健康影响评价

为探讨土法炼汞过程中汞蒸汽暴露对炼汞工人健康的影响,测定了贵州省务川土法炼汞区和对照区(贵州省长顺县)人群的尿汞、尿常规参数(pH、葡萄糖、尿胆红素原、潜血、尿蛋白)、尿肌酐和尿β2微球蛋白含量,并对两地区人群进行了详细的健康检查．测定结果显示,土法炼汞区人群尿汞和尿β2微球蛋白的平均含量分别高达779μg·g-1 Cr 和208．5μg·g-1 Cr,远远高于对照区人群的尿汞1．24μg·g-1 Cr和尿β2微球蛋白75．4μg·g-1 Cr．分析表明,务川地区土法炼汞人群遭受了较严重的汞蒸汽暴露,部分暴露人群已经表现出轻度慢性汞中毒的症状,其肾脏已经遭受到一定程度的损伤．     

天然石生苔藓汞含量及对大气汞污染的生物指示

采集贵州万山汞矿区6属7种优势种类苔藓84个样品,测定其汞含量,同时现场监测部分苔藓采样点近地表大气汞,定量分析苔藓汞和大气汞质量浓度之间的关系.结果显示,研究区苔藓汞质量浓度范围为0.96—126μg·g~(-1),平均值80±46μg·g~(-1),受触媒生产、废触媒回收等涉汞化工厂生产活动影响显著;苔藓汞与大气汞呈正相关关系,表现为线性拟合相关性系数r=0.93(n=12,P=0.01030),多项式拟合相关性系数r=0.96(n=12,P=0.01169),对数拟合相关性系数r=0.96(n=12,P=0.00469);选择对数拟合方程估算苔藓采样点大气汞浓度,发现拟合得到的大气汞空间分布特征和实测苔藓汞空间分布特征基本一致,从而通过定量/半定量方法证明了可以利用苔藓汞指示大气汞污染,为汞污染场地修复过程中的大气汞污染评价提供了新思路.     

贵州万山汞矿地区耐汞野生植物研究

在贵州万山地区废弃汞矿堆和矿山附近,受长期高剂量汞暴露的影响经过的自然选择,该地区出现了一些能耐受汞毒性的生态型植物。对汞耐受及汞富集植物的筛选对于汞污染土壤的植物修复具有一定的现实意义。通过对万山梅子溪地区汞污染土壤及汞耐受植物采样调查发现,该区域采样土壤中汞的含量均在50 mg·kg-1以上,达到重度汞污染水平。对该地区野生植物的采样分析发现,蔷薇科植物悬钩子不仅数量较多,单株植物生物量较大,表现出很强的耐汞毒性的能力,而且植株内可以很大程度地富集汞,在其植株中汞的含量可达20 mg·kg-1左右,属于汞富集植物,另外发现野蒿对汞也具有较强的富集能力,其植株中汞的含量可达10 mg·kg-1以上。该类型植物的发现将为植物的汞耐受以及汞富集机理研究提供新的素材,为汞污染土壤的植物修复技术提供新的植物类型,也为进一步开发汞污染土壤处理技术提供了一种可能。     

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.     

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.