生物炭的制备温度及酸处理对卡马西平的吸附动力学影响

本研究考察了卡马西平(CBZ)在9种不同条件(裂解温度200、300、500℃,无酸,HCI和HCI-HF)处理的生物炭上的吸附动力学,分别应用拟一级、拟二级和双室一级3种动力学模型对实验数据进行拟合.研究结果表明,双室一级动力学模型对吸附动力学提供了更精确的描述.裂解温度和酸处理对CBZ的吸附动力学有显著影响,具体表现为不同酸洗导致矿物含量发生显著变化,矿物对生物炭吸附CBZ的快室吸附单元起主要作用,生物炭内部的芳香环随生物炭的升高而更加致密,生物炭内部的芳香环结构主要贡献于慢室吸附单元.生物炭的矿物组分一方面屏蔽了有机质上的一些吸附点位,另一方面矿物自身可以有效地吸附污染物,酸洗去矿物对生物炭吸附污染物的表观影响可能取决于两个方面的平衡.     

氧氟沙星在不同性质碳基吸附剂上的吸附动力学特征

本研究探讨用香蕉皮和玉米芯两类生物质制备的生物炭、多壁纳米碳管(CNTs)和活性炭(AC)对氧氟沙星(OFL)的吸附动力学过程.结果表明,吸附动力学过程符合双室一级动力学模型.OFL在两类生物炭上的吸附能力随炭化温度的升高而减弱,归因于生物质炭化程度的增大,芳香性增加,生物炭有机分配相减少.生物炭的O含量极大地影响了其与水分子之间形成水膜的能力,OFL穿透水膜在生物炭表面上的吸附过程成为控制OFL吸附快慢的关键环节.OFL在CNTs和AC的快室吸附比在生物炭上的先趋于平衡,这可能与CNTs和AC较为单一的表面性质有关.CNTs的慢室吸附比AC的慢室吸附需要更长时间达到平衡,主要原因是随着OFL分子在CNTs表面持续吸附,原先由于疏水性作用聚合在一起的CNTs逐渐分散开,暴露出更多的表面积,导致OFL持续的吸附,在动力学上表现为慢室吸附.此外,单位比表面积上CNTs对OFL的吸附量最高,表明如果能够使CNTs充分分散,大量暴露的表面可能使CNTs成为去除有机污染的高效吸附剂.     

腐殖酸负载对萘和1-萘酚在生物炭上吸附动力学的影响

进入环境的生物炭对有机污染物的吸附过程受到普遍共存的溶解性有机质的影响.本研究将两种腐殖酸组分负载在以玉米秸秆为原料、不同炭化温度下(200、400、600℃)制得的生物炭上,考察极性和非极性有机污染物萘和1-萘酚在原始和腐殖酸负载生物炭上的吸附动力学,分别应用拟一级、拟二级和双室一级3种动力学模型对实验数据进行拟合.结果表明,拟二级和双室一级动力学模型均能较好地描述动力学吸附过程.腐殖酸负载对生物炭上萘和1-萘酚的吸附动力学有显著影响,使得平衡吸附量(Q_e)下降,而表观吸附速率提高.致密的芳香碳组分和纳米级孔隙主要对萘和1-萘酚在生物炭上的慢吸附单元起作用,腐殖酸负载降低了生物炭的芳香化程度和孔隙度,慢吸附对总吸附的贡献(f_(slow))降低.生物炭内部有机碳的致密性降低,使得萘和1-萘酚分子容易扩散进入生物炭颗粒内部,加之表面积和孔隙度减少,缩短吸附平衡时间,两种化合物的慢吸附速率常数(k_(slow))均提高.负载腐殖酸后,两种化合物的快吸附速率常数(k_(fast))的变化却不同.腐殖酸负载向生物炭表面引入含氧极性官能团,阻碍萘分子向表面疏水吸附位点扩散,使得萘的k_(fast)下降;而由于1-萘酚是极性有机物,除了疏水作用,其结构中的—OH能通过氢键与生物炭表面相互作用,其k_(fast)反而升高.     

牛粪源生物炭对水中甲基紫的吸附动力学和热力学

600℃缺氧热解制得牛粪源生物炭(CBC),采用SEM、FTIR和XRD等分析手段对生物炭理化性质进行表征,并通过静态平衡吸附法研究了CBC对甲基紫的吸附动力学及热力学过程.结果表明,甲基紫的吸附量随着其初始浓度的增加而增大,初始浓度由10 mg·L~(-1)增加到40 mg·L~(-1),平衡吸附量由5 mg·g~(-1)提高到30 mg·g~(-1),吸附过程先快后慢,60 min后吸附达到平衡;甲基紫的吸附量还随溶液pH的增加而增大,随温度的升高而增大;用准一级动力学方程、准二级动力学方程、Langmuir吸附等温方程、Freundlich吸附等温方程对试验数据进行拟合,结果表明,准二级动力学模型更准确地反映其吸附动力学过程,Freundlich等温方程与实验数据拟合度更好,即甲基紫在CBC上的吸附以化学吸附为主;吸附热力学参数ΔG~o0、ΔS~o0、ΔH~o0,表明甲基紫在CBC上的吸附是自发进行的吸热过程.     

马铃薯秸秆生物炭对黄土吸附Cd(Ⅱ)的影响

为了探究来源于本地农业废弃物的生物炭对区域重金属污染黄土吸附固定化修复的可行性,本文采用批量平衡实验法,研究了马铃薯秸秆生物炭、黄土和生物炭与黄土混合物(加炭黄土)吸附重金属Cd(Ⅱ)的性能,考察了吸附时间、初始Cd(Ⅱ)浓度和溶液p H值对吸附过程的影响,并利用红外光谱、X-射线衍射分析等方法对吸附前后的生物炭和黄土分别进行表征.结果表明,生物炭、黄土、加炭黄土对Cd(Ⅱ)的吸附等温模式符合Langmuir模型,在25℃下的最大吸附量分别为15.60、7.87、12.40 mg·g~(-10,吸附动力学数据满足准二级动力学方程,溶液初始p H值对Cd(Ⅱ)的吸附过程影响较大,2p H4和6p H8时,吸附量增加速率很快,而4p H6时,吸附量平缓上升.表征结果说明离子交换和阳离子-π作用为生物炭对Cd(Ⅱ)的主要吸附机制,而黄土对Cd(Ⅱ)的吸附主要归因于石英、高岭石等黏土矿物以及有机质中的羧基基团.对比动力学和等温吸附数据可得,在实验研究范围内,生物炭的添加使黄土对Cd(Ⅱ)的吸附能力分别提高了41.50%和49.94%.因此,在一定条件下,生物炭的输入可有效提高黄土对Cd(Ⅱ)的吸附固定化能力.     

花生壳和松木屑制备的生物炭对Cu~(2+)的吸附研究

为了深入了解生物炭施用对重金属环境行为和风险的影响,研究了生物炭吸附Cu~(2+)的机理。以花生壳和松木屑为原料,采用限氧升温炭化法,在200~500℃热裂解制得8种生物炭,并通过元素分析仪、傅立叶变换红外光谱分析(FITR)和扫描电镜-能谱分析(SEM/EDS)对其进行了表征。同时,采用批试验方法研究了生物炭对Cu~(2+)吸附行为。研究结果表明,(1)热解温度越高,灰分含量越多,p H增大,生物炭芳构化程度越高,比表面积更大;(2)Cu~(2+)在生物炭上的吸附动力学划分为快吸附和慢吸附两个一级动力学阶段,其中快室是生物炭表面含氧官能团如羧基(-COOH)、酚羟基(-OH)等与重金属离子相互作用的吸附,慢速室是生物炭通过颗粒内扩散作用被生物炭吸附;(3)FM模型更适合于对花生壳和松木屑制备的生物炭吸附Cu~(2+)的数据进行拟合,所得非线性指数(n)的值在0.23~0.67之间且随热解温度升高n值越来越小;(4)在热解温度为200~500℃,花生壳生物炭对Cu~(2+)的吸附量先下降后增加且PS5对Cu~(2+)的吸附性能最佳;而松木生物炭对Cu~(2+)的吸附量没有明显的规律性变化,但PC2对Cu~(2+)的吸附性能最佳。     

Cr(Ⅵ)和Cu(Ⅱ)在胡麻和油菜生物质炭上吸附的交互作用

以胡麻、油菜的秸秆和油渣热解制得的4种生物炭为吸附剂,以批平衡吸附实验研究了Cr(Ⅵ)-Cu(Ⅱ)混合溶液体系中两种金属的吸附作用,考察吸附时间和初始金属浓度对吸附作用的影响,并与单一吸附体系对比,分析了可能的交互作用机制.发现混合体系中生物炭对Cr(Ⅵ)和Cu(Ⅱ)的吸附动力学和热力学规律与单一金属体系下相似,但生物炭对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附量较单一Cr(Ⅵ)体系略有增加但不显著,而Cu(Ⅱ)的吸附量较单一Cu(Ⅱ)体系明显增大.表明两种金属在4种生物炭上的吸附存在交互作用,为协同吸附作用.交互作用的主要机制是两种金属离子间正负电荷的静电引力作用.     

三维多孔生物炭吸附剂的制备及其对菲的吸附行为

以生活中常见的丝瓜络为原材料,在氮气保护和不同温度(600、700、800、900℃)的条件下热解制备了三维多孔丝瓜络生物炭(LSBC600、LSBC700、LSBC800、LSBC900)。表征了丝瓜络生物炭的理化性质,通过动力学吸附实验和等温线吸附实验研究了不同热解温度条件下制备的丝瓜络生物炭对菲的吸附动力学特征和吸附等温线特征,探讨了可能的吸附机理,评估三维多孔生物炭对菲的去除能力,为水生态系统保护和饮用水安全提供科学依据。结果表明,热解温度会影响生物炭的表面官能团组成,进而影响其芳香性。丝瓜络生物炭呈现多管束堆叠的三维多孔结构,随着热解温度的升高,挥发性物质减少,丝瓜络生物炭的表面变得粗糙,比表面积增大,芳香结构增加;LSBC900的比表面积达到了467 m²·g^-1。吸附动力学结果说明,丝瓜络生物炭对菲的吸附是复杂和多阶段的,主导吸附速率的是液膜扩散过程,其次是颗粒内扩散过程。在600-900℃范围内,随着热解温度的升高,丝瓜络生物炭对菲的平衡吸附量升高,吸附速率加快。吸附等温线结果说明,热解温度升高可以提高丝瓜络生物炭对菲的吸附容...     

溶解性有机质(DOM)对不同浓度卡马西平在蒙脱土上吸附行为的影响

为探究溶解性有机质(DOM)对药物和个人护理品(PPCPs)类污染物吸附过程的影响,以卡马西平(CBZ)为目标污染物,以蒙脱土为介质,用商用腐殖酸(HA)制备DOM,开展吸附实验,并采用紫外-可见光吸收光谱和红外光谱表征等手段,研究了DOM对不同浓度CBZ在蒙脱土上吸附影响的差异及机制.等温吸附实验结果显示:DOM对不同浓度CBZ吸附影响方式不同.CBZ浓度较低时(0.2—1.5 mg·L~(-1)),DOM对CBZ的吸附表现为抑制作用,吸附等温线为L型;浓度较高时(5—40 mg·L~(-1))表现为由抑制转为促进作用,吸附等温线为C型.结合表征结果分析认为,CBZ浓度是影响DOM存在下CBZ吸附行为的主要因素.DOM与低浓度CBZ的结合能力弱,此时大分子量DOM与CBZ竞争有限的吸附位点,小分子量DOM与CBZ结合起到增溶作用,而DOM中以大分子量物质为主,因而DOM对CBZ的吸附抑制作用增强,形成L型吸附等温线;DOM与高浓度CBZ的结合能力较强,结合物质的分子量随CBZ浓度升高而逐渐增大,进而引起共吸附和累积吸附现象产生,在蒙脱土上形成的新的活性吸附位点,从而导致CBZ的吸附促进作用随污染物浓度的升高而增强,形成C型吸附等温线.     

生物炭对极性与非极性有机污染物的吸附机理

以玉米秸秆为原料,分别在200、400、600、700℃下制备了不同性质的生物炭,对其性质进行了表征.研究了极性物质普萘洛尔和非极性物质萘在生物炭上的吸附,并对不同物质的吸附机理进行了探讨.结果表明,随裂解温度的升高,生物炭芳香性增强,极性降低,比表面积增大.普萘洛尔和萘的吸附都随生物炭裂解温度的升高而增大,普萘洛尔的lgKoc由3.10(低平衡浓度3 mg·L~(-1))和2.88(高浓度10 mg·L~(-1))增加到3.89和3.67;萘的lgKoc由2.74(低平衡浓度3 mg·L~(-1))和2.65(高浓度15 mg·L~(-1))增加到4.59和4.05.疏水分配作用对萘在低温生物炭上的吸附起主要作用,而随裂解温度升高,表面吸附和孔填充所占贡献逐渐增强.除了以上机理,普萘洛尔还可通过静电吸引进行吸附,而且在BC200上,由于大量极性官能团的作用,有利于静电吸附,其对普萘洛尔的吸附显著大于对萘的吸附;而且存在分子的倾斜吸附或多分子层吸附,单位表面积的吸附量远远大于单分子层吸附预测值.而在高温生物炭上,由于萘的分子较小而憎水性较高有利于孔填充作用,其对萘的吸附大于对普萘洛尔的吸附.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.