取代苯甲醛衍生物的定量结构-活性关系(QSAR)研究

本文研究了反应性化合物取代苯甲醛衍生物对大型蚤(Daphnia magna)的48h急性毒性,建立了定量结构-活性关系模型,探讨了其毒性作用机制,发现其毒性主要取决于笨环上取代基的Hammett电效应常数.模型预测结果与实验结果基本一致     

有机磷酸酯类化合物的定量结构-活性关系及稳健性分析

应用理论线性溶剂化能关系（TLSER）模型研究了35种有机磷酸酯类（OP）化合物的结构及其对家蝇急性毒性之间的关系,得到了可以指示毒性作用机理的定量结构-活性关系．在OP化合物与生物体的作用过程中,分子的极性是影响活性的最重要因素,表明OP化合物可能与生物体发生特异性反应．采用Bootstrap方法分析模型的稳健性,结果表明,模型的系数、标准误差及相关系数均与Bootstrap估计接近,模型具有较强的稳健性．     

取代苯甲醛衍生物的定量结构—活性关系（QSAR）研究

本文研究了反应性化合物取代苯甲醛衍生物对大型蚤的４８ｈ急性毒性，建立了定量结构－活性关系模型，探讨了其毒性作用机制，发现其毒性主要取决于苯环上取代基的Ｈａｍｍｅｔｔ电效应常数。模预测结果与实验结果基本一致。     

卤代苯甲醚正辛醇/水分配系数(lgKow)的QSPR研究

基于卤代苯甲醚类化合物的定量结构与性质关系,对其中有正辛醇/水分配系数(lgKow)数据的43个卤代苯甲醚进行了HF/6-31G·水平上的结构优化,并在优化结构的基础上进行了分子静电势及其导出参数的计算.选取其中的27个化合物作为训练集,应用多元线性回归方法对卤代苯甲醚的lgKow与分子结构参数进行了关联,其余16个化合物作为测试集.结果表明:分子静电势参数结合分子最低空轨道能级可以很好地表达卤代苯甲醚的lgKow与其分子结构间的定量关系,所建立的QSPR模型具有较强的稳健性和预测能力,同时也证明了分子静电势参数在卤代苯甲醚类化合物QSPR研究中的适用性.     

双酚A类似物雌激素干扰效应的定量结构-活性关系模型

由于双酚A(BPA)具有内分泌干扰等毒性效应,有些国家已经开始限制其在部分工业品生产中使用。一些双酚A类似物因用于替代BPA而被大量使用。因其与双酚A具有相似的分子结构,双酚A类似物是否也具有内分泌干扰等毒性效应受到越来越多的关注。采用逐步多元线性回归(MLR)方法,构建了可预测双酚A类似物雌激素效应的定量结构-活性关系模型。模型的决定系数R~2=0.899,去一法交叉验证系数Q_(LOO)~2=0.868,Bootstrapping验证系数Q_(BOOT)~2=0.755,均方根误差RMSE=0.339,表明模型具有较好的拟合优度、稳健性;验证集决定系数Q_(EXT)~2=0.921,外部验证系数Q_(EXT)~2=0.810,均方根误差RMSE=0.638,表明模型具有较好的预测能力。采用欧几里德距离方法和Wil iams图表征了模型应用域,依据分子描述符对模型进行了机理解释,并用所建模型,填补了22种其他双酚A类似物缺失的雌激素干扰效应数据。     

有机污染物的单电子氧化结构-反应活性定量构效关系

单电子氧化反应是自然界中普遍存在的一种弱氧化反应过程,但不同有机污染物的单电子氧化反应活性具有显著差异,实验筛选需要耗费大量时间和成本.而氧化体系中有机污染物的反应速率常数是衡量其单电子反应活性的一个重要参数.因此,本文首先通过文献系统总结氧化锰体系24种有机污染物的反应动力学速率常数,并基于密度泛函理论（DFT）计算不同有机污染物的电子结构特征参数,进一步采用非线性回归及多元线性回归的方法将不同有机污染物的电子结构特性与单电子氧化的反应速率常数之间构建定量构效关系（QSAR）模型,最后采用留一法对构建的模型进行内部验证;并通过实验补充有机污染物的单电子氧化反应速率常数来验证QSAR模型的预测能力.结果表明,根据文献总结91组氧化锰准一级和二级动力学反应体系构建并筛选得到的最优QSAR模型,均展现了较好的拟合度（R₁²=0.845,R₂²=0.928）,且经过实验总结18组数据进行内外部验证确认了其稳定性(Q²_LOO1=0.801,Q²     

有机污染物的单电子氧化结构-反应活性定量构效关系

单电子氧化反应是自然界中普遍存在的一种弱氧化反应过程,但不同有机污染物的单电子氧化反应活性具有显著差异,实验筛选需要耗费大量时间和成本.而氧化体系中有机污染物的反应速率常数是衡量其单电子反应活性的一个重要参数.因此,本文首先通过文献系统总结氧化锰体系24种有机污染物的反应动力学速率常数,并基于密度泛函理论（DFT）计算不同有机污染物的电子结构特征参数,进一步采用非线性回归及多元线性回归的方法将不同有机污染物的电子结构特性与单电子氧化的反应速率常数之间构建定量构效关系（QSAR）模型,最后采用留一法对构建的模型进行内部验证;并通过实验补充有机污染物的单电子氧化反应速率常数来验证QSAR模型的预测能力.结果表明,根据文献总结91组氧化锰准一级和二级动力学反应体系构建并筛选得到的最优QSAR模型,均展现了较好的拟合度（R₁²=0.845,R₂²=0.928）,且经过实验总结18组数据进行内外部验证确认了其稳定性(Q²_LOO1=0.801,Q²     

苯砜基乙酸酯类化合物发光菌毒性效应的CoMFA研究

应用比较分子场分析方法(CoMFA)对56种苯砜基乙酸酯类化合物的发光菌急性毒性进行了研究,获得了6组分三维定量结构-活性相关模型(3D-QSAR)．模型的交叉验证相关系数(q^2)和常规相关系数(r^2)分别为0．823和0．958,说明该模型具有较高的稳定性和较好的预测能力．模型分析表明：该类化合物发光菌急性毒性效应与化合物分子的空间场和静电场具有显著相关关系．     

取代苯酚类化合物抑藻活性的CoMFA模型

基于比较分子力场分析(CoMFA)方法建立20种取代苯酚类化合物抑藻活性(pI)的三维定量构效关系(3D-QSAR)。训练集中16个化合物用于建立预测模型,测试集5个化合物(含模板分子)作为模型验证。已建立的Co MFA模型的交叉验证系数(Q2)、非交叉验证系数(R2)分别为0.915、0.963,说明所建模型具有较强的稳定性和良好的预测能力。该模型中立体场、静电场贡献率依次为48.4%、51.6%,表明影响抑藻活性(pI)的主要因素是取代基的电荷分布,其次是取代基的疏水性和空间位阻。     

邻苯二甲酸酯类雌激素活性联合作用模型分析

环境雌激素对生命健康影响受到广泛关注,现行污染物环境标准制订和风险评价只针对单一化合物而非混合物效应,不足以保护生命安全与人类健康。为探讨环境雌激素的混合物效应,选择对雌激素敏感的人乳腺癌MCF-7细胞增殖实验,检测雌二醇(E2)、邻苯二甲酸酯类化合物(DBP和DEHP)的单一及其联合雌激素活性;基于单一化合物的浓度-反应曲线,运用浓度相加(CA)和独立作用(IA)模型对混合物的毒性进行预测,并将模型预测结果与混合物实验数据进行比较分析。结果表明,E2、DBP、DEHP对MCF-7细胞的单一作用数据可通过Weibull方程拟合,由拟合方程得到的半数效应浓度(EC50)及95%置信区间分别为3.450×10-6(2.373×10-6~1.675×10-5)、5.138(1.489~1.082×10)、1.186(4.478×10-1~2.24)μmol·L-1;3种化合物的混合物数据亦可通过Weibull、Logistic和Exp Gro1方程进行有效拟合,混合物效应与化合物单独作用产生的效应具有显著性差异;3种化合物表现非相似联合作用,利用独立作用(IA)模型预测混合物效应较为可靠,外源性环境雌激素与内源性雌激素联合作用产生的混合效应显著。环境雌激素混合物毒性可以通过相加作用模型预测,为环境复合污染的风险评价和管理提供基础数据。     

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.