近红外长余辉纳米颗粒经小鼠眼部暴露后体内分布和代谢情况

为了研究纳米颗粒通过眼部暴露后进入体内的路径及在体内的分布和代谢情况,实验采用近红外长余辉纳米探针作为示踪剂,对小鼠进行眼部暴露,随后利用活体成像技术观察其进入小鼠体内的过程及分布情况,于暴露第4天收集代谢产物,第7天取重要脏器和血液,并检测纳米探针的存在情况.结果显示纳米探针可由眼经口腔进入胃肠道中,并且纳米颗粒暴露4天后在小鼠的粪便中检测到强荧光信号,而尿液中的荧光信号较弱,暴露7 d后在小鼠的眼睑结膜、胃及眼球中检测到强荧光信号,而其余器官的荧光信号较弱.这表明通过眼部暴露后,纳米颗粒主要分布在眼和消化系统中,最后大部分经消化系统代谢.     

Cytotoxicity Assessment of Melamine Using the Ciliated Protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis

三聚氰胺曾被用为牛类的非蛋白类氮源,并被非法掺入食品中从而提高其表观蛋白含量.实验利用一种单细胞真核生物模型——纤毛类原生动物梨形四膜虫(Tetrahymena pyriformis)研究了三聚氰胺的细胞毒性.结果显示,三聚氰胺对梨形四膜虫的生长速率具有抑制作用,并且这种抑制作用与三聚氰胺浓度成正相关性,其IC50值为0.78g·L-1.细胞同时发生形变.实验证明梨形四膜虫生物测定法相对于动物实验具有耗时短、成本低、操作简便的优势,在潜在毒性物质的风险性评估实验中可成为一种优良的替代模型.     

三聚氰胺对纤毛类原生动物梨形四膜虫的细胞毒性

三聚氰胺曾被用为牛类的非蛋白类氮源,并被非法掺入食品中从而提高其表观蛋白含量.实验利用一种单细胞真核生物模型--纤毛类原生动物梨形四膜虫(Tetrahymena pyriformis)研究了三聚氰胺的细胞毒性.结果显示,三聚氰胺对梨形四膜虫的生长速率具有抑制作用,并且这种抑制作用与三聚氰胺浓度成正相关性,其IC50值为0.78g·L-1.细胞同时发生形变.实验证明梨形四膜虫生物测定法相对于动物实验具有耗时短、成本低、操作简便的优势,在潜在毒性物质的风险性评估实验中可成为一种优良的替代模型.     

醇和酚类污染物对欧洲林蛙蝌蚪及梨形四膜虫毒性的定量结构-活性模型

醇和酚类等有机化合物作为重要的工业原料,广泛应用于医药卫生、有机合成、食品工业等领域,但生产中排放于环境的这些物质,会对生物造成一定的毒性作用。为建立包含醇和酚类有机污染物对欧洲林蛙蝌蚪及梨形四膜虫毒性的定量结构-活性相关性模型,计算了227种有机污染物的分子连接性指数和分子形状指数,优化筛选了分子连接性指数的0X、1X、2X、4X和5Xc、分子形状指数的K1和K2共7种参数,将这7种结构参数作为神经网络输入层变量,110种有机污染物对欧洲林蛙蝌蚪的毒性值作为输出层变量,采用7:8:1的网络结构方式,构建了令人满意的对欧洲林蛙蝌蚪毒性的神经网络预测模型,方程总相关系数r为0.988,毒性预测值与实验值之间的平均误差为0.14。为检验指数的普适性,同样用这7个结构参数与117种醇和酚类化合物对梨形四膜虫的毒性进行分析,所得神经网络模型的总相关系数达到0.997,对梨形四膜虫毒性的预测值与实验值之间的平均误差仅为0.065,结果表明,所建模型具有良好的预测有机污染物对林蛙蝌蚪及梨形四膜虫急性毒性的能力。     

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.     

纳米材料的食品暴露及其毒性研究进展

纳米材料作为一类新兴化学品广泛用于食品加工、作物栽培和包装运输等领域,来改善营养成分、生物活性和包装材料性能,经摄食进入人体后能分布于血液、消化道和组织细胞中,广泛参与多种生理代谢过程.当前,纳米材料在食品中的暴露途径、分类、存在状态和毒性机制引起了广泛关注,但尚未形成完整、广泛接受的科学研究体系.结合近几年文献,本文分析了食品中纳米颗粒的暴露途径,探讨了当前食品中纳米颗粒分析检测技术的优缺点,阐述了生物化学转化、生物过程环境及分布状态对纳米毒性的诱导机制,在结尾归纳相关研究不足并对今后研究的趋势进行了展望.     

金属纳米颗粒的环境行为及其与藻类的相互作用概述

金属纳米颗粒在各领域的应用日益广泛，可通过多种途径进入环境，并在水生生态系统中积累.因此关于其进入水环境后的行为及与水中初级生产者—藻类相互作用的研究至关重要.金属纳米颗粒在水中会发生团聚、沉降、溶解、硫化反应及光化学反应等，这些行为受到自身理化性质(大小、形状、表面电荷、晶体结构、化学组成等)和环境因素(pH、离子强度、阳离子价态等)的影响，进而改变金属纳米颗粒在藻类表面的吸附聚集和可能的吸收累积.金属纳米颗粒还可能影响藻类光合作用、引起氧化应激、甚至造成藻类的凋亡.同时，与金属纳米颗粒共存的其它污染物及天然有机质也可能改变金属纳米颗粒的行为、生物吸附、生物累积和生物效应.相应地，藻类在面对金属纳米颗粒胁迫时也会启动自我防御机制.尽管如此，真实环境中金属纳米颗粒与藻类的相互作用及分子机制仍有待进一步研究.     

氟化酚对梨形四膜虫毒性的定量构效关系解析

应用Chem3D Ultra 7.0软件中的MOPAC半经验方法PM3,计算了16种氟化酚的19个量子化学和理化参数.采用PLS-VIP方法,筛选出影响氟化酚毒性的7个主要参数,即最低空轨道能量(ELUMO)、最高轨道能量与最低空轨道能量之差(△E)、分子总能量(ET)、最正H原子电荷(QH+)、羟基基团中氧原子的最负电荷(QO-)、connolly分子可及表面积(CAA)和connolly溶剂排斥体积(CSV),并据此建立模型对水生梨形四膜虫的急性毒性作定量构效关系研究.结果表明,氟化酚对梨形四膜虫的毒性作用表现为反应性毒性,ELUMO,QH+,ET对氟化酚的毒性作用有重要贡献,氟化酚对四膜虫急性毒性的大小与ELUMO、△E和ET呈负相关,而与QH+、QO-、CAA、CSV呈正相关,所得最优模型具有良好的预测效果(R2=0.961,F=344.8,P=2.92×10-11)和较高的稳定性(Q2cum=0.909).     

Cupriavidus metallidurans SHE胞内提取物合成纳米金及其催化应用

纳米金(AuNPs)凭借其在电化学和光学方面独特的性能,在催化、环境污染物的降解以及环境修复等方面近年来成为研究热点.相比较传统的合成方法,生物法合成纳米金具有过程简单、无毒、环保、成本较低等优势;除此之外,生物法合成的纳米金颗粒具有尺寸均一、单分散性好且生物相容性好的特性.利用Cupriavidus metallidurans SHE胞内提取物合成纳米金,结果显示最适反应条件为胞内提取物浓度为500 mg/L,HAuCl_4浓度为1 mmol/L,p H为7,反应时间为7 d;透射电子显微镜(TEM)图像表明纳米金颗粒主要为球形和伪球形,平均粒径为14.3 nm;通过傅里叶转换红外线光谱(FTIR)分析结果推测提取物中的羟基、氨基、羧基等官能团参与了纳米金的稳定过程;在上述条件下合成的纳米金对4-硝基苯酚具有较好的催化还原活性,其催化速率常数k为5.98×10~(-4)/s,且该纳米金能催化脱色多种偶氮染料.本研究表明Cupriavidus metallidurans SHE能绿色合成尺寸均一、分散性良好的纳米金,且该纳米金在催化还原硝基芳烃污染物和偶氮染料方面具有潜在的应用价值.(图4表1参28)     

单颗粒-电感耦合等离子体质谱测定白酒中纳米金的方法

使用NexION 2000 ICP-MS和Syngistix Nano软件模块,分析市售白酒样品中的纳米金(Au NPs)特性.单颗粒-电感耦合等离子体质谱法(SP-ICP-MS)可以直接测试样品中的纳米颗粒尺寸、颗粒物浓度和溶解离子浓度.依照本文所建立方法,白酒样品纳米颗粒标准品以及金离子标准溶液的加标回收率均在90%—110%之间.     

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     

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.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.     

Effects of Controlled Fire and Livestock Grazing on Bird Communities in East African Savannas

Abstract: In East Africa fire and grazing by wild and domestic ungulates maintain savannas, and pastoralists historically set fires and herded livestock through the use of temporary corrals called bomas. In recent decades traditional pastoral practices have declined, and this may be affecting biodiversity. We investigated the effects of prescribed fires and bomas on savanna bird communities in East Africa during the first and second dry seasons of the year (respectively before and after the rains that mark the onset of breeding for most birds). We compared abundance, richness, and community composition on 9‐ha burned plots, recently abandoned bomas, and control plots in the undisturbed matrix habitat over a 3‐year period. Generally, recently burned areas and abandoned bomas attracted greater densities of birds and had different community assemblages than the surrounding matrix. The effects of disturbances were influenced by interactions between primary productivity, represented by the normalized difference vegetation index, and time. Bird densities were highest and a greater proportion of species was observed on burned plots in the months following the fires. Drought conditions equalized bird densities across treatments within 1 year, and individuals from a greater proportion of species were more commonly observed on abandoned bomas. Yearly fluctuations in abundance were less pronounced on bomas than on burns, which indicate that although fire may benefit birds in the short term, bomas may have a more‐lasting positive effect and provide resources during droughts. Several Palearctic migrants were attracted to burned plots regardless of rainfall, which indicates continued fire suppression may threaten their already‐declining populations. Most notably, the paucity of birds observed on the controls suggests that the current structure of the matrix developed as a result of fire suppression. Traditional pastoralism appears critical to the maintenance of avian diversity in these savannas.     

Effects of Coffee Management on Deforestation Rates and Forest Integrity

Knowledge about how forest margins are utilized can be crucial for a general understanding of changes in forest cover, forest structure, and biodiversity across landscapes. We studied forest‐agriculture transitions in southwestern Ethiopia and hypothesized that the presence of coffee (Coffea arabica)decreases deforestation rates because of coffee's importance to local economies and its widespread occurrence in forests and forest margins. Using satellite images and elevation data, we compared changes in forest cover over 37 years (1973–2010) across elevations in 2 forest‐agriculture mosaic landscapes (1100 km² around Bonga and 3000 km² in Goma‐Gera). In the field in the Bonga area, we determined coffee cover and forest structure in 40 forest margins that differed in time since deforestation. Both the absolute and relative deforestation rates were lower at coffee‐growing elevations compared with at higher elevations (?10/20% vs. ?40/50% comparing relative rates at 1800 m asl and 2300–2500 m asl, respectively). Within the coffee‐growing elevation, the proportion of sites with high coffee cover (>20%) was significantly higher in stable margins (42% of sites that had been in the same location for the entire period) than in recently changed margins (0% of sites where expansion of annual crops had changed the margin). Disturbance level and forest structure did not differ between sites with 30% or 3% coffee. However, a growing body of literature on gradients of coffee management in Ethiopia reports coffee's negative effects on abundances of forest‐specialist species. Even if the presence of coffee slows down the conversion of forest to annual‐crop agriculture, there is a risk that an intensification of coffee management will still threaten forest biodiversity, including the genetic diversity of wild coffee. Conservation policy for Ethiopian forests thus needs to develop strategies that acknowledge that forests without coffee production may have higher deforestation risks than forests with coffee production and that forests with coffee production often have lower biodiversity value. Efectos de la Administración Cafetalera sobre las Tasas de Deforestación y la Integridad de los Bosques     

What Every Conservation Biologist Should Know about Economic Theory

Abstract: The last century has seen the ascendance of a core economic model, which we will refer to as Walrasian economics. This model is driven by the psychological assumptions that humans act only in a self‐referential and narrowly rational way and that production can be described as a self‐contained circular flow between firms and households. These assumptions have critical implications for the way economics is used to inform conservation biology. Yet the Walrasian model is inconsistent with a large body of empirical evidence about actual human behavior, and it violates a number of basic physical laws. Research in behavioral science and neuroscience shows that humans are uniquely social animals and not self‐centered rational economic beings. Economic production is subject to physical laws including the laws of thermodynamics and mass balance. In addition, some contemporary economic theory, spurred by exciting new research in human behavior and a wealth of data about the negative global impact of the human economy on natural systems, is moving toward a world view that places consumption and production squarely in its behavioral and biophysical context. We argue that abandoning the straightjacket of the Walrasian core is essential to further progress in understanding the complex, coupled interactions between the human economy and the natural world. We call for a new framework for economic theory and policy that is consistent with observed human behavior, recognizes the complex and frequently irreversible interaction between human and natural systems, and directly confronts the cumulative negative effects of the human economy on the Earth's life support systems. Biophysical economics and ecological economics are two emerging economic frameworks in this movement.     

Globalization of the Cashmere Market and the Decline of Large Mammals in Central Asia

As drivers of terrestrial ecosystems, humans have replaced large carnivores in most areas, and human influence not only exerts striking ecological pressures on biodiversity at local scales but also has indirect effects in distant corners of the world. We suggest that the multibillion dollar cashmere industry creates economic motivations that link western fashion preferences for cashmere to land use in Central Asia. This penchant for stylish clothing, in turn, encourages herders to increase livestock production which affects persistence of over 6 endangered large mammals in these remote, arid ecosystems. We hypothesized that global trade in cashmere has strong negative effects on native large mammals of deserts and grassland where cashmere‐producing goats are raised. We used time series data, ecological snapshots of the biomass of native and domestic ungulates, and ecologically and behaviorally based fieldwork to test our hypothesis. In Mongolia increases in domestic goat production were associated with a 3‐fold increase in local profits for herders coexisting with endangered saiga (Saiga tatarica).That increasing domestic grazing pressure carries fitness consequences was inferred on the basis of an approximately 4‐fold difference in juvenile recruitment among blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur)in trans‐Himalayan India. Across 7 study areas in Mongolia, India, and China's Tibetan Plateau, native ungulate biomass is now <5% that of domestic species. Such trends suggest ecosystem degradation and decreased capacity for the persistence of native species, including at least 8 Asian endemic species: saiga, chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni), Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), snow leopard(Panthera uncia), khulan(Equus hemionus), kiang (E. kiang), takhi (E. przewalski), and wild yak (Bos mutus). Our results suggest striking yet indirect and unintended actions that link trophic‐level effects to markets induced by the trade for cashmere. Globalización del Mercado de Cachemira y la Declinación de Mamíferos Mayores en Asia Central     

The lichen-rich coastal heath vegetation on the isle of Anholt, Denmark — conservation and management

The high conservational value of the lichen-rich vegetation and landscape of the marine foreland Ørkenen on the isle of Anholt is treated from a Danish as well as a European perspective. The sensitivity of the lichen-rich vegetation to physical disturbance is emphasized. The impact of invasive species such asPinus mugo as well as the effect of atmospheric deposition of nutrients on the heaths at Anholt is described. Considerations related to the development of a management plan for Ørkenen are presented.     

Behavior and ecology of Old World Luperini beetles of the genusAulacophora (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Summary The attraction of Old World leaf beetles in the genusAulacophora to kairomones and parakairomones which are effective lures for New WorldDiabrotica andAcalymma were investigated. Beetles captured on sticky traps baited with single and multicomponent lures were no different from the control traps for two species ofAulacophora. Yellow colored traps and squash blossoms are attractive toAulacophora beetles which detect sub-microgram quantities of cucurbitacins on silica gel. Leaf feeding behavior and flight activity data are correlated with varietal preference of threeAulacophora species. The common response byDiabrotica andAulacophora to cucurbitacins reinforces the two groups' coevolutionary association with the Cucurbitaceae. The apparent lack of a common response toCucurbita blossom volatiles suggests recent evolutionary pathways are substantially different for these two groups of beetles.     

Use of stochastic patch occupancy models in the California red-legged frog for Bayesian inference regarding past events and future persistence

Assessing causes of population decline is critically important to management of threatened species. Stochastic patch occupancy models (SPOMs) are popular tools for examining spatial and temporal dynamics of populations when presence–absence data in multiple habitat patches are available. We developed a Bayesian Markov chain method that extends existing SPOMs by focusing on past environmental changes that may have altered occupancy patterns prior to the beginning of data collection. Using occupancy data from 3 creeks, we applied the method to assess 2 hypothesized causes of population decline—in situ die-off and residual impact of past source population loss—in the California red-legged frog. Despite having no data for the 20–30 years between the hypothetical event leading to population decline and the first data collected, we were able to discriminate among hypotheses, finding evidence that in situ die-off increased in 2 of the creeks. Although the creeks had comparable numbers of occupied segments, owing to different extinction–colonization dynamics, our model predicted an 8-fold difference in persistence probabilities of their populations to 2030. Adding a source population led to a greater predicted persistence probability than did decreasing the in situ die-off, emphasizing that reversing the deleterious impacts of a disturbance may not be the most efficient management strategy. We expect our method will be useful for studying dynamics and evaluating management strategies of many species.