Evaluating losses in ecosystem services in nature reserves in Sichuan,China

Nature reserves have developed rapidly over the decades in China and play a significant role in the function of ecosystem services. The function of ecosystem services in nature reserves, however, has tended to decline in recent years due to natural hazards and human activities. Based on land use, the variation of ecosystem services value (ESV) during 2000–2010 in national nature reserves in Sichuan was evaluated. We analyzed the comprehensive effects of natural disasters and human activities on the decline of ESVs. Total ESV in the national nature reserves in Sichuan was approximately 2741.35 million US$ in 2000, 2616.81 million US$ in 2005, and 2499.06 million US$ in 2010, representing a decrease of 242.29 million US$, or 8.84%, in the decade. Forestland, grassland, wetland, and water bodies played vital roles in the function of ecosystem services, with an aggregated ESV of 99% of the total. The largest proportion of the total ESV was the protection of biodiversity at 48.6%. ESV of all land use types and single ecosystem services continued to decline during 2000–2010. A mechanism of adaptable risk prevention should be established, and unreasonable human activities should be avoided to protect ecosystems and to improve the functions of ecosystem services.     

森林土壤固碳机理研究进展

全球碳平衡中,土壤有机碳储量为2000 Pg,植被碳储量500 Pg,大气碳储量785 Pg,土壤中有机碳变化是影响大气温室气体含量的重要因素。中国人工林总量世界第一,可以通过造林树种的选择,增加森林土壤的碳汇功能,它主要通过4种机理来实现,包括稳定性有机-矿物复合体的形成、持久性封存的深层碳的增加、耐分解有机物成份的积累、以及土壤团聚体结构中碳的物理性保护。中国近年来对木材的需求上升,导致大量短轮伐期人工林的种植,采伐、火烧炼山、施肥与整地等营林措施对土壤碳汇功能形成重大影响。因而,通过加强对中国人工林土壤固碳机理的研究,通过人为措施实现具有较强固碳能力的森林类型,从而提高人工森林生态系统的固碳能力,它对中国减排增汇战略具有重要意义,而加强对不同营林措施对碳汇功能影响的研究是中国当前面临的重大课题。     

中国水稻土碳循环研究进展

文章首先分析了水稻土在碳循环研究中的地位和重要性，进而对我目水稻土碳循环的研究现状作了较为详尽的阐述，对其主要研究结论进行了深入的剖析。中国大而积的水稻土自1980年以来显示出有机碳库增加现象，说明水稻田对大气CO2可能产生汇效应。水耕熟化过程足有机碳的积累过程，水稻土的碳密度是早作土碳密度的2-3倍。水稻土的同碳能力与土壤的微团聚体的粒径有关。但对于水稻土中有机碳的分布和结合状态与农业管理措施、水稻土质量变化、农业生态环境变化的关系仍不清楚。因而建议就这一问题从土壤物理学、化学和生物学的相互作朋与土壤微团聚体中矿物质、有机质和微生物的相互结合关系的层面上进行多学科研究。同时提出了今后我困水稻土碳循环的重点研究方向和领域，即从整体和系统的角度来研究碳循环和平衡，从不同的时空区域来研究碳循环的过程和强度。     

中国公众参与环境管理的研究

回顾了中国公众参与环境管理的发展历程,分析了公众参与环境管理存在的问题。针对公众参与环境保护管理的有效性的影响因子,例如主观因素、传统背景、时效因素及执行技巧等进行一系列的探讨,并根据公众参与计划的设计构思、公众参与计划的关键两方面的讨论,提出增加公众参与环境保护管理有效性的一些建议。     

生物扰动在水层-底栖界面耦合中的作用

综合评述了生物扰动在水层-底栖界面耦合中的作用研究进展和热点问题,并进行了展望。国际上十分重视水层-底栖界面耦合过程的研究并已有一定基础,生物扰动作为海洋生态学的重要内容之一早在20世纪50—60年代就已开展了工作,但直到10余年前才真正开始定量研究,进入了实验模拟、现场观测与建立模型相结合的新阶段。国内的生物扰动研究尚处于起步阶段,加上技术方法落后,一直未能取得突破性进展。目前国内外关于水层-底栖界面生物扰动效应研究基本上都在海洋中开展,尤其在河口、近岸和浅海水域进行,湖泊和河流研究明显薄弱。作为水生态动力学的重要分支和前沿领域,生物扰动研究具有广阔前景。急需针对我国水域特点,引进先进的现场观测和室内测试手段,进一步揭示水层-底栖界面耦合过程中的生物扰动机制,更精准和更详细地掌握水域中各种物质的生物地球化学循环的全过程,为控制水体内源污染释放、富营养化治理和生态建模等提供科学依据。     

Variation in male courtship costs in butterflies

A cost of mating is common to both sexes but has predominantly been examined in females. In species where males provide resources to females at copulation, male mating costs are expected to be high as nutrient provisioning enhancing female fecundity is assumed to carry costs. In addition, males frequently court females prior to mating, which is known to carry survival costs to both sexes. However, the magnitude and basis of variation in males’ mating costs remains largely unknown. Here, I examine the effect of nutrient provisioning and courtship on male longevity across full-sib families in the paternally investing green-veined white butterfly, Pieris napi. Copulating males suffered a survival cost as did courting males prevented from copulating, indicating the courtship component of mating is costly. Male P. napi release aphrodisiacs during courtship to promote mating, indicating that these compounds may also be costly to produce. Contrary to expectation, nutrient provisioning was not associated with reduced survival relative to males only allowed to court females, although it is possible that this could be masked by the potentially elevated courtship rates of courting males relative to mating males. Families differed in magnitude of reduced male survivorship, indicating a likely genetic basis to variation in costs of courtship and copulation. Male weight was unrelated to longevity and mating success, whereas longevity strongly influenced male mating success, indicating lifespan is an important male fitness trait in this species.     

Is the antipredatory response in behaviour reflected in stress measured in faecal corticosteroids in a small rodent?

Predation risk has been shown to alter various behaviours in prey. Risk alters activity, habitat use and foraging, and weight decrease might be a consequence of that. In mammals, studies on physiological measures affected by risk of predation, other than weight, are rare. We studied in two separate laboratory experiments foraging, hoarding behaviour and expression of stress measured non-invasively from the faeces in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), a common boreal rodent. Voles were exposed to predation risk using odours of the least weasels (Mustela nivalis nivalis). Distilled water served as control. In the first experiment, we found that foraging effort, measured as sunflower seeds taken from seed trays filled with sand, was significantly lower in trays scented with weasel odour. Both immediate consumption of seeds and hoarding were affected negatively by the weasel odour. Females hoarded significantly more than males in autumn. In the second experiment, the negative effect of weasel odour on foraging was consistent over a 3-day experiment, but the strongest effect was observed in the first night. Foraging increased over the time of the experiment, which might reflect either energetic compensation during a longer period of risk, predicted in the predation risk allocation hypothesis, or habituation to the odour-simulated risk. Despite decreased foraging under predation risk, stress measured as corticosteroid metabolite concentration in vole faeces was not affected by the weasel odour treatment. In conclusion, we were able to verify predation-risk-mediated changes in the foraging effort of bank voles but no physiological stress response was measured non-invasively, probably due to great individual variation in secretion of stress hormones.     

Employment of passive sampling in monitoring indoor air quality in selected residences in a Tri-city area in Poland

Time-weighted average concentrations of selected volatile compounds were measured in chosen residences in a Tri-City area of Poland by means of passive sampling. The results were compared to those obtained by dynamic technique – sorption tubes filled with Tenax TA sorbent. Results obtained by employing the two techniques were similar. Total volatile organic compound (TVOC) parameters were also determined. An attempt was also made to evaluate the influence of outdoor air pollutants on indoor air quality.     

Lead in a residential environment in Jamaica

The background levels of lead in Jamaica in soils and sediments, estimated at 37 mg kg^–1, are relatively high compared with world averages. Several areas have values in excess of this due to mineralisation and pollution. One such is the residential Hope Flats/Kintyre area in which levels of lead up to 2.5% are found in the soils and up to 8 g kg^–1 in the water of the nearby Hope River. The blood lead levels of a sample of children were in the range 5.7–57 g dl^–1. The high lead levels suggest a potential health risk, particularly for the children. This can be minimised by programmes which include community education, case management and abatement to reduce the lead exposure.     

硝基芳香化合物的植物作用研究进展

硝基芳香化合物是环境中难以降解的污染物之一。因其用途广泛,大量残留于土壤,水体和大气中,造成的环境污染日趋严重。多种植物对该类污染物具有吸收、富集和代谢降解作用,利用植物对其环境污染进行治理是一种有效的方法。文章在总结国内外有关硝基芳香化合物的植物作用研究基础上,重点阐述了植物对硝基芳香化合物的吸收、转运和代谢过程,分析了吸收、代谢机理以及影响吸收的因素;硝基芳香化合物的理化特性、浓度和植物自身特性及其它外界条件都会影响植物对该类化合物的吸收,植物可以通过体内降解、体外联合代谢、根部释放酶催化的机制实现该类化合物的降解。目前,硝基芳香化合物进入植物细胞膜的机理认知不足,模拟模型缺乏有力数据验证;代谢机制中参与反应的酶、化合物等体系和反应产物环境特性仍不明确,植物修复可行性缺乏有力证据。未来将在模型预测构建、降解机理和修复工程的实际应用方面作进一步探究,以形成系统的认知,为硝基芳香化合物污染土壤和农产品的生态风险评价以及植物修复提供理论依据。     

Environmental education in comprehensive schools in Greece

The new institution of comprehensive high school, in Greece today, aims to relate the school with the natural, social, economical and cultural environment. In this frame of process, interrelation and dynamic contact of school with the holistic environment, the subject “Ecology and Environment”; of the 2nd class (16–17 years old), informs, sensitizes and activizes the anxious young generation. The textbook of the subject determines and analyzes the human impact and their consequences to the natural ecosystems. In the total content there are also numerous examples from the natural, man‐made and cultural environment of Greece.     

Genotypic variation in element concentrations in brown rice from Yunnan landraces in China

The mineral elements present in brown rice play an important physiological role in global human health. We investigated genotypic variation of eight of these elements (P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn) in 11 different grades of brown rice on the basis of the number and distance coefficients of 282 alleles for 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Six-hundred and twenty-eight landraces from the same field in Yunnan Province, one of the largest centers of genetic diversity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the world, formed our core collection. The mean concentrations (mg kg⁻¹) of the eight elements in brown rice for these landraces were P (3,480) > K (2,540) > Mg (1,480) > Ca (157) > Zn (32.8) > Fe (32.0) > Cu (13.6) > Mn (13.2). Mean P concentrations in brown rice were 6.56 times total soil P, so the grains are important in tissue storage of P, but total soil K is 7.82 times mean K concentrations in brown rice. The concentrations of the eight elements in some grades of brown rice, on the basis of the number and distance coefficients of alleles for 20 SSR markers for the landraces, were significantly different (P < 0.05), and further understanding of the relationship between mineral elements and gene diversity is needed. There was large variation in element concentrations in brown rice, ranging from 2,160 to 5,500 mg P kg⁻¹, from 1,130 to 3,830 mg K kg⁻¹, from 61.8 to 488 mg Ca kg⁻¹, from 864 to 2,020 mg Mg kg⁻¹, from 0.40 to 147 mg Fe kg⁻¹, from 15.1 to 124 mg Zn kg⁻¹, from 0.10 to 59.1 mg Cu kg⁻¹, and from 6.7 to 26.6 mg Mn kg⁻¹. Therefore, germplasm evaluations for Ca, Fe, and Zn concentrations in rice grains have detected up to sevenfold genotypic differences, suggesting that selection for high levels of Ca, Fe, and Zn in breeding for mass production is a feasible approach. Increasing the concentrations of Ca, Fe, and Zn in rice grains will help alleviate chronic Ca, Zn, and Fe deficiencies in many areas of the world.     

荒漠草原区不同土地利用类型土壤水分时空特征

土壤水分是荒漠草原区土地可持续利用的重要指标,通过多个连续生长季的观测能够分析土壤水分的可持续性.对2011-2012年连续2a土壤水分和降水量进行定点观测,比较分析了荒漠草原区不同土地利用类型土壤水分的时空变化.结果表明:枯水年不同土地利用类型之间土壤水分差异比丰水年大;枯水年5种土地利用类型土壤水分随时间的变化均呈增长型,而在丰水年均呈波动型;5种土地利用类型土壤水分在枯水年呈现3峰3谷的变化特征,在丰水年与降水量的波动显著相关,并且有较长时期处于稳定期(7月至次年4月);无论是丰水年还是枯水年,荒漠草原区土壤含水量以人工苜蓿地和人工甘草地较大,甘草苜蓿昆合草地和天然草地次之,柠条林地最低.通过对比分析不同年份5种土地利用类型土壤水分的时空变化,以及水分补给与消耗在土壤剖面上的变化特点,可以更好地理解在景观尺度上的生态过程,对荒漠草原区土壤水分的有效利用及水土保持具有重要意义.     

Bioavailability of trace metals in brownfield soils in an urban area in the UK

Thirty-two brownfield sites from the city of Wolverhampton were selected from those with a former industrial use, wasteland or areas adjacent to industrial processes. Samples (<2 mm powdered soil fraction) were analysed, using inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES) for 20 elements. Loss on ignition and pH were also determined. A five-step chemical sequential extraction technique was carried out. Single leach extraction with 0.12 M hydrochloric acid of Pb, Cu and Zn in soil was determined as a first approximation of the bioavailability in the human stomach. Some of the sites were found to have high concentrations of the potentially toxic elements Pb, Zn, Cu and Ni. The partitioning of metals showed a high variability, however a number of trends were determined. The majority of Zn was partitioned into the least chemically stable phases (steps 1, 2 and 3). The majority of Cu was associated with the organic phase (step 4) and the majority of Ni was fractionated into the residue phase (step 5). The majority of Pb was associated with the residue fraction (step 5) followed by Fe–Mn oxide fraction (step 3). The variability reflects the heterogeneous and complex nature of metal speciation in urban soils with varied historic histories. There was a strong inverse linear relationship between the metals Ni, Zn and Pb in the readily exchangeable phase (step 1) and soil pH, significant at P < 0.01 level. There was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the partitioning of Cu, Ni and Zn into step 4 (the organic phase) in soils with a higher organic carbon content (estimated by loss on ignition). Copper was highly partitioned into step 4 as it has a strong association with organics in soil but this phase was not important for the partitioning of Ni or Zn. The fractionation of Ni, Cu and Zn increased significantly in step 3 when the total metal concentration increases (P < 0.01). The Fe–Mn oxide fraction becomes more important in soils elevated in these metals, possibly due to the scavenging of metals by oxides. Cu and Pb extracted by HCl was statistically similar to the sum of the metals in steps 1 to 4 (P < 0.01) and HCl available Zn was statistically similar to the sum of Zn in steps 1 to 3 (P < 0.01). Step 4 (the organic phase) was not an important phase for Zn, so it was concluded that any Cu, Zn and Pb present in soil in a nonresidue phase would be potentially available for uptake into the human system once soil has been ingested.     

Challenges in characterization of nanoplastics in the environment

Plastic pollution has been a legacy environment problems and more recently, the plastic particles, especially those ultrafine or small plastics particles, are widely recognized with increasing environmental and ecological impacts. Among small plastics, microplastics are intensively studied, whereas the physicochemical properties, environmental abundance, chemical states, bioavailability and toxicity toward organisms of nanoplastics are inadequately investigated. There are substantial difficulties in separation, visualization and chemical identification of nanoplastics due to their small sizes, relatively low concentrations and interferences from co-existing substances (e.g., dyes or natural organic matters). Moreover, detection of polymers at nanoscale is largely hampered by the detection limit or sensitivity for existing spectral techniques such as Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) or Raman Spectroscopy. This article critically examined the current state of art techniques that are exclusively reported for nanoplastic characterization in environmental samples. Based on their operation principles, potential applications and limitations of these analytical techniques are carefully analyzed.     

Unusual characteristics in a Meromictic lake in Greece

The studied lake, a meromictic shallow lagoon, in Peloponissos, presents unusual physical and chemical features which derive mainly from its mineral springs, and the sea water that invades into the lake. The form of vegetation and the abundant organic matter of the mud together with the sulfate salts of the water create conditions which are responsible for the production of gases such as H₂S and CH₄. Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and oxygen show that a large area of the lake is well stratified, at least periodically and no marked mixing occurs, between the upper less saline water and the lower saline water. In the halocline the vertical gradient of salinity is large. Mesothermic and poikilothermic conditions were also observed, whereas large temperature differences were recorded in water column.     

桂林水系沉积物中重金属的生物有效性研究

沉积物中重金属污染物对生态系统潜在危害的影响,已经引起研究者的极大关注,但对沉积物中重金属的生物有效性的研究还很少。首次以桂林水系沉积物为研究对象,通过酸化-吹气-吸收装置,用对氨基二甲基苯胺光度法测定沉积物中AVS含量,用原子吸收分光光度法测定SEM和间隙水中Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd、Ni含量,用原子荧光法测定Hg、As含量。以中华圆田螺(Cipangopaludian cathayensis)为受试物种,通过沉积物加标和长期暴露实验,分析田螺生长发育情况和体内重金属积累浓度。结果表明:[SEM]/[AVS]>1时,间隙水中七种元素总浓度大于3.0000μmol·L-1,重金属对田螺表现出毒性作用,且田螺的死亡率和体内重金属积累浓度随该比值的增大而增大;当[SEM]/[AVS]<1时,重金属对田螺无明显影响。[SEM]/[AVS]是判定沉积物重金属生物有效性的有效判据。该研究填补了桂林水系沉积物重金属数据的空白,为判定沉积物重金属污染程度提供了一种简便准确的方法。所研究水域沉积物重金属污染最严重的是桃花江,漓江次之,青狮潭水库污染最轻。     

好氧堆肥过程中的氧气变化及其监测

氧气和通气性是影响好氧堆肥过程和堆肥产品质量的重要因素。堆肥过程中，氧气供应充足可以加速有机质分解、缩短堆肥时间，加速堆肥初期温度的上升速率，减少恶臭气体的产生。氧气的消耗速率可以作为判断堆肥稳定性的依据。过去由于缺乏有效的氧气监测手段，限制了堆肥中有关氧气的研究工作，因此对堆肥过程中氧气的变化过程目前了解得很少，研究工作亟待加强。近期，我国已开发出堆肥氧气实时、在线监测系统，并成功地应用于堆肥实践，这对堆肥研究和产业化发展将具有重要意义。     

我国大气环境毒理学研究新进展

对大气环境中重要污染物的毒理学作用及其机制方面的文献进行综述。首先,总结了细颗粒物(PM2.5)和纳米颗粒物对呼吸系统和心血管系统毒理学作用及其机理方面的研究;然后,评述了二氧化硫(SO2)对基因表达的影响及内源性SO2生理作用方面的研究,提出SO2既是一种全身性毒物,又是一种新型信号分子的新观点;对大气环境致癌物,特别是有关苯并芘致癌作用分子机制的研究进行讨论;对大气中臭氧和光化学烟雾对健康影响的研究作了评述;最后,对室内空气污染物尤其是甲醛的毒性作用及其机理方面的最新研究进行了评论。