人工甜味剂在不同类型土壤中的淋溶行为研究

人工甜味剂(artificial sweeteners)是一类人工合成或半合成的蔗糖替代品,广泛应用于食品、药物、个人护理品和饲料中,但是大多数人工甜味剂在人和动物体内几乎不被代谢而随尿液和粪便直接进入环境。在天津污水河沿线及甜味剂厂附近不同深度土层中检测到安赛蜜、糖精、甜蜜素和三氯蔗糖。为探讨人工甜味剂在土壤中的移动性及其对地下水污染的风险,应用土柱淋溶实验研究了安赛蜜和三氯蔗糖在2种土壤中的淋溶行为,并观测了人工甜味剂淋溶对土柱淋出液的溶解性有机质(DOM)、pH以及电导率(EC)的影响。结果表明安赛蜜和三氯蔗糖在2种土壤中表现出较强的移动性,超过87%的甜味剂均被淋出,只有不到13%的甜味剂被土壤截留或损失,因此对地下水具有较大的风险。安赛蜜和三氯蔗糖能够促进土壤溶解性有机质的溶出,但对淋出液的pH和电导率无显著影响。     

高铁酸钾氧化降解新兴有机污染物的研究进展

新兴有机污染物在传统的污水处理厂处理过程中难以完全去除,如果进入到水环境中,不仅影响水质,而且对水生态系统和人类健康具有潜在的风险.高铁酸钾在水处理领域被称为环境友好型的多功能水处理剂,其氧化降解新兴有机污染物的研究备受关注.本文详细介绍了高铁酸钾的结构和性质,重点论述了高铁酸钾与新兴有机污染物的反应机制,如:化学反应动力学、线性自由能关系、反应副产物及其毒性变化,并对未来的研究方向与发展趋势进行了展望.     

人工纳米材料的生物效应及其对生态环境的影响

人工纳米材料由于具有独特的物理化学性质而得到广泛的应用,其对人体健康及环境的潜在影响也已引起科学界及政府部门的关注.通过总结近年来的相关研究资料,分类归纳了目前国内外对一些常见的人工纳米材料如富勒烯、碳纳米管、量子点、二氧化钛、纳米铁材料及纳米铝材料的生物和生态效应研究,详细总结了纳米材料毒理学的研究对象、研究方法以及最新研究成果,同时分析了各种纳米材料生物毒性的可能机制,最后对纳米材料安全性今后的研究方向进行了展望.     

多功能型天然高分子水处理剂的研究

化学药剂一直以来在水处理领域里发挥着重要作用,主要有混凝剂/絮凝剂、杀菌剂、阻垢剂等.传统的水处理剂往往功能较为单一,存在种类繁多、投加量大、设备复杂、操作繁琐等诸多问题.且不同的药剂之间还有可能互相抑制,降低水处理效率.因此,研发兼具混凝/絮凝、抑/灭菌、阻垢等多功能水处理剂已得到人们的广泛关注.近年来,天然高分子水处理剂由于其绿色环保等特点而备受瞩目,因此研发多功能型天然高分子水处理剂具有重要的科学和现实意义.然而,到目前为止,天然高分子水处理剂的开发与应用还十分有限,作用机制也很不清楚,均有待进一步的深入研究.本文首先依次介绍了混凝剂/絮凝剂、杀菌剂与阻垢剂,并从其作用机理与材料结构特征出发,对其多功能性的实现进行了探讨;重点介绍目前絮凝-抑/灭菌双功能和絮凝-阻垢双功能天然高分子水处理剂的研发进展;同时从构效关系等角度出发,展望了多功能型天然高分子水处理剂的未来发展.     

臭氧和基于臭氧的高级氧化工艺降解农药的研究进展

由于农药的环境持久性以及毒性,饮用水源中的农药微污染日益受到水处理行业的关注.在众多水处理工艺中,由于其高效氧化去除有机污染物及控制嗅味等特点,臭氧及其相关高级氧化技术的应用已日趋广泛.本文综述了这些氧化技术对多类代表性农药（包括有机氯、有机磷、氨基甲酸酯、氯乙酰胺和三嗪等）的降解效能,详细讨论了农药的降解效率、反应动...     

饮用水水处理工艺之抗生素去除效果初探

近年来,水体中抗生素残留物对生态环境和人体健康存在的危害已经引起政府和研究者的关注.而水处理工艺中抗生素的分布和去除情况也随之成为一大研究热点.但目前关于该方面的研究多集中于废水水处理工艺,针对供水水处理工艺的研究相对较少.本文采用固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法(SPEUPLC-MS/MS)研究了,氯霉素(CAP)、四环素(TC)、土霉素(OTC)、诺氟沙星(NOR)、脱水红霉素(ERYH2O)、罗红霉素(ROX)、阿莫西林(AMOX)、青霉素G(PEN-G)和头孢拉定(CFD)等9种抗生素在南方某地区使用臭氧活性炭深度处理工艺和超滤膜处理工艺等2种较为先进的供水水处理工艺中的分布情况和去除效果.结果显示,供水水处理工艺对水体中痕量抗生素的去除情况影响不大,但对高浓度的脱水红霉素去除效果明显,深度处理工艺和膜处理工艺对脱水红霉素的总去除率分别为84.88%和90.43%.     

人工纳米颗粒的植物毒性及其在植物中的吸收和累积

人工纳米颗粒(engineered nanoparticles,ENPs)在被广泛应用的同时,其潜在的环境风险和对健康的影响引起国内外的广泛重视。植物是人们的主要食物来源,ENPs可能被植物吸收并累积在可食部分,随食物链进入人体而引起健康风险。因此,ENPs的植物毒性及其在植物中的吸收和累积受到越来越多的关注。总结了ENPs的植物毒性及植物对ENPs的吸收、运输和累积,讨论了可能的致毒机制、影响其毒性的因素以及植物的解毒机制,并对未来应该注重开展的研究进行了展望。     

人工纳米材料对斑马鱼生态毒理效应研究进展

随着纳米技术的快速发展,人工纳米材料在光电、生物医药、化妆品等诸多领域得到了广泛应用。人工纳米材料在生产、使用和废弃处理等过程中,不可避免地通过水体、土壤、大气等进入环境,其对环境产生的生态效应逐渐引起国内外的广泛关注。斑马鱼(Danio rerio)作为一种重要的脊椎模式生物,在环境毒理学研究中应用广泛,可以作为检测人工纳米材料生态毒理效应的一种重要工具。本文介绍了人工纳米材料对水生态环境的影响及斑马鱼在生态毒理学研究中的优势,总结了其对斑马鱼的毒性效应,主要包括急性毒性和对个体发育的影响、对组织细胞及基因表达的影响,分析了人工纳米材料对斑马鱼的毒性机制,以期为人工纳米材料毒理学研究提供基础信息。     

水环境中的碘化X-射线造影剂及其去除工艺研究进展

碘化X-射线造影剂(Iodinated X-ray contrast media,ICM)在水环境中被广泛检出,因其近期被发现是碘化消毒副产物的前体物而受到越来越多的关注.本文总结了ICM在污水、地表水和饮用水等水环境中的污染现状;分析了ICM的转化产物及转化机制;重点介绍了ICM的去除工艺,包括高级氧化技术、辐射技术以及生物降解转化技术;讨论了ICM及其降解转化产物可能对环境造成的生态风险.最后,本文对未来ICM的研究前景进行了展望.     

对羟基苯甲酸酯类防腐剂的环境和人体暴露研究进展

对羟基苯甲酸酯(parabens,PBs)作为一类防腐剂,因其具有独特的理化性质而被广泛应用于食品、药品和个人护理品中.但随着科学技术的发展和研究的不断深入,PBs被证明在一定程度上具有与持久性有机污染物相类似的“持久性、生物富集性和生物毒性”,是潜在的内分泌干扰物.近年来此类防腐剂已经在世界范围内的环境介质和人体样本中被广泛检出,且检出浓度呈逐年上升趋势,引发国内外高度关注.本文分别从环境外暴露和人体内暴露两个方面,对国内外最新的PBs暴露相关研究成果进行归纳和总结,为开展PBs人体暴露和健康风险评估研究提供参考及思路.     

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.