Incorporating geographical and evolutionary rarity into conservation prioritization

Key goals of conservation are to protect both species and the functional and genetic diversity they represent. A strictly species-based approach may underrepresent rare, threatened, or genetically distinct species and overrepresent widespread species. Although reserves are created for a number of reasons, including economic, cultural, and ecological reasons, their efficacy has been measured primarily in terms of how well species richness is protected, and it is useful to compare how well they protect other measures of diversity. We used Proteaceae species-occurrence data in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa to illustrate differences in the spatial distribution of species and evolutionary diversity estimated from a new maximum-likelihood molecular phylogeny. We calculated species richness, phylogenetic diversity (i.e., summed phylogenetic branch lengths in a site), and a site-aggregated measure of biogeographically weighted evolutionary distinctiveness (i.e., an abundance weighted measure that captures the unique proportion of the phylogenetic tree a species represents) for sites throughout the Cape Floristic Region. Species richness and phylogenetic diversity values were highly correlated for sites in the region, but species richness was concentrated at a few sites that underrepresented the much more spatially extensive distribution of phylogenetic diversity. Biogeographically weighted evolutionary diversity produced a scheme of prioritization distinct from the other 2 metrics and highlighted southern sites as conservation priorities. In these sites, the high values of biogeographically weighted evolutionary distinctiveness were the result of a nonrandom relation between evolutionary distinctiveness and geographical rarity, where rare species also tended to have high levels of evolutionary distinctiveness. Such distinct and rare species are of particular concern, but are not captured by conservation schemes that focus on species richness or phylogenetic diversity alone.     

Thermodynamics of metal cation binding by a solid soil-derived humic acid: binding of Fe(III), Pb(II), and Cu(II)

Metal binding and release by solid humic acids (HAs) in soils and sediments can affect metal mobility and bioavailability. Isotherms for tight binding of Fe(III), Pb(II) and Cu(II) by a solid humic acid at pH2.0 fit the Langmuir binding model. Low pH was chosen to protonate the HA carboxylate groups and avoid metal cation hydrolysis. Binding of Fe(III), Pb(II) and Cu(II) occurs in one detectable step labeled A. Site capacities nu(A) are temperature-independent from 10.0 to 40.0 degrees C and point to binding by charge-neutralization to form solid complexes M(OOC-R)(n)(s), where n appears to be 2 for Pb(II) and 3 for Fe(III). Thermodynamic data pairs (DeltaH(A), DeltaS(A)) for metal binding are linearly correlated with previous data for Ca(II), Co(II) and Mg(II) binding by solid HAs.     

Application of the Australian river bioassessment system (AUSRIVAS) in the Brantas River, East Java, Indonesia

Assessment of river 'health' using biological methods, particularly those based on macro-invertebrates, is now commonplace in most developed countries. However, this is not the case in most developing countries, where physical and chemical methods are used to assess water quality, with very little use of biological assessment methods. This paper reports on a project that aimed to assess the possible introduction of biological assessment of river condition using the Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS) into Indonesia. The paper addresses three components of the project: (1) science--does the bioassessment method work in this tropical region? (2) resources--are they adequate and if not what additional resources are needed? (3) politics--what needs to be done to convince the agencies (both central and provincial) to take up such a new philosophy and approach? A pilot study was run in the upper Brantas River, East Java. A total of 66 reference sites and 15 test sites were sampled and the macro-invertebrates collected were identified to family level. A rigorous quality-control protocol was introduced to ensure the data were reliable and reproducible. The macro-invertebrate data were used to develop a predictive model of the AUSRIVAS type for the upper Brantas River, and the model was then used to assess the 'health' of sites that were presumed to be damaged in this section of the river. A number of difficulties were experienced during the study, including: locating reference sites sufficiently unmodified by humans; lack of skills to identify animals collected; and a paucity of facilities required for aquatic macro-invertebrate identification (e.g. identification keys and good quality binocular microscopes). For resources, the major constraint to the introduction of a bioassessment capability in Indonesia is the lack of personnel trained in the bioassessment techniques. An 'on-the-job' training approach was adopted, largely because of the specialist nature of this work. Six Indonesians were trained and will now become the 'trainers' of further Indonesian scientists (we have called this process 'training-the-trainers'). For politics, it was hoped that the AUSRIVAS method would be suitable for introduction into the Indonesian national Clean River Program. A strategy was developed and implemented to ensure the method and its outputs were accepted technically by the Indonesian scientific community, and also by the resource managers and relevant government officials. Experience shows that if the latter do not see how the bioassessment information will be used for management purposes they will not accept the method even if it is scientifically sound.     

Silver concentrations in Welsh soils and their dispersal from derelict mine sites

In west and north Wales silver was mined extensively between 1750 and 1900, where it was frequently present as its sulphide form, argentite, whilst also occurring as a guest element in galena and sphalerite. Determination of the silver content of a range of soil types from areas devoid of mines by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry established normal background levels. Soils derived from black shales, or rich in organic matter were inherently richer in silver than the sandstone or limestone derived soils examined. Soils once exposed to contamination from the mining activities of the 19th Century can still be identified as they show elevated levels of silver. Fluvially derived contamination is confined to valley floodplains, but aerial transportation of mine spoil wastes enhance metal levels around derelict mine sites. Spoil analysed from areas of different geology contained a range of silver values reflecting variations in ore type, grain size and technique of ore extraction.     

Advanced manufacturing technology and work simplification: An empirical study

This paper is concerned with the effects of advanced manufacturing technology on shopfloor operator jobs and work attitudes. A strong line of argument from labour process theory suggests that such technology will simplify and deskill jobs, and reduce the quality or working life. This proposition was explored within a large electronics company which assembles computer boards, where two different applications of information technology have been experienced. These were compared with two traditional manual assembly jobs. Assessment of job content, perceived job characteristics and operator work attitudes, showed no uniform deskilling effects of advanced manufacturing technologies. Much larger differences existed both between the different new technology applications and between the traditional jobs. This demonstrates that choice of technology is important to skill use and employees' attitudes, as are the choices for the organization of work around it. These are not uniform processes even within a single organization. Experience of operating advanced manufacturing technology was also accompanied by more positive views concerning its impact on the shopfloor.     

韩国绿色种养循环农业发展概况与经验启示

联合国将碳中和视为当今世界最为紧迫的任务，而农业是温室气体排放最多的产业之一，各国相继出台政策积极开展农业农村减排工作。韩国自2012年开始逐渐减少海洋粪污排泄量，并大力实行绿色种养循环农业，解决本国内畜禽粪污问题。韩国作为中国的重要海上邻国，不论是从研究借鉴角度抑或生态系统共享角度，了解其环境保护政策都是十分必要的。本文从韩国实施的主要政策、各地区农地养分收支现状、代表性运营模式案例、政策关注焦点等方面介绍韩国绿色种养循环农业的发展概况，结合中国绿色种养循环农业现状开展研究。提出三点政策建议：第一，进一步完善畜禽粪污资源化利用机具补贴辅助管理系统，提高系统在农户中的普及率；第二，提高全民环保意识的同时，政府的角色不应局限自上而下的引导型，应该积极促进种植户和养殖户间的自发组织，并大力提倡吸纳社会资本，集结社会各方力量；第三，促进绿色种养循环农业产品的商品化和品牌化，从而调动农户参与绿色种养循环农业的积极性。     

Identifying opportunities for expert-mediated triangulation in monitoring wildlife trade on social media

Wildlife trade has rapidly expanded on social media platforms in recent years, offering an easy means for traders to access international markets. Investigating this trade activity poses a complex challenge to researchers seeking to understand online trade and moderators seeking to disrupt illicit and harmful activity. Current survey methods frequently rely on text-based searches and focus on posts in which the advertisement is explicit. However, such approaches risk overlooking a growing volume of relevant content, particularly outside social media groups. We used posts from pages promoting West African birds for trade as a case study to explore the availability of information for making inferences about trade activity on social media, specifically information indicating that trade activity was occurring or that could be used to infer trade routes. We recorded 400 posts from 12 pages that we inferred either promoted or facilitated wildlife trade, of which 19.7% were explicit advertisements and 23.8% contained taxa-related terms. In the remaining 341 posts, profile information was the most common indicator of trade activity, but a variety of indicators (e.g., images of birds in trade and trade enquiries) were identified across imagery, text, and comments. We identified multiple types of geographical information that could help infer trade routes and thus the likely legality of trade, although most were relatively rare and sometimes contradictory. Our findings suggest that triangulating multiple types of information from within, across, and beyond posts is vital for effectively identifying and interpreting wildlife trade content on social media. Therefore, were commend that expert-mediated triangulation should be integrated in and used alongside automated detection systems and moderating practices of social media companies.