Dynamics of Restoration Processes in the Idle Solonetz Ecosystems in the Southern Transural Region

The initial period of idleness in the solonetz ecosystems of the southern Transural Region is characterized by a significant variability of their soil–plant communities, which is determined by natural periodicity and general direction of the process of ecosystem restoration. Selective consumption of salinizing ions by the plants growing on idle land activates the development of desalinization processes.     

矿区周边土壤重金属污染治理的优势植物筛选——以关中西部某铅锌冶炼区为例

通过对关中西部某铅锌冶炼区周边实地调查、采样和室内样品分析,采用原子吸收分光光度计测定铅锌冶炼区周边地区长势良好的13种优势植物对Pb、Zn、Cd、Cr、Cu、Ni的吸收与富集能力及其富集特征。结果表明,矿区土壤均受到Pb、Zn、Cd 3种重金属的污染,13种植物体内的Pb、Zn、Cd的含量比正常植物的含量高出数倍,白蒿、蒲公英、播娘蒿、牛舌草和秃疮花这5种植物对于Pb、Zn、Cd这3种重金属的转移系数均大于1,从植物体内重金属含量、转运系数和富集系数3个指标来看,白蒿和蒲公英可作为首选的2种先锋植物。此结果为利用本土植物治理铅锌矿区土壤重金属污染提供一定的参考依据。     

The fate of the herbicide propanil in plants of the littoral zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), China

The anti-seasonal hydrology with 30 m water fluctuations in the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR) of China attracts growing environmental and ecological concerns. We investigated the biotransformation of the herbicide propanil in plants dominating in the littoral zone of the TGR by applying the ~(14)C-ring-labeled herbicide into non-aseptic hydroponic plant systems(Cynodon dactylon, Nelumbo nucifera and Bidens pilosa), aseptic plants(Lemna minor and Lemna gibba) and cell suspension cultures(C. dactylon and L. minor).(1) Propanil absorbed in plants of the hydroponic systems was(12.46 ± 1.63)% of applied radioactivity(AR)(C. dactylon),(52.36 ± 6.38)%(N. nucifera) and(76.55 ± 6.07)%(B. pilosa), respectively. The ~(14)C-residues in the plant extractable fractions and the corresponding media were confirmed by radio-Thin Layer Chromatography(TLC), radio-High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) and Gas Chromatography-Electron Ionization Mass Spectrometry(GC–EIMS) as propanil,3,4-dichloroaniline(DCA) and N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-β-D-glucopyranosylamine(Glu-DCA).(2)About 8% of AR was taken up by both aseptic plants, from which 7.0% of AR was extracted and identified also as propanil, DCA and Glu-DCA.(3) Concerning cell suspension cultures,(39.22 ±9.39)% of AR was absorbed by C. dactylon after 72 hr, whereas the accumulated ~(14)C-propanil by L.minor cell suspension culture amounted to(65.04 ± 1.72)% after 7 days. The identified compounds in cell cultures are consistent with those in the tested plants. Most of the pesticide residues in the intact plants were un-extractable, which are recognized as the end of the detoxification process. We therefore consider these plants as suitable for the phytoremediation of the herbicide propanil in the TGR region.     

低浓度辛基酚的好氧生物降解特性和群落多样性

利用摇瓶序批式试验研究了好氧菌群对低浓度辛基酚的生物降解特性和群落特征.结果表明,在辛基酚初始浓度水平为200、100、50μg·L-1的条件下,一级反应动力学常数分别为0.131、0.219和0.431d-1,辛基酚浓度升高显示出一定的代谢抑制作用.在pH值为5～9的范围内,弱碱性条件(pH=8)最有利于辛基酚的生物降解.甲醇、葡萄糖、苯酚、酵母浸出物等有机添加物普遍可以改善辛基酚的生物代谢,其中,苯酚和酵母浸出物的促进效果最明显,在200μg·L-1的初始浓度下,辛基酚降解半衰期从5.3d分别降至3.2d和2.3d.与较高浓度烷基酚类污染物试验结果不同,实验过程中发现的主要优势菌以γ-proteobacteria、β-proteobacteria和Firmicutes为主.     

植物在环境保护中的作用

随着现代工业和城市的迅速发展,人类活动对环境影响越来越大,环境污染也随之日益加重,因此迫切需要寻求切实可行的环保措施。利用植物、发挥植物在环境中的作用进行保护就是一种直接有效的方法。本文着重从净化环境和监测环境两个方面阐述植物在环境保护中的作用。     

Forecasting Alpine Vegetation Change Using Repeat Sampling and a Novel Modeling Approach

Global change affects alpine ecosystems by, among many effects, by altering plant distributions and community composition. However, forecasting alpine vegetation change is challenged by a scarcity of studies observing change in fixed plots spanning decadal-time scales. We present in this article a probabilistic modeling approach that forecasts vegetation change on Niwot Ridge, CO using plant abundance data collected from marked plots established in 1971 and resampled in 1991 and 2001. Assuming future change can be inferred from past change, we extrapolate change for 100 years from 1971 and correlate trends for each plant community with time series environmental data (1971–2001). Models predict a decreased extent of Snowbed vegetation and an increased extent of Shrub Tundra by 2071. Mean annual maximum temperature and nitrogen deposition were the primary a posteriori correlates of plant community change. This modeling effort is useful for generating hypotheses of future vegetation change that can be tested with future sampling efforts.     

Site‐Occupancy Distribution Modeling to Correct Population‐Trend Estimates Derived from Opportunistic Observations

Abstract: Species’ assessments must frequently be derived from opportunistic observations made by volunteers (i.e., citizen scientists). Interpretation of the resulting data to estimate population trends is plagued with problems, including teasing apart genuine population trends from variations in observation effort. We devised a way to correct for annual variation in effort when estimating trends in occupancy (species distribution) from faunal or floral databases of opportunistic observations. First, for all surveyed sites, detection histories (i.e., strings of detection–nondetection records) are generated. Within‐season replicate surveys provide information on the detectability of an occupied site. Detectability directly represents observation effort; hence, estimating detectablity means correcting for observation effort. Second, site‐occupancy models are applied directly to the detection‐history data set (i.e., without aggregation by site and year) to estimate detectability and species distribution (occupancy, i.e., the true proportion of sites where a species occurs). Site‐occupancy models also provide unbiased estimators of components of distributional change (i.e., colonization and extinction rates). We illustrate our method with data from a large citizen‐science project in Switzerland in which field ornithologists record opportunistic observations. We analyzed data collected on four species: the widespread Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) and the scarce Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis) and Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Our method requires that all observed species are recorded. Detectability was <1 and varied over the years. Simulations suggested some robustness, but we advocate recording complete species lists (checklists), rather than recording individual records of single species. The representation of observation effort with its effect on detectability provides a solution to the problem of differences in effort encountered when extracting trend information from haphazard observations. We expect our method is widely applicable for global biodiversity monitoring and modeling of species distributions.     

Making nature conservation modern: an analysis of developments in nature conservation policy in relation to macro-social changes—the Netherlands as a case study

It is often said that we live in the ecological era. It is also often said that society has entered a new phase, which—depending on the theoretical orientation—is called post-modern, post-industrial or risk society. This article analyses to what extent the presupposed shift to a phase beyond modernity is reflected in nature conservation policy. To do so, an analysis is first made of whether the basic perception and appreciation of nature in latter-day society differs essentially from perceptions and appreciations that were dominant during the heyday of modernity. When this turns out not to be the case, the development of nature conservation policy in the Netherlands during the last decades of the twentieth century is investigated to establish if conservation policy—that is, the way in which society deals with nature—has fundamentally changed. The conclusion is that Dutch policy with regard to nature has been undergoing a process of belated modernization in the sense that it is striving towards a firmer base in science and a more objective and quantifiable process of policy development. This can be seen as removing a pre-modern relic from modern society. At the same time, there is a late-modern drive towards consensus building and communication, which cannot be reconciled entirely with the stronger orientation towards science as the sole basis for deciding which kind of nature and how nature should be protected. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of carbofuran on growth,biomass allocation,and intraspecific competition in Bouteloua gracilis

Abstract

Growth, biomass allocation and competition between blue grama plants were examined with and without application of carbofuran, a pesticide which has been used to study insect and nematode effects on primary production. Carbofuran had no apparent effect on total plant growth, biomass allocation, or competition between neighboring plants.