Advances in understanding ozone impact on forest trees: Messages from novel phytotron and free-air fumigation studies

Recent evidence from novel phytotron and free-air ozone (O₃) fumigation experiments in Europe and America on forest tree species is highlighted in relation to previous chamber studies. Differences in O₃ sensitivity between pioneer and climax species are examined and viewed for trees growing at the harsh alpine timberline ecotone. As O₃ apparently counteracts positive effects of elevated CO₂ and mitigates productivity increases, response is governed by genotype, competitors, and ontogeny rather than species per se. Complexity in O₃ responsiveness increased under the influence of pathogens and herbivores. The new evidence does not conflict in principle with previous findings that, however, pointed to a low ecological significance. This new knowledge on trees' O₃ responsiveness beyond the juvenile stage in plantations and forests nevertheless implies limited predictability due to complexity in biotic and abiotic interactions. Unravelling underlying mechanisms is mandatory for assessing O₃ risks as an important component of climate change scenarios.     

How the redox state of tobacco 'Bel-W3' is modified in response to ozone and other environmental factors in a sub-tropical area?

This study intended to determine whether the redox state in plants of Nicotiana tabacum ‘Bel-W3’ fluctuates in response to the environmental factors in a sub-tropical area contaminated by ozone (São Paulo, SE - Brazil) and which environmental factors are related to this fluctuation, discussing their biomonitoring efficiency. We comparatively evaluated the indicators of redox state (ascorbic acid, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) and leaf injury in 17 field experiments performed in 2008. The redox state was explained by the combined effects of chronic levels of O₃ and meteorological variables 4-6 days prior to the plant sampling. Moderate leaf injury was observed in most cases. The redox state of tobacco decreases few days after their placement in the sub-tropical environment, causing them to become susceptible to oxidative stress imposed by chronic doses of O₃. Its bioindicator efficiency would not be diminished in such levels of atmospheric contamination.     

A Critical Assessment of the Use of Surrogate Species in Conservation Planning in the Sacramento‐San Joaquin Delta,California (U.S.A.)

Abstract: Conservation biology has provided wildlife managers with a wealth of concepts and tools for use in conservation planning; among them is the surrogate species concept. Over the past 20 years, a growing body of empirical literature has demonstrated the limited effectiveness of surrogates as management tools, unless it is first established that the target species and surrogate will respond similarly to a given set of environmental conditions. Wildlife managers and policy makers have adopted the surrogate species concept, reflecting the limited information available on most species at risk of extirpation or extinction and constraints on resources available to support conservation efforts. We examined the use of surrogate species, in the form of cross‐taxon response‐indicator species (that is, one species from which data are used to guide management planning for another, distinct species) in the Sacramento‐San Joaquin Delta, California (U.S.A.). In that system there has been increasing reliance on surrogates in conservation planning for species listed under federal or state endangered species acts, although the agencies applying the surrogate species concept did not first validate that the surrogate and target species respond similarly to relevant environmental conditions. During the same period, conservation biologists demonstrated that the surrogate concept is generally unsupported by ecological theory and empirical evidence. Recently developed validation procedures may allow for the productive use of surrogates in conservation planning, but, used without validation, the surrogate species concept is not a reliable planning tool.     

Use of a Business Excellence Model to Improve Conservation Programs

Abstract: The current shortfall in effectiveness within conservation biology is illustrated by increasing interest in “evidence‐based conservation,” whose proponents have identified the need to benchmark conservation initiatives against actions that lead to proven positive effects. The effectiveness of conservation policies, approaches, and evaluation is under increasing scrutiny, and in these areas models of excellence used in business could prove valuable. Typically, conservation programs require years of effort and involve rigorous long‐term implementation processes. Successful balance of long‐term efforts alongside the achievement of short‐term goals is often compromised by management or budgetary constraints, a situation also common in commercial businesses. “Business excellence” is an approach many companies have used over the past 20 years to ensure continued success. Various business excellence evaluations have been promoted that include concepts that could be adapted and applied in conservation programs. We describe a conservation excellence model that shows how scientific processes and results can be aligned with financial and organizational measures of success. We applied the model to two well‐documented species conservation programs. In the first, the Po’ouli program, several aspects of improvement were identified, such as more authority for decision making in the field and better integration of habitat management and population recovery processes. The second example, the black‐footed ferret program, could have benefited from leadership effort to reduce bureaucracy and to encourage use of best‐practice species recovery approaches. The conservation excellence model enables greater clarity in goal setting, more‐effective identification of job roles within programs, better links between technical approaches and measures of biological success, and more‐effective use of resources. The model could improve evaluation of a conservation program's effectiveness and may be used to compare different programs, for example during reviews of project performance by sponsoring organizations.     

g-C3N4制备及其协同PDS可见光催化降解布洛芬的研究

以尿素为主要原料,采用热聚合法在不同条件下制备了光催化剂g-C3N4(石墨相碳化氮),通过改变尿素在马弗炉中加热的温度(350℃、400℃、450℃、500℃)和时间(0.5 h、1 h、1.5 h),得到不同烧结温度和时间的光催化剂,并对其进行X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、傅立叶红外光谱分析仪(FT-IR)、紫外可见漫反射光(UV-Vis)表征,并通过可见光光催化降解布洛芬试验,探究了制备温度、时间对g-C3N4光催化性能的影响;并在溶液中加入PDS(过硫酸钾),联合g-C3N4在可见光下光催化降解布洛芬。结果表明,当烧结温度为500℃、烧结时间为1.5 h时,制备的g-C3N4在可见光区有较强吸收且具有较大的比表面积,以致其表现出最佳的光催化性能;PDS的存在对布洛芬的降解有促进作用,且加快了g-C3N4对布洛芬的光催化降解,相比于纯g-C3N4,4 h内布洛芬的降解率由63%提升为90.5%。以异丙醇、甲醇、对苯醌、草酸钠、重铬酸钾、甲醇分别为羟基自由基(·OH)、·OH和硫酸根自由基(SO4^-·)、超氧自由基(·O2-)、空穴(h+)、电子(e^-)的捕获剂。通过对反应过程的活性物种鉴定,·OH、SO4^-·、h+、e^-均参与了布洛芬的光催化降解,其中h+在反应中的贡献率达到了82.9%,在降解布洛芬过程中起主导作用;在反应体系中添加PDS后,催化剂g-C3N4的荧光强度变小,即加入PDS能够有效降低g-C3N4的光生空穴与电子的复合率,提高g-C3N4的光催化性能。     

外源褪黑素对As3+胁迫下水稻种子萌发的影响

研究添加外源褪黑素对As³⁺胁迫下水稻种子萌发及生理指标的影响。结果表明添加外源褪黑素能促进As³⁺下水稻种子的萌发，提高水稻的发芽势和发芽率，促进水稻幼苗的生长。当As³⁺浓度为100 μmol L^-1时，添加100 μmol L^-1褪黑素使水稻种子发芽率和总根长比对照分别提高57.1%和50.0%。添加褪黑素能显著提高As³⁺胁迫下水稻幼苗中抗氧化酶系统过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)活性和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)的活性，并降低水稻幼芽中丙二醛(MDA)的含量。当As³⁺浓度为100 μmol L^-1时，添加50 μmol L^-1和100 μmol L^-1褪黑素导致水稻幼芽中POD活性比对照处理分别提高57.5%和114.8%，CAT活性提高29.4%和53.8%，SOD活性提高31.5%和56.0%，丙二醛含量比对照处理降低16.5%和31.9%。添加褪黑素也能显著提高As³⁺胁迫下水稻的根系活力，当As³⁺浓度为100 μmol L^-1时，50、100 μmol L^-1褪黑素处理后根系活力比对照分别提高42.4%和124.1%。说明添加外源褪黑素可缓解As³⁺胁迫对水稻的脂质过氧化损害，有效降低As对水稻内膜的破坏，显著缓解As污染对水稻的毒害作用。     

Hybridization,agency discretion,and implementation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the “best available scientific and commercial data” be used to protect imperiled species from extinction and preserve biodiversity. However, it does not provide specific guidance on how to apply this mandate. Scientific data can be uncertain and controversial, particularly regarding species delineation and hybridization issues. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) had an evolving hybrid policy to guide protection decisions for individuals of hybrid origin. Currently, this policy is in limbo because it resulted in several controversial conservation decisions in the past. Biologists from FWS must interpret and apply the best available science to their recommendations and likely use considerable discretion in making recommendations for what species to list, how to define those species, and how to recover them. We used semistructured interviews to collect data on FWS biologists’ use of discretion to make recommendations for listed species with hybridization issues. These biologists had a large amount of discretion to determine the best available science and how to interpret it but generally deferred to the scientific consensus on the taxonomic status of an organism. Respondents viewed hybridization primarily as a problem in the context of the ESA, although biologists who had experience with hybridization issues were more likely to describe it in more nuanced terms. Many interviewees expressed a desire to continue the current case‐by‐case approach for handling hybridization issues, but some wanted more guidance on procedures (i.e., a “flexible” hybrid policy). Field‐level information can provide critical insight into which policies are working (or not working) and why. The FWS biologists’ we interviewed had a high level of discretion, which greatly influenced ESA implementation, particularly in the context of hybridization.     

Rank aggregation of local expert knowledge for conservation planning of the critically endangered saola

There has been much recent interest in using local knowledge and expert opinion for conservation planning, particularly for hard‐to‐detect species. Although it is possible to ask for direct estimation of quantities such as population size, relative abundance is easier to estimate. However, an expert's knowledge is often geographically restricted relative to the area of interest. Combining (or aggregating) experts’ assessments of relative abundance is difficult when each expert only knows a part of the area of interest. We used Google's PageRank algorithm to aggregate ranked abundance scores elicited from local experts through a rapid rural‐appraisal method. We applied this technique to conservation planning for the saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), a poorly known bovid. Near a priority landscape for the species, composed of 3 contiguous protected areas, we asked groups of local people to indicate relative abundances of saola and other species by placing beans on community maps. For each village, we used this information to rank areas within the knowledge area of that village for saola abundance. We used simulations to compare alternative methods to aggregate the rankings from the different villages. The best‐performing method was then used to produce a single map of relative abundance across the entire landscape, an area larger than that known to any one village. This map has informed prioritization of surveys and conservation action in the continued absence of direct information about the saola.     

臭氧二级传递标准量值传递技术

臭氧(O_3)二级传递标准对O_3三级传递标准进行量值传递,开展了对分析类型、发生类型等不同类型O_3三级传递标准的量值传递实验。分析类型O_3三级传递标准6组校准斜率的相对标准偏差Sm为0.19%、截距的标准偏差SI为0.25 nmol/mol;发生类型O_3三级传递标准6组校准的Sm为0.67%、SI为0.20 nmol/mol,均符合美国环保局O_3二级传递标准量值传递的评价指标:6组多点校准斜率的相对标准偏差Sm≤3.7%,截距的标准偏差SI≤1.5 nmol/mol。进一步对分析类型、发生类型O_3三级传递标准分别进行了6个月的量值传递时间稳定性考察,O_3三级传递标准新的斜率与最近6组斜率均值的比值为0.965~1.037,且新计算的斜率的相对标准偏差Sm为0.37%~1.87%,截距的标准偏差SI为0.20~0.52 nmol/mol,均符合美国环保局量值传递评价指标的要求,建议至少每6个月采用O_3二级传递标准开展一次量值传递。