Applying metabolic fingerprinting to ecology: The use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for the rapid screening of plant responses to N deposition

The potential for metabolic fingerprinting via Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to provide a novel approach for the detection of plant biochemical responses to N deposition is examined. An example of spectral analysis using shoot samples taken from an open top chamber (OTC) experiment simulating wet ammonium deposition is given. Sample preparation involved oven drying and homogenisation via mill grinding. Slurries of a consistent dilution were then prepared prior to FT-IR analysis. Spectra from control, 8 and 16 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 treatments were then subjected to cross-validated discriminant function analysis. Ordination diagrams showed clear separation between the three N treatments examined. The potential for using Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull as a bioindicator of N deposition is further evident from these results. The results also clearly demonstrate the power of FT-IR in discriminating between subtle phenotypic alterations in overall plant biochemistry as affected by ammonium pollution.     

EFFECTIVENESS OF POLYACRYLAMIDE (PAM) IN IMPROVING RUNOFF WATER QUALITY FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES1

ABSTRACT: Erosion from construction sites significantly affects water quality in receiving streams. A rainfall simulator was used to evaluate the effectiveness of different methods for controlling erosion from construction sites. Erosion control methods investigated included dry and liquid applications of polyacrylamide (PAM), hydroseed, and straw mulch. Fertilizer was also applied to each plot to examine the effectiveness of the methods in reducing nutrient losses in runoff. Runoff samples were analyzed for total suspended solids (TSS), nitrate, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonium, total phosphorus (TP), and orthophosphate. Among all treatments investigated, straw mulch was the most effective treatment for controlling TSS and nutrient losses during short term and long term simulations. The low liquid PAM (half the recommended PAM) treatment resulted in the highest reduction in runoff, TSS bound nitrogen, and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations and loadings. The study results indicate that a high application rate (twice the recommended rate) of PAM could actually increase runoff and TSS losses. At a low application rate, both liquid and dry PAM were effective in reducing TSS and nutrient losses in runoff. However, application of the liquid form of PAM to construction sites is more practical and perhaps more economical than applying the PAM in the dry form.     

Fine‐resolution conservation planning with limited climate‐change information

Climate‐change induced uncertainties in future spatial patterns of conservation‐related outcomes make it difficult to implement standard conservation‐planning paradigms. A recent study translates Markowitz's risk‐diversification strategy from finance to conservation settings, enabling conservation agents to use this diversification strategy for allocating conservation and restoration investments across space to minimize the risk associated with such uncertainty. However, this method is information intensive and requires a large number of forecasts of ecological outcomes associated with possible climate‐change scenarios for carrying out fine‐resolution conservation planning. We developed a technique for iterative, spatial portfolio analysis that can be used to allocate scarce conservation resources across a desired level of subregions in a planning landscape in the absence of a sufficient number of ecological forecasts. We applied our technique to the Prairie Pothole Region in central North America. A lack of sufficient future climate information prevented attainment of the most efficient risk‐return conservation outcomes in the Prairie Pothole Region. The difference in expected conservation returns between conservation planning with limited climate‐change information and full climate‐change information was as large as 30% for the Prairie Pothole Region even when the most efficient iterative approach was used. However, our iterative approach allowed finer resolution portfolio allocation with limited climate‐change forecasts such that the best possible risk‐return combinations were obtained. With our most efficient iterative approach, the expected loss in conservation outcomes owing to limited climate‐change information could be reduced by 17% relative to other iterative approaches.     

Efficacy of created and restored nesting sites for the conservation of colonial Laridae in the South of France

By rapidly modifying key habitat components, habitat restoration is at risk of producing attractive cues for animals without providing habitats of sufficient quality. As such, individual fitness components, such as reproduction, could be reduced and restored habitats could become ecological traps. This risk notably appears by using artificial constructions in restoration projects, yet few studies have evaluated their efficacy in a robust way. We investigated this by analyzing 154 islets that were created or restored to improve the conservation status of 7 colonial Laridae species in the South of France. From 2007 to 2016, we compared occupancy dynamics and breeding parameters of these species between the restored sites and 846 unmanaged nesting sites. We also explored species’ preference for different nesting site characteristics and their respective effect on breeding parameters. Restored nesting sites were 2–9 times as attractive as unmanaged sites for all species except the Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). Colonization probability was up to 100 times higher in sites already used by other species the previous year and increased with distance to the shore until >0.2 when distance was over 250 m. Abandonment probability was 29–70% lower when breeding was successful the previous year in all species except the Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). Productivity and breeding success probability were 2 times higher on managed sites. Distance from the shore was an important attractive characteristic of artificial nesting sites in all species. Other nesting site characteristics had species-specific effects on colonization, abandonment, and breeding success. Our results indicate that managed nesting sites are successful conservation tools for colonial Laridae in the Mediterranean and do not act as ecological traps. Our study showed that testing the ecological trap hypothesis is a robust way to evaluate the success of restoration projects of breeding habitats.     

三峡库区腹地大气微量金属干湿沉降特征

为研究三峡库区腹地大气微量金属沉降特征,在万州城区采样点收集了2014年1月~6月的干湿沉降样品,在云阳晒经村(工厂区)、云阳高阳(场镇郊区)、开县白家溪(自然保护区)、开县野塘溪(县郊区)、开县大德(乡村区)收集了2014年4月的干湿沉降样品;分别测定了样品的p H值、电导率和微量金属元素(Al、As、B、Ba、Bi、Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Fe、Li、Mn、Pb、Ni、Sb、Sr、Sn、Ti、Zn、V).结果表明:1万州城区酸雨频率为48.44%,酸雨主要集中在1~4月.不同功能区酸雨频率高低顺序为:工厂区万州城区县郊区场镇郊区自然保护区乡村区.2湿沉降中20种微量金属质量浓度均低于国家地表水环境质量标准Ⅲ级标准限值,而Cd、Cu、Pb和Zn不同程度超Ⅰ级标准限值,其中工厂区相对严重.3万州城区干沉降提取液p H值在4.91~6.74之间,平均为5.79.各功能区干沉降酸度高低顺序为:工厂区县郊区万州城区乡村区场镇郊区自然保护区,这与湿沉降酸度顺序完全一致,说明干湿沉降中主要酸性物质具有同源性.4万州城区Ba、Co、Cu、Cr、Li、Mn、Ni、Sr、Zn干沉降超过湿沉降,而Al、As、B、Bi、Cd、Fe、Pb、Sb、Sn、Ti、V湿沉降大于干沉降.富集因子分析表明,万州城区Al为中等富集,Bi和Cd显著富集.     

Assessment of the maximum allowed acid deposition load at current stage in China

Soil acidification caused by acid deposition has been significant in some forests in southern China. We present an approach for assessing the current stage maximum allowed load (SML) of acid deposition for terrestrial system in the country. The main idea was that soil base cation exchange as a finite buffer to acidity was included in the soil acidity mass balance calculation at current acidification stage. We calculated the SML for five forests in southern China. The usual critical loads for the same forests were also calculated by the steady state mass balance model for comparison. The results showed that the SML is a more tolerant limit than the critical load for the forests with soils not acidified seriously at current stage. However, the SML become a more stringent limit to acid deposition when the forest soils have acidified seriously to very low base cation saturation. In this case the SML assessment is beneficial for the soils recovering from a serious acidified state. Based on a national scale database, the SML mapping for non-agricultural soil system in China was carried out.     

阜新城区降尘重金属污染及其健康风险评价

为研究阜新市大气降尘重金属分布情况及可能存在的健康风险,于2015年3月—2016年3月对阜新城区(32个采样点)及周边地区(13个对照采样点)进行大气降尘湿法采集,并利用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)对降尘中的7种重金属元素(Cr、Ni、Zn、Cd、Pb、As、Cu)含量进行测定.结果表明:① 阜新市大气降尘中重金属含量存在明显差异,表现为w(Zn)＞w(Pb)＞w(Cr)＞w(Cu)＞w(Ni)＞w(As)＞w(Cd). w(Zn)平均值最高,为756.9 mg/kg; w(Cd)平均值最低,为4.8 mg/kg,其他几种重金属含量范围为10~120 mg/kg. ② 城区大气降尘中Cd的背景比值(H)最高,为44.89,其次为Zn(H=11.92),城区大气降尘重金属污染受人为活动影响显著. ③ 地累积指数评价结果显示,Cd为严重-极度污染,Zn为中度-严重污染,Pb、Cu为中度污染,Cr、Ni为轻度污染,As为无污染. ④ 研究区健康风险评价表明,儿童通过3种暴露途径接触Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd、Ni的非致癌健康风险水平均高于成人,Cr、As的非致癌健康风险水平低于成人. ⑤ Cr经呼吸途径对成人的非致癌风险(HQ_inh)达2.53,非致癌风险总值(HI)达3.41,均大于限值(1),表明Cr经呼吸途径对于成人存在非致癌风险,其余6种重金属元素经呼吸途径对于成人的非致癌风险相对较低. ⑥ Cd、Cr、As、Ni经呼吸途径的致癌风险值(10-9~10-7)均低于可接受水平(10-6),表明致癌元素Cd、Cr、As、Ni经呼吸途径对人体可能不具有致癌风险.鉴于研究区大气降尘重金属元素经3种途径对成人、儿童均构成一定非致癌风险,阜新市应当及时加强对海州露天矿、经济开发区及皮革工业园等主要大气颗粒物污染源的排放及监测管控.      

工业园区综合难降解废水深度处理实验研究

某工业园区综合废水处理厂设计规模5.0×104m3/d,原设计出水执行《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》(GB 18918-2002)一级B标准,需将出水标准提高到一级A排放标准.分别采用混凝沉淀法和高级氧化法深度处理二级生化出水.小试试验结果表明:二级生化出水CODcr在62~75 mg/L左右,PAC、Al2(SO4)3及PFS三种絮凝沉淀药剂处理出水CODcr去除效果均不明显,不能稳定达到一级A排放标准.芬顿催化氧化的pH=5,FeSO4+H2O2投加量为(200+100)mg/L;臭氧氧化的O3投加量33 mg/L,其出水CODcr均能达到一级A排放标准.     

Factors influencing the contents of metals and As in soils around the watershed of Guanting Reservoir, China

Topsoil samples from 61 sites around the Guanting Reservoir,China,were measured for Cu,Zn,Cr,Ni,Cd,Pb and As concentrations.The mean concentrations of Cu,Zn,Cr,Ni,Cd,Pb and As were 16.8,59.4,37.8,18.3,0.32,20.1 and 8.67 mg/kg dry weight,respectively.Factors that influence the dynamics of these metals in soils around the watersheds of Beijing reservoirs were examined.The influence of atmospheric deposition,land use,soil texture,soil type and soil chemical parameters on metal contents in soils was investigated.Atmospheric deposition,land use and soil texture were the important factors affecting heavy metal residues.Soil type and soil chemical parameters were also involved in heavy metal retention in soils.The data provided in this study are considered crucial for reservoir remediation,especially since the Guanting Reservoir will serve as one of the main drinking water sources for Beijing in the foreseeable future.     

关于加强我国污染场地环境管理政策建议探讨

本文在综述当前我国污染场地环境管理现状基础上,探讨了加强污染场地环境管理相关政策建议,以期为我国进一步完善污染场地环境管理提供决策参考。具体建议：强化污染场地信息管理;把握和贯彻基于风险的管理理念;搞好标准建设工作;重视复合绿色修复技术的研发;逐步开创适宜的融资机制和模式;建立合理有效的公众参与和信息公开制度。