环境因子对脱氯功能念珠藻Nostoc PD-2降解多氯联苯过程中基因表达的影响

以分离筛选自多氯联苯污染水稻田中的脱氯功能蓝藻Nostoc PD-2为材料,两种典型的三氯代多氯联苯PCB28和PCB30为目标污染物,在不同的氮源、碳源和培养温度条件下,研究了脱氯功能藻种Nostoc PD-2中双加氧酶基因和细胞色素b6f复合体铁硫蛋白基因的表达情况及两种基因对脱氯作用的影响.结果显示,以硝酸钠作为氮源时,与氮气氮源组相比,PCB28和PCB30降解组中的两种基因均显著上调表达,双加氧酶基因的上调倍数分别为1.9和5.7倍,铁硫蛋白基因的上调倍数分别为1.1和1.7倍;添加碳酸钠时,与对照相比,双加氧酶基因最高上调了2.2倍,铁硫蛋白基因最高上调了3.4倍;提高温度对双加氧酶基因和铁硫蛋白基因的表达均有促进作用.相较于铁硫蛋白,双加氧酶基因相对表达量与PCB28和PCB30的脱氯百分比之间的相关系数分别为0.872和0.832,表明双加氧酶基因活性与功能藻种PD-2脱氯降解PCBs的相关性更高.本研究结果表明,不同环境因子可引起脱氯功能藻种Nostoc PD-2降解PCBs过程中双加氧酶基因和铁硫蛋白基因的差异表达,添加碳源对降解效果的促进作用最明显,脱氯功能藻种在工程应用中采用优化的环境条件有利于提高降解效率.     

Cd2+共存时镰刀菌(Fusarium sp.HJ01)降解对氯苯酚的特性与机制

为了解Cd2+对镰刀菌(Fusarium sp.HJ01)降解对氯苯酚(4-CP)的影响,研究了Cd2共存时,浓度、pH、碳源与氮源对镰刀菌降解4-CP特性的影响,并分析了其降解动力学与机理.结果表明,在降解温度、4-CP浓度等相同时,Cd2+共存对镰刀菌降解4-CP有一定的抑制作用.Cd2浓度小于3.O mg·L-1时,随着4-CP浓度的增大,镰刀菌对4-CP的降解速率变慢.镰刀菌降解4-CP的适宜pH为4.外加碳源蔗糖(3.Og·L-1)与外加NH4Cl(3.0 g·L-1)均使镰刀菌降解4-CP速度有所减缓.在Cd2+浓度0.1 ～3.0 mg·L-1时,镰刀菌降解4-CP符合零级动力学方程.Cd2+共存时只对4-CP的降解速率产生一定的抑制作用,而对其降解途径可能无显著影响.     

聚乙烯微塑料对海洋微藻生长和卤代烃释放的影响

挥发性卤代烃（VHCs）是一类重要的痕量温室气体和臭氧破坏物质,在全球气候变化中发挥重要作用.微藻释放VHCs受海洋环境因素的影响.微塑料作为海洋中一种重要新型污染物其对海洋微藻释放VHCs的影响研究比较少见.基于小新月菱形藻（Nitzschia closterium f.minutissima）和东海原甲藻（Prorocentrum donghaiense）的室内单种培养实验,通过测定其藻细胞密度、最大光量子效率（F_v/F_m）、活性氧（ROS）和VHCs浓度,研究聚乙烯（PE）微塑料长期暴露对小新月菱形藻和东海原甲藻生长和VHCs释放的影响.结果表明,PE微塑料胁迫对小新月菱形藻生长主要表现抑制作用,而对东海原甲藻生长表现出促进作用.50 μm的PE微塑料的添加对小新月菱形藻和东海原甲藻的光合作用起到遮蔽作用,导致二者的F_v/F_m受到抑制,且其对东海原甲藻的抑制作用更显著.与对照组相比,PE微塑料胁迫刺激藻细胞的ROS产生量增加,引起小新月菱形藻和东海原甲藻的氧化应激反应,从而促进两种微藻3种溴代烃的释放.     

Effect of hybridization with genome exclusion on extinction risk

Human‐induced habitat changes may lead to the breakdown of reproductive barriers between distantly related species. This phenomenon may result in fertile first‐generation hybrids (F₁) that exclude the genome of one parental species during gametogenesis, thus disabling introgression. The species extinction risk associated with hybridization with genome exclusion is largely underappreciated because the phenomenon produces only F₁ hybrid phenotype, leading to the misconception that hybrids are sterile and potentially of minor conservation concern. We used a simulation model that integrates the main genetic, demographic, and ecological processes to examine the dynamics of hybridization with genome exclusion. We showed that this mode of hybridization may lead to extremely rapid extinction when the process of genome exclusion is unbalanced between the interbreeding species and when the hybridization rate is not negligible. The coexistence of parental species was possible in some cases of asymmetrical genome exclusion, but show this equilibrium was highly vulnerable to environmental variation. Expanding the exclusive habitat of the species at risk allowed its persistence. Our results highlight the extent of possible extinction risk due to hybridization with genome exclusion and suggest habitat management as a promising conservation strategy. In anticipation of serious threats to biodiversity due to hybridization with genome exclusion, we recommend a detailed assessment of the reproductive status of hybrids in conservation programs. We suggest such assessments include the inspection of genetic content in hybrid gametes.     

Wrestling with the complexity of evaluation for organizations at the boundary of science,policy, and practice

Boundary organizations are situated between science, policy, and practice and have a goal of supporting communication and collaboration among these sectors. They have been promoted as a way to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts by building stronger relationships between scientists, policy makers, industry, and practitioners (Cook et al. 2013). Although their promise has been discussed in theory, the work of and expectations for boundary organizations are less defined in practice. Biodiversity conservation is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, dissent, and tight budgets, so boundary organizations face the challenging task of demonstrating their value to diverse stakeholders. We examined the challenges boundary organizations face when seeking to evaluate their work and thus aimed to encourage more productive conversations about evaluation of boundary organizations and their projects. Although no off‐the‐shelf solution is available for a given boundary organization, we identified 4 principles that will support effective evaluation for boundary organizations: engage diverse stakeholders, support learning and reflection, assess contribution to change, and align evaluation with assumption and values.     

Managing conflicts between economic activities and threatened migratory marine species toward creating a multiobjective blue economy

Harnessing the economic potential of the oceans is key to combating poverty, enhancing food security, and strengthening economies. But the concomitant risk of intensified resource extraction to migratory species is worrying given these species contribute to important ecological processes, often underpin alternative livelihoods, and are mostly already threatened. We thus sought to quantify the potential conflict between key economic activities (5 fisheries and hydrocarbon exploitation) and sea turtle migration corridors in a region with rapid economic development: southern and eastern Africa. We satellite tracked the movement of 20 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and 14 leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles during their postnesting migrations. We used movement‐based kernel density estimation to identify migration corridors for each species. We overlaid these corridors on maps of the distribution and intensity of economic activities, quantified the extent of overlap and threat posed by each activity on each species, and compared the effects of activities. These results were compared with annual bycatch rates in the respective fisheries. Both species’ 3 corridors overlapped most with longline fishing, but the effect was worse for leatherbacks: their bycatch rates of approximately 1500/year were substantial relative to the regional population size of <100 nesting females/annum. This bycatch rate is likely slowing population growth. Artisanal fisheries may be of greater concern for loggerheads than for leatherbacks, but the population appears to be withstanding the high bycatch rates because it is increasing exponentially. The hydrocarbon industry currently has a moderately low impact on both species, but mining in key areas (e.g., Southern Mozambique) may undermine >50 years of conservation, potentially affecting >80% of loggerheads, 33% of the (critically endangered) leatherbacks, and their nesting beaches. We support establishing blue economies (i.e., generating wealth from the ocean), but oceans need to be carefully zoned and responsibly managed in both space and time to achieve economic (resource extraction), ecological (conservation, maintenance of processes), and social (maintenance of alternative livelihood opportunities, alleviate poverty) objectives.     

Black swans,cognition, and the power of learning from failure

Failure carries undeniable stigma and is difficult to confront for individuals, teams, and organizations. Disciplines such as commercial and military aviation, medicine, and business have long histories of grappling with it, beginning with the recognition that failure is inevitable in every human endeavor. Although conservation may arguably be more complex, conservation professionals can draw on the research and experience of these other disciplines to institutionalize activities and attitudes that foster learning from failure, whether they are minor setbacks or major disasters. Understanding the role of individual cognitive biases, team psychological safety, and organizational willingness to support critical self‐examination all contribute to creating a cultural shift in conservation to one that is open to the learning opportunity that failure provides. This new approach to managing failure is a necessary next step in the evolution of conservation effectiveness.     

Linkages between measures of biodiversity and community resilience in Pacific Island agroforests

Designing agroecosystems that are compatible with the conservation of biodiversity is a top conservation priority. However, the social variables that drive native biodiversity conservation in these systems are poorly understood. We devised a new approach to identify social–ecological linkages that affect conservation outcomes in agroecosystems and in social‐ecological systems more broadly. We focused on coastal agroforests in Fiji, which, like agroforests across other small Pacific Islands, are critical to food security, contain much of the country's remaining lowland forests, and have rapidly declining levels of native biodiversity. We tested the relationships among social variables and native tree species richness in agroforests with structural equation models. The models were built with data from ecological and social surveys in 100 agroforests and associated households. The agroforests hosted 95 native tree species of which almost one‐third were endemic. Fifty‐eight percent of farms had at least one species considered threatened at the national or international level. The best‐fit structural equation model (R² = 47.8%) showed that social variables important for community resilience—local ecological knowledge, social network connectivity, and livelihood diversity—had direct and indirect positive effects on native tree species richness. Cash‐crop intensification, a driver of biodiversity loss elsewhere, did not negatively affect native tree richness within parcels. Joining efforts to build community resilience, specifically by increasing livelihood diversity, local ecological knowledge, and social network connectivity, may help conservation agencies conserve the rapidly declining biodiversity in the region.     

An experimental test of alternative population augmentation scenarios

Human land use is fragmenting habitats worldwide and inhibiting dispersal among previously connected populations of organisms, often leading to inbreeding depression and reduced evolutionary potential in the face of rapid environmental change. To combat this augmentation of isolated populations with immigrants is sometimes used to facilitate demographic and genetic rescue. Augmentation with immigrants that are genetically and adaptively similar to the target population effectively increases population fitness, but if immigrants are very genetically or adaptively divergent, augmentation can lead to outbreeding depression. Despite well‐cited guidelines for the best practice selection of immigrant sources, often only highly divergent populations remain, and experimental tests of these riskier augmentation scenarios are essentially nonexistent. We conducted a mesocosm experiment with Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to test the multigenerational demographic and genetic effects of augmenting 2 target populations with 3 types of divergent immigrants. We found no evidence of demographic rescue, but we did observe genetic rescue in one population. Divergent immigrant treatments tended to maintain greater genetic diversity, abundance, and hybrid fitness than controls that received immigrants from the source used to seed the mesocosms. In the second population, divergent immigrants had a slightly negative effect in one treatment, and the benefits of augmentation were less apparent overall, likely because this population started with higher genetic diversity and a lower reproductive rate that limited genetic admixture. Our results add to a growing consensus that gene flow can increase population fitness even when immigrants are more highly divergent and may help reduce uncertainty about the use of augmentation in conservation.     

Limits of monetization in protecting ecosystem services

The monetary valuation of ecosystem services is gaining traction in policy and business communities. Several tools and decision‐making processes have been proposed, including criteria to assess the appropriateness of using monetary valuation for biodiversity conservation outcomes. These criteria include measures such as scale, uniqueness, and threat. We used case studies of monetization projects for which the outcomes were measured to explore the limitations and application of these criteria. There was limited evidence of the effectiveness of such schemes. The majority of the schemes were established in areas where the criteria specifically excluded their use in isolation. Thus, although some aspects of monetization may be beneficial for biodiversity conservation, these schemes were not being used appropriately and require some quantitative minimum (or maximum) measurements to be applied through additional policy or governance measures to ensure biodiversity conservation outcomes.