Assessing effects of non-native crayfish on mosquito survival

Introductions of non-native predators often reduce biodiversity and affect natural predator–prey relationships and may increase the abundance of potential disease vectors (e.g., mosquitoes) indirectly through competition or predation cascades. The Santa Monica Mountains (California, U.S.A.), situated in a global biodiversity hotspot, is an area of conservation concern due to climate change, urbanization, and the introduction of non-native species. We examined the effect of non-native crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) on an existing native predator, dragonfly nymphs (Aeshna sp.), and their mosquito larvae (Anopheles sp.) prey. We used laboratory experiments to compare the predation efficiency of both predators, separately and together, and field data on counts of dragonfly nymphs and mosquito larvae sampled from 13 local streams. We predicted a lower predation efficiency of crayfish compared with native dragonfly nymphs and a reduced predation efficiency of dragonfly nymphs in the presence of crayfish. Dragonfly nymphs were an order of magnitude more efficient predators than crayfish, and dragonfly nymph predation efficiency was reduced in the presence of crayfish. Field count data showed that populations of dragonfly nymphs and mosquito larvae were strongly correlated with crayfish presence in streams, such that sites with crayfish tended to have fewer dragonfly nymphs and more mosquito larvae. Under natural conditions, it is likely that crayfish reduce the abundance of dragonfly nymphs and their predation efficiency and thereby, directly and indirectly, lead to higher mosquito populations and a loss of ecosystem services related to disease vector control.     

Estimating abundance without recaptures of marked pallid sturgeon in the Mississippi River

Abundance estimates are essential for assessing the viability of populations and the risks posed by alternative management actions. An effort to estimate abundance via a repeated mark‐recapture experiment may fail to recapture marked individuals. We devised a method for obtaining lower bounds on abundance in the absence of recaptures for both panmictic and spatially structured populations. The method assumes few enough recaptures were expected to be missed by random chance. The upper Bayesian credible limit on expected recaptures allows probabilistic statements about the minimum number of individuals present in the population. We applied this method to data from a 12‐year survey of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) in the lower and middle Mississippi River (U.S.A.). None of the 241 individuals marked was recaptured in the survey. After accounting for survival and movement, our model‐averaged estimate of the total abundance of pallid sturgeon ≥3 years old in the study area had a 1%, 5%, or 25% chance of being <4,600, 7,000, or 15,000, respectively. When we assumed fish were distributed in proportion to survey catch per unit effort, the farthest downstream reach in the survey hosted at least 4.5–15 fish per river kilometer (rkm), whereas the remainder of the reaches in the lower and middle Mississippi River hosted at least 2.6–8.5 fish/rkm for all model variations examined. The lower Mississippi River had an average density of pallid sturgeon ≥3 years old of at least 3.0–9.8 fish/rkm. The choice of Bayesian prior was the largest source of uncertainty we considered but did not alter the order of magnitude of lower bounds. Nil‐recapture estimates of abundance are highly uncertain and require careful communication but can deliver insights from experiments that might otherwise be considered a failure.     

罕见冬季降雨中人工增雨微物理过程分析研究

用Micaps实时资料、CPAS卫星反演分析资料、NCEP再分析资料、ECMWF再分析资料,多普勒雷达PUP产品资料,对2015年12月1日夜间至2日凌晨沈阳地区罕见冬季降雨过程,进行了天气学分析、及大气微物理人工增雨作业条件分析,并结合沈阳地区人工增雨作业指标,得出本次降雨过程在厄尔尼诺正在发生的背景下,为常见的高空槽转东北冷涡型,水汽、动力等微物理作业条件也适合于开展人工增雨作业,并给出了相应的作业指导参数,为沈阳地区今后在冬季降雨天气过程中开展人工增雨作业积累了宝贵经验.     

不同pH下纳米铁镍颗粒对生物降解苯酚的影响

研究不同pH(8.0、6.0和3.0)下金属纳米颗粒(Fe和Fe/Ni)对纺锤芽孢杆菌(BFN)降解苯酚的影响.实验结果发现pH在8.0和6.0时投加2种金属纳米颗粒(Fe和Fe/Ni)对BFN降解苯酚有促进作用,其原因主要是纳米颗粒在水中持续腐蚀产生H2,为BFN降解苯酚提供电子,促进BFN的生长.但在pH=3.0时,只有BFN-纳米Fe耦合体系才使苯酚得到部分降解,主要是因为纳米Fe颗粒与水反应产生OH-,使pH值有所升高,更适宜BFN的生长,同时提供电子供体H2促进BFN对苯酚的利用.扫描电镜(SEM)和能谱分析(EDS)数据证实金属纳米颗粒(Fe和Fe/Ni)在反应后附着在微生物表面,但微生物的表面形态并未发生显著改变.因此,纳米金属颗粒虽然通过附着影响微生物的活性,但其在腐蚀过程中产生的H2将作为电子供体而被BFN所利用,综合作用的结果是有利于BFN的生长进而提高苯酚的降解速率.     

高岭土负载纳米Fe/Ni同时去除水中Cu2+和NO3-

工业废水常含有不同污染物如重金属离子和无机阴离子,而如何有效去除复合污染物就成为环境科学前沿研究的挑战性课题.这些污染物因化学性质不同而导致去除机理和途径也不同.本文采用合成高岭土负载纳米双金属Fe/Ni(K-Fe/Ni)同步去除水中Cu2+和NO-3.结果表明K-Fe/Ni能有效去除水中Cu2+和NO-3,但它们的去除效果却会相互受到影响.在Cu2+浓度为200mg·L-1时,NO-3的去除率达到42.5%;而未加入Cu2+时,NO-3的去除率仅有26.9%,说明Cu2+的存在提高了NO-3降解效率.同样,水中NO-3的存在也影响Cu2+的去除(Cu2+去除率从99.7%降到96.5%).但NO-3浓度对去除Cu2+的影响小于Cu2+浓度对NO-3的影响.通过BET比表面积、X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线能量散射(EDS)和X射线光电分析(XPS)对K-Fe/Ni表征的结果显示,反应后K-Fe/Ni的表面存在铁的氧化物、Ni0和被还原的Cu0.基于以上结果,我们发现K-Fe/Ni同步去除水中Cu2+和NO-3的机理是:高岭土负载下的纳米Fe0作为还原剂,在Ni0的催化产氢作用下将Cu2+还原成Cu0并沉积在K-Fe/Ni上而形成纳米Fe/Ni/Cu三金属催化剂,从而加速催化水中NO-3降解.     

广东北江流域降水时空分布及其与Niño 3区SST相关性分析

论文选取广东省北江流域18站1965-2007年月降水数据,应用REOF方法将月降水量场划分为4个子区域,利用Mann-Kendall方法进行趋势检验,并采用滑动t检验方法进行变点分析,结果表明:流域东南部年降水量呈减少趋势,西北部呈增加趋势,年降水量增加变点出现在1992、1993年。选取REOF各分区最大特征向量载荷的站作为基准站,采用Morlet小波、交叉小波变换和小波相干分析其周期特征及其与Niño 3区SST相关关系,结果表明:4站月降水量周期变化均与Niño 3区SST相关显著;时滞相关分析表明,南雄、佛冈、连南三站月降水量变化与Niño 3区SST相关性在滞后3、4个月时最强,而三水站在同期相关性最强,这种差别可能与三水附近地区近几十年来受到的人类活动影响较强有关。     

贵阳市不同粒级地表灰尘中As、Ni水平及权重

根据贵阳市城区土地利用的情况,在不同功能区地表采集灰尘样品,分析As、Ni含量及变异规律。结果表明:贵阳市地表灰尘As、Ni含量分别为17.4mg/kg和50.0mg/kg。工业区地表灰尘中As、Ni含量最高,商贸区和校园等区域As、Ni水平较低。贵阳市地表灰尘中不同颗粒物的质量百分比大小为细颗粒(<105μm)>中等颗粒(105～250μm)>粗颗粒(250～425μm)。As在不同粒径灰尘中含量差别不大,Ni在不同粒径灰尘中含量随粒径增加而降低。细颗粒对灰尘As、Ni的贡献分别为42%和47%。除垃圾站外,贵阳市各功能区地表灰尘不同粒径颗粒物百分比随粒径增大而减小,其中交通区地表灰尘细颗粒所占比例最大。垃圾站地表灰尘中不同粒径颗粒百分比则随粒径增大而增大,As、Ni在垃圾站地表灰尘中颗粒物贡献为中等颗粒>粗颗粒>细颗粒,其余功能区不同粒径颗粒物的贡献基本为细颗粒大于粗颗粒。     

Conservation Strategies for Species Affected by Apparent Competition

Apparent competition is an indirect interaction between 2 or more prey species through a shared predator, and it is increasingly recognized as a mechanism of the decline and extinction of many species. Through case studies, we evaluated the effectiveness of 4 management strategies for species affected by apparent competition: predator control, reduction in the abundances of alternate prey, simultaneous control of predators and alternate prey, and no active management of predators or alternate prey. Solely reducing predator abundances rapidly increased abundances of alternate and rare prey, but observed increases are likely short‐lived due to fast increases in predator abundance following the cessation of control efforts. Substantial reductions of an abundant alternate prey resulted in increased predation on endangered huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) deer in Chilean Patagonia, which highlights potential risks associated with solely reducing alternate prey species. Simultaneous removal of predators and alternate prey increased survival of island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) in California (U.S.A.) above a threshold required for population recovery. In the absence of active management, populations of rare woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) continued to decline in British Columbia, Canada. On the basis of the cases we examined, we suggest the simultaneous control of predators and alternate prey is the management strategy most likely to increase abundances and probabilities of persistence of rare prey over the long term. Knowing the mechanisms driving changes in species’ abundances before implementing any management intervention is critical. We suggest scientists can best contribute to the conservation of species affected by apparent competition by clearly communicating the biological and demographic forces at play to policy makers responsible for the implementation of proposed management actions. Estrategias de Conservación para Especies Afectadas por Competencia Aparente     

Understanding the Lessons and Limitations of Conservation and Development

Abstract: The lack of concrete instances in which conservation and development have been successfully merged has strengthened arguments for strict exclusionist conservation policies. Research has focused more on social cooperation and conflict of different management regimes and less on how these factors actually affect the natural environments they seek to conserve. Consequently, it is still unknown which strategies yield better conservation outcomes? We conducted a meta‐analysis of 116 published case studies on common resource management regimes from Africa, south and central America, and southern and Southeast Asia. Using ranked sociodemographic, political, and ecological data, we analyzed the effect of land tenure, population size, social heterogeneity, as well as internally devised resource‐management rules and regulations (institutions) on conservation outcome. Although land tenure, population size, and social heterogeneity did not significantly affect conservation outcome, institutions were positively associated with better conservation outcomes. There was also a significant interaction effect between population size and institutions, which implies complex relationships between population size and conservation outcome. Our results suggest that communities managing a common resource can play a significant role in conservation and that institutions lead to management regimes with lower environmental impacts.     

Use of Market Data to Assess Bushmeat Hunting Sustainability in Equatorial Guinea

Abstract: Finding an adequate measure of hunting sustainability for tropical forests has proved difficult. Many researchers have used urban bushmeat market surveys as indicators of hunting volumes and composition, but no analysis has been done of the reliability of market data in reflecting village offtake. We used data from urban markets and the villages that supply these markets to examine changes in the volume and composition of traded bushmeat between the village and the market (trade filters) in Equatorial Guinea. We collected data with market surveys and hunter offtake diaries. The trade filters varied depending on village remoteness and the monopoly power of traders. In a village with limited market access, species that maximized trader profits were most likely to be traded. In a village with greater market access, species for which hunters gained the greatest income per carcass were more likely to be traded. The probability of particular species being sold to market also depended on the capture method and season. Larger, more vulnerable species were more likely to be supplied from less‐accessible catchments, whereas there was no effect of forest cover or human population density on probability of being sold. This suggests that the composition of bushmeat offtake in an area may be driven more by urban demand than the geographic characteristics of that area. In one market, traders may have reached the limit of their geographical exploitation range, and hunting pressure within that range may be increasing. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to model the trade filters that bias market data, which opens the way to developing more robust market‐based sustainability indices for the bushmeat trade.