Genetic Structure of Herpetofauna on Halmahera Island,Indonesia: Implications for Aketajawe‐Lolobata National Park

Abstract: Genetic variation within species—a priority for biodiversity conservation—is influenced by natural selection, demography, and stochastic events such as genetic drift. We evaluated the role of these factors in 14 codistributed species of reptiles and amphibians on the Indonesian island of Halmahera by testing whether their molecular variation was correlated with geographic distance, ecology, riverine barriers, or Halmahera's paleoisland precursors. We found support for isolation by distance effects in four species. Two of these four were also significantly affected either by rivers or by ecology. A fifth species was significantly affected by ecology and a sixth was significantly affected by Halmahera's paleoislands. [Correction added after publication 9 December 2009: the previous sentence was edited for clarity.] These findings—the most comprehensive survey of multispecies genetic variation on Halmahera to date—bode well for the efficacy of the recently established Aketajawe‐Lolobata National Park in conserving a substantial component of vertebrate genetic variation on this island. Future success of conservation efforts will depend crucially, of course, on funding for and enforcement of conservation management of this park.     

National Red Listing Beyond the 2010 Target

Abstract: Following creation of the 2010 Biodiversity Target under the Convention on Biological Diversity and adoption of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, information on status and trends of biodiversity at the national level has become increasingly important to both science and policy. National red lists (NRLs) of threatened species may provide suitable data for reporting on progress toward these goals and for informing national conservation priority setting. This information will also become increasingly important for developing species‐ and ecosystem‐based strategies for climate change adaptation. We conducted a thorough global review of NRLs in 109 countries and analyzed gaps in NRL coverage in terms of geography and taxonomy to determine priority regions and taxonomic groups for further investment. We then examined correlations between the NRL data set and gross domestic product (GDP) and vertebrate species richness. The largest geographic gap was in Oceania, followed by middle Africa, the Caribbean, and western Africa, whereas the largest taxonomic gaps were for invertebrates, fungi, and lichens. The comprehensiveness of NRL coverage within a given country was positively correlated with GDP and negatively correlated with total vertebrate richness and threatened vertebrate richness. This supports the assertion that regions with the greatest and most vulnerable biodiversity receive the least conservation attention and indicates that financial resources may be an integral limitation. To improve coverage of NRLs, we propose a combination of projects that target underrepresented taxa or regions and projects that provide the means for countries to create or update NRLs on their own. We recommend improvements in knowledge transfer within and across regions as a priority for future investment.     

A Standard Lexicon for Biodiversity Conservation: Unified Classifications of Threats and Actions

Abstract: An essential foundation of any science is a standard lexicon. Any given conservation project can be described in terms of the biodiversity targets, direct threats, contributing factors at the project site, and the conservation actions that the project team is employing to change the situation. These common elements can be linked in a causal chain, which represents a theory of change about how the conservation actions are intended to bring about desired project outcomes. If project teams want to describe and share their work and learn from one another, they need a standard and precise lexicon to specifically describe each node along this chain. To date, there have been several independent efforts to develop standard classifications for the direct threats that affect biodiversity and the conservation actions required to counteract these threats. Recognizing that it is far more effective to have only one accepted global scheme, we merged these separate efforts into unified classifications of threats and actions, which we present here. Each classification is a hierarchical listing of terms and associated definitions. The classifications are comprehensive and exclusive at the upper levels of the hierarchy, expandable at the lower levels, and simple, consistent, and scalable at all levels. We tested these classifications by applying them post hoc to 1191 threatened bird species and 737 conservation projects. Almost all threats and actions could be assigned to the new classification systems, save for some cases lacking detailed information. Furthermore, the new classification systems provided an improved way of analyzing and comparing information across projects when compared with earlier systems. We believe that widespread adoption of these classifications will help practitioners more systematically identify threats and appropriate actions, managers to more efficiently set priorities and allocate resources, and most important, facilitate cross‐project learning and the development of a systematic science of conservation.     

γ-Al2Ｏ3催化臭氧氧化水中嗅味物质MIB效能研究

以γ- Al₂Ｏ₃粉末为催化剂,研究了催化臭氧氧化去除水体中典型嗅味物质2-甲基异茨醇（MIB）的效能及相关影响因素.研究表明,γ- Al₂Ｏ₃在蒸馏水和自来水本底中,均表现出显著的催化活性.在蒸馏水本底条件下,催化氧化可提高MIB去除率47个百分点;而在自来水本底条件下,可提高MIB去除率40个百分点以上.臭氧浓度、催化剂投加量和MIB的初始浓度对催化氧化过程具有明显的影响作用.水的硬度对γ- Al₂Ｏ₃催化臭氧氧化MIB影响不大,但水中无机阴离子对催化效果影响显著.天然水体中的重碳酸盐/碳酸盐碱度可以抑制催化臭氧氧化过程中产生的羟基自由基,对γ- Al₂Ｏ₃催化臭氧氧化MIB起到了抑制作用.低浓度的腐殖酸能够促进催化氧化过程,而高浓度时则有抑制作用.通过pH值对催化氧化MIB的影响和叔丁醇对催化氧化的抑制作用,间接地证明γ- Al₂Ｏ₃催化氧化MIB的作用机理是以羟基自由基为主的间接氧化过程.     

Fenton process for degradation of selected chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons exemplified by trichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene and chloroform

The degradation of selected chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) exemplified by trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,1-dichloroethylene (DCE), and chloroform (CF) was investigated with Fenton oxidation process. The results indicate that the degradation rate was primarily affected by the chemical structures of organic contaminants. Hydroxyl radicals (·OH) preferred to attack the organic contaminants with an electron-rich structure such as chlorinated alkenes (i.e., TCE and DCE). The dosing mode of Fenton’s reagent, particularly of Fe²⁺, significantly affected the degradation efficiency of studied organic compound. A new “time-squared” kinetic model, C = C _o exp(−k _obs t ²), was developed to express the degradation kinetics of selected CAHs. This model was applicable to TCE and DCE, but inapplicable to CF due to their varied reaction rate constants towards ?OH. Chloride release was monitored to examine the degree of dechlorination during the oxidation of selected CAHs. TCE was more easily dechlorinated thanDCE and CF.Dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) was identified as the major reaction intermediate in the oxidation of TCE, which could be completely removed as the reaction proceeded. No reaction intermediates or byproducts were identified in the oxidation of DCE and CF. Based on the identified intermediate, the reaction mechanism of TCE with Fenton’s reagent was proposed.     

Assessing the Potential Impact of Cane Toads on Australian Snakes

Abstract:   Cane toads ( Bufo marinus ) are large, highly toxic anurans that were introduced into Australia in 1937. Anecdotal reports suggest that the invasion of toads into an area is followed by dramatic declines in the abundance of terrestrial native frog-eating predators, but quantitative studies have been restricted to nonpredator taxa or aquatic predators and have generally reported minimal impacts. Will toads substantially affect Australian snakes? Based on geographic distributions and dietary composition, we identified 49 snake taxa as potentially at risk from toads. The impact of these feral prey also depends on the snakes' ability to survive after ingesting toad toxins. Based on decrements in locomotor (swimming) performance after ingesting toxin, we estimate the LD₅₀ of toad toxins for 10 of the at-risk snake species. Most species exhibited a similar low ability to tolerate toad toxins. Based on head widths relative to sizes of toads, we calculate that 7 of the 10 taxa could easily ingest a fatal dose of toxin in a single meal. The exceptions were two colubrid taxa (keelbacks [  Tropidonophis mairii ] and slatey-grey snakes [  Stegonotus cucullatus ]) with much higher resistance to toad toxins (up to 85-fold) and one elapid (swamp snakes [  Hemiaspis signata ]) with low resistance but a small relative head size and thus low maximum prey size. Overall, our analysis suggests that cane toads threaten populations of approximately 30% of terrestrial Australian snake species.     

Edge Effects in the Great Tit: Analyses of Long-term Data with GIS Techniques

Abstract:  In contemporary fragmented landscapes, edges are commonplace, and understanding the effects of edge environments is thus essential for the conservation of forest communities. The reproductive output of forest passerines is often reduced close to forest edges. Possible explanations include overcrowding by conspecifics, elevated rates of predation, and the occurrence of lower-quality habitat and/or individuals at forest edges. We attempted to separate these processes by examining edge effects in the absence of nest predation and by effectively controlling for differences in breeding density and the quality of habitats and individuals. We used an edge distance index (EDI), which accounts for the number and distribution of edges in close proximity to a breeding location, to help explain variation in breeding density, nesting success, and reproductive traits of 8308 pairs of Great Tits ( Parus major ) breeding between 1965 and 2005, in Wytham, near Oxford, United Kingdom. Results from linear mixed modeling confirmed higher breeding density and a higher proportion of immigrant individuals at forest edges. Nevertheless, independently of these effects, we also found that birds laying later, with smaller clutches but larger eggs, were typical of edge environments. The number of offspring recruited to the breeding offspring per breeding attempt was also reduced at edges, both directly and mediated through changes in clutch size and laying date. Edge effects on life histories were detectable within individual females and up to 500 m from the woodland edge. Woodland edges are increasingly common in contemporary fragmented landscapes. Therefore these results, which suggest a pervasive effect of edges on reproduction, are of considerable importance to the management and conservation of forest communities.     

快速测定法测定生化需氧量在环境监测中的应用

生化需氧量是指在规定条件下,微生物分解存在水中的某些可氧化的物质,特别是有机物所进行的生物化学过程中消耗溶解氧的量.目前对水体中的生化需氧量的测定除采用经典的稀释接种法外,已开始采用新方法,即微生物电极法.他能够在几分钟内测定水体的BOD含量,大大缩短了传统方法的五天培养时间,对于快速了解水体的有机污染状况,具有积极地的意义.     

城市污水处理厂污水及污泥中典型药物及其代谢产物的定量检测

基于超声溶剂萃取、固相萃取和超高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术（UPLC-MS/MS）,建立了一种适用于城市污水处理厂污水和污泥中2种典型药物（磺胺甲恶唑和卡马西平）及其5种代谢产物的同步分析方法.污水样品添加硫酸酸化、Na₂EDTA络合金属离子后经固相萃取富集净化;污泥样品通过甲醇/0.2 mol·L^-1柠檬酸溶液（1：1,体积比）超声萃取后经固相萃取富集净化.采用UPLC-MS/MS电喷雾电离源在多反应监测模式下进行目标物的定量分析.结果表明,在优化条件下,7种目标物标准曲线的线性可决系数（R²）均大于0.99,方法回收率为74%~217%,日内与日间相对标准偏差稳定（RSD<20%）,污水定量限为0.17~2.42 ng·L^-1,污泥定量限为0.20~2.85 μg·kg^-1.将该方法成功应用于两家城市污水处理厂样品中,除N-AcSMX外其余6种目标物被检出,其在污水和污泥中的浓度分别为3.92（SMX-DG）~667（LCBZ）ng·L^-1和0.41（2OH-CBZ）~2.74（CBZ）μg·kg^-1.