Quantifying population declines based on presence‐only records for red‐list assessments

Accurate trend estimates are necessary for understanding which species are declining and which are most in need of conservation action. Imperfect species detection may result in unreliable trend estimates because this may lead to the overestimation of declines. Because many management decisions are based on population trend estimates, such biases could have severe consequences for conservation policy. We used an occupancy‐modeling framework to estimate detectability and calculate nationwide population trends for 14 Swiss amphibian species both accounting for and ignoring imperfect detection. Through the application of International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List criteria to the different trend estimates, we assessed whether ignoring imperfect detection could affect conservation policy. Imperfect detection occurred for all species and detection varied substantially among species, which led to the overestimation of population declines when detectability was ignored. Consequently, accounting for imperfect detection lowered the red‐list risk category for 5 of the 14 species assessed. We demonstrate that failing to consider species detectability can have serious consequences for species management and that occupancy modeling provides a flexible framework to account for observation bias and improve assessments of conservation status. A problem inherent to most historical records is that they contain presence‐only data from which only relative declines can be estimated. A move toward the routine recording of nonobservation and absence data is essential if conservation practitioners are to move beyond this toward accurate population trend estimation.     

The effect of alkyl chain length on the degradation of alkylimidazolium- and pyridinium-type ionic liquids in a Fenton-like system

Background, aim, and scope  Ionic liquids are regarded as essentially “green” chemicals because of their insignificant vapor pressure and, hence, are a good alternative to the emissions of toxic conventional volatile solvents. Not only because of their attractive industrial applications, but also due to their very high stability, ionic liquids could soon become persistent contaminants of technological wastewaters and, moreover, break through into natural waters following classical treatment systems. The removal of harmful organic pollutants has forced the development of new methodologies known as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Among them, the Fenton and Fenton-like reactions are usually modified by the use of a higher hydrogen peroxide concentration and through different catalysts. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration on degradation rates in a Fenton-like system of alkylimidazolium ionic liquids with alkyl chains of varying length and 3-methyl-N-butylpyridinium chloride. Materials and methods  The ionic liquids were oxidized in dilute aqueous solution in the presence of two different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. All reactions were performed in the dark to prevent photoreduction of Fe(III). The concentrations of ionic liquids during the process were monitored with high-performance liquid chromatography. Preliminary degradation pathways were studied with the aid of ¹H NMR. Results  Degradation of ionic liquids in this system was quite effective. Increasing the H₂O₂ concentration from 100 to 400 mM improved ionic liquid degradation from 57–84% to 87–100% after 60 min reaction time. Resistance to degradation was weaker, the shorter the alkyl chain. Discussion  The compound omimCl was more resistant to oxidation then other compounds, which suggests that the oxidation rates of imidazolium ionic liquids by OH· are structure-dependent and are correlated with the n-alkyl chain length substituted at the N-1-position. The level of degradation was dependent on the type of head group. Replacing the imidazolium head group with pyridinium increased resistance to degradation. Nonetheless, lengthening the alkyl chain from four to eight carbons lowered the rate of ionic liquid degradation to a greater extent than changing the head group from imidazolium to pyridinium. 1H-NMR spectra show, in the first stage of degradation, that it is likely that radical attack is nonspecific, with any one of the carbon atoms in the ring and the n-alkyl chain being susceptible to attack. Conclusions  The proposed method has proven to be an efficient and reliable method for the degradation of imidazolium ionic liquids by a Fenton-like reagent deteriorated with lengthening n-alkyl substituents and by replacing the imidazolium head group with pyridinium. The enhanced resistance of 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium chloride when the resistance of imidazolium ionic liquids decreases with increasing H₂O₂ concentration is probably indicative of a change in the degradation mechanism in a vigorous Fenton-like system. H-NMR spectra showed, in the first stage of degradation, that radical attack is nonspecific, with any one of the carbon atoms in the ring and the n-alkyl chain being susceptible to attack. Recommendations and perspectives  Since ionic liquids are now one of the most promising alternative chemicals of the future, the degradation and waste management studies should be integrated into a general development research of these chemicals. In the case of imidazolium and pyridinium ionic liquids that are known to be resistant to bio- or thermal degradation, studies in the field of AOPs should assist the future structural design as well as tailor the technological process of these chemicals     

Effectiveness of Scat‐Detection Dogs in Determining Species Presence in a Tropical Savanna Landscape

Abstract: Most protected areas are too small to sustain populations of wide‐ranging mammals; thus, identification and conservation of high‐quality habitat for those animals outside parks is often a high priority, particularly for regions where extensive land conversion is occurring. This is the case in the vicinity of Emas National Park, a small protected area in the Brazilian Cerrado. Over the last 40 years the native vegetation surrounding the park has been converted to agriculture, but the region still supports virtually all of the animals native to the area. We determined the effectiveness of scat‐detection dogs in detecting presence of five species of mammals threatened with extinction by habitat loss: maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), puma (Puma concolor), jaguar (Panthera onca), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), and giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus). The probability of scat detection varied among the five species and among survey quadrats of different size, but was consistent across team, season, and year. The probability of occurrence, determined from the presence of scat, in a randomly selected site within the study area ranged from 0.14 for jaguars, which occur primarily in the forested areas of the park, to 0.91 for maned wolves, the most widely distributed species in our study area. Most occurrences of giant armadillos in the park were in open grasslands, but in the agricultural matrix they tended to occur in riparian woodlands. At least one target species occurred in every survey quadrat, and giant armadillos, jaguars, and maned wolves were more likely to be present in quadrats located inside than outside the park. The effort required for detection of scats was highest for the two felids. We were able to detect the presence for each of five wide‐ranging species inside and outside the park and to assign occurrence probabilities to specific survey sites. Thus, scat dogs provide an effective survey tool for rare species even when accurate detection likelihoods are required. We believe the way we used scat‐detection dogs to determine the presence of species can be applied to the detection of other mammalian species in other ecosystems.     

滇西北高原湖泊剑湖演变过程及其生态环境效应分析

以滇西北高原湖泊剑湖为研究区,1974—2015年间8期遥感影像为数据源,运用遥感和地理信息系统技术,研究剑湖湖泊近40年间的时空演变过程,探析剑湖湖泊的入湖污染物及其生态环境效应变化。结果表明:近40年来剑湖湖泊面积呈现先明显减少再增加后缓慢减少的变化规律,由1974年的504.47 hm~2减至2015年的451.72 hm~2;目前剑湖水体中COD含量较低,符合地表水环境质量Ⅱ类标准;TP含量满足Ⅲ类标准;TN含量仅可满足IV类标准;剑湖入湖的主要污染源是农村生活污染和农业面源污染;随着时间的演变剑湖湖泊TN、TP污染物浓度呈上升趋势,剑湖湖泊生态系统受到极大干扰。     

道路灰尘中有机磷阻燃剂污染特征及人体暴露

利用气质联用仪(GC-MS)定量分析了苏州市25个道路灰尘样品中4种有机磷阻燃剂(organophosphate flame retardants,OPFRs)的含量水平和分布特征,并估算了成人、儿童和环卫工人灰尘摄入和呼吸暴露两种不同途径的日暴露量.结果表明,在灰尘样品中4种OPFRs均有不同程度检出,总OPFRs的含量范围为ND~8 901.66 ng·g~(-1),中位值为1 039.21 ng·g~(-1).三(1-氯-2-丙基)磷酸酯[Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate,TCPP]、磷酸三(丁氧基乙基)酯[Tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate,TBEP]、磷酸三(1,3-二氯-2-丙基)酯[Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate,TDCPP]和磷酸三(2-氯乙基)酯[Tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate,TCEP]含量范围分别为0~6 931.46、0~2 021.15、0~788.44和0~62.16 ng·g~(-1).在高暴露情景下,成人、儿童和环卫工人通过摄入灰尘暴露ΣOPFRs的日均暴露量分别是125.68、915.78和6 314.16 pg·kg~(-1),儿童的暴露量比普通成人高6倍;而成人、儿童和环卫工人通过呼吸途径暴露ΣOPFRs的日均暴露量分别为3.07E-02、1.89E-02和1.54E-01 pg·kg~(-1).因此灰尘中OPFRs对于儿童和环卫工人的潜在危害更大.     

单光子/光电子在线质谱实时分析聚氯乙烯热分解/燃烧产物

实验室研制了低能光电子磁场增强电离(MEPEI)和单光子电离(SPI)复合电离源,该电离源具有电离化合物范围宽、碎片离子少、质谱图简单等优点,结合飞行时间质谱(TOF-MS)实现了聚氯乙烯(PVC)热分解/燃烧产物的在线分析.针对不同的目标化合物,MEPEI/SPI复合电离源通过调节电离区电场强度,可以快速在SPI和SPI-MEPEI之间切换.PVC热分解/燃烧产物中电离能大于光子能量(10.60 eV)的HCl和CO2(12.74 eV、13.77 eV)利用MEPEI模式电离;而烯烃、二氯乙烯、苯系物、氯苯、苯乙烯、茚满及萘系物等可通过SPI-MEPEI复合模式电离.通过实时监测PVC主要燃烧产物的信号强度随温度的变化趋势可推断出,PVC燃烧产物主要是通过两种机制生成:①250～370℃时,PVC发生脱氯及分子内环化反应,产生大量的HCl、苯和萘;②380～510℃时,PVC发生分子间交联反应,生成烷基芳烃,如甲苯和二甲苯/乙苯等.实验结果表明,SPI/SPI-MEPEI复合离子源TOF-MS分析速度快,应用范围广,在在线分析中具有广泛的应用前景.     

Simultaneous preconcentration of cadmium and lead in water samples with silica gel and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A new method that utilizes pretreated silica gel as an adsorbent has been developed for simultaneous preconcentration of trace Cd(II) and Pb(II) prior to the measurement by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The effects of pH, the shaking time, the elution condition and the coexisting ions on the separation/preconcentration conditions of analytes were investigated. Under optimized conditions, the static adsorption capacity of Cd(II) and Pb(II) were 45.5 and 27.1mg/g, the relative standard deviations were 3.2% and 1.7% (for n = 11), and the limits of detection obtained were 4.25 and 0.60 ng/mL, respectively. The method was validated by analyzing the certified reference materials GBW 07304a (stream sediment) and successfully applied to the analysis of various treated wastewater samples with satisfactory results.     

原子吸收火焰法次灵敏线测定污水和电镀污泥中高含量的锌

对采用原子吸收火焰法次灵敏线测定污水和电镀污泥中高含量的锌进行了研究。试验结果表明：在锌浓度50．0～600．0mg/L之间,溶液锌含量与吸光度呈线性关系。线性回归方程为y＝0．000661x-0．0007,相关系数γ＝0．9998。方法检出限为25．0mg/L,相对标准误差（RSD）＜2．96％,加标回收率为92．5％～105％,与标准法的相对误差＜2．76％。     

pH值对凯氏蒸馏法氨氮检出量的影响分析研究

土壤、肥料中的氨氮测定常用2mol·L^-1KC浸提一蒸馏法一酸滴定的方法进行测定,其中蒸馏是最关键和最重要的一个环节。以污泥堆肥样品为例,利用统计学原理,研究了汽提蒸馏过程中pH对氨氮检出量的影响。结果显示：pH值在6．5—11．0范围内与氨氮的检出系数是显著的正相关关系（相关系数r=0．9891）;回归方程在0．05的水平下是非常显著的,拟合度很好。进一步做残差和预测分析可以得出：pH值在6．5～10．0范围内,预测值和测定值的符合度更好。     

水体中总氮检测的方法研究

使用碱性过硫酸钾氧化紫外分光光度法(GB 11894—1989)测定水中的总氮时,在严格按该方法分析步骤操作的情况下,依然会出现空白值偏高、检测结果不准确等问题。本文对水中总氮检测过程中的影响因素进行了总结、分析,对需要重点注意的环节进行了探讨,找出了问题的原因并提出了解决方法。