E‐commerce trade in invasive plants

Biological invasions are a major concern in conservation, especially because global transport of species is still increasing rapidly. Conservationists hope to anticipate and thus prevent future invasions by identifying and regulating potentially invasive species through species risk assessments and international trade regulations. Among many introduction pathways of non‐native species, horticulture is a particularly important driver of plant invasions. In recent decades, the horticultural industry expanded globally and changed structurally through the emergence of new distribution channels, including internet trade (e‐commerce). Using an automated search algorithm, we surveyed, on a daily basis, e‐commerce trade on 10 major online auction sites (including eBay) of approximately three‐fifths of the world's spermatophyte flora. Many recognized invasive plant species (>500 species) (i.e., species associated with ecological or socio‐economic problems) were traded daily worldwide on the internet. A markedly higher proportion of invasive than non‐invasive species were available online. Typically, for a particular plant family, 30–80% of recognized invasive species were detected on an auction site, but only a few percentages of all species in the plant family were detected on a site. Families that were more traded had a higher proportion of invasive species than families that were less traded. For woody species, there was a significant positive relationship between the number of regions where a species was sold and the number of regions where it was invasive. Our results indicate that biosecurity is not effectively regulating online plant trade. In the future, automated monitoring of e‐commerce may help prevent the spread of invasive species, provide information on emerging trade connectivity across national borders, and be used in horizon scanning exercises for early detection of new species and their geographic source areas in international trade.     

Seed plant phylogenetic diversity and species richness in conservation planning within a global biodiversity hotspot in eastern Asia

One of the main goals of conservation biology is to understand the factors shaping variation in biodiversity across the planet. This understanding is critical for conservation planners to be able to develop effective conservation strategies. Although many studies have focused on species richness and the protection of rare and endemic species, less attention has been paid to the protection of the phylogenetic dimension of biodiversity. We explored how phylogenetic diversity, species richness, and phylogenetic community structure vary in seed plant communities along an elevational gradient in a relatively understudied high mountain region, the Dulong Valley, in southeastern Tibet, China. As expected, phylogenetic diversity was well correlated with species richness among the elevational bands and among communities. At the community level, evergreen broad‐leaved forests had the highest levels of species richness and phylogenetic diversity. Using null model analyses, we found evidence of nonrandom phylogenetic structure across the region. Evergreen broad‐leaved forests were phylogenetically overdispersed, whereas other vegetation types tended to be phylogenetically clustered. We suggest that communities with high species richness or overdispersed phylogenetic structure should be a focus for biodiversity conservation within the Dulong Valley because these areas may help maximize the potential of this flora to respond to future global change. In biodiversity hotspots worldwide, we suggest that the phylogenetic structure of a community may serve as a useful measure of phylogenetic diversity in the context of conservation planning.     

Viable contribution of Tibetan sacred mountains in southwestern China to forest conservation

The Tibetan sacred mountains (TSMs) cover a large area and may represent a landscape‐scale conservation opportunity. We compared the conservation value of forests in these mountains with the conservation value of government‐established nature reserves and unmanaged open‐access areas in Danba County, southwestern China. We used Landsat satellite images to map forest cover and to estimate forest loss in 1974–1989, 1989–1999, and 1999–2013. The TSMs (n = 41) and nature reserves (n = 4) accounted for 21.6% and 29.7% of the county's land area, respectively. Remaining land was open‐access areas (i.e., areas without any restrictions on resource use) (56.2%) and farmlands (2.2%). Within the elevation range suitable for forests, forest cover did not differ significantly between nature reserves (58.8%) and open‐access areas (58.4%), but was significantly higher in TSMs (65.5%) after controlling for environmental factors such as aspect, slope, and elevation. The TSMs of great cultural importance had higher forest cover, but patrols by monastery staff were not necessarily associated with increased forest cover. The annual deforestation rate in nonsacred areas almost tripled in 1989–1999 (111.4 ha/year) relative to 1974–1989 (40.4 ha/year), whereas the rate in TSMs decreased in the later period (19.7 ha/year vs. 17.2 ha/year). The reduced forest loss in TSMs in 1989–1999 was possibly due to the renaissance of TSM worship and strengthened management by the local Buddhist community since late 1980s. The annual deforestation rate in Danba decreased dramatically to 4.4 ha/year in 1999–2013, which coincided with the implementation of a national ban on logging in 1998. As the only form of protected area across the Tibetan region during much of its history, TSMs have positively contributed to conserving forest at a landscape scale. Conservation of TSM forests largely relied on the strength of local religious institutions. Integrating community‐based conservation of TSMs within the government conservation network would benefit the conservation of the Tibetan region.     

嗜油菌NY3对蜡质油污泥无害化处理

蜡质油污泥(WOS)成分复杂,含大量老化原油、蜡质油、沥青质及其他化学药剂,属危险性固体废弃物,大量排放已成为石化企业可持续发展的障碍.研究利用铜绿假单胞菌NY3处理高浓度WOS的条件,结果表明,WOS∶木屑(m/m)(d =0.30 mm) 7∶1并结合热熔分散为最佳油污泥预处理条件;液相降解体系含油量为24.5 g/L时,6d内,油泥中C20以下的正构烷烃完全被去除,C21～C34和C35～C38大分子量正构烷烃去除率分别在91％ ～99％和78％ ～ 89％之间.添加鼠李糖脂能明显提高长链烃和多环芳烃的降解率.6d内210 mg/L鼠李糖脂使C29 ～ C38的降解率提高17.27％ ～36.65％,芘、菲分别提高13.67％和16.12％.添加葡萄糖和Fe2+的条件下,NY3菌可将油污泥转化成为糖蛋白,产量达28 g/L.     

不同混凝剂处理松花江低温水

东北松花江地区冬季有将近6个月的冰封期,低温季节水源水处理难度大。为了保证东北地区冬季饮用水供应,研究几种混凝剂在处理冬季松花江低温水时的混凝效果。实验结果表明,NPAC1和NPAC2水解产物中具有较高的Alb和Alc成分,拥有较高的电中和、吸附和网捕卷扫性能,高效聚铝铁(PAF)水解产物Fe(OH)3具有比表面积大、吸附架桥作用较强的优点。这3种混凝剂无论是在控制出水浊度还是在对水体有机物去除能力方面均优于目前水厂所使用的PAC和聚合氯化铝铁(水厂PAF);NPAC2的投加量达到50 mg/L时,出水浊度达到最优;当混凝剂投加量达到50 mg/L时,NPAC1的浊度去除率逐渐超过NPAC2,剩余浊度低于3.0 NTU;NPAC1、NPAC2和PAF 3种混凝剂对有机物的去除能力大致相当,当混凝剂投加量为50 mg/L时,这3种混凝剂处理后的水的UV254的值均低于0.06,而水厂使用的2种混凝剂处理后的水的UV254仍高于0.1;结合其对浊度去除的情况,可以判断55 mg/L的投药量为NPAC1的最优投药点,PAF的最佳投药量为65 mg/L;投加适量的粉末活性碳可以有效地提高氨氮的去除率,当粉末活性炭的投加量为30 mg/L时,氨氮的去除率基本达到最大(51.27%)。表面负荷对混凝效果具有重要的影响,合理降低沉淀池的表面负荷对于提高出水水质具有重要作用。     

基于哨兵-3A卫星OLCI数据的最大叶绿素指数在太湖蓝藻水华监测中的应用

欧洲航天局于2016年2月16日成功发射哨兵-3A卫星,搭载的水色遥感仪器(OLCI)提供了很好的海洋和内陆水体生态指标观测反演能力。基于OLCI获取的太湖L1b级遥感数据产品,利用OLCI Oa10、Oa11、Oa12波段计算了重要的水色/水生态遥感指标,即最大叶绿素指数(MCI),在此基础上初步分析了MCI在太湖蓝藻水华监测预警中应用效果。研究表明:(1)哨兵-3A卫星OLCI影像质量清晰,构建的MCI能够反映太湖水体叶绿素信号强度;(2)与常用的归一化植被指数相比,在蓝藻没有明显积聚的藻-水混悬水域,MCI与叶绿素浓度有很好的关联,可更灵敏地反映叶绿素浓度的空间分布特征。MCI将在蓝藻监测上具有更好的适用性,可有效提高富营养湖泊蓝藻水华的预警预报精度。     

The need for spatially explicit quantification of benefits in invasive‐species management

Worldwide, invasive species are a leading driver of environmental change across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments and cost billions of dollars annually in ecological damages and economic losses. Resources limit invasive‐species control, and planning processes are needed to identify cost‐effective solutions. Thus, studies are increasingly considering spatially variable natural and socioeconomic assets (e.g., species persistence, recreational fishing) when planning the allocation of actions for invasive‐species management. There is a need to improve understanding of how such assets are considered in invasive‐species management. We reviewed over 1600 studies focused on management of invasive species, including flora and fauna. Eighty‐four of these studies were included in our final analysis because they focused on the prioritization of actions for invasive species management. Forty‐five percent (n = 38) of these studies were based on spatial optimization methods, and 35% (n = 13) accounted for spatially variable assets. Across all 84 optimization studies considered, 27% (n = 23) explicitly accounted for spatially variable assets. Based on our findings, we further explored the potential costs and benefits to invasive species management when spatially variable assets are explicitly considered or not. To include spatially variable assets in decision‐making processes that guide invasive‐species management there is a need to quantify environmental responses to invasive species and to enhance understanding of potential impacts of invasive species on different natural or socioeconomic assets. We suggest these gaps could be filled by systematic reviews, quantifying invasive species impacts on native species at different periods, and broadening sources and enhancing sharing of knowledge.     

Use of genetic,climatic, and microbiological data to inform reintroduction of a regionally extinct butterfly

Species reintroductions are increasingly used as means of mitigating biodiversity loss. Besides habitat quality at the site targeted for reintroduction, the choice of source population can be critical for success. The butterfly Melanargia russiae (Esper´s marbled white) was extirpated from Hungary over 100 years ago, and a reintroduction program has recently been approved. We used museum specimens of this butterfly, mitochondrial DNA data (mtDNA), endosymbiont screening, and climatic‐similarity analyses to determine which extant populations should be used for its reintroduction. The species displayed 2 main mtDNA lineages across its range: 1 restricted to Iberia and southern France (Iberian lineage) and another found throughout the rest of its range (Eurasian lineage). These 2 lineages possessed highly divergent wsp alleles of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia. The century‐old Hungarian specimens represented an endemic haplotype belonging to the Eurasian lineage, differing by one mutation from the Balkan and eastern European populations. The Hungarian populations of M. russiae occurred in areas with a colder and drier climate relative to most sites with extant known populations. Our results suggest the populations used for reintroduction to Hungary should belong to the Eurasian lineage, preferably from eastern Ukraine (genetically close and living in areas with the highest climatic similarity). Materials stored in museum collections can provide unique opportunities to document historical genetic diversity and help direct conservation.     

基于火探管式的锂离子电池灭火技术研究

为研究锂离子电池灭火方案,基于火探管灭火技术同时利用新型清洁灭火剂Novec 1230,组装成火探管灭火系统。在灭火测试平台上以功率为200 W的电热管作为外热源引发单电池或电池模组热失控,通过改变火探管的布置位置,记录相应的灭火行为以及灭火效率,并对实验结果进行了分析。研究结果表明,当火探管灭火系统直接布置在电池正上方时,在起火后的5.6s内控制火情;随着灭火剂用量增加可以显著降低体系温度,防止电池复燃以及连锁热失控现象发生;火探管有效覆盖区域外的失控电池作为热源将继续加热临近电池,引发连锁热失控,造成灭火系统失效;根据电池热失控后的燃烧行为以及传热行为,提出相应的火探管灭火系统复合方案。     

Quantifying progress toward a conservation assessment for all plants

The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) set an ambitious target to achieve a conservation assessment for all known plant species by 2020. We consolidated digitally available plant conservation assessments and reconciled their scientific names and assessment status to predefined standards to provide a quantitative measure of progress toward this target. The 241,919 plant conservation assessments generated represent 111,824 accepted land plant species (vascular plants and bryophytes, not algae). At least 73,081 and up to 90,321 species have been assessed at the global scale, representing 21–26% of known plant species. Of these plant species, at least 27,148 and up to 32,542 are threatened. Eighty plant families, including some of the largest, such as Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, and Rubiaceae, are underassessed and should be the focus of assessment effort if the GSPC target is to be met by 2020. Our data set is accessible online (ThreatSearch) and is a baseline that can be used to directly support other GSPC targets and plant conservation action. Although around one‐quarter of a million plant assessments have been compiled, the majority of plants are still unassessed. The challenge now is to build on this progress and redouble efforts to document conservation status of unassessed plants to better inform conservation decisions and conserve the most threatened species.