Use of Habitats as Surrogates of Biodiversity for Efficient Coral Reef Conservation Planning in Pacific Ocean Islands

Abstract: Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been highlighted as a means toward effective conservation of coral reefs. New strategies are required to more effectively select MPA locations and increase the pace of their implementation. Many criteria exist to design MPA networks, but generally, it is recommended that networks conserve a diversity of species selected for, among other attributes, their representativeness, rarity, or endemicity. Because knowledge of species’ spatial distribution remains scarce, efficient surrogates are urgently needed. We used five different levels of habitat maps and six spatial scales of analysis to identify under which circumstances habitat data used to design MPA networks for Wallis Island provided better representation of species than random choice alone. Protected‐area site selections were derived from a rarity–complementarity algorithm. Habitat surrogacy was tested for commercial fish species, all fish species, commercially harvested invertebrates, corals, and algae species. Efficiency of habitat surrogacy varied by species group, type of habitat map, and spatial scale of analysis. Maps with the highest habitat thematic complexity provided better surrogates than simpler maps and were more robust to changes in spatial scales. Surrogates were most efficient for commercial fishes, corals, and algae but not for commercial invertebrates. Conversely, other measurements of species‐habitat associations, such as richness congruence and composition similarities provided weak results. We provide, in part, a habitat‐mapping methodology for designation of MPAs for Pacific Ocean islands that are characterized by habitat zonations similar to Wallis. Given the increasing availability and affordability of space‐borne imagery to map habitats, our approach could appreciably facilitate and improve current approaches to coral reef conservation and enhance MPA implementation.     

Growth Inhibition by Nitrocompounds of Selected Uric Acid-Utilizing Microorganisms Isolated from Poultry Manure

The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the potential ability of nitrocompounds to reduce ammonia volatilization by inhibiting uric acid–utilizing microorganisms. Experiment I was conducted to evaluate the effects of nitrocompounds on the growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms isolated from poultry manure during six-hour incubation. There were five treatments: (1) control, (2) 50 mM nitroethane, (3) 50 mM nitroethanol, (4) 50 mM nitropropanol, and (5) 50 mM nitropropionic acid. Optical density values of nitrocompounds were significantly lower than that of control at two, four, and six hours. Plate counts of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms after six-hour incubation exhibited that nitrocompounds greatly reduced the growth of these microorganisms except for the nitroethane (P < 0.05). The nitropropanol and nitropropionic acid treatments showed significantly higher inhibitory effects compared to the nitroethanol. Experiments II and III were conducted to evaluate inhibitory effects of nitrocompounds on growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms compared to non-nitrocompounds such as ethanol, propanol, and propionic acid. Experiments II and III consisted of seven treatments: (1) control, (2) nitroethanol, (3) nitropropanol, (4) nitropropionic acid, (5) ethanol, (6) propanol, and (7) propionic acid. The incubation times of Experiments II and III were 6 and 24 h, respectively. The nitrocompounds were significantly more successful in inhibiting growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms compared to those non-nitrocompounds. These results suggest that nitrocompounds exhibit potential to reduce ammonia volatilization in poultry manure by inhibiting growth of uric acid–utilizing microorganisms.     

韩国西海岸地区停车场径流携带沉积物的粒径分布及污染特征研究

为了解沿海地区城市停车场内径流携带沉积物的粒径分布及污染特征,于2011年4—6月在韩国西海岸12个不同停车场采集了沉积物样品,分别分析了其粒径分布和各粒径中污染物质的含量.结果表明,不同采样点的废弃物形态差异较大,主要表现在较大的植物茎叶、烟蒂及动物粪便等废弃物和含水率等方面.不同采样点的颗粒物粒径大小不同,其颗粒物的均一性也有所差异.总体来讲,106～500μm之间的颗粒物是径流携带沉积物的主要组成部分,其平均质量分数占总体(<2360μm)颗粒物的59.9%.对不同粒径中污染物质的含量分析得出,颗粒物中污染物质的含量随粒径增大而减小.其中,<106μm的颗粒物中总氮、总磷、COD和挥发性物质的质量分别占各污染物总量的18.9%、17.8%、20.41%和18.9%,而该部分颗粒物本身的平均质量分数只有3.9%.可见<106μm的颗粒物处于高度污染状态.因此,在城市停车场面源污染管理中,应该对该部分高度污染的颗粒物给以足够的重视.对于不同污染特征的颗粒物应该采用不同的去除方法.     

Carnivore-Livestock Conflicts: Effects of Subsidized Predator Control and Economic Correlates on the Sheep Industry

Abstract:  Despite the importance of carnivores in terrestrial ecosystems, many nations have implemented well-coordinated, state-funded initiatives to remove predators, largely because of conflicts with humans over livestock. Although these control efforts have been successful in terms of the number of carnivores removed, their effects on the viability of the industries they seek to protect are less understood. I assessed the efficacy of long-term efforts by the U.S. government to improve the viability of the sheep industry by reducing predation losses. I used regression analysis and hierarchical partitioning of a 60-year data set to explore associations among changes in sheep numbers and factors such as predator control effort, market prices, and production costs. In addition, I compared trends in the sheep industry in the western United States, where predator control is subsidized and coyotes ( Canis latrans ) are abundant, with trends in eastern states that lack federally subsidized predator control and that were (1) colonized by coyotes before 1950 or (2) colonized by coyotes between 1950 and 1990. Although control efforts were positively correlated with fluctuations in sheep numbers, production costs and market prices explained most of the model variation, with a combined independent contribution of 77%. Trends in sheep numbers in eastern and western states were highly correlated ( r ≥ 0.942) independent of the period during which they were colonized by coyotes, indicating either that control has been ineffective at reducing predation losses or that factors other than predation account for the declines in both regions. These results suggest that government-subsidized predator control has failed to prevent the decline in the sheep industry and alternative support mechanisms need to be developed if the goal is to increase sheep production and not simply to kill carnivores.     

高速公路路面雨水径流下渗系统性能研究

为了分析径流下渗系统在径流削减和污染控制方面的性能,本文对一个高速公路路面雨水径流下渗系统性进行了监测.结果表明,降雨量、径流量、径流削减量和径流排放量之间存在明显的正相关性(r=0.82～0.97,p0.05).该系统表现出高效的径流削减能力,当降雨量小于20 mm时,可以削减70%以上的径流量.与径流削减相比,该系统在污染物负荷控制方面更为有效.当降雨量在0～10 mm之间时,污染负荷的削减率几乎为100%;而当降雨在10～20 mm之间时,污染负荷的削减率仍然可以超过60%.相对总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)而言,下渗系统对悬浮物(SS)和化学需氧量(COD_(Cr))的去除能力要更高、更稳定.研究表明,径流下渗系统作为雨水管理的工具,在径流削减和改善水质方面具有良好的性能.     

低C/N比污水生物脱氮所需外加碳源量的确定

利用中试规模实验装置,探讨了现有活性污泥工艺改造成间歇曝气生物脱氮工艺的实践中,碳氮比(C/N)对废水生物脱氮效率、脱氮反应速度的影响,分析了脱氮容量,确定了所需外加碳源量.      

基于双向门控循环单元的地表水氨氮预测

为提高水环境中NH4+-N的预测精度,提出了一种互补完全集合经验模式分解(CCEEMDAN)和双向门控循环单元(BiGRU)神经网络的混合预测模型(CCB).首先,通过CCEEMDAN将NH4+-N数据分解成一系列较为简单的模态成份;然后利用BiGRU神经网络对各成份进行预测,将所有分解成份的预测结果相加即可获得最终预...     

Biodegradation of Methoxychlor and Its Metabolites by the White Rot Fungus Stereum hirsutum Related to the Inactivation of Estrogenic Activity

The white rot fungus Stereum hirsutum was used to degrade methoxychlor [2,2,2-trichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane] in culture and the degraded products were extensively determined. The estrogenic activity of the degraded products of methoxychlor was examined using cell proliferation and pS2 gene expression assays in MCF-7 cells. S. hirsutum showed high resistance to methoxychlor 100 ppm, and the mycelial growth was fully completed within 8 days of incubation at 30°C. Methoxychlor in liquid culture medium was gradually converted into 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane, 2,2-dichloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene, 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl) ethane, 2-chloro-1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl) ethylene, and 1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethylene, indicating that methoxychlor is dominantly degraded by dechlorination and dehydrogenation. MCF-7 cells were demonstrated to proliferate actively at the 10^?5 M concentration of methoxychlor. However, cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by the incubation with methoxychlor culture media containing S. hirsutum. In addition, the expression level of pS2 mRNA was increased at the concentration (10^?5 M) of methoxychlor. The reductive effect of S. hirsutum for methoxychlor was clear but not significant as in the proliferation assay.     

煤气管道的震害率分析

埋地管道的地震危险性分析方法可以分为理论分析法和经验统计法。震害率是经验统计法中常用的一个概念。埋地管道在地震中破坏的主要原因是地面运动和场地土液化等引起的场地土失效，另外管线的接口类型、管材、管径等也是决定其震害的因素。在查阅相关文献的基础上，对埋地管道的震害率分析方法进行了综述，并运用经验统计法提出了便于使用的煤气管道震害率估算表达式。     

Decomposition kinetics of dimethyl methylphospate(chemical agent simulant) by supercritical water oxidation

Supercritical water oxidation （SCWO） has been drawing much attention due to effectively destroy a large variety of high-risk wastes resulting from munitions demilitarization and complex industrial chemical. An important design consideration in the development of supercritical water oxidation is the information of decomposition rate. In this paper, the decomposition rate of dimethyl methylphosphonate（DMMP）, which is similar to the nerve agent VX and GB（Sarin） in its structure, was investigated under SCWO conditions. The experiments were performed in an isothermal tubular reactor with a H2O2 as an oxidant. The reaction temperatures were ranged from 398 to 633℃ at a fixed pressure of 24 MPa. The conversion of DMMP was monitored by analyzing total organic carbon （TOC） on the liquid effluent samples. It is found that the oxidative decomposition of DMMP proceeded rapidly and a high TOC decomposition up to 99.99% was obtained within 11 s at 555℃. On the basis of data derived from experiments, a global kinetic equation for the decomposition of DMMP was developed. The model predictions agreed well with the experimental data.