When all life counts in conservation

Conservation science involves the collection and analysis of data. These scientific practices emerge from values that shape who and what is counted. Currently, conservation data are filtered through a value system that considers native life the only appropriate subject of conservation concern. We examined how trends in species richness, distribution, and threats change when all wildlife count by adding so-called non-native and feral populations to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and local species richness assessments. We focused on vertebrate populations with founding members taken into and out of Australia by humans (i.e., migrants). We identified 87 immigrant and 47 emigrant vertebrate species. Formal conservation accounts underestimated global ranges by an average of 30% for immigrants and 7% for emigrants; immigrations surpassed extinctions in Australia by 52 species; migrants were disproportionately threatened (33% of immigrants and 29% of emigrants were threatened or decreasing in their native ranges); and incorporating migrant populations into risk assessments reduced global threat statuses for 15 of 18 species. Australian policies defined most immigrants as pests (76%), and conservation was the most commonly stated motivation for targeting these species in killing programs (37% of immigrants). Inclusive biodiversity data open space for dialogue on the ethical and empirical assumptions underlying conservation science.     

Microbial communities biostimulated by ethanol during uranium (VI) bioremediation in contaminated sediment as shown by stable isotope probing

Stable isotope probing (SIP) was used to identify microbes stimulated by ethanol addition in microcosms containing two sediments collected from the bioremediation test zone at the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge site, TN, USA. One sample was highly bioreduced with ethanol while another was less reduced. Microcosms with the respective sediments were amended with ¹³C labeled ethanol and incubated for 7 days for SIP. Ethanol was rapidly converted to acetate within 24 h accompanied with the reduction of nitrate and sulfate. The accumulation of acetate persisted beyond the 7 d period. Aqueous U did not decline in the microcosm with the reduced sediment due to desorption of U but continuously declined in the less reduced sample. Microbial growth and concomitant ¹³C-DNA production was detected when ethanol was exhausted and abundant acetate had accumulated in both microcosms. This coincided with U(VI) reduction in the less reduced sample. ¹³C originating from ethanol was ultimately utilized for growth, either directly or indirectly, by the dominant microbial community members within 7 days of incubation. The microbial community was comprised predominantly of known denitrifiers, sulfate-reducing bacteria and iron (III) reducing bacteria including Desulfovibrio, Sphingomonas, Ferribacterium, Rhodanobacter, Geothrix, Thiobacillus and others, including the known U(VI)-reducing bacteria Acidovorax, Anaeromyxobacter, Desulfovibrio, Geobacter and Desulfosporosinus. The findings suggest that ethanol biostimulates the U(VI)-reducing microbial community by first serving as an electron donor for nitrate, sulfate, iron (III) and U(VI) reduction, and acetate which then functions as electron donor for U(VI) reduction and carbon source for microbial growth.     

Activity patterns and predatory behavior of an intertidal nemertean from rocky shores: Prosorhochmus nelsoni (Hoplonemertea) from the Southeast Pacific

Understanding the impact of environmental stressors on predator activity is a prerequisite to understanding the underlying mechanisms shaping community structure. The nemertean Prosorhochmus nelsoni is a common predator in the mid-intertidal zone on rocky shores along the Chilean coast, where it can reach very high abundances (up to 260 ind m⁻²) in algal turfs, algal crusts, barnacle crusts, and mixed substrata. Tidal and diurnal scans revealed that the activity of P. nelsoni is primarily restricted to night and early-morning low tides and is relatively low when air temperatures are high. On average, larger worms crawled faster than smaller worms, with their maximum velocity being influenced by substratum type. Their estimated rate of predation is 0.092 prey items nemertean⁻¹ day⁻¹, just below the laboratory rate of ~0.2 amphipods nemertean⁻¹ day⁻¹ previously estimated for this species. P. nelsoni consumes a diverse spectrum of prey items (i.e., amphipods, isopods, decapods, barnacles, and dipterans) and is possibly exerting a significant influence on its prey populations. We suggest that the opportunistic predatory behavior of this intertidal predator is caused by the trade-off between immediate persistence (e.g., avoidance of desiccation) and long-term survival through successful foraging.     

Modeling estuarine-shelf exchanges in a deltaic estuary: Implications for coastal carbon budgets and hypoxia

The export of wetland-derived materials to the coastal ocean (i.e., the “Outwelling” hypothesis) has received considerable attention over the past several decades. While a number of studies have shown that estuaries export appreciable amounts of nutrients and carbon, few studies have attempted to estimate the importance of estuarine sources for the coastal carbon budgets in river-dominated coastal ecosystems. A novel tidal prism model was developed to examine estuarine-shelf exchanges in the Barataria estuary, a deltaic estuary located in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. This estuary has been the site of a massive wetland loss, and it has been hypothesized that carbon export from the eroding coastal wetlands supports the development of a large hypoxic zone in the coastal Gulf of Mexico. The model results show that the Barataria estuary receives nitrogen through the tidal passes and releases carbon to the coastal ocean. The mean calculated tidal water discharge of 6930 m³ s⁻¹ is equivalent to about 43% of the lower Mississippi River discharge. The annual total organic carbon (TOC) export is 109 million kg, or 57 gC m² yr⁻¹ when prorated to the total water area of the estuary. This carbon export is equivalent to a loss of 0.5 m of wetland soil horizon over an area of 8.4 km², and accounts for about 34% of the observed annual wetland loss in the estuary between 1978 and 2000. Compared to the lower Mississippi River, the Barataria estuary appears to be a very small source of TOC for the northern Gulf of Mexico (2.7% of riverine TOC), and is unlikely to have a significant influence on the development of the Gulf's hypoxia.     

Interpreting time trends and biomagnification of PCBs in the Baltic region using the equilibrium lipid partitioning approach

Multi-year monitoring data for PCBs in abiotic media and biota collected from the Baltic region were compiled into a database and analyzed using the equilibrium lipid partitioning (ELP) approach to study temporal trends as well as to investigate food web biomagnification. Statistically significant reductions in ELP concentrations between 1987 and 2001 were observed in guillemots, air, and some fish species and a general, but not always statistically significant decline in concentrations was observed throughout the Baltic ecosystem. Estimated clearance half-lives ranged from 2.7-10.7 years. The database contained concentrations for a range of different Baltic species, which comprise a well-known Baltic food web. It was possible to derive the trophic position of the species in this food web and relate them to ELP concentrations. A significant positive correlation between ELP concentrations and trophic position was obtained. Estimated food web magnification factors ranged between 1.9 and 5.1 for selected congeners.     

地下水铀污染的原位微生物还原与固定:在美国能源部田纳西橡树岭放射物污染现场的试验

总结了美国斯坦福大学和橡树岭国家实验室等在美国能源部田纳西州橡树岭综合试验基地进行的铀污染原位微生物修复阶段性试验结果.本试验利用微生物以乙醇为电子供体还原地下水和沉积物中的六价铀为不溶解的四价铀,使之原位固定化.随后通过加入溶解氧和硝酸盐来试验微生物还原后的地下水层中还原固定态铀的稳定性.通过预处理和长期间隔注入乙醇...     

Microplastic pollution on the soil and its consequences on the nitrogen cycle: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Microplastics (MPs) correspond to plastics between 0.1 μm and 5 mm in diameter, and these can be intentionally manufactured to be microscopic or...     

Degradation of atrazine using solar driven fenton-like advanced oxidation processes

Atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) was degraded using cobalt-peroximonosulfate (Co/PMS) advanced oxidation process (AOP). Three Co concentrations (0.00, 0.25 and 0.50 mM) and five peroximonosulfate (PMS) concentrations (0, 5, 8, 16 and 32 mM) were tested. Maximum degradation reached was 88% using dark Co/PMS in 126 minutes when 0.25 mM of cobalt and 32 mM of PMS were used. Complete atrazine degradation was achieved when the samples were irradiated by the sun under the same experimental conditions described. Tests for identification of intermediate products allowed identification and quantification of deethylatrazine in both dark and radiated conditions. Kinetic data for both processes was calculated fitting a pseudo-first order reaction rate approach to the experimental data. Having kinetic parameters enabled comparison between both conditions. It was found that the kinetic approach describes data behavior appropriately (R² ≥ 0.95). Pseudo-kinetic constants determined for both Co/PMS processes, show k value of 10^?4 for Co/PMS and a k value of 10^?3 for Co/PMS/ultraviolet (UV). This means, that, with the same Co/PMS concentrations, UV light increases the reaction rate by around one order of magnitude than performing the reaction under dark conditions.     

Removal of aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, and heptachlor epoxide using activated carbon and/or Pseudomonas fluorescens free cell cultures

Degradation of aldrin (1,2,3,4,10,10-Hexachloro-1,4,4a,5,8,8a-hexahydro-1,4:5-8-dimethanonaphthalene), heptachlor (1H-1,4,5,6,7,8,8-heptachloro-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-methano indene), dieldrin (1aalpha,2beta,2aalpha,3beta,6beta,6aalpha,7beta,7aalpha)-3,4,5,6,9,9-Hexachloro-1a,2,2a,3,6,6a,7,7a-octahydro-2,7:3,6-d-methanonaphtha[2,3-b]oxirene, and heptachlor epoxide (1aalpha, 1bbeta,2alpha,5alpha,5alphabeta,6beta,6aalpha-2,3,4,5,6,7,7-Heptachloro-1a,1b,5,5a,6,6a-hexahydro-2,5-methano-2H-inden[1,2-b]-oxirene) was tested using free cultures of Pseudomonas fluorescens under controlled conditions. Pesticide concentrations were monitored by gas chromatography during 120 h. Percentages of degradation and biodegradation rates (BDR) were calculated. Data showed a trend suggesting a relation between chemical structure and degradability. Degradation kinetics for each pesticide tested showed that the highest degradation rates were found in the first 24 h. Kinetics data were adjusted to an empirical equation in order to predict their behavior, and the correlation coefficients obtained were satisfactory. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the final extracts allowed the identification of chlordene and monodechlorodieldrin, which have been reported as final metabolite produced in the biodegradation of this kind of compounds. Regarding adsorption of pesticides on activated vegetal carbon, we concluded that removal efficiencies between 95.45 and 97.18% can be reached, depending on the pesticide and the carbon dose applied. The values for K from the Freundlich equation were quite similar for the four pesticides (between 1.0001 and 1.04), whereas the n values were quite different for each pesticide in the following order of affinity: dieldrin > aldrin > heptachlor epoxide > heptachlor. Equilibrium times, very important for scaling up the process, were between 43 min and 1 h, for the heptachlor epoxide and the heptachlor, respectively.     

A peaceful zone bordering two Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) supercolonies

In invasion areas, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) forms huge supercolonies with free exchange of individuals among nests. Two continental supercolonies on the French mediterranean coast, the Main European supercolony and the Corsican supercolony, are known to contain workers showing moderate to high levels of inter-supercolony aggression. We performed chemical and behavioral assays using workers from eight coastal sites in southeastern France covering a geographical zone that includes nests of the two supercolonies, to determine the nature of worker interactions in a supercolony boundary zone. We examined how the chemical and behavioral clines vary across the borders of the Main and Corsican supercolonies. Our results on Giens peninsula and Porquerolles island populations bordering the Main supercolony reveal the existence of a peaceful border zone with no aggression between workers of the Main supercolony and the Corsican supercolony. The chemical results, however, exhibited qualitative similarity to those observed in the Corsican supercolony and revealed both quantitative and qualitative chemical differences from those observed in the Main supercolony. These peaceful populations may result from fusion and/or genetic crosses between the two supercolonies, and we hypothesize that such peaceful border zones are instrumental in the evolution of supercolonies.