双酚A对斑马鱼幼鱼神经递质和神经行为的影响

环境浓度水平下双酚A(BPA)暴露对生物体的毒性效应受到广泛关注。以早期发育阶段斑马鱼为模型,评价了环境浓度下BPA暴露对斑马鱼幼鱼运动行为的影响,并探讨了可能的作用机制。将斑马鱼胚胎暴露于不同浓度BPA(0、1、3、10和30"g·L-1)后,斑马鱼幼鱼的整体平均运动速率显著降低。低浓度组幼鱼在持续光照条件下的运动行为显著降低,同时5-羟色胺受体(htr1a)的转录水平增加十分显著,表明BPA可能通过5-羟色胺受体对斑马鱼的运动行为产生影响。而高浓度组幼鱼在第2个黑暗刺激周期的活动过度受到抑制,同时多巴胺受体(d1r)的转录水平显著降低,表明BPA可能通过多巴胺受体影响斑马鱼对外界刺激的响应。HPLC分析结果表明,5-羟色胺和多巴胺神经递质含量在所有浓度组均显著升高。进一步分析与早期神经发育(wnt1,shha)、单胺类递质神经元分化(lmx1a,nr4a2和syn2a)以及递质合成(tph1b,th)相关的基因和蛋白水平,发现神经递质含量的升高可能是由于BPA促进了斑马鱼胚胎早期神经发育和单胺类递质神经元的分化。综上,环境浓度下BPA暴露即可对斑马鱼的运行行为产生影响,提示BPA污染很可能对生态环境及人体健康产生潜在的危害。     

多环芳烃类污染物对斑马鱼胁迫效应的研究进展

伴随着现代工业的飞速发展,不同环境介质中污染物的种类、污染范围和污染强度也在不断改变。作为一种强生物损伤性物质,多环芳烃类污染物备受关注。鉴于生态环境中多环芳烃的污染问题日益凸显,对其毒性效应机制研究的概括和总结尤为重要。因此笔者综述了多环芳烃类污染物对斑马鱼不同生物结构层次的毒性效应研究进展,总结并比较了不同多环芳烃类污染物的毒性效应机制和毒性强度。同时就目前斑马鱼在水环境污染评价、水质综合毒性测定方面的应用进行了概述和展望。研究多环芳烃类污染物对斑马鱼的急性毒性作用和富集作用及其分子机制将对开展水环境中突发有机污染的早期预警及水环境安全评估、人体健康评估具有重要意义。     

三氯化铝在酸性环境中对斑马鱼幼鱼运动及学习记忆能力的影响

以斑马鱼胚胎和幼鱼为实验对象,探讨三氯化铝(Al Cl3)在酸性环境中对斑马鱼幼鱼运动能力及学习记忆的影响。将受精后6 h(hours post-fertilization)的斑马鱼胚胎分成2个大组,分别为对照组和三氯化铝组,以观察三氯化铝的毒性作用。每一大组又分为中性(pH7.4)、微酸(pH6.4)和酸性(pH5.4)组,以观察酸性环境分别及与三氯化铝的共同毒性作用。分别采用72 hpf斑马鱼幼鱼机械逃避反射实验、144 hpf斑马鱼幼鱼自发运动、168 hpf单一多次光刺激斑马鱼幼鱼实验等探讨在中性、微酸和酸性环境下暴露铝离子对斑马鱼幼鱼运动能力以及学习记忆的影响。结果显示:与中性环境下的三氯化铝组相比,微酸和酸性环境下的三氯化铝组可以使斑马鱼幼鱼机械逃避次数减少(P0.05),平均速度和移动距离下降(P0.001),斑马鱼幼鱼运动轨迹杂乱无章,自发触壁活动减少;单一多次光刺激实验结果发现,微酸和酸性环境下的三氯化铝组使斑马鱼幼鱼到达平台速度的光照次数显著增加且差异具有统计学意义(P0.001)。以上结果说明,三氯化铝在微酸和酸性环境下,能导致斑马鱼幼鱼运动能力及学习记忆能力下降,并且酸度值越小,对斑马鱼幼鱼运动和学习记忆的影响更显著。酸度值与三氯化铝之间存在协同作用,酸性环境可以使三氯化铝毒性增加。     

氯化镉和敌敌畏突发胁迫下斑马鱼的行为差异

采用计算机摄像跟踪技术,以正常水体中斑马鱼的行为变化为基础,比较突发性氯化镉和敌敌畏污染胁迫下斑马鱼的个体行为(游动速度、深度、转弯次数和加速度)和鱼群行为(平均距离和分散度)的变化规律.研究结果表明:斑马鱼在两种污染物突发性胁迫下,行为反应快速且敏感,游动行为响应与污染物种类和暴露时间直接相关;两种不同类型的污染胁迫...     

氯吡嘧磺隆和镉复合对斑马鱼肝脏的影响

为了探究污染物镉和氯吡嘧磺隆复合污染对非靶标生物斑马鱼的毒性作用,通过急性毒性试验,获得镉和氯吡嘧磺隆对斑马鱼的LC50.以LC25作为0水平,设置9个处理组进行试验,检测不同处理组斑马鱼96 h死亡率、斑马鱼肝脏中CAT、MDA和羧酸酯酶CarE.检测结果表明,镉和氯吡嘧磺隆对斑马鱼存在交互作用,当水体中镉浓度为3....     

双酚芴对斑马鱼神经行为的影响及毒性作用机制

基于斑马鱼模型探究双酚芴(9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)fluorine, BHPF)诱导的神经毒性及作用机制。通过黑白箱测试、新型水槽测试和T迷宫测试开展BHPF对斑马鱼神经行为学影响的检测,通过实时荧光定量PCR(quantitative real-time PCR, qRT-PCR)研究BHPF神经毒性的作用机制。黑白箱测试结果显示,BHPF造成斑马鱼运动能力异常;新型水槽测试结果显示,BHPF导致斑马鱼探索行为异常;T迷宫测试结果显示,BHPF对斑马鱼学习记忆能力产生影响。qRT-PCR结果显示,BHPF可以造成斑马鱼神经发育、自噬和凋亡相关基因的异常表达。本研究揭示了BHPF可以造成斑马鱼运动能力和探索行为异常,影响学习记忆功能。BHPF通过影响神经发育、自噬和凋亡等途径诱导神经毒性。     

马拉硫磷和百菌清胁迫下斑马鱼行为变化的研究

以马拉硫磷和百菌清为胁迫因子,本文研究了2种污染物暴露下斑马鱼行为强度的变化。首先通过急性毒性试验确定了2种农药对斑马鱼24 h、48 h、72 h、96 h的半致死浓度(LC50),其次以LC50-48 h为1个染毒单位(TU),在0.01 TU、0.1 TU、0.5 TU、1 TU、2 TU 5个条件下,本文开展了斑马鱼行为学研究。结果显示,48 h马拉硫磷暴露斑马鱼的LC50为5 mg·L~(-1),百菌清暴露斑马鱼的LC50为0.01 mg·L~(-1)。随着污染物浓度增大,综合行为强度变化幅度增大。在设置的暴露浓度下,斑马鱼的行为强度在急剧增大或减小后都出现了明显的调节适应过程,基本符合环境压力模型。通过比较在不同频率下的影响强度,马拉硫磷和百菌清暴露斑马鱼摆鳍所受影响最大。本研究提示,水质监测中可增加斑马鱼摆鳍观察指标。     

常见环境污染物致斑马鱼机体氧化应激的研究进展

近年来,随着我国城市化和工业化进程的快速发展,水环境污染问题日趋严重,对生态环境和人类健康构成潜在威胁.氧化应激是机体促氧化物产生和清除之间出现失衡的一种状态,被认为是影响许多疾病发生发展的重要因素,是水环境污染物对生物体产生毒性的重要途径之一.本文基于重金属、农药和新兴污染物等常见环境污染物对斑马鱼所产生的氧化应激反应进行综述,以期为开展污染物损伤生物体的监控预警及疾病预防提供一定参考依据.     

1,3-二苯胍对斑马鱼早期生命阶段的影响

1,3-二苯胍(1,3-diphenyl guanidine, DPG)是橡胶生产过程中添加的硫化促进剂,在水环境中广泛存在。然而作为水环境中的一种污染物,目前DPG对水生生物的毒性及其机制的研究极为匮乏。为了研究DPG对水生生物的生殖发育毒性及潜在机制,选择水生模式生物斑马鱼(Danio rerio)作为受试生物。将斑马鱼胚胎分别暴露于浓度为30、100和300μg·L^-1的DPG溶液中120 h,通过转录组测序、基因表达水平定量分析及性激素水平测定(雌二醇和睾酮)来探究其对斑马鱼早期生命阶段的生殖发育毒性及机制。转录组测序结果表明,DPG暴露可以显著影响与精卵识别及生殖细胞发育相关的生物学过程。DPG暴露使类固醇合成通路相关基因(cyp11a1、cyp17a1、cyp19a1a、hsd17b1、ar)的转录表达显著上调。激素结果表明DPG暴露导致斑马鱼仔鱼体内雌二醇水平显著升高。以上研究结果表明,在分子水平上,DPG能够影响斑马鱼胚胎及仔鱼的发育,但是在个体水平上仍然缺乏直接的证据揭示DPG暴露对斑马鱼生殖和胚胎发育的不良结局。本研究为DPG对水生生物的毒性研...     

铜及其与四环素的联合暴露对斑马鱼胚胎的毒性效应

近年来工业和养殖业中铜和四环素的滥用,导致了一定的水环境污染问题。为探究铜与四环素对水生生物的毒害作用,选择斑马鱼作为受试生物,研究了铜及其与四环素的联合暴露对斑马鱼胚胎的毒性效应,并进一步探索了其可能的致毒机制。结果表明：铜在低浓度下（10%致死浓度LC10=2.5 μg?L-1,10%效应浓度EC10=0.1 μg?L-1）明显延迟了斑马鱼胚胎的孵化、卵黄囊吸收、头部、鱼鳔和体长等生长指标的发育,同时在心脏区域引起明显细胞凋亡效应。幼鱼体内总铜含量检测结果显示低浓度下铜的生物利用度相对更高。基因表达结果显示环境浓度的铜可能通过影响神经和心脏相关基因的表达引起斑马鱼胚胎的神经发育和心脏发育异常。铜和四环素的联合暴露实验结果表明二者的复合污染类型为拮抗作用,且两者相互作用可以形成络合物。综合以上结论,说明环境浓度的铜可能通过细胞凋亡、分子水平的变化等方式对水生生物的早期生长发育产生危害,如延迟生长发育、神经及心脏发育异常,另外铜可通过和四环素等环境中其他污染物的结合改变铜的生物有效性和毒性。     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.