中国长江三角洲流域百菌清水生生物基准研究

通过生态毒理试验,获得百菌清对长江三角洲流域14种代表性水生生物的毒性数据。分别采用评价因子法、物种敏感度分布法和毒性百分数排序法,推导长江三角洲流域百菌清水生生物基准值。评价因子法、物种敏感度分布法和毒性百分数排序法得出的急性基准值分别是0.066μg·L~(-1)、3.00μg·L~(-1)和0.51μg·L~(-1),慢性基准值分别是0.0089μg·L~(-1)、0.40μg·L~(-1)和0.136μg·L~(-1)。比较了3种方法得出的基准值之间的差异并分析了原因,在此基础上,提出了我国长江三角洲流域百菌清水生生物基准推荐值,并与国外基准值进行了比较。研究结果可为中国农药水质标准制修订及水生生物风险评估提供科学依据。     

考虑物种权重校验保护太湖水生生物的铅基准

铅是一种有毒重金属元素,位列我国水中优先控制污染物"黑名单".我国水系众多,水生生物多样,研究保护区域水生生物的铅基准十分必要.太湖作为中国周边经济最发达、大中城市最密集且污染最严重的淡水湖泊之一,本研究选取8种太湖本土水生生物实验补充铅的急性毒性数据并两步外推得到慢性毒性数据.结合文献建立铅的本土毒性数据库,基于水体硬度对铅毒性的影响,建立硬度和毒性关系.考虑太湖生物区系和水质特征,采用物种权重敏感度分布方法,得到保护太湖水生生物铅的最大浓度基准值(CMC)和持续浓度基准值(CCC)值分别为50.04—58.87μg·L~(-1)和3.99—4.69μg·L~(-1);现行地表水铅的Ⅲ类标准限值(50μg·L~(-1))下受铅急性毒性和慢性毒性影响的生物比例分别为4.42%和23.00%.     

马拉硫磷水生生物基准推导研究

通过开展毒性试验和查阅国内外相关文献,获取马拉硫磷对长江三角洲流域22个代表性物种毒性数据,采用物种敏感度分布法和毒性百分数排序法推导长江三角洲流域马拉硫磷水生生物基准值。结果显示,采用物种敏感度分布法得出的急性基准值和慢性基准值分别为0.865 5和0.036 2μg·L~(-1),采用毒性百分数排序法得出的急性基准值和慢性基准值分别为0.400 0和0.033 4μg·L~(-1)。为充分保护水生生物,建议以毒性百分数排序法推导出的基准值作为长江三角洲流域马拉硫磷水生生物基准推荐值。研究结果可为我国地表水环境质量标准修订及水生生态风险评估提供科学依据。     

PFOS和PFOA的水生生物基准探讨及对中国部分水体生态风险的初步评估

全氟辛基磺酸盐(PFOS)和全氟辛酸盐(PFOA)是中国淡水环境中广泛存在的两种典型全氟类污染物,中国目前尚缺乏PFOS和PFOA的淡水水生生物基准值。收集PFOS和PFOA对中国本土水生生物的毒性数据,利用美国环境保护局推荐的物种敏感度排序法推算了这两种物质的水生生物基准,获得PFOS的急性和慢性基准阈值分别为32.9μg·L~(-1)和1.97μg·L~(-1),PFOA的急性和慢性基准阈值分别为46.1 mg·L~(-1)和5.46 mg·L~(-1),两者的基准阈值表现出数量级的差异。针对中国部分淡水水体中PFOS和PFOA的污染水平,采用商值法(RQ)评价了两种污染物的生态风险,结果表明,PFOS和PFOA尚未对中国淡水环境中水生生物产生风险,处于可以接受的程度。     

中国淡水环境锰的水质基准及其生态风险评估

锰(Mn)是生物必需微量元素,但近年来地表水锰超标现象时有发生,威胁水生态安全。鉴于目前尚缺乏中国锰的淡水水生生物水质基准,本研究通过筛选中国淡水生物锰的急慢性毒性数据,利用水体硬度和pH参数归一化的毒性数据,建立物种敏感度分布曲线获得了锰的短期和长期水质基准,并采用商值法评价我国部分水体锰的生态风险。本研究建立了基于水体硬度修正的锰的短期水质基准模型,推导了不同硬度和pH值水平下中国淡水环境锰的短期和长期水质基准。研究结果表明当水质硬度标准化到150 mg·L^-1 CaCO₃和pH标准化到7.8时,锰的短期基准值和长期基准值分别为2 625μg·L^-1和231μg·L^-1。锰的短期水质基准值以硬度的函数表示：短期水质基准=e⁽[1.0304ln(硬度)+2.7099])。生态风险评价表明山西汾河、贵州松桃河流域和湖南酉水流域存在较高生态风险。研究结果可为锰水质标准制定、水生生物保护和水生态环境管理提供科学依据。     

应用概率物种敏感度分布法研究太湖重金属水生生物水质基准

目前广泛使用的水质基准推导方法—物种敏感度分布法存在曲线拟合模型不确定、曲线拟合效果不佳、种内差异欠考虑、基准值不准确等诸多问题,概率物种敏感度分布法可有效解决上述问题。应用概率物种敏感度分布法构建了太湖水体中5种重金属Ag、Pb、Cd、Hg和Zn的概率物种敏感度分布曲线,在此基础上得到了保护水生生物的急性水质基准分别为1.079μg·L~(-1)、637.973μg·L~(-1)、19.465μg·L~(-1)、8.729μg·L~(-1)和105.506μg·L~(-1),慢性水质基准分别为0.108μg·L~(-1)、63.797μg·L~(-1)、1.947μg·L~(-1)、2.340μg·L~(-1)和52.753μg·L~(-1);不同类群间生物对重金属的敏感度存在差异,不同重金属对同一类群生物的毒性也存在差异;通过与国内外已有的重金属水质基准值比较,发现水质基准具有明显的区域性,目前基于国外水质基准或我国整体水域特点来制定的太湖水质标准,往往造成对太湖水生生物欠保护或过保护的状况。     

红霉素水生生物基准推导和对中国部分水体生态风险初步评估

红霉素是大环内酯类抗生素,环境中红霉素残留具有较高的生态风险和健康风险,而中国目前尚缺乏红霉素的淡水水生生物基准值,因而研究适合中国流域水环境的红霉素水生生物基准,对于保护中国淡水水生生物以及水质基准的研究具有重要意义。该研究搜集筛选了红霉素对中国淡水生物的急慢性毒性数据,共获得3门8科的10个急性毒性数据和2门4科的4个慢性毒性数据。利用美国环境保护局推荐的物种敏感度排序法(SSR)推导红霉素的水生生物基准,同时以log-normal SSD法和log-logisticSSD法对基准计算结果进行了比对。比较了3种方法的优缺点,以及与国内外已有研究基准值之间的差异及形成原因,分析了影响红霉素水生生物基准的关键因素。得出采用SSR法推导的保护中国水生生物的红霉素急性基准值(CMC)为0.47μg·L~(-1),慢性基准值(CCC)为0.10μg·L~(-1)相对可行。将该研究推导出的红霉素慢性基准值(CCC)与中国部分江河和湖泊中红霉素暴露浓度相比较,采用风险商值(RQ)评价了红霉素的生态风险。结果表明,风险区域主要集中在辽河、海河和珠江,部分区域点位存在一定的红霉素暴露生态风险。研究结论可为红霉素水质标准制定和流域水环境管理提供科学依据。     

我国地表水中磷酸三苯酯的多层次生态风险评估

磷酸三苯酯(triphenyl phosphate,TPP)在电缆材料、塑料制品中被大量使用,是地表水中检出频率最高的有机磷酸酯类阻燃剂之一,近年来受到广泛关注。本文通过文献检索TPP的地表水环境暴露浓度以及对水生生物的毒性效应浓度,利用风险商(hazard quotient,HQ)和概率生态风险评价法(probabilistic ecological risk assessments,PERA)对我国主要地表水中的TPP进行多层次生态风险评价。结果显示,TPP在我国地表水中的浓度为0.2～96.3 ng·L~(-1),以生存为测试终点的急性毒性数据推导出的预测无效应浓度(predicted no effect concentration,PNEC)为36.49μg·L~(-1),而以繁殖、发育和生长等为测试终点的慢性毒性数据推导出的PNEC值为1.30μg·L~(-1)。基于急、慢性毒性数据计算的风险商均小于0.1。我国地表水中TPP对0.1%到1%的水生生物造成繁殖、发育和生长等慢性毒性影响的概率分别为1.40%和0.04%,存在较低的潜在生态风险。     

基于水质基准的中国地表水体中林丹生态风险评估案例研究

由于过去大量使用及其持久性,导致有机氯农药林丹在我国水体普遍存在,当过量的林丹汇聚于水体时,不免抑制水生生物生长发育。为评估和保护受林丹污染的地表水体,本研究筛选收集了37种本土代表性水生生物的林丹急慢性毒性数据,依照物种敏感度排序法(SSR)及物种敏感度分布法(SSD)推导出林丹的水质基准,并运用商值法和联合概率曲线法评估分析国内典型流域中林丹水生态风险。结果表明,针对保护95%水生生物的林丹急性基准为2.34μg·L^-1,慢性基准值为0.05μg·L^-1。商值法结果表明,林丹可能在我国部分水体具有高生态风险,联合概率曲线法结果显示我国约有53.57%的水体可能使超过5%的水生生物受到林丹长期污染危害的风险。该结果可为我国林丹水质基准及地表水体生态风险评估提供基础数据和科学依据。     

某湿地生态保护区水体中铜的生态风险评价及管理限值研究

铜是生物必需的微量元素,但过量暴露会对生物产生毒害效应。针对我国南方城市某湿地生态保护区水体重金属污染问题,参照《澳大利亚和新西兰淡水和海水水质指南》,应用物种敏感度分布(speeies sensitivity distribution,SSD)方法和联合概率曲线(joint probability curve,JPC)方法评价水体中铜的生态风险评价,在此基础上提出水体中铜浓度的管理限值。根据该湿地生态保护区生物调查历史数据以及其他文献数据,整理了415个本地物种的清单,通过美国环境保护署ECOTOX数据库以及其他文献共获取了13个物种的毒性数据,构建了Weibull分布、对数正态分布、正态分布、对数Logistic分布、Logistic分布、BurrⅢ型分布和Gumbel分布等7个SSD模型。结果表明,利用13个本地物种铜毒性数据构建的SSD模型具有合理性,不同模型计算得到的湿地生态保护区水体中铜的总体风险期望值为0.054~0.121。其中,BurrⅢ型分布模型的拟合效果最好,据此推导得到以保护水生生态系统为目标的铜的高可靠性与中等可靠性触发值分别为2.55μg·L~(-1)和1.41μg·L~(-1)。考虑到管理目标的可达性和现状的生态风险水平,提出该湿地生态保护区水体中铜浓度的管理限值为3μg·L~(-1)。     

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.     

Threats to intact tropical peatlands and opportunities for their conservation

Large, intact areas of tropical peatland are highly threatened at a global scale by the expansion of commercial agriculture and other forms of economic development. Conserving peatlands on a landscape scale, with their hydrology intact, is of international conservation importance to preserve their distinctive biodiversity and ecosystem services and maintain their resilience to future environmental change. We explored threats to and opportunities for conserving remaining intact tropical peatlands; thus, we excluded peatlands of Indonesia and Malaysia, where extensive deforestation, drainage, and conversion to plantations means conservation in this region can protect only small fragments of the original ecosystem. We focused on a case study, the Pastaza‐Marañón Foreland Basin (PMFB) in Peru, which is among the largest known intact tropical peatland landscapes in the world and is representative of peatland vulnerability. Maintenance of the hydrological conditions critical for carbon storage and ecosystem function of peatlands is, in the PMFB, primarily threatened by expansion of commercial agriculture linked to new transport infrastructure that is facilitating access to remote areas. There remain opportunities in the PMFB and elsewhere to develop alternative, more sustainable land‐use practices. Although some of the peatlands in the PMFB fall within existing legally protected areas, this protection does not include the most carbon‐dense (domed pole forest) areas. New carbon‐based conservation instruments (e.g., REDD+, Green Climate Fund), developing markets for sustainable peatland products, transferring land title to local communities, and expanding protected areas offer pathways to increased protection for intact tropical peatlands in Amazonia and elsewhere, such as those in New Guinea and Central Africa which remain, for the moment, broadly beyond the frontier of commercial development.     

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.     

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.