Assessment of community-based initiatives in sustainable management of Indian dry deciduous forests

SUMMARY

This work is devoted to analyzing the pros and cons of the proposed San Ignacio Lagoon (SIL) salt production project in Baja California Sur, México. The analysis of the project was done taking into account the technical data of the main potential effects of the SIL project, and by comparing the SIL proposed actions with the data of Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, where an almost identical salt production project has been operating for more than 44 years. The analysis was done from the following perspectives: biodiversity, biosphere reserve management, and socioeconomic development. The resulting analysis of the pros and cons of the SIL salt production project addresses key aspects of sustainable development in Third World nations. The resulting analysis indicates that the SIL salt production project is compatible with the biodiversity conservation of the zone. The SIL salt production project seems to be one of the best options to attain the sustainable use of natural resources of the most arid and isolated zone of all México.     

Biotic processes in a coastal dunefield: An assessment of seed removal, with non-native seed removal experiments

The impact of granivores on coastal dune seed reserves may be high, increasing along a landward gradient from the littoral zone as the structural complexity of the habitat increases. Seasonal removal rates of non-native seeds by nocturnal and diurnal vertebrates and ants from experimental seed trays in two habitats within the Alexandria Coastal Dunefield, South Africa, were determined. Overall, seed removal was higher in the dune-field bush-pocket habitat than the landward thicket habitat. Nocturnal vertebrates were the most important seed removers within bush-pockets. The importance of nocturnal vertebrates decreased in the thicket and there was a shift in the dominant seed removers to diurnal vertebrates. Seed removal by ants and diurnal vertebrates did not differ significantly between the bush-pockets and thicket while that of nocturnal vertebrates showed a significant change. This can be ascribed to the abundance of the omnivorous murid rodentGerbillurus paeba exilis in the bush-pockets which is absent from thicket vegetation.     

Seeding phenology influences wood mouse seed choices: the overlooked role of timing in the foraging decisions by seed-dispersing rodents

Scatter-hoarding rodents influence the population dynamics of plants by acting as seed predators and dispersers. Therefore, rodent foraging preferences for certain seed traits (species, size, condition) have been extensively studied. However, to what extent these preferences are fixed or they track the temporal changes on seed characteristics due to phenological differences has been seldom explored. We studied the temporal variability in seed preferences by wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), according to phenological changes in seed characteristics of two co-occurring oaks (Quercus ilex and Quercus pubescens). The phenology of acorn abundance and the acorn predation/dispersal patterns by rodents were monitored over an entire seeding season. Results revealed temporal changes in rodent preferences for acorns of the two oaks, matching their different seeding phenology (earlier in Q. pubescens and later in Q. ilex). On the other hand, whatever the species considered, rodents preferred larger and sound acorns along the entire season, although the dispersal of infested ones increased slightly during the peaks of acorn drop. The observed influence of seeding phenology on seed choices by rodents warns about inferring definite conclusions regarding their foraging behavior when arising from short-term experiments. Indeed, this study reveals that foraging preferences may be highly dynamic and context-dependent for some seed traits (e.g., species and condition), rather than fixed behavioral patterns. Plasticity in rodent foraging choices may allow them to successfully exploit different oaks with uncoupled seeding phenologies, while potentially favoring their coexistence.     

Distribution,removal and chemical forms of heavy metals in polluted rice seed

In this paper, the distribution, removal and binding forms of heavy metals in polluted seeds of rice were studied using the methods of histochemistry and biochemistry. The results indicate that the distribution of heavy metals in rice grains was very uneven. The heavy metals in rice grains chiefly exist in association with the parts of high protein. Separation of proteins by Sephadex chromatography and subsequent analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy revealed that Cd, Pb and As were mainly bound to protein of 54.5 and 5.50 kD molecular weights. During the rice processing, the concentrations of heavy metals in the edible rice decrease greatly, for some heavy metals in these parts of chaff, coarse rice bran and fine rice bran were removed.     

Fish assemblages in seagrass beds are influenced by the proximity of mangrove forests

Mangrove forests and seagrass beds frequently occur as adjacent habitats in the temperate waters of southeastern Australia. At low tide when fish cannot occupy mangroves they might utilise adjacent habitats, including seagrass. We first sampled small fish from seagrass beds close to and far from mangroves in the Pittwater estuary, NSW, Australia. Seagrass beds close to mangroves had a greater density of fish species than beds far from mangroves (close: mean 16.0 species net⁻¹, SE 1.0; far: 13.2, 1.3; P < 0.05). In particular, juvenile fish were in greater densities near to than far from mangroves (close: 5.3, 0.4; far: 3.1, 0.4; P < 0.05). We then sampled the mangrove forests during the high tide and seagrass beds during the low tide, in beds along a continuum of distances from mangroves. Multivariate analysis showed that fish assemblages differed with distance from mangroves, and the differences were attributed to the composition of the fish assemblage (i.e. presence/absence of fish species), not the abundances of individual species. In particular, fish that utilise mangrove forests at high tide were found in greater species densities and species richness in seagrass nearer to mangroves. A negative relationship was found between the density of mangrove-utilising fish species and the distance of the bed from mangroves (R ² = 0.37, P < 0.05). This confirms the important connectivity between mangroves and seagrass for fish in temperate Australian waters.     

Masting mediated by summer drought reduces acorn predation in Mediterranean oak forests

Temporally variable production of seed crops by perennial plants (masting) has been hypothesized to be a valuable mechanism in the reduction of seed predation by satiating and starving seed consumers. To achieve these benefits, coexisting species subjected to the same predator would benefit from a similar pattern of seeding fluctuation over time that could lead to a reduction in predation at the within-species level. We tested for the existence of an environmental factor enforcing synchrony in acorn production in two sympatric Mediterranean oaks (Quercus ilex and Q. humilis) and the consequences on within-species and between-species acorn predation, by monitoring 15 mixed forests (450 trees) over seven years. Acorn production in Q. ilex and Q. humilis was highly variable among years, with high population variability (CVp) values. The two species exhibited a very different pattern across years in their initial acorn crop size (sum of aborted, depredated, and sound acorns). Nevertheless, interannual differences in summer water stress modified the likelihood of abortion during acorn ripening and enforced within- and, particularly, between-species synchrony and population variability in acorn production. The increase in CVp from initial to mature acorn crop (after summer) accounted for 33% in Q. ilex, 59% in Q. humilis, and 60% in the two species together. Mean yearly acorn pre-dispersal predation by invertebrates was considerably higher in Q. humilis than in Q. ilex. Satiation and starvation of predators was recorded for the two oaks, and this effect was increased by the year-to-year variability in the size of the acorn crop of the two species combined. Moreover, at a longer time scale (over seven years), we observed a significant reduction in the mean proportion of acorns depredated for each oak and the variability in both species' acorn production combined. Therefore, our results demonstrate that similar patterns of seeding fluctuation over time in coexisting species mediated by an environmental cue (summer drought) may contribute to the reduction of the impact of seed predation at a within-species level. Future research should be aimed at addressing whether this process could be a factor assisting in the coexistence of Q. ilex and Q. humilis.     

溶藻菌对受污染水源水除藻及脱氮特性研究

针对我国水源地藻类污染日趋严重等问题,利用前期分离获得的溶藻菌Streptomyces sp.HJC-D1研究固定化微生物技术强化污染水源水除藻以及脱氮性能。结果表明,对照组和试验组的水体叶绿素a平均去除率分别为（71.66±5.35）%和（80.94±4.36）%,NH4＋—N的平均去除率为（77.76±2.83）%和（72.36±3.18）%,而高锰酸盐指数（CODMn）平均去除率为（24.99±1.52）%和（18.74±1.38）%;不同曝气条件的影响研究发现,曝气/停曝时间比2：4、曝气量60 L.h-1工况下,系统CODMn和NH4＋—N去除率均有所提高,相比对照组NO3-—N积累更为明显;水力停留时间（HRT）变化对系统NH4＋—N、CODMn等的去除影响不大,但缩短HRT时叶绿素a去除率有所降低;分析反应器内填料表面微生物相发现,试验组填料表面有溶藻菌富集,推测对照组除藻主要通过填料对藻类的吸附去除,而试验组则是藻类吸附在填料表面后通过溶藻微生物实现藻类去除。     

Improved nitrogen removal in dual-contaminated surface water by photocatalysis

River waters in China have dual contamination by nutrients and recalcitrant organic compounds. In principle, the organic compounds could be used to drive denitrification of nitrate, thus arresting eutrophication potential, if the recalcitrant organics could be made bioavailable. This study investigated the potential to make the recalcitrant organics bioavailable through photocatalysis. Batch denitrification tests in a biofilm reactor demonstrated that dual-contaminated river water was short of available electron donor, which resulted in low total nitrogen (TN) removal by denitrification. However, the denitrification rate was increased significantly by adding glucose or by making the organic matters of the river water more bioavailable through photocatalysis. Photocatalysis for 15 min increased the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the river water from 53 to 84 mg·L^-1 and led to a 4-fold increase in TN removal. The increase in TN removal gave the same effect as adding 92 mg·L^-1 of glucose. During the photocatalysis experiments, the COD increased because photocatalysis transformed organic molecules from those that are resistant to dichromate oxidation in the COD test to those that can be oxidized by dichromate. This phenomenon was verified by testing photocatalysis of pyridine added to the river water. These findings point to the potential for N removal via denitrification after photocatalysis, and they also suggest that the rivers in China may be far more polluted than indicated by COD assays.     

废啤酒酵母去除水中重金属镉的作用机理

利用废啤酒酵母为生物吸附材料处理水溶液中的Cd2+.为了考察废啤酒酵母表面官能团在生物吸附过程中的作用,分别对废啤酒酵母进行甲醇、甲醛化学修饰,使其表面的羧基发生酯化反应、胺基发生甲基化反应.同时对反应前后溶液pH值的变化进行了监测.结果表明,酯化反应后,废啤酒酵母吸附Cd2+的能力降低,证实羧基在Cd2+吸附中起到了重要作用;甲基化反应后,废啤酒酵母吸附Cd2+的能力升高,是因为反应后pH值变化使Cd2+发生无机微沉淀作用而去除.表面官能团以及pH升高引起的沉淀对镉去除起重要作用.     

Population maintenance of the short-lived shrub Sambucus in a deciduous forest

This study quantitatively clarifies the life history of a shrub, Sambucus racemosa ssp. sieboldiana, in an old-growth forest, the Ogawa Forest Reserve, Japan, by a demographic approach using a projection matrix model that incorporates interactions between demographic parameters and canopy height dynamics. S. racemosa is a common deciduous shrub in central Japan and is known to grow predominantly at forest edges or roadsides. This indicates that it is a highly light-demanding species, and occurrence in gaps in old-growth stands suggests its "fugitive," gap-dependent life history in old-growth forests. We found that one distinctive feature of this species was that its seedlings can survive well in shaded conditions by alternating stems every year like perennial herb species. Matrix model analyses demonstrated that S. racemosa can continuously regenerate under the present disturbance regime of this forest and is highly adaptable to the structural dynamics of the old-growth forest. The maturity of S. racemosa shrubs depends on their size, and nearly all (>90%) of the mature (reproducing) individuals were found in gaps or near gaps. But wide seed dispersal by birds and the ability to form both seed banks and seedling banks, the latter of which has been regarded as a common characteristic of shade-tolerant climax species, probably increase the species' chances to encounter canopy gaps. Dynamic-canopied matrix models showed that the greatest elasticity is with shaded seedling survival. The frequent stem alternation of shaded seedlings often makes the growth rate negative, but the survival rate of seedlings in low light awaiting new gap creation is remarkably high (0.93 yr(-1)). The lower survival rate of the larger individuals and smaller minimum size to start reproduction than other canopy or subcanopy shade-tolerant species indicate that S. racemosa has the potential to reproduce before the closure of the encountered gaps and to complete its life history rapidly.     

The ecology of energy and nutrient fluxes in hemlock forests invaded by hemlock woolly adelgid

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae Annand) is currently causing a severe decline in vitality and survival of eastern hemlock in North American forests. We analyzed the effects of light HWA infestation on vertical energy and nutrient fluxes from the canopy to the forest floor. Canopy throughfall, litter lysimeters, and laboratory litter microcosms were used to examine the effects of HWA-affected and unaffected throughfall on litter type, leachate, and litter chemistry. Early in the season adelgid infestation caused higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC; +24.6%), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON; +28.5%), and K (+39.3%) fluxes and lower inorganic nitrogen fluxes (-39.8%) in throughfall and in adjacent litter solutions collected beneath infested compared to uninfested trees. Needle litter collected beneath uninfested hemlock had significantly lower N concentrations compared to needles collected beneath infested trees, while no difference in N concentrations was found in birch litter. Bacteria were significantly more abundant on hemlock and birch litter beneath infested trees, while yeasts and filamentous fungi showed no consistent response to HWA throughfall. Litter microcosms showed that less DOC was leaching from birch than from hemlock needles when exposed to HWA throughfall. Overall, NH4-N and DON leachate concentrations were higher from birch than from hemlock litter. Thus, HWA-affected throughfall leads to qualitative and quantitative differences in nitrogen export from the litter layer. The N concentration of hemlock litter did not change with time, but the N concentration in birch litter increased significantly during the course of the experiment, especially when HWA-affected throughfall was applied. We suggest a nonlinear conceptual model for the temporal and vertical transition of energy and nutrient fluxes relative to progressing HWA infestation from a pure hemlock to a birch/maple-dominated forest. Progressive needle loss and changes in needle chemistry are likely to produce a humped-shaped DOC curve, while N fluxes initially decrease as infestation continues but rise eventually with hemlock decline and immigration of hardwood species. These findings suggest that it is necessary to understand the biology and specific physiological/trophic effects of exotic pests on their hosts and associated ecosystem processes in order to decipher the temporal dynamics, direction of change, and functional consequences.     

过渡金属羰基化合物脱有机硫研究进展

硫化物的排放不仅会对环境造成严重的危害还会影响人的身体健康.因此,对于硫化物的净化处理和脱除引起了人们的广泛关注.相关研究表明,过渡金属羰基化合物可以高效、绿色环保地脱除汽油、天然气、煤等化石燃料里面的有机硫,避免传统脱硫的二次污染.此外,其脱硫产物还是有机功能材料和金属有机材料的先驱体,具有极高的应用价值.本文总结了过渡金属羰基化合物脱硫的原理,综述了国内外过渡金属羰基化合物脱有机硫的反应机理和研究进展,并对目前存在的问题和潜在的研究方向进行了讨论和展望.     

Spatial elements of mortality risk in old-growth forests

For many species of long-lived organisms, such as trees, survival appears to be the most critical vital rate affecting population persistence. However, methods commonly used to quantify tree death, such as relating tree mortality risk solely to diameter growth, almost certainly do not account for important spatial processes. Our goal in this study was to detect and, if present, to quantify the relevance of such processes. For this purpose, we examined purely spatial aspects of mortality for four species, Abies concolor, Abies magnifica, Calocedrus decurrens, and Pinus lambertiana, in an old-growth conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada of California, USA. The analysis was performed using data from nine fully mapped long-term monitoring plots. In three cases, the results unequivocally supported the inclusion of spatial information in models used to predict mortality. For Abies concolor, our results suggested that growth rate may not always adequately capture increased mortality risk due to competition. We also found evidence of a facilitative effect for this species, with mortality risk decreasing with proximity to conspecific neighbors. For Pinus lambertiana, mortality risk increased with density of conspecific neighbors, in keeping with a mechanism of increased pathogen or insect pressure (i.e., a Janzen-Connell type effect). Finally, we found that models estimating risk of being crushed were strongly improved by the inclusion of a simple index of spatial proximity. Not only did spatial indices improve models, those improvements were relevant for mortality prediction. For P. lambertiana, spatial factors were important for estimation of mortality risk regardless of growth rate. For A. concolor, although most of the population fell within spatial conditions in which mortality risk was well described by growth, trees that died occurred outside those conditions in a disproportionate fashion. Furthermore, as stands of A. concolor become increasingly dense, such spatial factors are likely to become increasingly important. In general, models that fail to account for spatial pattern are at risk of failure as conditions change.     

改性生物炭对水体中抗生素的去除研究进展

随着社会经济的不断发展,抗生素造成的水体环境污染问题已不容忽视.利用生物炭去除水体中的抗生素是解决这一问题的有效手段之一.然而,原始生物炭对水体中抗生素等有机污染物的去除存在一定局限性,因此对生物炭进行改性以提升其吸附能力尤为必要.生物炭的吸附性能受生物质类型、碳化条件和改性方法等因素影响较大,导致目前虽然开展了许多相...     

活性污泥和生物膜模型预测污水中PPCPs去除研究进展

药品及个人护理用品(pharmaceutical and personal care products,PPCPs)在污水中广泛检出,低浓度的PPCPs即可对生态环境和人体健康产生不利影响,污水处理厂出水排放是水环境PPCPs的重要源.活性污泥和生物膜工艺是目前最常用的污水生物处理工艺,这两种工艺涉及的生化过程复杂,影...     

Determinants of paternity in the milkweed leaf beetle

Summary Males and females of the milkweed leaf beetle mate for up to 2.5 d in the field; copulation is interspersed with mounted courtship behavior and periods of passive riding on the female's back. In 1985, females mated with up to 10 different males in Bridgeport, New York, and matings averaged 0.75±0.04 (SE) d in duration. Sperm utilization patterns are complex in the milkweed leaf beetle. In the laboratory, mating duration, mating order and the duration of the gap between matings affected paternity. The second male's sperm predominated when a female's two consecutive matings were of equal duration (but were long: 45 h each) or when they were intermediate in duration (15 h each) with a 5 day gap between the two matings. The mechanism of sperm predominance appears to be one of time-dependent sperm removal and replacement. Neither relative nor absolute size of males affected the extent to which they superceded the sperm of rivals. Electrophoretic analysis of paternity at 6 polymorphic loci showed that offspring of at least eight out of 11 mating pairs pairs collected in the field at the end of the 1984 breeding season were sired by more than one male. At least seven of the 11 families produced some offspring that were sired by the female's most recent mate in the field and in no case was the collected male completely excluded from paternity. In a greenhouse plot, males climbed off females' backs a mean of 1.1±0.3 h before oviposition. Females did not oviposit with males on their backs and did not oviposit sooner when males were removed than when males were allowed to remain mounted, indicating that males don't keep females from ovipositing until they can achieve sperm predominance. The close concordance between male disembarkment and oviposition suggests that males remain with females beyond the time when they have superceded the sperm of their prior mates, possibly to guard them from rival males. Although the prolonged mating association of the milkweed leaf beetle cannot be separated into discrete copulatory and guarding phases, the results of this study suggest that prolonged mating enables males both to remove and replace the sperm of the females' prior mates with their own sperm and to prevent females from remating prior to oviposition.