环形扩散管和滤膜联用采集和测定大气中气固相物质

建立了环形扩散管(annular diffusion denuder)和滤膜连用的采样装器。采用涂渍1％碳酸钠甲醇水溶液和5％亚磷酸甲醇溶液的两段环形扩散管串联分别收集气态HNO_3,HCl,SO_2和NH_3、空气经扩散管后,继而抽入滤膜采样头,用Teflon滤膜采集颗粒物,Nylon滤膜收集由Teflon滤膜上颗粒物挥发产生的气态HNO_3和HCl。样品提取后,用离子色谱法测定SO_4~(2-),NO_3~-和Cl~-;采用流动注射荧光法测定NH_4~+。当采样流速为10L/min,采样24h,环形扩散管对气态硝酸、氯化氢和二氧化硫的检出限(3σ)为0.04—0.09μg/m~3,对氨的检出限为0.12μg/m~3。实验结果表明本法适用于大气和室内空气的采样和测定。     

大气中多环芳烃(PAHs)在松针和SPMD上的分布

通过松针监测与半渗透膜被动式采样技术 (SPMD ) ,分析了我国珠江三角洲地区大气中多环芳烃的含量特征、来源及其分布 ,同时对这两种被动式采样技术进行了比较 松针及SPMD主要富集气态多环芳烃 (2— 4环 ) ,气态多环芳烃在松针和SPMD样品中的总含量分别为 313 9— 30 4 3 5ng·g-1和 14 5—116 9ng·SPMD-1·d-1 大气中多环芳烃含量的区域差异明显 ,珠江三角洲中部地区 (广州、佛山和东莞 )大气中多环芳烃的含量高 ,沿海地区的珠海、香港偏低 ,分子标志物指数表明 ,珠江三角洲大气中的多环芳烃主要是热成因 (燃烧 )来源 松针和SPMD对气态多环芳烃的监测具有很好的一致性 ,是进行区域大气污染评价的良好生物指示物     

北京市不同区域采暖期大气颗粒物中多环芳烃的分布特征

利用分级采样器分别采集北京市不同区域采暖期的大气颗粒物,分析多环芳烃的组成及含量.结果表明北京市大气总悬浮颗粒物中总多环芳烃的含量城乡结合带为7486—43687ng·m-3,郊区为11993—39786ng·m-3.在城乡结合带,80%以上的多环芳烃存在于粒径<20μm的颗粒物中;在郊区,77%以上的多环芳烃存在于粒径<20μm的颗粒物中.比较不同环数的多环芳烃在不同粒径范围内大气颗粒物中的分配比例,发现随环数的减少其分配比例呈现归一化.不同粒径范围的颗粒物中苯并(a)芘均与总多环芳烃含量显著相关(p<0001).     

徐州市城市大气中的PAHs来源解析

采用化学质量平衡模型（CMB）对徐州市大气颗粒物中的多环芳烃（PAHs）进行来源分析,从而来确定各个源对大气的PAHs贡献值。主要通过利用大流量采样器配置PM10切割头在冬季和夏季对不同功能区,即生活区、工业区和旅游区采样大气中的可吸入颗粒物（PM10）样品,并用高效液相色谱法（HPLC）重点分析和研究了美国环保局（EPA）列出的16种PHAS优先污染物。研究结果表明：徐州市PM10污染比较严重,PM10污染质量浓度水平冬季是（288.81μg·m-3）大于夏季（276.34μg·m-3）,特别是工业区,污染数值达到393.13μg·m-3。夏季的总PAHs质量浓度为22.89 ng·m-3,分别是生活区28.35 ng·m-3、工业区21.75 ng·m-3和旅游区18.58 ng·m-3。冬季的总PAHs质量浓度为306.29 ng·m-3,分别是工业区388.03 ng·m-3、生活区276.29 ng·m-3和旅游区254.28 ng·m-3。夏季和冬季情况下,旅游区的污染相对来说都是最低的PM10中多环芳烃的源解析结果为,煤烟尘污染源的全年贡献率为64.00%,冬季煤烟尘污染源的贡献率为66.51%,夏季煤烟尘污染源的贡献率为57.21%,说明煤烟尘是PM10中多环芳烃的主要贡献源,土壤尘次之,全年贡献率为24.90%,冬季为25.48%,夏季为28.97%,因此,扬尘和烟煤尘的污染是徐州市的PM10中PAHs的最主要来源。     

呼和浩特市冬季PM_(10)中多环芳烃的污染特征及来源解析

2013年12月在呼和浩特市主城区9个环境空气监测点位同步采集PM_(10)样品,对PM_(10)浓度和16种多环芳烃的浓度、污染特征进行了分析,使用特征比值和主成分分析对多环芳烃来源进行了解析.9个监测点位的PM_(10)浓度介于23.5—322μg·m-3之间,16种多环芳烃总量介于5.34—850 ng·m-3之间.荧蒽、芘、苯并[a]蒽、、苯并[b]荧蒽、苯并[a]芘、苯并[g,h,i]苝和茚并[1,2,3-cd]芘等多环芳烃单体浓度较高,这8种多环芳烃占多环芳烃总浓度的80.4%.主成分分析所获得污染源结果和特征比值法定性判断出的污染源结果一致,燃烧源、机动车尾气源和石油源为主要污染源,分别贡献61.3%、16.0%和10.4%.     

东莞市夏季大气颗粒物中的多环芳烃及硝基多环芳烃

以东莞市2011年夏季不同区域的大气颗粒物为研究对象,定性定量分析了其中多环芳烃(PAHs)及硝基多环芳烃(NPAHs)的浓度、组成.采用特征比值法分析了PAHs及NPAHs的来源,并通过PEFs毒性评价法评价了颗粒物中多环芳烃及硝基多环芳烃的BaP等效毒性,估算出个体致癌指数.结果表明东莞市颗粒物上16种多环芳烃总含量在12.60—193.95 ng·m-3范围内,6种硝基多环芳烃的总含量在5.88—62.79 ng·m-3,隧道环境中多环芳烃及硝基多环芳烃的浓度最高.除隧道环境中颗粒物的等效毒性及个体致癌指数超标外,东莞市颗粒物上PAHs及NPAHs对人体均不构成严重威胁.     

北京大气颗粒物中多环芳烃浓度季节变化及来源分析

使用大流量滤膜采样器,从2006年9月至2007年8月,每周同时采集北京城市大气可吸入颗粒物(PM10)和细粒子样品(PM2.5)各一次,二氯甲烷超声抽提一气相色谱/质谱分析了17种多环芳烃(PAHs)浓度,结果表明,春、夏、秋、冬四季北京大气PM10和PM2.5中PAHs总量分别为63.8±44.6ng·m-3、43.2±4.5ng·m-3、84.7±108.3ng·m-3、348.0±250.0ng·m-3和54.7±17.3ng·m-3、40.3±8.6ng·m-3、66.1±81.5ng·m-3、337.7±267.2ng·m-3;约有70%的PAHs存在于细粒子PM2.5中,其质量浓度有明显季节变化,冬季>秋季>春季>夏季;颗粒物中PAHs主要以4、5、6环存在,其中4环以上占79.4%.源解析表明,北京大气颗粒物中的PAHs主要来自燃煤,同时汽油、柴油燃烧排放也不能忽略.结合气象要素分析,温度升高和太阳辐射增强易造成多环芳烃挥发和反应,湿沉降有利于多环芳烃随颗粒物清除.     

大气PM_(10)中多环芳烃的污染特征

利用GC-MS对2008年5月至11月淮南市5个采样点大气可吸入颗粒物(PM10)样品进行分析,总结了研究区内PM10及其中16种PAHs的浓度特征、季节变化规律和来源解析.结果表明,不同采样点PM10浓度均偏高,超标率为14%—238%;PM10浓度水平为谢家集田十五小大通三小淮化集团理工校园.研究区内16种PAHs浓度总量的范围在15.20ng.m-3—111.58ng.m-3之间,平均浓度为64.36ng.m-3,4环以上的稠环芳烃占总浓度的86%.PAHs总量的季节变化与采样时环境温度显示出较好的负相关性,即秋季春季夏季.运用多环芳烃比值综合判断,淮南市大气PM10中PAHs主要以燃煤和机动车尾气混合来源为主,石油源和木材燃烧来源的贡献较小.     

济南冬春季室内空气PM_(2.5)中多环芳烃污染特征及健康风险评价

2010年冬春季,在济南典型室内环境(超市、办公室和餐厅)采集了PM2.5样品,并对其多环芳烃(PAHs)进行了分析.结果表明,采样期间办公室的PAHs平均浓度最高,为93.11 ng.m-3,超市和餐厅的PAHs平均浓度分别为42.97 ng.m-3和26.65 ng.m-3.超市和办公室的多环芳烃均以室外源(燃煤)为主,吸烟导致办公室轻环多环芳烃浓度升高,高于室外相应物种的浓度,餐厅的轻环多环芳烃和重环多环芳烃分别来源于室内烹饪和室外的机动车尾气.与室外相比,超市和办公室PAHs中的菲(Phe)和苯并[b+k]荧蒽(BbkF)占总PAHs的比例较高,达到10%—15%,这与冬季室内使用中央空调取暖密不可分.超市、办公室和餐厅的毒性当量浓度值(BEQ)分别为7.05 ng.m-3、10.75 ng.m-3和0.75 ng.m-3.其中办公室的毒性当量浓度高于我国规定10 ng.m-3.超市,办公室和餐厅的PAHs暴露致终身肺癌风险度分别为0.6×10-3、0.9×10-3和6.5×10-5,均超过了世界卫生组织的建议值(10-5),超市和办公室的终身致癌健康风险高于美国最高法院规定的10-3的显著水平,说明生活在超市和办公室致癌风险高.     

农村地区固体燃料使用导致的多环芳烃污染和健康风险

为了考察固体燃料使用导致的农村地区多环芳烃污染现状,并评估其对居民造成的健康风险,在北方(山西太谷)和南方(四川南充)选取典型农村家庭,配对测定了农户室内外空气中28种多环芳烃浓度,分析了不同地区多环芳烃污染特征,并评估了居民的呼吸暴露风险。山西室内外多环芳烃浓度分别为(283.7±256.0) ng·m-3和(135.2±50.4) ng·m-3,四川室内外多环芳烃浓度分别为(163.4±132.8) ng·m-3和(87.6±46.2) ng·m-3,室内浓度显著高于室外浓度,室内外比值(I/O)分别为2.3和1.8,室内源是影响多环芳烃污染的主要因素。虽然,高环多环芳烃的质量浓度只占总浓度的13%～25%,但其毒性却占到总毒性的70%～89%,说明对高环多环芳烃应予以更多关注。使用蜂窝煤的家庭,其室内多环芳烃浓度要比用薪柴的低74%。通过对2个地区居民进行风险估算发现,山西和四川居民因为多环芳烃暴露的终身致癌风险分别为1.1×10-4和4.8×10-5,都高于可接受水平10-6,说明这2个地区具有较高的暴露风险,亟待关注。     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.