生态毒理学教学专栏寄语

抗生素的长期滥用,使得环境细菌耐药性不断增强,加速了耐药基因(antibiotics resistance genes,ARGs)在环境中的传播扩散,并给饮用水带来健康风险。在介绍饮用水中抗生素和耐药基因污染现状的基础上,阐述了耐药基因在饮用水中的来源和归趋,对环境中抗生素和耐药基因的人体健康风险做了初步探讨,针对目前饮用水的污染现状,对今后有关饮用水中细菌耐药的研究进行了展望。     

饮用水中细菌耐药及其健康风险研究进展

抗生素的长期滥用,使得环境细菌耐药性不断增强,加速了耐药基因(antibiotics resistance genes,ARGs)在环境中的传播扩散,并给饮用水带来健康风险。在介绍饮用水中抗生素和耐药基因污染现状的基础上,阐述了耐药基因在饮用水中的来源和归趋,对环境中抗生素和耐药基因的人体健康风险做了初步探讨,针对目前饮用水的污染现状,对今后有关饮用水中细菌耐药的研究进行了展望。     

农村固体废弃物中抗生素及耐药基因的赋存及风险管理

全球范围内抗生素抗性的传播扩散严重威胁人类健康。固体废弃物中的生活垃圾、污泥和畜禽粪便是抗生素及耐药基因的重要储库。针对新型环境污染物抗生素和耐药基因,综述了农村固废中抗生素及耐药基因的赋存和传播扩散,阐述了农村固废中抗生素及细菌耐药的生态风险、控制管理和消除方法,并结合目前抗生素及耐药基因的污染状况,对今后研究重点进行了展望。     

畜禽养殖过程抗生素使用与耐药病原菌及其抗性基因赋存的研究进展

兽用抗生素在提高畜禽生产性能、防治疾病方面发挥着重要作用,目前全球超过一半以上抗生素用于畜禽养殖,畜禽养殖源耐药病原菌、抗性基因及其传播风险愈益得到人们的重视。我国是畜禽养殖和抗生素使用大国,但兽用抗生素使用、病原菌耐药水平及其抗性基因类型等数据却较为缺乏,不利于今后畜禽养殖源耐药病原菌及其传播风险的控制。因此,本文通过文献调研,对我国和主要发达国家的兽用抗生素使用情况、畜禽养殖源耐药病原菌及其携带的抗性基因、基因移动元件以及向环境传播的途径进行分析、总结,以期为规范合理用药、降低耐药病原菌及其抗性基因传播风险,建立从畜禽养殖场至公共环境全过程的抗性污染控制链条提供借鉴。     

序言

<正>近几年,人类对抗生素的大量使用甚至是滥用造成抗生素的环境污染问题日益突显,抗生素及抗生素抗性基因作为全球新兴污染物在环境各介质中传播和扩散,即使抗生素在停止使用后,由其引发的抗性基因不会在短期内消除,并在不同细菌之间传播扩散,一旦传播至致病菌,将对人体健康构成很大威胁。由此,由抗生素滥用引起的抗生素污染以及抗性基因的潜在健康风险成为交叉研究领域包括地球化学、环境科学、分析     

“环境中抗生素和耐药基因研究进展”专辑:征稿邀请

<正>近几年,人类对抗生素的大量使用造成抗生素的环境污染问题,抗生素及耐药基因均作为全球新兴污染物在环境各介质中传播和扩散,由此引起的抗生素污染及耐药基因的潜在健康影响是近年来生态毒理学研究的热点。在地球化学、环境科学、分析化学、生物学、流行性病学、医学等领域的科研人员的共同努力下,我国在"     

淡水环境中抗生素抗性基因的来源、归趋和风险

近年来淡水体中抗生素耐药菌及抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)的广泛分布和快速传播已成为全球性的环境健康热点问题,国内外学者围绕淡水环境中ARGs的主要来源、多介质分布、转移机制及ARGs与微生物群落的互作机制开展了一系列研究.本文综述了医疗废水、污水处理厂尾水和养殖废水...     

传粉蜜蜂介导的细菌耐药性传播及其生态与健康风险

目前,抗菌药物的滥用造成了临床和环境中普遍存在的细菌耐药性问题,而细菌耐药性在环境中不断富集和传播扩散会通过食物网对生态安全及人体健康构成威胁。蜜蜂作为最重要的传粉昆虫,在世界各地广泛分布。然而,蜜蜂近年来频繁暴露于抗生素、杀虫剂和杀螨剂等药物,而野外杀虫剂的大量使用被认为是导致世界各地蜜蜂种群数量下降的关键因素。蜜蜂传花授粉的生物学特性使得蜂群与周围环境之间发生频繁的交流,可能导致蜜蜂传粉过程中蜂群与周围环境的交叉污染并发生细菌耐药性的传递。因此,蜜蜂可能成为生态系统中细菌耐药性传播的潜在“帮凶”。传粉蜜蜂介导下的细菌耐药性传播也将对蜂群健康、食品安全乃至生态系统安全构成威胁。本文综合国内外相关研究进展,系统分析了环境污染物暴露对蜜蜂以及蜜蜂肠道耐药基因组的潜在影响,并详细阐述了传粉蜜蜂介导下的细菌耐药性的传播,总结了蜜蜂主要通过蜜蜂-蜜蜂、蜜蜂-植物以及蜜蜂-环境的途径促进细菌耐药性的传播。最后,探讨了蜜蜂介导的细菌耐药性传播对蜂群健康、生态环境以及人体健康的潜在影响。     

气溶胶中抗生素抗性基因研究进展:以养殖场和医院为例

抗生素在医药和养殖业的大量使用导致耐药菌的出现,加速了抗生素抗性基因(antibiotic resistance genes,ARGs)在不同环境介质中的传播扩散,抗生素耐药性已成为目前全球卫生、食品安全和发展的最大威胁之一。气溶胶作为ARGs的潜在储存库缺乏系统的研究数据,而通过空气传播具有较高抗生素抗性水平的细菌可能是引起重要疾病的主要传播途径。本文针对养殖场和医院2个抗生素大量使用的典型场所,对气溶胶中ARGs的污染现状、样品采集与检测技术进行综述,并探讨了这一环境污染的潜在风险,表明开展气溶胶中ARGs研究的必要性,并为以后需开展的工作提出几点建议。     

抗生素抗性基因在环境中的来源、传播扩散及生态风险

近年来,由于抗生素的滥用首先诱导动物体内产生抗生素抗性基因(antib iotic resistance genes,ARGs),从而加速了抗性基因在环境中细菌间的传播扩散.目前,抗生素抗性基因作为一类新型环境污染物,在不同环境介质中的传播、扩散可能比抗生素本身的环境危害更大.本文针对抗生素抗性基因在地表水、地下水、医疗废水、城市污水处理厂、养殖场、土壤、沉积物以及大气环境中的来源、分布、传播情况以及国内外最新研究动态进行综述.分析了抗生素抗性基因在环境中的潜在传播途径及其可能影响因素,并指出光照,厌氧,高温处理可以有效遏制抗生素抗性基因在环境中的传播和扩散.揭示了抗生素抗性基因可能造成的生态风险,针对我国对该类污染物的研究现状,提出了今后的研究重点.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.