上流式厌氧污泥床滤层反应器处理鸡粪混合液离心出水

本研究采用上流式厌氧污泥床滤层反应器对蛋鸡场鸡粪混合液离心出水进行处理,试验结果:在中温25℃,进水COD_(cr)18000mg/L和氨氮1600mg/L的条件下,COD_(cr)去除率74.08%,BOD_5去除率83.78%,水力停留时间26.15h,容积负荷15.60kg·COD_(cr)/m~3·d,产气率0.52m~3/去除km·COD_(cr).反应器运行状况良好.     

UASB反应器处理味精生产废水的研究

用厌氧颗粒污泥接种的UASB反应器经驯化后,仅一个月处理味精生产废水容积负荷,由1.87kg COD/m~3·d提高到18.9kg COD/m~3·d,进料浓度COD4500—5000mg/L,去除率约80％,产气正常,抗负荷变化性能良好。 反应器工艺设计参数:进料浓度COD 5000mg/L,容积负荷10—15kg COD/m~3·d,去除率80％,操作温度38±1℃。提出了处理味精生产废水的整个工艺流程和有待进一步试验解决的问题。     

球形陶粒滤池对城市尾水净化效果研究

为明确以陶粒为填料生物滤池对尾水中主要营养物处理效果,选择球形陶粒滤池对城市尾水进行净化效果研究。试验在室温条件下采用水力停留时间约2 h,曝气量为0.4 L.min-1的陶粒曝气生物滤池装置对洛阳市某污水处理厂的尾水进行深度处理。研究结果表明：球形陶粒生物滤池对尾水中NH3-N去除效果良好,去除率达76%以上;同时该装置对TN,TP和COD具有同时去除作用。进一步研究陶粒对NH3-N吸附去除特征表明,其等温线吸附符合Freundlich Model,表明陶粒对NH3-N的吸附为多层吸附,且对NH3-N的吸附在5 h基本达到饱和吸附。     

UASB反应器处理COD／SO4^2—=0.5有机废水试验

本文对使用UASB反应器处理COD/SO42-=0.5有机废水(温度为35±1℃)进行了较系统的研究。试验结果表明:(1)UASB反应器可以较好地处理COD/SO42-=0.5的有机废水,COD去除负荷与SO42-去除负荷之比(ΔCOD/ΔSO42-)在1.0左右。当COD和SO42-的进水负荷分别为1.036g/L/d和2.086g/L/d时,其去除率可达70%和30%以上;而当COD和SO42-的进水负荷分别为2.489g/L/d和4.977g/L/d时,去除率仍可达50%和30%。(2)反应器中的细菌主要是硫酸盐还原菌和发酵性细菌,而产甲烷菌含量很少。(3)反应器中硫化物的抑制浓度为300mg/L,相应的硫化氢浓度为129mg/L。     

膜生物反应器处理高氨氮废水

试验采用MBR处理高氨氮废水,重点分析了氨氮、有机物的去除以及膜比通量变化等。结果表明,工艺运行稳定,出水氨氮平均浓度低于3mg/L,MBR能够抵抗有机物冲击负荷,氨氮容积负荷可以达到1.11kgNH3-N/(m3·d)。在整个运行期间膜比通量下降比较缓慢,分析认为是高曝气量、低碳氮比以及自养菌的优势生长起了主要作用。     

在线反冲洗控制MBR膜污染的试验

试验采用在线空气反冲洗和在线清水反冲洗控制膜生物反应器(MBR)膜污染。试验结果表明,通过在线空气反冲洗,膜通量最大可恢复至20.5L/(m2·h),恢复率为95.3%,反冲洗周期为5d,且30d后膜通量仍大于12L/(m2·h);采用在线清水反冲洗后,膜通量最大可恢复至20.9L/(m2·h),恢复率为97.7%,第34天进行第3次在线清水反冲洗后膜通量仍可恢复至19.8L/(m2·h)。     

UASB反应器处理生活污水的自接种启动

本试验利用未沉淀的生活污水(COD在432mg/L左右)在7℃～22℃温度下自接种启动容积为5L的升流式厌氧污泥层反应器.初始有机容积负荷为1.75kgCOD/m~3·d,水力停留时间为5.9h.运行57天时出现了颗粒污泥,此时污泥负荷为0.33kgCOD/kgVSS·d.106天后反应器达到稳定的处理效果.当温度在20℃左右,HRT为6h,COD去除率达81.2%,出水COD低于100mg/L.培养出的颗粒污泥呈黑色,粒径在0.5mm～3mm之间,比重为1.04, SVI在15左右,有较好的沉降性和产甲烷活性.污泥中产甲烷菌主要是素氏甲烷丝菌.     

无色硫细菌氧化SRB还原硫酸盐产物硫化氢生成单质硫

以人工合成含硫化物废水作为进水 ,采用以陶粒为填料、小试规模的逆流式和顺流式好氧CSB(无色硫细菌 )生物膜反应器 ,在常温 ( 1 7℃～2 2℃ )、HRT为 2 6min、进水pH为 7.0和对反应器中pH不进行控制的条件下 ,研究了利用CSB将水中硫化物转化成单质硫的可行性及条件。实验表明 :为达到硫的最大回收率 ,在硫化物低负荷(NS <6 .1kg/ (m3 ·d) )时建议采用顺流式 ,高负荷 (NS>6 .1kg/ (m3 ·d) )时采用逆流式 ;反应器内的最佳DO值与进水硫化物容积负荷呈线性关系 ,出水pH值和出水pH值的升高值与硫的回收率呈线性关系。此外还研究了反冲洗对生物脱硫效果的影响及尾气中H2 S的生物去除     

气动厌氧流化床处理高浓度有机废水的研究

本文针对目前厌氧流化床研究中存在的一些问题,首次采用气动厌氧流化床处理高浓度有机废水,并就有机物去除的数学模式以及影响因素作了探讨。当载体选用经过强化处理的固定化微生物颗粒时,试验结果表明,对进水COD浓度为10,000mg/L左右的人工污水,当容积负荷为20kgCOD/m~3·d时,COD去除率可达85％,进而确定在温度、水力停留时间、进水COD浓度、容积负荷四个因素中,温度对COD去除率影响最大,容积负荷影响最小。     

温度及氨氮负荷对曝气生物滤池硝化作用的影响

采用火山岩为载体填料的曝气生物滤池(BAF)进行实验室小试,研究供氧受限条件下,BAF的硝化反硝化运行特性及温度(10℃～30℃)和氨氮负荷变化(0.069～1.32kg/(m3·d))时对硝化作用的影响。当氨氮负荷为1.10kg/(m3·d),供氧受限时,温度从20℃升高到30℃,反应器的硝化效率仅增加10%左右,表明BAF中硝化作用主要受溶质的传递、扩散速率控制而不是受与温度有关的动力学参数控制;然而,相同负荷下,当温度控制在15℃时,硝化效率明显降低,说明20℃是一临界点。此外,20℃时随氨氮负荷的增加(从0.825kg/(m3·d)提升到1.32kg/(m3·d)),氨氮去除率略有下降,但在第3个取样口处却发现有亚硝酸盐氮累积现象,这是因为在供氧受限时,随负荷的增加,溶解氧相对短缺发生了部分硝化作用。     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

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 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.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.