卤代脂肪烃鱼类急性毒性QSAR模型研究

采用量子化学方法对27个卤代烃化合物进行结构优化和频率分析计算,提取其组成、拓扑、几何、静电和量子化学等结构参数描述符,运用启发式方法筛选最佳的结构参数,并建立黑头呆鱼急性毒性线性回归模型和非线性的支持向量机回归模型.模型方程表明卤代烃化合物导致黑头呆鱼的急性毒性可以应用KH1、IC0、EHOMO-LUMO三个参数解释,几何形状,疏水性能和反应活性是影响鱼类急性毒性的主要因素.两个模型均具有较强的模型稳定性、预测性和可信性,可用于准确预测卤代烃在鱼体内的急性毒性.     

含硫苯衍生物对发光细菌的毒性效果及其定理结构活性相关分析

利用发光细菌法测定了２９种氯取代和硝苯取代的苯硫（砜、亚砜）基乙酸酯的毒性，通过定量结构活性相关（ＱＳＡＲ）分析发现：此类化合物的毒性主要与其取代基的电荷效应相关，电荷的区域分布对化合物的毒性效应有重要影响。推测该化合物的毒性机理是毒物分子与发光反应中的主要辅酶ＦＭＮＨ２形成了氢键。还发明：在这类链状毒物分子中，远离活性中心一端的基团具有脱毒作用。     

有机磷酸酯类化合物的定量结构-活性关系及稳健性分析

应用理论线性溶剂化能关系（TLSER）模型研究了35种有机磷酸酯类（OP）化合物的结构及其对家蝇急性毒性之间的关系,得到了可以指示毒性作用机理的定量结构-活性关系．在OP化合物与生物体的作用过程中,分子的极性是影响活性的最重要因素,表明OP化合物可能与生物体发生特异性反应．采用Bootstrap方法分析模型的稳健性,结果表明,模型的系数、标准误差及相关系数均与Bootstrap估计接近,模型具有较强的稳健性．     

1-取代-2-氨基苯并咪唑化合物毒性和热力学性质的密度泛函理论研究

用密度泛函理论(DFT)B3LYP方法,在6-31G(d)基组水平上,对8个1-取代-2-氨基苯并咪唑化合物分子进行了全优化计算,得到其轨道能(ENHOMO、ENLUMO以及二者轨道能隙ΔE2)、原子电荷(Q)等量子化学参数,以及热能校正值Eth、恒容热容Cv、熵S等热力学性质,并计算了8种1-取代-2-氨基苯并咪唑化合物分子的电性拓扑状态指数Em。通过最佳变量子集回归建立这些化合物毒性的QSAR模型,以及热力学性质的QSPR模型。模型的相关系数R2和采用逐一剔除法得到的交叉验证相关系数R2cv均大于0.84和0.72,利用2个模型得到毒性的预测值与实验值的误差分别为0.11和0.20,3个热力学性质预测模型的误差分别为3.89%、4.03%和2.64%,吻合度较好,经检验证明所建模型具有良好的鲁棒性和预测能力。研究工作揭示了基团对毒性大小影响的变化规律、有利于对苯并咪唑类化合物在生态环境中的危害性进行评价,可为研发高效、低毒的苯并咪唑类新型药物提供理论依据。     

苯砜基乙酸酯类化合物发光菌毒性效应的CoMFA研究

应用比较分子场分析方法(CoMFA)对56种苯砜基乙酸酯类化合物的发光菌急性毒性进行了研究,获得了6组分三维定量结构-活性相关模型(3D-QSAR)．模型的交叉验证相关系数(q^2)和常规相关系数(r^2)分别为0．823和0．958,说明该模型具有较高的稳定性和较好的预测能力．模型分析表明：该类化合物发光菌急性毒性效应与化合物分子的空间场和静电场具有显著相关关系．     

硝基芳烃化合物急性毒性预测的理论研究

硝基芳烃是重要的化工原料,但对生物具有一定的毒性。为建立硝基芳烃对梨形四膜虫(Tetrahymena pyriformis)急性毒性的定量结构-活性相关性(QSAR)模型,分析了45种硝基芳烃的分子结构与其对梨形四膜虫毒性之间的相关关系,计算了硝基芳烃的电性拓扑状态指数和电性距离矢量,并优化筛选了电性拓扑状态指数的E_9和E_(28)、电性距离矢量的m_(15)、m_(26)和m_(66)等5种结构参数,将其与硝基芳烃对梨形四膜虫的毒性进行多元回归分析,得到多元回归方程的相关系数r为0.985。为提高预测精度,将这5种分子结构参数作为神经网络的输入层变量,急性毒性值作为输出层变量,采用5∶4∶1的网络结构,获得令人满意的QSAR神经网络预测模型,总相关系数r_t为0.994,计算得到的急性毒性预测值与实验值非常吻合,平均误差仅为0.04。结果表明,该模型具有良好的预测硝基芳烃急性毒性的能力,神经网络法预测结果比多元线性回归法更为准确。该研究揭示了硝基等基团对生物急性毒性影响的变化规律,有利于对硝基芳烃化合物在环境中的危害性进行有效评价。     

氟化酚对梨形四膜虫毒性的定量构效关系解析

应用Chem3D Ultra 7.0软件中的MOPAC半经验方法PM3,计算了16种氟化酚的19个量子化学和理化参数.采用PLS-VIP方法,筛选出影响氟化酚毒性的7个主要参数,即最低空轨道能量(ELUMO)、最高轨道能量与最低空轨道能量之差(△E)、分子总能量(ET)、最正H原子电荷(QH+)、羟基基团中氧原子的最负电荷(QO-)、connolly分子可及表面积(CAA)和connolly溶剂排斥体积(CSV),并据此建立模型对水生梨形四膜虫的急性毒性作定量构效关系研究.结果表明,氟化酚对梨形四膜虫的毒性作用表现为反应性毒性,ELUMO,QH+,ET对氟化酚的毒性作用有重要贡献,氟化酚对四膜虫急性毒性的大小与ELUMO、△E和ET呈负相关,而与QH+、QO-、CAA、CSV呈正相关,所得最优模型具有良好的预测效果(R2=0.961,F=344.8,P=2.92×10-11)和较高的稳定性(Q2cum=0.909).     

基于区间活性数据的定量结构-活性关系

利用贝叶斯统计方法构建了基于区间活性数据的取代苯胺和苯酚类化合物对大型溞(Daphniamagna)24 h急性毒性的定量结构-活性关系模型,并与基于平均数和中位数的点估计活性数据的定量结构-活性关系模型进行了比较.结果表明,前者可以充分利用化合物的活性数据信息,模型具有更好的拟合效果与预测能力以及较宽的应用范围.基于区间活性数据的定量结构-活性关系模型可为生态风险评价等提供更加可靠的预测数据.     

基于范数指数的农药对虹鳟急性毒性的的定量构效关系模型

由于农药的过度使用,水生生态环境正在受到威胁。虹鳟（Oncorhynchus mykiss）的水生毒性在农用化学品环境风险评价中起着重要作用。本文提出了两个范数指数公式,并由此导出几个范数描述符,建立了定量结构-活性关系（QSAR）模型用于预测各种农药对虹鳟的急性毒性（LC50）。结果表明,目前的QSAR模型的R2为0.8053。同时,内部验证（QLOO2=0.7606）、外部验证（Rtraining2=0.8011,Rtesting2=0.8108）、Y-随机化试验和适用域分析进一步证明了该QSAR模型的稳定性、可靠性和广泛的应用领域。因此,这些范数描述符可能适用于描述农药结构以预测水生生物急性毒性。     

含硫苯衍生物对发光细菌的毒性效应及其定量结构活性相关分析

利用发光细菌法测定了29种氯取代和硝基取代的苯硫(砜、亚砜)基乙酸酯的毒性,通过定量结构活性相关(QSAR)分析发现:此类化合物的毒性主要与其取代基的电荷效应相关,电荷的区域分布对化合物的毒性效应有重要影响.推测该化台物的毒性机理是毒物分子与发光反应中的主要辅酶FMNH_2形成了氢键.还发现:在这类链状毒物分子中,远离活性中心一端的基团具有脱毒作用.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.