固定化毛霉对工业和农田污染土壤中多环芳烃的降解和生物有效性评价

为了探讨微生物修复不同类型多环芳烃污染土壤的可行性,应用固定化毛霉对多环芳烃污染工业土壤及农田土壤进行微生物修复,用羟丙基-β-环糊精(HPCD)提取模拟评价多环芳烃的微生物可利用性,并分析多环芳烃微生物降解和生物可利用性的相关关系.焦化厂污染土壤中多环芳烃的30 d降解率为77.6%,沈抚灌区污染土壤中多环芳烃的30 d降解率为54.2%,焦化厂土壤和污灌区农田土壤中多环芳烃降解差异明显.焦化厂土壤和污灌区土壤中多环芳烃的30 d降解量和多环芳烃的环糊精可提取量具有相关性,各环数多环芳烃的环糊精可提取量变化解释了焦化厂和污灌区土壤中多环芳烃降解的差异机制,说明可用环糊精提取量预测微生物降解土壤多环芳烃的情况.     

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。     

大辽河地表水中多环芳烃的污染水平及致癌风险评价

随着经济发展,水环境污染不断加剧,地表水中多环芳烃(PAHs)的水平及其致癌风险直接关系到居民的身体健康。为分析大辽河地表水中多环芳烃的污染水平,对大辽河2011年丰水期和枯水期地表水中16种优先控制的PAHs浓度进行监测,应用以Bap为参照物使用等效质量浓度TEQ和终生致癌风险评价模型(ILCR)对地表水中多环芳烃对人体的风险进行评价。结果表明:与国内外其他河流相比较,大辽河地表水中ΣPAHs的污染较为严重,且丰水期浓度显著大于枯水期。在丰水期,地表水中多环芳烃以4环多环芳烃为主,代表性多环芳烃为Baa;在枯水期,地表水中多环芳烃以3环和4环多环芳烃为主,代表性多环芳烃为Phe。与美国EPA标准相比较,致癌风险评价结果表明大辽河地表水中存在潜在的多环芳烃致癌风险,即使经过水厂处理后这种风险仍然存在,必须给予重视。上述研究结果为明确大辽河地表水中多环芳烃污染现状、加强水环境管理提供了基础数据。     

中国饮用水中多环芳烃的分布和健康风险评价

饮用水中存在的多环芳烃对人类的身体健康会产生危害。应用固相萃取富集法和气相色谱?质谱联用(GC/MS)分析方法对全国主要城市的80座自来水厂出水中多环芳烃的浓度进行了分析。结果表明:各自来水厂的出水中多环芳烃总量在174.02-658.44ng.L-1之间,其中致癌性多环芳烃的总量为55.08-173.36ng.L-1,致癌性多环芳烃占多环芳烃总量比例最高可达到49.68%。就其组成而言,出水中多环芳烃以3环芳烃(31%-37%)为主,但各环均有检出;通过评价水体健康风险,得到水厂出水中多环芳烃对人体的健康风险值是10-6a-1。     

不同焦化厂土壤中多环芳烃污染特征比较研究

为研究焦化生产对土壤多环芳烃(PAHs)污染规律,采集北京、重庆和太原地区3个焦化厂地块的土壤样品共1437个,采用气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)法测定US EPA优先控制的16种PAHs质量含量.结果 表明,北京、重庆和太原地区3个焦化厂污染土壤中总多环芳烃(ΣPAHs)质量含量最大值分别为10647.2、39332....     

冶炼企业周边农田土壤的多环芳烃污染及其细菌群落效应

多环芳烃是一类持久性有机污染物,进入土壤后可能产生多方面生态效应。为研究多环芳烃对土壤微生物的影响,选取南京某冶炼企业周边农田样品,在分析污染物含量基础上,采用高通量测序、定量PCR等方法综合评价了土壤细菌多样性和组成以及多环芳烃降解细菌丰度等特征。17个土壤样品中,多环芳烃总量为0.25~31.08 mg·kg-1,并具有随污染源距离增加而降低的空间分布特征。与土壤理化性质如p H相比较,多环芳烃污染对土壤细菌的总体多样性和群落组成影响不显著。进一步分析发现多环芳烃与潜在降解微生物的相对丰度和降解功能基因(芳香环羟基化双加氧酶,PAH-RHDα)拷贝数显著正相关。污染较重样品的克隆、测序分析表明,土壤中PAH-RHDα基因主要属于革兰氏阳性细菌nid A3/fad A1类群,且与分支杆菌相关序列较为接近。这些结果综合评价了冶炼企业周边农田土壤多环芳烃污染对微生物群落的影响,提示土壤污染在多环芳烃潜在降解细菌中的富集作用,将为后续污染土壤生物修复提供重要科学依据。     

高分子量多环芳烃--苯并[a]芘的生物降解研究进展

多环芳烃(PAHs)是一类广泛分布于海洋环境中的含有两个以上苯环的有机化学污染物.苯并[a]芘(BaP)是一种由5个苯环组成的分布广泛、致癌性极强的多环芳烃化合物,人们将其作为多环芳烃的指示物,通过研究其在环境中的产生、迁移、转化、降解及毒理作用来判断多环芳烃的污染情况.BaP已成为国内外环境监测的重要指标之一.本文综述了不同环境中BaP的来源与分布,BaP在环境中的行为,微生物对BaP的代谢途径,以及微生物降解BaP的相关限制因子,并结合作者在这方面研究的部分工作与目前国际研究的热点,提出值得进一步探究的有关问题.图4表3参51     

我国36个重点城市饮用水中多环芳烃健康风险评价

分别用2种基于不确定性的风险评价方法(蒙特卡洛法和三角模糊数法)和1种基于确定性的风险评价方法(美国EPA终身致癌风险)对我国36个重点城市饮用水中多环芳烃的终生致癌风险进行评价。所研究的98个水厂出水中多环芳烃浓度范围为17.5~408.3 ng·L-1,致癌性多环芳烃(苯并[a]蒽,屈,苯并[b]荧蒽,苯并[k]荧蒽,苯并[a]芘,茚并[1,2,3-cd]芘)的总量浓度为nd~94.7 ng·L-1。所有水厂出水中苯并[a]芘浓度均小于10 ng·L-1。假设出厂水即为最终饮用水,对16种PAHs浓度用毒性当量因子法转化为相对于苯并[a]芘等效浓度(TEQ BaP)。使用概率风险评价方法计算,结果显示在95%的概率区间我国居民通过饮水途径暴露多环芳烃的终生致癌风险小于5.45×10-6(蒙特卡洛法)和7.56×10-6(三角模糊数法)。而采用确定性风险评价方法,计算得到的最大风险为7.12×10-6。两种计算方法得到的我国饮用水中多环芳烃的终生致癌风险都处于可接受水平。比较不同的评价方法后发现,不同方法获得的信息并不完全重合,相对于通常的基于确定性的非概率健康风险评价方法,基于不确定性的概率风险评价方法获得的结果更为保守。     

生物质炭-过氧化氢联合修复对火电厂土壤性质与小白菜生长的影响

本文建立了一种利用生物质炭并结合过氧化氢对火电厂多环芳烃(PAHs)污染土壤的修复方法.采集诸城火电厂多环芳烃污染土壤为研究对象,采用盆栽试验的方法,研究了不同梯度生物质炭与过氧化氢配合施用修复多环芳烃污染土壤,对小白菜生长指标及土壤多环芳烃含量的变化.结果表明,合理施用生物质炭配施过氧化氢能促进小白菜生长,有效降低土壤和小白菜中多环芳烃含量.与T1(不施生物质炭)对比,生物炭处理的小白菜生物量增加8%—15%,叶绿素SPAD值增加25%—50%,荧光参数和光谱反射率有一定提高,小白菜和土壤多环芳烃含量显著减少.同时,使污染酸化土壤pH值提高了0.2—0.6个单位,土壤有机质含量提高了9.5%—45.6%,碱解氮、速效磷与速效钾等养分有一定量的增加.其中,T7(0.5‰H_2O_2+2‰生物质炭)处理修复效果最好,供试蔬菜和土壤中多环芳烃去除率分别达到了69.6%和58.8%.其次是T3(2‰生物质炭)处理,供试蔬菜和土壤中多环芳烃去除率分别达到了42.9%和54.6%,也具有较好的去除效果.因此,可推荐在修复实践中参考应用.     

白洋淀湿地表层沉积物多环芳烃的分布、来源及生态风险评价

对白洋淀湿地表层沉积物15种多环芳烃含量进行了检测.结果表明,其总含量范围为324.6~1738.5ng·g-1,整体来看,白洋淀湿地多环芳烃污染处于中等偏低污染水平.多环芳烃组成主要以2~3环、4环为主,其含量分别占总含量的47.8%、28.6%.白洋淀湿地表层沉积物多环芳烃主要以化石燃料、木柴及生物质低温燃烧来源为主,个别样点受油类排放污染严重.风险评价表明,严重的多环芳烃生态风险在白洋淀湿地表层沉积物中不存在,但是在部分区域某些多环芳烃含量超过了效应区间低值(ERL),可能存在着对生物的潜在危害.     

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.