一株兼性嗜冷小甲烷粒菌的生物学特性及系统发育分析

采用改进的亨盖特(Hungate)厌氧技术,从西藏林芝厌氧消化系统中分离到一株产甲烷菌菌株LZ-6.该菌株为革兰氏阴性,不运动,球形,直径约0.3～0.6μm.该菌株利用H2/CO2,微利用甲酸生长,不利用乙酸、甲醇、甲醇/H2、三甲胺、甲胺,最适生长pH为6.8～7.2,最适生长温度25℃,最适Na+浓度0.2mol/L.菌株LZ-6的16SrRNA基因序列与小甲烷粒菌(Methanocorpusculum parvum)相似性为99%.生理、形态结构特征等生物学特性研究表明此株产甲烷古菌为兼性嗜冷产甲烷古菌.     

极端嗜热厌氧纤维素菌的分离鉴定、系统发育分析及其酶学性质的研究

从云南高温温泉、油井等热源地区采集的大量样品中,获得了一株特殊的极端嗜热厌氧纤维素分解菌B2.分离菌株直杆,革兰氏阴性(G-),未观察到孢子,细胞单个或成对出现.菌体大小为0.4μm×(2-4)μm,严格厌氧,生长温度范围50-70℃,最适生长温度65℃.pH范围4-8,最适pH 7.0.在纤维素粉琼脂上菌落直径2-4 mm,乳白色.分离菌株能利用纤维二糖、葡萄糖、蔗糖、松子糖、淀粉、覃糖等作为碳源,分离菌株还可利用纤维素滤纸、纤维素粉、微晶纤维素、纤维素粉MN300和甘蔗渣、水稻秸杆.发酵纤维素产生乙醇、乙酸.在菌株B2的纤维素酶系中,C1酶、Cx酶和β-葡萄糖苷酶的最适温度分别为80℃、80℃和70℃,其比值为1:9:10,同时发现Cx酶具有较高的热稳定性.部分长度的16S rDNA序列分析表明,分离菌株B2与Thermoanaerobacter ethanalicus具有99.8％相似性.分离菌株B2为Thermoanaerobacter属.图5表3参21     

一株高浸磷嗜酸氧化硫硫杆菌的分离与鉴定

从矿山土样中分离到一株嗜酸的浸磷矿细菌HY-01,观察其形态并研究其培养特征.结果显示,该菌株为革兰氏阴性、短杆状运动细菌,菌体长1～2μm,宽0.5～0.7 μm,能在pH 1.5～8.0的范围内生长,最适生长温度为37℃,最适pH为1.5～3.0.该菌株可以KNO3、NH4NO3、(NH4)2CO3、NH4H2PO...     

煤层水中一株产甲烷菌的分离与系统发育分析

为了解煤层中产甲烷菌的生理生化特性,结合厌氧培养箱和平板划线分离技术从山东兖煤菏泽能化公司赵楼煤矿距离地表936 m处坑道顶板取得40℃煤层水样品中微生物进行富集分离纯化.结果表明:在该条件下存在产甲烷微生物,并分离得到一株产甲烷菌株M-3,该菌株呈短杆状,菌体大小约(1.0-2.0)μm×0.5μm;革兰氏染色显阳性;在平板上生长出圆形黄色菌落,边缘光滑整齐;可以利用乙酸、甲酸、甲醇和H2+CO2(V/V=2:1)作为唯一碳源生长;最适生长温度为45℃;对酸碱具有良好的适应性,中性条件下甲烷产量最多;最适NaCl浓度为0.2-0.6 mol L-1.对菌株M-3的16S rRNA基因序列同源性分析表明该菌株与Methanobacterium bryantii同源性高达99%,G+C含量32.9%.本研究通过形态、生理生化特性以及16S rRNA分析,鉴定菌株M-3为M.brytantii.     

泸州古酿酒窖池中两株产甲烷杆菌比较研究

采用厌氧操作技术,从泸州老窖古酿酒窖池窖泥中分离到两株产甲烷杆菌0372-D1和0072-D2.0372-D1菌体形态为长杆状,略弯,两端整齐,不运动,可由多个菌体形成长链;在固体培养基中难以长出菌落,只利用H2+CO2产生甲烷.0072-D2菌体形态为弯曲杆状,淡黄色圆形菌落,利用H2+CO2或甲酸盐作为唯一碳源生长.两株菌最适生长温度均为35℃、菌株0372-D1最适生长pH为6.5～7.0,生长pH范围5.0～8.0;菌株0072-D2最适生长pH则为7.5.在各自最适条件下培养,两株菌的最短增代时间分别为19 h和8 h.通过形态、生理生化特征和16S rDNA序列的同源性分析,表明菌株0372-D1为产甲烷杆菌属的一个新种.0072-D2则为甲酸甲烷杆菌(Methanobacterium formicicum)的新菌株,相似性为99%.     

几种环境因子对塔玛亚历山大藻(大鹏湾株)生长及其藻毒力影响

在室内条件下研究了温度 (θ/℃ )、盐度 (ρ/gL-1)及pH对有毒甲藻塔玛亚历山大藻 (大鹏株 )的生长及其毒力的影响 .实验表明 ,塔玛亚历山大藻θopt为 15～ 2 5℃ ,最大生长率出现在接种后 6～ 8d ;在盐度为 14～32g/L范围内 ,该藻均可生长 ,盐度 2 3～ 2 7g/L时生长最佳 ;在弱酸弱碱下 ,该藻可较好生长 ,pHopt=6～ 7;用小白鼠法测得本藻株c(HCl) =0 .1mol/L提液的麻痹性贝毒毒力为 0 .5 0× 10 -5～ 3.2× 10 -5Mu/cell,在同种藻株中属低毒藻株 .与其他作者对本藻株用不同毒素抽提方法及测定技术所得结果的比较表明 ,其藻毒力测定值最大相差达 30倍 .图 3表 2参 17     

硫氧化细菌的分离鉴定及降解特性

从浙江华海药业污水处理系统中分离得到一株硫氧化细菌T3,基于形态特征、生理生化、16S rRNA基因序列系统学分析和Biolog鉴定系统分析,鉴定该菌株为根瘤菌属.摇瓶实验结果表明,T3生物降解最适生长温度为30℃,最适pH值为8.0,外加氯化铵、碳源对菌株生长及硫化钠降解有促进作用,驯化后的硫氧化细菌对硫化钠有很强的耐受能力,最优生长条件下,2 d内菌株T3能将400 mg/L以下浓度的硫化钠降解彻底,是一株有应用前景的硫氧化细菌.通过测定代谢过程中各种物质的含量,确定该菌株对硫化钠的去除机理为S2-→S2O32-/S0→SO32-→SO42-.图8表1参18     

脱硫脱硫弧菌去除SO2的工艺条件研究

从太原污水处理厂分离到1株硫酸盐还原菌,对其进行形态学观察及生理生化特征测定,鉴定为脱硫脱硫弧菌(Desulfovibriodesulfuricans).该菌株在pH=7、温度30℃、搅拌速度270r/min时生长最好,处理SO2的能力最强.当二氧化硫进口浓度小于10334mg/m3,SO2-3累积浓度小于87.31mg/L时,菌体生长良好,碱液流加速率较小,但当二氧化硫进口浓度达到11582mg/m3,SO2-累积至124.06mg/L时,菌体生长受到抑制,系统被破坏.图6参11     

一株大熊猫肠道厌氧纤维素菌的分离鉴定、系统发育分析及生物学特性的研究

从成都动物园健康大熊猫的肠道采集样品,富集分离获得一株典型的厌氧纤维素分解菌PD.分离菌是杆状,革兰氏阳性(G ),菌体大小为0.5μm×(3～5)μm,严格厌氧;生长温度为25～40℃,最适生长温度为38℃;pH范围5.0～9.0,最适pH7.2;在纤维素粉作碳源的琼脂培养基上菌落直径为1～3mm,白色透明斑;分离菌株不仅能利用纤维二糖、葡萄糖、蔗糖、淀粉、松三糖、覃糖等多种可溶性碳源,而且可以利用纤维素粉等不溶性碳源.同时,对菌株PD进行了16SrDNA的PCR扩增,并对扩增产物测序.对16SrDNA部分序列进行了分析,并构建了系统发育树,表明菌株PD属于梭菌属,与Clostridiumlentocellum(T)的16SrDNA序列具有92.2%相似性.图5表1参18     

大熊猫肠道产果胶酶细菌的多样性及产酶特性

为探究大熊猫肠道微生物与消化的相互关系,利用果胶筛选培养基,从大熊猫新鲜粪便中分离具有产果胶酶活性的细菌,对获得的菌株采用生理生化特征和16S r DNA进行鉴定分类,探讨产果胶酶细菌多样性,并研究菌株的最适生长特性及产酶特性.共分离得到产果胶酶的细菌31株,属于志贺菌属(Shigella)、埃希氏菌属(Escherichia)、克雷伯氏菌属(Klebsilla)3个属,其中最高酶活为334.44 U/m L,最低酶活为15.6 U/m L.PF-4菌株具有最高的酶活,鉴定为肺炎克雷伯氏菌,生长温度范围为16-45℃,生长p H范围是5-8,最适产酶时间为24 h,最适产酶温度为37℃,最适产酶p H为6.结果为研究大熊猫消化系统中微生物果胶酶的来源及性质提供了参考.     

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.