五氯酚的臭氧催化氧化特性

通过五氯酚(PCP)的Fe2+/O3催化氧化实验研究了其臭氧催化氧化特性,结果表明,PCP在反应5 min后几乎可以完全分解,但是TOC在反应30 min后的去除率只有50%左右,说明PCP不能被彻底氧化分解.通过对Cl-浓度的分析可知,伴随着PCP的氧化分解,苯环上的Cl会逐渐从苯环上释放到溶液中,而紫外吸光度值随反应时间的变化说明了臭氧催化氧化可以使得PCP中的苯环打开,将含有不饱和键的有机物转变成饱和的有机物.GC-MS分析结果表明,PCP的臭氧催化氧化首先是苯环的脱氯过程,随着反应的进行,苯环被打开,形成酯、醛、酸、氯代烷等小分子物质,最后被分解成CO2和H2O.     

白腐真菌降解五氯酚的初步研究

研究了白腐真菌黄孢原毛平革菌在不同营养条件下对五氯酚的降解.采用土豆葡萄糖液体培养基,接种后第2天投加PCP,在胞外木质素降解酶活性极低的真菌反应体系中,五氯酚能够有效降解,4d内10mg·1-1五氯酚降解率达到98%;采用高氮培养基,接种后第6天投加五氯酚,在胞外木质素酶含量极低的真菌反应体系和不含胞外酶的菌丝体反应体系中,五氯酚均能有效降解,1d内降解率分别达到56%和22%;采用低氮培养基,接种后第6天投加五氯酚,在胞外木质素酶含量较高的真菌反应体系、胞外酶液反应体系和不含胞外酶的菌丝体反应体系中,五氯酚均能有效降解,1d内降解率分别达到86%,17%和46%.结果表明,黄孢原毛平革菌在非木质素降解条件下,依赖胞内酶能有效地降解PCP;在木质素降解条件下依赖胞外木质素降解酶和胞内酶降解五氯酚,降解效率高于非木质素降解条件.     

厌氧颗粒污泥对五氯苯酚脱氯过程中的影响因素

在间歇培养血清瓶中,研究了厌氧颗粒污泥对五氯酚脱氯过程中的影响因素.结果表明,葡萄糖、酵母膏和蛋白胨显著提高了PCP的脱氯速率.添加甲酸、乙酸、乙醇对PCP脱氯速率有一定提高,丙酸和丁酸对脱氯速率没有影响.20%氢气的加入对PCP脱氯速率的影响显著.废水中硝酸盐和硫酸盐等电子受体的存在降低了PCP的脱氯速率.微生物抑制剂氯仿、青霉素降低了PCP脱氯速率,表明厌氧微生物尤其是甲烷菌对还原脱氯有重要影响.PCP最佳还原脱氯温度为38℃,最佳pH为7,低的氧化还原电位(<-200mV)有利于脱氯的进行.图5参13     

2种水稻土胶体界面五氯酚的还原脱氯转化

研究了紫泥田和浅脚紫泥田2种水稻土胶体界面五氯酚(PCP)的还原转化效果,以及添加Fe2+或草酸对五氯酚还原转化效果的影响.采用表观一级反应动力学描述土壤胶体界面五氯酚的转化过程.结果表明,紫泥田和浅脚紫泥田土壤胶体界面五氯酚的还原转化动力学常数分别为0.0375d-1和0.0430d-1,半衰期分别为18.5d和16.1d;厌氧条件下水稻土胶体中铁氧化物还原溶解产生的吸附态Fe2+对五氯酚具有一定的还原转化能力.添加1.0mmol·L-1Fe2+或1.0mmol·L-1草酸均能显著促进土壤胶体界面五氯酚的还原转化和氯离子的产生,紫泥田土壤胶体界面五氯酚的还原转化半衰期分别减少到9.6d和6.0d,浅脚紫泥田土壤胶体界面五氯酚的转化半衰期分别减少到7.9d和3.0d.草酸促进作用更加显著的原因是铁-草酸配合物的生成.土壤胶体界面五氯酚的还原转化、脱氯效率与土壤胶体的比表面积、吸附态亚铁离子浓度有一定的正相关关系.促进土壤中吸附态亚铁离子和草酸等低分子量有机酸的产生能显著促进有机氯的还原转化.     

根系分泌物对五氯酚的增溶作用和影响机制

采用室内模拟培养方法研究了植物根系分泌物对五氯酚(PCP)溶解性的影响及其反应机制,结果表明,根系分泌物属于表面活性物质,提高了PCP溶解性,增加了PCP的表观溶解度,而且其对PCP增溶作用与根系分泌物浓度呈线性正相关,向日葵根系分泌物中大分子组分含量比紫花苜蓿的高,其对PCP的增溶效果比紫花苜蓿的大,根系分泌物降低了PCP的正辛醇/水溶液分配系数,且各体系中IgKow分配系数的大小顺序与增溶作用大小顺序正好相反,产生上述结果是因为根系分泌物中的大分子组分能够形成疏水微区,促进PCP的分配作用,提高PcP的溶解性,而且根系分泌物中大分子组分愈多,其对PCP增溶作用愈强.     

共价三嗪有机框架材料对水中氯酚类污染物的光催化脱氯降解

利用共价三嗪有机框架材料(CTF-1)对4-氯酚(4-CP)、2,4-二氯酚(2,4-DCP)、2,4,6-三氯酚(2,4,6-TCP)和五氯酚(PCP)等4种不同氯原子取代数目的氯酚类污染物进行光催化降解研究,探讨了底物结构对氯酚脱氯降解效率的影响及机制.结果表明,氯酚脱氯降解过程明显受苯环氯原子取代数目的影响,氯原子数目越多,脱氯降解效率越高,氯原子数目与表观速率常数呈显著正相关,氯酚降解及脱氯速率均为：PCP>2,4,6-TCP>2,4-DCP>4-CP.对CTF-1光催化降解氯酚机制研究表明,活性物种在反应中不起作用,体系反应机制为针对氯酚上取代氯位点进行水解脱氯过程.本研究结果为深入揭示氯酚脱氯降解机制提供了理论依据,也为光催化技术处理卤代酚类废水提供了技术参考.     

磁赤铁矿/多羧基有机酸体系中五氯酚的异相光化学降解

自然界广泛存在的铁氧化物与多羧基有机酸在光照条件下能够由内源自身生成活性物过氧化氢,构成异相类Fenton体系降解污染物.在实验室构建了由磁赤铁矿和多羧基有机酸组成的光化学体系,研究了五氯酚在此体系中的降解和脱氯.结果表明,五氯酚在此异相光化学体系中的降解效率受波长范围、有机酸种类和氧气的显著影响.在UV-A波长范围,五氯酚具有较高的光降解效率.草酸能够显著促进五氯酚在磁赤铁矿中的异相光降解,但柠檬酸不具有此作用.氧气是体系中生成各种含氧活性物的必要条件.五氯酚在此体系中的降解遵循一级反应动力学.最佳实验条件下,五氯酚1 h的降解率可达80%以上,脱氯率可达35%以上.对体系主要活性物过氧化氧的定量研究较好的解释了体系在各种条件下的活性差异.     

电催化同步降解水中硝酸盐氮和有机氯化物的研究

在利用电化学反应器单独脱硝脱卤的电催化实验基础上,对电化学催化方法同步脱硝脱卤进行研究.试验采用化学沉积法负载钯-铜合金(4∶ 1)的多孔钛板作为电解反应器阴极,电解硝酸盐氮(NO-3-N)和五氯酚(PCP)的混合溶液.结果表明: PCP的脱卤效果与单独脱卤时相似,但PCP的存在对NO-3-N的还原脱除有明显影响.PCP在钯原子上的竞争性吸附抑制了NO-3-N还原反应的中间产物NO-2-N继续还原,导致在反应初期出现NO-2-N的积累;随着PCP的充分还原,前期积累的副产物NO-2-N可以逐渐被降解.分批试验和推流试验结果表明,利用多孔钛板负载的钯-铜二元合金电极,选择合适的反应参数,可有效地脱除水中的硝酸盐氮和卤代有机物.     

海河流域和渤海湾沉积物和水样中五氯酚的分布

建立了水和沉积物中五氯酚(PCP)的LC-ESI-MS分析方法,并调查了海河流域以及渤海湾水体和沉积物中PCP的污染状况.海河流域中水和沉积物中PCP的浓度分别为1800ng·l-1和13700ng·g-1,最高浓度发生在万年桥.渤海湾水中PCP的平均浓度为56.8ng·l-1,高于海河流域(除万年桥)PCP的浓度水平(10.0ng·l-1),但是沉积物中PCP的平均浓度为6.58ng·g-1,远低于海河流域沉积物中PCP的浓度水平(1500ng·g-1).     

五氯酚和八氯代二苯并二嗯英复合暴露对斑马鱼胚胎发育的毒性效应

为了评价环境中五氯酚(PCP)和八氯代二苯并二嚼英(OCDD)对水环境以及鱼类的影响,以斑马鱼为模式生物,研究了PCP和OCDD对其胚胎发育的单一及复合毒性效应.结果表明,PCP单独暴露(浓度25μg·L-1～5mg·L-1)对斑马鱼胚胎发育具有较强的毒性效应,可导致胚胎孵化率显著下降,死亡率、畸形率显著上升,而OCDD单独暴露(200、500μg·L-1)对斑马鱼胚胎发育没有明显的毒性效应;OCDD与环境浓度的PCP复合暴露(OCDD PCP1:250μg·L-1 25μg·L-1;OCDD PCP2:250μg·L-1 50μg·L-1)对斑马鱼胚胎的存活与发育等没有显著影响,对斑马鱼胚胎内CYP1A基因表达以及超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)的酶活力也没有显著影响,在实验浓度下二者共存没有明显的复合毒性效应.     

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.     

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.     

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.