Releases of phosphate fertilizer industry in the surrounding environment: Investigation on heavy metals and polonium-210 in soil

Distribution of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cr,Ni,Mn concentrations and the activity of polonium-210 in the surrounding area of a phosphate fertilizer industry located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea has been determined.Nineteen sampling sites were distributed around the industrial zone on a surface area of about 100,000 m2.Atomic absorption spectroscopy and Alpha spectroscopy were used to quantify the heavy elements and polonium-210,respectively.Investigation on a particle scale was conducted by TEM and SEM coupled to EDX and X-ray cartography to determine the nature of heavy elements carriers and their distribution.Heavy elements were mainly concentrated inside the particle size fraction 50 μm.Their levels decreased with distance increasing from the industry.According to the reference soil,enrichment factors were about 10,15,32 and 100 times for Zn,Pb,Cu,and Cr,respectively inside the particle size fraction 50 μm on the closest sites to the industry.The main contaminant sources were transport and storage of row materials and the free release of phosphogypsum waste.Heavy elements were entrapped inside agglomerates of sulfates,phosphates and iron oxihydroxides in a di used shape.Polonium-210 with an enrichment factor of about 56,showed the same behavior of the spatial distribution of the trace elements.     

生态系统服务价值变化及其与人类活动关联性研究—以常州市为例

人类活动对生态系统及其服务价值有重要影响。以江苏省常州市为例,利用1995—2018年6期土地利用数据,基于2 km×2 km网格,核算生态系统服务价值和人类活动强度,分析二者时空变化特征及关联性。结果表明：1995—2018年,常州市耕地面积减少19.5%,水域和建设用地面积分别增加11.6%、93.7%;生态系统服务价值经历先增加后减少、总体增加的过程,1995—2018年共增加29.55亿元,价值量的增加主要来自于耕地向水域转化,价值量的减少主要来自于耕地向建设用地转化;人类活动强度显著增加,在常州市市区位置表现得尤为明显,人类活动强度与生态系统服务价值呈显著负相关,且这种负相关关系在增强。

     

重金属在灰尘及其水溶解相中的分布特征及其影响因素——以南昌市为例

以南昌市为例,分析了不同功能区和公交车站降尘及其水溶解相中重金属浓度的空间分布特征.同时结合多种分析技术,探究降尘及其水溶解相理化性质对降尘重金属在固-液相中分配行为的影响.结果表明:南昌市降尘及其水溶解相中总重金属浓度范围分别为310~4393μg/g和2.17~55.62μg/g.两相中重金属的空间分布可能受到车流量较大的交通干线和汽车轮胎零件磨损的影响,其高值区主要分布于南昌县政府、部分高校以及客运站、驾校附近.风险评价的结果表明,南昌市降尘重金属综合生态风险总体处于中等水平,且Cr和As具有一定的致癌风险.溶解态中重金属所占百分比(K值)的排序为:Ni>Mn>Cu>As>Cr>Zn>Pb,K值的空间分布高值区多分布于人口密集地区、交通道路以及汽车客运站附近.大部分降尘及其水溶解相的理化性质与Pb、As、Mn具有显著正相关关系,降尘溶解相中较高的溶解性有机碳和腐殖化程度对重金属向溶解相中的释放具有重要作用.     

Aphid egg protection by ants: a novel aspect of the mutualism between the tree-feeding aphid Stomaphis hirukawai and its attendant ant Lasius productus

Aphids often form mutualistic associations with ants, in which the aphids provide the ants with honeydew and the ants defend the aphids from predators. In this paper, we report aphid egg protection by ants as a novel aspect of the deeply interdependent relationship between a tree-feeding aphid and its attendant ant. The ant Lasius productus harbours oviparous females, males, and eggs of the hinoki cypress-feeding aphid Stomaphis hirukawai in its nests in winter. We investigated the behaviour of ants kept with aphid eggs in petri dishes to examine whether the ants recognise the aphid eggs and tend them or only provide a refuge for the aphids. Workers carried almost all of the aphid eggs into the nest within 24 h. The ants indiscriminately tended aphid eggs collected from their own colonies and those from other ant colonies. The ants cleaned the eggs and piled them up in the nest, and egg tending by ants dramatically increased aphid egg survival rates. Starving the ants showed no significant effect on aphid egg survivorship. Without ants, aphid eggs were rapidly killed by fungi. These results suggested that grooming by the ants protected the aphid eggs, at least, against pathogenic fungi. This hygienic service afforded by the ants seems indispensable for egg survival of these aphids in an environment rich in potentially pathogenic microorganisms.Electronic supplementary material  Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.