海洋苯酚降解菌Candida sp.P5的分离鉴定及其降解特性

从海洋沉积物中分离、筛选到一株能以苯酚作为唯一碳源和能源的酵母菌P5．根据菌落特征、菌体形态、生理生化特性和18SrDNA序列分析，确定菌株P5为假丝酵母菌属（Candicla　sp．）．该菌株最适宜生长和降解苯酚的条件为：温度25℃，pH6．0～7．0，摇床转速100r／min，需氧；菌株P5能在较高浓度的苯酚条件下生长，在72h内可以降解95％以上的苯酚．对苯酚代谢途径和相关酶的研究发现，菌株P5主要在邻苯二酚1，2-双加氧酶作用下通过邻位途径进行苯酚代谢．图7表2参24     

苯酚降解酵母Pd6的分离及对酚类化合物的降解

从炼油厂污染的污水和土壤中,筛选分离出一株具有很高苯酚降解能力的酵母菌Pd6.通过生理生化方法并结合26S rRNA序列比对,将其初步鉴定为麦芽糖假丝酵母(Candida maltosa).该酵母菌能以苯酚为唯一碳源和能源,对苯酚的最大降解浓度为1500mg/L,添加有机碳和有机氮可显著提高其对苯酚的降解率.在外加碳源的条件下,菌株Pd6还具有降解其它9种取代酚的能力.此外,关于苯酚和氯酚共代谢的研究表明,酵母菌Pd6可以利用苯酚为唯一碳源降解对氯酚和间氯酚.表明该菌在苯酚及其衍生物的生物降解和水污染治理方面可起到重要作用.     

一株高浓度苯胺、苯酚降解菌的分离鉴定及降解特性

从某生活污水厂活性污泥中分离到一株能够以苯胺或苯酚为唯一碳源、能源生长的高效降解菌菌株ANP.经形态特征、生理生化及16S rDNA序列分析,将该菌株鉴定为Delftia sp.进一步研究表明,该菌株利用苯胺生长的最适温度和pH分别为30℃和6.0,最适降解浓度为2000mgL-1;利用苯酚生长的最适温度和pH分别为35℃和8.0,最适降解浓度为1500mgL-1.苯胺、苯酚混合培养时该菌株对苯酚的降解过程要滞后于对苯胺的降解过程,但经过42h均能彻底降解.研究了ANP降解苯胺和苯酚的开环途径,苯胺芳环通过间位途径裂解,苯酚芳环则是通过邻位途径裂解.图4表1参18     

耐盐苯酚降解菌Staphylococcus sp.的分离及降解特性

从巴丹吉林沙漠盐湖表层沉积物中筛选到一株高效耐盐苯酚降解菌CL.测定了菌株CL的生理生化指标、16S rRNA基因序列,通过动力学模型探究了该菌株的生长和苯酚降解特性,同时考察了固定化对其耐受及降解苯酚能力的影响.结果表明,菌株CL属于葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus sp.),在温度30℃、pH 7.0—8.0、盐度0—10%和苯酚浓度100—200 mg·L~(-1)条件下,该菌株能高效降解苯酚,其降解率均在85%以上.菌株CL对不同浓度苯酚的降解符合Haldane模型,其最大比降解速率和抑制常数分别为0.32 h~(-1)和351.70 mg·L~(-1),同时该菌株在不同盐度下对苯酚的降解符合Ghose and Tyagi模型.固定化可以明显增加菌株CL对苯酚的降解和耐受能力.菌株CL在高盐环境下能够高效降解苯酚,具有生物处理高盐含酚废水的潜力.     

乙羧氟草醚降解菌Reudomonas sp.YF1的分离、鉴定与降解特性

从生产乙羧氟草醚工厂的污水处理池污泥中分离到一株乙羧氟草醚降解细菌,命名为YF1.根据表型特征、生理生化特性和16S rDNA序列系统发育分析,将其鉴定为假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas sp.).接种量为5%时,菌株YF1在含200 mg/L乙羧氟草醚的基础盐液体培养基中降解乙羧氟草醚,7 d后降解率约80%.加大接种量和外加营养碳氮源可以促进乙羧氟草醚的降解.该菌株降解乙羧氟草醚的最适pH为7.0,最适温度为30℃.菌株YF1能利用苯酚、邻苯二酚、对苯二酚、苯甲酸、龙胆酸、对硝基苯酚和邻氯苯酚为底物生长,不能利用3-苯氧基苯甲酸为碳源生长,菌株YF1细胞内邻苯二酚1,2-双加氧酶受到乙羧氟草醚或其代谢产物的诱导.图5表1参25     

低温条件下苯酚降解菌的分离鉴定及降解特性

在15℃低温的条件下,从本溪钢铁集团公司焦化厂曝气池活性污泥中分离、筛选得到1株高效苯酚降解菌,即Bb-2,它对起始质量浓度为400 mg·L-1的苯酚降解率为74.8%.经形态观察和生理生化实验,初步鉴定为假单胞菌属.该菌株能在4～40℃的温度条件下生长繁殖,因此为耐冷菌.当醋酸钠和葡萄糖作为第二碳源存在时,促进了低温下Bb-2对苯酚的生物降解.采用反应动力学方程拟合其降解过程,初始苯酚质量浓度较低时,遵循Monod方程;初始质量浓度较高时,其降解过程以基质抑制型的Haldane方程为主.     

单壁碳纳米管对Arthrobacter sp.W1生长及苯酚降解功能的影响

单壁碳纳米管(SWCNTs)对大肠杆菌等模式菌株的生长抑制作用明显,为了解SWCNTs对具有环境功能的菌株的作用,以苯酚降解菌Arthrobacter sp.W1为对象,考察不同浓度SWCNTs下菌株W1的生长曲线和苯酚降解曲线,并通过扫描电镜观察、细胞凋亡检测、DNA泄漏量分析和活性氧产量分析考察作用机制.结果表明,特定浓度范围的SWCNTs(0.5-5.0 mg/L)会加快W1的苯酚降解速率,且1.5-2.0 mg/L SWCNTs不抑制W1的生长.SWCNTs在溶液中形成团簇并吸附W1细胞,且对W1产生以物理穿刺为主的毒性作用,但在特定浓度范围的SWCNTs条件下,SWCNTs-菌株-苯酚体系增加了菌体与苯酚的接触机会,从而对W1生长和苯酚降解产生明显的促进作用.本研究结果可为进一步揭示SWCNTs的环境微生物效应提供理论依据.     

孔雀石绿降解菌M3的分离鉴定及降解特性研究

从鱼塘底泥中筛选分离出1株能高效降解低含量孔雀石绿(MG)的细菌M3.经16S rDNA同源性序列分析,鉴定为泛菌属(Pantoea sp.).30 ℃静止培养条件下,该菌株对0.5、1.0、2.0和5.0 mg·L-1孔雀石绿5 d的降解率分别为97.54%、97.1%、100%和77.8%.菌株M3不能以MG为唯一碳源进行生长和代谢.葡萄糖、NH4NO3、KH2PO4/K2HPO4均能影响菌株M3对MG的降解.20～30 ℃温度范围内菌株M3对MG有明显降解效果,且降解速率随温度上升而提高.     

氯氰菊酯降解菌的筛选鉴定及其降解特性研究

从农药厂废水排放口附近的污泥中分离到1株能降解氯氰菊酯的细菌LQ-3.根据其形态、生理生化特征和16S rDNA(GenBank Accession No.FJ222585)序列分析,将该菌株鉴定为Starkeya sp..LQ-3菌株只能以共代谢方式降解氯氰菊酯,在有酵母粉、蛋白胨、葡萄糖等营养物质存在的条件下,5 d内对20 mg·L-1氯氰菊酯的降解率达到72.1%.LQ-3菌株降解氯氰菊酯的最适温度为30 ℃左右,pH值为7～8.LQ-3菌株还能降解功夫菊酯、甲氰菊酯、联苯菊酯和溴氰菊酯.酶的定域试验表明,LQ-3菌株降解氯氰菊酯的酶属于胞外酶.     

麦草畏降解菌株Sphingobium sp.Dca-5的分离、鉴定及降解特性

麦草畏是一种广谱高效除草剂,随着抗麦草畏转基因作物的推广和使用,麦草畏的使用量急剧增加.为研究麦草畏的微生物降解机制,发掘新的麦草畏高效降解菌株和基因资源,从农药厂排污口土壤中筛选到一株以麦草畏为唯一碳源生长的鞘酯菌属(Sphingobium sp.)细菌Dca-5.该菌株48 h内完全矿化2.0 mmol/L的麦草畏,并检测到代谢产物3,6-二氯水杨酸,表明该菌株通过脱甲基起始麦草畏降解.Dca-5粗酶液在添加NADH时具有麦草畏脱甲基酶活性,但加入细胞色素P450抑制剂1-氨基苯并三唑、增效醚或马拉硫磷后酶活受到显著抑制.在Dca-5基因组中找到两个3,6-二氯水杨酸降解基因簇但未发现DMO和dmt同源基因.结果表明菌株Dca-5中的麦草畏脱甲基酶是一个新的细胞色素P450类单加氧酶.本研究为阐明麦草畏的微生物降解代谢机制,获得新的麦草畏脱甲基酶基因提供了菌株材料和理论依据;并且Sphingobium sp. Dca-5能快速矿化麦草畏,在麦草畏污染土壤的微生物修复方面具有良好的应用前景.(图8表1参27)     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.