我国地表水中磷酸三苯酯的多层次生态风险评估

磷酸三苯酯(triphenyl phosphate,TPP)在电缆材料、塑料制品中被大量使用,是地表水中检出频率最高的有机磷酸酯类阻燃剂之一,近年来受到广泛关注。本文通过文献检索TPP的地表水环境暴露浓度以及对水生生物的毒性效应浓度,利用风险商(hazard quotient,HQ)和概率生态风险评价法(probabilistic ecological risk assessments,PERA)对我国主要地表水中的TPP进行多层次生态风险评价。结果显示,TPP在我国地表水中的浓度为0.2～96.3 ng·L~(-1),以生存为测试终点的急性毒性数据推导出的预测无效应浓度(predicted no effect concentration,PNEC)为36.49μg·L~(-1),而以繁殖、发育和生长等为测试终点的慢性毒性数据推导出的PNEC值为1.30μg·L~(-1)。基于急、慢性毒性数据计算的风险商均小于0.1。我国地表水中TPP对0.1%到1%的水生生物造成繁殖、发育和生长等慢性毒性影响的概率分别为1.40%和0.04%,存在较低的潜在生态风险。     

淡水水生态基准方法学研究:繁殖/生殖毒性类化合物水生态基准探讨

繁殖/生殖毒性类化合物由于特殊的毒理作用模式(mode of action,MOA),通过影响生物繁衍影响到种群和群落,因此依靠基于急、慢性毒性测试终点和传统基准推导方法推导的水生态基准值并不能够为水生生物群落结构提供足够的保护。本文根据文献资料,分析了推导此类化合物水生态基准时的关键科学问题,包括繁殖/生殖毒性类化合物MOA,毒性数据类型,受试物种选择,以及不同生命阶段、多代毒性测试和测试终点的判别和选择。并用所收集的壬基酚数据,尝试推导了基于水生生物生殖毒性的水生态基准值。研究得出基于生殖毒性的壬基酚预测无观察效应浓度(PNEC)值为0.12μg·L-1,其数值比美国环境保护局根据传统基准方法推导的基准持续浓度(CCC)的6.59μg·L-1低了近50倍。因此,基于其繁殖毒性(包括产卵量、受精率、孵化率、多代效应以及种群变化等)的实验结果更适合用于具有繁殖/生殖毒性污染物水生态基准的推导。     

基于商值法的镧水生态风险评价方法研究及应用

随着我国稀土资源开发和利用，稀土元素对水生生态环境的影响及其生态风险越来越受关注。本文以稀土镧的通用敏感生物急性半致死/效应浓度(half lethal/effect concentration, L(E)C_(50))和慢性无观察效应浓度(no observed effect concentration, NOEC)数据，分别采用评价因子法和物种敏感度分布法(species sensitivity distribution, SSD)推导计算了镧的预测无效应浓度(predicted no effect concentration, PNEC),比较不同数据类型和计算方法的结果差异及不确定性，并以四川安宁河为例进行了水生态风险表征。采用评价因子法推导的急性和慢性PNEC分别为1.180μg·L^(-1)和4.000μg·L(-1)和4.000μg·L^(-1)。由急性数据拟合SSD曲线推导的PNEC为42.770μg·L(-1)。由急性数据拟合SSD曲线推导的PNEC为42.770μg·L^(-1),通过急慢性比(acute to chronic ratio, ACR)转换的PNEC为2.032μg·L(-1),通过急慢性比(acute to chronic ratio, ACR)转换的PNEC为2.032μg·L^(-1)。在慢性数据缺乏的情况下，ACR-SSD是相对可行的方法。安宁河镧的水生态风险评价结果表明，所有调查断面均处于中等以上生态风险，其稀土污染问题应引起重视。     

中国典型河湖水体铅的水生生物安全基准与生态风险评价

采用物种敏感度排序法(SSR)对我国铅的淡水水生生物安全基准进行推导,并以太湖为例进行了流域水生生物安全基准推导。对于难以获得的本土生物毒性数据,开展了相应的毒性试验。获得了我国国家与太湖流域铅的水生生物安全基准值,基准最大浓度(CMC)分别为63.92、104.26μg·L-1,基准连续浓度(CCC)分别为1.21、4.06μg·L-1。同时,对我国主要河流以及太湖流域进行了铅的生态风险评价,联合概率曲线法显示影响5%水生生物种类的概率分别为66.22%和43.19%,熵值法则显示中国主要河流存在较大的铅暴露风险,因此,我国铅的潜在生态风险较大,主要河流与太湖流域存在铅污染问题。     

我国六价铬淡水水生生物安全基准推导研究

参照美国国家环境保护局(USEPA)"推导保护水生生物及其用途的国家水质基准的技术指南"的程序和规范,筛选了我国广泛存在的淡水水生生物物种,收集现有的急性和慢性毒性数据,结合课题组实验得到的部分本土生物毒性数据,分别采用物种敏感度排序法(SSR)、物种敏感度分布法(SSD)以及澳大利亚的水质基准技术方法对我国六价铬的淡水水生生物安全基准进行了推导。获得了我国淡水水生生物的六价铬的双值基准,3种方法得到的基准最大浓度(CMC)分别为23.97、22.84、29.06μg·L-1,基准连续浓度(CCC)分别为14.63、10.35、9.00μg·L-1,在同一个数量级上,但与美国的基准值有一些差异,建议使用SSD法推导CMC值和CCC值。研究结果可为我国水质基准的制定提供一些有用的基础资料。     

双酚A对斑马鱼精巢性激素生成酶基因表达的影响

为了解环境雌激素对鱼类精巢发育的影响,将成年雄性斑马鱼(Danio rerio)暴露于不同浓度双酚A(0、500、1 000、2 000、4 000μg·L-1)下21 d,并在此基础上,进一步研究了暴露在相同浓度(BPA2 000μg·L-1)不同暴露时间下各基因表达的动力学模式。用荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)方法检测试验鱼精巢性激素合成相关细胞色素P450酶类基因(CYP17、CYP11B和CYP19A)以及雌、雄激素受体和促卵泡激素受体(ERα、ERβ、AR和FSHR)基因的表达,用常规组织学方法研究试验鱼精巢结构的变化。结果表明,BPA促进了精巢内源雌激素合成相关酶类基因CYP19A和雌激素受体ERαmRNA、ERβmRNA的表达,且BPA浓度为2 000μg·L-1时3者的表达量显著上调,同时随着暴露时间的延长,具有明显的时间累积效应。1 000μg·L-1BPA可导致斑马鱼精巢CYP17 mRNA的表达量显著下调,BPA2 000μg·L-1暴露12 d引起了CYP11B mRNA表达下调,而随着暴露时间的延长有所回升,但它对精巢AR mRNA的表达却无明显影响。同时,BPA 500μg·L-1引起了FSHR基因的显著上调,在时间动态学上,呈上升趋势。在组织学上,2 000μg·L-1BPA引起斑马鱼精巢生精小管内精子浓缩严重,精原细胞(Sg)和精母细胞(PS和SS)数目都有所减少,BPA 4 000μg·L-1组斑马鱼精巢退化。因此,BPA可诱导精巢内源雌激素合成和雌激素受体的表达,提高雌激素效应,通过抑制CYP17基因的表达,一定程度上抑制雄激素的合成,从而引起斑马鱼精巢组织的破坏。同时,据实验数据推测,雄激素的下调可能启动了下丘脑-垂体-性腺(HPG)轴的负反馈调节机制,而此作用机制还有待进一步研究。     

2,2’,4,4’-四溴二苯醚(BDE-47)对大型溞(Daphnia magna)的毒性效应

2,2’,4,4’-四溴二苯醚(BDE-47)在水体及各种水生生物(鱼类、海洋哺乳动物以及水生无脊椎动物)中被广泛检出,但BDE-47对水生无脊椎动物毒性效应的研究还处于起步阶段。以大型溞(Daphnia magna)为受试生物,通过急性(48h)和慢性(21d)毒性暴露实验,考察了BDE-47对大型溞活动抑制率、心率、产仔情况和酶活性等指标的影响。结果显示,BDE-47对大型溞活动抑制率的48h-EC50为112.5μg.L-1;高浓度(>100μg.L-1)BDE-47显著诱导提高大型溞的心率。21d慢性暴露实验中,8μg.L-1处理组中大型溞全部死亡;其他各浓度处理组(0.5、1、2、4μg.L-1)中,母溞第1胎产仔时间延后,第1胎子代数量减少,总产仔数量大幅减少,这表明大型溞的繁殖能力受到抑制。BDE-47在一定程度上抑制了母溞胆碱酯酶(ChE)和谷胱甘肽硫转移酶(GST)的活性,大型溞体内的代谢机制没有被诱导,神经活性虽被抑制,但抑制率不高。BDE-47大幅诱导过氧化氢酶(CAT)的活性,并呈现一定的剂量效应关系,相对于ChE和GST,CAT对BDE-47暴露更为敏感,可作为BDE-47对大型溞慢性暴露毒性效应的潜在生物标志物。     

马拉硫磷水生生物基准推导研究

通过开展毒性试验和查阅国内外相关文献,获取马拉硫磷对长江三角洲流域22个代表性物种毒性数据,采用物种敏感度分布法和毒性百分数排序法推导长江三角洲流域马拉硫磷水生生物基准值。结果显示,采用物种敏感度分布法得出的急性基准值和慢性基准值分别为0.865 5和0.036 2μg·L~(-1),采用毒性百分数排序法得出的急性基准值和慢性基准值分别为0.400 0和0.033 4μg·L~(-1)。为充分保护水生生物,建议以毒性百分数排序法推导出的基准值作为长江三角洲流域马拉硫磷水生生物基准推荐值。研究结果可为我国地表水环境质量标准修订及水生生态风险评估提供科学依据。     

纳米二氧化钛(nTiO_2)与双酚A对斜生栅藻(Scenedes-mus obliquus)的联合毒性效应

纳米二氧化钛(n Ti O2)在被人们广泛使用的同时,其潜在的环境影响也受到越来越多的关注。为深入探讨n Ti O2与环境中现有污染物的相互作用及生物效应,以斜生栅藻(Scenedesmus obliquus)为受试生物,按照毒性单位法、相加指数法和混合毒性指数法,研究了n Ti O2与双酚A(BPA,一种常见的环境类雌激素)的联合毒性效应。结果显示,n Ti O2与BPA对S.obliquus生长的72 h半抑制浓度(EC50)分别为28.7 mg·L-1与1.81 mg·L-1。而n Ti O2与BPA共存时,在不同毒性比(4:1,3:1,2:1,1:1,1:2和1:3)下,其联合毒性作用(以BPA计)的72 h EC50值分别为2.198,1.58,1.153,0.428,0.306和0.189 mg·L-1。两者的联合毒性作用不仅仅是简单的相加,而是随着两者毒性比的变化,由拮抗作用转变为相加作用,继而转变为协同作用。这表明,n Ti O2进入环境后与现有污染物的毒性比(浓度比)可能是其联合毒性作用模式的一个重要影响因素。     

2种典型家用消毒剂对水生生物的急性毒性影响及生态效应阈值研究

家用消毒剂大量用于日常生活中,进入水体环境后对水生生物产生潜在危害效应,目前尚缺乏保护水生生物安全的生态效应阈值。本研究以2种典型家用消毒剂(有效成分分别为对氯间二甲苯酚和次氯酸钠,前者命名为消毒剂A、后者为消毒剂B)为研究对象,开展其对8种不同营养级淡水水生生物的急性毒性效应研究。结果表明,除底栖动物外,消毒剂B对藻类、溞类和鱼类的急性毒性均高于消毒剂A;我国本土种稀有鮈鲫对2种消毒剂的敏感性高于其他2种鱼类;2种消毒剂对藻类的毒性高低均为近头状伪蹄形藻斜生栅藻蛋白核小球藻;近头状伪蹄形藻对2种消毒剂最敏感。基于上述毒性数据构建了物种敏感分布(SSD)曲线,计算对保护95%的物种不受影响时所对应的污染物浓度(HC5),并结合评估因子法推导出2种消毒剂预测无效应浓度(PNEC)值作为急性生态效应阈值,消毒剂A和消毒剂B的PNEC值分别为13.16 mg·L~(-1)(有效成分对氯间二甲苯酚PNEC值为0.33 mg·L~(-1))和0.71 mg·L~(-1)(有效成分次氯酸钠PNEC值为0.01 mg·L~(-1)),消毒剂A对淡水生物的PNEC比消毒剂B大了一个数量级,表明相较于消毒剂B,消毒剂A对水生态环境更为友好。本研究结果可为制订典型家用消毒剂的水质基准提供科学依据。     

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.     

Threats to intact tropical peatlands and opportunities for their conservation

Large, intact areas of tropical peatland are highly threatened at a global scale by the expansion of commercial agriculture and other forms of economic development. Conserving peatlands on a landscape scale, with their hydrology intact, is of international conservation importance to preserve their distinctive biodiversity and ecosystem services and maintain their resilience to future environmental change. We explored threats to and opportunities for conserving remaining intact tropical peatlands; thus, we excluded peatlands of Indonesia and Malaysia, where extensive deforestation, drainage, and conversion to plantations means conservation in this region can protect only small fragments of the original ecosystem. We focused on a case study, the Pastaza‐Marañón Foreland Basin (PMFB) in Peru, which is among the largest known intact tropical peatland landscapes in the world and is representative of peatland vulnerability. Maintenance of the hydrological conditions critical for carbon storage and ecosystem function of peatlands is, in the PMFB, primarily threatened by expansion of commercial agriculture linked to new transport infrastructure that is facilitating access to remote areas. There remain opportunities in the PMFB and elsewhere to develop alternative, more sustainable land‐use practices. Although some of the peatlands in the PMFB fall within existing legally protected areas, this protection does not include the most carbon‐dense (domed pole forest) areas. New carbon‐based conservation instruments (e.g., REDD+, Green Climate Fund), developing markets for sustainable peatland products, transferring land title to local communities, and expanding protected areas offer pathways to increased protection for intact tropical peatlands in Amazonia and elsewhere, such as those in New Guinea and Central Africa which remain, for the moment, broadly beyond the frontier of commercial development.     

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.     

Human Influence and Classical Biogeographic Predictors of Rare Species Occurrence

Biogeographic theory predicts that rare species occur more often in larger, less‐isolated habitat patches and suggests that patch size and connectivity are positive predictors of patch quality for conservation. However, in areas substantially modified by humans, rare species may be relegated to the most isolated patches. We used data from plant surveys of 81 meadow patches in the Georgia Basin of Canada and the United States to show that presence of threatened and endangered plants was positively predicted for patches that were isolated on small islands surrounded by ocean and for patches that were isolated by surrounding forest. Neither patch size nor connectivity were positive predictors of rare species occurrence. Thus, in our study area, human influence, presumably due to disturbance or introduction of competitive non‐native species, appears to have overwhelmed classical predictors of rare species distribution, such that greater patch isolation appeared to favor presence of rare species. We suggest conservation planners consider the potential advantages of protecting geographically isolated patches in human‐modified landscapes because such patches may represent the only habitats in which rare species are likely to persist. Influencia Humana y Predictores Biogeográficos Clásicos de la Ocurrencia de Especies Raras     

Seasonal dynamics of macro-algae in the South Lake of Tunis

The macro-algae communities observed in the south lake of Tunis are characterized by the predominance of nitrophilous algae which are in the order of biomass importance:Ulva, Cladophora andEnteromorpha. We have noted seasonal changes of alga distribution. The wind appears to be one of the most important factors influencing this distribution. The total biomass reaches a maximum in the spring. Rapid decomposition of the biomass leads to a severe ecological imbalance, resulting in crises of anoxia and fish death. A restoration project has already started. It aims at removal of contaminated muds and the introduction of a new circulation system. The main objectives of this work were to collect information on the distribution and biomass of the phytobenthic communities as a first step in the constitution of a database for further comparison.     

Patterns and biases of climate change threats in the IUCN Red List

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments rely on published data and expert inputs, and biases can be introduced where underlying definitions and concepts are ambiguous. Consideration of climate change threat is no exception, and recently numerous approaches to assessing the threat of climate change to species have been developed. We explored IUCN Red List assessments of amphibians and birds to determine whether species listed as threatened by climate change display distinct patterns in terms of habitat occupied and additional nonclimatic threats faced. We compared IUCN Red List data with a published data set of species’ biological and ecological traits believed to infer high vulnerability to climate change and determined whether distributions of climate change‐threatened species on the IUCN Red List concur with those of climate change‐threatened species identified with the trait‐based approach and whether species possessing these traits are more likely to have climate change listed as a threat on the IUCN Red List. Species in some ecosystems (e.g., grassland, shrubland) and subject to particular threats (e.g., invasive species) were more likely to have climate change as a listed threat. Geographical patterns of climate change‐threatened amphibians and birds on the IUCN Red List were incongruent with patterns of global species richness and patterns identified using trait‐based approaches. Certain traits were linked to increases or decreases in the likelihood of a species being threatened by climate change. Broad temperature tolerance of a species was consistently related to an increased likelihood of climate change threat, indicating counterintuitive relationships in IUCN assessments. To improve the robustness of species assessments of the vulnerability or extinction risk associated with climate change, we suggest IUCN adopt a more cohesive approach whereby specific traits highlighted by our results are considered in Red List assessments. To achieve this and to strengthen the climate change‐vulnerability assessments approach, it is necessary to identify and implement logical avenues for further research into traits that make species vulnerable to climate change (including population‐level threats).     

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