磺胺类抗生素在斑马鱼体内的生物富集性及模型预测评估

针对磺胺类抗生素在鱼体内的生物富集特性,采用半静态生物富集测试法,研究磺胺二甲嘧啶(SMT)和磺胺甲恶唑(SMX)在斑马鱼(Brachydanio rerio)体内的生物富集规律及生物富集系数(bio-concentration factor,BCF),并选用3种常用预测模型对2种磺胺类抗生素的BCF值进行估算,比较了估算值与实际测定值,为磺胺类抗生素生物富集性的预测提供依据。研究结果表明,当暴露浓度为0.01 mg·L~(-1)~1.00 mg·L~(-1)时,鱼体对SMT的最大生物富集系数BCF值为1.11,最大富集量出现在暴露24~48 h期间;SMX的最大BCF值为1.15,最大富集量处于暴露96~168 h之间。根据磺胺类抗生素的理化性质,通过比较3种生物富集预测模型获得SMT和SMX的BCF值,发现其中Kow预测模型所得估算值最为接近实测值。因此可利用该模型作为磺胺类抗生素富集性的预测工具,为我国兽药抗生素的环境风险预测和评价提供依据。     

溶解有机质对生物富集因子计算的影响:以东江鱼体中多溴联苯醚的生物富集为例

准确获取化合物的生物富集因子(BAF)对于判定化合物是否属于潜在毒害性污染物、评价其生态环境风险都具有重要的意义。为探究水体中溶解有机质(DOM)对BAF值的影响,以东江三角洲流域为研究区域,以多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)为目标化合物,研究了PBDEs各单体在3种鱼体中的富集特征。结果表明,PBDEs在3种鱼体中的浓度范围为42~825 ng·g-1脂肪,log BAF值位于5.0~7.4之间。由于脱溴代谢的种间差异,3种鱼类表现出2种PBDE的组成模式。在缺乏脱溴代谢途径的鱼体内,log BAF与化合物辛醇/水分配系数(log KOW)之间存在统计意义上的抛物线关系。但当BAF进行DOM的校正之后,二者之间抛物线形式的相关性消失,而呈现出显著的正线性相关性。以往研究对BAF值在化合物的log KOW达到一定程度后(7~8附近)出现下降的解释是高KOW化合物较大的分子体积降低了其穿过生物膜的可能性,但我们的研究结果表明,这种下降很可能是由于忽视了水体中DOM影响的结果。     

生物富集系数的快速测定法

以两室药物动力学模型为理论基础,提出了一种新的生物富集系数快速测定法;运用该法测定了六种疏水性有机化合物的BCF值。结果表明:该方法具有简便,快速、可靠的优点。     

固相微萃取在评价沉积物中菊酯类农药生物有效性及生物累积中的仿生研究

菊酯类农药已广泛用于农用、卫生、渔业等领域,因高疏水性累积于沉积物中的此类污染物的生物有效性评价对环境风险研究具有重要意义。采用PDMS(聚二甲基硅氧烷)高聚物作为固相微萃取材料,基于热力学平衡微损耗性方法测定了沉积物孔隙水中高效氯氟氰菊酯、联苯菊酯、氯菊酯和甲氰菊酯的自由溶解态浓度(Cfree);同时将PDMS上菊酯类农药的浓度与菲律宾蛤仔体内生物累积浓度的相关性进行了比较研究。结果表明,该方法可以准确测定菊酯类农药在沉积物孔隙水中的Cfree(23.3~255 ng·L-1)并用于评价此类物质(菊酯类农药)的生物有效性;菲律宾蛤仔对四种菊酯类农药的富集系数(BCF)为27.8~301,相对较小;菊酯类农药在PDMS上的浓度和菲律宾蛤仔体内的浓度满足lg Cb,lip=11.64lg CPDMS-51.29(R2=0.980)的定量关系,相关性极显著(P=0.009)。但生物—沉积物富集系数(BSAF)和PDMS-沉积物富集系数(PSAF)的分析比较发现,基于PDMS和生物体内菊酯浓度极显著相关的仿生应用还有待污染物在菲律宾蛤仔体内生物转化数据的进一步补充和校正。     

骆马湖邻苯二甲酸酯分布特征及健康风险评价

为调查骆马湖邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)分布特征,2016年4月,在骆马湖设置水质采样点22个,沉积物采样点6个,鱼样6个。利用气相色谱-质谱联用仪测定了骆马湖水体、沉积物、鱼体内11种邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)含量。结果显示,水体、沉积物、鱼体中检出2种邻苯二甲酸酯,为邻苯二甲酸二异丁酯(Di BP)和邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己基)酯(DEHP)。湖水ρ(PAEs)为0.05~186.8μg·L~(-1)(平均值为52.94μg·L~(-1));沉积物w(PAEs)为786.5~1 138μg·kg~(-1)(平均值为952.4μg·kg~(-1)),是水体浓度的18.0倍;鱼体中w(PAEs)为1 078~1 996μg·kg~(-1)(平均值为1 533μg·kg~(-1)),是水体浓度的29.0倍,即PAEs的生物富集系数(BCF)均值为29.0。这表明邻苯二甲酸酯类污染物在沉积物和鱼体内富集性较强。与国内其他水源地相比,骆马湖PAEs污染水平较低。健康风险评价结果表明,骆马湖周边居民PAEs暴露量不会构成急性毒性。但是因PAEs具有蓄积性,长期的慢性毒性值得关注,儿童的暴露风险较高,应引起重视。     

全氟化合物在鱼类肝脏中的生物富集因子预测与影响因素分析

全氟化合物(perfluorinated compounds, PFCs)作为一种新兴有机污染物,因其环境持久性及生物富集性,对生态环境健康存在潜在风险。鉴于实验测定PFCs生物富集作用的局限性,为实现对PFCs生物富集因子(bioconcentration factor, BCF)的合理预测及其影响因素分析,本研究基于前人报道的log BCF实验数据,采用多元线性逐步回归方法建立了PFCs对鱼类肝脏生物富集作用的定量结构-活性关系(quantitative structure-activity relationship, QSAR)模型,并对该模型进行了全面验证与评估及机理解释。结果表明,所建QSAR模型的决定系数(R²=0.902)、内部验证指标(Q_LOO²=0.852)、外部验证指标(Q_F1²=0.855、Q_F2²=0.850、Q_F3²=0.814)等统计参数均符合建模标准,模型具备良...     

有机化学品生物富集因子定量结构-活性关系模型

依据经济合作与发展组织(OECD)关于定量结构-活性关系(QSAR)模型构建和使用导则,将780个有机化合物,以4:1的比例随机划分为训练集(624个化合物)和验证集(156个化合物),通过多元线性回归(MLR)方法构建了一个包含12个描述符的有机化合物鱼类生物富集因子(BCF)的QSAR模型。QSAR模型的调整决定系数R2ad j=0.809,去一法交叉验证系数Q2LOO=0.803,外部验证系数Q2EXT=0.732,表明模型具有较好的拟合优度、稳健性和预测能力。采用欧几里德距离方法表征模型应用域,通过威廉姆斯图分析模型离群点,并对模型进行机理解释。所构建的模型,可以用于预测应用域内有机化学品的生物富集因子。     

叶菌唑对斑马鱼的急性毒性及生物富集效应

为评价杀菌剂叶菌唑对水生生态系统的影响,以斑马鱼(Brachydanio rerio)为试验生物,采用半静态法研究了叶菌唑原药对斑马鱼的急性毒性以及生物富集效应。结果表明,95%叶菌唑原药对斑马鱼96 h的半数致死浓度(96 h-LC_(50))为3.89 mg·L~(-1),选用在3.90×10~(-1)和3. 90×10~(-2)mg·L~(-1)这2个处理浓度下连续暴露8 d,在3. 90×10~(-1)mg·L~(-1)浓度下生物富集系数(BCF)为53.3;在3.90×10~(-2)mg·L~(-1)浓度暴露下生物富集系数(BCF8d)为26.2。根据《化学农药环境安全评价试验准则》毒性划分标准,叶菌唑原药属于中等富集性农药。研究结果为叶菌唑田间安全使用提供理论依据。     

3种微藻对全氟烷基化合物的生物富集效应

全氟烷基化合物(perfluoroalkyl substances,PFASs)是一系列人工合成的新型有机污染物,由于长链的PFASs具有较高的生物蓄积性,短链PFASs逐渐作为替代品而被广泛利用。为探讨不同碳链长度的PFASs在水生浮游植物中的蓄积能力,选取7种PFASs为目标物,以斜生栅藻(Scenedesmus obliquus)、钝顶螺旋藻(Spirulina platensis)和蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)作为受试生物进行富集动力学实验,测定24 h时的生物富集因子(Bioconcentration factors,BCF)。结果表明,染毒浓度为10μg·L-1时,全氟癸烷羧酸的富集能力最强,在斜生栅藻、钝顶螺旋藻和蛋白核小球藻中的浓度分别为1 894 ng·g~(-1)、88.0ng·g~(-1)、990 ng·g~(-1)。3种微藻中全氟烷基磺酸的BCF均随碳链长度的增加而增大;全氟烷基羧酸的BCF基本遵循同样的规律,只是在钝顶螺旋藻体内,全氟己烷羧酸的BCF高于全氟辛烷羧酸。此外,PFASs在斜生栅藻中的浓度均高于蛋白核小球藻和钝顶螺旋藻,不同藻类的富集能力与其表面积、脂肪及蛋白质组成有关。     

基于被动采样技术的水体中有机锡污染筛查取证研究

将三油酸甘油酯-醋酸纤维素复合膜(TECAM)用作被动采样器,开展水体中一甲基锡(MMT)、二甲基锡(DMT)、一丁基锡(MBT)、二丁基锡(DBT)、三丁基锡(TBT)、二苯基锡(DPhT)和三苯基锡(TPhT)等7种有机锡氯化物的富集实验,膜样品经甲醇/醋酸溶液提取、乙基化衍生和正己烷萃取等前处理后,用气相色谱-质谱法(GC-MS)进行定性和定量检测,得到水体中痕量有机锡污染的相关指纹信息。结果表明,7种目标化合物均可在TECAM膜上富集,48 h后均可达到平衡状态;有机锡富集能力差异较大,其TECAM膜/水分配系数(log KTECAM)与其辛醇-水分配系数(log Kow)呈现显著正相关性(r=0.97, n=7)。甲基锡富集能力较低,但可定性筛查;而苯基锡和丁基锡等5种目标化合物在TECAM膜上的被动采样速率在0.06～0.16 L·g~(-1)·d~(-1)范围变化,经反演所得其在水体中的时间加权平均浓度与传统的主动采样法所得浓度没有显著差异(P0.05)。因此,基于TECAM被动采样技术可以实现水体中极性范围较广的痕量有机锡污染筛查取证。     

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.     

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.     

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.