造纸污泥工厂化堆肥过程中理化性质的动态变化

工厂化强制通风静态垛好氧堆肥试验结果表明,造纸污泥与木屑按10∶1比例混合后,2~3 d即可达到60℃,高温期维持时间超过10 d,完全符合我国标准CJJ/T52-93规定,达到无害化要求;堆肥过程中堆体上层温度大于下层;高温堆肥后物料含水率降低20.2%,脱水效果明显;造纸污泥堆肥过程中物料的挥发性固体持续降低;堆体耗氧速率在升温阶段后期上升到最大值,此后持续降低,到堆肥后期趋于稳定。     

粪渣污泥好氧堆肥过程中主要理化性质的动态变化

进行了粪渣污泥的强制通风静态垛堆肥试验,分析了温度、氧气、含水率和挥发性有机物在堆肥不同阶段的变化特征。粪渣与木屑质量1∶1.5的比例下,能够实现快速高温好氧堆肥,堆体温度在高温期持续9d,达到无害化的卫生学要求。堆体耗氧速率在升温阶段后期上升到最大值,此后持续降低,到堆肥后期趋于稳定。据此提出了相应的通风策略。在堆肥过程中,物料的含水率和挥发性有机物含量持续降低,但到堆肥后期趋于稳定,堆肥结束时分别减小17个百分点和10.4个百分点。     

生防枯草芽孢杆菌SQR9固体发酵生产生物有机肥的工艺优化

枯草芽孢杆菌SQR9是一株广谱性的拮抗菌,为促进农业废弃物的资源化利用以及植物土传病害的生物防治,分别以氨基酸有机肥、牛粪堆肥、猪粪堆肥、中药渣堆肥为原料,研究利用SQR9进行二次固体发酵生产微生物有机肥的最佳工艺条件及其原料最佳配比.结果表明,SQR9固体发酵的最佳参数为:发酵最佳原料为中药渣堆肥,接种量10%(φ/mL g-1),麸皮添加量15%,初始含水量65%,发酵温度37℃,翻抛次数1次/24 h,在此发酵条件下,SQR9菌株的活菌总量可达到1.20×1011CFU g-1.中药渣堆肥︰牛粪堆肥︰猪粪堆肥︰氨基酸有机肥的最佳配比为为40︰6︰0︰8,在此原料配比和最佳发酵条件下,SQR9活菌总量可达1.97×1010CFU g-1.因此,用农业废弃物采用合适的工艺条件可以生产出高质量的生物有机肥.     

污泥好氧发酵过程中热解特性变化研究

选用脱水污泥和木块进行好氧发酵,采用热重分析仪对污泥好氧发酵过程中不同阶段的污泥进行热重分析,研究不同阶段污泥热解特性的变化,并为探索污泥好氧发酵过程中有机质的变化规律提供参考。结果表明,污泥热解过程可分为4个阶段,分别为:水分析出阶段(T1)、挥发性有机物析出转化阶段(T2)、大分子有机物转化析出阶段(T3)和矿物质分解阶段(T4)。其中挥发性有机物析出转化阶段和大分子有机物转化析出阶段为失重的主要阶段。随着发酵时间的延长,污泥的最大失重率逐渐减小。发酵第1、4、7、10、13、16天,污泥最大失重率分别为51.14%、43.50%、43.18%、39.79%、35.72%、35.46%。当堆体处于升温期时,污泥样品挥发性有机物析出转化阶段及大分子有机物转化析出阶段失重率变化较大,分别减少2.11%和4.13%;堆体温度维持在40℃左右时,污泥样品大分子有机物转化析出阶段失重率变化较大,3 d内减少了4.68%。第13天与第16天污泥样品总失重率仅相差0.22%,好氧发酵在第13天已接近结束。不同发酵阶段污泥样品均以大分子有机物转化析出阶段失重率为最大,挥发性有机物析出转化阶段次之,矿物质分解阶段最小。有机质降解主要发生在发酵第1~4天和第7~10天,其中第1~4天污泥中挥发性有机物和大分子有机物均有显著降解,第7~10天以大分子有机物降解为主。     

常温纤维素降解菌群的筛选及其特性初探

在改良PCS培养基的基础上,通过定期改变传代方法,从污泥、森林土、发酵腐熟牛粪、堆肥处理麦秆中筛选出1组纤维素分解能力强而稳定的纤维素混合菌群(代号为Xc),100 mL培养物在37 ℃静置培养5 d,对滤纸纤维素、脱脂棉、麦秆(片)、牛粪纤维降解率分别达到81%、41%、25%、40%.Xc在37、28 ℃分解滤纸时,分别在第5 天、第7 天时CMC酶活性最高,分别达到104.5、95.3 U·mL-1.在初始pH 5～9的培养基上接种均能表现出较强分解能力.采用变性梯度胶电泳(DGGE)法比较来源于不同时期菌群16S rDNA条带表明,菌群结构稳定.     

活性污泥SBR系统对四环素耐药菌和总四环素的去除特性

通过模拟运行SBR工艺,比较不同四环素进水浓度、运行周期以及氧环境条件对四环素耐药菌及痕量四环素的去除特性.结果表明,痕量四环素的存在会对活性污泥中微生物耐药性产生影响,SBR进水四环素浓度为250μg.L-1时活性污泥中的微生物会逐步变成耐药微生物,而进水中不含四环素时,耐药的微生物会逐步变成非耐药微生物.总四环素的去除效果在好氧条件下周期为12 h时最好,达到90%以上.好氧条件下周期为8 h时每克污泥增加的四环素耐药菌数最多,约为2.89×109CFU.g-1;好氧条件下周期为20 h时为最少,约为1.0×108CFU.g-1,有利于缓解四环素耐药菌的产生.     

接种污泥源对厌氧氨氧化启动效能的影响

厌氧氨氧化(anaerobic ammonium oxidation,ANAMMOX)菌生长缓慢是影响其实际应用的主要问题之一,选取合适的接种污泥十分重要.本研究采用好氧污泥、厌氧颗粒污泥和厌氧消化污泥3种接种污泥,分别经过61、70和85 d的运行均实现了厌氧氨氧化过程,氨氮去除率分别为82%、92%和91%,总氮去除率达76%、82%和80%.分别接种3种污泥源的厌氧序批式反应器(ASBR)R1、R2、1t3出水pH值最终稳定在8.4、8.5、8.5.好氧污泥呈絮状,但沉降性比接种前好,厌氧颗粒污泥解体后最终形成粒径集中在0.5～1.0 mm的污泥,厌氧消化污泥则呈沙化状态,有细小颗粒出现.根据厌氧氨氧化细胞产率系数及NH4+-N、NO2--N去除量和NO3--N生成量之间的计量学关系,估算出厌氧氨氧化菌产率系数(以1 mol NH4+产生的CH2O0.5N0.15量计)分别为0.080、0.105和0.114 mol·mol-1,说明反应器内厌氧氨氧化菌有不同程度的衰减.总体而言,厌氧颗粒污泥是富集厌氧氨氧化菌的最适污泥源.     

不同纤维素降解菌对玉米秸秆的降解效果

该研究旨在探索不同纤维素降解菌对玉米秸秆降解效果的差异性,为秸秆资源化利用提供参考。利用筛选自宁夏秸秆堆、畜粪和土壤中的四株纤维素降解菌,分别为黄曲霉(Aspergillusflavus)Z5-3菌株,非洲哈茨木霉(Trichoderma afroharzianum)Z6-4菌株,藤黄单胞菌(Luteimonas sp.)X11-1菌株,施氏假单胞菌(Pseudomonas stutzeri)X3-5-1菌株,通过室内控温秸秆堆肥发酵试验,研究添加不同纤维素降解菌后堆肥温度、pH值、碳损失、氮损失、有效养分含量的变化规律。试验结果表明,与对照(不加菌处理)比较,加菌处理提前1-2 d进入高温期,最高温度提高了0.3-1.3℃,且细菌处理较真菌处理提前1 d进入高温期,最高温度提高了0.5-0.7℃。pH值总体呈先增加后降低的趋势,且在高温期达到最大值。与对照相比,加菌处理NH3和CO2累积释放量具有降低趋势。以全氮含量变化计,细菌X11-1、X3-5-1处理的氮损失分别为26.14%和26.57%,真菌Z5-3、Z6-4处理分别为36.49%和34.19%,表明添加不同纤维素降解菌可不同程度地降低堆肥物料中的碳损失和氮损失,其中细菌处理保氮效果显著优于真菌处理。与对照相比,细菌X11-1、X3-5-1处理、真菌Z5-3、Z6-4处理分别提前腐熟5、2、2、2d,表明添加纤维素降解菌可减少堆肥物腐熟时间,促进物料养分浓缩。综合判断,玉米秸秆堆肥中加入纤维素降解菌,有利于降低物料的碳、氮损失,且细菌的保氮效果优于真菌,其藤黄单胞菌X11-1处理最先达到腐熟,为最佳处理。     

微生物菌剂堆肥中草药渣中试研究北大核心CSCD

木质纤维素降解是中草药渣堆肥的主要难点.在前期小试的基础上,接种纤维素降解菌剂,将1 t新鲜药渣直接进行好氧堆肥.腐熟度指标T值和种子发芽指数(GI)显示,堆肥19 d左右就已经腐熟.堆肥过程中接种组(JZ)和对照组(CK)的纤维素平均降解速率分别为0.73 kg/d和0.64 kg/d,JZ比CK纤维素降解总量提高了13.39%,木质素降解量提高118.18%.第30天时,堆肥的含水率、p H、总养分、重金属等指标都达到有机肥料标准(NY 525-2012).接种菌剂提高了堆肥温度,加速了水分散失,促进了纤维素和木质的转化,有利于堆肥腐熟和提高肥料品质.因此,在中试规模上堆肥中草药渣生产有机肥是可行的.     

聚糖菌颗粒污泥的反硝化特性与微生物群落分布

为了解聚糖菌在污泥颗粒化中的脱氮能力及其微生物生态特性,采用反应器工艺、批式试验、显微技术和荧光原位杂交技术来评估其反硝化能力,揭示其微生物群落的微观结构,探索聚糖菌和聚磷菌在不同粒径污泥中的分布特征.结果表明,污泥对有机物的吸收率稳定在90%以上.颗粒污泥的沉降指数(SVI10)稳定在30-50 mL g-1,远低于接种污泥的108.2 mL g-1.聚醣菌颗粒污泥对硝酸盐氮和亚硝酸盐氮的反硝化去除率分别达到了65%和70%,氮气为主要气态产物.聚糖菌颗粒污泥被大量的四联球菌结构所充斥,丝状菌在其中起到了重要的构架和搭桥的作用.荧光原位杂交结果表明聚糖菌可生存于各尺寸颗粒化污泥内;而聚磷菌受到严重抑制只能较少地分布在颗粒污泥的外围空间.上述结果表明,在SBR反应器中采用厌氧搅拌—排水—好氧曝气的处理模式成功培育出具有聚糖特性的颗粒化微生物聚集体,培育成功的颗粒污泥对硝酸盐氮和亚硝酸盐氮均具有良好的反硝化特性.在整体颗粒污泥微生物群落中聚糖菌为优势种群.图8表1参19     

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.