Systematic Temporal Patterns in the Relationship Between Housing Development and Forest Bird Biodiversity

As people encroach increasingly on natural areas, one question is how this affects avian biodiversity. The answer to this is partly scale‐dependent. At broad scales, human populations and biodiversity concentrate in the same areas and are positively associated, but at local scales people and biodiversity are negatively associated with biodiversity. We investigated whether there is also a systematic temporal trend in the relationship between bird biodiversity and housing development. We used linear regression to examine associations between forest bird species richness and housing growth in the conterminous United States over 30 years. Our data sources were the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the 2000 decennial U.S. Census. In the 9 largest forested ecoregions, housing density increased continually over time. Across the conterminous United States, the association between bird species richness and housing density was positive for virtually all guilds except ground nesting birds. We found a systematic trajectory of declining bird species richness as housing increased through time. In more recently developed ecoregions, where housing density was still low, the association with bird species richness was neutral or positive. In ecoregions that were developed earlier and where housing density was highest, the association of housing density with bird species richness for most guilds was negative and grew stronger with advancing decades. We propose that in general the relationship between human settlement and biodiversity over time unfolds as a 2‐phase process. The first phase is apparently innocuous; associations are positive due to coincidence of low‐density housing with high biodiversity. The second phase is highly detrimental to biodiversity, and increases in housing density are associated with biodiversity losses. The long‐term effect on biodiversity depends on the final housing density. This general pattern can help unify our understanding of the relationship of human encroachment and biodiversity response. Patrones Sistemáticos Temporales en la Relación entre Desarrollos Urbanos y la Biodiversidad de Aves de Bosque     

Plant blindness and the implications for plant conservation

Plant conservation initiatives lag behind and receive considerably less funding than animal conservation projects. We explored a potential reason for this bias: a tendency among humans to neither notice nor value plants in the environment. Experimental research and surveys have demonstrated higher preference for, superior recall of, and better visual detection of animals compared with plants. This bias has been attributed to perceptual factors such as lack of motion by plants and the tendency of plants to visually blend together but also to cultural factors such as a greater focus on animals in formal biological education. In contrast, ethnographic research reveals that many social groups have strong bonds with plants, including nonhierarchical kinship relationships. We argue that plant blindness is common, but not inevitable. If immersed in a plant‐affiliated culture, the individual will experience language and practices that enhance capacity to detect, recall, and value plants, something less likely to occur in zoocentric societies. Therefore, conservation programs can contribute to reducing this bias. We considered strategies that might reduce this bias and encourage plant conservation behavior. Psychological research demonstrates that people are more likely to support conservation of species that have human‐like characteristics and that support for conservation can be increased by encouraging people to practice empathy and anthropomorphism of nonhuman species. We argue that support for plant conservation may be garnered through strategies that promote identification and empathy with plants.     

The spatial effect of fiscal decentralization on haze pollution in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The fiscal decentralization system under China’s political centralization affects local economic and environmental policies, and thus has an...     

Ensuring the continued success of a mulch biowall at a trichloroethylene-contaminated superfund site: Lessons learned

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a toxic organic compound, which can adversely affect human health. The chemical is one of the most frequently found contaminants in groundwater in the United States and around the world. A landfill in Maryland contaminated with high levels of TCE decades ago was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priority List (NPL) in 1994. A biowall was installed on the site in 2013 to promote the bioremediation of TCE and subsequently of its degradation products. Six-year monitoring data indicated a steady removal of >99% groundwater TCE at the wall since installation. However, a concurrent buildup of intermediate byproducts was observed downgradient of the wall. An examination of the entire system was necessary to find the reason behind the inefficiency of the biowall. In this study, the background of the site, remediation plan, and installation were assessed. Monitoring data, including the concentration of TCE and its degradation byproducts, and geochemical and physical characteristics were evaluated to understand the conditions and challenges facing decision-makers of this project and possible options to improve biowall efficacy.     

Zinc removal from synthetic waters using magnetite/graphene oxide composites

The removal of heavy metals from wastewater has become a global challenge, which demands the continuous study of efficient and low-cost treatment alternatives such as adsorption. In this research, the removal of zinc was evaluated using batch adsorption processes with nonconventional materials such as graphene oxide (GO), magnetite (MG), and their composites (GO:MG), formulated with three weight ratios (2:1, 1:1, and 1:2). Graphene was synthesized by the modified Marcano method, using pencil lead graphite as a precursor. MG and the composites were synthesized by chemical coprecipitation of ferrous sulfate and ferric chloride. The materials were characterized by Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method to determine the functional groups, microstructural and morphological characteristics, and specific surface area. Batch adsorption tests were carried out to optimize the adsorbent dose and contact time with zinc solutions of 10 ppm. Zinc adsorption reached equilibrium at 2 h, with an optimal dose between 0.25 and 1.0 g/L. The maximum zinc removal efficiencies/adsorption capacities were 98.6%/165.6, 83.4%/47.6, 83.5%/21.9, 72.8%/19.9, and 82.2%/9.25 mg/g using GO, 2GO:1MG, 1GO:1MG, 1GO:2MG, and MG, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of the isotherm and adsorption kinetics models determined that the adsorption processes using MG and the composites fit the Sips and pseudo-second-order models.     

Muskox status,recent variation,and uncertain future

Ambio - Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are an integral component of Arctic biodiversity. Given low genetic diversity, their ability to respond to future and rapid Arctic change is unknown, although...     

Soil labile and recalcitrant carbon and nitrogen dynamics in relation to functional vegetation groups along precipitation gradients in secondary grasslands of South China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Soil labile and recalcitrant carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are strongly controlled by plant inputs and climatic conditions. However, the interrelation...     

Mechanical-biological waste treatment and the associated occupational hygiene in Finland

A special feature of waste management in Finland has been the emphasis on the source separation of kitchen biowaste (catering waste); more than two-thirds of the Finnish population participates in this separation. Source-separated biowaste is usually treated by composting. The biowaste of about 5% of the population is handled by mechanical-biological treatment. A waste treatment plant at Mustasaari is the only plant in Finland using digestion for kitchen biowaste. For the protection of their employees, the plant owners commissioned a study on environmental factors and occupational hygiene in the plant area. During 1998-2000 the concentrations of dust, microbes and endotoxins and noise levels were investigated to identify possible problems at the plant. Three different work areas were investigated: the pre-processing and crushing hall, the bioreactor hall and the drying hall. Employees were asked about work-related health problems. Some problems with occupational hygiene were identified: concentrations of microbes and endotoxins may increase to levels harmful to health during waste crushing and in the bioreactor hall. Because employees complained of symptoms such as dry cough and rash or itching appearing once or twice a month, it is advisable to use respirator masks (class P3) during dusty working phases. The noise level in the drying hall exceeded the Finnish threshold value of 85 dBA. Qualitatively harmful factors for the health of employees are similar in all closed waste treatment plants in Finland. Quantitatively, however, the situation at the Mustasaari treatment plant is better than at some Finnish dry waste treatment plants. Therefore is reasonable to conclude that mechanical sorting, which produces a dry waste fraction for combustion and a biowaste fraction for anaerobic treatment, is in terms of occupational hygiene better for employees than combined aerobic treatment and dry waste treatment.