Assessing dam implementation impact on threatened carnivores: the case of Alqueva in SE Portugal

Large dam construction in water deficient areas is a management decision often controversial. Besides providing water storage, economical benefits, and a source of renewable energy, the construction and flooding caused by large dams cause disruptions in natural systems. We monitored the pre- and post-Alqueva dam impacts on the threatened carnivore species (polecat, otter, wildcat and Iberian lynx) populations in SE Portugal, and assessed which factors mostly contribute to post-dam distribution. Major short term impacts of large dams are: (1) increase in accessibility and human presence; (2) movement of heavy machinery and dam-workers; (3) deforestation with habitat loss and fragmentation; (4) change from lotic to lentic system; (5) lower prey availability and harsher capture; and (6) changes in land use adjacent to the reservoir. Thus, the response to those impacts can be predicted as a decline of polecat, wildcat and lynx distribution ranges, and a recovery of the otter from the severe short term impacts. Our results corroborate this hypothesis for all the species, especially during deforestation/early flooding. Otter's distribution range increased in the phase of greater impact, with a subsequent decrease with flooding. Our results suggest carnivores used "escape" areas with favourable habitat and prey conditions, however, the areas with higher probability of species presence decreased by two fold showing a drastic range reduction. To ensure populations' survival of these charismatic threatened carnivore populations of Mediterranean landscapes of south-east Portugal, we propose continuing the monitoring program and the development of a conservation program for the subsisting areas of optimal and suboptimal habitats.     

Pollution of intensively managed greenhouse soils by nutrients and heavy metals in the Yellow River Irrigation Region,Northwest China

The present study aimed to assess the potential ecological risk of heavy metals and nutrient accumulation in polytunnel greenhouse soils in the Yellow River irrigation region (YRIR), Northwest China, and to identify the potential sources of these heavy metals using principal component analysis. Contents of available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP), and potassium (AK) in the surface polytunnel greenhouse soils (0–20 cm) varied from 13.42 to 486.78, from 39.10 to 566.97, and from 21.64 to 1,156.40 mg kg^?1, respectively, as well as AP, soil organic matter (SOM) and AK contents tended to increase significantly at the 0–20- and 20–40-cm soil layers. Heavy metal accumulations occurred in the polytunnel greenhouse soils as compared to arable soils, especially at a depth of 20 cm where Cd, Zn and Cu contents were significantly higher than arable soil. Cd and As were found to be the two main polluting elements in the greenhouse soils because their contents exceeded the thresholds established for greenhouse vegetable production HJ333-2006 in China and the background of Gansu province. It has been shown that Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn at the 0–20-cm soil layer were derived mainly from agricultural production activities, whereas contents of Cr and Ni at the same soil layer were determined by ‘natural’ factors and As originated from natural sources, deposition and irrigation water.     

Analysis of umbu (Spondias tuberosa Arruda (Anacardiaceae)) in different landscape management regimes

Plant domestication is an evolutionary process guided by human groups who modify the landscape for their needs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic variations between populations of Spondias tuberosa Arruda (umbuzeiro) when subjected to different local landscape management strategies. The influence of the landscape management system on these populations was evaluated in five identified regional units (mountains, base of mountains, pastures, cultivated areas and home gardens). Ten individuals were randomly selected from each region and subjected to morphological and chemical fruit analysis. The diversity index, based on Simpson's index, was determined for the different populations. We then evaluated the morphological differences between the individual fruits from the distinct landscape areas. We observed no significant differences in morphological diversity between the areas studied. Our data suggest that the umbuzeiro specimens in this region may be in the process of incipient domestication.     

Natural and anthropogenic influences on a red-crowned crane habitat in the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve, 1992–2008

This study aims to assess the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic variables on the change of the red-crowned crane habitat in the Yellow River Nature Reserve, East China using multitempopral remote sensing and geographic information system. Satellite images were used to detect the change in potential crane habitat, from which suitable crane habitat was determined by excluding fragmented habitat. In this study, a principal component analysis (PCA) with seven variables (channel flow, rainfall, temperature, sediment discharge, number of oil wells, total length of roads, and area of settlements) and linear regression analyses of potential and suitable habitat against the retained principal components were applied to explore the influences of natural and anthropogenic factors on the change of the red-crowned crane habitat. The experimental results indicate that suitable habitat decreased by 5,935 ha despite an increase of 1,409 ha in potential habitat from 1992 to 2008. The area of crane habitat changed caused by natural drivers such as progressive succession, retrogressive succession, and physical fragmentation is almost the same as that caused by anthropogenic forces such as land use change and behavioral fragmentation. The PCA and regression analyses revealed that natural factors (e.g., channel flow, rainfall, temperature, and sediment discharge) play an important role in the crane potential habitat change and human disturbances (e.g., oil wells, roads, and settlements) jointly explain 51.8 % of the variations in suitable habitat area, higher than 48.2 % contributed by natural factors. Thus, it is vital to reduce anthropogenic influences within the reserve in order to reverse the decline in the suitable crane habitat.     

基于权重敏感度分布研究太湖有机磷农药单一和复合风险

基于实验室能得到的有限毒性数据的物种敏感度分布法(species sensitivity distribution, SSD)很难充分代表特定区域生态系统的物种分布,需要采用考虑生物区系特征进行赋予权重的物种敏感度分布法(weighted species sensitivity distribution,WSSD)。基于太湖物种组成构建WSSD,使用最大累积率(maximum cumulative ratio, MCR)(含风险商法(hazard quotient, HQ))和概率风险评价法(probabilistic risk assessment, PRA)对太湖地区单一和混合有机磷农药的风险进行研究。结果表明,相对于传统SSD方法,加权SSD方法计算的风险商大,且5%生物受影响的概率更大。单一风险评价中,敌敌畏和乐果5%生物受影响的概率超过40%,需要优先控制;最大累积率表明,敌敌畏是复合风险的主要贡献者,单一风险评价中风险较小的马拉硫磷和对硫磷也对复合风险贡献较大,复合暴露风险评价是必要的,混合物的风险商>1,5%生物受复合暴露影响的概率高达90%,有机磷农药复合生态风险不容忽视。     

《生态文明理念和发展方略》述评

曲格平撰写的《生态文明理念和发展方略》重点阐述了生态文明的重要性,深刻揭示了生态文明的必然性,提出了中国生态文明建设的路径和发展方略,启示我们要更加深刻地认识生态文明的重要现实意义和历史必然性,进一步提高贯彻落实科学发展观的自觉性,努力开辟具有中国特色的人与自然和谐发展的道路,开创环保工作的"战略反攻"的新阶段,积极发展环境科技,培养大批高素质环保科技人才。     

Fibre reinforced polymers in the sports industry – Life Cycle Engineering methodology applied to a snowboard using anisotropic layer design

Technological development has had huge impacts in sports performance throughout the years, fostering the development of specific materials and manufacturing processes for sports-related products. Within this context, a new technology for snowboards was developed taking advantage of the internal coupling effects of Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP) using an anisotropic layer design. This work deals with the technical, economic and environmental evaluation of a snowboard made of three alternative materials, namely carbon, glass and flax fibre reinforced plastics. It shows how a life cycle analysis can support the design and development of products by applying a Life Cycle Engineering methodology to the design process of a snowboard using an innovative technology. In this case, both the material choice and the fiber placement angles have a significant impact on the stiffness of the resulting FRP and thus in the three dimensions of analysis - cost, environmental and technical. The natural fiber is the most sustainable option environmentally, the glass fiber is the best one economically and the carbon fibre is the best in terms of technical performance. Therefore, the importance attributed to each dimension of analysis is pondered and traded-off to allow an aggregated analysis of the alternatives and a well-informed decision-making.     

活性炭和沸石对氨氮的吸附特性及生物再生

采用活性炭和沸石作为吸附材料,分别考察了这两种吸附材料对水体中氨氮的吸附特性及其生物再生性能。实验结果表明,活性炭和沸石对水体中氨氮的等温吸附符合Freundlich等温式,其拟合度分别为0.9783和0.9303;静态吸附结果表明活性炭和沸石均具有较好的氨氮吸附性能,24 h内沸石对氨氮的吸附能力为1.27 mg/g,高于活性炭的0.53 mg/g;动态吸附中沸石达到吸附饱和的时间为96 h,较活性炭达到吸附饱和的时间长,沸石显示出作为氨氮吸附剂的优越性;活性炭和沸石经过96 h的生物再生后吸附性能获得一定程度的再生,出水中氨氮浓度比未进行生物再生前分别降低17.31 mg/L和8.32 mg/L,且都在表面形成了稳定的生物膜。     

混凝沉淀法深度处理酒精废水

采用混凝沉淀法对酒精废水进行深度处理实验及放大应用研究。结果表明,混凝剂种类、投加量、pH值及沉降时间对处理效果都起着重要作用。通过正交实验确定最优化组合,即聚合硫酸铝投加量为60mg／L,pH为8．0左右,沉降时间为90min条件下,废水COD去除率达41．91％;浊度去除率达46．15％;NH3-N去除率达49．61％。混凝沉淀法处理酒精废水可有效减轻后续膜处理工艺负荷,有助于提高回用水质。