Coadaptive changes in physiological and biophysical traits related to thermal stress in web spiders

Web spiders are considered to have expanded their habitats from dim to bright environments during the evolutionary history. Because they are sedentary predators exposed to the sun, they may have developed a suite of adaptive traits to cope with thermal stress. We examined the critical thermal maximum, spectral reflectance of solar energy by the body surface, and surface–volume ratio (SVR) for 11 spider species. Analysis of the four genera having a pair of species inhabiting both bright and dim environments showed that species in bright environments exhibited higher lethal temperatures, but spectral reflectance and SVR did not differ. Independent contrasts using the 11 species indicated that critical thermal maximum was positively correlated with spectral reflectance and spectral reflectance was negatively correlated with SVR. These results suggest that physiological tolerance to high temperatures and a biophysical mechanism to reduce heat gain evolved jointly during the history of habitat expansion in araneoid spiders.     

黄河三角洲湿地土壤微生物群落结构分析

采用末端限制性片段长度多态性分析(T-RFLP)技术和16S rDNA克隆文库的方法,分析了黄河三角洲滨海湿地土壤不同深度细菌和古菌的群落结构.研究表明,随着深度的增加,细菌群落的多样性下降,而古菌群落多样性则有上升的趋势,且土壤的细菌和古菌群落结构都呈现出规律的层状分布.该土壤包括各种硫酸盐还原菌、产甲烷古菌、光合细菌等丰富的细菌和古菌资源.图5参27     

Basic Research on the Emission of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons caused by Waste Incineration

The emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) caused by municipal waste incineration varies according to waste composition and operating parameters such as furnace temperature and excess air. However, to obtain a sample sufficient to measure the emission of PAH at trace levels, it is necessary to operate the incinerator for many hours. Since during these lengthy periods it has not always been possible to maintain stable conditions, it is very difficult to determine the relationship between the emission and waste composition.

In our basic research, therefore, we used municipal waste with an artificially regulated composition for our combustion experiments, and by using an experimental Incinerator we examined the emission behavior of PAH with respect to changes in waste composition and combustion conditions. The following facts were revealed by the results: ? The PAH found in the flue gas were predominantly the more volatile compounds.

? When municipal waste was incinerated at over 850 °C, the concentration of PAH in the flue gas increased rapidly as the proportion of plastics in the waste increased from 0 to 24 percent.

? The elimination of plastics from municipal waste by separate collection and the improvement of combustion conditions can effectively diminish the emission of PAH.

     

Effect of complexation with humic substances on diffusion of metal ions in water

Most studies on diffusion of metal ions in various water-rock systems have dealt with free ions (hydrated ions). However, it is often the case that metal ions are dissolved as complexed species such as with humic substances (HS) in natural waters. Hence, we need to study the diffusion behavior of these complexes in order to understand fully the diffusion phenomenon in natural. In this study, the diffusion coefficients of free metal ions (M(z+)) and their complexes with HS (M-HS) were compared to understand the effect of complexation with HS on the diffusion of metal ions such as Co(2+), Cd(2+), and rare earth elements (REE(3+)). Although the diffusion coefficients of free metal ions depend on ionic potential, such dependence was not observed in the presence of HS. Comparing the diffusion coefficients of metal complexes with ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), fulvic acid, and humic acid showed that the molecular weight (MW), or the size of the ligand, is of primary importance for the diffusion of M-HS. As a consequence, the diffusion coefficients of all REE(3+) were similar in the presence of HS, while they were different in the absence of HS due to the different size of each REE(3+). The similarity among the diffusion coefficients of REE-HS was caused by the much larger size of HS compared with each ion. However, the distribution coefficients of M-HS were not similar among REE(3+), Cd(2+), and Co(2+). REE(3+) and Cd(2+) which have higher affinities for larger MW fraction in HS diffused slower than Co(2+) which favors smaller MW fraction. The results show that the affinity for different MW fractions among HS controls the diffusion of M-HS, which must be important to predict precisely the diffusion behavior of metal ions bound to HS in natural systems.     

Removal of carotene-like colored compounds by liquid-liquid extraction during polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons analysis of plant tissue

Plants contain a wide variety of chemicals, some of which may have similar chromatographic behavior to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). During solid phase extraction (SPE) with Si-gel for instance, the co-elution of carotene-like colored compounds with PAHs has been observed. In this paper, liquid–liquid extraction was applied for the separation and subsequent analysis of PAHs from plant extracts. PAHs containing 2–6 rings, which include naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene and benzo[ghi]perylene, were used as representative target chemicals. Carotene-like compounds extracted from Komatsuna (Brassica campestris) shoot by acetone followed by Si-gel treatment were incorporated as undesired components in the model matrix. Results showed the feasibility of employing either acetonitrile or 2% (w/v) KOH–methanol as solvents for high PAHs recovery and low extraction of colored fraction. For acetonitrile, 86.9–93.5% of each PAH could be recovered after three extraction cycles (relative standard deviation, RSD < 1.6%) with only about 10% co-extraction of colored fraction. For 2% KOH–methanol, PAHs recoveries ranging from 79.3% to 83.1% after five cycles (RSD < 1.5%) were achieved while the percent extraction of colored fraction was also low at 10%. The relatively higher selectivity of the solvents for PAHs over the colored fraction as well as the solubility of the matrix solution in the solvent may have contributed to these results. On this basis, liquid–liquid extraction is very useful for the pre-treatment of plant extracts for PAHs analysis.     

Microbial community structure and dynamics of starch-fed and glucose-fed chemostats during two years of continuous operation

The microbial community structures of two mesophilic anaerobic chemostats, one fed with glucose, the other with starch as sole carbon sources, were studied at various dilution rates (0.05–0.25 d^–1 for glucose and 0.025–0.1 d^–1 for starch) during two years continuous operation. In the glucose-fed chemostat, the aceticlastic methanogen Methanosaeta spp. and hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanoculleus spp. predominated at low dilution rates, whereas Methanosaeta spp. and the hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium spp. predominated together when dilution rates were greater than 0.1 d^–1. Bacteria affiliated with the phyla Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Actinobacteria predominated at dilution rates of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 d^–1, respectively, while Firmicutes predominated at higher dilution rates (0.2 and 0.25 d^–1). In the starch-fed chemostat, the aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens coexisted at all dilution rates. Although bacteria belonging to only two phyla were mainly responsible for starch degradation (Spirochaetes at the dilution rate of 0.08 d^–1 and Firmicutes at other dilution rates), different bacterial genera were identified at different dilution rates. With the exception of Archaea in the glucose-fed chemostat, the band patterns revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the microbial communities in the two chemostats displayed marked changes during long-term operation at a constant dilution rate. The bacterial community changed with changes in the dilution rate, and was erratic during longterm operation in both glucose-fed and starch-fed chemostats.     

区域发展与环境管理

本文在阐述区域可持续发展的目标基础上,对人的发展和安全问题进行了讨论,并分析了影响可持续发展三个关键要素,指出环境管理是实现可持续发展的重要措施。     

摇动床生物膜反应器处理生活污水

介绍了一种新型的生物膜反应器——摇动床反应器,并采用模拟生活污水进行了小试试验研究。试验结果表明,在HRT=6h,DO=3～4mg/L,T=20～25℃,pH=7～8,C/N=20的条件下,该工艺可以达到最佳运行状况,有机负荷为0.64～3.00kgCOD/(m3.d)下,COD去除率平均达到85%,出水TN≤10mg/L,达到国家一级排放标准。     

Studies on the coupling product between oxidation products derived from pentachlorophenol and cyclodextrins

The coupling products (CPs), which were formed via the peroxosulfate catalyzed oxidation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) with iron(III)-tetrakis(sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (Fe(III)-TPPS) in the presence of hydroxypropyl-beta -cyclodextrin (HP-beta -CD) or HP-gamma -CD, were separated by ultrafiltration from the reaction mixture. When the percentages of chlorine species in the reaction mixture were calculated from the concentrations of organic chlorine in the reaction mixture and CPs, 10-25% of chlorine species in the reaction mixture was organic chlorine that was incorporated into CDs. Analyses of the CPs by pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS) and 13C NMR showed that the PCP-derived products were covalently incorporated into the CDs. To evaluate the acute toxicity of the CPs, a Microtox test was examined. Toxicities of the CPs were reduced slightly, compared to the controls (PCP alone and PCP + reaction blanks). In the reaction blanks, mesaconic acid (MA) moieties were detected as a result of the oxidation of CDs in the absence of PCP. Thus, factors in the toxicities, detected in the CPs, can be attributed to the oxidation products derived from CDs, such as MA, as well as the PCP-derived products incorporated into the CDs.     

Microscopic synchrotron X-ray analysis of mercury waste in simulated landfill experiments

Mercury enters into the environment or waste streams because it is present as an impurity in natural minerals. Mercury must be appropriately managed as an hazardous waste. In this study, a waste layer of artificial mercury sulfide mixed with incinerator ash and sewage sludge compost in a simulated landfill experiment for 5 years was analyzed using microscopic synchrotron X-ray to obtain basic knowledge of mercury behavior in a landfill. Mapping by synchrotron X-ray revealed the distribution of mercury-containing particles in the waste layer. In most cases, the movement of mercury sulfide was not considered significant even within a microscopic range; however, water flows could enhance the movement of mercury sulfide particles. When disposing of mercury sulfide, “concentrated placement” or solidification, rather than mixing with other wastes, was more effective at preventing mercury leaching in lysimeters. The chemical form of mercury sulfide in each lysimeter was confirmed by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis, which showed that most of the mercury was present as metacinnabar and had not undergone any changes, indicating that it was extremely stable. The microscopic synchrotron X-ray analysis proved very useful for studying the behavior of mercury waste in a simulated landfill experiment.