The influence of arsenic speciation (AsIII & AsV) and concentration on the growth, uptake and translocation of arsenic in vegetable crops (silverbeet and amaranth): greenhouse study

We examined arsenic (As) uptake by vegetable crops (amaranth, Amaranthus gangeticus, and silverbeet, Beta vulgaris) as affected by As speciation (As^III and As^V) and their concentrations in nutrient solution. Amaranth and silverbeet were grown in a nutrient solution containing four levels of arsenate (As^V): 0, 1, 5, and 25 mg As/l and three levels of arsenite (As^III): 0, 5, 10 mg As/l. Both As^V and As^III are phytotoxic to these crops with the latter being five times more toxic. Amaranth treated with As^III exhibited As toxicity symptoms within 48 h of exposure and was close to death within 1 week. However, As^V treatment did not show clear toxicity symptoms other than wilting and yield reduction at the highest dose rate of 25 mg As^V/l. The main mechanism used by vegetable crops to tolerate As^V is probably avoidance—limiting As transport to shoots and increasing As accumulation in the root system. When As^V was added to the nutrient solution, the uptake of As in shoots increased and, at the highest dose (25 mg As^V/l), 60 μg As/g DW (3.6 mg/kg FW) accumulated in the edible portion, which exceeds the WHO recommended limit for food stuffs (2 mg/kg FW) as the water contents of the crops were 94%. It is therefore important to determine the nature of the As species and their bio-accessibility. Iron treatment with 0.5 mg NaFe(III)EDTA/l dose decreased silverbeet As uptake by 45% given its affinity to bind As at the root surface or root rhizosphere and so restrict As translocation to the shoots.     

Scope for growth of Mytilus?galloprovincialis (Lmk., 1819) in oligotrophic coastal waters (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

The ‘scope for growth’ (SFG) tool was used to study the growth performance of cultivated populations of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lmk., 1819) in an oligotrophic area of the Southern Mediterranean Sea. The study was carried out between 1993 and 1996 by using data from four seasonal oceanographic cruises and from growth experiments. Water samples were collected and analysed for total suspended matter (TSM), particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), particulate lipids, proteins and carbohydrates and chloropigments. The sum of the carbon equivalents of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids is indicated as the total biopolymeric particulate organic carbon (BPC) and was converted into a unit of energy in order to calculate the SFG of a theoretical mussel of 5 cm length. In order to test the performance of mussel growth at two depths (5 and 15 m water depth), mussel body size [as ash free dry weight (AFDW)] and the actual concentrations of BPC were used to calculate the monthly SFG using the physiological energetic relationships suggested in the current literature. Data from the field cruises led us to characterise the study site as ultra-oligotrophic (annual average of chloropigment concentration approximately 0.5 μg L⁻¹). SFG calculations allowed us to identify a site where mussels grown successively were found to reach a commercial size in approximately 12 months. The good agreement obtained between energetic response and subsequent production response suggests that the available energy from particulate food could be fully available for organic production for maintaining “proportionate” growth trajectories, even in a ultra-oligotrophic system.     

Depth-related shift in life history strategies of a brooding and broadcasting deep-sea asteroid

Combining field and laboratory work, this study investigated the reproductive cycle, aggregative behavior, spawning periodicity, development and early growth of the sea star Henricia lisa living at bathyal depths off eastern Canada. Marked differences were found between individuals from ~1,300 and ~600 m deep. The former had a male biased sex ratio and an aperiodic reproductive cycle, whereas the latter displayed an equal sex ratio and a biannual breeding pattern. Furthermore, the maximum size was larger and female fecundity roughly five times higher in shallower compared to deeper populations. In the tanks, aggregative behavior was recorded twice a year during the summer and winter breeding periods. The onset of aggregations and spawning coincided with a temperature of 3–4°C. Males spawned first and females typically responded inside 30–60 min. Between 12 and 20 eggs were retained to be brooded under the arched arms of the female, whereas the remainder were broadcasted and developed without parental care. The fertilized eggs underwent a first cleavage after 12 h, reached the brachiolaria stage in 1 month, became juveniles within 3–4 months and reached ~ 4 mm in diameter after 14–17 months of growth. The embryos and juveniles developed at the same rate whether brooded or not, and development of winter cohorts was typically slower due to lower prevailing temperatures. This study of H. lisa provides the first evidence of lecithotrophy in a seasonally breeding deep-sea echinoderm and of brooding in a deep-sea asteroid.     

Quantitative analysis of CO2 embodiment in international trade: An overview of emerging literatures

The increasing volume of CO₂ embodiment in international trade adds a layer of complexity to environmental policies and has raised arguments on the traditional production based responsibility for CO₂ emissions. In order to help understand the quantity of CO₂ embodiment in trade and its policy implications, this paper gives observations to recently emerging literatures that quantitatively discuss CO₂ embodiment in trade. The analytical approaches share the principle of using input and output modeling but vary dramatically in study boundary and estimation accuracy. The calculations can be roughly categorized into three types: direct quantification of CO₂ embodiments in multiregional trade, direct quantification of CO₂ embodiment in bilateral trade, and indirect analysis by comparing the scenarios with or without trade. The practical estimations strongly rely on trade partner selection and data availability. An obvious imbalance of net CO₂ embodiment in the commodity trade between major developed countries and developing economies as a whole was confirmed by these literatures. Carbon taxes and other possible limitations on CO₂ emissions have been addressed. The consistency across the calculations could be enhanced by systematic analyses in more detail to convince the international community to take binding commitments for the reduction of global CO₂ emissions.     

兰州市大气飘尘中致突变物变化规律的研究

本研究对兰州市不同污染区(石油化工为主、燃煤、商业及农村)在不同季节时的大气飘尘,作了对比采样.飘尘样品用溶剂抽提法提取后,用化学萃取法分离为五个有机物馏分.用毛细色谱-质谱-计算机联用系统进行了定性分析,并用毛细管色谱法进行了部分定量分析.用Ames试验(用TA1537、TA98和TA100三株菌.加与不加S-1)对其致突变活性进行了研究.并对有机致突变物在不同污染区、不同季节的变化规律及其来源进行了初步探讨.     

太湖水质时空分布特征及内源释放规律研究

将太湖 2 0 0 1～ 2 0 0 2年的水质监测数据与空间数据相结合 ,采用基于因子分析的主成分分析方法将太湖的水质参数概括为 5个主成分 ,提取并反证了湖泊水质各个主成分的科学内涵 ,分别为 :水体营养指数 (F1)、富营养化指数 (F2 )、水体溶解氧指数 (F3 )、水体色度指数 (F4)和水体酸碱指数 (F5 ) ;研究了各主成分的空间分布特征和随时间的变化规律 .在室内环形水槽内模拟了水动力条件下太湖底泥的起动规律 ,得到了太湖底泥在 3种不同起动标准 (个别动、少量动、普遍动 )下的起动流速 ,并利用泥沙起动的理论模型给予了验证 ,最后得出太湖底泥在 3种不同起动标准下的起动流速分别为 :3 7.9cm·s- 1 ,46 7cm·s- 1 ,5 9 8cm·s- 1 .通过考察上覆水中TN、TP浓度的变化 ,建立了底泥中TN、TP释放率与水体流速的定量化关系 .并将太湖水量水质的同步监测资料应用在数学模型中 ,解决了以往模型中底泥释放率取为常数的不足 ,取得了较好的效果     

零价铁（ZVI）去除Cu2+的特性及机制研究

研究了零价铁去除水溶液中铜离子的影响因素及动力学特性,并利用X射线衍射(XRD)分析对反应机制进行了探讨.结果表明,当溶液中Cu2+的浓度为300 mg/L,零价铁的用量为1 g/L时,Cu2+的去除率99%.Cu2+的去除速度很快,且反应前30min零价铁去除Cu2+的过程可以用一级反应动力学方程模拟.零价铁去除Cu2+的机制主要基于氧化还原反应,Cu2+的还原产物主要为Cu和Cu2O.     

薄膜扩散梯度技术在重金属生物有效态监测中的应用

重金属生物有效性是评估重金属元素迁移性、生物可利用性和生态影响的关键参数。薄膜扩散梯度技术(DGT)是一种原位被动采样技术,因其具有原位富集性、形态选择性,可提供被监测物质在监测时间段内的平均浓度等优点,可作为生物对重金属摄取的模拟替代物对环境介质中重金属的生物可利用度进行预测,已被广泛应用于环境介质中重金属生物有效性的测定。研究主要介绍了DGT技术的原理、组成和特点,评述了其近年来在水体、土壤、沉积物中重金属生物有效态应用方面的新进展,提出了DGT技术未来要提高抗生物污染能力及寻找可与DGT技术联用的相关技术的观点。     

聚(丙烯酸-co-丙烯酰胺)/膨润土/腐植酸钠三维网络凝胶吸附剂对Cd2+吸附性能研究

制备了一种聚(丙烯酸-co-丙烯酰胺)/膨润土/腐植酸钠三维网络凝胶吸附剂,重点考察了吸附剂对Cd2+吸附的pH依赖性、吸附动力学和吸附等温线.结果表明,Cd2+溶液pH值对吸附容量有较大影响.在pH=8、吸附时间30 min、Cd2+溶液初始浓度0.02 mol/L和吸附剂用量0.10 g的条件下,吸附剂对Cd2+的饱和吸附量可达294.7 mg/g.与膨润土相比,三维网络凝胶吸附剂具有更高的吸附容量和更快的吸附速率.