Changes of polyamine levels in roots of Sagittaria sagittifolia L. under copper stress

Introduction

The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of Cu contamination on the above-mentioned biochemical and physiological parameters in order to explore possible prevention strategies against heavy metal stress.

Materials and methods

Effects of copper (Cu) on the roots of Sagittaria sagittifolia L. were studied after 10 days of treatment at five concentration levels. The accumulation of Cu, the generation rate of O₂ ^·?C, the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and polyamines, as well as the activities of arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and polyamine oxidase (PAO) in the roots were measured and analyzed.

Results and discussion

It was observed that endogenous Cu content increased in roots of S. sagittifolia L. in a concentration-dependent manner, along with an increased production of O₂ ^·?C. TBARS content increased progressively up to 5 ??mol l^?1 Cu. A constant increase in ADC activity was also observed. The results indicated that lower Cu concentrations (2.5 and 5 ??mol l^?1, respectively) had greater enhancing effect on the contents of free Put and perchloric acid-soluble conjugated (PS-conjugated) putrescine (Put), while Cu treatments at different concentration levels had similar enhancing effect on the content of perchloric acid-insoluble bound Put. In total, Put content in each Cu-treated group was higher than that in the control group. PAO activity was inhibited up to 10 ??mol l^?1 Cu but enhanced at higher Cu concentrations (20 and 40 ??mol l^?1). This explained the initial rise and subsequent decline of the contents of all forms of spermine (Spm), free and PS-conjugated spermidine (Spd). However, with the increase of Cu concentration, total Spm content increased gradually while total Spd content decreased. Our results suggest that Cu is phytotoxic to the roots of S. sagittifolia L. at high concentrations, and that the increased Spm level is not sufficient to resist Cu-induced oxidative damages.     

Effects of perfluorinated compounds on development of zebrafish embryos

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been widely used in industrial and consumer products and frequently detected in many environmental media. Potential reproductive effects of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) have been reported in mice, rats and water birds. PFOS and PFOA were also confirmed developing toxicants towards zebrafish embryos; however, the reported effect concentrations were contradictory. Polyfluorinated alkylated phosphate ester surfactants (including FC807) are precursor of PFOS and PFOA; however, there is no published information about the effects of FC807 and PFNA on zebrafish embryos. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effects of these four PFCs on zebrafish embryos. Normal fertilized zebrafish embryos were selected to be exposed to several concentrations of PFOA, PFNA, PFOS or FC807 in 24-well cell culture plates. A digital camera was used to image morphological anomalies of embryos with a stereomicroscope. Embryos were observed through matching up to 96-h post-fertilization (hpf) and rates of survival and abnormalities recorded. PFCs caused lethality in a concentration-dependent manner with potential toxicity in the order of PFOS > FC807 > PFNA > PFOA based on 72-h LC(50). Forty-eight-hour post-fertilization pericardial edema and 72- or 96-hpf spine crooked malformation were all observed. PFOA, PFNA, PFOS and FC807 all caused structural abnormalities using early stages of development of zebrafish. The PFCs all retarded the development of zebrafish embryos. The toxicity of the PFCs was related to the length of the PFC chain and functional groups.     

嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌对镉的吸附

利用从重金属镉污染地分离并纯化得到的1株嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌(Stenotrophomonas maltophilia)作为吸附剂,考察了镉初始浓度、菌浓度、吸附时间、温度及pH对镉吸附效果的影响.结果表明,在镉初始质量浓度为1.0 mg/L、30℃、pH为6～7条件下,菌质量浓度为2.0 g/L时,吸附120 min对镉...     

Influence of peatland and land cover distribution on fire regimes in insular Southeast Asia

Anthropogenic biomass burning in insular Southeast Asia facilitates conversion and degradation of ecosystems and emits high amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. We analyzed the influence of peat soil and land cover distribution on the occurrence and characteristics of vegetation fires. Two years of satellite-based active fire detections over Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java were examined together with land cover and peatland maps. Our results showed that fire occurrence nearly tripled (23,000 → 68,000) from a wet La Niña year (2008) to a drier El Niño year (2009). In both years, fires were concentrated in peatlands (in 2009 41% of fires vs. 10% of land area), and the majority of large-scale burning took place in peatlands. Variation in peatland land cover within the study area was noticed to create remarkable different fire regimes. Biomass burning in the intensely managed Sumatran peatlands was characterized by large-scale land clearance fires that took place annually to varying extent. The largely unmanaged degraded peatland ecosystems of Borneo, on the other hand, experienced very little fire activity in a wet year but were ravaged by large-scale wildfires when El Niño conditions arose. We conclude that fire regime characteristics in insular Southeast Asia are strongly connected to occurrence of peat soil and land management status. This leads to high variation of fire activity within this region both annually (depending on weather patters) and over longer time range (depending on land cover/management issues) and greatly complicates estimation of the effects of fires.     

Reprint of: Concentrations, distribution, and bioaccumulation of synthetic musks in the Haihe River of China

Seven typical synthetic musks (SMs) in the samples from the surface water, sediment and fish of the Haihe River were measured. The SM concentrations in the sediment and surface water of the Haihe River were significantly lower than those in the Dagu Drainage River and Chentaizi Drainage River (p < 0.05). Along the flow direction, the SM concentrations in surface water and sediment tended to increase from the upstream to the downstream of Dagu Drainage River. The Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of galaxolide (HHCB) and tonalide (AHTN) were calculated at high levels in the muscles of crucian carp, common carp, and silver carp. Most of the biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) for HHCB and AHTN were higher than 1.7, suggesting magnification possibly exist in the musk bioaccumulations of the three fishes in the Haihe River. No significant differences in HHCB/AHTN ratios were observed among the water, fish, and sediment samples (p > 0.05). However, the HHCB/AHTN values in the Haihe River were much lower than those in the Dagu Drainage River and Chentaizi Drainage River (p < 0.05). Compared with several typical persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the musk concentrations were higher or comparable in the Haihe River.     

Bioanalytical and instrumental analysis of thyroid hormone disrupting compounds in water sources along the Yangtze River

Thyroid hormone (TH) agonist and antagonist activities of water sources along the Yangtze River in China were surveyed by a green monkey kidney fibroblast (CV-1) cell-based TH reporter gene assay. Instrumental analysis was conducted to identify the responsible thyroid-active compounds. Instrumentally derived l-3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T₃) equivalents (T₃-EQs) and thyroid receptor (TR) antagonist activity equivalents referring to dibutyl phthalate (DBP-EQs) were calculated from the concentrations of individual congeners. The reporter gene assay demonstrated that three out of eleven water sources contained TR agonist activity equivalents (TR-EQs), ranging from 286 to 293 ng T₃/L. Anti-thyroid hormone activities were found in all water sources with the TR antagonist activity equivalents referring to DBP (Ant-TR-EQs), ranging from 51.5 to 555.3 μg/L. Comparisons of the equivalents from instrumental and biological assays suggested that high concentrations of DBP and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were responsible for the observed TR antagonist activities at some locations along the Yangtze River.     

基于网格划分的宜兴市区滨水区可达性评价

城市滨水区可达性不仅仅是空间距离的阻隔,还包括人们对滨水空间的需求及滨水区自身对公众的吸引力。依据潜能模型的概念,选取人口密度、滨水区综合质量和以土地利用表达的交通作为评价因子,借助ArcGIS93软件,建立了基于网格划分的滨水区可达性计算模型。该模型通过对研究区域进行等距网格划分以及定量计算网格内的人口密度、最小阻力成本和滨水区综合质量来进行滨水区可达性的定量评价。运用该模型评价了宜兴市中心城区居民至各滨水区的可达性水平,发现各滨水区平均可达性水平存在明显差异,最高的是团氿,最低的是蠡河;对每个滨水区而言,可达性从空间上均呈现出以滨水区为中心由内向外递减的趋势。评价结果可为城市滨水区合理建设格局的制定和居民享用滨水区的公平性提供决策参考     

基于MODIS的渍害田和正常农田遥感特性对比研究

渍害田在我国南方地区分布广泛,严重影响农业生产。以四湖流域洪湖地区为实验区,基于渍害田的物理及生态特性来探讨渍害田遥感识别特性。利用2002～2011年MODIS产品,辅以土壤图、土地覆被数据,对比分析了正常农田及渍害田在反照率、增强型植被指数（EVI）、地表夜温、地表温差和表观热惯量的时相差异;并结合相关研究成果加以解释和验证。结果表明：一年中大部分时段,正常农田的反照率、EVI、地表温差都大于渍害田,而地表夜温、表观热惯量都低于渍害田;各指标的多年平均值也具有类似差别;渍害田的EVI在6、7月份比正常农田高, 可能是由于渍害田在雨、热、肥条件同时良好时比正常农田生长的更快。研究结果可为进一步准确识别渍害田空间分布及其动态变化     

北京市人口老龄化的时空变化特征

人口老龄化现已成为当今主要的人口问题之一,并引起越来越多的关注,人口老龄化进程与老年人口空间分布特征研究是未来人口问题研究的一个重要分支.本文基于ESDA全局和局部空间自相关分析,利用北京市第四次和第五次人口普查数据以及1995和2005年1％人口抽样调查数据,对北京市县域尺度老龄人口分布总体和局部空间差异的变化趋势、特征进行了初步探索.结果表明,北京市老龄人口空间分布各区县差异较大,且呈现出明显的圈层结构特征,中心四城区老龄人口比重较高,近郊区老龄人口比重较全市平均水平低,远郊区老年人口比重又有所回升;同时,北京地区老年人口各区县的空间分布差异随着时间的推移而不断扩大,中心老城区呈现不断增强的集聚趋势,而远郊区的老年人口扩散效应明显大于集聚效应.     

保护地球环境

1972年联合国在瑞典的斯德哥尔摩召开了有113个国家参加的联合国人类环境会议。会议讨论了保护全球环境的行动计划,通过了《人类环境宣言》。会议建议联合国大会将这次会议开幕的6月5日定为“世界环境保护日”。同年10月联合国大会第27届会议接受并通过了这一建议。每年的6月5日,世界各国都开展群众性的环境保护宣传纪念活动,以唤起全世界人民都来注意保护人类赖以生存的环境,自觉采取行动参与环境保护的共同努力,同时要求各国政府和联合国系统为推进环境保护进程做出贡献。