Species phylogenetic relatedness, priority effects, and ecosystem functioning

Species immigration history can structure ecological communities through priority effects, which are often mediated by competition. As competition tends to be stronger between species with more similar niches, we hypothesize that species phylogenetic relatedness, under niche conservatism, may be a reasonable surrogate of niche similarity between species, and thus influence the strength of priority effects. We tested this hypothesis using a laboratory microcosm experiment in which we established bacterial species pools with different levels of phylogenetic relatedness and manipulated the immigration history of species from each pool into microcosms. Our results showed that strong priority effects, and hence multiple community states, only emerged for the species pool with the greatest phylogenetic relatedness. Community assembly also resulted in a significant positive relationship between bacterial phylogenetic diversity and ecosystem functions. Interestingly, these results emerged despite a lack of phylogenetic conservatism for most of the bacterial functional traits considered. Our results highlight the utility of phylogenetic information for understanding the structure and functioning of ecological communities, even when phylogenetically conserved functional traits are not identified or measured.     

Aesthetascs in Lysmata spp. shrimp: sexual dimorphism and relationship with social environments

Aesthetascs are the olfactory receptor organs responsible for mate recognition in many decapod crustacean species. The number of aesthetascs varies greatly among species in different environments, but the functional significance of this variation is poorly understood. This study examined the relationship between social environment and the number of aesthetascs in six species of caridean shrimp in the genus Lysmata. Generally, the number of aesthetascs was greater in group-living species (L. boggessi and L. wurdemanni) than in low-density (L. ankeri and L. pederseni) and pair-living species (L. amboinensis and L. debelius). Aesthetascs are innervated by olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). The total number of ORNs is related to the sensitivity of olfactory odor detection, and it was higher in group-living species than in pair-living species. Sexual dimorphism in the number of aesthetascs was present in L. boggessi, L. wurdemanni, and L. ankeri but not in L. pederseni and L. amboinensis.     

Interactions between mangroves and exotic Spartina in an anthropogenically disturbed estuary in southern China

Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) was introduced to China in 1979 from the United States for reducing coastal erosion. It grows vigorously in China and has spread over much of the Chinese coast, from Leizhou Peninsula to Liaoning, a range of more than 19 degrees of latitude. On the southern coast of China, S. alterniflora has invaded mangrove-dominated habitats during the last two decades, but little is known about interactions between native mangroves and invasive S. alterniflora. We studied the distribution and competitive interactions between native mangroves and S. alterniflora in the Zhangjiang Estuary at four tidal sites along a salinity gradient: oligohaline upstream, mesohaline, polyhaline, and euhaline downstream. S. alterniflora occurred at all four sites, and several mangrove species occurred at all but the downstream euhaline site. S. alterniflora has invaded the estuary widely and has spread to the lower tidal margins of mangroves. It has not invaded mangrove areas with a closed canopy but has established in the mangrove zone where the canopy was opened by human disturbance. Ramets of S. alterniflora transplanted into the understory of mangrove stands with closed canopies died within 10 weeks, but 37.5% survived and grew well on open mud flats. S. alterniflora had virtually no competitive effect on mangrove seedlings planted at the upstream oligohaline site. However, S. alterniflora competitively reduced biomass of mangrove seedlings to 33% over a period of 14 weeks at the mesohaline and polyhaline sites where human disturbance has opened the mangrove canopy. In contrast, S. alterniflora marginally facilitated growth and survival of experimental seedlings at the downstream euhaline site. In China, mangroves occur along the coastline south of Whenzhou, but they have been severely disturbed and removed widely, mainly by mariculture activities. Natural vegetation patterns and our experimental results suggest that, without intervention, S. alterniflora could gradually replace these mangroves in mid-salinity regions of Chinese estuaries.     

确定空气注射技术影响半径的现场试验——以北京某焦化厂为例

以北京某焦化厂地下水污染场地为例,设计和建立了一套由1口注射井、3口地下水监测井和5口土壤气监测井组成的现场试验系统,并进行了现场注气压力与流量测试,地下水压力响应测试,溶解氧测试,氦气示踪测试与土壤气测试,确定了试验区域的最佳注气压力与流量和影响半径.注气压力与流量测试确定了最佳注气压力与流量为0.03MPa, 23.2m3/h.在最佳注气条件下,地下水监测井G3、G5、G8中,水位分别在10,15,15min后上升到最大值0.36,0.11,0.04m,地下水溶解氧浓度分别在60,65,75min后增加到7.35、2.47、0.74mg/L,以上结果表明,G3和G5响应较明显,G8响应不明显.土壤气监测井S2、S4、S5中氦气浓度分别在10,7,6min后达到最大值83%、13%、41%,S6中氦气无检出;S2、S3、S4、S5、S6中O2浓度分别上升到19.9%、19.6%、19.2%、19.0%、16.6%,以上结果表明,S2~S5响应较明显,S6响应不明显.综合分析以上4种测试结果,确定试验区域的影响半径为5m.     

青岛大气气溶胶水溶性无机离子的粒径分布特征

为了解大气颗粒物中水溶性离子的来源及环境效应,利用安德森采样器连续采集青岛近海2008年1~12月大气颗粒物分级样品,用离子色谱法分析其中主要的水溶性离子,并讨论其粒径分布特征.结果表明, NH4+、K+、Cl-、NO3-、PO43-、SO42-主要存在于粒径小于2.1μm的细粒子中,Na+、Mg2+、Ca2+、F-则主要存在于粒径大于2.1μm的粗粒子中.各离子的粒径分布存在明显的季节变化.NH4+、K+和SO42-四季均主要分布于细粒子中,而Mg2+和Ca2+则主要分布在粗粒子中,两者均在3.3~4.7μm出现峰值;Na+在春、夏、秋3个季节主要存在于粗粒子中,集中分布在3.3~7.0μm粒径范围内,而在冬季则集中分布于0.43~1.1μm且细粒子含量高于粗粒子;春季Cl-在粗粒子中分布较多,尤以2.1~3.3μm范围内的最为突出,而其他3个季节均是细粒子比例明显偏高;NO3-春、夏两季在粗、细粒子中的含量各占50%,秋、冬季节均为细粒子占多数;PO43-夏季只出现在0.65~1.1μm以及>11μm的粒径范围内,粗粒子占95%,其他3个季节则是细粒子含量较高;春季F-在3.3~4.7μm出现峰值,夏季各粒径均未检出,而秋、冬两季粗、细粒子各占50%.K+、NH4+、F-、Cl-、NO3-、SO42-和PO43-受供暖期燃煤取暖的影响较大.K+和NH4+在供暖期和非供暖期峰值均出现在0.43~0.65μm粒径范围;F-供暖期在0.43~0.65μm和3.3~4.7μm粒径段出现峰值;供暖期Cl-的峰值出现在0.43~0.65μm粒径段,而在非供暖期,则出现在2.1~3.3μm的粗粒径段;SO42-和NO3-在供暖期和非供暖期的峰值均出现在0.43~0.65μm和3.3~4.7μm粒径段;供暖期PO43-的最大峰值出现在0.43~0.65μm粒径段,而在非供暖期其最大峰值出现在3.3~4.7μm粒径段.     

沙尘天气过程对北京空气质量的影响

利用气象、沙尘暴特种观测以及环境监测等多种资料,对2010年3月19─22日沙尘天气过程的大气结构、沙尘源地和垂直水平输送条件以及北京近地层气象要素、空气质量的变化特征进行了分析. 结果表明:这次强沙尘暴天气过程是由冷空气短波槽快速东移南下、地面冷锋明显发展东移造成的;前期沙尘源地土壤湿度的减小为起沙提供了有利条件,同时低层存在的较强西北气流将从源地卷起的沙尘输送到下游地区;沙尘发生时,20 m气层内风速迅速增大,气层内垂直方向风速梯度也逐渐增大,相对湿度急剧降至20%～30%之间;受这次沙尘天气影响,北京地区ρ(TSP)以及10个区县的ρ(PM10)均迅速增加,空气质量达到重污染.      

基于浮游生物群落变化的生态学基准值计算方法初探

基于浮游生物群落对环境压力变化的响应,参照美国国家环境保护局(US EPA)颁布的生物学基准计算方法,结合理化因子,采用综合指数法计算了我国太湖流域和辽河流域的生态学基准值.计算框架为:①确定流域水环境生态学基准参照点和生态学基准指标;②作出参照点各基准指标box分布图并进行评分;③将各生态学基准指标得分等权重相加,并把90分位数值作为该流域的基准值.结果表明:我国太湖流域夏、冬季的生态学基准值分别为94.7和86.7,辽河流域夏、冬季的生态学基准值分别为100.0和96.4.通过该基准值可较好地区分2009年辽河流域和太湖流域夏、冬季采样点位的生境优劣,这说明基于浮游生物群落变化来计算生态学基准值的方法是可行的.      

Blood concentrations of lead,cadmium, mercury and their association with biomarkers of DNA oxidative damage in preschool children living in an e-waste recycling area

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced DNA damage occurs in heavy metal exposure, but the simultaneous effect on DNA repair is unknown. We investigated the influence of co-exposure of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) on 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and human repair enzyme 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1) mRNA levels in exposed children to evaluate the imbalance of DNA damage and repair. Children within the age range of 3–6 years from a primitive electronic waste (e-waste) recycling town were chosen as participants to represent a heavy metal-exposed population. 8-OHdG in the children’s urine was assessed for heavy metal-induced oxidative effects, and the hOGG1 mRNA level in their blood represented the DNA repair ability of the children. Among the children surveyed, 88.14% (104/118) had a blood Pb level >5 μg/dL, 22.03% (26/118) had a blood Cd level >1 μg/dL, and 62.11% (59/95) had a blood Hg level >10 μg/dL. Having an e-waste workshop near the house was a risk factor contributing to high blood Pb (r _s  = 0.273, p < 0.01), while Cd and Hg exposure could have come from other contaminant sources. Preschool children of fathers who had a college or university education had significantly lower 8-OHdG levels (median 242.76 ng/g creatinine, range 154.62–407.79 ng/g creatinine) than did children of fathers who had less education (p = 0.035). However, we did not observe a significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of hOGG1 between the different variables. Compared with children having low lead exposure (quartile 1), the children with high Pb exposure (quartiles 2, 3, and 4) had significantly higher 8-OHdG levels (β _Q2 = 0.362, 95% CI 0.111–0.542; β _Q3 = 0.347, 95% CI 0.103–0.531; β _Q4 = 0.314, 95% CI 0.087–0.557). Associations between blood Hg levels and 8-OHdG were less apparent. Compared with low levels of blood Hg (quartile 1), elevated blood Hg levels (quartile 2) were associated with higher 8-OHdG levels (β _Q2 = 0.236, 95% CI 0.039–0.406). Compared with children having low lead exposure (quartile 1), the children with high Pb exposure (quartiles 2, 3, and 4) had significantly higher 8-OHdG levels.     

Stabilization of Cd-, Pb-, Cu- and Zn-contaminated calcareous agricultural soil using red mud: a field experiment

Red mud (RM) was used to remediate heavy metal-contaminated soils. Experiments with two different dosages of RM added to soils were carried out in this study. It was found that soil pH increased 0.3 and 0.5 unit with the dosage of 3 and 5% (wt%), respectively. At the dosage of 5%, the highest stabilization efficiencies for Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn reached 67.95, 64.21, 43.73 and 63.73%, respectively. The addition of RM obviously transferred Cd from the exchangeable fraction to the residual fraction. Meanwhile, in comparison with the control (no RM added), it reduced 24.38, 49.20, 19.42 and 8.89% of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in wheat grains at the RM addition dosage of 5%, respectively. At the same time, the yield of wheat grains increased 17.81 and 24.66% at the RM addition dosage of 3 and 5%, respectively. Finally, the addition of RM did not change the soil bacterial community. These results indicate that RM has a great potential in stabilizing heavy metals in calcareous agricultural soils.

     

Entomotoxic effect of silicon dioxide nanoparticles on Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) under laboratory conditions

The use of higher dosage and repeated applications of conventional pesticides have led to the rapid development of insect resistance to pesticide and adverse effects on human health and environment. Accordingly, researchers are prompted to identify an alternative entomotoxic agent for crop protection. Nanocides are being considered as alternatives to conventional insecticides because they are expected to lessen the application rate and reduce the chances of resistance development in pests. In this study, we evaluated the entomotoxic effects of nanosilica on larvae of Plutella xylostella, in a laboratory by using dust spray, larva dipping, leaf dipping, and solution spray methods. Dust treatment showed a more highly significant effect than the other three treatments. The mortality percentage increased up to 58% and 85% at 24 and 72 h after treatment, respectively, when nanosilica was applied at a rate of 1 mg cm^?2. In all four bioassays, mortality rate increased with both increased time after nanosilica exposure and increased concentration. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images showed that larval death was due to desiccation, body wall abrasion, and spiracle blockage. These results suggested that nanosilica can be an alternative to conventional pesticides if dust formulation would be properly used.