Biological impacts of ocean acidification: a postgraduate perspective on research priorities

Research into the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms has greatly increased during the past decade, as realization of the potential dramatic impacts has grown. Studies have revealed the multifarious responses of organisms to OA conditions, indicating a high level of intra- and interspecific variation in species’ ability to accommodate these alterations. If we are to provide policy makers with sound, scientific input regarding the expected consequences of OA, we need a broader understanding of these predicted changes. As a group of 20 multi-disciplinary postgraduate students from around the globe, with a study focus on OA, we are a strong representation of ‘next generation’ scientists in this field. In this unique cumulative paper, we review knowledge gaps in terms of assessing the biological impacts of OA, outlining directions for future research.     

The physiological and molecular responses of larvae from the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis exposed to near-future increases in temperature and pCO2

Given the threats of greenhouse gas emissions and a changing climate to marine ecosystems, there is an urgent need to better understand the response of not only adult corals, which are particularly sensitive to environmental changes, but also their larvae, whose mechanisms of acclimation to both temperature increases and ocean acidification are not well understood. Brooded larvae from the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis collected from Nanwan Bay, Southern Taiwan, were exposed to ambient or elevated temperature (25 or 29 °C) and pCO₂ (415 or 635 μatm) in a factorial experiment for 9 days, and a variety of physiological and molecular parameters were measured. Respiration and rubisco protein expression decreased in larvae exposed to elevated temperature, while those incubated at high pCO₂ were larger in size. Collectively, these findings highlight the complex metabolic and molecular responses of this life history stage and the need to integrate our understanding across multiple levels of biological organization. Our results also suggest that for this pocilloporid larval life stage, the impacts of elevated temperature are likely a greater threat under near-future predictions for climate change than ocean acidification.     

城市环境铂族金属分布特性及生态健康风险研究进展

随着铂族金属铂（Pt）、钯（Pd）、铑（Rh）被广泛应用于汽车尾气催化净化器中,这三种金属在自然界中的含量逐渐升高。越来越多的研究表明,这几种曾被认为对环境影响较小的金属的确会带来潜在的生态健康风险。本文概括了国内外城市各种环境介质的含量分布,重点分析了铂族金属的源解析方法、粒径分布特性、影响其排放的因素和其潜在的生态健康风险。就全世界的城市来看,灰尘、空气、土壤、沉积物等各种环境介质中铂族金属的含量均有显著提高,主要来源于汽车三元催化净化器。这三种金属倾向于富集在细颗粒中,行车模式是影响其排放量的重要因素,自然界的共存物质可增强它们的溶解性和迁移性,从而使它们的生物可利用性大大提高。生物体吸收这类金属后,可与体内的物质发生反应,形态发生变化,毒性增强。在以后的研究中,除了持续跟踪调查这三种金属在环境中的含量水平以外,还应加强研究这三种金属在环境中的颗粒分布、迁移转化、形态变换、生物可利用性以及生物毒性等,使我们能够更好地评估其生态健康风险,并为与之相关的应用研发、防范措施、政策制订提供引导和支持。     

武宁县森林扰动及驱动因子分析

森林扰动是影响陆地生态系统的重要因子,也是影响全球碳循环的重要因素.以江西省武宁县为例,利用1986-2011年14景Landsat TM/ETM+遥感影像,通过扰动指数(disturbance index,DI)时间序列轨迹分析提取森林扰动信息,并引入经验正交函数(empirical orthogonal function,EOF)分解方法定量分析了森林扰动的时空变化规律,利用GIS深入分析了自然和社会驱动因子影响.结果表明,武宁县森林扰动在1986-1998年较强,扰动面积以1992年为最大,以地区性扰动为主;2000年以后则趋于平缓,扰动以砍伐和森林火灾为主;在空间上,扰动主要发生在近道路、低海拔、低坡度和近水地区,并受地形和交通的制约,城镇化逐渐成为该地区森林扰动的一个不可忽略的驱动因子.     

Emission factors of gaseous carbonaceous species from residential combustion of coal and crop residue briquettes

Experiments were performed to measure the emission factors (EFs) of gaseous carbonaceous species, such as CO₂, CO, CH₄, and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), from the combustion of five types of coal of varying organic maturity and two types of biomass briquettes under residential burning conditions. Samples were collected in stainless steel canisters and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridges and were analyzed by GC-FID/MS and HPLC, respectively. The EFs from crop residue briquette burning were generally higher than those from coals, with the exception of CO₂. The dominant NMVOC species identified in coal smoke were carbonyls (41.7%), followed by C2 unsaturated hydrocarbons (29.1%) and aromatics (12.1%), while C2 unsaturated hydrocarbons were the dominant species (68.9%) emitted from the combustion of crop residue briquettes, followed by aromatics (14.4%). A comparison of burning normal crop residues in stoves and the open field indicated that briquettes emitted a larger proportion of ethene and acetylene. Both combustion efficiency and coal organic maturity had a significant impact on NMVOC EFs from burning coal: NMVOC emissions increased with increasing coal organic maturity but decreased as the combustion efficiency improved. Emissions from the combustion of crop residue briquettes from stoves occurred mainly during the smoldering process, with low combustion efficiency. Therefore, an improved stove design to allow higher combustion efficiency would be beneficial for reducing emissions of carbonaceous air pollutants.     

国产铝合金表面涂层体系在多因素综合加速试验条件下的老化规律研究

研究了一种国产新型铝合金表面防护体系在多因素协同加速试验条件下的表面性能变化规律。涂层在0.01 Hz处的阻抗模值由初始的1.88×10~9 Ω下降为2.04×10~7 Ω。经历5个周期的户内多因素综合加速试验的过程中,2A97铝合金表面涂层体系的防护效果呈持续下降趋势,但5周期后尚未完全失效。     

Contamination characteristics of trace metals in dust from different levels of roads of a heavily air-polluted city in north China

Concentrations of eight trace metals (TMs) in road dust (RD) (particles?<?25 μm) from urban areas of Xinxiang, China, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The geometric mean concentrations of Zn, Mn, Pb, As, Cu, Cr, Ni and Cd were 489, 350, 114, 101, 60.0, 39.7, 31.6, and 5.1 mg kg^?1, respectively. When compared with TM levels in background soil, the samples generally display elevated TM concentrations, except for Cr and Mn, and for Cd the enrichment value was 69.6. Spatial variations indicated TMs in RD from park path would have similar sources with main roads, collector streets and bypasses. Average daily exposure doses of the studied TMs were about three orders of magnitude higher for hand-to-mouth ingestion than dermal contact, and the exposure doses for children were 9.33 times higher than that for adults. The decreasing trend of calculated hazard indexes (HI) for the eight elements was As?>?Pb?>?Cr?>?Mn?>?Cd?>?Zn?>?Ni?>?Cu for both children and adults.     

草甘膦与镉复合胁迫对玉米幼苗抗氧化酶活性及光合作用的影响

为了探讨草甘膦(PMG)与重金属镉(Cd)复合胁迫对作物(玉米幼苗)生长的影响作用机制。通过温室盆栽试验,分别进行了不同浓度的PMG单一处理(浓度分别设计为0、1.25、2.5、5、10、20 mg·kg~(-1))和不同浓度的PMG(浓度分别为0、1.25、2.5、5、10、20 mg·kg~(-1))与浓度5 mg·kg~(-1)Cd2+的复合处理。采用分光光度法和连续激发式荧光仪分别对玉米幼苗抗氧化酶(过氧化物酶POD、过氧化氢酶CAT、超氧化物歧化酶SOD)、丙二醛(MDA)、叶绿素含量、荧光动力学曲线及相关参数进行了测定。结果表明,单一和复合胁迫分别在PMG浓度为1.25~5 mg·kg~(-1)、1.25~2.5 mg·kg~(-1)时,玉米幼苗通过增大抗氧化酶(SOD、POD、CAT)活性,清除积累过多的活性氧自由基,提高叶绿素含量的合成,加大光合作用速率,促进玉米幼苗的生长;单一和复合胁迫分别在PMG浓度为5~20 mg·kg~(-1)、2.5~20 mg·kg~(-1)时,由于玉米幼苗积累了过多的膜脂过氧化物,导致抗氧化系统损坏,阻碍叶绿素含量的合成,同时也损害了PSII的功能(MO、φPO、ΨO、φEO、φDO、ABS/RC、TRO/RC、ETO/RC、DIO/RC、PIABS),导致玉米幼苗光合作用受到抑制,阻碍幼苗的生长。研究表明,草甘膦单一胁迫和与重金属镉复合胁迫,对玉米幼苗酶活性及光合作用的影响,均随处理浓度的升高表现为双阶段性,低浓度促进,高浓度抑制;与同浓度的PMG单一处理相比,Cd2+的存在,加大了PMG单独存在时的损害作用,使得玉米幼苗对PMG胁迫的敏感浓度点从5 mg·kg~(-1)降低到2.5 mg·kg~(-1)。     

大气细颗粒物对小鼠T淋巴细胞亚群的影响

大气颗粒物对肺免疫系统有潜在毒性作用,打破免疫系统平衡,大气颗粒物成分中危害首当其冲的是大气细颗粒物(PM_(2.5)),为研究大气细颗粒物引起的机体T淋巴细胞中Th1/Th2免疫失衡方向。本研究通过免疫组化实验方法检测暴露后小鼠肺组织中T淋巴细胞的表达,进一步采用流式细胞术检测大气细颗粒物气管滴注后小鼠肺脏淋巴细胞中Th1/Th2比例。暴露组小鼠肺组织免疫组化研究结果提示浸润细胞区有大量的CD4~+T细胞,中高剂量暴露组小鼠肺组织中淋巴细胞亚群Th1/Th2比例向Th1偏移。大气细颗粒物影响免疫失衡,使T淋巴细胞向Th1漂移。     

The origin of high hydrocarbon groundwater in shallow Triassic aquifer in Northwest Guizhou,China

Original high hydrocarbon groundwater represents a kind of groundwater in which hydrocarbon concentration exceeds 0.05 mg/L. The original high hydrocarbon will significantly reduce the environment capacity of hydrocarbon and lead environmental problems. For the past 5 years, we have carried out for a long-term monitoring of groundwater in shallow Triassic aquifer in Northwest Guizhou, China. We found the concentration of petroleum hydrocarbon was always above 0.05 mg/L. The low-level anthropogenic contamination cannot produce high hydrocarbon groundwater in the area. By using hydrocarbon potential, geochemistry and biomarker characteristic in rocks and shallow groundwater, we carried out a comprehensive study in Dalongjing (DLJ) groundwater system to determine the hydrocarbon source. We found a simplex hydrogeology setting, high-level water–rock–hydrocarbon interaction and obviously original hydrocarbon groundwater in DLJ system. The concentration of petroleum hydrocarbon in shallow aquifer was found to increase with the strong water–rock interaction. Higher hydrocarbon potential was found in the upper of Guanling formation (T₂g³) and upper of Yongningzhen formation (T₁yn⁴). Heavily saturated carbon was observed from shallow groundwater, which presented similar distribution to those from rocks, especially from the deeper groundwater. These results indicated that the high concentrations of original hydrocarbon in groundwater could be due to the hydrocarbon release from corrosion and extraction out of strata over time.