Phenanthrene degradation in soils co-inoculated with phenanthrene-degrading and biosurfactant-producing bacteria

Contaminant sorption within the soil matrix frequently limits biodegradation. However, contaminant bioavailability can be species-specific. This study investigated bioavailability of phenanthrene (PHE) to two PHE-degrading bacteria (Pseudomonas strain R and isolate P5-2) in the presence of rhamnolipid biosurfactant and/or a biosurfactant-producing bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027. Pseudomonas strain R mineralized more soil-sorbed PHE than strain P5-2, but in aqueous cultures the rate and extent of PHE mineralization by P5-2 exceeded that by P. strain R. In Fallsington sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquult) (high PHE-sorption capacity) the addition of rhamnolipid increased PHE mineralization by P. strain R. Phenanthrene mineralization in soils inoculated with P5-2 was minimal and no enhancement in PHE degradation was observed when biosurfactant was added. Co-inoculation of Fallsington sandy loam with the biosurfactant producer did not affect PHE mineralization by isolate P5-2, but significantly enhanced PHE mineralization by P. strain R. The enhancement of PHE mineralization could not be explained by P. aeruginosa-mediated PHE degradation. The addition of rhamnolipid at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) resulted in enhanced PHE release from test soils. These results suggest that the PHE-degrading strains were able to access different pools of PHE and that the biosurfactant-enhanced release of PHE from soils did not result in enhanced biodegradation. The results also demonstrated that bacteria with the catabolic potential to degrade sorbed hydrophobic contaminants could interact commensally with surfactant-producing strains by an unknown mechanism to hasten the biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Thus, understanding interactions among microbes may provide opportunities to further enhance biodegradation of soil-bound organic contaminants.     

《废铅蓄电池处理污染控制技术规范》(HJ 519-2020)解读及实施建议

为促进相关单位对《废铅蓄电池处理污染控制技术规范》(HJ 519-2020)中各条款的准确理解和执行,梳理了我国废铅蓄电池处理行业的污染排放现状,回顾了标准的编制历程,并结合2009版技术规范进行了比较和解读。新版技术规范的实施将推动再生铅企业开展技术改造,进一步提高涉铅危废污染防治水平,实现产业结构调整和优化升级。     

Conflict management between and within teams for trusting relationships and performance in China

Trusting relationships are increasingly considered vital for making teams productive. We propose that cooperative management of conflict can help team members to be convinced that their teammates are trustworthy. Results from 102 organizations in China support the theorizing that how teams to manage conflict with each other affects within‐team conflict management. Specifically, cooperative conflict between teams helps teams to manage their internal conflicts cooperatively that strengthens trust that in turn facilitates team performance. Results provide support for managing conflict cooperatively as a foundation for trusting, productive relationships in China as well as in the West. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating complementary networks of restoration plantings for landscape‐scale occurrence of temporally dynamic species

Multibillion dollar investments in land restoration make it critical that conservation goals are achieved cost‐effectively. Approaches developed for systematic conservation planning offer opportunities to evaluate landscape‐scale, temporally dynamic biodiversity outcomes from restoration and improve on traditional approaches that focus on the most species‐rich plantings. We investigated whether it is possible to apply a complementarity‐based approach to evaluate the extent to which an existing network of restoration plantings meets representation targets. Using a case study of woodland birds of conservation concern in southeastern Australia, we compared complementarity‐based selections of plantings based on temporally dynamic species occurrences with selections based on static species occurrences and selections based on ranking plantings by species richness. The dynamic complementarity approach, which incorporated species occurrences over 5 years, resulted in higher species occurrences and proportion of targets met compared with the static complementarity approach, in which species occurrences were taken at a single point in time. For equivalent cost, the dynamic complementarity approach also always resulted in higher average minimum percent occurrence of species maintained through time and a higher proportion of the bird community meeting representation targets compared with the species‐richness approach. Plantings selected under the complementarity approaches represented the full range of planting attributes, whereas those selected under the species‐richness approach were larger in size. Our results suggest that future restoration policy should not attempt to achieve all conservation goals within individual plantings, but should instead capitalize on restoration opportunities as they arise to achieve collective value of multiple plantings across the landscape. Networks of restoration plantings with complementary attributes of age, size, vegetation structure, and landscape context lead to considerably better outcomes than conventional restoration objectives of site‐scale species richness and are crucial for allocating restoration investment wisely to reach desired conservation goals.     

The swimming of bloodworms (Glycera spp.) at night,with comments on other species

Glycerid polychaetous annelids have been thought to have only limited migratory ability and to swim in the water column only for reproductive purposes. Nevertheless, adult Glycera dibranchiata were observed swimming in the upper 0.75 m of water in the Damariscotta River estuary, Maine, USA, on 5 nights in March of 1977. Of the 15 specimens collected with a dip net, 9 were females and 6 were males. None had ripe gametes. Worms weighed from 8.0 to 22.8 g, and were up to 42 cm in length. The presence of glycerids in buoyed and anchored nets fished at night in two other Maine estuaries lend support to the conclusion that the swimming of bloodworms at night is not an anomalous event. Twenty-four specimens of 5 other species of polychaetes and two specimens of a nemertean were collected from surface waters during 52 min of sampling on two nights in March. It is suggested that the swimming of worms at night in estuaries is a much more common phenomenon than was recognized heretofore.Contribution No. 103 of the Ira C. Darling Center, Walpole, Maine 04573, USA.     

Regional economic impacts of water management alternatives: the case of Devils Lake,North Dakota,USA

Devils Lake, located in a closed basin in northeastern North Dakota has over a century-long history of highly fluctuating water levels. The lake has risen nearly 25 feet (7.7 m) since 1993, more than doubling its surface area. Rising water levels have affected rural lands, transportation routes, and communities near the lake. In response to rising lake levels, Federal, state and local agencies have adopted a three-part approach to flood damage reduction, consisting of (1) upper basin water management to reduce the amount of water reaching the lake, (2) protection for structures and infrastructure if the lake continues to rise, and (3) developing an emergency outlet to release some lake water. The purpose of this study was to provide information about the net regional economic effects of a proposed emergency outlet for Devils Lake. An input-output model was used to estimate the regional economic effects of the outlet, under two scenarios: (1) the most likely future situation (MLS) and (2) a best case situation (BCS) (i.e., where the benefits from the outlet would be greatest), albeit an unlikely one. Regional economic effects of the outlet include effects on transportation (road and railroad construction), agriculture (land kept in production, returned to production sooner, or kept in production longer), residential relocations, and outlet construction expenditures. Effects are measured as changes in gross business volume (gross receipts) for various sectors, secondary employment, and local tax collections. The net regional economic effects of the proposed outlet would be relatively small, and consideration of these economic impacts would not strengthen the case for an outlet.     

Improving planning through interactive methodological research

The Hawaii Environmental Simulation Laboratory (HESL) was a three year experiment in improving governmental decision making by developing better research methodologies for use by public decision making bodies and community organizations. Funded through the University of Hawaii by the Ford Foundation (FF) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), HESL conducted its researchinteractively with the intended users of its products. This paper sets the HESL experiment in the context of recent trends in applying better methodology to environmental decision making and involving citizens in these decisions. It describes the HESL effort, and then draws conclusions about both the effectiveness of the experiment and the way it was conducted, providing information that may be useful in guiding university groups, public agencies, and community organizations pursuing similar objectives.     

An Evaluation of Bivalves as Biomonitors of Heavy Metals Pollution in Marine Waters

Heavy metals (namely Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Hg, Pb, Ni, and Ag) that are present at concentrations common in ambient marine waters can cause adverse effects in shellfish. Such effects can significantly impact the trophic structure of a biological community. Heavy metals uptake is dependent on both geochemical and biological factors. In bivalves, the extent of accumulation is a function of several biotic and abiotic variables. Based on several criteria, (including: an ability to accumulate metals without suffering mortality, habitation within, and continuous exposure to, the contaminated matrix, hardiness, and ease of sampling) bivalve molluscs have proven to be useful biomonitors for a host of inorganic contaminants. It is essential that the biomonitoring plan is not only site specific, but that it considers the use of indigenous species whenever possible. This paper will provide a general review of studies that have employed bivalved shellfish as sentinel bioindicators in marine environments impacted by heavy metals, and give suggestions for conducting biomonitoring assays.     

Social face for innovation in strategic alliances in China: the mediating roles of resource exchange and reflexivity

This study proposes that partners who communicate mutual respect to each other develop integrative interaction that is a foundation for innovation. Structural equation analysis suggests that reflecting upon and improving interaction between supplier and customer organizations can contribute to resource exchange between partners that results in innovation in supply chain partnerships. Results also indicate that the confirmation of social face is an important antecedent to these useful integrative interaction patterns. These findings were interpreted as reaffirming the value of relationships for making partnerships effective and that the constructive application of the value of social face can promote open discussion and innovation in China. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Indigenous perspective on ecosystem accounting: Challenges and opportunities revealed by an Australian case study

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) is widely promoted in environmental and economic policy and management. Unfortunately, the SEEA-EA has not substantively addressed the aspects of accounting that may be of interest to, or used by, Indigenous peoples. We investigate an Indigenous perspective on the potential of the SEEA-EA to support cultural and environmental management through collaborative workshops with managers of Nyamba Buru Yawuru, the Prescribed Body Corporate representing the Yawuru Traditional Owners in Western Australia. Our discussions highlight that while the SEEA-EA may be a valuable tool for empowering Indigenous people and supporting the management of their lands and seas, there are areas where the SEEA-EA needs to be broadened to better reflect cultural values, and the services to ecosystems provided by Indigenous peoples. Embedding Indigenous perspectives into the SEEA-EA would mean that it is of greater use to Indigenous peoples and their representative organisations and ensure that these values are better recognised in the policymaking of government.