Global distribution of a key trophic guild contrasts with common latitudinal diversity patterns

Most hypotheses explaining the general gradient of higher diversity toward the equator are implicit or explicit about greater species packing in the tropics. However, global patterns of diversity within guilds, including trophic guilds (i.e., groups of organisms that use similar food resources), are poorly known. We explored global diversity patterns of a key trophic guild in stream ecosystems, the detritivore shredders. This was motivated by the fundamental ecological role of shredders as decomposers of leaf litter and by some records pointing to low shredder diversity and abundance in the tropics, which contrasts with diversity patterns of most major taxa for which broad-scale latitudinal patterns haven been examined. Given this evidence, we hypothesized that shredders are more abundant and diverse in temperate than in tropical streams, and that this pattern is related to the higher temperatures and lower availability of high-quality leaf litter in the tropics. Our comprehensive global survey (129 stream sites from 14 regions on six continents) corroborated the expected latitudinal pattern and showed that shredder distribution (abundance, diversity and assemblage composition) was explained by a combination of factors, including water temperature (some taxa were restricted to cool waters) and biogeography (some taxa were more diverse in particular biogeographic realms). In contrast to our hypothesis, shredder diversity was unrelated to leaf toughness, but it was inversely related to litter diversity. Our findings markedly contrast with global trends of diversity for most taxa, and with the general rule of higher consumer diversity at higher levels of resource diversity. Moreover, they highlight the emerging role of temperature in understanding global patterns of diversity, which is of great relevance in the face of projected global warming.     

A century of increasing pine density and associated shifts in understory plant strategies

We analyzed one of the longest-term ecological data sets to evaluate how forest overstory structure is related to herbaceous understory plant strategies in a ponderosa pine forest. Eighty-two permanent 1-m2 chart quadrats that were established as early as 1912 were remeasured in 2007. We reconstructed historical forest structure using dendrochronological techniques. Ponderosa pine basal area increased from an average of 4 m2/ha in the early 1900s to 29 m2/ha in 2007. Understory plant foliar cover declined by 21%, species richness declined by two species per square meter, and functional diversity also declined. The relative cover of C4 graminoids decreased by 18% and C3 graminoids increased by 19%. Herbaceous plant species with low leaf and fine root nitrogen concentrations, low specific leaf area, high leaf dry matter content, large seed mass, low specific root length, short maximum height, and early flowering date increased in relative abundance in sites where pine basal area increased the most. Overall, we observed a long-term shift in composition toward more conservative shade- and stress-tolerant herbaceous species. Our analysis of temporal changes in plant strategies provides a general framework for evaluating compositional and functional changes in terrestrial plant communities.     

Freeze survival of the cyanobacteria Microcoleus chthonoplastes without cryoprotector

A Microcoleus chthonoplastes strain SC7B9002-1 isolated from microbial mats in tidal channels from San Carlos, Baja California Sur, Mexico was subjected to short- (15 days) and long-term (2 years) conservation assays in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C) using cryoprotective agents, such as 5% DMSO, 20% PVP-40, and 20% glycerol. Survival rate, chlorophyll a, protein, and nucleic acids content were observed in each case. Interesting growth and a significant increase in protein content was observed when no cryoprotectant was used during liquid nitrogen immersion. In the absence of a cryoprotectant, M. chthonoplastes lost their typical shape resembled spheroplasts, and recovery cultivation times after freezing were 5 and 25 days (short and long-term, respectively). Recovery from long-term preservation with 5% DMSO took 15 days. PVP and glycerol did not allow recovery of viable cells. The survival of M. chthonoplastes to freezing without cryoprotectant and the adaptive mechanisms that allow surviving under freezing conditions are discussed.     

Bioluminescent yeast estrogen assay (BLYES) as a sensitive tool to monitor surface and drinking water for estrogenicity

Estrogenic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are a concern due to their ubiquity and recognized adverse effects to humans and wildlife. Methods to assess exposure to and associated risks of their presence in aquatic environment are still under development. The aim of this work is to assess estrogenicity of raw and treated waters with different degrees of pollution. Chemical analyses of selected EDCs were performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and estrogenic activity was evaluated using in vitro bioluminescent yeast estrogen assay (BLYES). Most raw water samples (18/20) presented at least one EDC and 16 rendered positive in BLYES. When EDCs were detected, the bioassay usually provided a positive response, except when only bisphenol A was detected at low concentrations. The highest values of estrogenic activity were detected in the most polluted sites. The maximum estrogenic activity observed was 8.7 ng equiv. of E2 L(-1). We compared potencies observed in the bioassay to the relative potency of target compounds and their concentrations failed to fully explain the biological response. This indicates that bioassay is more sensitive than the chemical approach either detecting estrogenic target compounds at lower concentrations, other non-target compounds or even synergistic effects, which should be considered on further investigations. We have not detected either estrogenic activity or estrogenic compounds in drinking water. BLYES showed good sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.1 ng equiv. E2 L(-1) and it seems to be a suitable tool for water monitoring.     

An innovative statistical approach for analysing non-continuous variables in environmental monitoring: assessing temporal trends of TBT pollution

The current work presents an innovative statistical approach to model ordinal variables in environmental monitoring studies. An ordinal variable has values that can only be compared as "less", "equal" or "greater" and it is not possible to have information about the size of the difference between two particular values. The example of ordinal variable under this study is the vas deferens sequence (VDS) used in imposex (superimposition of male sexual characters onto prosobranch females) field assessment programmes for monitoring tributyltin (TBT) pollution. The statistical methodology presented here is the ordered logit regression model. It assumes that the VDS is an ordinal variable whose values match up a process of imposex development that can be considered continuous in both biological and statistical senses and can be described by a latent non-observable continuous variable. This model was applied to the case study of Nucella lapillus imposex monitoring surveys conducted in the Portuguese coast between 2003 and 2008 to evaluate the temporal evolution of TBT pollution in this country. In order to produce more reliable conclusions, the proposed model includes covariates that may influence the imposex response besides TBT (e.g. the shell size). The model also provides an analysis of the environmental risk associated to TBT pollution by estimating the probability of the occurrence of females with VDS ≥ 2 in each year, according to OSPAR criteria. We consider that the proposed application of this statistical methodology has a great potential in environmental monitoring whenever there is the need to model variables that can only be assessed through an ordinal scale of values.     

Modeling of the denitrification/anaerobic digestion process of salmon fishery wastewater in a biofilm tubular reactor

The literature has paid scarce attention to the modeling of the denitrification-anaerobic digestion process in packed bed biofilm tubular reactors used to treat wastewater. The present study obtained a steady-state model for industrial salmon fishery wastewater treatment in a biofilm tubular reactor, including pH as a variable and the effect of biomass on hydrolysis. The axial profile of the reactor components and process efficiency were predicted with deviations below 6%. The optimal operating zone for the process was found at hydraulic retention time (HRT)>1.5d and inlet protein concentration (S(prot,0))<3000 mgTOCL(-1). Based on our results, we concluded that the removal of organic matter and nitrogen compounds depended mainly on HRT. The effluent pH was mainly affected by the C/N ratio, where a decrease increases pH. Organic matter removal was related with the anaerobic digestion process, while denitrification influenced mostly nitrate and nitrite removal.     

Can fear of going to jail reduce the number of road fatalities? The Spanish experience

The goal of this article is to evaluate the impact of the drastic Spanish Penal Code reform on the number of road deaths in Spain and the time that the effects might last. This is achieved by means of multivariate unobserved component models set up in a state space framework estimated using maximum likelihood. In short, with this reform Spain might be considered to be closing the final gap that kept it apart from other developed countries as far as the road accident rate is concerned. We have found two different types of effects on Spanish road traffic fatalities. Initially, a month before the reform was passed there was a 24.7 percent fall in Spanish road deaths. After the Bill had been passed and for the following thirteen months, the reduction stayed at a constant sixteen percent. This reform has reduced Spanish road fatalities by 534 in all between November 2007 and December 2008 and the effects will foreseeably continue during 2009.     

基于转录组分析不同食物水平对海月水母水螅体无性繁殖的影响

为研究食物水平对海月水母螅状体无性繁殖能力及转录水平调控的影响,本文对不同食物水平培养下（F1组:25个卤虫/组/2天;F2组:250个卤虫/组/2天;F3组:1000个卤虫/组/2天）海月水母螅状体进行转录组分析,筛选差异表达基因,研究差异基因的富集通路,探讨了海月水母繁殖策略的分子机制。结果表明,15 ℃下匍匐茎出芽生殖是海月水母最主要的无性繁殖方式。食物水平越高,螅状体产生的子代个体（螅状体及碟状体）数量越多。转录组分析结果显示,F1组与F2组相比共有331个基因的表达水平呈显著性差异;F3组与F2组相比共有168个基因呈显著性差异。差异基因主要富集到两条与细胞生长、增殖、分化等相关的信号通路,分别为丝裂原活化蛋白激酶信号通路（mitogen-activated protein kinase, MAPK）和细胞周期信号通路（cell cycle）。随着食物水平升高,上述两条信号通路所涉及差异基因的表达对于海月水母无性繁殖均有促进作用。本研究结果有助于进一步认识海月水母无性繁殖的分子机制,为海月水母暴发的机理研究提供参考。     

超期服役的导弹发射装药贮存安全性试验评估

目的研究超期服役的某型导弹发射装药是否满足安全贮存使用要求,结合性能试验准确评估装药的贮存安全性。方法通过分析发射装药性能老化与失效可能引发的安全风险,构建装药贮存安全性评估参数体系。在此基础上,对贮存14 a与5 a的发射装药分别进行结构完整性、力学性能、热安定性、易损性等贮存安全性相关试验。结果通过试验结果与数据分析,获取了对应的评估参数,贮存14 a与5 a的装药性能相比,装药总体结构安全系数由3.85降至2.86。在相同试验温度下,抗拉强度、抗压强度和抗冲击强度的最大降低幅度分别为18.35%、14.05%、7.85%,装药安定剂含量由98%降至93%,摩擦感度与撞击感度分别增高33.28%、36.77%,据此综合评估了发射装药的贮存安全性。结论超期服役的某型导弹发射装药贮存安全性仍满足技术标准要求,装药经过长期贮存后,力学性能和热安定性的劣化程度较小,结构完整性与易损性对应参数变化较大,表明装药的使用安全性明显下降。     

Conservation overstretch and long-term decline of wildlife and tourism in the Central African savannas

When in 2010 the world's governments pledged to increase protected area coverage to 17% of the world's land surface, several Central African countries had already set aside 25% of their northern savannas for conservation. To evaluate the effectiveness of this commitment, we analyzed the results of 68 multispecies surveys conducted in the seven main savanna national parks in Central Africa (1960–2017). We also assembled information on potential drivers of large herbivore population trends (rainfall and number of rangers) and on tourist numbers and revenues. In six out of the seven parks, wild large herbivore populations declined dramatically over time, livestock numbers increased severalfold, and tourism, the pillar under a once thriving local wildlife industry, collapsed. Zakouma National Park (Chad) stood out because its large herbivore populations increased, an increase that was positively correlated with rainfall and number of rangers (a proxy for management inputs). With increasing insecurity and declining revenues, governments find themselves confronted with too few resources to protect vast areas. To deal with this conversation overstretch, we propose to extend the repeatedly promoted solutions––scaled up funding, enhanced management––with a strategic retreat, focusing scarce resources on smaller areas to save wildlife in the Central African savannas.