A new Dasypodini armadillo (Xenarthra: Cingulata) from San Gregorio Formation,Pliocene of Venezuela: affinities and biogeographic interpretations

We describe Pliodasypus vergelianus gen. et sp. nov., a Dasypodini armadillo from the middle Pliocene of Venezuela (Vergel Member, San Gregorio Formation). Although scarce, the remains are remarkable because of their geochronologic proximity to the main phase of Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI). The cladistic analysis conducted reveals that Pliodasypus groups with Dasypus and both are sister taxa of Propraopus, whereas Anadasypus is at a basal position. With respect to the records of tribe Dasypodini, after its oldest representative (Anadasypus, middle and late Miocene), the chronologically subsequent form is Pl. vergelianus (middle Pliocene), followed by Dasypus bellus in higher northern latitudes (late Pliocene), and then by widespread occurrences in the Pleistocene of North America (D. bellus) and South America (Propraopus, Dasypus punctatus, and Dasypus novemcinctus). Thus, we infer that Dasypus differentiated in the late Pliocene at low latitudes in the northern South America. It leads to two alternative hypotheses of dispersal: (a) some early Dasypus remained cryptically in South America until the Pleistocene, whereas others dispersed to North America between 2.2 and 2.7 Ma, or (b) they dispersed to North America subsequently to the emersion of the Panamanian isthmus and D. bellus differentiated there; later, during the Pleistocene, D. bellus entered South America and experienced speciation. The same process of re-ingression has been proposed to other xenarthrans, breaking with the traditional assumption that the GABI was unidirectional.     

Distribution and dietary regulation of an associated facultative Rhizobiales-related bacterium in the omnivorous giant tropical ant,Paraponera clavata

We document a facultative Bartonella-like Rhizobiales bacterium in the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata. In a lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, 59 colonies were assayed for the prevalence of the Bartonella-like bacterium (BLB), 14 of which were positive. We addressed three questions: First, how does the prevalence of BLB within colonies vary with environmental conditions? Second, how does diet affect the prevalence of BLB in P. clavata? Third, how does the distribution of BLB among colonies reflect ambient differences in food resources and foraging habits? A variety of environmental variables that may be predictive of the presence of BLB were measured, and diet manipulations were conducted to test whether the prevalence of BLB responded to supplemental carbohydrate or prey. The ambient frequency of BLB is much higher in young secondary forests, but is nearly absent from older secondary forests. The prevalence of BLB inside field colonies increased over the duration of a 2-week carbohydrate supplementation; however, water and prey supplementation did not alter the prevalence of BLB. The diets of the colonies located in young secondary forest, compared to other habitats, have a diet richer in carbohydrates and lower in prey. The abundance of carbohydrate, or the relative lack of N, in a colony’s diet influences the occurrence of the BLB microbe in P. clavata. As experimental diet manipulations can affect the facultative presence of an N-cycling microbe, a consistent diet shift in diet may facilitate the emergence of tighter symbioses.     

降解纤维素产甲烷的四菌复合系

自然环境中通常是微生物群落协同完成纤维素的降解,构建可降解纤维素的混菌体系是认识微生物相互作用的关键.利用富集培养法,结合变性梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE)指纹检测技术以及厌氧滚管技术,建立了一种筛选简单降解纤维素产甲烷复合菌系的方法.利用此方法从青藏高原若尔盖高寒湿地分离到一个由4株菌构成的降解纤维素产甲烷的稳定菌系.结果表明,该复合菌系由纤维素水解菌Clostridium glycolicum、非纤维素水解菌Trichococcus flocculiformis和Parabacteroides merdae、产甲烷古菌Methanobacterium subterraneum等具有不同功能的4种菌株组成,且在这4株菌的共同作用下可将纤维素直接转化为CH4.该简单复合系的获得为今后纤维素转化甲烷复合菌系的代谢控制和遗传改造提供了一个平台.     

基于棕地的居民小区土壤重金属健康风险评价

以河南省某市不同类型的棕地居民小区为研究对象,采集土壤样品,测定重金属(As、Hg、Cd、Pb)含量,采用美国环境保护署(US EPA)推荐的健康风险模型对其展开健康风险评价.结果表明,棕地居民小区土壤重金属含量和健康风险比原棕地有了明显改善,但均高于非棕地居民小区;各小区土壤重金属的HQ和HI均小于1,不存在非致癌健康风险;CR和TCR略超过US EPA推荐的土壤治理标准,但低于一些专家所提出的宽松标准,存在致癌风险的可能;儿童4种重金属的HI大于成人,约相当于成人的7倍左右.HQAs对HI的贡献率在75%左右,CRAs对TCR的贡献率在80%左右,As是最主要的非致癌和致癌风险因子.     

三峡水库消落区土壤、植物汞释放及其在斑马鱼体的富集特征

利用室内模拟试验,探讨了三峡水库消落区淹没后土壤、植物汞释放特征及其在斑马鱼体的富集水平.结果表明,随淹水时间的延长,淹没土壤中总汞(THg)含量下降;水体THg浓度总体明显升高.淹没土壤及水体中甲基汞(MMHg)含量总体明显上升,其中稗草+土壤处理水体中增加尤为明显,淹水21 d后,其浓度是土壤处理的2.52倍.表明消落区土壤、植物是水库水体汞的一个重要来源.供试稗草淹水分解造成水体pH及溶解氧(DO)含量下降、溶解性有机碳(DOC)含量上升,对土壤MMHg含量无明显影响,对水体MMHg影响较大.供试斑马鱼头部、内脏及肌肉中THg含量总体明显上升,与水体中THg浓度具有显著相关性(P<0.01).鱼体头部、内脏及肌肉中均出现不同程度的MMHg富集现象,以头部与肌肉最为明显.淹水21 d后,添加土壤处理的鱼体头部、内脏及肌肉MMHg增加的含量分别是对照的1.75~6.25、3.53~8.38、2.22~3.36倍;稗草+土壤处理的分别是土壤处理的3.57、2.37、1.52倍.可见,淹没土壤是鱼体MMHg增加的重要来源,淹没植物改变原水环境条件影响其向水体释汞过程能提高鱼体中MMHg含量.     

生物活性炭投加量对垃圾渗滤液处理效果的影响

试验对比了不同生物活性炭(biological activated carbon,BAC)投加量对垃圾渗滤液去除COD效果的影响.每升活性污泥中活性炭投加量为0、100、300 g的反应器处理垃圾渗滤液100个周期平均COD去除率分别为12.9%、19.6%、27.7%,表明BAC可以去除部分难降解有机物,并且COD去除率与投加量呈正相关关系.曝气8 h反应器中二氧化碳(CO2)产生量依次为109、193、306 mg,表明生物分解量也与投加量呈正相关关系.分析认为COD去除率与投加量的正相关关系是由于吸附与生物再生的共同作用导致,生物再生是BAC能够生物分解难降解有机物的根本原因.     

热强化气相抽提对不同质地土壤中苯去除的影响

研究应用电阻加热强化气相抽提技术对砂土、壤土和黏土中苯去除效果的影响及作用机制.与常规抽提结果相比,在热强化处理作用下气相抽提对砂土和壤土中苯的去除效率提高了13.1%和12.3%,处理时间分别降低75%和14%.热强化处理使得黏土含水率下降,土壤渗透率升高,黏土颗粒表面羧基和乙基的吸收峰消失,有机质含量减少,苯的去除效率与对照相比提高了34%.对于砂土和壤土,热强化主要是通过促进苯在土体中扩散来提高去除效率,从而实现在较短时间内污染物质的大量去除;而对于黏土则是通过降低土壤颗粒表面有机基团的含量,从而降低污染物和土壤颗粒的吸附能力,并通过降低含水率和升高渗透率从而提高土壤中气体的扩散性能,以达到增强气相抽提效果的目的.     

茶叶基水合氧化铁吸附水体中Pb(Ⅱ)的性能

采用原位沉积技术将水合氧化铁(HFO)负载于废弃茶叶渣表面制备了复合材料茶叶基水合氧化铁(HFO-TW),研究了HFO-TW对水溶液中Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附特性,探讨了溶液pH值、时间、共存碱土离子、温度、Pb(Ⅱ)初始浓度等因素对Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附效果的影响.结果表明酸性范围内,Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附量随溶液pH升高而增大;Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附速度较快,100 min内便可达吸附平衡,且动力学曲线较好地符合伪一级和伪二级动力学模型,拟合系数可达98.8%;在竞争离子Ca(Ⅱ)/Mg(Ⅱ)的浓度高于Pb(Ⅱ)50倍时,HFO-TW对Pb(Ⅱ)仍具有较强的吸附能力,Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附量仅分别下降12.1 mg·g-1和8.1 mg·g-1;Pb(Ⅱ)的吸附过程较好地符合Langmuir等温模型,理论最大吸附容量为89.43 mg·g-1,远高于未经改性的茶叶渣和其他生物吸附剂.所有结果均证实HFO-TW在净化实际铅污染水体中有着较为广阔的应用潜力.     

改性活性碳纤维电芬顿降解苯酚废水性能研究

采用微波改性、硝酸改性、磷酸改性及氨水改性等方法改性活性碳纤维(ACF-0),依次标记为ACF-1、ACF-2、ACF-3和ACF-4.以改性前后的活性碳纤维为阴极,电芬顿催化处理苯酚模拟废水,考察不同的改性方法对H2O2生成量、COD去除率、苯酚去除率及其中间产物的影响.结果表明,微波改性活性碳纤维的吸附性能及电催化活性最优,相比未改性活性碳纤维,经微波或酸碱改性后的活性碳纤维反应体系中,H2O2生成量均有所增加.苯酚在各电芬顿催化体系中的去除率大小依次是:ACF-1>ACF-3>ACF-4>ACF-2>ACF-0;COD去除率大小依次是:ACF-1>ACF-4>ACF-3>ACF-2>ACF-0,说明微波及酸碱改性有利于提高活性碳纤维的催化性能.此外,苯酚降解中间产物的生成也会受到改性方法的影响.     

颗粒直链藻水华生消对婆罗异剑水蚤（桡足类）种群动态的影响

近年来,国内外学者对湖库型水华的发生机理和生态效应都做了大量研究,但有关水华生消对浮游动物群落结构影响的研究还很少.因此,本研究利用两个室外水泥池在中等尺度上考察了颗粒直链藻水华生消过程对婆罗异剑水蚤(桡足类)种群动态的影响,以及后者摄食对水华生消的下行调控作用.结果发现,颗粒直链藻水华发展迅速,仅5 d时间叶绿素浓度就从(21.24±0.75)μg·L-1上升到(240.34±11.00)μg·L-1;随后水华进入快速消退期,3 d后叶绿素a浓度下降到(53.63±0.47)μg·L-1.婆罗异剑水蚤的摄食压力对颗粒直链藻水华具有明显的抑制作用,水华生消期间含有婆罗异剑水蚤的藻液叶绿素a浓度比对照组低20μg·L-1左右,最大差异为26.08μg·L-1.期间婆罗异剑水蚤的丰度也由接入时的(56.50±4.32)ind·L-1增加到(142.11±6.35)ind·L-1,增加了1.5倍.该研究结果表明,在无鱼类摄食压力情况下,颗粒直链水华的爆发和消亡对婆罗异剑水蚤的生长和繁殖没有负面影响,反而促进了其种群数量的增加,这可能是由于水华期间为其提供了充足的饵料供应.