Effects of law enforcement and community outreach on mammal diversity in a biodiversity hotspot

Management activities such as law enforcement and community outreach are thought to affect conservation outcomes in protected areas, but their importance relative to intrinsic environmental characteristics of the parks and extrinsic human pressures surrounding the parks have not been explored. Furthermore, it is not clear which is more related to conservation outcomes—the management itself or local people's perceptions of the management. We measured objective (reports by park staff) and subjective (reports by local people) levels of community outreach and law enforcement based on responses to 374 questionnaires. We estimated mammal abundance and diversity of 6 protected areas based on data from 115 camera traps in Xishuangbanna, southwest China, a biodiversity hotspot with high hunting and land-conversion pressures. We then examined correlations among them and found that local people's perception of law enforcement was positively related to the local abundance of 2 large, hunted species, wild boar (Sus scrofa) (β = 15.22) and muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis) (β = 14.82), but not related to the abundance of smaller mammals or to objective levels of enforcement. The subjective frequency of outreach by park staff to local communities (β = 3.42) and park size (β = 3.28) were significantly and positively related to mammal species richness, whereas elevation, human population density, and subjective frequency of law enforcement were not. We could not conclude that community outreach and law enforcement were directly causing increased mammal abundance and diversity. Nevertheless, the patterns we detected are some of the first empirical evidence consistent with the idea that biodiversity in protected areas may be more positively and strongly related to local perceptions of the intensity of park management than to either intrinsic (e.g., elevation, park size) or extrinsic (e.g., human population density) environmental factors.     

Difference in the net value of ecological services between natural and artificial forests in China

Land degradation is a global problem that seriously threatens human society. However, in China and elsewhere, ecological restoration still largely relies on a traditional approach that focuses only on ecological factors and ignores socioeconomic factors. To improve the effectiveness of ecological restoration and maximize its economic and ecological benefits, a more efficient approach is needed that provides support for policy development and land management and thereby promotes environmental conservation. We devised a framework for assessing the value of ecosystem services that remain after subtracting costs, such as the opportunity costs, costs of forest protection, and costs for the people who are affected by the program; that is, the net value of ecosystem services (NVES). To understand the difference between the value of a resource and the net value of the ecosystem service it provides, we used data on VES, timber sales, and afforestation costs from China's massive national afforestation programs to calculate the net value of forest ecosystem services in China. Accounting for the abovementioned costs revealed an NVES of ¥6.1 × 10¹² for forests in 2014, which was 35.9% less than the value calculated without accounting for costs. As a result, the NVES associated with afforestation was 55.9% less than the NVES of natural forests. In some regions, NVES was negative because of the huge costs of human-made plantations, high evapotranspiration rates (thus, high water opportunity costs), and low forest survival rates. To maximize the ecological benefits of conservation, it is necessary to account for as many costs as possible so that management decisions can be based on NVES, thereby helping managers choose projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.     

镉对单环刺螠非特异性免疫及组织蓄积的影响

为探究镉(Cd)对海洋动物的毒性效应,考察了不同质量浓度(0.005、0.05和0.5 mg·L~(-1)) Cd处理对单环刺螠相关免疫生理指标及主要组织中Cd蓄积量的影响。结果表明:Cd胁迫下,血细胞密度(density of hemocyte, DHC)先升后降再升,酚氧化酶(phenoloxidase, PO)活力先升后降,溶菌酶(lysozyme, LSZ)活力先降后升再降,至处理96 h,处理组DHC均显著高于对照组(P0.05),总蛋白含量变化不显著;除低浓度胁迫组(0.005 mg·L~(-1))PO活力与对照组相近外,其他处理组的PO和LSZ活力均显著低于对照组(P0.05)。超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase, SOD)活力和丙二醛(malondialdehyde, MDA)含量总体呈上升趋势,过氧化氢(H_2O_2)含量先升后降再升,至胁迫96 h,各处理组SOD活力、MDA和H_2O_2含量均显著高于对照组(P0.05)。总之,Cd胁迫对单环刺螠非特异性免疫影响显著,Cd的短期胁迫可刺激DHC、PO和LSZ升高,免疫力增强,而高浓度Cd的胁迫时间较长会造成机体解毒能力下降,持续刺激机体产生过氧化反应,MDA含量升高,可作为单环刺螠在Cd长期胁迫下的免疫检测指标。不同胁迫浓度组单环刺螠肌肉和消化道中的Cd含量随胁迫时间均呈上升趋势,且存在显著的时间-剂量-效应关系(P0.05),其蓄积量水平为:消化道肌肉,具有组织特异性。     

南京地区污水厂、自来水厂及长江水域MCR-1和NDM-1携带菌耐药特征

为了研究以多粘菌素耐药基因(MCR-1)和新德里金属β-内酰胺酶-1基因(NDM-1)携带菌为代表的"超级细菌"在地表水中的环境行为,以长江南京段典型水域及邻近城市污水厂和自来水厂为研究对象,考察了MCR-1和NDM-1携带菌的耐药特性及其变化特征。结果发现,污水厂进水和生物处理单元2种细菌耐药能力均处于较高水平,随处理流程呈降低趋势,至消毒出水中不再被检出。长江中MCR-1携带菌耐粘菌素的半抑制浓度(EC50)较高,平均达37.89 mg·L-1,顺水流方向无显著降低。仅在下游朱家山河汇入口和长江大桥附近滨江公园检出较高耐药水平的NDM-1携带菌。2种细菌耐药水平受水体污染程度和人类活动影响较明显。自来水厂MCR-1携带菌数目较少,但其EC50平均可达32.75 mg·L~(-1),常规处理单元中未检出NDM-1携带菌。水处理工艺显著降低了细菌耐药水平,但排泥水中2种细菌均检出,且耐药水平相比进水显著提高。本研究可为评价水介质中超级抗性基因及其携带菌的环境风险提供参考。     

磷酸三苯酯(TPP)和磷酸三(2-氯异丙基)酯(TCPP)诱导人胚肾细胞HEK293凋亡的机制研究

磷系阻燃剂对人体的潜在毒性作用引起了国内外研究者的广泛关注。肾脏是机体重要的排毒器官,若肾脏细胞受损,可能影响肾脏功能的正常发挥。本研究以人胚肾细胞HEK293为研究对象,结合传统毒理学实验,筛选出磷酸三苯酯(TPP)及磷酸三(2-氯异丙基)酯(TCPP)诱导人胚肾细胞HEK293凋亡的关键靶标基因p53。在此基础上采用分子对接模拟和光谱法分析发现,TPP和TCPP分别以嵌插方式和沟槽方式结合p53-DNA,改变基因片段的框架结构,启动分子起始事件,通过影响相关基因(Bax、Hrk、Bcl-2和Bad)的表达量,导致线粒体途径释放cyt c,最终激活Caspase 7实现细胞凋亡。研究结果阐明了此类污染物诱导凋亡的作用机制,为毒害化学品的污染防控提供理论依据。     

乙草胺对蛋白核小球藻的毒性效应研究

乙草胺是我国使用量最大的除草剂之一,在水体中广泛存在。已有研究证明,乙草胺对人类、老鼠和鱼类具有毒害效应,而关于其对浮游植物影响的研究较少。以蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)为模型,使用1～10 000μg·L~(-1)的乙草胺对其进行7 d的暴露实验,考察小球藻生长性能、叶绿素含量、光合作用产氧量以及光合作用相关基因(pbsA、rbcL和rbcS)表达的变化。结果表明,较低浓度的乙草胺可刺激蛋白核小球藻生长,而较高浓度乙草胺则会抑制其生长;并且乙草胺会通过影响小球藻叶绿素的含量而影响光合作用产氧量;小球藻光合作用相关基因pbsA、rbcL和rbcS表达大多显著上升,这可能是对乙草胺胁迫响应的反馈调节。研究表明,乙草胺会对蛋白核小球藻的生长及光合作用产生影响。     

Effects of fluoride on growth and reproduction of the army worm, Mythimna separata (Walker)

This paper deals with effects of airborne fluorine on the army worm, Mythimna separata (Walker), by rearing the larvae on the wheat foliage exposed to HF or fumigating the larvae on the artificial diet with the pollutant. Larval relative growth rate (GR) and index of population trend of the insect reduced by 5% and 11%, respectively, when the larvae were reared on the foliage taken from the wheat plants exposed to 0.87 g·dm-2·day-1 of fluorine compared with those of the control. An extra instar appeared in a majority of the larvae treated. Survival rate and GR of the larvae on the wheat plant being exposure to the same concentration of fluorine in field open-top fumigation device were 40% and 15% lower than that of the control, respectively. Similar experiment with the insect on the artificial diet also showed that direct impact of the pollutant on the army worm was greater than its indirect effect via their host plant.     

松花江水系有机污染的现状

本文介绍了GC、GC/MS、HPLC方法在分析松花江水系有机污染物中的应用。GC/MS、HPLC所用水样在现场处理,而TLC、GC样品在实验室处理。冬夏两次取样,共检出152种有机化合物,其中主要有机污染物55种,PAH_3占19％,氯化物占14％,芳烃占13％,其它占54％。     

Oxidative removal of acetaminophen using zero valent aluminum-acid system: Efficacy, influencing factors, and reaction mechanism

Commercial available zero valent aluminum under air-equilibrated acidic conditions (ZVAl/H⁺/air system) demonstrated an excellent capacity to remove aqueous organic compounds. Acetaminophen (ACTM), the active ingredient of the over-the-counter drug Tylenol^®, is widely present in the aquatic environment and therefore the treatment of ACTM-contaminated water calls for further research. Herein we investigated the oxidative removal of ACTM by ZVAl/H⁺/air system and the reaction mechanism. In acidic solutions (pH < 3.5), ZVAl displayed an excellent capacity to remove ACTM. More than 99% of ACTM was eliminated within 16 hr in pH 1.5 reaction solutions initially containing 2.0 g/L aluminum and 2.0 mg/L ACTM at 25 ± 1\textcelsius. Higher temperature and lower pH facilitated ACTM removal. The addition of different iron species Fe⁰, Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ into ZVAl/H⁺/air system dramatically accelerated the reaction likely due to the enhancing transformation of H₂O₂ to HO. via Fenton's reaction. Furthermore, the primary intermediate hydroquinone and the anions formate, acetate and nitrate, were identified and a possible reaction scheme was proposed. This work suggested that ZVAl/H⁺/air system may be potentially employed to treat ACTM-contaminated water.     

Bioanalytical and instrumental analysis of estrogenic activities in drinking water sources from Yangtze River Delta

The estrogenic activities of source water from Yangtze River, Huaihe River, Taihu Lake and groundwater in Yangtze River Delta in the dry and wet season were determined by use of reporter gene assays based on African green monkey kidney (CV-1) cell lines. Higher estrogenic activities were observed in the dry season, and the estrogenic potentials in water samples from Taihu Lake were greater than other river basins. None of the samples from groundwater showed estrogen receptor (ER) agonist activity. The 17β-Estradiol (E2) equivalents (EEQs) of water samples in the dry season ranged from 9.41 × 10^?1 to 1.20 × 10¹ ng E2 L^?1. In the wet season, EEQs of all the water samples were below the detection limit as 9.00 × 10^?1 ng E2 L^?1 except for one sample from Huaihe River. The highest contribution of E2 was detected in Yangtze River as 99% of estrogenic activity. Nonylphenol (NP, 100% detection rate) and octylphenol (OP, 100% detection rate) might also be responsible for the estrogenic activities in water sources. Potential health risk induced by the estrogenic chemicals in source water may be posed to the residents through water drinking.