Presence of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) in Tap Water in Public Schools from Southern Brazil

Torque teno virus (TTV) was surveyed in tap water collected in schools from three municipalities located in the south of Brazil. TTV genomes were found in 11.7 % (4/34) of the samples. TTV DNA was detected in 10.5 % (2/19) of the samples collected at the city of Caxias do Sul and in 25 % (2/8) of the samples from Pelotas. Those cities have a low rate of sewage treatment. All samples from Santa Cruz do Sul, which has nearly 92 % of its sewage treated, were negative. These results suggest that the amount of sewage treated may have an effect on the detection rates of TTV DNA in drinking water in a given urban area, showing a mild negative correlation (r = ?0.76), when comparing the percentage of sewage treatment to the detection of TTV genomes. The detection rate of TTV was also compared with Escherichia coli, showing a strong correlation (r = 0.97), indicating that TTV may be a suitable marker of fecal contamination.     

三门峡库区河流湿地沉积物重金属赋存形态和风险评价

调查三门峡库区河流型湿地沉积物中重金属含量和赋存形态,通过污染指数评价沉积物生态潜在风险、表层重金属可交换态与碳酸盐结合态的质量分数评价其释放风险.结果表明,沉积物中重金属Cr、Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb含量分别为25.8～68.5、12.1～36.7、3.25～48.74、33.5～472.4、0.16～0.69和9.04～90.74 mg.kg-1.从三门峡库区上游至大坝坝前,沉积物重金属含量呈显著增加趋势.库区最大支流渭河入黄口下游沉积物中重金属Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd和Pb含量高于上游.典型污染支流宏农涧河河口沉积物重金属累积明显,极有可能是该区域矿业发展的工业废水排放所致.沉积物污染指数(SPI)平均值为3.11,介于1.83～7.39之间,渭河入黄口下游沉积物重金属污染程度明显增加,宏农涧河河口沉积物SPI=6.33,处于中度风险.污染河口表层沉积物重金属碳酸盐结合态和交换态所占金属总量的质量分数分别为Cd 63.8%～85.7%,Cu 6.58%～22.62%,Pb 10.6%～28.9%,Ni 1.56%～3.02%.支流污染物排放引起重金属累积,三门峡流域下游沉积物生态风险增加,河口表层重金属释放风险由大到小为Cd>Pb>Cu>Ni.此调查可为河流沉积物污染治理和原位修复提供了参考和依据.     

中国地区经济差距及其演化的产业变动因素

20世纪90年代以来中国地区经济差距扩大具有深刻的产业变动原因。以人均GDP为基本指标,通过对基尼系数进行产业分解和对泰尔指数进行地区分解,深刻分析了1990~2004年中国地区经济差距的动态变化、地区构成和产业构成,揭示了中国地区经济差距及其演变的产业结构变动与产业地区集中因素。结果表明,1990年以来中国地区经济差距的决定性因素是第二产业发展水平的地区差距,而非农产业向东部沿海地区的集中又是推动中国地区经济差距扩大的主导性因素。20世纪90年代以来,随着以制造业为主的非农产业向东部沿海地区集中,中西部地区逐渐沦落为以农业与采掘业为主的外围区域,中国的地区经济差距也由此持续扩大。基于此,认为缩小地区差距的关键是推进中西部地区制造业发展,缓解非农产业地区分布的不平衡状况。     

Insights into the role of age and social interactions on the sexual attractiveness of queens in an eusocial bee, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melipona flavolineata</Emphasis> (Apidae,Meliponini)

The attraction of sexual partners is a vital necessity among insects, and it involves conflict of interests and complex communication systems among male and female. In this study, we investigated the developing of sexual attractiveness in virgin queens (i.e., gynes) of Melipona flavolineata, an eusocial stingless bee. We followed the development of sexual attractiveness in 64 gynes, belonging to seven age classes (0, 3, 6, 9, 15, 18 days post-emergence), and we also evaluated the effect of different social interactions (such as competition between queens and interactions with workers) on the development of attractiveness in other 60 gynes. We used the number of males that tried to mate with a focal gyne as a representative variable of its sexual attractiveness. During the essays, each gyne was individually presented to 10 sexually mature males, and during 3 min, we counted the number of males that everted their genitalia in response to the presence of a gyne. Here, we show that M. flavolineata gynes are capable to (i) maintain their sexual attractiveness for long periods through adult life, (ii) they need a minimum social interaction to trigger the development of sexual attractiveness, and (iii) that gynes express this trait only within a social context. We conclude that the effective occurrence of matings is conditional on potential social interactions that gynes experienced before taking the nuptial flight, when they are still in the nest. These findings bring insights into the factors determining reproductive success in social insects.     

Safe caves and dangerous forests? Predation risk may contribute to salamander colonization of subterranean habitats

Recent studies suggest that many organisms actively colonize the subterranean environment to avoid climatic stress, exploit new ecological opportunities and reduce competition and predation. Terrestrial salamanders are known to colonize the more stable subterranean habitats mainly to escape external climatic extremes, while the role of predation avoidance remains untested. To better understand the importance of predation, we used clay models of the cave salamander Speleomantes strinatii to compare the predation occurring in woodland and subterranean habitats. Models were positioned in three forests and in three caves in NW Italy. One-hundred eighty-four models were retrieved from the field and 59 (32%) were attacked by predators. Models were attacked on their head more often than expected by chance and, therefore, were perceived by predators as real prey items. In the woodlands, clay models showed a four-time higher probability of being attacked in comparison to caves, suggesting a different level of potential predation risk in these surface habitats. These findings are one of the first experimental evidences that, in terrestrial ecosystems, predation avoidance may contribute to the salamander underground colonization process.     

Seasonality and microhabitat selection in a forest-dwelling salamander

Many small terrestrial vertebrates exhibit limited spatial movement and are considerably exposed to changes in local environmental variables. Among such vertebrates, amphibians at present experience a dramatic decline due to their limited resilience to environmental change. Since the local survival and abundance of amphibians is intrinsically related to the availability of shelters, conservation plans need to take microhabitat requirements into account. In order to gain insight into the terrestrial ecology of the spectacled salamander Salamandrina perspicillata and to identify appropriate forest management strategies, we investigated the salamander’s seasonal variability in habitat use of trees as shelters in relation to tree features (size, buttresses, basal holes) and environmental variables in a beech forest in Italy. We used the occupancy approach to assess tree suitability on a non-conventional spatial scale. Our approach provides fine-grained parameters of microhabitat suitability and elucidates many aspects of the salamander’s terrestrial ecology. Occupancy changed with the annual life cycle and was higher in autumn than in spring, when females were found closer to the stream in the study area. Salamanders showed a seasonal pattern regarding the trees they occupied and a clear preference for trees with a larger diameter and more burrows. With respect to forest management, we suggest maintaining a suitable number of trees with a trunk diameter exceeding 30 cm. A practice of selective logging along the banks of streams could help maintain an adequate quantity of the appropriate microhabitat. Furthermore, in areas with a presence of salamanders, a good forest management plan requires leaving an adequate buffer zone around streams, which should be wider in autumn than in spring.     

两种水生昆虫头宽与基于图像分析的大小参数关系性分析

对于水生昆虫及其它生物而言,大小是一个重要的功能性状,但是头宽的测量特别耗时和受人为因素影响.随着计算机技术的发展,基于图像分析技术(一种快速测量大小的策略)可获得传统方式难以获得的大小参数,明确这些大小参数与头宽的关系,对推动这些参数的应用具有重要意义.选择两种个体大小差异较大的蜉蝣(梧州蜉和光滑细蜉)作为研究对象,对其头宽与基于数字图像获得的面积,周长,最小矩形的长和宽,最适合椭圆的长轴和短轴和粒径等个体大小参数的相关性进行研究.数字图像采用改进后的描述仪扫描获取;图像分析基于ImageJ软件完成;基于二元直线回归和多元直线回归分析各参数之间的相关性.各种层次的回归分析结果均表明:基于图像分析获得的两种蜉蝣所有个体大小参数均与头宽大小呈极其显著的正相关性,其中面积的相关性最高.并且面积与其它大小参数相关性也极其显著,对个体大小具有较好的代表性.研究结果为推动数字图像分析技术应用在水生昆虫及其它生物的生物学和生态学研究中提供了技术支持和理论依据.     

Temporal and spatial trend analysis of surface water quality in the Doce River basin,Minas Gerais,Brazil

In Brazil, specifically in the Doce River basin, there is still a great lack of studies on temporal and spatial trends in water quality, since the water quality in the monitoring campaigns is basically evaluated when it comes down to the concentrations of monitored variables. In this sense, the objective of this work was to perform a temporal and spatial trend analysis of water quality data in the Minas Gerais portion of the Doce River basin, Brazil. For this, the Mann–Kendall, seasonal Mann–Kendall and Spearman correlation tests were used in the temporal analysis and the cluster analysis in the spatial analysis. In the analysis of temporal trends, the analyses were performed using the values of the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSFWQI) and the variables that compose it. In the analysis of spatial trends, the stations were evaluated only based on the WQI. With the results of the analysis of temporal trend, it was identified that most stations did not present a statistically significant trend for the WQI. In the stations that presented trends of quality reduction, most of them are in densely populated areas, demonstrating the strong influence of the poor sanitary conditions of the municipalities to the water quality of the basin. When analyzing the variables that compose the WQI, the results found for nitrate demonstrated that water quality deterioration is also affected by the diffuse pollution originating from farming areas. The results for Escherichia coli reinforced the impact of the discharge of domestic effluents and demonstrated the absence of a significative trend is still of concern because it can represent the maintenance of a degradation state in the water bodies. In the spatial trend analysis, the CA grouped the monitoring stations into six clusters based on their similarity among the WQI values, and, together with the results of the other analyses, it was verified that the Caratinga River basin (UGRH5 Caratinga) presented the highest degree of pollution. It was also possible to identify five stations that can be reallocated or deactivated since they have similarities with other stations located in the same watercourse.

     

Mg-Fe layered double hydroxide with chloride intercalated: synthesis,characterization and application for efficient nitrate removal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mg-Fe layered double hydroxide intercalated with chloride (Mg-Fe-Cl LDH) was synthetized, characterized, and evaluated as adsorbent to remove nitrate...     

Cadmium behavior in a karst environment hydrological cycle

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Karst regions are important water providers, supplying approximately 25% of the world population. These areas present higher vulnerability to...