Modelling above-ground herbage mass for a wide range of grassland community types

Whereas it is recognized that management of plant diversity can be the key to reconciling production and environmental aims, most grassland models are tailored for high-value grass species. We proposed to adapt a mono-specific grass model to take into account specific features of species-rich permanent grasslands, especially over the reproductive phase. To this end, we used the concept of plant functional type (PFT), i.e. the grouping of plant species according to plant traits determined by the response of plant species to different management practices (land use and fertilization) and characterizing of agronomic properties of the corresponding species. In the model, weather and nutrient availability act upon rates of biophysical processes (radiation capture and use, plant senescence). These rates are modified over times due to PFT-specific parameters determined experimentally which represent the different strategies of plant species regarding growth. The integration of these parameters into the model made it possible to predict herbage biomass accumulation rate under different management practices for a wide range of plant communities differing in their PFT composition. The model was evaluated in two steps, first by analyzing separately the effects of PFT and an indicator of nutrient availability on herbage accumulation and then by conducting a sensitivity analysis. It was validated using two independent datasets; a cutting experiment running over the whole growing season to examine the consistency of the model outputs under different cutting regimes, and a monitoring of meadows and pastures in spring over a whole growth cycle to assess the model’s ability to reproduce growth curves. Although a good fit was observed between the simulated and observed data, the few discrepancies noticed between field data and predicted values were attributed mainly to the potential presence of non-grass species. More specifically, we noticed that nutrient (mainly nitrogen) availability is the main driver of plant growth rate, and that PFT determines the times at which this rate changes in relation to the phenological characteristics of species present. We concluded that integration of the PFT concept into the initial mono-specific growth model is especially suited to evaluating the consequences of management practices on species-rich permanent grasslands to meet feed production targets.     

226Ra and 228Ra in scale and sludge samples and their correlation with the chemical composition

In order to contribute to a future waste management policy related to the presence of technologically enhanced natural occurring radioactive material (TENORM) in the Brazilian petroleum industry, the present work presents the chemical composition and the (226)Ra and (228)Ra content of sludge and scales generated during the offshore E and P petroleum activities in the Campos Basin, the primary offshore oil production region in Brazil. The (226)Ra and (228)Ra content on 36 sludge and scales samples were determined by gamma-spectrometry. Based on X-ray diffractometry results, a chemical analysis schema for these samples was developed. The results have shown that scales are 75% barium and strontium sulfates, with a mean (226)Ra and (228)Ra content of 106 kBq kg(-1) and 78 kBq kg(-1), respectively. On the other hand, sludge samples have a much more complex chemical composition than the scales. The (226)Ra and (228)Ra content in sludge also varies much more than the content observed in the scales samples and ranged from 0.36 to 367 kBq kg(-1) and 0.25 to 343 kBq kg(-1), respectively.     

Male Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) vary mate-searching behavior but not signaling behavior in response to spider silk

Finding and attracting mates can impose costs on males in terms of increased encounters with, and attraction of, predators. To decrease the likelihood of predation, males may modify mate-acquisition efforts in two main ways: they may reduce mate-searching efforts or they may reduce mate-attraction efforts. The specific behavior that males change in the presence of predator cues should depend upon the nature of risk imposed by the type of predator present in the environment. For example, sit-and-wait predators impose greater costs to males moving in search of mates. Here, we test whether cues of the presence of a sit-and-wait predator lead to a reduction in mate-searching but not mate-acquisition behavior. We used a member of the Enchenopa binotata complex of treehoppers—a clade of vibrationally communicating insects in which males fly in search of mates and produce mate-attraction signals when they land on plant stems. We tested for changes in mate-searching and signaling behaviors when silk from a web-building spider was present or absent. We found that males delayed flight when spider silk was present but only if they were actively searching for mates. These results suggest that males have been selected to reduce predation risk by adjusting how they move about their environment according to the cues of sit-and-wait predators.     

UV-vis光照下唑类抗菌药氟康唑的光化学反应类型

以唑类抗菌药氟康唑为模型化合物,考察了其在纯水中的光降解动力学和光化学反应类型,发现模拟日光(λ>290nm)照射下氟康唑未发生光解,在UV-vis(λ>200 nm)光照下,氟康唑发生了光降解并服从准一级反应动力学.采用活性氧物种猝灭实验和竞争动力学方法,研究发现氟康唑发生了直接光解和·OH参与的自敏化光解,氟康唑与.OH的反应速率常数为(5.95±0.58)×109L·(mol·s)-1,表层水体中相应的半减期为(32.41±3.16)h·通过鉴定光解产物,得知氟康唑发生了脱氟、光致水解、光氧化等光化学反应.     

淮北市煤炭开采与生态系统服务耦合度研究

为研究煤炭资源型城市煤炭开采与生态系统服务的耦合协调发展态势,以我国高潜水位煤炭资源型城市——淮北市为研究对象,在分析煤炭开采与生态系统服务耦合作用机理的基础上,采用基于灰色关联分析的关联度模型和耦合度模型,揭示了1990-2016年该地区煤炭开采与生态系统服务耦合度的时序变化规律.结果表明:①淮北市煤炭开采与生态系统服务两个系统指标间的关联度均在0.447 5~0.553 4之间,其中,煤炭开采对生态系统服务的胁迫作用主要是水资源破坏,而生态系统服务对煤炭开采的约束作用主要来自调节服务.②淮北市煤炭开采与生态系统服务耦合度表现为1990-1999年逐渐降低、2000-2008年不断升高、2009年之后又呈下降趋势,反映了该地区煤炭开采与生态系统之间的矛盾趋于缓和,出现了统筹协调发展的大好形势.研究显示,1990-2016年淮北市煤炭开采与生态系统服务总体上呈中等耦合态势,耦合度时序变化总体上呈"倒N"型变化特征,今后需继续推进资源型城市转型建设,加大生态治理力度,以保持统筹协调发展态势.      

亚南极潮间带生物体中PAHs组成特征及源解析

该研究在中国第27次南极科考(27th CHINARE)度夏期间(2009.11-2010.01)在长城湾潮间带采集了11种常见生物样品,通过GC-MS检测了生物体内的16种常见多环芳烃(polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,PAHs)的含量,根据检测数据分析亚南极地区海域潮间带生物群落中的PAHs在潮间带生物群落中的含量状况,初步探讨该地区PAHs的潜在来源。ΣPAHs为136.97~649.31(ng/g干重,下同),萘、菲、蒽、芴等低环芳烃所有生物样品均检出包括萘、菲、蒽、芴等常见低环芳烃,苯并芘(a)、茚苯(1,2,3-cd)芘、二苯并(a,h)蒽、苯并(g,h,i)芘少数样品苯并芘(a)、茚苯(1,2,3-cd)芘、二苯并(a,h)蒽、苯并(g,h,i)芘未检出,ΣPAHs为136.97~649.31(ng/g干重,下同),低环芳烃占57.45%~86.27%,Phe和Nap是最主要的2种PAHs。采用比值法分析该地区PAHs组成可知该地区PAHs主要来自柴油燃烧和柴油泄漏。对不同生物体内的16种多环芳烃组成比例进行比较,可以发现长城湾潮间带生物群落具有相似的PAHs组成比例。     

发光细菌法评价排污口污水中总有机污染物毒性

利用发光细菌发光原理,建立以明亮发光杆菌(photobacterium phosphoreum)T3变种作为毒性测试物种检测环境中总有机污染物毒性的方法,并用该方法评价环渤海排污口总有机物毒性分布状况。测试结果显示,建立的相关方程及相关性显著性检验P0.01,HgCl2 EC50值基本在0.10±0.02 mg/L范围内波动,指标符合方法规定要求,即发光菌监测排污口中总有机污染物毒性测试结果是准确可信的。用发光细菌法评价环渤海20个排污口,其中剧毒占10%,高毒占25%,重毒占5%,中毒占10%,低毒占50%。发光细菌法能客观、快速、准确地反映废水中总有机污染物毒性状况,该方法在水质监测总有机物毒性中有着广泛的应用前景。     

Differential aggregation of polystyrene and titanium dioxide nanoparticles under various salinity conditions and against multiple proteins types

The interaction of nanoplastics (NPls) and engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) with organic matter and environmental pollutants is particularly important. Therefore, their behavior should be investigated under the different salinity conditions, mimicking rivers and coastal environments, to understand this phenomenon in those areas. In this work, we analyzed the elementary characteristics of polystyrene-PS (unmodified surface and modified with amino or carboxyl groups) and titanium dioxide-TiO2 nanoparticles. The effect of salinity on their colloidal properties was studied too. Also, the interaction with different types of proteins (bovine serum albumin-BSA and tilapia proteins), as well as the formation of the BSA corona and its effect on the colloidal stability of nanoparticles, were evaluated. The morphology and dispersion of sizes were more uniform in unmodified-surface PS-NPs (70.5?±?13.7 nm) than in TiO2-NPs (131.2?±?125.6 nm). Likewise, Rama spectroscopy allowed recognizing peaks associated with the PS phenyl group aromatic ring in unmodified-surface PS-NPs (621, 1002, 1582, and 1602 cm^?1). For TiO2-NPs, the data suggest belonging to the tetragonal form, also known as rutile (445, 610 cm^?1). The elevation of salinity dose-dependently decreased NP colloid stability, with more significant variation in the PS-NPs compared to TiO2-NPs. The organic matter is also involved in this phenomenon, differentially as a function of time compared to its absence (unmodified-surface PS-NPs 30 psu/TOC 5 mgL^?1/24 h: 2876.6?±?378.03 nm; unmodified-surface PS-NPs 30 psu/24 h: 2133?±?49.57 nm). In general, the TiO2-NPs demonstrated greater affinity with all proteins tested (0.066 g/L). It was observed that morphology, size, and surface chemical modification intervene in a relevant way in the interaction of the nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin (unmodified-surface PS-NPs 298 K: 6.08E⁺⁰²; 310 K: 6.63E⁺⁰²; TiO2-NPs 298 K: 8.76E⁺⁰²; 310 K: 1.05E⁺⁰³ L mol^?1) and tilapia tissues proteins (from blood, gills, liver, and brain). Their morphology and size also determined the protein corona formation and the NPs’ agglomeration. These findings can provide references during knowledge transfer between NPls and ENPs.

     

Human disturbance and shifts in vertebrate community composition in a biodiversity hotspot

Understanding how human modification of the landscape shapes vertebrate community composition is vital to understanding the current status and future trajectory of wildlife. Using a participatory approach, we deployed the largest camera-trap network in Mesoamerica to date to investigate how anthropogenic disturbance shapes the occupancy and co-occurrence of terrestrial vertebrate species in a tropical biodiversity hotspot: the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. We estimated species richness in different categories of land protection with rarefaction analysis and estimated the expected occupancy with a joint species distribution model that included covariates for anthropogenic disturbance, land protection, habitat quality, and habitat availability. Areas with the most stringent land-use protections (e.g., Corcovado National Park, 24 species [95% CI 23–25]) harbored significantly more species than unprotected areas (20 species [19.7–20.3]), mainly due to a reduced presence of large-bodied species of conservation concern in unprotected areas (e.g., jaguar Panthera onca and white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari). Small-bodied generalist species, such as opossums (Didelphidae) and armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), in contrast, were more common at disturbed sites, resulting in a significant difference in vertebrate community composition between sites with low and high disturbance. Co-occurrence of species was also mainly associated with response to disturbance. Similar responses to disturbance create two groups of species, those whose site-level occupancy usually increased as anthropogenic disturbance increased and those whose estimated occupancy decreased. The absence of large-bodied species entails an important loss of ecological function in disturbed areas and can hinder forest development and maintenance. Efforts to protect and restore forested landscapes are likely having a positive effect on the abundance of some threatened species. These efforts, however, must be sustained and expanded to increase connectivity and ensure the long-term viability of the wildlife community.