Research Training for Releasable Animals

Abstract:  Restrictions on training potentially releasable animals such as those undergoing rehabilitation care or wild-caught captives have limited our understanding of sensory processes, cognition, and physiology important for conservation of species. It is common practice among several U.S. federal agencies to limit training of animals available for release. The behavioral argument justifying this practice is that training habituates subjects to people and conditions them to associate people with rewards such as food; habituation to and positive associations with people will lead animals into dangerous situations after their release. If under special circumstances research training is permitted, all trained behaviors must be extinguished before release because behaviors will transfer to the natural setting. Research on animal learning and memory indicates that these may not be accurate scenarios. A review of the literature on habituation, classical and instrumental conditioning, and compound conditioning suggests that learning within a research setting does not add to learning that already occurs in procedures associated with basic feeding and care. In fact, animals probably learn less about people in a training setting. Furthermore, context-specific effects on memory limit behavior transfer from captive to natural settings. Extinction is strongly susceptible to context effects, which suggests that extinction does not effectively transfer to the postrelease setting. Counterintuitively, extinction of responses to experimental stimuli under some circumstances may enhance undesirable learning about humans. Under those circumstances in which isolation from human contact is difficult or undesirable, behavioral research can present an ideal format for minimizing learning about humans and provide biological information important for conservation.     

The Influence of Anthropogenic Contamination On Metals Release From Coastal Sediment Suspensions with Aerated Sea Water

The zinc, cadmium, copper and lead release from the uncontaminated and contaminated coastal sediments with aerated sea water was studied. the metals transfer to the dissolved forms was monitored during one-two months by differential pulse anodic voltammetry (DPASV). the sediments with different initial degree of contamination were sampled in the Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan around Vladivostok-the biggest city in Russian Far East. Sediment contamination by metals led to increased release to solution of zinc due to sulphide oxidation and cadmium on account of organic matter decomposition. the copper behaviour was complicated by strong binding with organic matter and enhancements of copper release can only be seen in sediment with a low organic matter content. Significant lead transfer to dissolved forms was not observed regardless of sediment contamination. the temperature affected the release of cadmium and copper through enhanced organic matter destruction. the dissolved metal fluxes from the sediment transformation are compared with metal fluxes towards bottom. Such comparisons show that second contamination by dissolved metals of the studied coastal environment may be important for cadmium only.     

废物水泥窑共处置产品中重金属释放潜能表征研究

通过模拟煅烧试验制取水泥熟料,并采用国标GB/T17671—1999制取混凝土样品.选用酸解法,EA NEN7371和pH静态试验分别测定了混凝土中重金属的全量、有效量和在不同pH系列中的释放量,研究了废物水泥窑共处置产品环境安全性评价中重金属的释放潜能指标.结果表明,全量和有效量存在较大差异,但二者间的相关性因元素种类不同而有较大差别,Ni,Cd的全量和有效量间相关性较好,R2分别为0.989和0.994,而Cr,As和Pb基本不存在线性相关关系;pH静态试验中最大释放量与有效量较为接近,而与全量有较大差异;有效量是废物水泥窑共处置产品使用过程中表征其重金属释放潜能的较优指标.      

海河沉积物中磷释放的模拟研究

在实验室条件下,分别对海河沉积物中磷的释放量与沉积物磷形态分布的关系及好氧/厌氧条件,pH,温度,外源磷含量,微生物活动等环境因素对其的影响进行了模拟研究. 结果表明,微生物作用是影响海河沉积物中磷释放量的主要因素;厌氧条件下,磷从沉积物向水体的释放量远高于好氧条件下沉积物磷的释放量;温度升高有利于沉积物中磷的释放;酸性和碱性条件下沉积物磷的释放量略高于中性条件下沉积物磷的释放量;当上覆水磷含量较高时,沉积物中的磷呈“负释放"状态. 研究还显示,沉积物中不同形态的磷含量与沉积物磷释放量有不同程度的相关性,其中可交换态磷(NH₄Cl-P)和可还原态磷(BD-P)含量与沉积物磷的释放量高度相关(R2分别为0.99和0.84).      

固体气溶胶灭火剂的锥形量热仪分析

利用锥形量热仪对固体气溶胶灭火剂（EBM灭火剂）进行了研究。对于气溶灭火剂在燃烧过程中所产生的CO、CO2,以及烟比率、释放速率和耗氧状况作了定性及定量分析。证实燃烧过程中产生的CO、CO2及空气中氧含量对人体无害。     

太湖藻源性颗粒物降解过程中营养盐转化及其生态效应

以太湖水体中藻源性颗粒有机物作为切入点,研究了不同环境条件下(有光,无光)藻源性颗粒有机物降解过程中C,N,P等营养元素的形态变化过程,分析了藻源性颗粒有机物对水体营养盐循环和浮游植物生长中的作用.实验结果显示,蓝藻水华过程中,藻源性颗粒有机物最高可占水体总C,N,P比例的81.51%,94.60%,97.47%,是水体营养元素的重要组成部分;有光组颗粒物APA显著高于无光组,说明有光组中颗粒态P降解和转化速率显著高于无光组,但有光组水体中SRP浓度低于无光组,Chl-a浓度高于无光组,说明有光组中藻源性颗粒物降解的同时伴随着藻类的生长,颗粒物释放的SRP被浮游植物吸收并转化为生物量;光照对C,N,P的降解过程有明显影响,无光组颗粒物中C,N,P降解速率是有光组的2倍,可降解比例是有光组的(2.5±0.1)倍;实验中还发现前7d各元素的降解速率要高于之后的降解速率.综上,藻源性颗粒物营养盐总量大,生物可利用性高,降解迅速,且降解产物可被浮游植物吸收,是藻类生长和水华发生重要的营养盐来源.     

洱海湖滨带挺水植物残体腐解特征及其环境效应初探

采用试验模拟的方法,研究洱海4种主要挺水植物茭草(Zizania caduciflora)、香蒲(Typha latifolia)、水葱(Scirpus validus)和芦苇(Phragnites australis)在水体中的腐解特征. 结果表明:在21 d的腐解试验中,水葱腐解速率最快,茭草和香蒲其次,芦苇最慢; 挺水植物单位干物质TN释放量表现为水葱>茭草≈香蒲>芦苇,TP释放量表现为水葱>茭草>香蒲>芦苇; 4种植物TP释放率均高于TN,腐解出的TP进入水体的比例也明显高于TN. 水体中ρ(TN),ρ(TP)及ρ(COD_Cr)均在腐解初期(1～3 d)快速上升,pH和ρ(DO)快速下降; 随后,ρ(TN),ρ(TP)及ρ(COD_Cr)均缓慢下降,pH和ρ(DO)则缓慢回升. 结合洱海湖滨带挺水植物空间分布的调查结果,估算全湖湖滨带4种挺水植物中TN和TP的总质量分别为17.622和2.870 t,其中茭草和香蒲中的TN和TP分别占91%和95%,对茭草和香蒲进行适时、适宜的收割对改善湖滨带的水质具有重要的意义.      

北京六湖泊表层底泥磷吸附容量及潜在释放风险

利用沉积物磷吸附指数(PSI)和磷吸附饱和度(DPS)研究了北京前海(QH)、青年湖(QNH)、昆明湖(KMH)、紫竹院湖(ZZYH)、陶然亭湖(TRTH)、红领巾湖(HLJH)表层沉积物的磷吸附容量,分析了沉积物中磷的吸附饱和度(DPS)与其他指标的相关关系,并讨论了不同城市湖泊沉积物中磷的潜在释放风险.结果表明:6湖沉积物的PSI为14.9~83.3 (mg×L)/(100g·μmol),平均值为34.6 (mg×L)/(100g·μmol);DPS为7.97 %~50.5 %,平均值28.9 %,PSI与DPS显著负相关.PSI与草酸铵提取的磷、铝(Pox,Alox)含量均为显著负相关,草酸铵提取的铁(Feox)是影响PSI的主导因素.DPS与沉积物中草酸铵提取的磷(Pox)含量显著正相关,主要受沉积物中原有吸附态磷的影响.此外,磷释放风险指数(ERI)计算结果表明QH、QNH、ZZYH、TRTH中的表层沉积物磷潜在释放诱发富营养化的风险均为高度风险.     

太湖藻对水-沉积物界面磷交换过程的影响

采用太湖梅梁湾沉积物和上覆水,以及从太湖水体中分离出的水华优势蓝藻(铜绿微囊藻)和常见绿藻(月芽藻), 室内模拟研究了这2种藻对太湖梅梁湾沉积物磷交换过程的影响. 结果表明:藻种的不同显著影响磷在水-沉积物界面的交换过程. 在沉积物和上覆水灭活条件下,铜绿微囊藻能够显著增加沉积物磷的释放量,引起上覆水中可溶性磷酸盐的增加;而月芽藻的存在没有引起沉积物中磷的明显释放,上覆水中可溶性磷酸盐一直保持在很低水平. 在低磷浓度的水体中,藻类会被诱导产生碱性磷酸酶,分解大分子可溶性有机磷,以满足自身生长的需要. 沉积物中各形态磷存在明显的转化作用,其中铁磷和碱提有机磷含量明显下降,而钙磷和酸提有机磷含量则大幅增加.      

环境条件变化对土壤中稀土元素溶解释放的影响

以模拟污染红壤为实验材料,在pH值为3.5、5.5和7.5条件下,通过向土壤悬浊液中通入O2或N2改变氧化还原电位Eh为－100,0和400mV,研究了氧化还原电位和pH值对红壤中稀土元素La和Ce溶解释放的影响．结果表明,随着pH值或Eh的减小,La和Ce释放量逐渐增大,Ce受电位的影响较La更为明显．同时还观察到La和Ce的释放量与Fe、Mn的释放量呈显著正相关,表明La和Ce可能主要吸附在Fe－Mn氧化物表面或滞留在Fe－Mn氧化物中．实验还发现,pH值和氧化还原电位的改变会影响红壤中La和Ce形态的变化,分离后沉淀物中的交换态和Fe－Mn氧化物结合态稀土随pH值或氧化还原电位的减小而减小．多元相关逐步回归分析表明．红壤中La和Ce两种元素的释放主要来自交换态和Pe－Mn氧化物结合态．