Proposed Conservation Landscape for Giant Pandas in the Minshan Mountains,China

Abstract: The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), is one of the world's most endangered species. Habitat loss and fragmentation have reduced its numbers, shrunk its distribution, and separated the population into isolated subpopulations. Such isolated, small populations are in danger of extinction due to random demographic factors and inbreeding. We used least‐cost modeling as a systematic approach to incorporate satellite imagery and data on ecological and behavioral parameters of the giant panda collected during more than 10 years of field research to design a conservation landscape for giant pandas in the Minshan Mountains. We identified 8 core habitats and 4 potential linkages that would link core habitats CH3, CH4, and CH5 with core habitats CH6, CH7, and CH8. Establishing and integrating the identified habitats with existing reserves would create an efficient reserve network for giant panda conservation. The core habitats had an average density of 4.9 pandas/100 km² and contained approximately 76.6% of the giant panda population. About 45% of the core habitat (3245.4 km²) existed outside the current nature reserves network. Total estimated core habitat decreased between 30.4 and 44.5% with the addition of residential areas and road networks factored into the model. A conservation area for giant panda in the Minshan Mountains should aim to ensure habitat retention and connectivity, improve dispersal potential of corridors, and maintain the evolutionary potential of giant pandas in the face of future environmental changes.     

Sex allocation in a monomorphic seabird with a single-egg clutch: test of the environment, mate quality, and female condition hypotheses

Sex allocation theory posits that mothers should preferentially invest in sons when environmental conditions are favorable for breeding, their mates are of high quality, or they are in good body condition. We tested these three hypotheses in rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), monomorphic seabirds that lay a single-egg clutch, in 2 years that differed in environmental conditions for breeding. Results supported the environment and mate quality hypotheses, but these effects were interactive: offspring sex was independent of paternal traits in the poor year for breeding, while females mated to larger and more ornamented males reared more sons in the better year. Conversely, offspring sex was unrelated to female condition, as indexed by hatching date. We propose that good rearing conditions enable females to rear sons possessing the desirable phenotypic attributes of their mates. Results also supported two critical assumptions of sex allocation theory: (1) dimorphism in offspring condition at independence: daughters fledged with higher baseline levels of corticosterone than sons and (2) differential costs of rearing sons versus daughters: mothers rearing sons when environmental conditions were poor completed parental care in poorer condition than mothers rearing daughters in the same year and mothers rearing either sex when conditions were better. These novel results may help to explain the disparate results of previous studies of avian sex allocation.     

Resource defense polygyny shifts to female defense polygyny over the course of the reproductive season of a Neotropical harvestman

Although studies classify the polygynous mating system of a given species into female defense polygyny (FDP) or resource defense polygyny (RDP), the boundary between these two categories is often slight. Males of some species may even shift between these two types of polygyny in response to temporal variation in social and environmental conditions. Here, we examine the mating system of the Neotropical harvestman Acutisoma proximum and, in order to assess if mate acquisition in males corresponds to FDP or RDP, we tested four contrasting predictions derived from the mating system theory. At the beginning of the reproductive season, males fight with other males for the possession of territories on the vegetation where females will later oviposit, as expected in RDP. Females present a marked preference for specific host plant species, and males establish their territories in areas where these host plants are specially abundant, which is also expected in RDP. Later in the reproductive season, males reduce their patrolling activity and focus on defending individual females that are ovipositing inside their territories, as what occurs in FDP. This is the first described case of an arachnid that exhibits a shift in mating system over the reproductive season, revealing that we should be cautious when defining the mating system of a species based on few observations concentrated in a brief period. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

开封市污灌区土壤重金属污染评价

通过分析污水灌溉在农业生产中的利弊及我国土壤的污染现状,运用内梅罗指数法及潜在生态危害指数法,分别参照国家土壤环境质量二级标准和土壤背景值对开封市污灌区土壤重金属污染状况进行了评价.结果表明,以二级标准为评价标准,评价结果为安全级别,以土壤背景值为评价标准,评价结果为轻度污染.但污灌区重金属含量明显超过清灌区重金属含量,Pb污染已达到中等污染水平,当地应采取有效措施以保护土壤免受污染.     

Thermochemical pretreatment of meat and bone meal and its effect on methane production

Since the solubilization of meat and bone meal (MBM) is a prerequisite in many MBM disposal approaches, enhancement of the solubilization by means of thermochemical pretreatment was investigated in this study at two temperatures (55°C and 131°C) and six sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 g/L). The MBM volatile solid (VS) reduction ratio was up to 66% and 70% at 55°C and 131°C, respectively. At the same temperature, the VS reduction ratio increased with the increase in the dosage of NaOH. The study on the methane (CH₄) production potential of pretreated MBM shows that the addition of NaOH at 55°C did not cause the inhibition of the succeeding CH₄ production process. However, CH₄ production was inhibited by the addition of NaOH at 131°C. The CH₄ production potential was in the range of 389 to 503 mL CH₄/g VS MBM and 464 to 555 mL CH₄/g VS MBM at 55°C and 131°C, respectively.     

聚合氯化铁絮凝处理低温低浊水的研究

通过聚合氯化铁(PFC)对高岭土悬浮颗粒的絮凝试验中浊度和Zeta电位的测试,发现低温时在相同的PFC投药量下随着碱化度(B)的增大,Zeta电位减小;在达到相同的浊度去除,低温时PFC的投加量要小于常温时,在相同的药剂投加量低温时Zeta电位要高于常温时;温度降低PFC水解和沉淀速度减小,使得PFC水解中间体更易与污染物反应,同时增强了电中和能力,减少了PFC的用量;温度的降低使得PFC的多核羟基络合物中间体水解程度减小而保持形态的时间延长,所以PFC比传统混凝剂FeCl3处理低温低浊水更有效。     

高级氧化技术去除水中碘代X射线造影剂研究进展

碘代X射线造影剂在医学上的大量使用导致其在水环境中普遍存在,对生态系统和人体健康构成巨大威胁.传统的污水处理技术对碘代X射线造影剂去除效果不佳,应用高级氧化技术去除水中碘代X射线造影剂成为研究热点.本文系统分析了水环境中碘代X射线造影剂的理化性质、来源、危害及污染现状.综述了声化学氧化、光催化、过硫酸盐活化、芬顿和电化...     

COD/SO42-对青霉素菌渣厌氧消化影响

针对抗生素菌渣厌氧消化过程SO_4~(2-)的抑制问题,利用批试实验对不同COD/SO_4~(2-)比青霉素菌渣厌氧消化产气潜能以及产酸相物质利用特性进行了研究.结果表明,COD/SO_4~(2-)≥3时,微生物发生了适应性驯化,产气潜能在发酵10 d后逐渐恢复,累积产甲烷量(以TS计)超过208 m L·g-1,超过71%的COD转化为CH4;COD/SO_4~(2-)≤1.5时,产甲烷分别受到49%及完全抑制,有机物及SO_4~(2-)的去除率分别不足17%和5%,表明较高SO_4~(2-)负荷下产甲烷菌(MPB)及硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)同时发生抑制,COD平衡分析表明,转化为CH4的COD不足9.1%,而还原为SO_4~(2-)的COD保持在5.0%~9.0%,说明MPB比SRB对S2-的抑制更为敏感;S平衡分析表明,还原的SO_4~(2-)大部分以S2-的形式存在于发酵液中,少部分以H2S的形式存在于生物气中;产酸过程物质利用特性分析表明,溶解性蛋白质的甲烷化是在溶解性碳水化物甲烷化之后才开始.     

企业风险分级管控和隐患排查治理双重预防体系构建研究

安全生产双重预防机制是我国在当前安全生产形势下防止事故发生的积极探索和重要手段,双重预防机制机理的本质是有效的风险控制。为给企业安全生产双重预防机制构建与实践工作提供理论指导,从固有风险和现实风险角度研究双重预防机制的科学机理,并基于系统建模理论和方法,分析归纳了企业双重预防机制体系设计的七大要素。然后,以有效的风险控制为核心,利用霍尔三维模型及应用RBS理论与方法,并融合一系列科学、有效、实用的管理方法和工具,构建了企业双重预防机制体系模型,以指导企业安全生产双重预防体系构建工作。     

Global and regional potential of wastewater as a water,nutrient and energy source

There is a proactive interest in recovering water, nutrients and energy from waste streams with the increase in municipal wastewater volumes and innovations in resource recovery. Based on the synthesis of wastewater data, this study provides insights into the global and regional “potential” of wastewater as water, nutrient and energy sources while acknowledging the limitations of current resource recovery opportunities and promoting efforts to fast-track high-efficiency returns. The study estimates suggest that, currently, 380 billion m³ (m³ = 1,000 L) of wastewater are produced annually across the world which is a volume five-fold the volume of water passing through Niagara Falls annually. Wastewater production globally is expected to increase by 24% by 2030 and 51% by 2050 over the current level. Among major nutrients, 16.6 Tg (Tg = million metric ton) of nitrogen are embedded in wastewater produced worldwide annually; phosphorus stands at 3.0 Tg and potassium at 6.3 Tg. The full nutrient recovery from wastewater would offset 13.4% of the global demand for these nutrients in agriculture. Beyond nutrient recovery and economic gains, there are critical environmental benefits, such as minimizing eutrophication. At the energy front, the energy embedded in wastewater would be enough to provide electricity to 158 million households. These estimates and projections are based on the maximum theoretical amounts of water, nutrients and energy that exist in the reported municipal wastewater produced worldwide annually. Supporting resource recovery from wastewater will need a step-wise approach to address a range of constraints to deliver a high rate of return in direct support of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6, 7 and 12, but also other Goals, including adaptation to climate change and efforts in advancing “net-zero” energy processes towards a green economy.