Incorporating fragmentation and non‐native species into distribution models to inform fluvial fish conservation

Fluvial fishes face increased imperilment from anthropogenic activities, but the specific factors contributing most to range declines are often poorly understood. For example, the range of the fluvial‐specialist shoal bass (Micropterus cataractae) continues to decrease, yet how perceived threats have contributed to range loss is largely unknown. We used species distribution models to determine which factors contributed most to shoal bass range loss. We estimated a potential distribution based on natural abiotic factors and a series of currently occupied distributions that incorporated variables characterizing land cover, non‐native species, and river fragmentation intensity (no fragmentation, dams only, and dams and large impoundments). We allowed interspecific relationships between non‐native congeners and shoal bass to vary across fragmentation intensities. Results from the potential distribution model estimated shoal bass presence throughout much of their native basin, whereas models of currently occupied distribution showed that range loss increased as fragmentation intensified. Response curves from models of currently occupied distribution indicated a potential interaction between fragmentation intensity and the relationship between shoal bass and non‐native congeners, wherein non‐natives may be favored at the highest fragmentation intensity. Response curves also suggested that >100 km of interconnected, free‐flowing stream fragments were necessary to support shoal bass presence. Model evaluation, including an independent validation, suggested that models had favorable predictive and discriminative abilities. Similar approaches that use readily available, diverse, geospatial data sets may deliver insights into the biology and conservation needs of other fluvial species facing similar threats.     

如何推动地方落实13万个建制村的环境综合整治任务

随着我国财税体制改革步伐的不断加快,农村环境"以奖促治"政策的实施范围、推进方式、资金管理等发生了深刻变化,同时,一些地方农村环境综合整治又存在政府积极性不高、责任难以落实、环境成效较差的问题,如何推动地方落实《水污染防治行动计划》提出的,到2020年完成13万个建制村的环境综合整治任务,是现阶段我国农村环境综合整治面临的新形势。本文在准确把握当前农村环境综合整治形势下,提出了今后一个时期推进我国农村环境综合整治的工作思路,分别从严格目标考核、引入激励机制、建立长效机制和重视各方参与4个方面,提出了约束与激励相结合的农村环境保护措施,以期为新时期深化"以奖促治"政策、推进农村环境综合整治提供参考和借鉴。     

Changes in the quality of river water before, during and after a major flood event associated with a La Niña cycle and treatment for drinking purposes

The treatment of organics present in the lower reaches of a major river system（the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia） before（March–July 2010）, during（December 2010–May 2011） and after（April–December 2012） a major flood period was investigated. The flood period（over 6 months）occurred during an intense La Nia cycle, leading to rapid and high increases in river flows and organic loads in the river water. Dissolved organic carbon（DOC） increased（2–3 times） to high concentrations（up to 16 mg/L） and was found to correlate with river flow rates. The treatability of organics was studied using conventional jar tests with alum and an enhanced coagulation model（mEnCo）. Predicted mean alum dose rates（per mg DOC） were higher before（9.1 mg alum/mg DOC） and after（8.5 mg alum/mg DOC） than during the flood event（8.0 mg alum/mg DOC）,indicating differences in the character of the organics in raw waters. To assess the character of natural organic matter present in raw and treated waters, high performance size exclusion chromatography with UV and fluorescence detectors were used. During the flood period, high molecular weight UV absorbing compounds（〉2 kDa） were mostly detected in waters collected,but were not evident in waters collected before and afterwards. The relative abundances of humic-like and protein-like compounds during and following the flood period were also investigated and found to be of a higher molecular weight during the flood period. The treatability of the organics was found to vary over the three climate conditions investigated.     

大连英那河水库氮磷营养盐分析及富营养化评价

根据英那河水库2013年全年水质监测数据,分析该水库中总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)及叶绿素(Chl-a)等水质指标的季节性变化规律,并进行富营养化评价。结果表明:英那河水库TN和TP年均浓度分别为2.44 mg/L和0.015 mg/L,其中TN浓度超出《地表水环境质量标准》Ⅴ类标准,N/P值为110-602,水库为磷限制型水库;TN和Chl-a浓度随季节变化显著,TP浓度较小,无明显变化;富营养化评价表明,英那河水库为中营养,污染源主要为上游来水的氮源。     

Pitfalls in the application of utility functions to the valuation of human life

Safety strategies in the process and other industries depend ultimately on how much the owners and operators decide should be spent on protection systems to protect workers and the public from potential plant hazards. An important input to decisions of this sort is the value of life, which needs to be assessed in a valid manner so that safety decisions can be made properly. A key reference point for decisions on safety investment decisions in the UK is a 1999 study on the “value of a prevented fatality” (VPF), which employs a two-injury chained model that has been shown previously by the present authors to possess internal inconsistencies. The 1999 study made extensive use of utility functions to interpret survey data, and it is this feature that is explored in this paper. It will be explained here how different forms of utility function of the Exponential family can produce the same figure for an intermediate parameter in the calculation of the VPF from the two-injury chained model. Exponential utility functions are, however, unlikely to provide a realistic representation if their calculated risk-aversions need to be negative or zero in order to match survey data, which would imply an incautious attitude amongst those taking decisions on safety. The use of an incompletely specified wealth threshold in the utility modelling is explored in the light of a proposal by the authors of the 1999 study that a second utility function can be used to determine the individual's utility when his wealth lies below the threshold, which constitutes the lower limit of validity of the first utility function. The proposition is shown to be untenable. The results presented in this paper raise further concerns about the lack of validity of the 1999 study on which the UK VPF is based and hence on the safety decisions that have been made in consequence.     

淮河流域安徽段水体成组生物毒性评价

在淮河流域安徽段某区域采集了3个地表水样和12个地下水样,通过大型溞急性毒性(活动抑制)、微核及SOS/umu试验,分析了这些水样的急性毒性及遗传毒性。结果表明,急性毒性测试中,该区域地表水及大部分地下水的急性毒性均未超过US EPA废水排放毒性的控制要求(0.3 TU),有2个位点的地下水样毒性当量为0.31 TU,超过限值;经t-test分析,地表水的急性毒性显著高于地下水。SOS/umu检测中,2个地表水样和7个地下水样的结果呈阳性,表现出DNA损伤效应,其诱导率IR在(2.20±0.063)~(3.36±0.067)之间,对应的致癌风险P基本处在10-6~10-7水平。微核检测结果表明,3个地表水样具有较严重的染色体损伤效应,9个地下水样表现为阴性。总之,该区域地表水急性毒性及遗传毒性相对较高;部分浅层地下水也存在一定程度的急性毒性和遗传毒性,致癌风险处在可接受范围,但仍可能对周围居民的健康产生潜在威胁;而深层地下水没有检测到任何毒性效应。研究为周边居民饮水安全和人体健康提供了基础信息。     

Investing in climate change adaptation and mitigation: A methodological review of real-options studies

Uncertain future payoffs and irreversible costs characterize investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Under these conditions, it is relevant to analyze investment decisions in a real options framework, as this approach takes into account the economic value associated with investment time flexibility. In this paper, we provide an overview of the literature adopting a real option approach to analyze investment in climate change adaptation and mitigation, and examine how the uncertain impacts of climate change on the condition of the human environment, risk preferences, and strategic interactions among decisions-makers have been modeled. We found that the complex nature of uncertainties associated with climate change is typically only partially taken into account and that the analysis is usually limited to decisions taken by individual risk neutral profit maximizers. Our findings call for further research to fill the identified gaps.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01342-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

烟气组成对乙二胺合钴脱硝剂寿命的影响

在鼓泡反应器中考察了SO_2、CO_2的加入对乙二胺合钴体系脱硝的影响。结果表明:通入CO_2会导致脱硝率整体下降,CO_2竞争钴络合位点,在低CO_2浓度时生成碳酸盐络合物,并且其溶解转化消耗OH~-,阻碍了OH~-对NO_2络合物的再生,酸性的下降也使络合物稳定性降低。通入SO_2浓度越大,脱硝率和pH下降越快,pH降到7以下时络合物因解离而逐渐释放Co~(2+)和乙二胺,酸性条件下SO_2溶解产物与乙二胺的结合加速了络合物解离。在含SO_2混合气脱硝体系中不断补充少量乙二胺可使络合液原位再生。     

Evaluation of the clastogenicity of isoprothiolane and pyroquilon using the mouse micronuclei test

We estimated the clastogenicity of isoprothiolan (diisopropyl 1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidenemalonate) and pyroquilon (1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyrrolo [3.2.1-ij] quinolin-4-one), using an in vivo mouse peripheral blood micronuclei assay to measure their effects on gene toxicities. The present data showed that purified samples of isoprothiolane and pyroquilon were not clastogenic data in this assay, whereas the commercial compounds we purchased had demonstrated clastogenic reactions. Our study showed that we must evaluate the pesticides that have been purified in parallel with that of commercial products containing impurities that are used in the field.     

Variation with Land Use of Immune Function and Prevalence of Avian Pox in Galapagos Finches

Introduced disease has been implicated in recent wildlife extinctions and population declines worldwide. Both anthropogenic‐induced change and natural environmental features can affect pathogen spread. Furthermore, environmental disturbance can result in changes in stress physiology, nutrition, and social structure, which in turn can suppress immune system function. However, it remains unknown whether landscape variation results in heterogeneity in host resistance to pathogens. Avian pox virus, a pathogen implicated in avian declines and extinctions in Hawaii, was introduced to the Galapagos in the 1890s, and prevalence (total number of current infections) has increased recently in finches. We tested whether prevalence and recovery trends in 7 species of Galapagos finches varied by elevation or human land use. To do so, we used infection data obtained from 545 wild‐caught birds. In addition, we determined whether annual changes in 4 aspects of innate immune function (complement protein activity, natural antibody activity, concentration of PIT54 protein, and heterophil:lymphocyte ratio) varied by elevation or land use. Prevalence and recovery rates did not vary by elevation from 2008 to 2009. Avian pox prevalence and proportion of recovered individuals in undeveloped and urban areas did not change from 2008 to 2009. In agricultural areas, avian pox prevalence increased 8‐fold (from 2% to 17% of 234 individuals sampled) and proportion of recovered individuals increased (11% to 19%) from 2008 to 2009. These results suggest high disease‐related mortality. Variation in immune function across human land‐use types correlated with variation in both increased prevalence and susceptibility, which indicates changes in innate immune function may underlie changes in disease susceptibility. Our results suggest anthropogenic disturbance, in particular agricultural practices, may underlie immunological changes in host species that themselves contribute to pathogen emergence. Variación con el Uso de Suelo de la Función Inmune y la Prevalencia de la Varicela Aviar en Pinzones de las Galápagos