海河流域河流生态系统健康评价

随着经济发展,人类活动对河流生态系统的胁迫日益强烈,生态系统健康状况受到严重威胁.本研究以海河流域2010年73个采样点的水质、营养盐和底栖动物指标为例,采用指标体系法,从化学完整性和生物完整性两方面评价了流域内河流生态系统健康.结果表明,海河流域河流生态系统健康状况整体较差,有72.6%的样点处于"极差"健康状态,同时表现出明显的地区集聚效应;河流水质与人类活动强度密切相关;海河流域水体富营养化趋势明显;流域内底栖动物多样性低,清洁物种较少.氨氮、总氮、总磷等营养盐指标是影响河流生态系统健康的关键因子,应从控制上述指标入手,遏制海河流域河流生态系统健康恶化.对于河流生态系统健康评价,多因子的综合评价法优于单因子评价法.     

底栖藻对水丝蚓生物扰动效应的抑制研究

霍甫水丝蚓(Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri)是富营养化湖泊中的底栖动物优势种,通过生物扰动可以提高水体营养盐浓度,并促进浮游植物生长.富营养浅水湖泊经生态修复后,水体透明度会得到改善,有利于底栖藻快速生长,从而降低水体营养盐水平.那么,底栖藻能否抑制水丝蚓对富营养水体水质的不良影响?为此,本文开展了双因素(底栖藻和水丝蚓)的室外受控实验,结果表明:在无底栖藻处理中,水丝蚓显著提高了水体总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)、总溶解磷(TDP)和叶绿素a(Chl-a)浓度,同时显著降低水体溶解氧(DO)浓度;而在有底栖藻处理中,水丝蚓对水体TP、DO及Chl-a浓度的影响不显著.研究结果表明,水丝蚓的生物扰动提高了水体营养盐和浮游植物浓度,促进水体富营养化.但底栖藻群落的发展能在一定程度上抑制水丝蚓的生物扰动效应.     

根据SSD推导PFOS沉积物质量基准及其在生态风险评估中的应用

沉积物中蓄积的PFOS（perfluorooctane sulfonate,全氟辛烷磺酸）对水体生态环境具有潜在的危害.为了合理评估沉积物中PFOS的危害,探究了沉积物中PFOS对摇蚊（Chironomus kiiensis）、钩虾（Hyalella azteca）、霍甫水丝蚓（Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri）等底栖生物的毒性效应;同时,以毒性试验结果和搜集的PFOS相关毒性数据为基础,利用SSD（species sensitivity distributions,物种敏感度分布法）推导PFOS沉积物质量基准;最后,将基准值与从文献中搜集得到的我国七大水系沉积物中w（PFOS）进行比较,以评估PFOS风险.结果表明:①沉积物中PFOS对摇蚊的毒性效应最为显著,其96 h、10 d、21 d毒性试验中LC₅₀分别为0.894、0.770和0.536 μg/g（以干质量计,下同）;10 d毒性试验中w（PFOS）最高值为156.5 μg/g时,钩虾未出现显著死亡,21 d毒性试验中LC₅₀为70.5 μg/g;在w（PFOS）最高值分别为112.4和76.4 μg/g的10和21 d毒性试验中,霍甫水丝蚓均未出现显著死亡.②沉积物中PFOS的CMC_sed（急性基准值）为28.6 μg/g,CCC_sed（慢性基准值）为0.060 μg/g.③我国七大水系96.0%的沉积物中w（PFOS）低于CCC_sed;其余的沉积物中w（PFOS）高于CCC_sed但低于CMC_sed,这些采样点主要分布在黄河中下游和长江下游.研究显示,我国七大水系沉积物中PFOS总体风险较低,但黄河中下游和长江下游沉积物中蓄积的PFOS可能具有潜在的风险,需要给予更多的关注.      

Reach‐Scale Comparison of Habitat and Mollusk Assemblages for Select Sites in the Clinch River with Regional Context

Several hypotheses, including habitat degradation and variation in fluvial geomorphology, have been posed to explain extreme spatial and temporal variation in Clinch River mollusk assemblages. We examined associations between mollusk assemblage metrics (richness, abundance, recruitment) and physical habitat (geomorphology, streambed composition, fish habitat, and riparian condition) at 10 sites selected to represent the range of current assemblage condition in the Clinch River. We compared similar geomorphological units among reaches, employing semi‐quantitative and quantitative protocols to characterize mollusk assemblages and a mix of visual assessments and empirical measurements to characterize physical habitat. We found little to no evidence that current assemblage condition was associated with 54 analyzed habitat metrics. When compared to other sites in the Upper Tennessee River Basin (UTRB) that once supported or currently support mollusk assemblages, Clinch River sites were more similar to each other, representing a narrower range of conditions than observed across the larger geographic extent of the UTRB. A post‐hoc analysis suggested stream size and average boundary shear stress at bankfull stage may have historically limited species richness in the UTRB (p < 0.001). Associations between mollusk assemblages and physical habitat in the UTRB and Clinch River currently appear obscured by other factors limiting richness, abundance, and recruitment.     

人为活动对冈曲河大型底栖动物空间分布的影响

为监测人为活动对高海拔山区河流的影响,以香格里拉冈曲河为例,应用多维统计分析与排序分析,探讨大型底栖动物群落对人为活动的响应. 研究表明,冈曲河受到低浓度重金属污染,农业活动和水体富营养化程度相对较轻,总体水质状况符合国家地表水环境质量标准(GB3838—2002)Ⅰ,Ⅱ类水质标准. 聚类分析显示,大型底栖动物群落可分为4组:组Ⅰ(北支翁水河)与组Ⅱ(南支格咱河)采样点受人为活动的影响最轻;组Ⅲ采样点主要受开矿和农业活动影响;组Ⅳ采样点受重金属污染相对较重. 4组采样点在无度量多维标定法(NMS)排序轴上的分布差异明显,组Ⅰ与组Ⅱ采样点体现出空间分布差异,而人为活动主要影响组Ⅲ与组Ⅳ采样点. 随河级增加,底栖动物的群落结构除受到水深、河宽、水温、浊度和海拔高度等环境因子的影响外,组Ⅲ与组Ⅳ采样点影响底栖动物群落退化的主要因素为Cu,Pb和NO-₃-N. 石蛭科和毛缘蛾蚋为组Ⅰ采样点的指示种;叉襀和倍叉襀等敏感类群为组Ⅱ采样点的主要指示种;组Ⅲ的指示种为中耐污种短石蛾和蜉蝣,以及强耐污种寡毛类;涡虫为组Ⅳ采样点的指示种,表明涡虫具有较高的重金属污染耐受性.      

宜兴市莲花荡水系整治工程前后生态健康评价

以入太湖莲花荡水系为研究对象,结合2015年4个季度9个采样点的水质学、生物学共7个指标生态调查数据,采用多指标综合评价法,从生物完整性、化学完整性2个方面评价了莲花荡水系整治工程前后的生态健康状况。结果表明,2015年第1、2季度健康状况较差,健康的样点个数分别为3和1,在2015年6月开展清淤工程及集约化畜禽产业整改后,3、4季度健康状况明显改善,健康样点个数分别达到9和7。影响莲花荡水系化学完整性的主要水质指标是TN、TP,3、4季度TN仍超出地表水Ⅴ类标准,处于严重病态,TP为地表IV类标准,处于病态。影响莲花荡水系生物完整性的主要因子是底栖动物,仅监测到20种耐污能力较高的底栖动物物种,而未发现清洁物种。为了进一步改善莲花荡水系生态健康状况,建议开展沿岸农村生活污水的截污治理、农业面源的生态拦阻等污染源控工程,辅以生态岸带建设及湖滨带生态修复等工程。     

Infant health impacts of freshwater algal blooms: Evidence from an invasive species natural experiment

Economists are increasingly interested in causally interpretable estimates of environmental health externalities, particularly on infant health. This paper focuses on a specific case by investigating microcystin, a toxin produced by freshwater blue-green algal blooms. We exploit a natural experiment caused by a zebra mussel die-off in a large lake located in the state of Michigan, USA to identify changes in microcystin-related infant outcomes surrounding the lake. Using both the synthetic control method and a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that instances of low birth weight around the lake fell by 1.4 percentage points after lake water quality improved. Along the intensive margin, birth weight and length of gestation increased by 17.1 g and 0.47 weeks, respectively. Improvements to low birth weight result in $768,500 in average annual hospitalization cost savings. Many robustness and falsification tests are performed including using both annual and monthly data and accounting for possible weather confounders and seasonality. Results suggest that microcystin can affect infant health at levels below current water advisory guidelines.     

BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES IN A NORTH-FLOWING STREAM AND A SOUTH-FLOWING STREAM,BROOKS RANGE,ALASKA1

ABSTRACT: Benthic invertebrate faunas were compared to two fifth-order streams, the Atigun River flowing northward and the Dietrich River flowing southward. Sixty-eight taxa were collected, forty-nine from each stream. Aquatic insects comprised 88% of the taxa and 97% of the individuals from the Dietrich River and 73% of the taxa and 97% of the individuals from the Atigun River. Diptera, especially Chironomidae, were most abundant. Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Oligochaeta, Acarina, and Collembola were significant. In both streams the headwaters were dominated by the subfamily Diamesinae which was replaced by Orthocladiinae downstream. Diversity seemed to increase with stream order. Cluster analysis showed a high degree of resemblance between the benthic faunas of the rivers. Faunal resemblance decreased with increasing distance between stations, both within and between the streams. Although some taxa may occur in only one stream, the evidence for faunal resemblance is stronger than for faunal differences. Other studies have shown that differences in total radiation associated with valley aspect affect local climate, hydrology, and distribution of terrestrial plants and animals. However, the benthic faunas of Atigun and Dietrich Rivers were remarkably similar. Factors which operate independently of aspect, possibly freezing solid in winter, may control the occurrence of species in these streams.     

A BASKET SAMPLING TECHNIQUE FOR QUANTIFYING RIVERINE MACROBENTHOS1

ABSTRACT: A colonization basket sampling technique for quantifying macroinvertebrates in rubble bottom rivers is described. Basket samplers were compared to collections made using the Surber square foot sampler. Procedure for processing samples is described. Macrobenthos were more accurately quantified by basket samplers because both surface and subsurface habitats were sampled, no organisms were lost when samplers were removed from the river, substrata and associated fauna were retained for analysis, and the samplers were used efficiently in both pool and riffle areas. At the end of the colonization period the basket samplers contained one-half cubic foot of river bottom and macroinvertebrates spatially arranged within.     

Toxicity Evaluation with the Microtox Test to Assess the Impact of In Situ Oiled Shoreline Treatment Options: Natural Attenuation and Sediment Relocation

Changes in the toxicity levels of beach sediment, nearshore water, and bottom sediment samples were monitored with the Microtox^® Test to evaluate the two in situ oil spill treatment options of natural attenuation (natural recovery--no treatment) and sediment relocation (surf washing). During a series of field trials, IF-30 fuel oil was intentionally sprayed onto the surface of three mixed sediment (pebble and sand) beaches on the island of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway (78°56^′ N, 16°45^′ E). At a low wave-energy site (Site 1 with a 3-km wind fetch), where oil was stranded within the zone of normal wave action, residual oil concentrations and beach sediment toxicity levels were significantly reduced by both options in less than five days. At Site 3, a higher wave-energy site with a 40-km wind fetch, oil was intentionally stranded on the beach face in the upper intertidal/supratidal zones, above the level of normal wave activity. At this site under these experimental conditions, sediment relocation was effective in accelerating the removal of the oil from the sediments and reducing the Microtox^® Test toxicity response to background levels. In the untreated (natural attenuation) plot at this site, the fraction of residual oil remaining within the beach sediments after one year (70%) continued to generate a toxic response. Chemical and toxicological analyses of nearshore sediment and sediment-trap samples at both sites confirmed that oil and suspended mineral fines were effectively dispersed into the surrounding environment by the in situ treatments. In terms of secondary potential detrimental effects from the release of stranded oil from the beaches, the toxicity level (Microtox^® Test) of adjacent nearshore sediment samples did not exceed the Canadian regulatory limit for dredged spoils destined for ocean disposal.