The Need to Rationalize and Prioritize Threatening Processes Used to Determine Threat Status in the IUCN Red List

Abstract: Thorough evaluation has made the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List the most widely used and accepted authority on the conservation status of biodiversity. Although the system used to determine risk of extinction is rigorously and objectively applied, the list of threatening processes affecting a species is far more subjectively determined and has not had adequate review. I reviewed the threats listed in the IUCN Red List for randomly selected groups within the three most threatened orders of mammals: Artiodactyla, Carnivora, and Primates. These groups are taxonomically related and often ecologically similar, so I expected they would suffer relatively similar threats. Hominoid primates and all other terrestrial fauna faced similar threats, except for bovine artiodactyls and large, predatory carnivores, which faced significantly different threats. Although the status of bovines and hominoids and the number of threats affecting them were correlated, this was not the case for large carnivores. Most notable, however, was the great variation in the threats affecting individual members of each group. For example, the endangered European bison (Bison bonasus) has no threatening processes listed for it, and the lion (Panthera leo) is the only large predator listed as threatened with extinction by civil war. Some threatening processes appear spurious for the conservation of the species, whereas other seemingly important factors are not recorded as threats. The subjective nature of listing threatening processes, via expert opinion, results in substantial biases that may be allayed by independent peer review, use of technical manuals, consensus among multiple assessors, incorporation of probability modeling via decision‐tree analysis, and adequate coordination among evaluators. The primary focus should be on species‐level threats rather than population‐level threats because the IUCN Red List is a global assessment and smaller‐scale threats are more appropriate for national status assessments. Until conservationists agree on the threats affecting species and their relative importance, conservation action and success will be hampered by scattering scarce resources too widely and often by implementing conflicting strategies.     

氮磷比对蛋白核小球藻和塔玛亚历山大藻种间竞争的影响

通过单独培养和共同培养的方法,以Na NO3和KH2PO3为氮源和磷源,研究了氮磷比(4、6、9、10、13、16、22、36和91)对蛋白核小球藻(Chlorella pyrenoidosa)和塔玛亚历山大藻(Alexandrium tamarense)生长和种间竞争的影响,并对其作用机制进行了探讨.结果表明:在单独培养模式下,蛋白核小球藻在N/P为4~22时生长适宜,N/P22时生长受抑制,而塔玛亚历山大藻在N/P为4和6时生长适宜,N/P6时生长受抑制;在共同培养模式下,蛋白核小球藻具有竞争优势,而塔玛亚历山大藻的生长受抑制,且N/P为13和16时蛋白核小球藻种群竞争优势最明显;蛋白核小球藻和塔玛亚历山大藻的培养滤液对彼此生长均未产生抑制作用,由此推测,两种微藻的种间竞争主要以资源利用性竞争为主.结果可为开发利用饵料藻进行赤潮生物防控提供一些理论依据.     

Enhanced oxidation of benzo[a]pyrene by crude enzyme extracts produced during interspecific fungal interaction of Trametes versicolor and Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The effects of interspecific fungal interactions between Trametes versicolor and Phanerochaete chrysosporium on laccase activity and enzymatic oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated. A deadlock between the two mycelia rather than replacement of one fungus by another was observed on an agar medium. The laccase activity in crude enzyme extracts from interaction zones reached a maximum after a 5-day incubation, which was significantly higher than that from regions of T. versicolor or P. chrysosporium alone. The enhanced induction of laccase activity lasted longer in half nutrition than in normal nutrition. A higher potential to oxidize benzo[a]pyrene by a crude enzyme preparation extracted from the interaction zones was demonstrated. After a 48 hr incubation period, the oxidation of benzo[a]pyrene by crude enzyme extracts from interaction zones reached 26.2%, while only 9.5% of benzo[a]pyrene was oxidized by crude extracts from T. versicolor. The oxidation was promoted by the co-oxidant 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate diammonium salt (ABTS). These findings indicate that the application of co-culturing of white-rot fungi in bioremediation is a potential ameliorating technique for the restoration of PAH-contaminated soil.     

埕东油田采油污水回用配聚处理工程实践

采用生物氧化去除还原性物质和生物竞争抑制硫酸还原菌的集成技术处理油田采油污水用于配制聚合物溶液。运行结果表明:采用处理后的采出水配制聚合物溶液,黏度达20 mPa.s以上,且长时间保持稳定,能够满足现场生产需求。     

Female mediation of sperm competition in the millipede Alloporus uncinatus (Diplopoda: Spirostreptidae)

The tropical spirostreptid millipede Alloporus uncinatus has a polygynandrous mating pattern that is apparently shaped by sperm competition (Telford and Dangerfield 1990, 1993a). In the present study radioisotopic labelling of ejaculates was used to quantify the temporal effects of double mating sequences on sperm precedence patterns. Ejaculates of successive males mix completely within the sperm storage organs and are concentrated close to the site of fertilisation, the spermathecal-oviduct junction. When matings follow each other immediately (experiment 1), equal volumes of the ejaculates of each male are stored within the spermathecae, and both males have equal probability of paternity. Where matings are separated by a 24-h delay (experiment 2), the volumetric contribution of the first male is reduced by 54.8 % and last male precedence operates. Although the distal ends of the gonopods play a primary role in the redistribution of ejaculates (Barnett and Telford 1994), by using a single mating sequence we show that they are not responsible for the reduction in ejaculate volume. The most likely explanation is absorption and/or ejection of the first male's ejaculate by the female. Genital functional morphology is used to reconstruct the mechanism of ejaculate distribution.     

TREATING WATER INSTITUTIONS AS ENDOGENOUS VARIABLES: DEMONSTRATION OF A CONCEPTUAL MODEL1

ABSTRACT: Institutional innovation is central to many water resource problems. (In this context “institutions” refers to the laws and regulations governing water allocation and use.) Yet, typically, economic analyses treat institutions as exogenous and fixed. Unfortunately, this conventional assumption does not allow economists to address many modern problems. This paper develops an economic framework in which institutions are treated as endogenous. The model accounts for (1) factors that stimulate calls for formal institutional change, (2) the role of interest groups in policymaking, and (3) actual institutional change as it impacts choice domains and thus economic performance. The model is compared to a specific case of change in Colorado's water institutions, namely, instream water rights legislation in the 1970's. The empirical evidence is generally consistent with model hypotheses. The model promises to be useful to scholars and policymakers interested in institutional innovation.     

加快市县环境监测站改革,应对市场竞争对策

在分析市、县两级监测站现状与存在问题基础上,就市、县两级监测站面临加入WTO后的市场化和事业单位体制改革的机遇和挑战,提出了监测站改革思路与应对市场化的对策。     

包头南海湖浮游植物优势种生态位及种间联结性季节分析

为了解寒旱区浮游植物群落年内结构变化和演替规律及其优势种的联结性,于2017年12月~2018年11月对包头市南海湖的浮游植物群落进行了调查分析.共鉴定出浮游植物7门66属151种,其中浮游植物优势种有4门15属15种,其种类和丰度随季节而变化.运用改进的Levins公式和Petraitis指数测定浮游植物优势种的生态位量度,发现不同季节各优势种的生态位宽度和生态位重叠不尽相同,各优势种对环境因子的适应能力也存在较大差异,在年内各种生境条件下,微小平裂藻生态位变化幅度最显著,依此认为微小平裂藻可作为南海湖水体污染状态指示种,且有可靠的生态学依据.生态位重叠值中ΔSO_ij值表示物种发展趋势,可第一时间反映南海湖水质是否受到外来因素干扰.群落物种相关性、种间联结性检验结果显示,南海湖浮游植物种间联结性总体上呈正关联关系,128对优势种对中仅有10对显现显著联结性,可见南海湖群落种间联结不紧密,群落结构不稳定,处于演替的初、中期阶段.     

Coexistence of Fisheries with River Dolphin Conservation

Abstract: Freshwater biodiversity conservation is generally perceived to conflict with human use and extraction (e.g., fisheries). Overexploited fisheries upset the balance between local economic needs and endangered species’ conservation. We investigated resource competition between fisheries and Ganges river dolphins (Platanista gangetica gangetica) in a human‐dominated river system in India to assess the potential for their coexistence. We surveyed a 65‐km stretch of the lower Ganga River to assess habitat use by dolphins (encounter rates) and fishing activity (habitat preferences of fishers, intensity of net and boat use). Dolphin abundance in the main channel increased from 179 (SE 7) (mid dry season) to 270 (SE 8) (peak dry season), probably as a result of immigration from upstream tributaries. Dolphins preferred river channels with muddy, rocky substrates, and deep midchannel waters. These areas overlapped considerably with fishing areas. Sites with 2–6 boats/km (moderately fished) were more preferred by dolphins than sites with 8–55 boats/km (heavily fished). Estimated spatial (85%) and prey–resource overlap (75%) between fisheries and dolphins (chiefly predators of small fish) suggests a high level of competition between the two groups. A decrease in abundance of larger fish, indicated by the fact that small fish comprised 74% of the total caught, may have intensified the present competition. Dolphins seem resilient to changes in fish community structure and may persist in overfished rivers. Regulated fishing in dolphin hotspots and maintenance of adequate dry season flows can sustain dolphins in tributaries and reduce competition in the main river. Fish‐stock restoration and management, effective monitoring, curbing destructive fishing practices, secure tenure rights, and provision of alternative livelihoods for fishers may help reconcile conservation and local needs in overexploited river systems.     

城市群竞争与共生的时空机理分析

城市群演化是一个竞争与共生相互作用的过程，竞争是指在城市群内的各个城市在共同发展中为获取有利的发展地位和发展条件而进行的角逐，而共生是指群体发展中的统一规划和相互依存、相互支持的关系。城市共生关系的根本内涵和特征是空间上的临近性、时间上的长期性、功能上的分工互补性、个体之间的差异依赖性以及作用关系的支持协调性。依据系统论的原理，提出竞争与共生作用可以划分为弱竞争弱共生、强竞争弱共生、强竞争强共生、弱竞争强共生4个发展阶段，并呈现周期性特征，这从城市与区域的演化中都找到了实证。并将城市群竞争共生作用划分为群内竞争与共生、群外竞争与共生、群内竞争与群外共生、群外竞争与群内竞争4个空间作用层面，初步总结出竞争共生作用的一般模式。