Humic substances

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Freshwater bodies which chemistry is dominated by dissolved humic substances (HS) seem to be the major type on Earth, due to huge non-calcareous geological formations in the Northern Hemisphere and in the tropics. Based on the paradigm of the inertness of being organic, direct interactions of dissolved HS with freshwater organisms are mostly neglected. However, dissolved organic carbon, the majority of which being HS, are natural environmental chemicals and should therefore directly interact with organisms. Major results that widened our perspective on humic substance ecology come from experiments with the compost nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, which behaved contradictorily to textbook knowledge and provoked an in-depth re-consideration of some paradigms. APPROACH: To overcome old paradigms on HS and their potential interactions with organisms, we reviewed recent international literature, as well as 'grey' literature. We also include results from own ongoing studies. RESULTS: This review focuses on direct interactions of dissolved HS with freshwater organisms and disregards indirect effects, such as under-water light quenching. Instead we show with some macrophyte and algal species that HS adversely interfere with photosynthesis and growth, whereby closely related algal species show different response patterns. In addition to this, HS suppress cyanobacteria more than eukaryotic algae. Quinones in the HS appear to be the effective structure. Furthermore, HS can modulate the offspring numbers in the nematode C. elegans and cause feminization of fish and amphibians--they possess hormone-like properties. The ecological consequences of this potential remain obscure at present. HS also have the potential to act as chemical attractants as shown with C. elegans and exert a mild chemical stress upon aquatic organisms in many ways: induction of molecular chaperons (stress proteins), induction and modulation of biotransformation and anti-oxidant enzymes. Furthermore, they produce an oxidative stress with lipidperoxidation as one clear symptom or even stress defense strategy. Stronger chemical stresses by HS may even lead to teratogenic effects as shown with fish embryos; all physiological responses to HS-mediated stress require energy, which were compensated on the expense of yolk as shown with zebra fish embryos. One Finnish field survey supports the view of a strong chemical stress, as the weight yield in fish species decreases with increasing HS content in the lakes. DISCUSSION: HS exert a variety of stress symptoms in aquatic and compost organisms. According to current paradigms of ecotoxicology, these symptoms have to be considered adverse, because their compensation consumes energy which is deducted from the main metabolism. However, the nematode C. elegans looks actively for such stressful environments, and this behavior is only understandable in the light of new paradigms of aging mechanisms, particularly the Green Theory of Aging. In this respect, we discuss the mild HS-mediated stress to aquatic and compost organisms. New empirical findings with HS themselves and HS building blocks appear to be consistent with this emerging paradigm and show that the individual lifespan may be expanded. At present the ecological consequences of these findings remain obscure. However, a multiple-stress resistance may be acquired which improves the individual fitness in a fluctuating environment. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that dissolved HS have to be considered abiotic ecological driving forces, somewhat less obvious than temperature, nutrients, or light. PERSPECTIVES: The understanding of the ecological control by dissolved humic substances is still fragmentary and needs to be studied in more details.     

Fine‐resolution conservation planning with limited climate‐change information

Climate‐change induced uncertainties in future spatial patterns of conservation‐related outcomes make it difficult to implement standard conservation‐planning paradigms. A recent study translates Markowitz's risk‐diversification strategy from finance to conservation settings, enabling conservation agents to use this diversification strategy for allocating conservation and restoration investments across space to minimize the risk associated with such uncertainty. However, this method is information intensive and requires a large number of forecasts of ecological outcomes associated with possible climate‐change scenarios for carrying out fine‐resolution conservation planning. We developed a technique for iterative, spatial portfolio analysis that can be used to allocate scarce conservation resources across a desired level of subregions in a planning landscape in the absence of a sufficient number of ecological forecasts. We applied our technique to the Prairie Pothole Region in central North America. A lack of sufficient future climate information prevented attainment of the most efficient risk‐return conservation outcomes in the Prairie Pothole Region. The difference in expected conservation returns between conservation planning with limited climate‐change information and full climate‐change information was as large as 30% for the Prairie Pothole Region even when the most efficient iterative approach was used. However, our iterative approach allowed finer resolution portfolio allocation with limited climate‐change forecasts such that the best possible risk‐return combinations were obtained. With our most efficient iterative approach, the expected loss in conservation outcomes owing to limited climate‐change information could be reduced by 17% relative to other iterative approaches.     

从摩尔的理论看环境伦理学的自然价值观

摩尔在伦理学原理一书中,首次分析了传统伦理学关于善的那种性质。指出善并不是一种自然之属性。而是一种非自然的属性。在严格的意义上说,善是不可定义的。并认为传统伦理学是犯了一种自然主义的谬误。摩尔的理论也波及到环境伦理学,特别是罗尔斯顿的自然价值理论受到了挑战。罗尔斯顿对自然主义的批评作出了回应。他把伦理义务的条件置于科学规律之前,并站在自然主义的立场上,指出自然界的生态平衡才是一切价值的基础。     

纳板河保护区野生药用植物资源研究

通过采取走访村民、野外实地调查、采集标本、拍摄实物、专家鉴定相结合的方法,初步调查清楚了纳板河保护区现有野生药用植物173科、457属、584种,在对这些野生药用植物的多样性、药用部位、使用方法、功效、利用现状、存在问题进行分析后,提出该保护区野生药用植物资源保护和可持续利用的建议。     

5种天然矿物修复铅污染沉积物的实验研究

以重金属离子Pb2+为研究对象,通过吸附解吸实验,研究了沸石、方解石、钾长石、钙基和钠基膨润土等5种天然矿物材料对水体中Pb2+的吸附固定效果,它们的吸附等温线都符合Langmuir等温吸附模型。结果表明试验所用方解石对Pb2+的饱和吸附量约为185mg/g,是其他几种材料的2～3倍,而且方解石对Pb2+具有明显的不可逆吸附现象,使得吸附后的Pb很难解析下来,说明方解石对水溶液中Pb2+的固定能力非常强。利用模拟自然水体性质的电解液对方解石吸附后Pb的生物有效性进行评价,结果表明被方解石固定后Pb的生物有效性非常低。最后结合方解石作为原位活性覆盖材料的经济可行性和生态风险性分析,说明方解石作为重金属污染沉积物修复的原位活性覆盖材料具有较强的实际可操作性,为后继的重金属污染沉积物的原位活性覆盖技术提供理论支持。     

我国环境资源立法的缺陷与完善初探

我国环境资源立法虽然已有一定基础，但仍然存在诸如体系结构 不完善、内容滞后、操作性不强等问题，急需根据市场经济与可持续发展的要求进一步完善其体系、健全其内容。     

Economic development and environmental protection: an ecological economics perspective

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean 'materialeconomic growth') and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of 'natural capital' that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds.These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily 'feeds' on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values.     

Incorporating natural capital into economy-wide impact analysis: a case study from Alberta

Traditionally, decision-makers have relied on economic impactestimates derived from conventional economy-wide models. Conventional models lack the environmental linkages necessary for examining environmental stewardship and economic sustainability, and in particular the ability to assess the impact of policies on natural capital. This study investigatesenvironmentally extended economic impact estimation on a regionalscale using a case study region in the province of Alberta knownas the Foothills Model Forest (FMF). Conventional economic impactmodels are environmentally extended in pursuit of enhancingpolicy analysis and local decision-making. It is found that theflexibility of the computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelingapproach offers potential for environmental extension, with a solid grounding in economic theory. The CGE approach may be the tool of the future for more complete integrated environment andeconomic impact assessment.     

天然水体中有机物检测方法的选择与优化

本文选取并优化了一种准确、易行、适合于天然水样中微量有机物的分析技术.天然水样品中有机物通过混合大孔径吸附树脂XAD-2与XAD-7(4:1,V/V)富集并用二氯甲烷洗脱.所有富集的有机物样品中均加入衍生化试剂N,O-双(三甲基硅基)三氟乙酰胺(缩写为BSTFA)硅烷化,最后采用气相色谱-质谱联用仪分析.为了实验的简便,我们的样品为模拟水样(4L添加定量5β-胆烷(挪威Chiron公司)的去离子水).     

有风条件下剧院火灾自然排烟效果分析

为研究某剧院休息厅的自然排烟效果的问题,根据建筑特征设计6个火灾场景。运用理论计算和数值模拟的方法,分别研究不同开窗位置、开窗面积以及环境风速对火灾时的热流场和烟气蔓延的影响。结果表明：不同开窗位置达到临界值的时间为顶窗〉东西立面侧窗〉北立面侧窗;有风条件下3.5%的开窗面积的排烟效果和无风时6%的开窗面积的排烟效果相当。结论是考虑当地环境风速,选择顶部5%和东西侧3.5%开窗方式,增强该剧院的自然排烟效果。