Coating effects on the glass adsorption of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners

The effects of coating materials on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) adsorption in aqueous solution were assessed in an attempt to minimize PCB sorption loss during sampling processes. A coating material, which enhances PCB adsorption and allows adsorbed PCBs to be readily extracted by solvents, can act as a sampling concentrator to reduce PCB losses from both adsorption and evaporation. Several coating materials were evaluated, including paraffin oil, silicone oil, dimethyldichlorosilane (Sylon-CT), Prosil 28^® and polydimethylsiloxane (PDS) with viscosity 0.65, 50 (PDS 50), and 500 (PDS 500) cSt. PDS and silicone oil enhanced adsorption for all five congeners examined (IUPAC No. 28, 52, 101, 138, and 180). Sylon-CT, paraffin oil and Prosil 28^® had inconsistent effects on adsorption of different congeners. Desorption of adsorbed PCBs onto all coating types was assessed. The recovery efficiency of extracting PCBs with solvents was enhanced greatly with all coatings as opposed to non-coated surfaces, with the exception of paraffin oil. Coating with silicon oil, PDS 50, and 500 resulted in virtually 100% recovery of adsorbed PCBs. It was also found that Teflon containers were poor substitutes for glass containers and failed to minimize PCB losses. Among the materials studied, the best coating that could be used as a sampling concentrator was PDS 500.     

Space-time modeling for the Missouri Turkey Hunting Survey

The Missouri Turkey Hunting Survey (MTHS) is a postseason mail survey conducted by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The 1996 MTHS provides information concerning the number of turkeys harvested by hunters on each day and the total number of trips made to the counties by these hunters on each day of the hunting season. The success rates are then found from this information. Small sample sizes produce large standard errors for the estimates at the county level. We use a Bayesian hierarchical generalized linear model to estimate daily hunting success rates at the county level. The model includes an autoregressive process for the days of the hunting season and spatially correlated random geographic effects. The computations are performed using Gibbs sampling and adaptive rejection sampling techniques. Results show that there are significant spatial corelations between counties and correlations between days of the hunting season. The estimates are close to the frequency estimates at the state level and much more stable at the county level.     

A closer look at detectability

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - The theory underlying line transect and variable circular plot surveys—distance sampling—begins with an assumed detectability function, giving...     

Defensive anointing: extended chemical phenotype and unorthodox ecology

Summary. Many animals acquire substances on their integument from heterospecifics through anointing. In active or self-anointing, animals rub against scent sources or they apply them by appendage or mouth. In passive anointing, animals adsorb emitted chemicals. Most investigators suggest that chemicals appropriated via anointing deter predators, ectoparasites, and/or microbial pathogens. Similarly, nesting birds and brood parasites of social insects acquire chemicals from and reside unmolested near or within insect colonies. The acquisition through anointing of chemicals that deter predators, ectoparasites, microbial pathogens, and other offenders, i.e. defensive anointing, constitutes an extended phenotype: the genetic machinery by which defensive compounds are synthesized does not reside with the anointing organisms, but the sensory mechanisms and/or behavioral tendencies by which chemicals are appropriated from heterospecifics do. The ecological relationships between anointing organisms and chemical donors, and between chemical donors and those responding to chemicals appropriated via anointing, may be unorthodox. Interactions between anointing organisms and chemical donors typically entail abrasive contact with or other damage to the latter. These encounters sometimes are evidenced by telltale marks on chemical donors or by chemicals deposited on the integument of anointing organisms. The organisms furnishing chemicals and those affected by them may not interact, and they may even occupy different habitats, because mobile anointing organisms are the medium by which chemicals are disseminated. Thus, in allelochemical studies where anointing is involved, species can be tested, with ecological legitimacy, using chemicals from organisms they might fail to interact with in nature. Practical implications of anointing stem from its potential importance in conservation and captive management, where consideration is given to the protection that animals derive by accessing topically acquired chemicals from heterospecifics.     

Limitations of Biodiversity Databases: Case Study on Seed-Plant Diversity in Tenerife, Canary Islands

Abstract:  Databases on the distribution of species can be used to describe the geographic patterns of biodiversity. Nevertheless, they have limitations. We studied three of these limitations: (1) inadequacy of raw data to describe richness patterns due to sampling bias, (2) lack of survey effort assessment (and lack of exhaustiveness in compiling data about survey effort), and (3) lack of coverage of the geographic and environmental variations that affect the distribution of organisms. We used a biodiversity database (BIOTA-Canarias) to analyze richness data from a well-known group (seed plants) in an intensively surveyed area (Tenerife Island). Observed richness and survey effort were highly correlated. Species accumulation curves could not be used to determine survey effort because data digitalization was not exhaustive, so we identified well-sampled sites based on observed richness to sampling effort ratios. We also developed a predictive model based on the data from well-sampled sites and analyzed the origin of the geographic errors in the obtained extrapolation by means of a geographically constrained cross-validation. The spatial patterns of seed-plant species richness obtained from BIOTA-Canarias data were incomplete and biased. Therefore, some improvements are needed to use this database (and many others) in biodiversity studies. We propose a protocol that includes controls on data quality, improvements on data digitalization and survey design to improve data quality, and some alternative data analysis strategies that will provide a reliable picture of biodiversity patterns.     

Using Niche-Based Models to Improve the Sampling of Rare Species

Abstract:  Because data on rare species usually are sparse, it is important to have efficient ways to sample additional data. Traditional sampling approaches are of limited value for rare species because a very large proportion of randomly chosen sampling sites are unlikely to shelter the species. For these species, spatial predictions from niche-based distribution models can be used to stratify the sampling and increase sampling efficiency. New data sampled are then used to improve the initial model. Applying this approach repeatedly is an adaptive process that may allow increasing the number of new occurrences found. We illustrate the approach with a case study of a rare and endangered plant species in Switzerland and a simulation experiment. Our field survey confirmed that the method helps in the discovery of new populations of the target species in remote areas where the predicted habitat suitability is high. In our simulations the model-based approach provided a significant improvement (by a factor of 1.8 to 4 times, depending on the measure) over simple random sampling. In terms of cost this approach may save up to 70% of the time spent in the field.     

基于被动采样技术的水体中有机锡污染筛查取证研究

将三油酸甘油酯-醋酸纤维素复合膜(TECAM)用作被动采样器,开展水体中一甲基锡(MMT)、二甲基锡(DMT)、一丁基锡(MBT)、二丁基锡(DBT)、三丁基锡(TBT)、二苯基锡(DPhT)和三苯基锡(TPhT)等7种有机锡氯化物的富集实验,膜样品经甲醇/醋酸溶液提取、乙基化衍生和正己烷萃取等前处理后,用气相色谱-质谱法(GC-MS)进行定性和定量检测,得到水体中痕量有机锡污染的相关指纹信息。结果表明,7种目标化合物均可在TECAM膜上富集,48 h后均可达到平衡状态;有机锡富集能力差异较大,其TECAM膜/水分配系数(log KTECAM)与其辛醇-水分配系数(log Kow)呈现显著正相关性(r=0.97, n=7)。甲基锡富集能力较低,但可定性筛查;而苯基锡和丁基锡等5种目标化合物在TECAM膜上的被动采样速率在0.06～0.16 L·g~(-1)·d~(-1)范围变化,经反演所得其在水体中的时间加权平均浓度与传统的主动采样法所得浓度没有显著差异(P0.05)。因此,基于TECAM被动采样技术可以实现水体中极性范围较广的痕量有机锡污染筛查取证。     

On the random placement hypothesis

A traditional method of summarizing spatial distribution of species is the observed species-area curve. Often the observed species-area curve is surprisingly close to the expected species-area curve under the hypothesis of random placement of individuals. This has been used as evidence supporting the hypothesis. In this paper, we argue that using the observed species-area curve to test the general random placement hypothesis is highly inefficient. We present a testing method based on the classical ² test for over-dispersion which is not only more efficient but also applicable to situations where complete abundance information are unavailable. We also discuss three alternatives of the hypothesis. The focus of this paper is on these and other general issues relevant to communities of different types. No applications are included in this paper.     

Post-war levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in air from Serbia determined by active and passive sampling methods

For the duration of the war accident in former Yugoslavia, several industrial and military targets were burnt and damaged, resulting in a significant release of persistent organic pollutants. Locations heavily targeted in the attacks were later defined by UNEP as four “hot spots”: Kragujevac, Novi Sad, Pancevo and Bor. We analyzed concentration levels of pollutants collected in 2004 and 2005 in air samples from the city of Kragujevac, Serbia, following the war accident of 1999. Pollutants included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDE), dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane (DDD) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). We present results obtained during air sampling campaign conducted in July 2004 by the active sampling method; and during September 2004–June 2005 by the passive sampling method. Our findings show the occurrence of residual quantities of DDT, HCH, PCBs and PAHs in air samples. High levels of PCBs are probably due to the destruction of transformers during the war accident.     

硫化氢气体快速检测方法研究

研究了快速监测硫化氢气体的新方法——硫化氢被动式检气管方法。该法是基于气体分子扩散(Fick)定律和化学吸收原理,将检气管内的海棉载体涂渍上对硫化氢有特效的显色剂(缓冲液G和醋酸铅)。测定时,硫化氢通过检气管端口扩散进入管内,在经过载体时,与载体上的显色剂发生反应,从而产生明显的颜色变化(浅黄色变成棕黑色)。检气管显色长度的平方与硫化氢质量浓度及采样时间的乘积在50~1500mg·m-3范围内成线性关系,从而快速监测环境中硫化氢的时间加权平均质量浓度。该检气管集采样与分析为一体,可快速测定硫化氢气体的质量浓度。与传统的采样分析方法比较,该检气管结构简单,操作方便,不受被测环境的空间大小、有无电源等影响;携带方便,利于外出测定和大面积布点测定。经过应用实验表明,该检气管具有较高的灵敏度,达到设计要求。