The Effectiveness of Surrogate Taxa for the Representation of Biodiversity

Abstract: Biodiversity is too complex to measure directly, so conservation planning must rely on surrogates to estimate the biodiversity of sites. The species richness of selected taxa is often used as a surrogate for the richness of other taxa. Surrogacy values of taxa have been evaluated in diverse contexts, yet broad trends in their effectiveness remain unclear. We reviewed published studies testing the ability of species richness of surrogate taxa to capture the richness of other (target) taxa. We stratified studies into two groups based on whether a complementarity approach (surrogates used to select a combination of sites that together maximize total species richness for the taxon) or a richness‐hotspot approach (surrogates used to select sites containing the highest species richness for the taxon) was used. For each comparison of one surrogate taxon with one target, we used the following predictor variables: biome, spatial extent of study area, surrogate taxon, and target taxon. We developed a binary response variable based on whether the surrogate taxon provided better than random representation of the target taxon. For studies that used an evaluation approach that was not based on better than random representation of target taxa, we based the response variable on the interpretation of results in the original study. We performed a categorical regression to elucidate trends in the effectiveness of surrogate taxa with regard to each of the predictor variables. A surrogate was 25% more likely to be effective with a complementarity approach than with a hotspot approach. For hotspot‐based approaches, biome, extent of study, surrogate taxon, and target taxon significantly influenced effectiveness of the surrogate. For complementarity‐based approaches, biome, extent, and surrogate taxon significantly influenced effectiveness of the surrogate. For all surrogate evaluations, biome explained the greatest amount of variation in surrogate effectiveness. From most to least, extent, surrogate taxon, and target taxon explained the most variation after biome. Surrogate taxa were most effective in grasslands and in some cases boreal zones, deserts, and tropical forests; surrogate taxa also were more effective in studies examining larger areas. Herpetofauna were the most effective taxon as both surrogate and target when a richness‐hotspot approach was used; however, herpetofauna were analyzed in fewer studies, so this result is tentative. For complementarity approaches, taxa that are easy to measure and tend to have a large number of habitat specialists distributed collectively across broad environmental gradients (e.g., plants, birds, and mammals) were the most effective surrogates.     

秦皇岛市乡镇工业污染防治对策研究

乡镇工业是农村生态经济系统的重要组成部分，随着乡镇工业的迅速发展，乡镇工业污染物排放量也急剧增加，已成为制约农村经济持续发展的主要因素之一。要改善日益恶化的农村生态环境，就必须先解决好乡镇工业污染问题。本文在秦皇岛市乡镇工业污染源调查统计结果的基础上，分析了乡镇工业环境污染的主要原因，并提出了相应的具可操作性的污染防治对策     

美国超级基金5年回顾政策对我国污染场地风险管理的启示

通过简要概述美国超级基金5年回顾政策的形成与发展、执行约束力、实施内容,分析其实施过程中面临的问题,从环境立法、强化后期风险管理、完善污染场地风险管理链条、公开修复治理信息和提高社会公众参与度等角度,为解决我国因多样性修复技术实施导致的污染场地修复后风险难题提供可借鉴的重要经验,以期为构建适宜我国国情的污染场地修复长期风险管理和污染控制制度提供理论依据,实现污染场地修复后的安全再利用。     

春季沙尘过程对华东高山背景区域颗粒物中水溶性无机离子的影响

于2014年3—5月在国家大气背景监测福建武夷山站采集了PM2.5及PM2.5~10样品,利用离子色谱对其中的水溶性组分进行分析,并同步收集气象因子及污染物质量浓度数据,结合后向气流轨迹,分离出受沙尘影响的样品,探讨了春季沙尘过程华东高山背景区域颗粒物中水溶性组分的特征.结果表明,春季武夷山背景点沙尘影响期间颗粒物质量浓度及各水溶性离子浓度均比非沙尘期高,在粗粒子中表现更为明显;沙尘期间NO-3在粗粒子中明显富集,NO-3浓度显著升高;受沙尘影响,粗粒子中阳离子与阴离子的当量浓度比及NO2的二次转化率均明显升高.     

借鉴国际经验助推我国汞污染场地修复

汞污染问题已经成为国内外关注的环境热点问题。我国是汞的生产、使用和排放大国,涉汞行业众多,汞污染场地问题突出。发达国家在汞污染场地治理方面有着丰富的经验。本文通过借鉴美国和英国的相关经验,从完善法规标准、健全管理制度、增强科技支撑和完善投融资政策四个方面为我国未来开展汞污染场地修复工作提出政策建议。     

磁铁矿活化过硫酸钠降解泥浆体系中的三氯乙烯

研究了磁铁矿活化过硫酸钠技术氧化泥浆系统中三氯乙烯(TCE)的效果.同时,考察了Fe2+、Cl-和HCO-3对TCE降解过程的影响,并采用有机碳含量不同的2种天然土壤,以及用H2O2去除低聚合"软碳"和高温灼烧去除全部有机碳后所得到的2种土壤,考察了有机质含量对TCE降解的影响,检测了反应过程中有机质的变化.结果表明,在中性pH值条件下,磁铁矿活化过硫酸钠是表面活化反应,反应产物为α-Fe2O3,TCE氧化降解过程符合准一级反应动力学方程.在初始TCE浓度20 mg·L-1、磁铁矿投量20 g·L-1时,TCE在48 h后的去除率达到97%.Fe2+对反应有促进作用,Cl-和HCO-3均会对反应起到抑制作用,其中,HCO-3的抑制作用强于Cl-.TCE降解速率受土壤有机质含量影响较大,土壤去除有机质(SOM)后TCE的降解速率明显加快.通过检测有机质变化发现,过硫酸钠对有机质的去除较小,有机质对TCE降解的抑制可能是通过消耗过硫酸钠、表面消耗自由基和对有机污染物的竞争吸附等多种途径引起的.     

Determination of biodegradation potential by two culture-independent methods in PAH-contaminated soils

Biodegradation potentials of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined with soil samples collected from various depths of a PAH-contaminated site and of a site nearby where PAHs were not found. Putative dioxygenase genes were amplified by a primer set specific for initial dioxygenases and identified by web-based database homology search. They were further categorized into several groups of which four dioxygenases were selected as probes for DNA hybridization. The hybridization signals according to the presence of putative dioxygenases were positively related to the extent of PAH contamination. However, the signal intensities varied depending on the probes hybridized and moreover were not consistent with PAH biodegradation activities determined by CO2 evolution. Despite widely accepted advantages of molecular biodegradation assessment, our data clearly present the variations of assessment results depending on the genetic information used and suggest that the methodology may tend to underestimate the real biodegradation capacity of a site probably due to the limited dioxygenase database available at the moment. Therefore, the molecular assessment of biodegradation potential should involve a very careful primer and probe design and an extensive microbiological examination of a site of interest to accurately delineate the biodegradation potential of the site.     

金矿渣场废水对地面水环境的影响评价

阐述了在降雨时金矿渣场浸渣中残留的氰化物及泥沙淋溶于雨水中,形成地表径流进入地面水,对地面水环境造成的污染影响。具体介绍了在降雨时,渣场地表径流量、径流中污染物排放量、地面水（湖泊）允许纳污量的预测模式的应用。可为一般工矿企业露天渣场废水预测及环境影响评价提供借鉴。     

对《中国地震烈度区划图(1990) 》及江苏省部分的有关认识

中国第三代地震烈度区划图发布施行,标志着我国地震设防法规进入了一个新的阶段。尤其是地震设防标准与抗震设计规范的统一和有机结合,使地震烈度区划能更好地直接服务于我国的国民经济建设。本文简要回顾了地震烈度区划图编制的发展过程,并着重说明了第三代地震烈度区划图的使用规定。最后还表述了对新编制区划图中江苏省部分的有关认识。     

Loblolly pine response to wet-weather harvesting on wet flats after 5 years

The timing of forestry operations relative to weather conditions is a consideration in applying Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs). Harvesting during different seasons can result in degrees of soil disturbance, the distribution of logging debris, and potentially future stand productivity. The purpose of this study is to examine the response of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands after wet- and dry-weather harvesting combined with three site preparation treatments. A 20 × 20 meter grid was established in fifteen 20-year-old, 3.3-ha loblolly pine plantations in South Carolina. A census of soil physical disturbance and slash distribution was made after harvesting. Growth was measured on 1/125th-ha plots at ages two and five. Dry-weather harvested (DWH) sites were 91% undisturbed, and 9% compressed. Wet-weather harvested (WWH) sites were 41% undisturbed, and 59% disturbed. WWH sites averaged 9% bare soil, while DWH sites averaged 16% with 1 kg m^-2 less logging residue; primarily in the form of heavy and light slash. At age five, the green-weight biomass of flat-planted DWH and WWH sites were 13.3 and 12.6 kg tree^-1 respectively, and on the bedded DWH and WWH sites were 18.6 and 22.8 kg tree^-1. Wet weather harvesting did not seem to adversely affect stand growth, and may have improved it. Due to a prolonged drought, bedding had a larger effect on WWH sites than DWH harvested sites. The effects of droughty conditions may be influencing treatment response on these highly productive sites; however, the long-term effects of harvesting on stand growth remain to be seen.