Scale dependency of conservation outcomes in a forest-offsetting scheme

Offset schemes help avoid or revert habitat loss through protection of existing habitat (avoided deforestation), through the restoration of degraded areas (natural regrowth), or both. The spatial scale of an offset scheme may influence which of these 2 outcomes is favored and is an important aspect of the scheme's design. However, how spatial scale influences the trade-offs between the preservation of existing habitat and restoration of degraded areas is poorly understood. We used the largest forest offset scheme in the world, which is part of the Brazilian Forest Code, to explore how implementation at different spatial scales may affect the outcome in terms of the area of avoided deforestation and area of regrowth. We employed a numerical simulation of trade between buyers (i.e., those who need to offset past deforestation) and sellers (i.e., landowners with exceeding native vegetation) in the Brazilian Amazon to estimate potential avoided deforestation and regrowth at different spatial scales of implementation. Allowing offsets over large spatial scales led to an area of avoided deforestation 12 times greater than regrowth, whereas restricting offsets to small spatial scales led to an area of regrowth twice as large as avoided deforestation. The greatest total area (avoided deforestation and regrowth combined) was conserved when the spatial scale of the scheme was small, especially in locations that were highly deforested. To maximize conservation gains from avoided deforestation and regrowth, the design of the Brazilian forest-offset scheme should focus on restricting the spatial scale in which offsets occur. Such a strategy could help ensure conservation benefits are localized and promote the recovery of degraded areas in the most threatened forest landscapes.     

Catalyzing sustainable fisheries management through behavior change interventions

Small-scale fisheries are an important livelihood and primary protein source for coastal communities in many of the poorest regions in the world, yet many are overfished and thus require effective and scalable management solutions. Positive ecological and socioeconomic responses to management typically lag behind immediate costs borne by fishers from fishing pressure reductions necessary for fisheries recovery. These short-term costs challenge the long-term success of these interventions. However, social marketing may increase perceptions of management benefits before ecological and socioeconomic benefits are fully realized, driving new social norms and ultimately long-term sustainable behavior change. By conducting underwater visual surveys to quantify ecological conditions and by conducting household surveys with community members to quantify their perceptions of management support and socioeconomic conditions, we assessed the impact of a standardized small-scale fisheries management intervention that was implemented across 41 sites in Brazil, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The intervention combines TURF reserves (community-based territorial use rights for fishing coupled with no-take marine reserves) with locally tailored social-marketing behavior change campaigns. Leveraging data across 22 indicators and 4 survey types, along with data from 3 control sites, we found that ecological and socioeconomic impacts varied and that communities supported the intervention and were already changing their fishing practices. These results suggest that communities were developing new social norms and fishing more sustainably before long-term ecological and socioeconomic benefits of fisheries management materialized.     

The effect of summer drought on the predictability of local extinctions in a butterfly metapopulation

The ecological impacts of extreme climatic events on population dynamics and community composition are profound and predominantly negative. Using extensive data of an ecological model system, we tested whether predictions from ecological models remain robust when environmental conditions are outside the bounds of observation. We observed a 10-fold demographic decline of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) metapopulation on the Åland islands, Finland in the summer of 2018 and used climatic and satellite data to demonstrate that this year was an anomaly with low climatic water balance values and low vegetation productivity indices across Åland. Population growth rates were strongly associated with spatiotemporal variation in climatic water balance. Covariates shown previously to affect the extinction probability of local populations in this metapopulation were less informative when populations were exposed to severe drought during the summer months. Our results highlight the unpredictable responses of natural populations to extreme climatic events.     

Relationship between conservation biology and ecology shown through machine reading of 32,000 articles

Conservation biology was founded on the idea that efforts to save nature depend on a scientific understanding of how it works. It sought to apply ecological principles to conservation problems. We investigated whether the relationship between these fields has changed over time through machine reading the full texts of 32,000 research articles published in 16 ecology and conservation biology journals. We examined changes in research topics in both fields and how the fields have evolved from 2000 to 2014. As conservation biology matured, its focus shifted from ecology to social and political aspects of conservation. The 2 fields diverged and now occupy distinct niches in modern science. We hypothesize this pattern resulted from increasing recognition that social, economic, and political factors are critical for successful conservation and possibly from rising skepticism about the relevance of contemporary ecological theory to practical conservation.     

钢筋混凝土矩形梁在实际火灾下正截面承载力数值计算

为了正确评估钢筋混凝土矩形梁在实际火灾条件下的承载力,以一般室内火灾轰燃后的房间平均温度-时间曲线为火作用,以建筑结构耐火理论为基础,采用数值计算方法研究钢筋混凝土矩形梁的正截面承载力.研究结果表明:梁的承载力随火灾房间温度升高而变小,在温度达到最大值后承载力达到最小值.火灾房间火灾荷载越大,开口因子越小,火作用越大,梁的最小承载力越小;反之相反.相同条件下梁支座截面的承载力要大于跨中截面.     

城市汽车尾气污染治理模式探讨

借鉴国内外 I/ M制度的经验 ,运用系统论、控制论的观点 ,创造性地提出有效治理城市汽车尾气污染应建立的六大体系 ,强调城市汽车尾气污染的控制应以尾气污染预前控制和过程控制为主 ,并以此构筑城市汽车尾气污染治理的新模式     

浅议SaaS模式环境监测信息化建设的可行性

基于国内环境监测行业信息化建设的现状,针对SaaS模式在该领域的应用做可行性分析。介绍了SaaS模式与传统ASP模式的区别,探讨了SaaS模式给环境监测信息化建设带来的选择与机遇,以及其满足各层次多用户需求、实现服务个性化定制、具备快速扩展和恢复能力等优势。结合现阶段环境监测信息化建设采用SaaS模式在政策体制、业务实现、信息技术方面所面临的问题,提出了相应的建议。     

地表水超痕量苯并(a)芘的检测及空白干扰消除

采用液液萃取-超高效液相色谱仪接荧光检测器测定地表水中超痕量的苯并(a)芘,并对方法空白的干扰因素进行探讨。研究发现,该法的空白干扰主要来自于溶剂二氯甲烷,溶剂经蒸馏提纯后可消除干扰。以重新蒸馏提纯的二氯甲烷为提取剂,方法的检测限为0.05 ng/L,加标回收率为87.4%~132%,且空白测定值低于方法检出限,可满足地表水中超痕量苯并(a)芘检测的需求。     

Silica nanoparticles and silver-doped silica nanoparticles induce endoplasmatic reticulum stress response and alter cytochrome P4501A activity

Engineered silica nanoparticles (SiO₂-NPs) find widespread application and may lead to exposure of humans and the environment. Here we compare the effects of SiO₂-NPs and SiO₂-NPs doped with silver (SiO₂-Ag-NPs) on survival and cellular function of human liver cells (Huh7) and Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow) fibroblast cells (FMH). In Huh7 cells we investigate effects on the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER), including ER stress, and interactions of nanoparticles (NPs) with metabolizing enzymes and efflux transporters. The NPs formed agglomerates/aggregates in cell culture media as revealed by SEM and TEM. SiO₂ and SiO₂-1% Ag-NPs were taken up into cells as demonstrated by agglomerates occurring in vesicular-like structures or freely dispersed in the cytosol. Cytotoxicity was more pronounced in Huh7 than in FMH cells, and increased with silver content in silver-doped NPs. Dissolved silver was the most significant factor for cytotoxicity. At toxic and non-cytotoxic concentrations SiO₂-NPs and SiO₂-1% Ag-NPs induced perturbations in the function of ER. In Huh7 cells NPs induced the unfolded protein response (UPR), or ER stress response, as demonstrated in induced expression of BiP and splicing of XBP1 mRNA, two selective markers of ER stress. Additionally, SiO₂-1% Ag-NPs and AgNO₃ induced reactive oxygen species. Pre-treatment of Huh7 cells with SiO₂-1% Ag-NPs followed by exposure to the inducer benzo(a)pyrene caused a significant reduced induction of CYP1A activity. NPs did not alter the activity of ABC transporters. These data demonstrate for the first time that SiO₂-NPs and SiO₂-1% Ag-NPs result in perturbations of the ER leading to the ER stress response. This represents a novel and significant cellular signalling pathway contributing to the cytotoxicity of NPs.     

Can Hediste diversicolor (Nereidae, Polychaete) be considered a good candidate in evaluating PAH contamination? A multimarker approach

The aim of this study was to develop a preliminary characterization of the biological responses of Hediste diversicolor to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) under controlled laboratory conditions. In order to test the effects of PAH exposure, a battery of biomarkers was applied to the polychaetes by exposing them to sublethal concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (0.1 and 0.5 mg L⁻¹) for 10 d under laboratory conditions. The battery of biomarkers tested included oxidative stress biomarkers (glutathione content, enzymatic activities of catalase, glutathione S-transferases, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidases), total oxyradical scavenging capacity (TOSC) toward peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals and activity of acyl CoA oxidase (AOX) as a marker of peroxisome proliferation measured in the entire body; lipofuscin and neutral lipid accumulations and levels of Ca²⁺-ATPase activity analyzed in the intestinal epithelium; lysosomal membrane stability and genotoxic effects measured as DNA strand breaks and frequency of micronuclei in coelomocytes. Chemical analyses were also carried out to verify the polychaete’s benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) bioaccumulation levels after the exposure period. The results obtained indicate that B[a]P caused significant changes in most of the parameters measured in H. diversicolor. Biological responses to the organic compound were particularly significant for the biomarkers measured in the intestinal epithelium and in coelomocytes, emphasizing that these tissues were more affected during our experimental conditions. Considering the key trophic role of this benthic species in estuarine and coastal ecosystems, this study confirmed that H. diversicolor is an appropriate bioindicator of organic contamination.