Assessing desertification risk using system stability condition analysis

This paper describes a procedure for evaluating the desertification risk in threatened areas. The procedure is based on an eight-equation dynamic model of a generic human–resource system that can be applied to different desertification syndromes. For each application, interest focuses on finding all the possible long-term final states of the system and on defining the conditions that mark out sustainability and long-term desertification by means of unambiguous specific parameter relations. The procedure is applied to three typified cases in Spain: (A) rainfed crops in areas with high soil erosion risk; (B) irrigated intensive agricultural systems; and (C) commercial rangelands. Results show that, in case A, high profit scenarios are responsible for the final extension of desertification but do not determine the specific threshold between sustainability and desertification. They do, however, in cases B and C.     

Patterns of parental provisioning covary with male morphology in a horned beetle (Onthophagus taurus) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Male dung beetles, Onthophagus taurus, are dimorphic for a secondary sexual trait, head horns. Horned males participate in the production of brood masses while hornless male do not. Here we examine the reproductive performance of females mated with males exhibiting alternative horn morphologies. We found that exposure to males may be costly for females in that it reduced the total number of brood masses produced. However, females paired with horned males produced significantly larger brood masses than females paired with hornless males or females producing broods alone. We discuss the possible selection pressures that may underly horn evolution in this genus. Received: 22 August 1997 / Accepted after revision: 19 January 1998     

Male competition in Cardiocondyla ants

The two types of males in the ant genus Cardiocondyla differ remarkably in morphology and behavior. Ergatoid males are wingless fighters whose spermatogenesis continues throughout their entire adult lives and which therefore have an “unlimited” sperm supply. They attempt to kill all eclosing ergatoid rivals and thus to increase their share in copulations with the virgin queens reared in their nests. Winged males, on the other hand, are docile and emigrate from the nests a few days after eclosion, probably to mate with queens from other colonies. By this time, their testes have fully degenerated and all sperm is stored in the seminal vesicles. Before emigration, winged males may mate with virgin queens in their maternal nests, but they are nevertheless rarely attacked by ergatoid males. In the laboratory, the life expectancy of ergatoid males is only slightly higher than that of winged males, but because of the emigration of the latter the difference is likely to be more pronounced in the field. Both male morphs are capable of inseminating more than 35 virgin queens. However, winged males older than 14 days mate less often than ergatoid males of similar age, probably due to sperm depletion in later life. The spermathecae of queens inseminated by ergatoid males contained significantly more sperm than those of queens which mated with winged males. We discuss the evolution of intranidal mating and male polymorphism in ants. Received: 8 August 1997 / Accepted after revision: 6 October 1997     

Influence of spatial resolution on assessing channelization impacts on fish and macroinvertebrate communities in a warmwater stream in the southeastern United States

The choice of spatial and temporal scale used in environmental assessments may influence the observed results. One method of assessing the impact of stream habitat alterations involves the comparison of response variables among treatment categories (i.e., impacted and unimpacted sites). The influence of spatial resolution on patterns of response variables among treatment categories in assessments of stream channelization and other types of habitat alterations has not been evaluated. We examined how patterns of 10 community response variables among channel types and our interpretations of channelization impacts on fish and macroinvertebrate communities differed among three spatial resolutions in a warmwater stream in Mississippi and Alabama. Four fish and three macroinvertebrate community response variables exhibited different patterns among channel types at different spatial resolutions. Our interpretations of the impacts of channelization on fish and macroinvertebrate communities differed among spatial resolutions. Channelization had a negative influence on fish communities either with or without evidence of potential community recovery in one channel type. Channelization impacts on macroinvertebrate communities ranged from a negative influence to no effect. Our results suggest that spatial resolution can influence the observed results and interpretations derived from assessments of stream habitat alterations.     

中国城市CO_2排放数据集研究——基于中国高空间分辨率网格数据

城市CO_2排放数据的可获取性和质量直接影响了城市碳排放的科学研究、低碳战略制定及公众对于城市低碳发展的监督和参与。数据缺乏和多源数据的不确定性大是中国城市CO_2排放核算和低碳城市规划面临的重要问题和挑战,而这些问题同时也导致中国低碳城市研究水平参差不齐。本研究使用自下而上建立的中国高空间分辨率网格数据(空间分辨率为1km),采用统一数据源和规范化、标准化数据处理方法,建立中国城市CO_2排放数据集,供研究者和决策者参考。城市CO_2排放计算借鉴国际上较为成熟和应用广泛的核算方法,包括范围1和范围2排放。以北京、上海、天津、重庆和广州5个典型城市的能源统计数据自上而下计算其CO_2排放作为参考水平,检验数据集的数值质量,结果显示5个城市的数据差异均不超过10%。中国城市CO_2排放整体呈现北方大于南方,东部高于中部和西部的空间格局。CO_2排放量较高的城市大多处于华北、东北以及华东沿海地区,西部地区城市CO_2排放量则较低。城市CO_2排放8个部门(工业能源、工业过程、农业、服务业、城镇生活、农村生活、交通、范围2排放)之间的相关性中,城镇生活和交通排放的相关性最高,并且呈现显著性(p0.001),工业过程排放和服务业排放的相关性最弱且没有显著性。基于中国高空间分辨率网格数据的中国城市CO_2排放数据集的不断完善和发展,为中国城市CO_2排放研究奠定了重要的数据基础,为城市CO_2排放横向比较和对标工作提供了重要依据。     

环境调解“二一分流”模式的探究

面对纷繁复杂的环境纠纷,学者们普遍倾向行政调解,但实践中行政调解存在概念不清、程序不完备、政府信誉危机等无法逾越的障碍。为了应对复杂的环境纠纷,应当因应地选择解决方式,确立“二一分流”的方法并创设“双调解”模式,将不同类型的问题划入不同处理模式,综合运用三大调解方式,从而真正实现“大调解”从司法到全社会的全面贯通,提高环境纠纷处理效率。     

An investigation of engine and fuel system performance in a diesel engine operating on waste cooking oil

Waste cooking oil (WCO) was experimentally examined to determine whether it can be used as an alternative fuel in a 3-cylinder, 4-stroke, direct injection, 48 kW power tractor engine. The test engine was operated under full load conditions using diesel fuel and waste vegetable oil from the 2400 to 1100 rpm and performance values were recorded. Tests were performed in two stages to evaluate the effect of the waste oils on the engine life cycle. When the test engine was operated with diesel fuel and waste cooking oil; engine torque decreased between at ratio of 0.09 % and 3% according to the engine speed. While no significant difference occurs in the diesel fuel tests at the end of 100 hours of operation, an important reduction was observed in the engine torque of the WCO engine between 4.21% and 14.48% according to the engine speed, and an increase in average smoke opacity ratio was also observed. In accordance with the results obtained from the studies, it was determined that the engine performance values of waste cooking oil show similar properties with diesel fuel, but in long-term usage, performance losses increased. In the SEM analysis performed on the fuel system, there were dark deposits at the nozzle tip and stem. According to an EDX analysis at the nozzle tips, the detected elements point to engine oil ash in the combustion chamber and show coking products (C and O). The other elements (Na, S, Ca, P, Cl, and K) point to used WCO.     

利用EIA法快速筛查垃圾焚烧飞灰和烟气中的二恶英毒性水平

基于CAPE技术公司的兔子复合克隆抗体的二恶英(PCDD/F)酶免疫分析试剂盒,建立了快速检测垃圾焚烧飞灰和烟气中PCDD/F毒性(TEQ值)的方法.试剂盒的最低检测限为3.3pg·tube-1(即3.3pgTEQ每EIA试管),线性检测范围为10～30pg·tube-1.样品经甲苯索氏抽提后过硅胶柱连接小碳柱净化处理,TCDD/F的回收率大约为50%,与原飞灰PCDD/F分布模式相比净化处理后样品中的TCDD/F含量明显降低.用净化处理后的飞灰溶液作标准溶液,绘制PCDD/F剂量-效应关系曲线,定量分析了2个飞灰样品和2个烟气样品的TEQ浓度,结果表明分析样品的TEQ实测值(HRGC/HRMS分析获得)与预测值(标准曲线计算值)的相对偏差(Rd)均小于15%,说明用该方法定量分析垃圾焚烧飞灰和烟气中PCDD/F毒性是可行的.     

Representative measurement of two-dimensional reactive phosphate distributions and co-distributed iron(II) and sulfide in seagrass sediment porewaters

The high degree of heterogeneity within sediments can make interpreting one-dimensional measurements difficult. The recent development and use of in situ techniques that measure two-dimensional distributions of porewater solutes have facilitated investigation of the role of spatial heterogeneity in sediment biogeochemistry. A colourimetric diffusive equilibration in thin films method has been developed that allows two-dimensional, high-resolution measurement of reactive phosphate in sediment porewaters. A method detection limit of 0.22 μM, an effective upper limit of ∼1000 μM and relative standard deviations typically below 5% were achieved. This method was evaluated by deployment in seagrass (Zostera capricorni) colonised sediments, as part of combined probes with similar colourimetric methods for sulfide and iron(II). The two-dimensional, high resolution distributions obtained provide a highly representative measurement of the co-distributions of porewater solutes, allowing heterogeneous features and biogeochemical processes to be observed and interpreted. Microniches of high phosphate concentration >100 μM were observed throughout the distributions and were interpreted to be due to localised zones of rapid organic matter mineralisation, possibly using electron acceptors other than iron(III) oxyhydroxides (e.g. aerobic respiration) as often they did not correspond with microniches of higher Fe(II) concentration.     

静电场轨道阱超高分辨质谱在新污染物分析中的应用

介绍了静电场轨道阱超高分辨质谱在新污染物分析中的应用,包括靶向定量、靶向筛查和非靶向筛查3个方面。在靶向定量方面,静电场轨道阱可以达到μg/L至ng/L检测限,满足环境中新污染物分析的需求。在靶向筛查方面,静电场轨道阱超高分辨质谱配备了包含上千种新污染物的数据库,可从精确质量数、保留时间、同位素峰形、碎片离子、二级谱图等方面,实现对新污染物的快速筛查。在非靶向筛查方面,该系统可通过智能化的数据采集模式(AcquireX)采集丰富的二级信息,然后通过Compound Discoverer软件流程化地处理数据,包括基于本地和网络数据库的谱图搜索,以及不依赖于数据库的特征碎片查找、中性丢失查找、特征同位素查找、质量亏损计算、分子网络分析等,最大程度地查找和发现未知的新污染物。