Ecosystem mapping for the implementation of the European Biodiversity Strategy at the national level: The case of Italy

Several international initiatives, including the European Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, promote the identification and mapping of ecosystems as basic tools for the conservation of biodiversity and related services. On coarse scales, the spatial representation of ecosystems is usually based on broad land cover categories that largely overlook important ecological and biogeographic features of the biotic communities they are meant to exemplify. This paper presents a nationwide ecosystem mapping approach that promotes a degree of thematic detail, which is more suited than that found in the continental maps to meeting biodiversity conservation targets in Italy. The approach is based on the rationale that current and potential vegetation cover are valuable proxies for outlining ecosystems. The resulting Ecosystem Map of Italy includes 43 types of forest ecosystems instead of the 5 woodland, forest and other wooded land types recognized at the European level. We outline the expected advantages of this enhanced thematic detail for a number of conservation purposes and highlight how the resulting maps may help to meet biodiversity conservation targets at the national level. In particular, we refer to the assessment of conservation status, the definition of restoration priorities, the planning of green infrastructure and the identification of collapse risks for the ecosystems identified. Comprehensively, the definition, characterization and assessment of ecosystem types represent the carrying structure of the recently launched national system of natural capital accounting.     

Assessment of potential dermal and inhalation exposure of workers to the insecticide imidacloprid using whole-body dosimetry in China

In China, although improvements to the pesticide registration process have beenmade in last thirty years, no occupational exposure data are required to obtain a commercial license for a pesticide product. Consequently, notably little research has been conducted to establish an exposure assessment procedure in China. The present study monitored the potential dermal operator exposure from knapsack electric sprayer wheat field application of imidacloprid in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province and in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, China, using whole-body dosimetry. The potential inhalation exposure was determined using a personal air pump and XAD-2 sample tubes. The analytical method was developed and validated, including such performance parameters as limits of detection and quantification, linear range, recovery and precision. The total potential dermal and inhalation exposures were 14.20, 16.80, 15.39 and 20.78 mL/hr, respectively, for the four operators in Liaocheng and Xinxiang, corresponding to 0.02% to 0.03% of the applied volume of spray solution. In all trials, the lower part (thigh, lower leg) of the body was the most contaminated, accounting for approximately 76% to 88% of the total exposure. The inhalation exposure was less than 1% of the total exposure. Such factors as the application pattern, crop type, spray equipment, operator experience and climatic conditions have been used to explain the exposure distribution over the different parts of the body. As indicated by the calculated Margin of Exposure, the typical wheat treatment scenarios when a backpack sprayer was used are considered to be safe in terms of imidacloprid exposure.     

Responses of soil ammonia oxidizers to a short-term severe mercury stress

The responses of soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) to mercury(Hg) stress were investigated through a short-term incubation experiment.Treated with four different concentrations of Hg(CK,Hg25,Hg50,and Hg100,denoting 0,25,50,and 100 mg Hg/kg dry soil,respectively),samples were harvested after 3,7,and 28 day incubation.Results showed that the soil potential nitrification rate(PNR) was significantly inhibited by Hg stress during the incubation.However,lower abundances of AOA(the highest in CK: 9.20 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil; the lowest in Hg50: 2.68 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil) and AOB(the highest in CK: 2.68 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil; the lowest in Hg50:7.49 × 10~6 copies/g dry soil) were observed only at day 28 of incubation(P 0.05).Moreover,only the community structure of soil AOB obviously shifted under Hg stress as seen through DGGE profiles,which revealed that 2–3 distinct AOB bands emerged in the Hg treatments at day 28.In summary,soil PNR might be a very useful parameter to assess acute Hg stress on soil ecosystems,and the community structure of soil AOB might be a realistic biological indicator for the assessment of heavy metal stress on soil ecosystems in the future.     

乌鲁木齐市民用住宅室内氡浓度水平调查研究

对乌鲁木齐市具有代表性的民用住宅室内氡浓度进行了连续一年的监测调查,调查结果显示室内氡浓度平均值55.4 Bq／m3,低于国标的“200 Bq／m3”,并据此估算出其所致居民的年均有效剂量为1.400 mSv,以及所致居民支气管上皮组织、肺、性腺、骨髓及骨表面细胞等关键组织的年吸收剂量分别为1886．49,378.96,2.80,3.20,3.20μGy／a,大于UNSCEAR2000年报告的世界平均值1.008 mSv,结合室内氡的主要来源,提出了对建筑材料进行放射性监测、控制装修、工程竣工后开展室内环境监测、加强室内通风以及开展室内氡污染治理等措施控制室内氡浓度水平。     

Alien plant invasions--incorporating emerging invaders in regional prioritization: a pragmatic approach for Southern Africa

Plant invasions are a serious threat to natural and semi-natural ecosystems worldwide. Most management-orientated research on invasions focuses on invaders that are already widespread and often have major impacts. This paper deals with "emerging" invaders-those alien species with the potential to become important problems without timely intervention. A climate matching procedure was developed to define areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland that could be invaded by 28 plant species that had previously been classified as emerging invaders. Information on the location of populations of these species in the study area was combined with information on their distributions (as native or alien) in parts of Australia and the United States of America. These two countries had the best available distribution data for this study. They also share many invasive alien plant species with South Africa. Climatic data obtained for weather stations near points of known occurrence in these countries were used to define the climatically suitable areas for each species in the study area. Almost 80% of the remaining natural environment in southern Africa was found to be vulnerable to invasion by at least one of these species, 50% by six or more and 24% by 16 or more species. The most vulnerable areas are the highveld grasslands and the eastern escarpment. The emerging invaders with the greatest potential range included Acacia podalyriifolia and Cortaderia selloana. The globally important invaders Ulex europaeus and Lythrum salicaria had a more limited invasion potential but could still become major invaders. There was no relationship between the extent of the climatically suitable areas for the different species and an expert ranking of their invasion potential, emphasising the uncertainties inherent in making expert assessments based on very little information. The methods used in this analysis establish a protocol for future modelling exercises to assess the invasion potential of other emerging invaders.     

放射源在线监控系统设计与应用

为了防止在使用放射源时发生脱落、丢失、超标使用、私自转移等情况,最大限度避免辐射安全事故,有必要设计建立放射源在线监控系统,对放射源放射性指标(辐射剂量率)及所处位置(经纬度)实行连续的自动监测。并通过各级监管平台设置放射源超标、异动等报警程序,全面提升放射源科学监管水平。     

纳米二氧化钛与镉对斜生栅藻(Scenedesmus obliquus)生长的拮抗效应及其作用机制

人工纳米材料（MNMs）进入水环境将改变传统环境污染物的环境归趋及其毒性作用,两者的相互作用及其机制一直是环境科学领域的热点问题.迄今为止,已有大量MNMs与现存污染物联合毒性作用的研究成果发表,但其潜在的作用机制,尤其是联合作用下的生物响应机制仍未清楚.本文以典型MNMs——纳米二氧化钛（nTiO₂）与重金属镉（Cd²⁺）为研究目标,以斜生栅藻（Scenedesmus obliquus）为受试生物,考察在等效剂量（毒性比1 ∶1）下不同浓度组合nTiO₂和Cd²⁺对斜生栅藻的联合毒性作用模式及其分子机制.结果表明,等效剂量下Cd²⁺和nTiO₂的72h EC₅₀值对比单独暴露时均有显著升高,呈拮抗效应.进一步开展转录组学分析发现,nTiO₂存在下斜生栅藻能量代谢所涉及的光合作用、叶绿素代谢以及淀粉与蔗糖代谢通路发生了显著上调,与藻细胞抗逆效应相关的精氨酸与脯氨酸代谢通路同样呈正向刺激表现.本文首次报道了nTiO₂与Cd²⁺等效剂量联合暴露下,浮游植物通过改变藻细胞抗逆能力与加强能量代谢来降低毒性的生物响应机制.本研究结果为深入理解MNMs与现存污染物的复合环境健康效应提供重要参考和研究基础.     

应用动态模型确定酸沉降临界负荷的探讨

任何一个天然生态系统都是一个稳定系统.在一定酸沉降量的作用下,生态系统最终会平衡在一个新的稳定状态.动态模型可以模拟不同酸沉降量下生态系统化学状态的变化趋势.根据信号与系统理论,这种趋势可以用一阶指数衰减函数进行模拟,以得到系统达到稳定状态时的化学指标值.根据不同酸沉降量和所对应的稳态化学指标值之间的剂量-响应曲线,可以求出当系统稳态化学指标值达到临界化学值时的酸沉降量,即为系统的酸沉降临界负荷.应用这种方法,以MAGIC模型为例,计算了四川峨眉山顶水和重庆南山湖泊的硫沉降临界负荷,分别为1.54和6.5     

绿磺隆对水稻的残留危害剂量

用田间模拟试验法，研究了土壤中绿磺隆不同添加量与水稻危害剂量的关系。结果表明：稻田绿磺隆添加量超过０．３７５ｇ（ＡＩ）／ｈｍ￣２时，就可能对水用产生危害，在此用量水平下，绿磺隆在耕层土壤中的平均残留浓度为０．１７μｇ／ｋｇ，按此推算，麦田按正常用量的２倍量（３０ｇ／ｈｍ￣２）施用，在种麦期间绿磺隆在麦田土壤中的半衰期超过３２．１ｄ．即会对水稻产生危害。     

Evaluation of noise environments during daily activities of university students

Noise conditions specifically in areas inside university facilities and its impact on the quality of life of university students are topics that have received little attention. This paper presents a study of the noise conditions in which university students of various institutions in Madrid, Spain, carry out their daily studies. A representative number of measurements was carried out using noise dosemeters and dataloggers in order to evaluate the levels of noise, noise dose and exposure to noise during school periods and extracurricular activities. The results were compared with the recommendations given by current environmental noise regulations. This paper was complemented with a survey to get to know how students perceive the exposure to noise in university environments.