Effects of a major municipal effluent on the St. Lawrence River: A case study

The St. Lawrence River (SLR) is the second largest waterway in North America. The discharge of the City of Montreal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) represents the largest volume of treated wastewaters being released into the river. It also ranks as the largest sewage treatment plant of its kind in North America. Over the last decade, intensive multidisciplinary research has focused on assessing the impacts of Montreal wastewater effluents on the SLR. We describe the major findings of these investigations, including the determination of the fate of contaminants, bioaccumulation in fish and invertebrates, ecotoxicological measurements of aquatic animal health, evaluation of endocrine disruption, parasitism in fish, and combined effects of multiple stressors on the SLR. Impacts of the effluents from the WWTP on aquatic organisms from the SLR are both toxicological and ecological, demonstrating the need for an integrated view of the impacts of municipal effluents on aquatic ecosystems.     

宜兴市莲花荡水系整治工程前后生态健康评价

以入太湖莲花荡水系为研究对象,结合2015年4个季度9个采样点的水质学、生物学共7个指标生态调查数据,采用多指标综合评价法,从生物完整性、化学完整性2个方面评价了莲花荡水系整治工程前后的生态健康状况。结果表明,2015年第1、2季度健康状况较差,健康的样点个数分别为3和1,在2015年6月开展清淤工程及集约化畜禽产业整改后,3、4季度健康状况明显改善,健康样点个数分别达到9和7。影响莲花荡水系化学完整性的主要水质指标是TN、TP,3、4季度TN仍超出地表水Ⅴ类标准,处于严重病态,TP为地表IV类标准,处于病态。影响莲花荡水系生物完整性的主要因子是底栖动物,仅监测到20种耐污能力较高的底栖动物物种,而未发现清洁物种。为了进一步改善莲花荡水系生态健康状况,建议开展沿岸农村生活污水的截污治理、农业面源的生态拦阻等污染源控工程,辅以生态岸带建设及湖滨带生态修复等工程。     

The perils of flawed science in wildlife trade literature

Despite broad scientific consensus that sustainable use of wildlife can enhance conservation efforts, ethical concerns have led some community groups to oppose use of wild animals. Voicing those concerns is legitimate, but underlying philosophical bias should not influence science-based analysis and interpretation. We argue that philosophical biases are common in the scientific literature on trade in wildlife. The critically important case of bias surrounding the use of reptile leathers for luxury fashion illustrates the problem. Based on analysis of official seizures of fashion products made from wildlife, a recent study inferred that criminal activity (as inferred by noncompliance with regulations) was common and increasing and, hence, that authorities needed to adopt more stringent restrictions on the trade. In fact, the conclusions of that study are artifacts of pseudoreplication (e.g., multiple counts of single violations) and biased sampling (e.g., focus on companies with high rates of error) and run directly opposite to actual patterns in the data. As a proportion of overall trade, rates of noncompliance are exceptionally low (<0.4%), are declining, and result primarily from paper-work errors rather than criminal intent (e.g., such errors are more frequent for goods shipped by government authorities than by the commercial fashion industry). The recommendation by the study authors to prohibit the international trade in wildlife-based fashion products is imperiling a sustainable trade that can benefit biodiversity and people's livelihoods by providing financial incentives for conservation of species and habitats. This example offers a warning of the dangers of basing research on the wildlife trade on ethical or philosophical positions rather than objective evaluations of evidence.     

优质饲草饲料甜高梁在塔里木河下游的引种研究

试验本着农村产业结构调整,退耕还草畜养和绿洲生态农业优化管理的研究宗旨,把甜高粱作为南疆农村产业结构调整和发展生态畜牧业的优良品种在尉犁县进行栽培试验.结果表明在南疆类似尉犁县气候条件的地区,其生育期为130d,每年除收获种子外还可收割一茬牧草,年产鲜草86 400 kg/hm2、收获种子1 770 kg/hm2.     

CONTROLLING PHOSPHORUS IN RUNOFF FROM LONG TERM DAIRY WASTE APPLICATION FIELDS1

ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) in runoff from long term animal waste application fields can contribute to accelerated eutrophication of surface waters. Manure when applied at nitrogen (N) agronomic rates generally increases soil P concentrations, which can increase runoff of soluble P. Along the North Bosque River in central Texas, dairy waste application fields are identified as the most controllable nonpoint source of soluble P in a total maximum daily load. To evaluate P reduction practices for fields high in soil extractable P, edge‐of‐field runoff was measured from paired plots of Coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)/ winter wheat (Triticum spp.). Plots (about 0.4 ha) received manure at P agronomic rates following Texas permit guidelines and commercial N during the pretreatment period. During the post‐treatment period, control plots continued to receive manure at P agronomic rates and commercial N. Treatment plots received only commercial N during the post‐treatment period. Use of only commercial N on soils with high extractable P levels significantly decreased P loadings in edge‐of‐field runoff by at least 40 percent, but runoff concentrations sometimes increased. No notable changes in extractable soil P concentrations were observed after five years of monitoring due to drought conditions limiting forage uptake and removal.     

Taking Ethics into Account in Farm Animal Breeding: What can the Breeding Companies Achieve?

Animal welfare and the ethical issues it raises have been discussed intensively for a couple of decades. The emphasis has been on the direct effects of housing and husbandry, but more attention is now being given to problems originating in selective breeding. European attempts to adjust animal welfare legislation to deal with these problems have been largely unsuccessful, but the fact that selective breeding can introduce welfare problems continues to place an ethical responsibility on the animal breeding industry. Since breeding decisions are made centrally and, increasingly, internationally, strategic change is only likely to occur if it is embedded in an international agreement of some kind. The aim of this paper is to describe the key ethical issues facing animal breeding and assess the suggestion that the breeding industry itself can deal with ethical issues by means of an ethical code. Results from recent projects involving commercial breeding enterprises are presented.     

二氧化氯对水中病毒、藻类和浮游动物的失活效果

本文研究了二氧化氯对水中一些主要病毒、藻类和浮游动物的失活效果,以及在不同消毒剂投量、接触时间和pH值等条件下,二氧化氯(ClO_2)对水体中一些微生物的杀灭和失活效果.与液氯对比的结果表明:ClO_2对藻类失活效果优于或相当于液氯;ClO_2对病毒和浮游动物的失活效果显著优于液氯;ClO_2可在一广泛的pH值范围内杀灭微生物.此外,还从理论上初步探讨了ClO_2对病毒的失活机理.研究结果表明,ClO_2是一种优良的液氯替代消毒剂,这对开展ClO_2的研究及其应用有重要意义.     

养鸡场空气微生物污染及工人呼吸暴露风险

动物养殖场是空气环境微生物污染的重要来源,然而目前关于养殖场空气中微生物污染特征的时间规律少有报道.针对以上情况,以蛋鸡场为例,采用16S rRNA基因扩增子测序分别对养殖场空气和粪便环境中细菌分布特点及呼吸暴露展开为期80余周的研究.结果表明,空气和粪便样本中16S rRNA含量范围分别在6.08×10⁵ ~4.90×10⁶ copies·m^-3和4.27×10⁸ ~1.15×10¹⁰ copies·g^-1之间.空气中细菌浓度的平均值在冬季显著高于夏季,而生物多样性则呈现相反趋势.蛋鸡场空气与粪便中的优势细菌门均为厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）.在所调查时间内,空气中前3个优势菌属的种类较为稳定,依次为乳杆菌属（Lactobacillus）、拟杆菌属（Bacteroides）和栖粪杆菌属（Faecalibacterium）,而粪便中优势菌属则随养殖时间的增加波动较大.空气和动物粪便中细菌和致病菌群落结构的相关性均不显著,但不同介质中两种目标微生物的含量均显著相关.粪便中细菌的气溶胶化指数随养殖时间的增加而呈上升趋势,而致病菌趋势相反.其中,瘤胃菌科torques属（[Ruminococcus]_torques_group）、拟杆菌属（Bacteroides）和栖粪杆菌属（Faecalibacterium）为最易发生气溶胶化的前3个致病菌属.养鸡场工人的细菌呼吸暴露具有季节性差异,其中细菌和致病菌摄入量的平均值分别为2.54×10⁷ copies·d^-1和2.87×10⁵ copies·d^-1.研究结果将为系统评估养殖场空气微生物的污染特征和潜在健康风险,对以及制定相应的职业暴露行业标准和防控措施提供科学依据.     

The good life of creatures with dignity some comments on the swiss expert opinion

The notion of Dignity of Creatures has been voted into the Swiss Federal Constitution by a plebiscite. Philipp Balzer, Klaus-Peter Rippe, and Peter Schaber have given an expert opinion for the Swiss government to clarify the notion of Dignity of Creatures. According to them, by voting this notion into the Swiss constitution, the Swiss have chosen for a limited biocentric approach towards biotechnology. In such an approach genetic engineering of non-human beings is only allowed insofar that their own good is not impaired. It is, however, not clear when the good of a non-human being is impaired. I defend the position that — even if we confine ourselves to animals — their good goes beyond their well being.     

功能性低聚糖在饲料添加剂中的应用

低聚糖或称寡糖是由2-10个单糖分子通过糖苷键连接组成的小聚合体。作为一种新型的功能性饲料添加剂,在动物体内可促进消化道有益菌的生长,抑制有害病原菌的繁殖,提高动物机体免疫力。多数试验研究表明,饲料中添加适量低聚糖,能在较大程度上替代抗生素而改善动物健康,增强抗病力,提高家禽及幼龄动物成活率,提高动物的生长增重和饲料转化率。