Secondary materials transfer from Japan to China: destination analysis

China has been the largest importer of secondary materials for recycling from Japan during the past decade. In this study, we analyzed the transfer of major secondary materials (plastic, steel, copper, and aluminum scrap) from Japan to China. We identified specific destinations for secondary materials, and the characteristics of secondary materials transferred to China. The major destination for the transfer of secondary materials to China is Guangdong province and part of the Huadong area (Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu). Most scrap metal imported into China is of low quality. The destinations of most high-quality nonferrous scrap, imported as processed goods on consignment or through the transit improvement trade, are the northeast border provinces, especially Xinjiang Uighur province. The coefficients of specialization for Chinese cities were different from those for the provinces. Guangdong shows an average recycling structure for China. The structure gradually changes from south to north.     

Appropriateness of needles of different conifer species for the feeding and growth of larvae from two populations of the Siberian moth

A comparison of two Siberian moth populations from the Altai Republic (feeding on Siberian fir) and the Tyva Republic (feeding on Siberian larch) has revealed no differences between them with respect to ecophysiological parameters of larval growth and feeding on needles of the same conifer species under laboratory conditions. The index of appropriateness of food plants for the larvae from both populations decreases in the series larch > fir > spruce > pine. The age-related dynamics of parameters characterizing the feeding and growth of larvae are independent of the population to which the insects belong.     

Habitat Fragmentation Effects on Trophic Processes of Insect-Plant Food Webs

Abstract:  Habitat fragmentation is the transformation of once-extensive landscapes into smaller, isolated remnants surrounded by new types of habitat. There is ample evidence of impoverished biodiversity as a consequence of habitat fragmentation, but its most profound effects may actually result from functional changes in ecological processes such as trophic interactions. We studied the trophic processes of herbivory and parasitism in insect-plant food webs composed of hundreds of species in a fragmented woodland landscape. We recorded all plant species, collected mined leaves, and reared leafminers and parasitoids from 19 woodland remnants. Herbivory and parasitism rates were then analyzed in relation to woodland size and edge or interior location. Herbivory by leaf-mining insects and their overall parasitism rates decreased as woodland remnants became smaller. For each remnant the intensity of both processes differed between edge and interior. Our results provide novel evidence of the magnitude of habitat fragmentation effects, showing they can be so pervasive as to affect trophic processes of highly complex food webs and suggesting a response associated with trophic specialization of the involved organisms as much as with their trophic level.     

复合菌种发酵酒糟菌体生长量和COD去除率的研究

在１００ｍＬ混合酒精培养液中接种优质复合菌种８５０３和８５０５,在接种量为体积浓度１０％,温度为３０．０℃,转速为１７０ｒ／ｍｉｎ的条件下,经摇床培养４８ｈ后,绝于菌体质量最高可收获１．４６９３ｇ,ＣＯＤ去除率高达６７．７４％,即ＣＯＤ由发酵前的３２６８０ｍｇ／Ｌ,降为发酵后的１０５４４ｍｇ／Ｌ。     

Comparative study of polyhydroxyalkanoates production from acidified and anaerobically treated brewery wastewater using enriched mixed microbial culture

The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates(PHA) from wastewaters using microbial mixed cultures(MMC) has been attracting increased interest because of PHA's biodegradability characteristics. Production of PHA by an MMC enriched with PHA-accumulating bacteria was compared using anaerobically treated and acidified brewery wastewaters under various feeding strategies, namely pulse and batch feed addition. To obtain an enriched MMC, a sequencing batch reactor was inoculated with activated sludge fed with acetate and subjected to aerobic dynamic feeding. The enriched MMC was able to accumulate PHA up to 72.6% of cell dry weight(CDW) with pulse addition of acetate controlled by the dissolved oxygen(DO) concentration in the reactor. In a batch accumulation experiment with acetate,the PHA content achieved(28.5% CDW) was less than that of the pulse feeding strategy with the same amount of acetate(～2000 mg C/L). Using anaerobically treated and acidified brewery wastewater fed in pulses, the maximum PHA accumulated by the enriched MMC was similar for both wastewaters(45% CDW), in spite of the higher volatile fatty acid concentration in acidified brewery wastewater. The pulse feed addition controlled by the DO concentration was difficult to implement for wastewater as compared to acetate because the difference in DO concentration between substrate availability and depletion was low. For the batch addition of acidified wastewater, a slightly lower PHA content(39%CDW) was obtained. These results show that both brewery wastewaters can be utilized for PHA production with a similar maximum PHA storage capacity.     

New Approaches to the Assessment of Structural Organization of Communities in Springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola)

Trends in the diversity of structural organization of soil animal communities are analyzed using an example of the taxocenes of springtails, small soil arthropods. Different methods for describing the structure of communities are considered. On the basis of parameters characterizing specialization and stability of communities, several patterns of their organization in springtails are distinguished. It is shown that the new approach offers new opportunities in forecasting community dynamics under the effects of natural and anthropogenic factors.     

The Northern Mole Vole: Is It a Hibernator?

Based on the results of long-term field studies (1980–1997) and published data on the ecology of the northern mole vole (Ellobius talpinusPall.), it is assumed that these animals living in the Southern Urals and the Transural region do hibernate. The factors that cause their hibernation (freezing of the ground, the resultant unavailability of food, and hypoxia), some indirect evidence for hibernation (the cessation of tooth root growth from autumn to spring and a long life span), and characteristic signs of the preparation for hibernation (a decrease in body weight and an increase in liver weight) are considered. A hypothetical scheme of the active and dormant periods is proposed.     

好氧瞬时供料法合成生物可降解塑料的研究进展

聚羟基烷酯(PHAs)作为一种可以完全生物降解的合成塑料替代品而受到越来越多的关注。好氧瞬时供料法由于高的PHAs合成能力及可利用混合菌群(如活性污泥)和有机废弃物合成PHAs显著降低成本而成为目前最具应用前景的PHAs合成技术。文章阐明了好氧瞬时供料法合成PHAs的代谢机制及工艺过程,并就采用该方法合成PHAs的过程中诸多的影响因素进行分析和探讨。     

基于升流式厌氧污泥床反应器的微生物燃料电池的研究

构建了一种基于升流式厌氧污泥床反应器（UASB）的微生物燃料电池（MFCs）,利用UASB高效去除COD能力及连续进样方式,获得稳定电能输出。考察了水力停留时间、进液方式、电极材料、离子交换膜种类、溶液离子强度等因素对于MFCs性能的影响。实验结果表明：在水力停留时间6h、连续进液、高纯石墨板电极以及均相阳离子交换膜条件下,连续运行3个月,放电功率稳定在145mW／m^2,开路电压0．78V,放电电流最高可达321mA／m^2。     

Mushroom harvesting ants in the tropical rain forest

Ants belong to the most important groups of arthropods, inhabiting and commonly dominating most terrestrial habitats, especially tropical rainforests. Their highly collective behavior enables exploitation of various resources and is viewed as a key factor for their evolutionary success. Accordingly, a great variety of life strategies evolved in this group of arthropods, including seed harvesters, gardeners, and planters, fungus growers, nomadic hunters, life stock keepers, and slave makers. This study reports the discovery of a new lifestyle in ants. In a Southeast Asian rainforest habitat, Euprenolepis procera is specialized in harvesting a broad spectrum of naturally growing mushrooms, a nutritionally challenging and spatiotemporally unpredictable food source. While unfavorable to the vast majority of animals, E. procera has developed exceptional adaptations such as a shift to a fully nomadic lifestyle and special food processing capabilities, which allow it to rely entirely on mushrooms. As a consequence, E. procera is the most efficient and predominant consumer of epigeic mushrooms in the studied habitat and this has broad implications for the tropical rainforest ecosystem.