Quantifying the impact of vegetation-based metrics on species persistence when choosing offsets for habitat destruction

Developers are often required by law to offset environmental impacts through targeted conservation actions. Most offset policies specify metrics for calculating offset requirements, usually by assessing vegetation condition. Despite widespread use, there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of vegetation-based metrics for ensuring biodiversity persistence. We compared long-term impacts of biodiversity offsetting based on area only; vegetation condition only; area × habitat suitability; and condition × habitat suitability in development and restoration simulations for the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. We simulated development and subsequent offsetting through restoration within a virtual landscape, linking simulations to population viability models for 3 species. Habitat gains did not ensure species persistence. No net loss was achieved when performance of offsetting was assessed in terms of amount of habitat restored, but not when outcomes were assessed in terms of persistence. Maintenance of persistence occurred more often when impacts were avoided, giving further support to better enforce the avoidance stage of the mitigation hierarchy. When development affected areas of high habitat quality for species, persistence could not be guaranteed. Therefore, species must be more explicitly accounted for in offsets, rather than just vegetation or habitat alone. Declines due to a failure to account directly for species population dynamics and connectivity overshadowed the benefits delivered by producing large areas of high-quality habitat. Our modeling framework showed that the benefits delivered by offsets are species specific and that simple vegetation-based metrics can give misguided impressions on how well biodiversity offsets achieve no net loss.     

多环芳烃在冬小麦体内的吸收与转运及富集研究进展

多年来以煤炭为主的能源消费结构和经济社会持续发展,导致我国PAHs(多环芳烃)排放量居高不下,直接造成土壤和大气PAHs严重污染.为了探明PAHs在冬小麦体内的积累过程和调控机制,在系统分析PAHs在冬小麦体内的吸收、转运和富集的基础上,重点阐述了冬小麦PAHs根系吸收和叶面吸收影响因素方面的最新研究进展.研究发现:① 小麦根系对PAHs的吸收包括主动吸收和被动吸收两种方式,其中主动吸收是一个载体协助、消耗能量、PAHs与H+共运的过程;被动吸收除了在高等植物中普遍存在的简单扩散外,水-甘油通道也参与了该过程. ② PAHs通过气态、颗粒态沉降到小麦叶面角质层或直接通过气孔进入叶片. ③ 影响PAHs根系和叶面吸收的主要因素包括PAHs理化性质、植物生理状况、环境因素等. ④ 小麦根系吸收的PAHs可以向地上部转运,并且与辛醇-水分配系数(K_OW)、蒸腾速率、土壤中氮的形态和浓度有关.主要问题:① 对于小麦叶片吸收的PAHs向基运输机理有待进一步研究. ② 农田生态系统中冬小麦往往遭受土壤及大气双重污染,根系吸收及叶面吸收分别对其体内积累PAHs的贡献尚不清楚.因此,需关注韧皮部、木质部在PAHs转运中所起的作用;利用同位素示踪、双光子激发显微镜等先进技术观察和跟踪PAHs如何进入小麦以及在小麦叶中的转移和分布,阐明PAHs叶面吸收的微观机理;注重大田试验研究,为揭示冬小麦对PAHs的吸收、积累及调控机理,同时也为有机污染地区生产安全农产品提供重要依据.      

维管束植物桂花树叶片对大气氮沉降的吸收研究

本文通过测定维管束植物桂花树叶片的氮含量和氮同位素组成,分析其对大气氮沉降的截留吸收机制。为期一年(2009.03～2010.03)的监测数据显示,桂花树叶片氮含量为1.33%～3.09%,平均值为2.18%;叶片δ15 N为+0.54‰～+3.78‰,均值为+2.29‰。桂花树叶片N%、δ15 N的季节性变化趋势,总体呈现春、冬高,夏、秋低的规律,这与已有的贵阳市雨水监测数据一致。对比不同树冠厚度的叶片样品,发现叶片N%随树冠厚度增加而降低,顶部叶片N%表现为最高(2.39±0.4%),说明桂花树的树冠层对大气氮沉降有明显的截留吸收作用。桂花树顶部叶片δ15 N最偏负,而上覆树冠层最厚的下方叶片的δ15 N最偏正,反映了树冠层在吸收大气氮沉降过程中存在选择性吸收,引起同位素分馏,即树冠层越厚,穿冠水δ15 N越偏正,且分馏程度与树冠厚度成正比,导致下方叶片δ15 N最高。     

Persistence,degradation and leaching of coumaphos in soil

Abstract

Dissipation, degradation and leaching of fresh ¹⁴C coumaphos, alkylated ¹⁴C coumaphos and aged residues of ¹⁴C coumaphos from vats were studied in alkaline sandy loam soil in soil columns in the field under subtropical conditions in Delhi for a year. Dissipation, degradation and bound residue formation was more in case of alkali treated coumaphos than fresh coumaphos. After 365 days total residues of fresh coumaphos accounted for 33.25% while that of alkali treated coumaphos was 19.12%. Bound residue formation was almost double in case of alkali treated coumaphos (18.95%) than fresh coumaphos (9.53%) after 150 days followed by release of bound residue in both the cases. The proportion of metabolites 4 ‐ methylumbelliferone, chlorferon and potasan collectively was 86.05% in fresh coumaphos extractable residues while the same was 91.74% in alkali treated coumaphos after 365 days. Aged residues from vats containing copper sulphate and buffer were found to be more persistent in soil as total residues remained were 95.58% in comparison with 83.09% total residues of aged residues from vats containing only buffer after 150 days of treatment. Copper sulphate seems to inhibit the degradatiion of coumaphos in soil by microorganisms. Chlorferon was the major metabolite in generally all the samples. Coumaphos did not leach below 10 cm in all the cases.     

Festuca arundinacea,glutathione S-transferase and herbicide safeners: A preliminary case study to reduce herbicidal pollution

The expression of glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in Festuca arundinacea was investigated in response to the following herbicide safeners: benoxacor, cloquintocet-mexyl, fenchlorazol-ethyl, fenclorim, fluxofenim and oxabetrinil. All the above compounds enhanced the GST activity tested towards the “model” substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB). Assays of GST activity towards the herbicides terbuthylazine (N ²-tert-butyl-6-chloro-N ⁴-ethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) and butachlor (N-butoxymethyl-2-chloro-2′,6′-diethylacetanilide) as substrates also showed the ability of the safeners to enhance the enzyme activity towards both these herbicides, with the exception of cloquintocet-mexyl for the enzyme activity towards butachlor. As a consequence of the above effects at a macro-scale level, decreased herbicide accumulation and persistence were ascertained in response to the addition of the safener benoxacor to both terbuthylazine and butachlor treatments. These results are discussed in terms of capacity of benoxacor to induce herbicide detoxification in Festuca arundinacea with a view to utilizing them in reducing herbicide pollution.     

Metolachlor and chlorothalonil dissipation in gypsum-amended soil

This work focused on the interactive effects of the fungicide chlorothalonil (2,3,4,6-tetrachloro-1,3-benzendicarbonitrile) and gypsum on the persistence of the soil-residual herbicide metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(6-ethyl-o-tolyl)-N-[(1RS)-2-methoxy-1-methylethyl]acetamide). Gypsum application was included due to its widespread use on peanut (Arachis hypogaea). Both agricultural grade gypsum and reagent CaSO₄-2H₂O were tested. A laboratory soil incubation was conducted to evaluate interactive effects. Results indicated 1.5X greater metolachlor half-life (DT₅₀) in soil amended with chlorothalonil (37 d) as compared to control soil (25 d). The two gypsum sources alone increased metolachlor DT₅₀ to about 32 d and with the combination of chlorothalonil and gypsum, DT50 was 50 d, 2-fold greater than the control. Chlorothalonil dissipation was rapid (DT₅₀ < 4d). A possible explanation for metolachlor dissipation kinetics is a build-up of the chlorothalonil intermediate (4-hydroxychlorothalonil) which limited soil microbial activity and depleted glutathione S-transferase (GST) from chlorothalonil detoxification. Further information related to gypsum impacts is needed. Results confirm previous reports of chlorothalonil impeding metolachlor dissipation and showed the gypsum application extended persistence even longer. Farming practices, such as reducing metolachlor application rates, may need to be adjusted for peanut cropping systems where chlorothalonil and gypsum are used.     

Field dissipation of oxyfluorfen in onion and its dynamics in soil under Indian tropical conditions

Oxyfluorfen, a diphenyl-ether herbicide is being used to control annual and perennial broad-leaved weeds and sedges in a variety of field crops including onion. The present study was aimed to investigate the dynamics and field persistence of oxyfluorfen in onion plant, bulb and soil under Indian tropical conditions. Application of four rates of oxyfluorfen viz., 200, 250, 300 and 400 g AI ha^?1 as pre-emergence gave good weed control in field experiment with onion. The oxyfluorfen residue dissipated faster in plant than in soil respectively, with a mean half-life of 6.1 and 11.2 days. Dissipation followed first-order kinetics. In laboratory column leaching experiments, 17 percent of the applied oxyfluorfen was recovered from the soil and indicates its solubility in water and mobility in sandy clay loam soil was low. A sorption study revealed that the adsorption of oxyfluorfen to the soil was highly influenced by the soil organic carbon with the K_oc value of 5450. The study concludes that the dissipation of oxyfluorfen in soil and onion was dependent on the physico-chemical properties of the soil and environmental conditions.     

Speciation and persistence of doxycycline in the aquatic environment: Characterization in terms of steady state kinetics

The aim of the present work was to establish the kinetics for the degradation of doxycycline in the aquatic environment with a view to arriving at a kinetic model that can be used to predict the persistence of antibiotic with confidence. The degradation of doxycycline in both water and sediment phases of aquatic microcosm experiments, as well as in distilled water control experiments, was studied over a period of 90 days. An initial 21% loss due to adsorption by the sediment was observed in the microcosm experiment soon after charging. Biphasic zero-order linear rates of degradation, attributed to microbial degradation of the free and sediment or colloidal particle-adsorbed antibiotic, were observed for both water phase (2.3 × 10^?2 and 4.5 × 10^?3 μgg^?1 day^?1) and sediment phase (7.9 × 10^?3 and 1.5 × 10^?3 μgg^?1 day^?1) of the microcosm experiment. The covered distilled water control experiment exhibited a monophasic zero-order linear rate (1.9 × 10^?3 μgg^?1 day^?1) attributed to hydrolysis, while the distilled water experiment exposed to natural light exhibited biphasic liner rates attributed to a combination of hydrolysis and photolysis (2.9 × 10^?3 μgg^?1 day^?1) and to microbial degradation (9.8 × 10^?3 μgg^?1 day^?1). A kinetic model that takes into account hydrolysis, photolysis, microbial degradation as well as sorption/desorption by colloidal and sediment particles is presented to account for the observed zero-order kinetics. The implications of the observed kinetics on the persistence of doxycycline in the aquatic environment are discussed.     

Phosmet residues in an orchard and adjacent recreational area 1

Abstract

Two cover sprays of phosmet were applied to an orchard adjoining a camping area and a bird sanctuary with a resident goose population. Insecticide residues were monitored on orchard leaves, orchard ground cover, ground cover in the camp‐site and along the adjacent lakeshore. Despite attempts to minimize drift, significant spray residues were found outside the target area. Residues on ground cover and leaves were reduced by sprinkler irrigation subsequent to spray application.     

水稻专用叶面喷剂对水稻幼苗生长的影响

用水稻专用叶面喷剂喷施水稻秧苗,1670~2500mg/L浓度处理可改善秧苗素质,控制株高,秧苗粗壮,假茎宽,干物质增多,促进分蘖．5000mg/L浓度处理抑制秧苗生长．水稻专用叶面喷剂可提高秧苗叶片可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白质、叶绿素含量和硝酸还原酶活性．