土壤-植物系统中多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)的迁移与转化研究进展

多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)是一类重要的新型持久性有机污染物,因其具有亲脂和难降解特性,易在土壤和沉积物等环境介质以及生物体内累积,同时会发生脱溴还原代谢和氧化代谢,生成毒性更大的低溴代PBDEs、羟基PBDEs(OH-PBDEs)和甲氧基PBDEs(MeO-PBDEs).研究PBDEs在土壤-植物系统的迁移转化对于认识PBDEs的陆生生态环境行为,评价其生态风险以及对食物链的潜在暴露风险都具有重要的意义.本文从土壤中PBDEs的代谢与转化行为,PBDEs的植物吸收与传输特征及其关键影响因素,以及植物体内PBDEs的脱溴、羟基化和甲氧基化代谢行为几个方面总结了PBDEs在土壤-植物系统迁移转化的最新研究进展,并就将来的研究方向提出一些思考和展望,有助于深入认识PBDEs及其代谢产物的环境归趋.     

羟基取代和甲氧基取代多溴联苯醚的存在特征和源解析研究进展

近年来,多溴联苯醚（PBDEs）的衍生物,羟基取代的PBDEs（OH-PBDEs）和甲氧基取代的PBDEs（MeO-PBDEs）作为新型的持久性有机污染物引起了国内外学者的关注。这两类物质在各种生物体内（藻类、鱼、贝类、海豹、海鸟及人体血液和乳汁等）和环境介质中（地表水、瀑布和雪）都被检出。OH-PBDEs对生物体具有多种毒性效应,包括干扰甲状腺荷尔蒙动态平衡,干扰氧化磷酸化作用,影响雌二醇合成,并能引起神经毒性效应。而研究表明,在生物体内MeO-PBDEs可通过去甲基化作用转化为OH-PBDEs,因此对生物体内高含量的MeO-PBDEs应予以更密切的关注。OH-PBDEs既有人为源（来自PBDEs生物代谢或自由基反应）又有天然源（在海洋环境中合成）,MeO-PBDEs主要来自天然源。在我国相关的研究刚刚起步。文章比较系统地总结了OH-PBDEs和MeO-PBDEs在环境中存在特征、生物毒性、来源及二者相互关系的研究进展,以期为在我国相关研究的开展提供参考。对于开展关于OH-PBDEs和MeO-PBDEs在特定区域存在特征和源解析的研究,建议重点考察物质的组成和含量与水温、盐度和富营养化程度等因素的关系,以及特定组分的季节性变化,从物质的存在形态和相关关系角度对OH-PBDEs和MeO-PBDEs的来源进行解析。     

多溴二苯醚及其代谢物的内分泌干扰活性和构效关系研究进展

多溴二苯醚(Polybrominated diphenyl ethers,PBDEs)作为一种良好的防火溴系阻燃剂(Brominated flame retardants,BFRs)广泛应用于各种家用和工业产品.研究表明,PBDEs容易从产品中溢出而进入环境.近年来,PBDEs及其代谢物已在各种环境介质和生物体中被广泛检出.毒理学研究发现,PBDEs及其代谢物具有生殖毒性、免疫毒性、神经毒性和内分泌干扰作用.在总结国内外相关研究基础上,论文综述了PBDEs及其代谢物的内分泌干扰活性,重点集中在对甲状腺激素活性、雌激素活性、雄激素活性及影响性激素转化和代谢的芳香化酶、CYP17酶、雌二醇磺基转移酶(E2SULT)活性的影响;分析了具有不同测试终点内分泌干扰活性的化合物的结构特征.研究发现,在内分泌干扰活性方面,PBDEs母体化合物的影响较小,主要是PBDEs代谢物产生的影响,特别是羟基化代谢物引起了较严重的内分泌干扰作用,即PBDEs化合物是一类通过代谢而被活化的内分泌干扰前趋物.为评价PBDEs及其代谢物对人和其他生物的健康危害,应加强其内分泌干扰活性机制的研究,以及具有同类型作用模式的PBDEs及其代谢物定量结构-活性关系的研究.     

多溴联苯醚的环境毒理学研究进展

多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)是一类广泛使用的溴代阻燃剂,其大量生产和使用导致了越来越严重的环境污染.由于PBDEs具有较高的亲脂性,化学性质比较稳定,它们可远距离传输到地球各种环境介质中,并通过食物链累积放大,在生物体内蓄积产生毒性效应.本文针对近年来PBDEs毒性效应和致毒机制的研究进展,从PBDEs的内分泌干扰毒性、发...     

多溴二苯醚毒理学研究进展及展望(Research Progress and Future Perspectives in Toxicology Study on Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers)

多溴二苯醚(PBDEs)虽然已在一些国家禁止生产和使用,商品五溴和八溴二苯醚也在2009年被列入《关于持久性有机污染物(POPs)的斯德哥尔摩公约》受控范围内,但目前学术界对PBDEs的毒理学效应及其机制尤其是环境剂量效应的认识并不十分清楚. 论文从甲状腺干扰、神经毒性、生殖内分泌干扰3个方面介绍了近年来PBDEs毒理学研究的进展,分析了该领域研究中存在的几个问题,提出今后应大力开展环境相关剂量下PBDEs及代谢物的毒性研究,以推进对实际环境中PBDEs真实毒性的认识;同时探索能够反映PBDEs毒性的非创性生物标记物,为开展PBDEs人体健康影响的流行病学调查提供线索.     

溴系阻燃剂毒理效应的计算模拟预测与环境风险评估进展

溴系阻燃剂(brominated flame retardants,BFRs)作为生产和使用量巨大的有机阻燃剂,在环境介质和生物体内被广泛检出。BFRs及其代谢产物会对生物体造成神经毒性、遗传毒性、发育毒性及内分泌干扰效应等,环境和健康风险得到日益广泛的关注。国内外学者通过最小二乘法(LS)和类似马尔可夫链蒙特卡罗算法(AMCMC)等统计分析方法建立了BFRs在环境中转化和归趋的预测模型,采用分子对接、分子动力学模拟和定量结构-活性关系(QSAR)模型等方法分析了BFRs及其代谢产物毒性作用的微观机制。综合近年来国内外的相关研究,发现BFRs的结构(取代基的类型和数量)会影响其环境行为和毒理效应,在总结研究成果的基础上,对BFRs的生态和健康风险进行评估,为其未来的研究和发展方向提供参考。     

多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)光降解研究现状

多溴联苯醚(polybrominated diphenyl ethers,PBDEs)为一类新型的持久性有机污染物,因其在环境中的广泛分布和生物累积性而备受关注,环境中PBDEs的降解也成为研究热点.光降解是自然环境中PBDEs降解的主要途径之一,而光降解过程中会形成毒性更高的溴代二英.本文在总结国内外PBDEs光降解研究的基础上,对影响PBDEs光降解的因素(诸如:分子结构、光源、介质等)、途径和产物,特别是溴代二英的形成进行了综述,对目前存在问题及进一步的研究方向进行了讨论和展望.     

环境介质中多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)分布特征的研究进展

由多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)所引起的环境问题越来越受到社会各界的关注,了解环境介质中PBDEs的分布特征是对其污染进行有效控制的前提.本文从非生物介质(大气、水体、沉积物、污泥及土壤)和生物体内(植物、动物、人体及食物链)两方面入手,对PBDEs在世界各地不同环境介质的分布特征进行综述.高溴代PBDEs因其较低的挥发性和水溶性,极易吸附于土壤、底泥和空气悬浮颗粒等固体介质,而低溴代PBDEs在各环境介质中都有检出;生物体中PBDEs的分布特征与生物种类、污染源、营养级以及个体组织的特异性有一定关系,人体血液、母乳、头发等也检出了PBDEs.随着北美、欧盟等地区从2004年开始逐渐对五溴、八溴和十溴PBDEs实施禁用,其含量在北美和欧盟部分地区有所下降,但是由于十溴PBDEs仍在全球很多地区使用,又因其具有持久性和长距离迁移性,要实现环境介质中PBDEs含量的控制仍需要一定时间,因此未来研究仍需对PBDEs生产和使用区域开展污染水平及趋势相关研究,并对PBDEs的环境行为深入探讨.     

多溴联苯醚、六溴环十二烷和四溴双酚A在环境中污染现状的研究进展

作为最主要的三大传统溴系阻燃剂(BFRs),多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)、六溴环十二烷(HBCD)、四溴双酚A(TBBPA)具有半挥发性、环境持久性和远距离传输性,目前在全球各种环境介质、生物体内广泛存在.毒理学研究表明,PBDEs、HBCD、TBBPA均具有明显的生物毒性和致癌性,对生态环境和人体健康存在潜在危害.本文简要概述了PBDEs、HBCD、TBBPA的使用现状,综述了全球范围内非生物体(灰尘、水体、土壤、沉积物、污泥)和生命体内(植物、动物、人体)等3种传统BFRs的污染水平、特征、暴露途径和毒性,并讨论了当前存在问题,最后对PBDEs、HBCD、TBBPA的未来研究进行了初步展望.     

多溴联苯醚在啮齿类动物体内的代谢动力学研究进展

多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)是一类持久性有机污染物(POPs),其作为一种广泛使用的溴化阻燃剂在环境中普遍存在.PBDEs对生物体和人体存在内分泌干扰等毒性危害,正受到人们越来越多的关注.然而目前PBDEs对人体造成的影响都是由动物实验(主要是啮齿类动物)外推而得,因此研究不同的PBDEs同系物在啮齿类动物体内的代谢动力学...     

Achieving Open Access to Conservation Science

Conservation science is a crisis discipline in which the results of scientific enquiry must be made available quickly to those implementing management. We assessed the extent to which scientific research published since the year 2000 in 20 conservation science journals is publicly available. Of the 19,207 papers published, 1,667 (8.68%) are freely downloadable from an official repository. Moreover, only 938 papers (4.88%) meet the standard definition of open access in which material can be freely reused providing attribution to the authors is given. This compares poorly with a comparable set of 20 evolutionary biology journals, where 31.93% of papers are freely downloadable and 7.49% are open access. Seventeen of the 20 conservation journals offer an open access option, but fewer than 5% of the papers are available through open access. The cost of accessing the full body of conservation science runs into tens of thousands of dollars per year for institutional subscribers, and many conservation practitioners cannot access pay‐per‐view science through their workplace. However, important initiatives such as Research4Life are making science available to organizations in developing countries. We urge authors of conservation science to pay for open access on a per‐article basis or to choose publication in open access journals, taking care to ensure the license allows reuse for any purpose providing attribution is given. Currently, it would cost $51 million to make all conservation science published since 2000 freely available by paying the open access fees currently levied to authors. Publishers of conservation journals might consider more cost effective models for open access and conservation‐oriented organizations running journals could consider a broader range of options for open access to nonmembers such as sponsorship of open access via membership fees. Obtención de Acceso Abierto a la Ciencia de la Conservación     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Some polyphagous Homoptera gain protection from their natural enemies by feeding on the toxic plantsSpartium junceum andErythrina corallodendrum (Leguminosae)

Summary Interactions were studied among alkaloid-containing legumes (Erythrina corallodendrum andSpartium junceum) and non-toxic plants (Citrus sinensis, Cucurbita moschata andEuphorbia tirucalli), several polyphagous homopterans,Aphis craccivora (Aphididae),Icerya purchasi, I. aegyptiaca (Margarodidae),Lepidosaphes ulmi (Diaspididae) andPlanococcus citri (Pseudococcidae), and some major natural enemies of these homopterans. Significant reductions in survival due to negative effects of alkaloid containing as compared with non-alkaloidal plants were recorded for the predatorsRodolia cardinalis andChilocorus bipustulatus, but not forCryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae),Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) andSympherobius sanctus (Neuroptera: Sympherobiidae). The development time of the larvae or pupae ofR. cardinalis, C. carnea andS. sanctus was longer on the toxic plants than on the non-toxic ones. The percentage of parasitism ofA. craccivora collected from the non-alkaloidal plantsVicia palaestina andMelilotus albus was much higher than that onS. junceum. The parasitoid complexes ofA. craccivora differed between both plant groups. The nutritive value of honeydew ofI. purchasi andA. craccivora, as expressed by the life span ofEncyrtus infelix (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) adults, was also investigated. Life spans were significantly longer when the wasps fed on honeydew produced on non-alkaloidal plants (C. sinensis andPittosporum tobira) than on alkaloid containing plants whenI. purchasi — but notA. craccivora — was the producer. It is suggested that the chemical defense ofE. corallodendrum andS. junceum is exploited by polyphagous phytophages to reduce predation. In nature, population growth and density of four of the investigated homopterans are conspicuously high when they developed on the alkaloid containing plant species, and very low on non-alkaloid plants. The efficiency of their natural enemies may be reduced by sequestration of alkaloids (or other toxic plant compounds) or their transfer into excreted honeydew. Therefore it is assumed that a generalist phytophagous homopteran may be protected from its natural enemies, although at different rates of efficiency, if it can safely sequester the host allelochemical when it develops on toxic species within its host range.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

Sequestration of cucurbitacin analogs by New and Old World chrysomelid leaf beetles in the tribe Luperini

Summary Two South American polyphagous leaf beetles,Diabrotica speciosa andCerotoma arcuata, selectively accumulated the bitter tasting compound 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D in their body after ingesting root tissues of cucurbit plants. Similarly, three Asian Cucurbitaceae-feeding specialists in the genusAulacophora were found to sequester the same compound. Cucurbitacin analogs were shown to deter feeding by a bird predator, indicating an allomonal role for these compounds in cucurbitacin-associated chrysomelid leaf beetles both of New and Old Worlds. The strong affinity to cucurbitacins, selective sequestration of the analogs and consequent protection from predators suggested an ecological adaptation mechanism developed in common among these two geographically isolated subtribes in the Luperini.     

Effects of Controlled Fire and Livestock Grazing on Bird Communities in East African Savannas

Abstract: In East Africa fire and grazing by wild and domestic ungulates maintain savannas, and pastoralists historically set fires and herded livestock through the use of temporary corrals called bomas. In recent decades traditional pastoral practices have declined, and this may be affecting biodiversity. We investigated the effects of prescribed fires and bomas on savanna bird communities in East Africa during the first and second dry seasons of the year (respectively before and after the rains that mark the onset of breeding for most birds). We compared abundance, richness, and community composition on 9‐ha burned plots, recently abandoned bomas, and control plots in the undisturbed matrix habitat over a 3‐year period. Generally, recently burned areas and abandoned bomas attracted greater densities of birds and had different community assemblages than the surrounding matrix. The effects of disturbances were influenced by interactions between primary productivity, represented by the normalized difference vegetation index, and time. Bird densities were highest and a greater proportion of species was observed on burned plots in the months following the fires. Drought conditions equalized bird densities across treatments within 1 year, and individuals from a greater proportion of species were more commonly observed on abandoned bomas. Yearly fluctuations in abundance were less pronounced on bomas than on burns, which indicate that although fire may benefit birds in the short term, bomas may have a more‐lasting positive effect and provide resources during droughts. Several Palearctic migrants were attracted to burned plots regardless of rainfall, which indicates continued fire suppression may threaten their already‐declining populations. Most notably, the paucity of birds observed on the controls suggests that the current structure of the matrix developed as a result of fire suppression. Traditional pastoralism appears critical to the maintenance of avian diversity in these savannas.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Parasitic wasps orient to green leaf volatiles

Summary Undamaged plants emit low levels of green leaf volatiles (GLVs), while caterpillar-damaged and artificially damaged plants emit relatively higher levels of certain GLVs. Female braconid parasitoids,Microplitis croceipes, oriented to both damaged plants and to individual GLVs in no-choice tests in a wind tunnel, but seldom oriented to undamaged plants. Female ichneumonid parasitoids,Netelia heroica, also oriented to individual GLVs in a wind tunnel. Males of both wasp species failed to orient to the GLVs. These data show that leaf-feeding caterpillars can cause the release of GLVs, and that parasitic wasps can respond to these odors by flying upwind (chemoanemotactic response), which brings the wasps to their caterpillar hosts. This supports the hypothesis that plants communicate with members of the third trophic level,i.e., plants under herbivore attack emit chemical signals that guide natural enemies of herbivores to sites of plant damage. In this interaction, the GLVs serve as tritrophic plant-to-parasitoid synomones. That parasitoids from two different wasp families oriented to GLVs suggests that the response may be widespread among the Hymenoptera.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture     

What Every Conservation Biologist Should Know about Economic Theory

Abstract: The last century has seen the ascendance of a core economic model, which we will refer to as Walrasian economics. This model is driven by the psychological assumptions that humans act only in a self‐referential and narrowly rational way and that production can be described as a self‐contained circular flow between firms and households. These assumptions have critical implications for the way economics is used to inform conservation biology. Yet the Walrasian model is inconsistent with a large body of empirical evidence about actual human behavior, and it violates a number of basic physical laws. Research in behavioral science and neuroscience shows that humans are uniquely social animals and not self‐centered rational economic beings. Economic production is subject to physical laws including the laws of thermodynamics and mass balance. In addition, some contemporary economic theory, spurred by exciting new research in human behavior and a wealth of data about the negative global impact of the human economy on natural systems, is moving toward a world view that places consumption and production squarely in its behavioral and biophysical context. We argue that abandoning the straightjacket of the Walrasian core is essential to further progress in understanding the complex, coupled interactions between the human economy and the natural world. We call for a new framework for economic theory and policy that is consistent with observed human behavior, recognizes the complex and frequently irreversible interaction between human and natural systems, and directly confronts the cumulative negative effects of the human economy on the Earth's life support systems. Biophysical economics and ecological economics are two emerging economic frameworks in this movement.