微波辅助法制备荧光氮化碳纳米材料及其在游离氯检测中的应用

在220 ℃下借助微波辅助溶剂热法,利用柠檬酸和三聚氰胺制备荧光氮化碳纳米材料(CNNPs),通过多种分析技术表征了制备的CNNPs.基于游离氯能快速猝灭CNNPs的荧光,将CNNPs做为荧光探针用于游离氯的定量测定,其荧光猝灭速度小于1 min;选择性响应实验和干扰实验表明该测定方法具有较好的灵敏度和选择性,游离氯的线性响应范围为0-80μmol·L-1,检测限低至0.22 μmol·L-1.该方法适用于实际水样中游离氯的检测.     

铀胁迫对大豆与玉米幼苗细胞DNA损伤的彗星试验研究

以铀浓度为1000 μmol·L-1、800 μmol·L-1、600 μmol·L-1、400 μmol·L-1、200μmol·L-1和100μmol·L-1的6组铀溶液和对照组(0μmol·L-1)培养大豆和玉米幼苗,采用彗星试验研究铀胁迫对大豆和玉米幼苗细胞DNA的损伤情况.试验结果表明,铀浓度为1 000 μ...     

DEHP和MEHP对H295R细胞类固醇激素合成基因表达的影响

为探讨邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己基)酯(di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate,DEHP)及其代谢产物邻苯二甲酸单-2-乙基己酯(mono-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate,MEHP)对H295R细胞类固醇激素合成关键基因表达的影响,本实验将H295R细胞分别暴露于DEHP(0、1、10、100、1 000μmol·L-1)和MEHP(0、1、10、100、1 000μmol·L-1)24 h,用MTT法检测细胞活性,并应用荧光定量PCR法分析细胞类固醇激素合成过程中关键酶的基因表达水平。结果显示,1 000μmol·L-1DEHP和MEHP对H295R细胞染毒24 h显著降低H295R细胞活力,所以本研究采用了较低的染毒浓度(0、1、10和100μmol·L-1)对H295R细胞染毒24 h来评估DEHP和MEHP对H295R细胞类固醇激素合成通路的影响。1、10和100μmol·L-1DEHP显著增加醛固酮合成酶CYP11B2的基因表达水平。10μmol·L-1DEHP显著上调了3-β羟基类固醇脱氢酶(3β-HSD2)的基因表达水平。1、10和100μmol·L-1MEHP显著下调了3-β羟基类固醇脱氢酶(3β-HSD1和3β-HSD2)、17β羟基类固醇脱氢酶17β-HSD4、17α羟化酶/17,20裂解酶CYP17和芳香酶CYP19a的基因表达水平。10和100μmol·L-1MEHP染毒H295R 24 h显著下调了CYP21和STAR的基因表达水平,然而,10和100μmol·L-1MEHP显著上调了CYP11B2的基因表达水平。100μmol·L-1MEHP显著下调了17β-HSD1的基因表达水平。上述研究结果表明,DEHP、MEHP都可不同程度影响H295R细胞类固醇激素合成过程中关键基因的表达。MEHP可以通过抑制STAR基因的表达,从而将影响胆固醇在细胞内的转运;并能显著性抑制类固醇激素合成过程中CYP17、CYP19a、3β-HSD1、3β-HSD2、17β-HSD1、17β-HSD4、CYP21基因的表达,最终将抑制H295R细胞中类固醇激素的合成。与DEHP相比,MEHP对H295R细胞类固醇激素合成关键基因表达的影响较明显。     

罗丹明染料荧光猝灭法分别测定痕量二氧化氯和亚氯酸根

在碱性条件下,ClO2氧化罗丹明染料发生荧光猝灭可选择性地测定ClO2的含量,而ClO2-不干扰测定;在酸性条件下可测量ClO2与ClO2-共同产生的荧光猝灭强度,利用差减法可求出ClO2-的含量.对于罗丹明S,罗丹明G,罗丹明B及丁基罗丹明B四体系,ClO2浓度分别在0.00840-0.53μg·ml-1,0.0930-3.15μg·ml-1,0.215-2.610μg·ml-1及0.0825-1.096μg·ml-1范围内,与四体系的荧光猝灭强度呈线性关系;亚氯酸根浓度分别在0.00950-0.711μg·ml-1,0.0940-2.36μg·ml-1,0.473-4.73μg·ml-1及0.473-2.36μg·ml-1范围内,与四体系的荧光猝灭强度呈线性关系.另外,选择罗丹明S荧光猝灭法分别测定了饮用水中ClO2及ClO2-,获得了满意的结果.     

离子强度和离子类型对土霉素在草甸土中被吸附的影响

土霉素是四环素类抗生素中使用较为广泛的一种,探索土霉素在土壤中的吸附解吸规律对抗生素环境风险评价与污染控制具有重要的理论与现实意义。通过改变土壤水溶液中离子强度及类型研究其对土霉素在草甸土中吸附的影响,以期为评价该种抗生素对草甸土土壤环境风险提供科学依据。土霉素测定方法选择高效液相色谱法。以V（乙腈）∶V[NaH2PO4（0.01mol·L-1）]=25∶75为流动相,在流速为1 mL·min-1,检测波长为355 nm条件下进行测定。试验以OECD Guideline 106为基础,采用批平衡法研究不同离子强度（0.01、0.03、0.05、0.08、0.10 mol·L-1CaCl2溶液）和不同阳离子（0.01 mol·L-1的NaCl、KCl、MgCl2溶液）对土霉素在草甸土中的吸附影响。结果表明：随着CaCl2浓度的增加,土霉素在草甸土中的吸附量呈降低趋势,且不同浓度的土霉素在草甸土中吸附量受离子强度的影响是不同的。土霉素浓度较低时,其在草甸土中吸附能力受离子强度影响较土霉素浓度高时小。以土壤吸附系数Kd衡量土壤吸附抗生素能力,当土壤样品中离子强度增大时,其对应Kd值呈非线性趋势减小。这说明,在某一Ca2＋浓度范围内,其对吸附的影响较其他浓度范围要大。对相邻CaCl2浓度处理得出的Kd值进行t检验,在CaCl2溶液浓度在0.01与0.03 mol·L-1间得出的Kd值存在显著性差异（p≤0.05）,在0.03、0.05、0.08、0.10 mol·L-1浓度间得出的Kd值均没有显著性差异（p〉0.05）。这一结果说明当CaCl2溶液浓度在0.01~0.03 mol·L-1时,其对土霉素在草甸土中的吸附影响较其他浓度范围大。以Freundlich方程对NaCl、KCl、MgCl2溶液条件下土霉素在草甸土中的吸附进行拟合,土样lg Kf值为lg Kf（Mg2＋）0.05）。这说明,不同阳离子对土霉素在草甸土上的吸附量（lg Kf）影响的差异并不显著。     

氮磷营养盐因子对缘管浒苔生长、叶绿素荧光特性和氮磷富集的影响

为探讨大型海藻缘管浒苔(Ulva linza)对氮、磷加富的生理响应及其机制,分析了氮、磷浓度变化对藻体相对生长速率(Rr.g),氮、磷富集,叶绿素(Chl)含量,类胡萝卜素(Car)含量,色素比值(Chl a/Chl b、Chl/Car)以及叶绿素荧光参数的影响.结果表明,在30μmol·L-1P浓度不变条件下,随着N浓度的增加,藻体P含量持续降低,而其Rr、g、N含量、Chl含量、Car含量、色素比值(Chl a/Chl b、Chl/Car)和叶绿素荧光参数均逐渐上升,N3处理(500μmol· L-1 N)缘管浒苔Rr.g和叶绿素荧光参数均达到最大值,N4处理(1 000 μmol·L-1)缘管浒苔Chl含量、Car含量和Chl a/Chl b比值均达到最大值.在500 μmol·L-1N浓度不变条件下,依次增加P浓度,缘管浒苔Rr,g没有显著差异,N含量没有显著变化,而P含量则呈明显上升趋势,其他指标变化幅度小.综上所述,与P相比,N的变化对缘管浒苔生长、光合色素和光合作用的影响更明显,在N浓度为500 μmol·L-1、P浓度为30 μmol ·L-1、N/P比值为16.67条件下,藻体生长最佳.当水体富营养化加剧时,缘管浒苔富集氮、磷的能力持续上升.     

膨润土颗粒对多壁碳纳米管在饱和多孔介质中迁移的影响

选用石英砂填充柱模拟土壤体系,通过对比在有无膨润土颗粒(Bentonite particles)存在时得到的多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)的穿透曲线和滞留曲线,考察膨润土颗粒对MWCNTs在多孔介质中迁移沉积行为的影响.实验选取的Na Cl溶液离子强度为1 mmol·L-1和30 mmol·L-1,Ca Cl2溶液离子强度为0.3 mmol·L-1和1.2 mmol·L-1.溶液p H不进行调节,p H值大约为5.6.研究结果表明,在低离子强度Na Cl(1 mmol·L-1)溶液中,有膨润土颗粒共存时MWCNTs的穿透曲线和滞留曲线与没有膨润土颗粒共存时相近,表明该条件下MWCNTs的迁移和沉积行为不受膨润土颗粒影响,而在高离子强度Na Cl(30 mmol·L-1)溶液中,有膨润土颗粒共存时MWCNTs的穿透曲线低于没有膨润土颗粒共存时MWCNTs的穿透曲线,表明该条件下膨润土颗粒会抑制MWCNTs的迁移,且增加的滞留主要发生在柱子入口端;在Ca Cl2溶液中,无论离子强度的高低(0.3 mmol·L-1和1.2 mmol·L-1),有膨润土颗粒共存时,MWCNTs的穿透曲线和滞留曲线都不发生变化,说明在二价溶液中膨润土颗粒对MWCNTs的迁移和沉积行为影响不大.     

常州市2014年降水化学组成及来源浅析

测定了2014年常州市环境监测中心所在测点降水样品的p H值、电导率和主要水溶性离子浓度,利用源贡献估算和后向轨迹分析,对降水中无机离子成分来源进行分析.结果表明,该测点2014年降水p H值和电导率的加权均值分别为4.30μS·cm-1和40.2μS·cm-1;SO2-4和NO-3是主要致酸离子,加权平均浓度分别为124.6μeq·L-1和47.8μeq·L-1;Ca2+和NH+4是主要碱性离子,加权平均浓度分别为136.6μeq·L-1和117.5μeq·L-1.源贡献估算结果表明,99%以上F-、Ca2+来自陆源,K+、Mg2+的陆源比例分别为93%、82%,SO2-4和NO-3基本来自人为源,占比在97%以上;Cl-人为输入约22%,以海洋输入为主.后向轨迹分析表明,西南气团影响次数最多,对应的酸雨频次最高;东北向气团多发秋、冬两季,酸雨概率最高,酸度最强,F-含量最高,Na+、Cl-浓度高;东-东南气团对应降水的SO2-4、NO-3和Ca2+显著高于其他3个来向,离子总浓度最高.     

基于氟硼二吡咯衍生物比率型荧光探针检测氰根离子

合成了一种可在含水介质中单一性识别CN~-的比率型荧光探针BODIPY 1.通过荧光光谱和紫外吸收光谱来研究BODIPY 1检测CN~-的能力.结果表明,在四氢呋喃和水(V/V=9/1)的混合溶液中,BODIPY 1的最大吸收波长和荧光最大发射波长分别为515 nm和534 nm(激发波长为515 nm),所测阴离子中,包括CN~-、F~-、Cl~-、Br~-、I~-、ClO_4~-、Ac_O~-、NO_3~-、H_2PO_4~-和HSO_4~-,仅CN~-可与BODIPY 1发生加成反应从而引起其吸收峰蓝移18 nm,并且荧光最大发射波长蓝移20 nm,并伴随着强度降低40%.BODIPY 1检测CN~-的检测限可以达到0.98μmol·L~(-1),低于世界卫生组织规定饮用水中的CN~-的最大含量不能超过1.9μmol·L~(-1).将其应用到实际水样,发现和纯水样的响应基本一致,表明BODIPY 1可用于实际水样的检测.     

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.