噻吩磺隆在棕壤中的降解特性

采用实验室模拟试验研究了微生物及不同环境条件对土壤中噻吩磺隆降解的影响。结果表明,噻吩磺隆降解速率与土壤温度、湿度呈正相关,与农药初始用量呈负相关,噻吩磺隆在土壤中的降解以微生物降解为主。当温度从5上升到35℃时,噻吩磺隆的降解速率增加了2.9倍;当土壤湿度从饱和含水量的25%提高到75%时,噻吩磺隆的降解半衰期由7.6缩短至2.6d;当土壤中噻吩磺隆初始用量从2.5增加到10.0mg.kg-1时,其降解半衰期由3.1延长至7.6d;未灭菌土壤中噻吩磺隆降解迅速,半衰期为3.9d,而灭菌土壤中噻吩磺隆降解半衰期延长至14.7d。     

甲磺隆结合残留对土壤酶活性的影响

为了研究甲磺隆结合残留对土壤酶活性的影响,将黄粉土(水稻土)经甲磺隆结合残留处理98天,检测土壤脲酶、酸性磷酸酶、过氧化氢酶和蔗糖酶活性.结果表明,甲磺隆结合残留对土壤酶活性的影响不仅与甲磺隆结合残留处理浓度和培养时间有关,同时还与土壤酶种类有关.培养前期(第14天前),甲磺隆结合残留对土壤酸性磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶具有抑制作用,而对土壤脲酶和蔗糖酶的影响则表现为低浓度时激活,高浓度时抑制;培养后期(第14天后),甲磺隆结合残留对土壤脲酶、酸性磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶具有激活作用,在一定浓度范围内(0.050~0.281mg·kg-1)对土壤蔗糖酶也具有一定激活作用;就土壤酶而言,在污染早期,土壤过氧化氢酶对甲磺隆结合残留较敏感,可以作为表征甲磺隆结合残留土壤污染的生物活性指标.     

微生物降解除草剂氯磺隆,甲磺隆和丁草胺的毒性效应（Ames试验）

为了解氯磺隆、甲磺隆和丁草胺经微生物降解后,对环境有无潜在危害,我们采土样接种于以上述除草剂(初始浓度分别为125,200,400ppm)为唯一碳源、能源和氮源的培养基中,振荡培养。以灭菌土样作对照。定时取样,经微孔滤膜抽滤后,以Ames试验平板掺入法检测其致突变性。结果表明,氯磺隆和甲磺隆经微生物降解后,与降解前一样,无致突变作用;微生物降解丁草胺的过程中可生成诱变剂,而这类代谢产物可继续被微生物降解,其致突变性随之消失。     

绿磺隆在太湖水稻水中降解速率的研究

在实验室内,采用改进的玉米根长生物测定方法研究了土壤微生物,土壤温度和土壤含水量对绿磺隆在太湖水稻中降解速率的影响。结果表明：（１）在不同处理下,绿磺隆的降解均符合一级动力学反应;（２）绿磺隆在未灭菌土壤中的降解明显快于灭菌土壤;（３）在试验范围内,绿碘隆降解随土壤温度的升高和土壤含水量的增大加快,其半衰期在０．７￣５．８周之间变化。     

江苏省主要水稻品种对甲磺隆的敏感性研究

在用土培方法探索水稻土培生物测定条件的基础上，研究了甲磺隆残留对水稻秧苗根系生长的影响。结果表明，采用高沙土，添加法加入甲磺隆，培养时调节土壤含水量３５％左右，恒温培养６ｄ，将获得满意的甲磺隆残留土培生物测定结果；用此方法测得的江苏主要水稻品种对甲磺隆残留的敏感程度呈现：常规粳稻＞糯稻、杂交粳稻＞常规籼稻＞杂交籼稻之趋势；土壤中甲磺隆残留量达０５μｇ／ｋｇ对江苏大多数水稻品种秧苗根系生长有着强烈的抑制作用。     

碘甲磺隆钠盐在土壤中的降解

采用实验室模拟试验研究了微生物及不同环境条件对土壤中碘甲磺隆钠盐降解的影响。结果表明，微生物对土壤中碘甲磺隆钠盐的降解影响甚为明显；碘甲磺隆钠盐降解速率与土壤温度、湿度及葡萄糖含量呈正相关，与该农药初始用量呈负相关。     

嗪吡嘧磺隆在土壤和沉积物中的降解

采用室内模拟实验法,测定了嗪吡嘧磺隆在好氧与积水厌气(或厌氧)条件下的土壤降解和水-沉积物降解特性.研究结果表明,嗪吡嘧磺隆在好氧条件下,江西红壤、太湖水稻土、东北黑土中降解速率分别为0.041、0.008、0.004 d-1,积水厌气条件下分别为0.028、0.023、0.005 d-1,不同类型土壤中降解快慢顺序为:江西红壤太湖水稻土东北黑土,在太湖水稻土和东北黑土中积水厌气条件更有利于其降解,且土壤p H值是影响土壤中降解速率的主要因素;水-沉积物降解中,好氧条件下河流与湖泊水-沉积物系统中农药总量的降解速率分别为:0.031、0.032 d-1,厌氧条件下的降解速率分别为0.035、0.041 d-1,湖泊体系的降解速率快于河流体系,厌氧条件下降解速率快于好氧条件,且嗪吡嘧磺隆在水-沉积物体系中主要存在于水体中,系统降解速率主要受水体中的降解速率影响.可见,嗪吡嘧磺隆在中性至碱性土壤中具有较强稳定性,进入水-沉积物系统时主要分布于水体当中,可能会对水体和土壤环境造成一定的污染影响.     

江苏省主要水稻品种对甲磺隆的敏感性研究

在用土培方法探索水稻土墙玫瑰测定条件的基础上，研究了甲磺隆残留对水稻秧苗根系生长的影响。结果表明，采用高沙土、添加法加入甲磺隆，培养时调节含水量３５％左右，恒温ｄ，将获得满意的甲磺隆残留土培生物测定结果；用此方法测得的江苏主要水稻品种对甲磺隆残留的敏感程度呈现：常规粳稻，糯稻、杂交粳稻〉常规灿稻〉杂交灿稻之趋势；土壤中甲磺隆残留量达０．５μ／ｋｇ对在多数水稻品种秧苗根系生长有着强烈的抑制作用。     

泥浆体系中吡啶的生物降解研究

杂环化合物已造成了土壤、地下水等体系的严重污染,危害人类健康与生态环境。生物修复是解决该类污染问题的有效方法。由实验室培养的活性污泥中分离一株高效降解吡啶的菌株W12,经鉴定为脱氮副球菌(Paracoccusdenitrificans),以W12菌对受吡啶污染的泥浆体系进行生物修复。实验条件下,土壤对吡啶的吸附量很小,符合Freundlich吸附等温式。当吡啶初始质量分数为1.65mg·g-1时,投加W12菌能够迅速促进吡啶的生物降解,在灭菌土和自然土中完全降解吡啶的时间分别为12h和18h,说明W12菌在自然土中的降解效果受到土著微生物的竞争影响;此外,对泥浆体系中吡啶降解的影响因素进行了研究,发现投菌量是影响吡啶降解速率的关键因素,外加氮源以及土水比均对吡啶降解过程影响不大。     

甲酰氨基嘧磺隆在模拟环境中的降解特性

甲酰氨基嘧磺隆是一种新型磺酰脲类除草剂,其在环境中的归趋备受关注.采用室内模拟试验方法,研究了甲酰氨基嘧磺隆在不同土壤中的降解性、水解和光解特性.结果表明,甲酰氨基嘧磺隆在光照强度4000 lx,紫外强度25μW·cm~(-2)的人工光源氙灯条件下,甲酰氨基嘧磺隆的光解半衰期为1.72 h,易光解.25℃时,pH4、pH7和pH9条件下水解半衰期分别为4.17、91.2、97.6 d,50℃时的水解半衰期分别为1 d、4.75 d和14.5 d,温度和p H值对水解速率具有较大影响.甲酰氨基嘧磺隆在江西红壤、太湖水稻土和东北黑土中的降解半衰期分别为10.8、16.6、31.5 d,该药在酸性土壤中降解较快,影响其在土壤中降解速率的主要因素为土壤pH值.     

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.     

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.     

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     

Potential for Electropositive Metal to Reduce the Interactions of Atlantic Sturgeon with Fishing Gear

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery‐associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31–43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5‐cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. El Potencial del Metal Electropositivo para Reducir las Interacciones del Esturión Atlántico con Instrumentos de Pesca Bouyoucos, Bushnell & Brill 13–003     

The role of time and species identities in spatial patterns of species richness and conservation

Many conservation actions are justified on the basis of managing biodiversity. Biodiversity, in terms of species richness, is largely the product of rare species. This is problematic because the intensity of sampling needed to characterize communities and patterns of rarity or to justify the use of surrogates has biased sampling in favor of space over time. However, environmental fluctuations interacting with community dynamics lead to temporal variations in where and when species occur, potentially affecting conservation planning by generating uncertainty about results of species distribution modeling (including range determinations), selection of surrogates for biodiversity, and the proportion of biodiversity composed of rare species. To have confidence in the evidence base for conservation actions, one must consider whether temporal replication is necessary to produce broad inferences. Using approximately 20 years of macrofaunal data from tidal flats in 2 harbors, we explored variation in the identity of rare, common, restricted range, and widespread species over time and space. Over time, rare taxa were more likely to increase in abundance or occurrence than to remain rare or disappear and to exhibit temporal patterns in their occurrence. Space–time congruency in ranges (i.e., spatially widespread taxa were also temporally widespread) was observed only where samples were collected across an environmental gradient. Fifteen percent of the taxa in both harbors changed over time from having spatially restricted ranges to having widespread ranges. Our findings suggest that rare species can provide stability against environmental change, because the majority of species were not random transients, but that selection of biodiversity surrogates requires temporal validation. Rarity needs to be considered both spatially and temporally, as species that occur randomly over time are likely to play a different role in ecosystem functioning than those exhibiting temporal structure (e.g., seasonality). Moreover, temporal structure offers the opportunity to place management and conservation activities within windows of maximum opportunity.     

Main nutrient compounds in food bodies of Mexican <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acacia</Emphasis> ant-plants

Summary. Myrmecophytic plants use obligate ant mutualists as a constitutive indirect defence mechanism. These plants often produce cellular food bodies (FBs) to nourish their resident ants. Lipids, proteins, and even highly specialised compounds such as glycogen have been reported from FBs, but detailed chemical analyses of FB composition have so far been presented only for Southeast Asian Macaranga and Central American Piper myrmecophytes. Here we report the chemical composition of FBs of five myrmecophytic Acacia (Fabaceae) species from Mexico using HPLC (carbohydrates and proteins) and GC-MS (lipids). Feeding experiments revealed no hints on any use of external food sources by the inhabiting Pseudomyrmex ants. These ants obviously rely completely on FBs and extrafloral nectar provided by their hosts. The total content of nutrients in Acacia FBs was 15-25% of FB dry mass, being much lower than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Proteins were dominating (8-14 % dm) in Acacia FBs and thus were present in higher amounts than in Macaranga FBs, yet in lower amounts than in Piper. Lipids contributed 1-9 % of dry mass, showing a lower proportion than in FBs of Macaranga or Piper. Carbohydrates made up 3-11 % dm, reaching in most Acacia species the same range as observed in Macaranga and in Piper FBs. Water content was 18-24 % of FB fresh mass, and structural tissue obviously made up a much higher proportion in Acacia FBs than in Macaranga or Piper FBs. Both characters might represent an adaptation to producing FBs unprotected at the leaf tips under dry conditions. Acacia FBs contain all amino acids and all fatty acids that are considered essential for insects, and their contents of lipids and proteins are higher than in the leaves from which they are ontogenetically derived. This indicates a putatively adaptive enrichment of nutritionally valuable compounds in structures functioning as ant-food.     

Examining the uncertain origin and management role of martens on Prince of Wales Island,Alaska

Conservation biologists are generally united in efforts to curtail the spread of non‐native species globally. However, the colonization history of a species is not always certain, and whether a species is considered non‐native or native depends on the conservation benchmark. Such ambiguities have led to inconsistent management. Within the Tongass National Forest of Alaska, the status of American marten (Martes americana) on the largest, most biologically diverse and deforested island, Prince of Wales (POW), is unclear. Ten martens were released to POW in the early 1930s, and it was generally believed to be the founding event, although this has been questioned. The uncertainty surrounding when and how martens colonized POW complicates management, especially because martens were selected as a design species for the Tongass. To explore the history of martens of POW we reviewed other plausible routes of colonization; genetically and isotopically analyzed putative marten fossils deposited in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene to verify marten occupancy of POW; and used contemporary genetic data from martens on POW and the mainland in coalescent simulations to identify the probable source of the present‐day marten population on POW. We found evidence for multiple routes of colonization by forest‐associated mammals beginning in the Holocene, which were likely used by American martens to naturally colonize POW. Although we cannot rule out human‐assisted movement of martens by Alaskan Natives or fur trappers, we suggest that martens be managed for persistence on POW. More generally, our findings illustrate the difficulty of labeling species as non‐native or native, even when genetic and paleo‐ecological data are available, and support the notion that community resilience or species invasiveness should be prioritized when making management decisions rather than more subjective and less certain conservation benchmarks.