Urban sustainability: Lessons from organisms and ecosystems

The services essential for urban life include provision of electricity and water, disposal of sewage and solid waste, and management of stormwater. In the past two centuries, the infrastructure providing these services has become increasingly large and centralized, which from a sustainability perspective is problematic. I argue that, to be sustainable, a city must be integrated like a living organism, while having the resilience properties of a mature ecosystem. For the provision of infrastructure, this means that today's massive, highly centralized facilities must give way to more distributed yet interconnected systems.     

Assessment of biopollution in aquatic ecosystems

The introduction of alien species (AS) in marine environments is a factor of disturbance that can be viewed as a pollution agent. Using basic information on abundance and distribution of alien species, we developed an index that classifies AS impacts on native species, communities, habitats and ecosystem functioning. This method can be used to evaluate impact at five different levels of biopollution, fitting within the existing schemes for water quality assessment. Both spatial and temporal comparisons are possible. The assessments may also be used to evaluate management performance where avoidance measures were necessary and assist in preventing further unwanted introductions. Such assessments made for the same areas over time provide opportunities for measuring change in biopollution. We have tested the method using four different well-studied areas within the Baltic Sea (brackish to freshwater environments) for two different times, 20 years apart. Further developments of the scheme may be needed to cover some specific cases and taxonomic groups according to their life history.     

酸雨对水生态系统中一些生物的影响

本文综述酸雨对水生态系统中各营养级生物的影响。介绍酸雨引起水体酸化和水体的缓冲能力,阐述不同营养级水生生物和所处不同发育阶段对低pH的敏感性差异。还讨论了由于遗传和适应引起生物对低pH的耐受性差异。酸化水体生物群落的重要特征是,生物种类数减少,多样性降低,生物量减少和食物链遭破坏。酸性pH对水生生物的毒作用方式包括气体交换受阻、体盐调节紊乱、酸碱平衡失调,以及与金属的联合作用等.最后还对若干问题作了扼要讨论,并提出建议。     

酸雨对水生态系统中一些生物的影响

本文综述酸雨对水生态系统中各营养级生物的影响。介绍酸雨引起水体酸化和水体的缓冲能力,阐述不同营养级水生生物和所处不同发育阶段对低pH的敏感性差异。还讨论了由于遗传和适应引起生物对低pH的耐受性差异。酸化水体生物群落的重要特征是,生物种类数减少,多样性降低,生物量减少和食物链遭破坏。酸性pH对水生生物的毒作用方式包括气体交换受阻、体盐调节紊乱、酸碱平衡失调,以及与金属的联合作用等.最后还对若干问题作了扼要讨论,并提出建议。     

The effect of geographic factors on the primary production of lacustrine and terrestrial ecosystems

It is shown that, with increasing latitude, the primary production of lakes increasingly lags behind the primary production of land, with a resulting strengthening of the dependence of aquatic ecosystems on allochthonous input of biogenic and organic substances. An ecological model is presented, which allows the primary production of terrestrial and lacustrine ecosystems to be predicted given the geographic coordinates and climatic characteristics.     

Consequences of anthropogenic impact on aquatic ecosystems in Khibiny Mountain Massif

Comprehensive physicochemical (Selector software package), paleoecological, and hydrobiological studies of two lakes-Pai-Kunjavr (Gol’tsovoe) and Bol’shoi Vudjavr (the Khibiny Mountain Massif) was carried out for the first time. Reconstruction of natural waters and wastes was performed, the present-day state of the ionic composition of natural waters, diatomic complexes, and zooplankton communities was assessed with the aim to determine the degree of transformation of Lake Bol’shoi Vudjavr under technogenic impact. The results are of practical and methodological significance for the assessment of long-term anthropogenic impact on subarctic aquatic ecosystems.     

Characterization of transboundary POP contamination in aquatic ecosystems of Pearl River delta

During the past two decades, the rapid development of the Pearl River delta leads to substantial accumulation of various toxic organic compounds. This study aims to give a preliminary characterization of the existing state of contamination in this region and to provide insight into the possible fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in this estuary. The available data on POPs in water, river, estuarine sediments, soil, and marine organisms within the Pearl River delta are compiled. It is shown that it may lead to transboundary POP pollution problems at both Hong Kong and Macau Special Administration Regions located at the downstream end of the region. It is noted that the levels of DDTs and HCHs in various environmental media are at alerting levels and that fresh DDT might still be applied illegally within the region. A systematic research is required to determine both the temporal and spatial variations of all POPs in various carrying media of the Pearl River delta as a whole.     

Advances in environmental behaviors and effects of dissolved organic matter in aquatic ecosystems

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a group of compounds that have complex chemical structures and multiple interactions with their surrounding materials. More than one trillion tons of DOM are stocked in the world’s aquatic ecosystems. DOM is a very important part of aquatic ecosystem productivity and plays a crucial role in global carbon cycling. DOM has rich environmental behaviors and effects such as influencing the bioavailability of contaminants, serving as an important inducer of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and protecting aquatic organisms from the harm of dangerous ultraviolet radiation. There have been many systematic studies on the composition, structure, and sources of DOM because such studies are much easier to conduct than studies on the environmental behaviors and effects of DOM. Due to many factors, the research systems of DOM’s environmental behaviors and effects are still being developed and have become a hotspot of environmental science. This review paper focuses on some critical progress, problems, and trends of DOM’s environmental behaviors and effects in aquatic ecosystems, including mutual exchange mechanisms between DOM and particulate organic matter (POM) with influencing factors, photochemical behaviors of DOM especially inducing ROS, binding interactions between DOM and anthropogenic organic contaminants (AOC), interactions between DOM and microorganisms, effects of DOM on pollutants’ bioavailability, ecotoxicity, and ecological risks. Hopefully, this paper will contribute to a more systematic understanding of the DOM environmental behaviors and effects and to promoting further relevant studies.     

持久性有机污染物在中国湖泊生物中分布与富集的研究进展

持久性有机污染物(POPs)在环境中分布广泛且持久存在并具有高生物富集性,通常具有致癌、致畸、致突变等危害.湖泊是POPs的主要环境归宿之一,湖泊中的POPs可被水生生物富集并通过食物网传递,对生态系统及人体健康构成极大的危害.中国是POPs生产及使用大国,也是世界上湖泊较多的国家之一.湖泊生物尤其是水产品是中国人饮食中的重要组成部分,因此POPs在中国湖泊生物体中的富集对当地的生态系统和人体健康存在很大的潜在危害.本文通过收集、分析1997年—2017年7月公开发表的中国湖泊生物体POPs数据,发现中国湖泊生物中POPs富集研究主要集中在东部平原湖区,青藏高原及云贵高原湖区有少量研究;不同POPs在不同湖区湖泊生物中富集的含量存在较大差异,DDTs和HCHs在各湖区生物中普遍检出且存在明显差异,东部平原湖区生物体内多氯联苯、多溴联苯醚含量高于其他湖区生物体内含量,其他POPs在湖泊生物体内的富集研究相对较少且主要集中在东部湖泊.中国湖泊生物中DDTs、HCHs、多环芳烃、多氯联苯、多溴联苯醚、多氯苯并二英和多氯苯并呋喃、全氟化合物、全氟辛酸、有机锡及六溴环十二烷脂肪归一化后的平均含量分别为454.56±653.40、153.57±435.99、2849.49±3092.52、118.40±20.28、18.40±20.28、17.43±19.43、147.17±192.93、1542.18±1347.64、11380.75±5316.75和2.19±1.92 ng/g.POPs在中国湖泊生物体内的含量水平与生物所处营养级、脂肪含量和年龄呈正相关,但并非完全一致,还受到生活习性、生物物种与结构、生存环境及生物量等多种因素的影响;生物不同组织对POPs的富集能力有较大差异,内脏器官对POPs的富集能力明显高于肌肉组织.     

Hydrogen isotope discrimination in aquatic primary producers: implications for aquatic food web studies

Large differences in δ ²H of primary producers between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are used to identify subsidies, discriminate organic matter sources, and reduce uncertainty in food web studies. Previous investigations of hydrogen isotope ratios suggest there may be predictable differences between the δ ²H of water and organic matter for different types of primary producers. We define the difference in the net isotopic discrimination between water and bulk organic matter (om) as: Δ_H = (δ ²H_om ? δ ²H_water) ÷ (1 + δ ²H_water ÷ 1,000). We summarized Δ_H values from published literature and we measured the δ ²H of water and primary producers in order to compare Δ_H among aquatic and terrestrial primary producers. Measurements were made from three water body types (lake, river, coastal lagoon) and their associated watersheds. Although we predicted a large and equivalent net isotopic discrimination for aquatic primary producers, we found considerable variability among groups of aquatic producers. Macroalgae, benthic microalgae, and phytoplankton had more negative Δ_H values (i.e. greater isotopic discrimination) than both aquatic macrophytes and terrestrial vegetation. The more positive δ ²H_om and hence lower Δ_H of terrestrial vegetation was expected due to relative increases in the heavier isotope, deuterium, during transpiration. However, the more positive values of δ ²H_om and relatively low Δ_H in aquatic macrophytes, even submerged species, was unexpected. Marine macroalgae had high variability in δ ²H_om as a group, but low variability within distinct species. Variability among types of primary producers in δ ²H_om and in Δ_H should be assessed when hydrogen is used in isotopic studies of food webs.     

Impacts of acid emissions from Nevado del Ruiz volcano, Colombia, on selected terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Emissions of acidic gases and thermal waters from Nevado del Ruiz volcano have recently increased in concert with the November 13, 1985 eruption. This study examines the downwind and downstream effects of these emissions on alpine ecosystems high on the slopes of the volcano (4100 m) and on coffee plantations at lower elevations (< 2000 m) and greater distances from the active vent (> 30 km). Samples of bulk deposition, rain, soils, soil solutions, and streams were collected over a six-month period (January–July, 1987) to examine the impacts of this volcanogenic acidity.Bulk deposition falling on the higher slopes of the volcano is usually acidified; however, deposition reaching the distal coffee plantations seldom is acidic. The sources of the acids are hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide in the plume of the volcano. Although sulfur dioxide is by far the more abundant gas, hydrogen chloride is most responsible for acidification of rain falling on the slopes of the volcano. With distance from the vent, the chloride/sulfate ratio drops exponentially. The only major influence on regional precipitation chemistry in addition to the volcano appears to be land-use-related activities around the coffee plantations. Deposition on these areas is enriched by an order of magnitude in nitrate and base cations, compared to all other stations.Throughfall chemistry in the coffee plantations shows a dramatic response to occasional acid-rain events. A base-leaching process on coffee plant leaves is triggered by acid rain. For each equivalent of hydrogen ion in rain on the leaf surface, over 23 equivalents of potassium ion are leached from the leaf.In spite of this dramatic response by the vegetation, the plantation soils appear relatively unaffected by acidic deposition. In contrast, the alpine soils on the volcano exhibit low pHs, high sulfate and chloride concentrations in soil solutions, and high extractable sulfate concentrations. All of these factors indicate that these soils have undergone significant acid loading.While the deposition of the region is acidified by hydrogen chloride, the streams flowing off the volcano are apparently acidified by sulfuric acid in thermal waters discharging into the streams. The acidity of these streams decreases downstream, while the silica concentrations increase downstream. The composition of stream water is most influenced by thermal-water discharges as well as equilibrium dissolution of amorphous silica glass and non-equilibrium leaching of unweathered ash.The impacts of acid gases and thermal water released from the volcano appear to be restricted to ecosystems on the slope of the volcano. The only impact of Nevado del Ruiz on surrounding coffee plantations appears to be potassium leaching of coffee leaves from occasional acid-deposition events.     

Use of exposure time and life expectancy in models for toxicity to aquatic organisms

The exposure time is a variable which is usually not incorporated into models for toxicity. However, with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) exhibiting a nonspecific mode of action and lipophilic properties this variable can be modeled by the usage of the internal concentrations as a measure of the toxicity with fish. The bioconcentration process with fish is a relatively well understood and predictable process which allows the calculation of the internal lethal concentration. When the exposure time is relatively short the critical internal lethal concentrations are relatively constant for the group of POPs whereaas the LC50 measured in the ambient water is quite variable. When the exposure time is relatively long, results on the measurement of the critical internal concentration with fish over different exposure times has demonstrated that the internal lethal concentration falls with increasing exposure times in a consistent and predictable manner. This reduction in life expectancy can be described in a model which can be used to estimate the critical internal concentration for any exposure time. It also provides information useful in assessing the risk to fish and potentially other species due to the occurrence of residues of POPs in natural aquatic systems. It is suggested that these relationships can be extended to other groups of organisms and chemicals.     

Use of exposure time and life expectancy in models for toxicity to aquatic organisms

The exposure time is a variable which is usually not incorporated into models for toxicity. However, with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) exhibiting a nonspecific mode of action and lipophilic properties this variable can be modeled by the usage of the internal concentrations as a measure of the toxicity with fish. The bioconcentration process with fish is a relatively well understood and predictable process which allows the calculation of the internal lethal concentration. When the exposure time is relatively short the critical internal lethal concentrations are relatively constant for the group of POPs whereaas the LC50 measured in the ambient water is quite variable. When the exposure time is relatively long, results on the measurement of the critical internal concentration with fish over different exposure times has demonstrated that the internal lethal concentration falls with increasing exposure times in a consistent and predictable manner. This reduction in life expectancy can be described in a model which can be used to estimate the critical internal concentration for any exposure time. It also provides information useful in assessing the risk to fish and potentially other species due to the occurrence of residues of POPs in natural aquatic systems. It is suggested that these relationships can be extended to other groups of organisms and chemicals.     

杂食性鱼类对浅水水体底栖—浮游生境耦合作用的影响:微综述

浅水水体存在着强烈的底栖—浮游生境耦合作用,耦合的结果决定着水生态系统关键特征.在缺少大型水生植物的浅水系统中,底栖藻类和浮游藻类对光照和营养盐的竞争是底栖—浮游生境耦合最为重要的生态过程之一,但该过程受到杂食性鱼类的影响.本文以浅水水体的底栖—浮游生境耦合作用为切入点,综述了杂食性鱼类对浅水水体底栖—浮游生境耦合作用...     

PCBs and chlorinated pesticides in the atmosphere and aquatic organisms of Ross Island, Antarctica

PCBs, p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE and lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) were monitored in the lower atmosphere of Ross Island, in Antarctica for 2 yr. Geometrical means were 15.2 pg m⁻³ for PCBs, 2.0 pg m⁻³ for p,p′-DDT, 1.0 pg m⁻³ for p,p′-DDE and 25.8 pg m⁻³ for lindane. Atmospheric levels of lindane were positively correlated with temperature, and a significant difference was found between spring-summer and summer-winter concentrations. No season related differences were found for the other chlorinated hydrocarbons, possibly owing to their lower vapour pressure and the cold climate. Periods with increased atmospheric levels of PCBs and DDT compounds were recorded. Lindane, p,p′-DDE and PCBs were present in fish and zooplankton sampled close to Ross Island. Pollutant levels in the zooplankton (on an extractable fat basis) were highest during the Antarctic spring and autumn and were inversely correlated to their fat content.     

秋季太湖水下光场结构及其对水生态系统的影响

水生态系统中光能的分配很大程度上决定了水生态系统的结构和功能,利用2007年11-12月太湖水体光学特性和组分浓度数据,对秋季太湖水下光场结构特征和水体组分光竞争能力的表征光学量(漫衰减系数、平均余弦)和影响因素(吸收系数比重)进行了分析研究.结果表明,秋季太湖水下辐照度呈现单峰分布,最高值为583nm左右:根据Kd可将黄质和非色素物质主导程度的强弱分为弱、较强、强三个等级;Kd(PAR)平均值为4.61±1.54m-1,水体真光层厚度平均值为1.11±0.35m;太湖水下光场的光能主要分布在青光和黄绿光波长范围内,约占总能量的60%,蓝光和红光波长范围内的能量约占30%,这样的光谱结构有利于铜绿微囊藻和斜生栅藻的生长.     

The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii in Europe: Impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human well-being

Procambarus clarkii is currently recorded from 16 European territories. On top of being a vector of crayfish plague, which is responsible for large-scale disappearance of native crayfish species, it causes severe impacts on diverse aquatic ecosystems, due to its rapid life cycle, dispersal capacities, burrowing activities and high population densities. The species has even been recently discovered in caves. This invasive crayfish is a polytrophic keystone species that can exert multiple pressures on ecosystems. Most studies deal with the decline of macrophytes and predation on several species (amphibians, molluscs, and macroinvertebrates), highlighting how this biodiversity loss leads to unbalanced food chains. At a management level, the species is considered as (a) a devastating digger of the water drainage systems in southern and central Europe, (b) an agricultural pest in Mediterranean territories, consuming, for example, young rice plants, and (c) a threat to the restoration of water bodies in north-western Europe. Indeed, among the high-risk species, P. clarkii consistently attained the highest risk rating. Its negative impacts on ecosystem services were evaluated. These may include the loss of provisioning services such as reductions in valued edible native species of regulatory and supporting services, inducing wide changes in ecological communities and increased costs to agriculture and water management. Finally, cultural services may be lost. The species fulfils the criteria of the Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament (species widely spread in Europe and impossible to eradicate in a cost-effective manner) and has been included in the “Union List”. Particularly, awareness of the ornamental trade through the internet must be reinforced within the European Community and import and trade regulations should be imposed to reduce the availability of this high-risk species.     

Carbon dioxide partial pressure and its diffusion flux in karst surface aquatic ecosystems: a review

Carbon dioxide(CO₂) emissions from aquatic ecosystems are an important component of the karst carbon cycle process and also a key indicator for assessing the effect of karst carbon sinks. This paper reviewed the CO₂ partial pressure(pCO₂) and its diffusion flux(FCO₂) in karst surface aquatic ecosystems, mainly rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, and their influencing factors summarized the methods for monitoring CO₂ emissions in karst aquatic eco...