Ecosystem response to antibiotics entering the aquatic environment

Awareness of antibiotics in wastewaters and aquatic ecosystems is growing as investigations into alternate pollutants increase and analytical techniques for detecting these chemicals improve. The presence of three antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and cephalexin) was evaluated in both sewage effluent and environmental waters downstream from a sewage discharge. Bacteria cultured from the sewage bioreactor and receiving waters were tested for resistance against six antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, ampicillin, trimethoprim, erythromycin and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole) and effects of short term exposure (24 h) to antibiotics on bacterial denitrification rates were examined. Antibiotics were detected entering the sewage treatment plant with varying levels of removal during the treatment process. Antibiotics were also detected in effluent entering receiving waters and detectable 500 m from the source. Among the bacteria cultured from the sewage bioreactor, resistance was displayed against all six antibiotics tested and bacteria cultured from receiving waters were resistant against two of the antibiotics tested. Rates of denitrification were observed to decrease in response to some antibiotics and not to others, though this was only observed at concentrations exceeding those likely to be found in the environment. Findings from this preliminary research have indicated that antibiotics are entering our aquatic systems and pose a potential threat to ecosystem function and potentially human health.     

Incidence and characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes from the Japan and South China seas

The distribution of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes in the sea water and marine organisms of Peter the Great and Nha Trang bays, the phenotypic properties and antibiotic sensitivity of the isolates were studied. S. aureus was recorded from 9.3% samples in the Sea of Japan and from 20.4% samples in the South China Sea, L. monocytogenes respectively from 5.9 % and 5.8 % samples. S. aureus and L. monocytogenes found in the tropics differed in their phenotypic properties from those found in the temperate zone. Antibiotic resistance was detected in 81.8% and 71.8% of S. aureus strains and in 19% and 71.4% of L. monocytogenes strains respectively from Peter the Great Bay and from Vietnam. The results show that multiresistant strains of S. aureus and L. monocytogenes are widespread throughout Peter the Great and Nha Trang bays and present a hazard to the health of humans and marine animals.     

论有机氮磷在湖泊水环境中的作用和重要性

长期以来,国内外学者对湖泊中氮磷等营养物质及其循环开展了大量研究,在其污染过程、控制和管理等方面取得了许多重要进展。然而,现有研究主要集中在总氮、总磷和无机氮磷等方面,对有机氮磷的来源、循环及生物和生态学效应的研究相对缺乏。近期研究显示:有机氮磷是湖泊水体和沉积物中的重要组分,可以通过酶解和微生物活动转化成生物可利用性营养盐,在湖泊生态系统中起着十分重要的作用。本文简要分析了有机氮磷已有的研究进展,论述了有机氮磷在湖泊水环境研究中的重要性、研究难点、主要技术突破及存在的科学问题,指出有机氮磷研究将有助于加深目前对水生态系统和富营养化机理的认识,并对水质标准制定、环境质量评价、污染控制和生态修复具有十分重要的价值。研究表明:在各种无机氮磷研究的基础上,开展各种有机氮磷等营养组分的时空分布特征、在主要界面的迁移转化及其生物有效性研究,揭示有机氮磷与湖泊生命过程的耦合关系,完善氮磷循环理论,将是未来该领域的主要研究方向。     

Analysis of the mechanism and mathematical modeling of diethylhexylphthalate degradation in aquatic environment

Degradation mechanism of diethylhexylphthalate, a pollutant of water bodies, is analyzed. A modified first-order equation with a correction for a nondegradable fraction is suggested. The succession of biochemical reactions in the process of anaerobic degradation of monoethylhexylphthalate is considered, and two stages—ester hydrolysis and phthalic acid transformation into methane and carbon dioxide—are identified as limiting the overall rate. A one-dimensional distributed model is used to describe the degradation of three phthalates with different water solubility: diethylphthalate DEP, which has a relatively high solubility; dibutyl phthalate DBP, poorly soluble; and diethylhexylphthalate DEHP, almost insoluble. The physicochemical processes of sorption/desorption play an important role in the process of their degradation. The enzymatic splitting, carried out by microorganisms, reduces the concentration of dissolved diethylhexylphthalate and can facilitate desorption processes.     

The BEAM-project: prediction and assessment of mixture toxicities in the aquatic environment

Freshwater and marine ecosystems are exposed to various multi-component mixtures of pollutants. Nevertheless, most ecotoxicological research and chemicals regulation focus on hazard and exposure assessment of individual substances only, the problem of chemical mixtures in the environment is ignored to a large extent. In contrast, the assessment of combination effects has a long tradition in pharmacology, where mixtures of chemicals are specifically designed to develop new products, e.g. human and veterinary drugs or agricultural and non-agricultural pesticides. In this area, two concepts are frequently used and are thought to describe fundamental relationships between single substance and mixture effects: Independent Action (Response Addition) and Concentration Addition. The question, to what extent these concepts may also be applied in an ecotoxicological and regulatory context may be considered a research topic of major importance, as the concepts would allow to make use of already existing single substance toxicity data for the predictive assessment of mixture toxicities. Two critical knowledge gaps are identified: (a) There is a lack of environmental realism, as a huge part of our current knowledge about the applicability of the concepts is restricted to artificial situations with respect to mixture composition or biological effect assessment. (b) The knowledge on what exactly is needed for using the concepts as tools for the predictive mixture toxicity assessment is insufficient. Both gaps seriously hamper the necessary, scientifically sound consideration of mixture toxicities in a regulatory context.In this paper, the two concepts will be briefly introduced, the necessity of considering the toxicities of chemical mixtures in the environment will be demonstrated and the applicability of Independent Action and Concentration Addition as tools for the prediction and assessment of mixture toxicities will be discussed. An overview of the specific aims and approaches of the BEAM project to fill in the identified knowledge gaps is given and first results are outlined.     

The state of the aquatic environment and biota during operation of trout-breeding pond farms

The paper presents the results of studying chemical and biological quality characteristics of the aquatic environment in the area of operation of trout farms in Kondopoga Bay, Onega Lake. The concentrations of biochemically labile substances and phosphorus were found to increase near the ponds. The development dynamics of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic organisms in the zone of pond farms. When the procedure of fish production is strictly followed, the effect of ponds on the aquatic environment and biota is minimal.     

Anthropogenic transformation of aquatic environment composition in the Lena river mouth area

Variations in the hydrological-hydrochemical state of the aqueous medium in Lena mouth area. The hydrological regime of the river and variations in qualitative water composition in the mouth area are described in detail. Anthropogenic load is estimated in terms of the inflow and the modulus of inflow of pollutants.     

Solubilization of potassium containing minerals by high temperature resistant Streptomyces sp.isolated from earthworm's gut

A potassium solubilizing bacterial strain designated EGT, which is tolerant of high temperature, was isolated from an earthworm's gut to obtain a bacterium that can weather potassium-bearing rock effectively through solid-state fermentation. Molecular phylogeny and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated the bacterial strain was a member of the Streptomyces genus. To assess its potential to release potassium from silicate minerals,this strain was used to degrade potassium-bearing rock powder by solid-state fermentation. After fermentation, the amount of water-soluble Al, Fe and K of the substrate with active inoculum was higher than those of the control,which had autoclaved inoculum, and those of the fresh substrate. The result indicated that the strain had the ability to weather potassium-bearing rock and could be used as an inoculum in the production of potassium bio-fertilizer, due to its potassium release activity from rock and tolerance to high temperature.     

三峡水库水环境与水生态研究的进展与展望

伴随着举世瞩目的三峡工程全面竣工,三峡水库于2010年正式进入年水位落差达30 m的正常运行阶段.水库湖沼学可为环境友好型大坝建设和水库可持续管理提供科学依据.本文在三峡成库8 a以来生态系统长期监测与研究的基础上,对三峡水库水环境现状进行了归纳和总结,分析了水环境动态的时空异质性、水库纵向分区与群落组成、垂向分布及藻类水华的成因和动态,并对三峡水库藻类水华预警与生态-水文调控机制展开了论述.最后,本文尝试给出以下两方面的展望:1)大型水库湖沼学观测研究应有长期的策略;2)近期研究应重点关注水华暴发水动力学机制的量化和水华预警模型及生态水力调度平台的耦合.     

Comparison of complexing ability of fulvic and humic acids in the aquatic environment with iron and zinc ions

Complex formation reactions with the interaction of fulvic and humic acids with zinc and iron ions in a model aqueous system. The complexing ability of humic acids was experimentally proved to be much higher than that of fulvic acids. The complexing ability of fulvic acids is found to decrease over time. The dependence of the complexing ability of heavy metals on the types of ion and humic substances and the proportions of components in the solution is examined. The obtained experimental results on the occurrence forms of heavy metals were compared with their theoretical estimates calculated for natural water bodies.     

The control of the production process of phytoplankton by the physical structure of the aquatic environment with special reference to its optical properties

This tutorial was designed for nonbiologists requiring an introduction to the nature and general timescales of phytoplankton responses to physical forcing in aquatic environments. As such, an effort was made to highlight biological markers which might assist in identifying, measuring and/or validating physical processes controlling the variability in the distribution, abundance, composition and activity of phytoplankton communities. Given the recent advances in environmental optics and remote sensing capabilities, a special emphasis was placed on the nature and utility of phytoplankton optical properties in current bio-optical modelling efforts to predict temporal and spatial variability in phytoplankton productivity and growth.     

Modeling the biodegradation of multicomponent organic matter in an aquatic environment: 1. Methodology

A methodology of modeling organic matter degradation is described. It includes the identification of a class of disordered biopolymers embracing a considerable part of stable organic matter in the aquatic environment; the choice of a reference representative of the class, which is proposed to be lignin—a widespread product of wood degradation and processing; the construction of a three-level hierarchical scheme of degradation modeling, whose top level contains the formulation of the purpose of modeling, which is to find the law of the decrease in organic matter concentration over time, the middle level includes the development of a mathematical model, and the bottom level includes the analysis of the mechanisms of the processes. The general formulation of the problem at the hierarchical levels is developed from top to bottom, while the modeling process is realized from bottom to top.     

Determination of phthalate ester plasticizers in the aquatic environment using hollow fibre supported liquid membranes

Phthalates are known to be carcinogenic, teratogenic as well as endocrine disruptors. The potential risk to human and animals health generated from them has drawn great attention all over the world. Hollow fibre supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) online with high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in wastewater. Toluene, di-n-hexyl ether and undecane were used as liquid barriers separating both donor (sample) and acceptor phase. Toluene performed much better than undecane and was used in sample preparation. The presence of toluene showed the potential for the enrichment and removal of phthalates to the concentrations ranges from 0 to 1.7 mg L⁻¹.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子关系:3.大型底栖动物

于2008-2009年按照季节调查了西藏地区尼洋河大型底栖动物群落的组成和丰度,并运用多元统计方法定量分析了大型底栖动物的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,石蚕幼虫、萝卜螺以及摇蚊幼虫是尼洋河主要的大型底栖动物,另外,随着海拔的升高,尼洋河大型底栖动物总丰度呈现降低趋势;Duncan检验法显示,物种总丰度在各采样点之间均不存在显著性差异;PCA方法显示,对于采样点,大型底栖动物总丰度最大值和最小值分别出现在采样点Ⅳ和采样点Ⅱ,对于季节,大型底栖动物总丰度最大值和最小值分别出现在秋季和冬季;CCA方法显示,可分别从尼洋河中上游和中下游两个河段来概括尼洋河大型底栖动物与环境因子之间的关系;CART模型显示,从11项环境因子筛选了4项环境因子用以解释它们与大型底栖动物总丰度之间的相互关系,这4项环境因子包括矿化度、总磷、海拔和季节,建议加强对大型底栖动物及这些环境因子的关注,保障尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子的关系:1.浮游植物

于2008-2009年按照季节调查了西藏尼洋河浮游植物群落的组成、丰度和多样性,并运用多元统计方法定量分析了浮游植物的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,尼洋河浮游植物共计7门29科48属,其中硅藻为优势浮游藻类.浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数(Pielou均匀度指数)在尼洋河中游(尼洋河下游)最高,其他河段呈下降趋势,符合中间高度膨胀假说.尼洋河沿程浮游植物的总丰度、物种丰富度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数以及Pielou均匀度指数不存在显著差异,夏季的浮游植物物种丰富度与其他季节的存在显著差异,夏季总丰度与秋、冬季的存在显著差异,冬季的浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数与春季的存在显著差异,冬季的均匀度指数与其他3个季节的存在显著差异.尼洋河浮游植物季节演替依赖于外源性水源补充,沿程演替则与河道底质有着很大关系.典范对应分析(CCA)表明,尼洋河硅藻门舟形藻科的藻类与理化因子铵态氮、表层pH、表层水温相关,部分蓝藻以及绿藻与水质理化因子也存在着关联.分类回归树(CART)模型预测了尼洋河着生藻类时空分布与主要环境因子之间的定量关系,尼洋河浮游植物群落总丰度和均匀度指数受pH值影响较大,pH值低于8.0的水域浮游植物均匀度指数比pH值高于8.0的水域大,尼洋河浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数受到河道底质影响较大,底质为黏土的水域浮游植物Shannon-Wiener多样性指数较底质为砂石的大.这些关键环境因子对尼洋河水域浮游植物的时空变化有着重要的指示作用,建议加强对浮游植物及这些环境因子的关注,保障尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.     

Occurrence of xenobiotic ligands for retinoid X receptors and thyroid hormone receptors in the aquatic environment of Taiwan

Various synthetic compounds are frequently discharged into the environment via human activities. Among them, certain contaminants may disrupt normal physiological functions of wildlife and humans via interactions with nuclear receptors. To protect human health and the environment, it is important to detect environmental ligands for human nuclear receptors. In this study, yeast-based reporter gene assays were used to investigate the occurrence of xenobiotic ligands for retinoid X receptors (RXR) and thyroid hormone receptors (TR) in the aquatic environment of Taiwan. Experimental results revealed that RXR agonist/antagonist activity was detected in river water and sediment samples. In particular, high RXR agonist/antagonist activity was found in the samples collected near river mouths. Additionally, few samples also elicited significant TR antagonist activity. Our findings show that the aquatic environment of Taiwan was contaminated with RXR and TR ligands. Further study is necessary to identify these xenobiotic RXR and TR agonists and antagonists.     

Spatiotemporal variability of algae in monitoring aquatic environment in the Panjiakou Reservoir (Northern China)

The spatial and temporal variations of algae within a large drinking water reservoir with mesotrophy (Panjiakou Reservoir, Northern China) were investigated in relation to variations in environmental factors over a 6-month period (May to October) in 2013 and 2014. The analysis based on in-situ samples upstream to downstream (Puhekou, Jiajia’an, Yanziyu Panjiakou and Baqian) showed that three harmful algae species of Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta prevail in the reservoir. The variations in algal concentrations presented a seasonal cycle with high values in the flood season and low values in the drought season and a spatial concentration in main water storage area of the reservoir. Compared with the environmental factors of pH value, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen, water temperature, dissolved oxygen content and total phosphorus were significant related to algae concentrations with correlation coefficients of 0.76, 0.62 and 0.85, respectively. The impact analysis of three factors on prevailing algae species indicated that Chlorophyta was the main contributor to the algal photosynthesis of the Panjiakou Reservoir. An extremely high value of algal concentrations with little variety in August 2013 revealed that pollution carried by tremendous runoff may induce algae blooms later.     

西藏尼洋河水生生物群落时空动态及与环境因子关系:2.着生藻类

本文于2008-2009年按照季节调查了西藏地区尼洋河着生藻类群落的组成、丰度和多样性,并运用多元统计方法定量分析了着生藻类的空间和季节变化特征及其与主要环境因子之间的关系.结果显示,尼洋河着生藻类共计6门30科49属,其中硅藻为优势着生藻类.着生藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数在尼洋河中游最高,在中上游河段和中下游河段呈下降趋势,符合中间高度膨胀(mid-altitude bulge)假说.着生藻类的总丰度、物种丰富度以及Shannon-Wiener多样性指数在尼洋河沿程不存在显著差异,总丰度在各个季节之间不存在显著差异,但物种丰富度在秋季和冬季存在显著差异,夏、秋季着生藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数显著高于冬、春季.主成分分析(PCA)表明,随着海拔的升高,着生藻类的物种丰富度和总丰度呈递减趋势;典范对应分析(CCA)表明,尼洋河部分硅藻与理化因子相关联,如:双壁藻(Diploneis)的丰度与总磷相关联,窗纹藻(Epithemia)的丰度与铵态氮相关联,双菱藻属(Surirella)的丰度与pH值相关联;部分绿藻与理化因子相关联,如:小球藻属(Chlorella)、栅藻属(Scenedesmus)、溪菜属(Prasiola)的丰度与水温相关联,小椿藻(Characium)的丰度与硬度相关联,转板藻(Mougeotia)的丰度与表层溶氧、矿化度相关联,新月藻属(Closterium)的丰度与碱度相关联;分类回归树(CART)模型预测了尼洋河着生藻类时空分布与主要环境因子之间的定量关系,即低海拔水域的着生藻类总丰度较高海拔高,高矿化度水域的着生藻类总丰度较低矿化度的高,不能用影响尼洋河着生藻类种类和数量的环境因子来解释着生藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数.这些关键环境因子对尼洋河水域着生藻类的时空变化有着重要的指示作用,建议加强对着生藻类及这些环境因子的关注,保障尼洋河水域生态环境的可持续发展.     

南水北调东线一期工程对洪泽湖水生生物及生态环境影响的预测

南水北调东线一期工程实施后,作为输水沿线上最大调蓄湖泊的洪泽湖,其水位将提高0.5m,并趋于稳定。这一结果对该湖的水生生物及其生态环境方面产生一定的影响。研究结果表明,透明度,pH值在某些湖区将有所降低,而敞水区无变化;短时间调水,湖水中营养盐含量基本无改变,但长时间连续调水,无机氮化合物将增加,可溶性磷下降,浮游生物数量仅在局部湖区有增减,全湖无大的差异;腹足类下降而河蚬数量将增加;水生维管束植物全湖生物量将减少;敞水性的鱼类增加,草食性鱼类或以水生维管束植物为产卵基质的鱼产量将下降。