Correlations between heavy metals and organic carbon extracted by dry oxidation procedure in urban roadside soils

The organic fraction in soils has a significant influence on heavy metal transport. In this study, the organic carbon content was measured by dry oxidation procedure from 21 Xuzhou urban roadside soils to assess the relationships between the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cr) and the amount of organic carbon. The anthropogenic heavy metals (e.g. Pb, Cu, Zn) were strongly correlated with organic carbon (denoted by C_org−c) extracted by dry oxidation while natural heavy metal (e.g. Cr) showed no correlation to the C_org−c. The anthropogenic heavy metals were also strongly correlated with the amount of the total carbon. These results show that the anthropogenic heavy metals are mainly enriched in the organic matter in the Xuzhou urban roadside soils.     

Impact of lightning on organic matter-rich soils: influence of soil grain size and organic matter content on underground fires

A detailed study was carried out on a piece of land that had been struck by lightning during the violent rainstorm that raged over the Island of S?o Miguel (Azores Archipelago) in late October 2006. Temperature and gas measurements (CO₂, CO, H₂S and CH₄) were performed in four study trenches, dug in an area of ∼3 m², where an underground fire had been initiated by the impact with a lightning stroke, followed by the emission of a column of gases and smoke. The soil under study was originally a well-pedogenized about 80 cm thick bed, made of volcanic clayey to silty tephra fallouts and contained 5.5–9.7% of organic matter. The underground fire was monitored for one week and revealed a peak release of 404 ppm CO and 3.4% CO₂ originating from a horizon located about 45 cm under the soil surface. Measurements of temperature, performed one week after the impact, indicated a maximum value of 326°C inside the soil, while 516.5°C were measured on the surface of a lava block interred about 20 cm under the surface. Subsequently, a stratigraphic and sedimentologic study proved the role of the grain-size of the soil and of the organic matter content of the different horizons of the impact area, in determining the ratio between anoxic/oxidised combustion conditions and in the progress of the process itself. It was also noticed that combustion was not total all over in the soil bed and that the process had slightly migrated toward SW during the observation period. The combustion process went on for about ten days, in spite of several other violent rainstorms, until it was artificially extinguished through the excavations made to obtain study trenches. This particular circumstance evidenced the potential natural hazard represented by this kind of atmospheric event, especially in a land where the volcanic nature of the soil may easily mislead inexperienced observers and, consequently, delay proper action.     

Peace Parks and jaguar trails: transboundary conservation in a globalizing world

An increasingly utilized strategy for expanding conservation in the developing world has been the promotion of protected areas that supersede national borders. Alternatively known as transfrontier biosphere reserves, transfrontier or transboundary conservation areas, or Peace Parks, these protected areas are aggressively advanced by conservation agencies for their purported ecological and economic benefits. This article provides a comparative assessment of two case studies to understand the various impacts of transboundary conservation. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which unites protected areas in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is contrasted with efforts to protect jaguars along the United States–Mexico border. We argue that while these cases are promising for the purposes of biodiversity protection, they demonstrate that transboundary conservation can minimize political context, contributes to the hegemony of international conservation agendas, and remains closely linked to economic neoliberalism and decentralization in the developing world.

P-III分布参数的概率权重矩法S函数计算

概率权重矩法是一种估计统计分布参数的方法.本文根据不完全Γ函数在无限区间积分,推导了P-Ⅲ分布参数的S函数的计算公式.通过现有计算公式比较,其计算结果具有较高的计算精度,避免了的大量的数值积分计算.文中公式只要借助于计算编程进行求解,给定超几何函数项一定的截断误差,其运算具有较高的运行速度.文中计算公式是一种P-Ⅲ分布参数S函数的计算途径.     

合浦珠母贝26S蛋白酶体S4,S7亚基基因片段的分离与分析

26S蛋白酶体是真核生物中一种具有ATP依赖性的蛋白酶复合体,主要通过泛肽途径选择性降解细胞内与代谢调控、细胞周期有关的功能蛋白及异常蛋白,参与多种细胞活动的调控过程。26S蛋白酶体由具有催化活性的20S亚复合体和一个具有调节作用的19S亚复合体组成,其中19S亚复合体中的ATP酶亚基是调节26S蛋白酶体活性的重要组件。本通过简并引物PCR手段,从软体动物合浦珠母贝(Pinctada fucata)中扩增到参与构成19S亚复合体的S4和S7(MSS1)两个亚基的基因片段。这两个基因片段所编码的ATP酶组件包含有Gx4GKT,DEID,SAT和H／QRxGRxxR等26S蛋白酶体ATP酶亚基的共同功能基序。这是首次在软体动物中报道26S蛋白酶体的ATP酶亚基基因序列,为研究软体动物中26S蛋白酶体的结构与功能奠定了分子基础。     

海洋古生产力重建初探──以南沙群岛海区NS90-103柱样为例

以南沙海区ＮＳ９０－１０３柱样为例，利用各种古生产力指标物，如有机碳含量，有孔虫壳和有孔虫碳同位素，重建了２０００００ａ以来古生产力变化，并对结果予以讨论。     

Variation of reactivity of particulate and sedimentary organic matter along the Zhujiang River Estuary

To investigate organic matter source and reactivity in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River)Estuary and its adjacent areas, particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate hydrolysable amino acids (PHAA), and Chl a during two cruises in July 1999 and July 2000 were measured. The highest POC and PHAA concentration was observed in the waters with maximum Chl a. The spectra distribution,relative content (dry weight in milligram per gram), PHAA-C% POC and other indicators such as the ratios of amino acids vs. amino sugars (AA/AS) and glucosamine vs. galactosamine (Glum/Gal) suggested that particulate amino acids in the water column and sediments in the Zhujiang River Estuary were mainly derived from biogenic processes rather than transported from terrestrial erosion. In inner estuary where high turbidity was often observable, organic matter was mainly contributed by re-suspension of bottom sediments with revealed zooplankton, microbial reworked characteristics, which suggest that these organic matters were relatively “old“. In the estuarine brackish region, organic matter in water column is mainly contributed by relatively fresh, easily degradable phytoplankton derived organic matter.During physical - biological processes within the eastuary, organic matter derived from phytoplankton was subjected to alteration by zooplankton grazing and bacterial reworking.     

Microbial Diversity in Nankai Trough Sediments at a Depth of 3,843 m

Dense populations of bivalves, primarily Calyptogena sp., were observed at cold seeps of the Nankai Trough. Bacterial input to the sediment was estimated through determination of phospholipid ester-linked fatty acid (PLFA) and DNA profiles. Results indicated a bacterial biomass of 10⁹ cells (g dry wt)^-1 while individual fatty acid profiles revealed a predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly 18:1 isomers. The presence of these fatty acids can be interpreted to reflect a response to low temperature and a predominance of psychrophilic bacteria. DNA fragments encoding bacterial ribosomal RNA small-subunit sequences (16S rDNA) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction method using DNA extracted directly from the sediment samples. From the sequencing results, at least 19 kinds of bacterial 16S rDNAs related to mostly the Proteobacteria and a few gram-positive bacteria were identified. These results suggest that the bacterial community in the Nankai Trough sediments consists of mainly bacteria belonging to the Proteobacteria , , and subdivisions. Bacteria belonging to the and subdivisions, which are known to include epibiont and sulfate reducing bacteria, respectively, were mostly detected in the sediment obtained from inside the area of the Calyptogena community, and the -Proteobacteria may function to supply reduced sulfur to bacterial endosymbionts of Calyptogena.     

牙鲆种群动态及其资源管理

本文根据1980—1986年间鱼类生物学参数测定,结合体长分布资料的模拟分析,研究黄、渤海区牙鲆种群年龄结构、死亡动态以及在不同年龄和死亡率条件下世代资源生物量变化的规律。模型分析结果表明,当F=1.0和t_c=6.0a时,单位补充量最大群体产量为1492g。由此认为,现阶段牙鲆资源利用的最佳策略是通过增殖放流,增加资源补充;同时应适当控制捕捞压力,减少渔具对幼鱼资源的破坏并增设繁殖保护区,以追求最大持续产量。     

Vertical and seasonal differences in biogenic silica dissolution in natural seawater in Suruga Bay, Japan: Effects of temperature and organic matter

Vertical and seasonal characteristics of biogenic silica (BSi) dissolution in seawater were investigated by multiple dissolution experiments using seawater collected from surface and mesopelagic layers in Suruga Bay during the period 2002–2004. The dissolution rate coefficients calculated based on temporal changes of BSi concentration varied with the season of sample collection. They ranged from 0.023–0.057 day^− 1 for surface samples and 0.0018–0.0025 day^− 1 for mesopelagic samples for temperatures approaching in situ conditions. Experiments at various temperatures confirmed that BSi dissolution depends on temperature in natural seawater. Dissolution rate coefficient (day^− 1) of BSi correlated significantly with temperature (°C), and Q₁₀ was 2.6. Addition of bioavailable organic matter to low-bioactivity seawater enhanced the protease activity and abundance of bacteria, and increased BSi dissolution rate by a factor of 1.4–2.0. There is clear evidence that BSi dissolution is accelerated by bacterial activity and potentially limited by bioavailable organic matter in natural seawater. Dissolution rates and total decreases of BSi concentration were lower during experiments using mesopelagic samples than in those using surface samples. This suggests that dissolution of BSi varies with depth and that BSi in the mesopelagic water is more resistant to the dissolution than that in the surface water. This lower dissolution rate was caused by lower temperature and lower bacterial activity due to less bioavailable organic matter in mesopelagic water. Our results provide a mechanistic understanding of variations in silica cycling within the seasonally and vertically differing marine environment.