Feeding of benthic foraminifera on diatoms and sewage-derived organic matter: an experimental application of lipid biomarker techniques

Foraminiferal ecology at sewage outfalls has been investigated in numerous field studies over the last 30 years. Foraminifera have been frequently used as biomonitors of sewage pollution since they are both abundant and ubiquitous. Sewage outfalls have been demonstrated to have both positive and negative effects on adjacent foraminiferal populations, but it has never been shown conclusively why sewage affects foraminifera in these ways. Such information on the impact mechanisms of sewage pollution is essential if foraminifera are to be used as sewage pollution biomonitors, and also to understand the ecology of these important protists. One possible cause of a positive effect is the direct consumption of sewage-derived particulate organic matter (POM) by the foraminifera themselves. However this hypothesis has never been tested experimentally. Here, lipid (fatty acid and sterol) biomarker techniques were applied to study the ingestion of two potential food items by the foraminiferan Haynesina germanica in the laboratory. An experiment was conducted to confirm that the laboratory conditions were conducive to the survival and feeding of the foraminifera. In this experiment, foraminifera were provided with the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, which was considered to be a suitable food source. After 2 weeks, a four-fold increase in the levels of the diatom fatty acid biomarker, 20:5(n-3), in the foraminifera suggested that they had fed actively on the diatoms and survived under the experimental conditions. These experimental conditions were used in the main experiment, where foraminifera were fed the POM from sewage. Lipid biomarker analysis indicated that H. germanica did not consume secondary treated sewage-derived POM. Neither fatty acid profiles in the sewage nor coprostanol, the diagnostic human faecal sterol, were detected in foraminifera after exposure to the potential sewage food source. However, foraminifera may have consumed bacteria associated with the sewage in the experiment. The findings are discussed in terms of current EU legislation on sewage treatment that has affected the composition of sewage discharges, and therefore possibly reduced the nutritive value of sewage to the marine benthos.     

禹城市城乡用地结构和布局分析

统筹城乡用地、优化城乡用地结构和布局,既是节约和集约用地的重要途径,又是统筹城乡发展的客观需要。通过分析禹城市城乡用地结构和布局,提出优化城乡用地结构和布局的建议和对策,从而为制定合理的土地利用总体规划提供基本的依据。     

构造地貌—城区建设发展规划的地质生态评估基础（以斯摩棱斯克州为例）

为了制定斯摩棱斯克州城市建设发展的总体纲要,对城区进行了地质生态评估。为此,根据所采用的方法,编制了地貌图,以此作为评估的基本要素,并且对该州地区地貌特征进行了分析;同时建议利用这些资料作为制定总体纲要工作的独立要素。     

碳的地下封存

引言 减少温室气体排放量的需要 随着地球大气层中二氧化碳和其他温室气体浓度的不断上升,自然温室效应不断增强,这将导致全球气候变化。这些气候变化的特征、程度和时限是不可确定的,但一种主要的气候变化是可预测的,即全球平均气温上升。图1中的观测结果表明,由于外在因素的影响,例如火山尘和太阳辐射输出,全球平均气温逐渐增加且很有可能已超出气候自然变化的范围。     

咸水层二氧化碳封存试验的水文和地球化学监测

水文和地球化学监测是典型试验场地特征描述和二氧化碳利流监测的主要组成部分。本次试验把二氧化碳注入德克萨斯州北部海湾地区河成三角洲Frio地层的含咸水砂层。注入的二氧化碳在原地形成超临界相,与周围咸水相比超临界相二氧化碳具有气体特征（低密度和粘度）,而一些二氧化碳溶解于咸水。典型试验通过1个注入井和1个监测井完成。在两个水井均开展了压力和流速监测;在监测井持续采集地表流体样品和定期采集井下液体样品。在二氧化碳注入之前开展的场地特征描述包括：在抽水试验的同时进行压力瞬变分析,来评估单相流动特征;确定注入井和监测井之间的水力连通性;确定对应的边界条件以及分析地层范围内的环境条件。此外,在注入二氧化碳前开展的示踪剂试验,有助于评估在单相条件下注入井和监测井之间的动态孔隙率和流径的几何形状。在注入二氧化碳前开展的地球化学采样,能为随后开展的地球化学监测提供基准,并有助于确定注入二氧化碳时使用的最佳示踪剂。在二氧化碳注入期间,开展水文监测来评估两相流动特征,并协助监测注入的二氧化碳羽流的运动;而通过地球化学采样能够提供二氧化碳和示踪剂到达监测井的直接证据。而且,含有二氧化碳的水能起到弱酸的作用,可与含水层内多种矿物发生反应,在监测井采集水样时可提供明显的化学信号。单相示踪剂试验和二氧化碳（以及与二氧化碳同时注入的示踪剂）的临界点曲线对比结果显示：超临界二氧化碳与固有咸水之间存在两相流动过程：为了有效地把二氧化碳封存于咸水含水层,必须充分了解二氧化碳封存场地当前存在的不确定性因素。     

回注地下——解决气候变化问题

从地球内部开采石油、煤和天然气来供给我们能量。在这类化石燃料燃烧和释放能量时产生了不需要的二氧化碳气体,这会对全球气候产生影响。可以捕集这种二氧化碳,输送到地下并且封存,这样可从根本上减少温室气体的放出量,有助于缓解气候变化,成为向持久供应能量过渡的关键因素。     

莫斯科市城市建设发展的地质条件

地质条件在许多方面决定着特大城市继续发展的前景。近些年,莫斯科市城市建设的飞速发展,得益于在该地区地质历史背景基础上,分析了市区的现代地球力学、存在的古侵蚀切割和发育的危险地质过程。     

斜坡土体位移滑坡（塌方）危险和风险

提出了坡积-滑坡土、残积-坡积和人类经济活动填土强度指数易变性调查结果。给出了根据实验方法制定出的,在工程地质勘察资料不充分条件下对危险斜坡和边坡稳定性评价的建议。提出了土体位移风险评价方法,以便论证选择防止滑坡工程设施的工程保护设计方案。     

Deep-sea smokers: windows to a subsurface biosphere?

Since the discovery of hyperthermophilic microbial activity in hydrothermal fluids recovered from "smoker" vents on the East Pacific Rise, the widely accepted upper temperature limit for life (based on pure culture data) has risen from below the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure to approximately 115 degrees C. Many microbiologists seem willing to speculate that the maximum may be closer to 150 degrees C. We have postulated not only higher temperatures than these (under deep-sea hydrostatic pressures), but also the existence of a biosphere subsurface to accessible seafloor vents. New geochemical information from the Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge indicative of subsurface organic material caused us to re-examine both the literature on hyperthermophilic microorganisms cultured from deep-sea smoker environments and recent results of microbial sampling efforts at actively discharging smokers on the Endeavour Segment. Here we offer the case for a subsurface biosphere based on an interdisciplinary view of microbial and geochemical analyses of Endeavour smoker fluids, a case in keeping with rapidly evolving geophysical understanding of organic stability under deep-sea hydrothermal conditions.