Analysis and assessment of heavy metals pollution in soils around a Pb and Zn smelter in Baoji City,Northwest China

Soil heavy metal pollution from mining activities is potentially harmful to human health through the food chain. In this study, a total of 43 soil samples were collected from a depth of 0–20 cm from fields close to a Pb and Zn smelter. The samples were used to: 1) analyze the pollution level of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cu) and spatial distribution pattern; 2) evaluate the degree of accumulation and enrichment, potential ecological risk, and human health risk; and 3) perform source apportionment in Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province of China. The results showed that the concentration ranged from 43.67 to 189.55, 131.43 to 239.53, 74.77 to 112.25, and 24.69 to 37.71 mg·kg^?1 for Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cu, respectively, and the mean concentration for Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cu was 129.46, 192.85, 91.98 and 31.67 mg·kg^?1, respectively. The concentrations were greater than the Shaanxi Province background values, while they were lower than the second-level limits of Environmental Quality Standard for Soils of China (EQSS). The spatial distribution of heavy metal contents showed a banded in soil except Cu. The spatial distribution pattern and pollution assessment indexes (I_geo, EF) indicated that the investigated metals had been accumulated in the study areas, and implied significant influences from anthropogenic activities, local meteorological situation, and soil properties. The ecological risk assessment showed that the risks were relatively low (RI<150). Compared with the exposure risk for adults, that for children was significantly greater. The ingestion of heavy metals in the soils by humans was the main exposure pathway compared with the dermal exposure. There may be a risk of noncarcinogenic adverse health effects (HQ < 1, 0.377 ≤ HI≤1.553) on children, but the adults were unlikely to experience obvious adverse health effects (HQ < 1, HI < 1). The carcinogenic risk of Cr for adults and children was at an unacceptable level. The carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks were in the order of children > adults. The correlation analysis showed that Pb, Cr, and Cu have identical anthropogenic and natural sources, while Zn has another identical source. This study could provide a basis for the sustainable management of this region by reducing metal inputs and to protect soils from long-term heavy metal accumulation.     

The evolution of intrinsic reproductive isolation in the genus Cakile (Brassicaceae)

In theory, adaptive divergence can increase intrinsic post‐zygotic reproductive isolation (RI), either directly via selection on loci associated with RI, or indirectly via linkage of incompatibility loci with loci under selection. To test this hypothesis, we measured RI at five intrinsic post‐zygotic reproductive barriers between 18 taxa from the genera Cakile and Erucaria (Brassicaceae). Using a comparative framework, we tested whether the magnitude of RI was associated with genetic distance, geographic distance, ecological divergence and parental mating system. Early stages of post‐zygotic RI related to F₁ viability (i.e. initial seed set) tended to be stronger than later stages related to F₁ fecundity (i.e. flower number, fruit number). Mating system significantly influenced early stages of RI, such that RI was lowest when the mother was selfing and father was outcrossing, consistent with an imbalance between sink strength and resistance to provisioning. We found little evidence that adaptive divergence accelerates the evolution of intrinsic post‐zygotic RI, consistent with a nonecological model of evolution that predicts the nonlinear accumulation of RI and RI asymmetry with time (i.e. genetic distance), irrespective of adaptive divergence. Thus, although certain aspects of ecological divergence do not appear to have contributed strongly to the evolution of RI in this system, divergence in mating system actually reduced RI, suggesting that mating system evolution may play a significant role in speciation dynamics.     

气候变化下中国八种梧桐属树种潜在适生区模拟

中国梧桐属（Firmiana）在世界梧桐属中占比较大，且除梧桐外其余种均为中国特有且分布范围狭窄的植物种，灭绝风险大，研究气候变化对中国梧桐属树种的影响对于维护生物多样性具有重要的意义。结合多时期第六次国际气候耦合模式比较计划（CMIP6）气候变量数据和中国八种梧桐属树种的分布数据，基于R语言kuenm程序包优化的最大熵（Maxent）模型模拟分析中国八种梧桐属树种在多尺度下的潜在适生区，得出梧桐属最适宜的模拟尺度、潜在适生区的面积变化和迁移方向、梧桐属多样性保护关键区域及保护空缺。结果表明：（1）梧桐属最适宜的模拟尺度为亚洲；（2） Maxent模型的接收者操作特征曲线下面积（AUC）值均大于0.9，表明模型对梧桐属潜在适生区预测结果具有较高准确度；（3）气候变化影响下除云南梧桐（Firmiana major）外其它树种的潜在适生区都将在未来有所扩大；（4）中国八种梧桐属树种潜在适生区迁移方向主要为东西向，南北向大跨度迁移较少，纬度变化不大；（5）丹霞梧桐（Firmiana danxiaensis）的稳定潜在适生区最小；（6）中国梧桐属多样性保护关键区域主要分布于广西壮族自治区及云南、广东、海南等省区；（7）中国梧桐属多样性保护空缺区域主要分布于广西壮族自治区中部及海南省北部；（8）梧桐属多样性保护关键区域正在为人造地表所侵蚀。研究分析气候变化对中国八种梧桐属树种的影响及其潜在适生区变化、中国梧桐属多样性保护状态，可为中国梧桐属建立多样性保护廊道提供相关建议，为制定多样性保护规划及相应措施提供参考。     

基于指标自动筛选的新疆开孔河流域生态健康评价

生态健康评价对了解区域生态健康状况和促进区域可持续发展具有重要意义,如何自动筛选出能反映生态系统特性的重要指标,是生态健康定量评估的关键问题。基于压力-状态-响应(PSR,Press-State-Response)框架和生态等级网络框架(EHN,Ecological Hierarchy Network),通过文献调研和因果分析建立要素层与指标层之间的交叉联系,构建了生态健康评价"网状"指标体系;在保证指标体系完备性基础上,通过结合主成分分析和熵权法的候选指标权重的客观计算,基于目标优化理论构建了评价指标的自动筛选模型,并基于中选指标计算了新疆开孔河流域2001—2017年生态健康指数(EHCI,Ecological Health Comprehensive Indexes),分析其空间分异和时间变化特征。结果表明:利用所建立的评价指标自动筛选模型,开孔河流域生态健康评价指标由31个候选指标自动筛选出了17个中选指标,用54.8%的指标表达了85.98%的信息,中选的17个指标在干旱/半干旱区域有关文献中应用较多,使用频次比例都在20%以上,其中归一化植被指数(NDVI,Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)、年降水量和植被覆盖度(FVC,Fractional Vegetation Coverage)3个指标的使用频次百分比均超过了50%,说明指标自动筛选模型的合理性;开孔河流域空间分布差异显著,总体上西北高、东南低,东南部和中部绿洲区外围生态健康状况较差,西北部河谷地带和中部两大绿洲区生态健康状况较好;17年来,流域生态质量整体趋于改善,显著改善区域占10.26%,远高于显著退化的1.61%,显著改善区域以孔雀河绿洲最为明显。开孔河流域生态健康的总体好转趋势说明区域生态综合治理取得一定成效。