Dietary Exposure of the Red-Crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) to Total and Methyl Mercury in Zhalong Wetland,Northeastern China

To determine the dietary exposure of the migratory red-crowned crane to mercury (Hg), this study analyzed the concentrations of total mercury (T-Hg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) in its prey, i.e., reeds and three aquatic animal families (Perccottus glenni Dybowski, Cybister japonicus Sharp, and Viviparidae) in northeastern China. Results indicated that the Hg concentration in Zhalong Wetland was elevated through the food chain, and the prey of the red-crowned crane contained measurable levels of T-Hg and MeHg. In prey tissues, MeHg was the main form of the Hg element and accounted for 61 % of total Hg concentration in Viviparidae, 58 % in C. japonicus Sharp, and 85 % in P. glenni Dybowski. The highest T-Hg and MeHg concentrations ranged from 1.66 to 3.89 ppm and from 1.12 to 2.67 ppm, respectively, and they were detected in the feathers of the red-crowned cranes. The lowest T-Hg concentration was determined in the excretions of wild red-crowned cranes at 0.21 ppm; furthermore, the content of MeHg was below the detection limit. In Zhalong Wetland, the level of dietary exposure of the population of red-crowned cranes to Hg is below the threshold of Hg toxicity. Moreover, eggshells are suitable indicators of Hg risk levels to the red-crowned crane.     

Behavioral development in the red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis)

A male and a female red-crowned crane were observed on a weekly basis from hatching until 7 months of age. The levels for 12 classes of activity were averaged and displayed. Weekly weights and weight gains were also displayed. Developmental profiles are discussed. These include (1) cyclic profiles, (2) single developmental peaks, and (3) behaviors with a high initial level reducing to a later low level. The chicks seemed to display alternating passive and active periods. The cyclic nature of development is discussed in relation to similar cycles in other species of birds and mammals.     

Duet structure provides information about pair identity in the red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis)

We studied the acoustic features of the endangered red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), and, specifically, whether or not the duets carry information about a mating pair identity. The population of this species in the wild is only approximately 2,000 individuals. In 2003–2006, we recorded 343 duets from eight captive and two wild pairs. All of the duets contained an introduction, an unordered alternation of pair mate calls, followed by the main part, representing the regular sequence of syllables, containing 1–2 male and 1–4 female calls per syllable. We subdivided the syllables into five types, by the number of male and female calls per syllable, and analyzed the occurrence of the different syllable types in the duets of the ten pairs. The analysis showed the sustainable pair-specific use of particular syllable types through the years. The discriminant analysis standard procedure, based on seven frequency and temporal parameters of male and female calls, showed 97.7% correct assignment to the pair, which is significantly higher than random values. The high pair specificity of the duet acoustic structures provides the basis for call-based censuses. This would enable the monitoring of the red-crowned crane mating pairs in their natural habitat.     

扎龙湿地不同生境的昆虫多样性

为了探讨湿地不同生境对昆虫物种多样性的影响,对扎龙湿地8种生境的昆虫进行了系统调查.共捕获昆虫5822只,分属11目58科143种,其中直翅目、双翅目、蜻蜒目为扎龙湿地的优势类群.不同生境中,草原草甸昆虫多样性最高,湖边生境多样性指数和均匀度指数均较高,杂草甸均最低.聚类分析和主分量分析结果表明,不同生境的昆虫群落相似性与水资源状况和植被类型有关,捕食性类群种类数和个体数量对昆虫群落稳定性具有重要的调控作用.湖边生境昆虫群落稳定性最强,湿草甸稳定性最弱.湿地水资源状况能影响昆虫生存生境,进而影响昆虫群落的组成和分布格局.     

制定我国土壤环境标准（汞,镉,铅和砷）的探讨

本文依据国内外土壤环境质量标准的研究现状,在提出土壤环境标准制定依据和原则的基础上,对Hg、Cd、Pb和As的土壤环境质量标准进行了研究。研究表明,我国土壤环境质量功能分区可包括:(1)自然保护区或“清洁”无污染区;(2)农牧区;(3)森林区;(4)城市区、废物处置区和工矿区。其相应的土壤环境质量标准,汞为0.10、0.20、0.50和1.00mg/kg;镉为0.15、0.30、0.50和1.00mg/kg;铅为30、60、100和300mg/kg;砷为15、20、27和30(砂土区除外)mg/kg,并论证这些标准值在全国应用的可能性。为全国土壤质量的宏观管理与控制污染提供了科学依据。     

云南省拉市海越冬灰鹤的生境利用研究

2006年2～3月,在云南省丽江拉市海自然保护区对越冬灰鹤 Grus grus生境的利用情况进行了调查.初步了解了越冬灰鹤的生境选择,同时应用模糊综合评价法对鸟类生境进行评价.结果 发现灰鹤对该区域各类型生境均有利用,但对不同特征的生境具有不同的选择性.通过对越冬灰鹤的生境进行因子分析,结果表明:影响越冬灰鹤生境选择的因子依次是食物(贡献率为39.211%),隐蔽性(20.426%),干扰(18.358%),水源(16.967%).因此与之相应的小麦地和豌豆地非常适合灰鹤的越冬需求,评价结果也显示这两类生境状况为"优",而相对差的为杂草地和草滩两类生境.     

江苏盐城海滨区域丹顶鹤适宜越冬生境变化

以3期盐城海滨湿地景观分布图为基础,在GIS技术支持下,以食物丰富度、水源、隐蔽条件、人类活动、最小斑块面积和日常活动距离为生境适宜性评价因子,采用生境评价模型,分析了丹顶鹤(Grus japonensis)适宜越冬生境的变化.结果表明:1987-2007年,丹顶鹤生境类型发生显著变化,盐城海滨区域自然湿地面积减少27.6%,丹顶鹤条件适宜生境总面积迅速减少;丹顶鹤条件适宜生境面积和比例发生显著变化,面积由2354.36km2减为1100.13 km2,比例由1987年的51.6%减为2007年的24.1%;随着自然湿地景观破碎化和人类干扰逐渐加剧,盐城海滨区域丹顶鹤适宜生境的比例由1987年的28.2%减为2007年的13.5%,面积由1286.05 km2减为614.95 km2.     

The variation in reliability of individual vocal signature throughout ontogenesis in the red-crowned crane Grus japonensis

Distinctiveness of chicks’ calls may arise in ontogenesis when parents can confuse their own and alien chicks, leaving their nests and forming crèches or flocks. It is unknown, however, whether the individual vocal signature retains further in ontogenesis or relaxes when the necessity in the parental care disappears. In this paper, we study the inter- and intra-individual variations of the acoustic parameters in chicks’ calls in the red-crowned crane Grus japonensis, the species with prolonged development enveloping three stages: territorial under parental care, in flocks under parental care and in flocks self-independently. We found, that discriminability of chicks’ calls increased significantly to the second stage, characterized by the maximum risk for parents to confuse the own and alien chicks, and significantly decreased to the third stage, when the needs in the parent–chick vocal recognition disappeared. Our data agree with a hypothesis that the individual distinctiveness decreases in the absence of necessity in accuracy of parent–chick recognition.     

Risk Element (As,Cd, Cu,Pb, and Zn) Contamination of Soils and Edible Vegetables in the Vicinity of Guixi Smelter,South China

Risk element (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) contamination in soils and in two edible vegetables (Solanum melongena L. and Capsicum annum L.) was investigated in the vicinity of Guixi Smelter, South China. Soil As concentrations averaged 23.9 mg/kg. Sites near the smelter tailings recorded the highest levels of As and heavy metals in soils. The concentration order of heavy metals in soils was Cd < Pb < Zn < Cu. Cu and Cd in soils were abundant in the exchangeable and bound to carbonate fraction, while Pb and Zn were in the residual fraction, limiting their potential toxicity as pollutants. The proportions of the metals in the mobile fraction followed the order Pb < Zn < Cu < Cd. In Solanum melongena L. and Capsicum annum L., Zn concentration was the highest, followed by Cu, Cd, and Pb, different from that in soils and in the mobile fraction. Concentrations of heavy metals in the labile fractions in soils and in vegetables presented significant correlation (p < 0.05). Both of the two vegetables are not the Cu and Zn accumulators. As for Cd and As, Capsicum annum L. poses a higher risk to animal and human health than Solanum melongena L., with soil-plant transfer coefficients more than three. Root-stem is the main barrier for most of the heavy metals and As in the two vegetables, resulting in higher metal concentrations in roots relative to other plant tissues. The low stem-fruit transfer coefficients for Zn in Solanum melongena L. and for Pb in Capsicum annum L. suggested that very few of them could reach the fruits.     

Vertical Distribution of Lead and Mercury in the Wetland Argialbolls of the Sanjiang Plain in Northeastern China

The wetland Argialbolls pedon was chosen to investigate the effects of pedogenic processes and anthropogenic activities on the vertical distribution of lead and mercury concentration and to assess the potential use of soil as an archive of atmospheric Pb and Hg pollution. The soil was sampled from 5 cm from the surface to a depth of 90 cm at two locations in the Sanjiang Plain in northeastern China. The soil was analyzed for pH, soil organic matter (SOM), Fe, Mn, and Al. The results indicate that the SOM concentration gradually decreased with depth, while Fe and Mn were reductively leached from the upper horizons and accumulated significantly in the lower argillic horizons. Atmospheric Pb and Hg deposition and their redistribution during the pedogenic process led to a unique vertical distribution in the wetland Argialbolls. Overall, Pb was leached from the upper horizons and then accumulated in the lower argillic horizons. However, the Hg concentration decreased with depth, following the SOM distribution. The Pb concentration was significantly correlated to the Fe and Mn concentrations in the Argialbolls profiles, while the Hg concentration was significantly correlated with SOM. Post-depositional mobility along the wetland Argialbolls profile is higher for Pb and low for Hg. Therefore, the Argialbolls profile does not provide an accurate reconstruction of atmospheric Pb deposition, but might provide an accurate reconstruction of net atmospheric Hg deposition.     

Distribution of Metals (Cu,Zn, Pb,and Cd) in Sediments of the Anzali Lagoon,North Iran

Concentrations of four metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd) in the sediments of the Anzali Lagoon in the northern part of Iran were determined to evaluate the level of contamination and spatial distribution. The sediments were collected from 21 locations in the lagoon. At each lagoon site a core, 60 cm long, was taken. The ranges of the measured concentrations in the sediments are as follows: 17–140 mg kg^?1 for Cu, 20–113 mg kg^?1 for Zn, 1–37 mg kg^?1 for Pb and 0.1–3.5 mg kg^?1 for Cd in surficial (0-20 cm) and 16–87 mg kg^?1 for Cu, 28.5–118 mg kg^?1 for Zn, 3–20 mg kg^?1 for Pb and 0.1–3.5 mg kg^?1 for Cd in deep (40–60 cm) sediments. The results of the geoaccumulation index (I_geo) show that Cd causes moderate to heavy pollution in most of the study area. Environmental risk evaluation showed that the pollution in the Anzali Lagoon is moderate to considerable and the ranking of the contaminants followed the order: Cd > Cu > Pb > Zn. Some locations present severe pollution by metals depending on the sources, of which sewage outlets and phosphate fertilizers are the main sources of contaminants to the area.     

Estimation of Dietary Pb and Cd Intake from Pb and Cd in Blood or Urine

Successful trials were made to estimate the dietary daily intake of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) via foods from the levels of the metals in blood or urine. In practice, 14 and 15 reports were available for Pb and Cd in blood (Pb-B and Cd-B), urine (Pb-U and Cd-U) and 24-h diet duplicates (Pb-D and Cd-D), respectively, from which 68 pairs each of Pb or Cd in blood and food duplicates [each being geometric mean (GM) values for the survey sites] were obtained. Regression analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation between Pb-B and Pb-D, and also between Cd-B and Cd-D, suggesting that it should be possible to estimate both Pb-D and Cd-D from Pb-B and Cd-B, respectively. For Cd-U, the number of available cases was limited (20 pairs), but a significant correlation was detected between Cd-U (as Cd-U_cr, or Cd levels in urine as corrected for creatinine concentration) and Cd-D. Care should be taken in estimating Pb-D from Pb-B, as the ratio of Pb-D over Pb-B may decrease as a function of increasing Pb-B levels. The Pb-D (μg/day) for typical Japanese women with Pb-B of 15 μg/l was best estimated to be 13.5 μg/day. No Cd-B- or Cd-U_cr-dependent change was detected in case of Cd. The best estimate of Cd-D for Cd-B at 1.5 μg/l should be about 19.4 μg/day.     

Interactive effects of temperature and heavy metals (Cd, Pb) on the elongation growth in maize coleoptiles

The effect of Cd and Pb on endogenous and IAA-induced elongation growth and medium pH of maize coleoptile segments incubated at 20, 25 and 30 °C was studied. It was found that the elongation of coleoptile segments and proton extrusion increased with the temperature and reached its maximum at 30 °C. For Cd, the maximal inhibition of endogenous and IAA-induced growth as well as medium acidification of coleoptile segments was observed at 25 °C. Meanwhile, Pb, irrespective of the temperature, diminished the growth of the segments by ca. 20%, increasing the acidification of the incubation medium. It was also found that in contrast to Cd, Pb accumulation in maize coleoptile segments did not correlate with temperature. The results suggest that the toxic effect of Cd on elongation growth of coleoptile segments is connected with the decrease of the PM H(+)-ATPase activity and probably with Cd-induced high acivity of IAA oxidase, whereas the effect of Pb did not depend on activity of any of the enzymes.     

An inference of the wading depths of the cranes in wintering wetlands through photographic sampling: a case study of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) in Caohai Wetland,China

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Several overwintering crane species like Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) mainly depends on wetlands for foraging or roosting, preferring stable water...     

农作物体内铅,镉,铜的化学形态研究

本文报道了农作物体内重金属存在的化学形态。用逐步提取法分析了生长在污染土壤上的水稻、小麦的根与叶。结果表明,在两种作物中,根部的铅以活性较低的醋酸可提取态与盐酸可提取态占优势,而叶中的铅以盐酸可提取态占优势。不论根部或叶部,在各种形态镉中,以氯化钠可提取镉所占比例较高,作用较重要。作物体内的铜活性较强,根部以乙醇可提取态占优势,叶中以水提取态占优势。各种结合形态的重金属迁移能力、毒性效应有显著差异。作物体内重金属化学形态特征与其表观毒性效应有密切联系。     

Accumulation of Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni and Pb in Pavlova viridis Tseng (Haptophyceae)

The flagellate alga Pavlova viridis Tseng was investigated in the laboratory for accumulation of the heavy metals, silver, cadmium, cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel and lead. The cultures were grown in an artificial seawater medium mixed with the individual metals at different concentrations. Based on data from the controls, the baseline metal concentrations in P. viridis were shown to be in an order of Cu > Pb > Co > Cd > Ni > Ag > Hg. In the experimental groups, the seven metals displayed different isotherm equilibrium patterns and the metal uptake capacity of the alga was Ni > Pb > Co > Hg > Cu > Cd > Ag at equilibrium. When assessed using the bioconcentration factors, metal accumulation by P. viridis was demonstrated to be the most efficient at a concentration of 0.001 mg L-1 for Ag, Cd and Co, and at 0.01 mg L-1 for Cu, Hg, Ni and Pb. This study suggests that P. viridis can be a source of mineral supplements in mariculture. The alga is not, however, recognized as an effective agent for removing heavy metals from wastewater. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pb and Cd accumulation and phyto-excretion by salt cedar (Tamarix smyrnensis Bunge)

The accumulation and excretion of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) by salt cedar (Tamarix smyrnensis Bunge) were investigated in this study. Tamarix smyrnensis plants were exposed to the mixtures of Pb and Cd and high salinity for 10 wk. Subsequently, Pb and Cd uptake was quantified in the shoots and roots of the plants by ICP-AES. In addition, physiological parameters such as biomass production, shoot length, plant appearance, and chlorophyll content were examined. The roots accumulated the highest amount of Pb. Salinity was found to not have an important effect on Pb translocation to the leaves. Cd was translocated into the aerial part in a higher portion than Pb. Cd content in leaves of T. smyrnensis increased with the increasing salinity. The visible toxicity symptoms, if present, were connected only to the high salinity. The excretion of Pb and Cd by salt glands was observed and quantified. T. smyrnensis excreted a significant amount of metals on the leaf surface. This characteristic of salt cedar plants can be viewed as a novel phytoremediation process for the remediation of sites contaminated with heavy metals that we have termed "phyto-excretion."