Spatial distribution and environmental risk assessment of heavy metals identified in soil of a decommissioned uranium mining area

Abstract

The spatial distribution of six heavy metals (Cd, As, Zn, Pb, Cr, and Cu) in the soil of a decommissioned uranium mining area was investigated and their potential environmental risk was assessed. Soil samples were collected along the main riversides enclosing the mining area. The heavy metal distribution was determined by geospatial interpolation. Pearson correlation coefficient and principal component analysis were used to locate the sources of pollution which are the mine ore as natural source, and dressing plants and tailing area from human activity. The results indicate that the average concentrations of As and Cd strongly exceed the recommended EQSS (Environmental Quality Standard for Soils of China) limits at all sampling sites, whereas Zn concentrations were found to be slightly over the limit only at sampling sites close to the mining area. The concentrations of Cr, Cu and Pb were all within the recommended limits. Environmental risk was assessed using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure defining the degree to which extend the metal is released into the solution. High leaching rates were found only for Zn and Cd, suggesting that together with its high concentrations Cd is the most toxic metal around the mining area, followed by As.     

An anti-inflammatory isoflavone from soybean inoculated with a marine fungus Aspergillus terreus C23-3

ABSTRACT

A new isoflavone derivative compound 1 (psoralenone) was isolated from soybean inoculated with a marine fungus Aspergillus terreus C23-3, together with seven known compounds including isoflavones 2–6, butyrolactone I (7) and blumenol A (8). Their structures were elucidated by MS, NMR, and ECD. Psoralenone displayed moderate in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell model. Compound 2 (genistein) showed moderate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity whereas compounds 2, 5 (biochanin A), 6 (psoralenol), and 7 exhibited potent larvicidal activity against brine shrimp. Compounds 3 (daidzein), 4 (4?-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyisoflavone), and 5–7 showed broad-spectrum anti-microbial activity, and compound 7 also showed moderate 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity.     

烟草水提物对果蝇寿命及有关基因转录的影响

探究烟草的水浸泡液对果蝇寿命与衰老情况的影响以及其中的分子机制。取羽化12 h内的新生W^1118系雄果蝇,分别培养于添加不同浓度烟草浸出液的培养基中处理,每日统计果蝇死亡情况;每7日提取对照组与最高浓度处理组果蝇全RNA,通过Real-time PCR检测过氧化氢酶(CAT)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、去泛素化酶(Rpn11)和去乙酰化酶(Sirt6)等与寿命有关基因的表达水平变化。结果显示,烟草影响使雄果蝇寿命显著缩短,且影响随烟草提取液浓度增加影响逐渐增大;烟草影响下果蝇的抗氧化基因出现显著上调,泛素化调节基因与去乙酰化基因等表达水平的变化均出现显著改变。表明烟草对果蝇的寿命情况有不利影响,可能通过引起氧化胁迫导致果蝇早衰。     

树木非结构性碳水化合物含量多时空尺度变化特征及其影响因素研究进展

非结构性碳水化合物(NSC)是树木生长和代谢的重要物质,对树木适应环境变化等具有重要作用。从时间尺度来看,受树木自身生长和碳储存策略影响,其NSC含量在年际尺度上变化不大。各个气候区树木NSC含量主控因素不同,其在季节尺度上差异明显。从空间尺度来看,在全球或大陆尺度上,受水热梯度影响,树木NSC含量随纬度降低总体下降,但变化不显著。而在地区尺度上,因水热梯度减小,采样频率低,树木NSC含量随纬度降低呈相反趋势。受树种特性及区域微生境影响,树木NSC含量随海拔升高的变化更加复杂。树木NSC含量在不同时空尺度的波动受多个生物和非生物因素影响。光合产物合成、呼吸作用消耗以及生长之间的权衡,决定了树木NSC含量的变化动态。不同研究方法各异,使得树木NSC含量在多时空尺度结论存在很大的不确定性。未来需要统一样品采集与分析标准,提高研究结果的可比性,并从整株入手,对不同树种及各个龄级的树木NSC含量在多时空尺度上进行测定,探讨NSC储存、转化与分配在树木生长和存活过程中的重要作用及其意义。     

草甸草原土壤碳/氮矿化潜力及土壤微生物水分敏感性对极端干旱的响应

土壤碳、氮矿化是生态系统养分循环的关键过程,受到水分供给的强烈影响。本研究对极端干旱处理(连续3年生长季减少66%降水)的内蒙古草甸草原野外取土,采用超低温冻干后再调节土壤水分至3%、8%、13%、18%、25%和35% 6个水平进行室内培养,研究极端干旱处理后土壤碳/氮矿化潜力以及土壤微生物对水分变化的敏感性。结果表明: 与对照(自然降雨)相比,极端干旱处理后,6个培养水平的平均土壤氮矿化潜力显著提高14.2%,但未显著影响土壤碳矿化潜力。极端干旱显著提高土壤微生物生物量氮和土壤可溶性有机碳26.8%和26.9%。无论是对照还是极端干旱处理,土壤氮矿化潜力、碳矿化潜力和微生物生物量碳和氮均随着土壤含水量增加而增加,而可溶性有机碳从较低水分的培养水平(3%和8%)到较高水分的培养水平(>13%)显著降低,表明底物的扩散起到重要作用。极端干旱处理显著提高了碳矿化初始脉冲强度,表明极端干旱提高了土壤微生物对水分的敏感性。极端干旱显著降低了土壤碳矿化潜力/氮矿化潜力的比值,表明长期干旱可能会降低土壤碳、氮循环过程的耦合作用。极端干旱对土壤碳矿化和氮矿化过程的影响存在差异,激发了土壤微生物对水分的敏感性,弱化了碳、氮循环过程的耦合关系,并进一步影响中国北方草甸草原生态系统的生物地球化学循环过程及草地生产力。     

Examining differences in phylogenetic composition enhances understanding of the phylogenetic structure of the shrub community in the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

Periodic climatic oscillations and species dispersal during the postglacial period are two important causes of plant assemblage and distribution on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP). To improve our understanding of the bio‐geological histories of shrub communities on the QTP, we tested two hypotheses. First, the intensity of climatic oscillations played a filtering role during community structuring. Second, species dispersal during the postglacial period contributed to the recovery of species and phylogenetic diversity and the emergence of phylogenetic overdispersion. To test these hypotheses, we investigated and compared the shrub communities in the alpine and desert habitats of the northeastern QTP. Notably, we observed higher levels of species and phylogenetic diversity in the alpine habitat than in the desert habitat, leading to phylogenetic overdispersion in the alpine shrub communities versus phylogenetic clustering in the desert shrub communities. This phylogenetic overdispersion increased with greater climate anomalies. These results suggest that (a) although climate anomalies strongly affect shrub communities, these phenomena do not act as a filter for shrub community structuring, and (b) species dispersal increases phylogenetic diversity and overdispersion in a community. Moreover, our investigation of the phylogenetic community composition revealed a larger number of plant clades in the alpine shrub communities than in the desert shrub communities, which provided insights into plant clade‐level differences in the phylogenetic structures of alpine and desert shrub communities in the northeastern QTP.     

Interplay between formation of photosynthetic complexes and expression of genes for iron–sulfur cluster assembly in Rhodobacter sphaeroides?

Photosynthesis Research - Formation of photosynthetic complexes leads to a higher demand for Fe–S clusters. We hypothesized that in the facultative phototrophic alpha-proteobacterium...     

Homeotic transformation from stamen to petal in Lilium is associated with MADS-box genes and hormone signal transduction

Plant Growth Regulation - As one of the most popular bulbous plant with high ornamental value, Lilium spp. has been used as cut flower or green plants in urban landscapes and home gardening. We...