C/N驱动优势细菌菌群变化影响堆肥碳氮损失和腐殖质合成

为了探明C/N如何驱动堆肥过程中优势细菌菌群的变化而影响碳氮损失和腐殖质合成,设置3个C/N处理(20∶1、25∶1和30∶1),以羊粪和玉米秸秆为原料进行堆肥试验。结果表明: 与20∶1处理相比,30∶1和25∶1处理堆肥的碳、氮损失分别降低了33.5%、18.9%和23.6%、10.8%。优势细菌菌群、碳氮损失及有机碳组分的冗余分析表明,高C/N提高了堆肥中固氮细菌的种类和丰度,降低了反硝化细菌的种类和丰度,减少了堆肥过程中的碳氮损失;高C/N促进了木质纤维素类降解菌的生长繁殖,促进了富里酸和胡敏素降解而合成更多胡敏酸,提高了堆肥腐殖化程度。可见,C/N可通过影响堆肥中关键优势细菌菌群而影响堆肥过程和堆肥质量,调节堆肥原料C/N可以调控堆肥中碳氮损失和腐殖质的合成,从而提高堆肥质量并减少堆肥的二次环境污染。     

Dogs Detect Larger Wind Energy Effects on Bats and Birds

As wind turbine-caused mortality of birds and bats increases with increasing wind energy capacity, accurate fatality estimates are needed to assess effects, identify collision factors, and formulate mitigation. Finding a larger proportion of collision victims reduces the magnitude of adjustment for the proportion not found, thus reducing opportunities for bias. We tested detection dogs in trials of bat and small-bird carcasses placed randomly in routine fatality monitoring at the Buena Vista and Golden Hills Wind Energy projects, California, USA, 2017. Of trial carcasses placed and confirmed available before next-day fatality searches, dogs detected 96% of bats and 90% of small birds, whereas humans at a neighboring wind project detected 6% of bats and 30% of small birds. At Golden Hills dogs found 71 bat fatalities in 55 searches compared to 1 bat found by humans in 69 searches within the same search plots over the same season. Dog detection rates of trial carcasses remained unchanged with distance from turbine, and dogs found more fatalities than did humans at greater distances from turbines. Patterns of fatalities found by dogs within search plots indicated 20% of birds and 4–14% of bats remained undetected outside search plots at Buena Vista and Golden Hills. Dogs also increased estimates of carcass persistence by finding detection trial carcasses that the trial administrator had erroneously concluded were removed. Compared to human searches, dog searches resulted in fatality estimates up to 6.4 and 2.7 times higher for bats and small birds, respectively, along with higher relative precision and >90% lower cost per fatality detection. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.     

Post-construction avian mortality monitoring at Project West Wind

Abstract

Post-construction avifauna investigations were undertaken at Project West Wind, Meridian Energy Limited's 62-turbine wind farm on the Wellington south coast. These investigations were required in accordance with the resource consent conditions to quantify the level of avian mortalities occurring at the wind farm, particularly in regard to New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae), kākā (Nestor meridionalis) and kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae). This is the first comprehensive study at a New Zealand operating wind farm. The methods included three field components necessary to calculate annual estimates of mortalities across the wind farm site: routine turbine searches; carcass detection trials; and carcass removal trials. Results from years 1 and 2 of a three-year programme are presented. To date, mortalities have been recorded for 17 taxa at 18 of the 24 study turbines. There have been no recorded mortalities of falcon, kākā or kererū. Australasian harrier (Circus approximans) has been the species for which the most mortalities have been recorded. Overall estimated annual mortality rates for years 1 and 2 were calculated to be approximately six and five birds per turbine respectively.     

The Mixed Media Bag

This article provides basic information on how a common species of earthworm, Eisenia fetida, can be used in the biology classroom as well as a discussion of how to establish and care for a vermicompost bin. We discuss ideas for inquiry activities with the organism and provide a sample-guided inquiry that demonstrates how a long-term, theme-based unit involving earthworms can address a wide variety of content from the National Science Education standards.     

Ammonia emissions and biodegradation of organic carbon during sewage sludge composting with different extra carbon sources

Ammonia emissions during composting result in the reduced value of agronomic production and can also pollute the air. To evaluate the influence of various carbon sources on ammonia emissions, six composting experiments were carried out with different amendments of carbon sources (glucose, sucrose and straw powder). The cumulative ammonia volatilizations were reduced from 3.11 g/kg (R6) to 2.46 g/kg (R1), 2.17 g/kg (R2), 2.23 g/kg (R4) and 1.93 g/kg (R5). Compared to the control, no significant difference of ammonia emissions and carbon degradation was observed for the mixture of R3 (3.15 g/kg), which was amended with straw powder alone. The co-addition of sucrose and straw powder led to the lowest ammonia emissions. According to these results, a higher C/N ratio did not necessarily indicate an effective solution for reducing ammonia emissions, and not all readily available carbon compounds were helpful in reducing ammonia emissions. The addition of sucrose promoted the decomposition of organic carbon during the intensive stage of ammonia emissions, and the combination of straw and sucrose prolonged this promotion. Thus, the co-addition of sucrose and straw powder made it possible to reduce ammonia emissions drastically by nitrogen immobilization.     

Effect of carbide sludge (lime) on bioavailability and leachability of heavy metals during rotary drum composting of water hyacinth

Abstract

The bioavailability and leachability of heavy metals play a major role in the toxicity of heavy metals in the compost applied for soil conditioning. A rotary drum composter was used for the study of heavy metal bioavailability and leachability during water hyacinth composting with a mixture of cattle manure, sawdust and lime. Lime was added in 1, 2 and 3% to the mixture of water hyacinth, cattle manure and sawdust at a ratio of 6:3:1 respectively. Influences of physico-chemical parameters on heavy metal bioavailability and leachability were studied during the process. The bioavailability of heavy metals solubility and diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid extractability was examined. The toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) test was performed for assessing the hazardous properties of compost. The nutrients and the total concentration of heavy metals were increased during the composting process. The lime was very effective in reducing water solubility, plant availability and leachability of the selected heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr) during the process. The addition of lime provided a buffer against the decrease in pH and a sufficient amount of Ca that would improve the metabolic activity during composting. The addition of an excess amount of lime slowed the metabolic activity of the microbes due to its high alkalinity. The TCLP test confirms that the heavy metals concentrations in the control and in the lime-amended compost were below the threshold limits.     

Assessing the cryptic invasion of a domestic conspecific: American mink in their native range

Control of invasions is facilitated by their early detection, but this may be difficult when invasions are cryptic due to similarity between invaders and native species. Domesticated conspecifics offer an interesting example of cryptic invasions because they have the ability to hybridize with their native counterparts, and can thus facilitate the introgression of maladaptive genes. We assessed the cryptic invasion of escaped domestic American mink (Neovison vison) within their native range. Feral mink are a known alien invader in many parts of the world, but invasion of their native range is not well understood. We genetically profiled 233 captive domestic mink from different farms in Ontario, Canada and 299 free‐ranging mink from Ontario, and used assignments tests to ascertain genetic ancestries of free‐ranging animals. We found that 18% of free‐ranging mink were either escaped domestic animals or hybrids, and a tree regression showed that these domestic genotypes were most likely to occur south of a latitude of 43.13°N, within the distribution of mink farms in Ontario. Thus, domestic mink appear not to have established populations in Ontario in locations without fur farms. We suspect that maladaptation of domestic mink and outbreeding depression of hybrid and introgressed mink have limited their spread. Mink farm density and proximity to mink farms were not important predictors of domestic genotypes but rather, certain mink farms appeared to be important sources of escaped domestic animals. Our results show that not all mink farms are equal with respect to biosecurity, and thus that the spread of domestic genotypes can be mitigated by improved biosecurity.     

Farm and management characteristics associated with boar taint

Pig farms in the Netherlands producing boars have different levels of boar taint prevalence, as assessed by sensory evaluation with the human nose at the slaughter line. With a questionnaire to 152 Dutch pig producers (response rate 59%), farm and management characteristics were identified that are potentially associated with farm-level boar taint prevalence. Lower farm-level boar taint prevalence was associated with a smaller group size, a smaller pen surface per boar, newer housing equipment, not practicing restricted feeding in the last period before delivery, a longer fasting period before slaughter, a higher stocking weight and a lower fraction of boars from purebred dam line sows or from Pietrain terminal boars. These characteristics can be used to develop farm-level intervention strategies to control boar taint. More research effort is needed to establish causal relationships.     

Badgers prefer cattle pasture but avoid cattle: implications for bovine tuberculosis control

Effective management of infectious disease relies upon understanding mechanisms of pathogen transmission. In particular, while models of disease dynamics usually assume transmission through direct contact, transmission through environmental contamination can cause different dynamics. We used Global Positioning System (GPS) collars and proximity‐sensing contact‐collars to explore opportunities for transmission of Mycobacterium bovis [causal agent of bovine tuberculosis] between cattle and badgers (Meles meles). Cattle pasture was badgers’ most preferred habitat. Nevertheless, although collared cattle spent 2914 collar‐nights in the home ranges of contact‐collared badgers, and 5380 collar‐nights in the home ranges of GPS‐collared badgers, we detected no direct contacts between the two species. Simultaneous GPS‐tracking revealed that badgers preferred land > 50 m from cattle. Very infrequent direct contact indicates that badger‐to‐cattle and cattle‐to‐badger M. bovis transmission may typically occur through contamination of the two species’ shared environment. This information should help to inform tuberculosis control by guiding both modelling and farm management.     

西雅图社区花园的用地获取、功能分区和元素组成

社区花园在欧美具有悠久历史,在健康城市建设和促进社区发展方面的功效已经得到证实。目前,已针对社区花园的功能、类型、经营和科普等开展研究,但对土地获取和设计相关的研究较少。西雅图的社区花园历史悠久,并获得政府支持,是美国发展社区花园的城市典范。通过对西雅图23个典型案例进行调研,对用地获取方式、功能类型、分区和元素组成进行分类总结,为设计建造具有中国特色的社区花园提供启示。