Ottogodwin6546

5 to the lower concentration ranges. So, the health and economic benefits of reducing PM2.5 in Guangzhou was further estimated using the BenMAP model, based on the annual PM2.5 concentration predicted by the LUR model. The results showed that the avoided all cause mortalities were 992 cases (95% CI 221-2140) and the corresponding economic benefits were 1478 million CNY (95% CI 257-2524) (willingness to pay approach) if the annual PM2.5 concentration can be reduced to the annual CAAQS Grade I guideline value of 15 μg/m3. Our results are expected to provide valuable information for further air pollution control strategies in China.Although soil is known to contribute to the concentrations of elements in moss, protocols for atmospheric biomonitoring with terrestrial moss do not include recommendations on how to address this factor. As a result, researchers indiscriminately use a wide range of detection/correction methods without considering whether the results are equivalent. In this study, three of these methods were compared i) use of the enrichment factor (EF) index; ii) calculation of the ratios of different elements in soil and moss, and subtraction of the contribution of soil concentrations from the raw concentrations of elements in mosses (SCS); and iii) positive matrix factorization (PMF), a receptor modelling method for source apportioning based on multivariate analysis techniques. The aim of the comparison was to determine whether the methods produce equivalent results and, if not, which method is the most appropriate for use in moss biomonitoring surveys. The data used corresponded to 146 samples of Pseudoscleropodium purum collected from a regular sampling grid of 15 × 15 km in Galicia (NW Spain). Comparison of the methods revealed that, although they yield relatively similar results, the corresponding interpretations are not equivalent and none of the methods provides a reliable estimate of the soil contribution to the concentrations of elements in moss samples. Independently of the technique applied, use of Ti as a reference element is not recommended, because, at least in this study, it was present at unusually high levels in moss. Given the absence of a reliable correction method and the fact that most elements are present in fairly high amounts in the soil, we recommend using atmospheric biomonitoring with moss only for Cu, Zn and Cd, i.e. for those elements in moss for which the soil contributes very low amounts and corrections are not therefore necessary.Nitrogen (N) deposition and fertilization, which represent key sources of N input in many terrestrial ecosystems, influence all levels of the ecosystem and involve complex mechanisms. Quantitative and modelling approaches can be used to understand this complexity. In this study, we carried out in situ N addition experiments in a Stipa krylovii steppe in northern China. We evaluated the effects of N addition on plant diversity and productivity under two scenarios (fertilization and simulated increased N deposition) using a structural equation model (SEM). N addition had direct effects on community weighted means (CWM) of plant functional traits and soil properties but had indirect effects on community structure. The changes in community structure and soil properties caused by N addition decreased plant diversity, whereas productivity remained relatively stable and was mainly controlled by changes in community structure. The changes in soil properties and plant diversity caused by N addition had little effect on productivity or soil pH. We conclude that the changes in plant diversity and productivity with increased N input in the S. krylovii steppe were mainly due to differences in growth responses of different species to increased N and the resulting community responses, such as changes in community structure. The results of the present study provide a theoretical basis for grassland management and conservation in the wake of global environmental change.How varying levels of human activity, such as proximity and size of the nearest market (i.e., market gravity), influence the nutritional ecology and physiological condition of highly migratory marine predators is poorly understood. In the present study, we used a non-lethal approach to compare the concentration of metabolic hormones (i.e. corticosteroids and thyroid hormones) and plasma fatty acids between juvenile female tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) sampled in two areas of the subtropical north Atlantic, which differed markedly in their levels of coastal urbanization, Florida and the Bahamas (high versus low, respectively). We hypothesized that juvenile female tiger sharks sampled in water surrounding high coastal urbanization (Florida), would exhibit evidence of lower prey quality and higher energetic demands as compared to individuals sampled in relatively less urbanized areas of Northern Bahamas. Results revealed that relative corticosteroid levels (a proxy for energy mobilization) were higher in juvenile female tiger sharks sampled in Florida; however, no differences were found in concentrations of thyroid hormones (proxies of energetic adjustments) between the two locations. We found higher percentages of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (indicative of high prey quality) in juvenile tiger sharks from Florida, whereas higher percentages of bacterial markers (often indicative of domestic sewage effluent) were detected in the individuals sampled in the Bahamas. Taken together, these findings do not suggest that the differences in nutritional quality and metabolic condition found between the two sampling locations can be fully attributed to foraging in areas exposed to differing levels of urbanization. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/omaveloxolone-rta-408.html We speculate that these patterns may be due to the highly migratory nature and generalist feeding strategy of this species, even at the juvenile life stage, as well as proximity of sampling locations from shore.Urban areas represent a spectrum that goes from being safe habitats for biodiversity (i.e., habitats more or equally preferred, without costs to fitness) to being ecological traps (i.e., habitats more or equally preferred, but with costs to fitness). Given the imminent urban expansion, it is valuable to assess how biodiversity is responding to urbanization and thus generate timely conservation strategies. We systematically review the urban ecology literature to analyze how much do we know about the role of urban areas as ecological traps. Using a formal meta-analytical approach, we test whether urban areas are functioning as ecological traps or as safe habitats for different taxonomic groups. We generated a data set of 646 effect sizes of different measures of habitat preferences and fitness from 38 papers published between 1985 and 2020. The data set covered 15 countries and 47 urban areas from four continents, including 29 animal species. Studies from North America and Europe were best represented, and birds were the most studied taxa.