The status and causes of alien species invasion in China

Data of classification, origin, pathway and environmental impacts of invasive alien micro-organisms, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles, fish, birds, mammals, weeds, trees, and marine organisms in terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems of China, were analyzed, based on literature retrieval, field survey and consultation. Some 283 invasive alien species were recorded in China, including 19 invasive alien micro-organisms, 18 aquatic plants, 170 terrestrial plants, 25 aquatic invertebrates, 33 terrestrial invertebrates, 3 amphibians and reptiles, 10 fish, and 5 mammals. Of the invasive alien species, 55.1% originated from North and South America, 21.7% from Europe, 9.9% from Asia, 8.1% from Africa and 0.6% from Oceania. Many institutions and individuals in China lack adequate knowledge of ecological and environmental consequences caused by invasive alien species, with some ignorance of the dangerous invasion in the introduction of alien species. For instance, 50.0% of invasive alien plants were intentionally introduced as pasture, feedingstuff, ornamental plants, textile plants, medicinal plants, vegetables, or lawn plants, 25% of alien invasive animals were intentionally introduced for cultivation, ornament, or biological control, In addition, more efforts are being made in the introduction of alien species, and little attention is paid on the management of introduced alien species, which may cause their escape into natural environment and potential threats to the environment. There were also gaps in quarantine system in China. All microorganisms were unintentionally introduced, through timber, seedling, flowerpot, or soil; 76.3% of alien invasive animals invaded through commodity or transportation facility because of the failure of quarantine. Therefore, quarantine measures should be strictly implemented; and meanwhile the intentional introduction of alien species should be strictly managed and a system of risk assessment should be implemented.

Modeling of protein adsorption in membrane affinity chromatography

For the design of affinity membranes, protein adsorption in membrane affinity chromatography (MAC) was studied by frontal analysis. According to fast mass transfer, small thickness of affinity membranes and high affinity between the protein and the ligand, an ideal adsorption (IA) model was proposed for MAC and was used together with equilibrium-dispersive (E-D) model to describe the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto cellulose diacetate/polyethyleneimine (CA/PEI) blend membranes with and without Cu2+ chelating. E-D model was found to better describe the initial region of experimental breakthrough curves. The influence of axial dispersion was revealed and it showed the importance of design of the module to homogenously distribute feed solution. IA model was found to be better for the whole experimental breakthrough curve. According to it, the capacity of affinity membranes and the specificity of the interaction are of equal importance for the design of affinity membranes. An optimum feed concentration was also found in the operation of MAC. The discrepancy between experimental optimum feed concentrations and predicted ones from IA model may be due to the ignorance of some experimental effects such as axial dispersion.