G.V. Shlyakhtin,E.V. Zav'yalova,and V.G. Tabachishin,Ptitsy Saratova i ego okrestnostei: Sostav,okhrana i ekologicheskoe znachenie(Birds of Saratov and Its Vicinity: Composition,Protection, and Ecological Significance), Saratov: Saratov. Gos. Univ., 1999

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

The Northwest U.S. Dam Breaching Decision: Factors, Costs and Benefits

Northwestern United States' salmon populations have fallen precipitously. Attempts at salmon restoration are going on and dam breaching is being considered. Costs associated with the continued restoration attempts including hatchery stocking, barging and trucking salmon around the dams are high while benefits are unclear. Those costs may be greater than dam breaching. An additional impetus for dam removal is the revival of the commercial salmon fishing industry. This may not occur for both ecological and economic reasons. Ecologically complete restoration may not be feasible. Economically, the rise of competitively priced salmon aquaculture will reduce the value of any future commercial catch. A statistical relationship between falling prices for wild salmon and rising salmon aquaculture output is shown.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants in the U.S. marine environment: A review

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in polymeric materials such as furnishing foam, rigid plastics and textiles. The U.S. has historically led the world production of these man-made chemicals and was responsible for about 50% of the total global demand in 2001. Paradoxically, scientific studies addressing sources, behavior and fate of PBDEs in the U.S. environment are limited when compared to those in Europe. This paper reviews the distribution of PBDEs in marine and estuarine matrices of the three U.S. coasts (Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico) and Alaska. PBDEs are ubiquitous in all compartments including water, sediment and biota. Contamination is higher in urbanized regions such as the coast of California. In numerous cases, concentrations of PBDEs in U.S. marine matrices are among the highest in the world. Higher PBDE levels in the U.S. marine environment reflect that over 90% of the Penta-BDE global production has been utilized in the United States. BDEs 47, 99 and 100 typically dominate the composition of PBDEs in most samples and exhibit high concentrations in several matrices. BDEs 17, 28, 33, 49, 153, 154 and 155 are also of concern since they are known to be present in a minor proportion in the Penta-BDE products. BDEs 206, 207, 208 and 209 which occur in Deca-BDE products do not appear to accumulate in most marine organisms although they may be debrominated into more toxic congeners. There is still no regulation addressing PBDEs contamination in the U.S. aquatic environments. Thus, efforts to understand the cycling of PBDEs in the environment as well as toxic effects in organisms are needed to support the development of quality criteria. Some PBDE congeners fulfill the criteria to be recognized as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The addition of PBDEs to the list of POPs established by the United Nations Stockholm Convention will be important in elevating environmental concerns regarding these chemicals to an appropriate level of awareness.     

Radionuclide transfer to fruits: a critical review. Introduction

This paper provides a brief introduction to fruit, their definition, classification and geographical distribution. In the following review, the term "fruit" refers not to a well-defined botanical plant part but, in the horticultural sense, to a component of the human diet generally consumed as a dessert item. Plants that bear fruits cover a vast range of morphological and physiological traits. A generic classification of fruit-bearing plants is proposed for use in studies on radionuclide transfer to fruit.