Do fish growth rates correlate with PCB body burdens?

We evaluated whether growth rates of six fish species correlated with PCB concentrations in a moderately-to-heavily polluted freshwater ecosystem. Using a large dataset (n = 984 individuals), and after accounting for growth effects related to fish age, habitat, sex, and lipids, growth correlated significantly, but positively with lipid-corrected PCB concentrations for 4 of 6 species. Remaining species showed no correlations between growth and PCBs. Comparisons with regional, lentic growth averages for four species confirmed growth was on par and in three of four cases higher than regional averages in the PCB-polluted ecosystem. We conclude that for these species, at the range of concentrations examined, these PCBs do not exert negative impacts on growth. Rather, factors often cited as influential to growth were also driving growth trends in this study. Future studies that evaluate whether pollution affects growth must account for major growth drivers prior to attributing growth differentials to pollution alone.     

Auxin induced stress tolerance in algae

IAA effect on responses of West African algae Caloglosa, Bostrychia, Rhizoclonium and the fresh water alga Pithophora to different growth conditions was examined in growth chamber experiments. The auxin (2.28 x 10(-5) M) caused growth increase of 2.3- and 2.6-fold in Caloglossa and 1.6 and 1.7 in Rhizoclonium, respectively, in sea water and 1:1 diluted sea water/Erdschreiber medium. In Bostrychia pronounced deterioration of growth was noticed in the control samples between 16 and 32 days in culture. The cultures maintained an active growth, however, in the presence of IAA. IAA also allowed Pithophora to withstand salinity: Compared to growth in fresh water, a 65% growth inhibition was recorded in 1:1 diluted sea water in the absence of auxin and a slight growth stimulation when the auxin was present. Pithophora and Rhizoclonium also maintained higher rates of growth in extremal temperatures of 10 and 45 degrees C when the auxin was present.     

Environmental quality vs economic growth in a developing economy: complements or conflicts

An increase in economic activities which leads to economic growth has been adduced as a possible factor for environmental degradation. While some other studies have argued that as economies keep growing, there are possibilities for resource redistribution which could engender environmental balance, thus engendering the argument on the conflicting-complementary position of the environment-growth nexus. In the light of this, this study uses previous activities between economic activities and the environment to determine the conflicting or complementary relationship that exists between economic growth and the environment. Also, using Nigeria as a case study, the design of environmental growth nexus to achieving sustainable development is assessed. Annual time series data between 1970 and 2014 were sourced from the World Development Indicators. Following the neoclassical perspective on ecological growth and the Kuznets inverted U-hypothesis on the environment-growth relations, stationarity test was performed, and the autoregressive distributed lag estimates were employed. From the study, it is seen that factors like rainfall that promotes environmental quality in the long run promote economic growth (per capita and GDP growth) in Nigeria. Similarly, factors like natural resource utilization, which depletes environmental quality, increases economic growth but reduces economic growth per capita; thus, with questions for development, the possibility of a complementary relationship for environmental quality and economic growth is spotted if the right policies are ensured. Also, the study found evidence of a growing conflicting relation between environmental quality (CO₂) and economic growth (per capita and GDP growth). Meanwhile, these conflicts to a great extent find expression in the Kuznets hypothesis; such that, if policies that promote income per capita reduces pollution and pursues eco-efficiency via economic growth are properly harnessed, there are the prospects of meeting up with the goals of environmental sustainability in developing economies.

     

Height growth of northern red oak in relation to site and atmospheric deposition in Pennsylvania

A forest tree growth-response to atmospheric deposition is expected to arise indirectly through soil chemical changes and would probably be observable only in the long term. We examined this hypothesis by evaluating the relationship between periodic height growth of mature northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) trees and soil, physiography and atmospheric sulfate deposition along a 170-km west-to-east gradient of decreasing sulfate deposition in north central Pennsylvania, USA. Height increments for three common 20-year periods beginning in 1929, 1949 and 1969 were estimated from exponential-monomolecular growth functions fitted to stem analysis data for each of 45 trees in 13 ecologically analogous stands along the deposition gradient. Canonical analysis was used to identify a statistically manageable subset of the original 48 independent soil, site and tree (age, crown width) variables strongly associated with height growth. Predictive models relating total (60-year) and the three 20-year height increments to the reduced variable set plus estimated average sulfate and nitrate deposition were derived by best subsets multiple regression. An inherent spatial gradient of decreasing height growth from western to eastern sites was apparent in even the earliest (1929-1948) increment. This inferred non-deposition-related spatial growth trend was accounted for in the 1949-1968 growth increment by introduction of the earliest (1929-1948) growth increment as a significant covariate in the regression model. The inherent growth largely disappeared by the 1969-1988 period as a probable consequence of converging growth rates reported to occur in oaks after age 60 years regardless of site quality. The 1969-1988 growth increment was not as strongly correlated with site factors as was growth in preceding periods, nor was early growth or sulfate deposition significantly related to this height increment. Growth effects from sulfate deposition, if any, would most likely occur within the recent (1969-1988) increment coincident with the period of naturally decreasing growth rate, when site differences and possibly environmental factors would have less influence on growth. Our results give no indication that wet sulfate inputs are affecting northern red oak height growth across the atmospheric deposition gradient.     

Aerosol light scattering measurements as a function of relative humidity: a comparison between measurements made at three different sites

The water uptake by fine aerosol particles in the atmosphere has been investigated at three rural National Parks in the United States (Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon and Big Bend National Parks). The relative humidity (RH) of sample aerosols was varied from less than 20% to greater than 90% using Perma Pure drying tubes as the scattering coefficient of the aerosol was measured with a Radiance Research M903 nephelometer. Data from these studies show that growth curves at all the three sites are similar in shape but the magnitude of growth can vary considerably from day to day. The growth curves from Great Smoky Mountains show smooth continuous growth over the entire range of RH, while the growth curves from the Grand Canyon and Big Bend show smooth and continuous growth on some days and deliquescence on other days. Comparing 12-h filter samples of chemical composition data with the aerosol growth curves, we find that higher fractions of soluble inorganic compounds (sulfate and nitrate) produce growth curves of greater magnitude than do higher concentrations of either organic carbon or soil material.     

Analysis of the mechanism of the impact of internet development on green economic growth: evidence from 269 prefecture cities in China

As the digital economy develops rapidly and the network information technology advances, new development models represented by the network economy have emerged, which have a crucial impact on green economic growth. However, the relevant previous studies lacked the role of analyzing the direct and indirect effects of internet development on green economic growth at the prefecture-level city level. For this purpose, this paper aims to examine the intrinsic mechanism of the impact of internet development on green economic growth and provide empirical support for cities and regions in China to increase internet construction. Furthermore, the mixed model (EBM), which includes both radial and non-radial distance functions, is applied to calculate the green economic growth index. Fixed effect model and mediation effect model are also employed to test influence mechanisms of the internet development on green economic growth using panel data of 269 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2019. The statistical results reveal that internet development has contributed significantly to green economic growth. When the internet development level increases by 1 unit, the green economic growth level increases by an average of 5.0372 units. However, regional heterogeneity is evident between internet development and green economic growth, that is, the promoting effect of internet development on green economic growth is gradually enhanced from the eastern region to the western region. We also find that internet development guides industrial structure upgrading improves environmental quality and accelerates enterprise innovation, which indirectly contributes to green economic growth. And internet development mainly achieves green economic growth through enterprise innovation. Based on the above findings, we concluded that policymakers should not only strengthen the guiding role of social actors to promote the stable development of the internet industry, but also foster the construction of the three models of “internet+industry integration,” “internet+environmental governance,” and “internet+enterprise innovation” to promote green economic growth.

     

Shoot growth of mature Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies in relation to ozone

Epidemiological analysis of sequential growth data may be a tool in assessing ozone sensitivity of mature trees. Annual shoot growth of mature Fagus sylvatica in 83 Swiss permanent forest observation plots and of Picea abies in 61 plots was evaluated for 11 and 8 consecutive years, respectively, using branches harvested every 4 years. The data were assessed as annual deviation from average growth and related to fructification, ozone, meteorological parameters, and modelled soil water content using a mixed linear model. In beech, a significant association between ozone and shoot growth was observed which corresponded to a 7.4% growth reduction between 0 and 10 ppm h AOT40 (accumulated ozone over threshold 40). This is in the same order of magnitude as the response observed in experiments with seedlings. No interaction was found between ozone and drought parameters. In Norway spruce, shoot growth was neither associated with ozone nor with drought.     

An Evaluation of the Effects of Ozone Injury on Radial Growth of Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) in the Southern Sierra Nevada

Growth of ponderosa pines with visible symptoms of ozone injury was compared with that of asymptomatic trees in the southern Sierra Nevada, California. Time series analysis indicated that there was no significant reduction in annual radial increment of symptomatic trees during recent years compared to past growth and growth of asymptomatic trees. First order autocorrelation and climatic variables accounted for a large proportion of the variance in growth index, and winter precipitation was positively correlated with growth for all size and age classes. Although ozone concentrations are high enough to cause chlorosis and premature needle senescence in ponderosa pine, there has been no significant change in growth associated with ozone injury.     

家用洗衣粉中磷对斜生栅藻生长的影响

以洗衣粉中的有机磷为磷源,通过室内模拟的方法研究在不同磷浓度的水体条件下斜生栅藻的生长情况,以及磷对斜生栅藻的生长是否有毒害作用.通过显微计数测定藻细胞数目来探讨洗衣粉中磷对斜生栅藻生长的影响;同时分析了洗衣粉中磷对斜生栅藻96 h生长期中光合色素的影响.结果表明,洗衣粉中的磷除了促进藻生长外,其浓度过低或过高都会抑制藻的生长.由实验结果可得,磷对藻生长的富营养化作用和毒性作用取决于磷浓度的高低.     

Short-chain fatty acids affect cell-association and invasion of HEp-2 cells by Salmonella typhimurium

This study demonstrates that the growth of S. typhimurium in Luria Bertani broth supplemented with acetate, propionate, butyrate, or a mixture of the three SCFA, affected cell-association and the ability to invade cultured HEp-2 cells. Cell-association and invasion was determined after growth for 4 h of growth in the presence of the SCFA at pH 6 and 7. The results suggest that the growth rate of the culture may have affected cell-association and invasion since accompanying the significant decrease in growth rate in the presence of SCFA at pH 6 was a decrease in cell-association and invasion. However, the results also suggest that the individual SCFA may play a role in modulating cell-association and the invasion phenotype and the regulation of cell-association and invasion by the SCFA was dependent on the concentration and the pH of the medium. Although the growth rates were similar for S. typhimurium in the SCFA mixture, butyrate (100 mM) and propionate (50 mM) at pH 6, differences in cell-association and invasion were observed among these cultures. Also, at pH 7, differences were observed among the SCFA treatments even though the growth rates were similar.     

Effects of increased sea water concentrations of CO2 on growth of the bivalve Mytilus edulis L

It has been proposed that emission of anthropogenic carbon dioxide to the atmosphere will lead to increased concentrations of CO(2) in sea water corresponding to a decrease of pH of several tenths of pH units. An experiment was performed to test the effects of increased sea water concentrations of CO(2) on shell growth of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. The experiment was performed in aquaria continuously flushed with sea water spiked with CO(2) to provide five different levels of pH between 6.7 and control sea water with a pH of 8.1. The shell length of the mussels was measured at the start and end of the 44 days experimental period. No mortality was observed during the first 23 days of the experiment. The growth increment in mm was much larger for small mussels than for large mussels, but relative growth profile as function of pH was more similar in the two size groups; observed differences may be random variation between samples. The experiments showed that CO(2) induced reduction of pH affects the growth of M. edulis negatively. There was a strong and statistically significant decrease in growth at the lowest pH values, with virtually no growth at pH = 6.7 and reduced growth at pH = 7.1. The effect seems to set in between pH 7.4 and 7.1; at mean pH levels 7.4 and 7.6 the growth increments were not significantly different from growth at normal pH 8.1.     

Growth response of bigcone Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa) to long-term ozone exposure in southern California

Long-term radial growth of bigcone Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa) was studied throughout its range in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, where ambient ozone has been high for approximately the past 40 years. A gradient of both ozone concentration and precipitation exists from west (high) to east (low). Growth rates of bigcone Douglas fir are considerably lower since 1950 throughout the San Bernardino Mountains, with the largest growth reductions in the western part of the range where ozone exposure is highest. Needle retention is also somewhat lower at high ozone sites. Lower annual precipitation since 1950 may have some impact on long-term growth reductions, and short-term growth reductions induced by drought are an important component of long-term growth reductions at sites with high ozone exposure. An ozone-climate stress complex may be responsible for recent reductions in the growth of bigcone Douglas fir.     

Simulation of 1-year-old Populus tremuloides response to ozone stress at Ithaca, USA, and Suwon, Republic of Korea

The growth of 1-year-old aspen was simulated using TREGRO, a computer simulation model of individual tree growth, to assess potential effects of ozone (O3). TREGRO was parameterized using information from a field experiment conducted at Ithaca, NY, USA; the model was then applied using environmental information from Suwon, Korea, where O3 exposures of aspen had not been conducted. In the parameterization at Ithaca, the simulated and measured total biomass differed by about 3% and the differences between measured and simulated biomass gain of leaf, shoot, and root were 15.4, 8.3, and 4.4%, respectively. Simulating growth at Suwon required adjustment in growth rates to match measured growth due to the different weather conditions at the two cities. The assimilated carbon was evenly distributed to each tissue (foliage, branch, stem, coarse, fine roots) in Suwon, whereas it was mainly allocated to vigorous stem growth in Ithaca. The vigorous growth under Suwon conditions resulted in less total non-structural carbon and perhaps trees more vulnerable to O3 stress. Although the ambient O3 in Suwon (1.2 ppm.h of sum of the hourly concentrations greater than 0.06 ppm [SUM06]) was lower than that in Ithaca (2.1 ppm.h of SUM06), a reduction of 8% of total assimilated carbon was found compared to simulation without O3. Severe effects on root growth at elevated O3 (1.7 times ambient) were predicted; however, the effects on leaf growth would not be as severe.     

Response of microbial growth to orthophosphate and organic carbon influx in copper and plastic based plumbing water systems

Consequences of orthophosphate addition for corrosion control in water distribution pipes with respect to microbial growth were investigated using batch and dynamic tests. Batch tests showed that the release of copper in either low or high organic carbon content water was decreased by 69% and 56% with addition 206 microg PO(4)-P, respectively. Dosing of orthophosphate against corrosion did not increase microbial growth potential in the water and in the biofilm in both corroded and uncorroded systems receiving tap water with a low content of organic carbon and of biodegradable organic fraction. However, in tap water having a high concentration of organic carbon from acetate addition, orthophosphate addition promoted the growth of bacteria, allowed more bacteria to assemble on corroded and uncorroded surfaces, and increased the consumption of organic carbon. Orthophosphate consumption did not exceed 1% of the amount of easily biodegradable organic carbon required for microbial growth, and the orthophosphate demand for corrosion control greatly exceeded the nutritional requirement of microbial growth. The results of the dynamic tests demonstrated that there was a significant effect of interaction between biodegradable organic carbon and orthophosphate on biofilm growth, whereby the effect of orthophosphate flux on microbial growth was dependent on the levels of biodegradable organic carbon. Controlling an easily biodegradable organic carbon would be therefore necessary to minimize the microbial growth potential induced by orthophosphate-based anticorrosion treatment.     

Reduction of stem growth and site dependency of leaf injury in Massachusetts black cherries exhibiting ozone symptoms

Leaf ozone symptoms in natural ecosystems are increasingly reported but ozone effects on tree growth and the mediation of site conditions are still little documented. This study tests two hypotheses: (1) leaf injury in black cherry is associated with decline in radial growth, (2) symptoms are more prevalent on mesic sites. On sites supporting black cherry across Massachusetts, tree growth and leaf ozone injury were surveyed in 1996 using a randomized plot network established in the 1960s. Forty-seven percent of 120 trees sampled for ozone symptoms were symptomatic with generally low levels of injury. Over a 31-year period symptomatic trees had 28% lower stem growth rates than asymptomatic trees. Ozone symptom expression was enhanced in well growing stands on moister, cooler and more elevated sites. Ozone appeared to increase environmental stress and had a more pronounced effect on growth in better growing black cherry stands. This complicates management decisions as thinning increases growth and moisture availability.     

The influence of O3, NO2 and SO2 on growth of Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica in the Carpathian Mountains

At 17 long-term pollution monitoring sites throughout the Carpathian Mountains, tree growth patterns and variation in growth rate were examined to determine relationship of tree growth to specific pollutants. Canopy dominant Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica were selected at each site. Basal area increment (BAI) values were calculated from raw ring widths and used as an estimate of tree growth. Across all sites, BAI chronologies were highly variable, therefore local conditions and forest structure accounted for considerable variation. Several significant relationships, however, implicated a role of pollutants on tree growth. Average levels (1997-1999) of NO(2) and SO(2) were inversely related to BAI means (1989-1999). Although average O(3) alone was not related to growth, the maximum O(3) value reported at the sites was negatively correlated with overall growth. A variable representing the combined effect of O(3), NO(2) and SO(2) was negatively correlated with both P. abies and F. sylvatica growth. Pollution data were used to categorize all sites into 'high' or 'low' pollution sites. Difference chronologies based on these categories indicated trends of decline in the 'high' pollution sites relative to 'low' pollution site. In the more heavily polluted sites, the BAI of Fagus sylvatica has declined approximately 50% and Picea abies has declined 20% over the past 45 years.     

Comparative analysis of the growth impact of pollution and energy use in selected West African nations

We adopt the FMOLS and Granger causality technique to analyse the effect of energy use and carbon emissions on output growth in selected West African economies, which includes Nigeria, Gambia and Ghana, from 1970 to 2019. Findings confirm that energy use enhances growth in the three selected West African economies. But in terms of significance, energy consumption is significant in Nigeria and Gambia at a 1% level of significance while it is insignificant for the Gambia. CO₂ emission positively and significantly propels economic growth for the three selected West African economies. For Nigeria, causality evidence shows no direct influence among the variables. For Ghana, we find a bi-causal association between output growth and carbon emissions and a unidirectional causality from pollution to energy consumption. For Gambia, economic growth causes CO₂ emissions. We recommend that the West African government reinforce their stand on a sustainable growth path through energy conservation.

     

Assessing the impacts of globalization and gender parity on economic growth: empirical evidence from OIC countries

The contemporary debate on globalization and gender equality has a strong impact on economic growth. The present study analyzes the impacts of globalization and gender parity on economic growth in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) 47 member countries for the period (1991–2017), using System GMM panel data technique. The results of system GMM have also been empirically estimated by making two groups (viz., low-income and high-income OIC member countries from the World Bank data classification, 2019) to examine the robustness of globalization and gender parity on economic growth. The results reveal that there is a negative impact of globalization on economic growth in the overall sample of OIC countries. When estimated by decomposing low-income countries and high-income countries, globalization has a significantly positive impact on economic growth in the case of high-income OIC countries, whereas globalization slashes GDP in the case of low-income OIC countries. The study finds that there is a positive impact of gender parity (ratio of female to male labor force work participation) on economic growth. Moreover, foreign remittances, government expenditures, capital formation, and human capital are also becoming the causes of a significant increase in economic growth in OIC member countries.     

Modeling the effects of ozone on soybean growth and yield

A simple mechanistic model was developed based on an existing growth model in order to address the mechanisms of the effects of ozone on growth and yield of soybean [Glycine max. (L.) Merr. 'Davis'] and interacting effects of other environmental stresses. The model simulates daily growth of soybean plants using environmental data including shortwave radiation, temperature, precipitation, irrigation and ozone concentration. Leaf growth, dry matter accumulation, water budget, nitrogen input and seed growth linked to senescence and abscission of leaves are described in the model. The effects of ozone are modeled as reduced photosynthate production and accelerated senescence. The model was applied to the open-top chamber experiments in which soybean plants were exposed to ozone under two levels of soil moisture regimes. After calibrating the model to the growth data and seed yield, goodness-of-fit of the model was tested. The model fitted well for top dry weight in the vegetative growth phase and also at maturity. The effect of ozone on seen yield was also described satisfactorily by the model. The simulation showed apparent interaction between the effect of ozone and soil moisture stress on the seed yield. The model revealed that further work is needed concerning the effect of ozone on the senescence process and the consequences of alteration of canopy microclimate by the open-top chambers.     

Human population and the loss of biological diversity: two aspects of the same problem

Strategies to limit the detrimental impact of human population growth must seek not only to limit the number of humans on the planet but also to provide for the reservation of the biological diversity that population growth threatens to destroy. Balancing human numbers with biological support systems is the key to finding a sustainable future. Efforts to protect biological diversity can further the population debate by identifying the real effects and limits of population growth, and by identifying the relationship between biological degradation and human population growth.