Valuing New Jersey’s Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital: A Spatially Explicit Benefit Transfer Approach

We intend to estimate the value of ecosystem services in the U.S. State of New Jersey using spatially explicit benefit transfer. The aggregated net rent, a conservative underestimate for the total economic value of the state’s natural environment, ranged from 11.6 to11.6 to 19.6 billion/year, conditional on how inclusive we were in selecting the primary studies used to calculate the central tendency values to transfer. In addition to calculating the range, mean, and standard deviation for each of 12 ecosystem services for 11 Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) types, we also conduct a gap analysis of how well ecosystem service values are represented in the literature. We then map these values by assuming a mean value for each LULC and apply this to spatial data. As to sensitivity analysis, we calculate the net present value of New Jersey’s natural environment utilizing three different methods of discounting. These research results provide a useful, albeit imperfect, basis for assessing the value of ecosystem services and natural capital, and their comparison with the value of conventional human and built capitals.     

A Decade of Geomorphic and Hydraulic Response to the La Valle Dam Project,Baraboo River,Wisconsin

We investigate stream response to the La Valle Dam removal and channel reconstruction by estimating channel hydraulic parameter values and changes in sedimentation within the reservoir. The designed channel reconstruction after the dam removal included placement of a riffle structure at the former dam site. Stream surveys undertaken in 1984 by Federal Emergency Management Agency and in 2001 by Doyle et al. were supplemented with surveys in 2009 and 2011 to study the effects of the instream structure. We created a model in HEC‐RAS IV and surface maps in Surfer© using the 1984, 2009, and 2011 surveys. The HEC‐RAS IV model for 2009 channel conditions indicates that the riffle structure decreases upstream channel shear stress and velocity, causing renewed deposition of sediment within the former reservoir. We estimate by 2009, 61% of former reservoir sediments were removed during dam removal and channel reconstruction. Between 2009 and 2011 renewed sedimentation within the former reservoir represented approximately 7.85% of the original reservoir volume. The HEC‐RAS IV models show the largest impacts of the dam and riffle structure occur at flood magnitudes at or below bankfull. Thus, the riffle and the dam similarly alter channel hydraulics and sediment transport. As such, our models indicate that the La Valle Dam project was a dam replacement rather than a removal. Our results confirm that channel reconstruction method can alter channel hydraulics, geomorphology, and sediment mobility.     

Vegetarian Meat: Could Technology Save Animals and Satisfy Meat Eaters?

Between people who unabashedly support eating meat and those who adopt moral vegetarianism, lie a number of people who are uncomfortably carnivorous and vaguely wish they could be vegetarians. Opposing animal suffering in principle, they can ignore it in practice, relying on the visual disconnect between supermarket meat and slaughterhouse practices not to trigger their moral emotions. But what if we could have the best of both worlds in reality—eat meat and not harm animals? The nascent biotechnology of tissue culture, originally researched for medical applications, holds out just such a promise. Meat could be grown in vitro without killing animals. In fact, this technology may not just be an intriguing option, but might be our moral obligation to develop.     

Contamination from historic metal mines and the need for non-invasive remediation techniques: a case study from Southwest England

The UK is legally required by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) to improve the environmental quality of inland and coastal waters in the coming years. Historic metal mine sites are recognised as an important source of some of the elements on the WFD priority chemicals list. Despite their contamination potential, such sites are valued for their heritage and for other cultural and scientific reasons. Remediating historic mining areas to control the contamination of stream waters, whilst also preserving the integrity of the mine site, is a challenge but might be achieved by novel forms of remediation. In this study, we have carried out environmental monitoring at a historic, and culturally-sensitive, lead-silver mine site in southwest England and have undertaken a pilot experiment to investigate the potential for a novel, non-invasive remediation method at the site. Concentrations of Pb and Zn in mine spoil were clearly elevated with geometric mean concentrations of 6,888 and 710 microg g(-1), respectively. Mean concentrations of Pb in stream waters were between 21 and 54 microg l(-1), in exceedance of the WFD environmental quality standard (EQS) of 7.2 microg l(-1) (annual average). Mean Zn concentrations in water were between 30 and 97 microg l(-1), compared to the UK EQS of 66.5 microg l(-1) (average). Stream sediments within, and downstream from, the mining site were similarly elevated, indicating transport of mine waste particles into and within the stream. We undertook a simple trial to investigate the potential of hydroxyapatite, in the form of bonemeal, to passively remove the Pb and Zn, from the stream waters. After percolating through bonemeal in a leaching column, 96-99% of the dissolved Pb and Zn in stream water samples was removed.     

Variation in foraging effort by lactating Antarctic fur seals: response to simulated increased foraging costs

Seasonally breeding predators, which are limited in the time available for provisioning young at a central location, and by the fasting abilities of the young, are likely to maximize energy delivery to the young by maximizing the rate of energy delivery averaged over the whole period of investment. Reduction in food availability or increased foraging costs will alter the optimal behavior of individuals. This study examined the behavioral adaptations of a diving predator, the Antarctic fur seal, to increased foraging costs during lactation. One group of mothers (n=5, treatment) was fitted with additional drag to increase the cost of transport in comparison with a control group (n=8). At the scales of the individual dives, the treatment group made more shorter, shallower (< 30 m) dives. Compensation for slower swimming speeds was achieved by diving at a steeper angle. Overall, diving behavior conformed to several specific theoretical predictions but there were also departures from theory, particularly concerning swimming speed during diving. Diving behavior appears to be adjusted to maximize the proportion of time spent at the bottom of dives. At the scale of diving bouts, no difference was observed between the treatment and control groups in terms of the frequency and duration of bouts and there was also no difference between the two groups in terms of the proportion of time spent diving. At the scale of complete foraging cycles, time taken to return to the pup was significantly longer in the treatment group but there was no difference in the rate of delivery of energy (measured from pup growth rate) to the pups in each group. Since mothers in the treatment group did not use significantly more body reserves, we conclude that behavioral adjustments at the scale of individual dives allowed mothers in the treatment group to compensate for the additional foraging costs. Pup growth rate appears to be less sensitive to the foraging conditions experienced by mothers than foraging trip duration. Received: 14 June 1996 / Accepted after revision: 16 November 1996     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

A pilot study of pesticides and PCBs in the breast milk of women residing in urban and agricultural communities of California

Currently, there is no nationally representative human milk biomonitoring program in the United States (U.S.) and no studies have reported non-persistent pesticides in the milk of U.S. women. In this pilot study we developed a multiresidue laboratory method to measure non-persistent and persistent pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in human milk samples from women residing in the agricultural region of Salinas, CA (n = 13) and the urban San Francisco Bay Area, CA (n = 21). Samples were collected from 2002-2007. Median concentrations in pg g(-1) milk among urban and agricultural women, respectively were reported for: chlorpyrifos (24.5 and 28.0), cis-permethrin (81.9 and 103), trans-permethrin (93.1 and 176), hexachlorobenzene (191 and 223), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (220 and 443), o,p'-DDT (36.6 and 62.4), p,p'-DDT,(107 and 102), o,p'-DDE (5.65 and 5.17), p,p'-DDE (3170 and 3490), dacthal (2.79 and 3.43), PCB 118 (92.8 and 17.0), PCB 138 (183 and 38.2), PCB 153 (242 and 43.6) and PCB 180 (239 and 683). Among urban women, median concentrations were 4.02 and 4.32 pg g(-1) milk for chlorpyrifos-methyl and propoxur, respectively. These results suggest that neonates and young children may be exposed to persistent and non-persistent pesticides and PCBs via breast milk.     

Assessment of lead uptake in reptilian prey species

As part of an investigation determining the trophically available fraction of metals in a model terrestrial food web, i.e., invertebrate prey to Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis), we evaluated the ability of several invertebrate prey to bioaccumulate lead and to form metals-rich granules, which are hypothesized to be non-available to predators. Crickets (Acheta domestica), tenebroid beetle larvae (Tenebrio molitor), and isopods (Porcellio scaber) were selected as model prey organisms. Lack of standard exposure methodologies for these species has presented a barrier to trophic transfer evaluations, as each species has particular requirements that create challenges for designing exposure conditions. We were able to devise exposure conditions for all three species that allow long-term exposure studies. All prey organisms accumulated lead from contaminated food, and for all species the majority of the accumulated Pb was associated with the exoskeleton (>50%), with metals-rich granules accounting for most of the remaining accumulated lead.