Ecotoxicology of alpine streams in the West Carpathians—Alpine Bullhead (Cottus poecilopus) and high mountain flash flood effects

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Flash floods represent a serious threat to wildlife, water biota, and human life in pre-alpine regions, particularly in recent historical memory. The...     

Passivsammler zur Wasseruntersuchung

The topography and motion of contaminant plumes in groundwater may be determined by surveying the three-dimensional distribution of contaminant freights [1] as well as through a period-integral monitoring by contaminant dosimeters [1]. Conventional methods of taking water samples for chemical analysis cannot fulfill any of these requirements. Sorption active passive collectors suitable for corresponding surveys in gaseous phases are unsuitable for examination in aquifers. Passive collectors for the examination of undisturbed aquifers represent the central part of a probing device system developed by the authors for monitoring chemical and hydraulic parameters within all kinds of aquifers. These passive collectors permit both a determination of the relative contaminant freights at deliberate vertical spacing of vertically ordered measuring points, and period-integrating detection of vertical profiles of relative contaminant freights. The easy-to-handle passive collectors are suitable for the collection of organic and inorganic contaminants and may be evaluated by standardized chemical analysis methods. In this way, passive collectors fulfill the essential prerequisites for purpose-oriented monitoring of contaminant plumes. Moreover, passive collectors for ground water monitoring are well suited for the in situ-examination of any other aquifer, both still and fluent, regardless of its depth or extent. Examples of application may be sewage ducts, sewage plants, rivers, lakes, oceans, water samples and especially the identification of contaminants and trace substances.     

Benefits of protected areas for nonbreeding waterbirds adjusting their distributions under climate warming

Climate warming is driving changes in species distributions and community composition. Many species have a so-called climatic debt, that is, shifts in range lag behind shifts in temperature isoclines. Inside protected areas (PAs), community changes in response to climate warming can be facilitated by greater colonization rates by warm-dwelling species, but also mitigated by lowering extirpation rates of cold-dwelling species. An evaluation of the relative importance of colonization-extirpation processes is important to inform conservation strategies that aim for both climate debt reduction and species conservation. We assessed the colonization-extirpation dynamics involved in community changes in response to climate inside and outside PAs. To do so, we used 25 years of occurrence data of nonbreeding waterbirds in the western Palearctic (97 species, 7071 sites, 39 countries, 1993–2017). We used a community temperature index (CTI) framework based on species thermal affinities to investigate species turnover induced by temperature increase. We determined whether thermal community adjustment was associated with colonization by warm-dwelling species or extirpation of cold-dwelling species by modeling change in standard deviation of the CTI (CTI_SD). Using linear mixed-effects models, we investigated whether communities in PAs had lower climatic debt and different patterns of community change than communities outside PAs. For CTI and CTI_SD combined, communities inside PAs had more species, higher colonization, lower extirpation, and lower climatic debt (16%) than communities outside PAs. Thus, our results suggest that PAs facilitate 2 independent processes that shape community dynamics and maintain biodiversity. The community adjustment was, however, not sufficiently fast to keep pace with the large temperature increases in the central and northeastern western Palearctic. Our results underline the potential of combining CTI and CTI_SD metrics to improve understanding of the colonization-extirpation patterns driven by climate warming.     

Chemisch-analytische Untersuchung von Arsenkampfstoffen und ihren Metaboliten

Arsenic containing chemical warfare agents (cwa) are persistent in the environment and continue to contaminte soil and ground water. In this paper the chemical rections of the cwa diphenylarsine chloride (CLARK I), phenylarsine dichloride (PFIFFIKUS), ethylarsine dichloride (DICK) and of chlorovinyl arsenic compounds (LEWISITE) are shown. The posibilities of the detection and determination of this cwa and their metabolites are presented.