The plant physical features selected by wildcats as signal posts: an economic approach to fecal marking

The chemical signals of solitary and territorial felid species are essential for their intraspecific communication. We studied the selection of plant substrates during the fecal marking behavior of the European wildcat Felis silvestris from September 2008 to June 2009 in a protected area in Northwest Spain. The aim of the study was to examine the selection of plants as signal posts with respect to their physical characteristics. We hypothesized that wildcats deposit their fecal marks on plants with physical characteristics (e.g., size, species, and visual conspicuousness) that enhance the olfactory and visual effectiveness of the signal. Our results indicate that diameter, plant group, visual conspicuousness, and interaction between the diameter and plant group influence the decision of wildcats to deposit their fecal marks on plants. The wildcats chose plants with greater diameters and greater visual conspicuousness as scent-marking posts. Moreover, the wildcats chose woody and herbaceous plants, and certain plant species were marked more frequently than expected at random. Indeed, our results indicate that the fecal marks were not randomly distributed on the plants: the wildcats chose to place their marks on plants with certain physical characteristics that maximized the detectability of the signal by intruders and potential mates, thus facilitating the spatial distribution of the species.     

Contribution of Spartina maritima to the reduction of eutrophication in estuarine systems

Salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, performing important ecosystem functions, particularly nutrient recycling. In this study, a comparison is made between Mondego and Tagus estuaries in relation to the role of Spartina maritima in nitrogen retention capacity and cycling. Two mono-specific S. maritima stands per estuary were studied during 1 yr (biomass, nitrogen (N) pools, litter production, decomposition rates). Results showed that the oldest Tagus salt marsh population presented higher annual belowground biomass and N productions, and a slower decomposition rate for litter, contributing to the higher N accumulation in the sediment, whereas S. maritima younger marshes had higher aboveground biomass production. Detritus moved by tides represented a huge amount of aboveground production, probably significant when considering the N balance of these salt marshes. Results reinforce the functions of salt marshes as contributing to a reduction of eutrophication in transitional waters, namely through sedimentation processes.     

Determination of sorbent point zero charge: usefulness in sorption studies

Potentiometric mass titration (PMT) technique has been adapted to determine the pH _pzc of four vegetable wastes: grape stalks, cork, yohimbe bark and olive stones wastes used for Cu(II) removal. The pH at the point zero charge (pH _pzc), determined by PMT, are compared with that obtained by two classical techniques: mass titration (MT) and immersion technique (IT). PMT has been found to be an easy and appropriate technique to determine pH _pzc of the studied materials. From the results, the knowledge of sorbents pH _pzc provides information about the possible attraction and repulsion between sorbent and sorbate but in any case enables to ensure that electrostatic force is one of the mechanisms that takes place in metal sorption.     

In situ assays with tropical cladocerans to evaluate edge-of-field pesticide runoff toxicity

Tropical regions’ economy is usually based on agriculture, which involves an intensive use, and even frequent overuse, of pesticides. Nevertheless, not much research has been done on the impact of pesticides on tropical aquatic ecosystems, which are often contaminated by runoff-related pesticide inputs due to unpredictable and torrential rainfalls. This study aimed to: (i) adapt and evaluate a short-term sublethal in situ assay using post-exposure feeding as an endpoint, to the tropical cladoceran species Diaphanosoma brachyurum (collected at the Pedra do Cavalo dam in the Paraguaçu River basin, Bahia, Brazil), and, (ii) assess the role of the standard species Daphnia magna as an adequate laboratory surrogate. Lethal and sublethal (post-exposure feeding) responses were assessed for the two species. To evaluate these responses under environmentally realistic exposure conditions, a runoff event was simulated in an agricultural area previously contaminated with different deltamethrin concentrations. The resultant runoff water was used to set up microcosms with different dilutions, simulating the entrance of runoff water in an adjacent lentic system. An in situ assay with D. brachyurum was performed inside the microcosms, allowing to discriminate the effects due to deltamethrin from those due to other potential stressors associated with the experimental design (e.g. organism handling, load of suspended particles, microcosm design). Water samples were collected from microcosms to conduct a laboratory assay with D. magna. The in situ methodologies revealed to be suitable to conduct assays with D. brachyurum under tropical conditions, since all exposed organisms were successfully retrieved from the chambers. Furthermore, none of the potential stressors associated with the experimental design influenced the daphnids’ performance. The tropical cladoceran species, exposed under more realistic conditions, revealed to be more sensitive than the laboratory standard species: lethal effects were only observed for D. brachyurum and sublethal effects were noticed at a lower deltamethrin concentration for this species than for D. magna.     

Coupled solar photo-Fenton and biological treatment for the degradation of diuron and linuron herbicides at pilot scale

A coupled solar photo-Fenton (chemical) and biological treatment has been used to remove biorecalcitrant diuron (42 mg l(-1)) and linuron (75 mg l(-1)) herbicides from water at pilot plant scale. The chemical process has been carried out in a 82 l solar pilot plant made up by four compound parabolic collector units, and it was followed by a biological treatment performed in a 40 l sequencing batch reactor. Two Fe(II) doses (2 and 5 mg l(-1)) and sequential additions of H2O2 (20 mg l(-1)) have been used to chemically degrade the initially polluted effluent. Next, biodegradability at different oxidation states has been assessed by means of BOD/COD ratio. A reagent dose of Fe=5 mg l(-1) and H2O2=100 mg l(-1) has been required to obtain a biodegradable effluent after 100 min of irradiation time. Finally, the organic content of the photo-treated solution has been completely assimilated by a biomass consortium in the sequencing batch reactor using a total suspended solids concentration of 0.2 g l(-1) and a hydraulic retention time of 24h. Comparison between the data obtained at pilot plant scale (specially the one corresponding to the chemical step) and previously published data from a similar system performing at laboratory scale, has been carried out.     

Seasonal variation of extracellular enzymatic activity (EEA) and its influence on metal speciation in a polluted salt marsh

The influence of salt marsh sediment extracellular enzymatic activity (EEA) on metal fractions and organic matter cycling was evaluated on a seasonal basis, in order to study the relation between organic matter cycles and the associated metal species. Metals in the rhizosediment of Halimione portulacoides were fractioned according to the Tessier's scheme and showed a similar pattern regarding the organic-bound fraction, being always high in Autumn, matching the season when organic matter presented higher values. Both organic-bound and residual fractions were always dominant, being the seasonal variations due to interchanges between these two fractions. Phenol oxidase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase had higher activities during the Spring and Summer, contrarily to peroxidase which had higher activity during Winter. Protease showed high activities in both Spring and Winter. These different periods of high organic matter hydrolysis caused two periods of organic metal bound decrease. Sulphatase peaks (Spring and Winter) matched the depletion of exchangeable metal forms, probably due to sulphides formation and consequent mobilization. This showed an interaction between several microbial activities affecting metal speciation.     

The Influence of Knowledge and Motivation on Sustainable Label Use

Sustainable labels are considered the best way for consumers to identify brands with environmental or social attributes on the shelves, and therefore promoted as a means to develop the so-called “ethical markets”. However, little is known about how consumers use these brands. This paper tries to offer complementary theoretical insights on the determinants of sustainable label use by drawing on the economic model of information search; in particular, it examines the influence of two factors on the purchase of such labels: motivation and knowledge. Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire in personal interviews with 289 primary buyers. The study found that education influences directly knowledge, while Motivation influences Label use both directly and indirectly, via Label knowledge. This study concludes that Motivation is the most powerful factor to explain Label use; knowledge is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Even more, consumers may not have a good understanding of sustainable labels and still use them in their purchasing decisions. This suggests that there is a dual processing mode of sustainable labels, both systematic and heuristic.     

Assessing and forecasting the impacts of global change on Mediterranean rivers. The SCARCE Consolider project on Iberian basins

Introduction

The Consolider-Ingenio 2010 project SCARCE, with the full title ??Assessing and predicting effects on water quantity and quality in Iberian Rivers caused by global change?? aims to examine and predict the relevance of global change on water availability, water quality, and ecosystem services in Mediterranean river basins of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as their socio-economic impacts. Starting in December 2009, it brought together a multidisciplinary team of 11 partner Spanish institutions, as well as the active involvement of water authorities, river basin managers, and other relevant agents as stakeholders.

Methods

The study areas are the Llobregat, Ebro, Jucar, and Guadalquivir river basins. These basins have been included in previous studies and projects, the majority of whom considered some of the aspects included in SCARCE but individually. Historical data will be used as a starting point of the project but also to obtain longer time series. The main added value of SCARCE project is the inclusion of scientific disciplines ranging from hydrology, geomorphology, ecology, chemistry, and ecotoxicology, to engineering, modeling, and economy, in an unprecedented effort in the Mediterranean area. The project performs data mining, field, and lab research as well as modeling and upscaling of the findings to apply them to the entire river basin.

Results

Scales ranging from the laboratory to river basins are addressed with the potential to help improve river basin management. The project emphasizes, thus, linking basic research and management practices in a single framework. In fact, one of the main objectives of SCARCE is to act as a bridge between the scientific and the management and to transform research results on management keys and tools for improving the River Basin Management Plans. Here, we outline the general structure of the project and the activities conducted within the ten Work Packages of SCARCE.     

Bacterial community composition characterization of a lead-contaminated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microcoleus</Emphasis> sp. consortium

Introduction  

A Microcoleus sp. consortium, obtained from the Ebro delta microbial mat, was maintained under different conditions including uncontaminated, lead-contaminated, and acidic conditions.     

Recent changes in flood preparedness of private households and businesses in Germany

Using the focusing event framework, a comprehensive analysis of private households’ and businesses’ preparedness was undertaken in the aftermath of the 2002 and 2006 flood events on the Elbe River in Germany. In August 2002, preparedness of households (n = 235) and businesses (n = 103) was low: 30% of the households and 54% of the businesses took no precautionary measures before the flood event. Many undertaken emergency measures were ineffective, since only 26% of all households knew how to react when the flood warning came, and only 9% of businesses had an emergency plan in place. Due to this extreme flood, double-loop learning occurred in many households and businesses, so that many did implement precautionary measures. The distribution of adopted precautionary measures for households fits well to Preisendörfer’s low-cost hypothesis, but does not apply for businesses. Only 10% of the households (n = 112), but still 29% of the businesses (n = 41) were unprepared before the flood in 2006. Significant improvement in flood preparedness activities is still necessary. Particularly for businesses, regulatory programs and programs encouraging proactive behaviour should be implemented. The focusing event framework proofed to be a useful tool for a differentiated analysis of the responses to and learning due to a disaster also in the commercial and private sector.