River restoration: the fuzzy logic of repairing reaches to reverse catchment scale degradation

River restoration is an increasingly common approach utilized to reverse past degradation of freshwater ecosystems and to mitigate the anticipated damage to freshwaters from future development and resource-extraction activities. While the practice of river restoration has grown exponentially over the last several decades, there has been little empirical evaluation of whether restoration projects individually or cumulatively achieve the legally mandated goals of improving the structure and function of streams and rivers. New efforts to evaluate river restoration projects that use channel reconfiguration as a methodology for improving stream ecosystem structure and function are finding little evidence for measurable ecological improvement. While designed channels may have less-incised banks and greater sinuousity than the degraded streams they replace, these reach-scale efforts do not appear to be effectively mitigating the physical, hydrological, or chemical alterations that are responsible for the loss of sensitive taxa and the declines in water quality that typically motivate restoration efforts. Here we briefly summarize this new literature, including the collection of papers within this Invited Feature, and provide our perspective on the limitations of current restoration.     

Evaluation of urban solid-waste generation and safety consciousness of waste collectors amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This study investigates solid-waste handling practices by municipal waste collectors during COVID-19 pandemic period in Osogbo urban areas with the...     

Differences in feeding ecology among three co-occurring species of wrasse (Teleostei: Labridae) on rocky reefs of temperate Australia

The foraging behaviours and dietary compositions of three co-occurring labrids (Ophthalmolepis lineolatus, Notolabrus gymnogenis and Pictilabrus laticlavius), which are conspicuous on rocky reefs in temperate south-eastern Australia, were investigated between 2003 and 2005. SCUBA observations at two locations showed that the feeding intensity, and hence the associated effects of these fishes on rocky reef invertebrate prey, was temporally consistent. Relative differences in the contributions of ingested prey and use of different feeding microhabitats demonstrated that the feeding ecology differed significantly among the three species. Thus, O. lineolatus fed on proportionately higher volumes of polychaetes, polyplacophorans, marginellid gastropods (especially Austroginella sp.), bivalves and echinoids, which were sighted opportunistically in a wide selection of microhabitats, but particularly in sand/rubble. Ambush hunting was used regularly by smaller N. gymnogenis and all sizes of P. laticlavius to forage on amphipods, small decapods and small gastropods at algal bases or fronds and Diopatra dentata tubes. Amphipods were similarly important in the diet of smaller O. lineolatus. Larger N. gymnogenis foraged opportunistically over an increased reef area and made greater use of microhabitats that offered minimal prey refuge (e.g. sand/rubble, bare rock/steel) from which common prey, in particular decapods, were obtained. The significant intra- and inter-specific differences in dietary compositions, allied with differences in the use of feeding microhabitats, would facilitate co-occurrence of these three conspicuous species and contribute to maintaining high richness of labrid species in reef systems. Echinoids were regularly consumed by each species but they made a moderate contribution to the diet of only O. lineolatus, which suggests that only one of the three labrids is likely to play a significant role in regulation of echinoid densities in these rocky reef habitats. However, the broad diets and diverse forging strategies employed by these labrid species imply that they have a system-wide influence on invertebrate prey on rocky reefs.     

Monitoring and adaptive management: resolving social and organisational issues to improve information sharing in natural resource management

Adaptive, or 'learning by doing', approaches are often advocated as a means of providing increased understanding within natural resource management. However, a number of organisational and social issues need to be resolved if these approaches are to be used successfully. A case study in the South Island high country of New Zealand is used to review what is needed to support an ongoing community-based monitoring and adaptive management programme. First, the case study is described, paying attention to the social context of the resource management problem. The results of a workshop that explored this problem are then outlined, along with a proposed information flow suggested by participants. Requirements for future steps to resolve these problems (such as information protocols and a multi-stakeholder information system) are discussed. Finally, some broad lessons are drawn from this exercise that could help others developing similar approaches.     

Odour transfer in stingless bee marmelada (Frieseomelitta varia) demonstrates that entrance guards use an “undesirable–absent” recognition system

In group-level recognition, discriminators use sensory information to distinguish group members and non-members. For example, entrance guards in eusocial insect colonies discriminate nestmates from intruders by comparing their odour with a template of the colony odour. Despite being a species-rich group of eusocial bees closely related to the honey bees, stingless bee nestmate recognition is a relatively little-studied area. We studied Frieseomelitta varia, a common Brazilian species of stingless bee known as marmelada. By measuring the rejection rates of nestmate and non-nestmate worker bees by guards, we were able to show that guards became significantly less accepting (from 91 to 46%) of nestmates that had acquired odour cues from non-nestmate workers; however, guards did not become significantly more accepting (from 31 to 42%) of non-nestmates that had acquired equivalent amounts of odour cues from the guard’s nestmates. These data strongly suggest that guards use an “undesirable–absent” system in recognition, whereby incoming conspecific workers are only accepted if undesirable cues are absent, despite the presence of desirable cues. We suggest that an undesirable–absent system is adaptive because robbing by conspecifics may be an important selective factor in F. varia, which would lead to selection for a non-permissive acceptance strategy by guards.     

Influence of Indigenous Knowledge and Scientific Climate Forecasts on Arable Farmers’ Climate Adaptation Methods in the Rwenzori region,Western Uganda

Environmental Management - This paper investigates the influence of using indigenous forecasts (IF) and scientific forecasts (SF) on arable farmers’ adaptation methods in the Rwenzori region,...     

Prenatal diagnosis and management of anterior abdominal wall defects in the West of Scotland

An attempt was made to identify all the cases of abdominal wall defects occurring in the West of Scotland over a 7-year period to determine the current incidence, prenatal diagnosis, management, and prognosis for fetuses and neonates with abdominal wall defects. Cases were identified because they presented either for prenatal diagnosis, or to the Department of Pathology following termination or spontaneous pregnancy loss, or as neonates to the Neonatal Surgical Department. The incidence of abdominal wall defects was found to be 1 in 2500 births. Exomphalos was diagnosed before birth in 66 per cent of cases, and in 30 per cent of cases it was associated with another major abnormality. There was a 20 per cent intact survival in the cases diagnosed prenatally who had no fetal anomaly and who opted to continue with the pregnancy. Gastroschisis was diagnosed before delivery in 70 per cent of cases, and in the group who continued with the pregnancy there was an intact survival of 77 per cent. Body stalk anomalies were all diagnosed prenatally and terminated. Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein was elevated in 89 per cent of the cases with exomphalos and in 100 per cent of the cases with gastroschisis and body stalk anomalies in which it was tested.     

An aggregation pheromone of Sitona lineatus

The Science of Nature -     

Familial congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Prenatal diagnosis,management, and outcome

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a developmental defect of as yet unknown aetiology which accounts for 8 per cent of all major congenital anomalies and is associated with up to 80 per cent mortality despite optimal postnatal treatment. The risk of recurrence of CDH for future sibs after one affected infant is about 2 per cent. A multifactorial/threshold inheritance pattern with an observed high male:female sex ratio is currently favoured for the rare occurrence of familial CDH, although other modes of inheritance have also been described. We report three cases of familial CDH, two of whom were brother and sister sibs and the third was a first cousin, born within 18 months of each other. The diagnosis was by ultrasound and there were several factors predicting a poor outcome. The mortality in this group was 100 per cent. The prenatal diagnosis, treatment options, the unusual genetic aspects, outcome, and the pathology involved are discussed.