Polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a one-off global survey of bivalves

During the Danish Galathea 3 expedition, bivalve samples were collected at the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Ghana, South Africa, Australia, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Chile, US Virgin Islands, Boston, Newfoundland and Shetland Islands and analysed for organochlorines and PAHs. Concentration differences of up to three orders of magnitude were observed, with the highest concentrations at Boston harbour (SPCB 338 ng g(-1) dw, ΣSPAH 5966 ng g(-1) dw) and the Sydney estuary (ΣSPCB 282 ng g(-1) dw, SPAH 1453 ng g(-1) dw). Local impacts were also found for the Greenland capital Nuuk in terms of PCB and PAH levels, while other Greenland samples came closest to representing PAH background levels. Several locations had undetectable organochlorine levels, including Hobart and Chile, which had the lowest SPAH concentrations (<200 ng g(-1) dw). It was possible to group the stations according to their pyrogenic/petrogenic influence using Principal Component Analyses, and indications of petroleum sources were found at Nuuk.     

Exposure to inhalable dust and endotoxin among Danish livestock farmers: results from the SUS cohort study

Studies on personal dust and endotoxin concentrations among animal farmers have been either small or limited to a few sectors in their investigations. The present study aimed to provide comparable information on the levels and variability of exposure to personal dust and endotoxin in different types of animal farmers. 507 personal inhalable dust samples were collected from 327 farmers employed in 54 pig, 26 dairy, 3 poultry, and 3 mink farms in Denmark. Measurements in pig and dairy farmers were full-shift and performed during summer and winter, while poultry and mink farmers were monitored during 4 well-defined production stages. The collected samples were measured for dust gravimetrically and analyzed for endotoxin by the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Simple statistics and random-effect analysis were used to describe the levels and the variability in measured dust and endotoxin exposure concentrations. Measured inhalable dust levels had an overall geometric mean of 2.5 mg m(-3) (range 相似文献   

Transport of fish from Norway: energy analysis using industrial ecology as the framework

In this article, industrial ecology is used as a framework for analysing transport energy and its implication for products. The importance of the energy use for transport in a natural resource production system is analysed. By using fish as a case study, it is shown that the amount of energy for transport is highly dependent on the transport mode used. When applying industrial ecology principles for making assessments of the environmental impacts of products, the whole product chain is examined. This is an extended life-cycle approach, which also includes the transport of the finished products from the exporter to the importing country. This last part of the transport chain can be extremely energy demanding, as is shown for the case of fish transport. This finding has implications for the products, and for the form in which the products should be transported. Increasing the energy efficiency of production systems is an important industrial ecology principle, and must be taken into consideration when analysing product chains. A revision of today's practice of transporting large quantities of fresh whole fish by transcontinental airliners is bound to be necessary. This is a consequence of the demands for increased energy efficiency of tomorrow's industrial production systems.     

Environmental sub models for a macroeconomic model: agricultural contribution to climate change and acidification in Denmark

Integrated modelling of the interaction between environmental pressure and economic development is a useful tool to evaluate environmental consequences of policy initiatives. However, the usefulness of such models is often restricted by the fact that these models only include a limited set of environmental impacts, which are often energy-related emissions. In order to evaluate the development in the overall environmental pressure correctly, these model systems must be extended. In this article an integrated macroeconomic model system of the Danish economy with environmental modules of energy related emissions is extended to include the agricultural contribution to climate change and acidification. Next to the energy sector, the agricultural sector is the most important contributor to these environmental themes and subsequently the extended model complex calculates more than 99% of the contribution to both climate change and acidification. Environmental sub-models are developed for agriculture-related emissions of CH(4), N(2)O and NH(3). Agricultural emission sources related to the production specific activity variables are mapped and emission dependent parameters are identified in order to calculate emission coefficients. The emission coefficients are linked to the economic activity variables of the Danish agricultural production. The model system is demonstrated by projections of agriculture-related emissions in Denmark under two alternative sets of assumptions: a baseline projection of the general economic development and a policy scenario for changes in the husbandry sector within the agricultural sector.     

Maternal investment,sibling competition,and offspring survival with increasing litter size and parity in pigs (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sus scrofa</Emphasis>)

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of litter size and parity on sibling competition, piglet survival, and weight gain. It was predicted that competition for teats would increase with increasing litter size, resulting in a higher mortality due to maternal infanticide (i.e., crushing) and starvation, thus keeping the number of surviving piglets constant. We predicted negative effects on weight gain with increasing litter size. Based on maternal investment theory, we also predicted that piglet mortality would be higher for litters born late in a sow's life and thus that the number of surviving piglets would be higher in early litters. As predicted, piglet mortality increased with increasing litter size both due to an increased proportion of crushed piglets, where most of them failed in the teat competition, and due to starvation caused by increased sibling competition, resulting in a constant number of survivors. Piglet weight at day 1 and growth until weaning also declined with increasing litter size. Sows in parity four had higher piglet mortality due to starvation, but the number of surviving piglets was not affected by parity. In conclusion, piglet mortality caused by maternal crushing of piglets, many of which had no teat success, and starvation caused by sibling competition, increased with increasing litter size for most sow parities. The constant number of surviving piglets at the time of weaning suggests that 10 to 11 piglets could be close to the upper limit that the domestic sow is capable of taking care of.     

Automated interpulse-duration assessment (AIDA): a new technique for detecting disturbances in cardiac activity in selected macroinvertebrates

An Automated Interpulse Duration Assessment system (AIDA) is described which permits detection of irregularities in cardiac rhythms in selected invertebrates. The sensitivity of AIDA was demonstrated by its ability to detect handling stress in mussels (Mytilus edulis) that was not evident when measuring heart rate alone. Changes in cardiac activity patterns of crabs (Carcinus maenas) held in the laboratory for up to 10 wk was also examined using the new technique. The frequency distribution of interpulse duration changed significantly as the nutritional state changed. Potential applications of the AIDA system are discussed.     

景观规划导向的绿色基础设施研究进展——基于“格局—过程—服务—可持续性”研究范式

中国目前处于新型城镇化与生态文明建设的重要时期,引入绿色基础设施（Green Infrastructure,GI）规划框架对协调城市发展与生态保护具有重要意义。基于景观生态学中“格局—过程—服务—可持续性”研究范式,对近年来中国内外GI规划进行针对性综述,利用该范式对相关研究的理论来源与进展进行梳理。研究表明：GI格局研究中,景观格局指数是应用最为广泛的方法。针对于景观连接度,形态学空间格局分析等结构连接度评价方法具有计算简单、适用性广的优势,但缺乏明确的生态学含义;图论等功能连接度则针对特定的生态过程,是GI格局与生态过程的重要联系,将是下一步研究重点。GI生态过程研究借鉴生态网络的理论与方法,其规划步骤可分为核心区选取、阻力面构建、潜在廊道识别三部分。GI生态系统服务研究中,生物物理量模型与经济计量模型广泛应用于调节、供给与支持服务评价中,而文化服务评价则将问卷调查作为基础数据获取的重要途径。另外,生态系统服务需求研究涉及到生态系统服务的实际需求与使用偏好,相关定量评价方法以及成果的实际应用有待进一步探索。GI景观可持续性研究中,在明晰GI提供的生态系统服务总量的基础上,服务间权衡与协同效应已成为GI规划中的重要考量,而情景规划可以有效模拟GI生态系统服务的动态变化。最后,GI规划应将提升景观可持续性作为规划目标,据此研究提出了重视格局与过程相互影响机制的基础研究、加深GI生态系统服务需求端研究、明晰生态系统服务间协同与权衡效应、将GI与实际规划结合四项研究展望。     

Prey-predator dynamics in rotifers: density-dependent consequences of spatial heterogeneity due to surface attachment

Classical models of prey-predator interactions assume that per capita prey consumption is dependent on prey density alone and that prey consumption (functional response) and consumer proliferation (numerical response) operate on the same timescales and without time lags. Several modifications have been proposed for resolving this timescale discrepancy, including variants where the functional response depends on both prey and predator densities. A microcosm system with the rotifer Brachionus 'Nevada' feeding on the prasinophyte Tetraselmis sp. showed significant (P < 0.0005) increases in steady-state biomasses of both prey and predators with increasing carrying capacity (represented by total phosphorus of the growth medium), which is inconsistent with predictions based on the traditional prey-only-dependent functional response. We provide data indicating that surfaces where the predator can attach provide a high-quality habitat for rotifers, which can result in a predator-dependent functional response. We also show that partitioning between the attached and free-swimming habitats was fast compared to the timescale of the numerical response. When attached to surfaces, rotifers maximized net energy gain by avoiding the high cost of swimming and by increased food capture due to reduced viscous drag. A mathematical model with prey-dependent functional response and wall-attached and free-swimming fractions of the population describes our data adequately. We discuss the implications of this finding for extrapolating microcosm experiments to systems with other surface-to-volume ratios, and to what extent our findings may apply to other popular model organisms for prey-predator interaction.