ERI evaluation of injectates used at a dry‐cleaning site

A former dry‐cleaning site in Jackson, Tennessee, has undergone remediation to treat dense nonaqueous‐phase liquid (trichloroethene [TCE] and tetrachloroethene [PCE]) contamination in the subsurface. The dry cleaning operation closed in 1977. In 2002, a series of injections were made at the site consisting of corn syrup, vegetable oils, and Simple Green®. In 2004, approximately 200 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated, and the bottom of the excavation was covered with sodium lactate. In 2009, the site was characterized using proprietary electrical resistivity imaging (ERI; commercially available as Aestus GeoTrax Surveys^TM). Follow‐up confirmation soil borings targeted anomalies detected via the geophysical work. The results indicate an extremely electrically conductive (less than 1 ohm‐m) vadose zone downgradient from the injection wells, and extremely electrically resistive areas (greater than 10,000 ohm‐m) in the phreatic zone near the injection area. The sample data indicate that the electrically resistive anomalous zones contain moderate to high concentrations of undegraded dry‐cleaning compounds. Electrically conductive anomalous zones are interpreted to be areas of biological activity generated by the amendments injected into the subsurface based on the extreme conductivity values detected, the chemical composition (i.e., PCE degradates are present), and the dominant vadose‐zone location of the conductive zones. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Microbial consortia increase thermal tolerance of corals

This study examined the response of a coral holobiont to thermal stress when the bacterial community was treated with antibiotics. Colonies of Pocillopora damicornis were exposed to broad and narrow-spectrum antibiotics targeting coral-associated α and γ-Proteobacteria. Corals were gradually heated from the control temperature of 26 to 31 °C, and measurements were made of host, zooxanthellar and microbial condition. Antibiotics artificially reduced the abundance and activity of bacteria, but had minimal effect on zooxanthellae photosynthetic efficiency or host tissue protein content. Heated corals without antibiotics showed significant declines in F _V /F _M , typical of thermal stress. However, heated corals treated with antibiotics showed severe tissue loss in addition to a decline in F _V /F _M . This study demonstrated that a disruption to the microbial consortium diminished the resilience of the holobiont. Corals exposed to antibiotics under control temperature did not bleach, suggesting that temperature may be an important factor influencing the activity, diversity and ecological function of the holobiont bacterial community.     

Towards improved socio-economic assessments of ocean acidification’s impacts

Ocean acidification is increasingly recognized as a component of global change that could have a wide range of impacts on marine organisms, the ecosystems they live in, and the goods and services they provide humankind. Assessment of these potential socio-economic impacts requires integrated efforts between biologists, chemists, oceanographers, economists and social scientists. But because ocean acidification is a new research area, significant knowledge gaps are preventing economists from estimating its welfare impacts. For instance, economic data on the impact of ocean acidification on significant markets such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism are very limited (if not non-existent), and non-market valuation studies on this topic are not yet available. Our paper summarizes the current understanding of future OA impacts and sets out what further information is required for economists to assess socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification. Our aim is to provide clear directions for multidisciplinary collaborative research.     

Impacts of ocean acidification on marine shelled molluscs

Over the next century, elevated quantities of atmospheric CO₂ are expected to penetrate into the oceans, causing a reduction in pH (?0.3/?0.4 pH unit in the surface ocean) and in the concentration of carbonate ions (so-called ocean acidification). Of growing concern are the impacts that this will have on marine and estuarine organisms and ecosystems. Marine shelled molluscs, which colonized a large latitudinal gradient and can be found from intertidal to deep-sea habitats, are economically and ecologically important species providing essential ecosystem services including habitat structure for benthic organisms, water purification and a food source for other organisms. The effects of ocean acidification on the growth and shell production by juvenile and adult shelled molluscs are variable among species and even within the same species, precluding the drawing of a general picture. This is, however, not the case for pteropods, with all species tested so far, being negatively impacted by ocean acidification. The blood of shelled molluscs may exhibit lower pH with consequences for several physiological processes (e.g. respiration, excretion, etc.) and, in some cases, increased mortality in the long term. While fertilization may remain unaffected by elevated pCO₂, embryonic and larval development will be highly sensitive with important reductions in size and decreased survival of larvae, increases in the number of abnormal larvae and an increase in the developmental time. There are big gaps in the current understanding of the biological consequences of an acidifying ocean on shelled molluscs. For instance, the natural variability of pH and the interactions of changes in the carbonate chemistry with changes in other environmental stressors such as increased temperature and changing salinity, the effects of species interactions, as well as the capacity of the organisms to acclimate and/or adapt to changing environmental conditions are poorly described.     

Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird

Kin selection has played an important role in the evolution and maintenance of cooperative breeding behaviour in many bird species. However, although relatedness has been shown to affect the investment decisions of helpers in such systems, less is known about the role that kin discrimination plays in other contexts, such as communal roosting. Individuals that roost communally benefit from reduced overnight heat loss, but the exact benefit derived depends on an individual's position in the roost which in turn is likely to be influenced by its position in its flock's dominance hierarchy. We studied the effects of kinship and other factors (sex, age, body size and flock sex ratio) on an individual's roosting position and dominance status in captive flocks of cooperatively breeding long-tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus. We found that overall, kinship had little influence on either variable tested; kinship had no effect on a bird's position in its flock's dominance hierarchy and the effect of kinship on roosting position was dependent on the bird's size. Males were generally dominant over females and birds were more likely to occupy preferred roosting positions if they were male, old and of high status. In this context, the effect of kinship on social interactions appears to be less important than the effects of other factors, possibly due to the complex kin structure of winter flocks compared to breeding groups.     

Association between asthma,chronic bronchitis,emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,and lung cancer in the US population

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Lung cancer is one of the primary causes of death with poor life expectancy after diagnosis. History of past respiratory diseases such as asthma,...     

Integrating larval connectivity into the marine conservation decision-making process across spatial scales

Larval dispersal connectivity is typically integrated into spatial conservation decisions at regional or national scales, but implementing agencies struggle with translating these methods to local scales. We used larval dispersal connectivity at regional (hundreds of kilometers) and local (tens of kilometers) scales to aid in design of networks of no-take reserves in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. We used Marxan with Connectivity informed by biophysical larval dispersal models and remotely sensed coral reef habitat data to design marine reserve networks for 4 commercially important reef species across the region. We complemented regional spatial prioritization with decision trees that combined network-based connectivity metrics and habitat quality to design reserve boundaries locally. Decision trees were used in consensus-based workshops with stakeholders to qualitatively assess site desirability, and Marxan was used to identify areas for subsequent network expansion. Priority areas for protection and expected benefits differed among species, with little overlap in reserve network solutions. Because reef quality varied considerably across reefs, we suggest reef degradation must inform the interpretation of larval dispersal patterns and the conservation benefits achievable from protecting reefs. Our methods can be readily applied by conservation practitioners, in this region and elsewhere, to integrate connectivity data across multiple spatial scales.     

Region-wide retreats from lower elevations of range-restricted birds across the Northern Andes

Local studies show upslope shifts in the distribution of tropical birds in response to warming temperatures. Unanswered is whether these upward shifts occur regionally across many species. We considered a nearly 2000-km length of the Northern Andes, where deforestation, temperature, and extreme weather events have increased during the past decades. Range-restricted bird species are particularly vulnerable to such events and occur in exceptionally high numbers in this region. Using abundant crowd-sourced data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology database, eBird, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, we documented distributions of nearly 200 such species. We examined whether species shifted their elevational ranges over time by comparing observed versus expected occurrences below a low elevational threshold and above a high elevational threshold for 2 periods: before and after 2005. We predicted fewer observations at lower elevations (those below the threshold) and more at upper elevations (those above the threshold) after 2005. We also tested for deforestation effects at lower elevations within each species’ distribution ranges. We compared relative forest loss with the differences between observed and expected occurrences across the elevational range. Species’ retreats from lower elevations were ubiquitous and involved a 23–40% decline in prevalence at the lowest elevations. Increases at higher elevations were not consistent. The retreats occurred across a broad spectrum of species, from predominantly lowland to predominantly highland. Because deforestation showed no relationship with species retreats, we contend that a warming climate is the most parsimonious explanation for such shifts.     

Association between environmental toxic metals,arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the US adult population

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Associations between environmental metals and chemicals and adverse human health effects have emerged recently, but the links among environmental...