Do native brown trout and non-native brook trout interact reproductively?

Reproductive interactions between native and non-native species of fish have received little attention compared to other types of interactions such as predation or competition for food and habitat. We studied the reproductive interactions between non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and native brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a Pyrenees Mountain stream (SW France). We found evidence of significant interspecific interactions owing to consistent spatial and temporal overlap in redd localizations and spawning periods. We observed mixed spawning groups composed of the two species, interspecific subordinate males, and presence of natural hybrids (tiger trout). These reproductive interactions could be detrimental to the reproduction success of both species. Our study shows that non-native species might have detrimental effects on native species via subtle hybridization behavior.     

Innocent until proven guilty? Stable coexistence of alien rainbow trout and native marble trout in a Slovenian stream

To understand the consequences of the invasion of the nonnative rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss on the native marble trout Salmo marmoratus, we compared two distinct headwater sectors where marble trout occur in allopatry (MTa) or sympatry (MTs) with rainbow trout (RTs) in the Idrijca River (Slovenia). Using data from field surveys from 2002 to 2009, with biannual (June and September) sampling and tagging from June 2004 onwards, we analyzed body growth and survival probabilities of marble trout in each stream sector. Density of age-0 in September over the study period was greater for MTs than MTa and very similar between MTs and RTs, while density of trout ≥age-1 was similar for MTa and MTs and greater than density of RTs. Monthly apparent survival probabilities were slightly higher in MTa than in MTs, while RTs showed a lower survival than MTs. Mean weight of marble and rainbow trout aged 0+ in September was negatively related to cohort density for both marble and rainbow trout, but the relationship was not significantly different between MTs and MTa. No clear depression of body growth of sympatric marble trout between sampling intervals was observed. Despite a later emergence, mean weight of RTs cohorts at age 0+ in September was significantly higher than weight of both MTs and MTa. The establishment of a self-sustaining population of rainbow trout does not have a significant impact on body growth and survival probabilities of sympatric marble trout. The numerical dominance of rainbow trout in streams at lower altitudes seem to suggest that while the low summer flow pattern of Slovenian streams is favorable for rainbow trout invasion, the adaptation of marble trout to headwater environments may limit the invasion success of rainbow trout in headwaters.     

Reconstructing the anatomy of the 42-million-year-old fossil †Mengea tertiaria (Insecta, Strepsiptera)

Fossilization in amber is unique in preserving specimens with microscopic fidelity; however, arthropod inclusions are rarely examined beyond the exoskeleton as this requires destructive sampling when traditional techniques are used. We report the first complete, digital 3D, non-destructive reconstruction of the anatomy of an insect fossil, a specimen of †Mengea tertiaria embedded in a 42-Ma Baltic amber. This was made possible using Synchrotron μ-CT. The species belongs to the stem group of the phylogenetically enigmatic and extremely specialized Strepsiptera. Most internal structures of the fossil are preserved, but small parts of the lumen had decayed due to incomplete infiltration of the resin. Data on internal organs provided additional information for resolving phylogenetic relationships. A sister group relationship between †Mengea and all extant lineages of the group was confirmed with characters previously not accessible. The newly gained information also yielded some insights in the biology of †Mengea and the early evolutionary history of Strepsiptera. The technique has a tremendous potential for a more accurate interpretation of diverse fossil arthropods preserved in ambers from 130 Ma to the present.     

Do geomagnetic storms change the behaviour of the stingless bee guiruçu (Schwarziana quadripunctata)?

Six behavioural experiments were carried out to investigate the magnetic field effects on the nest-exiting flight directions of the honeybee Schwarziana quadripunctata (Meliponini). No significant differences resulted during six experiment days under varying geomagnetic field and the applied static inhomogeneous field (about ten times the geomagnetic field) conditions. A surprising statistically significant response was obtained on a unique magnetic storm day. The magnetic nanoparticles in these bees, revealed by ferromagnetic resonance, could be involved in the observed effect of the geomagnetic storm.     

The expected impact of the “Peace Conduit” project (the Red Sea - Dead Sea pipeline) on the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a severely disturbed ecosystem, greatly damaged by anthropogenic intervention in its water balance. During the 20th century, the Dead Sea level dropped by more than 25 meters, and presently (2003) it is at about 416 meters below mean sea level. This negative water balance is mainly due to the diversion of water from the catchment area of the lake by Israel, Jordan and Syria. During the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Israel and Jordan jointly announced their interest in saving the Dead Sea by constructing the “Peace Conduit” that will pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The inflow of seawater (or reject brine after desalinization) into the Dead Sea will have a major impact on its limnology, geochemistry and biology. During the filling stage, relatively diluted surface water will form and the rate of evaporation will therefore increase. Dilution of the surface water will most likely result in microbial blooming whose duration is not known, while the lower water layer is likely to develop reducing conditions, including bacterial sulfate reduction and presence of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). Mixing between the calcium-rich Dead Sea brine and the sulfate-rich seawater will result in gypsum precipitation (CaSO₄⋅ 2H₂O). Once the target level is reached, inflow will be outbalanced by evaporation and salinity of the surface water will increase due to accumulation of seawater-salts. The water column will re-mix when the density of the surface water will equal that of the lower water column. In spite of its large volume and high salinity relative to that of the inflowing water, over the long run the composition of this unique lake will change. Before a decision is made on the planning and construction of the Conduit, it is essential that the long term evolution and characteristics of the “renewed” Dead Sea be known and anticipated changes examined. Once decided upon, the planning and construction of the Conduit should be conducted so as to minimize possible negative impacts of seawater introduction on the Dead Sea. This can only be achieved through a thorough understanding of the expected changes in the limnological physical/chemical characteristics of the Dead Sea and its unique brine.     

The curve of ion exchange ratio(%)-pH of the interaction between suspended particles with Cd(II) in the Yellow River

The curve of ion exchange ratio(%)-pH of the interactionbetween suspended particles with Cd(II) in the Yellow River wasstudied. The effects of lysine on this curve have been alsoinvestigated. The results showed that (1) Cadmium in Cd(OH)+ formin the suspended particles exchanges with the cations.The exchangeratio of Cd2+ is nearly at its greatest value in the range of pH(8.0-8.5) in natural aquatic system; (2) Ion exchange ratiodecreases as the concentration of Cd2+ raises from 8.9×10-6 mol/L to 2x8.9 x 10-6mol/L; (3) At the lysine concentration of 6.8x10-6 mol/L, it can promote the ion exchange ratio; (4) Adsorption of thesuspended particles to cadmium is weaker in seawater and Jin ShaRiver than in the Yellow River.     

The curve of ion exchange ratio(%)-pH of the interaction between suspended particles with Cd(Ⅱ) in the Yellow River

Ｔｈｅｃｕｒｖｅｏｆｉｏｎｅｘｃｈａｎｇｅｒａｔｉｏ（％）ｐＨｏｆｔｈｅｉｎｔｅｒａｃｔｉｏｎｂｅｔｗｅｎｓｕｓｐｅｎｄｅｄｐａｒｔｉｃｌｅｓｗｉｔｈＣｄ（Ⅱ）ｉｎｔｈｅＹｅｌｏｗＲｉｖｅｒＹａｎｇＨｏｎｇｗｅｉ，ＪｉａｏＸｉａｏｂａｏ，Ｇｕ...     

Summary report on the activities of the first session of SCOPE China/CAST (1988.7-1992.6)

1 Founding of SCOPE China CAST supported the setting up of SCOPE China in early 1988. Mr. Lu Jingting, Professors Ma Shijun and Zhuang Yahui participated in the 7th SCOPE General As- sembly in June, 1988, at which SCOPE China/CAST was admitted as a SCOPE mem-ber. Then the first plenary meeting of SCOPE China was held in Beijing in July, 1988 and the Constitution of SCOPE China was adopted and the committee of     

Changes in nitrogen budget and potential risk to the environment over 20 years(1990–2010) in the agroecosystems of the Haihe Basin,China

The nitrogen balance can serve as an indicator of the risk to the environment of nitrogen loss from agricultural land. To investigate the temporal and spatial changes in agricultural nitrogen application and its potential threat to the environment of the Haihe Basin in China, we used a database of county-level agricultural statistics to calculate agricultural nitrogen input, output,surplus intensity, and use efficiency. Chemical fertilizer nitrogen input increased by 51.7% from1990 to 2000 and by 37.2% from 2000 to 2010, concomitant with increasing crop yields.Simultaneously, the nitrogen surplus intensity increased by 53.5% from 1990 to 2000 and by16.5% from 2000 to 2010, presenting a continuously increased environmental risk. Nitrogen use efficiency decreased from 0.46 in 1990 to 0.42 in 2000 and remained constant at 0.42 in 2010,partly due to fertilizer composition and type improvement. This level indicates that more than half of nitrogen inputs are lost in agroecosystems. Our results suggest that although the improvement in fertilizer composition and types has partially offset the decrease in nitrogen use efficiency, the environmental risk has still increased gradually over the past 20 years, along with the increase in crop yields and nitrogen application. It is important to achieve a better nitrogen balance through more effective management to significantly reduce the environmental risk,decrease nitrogen surplus intensity, and increase nitrogen use efficiency without sacrificing crop yields.     

The effect of light on the Mn(II) or Fet(lll)-catalyzed oxidation of aqueous S(IV)

ＴｈｅｅｆｆｅｃｔｏｆｌｉｇｈｔｏｎｔｈｅＭｎ（ＩＩ）ｏｒＦｅｔｌｌｌ）ｘａｔａｌｙｚｅｄｏｘｉｄａｔｉｏｎｏｆａｑｕｅｏｕｓＳ（ＩＶ）ＸｕＹｏｎｇｆｕ（ＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＡｔｍｏｓｐｈｅｒｉｃＰｈｙｓｉｃｓ，ＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＡｃａｄｅｍｙｏｆＳｃ...     

The Expected Impact of the Peace Conduit Project (The Red Sea – Dead Sea Pipeline) on the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea of Israel, Jordan and Syria is a severely disturbed ecosystem, greatly damaged by anthropogenic intervention in its water balance. During the 20 th century, the Dead Sea level dropped by more than 25 meters, and presently (2003) it is at about 416 meters below mean sea level. This negative water balance is mainly due to the diversion of water from the catchment area of the lake by Israel, Jordan and Syria. During the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Israel and Jordan jointly announced their interest in saving the Dead Sea by constructing the ‘Peace Conduit’ that will pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The inflow of seawater (or reject brine after desalinization) into the Dead Sea will have a major impact on its limnology, geochemistry and biology. During the filling stage, relatively diluted surface water will form and the rate of evaporation will therefore increase. Dilution of the surface water will most likely result in microbial blooming whose duration is not known, while the lower water layer is likely to develop reducing conditions, including bacterial sulfate reduction and presence of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). Mixing between the calcium-rich Dead Sea brine and the sulfate-rich seawater will result in gypsum precipitation (CaSO₄·2H₂O). Once the target level is reached, inflow will be outbalanced by evaporation and salinity of the surface water will increase due to accumulation of sea water-salts. The water column will remix when the density of the surface water will equal that of the lower water column. In spite of its large volume and high salinity relative to that of the inflowing water, over the long run the composition of this unique lake will change. Before a decision is made on the planning and construction of the Conduit, it is essential that the long term evolution and characteristics of the ‘renewed’ Dead Sea be known and anticipated changes examined. Once decided upon, the planning and construction of the Conduit should be conducted so as to minimize possible negative impacts of seawater introduction on the Dead Sea. This can only be achieved through a thorough understanding of the expected changes in the limnological physical/chemical characteristics of the Dead Sea and its unique brine.     

Did the Romans introduce the Egyptian mongoose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Herpestes ichneumon</Emphasis>) into the Iberian Peninsula?

New finds of bones of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), one from Portugal and one from Spain, were directly ¹⁴C dated to the first century AD. While the Portuguese specimen was found without connection to the Chalcolithic occupation of the Pedra Furada cave where it was recovered, the Spanish find, collected in the city of Mérida, comes from a ritual pit that also contained three human and 40 dog burials. The finds reported here show that the Egyptian mongoose, contrary to the traditional and predominant view, did not first arrive in the Iberian Peninsula during the Muslim occupation of Iberia. Instead, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the species was first introduced by the Romans, or at least sometime during the Roman occupation of Hispania. Therefore, radiocarbon dating of new archaeological finds of bones of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in the Iberian Peninsula push back the confirmed presence of the species in the region by approximately eight centuries, as the previously oldest dated record is from the ninth century. With these new dates, there are now a total of four ¹⁴C dated specimens of Egyptian mongooses from the Iberian Peninsula, and all of these dates fall within the last 2000 years. This offers support for the hypothesis that the presence of the species in Iberia is due to historical introductions and is at odds with a scenario of natural sweepstake dispersal across the Straits of Gibraltar in the Late Pleistocene (126,000–11,700 years ago), recently proposed based on genetic data.     

Are dioxin-like contaminants responsible for the eel (Anguilla anguilla) drama?

Eel populations worldwide are dangerously close to collapsing. Our study is the first to show that current levels of dioxin-like contaminants are strong candidates because of their devastating effects on development and survival of eel embryos. Female and male silver eels were artificially stimulated to maturation and reproduction by treatment with carp pituitary extracts and hCG, respectively. During maturation of female European silver eels, about 60 g fat per kg eel is incorporated in the oocytes. Together with the fat, however, persistent organic pollutants such as dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are incorporated too. The total dioxin-like toxic potency of the individual gonad batches was determined as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxine equivalents (TEQs), using an in vitro reporter gene assay. The observed differences in development and survival showed a significant negative correlation with the TEQ levels in the gonads, already at levels far below the maximal allowable level for fish consumption, i.e., 4 ng TEQ/kg fish. The clear inverse relationship between the TEQ level and the survival period of the fertilised eggs strongly suggests that the current levels of dioxin-like compounds seriously impair the reproduction of the European eel. The peak of the environmental levels of dioxin-like PCBs and the decline of eel coincide worldwide, further suggesting that, in addition to other threats, these contaminants contributed significantly to the current collapse in eel populations.     

Effects of ground-level ozone (O_3) pollution on the yields of rice and winter wheat in the Yangtze River Delta

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｎＣｈｉｎａ ,ｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｒａｐｉｄｅｃｏｎｏｍｉｃｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔａｎｄｕｎｐｒｅｃｅｄｅｎｔｅｄｃｈａｎｇｅｓｉｎｌａｎｄｕｓｅ ,ａｒｔｉｆｉｃｉａｌｅｍｉｓｓｉｏｎｏｆＮＯｘａｎｄＶＯＣｓｈａｓｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅｄｓｉｇｎｉｆｉｃａｎｔｌｙｔｏｔｈｅｄｏｕｂｌｅｄｕｒｉｎｇｔｈｅｐａｓｔ 11ｙｅａｒｓａｎｄｒｅａｃｈｅｓｔｈｅｓａｍｅｌｅｖｅｌａｓＵＳＡａｎｄＥｕｒｏｐｅ(Ｅｌｌｉｏｔｔ,1997) .Ａｓａｒｅｓｕｌｔ,ｔｈｅｇｒｏｕｎｄ ｌｅｖｅｌＯ3ｃｏｎｃｅｎｔ…     

What’s the buzz? Ultrasonic and sonic warning signals in caterpillars of the great peacock moth (Saturnia pyri)

Caterpillars have many natural enemies and, therefore, have evolved a diversity of antipredator strategies. Most research focuses on those strategies (crypsis, countershading, and warning coloration) targeting visually guided predators. In contrast, defensive sounds, although documented for more than a century, have been poorly studied. We report on a novel form of sound production—chirping—in caterpillars of the common European Great Peacock moth (Saturnia pyri). Chirps are broadband, with dominant peaks ranging between the sonic (3.7 kHz) and ultrasonic (55.1 kHz) and are generated by a rapid succession of mandibular “tooth strikes.” Chirp trains are induced by simulated predator attacks and precede or accompany the secretion of a defensive chemical from integumental bristles, supporting our hypothesis that these sounds function in acoustic aposematism. We propose that these caterpillars generate multimodal warning signals (visual, chemical, and acoustic) to target the dominant sensory modalities of different predators, including birds, bats, and invertebrates. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Distribution of actinomycetes in oil contaminated ultisols of the Niger Delta (Nigeria)

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＡｃｔｉｎｏｍｙｃｅｔｅｓ(ｆｉｌａｍｅｎｔｏｕｓｂａｃｔｅｒｉａ)ｃｏｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅａｇｒｏｕｐｏｆｍｉｃｒｏｏｒｇａｎｉｓｍｓｔｈａｔｉｓｗｉｄｅｌｙｄｉｓｔｒｉｂｕｔｅｄｉｎｓｏｉｌ.Ｐｌａｔｉｎｇｅｓｔｉｍａｔｅｓｇｉｖｅｖａｌｕｅｓｒａｎｇｉｎｇｂｅｔｗｅｅｎ 10 5ａｎｄ 10 8ｃｏｌｏｎｙｆｏｒｍｉｎｇｕｎｉｔｓ(ｃｆｕ) ｐｅｒｇｒａｍｏｆｓｏｉｌｉｎｔｅｍｐｅｒａｔｅｚｏｎｅａｌｔｈｏｕｇｈｌｏｗｅｒｖａｌｕｅｓｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎｒｅｃｏｒｄｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｒｅｇｉｏ…