Biological interactions and environmental effects in the economics of pest control

The problem of pest control is tackled in a context of an ecosystem that consists of prey-predator populations with human interaction through pesticide application. The control, aimed at reducing pest damage, results in two undesirable external effects: reduction of beneficial predator population and environmental contamination. The untapped natural equilibrium is compared with equilibrium resulting from decentralized and centralized economic decision making. It is shown that, under certain conditions, myopic decision rules increase rather than decrease the pest damage. The “user cost” (or benefit) is shown to be crucial in determining the optimal centralized policy, and its relations to the various components of the system are analyzed. The components of the user cost are analyzed to determine the level of taxes or subsidies that will yield the optimal policy.     

Landscape consequences of aggregation rules for functional equivalence in compensatory mitigation programs

Mitigation and offset programs designed to compensate for ecosystem function losses due to development must balance losses from affected ecosystems with gains in restored ecosystems. Aggregation rules applied to ecosystem functions to assess site equivalence are based on implicit assumptions about the substitutability of functions among sites and can profoundly influence the distribution of restored ecosystem functions on the landscape. We investigated the consequences of rules applied to the aggregation of ecosystem functions for wetland offsets in the Beaverhill watershed in Alberta, Canada. We considered the fate of 3 ecosystem functions: hydrology, water purification, and biodiversity. We set up an affect‐and‐offset algorithm to simulate the effect of aggregation rules on ecosystem function for wetland offsets. Cobenefits and trade‐offs among functions and the constraints posed by the quantity and quality of restorable sites resulted in a redistribution of functions between affected and offset wetlands. Hydrology and water purification functions were positively correlated with one another and negatively correlated with biodiversity function. Weighted‐average rules did not replace functions in proportion to their weights. Rules prioritizing biodiversity function led to more monofunctional wetlands and landscapes. The minimum rule, for which the wetland score was equal to the worst performing function, promoted multifunctional wetlands and landscapes. The maximum rule, for which the wetland score was equal to the best performing function, promoted monofunctional wetlands and multifunctional landscapes. Because of implicit trade‐offs among ecosystem functions, no‐net‐loss objectives for multiple functions should be constructed within a landscape context. Based on our results, we suggest criteria for the design of aggregation rules for no net loss of ecosystem functions within a landscape context include the concepts of substitutability, cobenefits and trade‐offs, landscape constraints, heterogeneity, and the precautionary principle.     

Macro-habitat patch structure,environmental harshness,and Marmota flaviventris

Summary Social behavior of 15 colonies of Yellow-bellied Marmots was studied at sites differing in both elevation (plant growing season length) and patch structure (density and spacing of suitable colony sites in large blocks of habitat) from 1976 through 1978. Colonies were typically composed of family groups. In low elevation colonies, offspring dispersed at the end of the juvenile year. In all high elevation areas, offspring dispersed as yearlings, and parent-offspring and sibling interactions during the juvenile year were highly amicable. In high elevation areas in continuous habitat, dispersal by yearlings occurred with no agonistic interactions. In high elevation areas with patchy habitat, however, brief but intense periods of extremely agonistic sibling and parent-offspring interactions occurred immediately prior to dispersal of yearlings.Social behavior and dispersal are uncorrelated with elevation, plant growing season length, or available foraging time. Social interaction among relatives in marmot colonies is amicable when other suitable colony sites are located nearby; in these areas, dispersal occurs without any antagonism. Agonistic behavior occurs only in areas with a patchy distribution of suitable colony sites. At these sites, dispersal occurs only after periods of extreme antagonism. Further, those offspring who do not disperse from the colony site are the ones who dominate and initiate agonistic interactions with their siblings. The large-scale structure of the habitat influences the propensity of the individual to disperse. When the animal is reluctant to disperse because of a combination of high transit difficulty and low desirability of a new site, angonistic social interactions with relatives force dispersal.     

Parameterising competing zooplankton for survival in plankton functional type models

Marine plankton ecosystems are an important component of biogeochemical cycling in the oceans. Operational plankton functional type (PFT) models, that group plankton according to their biogeochemical properties, are currently being developed to resolve biogenic gas exchange between the ocean and atmosphere, and to model the lowest trophic levels in fisheries models. A fundamental problem with these models is that PFTs often go extinct in computer simulations, effectively removing the biogeochemical processes from the models. Cropp and Norbury [Cropp, R., Norbury, J., 2009a. Parameterizing plankton functional type models: insights from a dynamical systems perspective. J. Plankton Res. 31, 939-963] demonstrated that parameter combinations that allowed all PFTs to stay extant for all time in stable, homogeneous environments were rare in a PFT model with two competing phytoplankton and one zooplankton (NP₁P₂Z). In this paper, we examine the dynamical properties of a generic predator-predator-prey PFT model, and apply the analysis techniques developed by Cropp and Norbury to a simple example PFT model with one phytoplankton and two zooplankton (NPZ₁Z₂) in order to explore its properties and parameter space. We find that the properties of predator-predator-prey PFT systems are fundamentally different from those of predator-prey-prey PFT systems. The likelihood of parameter combinations for which all PFTs stay extant for all time in predator-predator-prey PFT systems depends critically on the process formulations used, and the properties of co-existing zooplankton (as defined by their parameter values) are quite different to those of co-existing phytoplankton.     

Micro-nano-fabrication of green functional materials by multiphase microfluidics for environmental and energy applications

Multiphase microfluidic has emerged as a powerful platform to produce novel materials with tailor-designed functionalities, as microfluidic fabrication provides precise controls over the size, component, and structure of resultant materials. Recently, functional materials with welldefined micro-/nanostructures fabricated by microfluidics find important applications as environmental and energy materials. This review first illustrated in detail how different structures or shapes of droplet and jet templates are formed by typical configurations of microfluidic channel networks and multiphase flow systems. Subsequently, recent progresses on several representative energy and environmental applications, such as water purification, water collecting and energy storage, were overviewed. Finally, it is envisioned that integrating microfluidics and other novel materials will play increasing important role in contributing environmental remediation and energy storage in near future.     

Environmental economics: An evolutionary critique and a plea for pluralism

Environmental economics is a contradiction in terms. The contradiction is intuitive to the puzzled lay person inquiring about the nature of our subdiscipline. It is explicit to those who think of environmental systems in terms of complex, evolving interconnectedness and identify the economic model with the atomistic and mechanistic assumptions of classical mechanics. Within the subdiscipline, we try to resolve the contradiction by internalizing externalities, by matching market feedbacks with environmental relations. While acknowledging that insights can be drawn from the market view of environmental problems, I argue in this essay that (1) the contradiction is nerver resolved; (2) multiple, incongruous perspectives are all we have for understanding the interface between economic and environmental systems; and (3) environmental economics will thrive with a return to philosophical pluralism, to the open acceptance of the contradiction.     

Critical environmental indicators: performance indices and assessment models for sustainable rural development planning

Sustainable development planning must be based on environmental and biophysical baseline indices that effectively define comparative development potential and environmental constraints. As such, indices must define the comparative advantage of the natural resource base and measure the fundamental capacity to sustain production rates of natural resource goods and services used to create societal well being. Complex biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics affect the identification and selection of sustainable development strategies. When derived from effective baseline indicators, indices may be used to define the spatial and temporal distribution of economically viable production opportunities and may be expressed in derived indices that realistically describe basic production opportunities and guide the selection of feasible, long-term development strategies. Specifically, representative indices are critical in the identification of development goals and realistic objectives and can be used to evaluate, select and implement sustainable development strategies and plans. It is stressed that the relevancy and effectiveness of public policies depend on the identification of representative evaluation models and baseline indices to define development strategies that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. In this context, the role of baseline indicators that define natural resource production capacities is discussed. This includes potential resource uses, derived benefits and their economic and environmental impacts. Key thematic indicators are suggested that may be especially useful in identifying development alternatives and impacts. This suggested that clearly defined environmental pollution limits or impact standards be used to define public risk tolerance limits and carrying capacity constraints. It is argued that these measures may be more effective in directing policy choices than economic valuation of non market goods and services that represent environmental externalities associated with resource exploitation options and economic development strategies. To this end, examples of thematic indicators and derived indices are introduced that may prove effective in resource assessment, economic evaluation and strategic development planning.     

The influence of environmental spatial structure on the life-history traits and diversity of species in a metacommunity

Several models have been proposed to understand how so many species can coexist in ecosystems. Despite evidence showing that natural habitats are often patchy and fragmented, these models rarely take into account environmental spatial structure. In this study we investigated the influence of spatial structure in habitat and disturbance regime upon species’ traits and species’ coexistence in a metacommunity. We used a population-based model to simulate competing species in spatially explicit landscapes. The species traits we focused on were dispersal ability, competitiveness, reproductive investment and survival rate. Communities were characterized by their species richness and by the four life-history traits averaged over all the surviving species. Our results show that spatial structure and disturbance have a strong influence on the equilibrium life-history traits within a metacommunity. In the absence of disturbance, spatially structured landscapes favour species investing more in reproduction, but less in dispersal and survival. However, this influence is strongly dependent on the disturbance rate, pointing to an important interaction between spatial structure and disturbance. This interaction also plays a role in species coexistence. While spatial structure tends to reduce diversity in the absence of disturbance, the tendency is reversed when disturbance occurs. In conclusion, the spatial structure of communities is an important determinant of their diversity and characteristic traits. These traits are likely to influence important ecological properties such as resistance to invasion or response to climate change, which in turn will determine the fate of ecosystems facing the current global ecological crisis.     

Conflicts,social economics and life history strategies in ants

Summary This paper presents a life history model for a perennial social insect colony. The model's purpose is to explore the evolutionary consequences, in terms of fitness of different parties within the colony, of alternative life history strategies. The model has been specifically developed for colonies of the slave-making ant, Harpagoxenus sublaevis, which has reproductive workers organized in dominance orders. It incorporates empirically obtained parameters, and uses computer algorithms based on numerical optimization to determine the optimum policy for a colony queen in allocating resources between workers, queens, and males. Variants of the model also consider alternative situations in which either (1) orphaned workers do not slave-raid, or (2) workers are sterile. The results correspond closely to data on colony growth and reproductive allocation obtained from the field. They suggest that a colony queen would suffer reduced fitness in the two theoretical cases as compared to the real situation. Reproduction by orphaned workers posthumously enhances the colony queen's fitness because a queen with sterile workers cannot produce enough extra sexuals in her lifetime to balance her loss in grandson production. The results also suggest that the division of labour between slave-raiding and nonraiding workers observed in H. sublaevis colonies can be explained as an outcome of worker-worker reproductive conflict: reproductively-inhibited subordinate workers can increase their inclusive fitness by slaveraiding for dominant, nonraiding egg-layers. These findings emphasize the evolutionary importance of the orphanage period and of intracolony conflict in monogynous social insect colonies.     

Functional identity and functional structure change through succession in a rocky intertidal marine herbivore assemblage

Despite the great interest in characterizing the functional structure and resilience of functional groups in natural communities, few studies have examined in which way the roles and relationships of coexisting species change during community succession, a fundamental and natural process that follows the release of new resources in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Variation in algal traits that characterize different phases and stages of community succession on rocky shores are likely to influence the magnitude, direction of effects, and the level of redundancy and complementarity in the diverse assemblage of herbivores. Two separate field experiments were conducted to quantify per capita and population effects and the functional relationship (i.e., redundancy or complementarity) of four herbivore species found in central Chile during early and late algal succession. The first experiment examined grazer effects on the colonization and establishment of early-succession algal species. The second experiment examined effects on the late-successional, dominant corticated alga Mazzaella laminarioides. Complementary laboratory experiments with all species and under natural environmental conditions allowed us to further characterize the collective effects of these species. We found that, during early community succession, all herbivore species had similar effects on the ephemeral algae, ulvoids, but only during the phase of colonization. Once these algae were established, only a subset of the species was able to control their abundance. During late succession, only the keyhole limpet Fissurella crassa could control corticated Mazzaella. The functional relationships among these species changed dramatically from redundant effects on ephemeral algae during early colonization, to a more complementary role on established early-successional algae, to a dominant (i.e., keystone) effect on late succession. This study highlights that functional relationship within consumer assemblages can vary at different phases and times of community succession. Differentiation in herbivore roles emphasizes the need to evaluate consumer's impacts through different times of community succession, and through experimental manipulations to make even broad predictions about the resilience or vulnerability of diverse intertidal assemblages to human disturbances.     

Empirical study of GARCH models with leverage effect in an environmental application

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (ACDC) level is an important factor for predicting temperature and climate changes. We analyze the conditional variance of a function of ACDC level known as ACDC level growth rate (ACDCGR) using the generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) and GARCH models with leverage effect. The data are a subset of the well known Mauna Loa atmosphere carbon dioxide record. We test for the presence of stylized facts in the ACDCGR time series. The performance of GARCH models are compared to EGARCH, TGARCH and PGARCH models. Model fit measures AIC, BIC and likelihood is calculated for each fitted model. The results do confirm the presence of some of important stylized facts in the ACDCGR time series, but the presence of leverage effect is not significant . The out of sample one step ahead forecasting performances of the models based on RMSE and MAE metrics are evaluated. EGARCH model with student $t$ disturbances showed the best fit and a valid forecasting performance. A bootstrap algorithm is employed to calculate confidence intervals for future values of ACDCGR time series and its volatility. The constructed bootstrap confidence intervals showed a reasonable performance.     

Thin-layer models for gravity currents in channels of general cross-section area,a review

We present a brief review of the recent investigations on gravity currents in horizontal channels with non-rectangular cross-section area (such as triangle, \(\bigvee \)-valley, circle/semi-circle, trapezoid) which occur in nature (e.g., rivers) and constructed environment (tunnels, reservoirs, canals). To be specific, we discuss the propagation of a gravity current (GC) in a horizontal channel along the horizontal coordinate x, with gravity g acting in the \(-z\) direction, and y the horizontal–lateral coordinate. The bottom and top of the channel are at \(z=0,H\). The “standard” problem is concerned with 2D flow in a channel with rectangular (or laterally unbounded) cross-section area (CSA). Recent investigations have successfully extended the standard knowledge to the channels of CSA given by the quite general \(-f_1(z)\le y \le f_2(z)\) for \(0 \le z \le H\). This includes the practical \(\bigvee \)-valley, triangle, circle/semi-circle and trapezoid; these geometries may be in “up” or “down” setting with respect to gravity, e.g., \(\bigtriangleup \) and \(\bigtriangledown \). The major objective of the extended theory is to predict the height of the interface \(z=h(x,t)\) and the velocity (averaged over the CSA) u(x, t), where t is time; the prediction includes the speed and position of the nose \(u_N(t), x_N(t)\). We show that the motion is governed by a set of simplified equations, called “model,” that provides versatile and insightful solutions and trends. The emphasis in on a high-Reynolds-number current whose motion is dominated by buoyancy–inertia balance; in particular a GC released from a lock, which also contains general effects such as front and internal jumps (shocks), and reflected bore. We discuss two-layer, one-layer, and box models; Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq systems; compositional and particle-driven cases; and the effect of stratification of the ambient fluid. The models are self-contained, and admit realistic initial and boundary conditions. The governing equations are amenable to analytical solutions in some special circumstances. Some salient features of the buoyancy-viscous regime, and the estimate for the length at which transition to this regime takes place, are also presented. Some experimental support to the theory, and open questions for further investigations, are also mentioned. The major conclusions are (1) The CSA geometry has significant influence on the motion of the GC; and (2) The new theory is a useful, very significant, extension of the standard two-dimensional GC problem. The standard current is just a particular case, \(f_{1,2} =\) constants, among many other covered by the new theory.     

New multidimensional functional diversity indices for a multifaceted framework in functional ecology

Functional diversity is increasingly identified as an important driver of ecosystem functioning. Various indices have been proposed to measure the functional diversity of a community, but there is still no consensus on which are most suitable. Indeed, none of the existing indices meets all the criteria required for general use. The main criteria are that they must be designed to deal with several traits, take into account abundances, and measure all the facets of functional diversity. Here we propose three indices to quantify each facet of functional diversity for a community with species distributed in a multidimensional functional space: functional richness (volume of the functional space occupied by the community), functional evenness (regularity of the distribution of abundance in this volume), and functional divergence (divergence in the distribution of abundance in this volume). Functional richness is estimated using the existing convex hull volume index. The new functional evenness index is based on the minimum spanning tree which links all the species in the multidimensional functional space. Then this new index quantifies the regularity with which species abundances are distributed along the spanning tree. Functional divergence is measured using a novel index which quantifies how species diverge in their distances (weighted by their abundance) from the center of gravity in the functional space. We show that none of the indices meets all the criteria required for a functional diversity index, but instead we show that the set of three complementary indices meets these criteria. Through simulations of artificial data sets, we demonstrate that functional divergence and functional evenness are independent of species richness and that the three functional diversity indices are independent of each other. Overall, our study suggests that decomposition of functional diversity into its three primary components provides a meaningful framework for its quantification and for the classification of existing functional diversity indices. This decomposition has the potential to shed light on the role of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning and on the influence of biotic and abiotic filters on the structure of species communities. Finally, we propose a general framework for applying these three functional diversity indices.     

Environmental-economic models for total emission control of regional environmental pollution — input-output approach

This paper deals with a Leontief-type dynamic input-output analysis for total emission control of pollution. A dynamic input-output model can be described as a linear programming problem. In this paper an objective function to be minimized is chosen as the sum of pollutants emitted in a regional area throughout the planning period. It is assumed that consumption grows with a constant growth rate throughout the planning period. With this model, we can tell how to assign the elimination rate of pollutants to each production sector, under the constraint that the total emission standard is satisfied in each term of the planning period.     

北仑河口海域小型硅藻群落结构及其与环境因子的关系

北仑河口地处亚热带-热带地区,气候温暖湿润,是我国北部湾沿岸与越南交界的一个重要入海河口。于2008年3、5、8和11月分别采集该海域小型浮游硅藻,同时测定水温、盐度等水体参数,以及氮、磷、硅等18项水化学指标,分析了小型硅藻群落结构变化与环境因子之间的关系。该河口区的小型硅藻主要由纤细翼鼻状藻Proboscia alata f.gracillima、拟旋链角毛藻Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus、细弱海链藻Thalassiosira subtilis、中华齿状藻Odontella sinensis和菱形藻Nitzschiasp.等优势种类组成,并且存在明显的季节性演替。应用典范对应分析,发现影响北仑河口硅藻群落结构的主要环境因子为温度、盐度、N、Si、Hg和悬浮体质量浓度等,且不同季节的主控因素有所差异。菱形藻对温度和Cu、As、Zn和Hg等重金属的耐受性较强。纤细翼鼻状藻适宜于生长在水体透明度高的海域,悬浮体质量浓度以6.27 mg.L-1以下为宜。拟旋链角毛藻受Cr的影响较大,高含量的Cr会限制其生长。而细弱海链藻和中华齿状藻对Hg的耐受性较强。     

北仑河口海域小型硅藻群落结构及其与环境因子的关系

北仑河口地处亚热带-热带地区,气候温暖湿润,是我国北部湾沿岸与越南交界的一个重要入海河口。于2008年3、5、8和11月分别采集该海域小型浮游硅藻,同时测定水温、盐度等水体参数,以及氮、磷、硅等18项水化学指标,分析了小型硅藻群落结构变化与环境因子之间的关系。该河口区的小型硅藻主要由纤细翼鼻状藻Proboscia alata f.gracillima、拟旋链角毛藻Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus、细弱海链藻Thalassiosira subtilis、中华齿状藻Odontella sinensis和菱形藻Nitzschiasp.等优势种类组成,并且存在明显的季节性演替。应用典范对应分析,发现影响北仑河口硅藻群落结构的主要环境因子为温度、盐度、N、Si、Hg和悬浮体质量浓度等,且不同季节的主控因素有所差异。菱形藻对温度和Cu、As、Zn和Hg等重金属的耐受性较强。纤细翼鼻状藻适宜于生长在水体透明度高的海域,悬浮体质量浓度以6.27 mg.L-1以下为宜。拟旋链角毛藻受Cr的影响较大,高含量的Cr会限制其生长。而细弱海链藻和中华齿状藻对Hg的耐受性较强。     

Nanomaterials for environmental burden reduction, waste treatment, and nonpoint source pollution control: a review

Nanomaterials are applicable in the areas of reduction of environmental burden, reduction/treatment of industrial and agricultural wastes, and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control. First, environmental burden reduction involves green process and engineering, emissions control, desulfurization/denitrification of nonrenewable energy sources, and improvement of agriculture and food systems. Second, reduction/treatment of industrial and agricultural wastes involves converting wastes into products, groundwater remediation, adsorption, delaying photocatalysis, and nanomembranes. Third, NPS pollution control involves controlling water pollution. Nanomaterials alter physical properties on a nanoscale due to their high specific surface area to volume ratio. They are used as catalysts, adsorbents, membranes, and additives to increase activity and capability due to their high specific surface areas and nano-sized effects. Thus, nanomaterials are more effective at treating environmental wastes because they reduce the amount of material needed.