The Method of Morphophysiological Indicators and Functional-Ontogenetic Approach to Solving Ecological Problems (Based on the Example of Splenomegaly in Rodents)

The productivity of the combined use of the method of morphophysiological indicators (MMPI) and functional-ontogenetic approach in population studies is shown based on the example of analysis of the phenomenon of splenomegaly (SM) in rodents. A solution of the problem of analysis of spleen with a giant variation range is proposed, namely, to analyze the spleen index separately for normal spleen and spleen with SM. It is shown that there is no morphophysiological peculiarity in individuals with different functional statuses in the studied states. It is established that SM does not significantly influence the processes of animal vital activity. The maximum proportion of animals with SM was recorded in reproducing groups, which is due to a high intensity of metabolic processes. It is proved that SM is infectious in the study area. Feral herd infection agents are identified and the mechanism of SM development is considered. The criteria for the correspondence of organs to morphophysiological indicators, as well as the use of spleen as an ecological indicator, are substantiated. All the obtained materials suggest the adaptation of the studied bank vole population to a long-term effect of the infectious factor, which was historically formed in the process of the long-term coevolution of the parasite-host system.

     

Phylogenogeography and genotaxonomy of Pinus sylvestris L. populations

The phylogenogeographic structure, polymorphism, and differentiation of Pinus sylvestris L. have been studied for the first time by means of allozyme analysis of 143 populations along a network of transects covering the entire species range. The results show that the species in general is characterized by a significant level of differentiation, regardless of its relative uniformity in northern and central parts of the range. Nei??s genetic distances between populations and their gradients in the extreme southern parts of the range, where it has an insular pattern, are seven to eight times greater than in the northern, ??glacial?? zone. Three Pleistocene refugia for the species have been revealed in the Balkans, Southern Urals, and Northern Mongolia. Using analysis of genetic distances between 18 phylogeographic regions and an original genosystematic scale, one subspecies, five geographic races and nine geographic population groups have been distinguished in the P. sylvestris L. species structure.     

Estimates of energy expenditures for reproduction in the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Pall. in an industrially polluted environment

Energy expenditures for reproduction in local populations of the pied flycatcher in the environs of the Middle Urals Copper Smelter (Revda, Sverdlovsk oblast) have been estimated on the basis of the results of long-term studies (1989?C2008). It is shown that the total energy expenditures per fledgling over the nesting period are 1.2 times higher than in the background area, which is explained by increased energy losses (by a factor of 4.1) resulting from partial mortality of the progeny (eggs or nestlings). Variation in the average energy ??cost?? of one fledgling in the heavily polluted zone is also higher, compared to the background area. Average energy expenditures per fledgling increase in years with cold weather, and the same is observed when the birds lay larger clutches.     

A carbon footprint analysis in the textile supply chain

This research work focuses on the application of life-cycle assessment methodology to determine the carbon footprint of different players involved in a supply chain of the textile sector. A case study of a product by a textile leader company was carried out. This study demonstrates that, in the textile chain, the main contribution to the greenhouse effect is provided by the electrical and thermal energy used and by the transportation (since different production phases are delocalised in a wide range that goes from South Africa, Italy, Romania and all around the world, from the distribution centre to the stores). The Monte Carlo analysis has been used in order to obtain, for each calculated impact, not only the average value but also the distribution curve of the results characterised by uncertainty parameters. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to evaluate the impact of management choices such as:

??a change in the transportation modality, from aeroplane to boat;

??a combination of road and rail transportation; and

??a selection among suppliers that allows the firm to cut environmental impacts.     

Changes in the abundance of parasitic gamasid mite Macronyssus corethroproctus (Oudemans, 1902) during the overwintering period of its host, the pond bat Myotis dasycneme (Boie, 1825)

The population dynamics of the parasitic gamasid mite Macronyssus corethroproctus (Oudemans, 1902) during the overwintering period of its host, the pond bat Myotis dasycneme (Boie, 1825), has been analyzed. Regression equations have been obtained that describe the dependence of the abundance of mites on the time since the start of overwintering and on host??s sex and body condition.     

The energy consumption of Paris and its supply areas from the eighteenth century to the present

Since the eighteenth century and the industrial revolution, cities have experienced great changes in their metabolism, and particularly in their energy consumption: transitions from one energy source to another, growing per capita consumption, and total consumption to cite but a few. These changes also impact urban energy supply areas and supply distance. This paper estimates Paris??s energy demand in both final and primary terms since the eighteenth century and gives an illustration of long-term socio-ecological interactions in an interdisciplinary perspective, connecting energy flow analysis, and historical research. It gives an overview of energy supply areas and assesses the distance between supply sites and the city. Paris??s annual total energy requirement (TER) was about 19?GJ per capita at the beginning of the eighteenth century and reached 30?GJ per capita in 1800; the supply area remained nearly the same with an average supply distance (D_avg) of 200?km. During the nineteenth century, Paris??s population increased fivefold, and energy transitioned from biomass to fossil fuel. Per capita TER remained stable, whereas Paris??s supply area moved progressively toward coal basins, in connection with the tremendous change in transport systems. As a consequence, the D_avg grew to 270?km around 1870. During the twentieth century, and especially since the Interwar period, per capita TER increased considerably (to 26?GJ/cap/year in 1910, 47?GJ/cap/year in 1946 and 126?GJ/cap/year in 2006). The internationalization of the energy supply and the shift to petroleum and natural gas also increased the remoteness of the supply sites: the D_avg equaled 3850?km in 2006.     

Ecological characteristics of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. seedling roots under different irrigation treatments

An trench profile method was used to study seasonal variation of root ecological characteristics of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. seedlings under different irrigation treatments. The results indicated the following: (1) Root morphology: under excellent soil moisture conditions, A. sparsifolia seedlings developed many horizontal roots and root sprouts to compete for light; but under poor soil moisture, the vertical root system expanded its resource space into deeper soil. Plasticity of root morphology is an important strategy to capture water and adapt to the hyperarid environment. (2) Root/shoot ratio: root/shoot ratio increased with declining soil moisture, and this trend was more obvious later in the growing season. Increase of root/shoot ratio is a strategy for adapting to drought. (3) Growth of root system: The seedlings prefer to develop roots in shallower surface layers with less water availability. The growth depth and vertical growth rate of roots increased with decreased soil moisture. (4) Accumulation of root biomass: biomass and surface area of the root system decreased with increased soil depth, with the roots distributed in an ??inverted pyramid?? in vertical section view. The formation of root biomass conformed to a logistic ??slow-quick-slow?? growth curve, and total biomass decreased with intensity of soil drought. The findings will provide data useful for effective restoration of A. sparsifolia and better utilization of water resources in hyperarid regions.     

The role of the clean development mechanism in achieving China��s goal of a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly society

This paper examines the impact of the clean development mechanism (CDM) on China??s progress in building a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly society, referred to as a dual-goal society. It presents China??s CDM activities from the perspective of policy directions, administrative arrangements and capacity building as well as outlines the regional trends and distribution of CDM projects across China??s 30 provinces. Based on regression analysis of 2006?C2009 panel data, the research was able to provide estimates at provincial level of the impacts of CDM activities on China??s CO₂ emission intensity, SO₂ emission intensity and industrial dust emission intensity. The study concludes that the active CDM projects are mainly located in the less-developed central and west China where they have provided increased opportunities for sustainable development. Furthermore, the successful implementation of CDM projects across the country has significantly decreased the emission intensity of CO₂, SO₂ and industrial dust, which means that these activities have enhanced China??s ability to build the desired dual-goal society.     

Comparative study on the feeding of parrs and smolts of the atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in the subarctic Varzuga River basin

The feeding of Atlantic salmon parrs and smolts has been studied in the subarctic Varzuga River, Kola Peninsula. It has been shown that young salmon at the parr stage, which are resident in rivers and stay for long at individual microstations in rapids and pools, feed in spring markedly more successfully than ??transitory?? smolts migrating from the river.     

Historical changes in the food and water supply systems of the New York City Metropolitan Area

The history of New York City (NYC) is much shorter than those of most European cities, but New York shares in common the problem of providing sufficient water and food to its inhabitants from its watershed and foodshed. These resource provision areas have grown over time and changed in character as they expanded in tandem with the growth of the city. In contrast to some cities, such as Paris, which historically has been supported by local food production, NYC??s status as a trade center has enabled the supply of food from distant sources from early in its history. NYC??s transportation system has rapidly evolved from early roads to canals, railroads, and modern surface and air transport networks. The development of the hydraulic engineering of the City??s reservoir, aqueduct, and tunnel system determined the extent of its water supply watersheds. Deviations from general growth trends in food and water consumption have occurred due to environmental and economic disruptions. As the growth of the city slowed in the last few decades, environmental technology has reduced the impact of the City on its environment, due to water metering, reduction of leakage, and improvements in waste treatment. However, per capita food consumption in the US continues to increase, with implications for the environmental health of New York and its region, as well as other centers of net anthropogenic nutrient inputs.     

Dynamics of floristic composition of communities dominated by Carex acuta in the northern Volga-Akhtuba floodplain

The floristic composition of plant communities dominated by Carex acuta in the northern Volga-Akhtuba floodplain has been analyzed over the period from 1928 to 2009. It has been shown that, in 2008 to 2009, some hygrophytes disappeared from these phytocenoses; simultaneously, their composition was enriched with mesophytes and adventive species. Ramenskii??s ecological scales have indicated a decrease in water supply to habitats of the communities studied.     

Stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) in thalli of the lichen Hypogymnia physodes along a altitudinal gradient in the Khangai Plateau, Mongolia

Stable nitrogen isotopes (??¹⁵N) have been determined in the organic matter (OM) of thalli of the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. collected at 15 levels along an altitudinal gradient (1250?C2928 m a.s.l.) in forest and alpine meadow communities of the Khangai Plateau, Mongolia. The results show that, in the study region as a whole, no correlation between the ??¹⁵N content and elevation is observed. However, the lichen OM within the mountain forest belt is depleted of the heavy ¹⁵N isotope as elevation increases (from 1250 to 2400 m a.s.l.), whereas in the alpine meadow belt (2500?C2928 m a.s.l) it is enriched with this isotope. In addition, ??¹⁵N values in OM show an inverse dependence on the relative content of total nitrogen in the thalli.     

Ecological footprints and shadows in an urban estuary, Narragansett Bay, RI (USA)

Because the rise of cities in North America was much later than in many other parts of the world, their connections to the hinterland were influenced early in their development by railroads and steam-powered water transport. These fossil fuel-based links made it possible to widely separate the ??upstream?? autotrophic supporting systems from the heterotrophic cities. Here, we take a different look at the connection between a city (Providence, RI, USA) and its supporting natural systems by focusing on the export of industrial and metabolic wastes from the city to the ??downstream?? coastal ecosystem in Narragansett Bay. In this way, we can track the history of a city by examining the concentrations of nutrients, metals, and hydrocarbons in the water and sediments of the estuary. In the greater Providence metropolitan area at the head of Narragansett Bay, there was rapid population and industrial expansion during the 1800s without the proper infrastructure to deal with water supply for public safety and health. On the other hand, the absence of a public water supply kept industrial and metabolic wastes largely on land. However, from the fall of 1871, on with the construction of a public water supply and sewer system, human wastes began flowing into the estuary. By reconstructing the historical record of metals and other pollutants, we illustrate clear temporal and spatial gradients of urban impact on the bay. Unfortunately, while numerous studies during the 1970s and 1980s focused on documenting metal and hydrocarbon pollution in the bay, there has been little effort to quantify the impact of mitigation efforts that have greatly reduced the input of metals and hydrocarbons to the system. Nutrient reductions are more recent and ongoing.     

Happiness as a harmonising path for bringing higher education towards sustainability

This paper is a reflection of an innovative project that complements existing higher education for sustainable development (HESD) approaches within universities by providing an alternative path to embed sustainable lifestyles within the student population. It presents the SLEUTH project; an initiative born out of the need to reduce energy consumption of students at university but that, due to its systemic design, transforms and goes beyond purely energy reduction and brings Happiness as an approach to build sustainable lifestyles. This is the distinct feature of this initiative, proposing it as adding value to existing HESD approaches. The paper describes and discusses the collaborative building process, implementation and results in detail. The experiences gathered during the project are used and analysed through ??participant observation??, ??documents??, ??questionnaires?? and ??theme-ing coding?? techniques as a means to understand the richness and diversity of the data resulting from a combination of formal and informal learning settings. Through empirical evidence, this analysis presents ??real life?? evidence to suggest, firstly the initiative??s design success, its impact on energy consumption and contribution to happiness and sustainable lifestyles. Secondly, a successful example for the contribution to existing HESD frameworks that move away from indoctrination and instead leans towards pro-activeness, self-organisation and voluntary collective action.     

Stakeholder perceptions of grassland ecosystem services in relation to knowledge on soil fertility and biodiversity

The concept of ecosystem services is increasingly being used by scientists and policy makers. However, most studies in this area have focussed on factors that regulate ecosystem functions (i.e. the potential to deliver ecosystem services) or the supply of ecosystem services. In contrast, demand for ecosystem services (i.e. the needs of beneficiaries) or understanding of the concept and the relative ranking of different ecosystem services by beneficiaries has received limited attention. The aim of this study was to identify in three European mountain regions the ecosystem services of grassland that different stakeholders identify (which ecosystem services for whom), the relative rankings of these ecosystem services, and how stakeholders perceive the provision of these ecosystem services to be related to agricultural activities. We found differences: (1) between farmers?? perceptions of ecosystem services across regions and (2) within regions, between knowledge of ecosystem services gained by regional experts through education and farmers?? local field-based knowledge. Nevertheless, we identified a common set of ecosystem services that were considered important by stakeholders across the three regions, including soil stability, water quantity and quality, forage quality, conservation of botanical diversity, aesthetics and recreation (for regional experts), and forage quantity and aesthetic (for local farmers). We observed two contrasting stakeholder representations of the effects of agricultural management on ecosystem services delivery, one negative and the other positive (considering low to medium management intensity). These representations were determined by stakeholders?? perceptions of the relationships between soil fertility and biodiversity. Overall, differences in perceptions highlighted in this study show that practitioners, policy makers and researchers should be more explicit in their uses of the ecosystem services concept in order to be correctly understood and to foster improved communication among stakeholders.     

Ecological aspects of larval drift in coregonids with long migration routes

Downstream migration (larval drift) of coregonids in the lower reaches of the Severnaya Sos??va River (the largest spawning tributary of the Lower Ob) has been analyzed from ecological aspects such as the long-term, seasonal, and daily dynamics and the spatial distribution, growth, and feeding of larvae in the current. Considerable changes in the abundance of coregonid generations have been revealed. It is shown that downstream larval migration over a long route has a number of features distinguishing it from that at spawning grounds. In particular, mass migration takes place after the ice drift, and its intensity is independent of changes in flow discharge. The drifting larvae display species-specific distribution in the current, and their density is the lowest in the surface water layer. In the course of migration, their linear body growth is accompanied by considerable depletion of endogenous food reserves and transition to active feeding.     

Medieval London and its supply hinterlands

The essay reviews the impact of London??s demands for food, drink and fuel on the farming systems and specialisation in the regions from which it drew supplies. Focusing on the well-recorded period around 1,300, when London was a major but second-ranking European city, it makes comparisons with other European cities in the same period and with London in later centuries, as the city developed a world role. Despite its small size by modern standards, medieval London??s impact on its hinterland was distinct, dynamic, highly commercialised and extensive. It shaped rural landscapes and agrarian practices in ways which in key respects conform to modern theories of spatial specialisation. London??s environmental influence operated within an international context, where the opening up of distant resources could affect choices concerning specialisation in and close to the city. Demographic change and shifts in consumption arising from changing standards of living were also influential. This left a marked ??urban footprint?? in production, marketing and the generation of waste. Moreover, its distinctive political context influenced London??s attitude towards managing its supply chains, differentiating it from many of its European counterparts. Medieval observers recognised those landscapes and their connection with the city, but did not theorise them in present-day terms.     

The Danube and Vienna: urban resource use, transport and land use 1800–1910

In this article, we investigate the changing role of the Danube river in relation to urban resource use, transport and land use for the case of nineteenth and early twentieth century Vienna. Vienna makes a good case study due to its geographical position as a continental city and its dynamic development of population numbers and transport infrastructure in the nineteenth century. We trace the amount of energy used in the city and identify a shift from a biomass-based energy supply to the large-scale use of coal. Along with this shift went a change in the Danube??s role as transport route: while until the 1870s, the Danube was the most important freight transport route, river transport lost importance after the great Danube regulation in 1875, and the railway took over. The river was the most important route for providing fuel wood well into the nineteenth century: Vienna drew wood from remote areas situated upstream along the Danube to the West of the city. Only after the railway connection to Northern coal deposits in the 1850s could Vienna??s energy base shift to coal. Finally, we investigate how land use in the city was affected by resource consumption and the river regulation. Wood use around the city was subject to legislative protection and was only little affected by Vienna??s resource demand. On the other hand, the Danube river regulation heavily impacted urban land use by supplying new areas suitable for settlement expansion.     

Governing protected areas to fulfil biodiversity conservation obligations: from Habermasian ideals to a more instrumental reality

This paper considers the implications of the growing recognition of scale challenges, with a particular focus on those concerning the governance of protected areas (PAs), through a critical literature review. Two key scale challenges raised by PAs are considered: (1) the divergence of objectives between resource exploitation and biodiversity conservation; (2) the requirement to fulfil biodiversity conservation obligations. These are explored through a review of a UK marine PA case study which found that even though the state had adopted a controlling role that had created tensions by undermining the authority and livelihoods of some stakeholders, the partnership had been sufficiently strengthened to withstand these tensions through the instrumental development of ??bracing social capital??. Four conclusions for governance research with a particular reference to PA governance are drawn, and it is argued that presumptions based on Habermasian ideals should not constrain governance analyses, in that they should constructively incorporate the instrumental roles of the state.