Cellular and ultrastructural changes in the endoderm of the temperate sea anemone Anemonia viridis as a result of increased temperature

Exposure of the temperate sea anemone Anemonia viridis Forskål to increased seawater temperature (from 16 to 26°C) reduced the lysosomal latency of coelenterate tissues. Lysosomes in the mesenterial filaments of anemones were destabilised by increased temperature, with greater destabilisation in heat-shocked symbiotic anemones than in heat-shocked aposymbiotic anemones in the early stages of the experiment. Lysosomal enzyme activity in zooxanthellae from heat-shocked symbiotic anemones was associated with the algal membranes and the cytoplasm of degenerate algal cells. While the relationship between host coelenterate and symbiotic alga may confer many benefits under normal conditions, comparison of the responses of symbiotic and aposymbiotic anemones to heat shock suggests that there may be disadvantages for symbiotic anemones under stress.     

Modelling nitrogen fluxes at the landscape scale

The distribution and impacts of different nitrogen pollutants are inextricably linked. To understand the problem fully, the interactions between the different pollutants need to be taken into account. This is particularly important when it comes to abatement techniques, since measures to reduce emissions of one nitrogen pollutant can often lead to an increase in another. This project represents a step towards greater understanding of these issues by linking together new and existing nitrogen flux models into a larger framework. The modelling framework has been constructed and some of the nitrogen flows between fields, farms and the atmosphere have been modelled for a UK study area for typical farm management scenarios.     

Weather-mediated natural selection on arrival time in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

An unusually long period of cold weather in May 1996 caused extensive mortality among insectivorous cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in the northern and central Great Plains. We analyzed how viability selection affected spring arrival time in a migratory Nebraska population by comparing capture histories of survivors with those of birds known to have died and by documenting how arrival time changed in the year following the selection event. Surviving birds had significantly later first-capture dates (an index of arrival time) in the years prior to selection than those that died; a significant selection differential suggested directional selection for birds that arrived later. Colony sites were occupied significantly later following the selection event, and the distribution of first-capture dates in the season after selection was significantly shifted toward later arrivals. Offspring of the survivors tended to arrive later than birds of the same age prior to the selection event. While major weather-caused mortality events of this magnitude are rare in the study area, spells of cold weather severe enough to cause limited mortality are frequent in April and early May. At least 25 probable mortality events of varying severity were identified in the last 50 years based on climatological data. Periodic weather-mediated selection against early arrival constrains the cliff swallow’s breeding season and may partly prevent directional selection for earlier nesting. Received: 19 October 1999 / Received in revised form: 15 January 2000 / Accepted: 24 January 2000     

Restricted adaptive cluster sampling

Adaptive cluster sampling can be a useful design for sampling rare and patchy populations. With this design the initial sample size is fixed but the size of the final sample (and total sampling effort) cannot be predicted prior to sampling. For some populations the final sample size can be quite variable depending on the level of patchiness. Restricted adaptive cluster sampling is a proposed modification where a limit is placed on the sample size prior to sampling and quadrats are selected sequentially for the initial sample size. As a result there is less variation in the final sample size and the total sampling effort can be predicted with some certainty, which is impor- tant for many ecological studies. Estimates of density are biased with the restricted design but under some circumstances the bias can be estimated well by bootstrapping. © Rapid Science 1998     

太湖水体中悬浮颗粒物的比吸收光谱特性及其参数化分析

通过对太湖水体的野外采样,利用定量滤膜技术测量了水体中浮游植物色素的吸收系数(aph(λ))和非色素颗粒物的吸收系数(aNAP(λ)),进而推算比吸收系数.同时,对浮游植物色素和非色素颗粒物的比吸收系数的时空变化特征进行了分析.结果表明,浮游植物色素的比吸收系数(ap*h)在蓝光440nm的变化范围为0.008～0.268m2·mg-1,在红光670nm的变化范围为0.004～0.098m·2mg-1;;通过K-Mean算法将浮游植物色素的比吸收光谱分成3种具有不同光谱特征的类型,类别1、2和3占总数的百分比分别为61.0%、12.2%和26.8%,表明太湖水体中浮游植物色素的比吸收光谱是以类别1为主;;色素包裹效应因子Qa*(675)在Chla浓度<50mg·m-3时,随Chla浓度的增大迅速减小,而在Chla浓度>50mg·m-3时,其减小的趋势趋于缓慢,Qa*(675)与Chla浓度呈现出较好的幂函数关系.非色素颗粒物的比吸收系数(aN*AP)在蓝光440nm处的变化范围为0.012×10-3～0.143×10-3m2·mg-1,利用此处的比吸收系数建立的非色素颗粒物比吸收光谱的参数化模型,光谱曲线斜率...     

Protection Against Dust by Respirators

This article is a brief review of the mechanism of action of fibrous filters and of the performance of respirators; it neglects many of the complications discussed in longer and more detailed articles. An expression is given for the pressure drop across a filter in terms of fibre diameter and filtration velocity. The particle capture mechanisms of interception and diffusional deposition are introduced and the way in which filtration efficiency varies with particle size is discussed. Filters with fibres of small diameter are shown to be the most efficient, but their use can cause problems. Electrically charged materials are widely used in respirators because of their high efficiency and low pressure drop. Types of material, their means of charging, and their method of action are described. An account is given of respirator leakage, the protection factor, and of the way that these may vary in a period of use. The leakage of air and particles through face seal leaks and leaky valves is discussed. The frequent discrepancy in the protection given by respirators in the workplace, on the one hand, and that suggested by laboratory measurements, on the other, is reviewed, and the article ends with an account of the combined effect of aerosol penetration through a filter and through a leak.     

太湖悬浮物对水体生态环境的影响及其高光谱反演

利用太湖水质参数数据、水面以下实测光谱数据以及水-气界面辐射传输模型,计算得到了水体漫射衰减系数和水面以上遥感反射比,探讨了悬浮物对水体中营养盐以及水下光照等水体环境因子的影响,在此基础上,利用水面以上遥感反射率建立了悬浮物浓度的定量反演模型.研究结果表明:悬浮物浓度与水体下行漫射衰减系数具有很好的相关性,在可见光波段相关系数达到0.8以上,与真光层深度具有很好的负指数关系;水面以上遥感反射比与悬浮物浓度对数(In(Tss))具有很好的相关性,在500～600nm范围内呈负相关,在620-882nm范围呈正相关,最大负相关出现在522nm附近,最大正相关出现在692nm附近;选用Rra(522nm)、Rra(692nm)以及其比值作为变量建立悬浮物反演模型,得出的单波段线性对数模型能够较好地反演悬浮物浓度.     

Best Practices in Environmental Communication: A Case Study of Louisiana's Coastal Crisis

This mixed-method case study of environmental communication best practices in Louisiana, USA, identifies trends and approaches as informed by environmental psychology. The results provide key insights for environmental communicators, especially communicators in coastal regions. In-depth interviews with both environmental psychologists and environmental communicators showed that both groups emphasized knowing the audience, telling local stories, building relationships with target audiences and targeted messaging. Both psychologists and communicators also frequently mentioned general messaging concerns of source credibility, avoiding controversial terms and talking about issues, impacts and solutions to which the target audience can relate. A representative survey revealed that Louisiana residents are most interested in hearing about how environmental issues such as climate change, coastal land loss and flooding are affecting their own communities. This finding supports the idea that environmental communicators could do a better job tapping into strong place attachment and sense of community among coastal residents to promote action.     

Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food,energy, water and the environment

Delivering access to sufficient food, energy and water resources to ensure human wellbeing is a major concern for governments worldwide. However, it is crucial to account for the ‘nexus’ of interactions between these natural resources and the consequent implications for human wellbeing. The private sector has a critical role in driving positive change towards more sustainable nexus management and could reap considerable benefits from collaboration with researchers to devise solutions to some of the foremost sustainability challenges of today. Yet opportunities are missed because the private sector is rarely involved in the formulation of deliverable research priorities. We convened senior research scientists and influential business leaders to collaboratively identify the top forty questions that, if answered, would best help companies understand and manage their food-energy-water-environment nexus dependencies and impacts. Codification of the top order nexus themes highlighted research priorities around development of pragmatic yet credible tools that allow businesses to incorporate nexus interactions into their decision-making; demonstration of the business case for more sustainable nexus management; identification of the most effective levers for behaviour change; and understanding incentives or circumstances that allow individuals and businesses to take a leadership stance. Greater investment in the complex but productive relations between the private sector and research community will create deeper and more meaningful collaboration and cooperation.