A forest monkey’s alarm call series to predator models

Some non-human primates produce acoustically distinct alarm calls to different predators, such as eagles or leopards. Recipients respond to these calls as if they have seen the actual predator, which has led to the notion of functionally referential alarm calls. However, in a previous study with free-ranging putty-nosed monkeys (Cercopithecus nictitans martini), we demonstrated that callers produced two acoustically distinct alarm calls to eagle shrieks and leopard growls, but both alarm calls were given to both predators. We can think of two basic explanations for this surprising result, a methodological and theoretical one. Firstly, acoustic predator models may not always be suitable to test alarm call behaviour in primates, sometimes causing uncharacteristic behaviour. Secondly, referential alarm calling may not be a universal feature of primate alarm call systems. Considering the methodological and theoretical importance of these possibilities, we conducted a follow-up study using life-sized leopard, eagle, and human models on the same population and compared the resulting vocal responses to those given to acoustic predator models. We compared the alarm call series given to each of these predator model types and found a considerable degree of consistency suggesting that the mode of presentation did not affect anti-predator calling strategies. However, evidence for audience effects on calling behaviour was inconclusive. While it appears that predator class is reliably encoded by different call series types irrespective of the mode of presentation, observations of these same call series given in non-predatory contexts indicate that predator class is unlikely to be the relevant organising principle underlying the alarm-calling behaviour in this species. We conclude by offering an alternative, non-referential, account of the alarm-calling system exhibited by this species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Removal of arsenic (V) from aqueous medium using manganese oxide coated lignocellulose/silica adsorbents

Arsenic (V) adsorption on manganese oxide coated rice wastes was investigated in this study. The modified adsorbents were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and pH measurements to determine the point of zero charge. Batch adsorption equilibrium experiments were conducted to study the effects of pH, contact time, and initial concentration on arsenic removal efficiency. The adsorption capacity of rice waste was significantly improved after modification with permanganate. The Langmuir isotherm model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich model which confirms surface homogeneity of the adsorbent. Maxima adsorption capacities are determined as 10 and 12 mg/g at pH 3 for manganese oxide coated rice husk and straw, respectively. The adsorption energy indicates that the adsorption process may be dominated by chemisorption. Pseudo-second-order rate equation described the kinetics sorption of arsenic with good correlation coefficients, better than a pseudo-first-order equation. Manganese oxide coated rice husk and straw appear to be promising low cost adsorbents for removing arsenic from water.     

The role of the European commission in the maintenance of air quality standards

We describe intercomparison results obtained in the framework of the EC Directive 799/80 CEE on SO₂, Black Smoke (BS) and Total Suspended Particulates (TSP) using standard reference materials. Calibrations and measuring methods used in national laboratories were compared to the reference methods laid down in the Directive. For SO₂, the deviations were caused by inappropriate handling of the calibration rather than by possible shortcomings of the different methods themselves. In contrast, for BS, largest deviations were caused by differences in configurations of filter/reflectometer and of the conversion curves; for TSP by varying the type of filters and conditioning procedures before weighing.     

Need for recovery in offices: Behavior-based assessment

At work, people may experience fatigue and a depletion of mental resources. The subsequent need for recovery is generally assessed employing subjective reports on evaluative statements. In this paper, we explore whether it is possible to assess employees’ recovery needs with a systematic inspection of behaviors. The idea is based on Campbell’s paradigm (Kaiser, Byrka, & Hartig, 2010), which holds that individuals will perform more, and more difficult behaviors to recover from fatigue when their need for recovery is higher.     

Assessing the Impacts of Future Climate Change on Protected Area Networks: A Method to Simulate Individual Species' Responses

Global climate change, along with continued habitat loss and fragmentation, is now recognized as being a major threat to future biodiversity. There is a very real threat to species, arising from the need to shift their ranges in the future to track regions of suitable climate. The Important Bird Area (IBA) network is a series of sites designed to conserve avian diversity in the face of current threats from factors such as habitat loss and fragmentation. However, in common with other networks, the IBA network is based on the assumption that the climate will remain unchanged in the future. In this article, we provide a method to simulate the occurrence of species of conservation concern in protected areas, which could be used as a first-step approach to assess the potential impacts of climate change upon such species in protected areas. We use species-climate response surface models to relate the occurrence of 12 biome-restricted African species to climate data at a coarse (quarter degree-degree latitude-longitude) resolution and then intersect the grid model output with IBA outlines to simulate the occurrence of the species in South African IBAs. Our results demonstrate that this relatively simple technique provides good simulations of current species' occurrence in protected areas. We then use basic habitat data for IBAs along with habitat preference data for the species to reduce over-prediction and further improve predictive ability. This approach can be used with future climate change scenarios to highlight vulnerable species in IBAs in the future and allow practical recommendations to be made to enhance the IBA network and minimize the predicted impacts of climate change.     

Bacterial antibiotic resistance levels in Danish farmland as a result of treatment with pig manure slurry

Resistance to tetracycline, macrolides and streptomycin was measured for a period of 8 months in soil bacteria obtained from farmland treated with pig manure slurry. This was done by spread plating bacteria on selective media (Luria Bertani (LB) medium supplemented with antibiotics). To account for seasonal variations in numbers of soil bacteria, ratios of resistant bacteria divided by total count on nonselective plates were calculated. Soil samples were collected from four different farms and from a control soil on a fifth farm. The control soil was not amended with animal manure. The occurrence of tetracycline-resistant bacteria was elevated after spread of pig manure slurry but declined throughout the sampling period to a level corresponding to the control soil. Higher load of pig manure slurry yielded higher occurrence of tetracycline resistance after spreading; however, the tetracycline resistance declined to normal occurrence defined by the tetracycline resistance occurrence in the control soil. Concentrations of tetracycline in soil and in pig manure slurry were measured using HPLC. No tetracycline exceeding the detection limit was found in soil samples. Manure slurry concentrations of tetracycline for three of the farms were 42, 81 and 698 microg/l, respectively. For streptomycin and macrolides, only minor variations in resistance levels were detected. Results obtained in this study thus indicate that tetracycline resistance levels in soil are temporarily influenced by the addition of pig manure slurry. The results indicate also that increased amount of pig manure slurry amendment may result in increased levels of tetracycline resistance in the soil.     

Antibiotika (Ivermectin, Monensin) und endokrine Umweltchemikalien (nonylphenol, Ethinylöstradiol) im Boden

The influence of four synthetic chemicals (nonylphenol, ethynyl-estradiol, ivermectin, monesin) on the biomass and on the microbial activity was studied in a laboratory experiment using a typical luvisol derived from loess. The polyether antibiotic monensin, the antiparasitic agent ivermectin and the two environmental chemicals with endocrine effects nonylphenol and ethynylestradiol were chosen because of their toxicity to different organisms and known biological activity. These agents may enter the soil together with sewage sludge or manure. To date, however, the effects on soil have hardly been studied. Selected microbial methods revealed in part very significant effects on the microbial biomass and microbial activity during constant physical (15°C, 50% water holding capicity) and chemical conditions (pH, C_org) 1, 14 and 42 days after contamination.     

A Site-Related Suitability Analysis for the Production of Biomass as a Contribution to Sustainable Regional Land-Use

The use of renewable energy in Europe offers the possibility of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to energy security and independence. With the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and a variety of recently introduced national directives supporting renewable energy sources in the European Union, the economic attractiveness of bioenergy production has distinctly increased. This article combines an economic evaluation of biomass production with site-related natural conditions of the Havelland region, situated in the north-east area of Germany. Two methods for evaluating site-specific potential biomass yields were compared. For three example biomass crops, evaluations of yield estimations at agricultural lots for site-optimized suitability (SOS) and conventional suitability (CS) were carried out. Both modelling approaches were compared. The results of the GIS modelling indicate that the financial support for increasing the use of renewable energy with the German feed-in system, called Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG), will possibly lead to an increased cultivation of crops with high biomass output. This monocultural orientation of farming practices and the negative effects on the ecosystem could act in opposition to other environmental initiatives of the EU. The outputs of the SOS analysis show that high biomass production could be integrated into environmental policy proposals. Therefore, new EU policy should take modified subsidies into consideration in order to avoid developing conflicts between small-scale changes in landscape ecosystems caused by large-scale transformations in energy policy.     

Temporal variability of soil gas composition in landfill covers

In order to assess the temporal variability of the conditions for the microbial oxidation of methane in landfill cover soils and their driving variables, gas composition at non-emissive and strongly emissive locations (hotspots) was monitored on a seasonal, daily and hourly time scale on an old, unlined landfill in northern Germany. Our study showed that the impact of the various environmental factors varied with the mode of gas transport and with the time scale considered. At non-emissive sites, governed by diffusive gas transport, soil gas composition was subject to a pronounced seasonal variation. A high extent of aeration, low methane concentrations and a high ratio of CO₂ to CH₄ were found across the entire depth of the soil cover during the warm and dry period, whereas in the cool and moist period aeration was less and landfill gas migrated further upward. Statistically, variation in soil gas composition was best explained by the variation in soil temperature. At locations dominated by advective gas transport and showing considerable emissions of methane, this pattern was far less pronounced with only little increase in the extent of aeration during drier periods. Here, the change of barometric pressure was found to impact soil gas composition. On a daily scale under constant conditions of temperature, gas transport at both types of locations was strongly impacted by the change in soil moisture. On an hourly scale, under constant conditions of temperature and moisture, gas migration was impacted most by the change in barometric pressure. It was shown that at diffusion-dominated sites complete methane oxidation was achieved even under adverse wintry conditions, whereas at hotspots, even under favorable dry and warm conditions, aerobic biological activity can be limited to the upper crust of the soil.