Assessment of the environmental impact of artificial effluent lagoon in Jiayuguan City of China

An artificial effluent lagoon for storing wastewater were excavated in Jiayuguan City since 1994. As a part of a demonstration project of Sino-Austmlia cooperation, an assessment of the environmental impact of the lagoon was carried out. The assessment was based on field and laboratory tests and predictive model. The main impacts from the lagoon site are likely to be on the groundwater system, and, to a lesser extent,on ambient air quality in the vicinity. Currently it is expected that groundwater is being pollutod with effluent from the effluent Ingcen. Air pollution(odor nuisance) is mainly caused by untreated effluent in the irrigation channel. The impact of high total dissolved salt(TDS) on groundwater is likely to be significant in the long run if the lagoon is continuously used. There is, consequently, no likelihood of contamination of surface water system, particularly of the city water supply system, from infiltration of effluent at the lagoon.     

Further examples of trisomy-20 mosaicism in amniotic cell cultures

Amniotic fluid cultures from two patients showed trisomy-20 mosaicism. No trisomy-20 cells were found in a normal full term infant and in multiple tissue biopsies and fetal blood from a fetus after a termination of pregnancy. No definitive advice is yet possible for parents where trisomy-20 amniotic cell mosaicism is detected. Fetoscopy and fetal blood sampling are of no value and termination of pregnancy is not indicated by empirical evidence. Preferential trophoblastic non-disjunction (Kalousek and Dill, 1983) is discussed as a possible partial explanation for the variable occurrence and distribution of this type of mosaicism.     

Do microsporidian parasites affect courtship in two-spotted gobies?

Courtship and body condition of male two-spotted gobies (Gobiusculus flavescens) harbouring naturally acquired microsporidian infections were compared with those of microsporidian-free males under standardized conditions in the lab. Although parasite infection had no apparent effect on individual condition, it significantly affected male courtship intensity. This effect, however, was affected by the intensity of the female courtship. Our study is one of the first to demonstrate a sub-lethal behavioural effect of a microsporidian parasite that could negatively affect the reproductive success of infected individuals. Our results also suggest that secondary sexual traits like courtship may be more sensitive to moderately detrimental effects of parasite infection than classical condition indices.     

Evolutionary variation in the expression of phenotypically plastic color vision in Caribbean mantis shrimps, genus Neogonodactylus

Many animals have color vision systems that are well suited to their local environments. Changes in color vision can occur over long periods (evolutionary time), or over relatively short periods such as during development. A select few animals, including stomatopod crustaceans, are able to adjust their systems of color vision directly in response to varying environmental stimuli. Recently, it has been shown that juveniles of some stomatopod species that inhabit a range of depths can spectrally tune their color vision to local light conditions through spectral changes in filters contained in specialized photoreceptors. The present study quantifies the potential for spectral tuning in adults of three species of Caribbean Neogonodactylus stomatopods that differ in their depth ranges to assess how ecology and evolutionary history influence the expression of phenotypically plastic color vision in adult stomatopods. After 12 weeks in either a full-spectrum “white” or a narrow-spectrum “blue” light treatment, each of the three species evidenced distinctive tuning abilities with respect to the light environment that could be related to its natural depth range. A molecular phylogeny generated using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase C subunit 1 (CO-1) was used to determine whether tuning abilities were phylogenetically or ecologically constrained. Although the sister taxa Neogonodactylus wennerae and N. bredini both exhibited spectral tuning, their ecology (i.e. preferred depth range) strongly influenced the expression of the phenotypically plastic color vision trait. Our results indicate that adult stomatopods have evolved the ability to undergo habitat-specific spectral tuning, allowing rapid facultative physiological modification to suit ecological constraints.     

Hierarchical spatial modeling for estimation of population size

Estimation of population size has traditionally been viewed from a finite population sampling perspective. Typically, the objective is to obtain an estimate of the total population count of individuals within some region. Often, some stratification scheme is used to estimate counts on subregions, whereby the total count is obtained by aggregation with weights, say, proportional to the areas of the subregions. We offer an alternative to the finite population sampling approach for estimating population size. The method does not require that the subregions on which counts are available form a complete partition of the region of interest. In fact, we envision counts coming from areal units that are small relative to the entire study region and that the total area sampled is a very small proportion of the total study area. In extrapolating to the entire region, we might benefit from assuming that there is spatial structure to the counts. We implement this by modeling the intensity surface as a realization from a spatially correlated random process. In the case of multiple population or species counts, we use the linear model of coregionalization to specify a multivariate process which provides associated intensity surfaces hence association between counts within and across areal units. We illustrate the method of population size estimation with simulated data and with tree counts from a Southwestern pinyon-juniper woodland data set.     

Fragmented seagrass habitats on the Mediterranean coast, and distribution and abundance of mysid assemblages

Four different habitats were sampled in order to determine the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of mysids in a seagrass meadow ecosystem. These habitats included meadows of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa, the edge of P. oceanica meadow and sandy substrates. Three random sites for each habitat were sampled along the coast of Alicante at different times, using a hand-net technique (6 m²). Seven species of mysids were identified: Leptomysis posidoniae, Leptomysis buergii, Paramysis helleri, Siriella clausii, Mesopodopsis slabberi, Siriella armata and Mysidopsis gibbosa. Total abundance of mysids was highest at the edge of the P. oceanica meadow, followed by the C. nodosa meadow, sandy substrate and P. oceanica meadow, respectively (P<0.05); this pattern was found during all sampling periods except one. Three species showed persistent spatial segregation by habitat (S. clausii in Posidonia; L. posidoniae at the edge; S. armata in Cymodocea), whereas the other four did not show any clear segregation by habitat (ANOVA, P<0.01). On a site scale (km), spatial variability was very high. Multivariate analyses confirm the existence of differences in the assemblage structure among habitats, with a gradual change from the Posidonia meadow to sand. Posidonia and Cymodocea showed different mysid assemblages. Fragmented, shallow, vegetated habitat on the Mediterranean coast seems to support a higher abundance and species richness of mysids, through habitat diversification, in comparison with homogeneous habitats.     

Substrate catabolism related to reproduction in the bay scallop Argopecten irradians concentricus,as determined by O/N and RQ physiological indexes

Weight specific rates of oxygen consumption carbon dioxide production, and ammonia-N excretion, measured for a Florida population of the bay scallop Argopecten irradians concentricus between May and September, 1982 and October and November, 1983 were significantly correlated (P<0.0005) to environmental factors that co-varied seasonally with metabolic shifts related to reproduction. Mean O/N and CO₂/O₂ (RQ) molar ratios indicates that scallop energy metabolism varied over the course of the reproductive cycle. Resting stage individuals (May-early June) had RQ values close to 0.7, indicative of a predominantly lipid-based metabolism. During the initial stages of gametogenesis (late June-early July) scallops catabolized primarily carbohydrate, as evidenced by maximum O/N (>22) values and RQ values close to 1.0 RQ values >1.0 indicated a possible carbohydrate to lipid conversion during the period of cytoplasmic growth (late July-early September). As gametes matured and spawning commenced (late September-November), metabolism became primarily protein based, as indicated by O/N and RQ values around 9.0 and 0.8, respectively. This pattern of substrate catabolism supports existing data on the storage and utilization of specific energy reserves with respect to reproduction in this species.     

Transport and fate of organic wastes in groundwater at the Stringfellow hazardous waste disposal site, southern California

In January 1999, wastewater influent and effluent from the pretreatment plant at the Stringfellow hazardous waste disposal site were sampled along with groundwater at six locations along the groundwater contaminant plume. The objectives of this sampling and study were to identify at the compound class level the unidentified 40-60% of wastewater organic contaminants, and to determine what organic compound classes were being removed by the wastewater pretreatment plant, and what organic compound classes persisted during subsurface waste migration. The unidentified organic wastes are primarily chlorinated aromatic sulfonic acids derived from wastes from DDT manufacture. Trace amounts of EDTA and NTA organic complexing agents were discovered along with carboxylate metabolites of the common alkylphenolpolyethoxylate plasticizers and nonionic surfactants. The wastewater pretreatment plant removed most of the aromatic chlorinated sulfonic acids that have hydrophobic neutral properties, but the p-chlorobenzene-sulfonic acid which is the primary waste constituent passed through the pretreatment plant and was discharged in the treated wastewaters transported to an industrial sewer. During migration in groundwater, p-chlorobenzenesulfonic acid is removed by natural remediation processes. Wastewater organic contaminants have decreased 3- to 45-fold in the groundwater from 1985 to 1999 as a result of site remediation and natural remediation processes. The chlorinated aromatic sulfonic acids with hydrophobic neutral properties persist and have migrated into groundwater that underlies the adjacent residential community.     

是负责任的行动还是公关?非政府组织对志愿举措的看法

非政府组织倾向于高度怀疑工业界对志愿举措的促进,特别是当它们似乎被用来证明去掉法规有理或妨碍独立监测与评估时更加如此.此外,非政府组织还把矛头指向由于缺乏信息或缺乏多利害攸关者参与而产生的严重可信度差距.减少可信度差距和提高志愿举措的有效性的行动,要包括创造更大的透明度、允许独立验证、包含性、可持续性价值的内化、和互补性使用一种使之有能力的法规框架.