Bio-reduction of arsenate using a hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor

Arsenate (As(V)) is a carcinogen and a significant problem in groundwater in many parts of the world. Since As(III) is generally more mobile and more toxic than As(V), the reduction of As(V) to As(III) is not a conventional treatment goal. However, reducing As(V) to As(III) may still be a means for decontamination, because As(III) can be removed from solution by precipitation or complexation with sulfide or by adsorption to Fe(II)-based solids. A promising approach for reducing oxidized contaminants is the H2-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). In the case of arsenate, the MBfR allows bio-reduction of As(V) to As(III) and sulfate to sulfide, thereby giving the potential for As removal, such as by precipitation of As2S3(s) or formation of Fe(II)-based solids. When As(V) was added to a denitrifying MBfR, As(V) was reduced immediately to As(III). Decreasing the influent sulfate loading increased As(V) reduction for a fixed H2 pressure. A series of short-term experiments elaborated on how As(V) loading, nitrate and sulfate loadings, and H2 pressure controlled As(V) reduction. Lower nitrate loading and increased As(V) loading increased the extent of As(V) reduction, but increased H2 pressure did not increase As(V) reduction. As(V) reduction was sensitive to sulfate loading, with a maximum As(V)-removal percentage and flux with no addition of sulfate. As(III) could be precipitated with sulfide or adsorbed to Fe(II) solids, which was verified by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis.     

Consequences for Protaphorura armata (Collembola: Onychiuridae) following exposure to genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize and non-Bt maize

Studies on the effect of genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops on true soil dwelling non-target arthropods are scarce. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of a 4-week exposure to two Bt maize varieties (Cry1Ab) Cascade and MEB307 on the collembolan Protaphorura armata. For comparison three non-Bt maize varieties, Rivaldo (isogenic to Cascade), Monumental (isogenic to MEB307) and DK242, and two control diets based on baker's yeast (uncontaminated and contaminated with Bt toxin Cry1Ab) were also tested. Due to a lower C:N ratio, individuals reared on yeast performed significantly better in all of the measured endpoints than those reared on maize. P. armata performed equally well when reared on two Bt and three non-Bt maize varieties. Although there were no negative effects of Bt maize in this experiment, we recommend future studies on Bt crops to focus on species interactions in long-term, multi-species experiments.     

The potential for biodiversity offsetting to fund effective invasive species control

Compensating for biodiversity losses in 1 location by conserving or restoring biodiversity elsewhere (i.e., biodiversity offsetting) is being used increasingly to compensate for biodiversity losses resulting from development. We considered whether a form of biodiversity offsetting, enhancement offsetting (i.e., enhancing the quality of degraded natural habitats through intensive ecological management), can realistically secure additional funding to control biological invaders at a scale and duration that results in enhanced biodiversity outcomes. We suggest that biodiversity offsetting has the potential to enhance biodiversity values through funding of invasive species control, but it needs to meet 7 key conditions: be technically possible to reduce invasive species to levels that enhance native biodiversity; be affordable; be sufficiently large to compensate for the impact; be adaptable to accommodate new strategic and tactical developments while not compromising biodiversity outcomes; acknowledge uncertainties associated with managing pests; be based on an explicit risk assessment that identifies the cost of not achieving target outcomes; and include financial mechanisms to provide for in‐perpetuity funding. The challenge then for conservation practitioners, advocates, and policy makers is to develop frameworks that allow for durable and effective partnerships with developers to realize the full potential of enhancement offsets, which will require a shift away from traditional preservation‐focused approaches to biodiversity management. El Potencial de la Compensación de la Biodiversidad para Financiar Controles Efectivos de Especies Invasoras     

Electrophoretic variants of egg white transferrin indicate a low rate of intraspecific brood parasitism in colonial cliff swallows in the Sierra Nevada,California

Summary The frequency of intraspecific brood parasitism in two colonies of cliff swallows (Hirundo pyrrhonota) nesting in the eastern Sierra Nevada in California was assessed through an electrophoretic analysis of egg white (albumin) proteins. Albumin proteins are maternally derived and are presumed to directly reflect maternal genotype. Thus, a comparison of protein banding patterns produced by eggs collected from a single clutch allows any egg laid by a female other than the putative mother to be detected. Eggs were collected from 13 cliff swallow nests in 1984 and 41 nests in 1987, a total of 54 nests. Of the clutches collected in 1984, one showed evidence of intraspecific brood parasitism, giving a nest parasitism rate of 7.6%. In 1987, one of 41 nests contained a parasitic egg, for a parasitism rate of 2.4%. Over both years combined the rate of intraspecific brood parasitism was 2 of 54 nests, or 3.7%. These parasitism rates are much lower than those estimated for Nebraskan cliff swallows (22–43%) and 2nd-year purple martins (36%). Possible explanations for the discrepancy between parasitism rates in Sierran cliff swallows and other groups of swallows are discussed.Correspondence to: A.P. Smyth     

Saturated uptake kinetics: transient response of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana to ammonium,nitrate, silicate or phosphate starvation

Changes in the saturated uptake kinetics of the limiting nutrient were followed as Thalassiosira pseudonana (Clone 3 H) batch cultures entered ammonium, nitrate, silicate and phosphate starvation. Cultures starved of ammonium or phosphate developed very high specific uptake capacities over a 24 to 48 h starvation period, due to both decreases in cell quota and increases in uptake rates per cell. In particular, the cell phosphorus quota decreased ca. 8-fold during phosphate starvation and specific uptake rates exceeded 100 d^-1. In contrast, cultures entering nitrate or silicate starvation underwent little or no further cell division, and the uptake capacity declined during starvation. After 24 to 48 h starvation, an induction requirement for uptake of nitrate or silicate was apparent. These responses are consistent with adaptation to the pattern of supply of these nutrients in the field.     

Advanced age for sexual maturity in the ocean quahog Arctica islandica (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

A study of gonadal state in 39 small specimens of Arctica islandica Linné collected in April 1976 from the Middle Atlantic shelf of North America suggests that sexual maturity is reached at a later age than has been reported for other shelf bivalves. Eight of the specimens had gonads in the undifferentiated state. On the basis of annual internal growth banding in the shells of these immature specimens, age ranged between 4 and 14 years. Average age was 9.38 years (standard deviation, s,= 3.54). Shell length ranged from 24 to 47 mm (average 38.85 mm, s=9.25). Differentiated gonads were found in specimens as young as 6 years. Age of maturity shows a wide range and may be dependent upon growth rate and locality.     

Movements and swimming behaviour of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in Australian waters

We used a combination of satellite telemetry, archival and conventional tags to show that white sharks made broad-scale movements consistent with mixing of the population across their entire Australasian range. The capture of one of these sharks in New Zealand, some 3,550 km from the point of tagging in South Australia, provides further confirmation that white sharks sometimes move into open ocean waters and cross deep ocean basins. However, most movements were confined to shelf waters, generally in areas of less than 100 m depth and in some cases into waters of less than 5 m depth. Sharks showed considerable plasticity in swimming patterns, which included many of the behaviours reported for other species. One of the archival-tagged sharks showed separate periods of distinct swimming behaviour as it moved into different habitats and travelled between them. The changes in swimming behaviour were abrupt and suggested rapid switching of hunting strategies for different prey types in these habitats. All tracked sharks showed both prolonged periods of directional swimming in coastal waters at swimming speeds of 2–3 km h⁻¹ as well as temporary residency in particular regions. Movements of tagged white sharks, together with data from shark control programs and bycatch records, suggest a seasonal movement northward along the east coast of Australia during the autumn–winter months and south in spring–early summer. The consistency of paths taken by white sharks in Australian waters suggests that they may follow common routes or “highways” in some areas. If so, identifying such areas may assist in reducing interactions with fishing operations and thus reduce bycatch.     

Age-specific survivorship in relation to clutch size and fledging success in California gulls

Summary Data from a natural population of California gulls (Larus californicus) demonstrated that increasing reproductive effort with age was associated with reduced survivorship. Number of offspring fledged but not clutch size was inversely related to adult survivorhip indicating that reproductively induced mortality resulted from the cumulative effects of the entire breeding season. Agerelated increases in fledging success were correlated with increased adult mortality. Young gulls fledged few offspring and had high survival rates. Old gulls tended to fledge more offspring and had low survival rates. However, those old gulls fledging few offspring survived as well as young gulls. Data also invalidate the assumption that survivorship is age-constant in this species.     

Quantitative genetic analysis of growth in larval scallops (Placopecten magellanicus)

We estimated the broad-sense heritability of larval size in 20 full-sib families of the giant scallop, Placopecten magellanicus (Gmelin, 1791) grown in laboratory culture in August and September 1991. The goal was to compare scallops with other bivalves which have been shown to have significant heritabilities for larval growth. Secondly, we estimated the lipid content of occytes from female parents, since this is hypothesized to affect larval growth and survival. Finally, we estimated the among-family variation in mortality from 4 to 21 d as a test of possible genetic variation for viability among larval scallops. Significant genetic variation (h²=1.10 to 1.24) was estimated for larval shell length at 4, 14, and 21 d. There was a significant correlation (r=0.66) between larval size at 4 d and lipid content of oocytes, but only when two females with high levels of lipid oocyte^–1 were excluded as outliers. There was no correlation between larval size at 14 and 21 d and lipid content of oocytes. Mortality among families from 4 to 21 d was high (69 to 97%), and was significantly different among families. These results indicate that there is significant heritability for larval growth which is largely independent of the lipid content of the oocytes. A high heritability for larval growth may indicate that this trait is only weakly correlated with fitness.