Revisions to the derivation of the Australian and New Zealand guidelines for toxicants in fresh and marine waters

The Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality are a key document in the Australian National Water Quality Management Strategy. These guidelines released in 2000 are currently being reviewed and updated. The revision is being co-ordinated by the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, while technical matters are dealt with by a series of Working Groups. The revision will be evolutionary in nature reflecting the latest scientific developments and a range of stakeholder desires. Key changes will be: increasing the types and sources of data that can be used; working collaboratively with industry to permit the use of commercial-in-confidence data; increasing the minimum data requirements; including a measure of the uncertainty of the trigger value; improving the software used to calculate trigger values; increasing the rigour of site-specific trigger values; improving the method for assessing the reliability of the trigger values; and providing guidance of measures of toxicity and toxicological endpoints that may, in the near future, be appropriate for trigger value derivation. These changes will markedly improve the number and quality of the trigger values that can be derived and will increase end-users’ ability to understand and implement the guidelines in a scientifically rigorous manner.     

Metal uptake capacity of modified Saccharomyces pastorianus biomass from different types of solution

In this paper, we investigate the effect of different biomass pretreatments on metal ion uptake by various biosorbents. Heat-treated as well as caustic-treated and ground biomass of Saccharomyces pastorianus was used to remove copper, lead and cadmium from various solutions. Untreated yeast was used as the control sample. The effect of yeast modification on sorption capacity depended on the different types of heavy metal ions and whether they were in single- or multi-component solutions. The highest uptake of copper and lead from a single-metal solution was obtained from heat-treated cells. Ground biomass was the most efficient at cadmium removal. However, the sorption capacity of the modified biomass did not improve when metal ions were removed from multi-component solutions. Indeed, the results in this paper show that optimizing metal removal from single-cation solutions can lead to decreased sorption capacity in multi-component solutions. Therefore, while adjusting the procedure of biomass modification, not only the nature of the metal ion being sorbed but also the chemical composition of the metal ion solution should be taken into account.     

Pathways of rural change: an integrated assessment of metabolic patterns in emerging ruralities

While rural transformations are nothing new in human history, current processes of rural change occur under multiple forces at an unprecedented pace, involving profound and unexpected changes in land use and users, and rapid transformations in the metabolic patterns of rural systems. The present special section aims to shed light on current drivers and pathways of rural change by analyzing, under a common conceptual and theoretical framework, examples of new ruralities that are emerging as responses across different world regions. Within this context, this introduction presents: (1) common research questions of the six presented cases of rural change; (2) the general theoretical and methodological framework of integrated assessment of societal metabolism adopted to analyze rural systems and (3) the main contributions and conclusions that could be drawn from six context-specific case studies from Asia, Latin America and Europe.     

Diatoms in bottom sediments as indicators of pollution of urban aquatic ecosystems

Analysis of the concentrations of chemical elements and the composition of diatoms in the surface layer of bottom sediments has been performed in a small reservoir at the mouth of dammed river to evaluate the levels of pollution and the impact of toxicants on diatom communities of the river ecosystem. Data on interrelations between the concentrations of chemical elements and the relationship between inorganic pollution and accumulation of diatoms in bottom sediments as an indicator of development of the diatom assemblage have been obtained using linear correlation analysis and graphical plotting.     

Stable carbon isotope ratio in xylotrophic fungi and their substrates

Data on the ratio of stable carbon isotopes in xylotrophic fungi and their xylic substrates are presented for the first time. It is shown that coniferous substrates are more enriched in the heavy carbon isotope, compared to deciduous substrates. In both cases, however, their carbon isotope composition is characterized by low variability and does not correlate with the species or physiological type of decomposer fungus but shows a statistically significant correlation with the degree of wood mineralization. The ratio of stable carbon isotopes in the fungi depends on that in their substrates but is shifted in favor of the heavier isotope. This trophic shift lacks species specificity, is equally manifested in decomposers of deciduous and coniferous substrates, remains unchanged along the latitudinal climatic gradient, and is positively correlated with the carbon isotope composition of substrates, in the absence of correlation with the degree of their mineralization.     

Impact of urban anthropogenic pollution on seed production,morphological and biochemical characteristics of chamomile,Matricaria chamomila L.

It has been shown that the growth of technogenic dust pollution is accompanied by the accumulation of heavy metals in soil and plant phytomass, compared to the control, and that the morphometric and reproductive characteristics of Matricaria chamomila are most sensitive to the impact of these pollutants. The response of plants is manifested in increased variation in morphological characters, mobilization of compensatory protective biochemical mechanisms, and production of more viable seed progeny.     

Development of vegetative and generative organs in magnetic orientation types of radish in a weak permanent magnetic field

Experiments have been performed to evaluate the impact of weak permanent horizontal magnetic field of about 400 A/m on seed formation in the main magnetic orientation types of radish, the north-south (NS) and west-east (WE) types. The results show that external magnetic field exposure retards plant progression through all stages of ontogeny but does not alter the ratio of NS and WE types. Under its effect, the numbers of pods and seeds and seed weight decrease in the NS-type but increase in the WS-type plants. Therefore, external magnetic field acts as an ecological factor that differentiates the responses of radish plants depending on the type of their magnetic orientation. Differences in the sensitivity of plants to magnetic field exposure are explained by specific features of their physiological status.     

Building resilience to water scarcity in southern Spain: a case study of rice farming in Doñana protected wetlands

Agricultural water management needs to evolve in view of increased water scarcity, especially when farming and natural protected areas are closely linked. In the study site of Doñana (southern Spain), water is shared by rice producers and a world heritage biodiversity ecosystem. Our aim is to contribute to defining adaptation strategies that may build resilience to increasing water scarcity and minimize water conflicts among agricultural and natural systems. The analytical framework links a participatory process with quantitative methods to prioritize the adaptation options. Bottom-up proposed adaptation measures are evaluated by a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) that includes both socioeconomic criteria and criteria of the ecosystem services affected by the adaptation options. Criteria weights are estimated by three different methods—analytic hierarchy process, Likert scale and equal weights—that are then compared. Finally, scores from an MCA are input into an optimization model used to determine the optimal land-use distribution in order to maximize utility and land-use diversification according to different scenarios of funds and water availability. While our results show a spectrum of perceptions of priorities among stakeholders, there is one overriding theme that is to define a way to restore part of the rice fields to natural wetlands. These results hold true under the current climate scenario and even more so under an increased water scarcity scenario.     

The status of mammal populations in the middle Urals and factors determining their distribution and density

Changes in the distribution and abundance of some game mammals have been analyzed over the past 100–150 years. Correlations between changes in the population density of species in slightly and strongly transformed habitats have been revealed, which show that the influence of anthropogenic factors on the population density of species has a highly complex pattern. Transformation of habitats leads to disturbances in the species composition of communities, changes in the population density of species, and disruption of functional relationships between them.     

Climate impact on agroeconomy in semiarid region of Armenia

With 21 % of gross domestic product (GDP) in agricultural sector and having consistently experienced natural disasters (e.g., drought, flood), Armenia is very vulnerable to climate and its change. Given the fact that 63 % of the entire land is planted with grains, this study primarily focuses on the market for wheat flour and bread. Economic welfare loss due to drought episodes is calculated using the economic data integrated with climate measures. Economic data are utilized for the period 1995–2011 (obtained from Statistical Office of Armenia) and specifically include the quantity produced and consumed of wheat flour and bread combined with mean prices, population income, GDP in the agricultural sector, GDP in the planting sector, and governmental expenditure on subsidies. Climate data include temperature and precipitation during the period 1966–2011 (obtained from National Hydrometeorological Service of Armenia). The analysis includes three main components. The first utilizes a market framework that analyzes the impact of climate on equilibrium prices and quantities as well as trade and tax effects. The second employs a logarithmic utility function to estimate the effective insurance policy for the agricultural sector using risk management strategies. Lastly, a macroeconomic model has been developed to assess the efficient sum of governmental expenditure on subsidies and irrigation during the drought episodes and during the mean climatic conditions. All three parts of the study are developed for the first time.