Local mate competition in the solitary parasitoid wasp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ooencyrtus kuvanae</Emphasis>

Local mate competition (LMC) occurs when brothers compete with each other for mating opportunities, resulting in selection for a female-biased sex ratio within local groups. If multiple females oviposit in the same patch, their sons compete for mating opportunities with non-brothers. Females, in the presence of other females, should thus produce relatively more sons. Sex ratio theory also predicts a more female-biased sex ratio when ovipositing females are genetically related, and sex-ratio responses to foundress size if it differentially affects fitness gains from sons versus daughters. The mating system of the parasitoid wasp Ooencyrtus kuvanae meets assumptions of LMC. Females insert a single egg into each accessible egg of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, host egg masses. Wasps complete development inside host eggs and emerge en masse, as sexually mature adults, resulting in intense competition among brothers. We tested the hypothesis that O. kuvanae exhibits LMC by manipulating the number of wasp foundresses on egg masses with identical numbers of eggs. As predicted by LMC theory, with increasing numbers of wasp foundresses on an egg mass, the proportions of emerging sons increased. In contrast, the presence of a sibling compared to a non-sibling female during oviposition, or the size of a female, did not affect the number or sex ratio of offspring produced. The O. kuvanae system differs from others in that larvae do not compete for local resources and thus do not distort the sex ratio in favor of sons. With no resource competition among O. kuvanae larvae, the sex ratio of emergent son and daughter wasps is due entirely to the sex allocation by ovipositing wasp foundresses on host egg masses.     

Heavy metal bioaccumulation by the bryophyte Scleropodium purum at three French sites under various influences: rural conditions, traffic, and industry

An active biomonitoring of the heavy metals pollution experiment was undertaken by means of the bryophyte species Scleropodium purum transplanted at three different sites exposed to rural, traffic, or industrial influences. Concentrations of about 40 elements in S. purum were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Accumulation rates of heavy metals were determined in the three sites. These accumulation rates in polluted sites were matched together and also to those recorded at the rural site. The changes of the accumulation rate of heavy metals in S. purum versus their concentrations in PM₁₀ particles simultaneously collected above show some different accumulation properties of S. purum according to elements and sites. S. purum has a weak efficiency in the three sites to accumulate elements like V, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sb, and Pb originating from atmospheric hot sources generally enriched in particulates matter (PM₁₀), whereas it is particularly high for Br, Th, and Rb. For other elements, Co, La, Ce, and Hf, and rare earth elements, Fe, Sr, Nb, Ti, Al, and Sc, the collection efficiency by S. purum is intermediate. In the industrial site Dunkerque, a magnification of the collection efficiency by S. purum for elements originating from steel and aluminum productions and petroleum refinement suggests that these metals could be enriched in coarse particles with a better accumulation by the bryophyte with respect to PM10.     

Lab-scale investigation of the ability of Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler to catch short pesticide contamination peaks

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this lab-scale study, the POCIS capacity to integrate short contamination peaks of variable intensity and duration was evaluated. POCIS were...     

Tourist facilities for disabled people on the French Riviera: a strategic model of the controversial plans to develop the seafront areas

Faced with a growing demand from the disabled community in Europe and encouraged by new regulations regarding people with disabilities, the French Riviera has joined an initiative which makes its seaside facilities more accessible. Adapted amenities are consequently currently available on the French Riviera. A survey carried out of 20 seaside tourism professionals and representatives of local institutions aimed to understand the underpinning strategies of these developments, which are very heterogeneous as regards their size, their localization, and their level of service. On the whole, it seems that on the French Riviera the services offered to disabled tourists are the product of a mixture of willingness and obligation by the regulations. Disabled people are not yet considered as real clients but as a separate population, not to be mixed with the able-bodied holiday clientele.     

Uncertainty propagation in vegetation distribution models based on ensemble classifiers

Ensemble learning techniques are increasingly applied for species and vegetation distribution modelling, often resulting in more accurate predictions. At the same time, uncertainty assessment of distribution models is gaining attention. In this study, Random Forests, an ensemble learning technique, is selected for vegetation distribution modelling based on environmental variables. The impact of two important sources of uncertainty, that is the uncertainty on spatial interpolation of environmental variables and the uncertainty on species clustering into vegetation types, is quantified based on sequential Gaussian simulation and pseudo-randomization tests, respectively. An empirical assessment of the uncertainty propagation to the distribution modelling results indicated a gradual decrease in performance with increasing input uncertainty. The test set error ranged from 30.83% to 52.63% and from 30.83% to 83.62%, when the uncertainty ranges on spatial interpolation and on vegetation clustering, respectively, were fully covered. Shannon’s entropy, which is proposed as a measure for uncertainty of ensemble predictions, revealed a similar increasing trend in prediction uncertainty. The implications of these results in an empirical distribution modelling framework are further discussed with respect to monitoring setup, spatial interpolation and species clustering.     

Comparative study of the fate and mobility of metals discharged in mining and urban effluents using sequential extractions on suspended solids

The fate, bioavailability and environmental impacts of metals discharged in municipal and mining wastewater discharge will depend to a large extent on chemical speciation and distribution. Previous studies on metal bioaccumulation have shown that total metal concentrations are not a good predictor of bioavailability in the dispersion plumes of municipal effluents. The objective of this study was to determine the solid phase speciation of metals in surface waters receiving urban and mining effluents in order to assess their fate and relative mobility in the receiving environment. Suspended particulate matter was sampled using sediment traps at several sites downstream of effluent outfall plumes as well as at reference upstream sites. Particulate metal in operationally defined fractions—exchangeable/carbonates, reducible, oxidisable and residual—were determined in suspended particulate matter with a series of selective chemical extractions. Metal enrichment in suspended particles was generally observed in both mining and urban effluent discharges. When compared to its receiving environment, the mining effluent appeared to release more particulate metals (Cu, Fe, Zn) in the most reactive fractions (i.e. exchangeable/carbonates + reducible forms, 23–43%), while other released metals, such as Cd and Mn, were predominantly in the least reactive forms (i.e., oxidisable + residual, 73–97%). In contrast, the reactivity of all particulate metals, with the exception of Mn, from the urban effluent was much higher, with up to 65, 42, 30 and 43% for Cd, Cu, Fe and Zn, respectively, in the two most reactive fractions. As expected in effluent dispersion plumes, parameters such as the organic carbon, Fe oxide and carbonate contents have specific effects on the partitioning of several trace metals, particularly Cd, Cu and Zn. Our results indicated that the relative distributions of metals among geochemical fractions varied in the effluent receiving waters where organic carbon and Fe oxides appeared as the most important parameters. This could therefore decrease the exposure for aquatic organisms that are exposed to those contaminated sediments as well as the risk to human health.     

Validation of the Polish version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) in an elderly population (60–70 years old)

Purpose. To assess the reliability and validity of the Polish version of the 36-point World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) in an elderly population. Method. One thousand randomly selected individuals, aged 60–70 years, living in south-eastern Poland were assessed using the Polish version of the WHODAS 2.0. Results. The analysis confirmed the high reliability and validity of the tool. Cronbach’s α index was 0.89. The tool had high stability, and the correlation between test and retest results was high. The relevance of the domain selection was high or very high. A factor analysis confirmed the relevance of assigning questions to domains. High theoretical relevance was also demonstrated. Statistically significant differences between those who were and were not suffering from health problems were observed. An analysis of the internal structure of the WHODAS 2.0 revealed strong correlations between the components of each domain and the final result. Conclusion. The Polish version of the WHODAS 2.0 showed high reliability and validity; thus, it can be used to assess health, functioning and disability in the elderly population of Poland.     

Monitoring saltwater intrusion in Rupert Bay,Québec,Canada, after the partial diversion of a major tributary

As part of a large hydroelectric project in northern Québec (Canada), a portion of the flow of the Rupert River was diverted toward the existing La Grande hydroelectric complex. As a result of the partial diversion, the discharge of the Rupert River at its mouth is reduced by an average of 50% annually. This corresponds to an 18% decrease in the total freshwater inflow into the bay and, thus, to a shift of the upstream limit of the saltwater intrusion in Rupert Bay. Changes in saltwater intrusion had been predicted numerically as part of the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA). In the project’s conditions of authorization, monitoring the hydraulic conditions and the extent of saltwater intrusion in the Rupert Bay was required by government authorities. The objective of this paper is to present the results of this environmental monitoring and, more specifically, to validate the modifications predicted in the EIA in terms of both saltwater intrusion limit and hydraulic conditions in the Rupert Bay. Results obtained during 2 years of monitoring are within the predicted trends and order of magnitude of changes anticipated in the EIA. The results, thus, confirm that the shift of the upstream limit of the saltwater front along the channels of the bay was conservatively predicted by numerical modeling.     

Accounting for human behavior,local conditions and organizational constraints in humanitarian development models

The current trend in foreign aid is toward small-scale sustainable development projects in partnership with defined communities. However, these projects are subject to the influences of self-interested human behavior, poorly defined community structures and resources and organizational constraints that can prevent full realization of development models. Under these constraints, attempting participatory community development models to the exclusion of other techniques may not be the most effective way to achieve positive change. Instead, development agencies should consider adopting other proven elements of development in combination with the spirit of community development to achieve a positive impact within the community and organizational structures and ensure accountability for success. A small-scale attempted, sustainable development case study in Rwanda is reviewed, as well as a new concept for larger scale development integrating ‘carbon credits’. Additionally, a development accreditation organization is proposed to ensure additional accountability in this field.     

Mulesing and Animal Ethics

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called for a ban on mulesing in the Australian sheep industry in 2004. Mulesing is a surgical procedure that removes wool-bearing skin from the tail and breech area of sheep in order to prevent flystrike (cutaneous myiasis). Flystrike occurs when flies lay their eggs in soiled areas of wool on the sheep and can be fatal for the sheep host. PETA claimed that mulesing subjects sheep to unnecessary pain and suffering and took action against the Australian wool industry that resulted in a number of international clothing retailers choosing not to use Australian wool. Although the Australian sheep industry agreed to phase out mulesing in 2010, there is some uncertainty as to whether this deadline will be achieved. The changing social ethic towards animal welfare suggests that the way the Australian sheep industry manages the phase out of mulesing in 2010 is vital to its future survival and success. It is likely that if mulesing does not cease in 2010 there will be a negative market reaction to Australian wool and the risk of legislation to ban mulesing. To avoid losing control of its animal welfare strategy, the Australian sheep industry should ensure that mulesing is phased out in 2010 and endorse the animal welfare ethic underpinning this change. The industry should also educate farmers and other industry stakeholders in how the changing social ethic for animal welfare can create new market opportunities for wool.