Characteristic Properties of Novel Organosolv Lignin/Polylactide/Delta-Valerolactone Terpolymers

Compostable terpolymers of l-lactide (LLA), delta-valerolactone (DVL), and switchgrass organosolv lignin (OSL) were synthesized via ring-opening polymerization to improve on polylactide homopolymer properties for commercial applications. OSL has properties that improve some of the deficiencies of polylactide, including polylactide’s limitations for use in food, beverage and medical applications due to its high water permeability and low ultraviolet light (UV) blocking capabilities. DVL was incorporated into these polymers to add flexibility. The addition of DVL to the polymer had a positive effect on the tensile strain properties of the resultant terpolymer, resulting in a more flexible polymer with a reduced Young’s modulus. Water vapor transmission rate calculations confirmed that water vapor was transported more slowly through terpolymer films than through the PLLA homopolymer under varying hygrostatic conditions. While the addition of DVL increased UV permeability, the addition of even a small amount of lignin can effectively counteract this effect.     

Fumaric acid production using renewable resources from biodiesel and cane sugar production processes

The microbial production of fumaric acid by Rhizopus arrhizus NRRL 2582 has been evaluated using soybean cake from biodiesel production processes and very high polarity (VHP) sugar from sugarcane mills. Soybean cake was converted into a nutrient-rich hydrolysate via a two-stage bioprocess involving crude enzyme production via solid state fermentations (SSF) of either Aspergillus oryzae or R. arrhizus cultivated on soybean cake followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean cake. The soybean cake hydrolysate produced using crude enzymes derived via SSF of R. arrhizus was supplemented with VHP sugar and evaluated using different initial free amino nitrogen (FAN) concentrations (100, 200, and 400 mg/L) in fed-batch cultures for fumaric acid production. The highest fumaric acid concentration (27.3 g/L) and yield (0.7 g/g of total consumed sugars) were achieved when the initial FAN concentration was 200 mg/L. The combination of VHP sugar with soybean cake hydrolysate derived from crude enzymes produced by SSF of A. oryzae at 200 mg/L initial FAN concentration led to the production of 40 g/L fumaric acid with a yield of 0.86 g/g of total consumed sugars. The utilization of sugarcane molasses led to low fumaric acid production by R. arrhizus, probably due to the presence of various minerals and phenolic compounds. The promising results achieved through the valorization of VHP sugar and soybean cake suggest that a focused study on molasses pretreatment could lead to enhanced fumaric acid production.     

A multi-scale remote sensing approach for monitoring northern peatland hydrology: present possibilities and future challenges

Remote sensing has the potential to provide quantitative spatially explicit hydrological information across northern peatland complexes. This paper details a multi-scale remote sensing approach for assessing the use of Sphagnum mosses as proxy indicators of near-surface hydrology. Several spectral indices developed from the near infra-red (NIR) and shortwave infra-red (SWIR) liquid water absorption bands, as well as a biophysical index can be correlated with measures of near-surface moisture in the laboratory, in the field and from airborne imagery. Data from all platforms revealed similar patterns in the spectral indices in relation to changes in moisture although the strength of correlations was reduced as the spatial scale increased. The rapid collection of temporally and spatially explicit hydrological data means that the technique has potential practical application for environmental managers and peatland scientists at the local scale. The task of up-scaling the technique for use in operational peatland hydrological monitoring to the global scale is challenging but achievable, and requires further investigation into the heterogeneity of near-surface moisture across Sphagnum patches and the application of novel image processing techniques to improve the spatial resolution of currently available satellite imagery.     

Recovery of mercury-contaminated fisheries

In this paper, we synthesize available information on the links between changes in ecosystem loading of inorganic mercury (Hg) and levels of methylmercury (MeHg) in fish. Although it is widely hypothesized that increased Hg load to aquatic ecosystems leads to increases in MeHg in fish, there is limited quantitative data to test this hypothesis. Here we examine the available evidence from a range of sources: studies of ecosystems contaminated by industrial discharges, observations of fish MeHg responses to changes in atmospheric load, studies over space and environmental gradients, and experimental manipulations. A summary of the current understanding of the main processes involved in the transport and transformation from Hg load to MeHg in fish is provided. The role of Hg loading is discussed in context with other factors affecting Hg cycling and bioaccumulation in relation to timing and magnitude of response in fish MeHg. The main conclusion drawn is that changes in Hg loading (increase or decrease) will yield a response in fish MeHg but that the timing and magnitude of the response will vary depending of ecosystem-specific variables and the form of the Hg loaded.     

A global assessment of the social and conservation outcomes of protected areas

Protected areas (PAs) are a key strategy for protecting biological resources, but they vary considerably in their effectiveness and are frequently reported as having negative impacts on local people. This has contributed to a divisive and unresolved debate concerning the compatibility of environmental and socioeconomic development goals. Elucidating the relationship between positive and negative social impacts and conservation outcomes of PAs is key for the development of more effective and socially just conservation. We conducted a global meta‐analysis on 165 PAs using data from 171 published studies. We assessed how PAs affect the well‐being of local people, the factors associated with these impacts, and crucially the relationship between PAs’ conservation and socioeconomic outcomes. Protected areas associated with positive socioeconomic outcomes were more likely to report positive conservation outcomes. Positive conservation and socioeconomic outcomes were more likely to occur when PAs adopted comanagement regimes, empowered local people, reduced economic inequalities, and maintained cultural and livelihood benefits. Whereas the strictest regimes of PA management attempted to exclude anthropogenic influences to achieve biological conservation objectives, PAs that explicitly integrated local people as stakeholders tended to be more effective at achieving joint biological conservation and socioeconomic development outcomes. Strict protection may be needed in some circumstances, yet our results demonstrate that conservation and development objectives can be synergistic and highlight management strategies that increase the probability of maximizing both conservation performance and development outcomes of PAs.     

Critical Review on the Public Health Impact of Norovirus Contamination in Shellfish and the Environment: A UK Perspective

We review the risk of norovirus (NoV) infection to the human population from consumption of contaminated shellfish. From a UK perspective, risk is apportioned for different vectors of NoV infection within the population. NoV spreads mainly by person-to-person contact or via unsanitary food handling. NoV also enters the coastal zone via wastewater discharges resulting in contamination of shellfish waters. Typically, NoV persists in the marine environment for several days, with its presence strongly linked to human population density, wastewater discharge rate, and efficacy of wastewater treatment. Shellfish bioaccumulate NoV and current post-harvest depuration is inefficient in its removal. While NoV can be inactivated by cooking (e.g. mussels), consumption of contaminated raw shellfish (e.g. oysters) represents a risk to human health. Consumption of contaminated food accounts for 3–11% of NoV cases in the UK (~74,000 cases/year), of which 16% are attributable to oyster consumption (11,800 cases/year). However, environmental and human factors influencing NoV infectivity remain poorly understood. Lack of standard methods for accurate quantification of infective and non-infective (damaged) NoV particles represent a major barrier, hampering identification of an appropriate lower NoV contamination limit for shellfish. Future management strategies may include shellfish quality assessment (at point of harvest or at point of supply) or harvesting controls. However, poor understanding of NoV inactivation in shellfish and the environment currently limits accurate apportionment and risk assessment for NoV and hence the identification of appropriate shellfish or environmental quality standards.     

The reproductive behavior of Anthidium manicatum (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) and the significance of size for territorial males

Summary Males of the wool-carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, patrol clumps of garden plants. Females of this species visit these plants for pollen, nectar, and pubescence; they also mate there. Females are polyandrous, with intervals between copulations as short as 35 s. Patrolling males defend their territories (0.1–1.3 m²) against other males and against other species of flower-visiting insects. Honey bees may be rendered unable to fly by the attacks of A. manicatum.Territory owners perform exploratory flights to other males' territories, changing territories often (median ownership 4–7 days; maximum 30 days) and flying up to 450 m to establish new territories. Territorial usurpations are nearly always by larger males.Female visitation rate is significantly correlated with number of flowers on a territory. The head size of territory-owner males shows significant correlation with territorial quality (measured by number of flowers, not area) and thus with number of female visits and copulatory opportunities. Some males fail to maintain territories and instead attempt to forage and copulate in other males' territories while the owners are otherwise occupied. Nonowner males are significantly smaller than owners, forage less often and from fewer flowers, and achieve significantly fewer copulations than owners. Females, however, do not reject smaller, nonowner males at a higher rate than they do larger, owner males; their choice for male size appears to be indirect, based instead on choice of food resource.The interval between a copulation and the male's next attempt with a different female is not shorter than that involving the same female. Males do not escort just-mated females about their teritories, as observed in Anthidium maculosum. Territorial behavior in this species most likely evolved through intrasexual competition for reproductive success which led to sexual dimorphism. The defense of a resourcebased territory is the mechanism used by a male to maximize his reproductive potential.     

Evaluating the coastal environment for marine birds

The marine environment is being increasingly exploited by fisheries and the oil and gas industry. Conservationists urgently need the ability to identify the processes that determine patterns of abundance of marine species. We describe a preliminary Geographic Information System (GIS) in which spatial data on environmental variables (seabird colony locations, sea depth and seabed sediments) are integrated with realistic energy constraints faced by marine birds during the breeding season. A simple foraging model predicts the spatial variation in the quality of given locations as potential feeding sites under different feeding conditions and stages of the breeding cycle. We show how the approach can be used to help managers identify key marine areas and assess the impacts of environmental change or damage.     

Grazing,defecation and excretion rates of copepods from inter-island channels of the Canadian Arctic archipelago

Zooplankton (>800 m) and water samples were collected at night at eleven stations in Parry Channel and adjacent waters, between 28 August and 14 September 1986. Chlorophyll concentrations varied between 17 g l^-1 at the surface at one station in Wellington Channel, Canada, and 1.5 g l^-1 throughout the top 30 m at one station in Byam Martin Channel, Canada. In tows from 0 to 50 m the zooplankton community at all stations was dominated by varying proportions of three species,Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis andMetridia longa. Levels of chlorophyllderived pigments inC. hyperboreus Stages V, IV and III were correlated with the concentration of chlorophyll at the chlorophyll maximum. Defecation rate constants, measured for the different stages where present, were variable but not correlated with ambient chlorophyll concentrations. Ammonia excretion was measured simultaneously for the communities in which defecation was being measured in the invividual species and stages. In these experiments the rate of ammonia accumulation decreased significantly over the period during which the copepods were actively defecating (usually the first 3 h) and then tended to a constant level (over the next 18 to 20 h). The time courses of ammonia accumulation could be described by a model comprised of the sum of a straight line and a saturating curve. For seven experiments the ammonia release given by the asymptote of the saturating component was correlated with the estimate of community defecation, obtained by summing the individual defecations, suggesting that the two processes were closely associated. Weight specific defecation and weight specific defecation-associated ammonia excretion were both correlated with ambient chlorophyll concentration. The ratio of initial to basal ammonia excretion rate varied between 2 and 20, so that defecation-associated ammonia release may be important in the estimation of in vivo nitrogen excretion or regeneration rates.