Conservation,Conflict and the Governance of Fisher Wellbeing: Analysis of the Establishment of the Gulf of Mannar National Park and Biosphere Reserve

This article examines one MPA—the Gulf of Mannar National Park and Biosphere Reserve—located in southern India, and four types of social conflict that have surrounded its establishment. Taking the strength of wellbeing aspirations as point of departure, we focus on two themes: the implications of MPA embeddedness in wider societal systems, and the consequences of natural and social variety for governance. We conclude first of all that conflict resolution depends on MPA authorities’ willingness to engage with the interferences that emerge from outside the MPA area. Secondly, we point out the varying wellbeing aspirations of the population and the need to develop governance partnerships. The latter are argued to contribute to more balanced decision making, as well as to a greater appreciation among the target population of the ‘fairness’ of MPA policy.     

Sexual selection and the function of a melanin-based plumage ornament in polygamous penduline tits <Emphasis Type="Italic">Remiz pendulinus</Emphasis>

Melanin-based ornaments are often involved in signaling aggression and dominance, and their role in sexual selection is increasingly recognized. We investigated the functions of a melanin-based plumage ornament (facial ‘mask’) in male Eurasian penduline tits Remiz pendulinus in the contexts of male–male aggression, mating success, and parental care. The penduline tit is a passerine bird with a unique mating system in which both sexes may mate with several mates in a breeding season, and one (or both) parent deserts the clutch. Our study revealed that mask size of males is more likely an honest signal used by females in their mate choice decisions than a trait involved in male–male competition. First, mask size increased with both age and body condition, indicating that the mask may signal male quality. Second, males with larger masks paired more quickly and had more mates over the breeding season than males with smaller masks. Third, we found no evidence that male mask size signals male–male aggression or dominance during competitive encounters. The increased mating success of large-masked males, however, did not translate into higher reproductive success, as nestling survival decreased with mask size. Therefore, we conclude that there is either no directional selection on male mask size or males with larger masks receive indirect, long-term benefits.     

Construction and demolition waste management in Kosovo: a survey of challenges and opportunities on the road to circular economy

Managing Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a severe and growing urban challenge, particularly in post-conflict countries. Though Kosovo has significantly rebuilt and developed after the Liberation War, these initiatives have accompanied suboptimal waste management. This research evaluates CDW management in Kosovo by assessing current practices and operations vis-a-vis the legal framework and EU requirements. It identifies instruments and policies capable of ameliorating gaps and proposes a more sustainable and circular CDW management system for Kosovo. Information was primarily collected during on-site visits to Pristina and the surroundings by a cohort of Urban Management Students from the Technische Universität Berlin, students from Kosovo, and the local office of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ. The analysis identified gaps in Kosovo's CDW management and its observance and enforcement of existing CDW legislation, including an ambiguous licensing system impeding sustainable demolition, storage, and transport; the absence of approved CDW storage options leading to uncontrolled disposal; and an underdeveloped market for recycling and reuse, deterring stakeholders from further pursuit of circular practices. These gaps were compounded by poor recordkeeping, obscuring precise information on CDW streams. Possible instruments and incentives to support Kosovo's transition to a more sustainable CDW management system were then identified.

     

The relation between Acid Volatile Sulfides (AVS) and metal accumulation in aquatic invertebrates: Implications of feeding behavior and ecology

The present study evaluates the relationship between Acid Volatile Sulfides (AVS) and metal accumulation in invertebrates with different feeding behavior and ecological preferences. Natural sediments, pore water and surface water, together with benthic and epibenthic invertebrates were sampled at 28 Flemish lowland rivers. Different metals as well as metal binding sediment characteristics including AVS were measured and multiple regression was used to study their relationship with accumulated metals in the invertebrates taxa.Bioaccumulation in the benthic taxa was primarily influenced by total metal concentrations in the sediment. Regarding the epibenthic taxa metal accumulation was mostly explained by the more bioavailable metal fractions in both the sediment and the water. AVS concentrations were generally better correlated with metal accumulation in the epibenthic invertebrates, rather than with the benthic taxa. Our results indicated that the relation between AVS and metal accumulation in aquatic invertebrates is highly dependent on feeding behavior and ecology.     

Influence of suspended particles on the emission of organophosphate flame retardant from insulation boards

The influence of the presence of the so-called seed particles on the emission rate of Tris (1-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) from polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation boards was investigated in this study. Two Field and Laboratory Emission Test cells (FLEC) were placed on the surface of the same PIR board and respectively supplied with clean air (reference FLEC) and air containing laboratory-generated soot particles (test FLEC). The behavior of the area-specific emission rates (SER _A ) over a time period of 10 days was studied by measuring the total (gas?+?particles) concentrations of TCIPP at the exhaust of each FLEC. The estimated SER _A of TCIPP from the PIR board at the quasi-static equilibrium were found to be 0.82 μg m^?2 h^?1 in the absence of seed particles, while the addition of soot particles led to SER _A of 2.16 μg m^?2 h^?1. This indicates an increase of the SER _A of TCIPP from the PIR board with a factor of 3 in the presence of soot particles. The TCIPP partition coefficient to soot particles at the quasi-static equilibrium was 0.022?±?0.012 m³ μg^?1. In the next step, the influence of real-life particles on TCIPP emission rates was investigated by supplying the test FLEC with air from a professional kitchen where mainly frying and baking activities took place. Similar to the reference FLEC outcomes, SER _A was also found to increase in this real-life experiment over a time period of 20 days by a factor 3 in the presence of particles generated during cooking activities. The median value of estimated particle–gas coefficient for this test was 0.062?±?0.037 m³ μg^?1.

     

No evidence for acoustic mate-guarding in duetting buff-breasted wrens (Thryothorus leucotis)

There are few empirical tests of the acoustic mate-guarding hypothesis for the function of duetting in birds. This hypothesis states that when females are fertile, males initiate many songs or answer most of their mates solo songs to form duets and repel rival males seeking extra-pair copulations. We tested the hypothesis by comparing song initiation and answer rates of males and females in socially monogamous buff-breasted wrens (Throthorus leucotis) during pre-fertile and fertile periods. During pre-fertile periods, males often sang for short periods before being answered by their mates, yet first duets were formed earlier relative to dawn and more duets were given during the dawn chorus on pre-fertile than fertile mornings. Males initiated more songs during pre-fertile than fertile periods, whereas there was no difference between stages in female song initiation rates. The proportion of songs answered by individuals of both sexes did not differ between breeding stages. Other mate-guarding behaviours, such as frequent copulation and maintaining close proximity to mates when fertile, did not appear to be important in this species, as no copulations were observed and there was no difference in the time pairs spent in close proximity when females were fertile or not. Parentage analysis revealed that only 3% of 31 broods had young that were likely the result of extra-pair paternity. These findings do not support the acoustic mate-guarding hypothesis, and suggest that the low rate of extra-pair paternity in buff-breasted wrens was maintained without the use of acoustic or traditional paternity guards.Communicated by R. Gibson     

Variation in composition of predator-attracting allelochemicals emitted by herbivore-infested plants: Relative influence of plant and herbivore

Summary During foraging, natural enemies of herbivores may employ volatile allelochemicals that originate from an interaction of the herbivore and its host plant. The composition of allelochemical blends emitted by herbivore-infested plants is known to be affected by both the herbivore and the plant. Our chemical data add new evidence to the recent notion that the plants are more important than the herbivore in affecting the composition of the volatile blends. Blends emitted by apple leaves infested with spider mites of 2 different species,T. urticae andP. ulmi, differed less in composition (principally quantitative differences for some compounds) than blends emitted by leaves of two apple cultivars infested by the same spider-mite species,T. urticae (many quantitative and a few qualitative differences). Comparison between three plant species — apple, cucumber and Lima bean — reveals even larger differences between volatile blends emitted upon spider-mite damage (many quantitative differences and several qualitative differences).     

Dealing with uncertainty in collaborative planning: developing adaptive strategies for the IJsselmeer

Adaptive strategies to deal with uncertainty in water management are often collaboratively developed. So far, however, little attention has been paid to the influence of collaboration on handling uncertainty through adaptive planning. In this paper, we study how collaboration has influenced the handling of uncertainty through adaptive planning for water management strategies for the IJsselmeer area in the Netherlands. We show how a fixation on certainty, different perspectives among actors and unclear responsibilities between arenas affect the handling of uncertainty, and found that it is adversely affected by collaboration. The use of adaptive planning challenged current water uses and system functions, creating resistance from actors. We conclude that developing a shared problem perception, creating a common understanding of uncertainties and ensuring a clear demarcation between the water system, its societal functions and water usage, are necessary to make adaptive planning successful in handling uncertainty.     

Differential responses of eubacterial, Mycobacterium, and Sphingomonas communities in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil to artificially induced changes in PAH profile

Recent reports suggest that Mycobacterium is better adapted to soils containing poorly bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compared to Sphingomonas. To study this hypothesis, artificial conditions regarding PAH profile and PAH bioavailability were induced in two PAH-contaminated soils and the response of the eubacterial, Mycobacterium, and Sphingomonas communities to these changed conditions was monitored during laboratory incubation. Soil K3663 with a relatively high proportion of high molecular weight PAHs was amended with phenanthrene or pyrene to artificially change the soil into a soil with a relatively increased bioavailable PAH contamination. Soil AndE with a relatively high proportion of bioavailable low molecular weight PAHs was treated by a single-step Tenax extraction to remove the largest part of the easily bioavailable PAH contamination. In soil K3663, the added phenanthrene or pyrene compounds were rapidly degraded, concomitant with a significant increase in the number of phenanthrene and pyrene degraders, and minor and no changes in the Mycobacterium community and Sphingomonas community, respectively. However, a transient change in the eubacterial community related to the proliferation of several gamma-proteobacteria was noted in the phenanthrene-amended soil. In the extracted AndE soil, the Sphingomonas community initially developed into a more diverse community but finally decreased in size below the detection limit. Mycobacterium in that soil never increased to a detectable size, while the eubacterial community became dominated by a gamma-proteobacterial population. The results suggest that the relative bioavailability of PAH contamination in soil affects bacterial community structure but that the behavior of Mycobacterium and Sphingomonas in soil is more complex than prospected from studies on their ecology and physiology.