The artistic three-spined stickleback (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gasterosteous aculeatus</Emphasis>)

We investigated whether female three-spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus) are more attracted to a male whose nest contains colourful artificial material than to a nest that only contains algae. The purpose was to examine whether nest characters are of importance for female choice in the three-spined stickleback. Most studies on female preference in this species have focused on male morphological traits. In our study, on a marine population of three-spined stickleback on the West coast of Sweden, we found that males marked their nests' entrance with a deviant colour of algae — an apparent decoration. Moreover, males also decorated their nests with shiny and colourful foil sticks and spangles when provided with such, thereby apparently reducing the nest camouflage. In a mate choice experiment, females were more attracted to males with nests containing sticks and spangles than to males with undecorated nests. Nest decoration may be important for the evolution of paternal care in this species: if males advertise their paternal skills by ornamenting their nest they will receive more matings than males with dull nests.     

Acidification and recreational fisheries in Finland: A mail survey of potential impacts

In Finland, small forest lakes and rivers in the northern part of the country are more sensitive to acidic deposition than other Finnish waters. In some lakes, acid-sensitive fish populations have declined. A nationwide survey of fishers showed that, at present, the number of fishers whose primary fishing waters are affected by airborne acidification is negligible compared to the estimated total number of adult fishers (1.1 million). The proportion of the fishers who mainly fish in water types sensitive to airborne acidification is considerable, 3% for the rivers in northern Finland and 21% for small forest lakes. There is general concern among fishers about the effects of acidification. Changes in the fishing waters are attributed to acidification by 5–10% of the fishers, although in most cases other information about the fishing waters rules out acidification as an explanation for the changes. Among those who fish in sensitive types of waters, a willingness to mitigate potential damages was reported by approximately one third of all fishers. Clear differences in the willingness to rehabilitate the fishery were observed in relation to the importance of fishing as a spare time activity and the distance between the fishing waters and a home or summer cottage.     

Common Patterns of Ecosystem Breakdown Under Stress

Ecosystems, despite their diversity, respond to stress in similar ways. The major pressures which cause the transformation of systems from healthy states to pathological states are classified into four groups: physical restructuring, overharvesting, waste residuals, and the introduction of non-native species. Signs of Ecosystem Distress Syndrome (EDS) are briefly examined in three contrasting ecosystems: desert grasslands, the Great Lakes, and the Baltic Sea. The issue is raised as to the difficulty in discerning between healthy ecosystems, recovering from a natural disturbance, and those ecosystems that have lost their original resilience due to anthropogenic stress. Knowledge of site history and a rigourous monitoring program are important in the evaluation of EDS. An assessment of how ecosystem services are affected is indicative of the consequences to the human component of ecosystems. Management strategies which are employed to mitigate the signs of EDS are usually initiated after resilience is lost or the ecosystem has transformed to an alternate, stress-induced, stable state. It is proposed that preventive strategies measure signs of EDS that serve as early warning signals, combined with "fitness tests" that measure ecosystem response to natural perturbations. The fitness test for ecosystems is based on the premise that unstressed systems are more resilient to natural disturbances than stressed systems.     

Multivariate characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using semi-empirical molecule orbital calculations and physical data

Multivariate characterization of 60 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was performed using data from literature and semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations. This dataset was analyzed by principal component analysis and projections to latent structures by means of partial least square. The PAHs were found to distribute in the chemical domain in several groups mainly governed by the number of aromatic rings and the number of five-membered rings. The multivariate model and training set was used to predict GC retention times on a non-polar column (DB-5). Using a 2(4) experimental design on the principal components of the chemical characterization model, a test set of PAHs was selected dependent on the distribution in the chemical domain of the PAHs. Such a test set is expected to improve selection of PAHs for future testing and modeling of both biological and chemical responses. Although the model of GC retention times was good, the precision was however not good enough for practical use.     

Conflict resolution by participatory management: remote sensing and GIS as tools for communicating land-use needs for reindeer herding in northern Sweden

When seeking to resolve complex land-management issues, geographical assessment of resources that are in short supply or in dispute can aid the communication of knowledge and the understanding among and between different stakeholders. In this paper, we illustrate how remote sensing and GIS can be used to gather and compile information regarding land-use activities and patterns among reindeer herders and other land users (forestry, mining, tourism, etc) in northern Sweden. The project represents a novel user-oriented effort largely based on the work carried out by the principal end user, i.e. the reindeer herders themselves. The basis for development of land-use plans for reindeer husbandry, was the following: to collect and digitally systemize traditional ecological and landscape knowledge of reindeer habitat use; to integrate this information with results from field inventories and satellite-based vegetation classifications; to map activities of other land users. The resulting land-use plans provide information that can facilitate consultation between the reindeer herders and other stakeholders and can facilitate operational work in reindeer management. This project can serve as a model for participatory involvement and planning, bringing indigenous knowledge and advanced remote-sensing techniques together in an interactive process.     

Applications of the industrial ecology concept in a research project: Technology and Climate Change (CLIMTECH) Research in Finland

This contribution to the Journal of Cleaner Production special issue ‘Applications of Industrial Ecology’ is based upon an extensive literature review, which produced four criteria to characterise research on the concept of industrial ecology (IE). The criteria are (1) material and energy flows, (2) systems improvement, (3) systems adaptation and (4) change management. The criteria were analysed against the six subject areas of the Technology and Climate Change (CLIMTECH) Research Programme in Finland to identify the applications of the concept of industrial ecology. The results of the analysis contribute (a) to the debate on the characteristics of the emerging concept of IE, (b) show IE characteristics of a large Finnish research project in the field of climate change mitigation and (c) invite scholars in the field to study the observed unclear and fuzzy role of the concept of IE in practical research project work. Responses to this article are encouraged for publication in the future issues of Journal of Cleaner Production.     

IMPROVED ENERGY AND MATERIAL EFFICIENCY USING NEW TOOLS FOR GLOBAL OPTIMISATION OF RESIDUE MATERIAL FLOWS

Residue materials generated in the metallurgical industry have gained an increasing importance, both from the points of view of energy and material supply. A joint process integration model for the integrated steel plant system is developed and used in this paper. It takes into account both residue materials and energy recirculation for the system. The potential for increased recirculation and the effect on the system from an environmental point of view is presented, and implementations and practical experiences are discussed. The model developed can serve as a benchmark for different steelmaking operations and constitute a basis for the continuous work involved in material, energy, environment or economic analyses for the steel production system.     

Gene expression responses of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) to elevated CO2 and O3 during leaf maturation and senescence

Gene expression responses of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) leaves to elevated concentrations of CO₂ and O₃ were studied with microarray analyses from three time points during the summer of 2004 at Aspen FACE. Microarray data were analyzed with clustering techniques, self-organizing maps, K-means clustering and Sammon's mappings, to detect similar gene expression patterns within sampling times and treatments. Most of the alterations in gene expression were caused by O₃, alone or in combination with CO₂. O₃ induced defensive reactions to oxidative stress and earlier leaf senescence, seen as decreased expression of photosynthesis- and carbon fixation-related genes, and increased expression of senescence-associated genes. The effects of elevated CO₂ reflected surplus of carbon that was directed to synthesis of secondary compounds. The combined CO₂ + O₃ treatment resulted in differential gene expression than with individual gas treatments or in changes similar to O₃ treatment, indicating that CO₂ cannot totally alleviate the harmful effects of O₃.     

Pushing and pulling: an assessment tool for occupational health and safety practitioners

A tool has been developed for supporting practitioners when assessing manual pushing and pulling operations based on an initiative by two global companies in the manufacturing industry. The aim of the tool is to support occupational health and safety practitioners in risk assessment and risk management of pushing and pulling operations in the manufacturing and logistics industries. The tool is based on a nine-multiplier equation that includes a wide range of factors affecting an operator’s health risk and capacity in pushing and pulling. These multipliers are based on psychophysical, physiological and biomechanical studies in combination with judgments from an expert group consisting of senior researchers and ergonomists. In order to consider usability, more than 50 occupational health and safety practitioners (e.g., ergonomists, managers, safety representatives and production personnel) participated in the development of the tool. An evaluation by 22 ergonomists supports that the push/pull tool is user friendly in general.