Comparative Analysis of Management Regimes and Medicinal Plant Trade Monitoring Mechanisms for American Ginseng and Goldenseal

Abstract: Two popular and profitable native North American medicinal plants, American ginseng (    Panax quinquefolius ) and goldenseal (   Hydrastis canadensis ), both of which are listed in Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), are monitored under disparate domestic strategies that are designed to satisfy CITES requirements. The P. quinquefolius program has benefited the species by encouraging U.S. states to enact laws to protect wild populations and regulate collection, and by establishing a transparent system under which harvest, commerce, and export can be monitored, evaluated, and controlled routinely. But certain programmatic constraints, such as insufficient funding and gaps in biological monitoring, undermine its effectiveness as a management strategy for the species. The joint industry and government H. canadensis initiative is intended to give commercial traders more responsibility in monitoring plant trade and the federal government access to information that may otherwise be difficult to obtain without the help of traders. I examined the structure, successes, and deficiencies of the P. quinquefolius program, promising features of the evolving H. canadensis program, Turkey's management of geophytes, and other sources of information from federal agencies that might contribute to more effective management of medicinal plants in the United States. Although the main goal of domestic monitoring programs for P. quinquefolius and H. canadensis is to implement their CITES listings, it is conceivable that similar programs could be established for non–CITES medicinal plants, thereby minimizing or replacing the need for CITES protection.     

Low‐concentration hydrogen peroxide decontamination for Bacillus spore contamination in buildings

Remediation and recovery efforts after a release of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) spores may be difficult and costly. In addition, response and recovery technologies may be focused on critical resources, leaving the small business or homeowner without remediation options. This study evaluates the efficacy of relatively low levels of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) delivered from off‐the‐shelf equipment for the inactivation of Bacillus spores within an indoor environment. Decontamination evaluations were conducted in a house using both Bacillus atrophaeus var. globigii (Bg; as surrogates for B. anthracis) inoculated on the carpet and galvanized metal as coupons and Geobacillus stearothermophilus (Gs) as biological indicators on steel. The total decontamination time ranged from 4 to 7 days. Using the longer exposure times, low concentrations of HPV (average levels below 20 parts per million) effectively inactivated Bg and Gs spores on the materials tested. The HPV was generated with commercial humidifiers and household‐strength hydrogen peroxide solutions. The presence of home furnishings did not have a significant impact on HPV efficacy. This simple, inexpensive, and effective decontamination method could have significant utility for remediation following a B. anthracis spore release, such as following a terrorist attack.     

Thiram‐induced toxic liver injury in male sprague‐dawley rats

Abstract

A single i.p. dose (120 mg/kg) of thiram given to male Sprague‐Dawley rats caused a significant increase in the activity of SGOT and SGPT 24 hr post‐treatment indicating liver damage. A considerable diminution in the serum cholinesterase activity was also noted in the treated rats as against the control animals. Additional evidence for thiram‐induced liver toxicity is provided by the observation that there was approximately 50% inhibition of the activity of hepatic microsomal benzphetamine N‐demethylase with a concomitant decrease in the concentration of cytochrome P‐450, an important component of the mixed‐function oxidase system. Although not significant, hepatic glutathione levels were also depleted by thiram, probably making the liver susceptible to toxic injury.     

Geomorphic and Ecological Consequences of Riprap Placement in River Systems

Riprap, consisting of large boulders or concrete blocks, is extensively used to stabilize streambanks and to inhibit lateral erosion of rivers, yet its effect on river morphology and its ecological consequences have been relatively little studied. In this paper, we review the available information, most of it culled from the “grey” literature. We use a simple one‐dimensional morphodynamic model as a conceptual tool to illustrate potential morphological effects of riprap placement in a gravel‐bed river, which include inhibition of local sediment supply to the channel and consequent channel bed scour and substrate coarsening, and downstream erosion. Riprap placement also tends to sever organic material input from the riparian zone, with loss of shade, wood input, and input of finer organic material. Available information on the consequences for the aquatic ecosystem mainly concerns effects on commercially and recreationally important fishes. The preponderance of studies report unfavorable effects on local numbers, but habitat niches created by openings in riprap can favorably affect invertebrates and some small fishes. There is a need for much more research on both morphological and ecosystem effects of riprap placement.     

Regional characteristics of land use in Northeast and Southern Blue Ridge Province: Associations with acid rain effects on surface-water chemistry

The Direct/Delayed Response Project (DDRP) is one of several studies being conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to assess risk to surface waters from acidic deposition in the eastern United States. In one phase of DDRP, land use, wetland, and forest cover data were collected for statistical samples of 145 Northeast lake and 35 Southern Blue Ridge Province stream watersheds in the United States. Land-use and other data then were extrapolated from individual to target watershed populations. Project statistical design allows summarization of results for various subsets of the target population. This article discusses results and implications of the land-use and land-cover characterization for both regions. Forest cover was the primary land use in both regions. In the Northeast, developed (agriculture and urban) land was positively associated with surface-water chemistry values for acid neutralizing capacity, Ca plus Mg, pH, and sulfate in the Pocono/Catskill subregion. Extensive wetlands and beaver activity occur in parts of the Northeast region, whereas topography limits wetland and riparian development in the Southern Blue Ridge Province. Northeast soils have low sulfate adsorption capacity, most watersheds are near sulfur steady state, and lake sulfate concentrations are controlled principally by levels of sulfur deposition. Net annual sulfur retention in Northeast watersheds is positively correlated with occurrence of wetlands and beaver impoundments. In contrast, most Southern Blue Ridge Province soils have high sulfate adsorption capacities, resulting in high net watershed sulfur retention. At the present time, stream sulfate concentrations and percent sulfur retention are controlled principally by soil chemical properties related to adsorption rather than atmospheric deposition and land use. The information in this document has been funded wholly by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. It has been subjected to the agency's peer and administrative review, and it has been approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.     

AUTUMN CHEMISTRY OF OREGON COAST RANGE STREAMS1

ABSTRACT: During an autumn runoff event we sampled 48 streams with predominantly forested watersheds and igneous bedrock in the Oregon Coast Range. The streams had acid neutralizing capacities (ANC) > 90 μeq/L and pH > 6.4. Streamwater Na ⁺, Ca^{2 +}, and Mg^{2 +} concentrations were greater than K ⁺ concentrations. Anion concentrations generally followed the order of Cl^- > NO₃^- > SO₄^2-. Chloride and Na ⁺ concentrations were highest in samples collected in streams near the Pacific Ocean and decreased markedly as distance from the coast increased. Sea salt exerted no discernible influence on stream water acid-base status during the sampling period. Nitrate concentrations in the study streams were remarkably variable, ranging from below detection to 172 μeq/L. We hypothesize that forest vegetation is the primary control of spatial variability of the NO₃^- concentrations in Oregon Coast Range streams. We believe that symbiotic N fixation by red alder in pure or mixed stands is the primary source of N to forested watersheds in the Oregon Coast Range.     

Demolish it and They Will Come: Estimating the Economic Impacts of Restoring a Recreational Fishery1

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an ex post survey of recreational anglers for the lower Kennebec River, post‐Edwards Dam removal. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents one of the first ex post analyses of fisheries restoration from dam removal. We find significant benefits have accrued to anglers using the restored fishery. Specifically, anglers are spending more to visit the fishery, a direct indication of the increased value anglers place on the improved fishery. Anglers are also willing to pay for increased angling opportunities on the river. These findings have policy implications for other privately owned dams that are currently undergoing relicensing and/or dam removal considerations. Our findings may also hold implications for fisheries that have deteriorated due to historic dam construction.     

Isolation,characterization and glucose metabolism of glycogen cells (=vesicular connective-tissue cells) from the labial palps of the marine mussel Mytilus edulis

A method has been developed to isolate glycogen cells (=vesicular connective tissue cells) from the labial palps of the marine mussel Mytilus edulis L. These cells have a modal density of 1.14 g ml^-1 and this property has been exploited to separate them from pronase-dissociated cell dispersions by density-gradient centrifugation. The isolated cells were mainly spherical, with a small peripheral nucleus. The quasitotality of the cell was filled with -like glycogen particles with cellular organelles being limited to the cell periphery. The major recipients of [U-¹⁴C] glucose-derived carbon were glycogen and amino acids. Only small quantities of ¹⁴C radiolabel were recovered from lipids, protein and CO₂. Glucose incorporation into glycogen increased linearly over 6 h and showed saturation kinetics with respect to exogenous glucose concentration.     

Longevity can buffer plant and animal populations against changing climatic variability

Both means and year-to-year variances of climate variables such as temperature and precipitation are predicted to change. However, the potential impact of changing climatic variability on the fate of populations has been largely unexamined. We analyzed multiyear demographic data for 36 plant and animal species with a broad range of life histories and types of environment to ask how sensitive their long-term stochastic population growth rates are likely to be to changes in the means and standard deviations of vital rates (survival, reproduction, growth) in response to changing climate. We quantified responsiveness using elasticities of the long-term population growth rate predicted by stochastic projection matrix models. Short-lived species (insects and annual plants and algae) are predicted to be more strongly (and negatively) affected by increasing vital rate variability relative to longer-lived species (perennial plants, birds, ungulates). Taxonomic affiliation has little power to explain sensitivity to increasing variability once longevity has been taken into account. Our results highlight the potential vulnerability of short-lived species to an increasingly variable climate, but also suggest that problems associated with short-lived undesirable species (agricultural pests, disease vectors, invasive weedy plants) may be exacerbated in regions where climate variability decreases.