Long-lasting effects of yolk androgens on phenotype in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

The hormonal environment during early development, such as maternally derived androgens in bird eggs, shapes the development of the offspring in ways that may have important long-term consequences for phenotype and behavior and, ultimately, fitness. We studied the long-term effects of yolk androgens on several phenotypic and physiological traits in male and female pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) by experimentally elevating yolk androgen levels and rearing birds in common-garden environment in captivity. We found that high yolk androgen levels increased the basal metabolic rates in both females and males in adulthood. High yolk androgen levels did not affect male melanin coloration or plumage ornaments, or timing or speed of moult in either sex. No effect of androgen treatment on cell-mediated or humoral immune response was found in either sex. Covariation among the measured phenotypic traits was further not altered by androgen treatment. Our results suggest that exposure to high androgen levels can have long-lasting effects on some offspring traits, but do not seem to lead to different phenotypes. Furthermore, the role of yolk androgens affecting sexually selected male traits in our study species seems to be minor. The fitness consequences of yolk androgen-induced higher metabolic rates remain to be studied.     

The effect of conventional wastewater treatment on the levels of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in effluent: a meta-analysis of current studies

Antimicrobial agents in the environment are a cause for concern. Antimicrobial drug residues and their metabolites reach the aquatic and terrestrial environment primarily through wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). In addition to the potential direct negative health and environmental effects, there is potential for the development of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Residue levels below the minimum inhibitory concentration for a bacterial species can be important in selection of resistance. There is uncertainty associated with resistance formation during WWTP processing. A meta-analysis study was carried out to analyse the effect of WWTP processing on the levels of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria within bacterial populations. An analysis of publications relating to multiple antimicrobial-resistant (MAR) bacteria (n?=?61), single antimicrobial-resistant (SAR) E. coli (n?=?81) and quinolone/fluoroquinolone-resistant (FR) bacteria (n?=?19) was carried out. The odds-ratio (OR) of MAR (OR?=?1.60, p?<?0.01), SAR (OR?=?1.33, p?<?0.01) and FR (OR?=?1.19, p?<?0.01) bacteria was determined. The results infer that WWTP processing results in an increase in the proportion of resistant bacteria in effluent, even though the overall bacterial population may have reduced (i.e. a reduction in total bacterial numbers but an increase in the percentage of resistant bacteria). The results support the need for further research into the development of antimicrobial-resistant strains and possible selective pressures operating in WWTPs.     

Comparing the flammability of fabrics in accordance with EN 531 and ENV 50354.

The purpose of protective clothing and other personal protective equipment (PPE) is to provide escape time, to reduce the burn injury level, and to prevent aggravation of the consequences to workers during exposure to an electric arc. In this study the flammability properties of 12 different types of flame-retardant fabrics were compared with the normally used flame spread test method (EN 532:1994) and electric arc test method (ENV 50354:2001). In the arc test at the lower testing current level of 4 kA, the requirement was passed by materials which did not pass the flame spread test. These materials contained a large amount of melting fibres, and therefore tended to shrink or melt. In order to meet the current level of 7 kA, a rather thick and heavy flame-retardant fabric is needed to pass the requirement. Lighter fabrics tended to break open in the tests. The flame retardancy of the under layer fabric is therefore important to ensure the needed protection.     

Industrial symbiosis and the policy instruments of sustainable consumption and production

Industrial symbioses (ISs) and eco-industrial parks (EIPs) are key concepts of industrial ecology (IE). The aim of ISs and EIPs is to minimise inefficient material and energy use by utilising local by-product and energy flows. Industrial symbioses tend to develop through spontaneous action of economic actors, for gaining of economic benefit, but these systems can be designed and promoted via policy instruments as well. A literature review showed that national programmes for eco-industrial parks can be found in different parts of the world. In the action programmes and other sustainable consumption and production (SCP) policy documents of the EU, on the other hand, industrial symbioses gain less recognition as a path to enhanced sustainable production. In this article, we consider this and also analyse how the evolution and environmental performance of an industrial symbiosis system centred on a Finnish pulp and paper mill have been affected by SCP policy instruments. With regard to the system forming the subject of the case study, and Finnish industrial systems in general, policy instruments have succeeded in reducing emissions but not in systematically encouraging operators toward symbiosis-like activities. All in all, few studies exist on the overall impact of policy instruments promoting design of eco-industrial parks. It is not self-evident that symbiosis-like production systems would be sustainable in every case, as the background assumptions for political promotion of EIPs suggest. We concluded that industrial symbioses should be analysed and developed on a life cycle basis, with documentation of the real environmental benefits due to efficient resource use and decreased emissions in comparison to standalone production. ISs can then bring eco-competitiveness to companies in relation to SCP tools, such as environmental permits, ecolabels, and future product regulation based on the Ecodesign Directive in Europe. Indirect encouragement of symbiosis through land-use regulation and planning, in such a way that material fluxes between companies are possible both in operations and in financial terms, may prove effective. The same holds for waste policies that encourage increased reuse of a company’s waste by other enterprises.     

Digit ratios have poor indicator value in a wild bird population

Early androgen exposure is known to have long-lasting effects on phenotype, behaviour and even fitness, but difficulties in measuring the exposure hinders the study of its importance in evolutionary context. Digit ratios have been highlighted as a potential easy-to-measure indicator of early steroid exposure, as they have been suggested to reflect steroid, mainly testosterone levels during prenatal development. However, evidence for digit ratios reflecting early steroid levels is weak, as experimental studies, especially in wild populations, are scarce. We studied the association between maternally derived yolk androgens and digit ratios (2D:4D, 2D:3D and 3D:4D) using both correlative data and a rather high level of experimental elevation of yolk androgens in a passerine bird, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). We also examined whether digit ratios have indicator value in an evolutionary context by studying correlations between digit ratios and reproductive traits, secondary sexual traits and exploratory behaviour. We did not find any association between digit ratios and yolk androgen level either in correlative or experimental data. Digit ratios were neither related to any of the reproductive and secondary sexual traits or exploratory behaviour measured. There was, however, a sex difference in 2D:3D and 3D:4D of adult birds (due to second and fourth digits being shorter in females), which was not apparent in fledglings or captivity-raised juveniles. This suggests that either the sex difference may develop as late as during the sexual maturation for breeding. These results indicate that, in this species, digit ratios are not reliable markers of maternally derived yolk androgen exposure and that they bear little relevance as correlates of the adaptive traits we measured.     

Retrospective bioindication of stratospheric ozone and ultraviolet radiation using hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives of herbarium samples of an aquatic liverwort

We analyzed bulk UV absorbance of methanolic extracts and levels of five UV-absorbing compounds (hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives) in 135 herbarium samples of the liverwort Jungermannia exsertifolia subsp. cordifolia from northern Europe. Samples had been collected in 1850–2006 (96% in June–August). Both UV absorbance and compound levels were correlated positively with collection year. p-Coumaroylmalic acid (C1) was the only compound showing a significant (and negative) correlation with stratospheric ozone and UV irradiance in the period that real data of these variables existed. Stratospheric ozone reconstruction (1850–2006) based on C1 showed higher values in June than in July and August, which coincides with the normal monthly variation of ozone. Combining all the data, there was no long-term temporal trend from 1850 to 2006. Reconstructed UV showed higher values in June–July than in August, but again no temporal trend was detected in 1918–2006 using the joint data. This agrees with previous UV reconstructions.     

Mitigation of global greenhouse gas emissions from waste: conclusions and strategies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report. Working Group III (Mitigation).

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from post-consumer waste and wastewater are a small contributor (about 3%) to total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Emissions for 2004-2005 totalled 1.4 Gt CO2-eq year(-1) relative to total emissions from all sectors of 49 Gt CO2-eq year(-1) [including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and F-gases normalized according to their 100-year global warming potentials (GWP)]. The CH4 from landfills and wastewater collectively accounted for about 90% of waste sector emissions, or about 18% of global anthropogenic methane emissions (which were about 14% of the global total in 2004). Wastewater N2O and CO2 from the incineration of waste containing fossil carbon (plastics; synthetic textiles) are minor sources. Due to the wide range of mature technologies that can mitigate GHG emissions from waste and provide public health, environmental protection, and sustainable development co-benefits, existing waste management practices can provide effective mitigation of GHG emissions from this sector. Current mitigation technologies include landfill gas recovery, improved landfill practices, and engineered wastewater management. In addition, significant GHG generation is avoided through controlled composting, state-of-the-art incineration, and expanded sanitation coverage. Reduced waste generation and the exploitation of energy from waste (landfill gas, incineration, anaerobic digester biogas) produce an indirect reduction of GHG emissions through the conservation of raw materials, improved energy and resource efficiency, and fossil fuel avoidance. Flexible strategies and financial incentives can expand waste management options to achieve GHG mitigation goals; local technology decisions are influenced by a variety of factors such as waste quantity and characteristics, cost and financing issues, infrastructure requirements including available land area, collection and transport considerations, and regulatory constraints. Existing studies on mitigation potentials and costs for the waste sector tend to focus on landfill CH4 as the baseline. The commercial recovery of landfill CH4 as a source of renewable energy has been practised at full scale since 1975 and currently exceeds 105 Mt CO2-eq year(-1). Although landfill CH4 emissions from developed countries have been largely stabilized, emissions from developing countries are increasing as more controlled (anaerobic) landfilling practices are implemented; these emissions could be reduced by accelerating the introduction of engineered gas recovery, increasing rates of waste minimization and recycling, and implementing alternative waste management strategies provided they are affordable, effective, and sustainable. Aided by Kyoto mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), the total global economic mitigation potential for reducing waste sector emissions in 2030 is estimated to be > 1000 Mt CO2-eq (or 70% of estimated emissions) at costs below 100 US$ t(-1) CO2-eq year(-1). An estimated 20-30% of projected emissions for 2030 can be reduced at negative cost and 30-50% at costs < 20 US$ t(-) CO2-eq year(-1). As landfills produce CH4 for several decades, incineration and composting are complementary mitigation measures to landfill gas recovery in the short- to medium-term--at the present time, there are > 130 Mt waste year(-1) incinerated at more than 600 plants. Current uncertainties with respect to emissions and mitigation potentials could be reduced by more consistent national definitions, coordinated international data collection, standardized data analysis, field validation of models, and consistent application of life-cycle assessment tools inclusive of fossil fuel offsets.     

Greenhouse gases in non-oxygenated and artificially oxygenated eutrophied lakes during winter stratification

Concentrations of dissolved methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O) were measured in the water columns of non-oxygenated and artificially oxygenated, ice-covered eutrophied lakes in the mid-boreal zone in Finland during late winter 1997 and 1999. Sampling was conducted during winter stratification, the critical period for oxygen (O2) deficiency in seasonally ice-covered, thermally stratified lakes. Oxygen concentrations were maintained at least at a moderate level throughout the oxygenated water columns, whereas the non-oxygenated columns suffered anoxic hypolimnia. The mean concentrations of dissolved CH4 exceeding the atmospheric equilibrium were greater in the non-oxygenated water columns (20.6-154 microM) than in the oxygenated ones (0.01-1.41 microM). In contrast, the mean excess CO2 concentrations varied less between the non-oxygenated and oxygenated sites (0.28-0.47 and 0.25-0.31 mM, respectively). Oxygenated water columns had greater mean excess concentrations of N2O (0.018-0.032 microM) than the non-oxygenated ones (0.005-0.024 microM). If the accumulated greenhouse gas stores in the water columns during winter are assumed to be released to the atmosphere during the spring overturn, the global warming potentials (GWP, time horizon 100 yr) of these potential emissions at the non-oxygenated, eutrophic study sites ranged from 177 to 654 g CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) m-2 compared with 144 to 173 g CO2-e m-2 at the oxygenated sites. The increase in the accumulation of CH4 was the main reason for the higher GWP of the non-oxygenated sites. Anthropogenic eutrophication of lake ecosystems can generate increased CH4 emissions due to associated O2 depletion of their sediment and water column.     

Long-term evaluation of the needle surface wax condition of Pinus sylvestris around different industries in Lithuania

The aim of our study was to evaluate the annual dynamics of needle surface wax erosion and wettability in Scots pines exposed to a gradient of industrial pollutants emitted from the main factories of Lithuania: a nitrogen fertilizer factory, an oil refinery and a cement factory. Decreased emissions (in the case of the oil refinery and the cement factory) were reflected in the increased structural surface area (SSA, i.e. area covered by tubular waxes) on the needles. The nearly constant amount of emissions from the nitrogen fertilizer factory within the 1994-2000 period corresponded to negligible annual differences in SSA. Annual changes in the hydrophobicity of needles on the investigated transects were small. Despite the decreased pollution within the 7-year period, industrial emissions are still causing significantly accelerated wax erosion and increased wettability in needles sampled from the stands most heavily affected by pollutants.     

Diversifying forest expertise: forest journals narrating policy change

ABSTRACT

During policy change, the role of the actors communicating the change to different audiences is accentuated. The media plays an increasing role, either as an actor or by providing a stage for other actors. In particular, specialised journals represent an influential, albeit understudied, sphere of policy studies. We use the narrative policy framework complemented with frame analysis to trace how specialised media can affect policy implementation through implicit suggestions for action. Using this combined approach, we analyse how specialised forest journals, which are the most important forest information source for Finnish forest owners, have conveyed the renewal of forest legislation in Finland. The core message of the journals is that forest owners should, despite their new freedom granted by the reform, rely on experts rather than experimenting when managing their forests. This suggests that the media contributes to a path-dependent continuation of a forest policy that is based on a rationalistic exploitation ethos. The innovative potential, which the policy change aimed at encouraging, is thereby partially undermined. However, the analysis of the narratives also reveals that forest expertise and professionalism are diversifying. This notion is important as diversity can eventually lead to narratives supporting more fundamental change in forests management.