Variations in cardiac performance and heat shock protein expression to thermal stress in two differently zoned limpets on a tropical rocky shore

Understanding variation in physiological adaptations to thermal stress is vital when investigating intertidal species?? distribution patterns. The thermal sensitivities of two limpets, Cellana grata and C. toreuma, differed in accordance with their vertical distributions. Cardiac performance was maintained at higher temperatures (~47°C) for the high-zone C. grata than the mid-zone C. toreuma (~42°C). At 40°C, C. grata maintained regular heart function for ~4?h, while heart function of C. toreuma decreased rapidly. Heat shock protein expression revealed that C. toreuma had two constitutive isoforms, Hsp77 and Hsp72, and C. grata one inducible form, Hsp75, which was upregulated at 40°C, suggesting C. grata has a more effective heat shock response than C. toreuma. The temperature-adaptive differences in cardiac thermal tolerance and Hsp expression match observed differences in thermally induced mortalities with the onset of summer and may help predict differential effects of climate change on the two congeners.     

Adaptive resource management and the value of information

The value of information is a general and broadly applicable concept that has been used for several decades to aid in making decisions in the face of uncertainty. Yet there are relatively few examples of its use in ecology and natural resources management, and almost none that are framed in terms of the future impacts of management decisions. In this paper we discuss the value of information in a context of adaptive management, in which actions are taken sequentially over a timeframe and both future resource conditions and residual uncertainties about resource responses are taken into account. Our objective is to derive the value of reducing or eliminating uncertainty in adaptive decision making. We describe several measures of the value of information, with each based on management objectives that are appropriate for adaptive management. We highlight some mathematical properties of these measures, discuss their geometries, and illustrate them with an example in natural resources management. Accounting for the value of information can help to inform decisions about whether and how much to monitor resource conditions through time.     

Stakeholder Involvement in Coastal Decision-making Processes

This article discusses the current framework of coastal decision making which tends to exclude participation by individuals and those without a strong institutional representation. A distinction is drawn between institutional and local stakeholders to illustrate weaknesses in the existing decision framework. It is argued that particularly in the coastal environment, the relationship between changes in physical form and changes in social welfare is critical to understanding how decision making may engage more fully with local stakeholders and ultimately improve decision outcomes. A reordering of stakeholder engagement in decision systems at the coast is proposed and a framework is outlined which enhances the capacity of local stakeholders to influence decision making.     

In situ mapping of growth lines in the calcitic prismatic layers of mollusc shells using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the sulphur K-edge

The microstructure and composition, including chemical speciation of sulphur (S), of two mollusc shells were investigated using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The shell of Pinna is composed of monocrystalline, and Pinctada, of polycrystalline, calcite prisms separated by organic-rich walls. Sulphur speciation information from XANES spectra using a scanning X-ray microscope showed that the protein S content of the interprismatic walls is higher than the SO₄ content, whereas the reverse is true for the intraprismatic structures. High-spatial-resolution XANES maps for the different S species across adjacent calcite prisms confirm their distinctive distributions in the molluscan shells and illustrate the presence of narrow, submicron transverse growth features. On a larger scale, a series of wider growth zones, incorporating the submicron zones, are aligned parallel to each other and cross-cut many calcite prisms. EPMA element maps for magnesium (Mg) and S demonstrate that these growth increments are compositionally zoned, comprising alternating layers of high mineral (Mg-rich) and high organic (S-rich) components. Additionally, these maps confirm that the organic interprismatic walls have lower Mg and higher S than the intraprismatic structures.     

The Governance of sustainable development in Wales

A new institutional architecture is emerging in Wales to govern sustainable development. The National Assembly for Wales (hereafter referred to as the 'Welsh Assembly')1 has a statutory duty to promote sustainable development in the exercise of all its functions; its response has been to design a set of political and organizational arrangements to manage this policy area, and to prepare a Scheme that sets out how it proposes to discharge this duty. Devolved government in Wales has also been the catalyst for the emergence of collaborative relationships and partnerships between different sectors and interests. The Welsh Assembly and the Welsh Local Government Association have published a Compact jointly committing them to promote sustainable development; national non-governmental organizations such as Oxfam and the World Wide Fund for Nature have set up Welsh agencies; local government sustainable development coordinators have formed a national network; a national Sustainable Development Forum has been created; and the Welsh Assembly has taken the lead in establishing a European network of countries interested in sharing best practice on sustainable development. A new Wales-specific structure and system is materializing and the test now is how far this will be effective in delivering sustainable development policies and solutions at local and national levels. This paper examines the challenges in managing sustainable development, and the potential for success of this new governance system, drawing on recent research undertaken by the author on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The examination is set in the context of different theories of governance, and sustainable development is conceptualized as a 'wicked issue'—one that cannot be resolved by organizations and agencies acting autonomously, but rather needs concerted focus and action across all sectors.     

An investigation into the kerbside recycling behaviour of two Welsh case study authorities.

This paper investigates the number of observed households setting out their containers for kerbside recyclable collection in two Welsh kerbside recycling programmes; namely, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council. Analysed data from the monitoring of approximately 114 000 households in the two separate kerbside programmes are presented, making this the largest study of kerbside recycling behaviour in the UK. The average household set-out rates of individual households per electoral division and per street in each programme were compared. Average household set-out rate for a particular electoral division and street was then related to certain socio-economic indicators. The study was performed using the 'ArcView' geographical information systems (GIS) package. The model identified a moderate link between household set-out rate (%) and socio-economic status at electoral division level. However, there was no correlation between socio-economic status and average household set-out rate in a street. Household set-out rates for both programmes fluctuated significantly in streets with similar socio-economic status. Another significant factor affecting set-out rate, herein named the 'Nant-y-Gwyddon effect', is also described.