Enrichment of organic pollutants in the sea surface microlayer (SML) at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica: influence of SML on superficial snow composition

Concentrations of dissolved and particle-associated n-alkanes, phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in sea surface microlayer (SML) and sub-surface water (SSL) samples collected in the coastal area of Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, during the Austral spring 1998/1999. SML concentrations of the selected organic compounds were higher than SSL values and the enrichment factors were greater in the particulate phase than in the dissolved phase. During the same campaign, "fresh" snow samples, collected at different altitudes (from sea level up to 2670 m) near the coast on Mt Melbourne, immediately after a snowy event, were analysed in order to provide more information on air/sea exchange processes. The same classes of organic compounds found in sea water were also present in "fresh" snow samples. The surfactant fluorescent organic matter (SFOM), adsorbed on the microdrop aerosol surface, could be considered the main constituent of the enrichment and the carrier at higher altitudes of organic compounds. In fact, hydrocarbons (n-alkanes and PAHs), which are not surfactants like phthalates, could interact with SFOM and follow the same fate.     

Persistence and pathways of testosterone dissipation in agricultural soil

The persistence and pathways of dissipation of testosterone in three agricultural soils were examined in laboratory microcosm incubations at different soil moistures (1.7-39%) and temperatures (4-30 degrees C) using (14)C- and (3)H-labeled and unlabeled testosterone. Sterilized loam was also examined to assess possible abiotic pathways. Extractable (14)C decreased rapidly for all three soils at 30 degrees C with times to dissipate 50% of material (DT(50)) ranging from 8.5 to 21 h. Respired (14)CO(2) accounted for approximately 50% of the applied (14)C after 120 h. Androgenic activity of soil extracts declined faster than the extractable (14)C levels demonstrating that testosterone was not being converted to compounds with greater activity. Dissipation rates of nonvolatile, extractable (3)H in loam at 7, 15, and 39% moisture were similar, but the rate in air-dried loam (1.7% moisture) was significantly reduced. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of extracts of (14)C-testosterone-treated loam incubated at 30 degrees C for 6 h revealed that the (14)C was distributed among the remaining testosterone and three major metabolites (4-androstene-3,17-dione, 5alpha-androstane-3,17-dione, and 1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione), which accounted for 48.7, 23.7, and 9.6% of the remaining (14)C, respectively. Periodic analysis of soil incubated at 23, 12, and 4 degrees C showed that the rates of testosterone dissipation and metabolite appearance and subsequent dissipation were temperature dependent with rates decreasing with decreasing temperature. In sterilized loam, 4-androstene-3,17-dione was the only metabolite detected. We conclude that testosterone is rapidly and thoroughly biodegraded in agricultural soils under a range of conditions typical of a temperate growing season and thus is unlikely to pose a long-term risk to adjacent aquatic environments.     

Effects of stage of colony cycle,context, and intercolony distance on conspecific tolerance by paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus)

Summary We observed in the field how resident females of the social wasp, Polistes fuscatus, treated female nestmates, non-nestmate first cousins, and unrelated non-nestmates. Behavioral observations were made 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11 weeks after the emergence of a colony's first workers. Resident females were highly tolerant of female nestmates but highly intolerant of unrelated non-nestmates throughout the post-worker-emergence phase of the colony cycle. First cousins were treated either highly tolerantly or highly intolerantly, although most cousins ( 63%) were treated highly intolerantly. The treatment of cousins suggests that they are treated either tolerantly (like nestmates) or intolerantly (like unrelated non-nestmates) depending on whether they fall above or below an acceptance threshold, respectively. Resident females did not significantly change their tolerance nestmates, first cousins, and unrelated females between different observation periods. However, all conspecifics were generally treated the most intolerantly 11 weeks post-worker-emergence, a time in the colony cycle when combs no longer contain brood. This decreased tolerance and its associated variance patterns late in the colony cycle are consistent with a more restrictive acceptance threshold. The optimal level of the acceptance threshold appears to be a compromise between the fitness consequences of accepting unrelated non-nestmates and rejecting one's nestmates. In a laboratory study, resident females were equally tolerant of female nestmates on and off the comb but significantly less tolerant of unrelated females on the comb than off the comb. Thus, females can modify their tolerance rapidly in different recognition contexts. In a second laboratory study, resident females were equally intolerant of unrelated females, regardless of whether they were from colonies 50 m or 50 km distant.Offprint requests to: G.J. Gamboa     

镇江市古运河和金山湖河湖上覆水体和沉积物氮及有机质分布特征及污染评价

镇江市位于长江和京杭大运河"十字黄金水道"的交汇处,是我国历史上最为重要的水上交通枢纽之一,区域内水量充沛、河网密布.近年来,该区域水环境存在不同程度的退化,故调查镇江市主要河湖水体及沉积物污染现状,将为当地水环境质量的改善提供重要的基础数据.基于此,本研究选择镇江市典型河湖水体共21个点位（金山湖10个点位,古运河及其支流共11个点位）,在冬夏两季采集上覆水及沉积物样品测定其理化指标和氮素含量,并通过有机指数及有机氮对沉积物污染程度进行评价.结果表明：①上覆水总氮（TN）浓度在冬夏季节分别介于1.95~15.71 mg·L^-1和0.64~12.09 mg·L^-1之间,平均值为4.01 mg·L^-1和4.07 mg·L^-1,平均值浓度高于地表水Ⅴ类标准.上覆水氨氮（NH₄⁺-N）浓度在季节上均表现为冬季<夏季,空间上则表现为河流>湖泊;②沉积物TN含量在冬夏两季分别介于394.61~3288.09 mg·kg^-1和869.21~3598.04 mg·kg^-1之间,平均值为1928.58 mg·kg^-1和2068.40 mg·kg^-1.湖泊沉积物TN、NH₄⁺-N、硝态氮（NO₃^--N）和有机氮（Org-N）含量均表现为冬季>夏季,而河流沉积物TN平均含量为冬季<夏季,NH₄⁺-N和NO₃^--N则表现为冬季>夏季,表明河流沉积物在季节上的分布规律更为复杂;空间上,冬夏两季沉积物NO₃^--N表现为湖泊>河流,NH₄⁺-N含量则表现为湖泊<河流.C/N结果表明研究区域沉积物有机质主要来源于内源污染;③湖泊和河流沉积物超过60%点位属于有机氮污染Ⅳ水平,即存在有机氮污染,而超过70%和54.55%的湖泊和河流沉积物处于有机指数Ⅱ类水平,即较清洁水平,表明镇江市河湖沉积物主要为氮素污染.以上研究结果将为镇江市河流水体及沉积物氮素控制提供重要的基础数据.     

Evaluating risks associated with transport of the ghost shrimp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neotrypaea californiensis</Emphasis> as live bait

The ghost shrimp Neotrypaea californiensis is imported into southern California from Oregon and Washington for use as live bait in recreational marine fisheries. We studied the population genetic structure of N. californiensis across much its range to assess the possibility that the transport of ghost shrimp across phylogeographic boundaries poses a risk of homogenizing existing genetic variation in the species. Analyses of two mitochondrial DNA markers showed little phylogeographic structure across the sampled range, suggesting that this risk is low. Unexpectedly, mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that a second putative species of ghost shrimp frequently coexisted with N. californiensis in southern California intertidal habitats; almost all previous studies of soft-sediment communities in the region report the presence of N. californiensis only. We also assessed the possibility that the import of ghost shrimp might pose a risk of introduction of a parasitic castrator, the bopyrid isopod Ione cornuta, into southern California waters, where it does not appear to be native. Prevalence of living I. cornuta in samples purchased from bait shops was high (5.8%), suggesting that this is a real risk that merits further study.