Public preferences for production of local and global ecosystem services

Many regulating ecosystem services exhibit non-excludability and non-rivalry characteristics akin to public goods. This makes it unlikely that such regulating ecosystem services will attract a price in the marketplace. Policymakers, therefore, find difficulties in determining a correct economic valuation for regulating ecosystem services, with potentially severe consequences for aligning policy for ecosystem service provision with public preferences for service delivery. This research used a choice modelling approach to estimate public preferences for delivery of two regulating ecosystem services; reductions in the flood risk to the British city of York (implemented by filling in drainage ditches in peat moorland further up the catchment), and a reduction in CO₂ emissions (implemented by planting Poplar trees for biomass either locally in the study area or elsewhere in the UK). The choice experiment presented respondents with options providing different levels of CO₂ reduction, implemented locally or nationally, and different levels of flood risk reduction, at a range of different prices, with a tax as the payment vehicle. Subsequent analysis with latent class (LC) models showed considerable heterogeneity of preference among respondents, particularly with regard to the location of tree planting for CO₂ reduction. One LC segment showed a significant preference for achieving a high level CO₂ reduction through national, as opposed to local tree planting, potentially indicating the existence of NIMBYism. The same LC segment displayed a preference for moderate reductions in the flood risk to York, even though this would deliver no personal benefit for a substantial proportion of the segment. This could, therefore, indicate altruistic behaviour towards geographically proximate beneficiaries.     

Estimation of late twentieth century land-cover change in California

We present the first comprehensive multi-temporal analysis of land-cover change for California across its major ecological regions and primary land-cover types. Recently completed satellite-based estimates of land-cover and land-use change information for large portions of the United States allow for consistent measurement and comparison across heterogeneous landscapes. Landsat data were employed within a pure-panel stratified one-stage cluster sample to estimate and characterize land-cover change for 1973?C2000. Results indicate anthropogenic and natural disturbances, such as forest cutting and fire, were the dominant changes, followed by large fluctuations between agriculture and rangelands. Contrary to common perception, agriculture remained relatively stable over the 27-year period with an estimated loss of 1.0% of agricultural land. The largest net declines occurred in the grasslands/shrubs class at 5,131 km² and forest class at 4,722 km². Developed lands increased by 37.6%, composing an estimated 4.2% of the state??s land cover by 2000.     

Kinetic parameter estimation for decomposition of organic peroxides by means of DSC measurements

The thermal stability of organic peroxides (cumene hydroperoxide 80 wt% and dicumyl peroxide) was studied by means of calorimetric measurement (DSC, TA Q1000) in an isotherm mode and a dynamic mode. Analysis of power profiles released in the isothermal mode was combined with the analysis of the decomposed compounds by a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) to determine the reaction mechanisms corresponding to each of the two reactions. In this work, a methodology for estimating kinetic parameters was based on the comparison of the power profile (dynamic mode) given by the model to that obtained experimentally by changing the parameters values. Parameter estimation is achieved using the mixed estimation method where a genetic algorithm is combined with a locally convergent method.     

Plasticity in male courtship behaviour as a function of light intensity in guppies

The environment is profoundly important in shaping many aspects of animal phenotype, including courtship and mating behaviours. Courtship displays rely upon the transmission of visual information from the signaller to the receiver, which means they are likely to be less effective in visually poor conditions such as at low light or in turbid ecosystems. One might therefore predict that in visually poor environments it would be beneficial for individuals to plastically adjust their mating behaviour to maximise mating success. Here, we investigate the impact of the developmental and current visual environment (light intensity) upon male mating behaviour in the Trinidadian guppy Poecilia reticulata. Male guppies have two different mating tactics: They can court females with a visual sigmoid display or attempt to circumvent female choice by attempting a non-consensual copulation (gonapodium thrust). We reared juvenile guppies in low light and relatively high light intensities for 5 months before observing individual males for mating behaviour in both light conditions. We found that the current light environment is important in determining the frequency of both sigmoidal courtship displays and non-consensual copulation attempts. Males increase the frequency of sigmoidal displays at relatively high light and increase non-consensual mating attempts at low light, suggesting that males compensate for poor visual conditions via an adjustment in tactics. We also find a significant correlation in courtship effort between the different light environments, suggesting that there is individual consistency across time and context for this trait. Developmental environment was less important. However, we found that fish reared at lower light intensities continued to employ sigmoidal displays despite the poor current visual environment. Our data show that male mating behaviour is phenotypically plastic in response to recent light environment. This may have implications for understanding how animals cope with anthropogenic environmental change.     

Bats aloft: variability in echolocation call structure at high altitudes

Bats alter their echolocation in response to changes in ecological and behavioral conditions, but little is known about how they adjust call structure in response to changes in altitude. We examined altitudinal variation in the echolocation of Brazilian free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis, a species known to fly to altitudes of 3,000 m above the ground. From 50.2 h of recordings, we analyzed 113 high-quality echolocation call sequences recorded from 0 to 862 m above ground level. Bats flying near the ground used shorter, higher-frequency, broader-bandwidth calls compared to bats at higher altitudes, an effect likely due to the greater levels of echo-producing clutter (i.e., vegetation, buildings) found near the ground. When ground-level recordings are excluded, bats continue to shift towards the use of longer-duration, lower-frequency, narrower-bandwidth calls with increasing altitude. We propose that the observed high-altitude changes in call structure are a response to changing acoustic attenuation rates and/or decreasing insect densities at higher altitudes.     

Experimental study of recirculating flows generated by lateral shock waves in very large channels

Due to the lack of data on hydraulic-jump dynamics in very large channels, the present paper describes the main characteristics of the velocity field and turbulence in a large rectangular channel with a width of 4 m. Although a hydraulic jump is always treated as a wave that is transversal to the channel wall, in the case of this study it has a trapezoidal front shape, first starting from a point at the sidewalls and then developing downstream in an oblique manner, finally giving rise to a trapezoidal shape. The oblique wave front may be regarded as a lateral shockwave that arises from a perturbation at a certain point of the lateral wall and travels obliquely toward the centreline of the channel. The experimental work was carried out at the Coastal Engineering Laboratory of the Water Engineering and Chemistry Department of the Technical University of Bari (Italy). In addition to the hydraulic jump formation, a large recirculating flow zone starts to develop from the separating point of the lateral shock wave and a separate boundary layer occurs. Intensive measurements of the streamwise and spanwise flow velocity components along one-half width of the channel were taken using a bidimensional Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV). The water surface elevation was obtained by means of an ultrasonic profiler. Velocity vectors, transversal velocity profiles, turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stresses were all investigated. The experimental results of the separated boundary layer were compared with numerical predictions and related work presented in literature and showed good agreement. The transversal velocity profiles indicated the presence of adverse pressure gradient zones and the law of the wall appears to govern the region around the separated boundary layer.     

Evaluating the phytoremediation potential of Phragmites australis grown in pentachlorophenol and cadmium co-contaminated soils

Pot-culture experiments were conducted to evaluate the phytoremediation potential of a wetland plant species, Phragmites australis in cadmium (Cd) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) co-contaminated soil under glasshouse conditions for 70 days. The treatments included Cd (0, 5 and 50 mg kg^?1) without or with PCP (50 and 250 mg kg^?1). The results showed that growth of P. australis was significantly influenced by interaction of Cd and PCP, decreasing with either Cd or PCP additions. Plant biomass was inhibited and reduced by the rate of 89 and 92 % in the low and high Cd treatments and by 20 and 40 % in the low and high PCP treatments compared to the control. The mixture of low Cd and low PCP lessened Cd toxicity to plants, resulting in improved plant growth (by 144 %). Under the joint stress of the two contaminants, the ability of Cd uptake and translocation by P. australis was weak, and the BF and TF values were inferior to 1.0. A low proportion of the metal is found aboveground in comparison to roots, indicating a restriction on transport upwards and an excluding effect on Cd uptake. Thus, P. australis cannot be useful for phytoextraction. The removal rate of PCP increased significantly (70 %) in planted soil. Significant positive correlations were found between the DHA and the removal of PCP in planted soils which implied that plant root exudates promote the rhizosphere microorganisms and enzyme activity, thereby improving biodegradation of PCP. Based on results, P. australis cannot be effective for phytoremediation of soil co-contaminated with Cd and PCP. Further, high levels of pollutant hamper and eventually inhibit plant growth. Therefore, developing supplementary methods (e.g. exploring the partnership of plant–microbe) for either enhancing (phytoextraction) or reducing the bioavailability of contaminants in the rhizosphere (phytostabilization) as well as plant growth promoting could significantly improve the process of phytoremediation in co-contaminated soil.     

Nanofiltration of concentrated and salted tuna cooking juices

Tuna cooking juice from a Tunisian tuna-processing unit has a high level of polluting load: chemical oxygen demand (COD) is comprised between 4 and 20 g L⁻¹, nitrogen kjedahl (NK) between 0.6 and 3 g L⁻¹ and dry matter between 120 and 160 g L⁻¹. The juice has thus to be treated before being rejected into the environment. This paper considers the nanofiltration (NF) of these concentrated organic/inorganic mixtures using an AFC 30 (NF) membrane. The work focusses on the effect of organic and inorganic matters on the permeate flux and rejections of these matters. For this purpose, mixtures of salt and organic pollution (COD), used as model solutions, were prepared by the dilution of a typical industrial tuna cooking juice. The permeate flux was found to decrease when salt and organic matter concentrations increase. The recovery rate in organic matter decreases with increasing salt or organic matter content and the recovery rate of salt decreases when the COD concentration increases.