A combined coastal protection,realignment and wetland restoration scheme in the southern Baltic: planning process,public information and participation

Markgrafenheide-Hütelmoor covers a total area of 1000 ha (about 490 ha are coastal moor) and a coastline of about 6 km. This touristy area belongs to the city of Rostock in Germany. As response to sea level rise and heavy coastal erosion, the small seaside resort Markgrafenheide received a comprehensive storm surge protection until 2006. Subsequently, the adjacent Hütelmoor was flooded with the aim to restore it as a brackish coastal moor. Coastal protection measures at the Baltic Sea coastline were abandoned to enable natural dynamics, a coastal realignment and salt water intrusions. The entire process until full implementation took 14 years and was associated with very problematic public participation and a strong local polarization. Based on a literature and media review, two surveys, and expert interviews we retrospectively document and analyse the planning process with focus on public information, perception and participation. The local population and holidaymakers did not perceive coastal changes and if, did not associate them with climate change. Interviewees remembered single storm surges, but felt save from it and sea level rise was not perceived as a threat. 89% said that they feel insufficiently informed about the combined coastal protection wetland restoration measure, but did not use the offered information possibilities. 81% had their information from newspapers and freely distributed advertisers. It seems that insufficient information was the major reason for the problems with local acceptance and public participation. The media played a dominating role. The decline of traditional newspapers and the growths of free advertisers seemed to have a negative impact on quality of information and favoured a polarization. Additionally, we discuss local specifics like the cultural background (GDR history), traditions, frustration and the relatively old population and their role in public participation. We strongly promote a pro-active and long-term information and public relation strategy.     

European Court of Justice ruling regarding new genetic engineering methods scientifically justified: a commentary on the biased reporting about the recent ruling

In July 2018, the European Court of Justice (Case C-528/16) ruled that organisms obtained by directed mutagenesis techniques are to be regarded as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within the meaning of Directive 2001/18. The ruling marked the next round of the dispute around agricultural genetic engineering in Europe. Many of the pros and cons presented in this dispute are familiar from the debate around the first generation of genetic engineering techniques. The current wave of enthusiasm for the new genetic engineering methods, with its claim to make good on the failed promises of the previous wave, seems to point more to an admission of failure of the last generation of genetic engineering than to a true change of paradigm. Regulation is being portrayed as a ban on research and use, which is factually incorrect, and the judges of the European Court of Justice are being defamed as espousing “pseudoscience”. Furthermore, this highly polarised position dominates the media reporting of the new techniques and the court’s ruling. Advocates of the new genetic engineering techniques appear to believe that their benefits are so clear that furnishing reliable scientific evidence is unnecessary. Meanwhile, critics who believe that the institution of science is in a serious crisis are on the increase not just due to the cases of obvious documented scientific misconduct by companies and scientists, but also due to the approach of dividing the world into those categorically for or against genetic engineering. In this construct of irreconcilable opposites, differentiations fall by the wayside. This article is a response to this one-sided and biased reporting, which often has the appearance of spin and lacks journalistic ethics that require journalists to report on different positions in a balanced and factual manner instead of taking positions and becoming undeclared advocates themselves.     

Evaluating the ecological benefits of wildfire by integrating fire and ecosystem simulation models

Fire managers are now realizing that wildfires can be beneficial because they can reduce hazardous fuels and restore fire-dominated ecosystems. A software tool that assesses potential beneficial and detrimental ecological effects from wildfire would be helpful to fire management. This paper presents a simulation platform called FLEAT (Fire and Landscape Ecology Assessment Tool) that integrates several existing landscape- and stand-level simulation models to compute an ecologically based measure that describes if a wildfire is moving the burning landscape towards or away from the historical range and variation of vegetation composition. FLEAT uses a fire effects model to simulate fire severity, which is then used to predict vegetation development for 1, 10, and 100 years into the future using a landscape simulation model. The landscape is then simulated for 5000 years using parameters derived from historical data to create an historical time series that is compared to the predicted landscape composition at year 1, 10, and 100 to compute a metric that describes their similarity to the simulated historical conditions. This tool is designed to be used in operational wildfire management using the LANDFIRE spatial database so that fire managers can decide how aggressively to suppress wildfires. Validation of fire severity predictions using field data from six wildfires revealed that while accuracy is moderate (30-60%), it is mostly dictated by the quality of GIS layers input to FLEAT. Predicted 1-year landscape compositions were only 8% accurate but this was because the LANDFIRE mapped pre-fire composition accuracy was low (21%). This platform can be integrated into current readily available software products to produce an operational tool for balancing benefits of wildfire with potential dangers.     

Production and fate of copepod fecal pellets across the Southern Indian Ocean

The vertical distribution of copepods, fecal pellets and the fecal pellet production of copepods were measured at seven stations across the Southern Indian Ocean from productive areas off South Africa to oligotrophic waters off Northern Australia during October/November 2006. We quantified export of copepod fecal pellet from surface waters and how much was retained. Furthermore, the potential impact of Oncaea spp. and harpacticoid copepods on fecal pellets degradation was evaluated and found to be regional substantial. The highest copepod abundance and fecal pellet production was found in the western nutrient-rich stations close to South Africa and the lowest at the central oligotrophic stations. The in situ copepod fecal pellet production varied between 1 and 1,000 μg C m⁻³ day⁻¹. At all stations, the retention of fecal pellets in the upper 400 m of the water column was more than 99% and the vertical export of fecal pellets was low (<0.02 mg m⁻² day⁻¹).     

Dairy manure as a potential source of crop nutrients and environmental contaminants

Although animal manure is applied to agricultural fields for its nutrient value, it may also contain potential contaminants. To determine the variability in such contaminants as well as in valuable nutrients, nine uncomposted manure samples from Idaho dairies collected during 2.5 years were analyzed for macro- and micro-nutrients, hormones, phytoestrogens, antibiotics, veterinary drugs, antibiotic resistance genes, and genetic elements involved in the spread of antibiotic resistance. Total N ranged from 6.8 to 30.7 (C:N of 10 to 21), P from 2.4 to 9.0, and K from 10.2 to 47.7 g/kg manure. Zn (103 – 348 mg/kg) was more abundant than Cu (56 – 127 mg/kg) in all samples. Phytoestrogens were the most prevalent contaminants detected, with concentrations fluctuating over time, reflecting animal diets. This is the first study to document the presence of flunixin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in solid stacked manure from regular dairy operations. Monensin was the most frequently detected antibiotic. Progesterones and sulfonamides were regularly detected. We also investigated the relative abundance of several types of plasmids involved in the spread of antibiotic resistance in clinical settings. Plasmids belonging to the IncI, IncP, and IncQ1 incompatibility groups were found in almost all manure samples. IncQ1 plasmids, class 1 integrons, and sulfonamide resistance genes were the most widespread and abundant genetic element surveyed, emphasizing their potential role in the spread of antibiotic resistance. The benefits associated with amending agricultural soils with dairy manure must be carefully weighed against the potential negative consequences of any manure contaminants.     

Surfactant-induced changes in gravity fingering of water through a light oil

Gravity-driven preferential flow (fingering) can greatly affect how one fluid displaces another in the subsurface. We have studied the internal properties of these preferential flow paths for water, with and without surfactants, infiltrating into oil saturated porous media using synchrotron X-rays, and miniature tensiometers to characterize fluid content and pressure relationships. We also used a light transmission technique to visualize overall flow pattern. Capillary pressure and water content decrease behind the front, similar to fingers in air-dry sand, with quantitative differences for five different surfactants with surface tensions ranging from 4–21 g/s². Using unstable flow theory, the finger widths, capillary pressure drops within the fingers, finger tip lengths, and finger splitting dynamics were scaled successfully with interfacial tension, fluid density, and the contact angle using the fingers in air–water systems as the reference.     

Resistance of the generalist moth Trichoplusia ni (Noctuidae) to a novel chemical defense in the invasive plant Conium maculatum

Summary. Conium maculatum is an apiaceous species native to Eurasia that is highly toxic to vertebrates due to the presence of piperidine alkaloids, including coniine and γ-coniceine. More than 200 years after invading the United States this species remains mostly free from generalist insect herbivores. The presence of novel chemical defenses in the introduced range could provide invasive species with a competitive advantage relative to native plants. The cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) is a generalist lepidopteran found throughout the US that occasionally feeds on C. maculatum. We evaluated the toxicity of piperidine alkaloids to T. ni and determined putative resistance mechanisms, both behavioral and physiological, that allows this insect to develop successfully on C. maculatum foliage. T. ni larvae raised on diets enriched with coniine and γ-coniceine showed a decrease in consumption and longer development time, but no effects on growth were found at any alkaloid concentration. In a diet choice experiment T. ni larvae showed no avoidance of alkaloid-enriched diets, suggesting that the deterrence produced by alkaloids was related to a post-ingestive metabolic response. The ability of T. ni to consume diets high in alkaloid content could be due to at least three different mechanisms: 1) a decreased consumption rate, 2) efficient excretion of at least 1/3 of ingested alkaloids unmetabolized in frass, and 3) partial detoxification of alkaloids by cytochrome P450 s, as shown by the decreased larval growth in the presence of piperonyl butoxide, a P450 inhibitor. Even though T. ni tolerates C. maculatum alkaloids, the use of this species as a host plant could be ecologically disadvantageous due to prolonged larval growth and thus increased exposure to predators. Novel plant secondary compounds do not guarantee increased resistance to generalist herbivores.     

瑞典四大湖泊(梅拉伦、哈马伦、韦特恩和维纳恩湖)研究工作40年:监测与治理措施对于社会可持续发展的重要意义

对瑞典的梅拉伦、哈马伦、韦特恩和维纳恩等四个大湖水质进行的监测已差不多有40年了.对湖泊的物理化学参数、浮游生物和底辆无脊椎动物进行了定期评估.对湖泊的水文和沉积条件、大型植物、鱼类、原始有机物产率、细菌和附生藻类进行了定期调查.人类活动(包括工业活动)的影响表现在湖中有机质、养分、金属和持久性有机化合物过量增加.从60年代末开始,对这些湖泊汇水区内所有市政污水处理厂都进行了更新改造,使其达到了最高技术标准(包括磷的化学沉淀处理),因而污水处理厂的磷排放减少了90%-95%.此外还对工业企业作出了规定,要求它们减少有害物质的排放.本文讨论了对湖泊采取活污措施后湖泊的变化情况以及各种指标达到的水平.这些研究有助于制定全国性湖泊监测计划.另外,通过大湖监测取得的成果有助于制定国家水质标准,包括物理、化学和生物学标准.     

Changes in gonadal development,androgenic gland cell structure,and hemolymph vitellogenin levels during male phase and sex change in laboratory-maintained protandric shrimp, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pandalus hypsinotus</Emphasis> (Crustacea: Caridea: Pandalidae)

Most pandalid shrimps show protandric hermaphroditism, and male sexual differentiation is considered to be controlled by the androgenic gland. In the present study, we examined the histology of gonadal development during the male phase and sex change and the involvement of the androgenic gland in regulating male reproduction in laboratory-maintained Pandalus hypsinotus. Juvenile shrimps developed testicular tissues in the peripheral part of gonads during the age of 16–31 months and produced spermatozoa between 34 and 36 months. After reaching sexual maturity, male shrimps exhibited seasonal testicular development: active production of spermatozoa (February–May), disappearance of spermatozoa (spent, April–June), increase of spermatocytes (May–November), appearance of spermatids and spermatozoa in the gonads (November–February). The androgenic gland cells became larger and the rough endoplasmic reticulum in the cytoplasm developed at male sexual maturity. The cell structure shows that the androgenic gland hormone is a peptide. Furthermore, bilateral eyestalk ablation on immature male shrimps induced hypertrophy of the androgenic gland and acceleration of male sexual maturation. These results indicate the involvement of androgenic gland hormone and some eyestalk factor in regulating male sexual maturation. Over a 1-year laboratory-rearing period, some male shrimps (16.7%) changed sex. In transitional shrimps, testicular tissues in the gonads and androgenic glands degenerated; on the other hand, oocytes started yolk protein accumulation and hemolymph vitellogenin levels became high. These results suggest that androgenic gland degeneration is a trigger for sex change and that the vitellogenin level is a useful marker for sex change.