Coupling of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) metabolites onto humic monomers by a new laccase from Trametes modesta

During degradation of trinitrotoluene (TNT) by Trametes modesta, addition of humic monomers prevented the accumulation of all major stable TNT metabolites (aminodinitrotoluenes [AMDNT]) by at least 92% in the presence of 200 mM ferulic acid and guaiacol. Acute toxicity tests with individual TNT metabolites and in T. modesta cultures supplemented with 200 microM TNT demonstrated that the TNT biodegradation process lead to less toxic metabolites. Toxicity decreased in the order TNT>4-HADNT (4-hydroxylaminodinitrotoluene)>2-HADNT>2,6-DNT (2,6-dinitrotoluene)>2',2',6,6-azoxytetranitrotoluene>4-AMDNT>2-AMDNT>2,4-diamninonitrotoluene (2,4-DAMNT) while 2,4-DNT and 2,6-DAMNT were the least toxic. Ferulic acid is the best candidate for immobilization TNT biodegradation metabolites since it prevented the accumulation of AMDNTs in cultures during TNT biodegradation and its products were less toxic. All humic monomers were very effective in immobilizing 2-HADNT [100%], 4-HADNT [100%] and 2,2,6,6-azoxytetranitrotoluene [100%]. Two distinct laccase isoenzymes (LTM1 and LTM2) potentially involved in immobilization of TNT degradation products were purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. LTM1 and LTM2 have molecular weights of 77.6 and 52.5 kDa, are 18% and 24% glycosylated, have pI values of 3.6 and 4.2, respectively. Both enzymes oxidized all the typical laccase substrates tested. LTM1 showed highest kinetic constants (K(m)=0.03 microM; K(cat)=8.8 4x 10(7)s(-1)) with syringaldazine as substrate.     

Determinants of male mating success in the red bishop (Euplectes orix)

We studied sexual selection in the red bishop, Euplectes orix, a colonial, polygynous weaverbird widely distributed over sub-Saharan Africa. Male reproductive success measured in terms of the number of nests accepted by females and the number of eggs and nestlings in all the nests on a male's territory varied considerably. The standardized variance (variance/mean²) in male reproductive success ranged from 0.505 to 1.737 in different years, indicating a high potential for sexual selection in this species. An analysis of genetic parentage for 432 nestlings by non-radioactive, multilocus DNA fingerprinting confirmed that male reproductive success (number of young sired on the territory) in this species can be reliably estimated by the measures introduced above. In all 4 study years there was a strong positive correlation between male mating success and the total number of nests that males built in their territories. The number of nests built can be partitioned into the number of weeks a male held a territory and his nest-building performance. Both factors exert a significant positive effect on male mating success and in combination explained between 53.3 and 86.3% of the variation in male reproductive success. Male morphological characters were found to be of no importance. Males that established a territory in the following season built more nests and held their territories for longer than males that did not establish a territory in the following season, suggesting that these measures might be indicators of male condition and quality. Male nest-building performance (number of nests built per week) seems to be unrelated to male condition or quality. Received: 8 January 1999 / Received in revised form: 7 June 1999 / Accepted: 13 June 1999     

Larval fish assemblages in Independencia Bay,Pisco, Peru: temporal and spatial relationships

The structure of the larval fish assemblages in Independencia Bay on the coast of Peru was examined using a combination of univariate and multivariate techniques. The plankton of Independencia Bay was sampled during 2000, to ascertain ichthyoplankton composition, abundance, and seasonality. These data were used to assess the function of the bay as spawning and nursery grounds and were related to the regional oceanography. In total, 16,156 fish larvae, representing 34 families, 48 genera, and 48 species were collected. Engraulidae, Normanichthyidae, Blenniidae, Gobiesocidae, Haemulidae, Labrisomidae, Pinguipedidae, and Atherinidae comprised 96.8% of the larvae captured; the remaining 3.2% included 26 families. Greatest mean larval fish densities, 319–1,381 per 100 m³, were recorded between September and November, suggesting a major spring spawning period. The most abundant fish larvae during this period were preflexion stage mote sculpins (Normanichthyidae) and newly hatched and preflexion stage anchovies (Engraulidae). A second, smaller summer peak was dominated by preflexion stage anchovies, followed by preflexion stage mote sculpins. The occurrence of high larval fish densities and the wide range of larval stages suggest that Independencia Bay is a regionally important spawning and nursery ground for marine fish. The principal component analysis showed that temperature and salinity were the dominant variables within the first two principal components, which accounted for 74.4% of the variation in environmental conditions. These conditions varied over time, station, and depth; however, interaction terms could not clearly be identified. Fitting a multinomial logistic model showed that larval fish assemblages and environmental conditions were associated in a complex way. The spring and summer ichthyoplankton abundance peaks in Independencia Bay coincided with high zooplankton standing stock and also coincided approximately with the periods of increased upwelling in the area.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe     

Teil 1: PCDD/F in Böden,Vegetation und Kuhmilch

Soil samples were taken from residential gardens, grasslands and forests at 22 locations in Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, and analyzed for PCDD/F. Sampling was concentrated on the vicinity of a former copper smelter where copper waste material (calledKieselrot) was deposited and emissions from former stacks contaminated a large land area. Maximum PCDD/F-concentrations were 407 ng TE GBA/kg dm in garden soil (0–30 cm depth), 98 ng TE BGA/kg dm in agricultural grassland (0–10 cm depth), 227 ng TE BGA/kg dm in wasteland, and up to 8073 ng TE BGA/kg dm in forest soils. PCDD/F-levels in soil decreased with increasing distance from the former sources providing a large historic emission problem, apart from the still existing kieselrot waste site. Ash residues from former flue gas duct showed up to 2,4 mg TE BGA/kg dm. PCDD/F-concentrations in vegetable samples from highly contaminated garden soils and grass from agricultural grassland were found to be relatively low in relation to soil values. PCDD/F-levels in salad showed a mean of 2,2 ng TE BGA/kg dm while grass concentrations were <6 ng TE BGA/kg dm. Thus, no correlation was found between soil and vegetation values with the exception for carrot roots where obviously a small transfer of PCDD/F between the two media took place. PCDD/F-content in grass taken over the vegetation period showed a tendency to increase toward the end of the growing season, which is probably related to changes in the dry matter yield over the season. No correlation was found in general between soil, grass and milk PCDD/F contents when all samples were taken from the same grassland. PCDD/F-concentrations in milk ranged between 0,6 and 1,1 pg TE BGA/g milkfat and were thus in the same range as consumer milk in the Federal Republic of Germany. PCDD/F in needles from conifers showed a clear relationship with respect to distance from the former waste site. The relatively high levels in conifer needles [36 ng TE BGA/kg dm] were obviously due to sporting activities (i.e. motocross racing where contaminated material was resuspended and deposited on surrounding trees).     

Canopy structure versus physiology effects on net photosynthesis of mountain grasslands differing in land use

The present paper aims at investigating how changes in canopy structure and species physiology associated with the abandonment of mountain meadows and pastures affect their net photosynthesis. For this purpose, a multi-layer vegetation–atmosphere transfer (VAT) model is employed, which explicitly takes into account the structural and functional properties of the various canopy components and species. Three sites differing in land use are investigated, a meadow, a pasture and an abandoned area. Model simulations agree reasonably with measured canopy net photosynthetic rates, the meadow featuring the highest daily net photosynthesis, followed by the pasture and, finally, the abandoned area. A detailed process analysis suggests this ranking to be mainly due to bulk canopy physiology, which decreases from the meadow to the pasture and the abandoned area, reflecting species composition and species-specific photosynthetic capacities. Differences between the canopies with regard to canopy structure are found to be of minor importance. The amounts of green, photosynthetically active plant matter are too similar at the three sites to be a major source of variation in net photosynthesis. Large differences exist between the canopies with regard to the amount of photosynthetically inactive phytoelements. Even though a model analysis showed them to be potentially important, most of them are accumulated close to the ground surface, where they exert little influence on canopy net photosynthesis.     

Ozone air quality over North America: part I--a review of reported trends

Ozone and precursor trends can be used to measure the effectiveness of regulatory programs that have been implemented. In this paper, we review trends in the concentrations of O3 NOx, and HCs over North America that have been reported in the literature. Although most existing trend studies are confounded by meteorological variability, both the raw data trends and the trends adjusted for meteorology collectively indicate a general decreasing trend in O3 concentrations in most areas of the United States during 1985-1996. In Canada, mean daily maximum 1-hr O3 concentrations at urban sites show mixed trends with a majority of sites showing an increase from 1980 to 1993. Mean daily maximum 1-hr O3 at most regionally representative Canadian sites appears to decrease from 1985 to 1993 or shows no significant change. There are far fewer data and analyses of NOx and HC trends. Available studies covering various ranges of years indicate decreases in ambient NO and HC concentrations in Los Angeles, CA, decreases in HC concentrations in northeastern U.S. cities, and decreases in NOx concentrations in Canadian cities. Two key needs are long-term HC and NOx measurements, particularly at rural sites, and a systematic comparison of trend detection techniques on a reference data set.     

Detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in skin oil obtained from roofing workers

Twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been analyzed in blood serum and skin oil collected from roofing workers. Although a range of 0.05–36 ng was observed in skin oil samples, none was detected in serum, at detection limits of 1–175 pg/ml.