Conservation resource allocation,small population resiliency,and the fallacy of conservation triage

Some conservation prioritization methods are based on the assumption that conservation needs overwhelm current resources and not all species can be conserved; therefore, a conservation triage scheme (i.e., when the system is overwhelmed, species should be divided into three groups based on likelihood of survival, and efforts should be focused on those species in the group with the best survival prospects and reduced or denied to those in the group with no survival prospects and to those in the group not needing special efforts for their conservation) is necessary to guide resource allocation. We argue that this decision-making strategy is not appropriate because resources are not as limited as often assumed, and it is not evident that there are species that cannot be conserved. Small population size alone, for example, does not doom a species to extinction; plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals offer examples. Although resources dedicated to conserving all threatened species are insufficient at present, the world's economic resources are vast, and greater resources could be dedicated toward species conservation. The political framework for species conservation has improved, with initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements, funding mechanisms such as The Global Environment Facility, and the rise of many nongovernmental organizations with nimble, rapid-response small grants programs. For a prioritization system to allow no extinctions, zero extinctions must be an explicit goal of the system. Extinction is not inevitable, and should not be acceptable. A goal of no human-induced extinctions is imperative given the irreversibility of species loss.     

Ovariole number—a predictor of differential reproductive success among worker subfamilies in queenless honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies

A honeybee queen normally mates with 10–20 drones, and reproductive conflicts may arise among a colony’s different worker patrilines, especially after a colony has lost its single queen and the workers commence egg laying. In this study, we employed microsatellite markers to study aspects of worker reproductive competition in two queenless Africanized honeybee colonies. First, we determined whether there was a bias among worker patrilines in their maternity of drones and, second, we asked whether this bias could be attributed to differences in the degree of ovary activation of workers. Third, we relate these behavioral and physiological factors to ontogenetic differences between workers with respect to ovariole number. Workers from each of three (colony A) and one (colony B) patrilineal genotypes represented less than 6% of the worker population, yet each produced at least 13% of the drones in a colony, and collectively they produced 73% of the drones. Workers representing these genotypes also had more developed follicles and a greater number of ovarioles per ovary. Across all workers, ovariole development and number were closely correlated. This suggests a strong effect of worker genotype on the development of the ovary already in the postembryonic stages and sets a precedent to adult fertility, so that “workers are not born equal”. We hypothesize a frequency-dependent or “rare patriline” advantage to queenless workers over the parentage of males and discuss the maintenance of genetic variance in the reproductive capacity of workers.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

The influence of axle position and the use of accessories on the activity of upper limb muscles during manual wheelchair propulsion

Introduction. Wheelchair configuration is an important factor influencing the ergonomics of the user–device interface and, from a biomechanical point of view, small changes in chair setup may have a positive influence on the demand on the upper limbs during manual propulsion. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the position of the rear wheels’ axle and the use of accessories on the activity of upper limb muscles during manual wheelchair propulsion. Methods. Electromyography signals of the biceps, triceps, anterior deltoids and pectoralis major were collected for 11 able-bodied subjects in a wheelchair propulsion protocol with four different wheelchair configurations (differing in axle position and the use of accessories) on a straightforward sprint and a slalom course. Results. With accessories, moving the axle forward led to a decrease in the activity of all muscles in both the straightforward sprint (significant differences in triceps, anterior deltoids and biceps) and the slalom course (significant difference in anterior deltoids and biceps). However, when propelling the chair without accessories, no difference was found related to axle position. Conclusion. Changes in wheelchair configuration can influence the ergonomics of manual wheelchair propulsion. Reducing the biomechanical loads may benefit users’ mobility, independence and social participation.     

Inoculation of environmental fungal isolates improve the methane biochemical potential of rice hulls in anaerobic digestion processes

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Hulls are considered residues from rice production, and due to its low commercial value, there is little interest in developing biotechnological...     

Monitoring and modeling of long-term settlements of an experimental landfill in Brazil

Settlement evaluation in sanitary landfills is a complex process, due to the waste heterogeneity, time-varying properties and influencing factors and mechanisms, such as mechanical compression due to load application and creep, and physical–chemical and biological processes caused by the wastes decomposition. Many empirical models for the analysis of long-term settlement in landfills are reported in the literature. This paper presents the results of a settlement monitoring program carried out during 6 years in Belo Horizonte experimental landfill. Different sets of field data were used to calibrate three long-term settlement prediction models (rheological, hyperbolic and composite). The parameters obtained in the calibration were used to predict the settlements and to compare with actual field data. During the monitoring period of 6 years, significant vertical strains were observed (of up to 31%) in relation to the initial height of the experimental landfill. The results for the long-term settlement prediction obtained by the hyperbolic and rheological models significantly underestimate the settlements, regardless the period of data used in the calibration. The best fits were obtained with the composite model, except when 1 year field data were used in the calibration. The results of the composite model indicate settlements stabilization at larger times and with larger final settlements when compared to the hyperbolic and rheological models.     

Influence of Brazilian herbal regulations on the use and conservation of native medicinal plants

For decades, several native medicinal species have been used by the pharmaceutical industry in Brazil to create commercial products. In 1995, the Ministry of Health, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization, established herbal regulations (RDC 17) in order to improve the quality of such products. In fact, only plant species with conclusive results from pharmacological and toxicological studies can be used for creating medicines. In this study, we evaluated the consequences of RDC 17 on the use and conservation of native medicinal plants by comparing the plant material used by six companies in 1995/1996 and 10 years later (2005/2006). Eighty-three different species were used in 1995/1996, 50 of them native (60.2%), 16 exotic (19.3%), and 17 imported (20.5%). In 2005/2006, 44 species were used by the companies and only 19 (43.2%) were native. The category of plant material that saw the largest decrease in use was roots, and in 2005/2006 leaves were more used. The study shows a strong reduction in the collection of native species signalizing the importance of herbal regulations on their conservation. It also points to the need for pharmacological and toxicological studies of the Brazilian native medicinal flora, as well as studies on their ecology and conservation.