Effects of bis(tributyltin)oxide on antipredator behavior in threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus L.

Antipredator behavior was used as a parameter to detect effects caused by exposure to the organotin compound bis(tributyltin)oxide (TBTO). Three groups of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) were exposed to 3, 9 and 27 ppb TBTO, respectively. A fourth control group was given the same treatment as the other three groups, but no TBTO. Antipredator behavior of the fish was evoked using a dummy heron (Ardea cinerea) bill. TBTO exposure caused significant changes in the spatial position of the fish in the aquarium (P(Loc)), their response to predator attack (P(Res)), recovery time (P(Rec)) and latency time (P(Lat)). Some of the effects were, however, reversible after the exposure was terminated. We suggest that behavior as an indicator of pollution may be used as an ecologically relevant integrative biomarker.     

Heavy metal contamination in the seaweeds of the Venice lagoon

The concentrations of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, As) were determined in seven seaweeds of environmental and commercial relevance (Ulva rigida C. Ag., Gracilaria gracilis (Stackhouse) Steentoft, L. Irvine and Farnham, Porphyra leucosticta Thuret, Grateloupia doryphora (Montagne) Howe., Undaria pinnatifida (Harv.) Suringar, Fucus virsoides J. Agardh, Cystoseira barbata (Good. et Wood.) Ag.) collected in four sampling sites in the lagoon of Venice, in spring and autumn 1999. Metals were extracted using hot concentrated acids in a Microwave Digestion Rotor and analysed by absorption spectrophotometry using a flame mode for Fe and Zn and a graphite furnace for Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni and As. High contamination levels, especially for Pb, were detected in Ulva and to a lesser extent in Gracilaria. Brown seaweeds, especially Cystoseira was highly contaminated by As. The least contaminated genera with all metals except As were Porphyra and Undaria. A concentration decrease for Zn and Cd was observed from the inner parts of the central lagoon, close to the industrial district, towards the lagoon openings to the sea.     

Higher pH and faster decomposition in biowaste composting by increased aeration

Composting of source separated municipal biowaste has at several plants in Scandinavia been hampered by low pH. In this study the hypothesis that increased aeration would improve the process was tested in full-scale experiments at two large composting plants. The O2 concentrations were high (>15%) even at the low aeration rates, so the prevailing low pH was not due to an anaerobic process environment. In spite of this, increased aeration rates at the start of the process resulted in higher microbial activity, increased pH and a more stable compost product. At one plant the decomposition rate varied in proportion to the aeration rate, to the extent that the temperatures and O2 concentrations were similar during the early processes even though aeration rates varied between 10 and 50 m3/(h, m3 compost). However, increased aeration caused severe drying of the compost, but at one plant the addition of water was adequate to prevent drying. In conclusion, by increasing the aeration rates and adding water to compensate for drying, it was possible to shorten the time needed to produce a stable compost product and thus to increase the efficiency of the composting plants.     

Control of GHG emission at the microbial community level

All organic material eventually is decomposed by microorganisms, and considerable amounts of C and N end up as gaseous metabolites. The emissions of greenhouse relevant gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides largely depend on physico-chemical conditions like substrate quality or the redox potential of the habitat. Manipulating these conditions has a great potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such options are known from farm and waste management, as well as from wastewater treatment. In this paper examples are given how greenhouse gas production might be reduced by regulating microbial processes. Biogas production from manure, organic wastes, and landfills are given as examples how methanisation may be used to save fossil fuel. Methane oxidation, on the other hand, might alleviate the problem of methane already produced, or the conversion of aerobic wastewater treatment to anaerobic nitrogen elimination through the anaerobic ammonium oxidation process might reduce N2O release to the atmosphere. Changing the diet of ruminants, altering soil water potentials or a change of waste collection systems are other measures that affect microbial activities and that might contribute to a reduction of carbon dioxide equivalents being emitted to the atmosphere.     

Characterizing effects of uncertainties in MSW composting process through a coupled fuzzy vertex and factorial-analysis approach

A coupled fuzzy vertex and factorial-analysis approach was developed in this study for systematically characterizing effects of uncertainties in a municipal solid waste composting process. A comprehensive composting process model was also embedded into the system framework and used to address substrate decomposition and biomass growth, as well as the interactions between moisture contents, temperatures, and oxygen concentrations. The applicability of the proposed method was verified through a custom-made pilot-scale composting system. Results from fuzzy simulation indicated that the fuzzy vertex method could effectively communicate implicit knowledge into dynamic simulations and thus provide valuable information for enhancing composting process control under uncertainty. The factorial analysis was effective in quantifying the proportion to which the uncertainty of each single or interactive effect of model parameters contributes to the overall uncertainty of the system outcomes. Thus, sensitive parameters that may lead to errors or unreasonable predictions can be determined. The proposed study system could not only be used in characterizing combined effects of uncertainties for composting processes, but was also applicable to many other environmental modelling systems.     

Natterer’s bat (Myotis nattereri Kuhl, 1818) hawks for prey close to vegetation using echolocation signals of very broad bandwidth

We present a hitherto unknown prey perception strategy in bats: Myotis nattereri (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) is able to perceive prey by echolocation within a few centimeters of echo-cluttering vegetation, by using frequency-modulated search signals of very large bandwidth (up to 135 kHz). We describe the species’ search behavior and echolocation repertoire from the field and from experiments in a flight tent. In the field, bats varied signal parameters in relation to their distance from vegetation and usually flew close to vegetation. In the flight tent, M. nattereri detected and localized prey by echolocation alone as close as 5 cm from vegetation. Apparently, the bats were able to tolerate some overlap between prey and clutter echoes. Passive prey cues (vision, olfaction, prey-generated sounds) were not used in prey perception. The bats selected prey by size. The animals performed aerial catches and produced approach sequences typical for aerial hawking bats, but were able to do so within a few centimeters of the substrate. M. nattereri thus has access to silent, suspended prey very close to vegetation (e.g., spiders, and caterpillars on threads). Received: 29 September 1999 / Received in revised form: 12 February 2000 / Accepted: 12 February 2000     

Multiple song repertoire characteristics in the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus): correlations with female choice and offspring viability

Male willow warblers have song repertoires which vary in complexity along several dimensions. We examined whether female choice, as measured by date of pairing, was based on these song characteristics in 4 different years. Pairing date was negatively correlated with song repertoire size in 1 year, and with song versatility in another year, but there was no consistent effect of any song characteristic on pairing throughout the years or in the pooled sample. The variable that best explained how soon a male pairs is male arrival date (only males that had settled territories before the first female arrived were considered in the analysis). This correlation is consistently significant in all years. This is most parsimoniously interpreted as females choosing some habitat characteristic in the same way that males do. A small percentage of males (8.3%) attracted and paired with a second female. The likelihood of becoming polygynous was not explained by any measured song characteristic, but it was related to arrival date: early males were more likely to pair with two females. Males with large repertoires fledged more young in their primary nests, and there was a trend for the offspring of these males to have a greater probability of being recruited into the population. In conclusion, the results show that in most years there is no sexual selection by female preference on song characteristics, although the data on reproductive success is consistent with the idea of repertoire size being an indicator of male quality. Received: 4 June 1999 / Received in revised form: 1 December 1999 / Accepted: 31 December 1999     

The effect of pup vocalisations on food allocation in a cooperative mammal, the meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

In the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), a cooperative mongoose, pups follow potential feeders while the group is foraging and emit incessant calls when soliciting food from them. In contrast to a ’stationary’ brood of chicks, in which nestlings are fed at a fixed location, meerkat pups are ’mobile’ and become spread out. The question arises whether meerkat pups that experience different constraints to those facing chicks have evolved similar begging strategies. This paper describes the vocalisations that meerkat pups emit in the context of begging and investigates the influence of these calls on food allocation by older group members and on the behaviour of littermates. Meerkat pups use two types of calls when soliciting food from a potential feeder. The most common is a ’repeat’ call, which pups emit continuously when following an older forager over several hours a day. In addition, when a potential feeder finds a prey item, the pups next to it emit a bout of calls with increased calling rate, amplitude and fundamental frequency, termed ’high-pitched’ calls. Observations, together with playback experiments, showed that more prey was allocated to pups that called longer and more intensely. The pup closest to a feeder was almost always fed. The probability of emitting high-pitched calls did not depend on the time since a pup had received food, and the change from repeat to high-pitched calls occurred suddenly. The main function of the high-pitched call, therefore, does not appear to be to signal a pup’s hunger state. More likely, the two calls, in the context of begging, may be an adaptation to energetic constraints in a mobile feeding system. Pups, which are dispersed during foraging, may emit repeat calls over long periods to prevent potential feeders from eating all the prey themselves. At the moment a potential feeder finds prey, pups may give the more intense high-pitched calls to direct feeders to bring the food item to them and not to a littermate. Therefore, unlike the stationary feeding system where chicks emit one type of begging call when the feeder approaches the nest, meerkats, with a mobile feeding system, have evolved two discrete types of vocalisations in the context of begging. Received: 22 November 1999 / Revised: 1 July 2000 / Accepted: 17 July 2000     

Reproductive success of monogamous and polygynous pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca)

One of the most interesting aspects of the mating system of pied flycatchers is the regular occurrence of polygyny. Here we present data on the reproductive success of polygynously paired pied flycatcher males compared to monogamous males based on paternity analyses through DNA fingerprinting. Males paired with two females suffered a higher loss in reproductive output per female compared to monogamous males due to (1) a greater proportion of unhatched eggs in their broods, (2) greater nestling mortality and (3) a greater probability of being cuckolded. Nevertheless, the number of fledglings was significantly greater for polygynous males. Based on the number of nestlings that returned for subsequent breeding seasons, however, the reproductive success of monogamous and polygynous males did not differ significantly. These data raise the question as to why males attempt polygyny. Received: 16 August 1999 / Received in revised form: 15 March 2000 / Accepted: 18 March 2000     

Demographic Forecasting in Koala Conservation

Abstract: The koala currently needs conservation intervention. There is clear evidence of decline in many populations, but the existence of other stable or expanding populations offers the possibility of a variety of creative solutions to their conservation problems. The 1998 National Koala Conservation Strategy emphasizes the need to obtain demographic information and to use this information to assess management options for koalas. We need accurate diagnoses of the status of koala populations and forecasts of their demographic future with and without particular management actions. In a qualitative fashion, this process has been undertaken many times on a local and national scale. Quantitative demographic forecasting tools are increasingly available, and koala management could benefit from their application both at the scale of individual populations and more broadly. There is already a considerable body of suitable data on the dispersal, effects of normal and catastrophic environmental variation on reproduction and survival, and on the effects of habitat change. Demographic forecasting, however, is hampered because the full suite of information is rarely available from a single population. In two Queensland populations, retrospective population viability analyses provided forecasts that were in agreement with observed population trends. Work is needed to determine whether data from one population can be applied to other populations. Models can then be developed to make projections at a multipopulation level on the basis of local population dynamics and dispersal. Certain koala populations, because of their long history of study, offer the opportunity to test demographic models retrospectively. These tests will not only aid in fine-tuning the models for koala biology and data but will also assist with the more general process of validating the models.