Crown condition surveys in Italian forests: issues in reporting findings

This study examines defoliation and discoloration findings collected throughout the Italian Level I network between 1997 and 2000. Prior to this period no Quality Assurance procedures had been implemented, so that earlier findings cannot be considered reliable. The aim of the study is to compare differentindices used in reporting findings, in order to determine the full potential and limitations of each. In international surveys,findings are normally expressed in terms of individual trees presenting a defoliation level greater than 2 %; this criterion,however, has been challenged since it is not based on scientificevidence. By analysing the distribution of defoliation values(grouped in 5% classes) relating to the main species (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus pubescens, Quercus cerris, Picea abies), the study examines the behaviour of statistical indices such as the median, the mode and the mean. Instead of using the traditional 25% threshold to determine the part of the population with the highest defoliation values, a procedureis suggested whereby a different threshold can be determined foreach species. It is established based on the 90° percentile of cumulative defoliation values recorded over the four-year period. Each index used to report findings possessesits own information potential, and the findings may at times appear contradictory. The use of a combined defoliation and discoloration index (Ilce = Lacking Crown Equivalent Index) is also proposed, but the results obtained do not differin substance from the results relating to defoliation alone. Thefunctional limitations of this index are due mainly to the way the data are collected: for this reason suggestions are made onhow to improve the procedure in future surveys.     

Effect of El Nĩno on demographic,morphological, and chemical parameters in turtle-grass (Thalassia testudinum): an unexpected test of indicators

We examined the response of demographic, morphological, and chemical parameters of turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), to much-higher-than-normal rainfall associated with an El Niño event in the winter of 1997–1998. Up to 20 inches of added rain fell between December 1997 and March 1998, triggering widespread and persistent phytoplankton blooms along the west coast of Florida. Water-column chlorophyll concentrations estimated from serial SeaWiFS imagery were much higher during the El Niño event than in the previous or following years, although the timing and magnitude of phytoplankton blooms varied among sites. Seagrass samples collected in 1997, 1998, and 1999 provided an excellent opportunity to test the responsiveness of Thalassia to decline and subsequent improvement of water quality and clarity in four estuaries. Using a scoring technique based on temporal responsiveness, spatial consistency, and statistical strength of indicators, we found that several morphological parameters (Thalassia shoot density, blade width, blade number, and shoot-specific leaf area) were responsive and consistent measures of light stress. Some morphological parameters, such as rhizome apex density, responded to declines and subsequent improvement in water clarity, but lacked the statistical discriminating power necessary to be useful indicators. However, rhizome sugar, starch, and the total carbohydrate concentrations also exhibited spatially and temporally consistent variation as well as statistical strength. Because changes in shoot density, as well as water clarity, affect rhizome carbohydrate levels, a composite metric based on Thalassia shoot density and rhizome carbohydrate levels together is probably more useful than either parameter alone as an indicator of seagrass health.     

An analysis of university sustainability reports from the GRI database: an examination of influential variables

In the business context, many papers have examined whether certain variables can affect sustainability disclosure practices. However, research on universities has mainly been addressed to explore the extent of sustainability information reported with little focus on determining the factors that may affect it. This paper analyzes the influence exerted by some variables concerning the extent of information reported in the university sustainability reports included in this study. To accomplish this task, data were collected using a content analysis of the university sustainability reports extracted from the GRI sustainability disclosure database. The findings reveal that sustainability disclosure practices by universities are explained by different factors, among which are institutionalization, geographical region, external assurance and leadership. Such results are supported jointly by the underpinnings of the institutional and legitimacy theories in response to coercive and mimetic pressures and by the need to improve reputation in society.     

Reflexive capacity in local networks for sustainable development: integrating conflict and understanding into a multi-level perspective Transition Framework

ABSTRACT

One core element of reflexive governance is the reflexive capacity-building of actors involved in governance networks. A wider range of actors have to be empowered to understand and improve governance arrangements in order to create second-order reflexivity. As a contribution to this challenge, a heuristic framework is developed from two complementary approaches to reflexive governance: the multi-level perspective (MLP) and the conflict-orientated understanding (COU) approach. The new framework is applied to two case studies – water management and long-term climate adaptation – where it has helped to develop a participatory process to analyse and reflect on local networks and multi-stakeholder arenas. The two contrasting processes are analysed and their contribution to reflexive capacity building is assessed. Building on the findings, further advancements of MLP, COU, and the concept of reflexive governance are recommended.     

Recovery of foundry sands and iron fractions from an industrial waste landfill

This study was performed to analyse the technical and economical feasibility of a project concerning the recovery of foundry wastes from a landfill. In such a context, an evaluation of the total amount of residues that could be recovered was performed by using the physical chemical characterization of landfilled wastes: molding and core sands, furnace dusts, finishing dusts, muds, calcium hydroxide and refractory slags. Field tests were realized employing both geophysical methods both the digging of trenches.Two cells of the landfill were investigated by means of geophysical methods using magnetic and electromagnetic techniques. The physical and chemical characterization of wastes was employed in order to determine the best geophysical methods to locate the useful fractions of wastes in landfill and to establish the occurring treatment cycle for the recovery of useful fractions.A cost–benefit analysis was performed to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed landfill mining operation.     

The Gravikinetic Response of Paramecium is Based on Orientation-Dependent Mechanotransduction

  Paramecium generates persistent shifts of the membrane potential of a few millivolts depending on its orientation with respect to the gravity vector. The resulting potential-induced modulation of the speed of propulsion is called gravikinesis because it acts to neutralize, fully or in part, sedimentation. Gravisensitivity is maximal at neutral orientation, i.e., in horizontally swimming cells, when the gravitational force per unit membrane area is at minimum. Stimulus-response relationships and energetic considerations show that sensing of the gravity vector by a nonspecialized, single-cell organism ranks among the most sensitive mechanoreceptors known in nature. Received: 15 December 1998 / Accepted: 18 February 1999     

Groundwater dependent ecosystems. Part II. Ecosystem services and management in Europe under risk of climate change and land use intensification

Groundwater in sufficient amounts and of suitable quality is essential for potable water supplies, crop irrigation and healthy habitats for plant and animal biocenoses. The groundwater resource is currently under severe pressure from land use and pollution and there is evidence of dramatic changes in aquifer resources in Europe and elsewhere, despite numerous policy measures on sustainable use and protection of groundwater. Little is known about how such changes affect groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs), which include various aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems above ground and inside the aquifer. Future management must take this uncertainty into account. This paper focuses on multiple aspects of groundwater science, policy and sustainable management. Examples of current management methods and practices are presented for selected aquifers in Europe and an assessment is made of the effectiveness of existing policies such as the European Water Framework Directive and the Habitat Directive in practice and of how groundwaters and GDEs are managed in various conditions. The paper highlights a number of issues that should be considered in an integrated and holistic approach to future management of groundwater and its dependent ecosystems.     

Analysing the incorporation of sustainability themes into the university curricula: a case study of a Spanish public university

From an international view, several papers have analysed how sustainability themes are integrated into the university curricula. In Spain, few studies to date have examined the extent to which universities are incorporating sustainability themes into their curricula. In view of such considerations, this article examines the extent to which sustainability themes are being incorporated into the curricula of a Spanish public university strongly committed to signing sustainability policies and declarations. In addition, this study analyses the main barriers to the incorporation of sustainability themes into the curricula of this university. To accomplish this task, this article uses different methodological instruments over three phases through a case study approach. The findings of this study suggest how the university examined has many difficulties in incorporating, holistically or separately, sustainability themes in its formal courses despite having so many policies, regulations and a commitment to sustainability.     

Side effects of the herbicide triasulfuron on collembola under laboratory conditions

Triasulfuron, a member of the sulfonylureas class of herbicides, was tested under laboratory conditions on the collembolan Onychiurus pseudogranulosus. Pure triasulfuron and commercial formulations at different rates (starting from a dose about 5 times the recommended agricultural rate) were tested separately on one-week old juveniles and adults reared in the laboratory. The persistence of the herbicide at the end of the trials lasting 30 and 60 days was verified by HPLC analysis. Laboratory tests indicated that only the rates exceeding 500 times the soil concentration expected soon after field application of the herbicide directly affected the tested species.     

Effects of sediment on the survival of asexually produced sponge recruits

Sediment deposition is known to affect the structure of marine rocky-bottom communities, but its specific effects on some key organisms, such as sponges, remain poorly investigated. In a 125-day field experiment involving different treatments of exposure to sediment deposition, we investigated survival of asexually produced recruits of the sublittoral demosponge Scopalina lophyropoda, a model organism suitable to understand similar processes in other sponges. A total of 660 explants obtained from 11 non-clonal sponges (explant donors) were distributed on 30 experimental plates. Each donor sponge contributed two clonal explants per plate, one settled under a roof at a silt-protected position and the other at a silt-exposed position. Plates were installed at the rocky walls of the natural community, also at the pillars of a local harbor where the sponge does not occur naturally. A 3-way ANOVA testing for differences in explant longevity as a function of explant donor, exposure to sediment, and habitat detected that longevity was affected by both an undetermined genetic condition of the explant donor and exposure to silt. Silt-protected explants lived longer than silt-exposed explants. A significant “Silt-exposure × Habitat” interaction detected that silt-exposed explants lived shorter within the harbor than in the natural community, suggesting that harbor silt, which was notably finer, is more deleterious. Inspection of daily mortality rates revealed that the detrimental effects of silt were very evident during the first 20 days in treatments and irrespective of habitat. Then, mortality rates progressively decreased, reaching negligible values in all 4 sponge groups by day 65. At this stage, an undetermined mortality factor other than purely sediment deposition reactivated mortality in all 4 sponge groups, but it affected more intensely the sponges in the harbor, irrespective of being protected from or exposed to sediment deposition. All together, the results of our field experiment suggest that sediment loads are a major mortality factor among small sponge individuals in sublittoral rocky communities. Because a significant “donor factor” suggests an unidentified “genetic component” to be involved in the ability to cope with sediment, natural or man-driven processes increasing coastal sediment deposition are susceptible to induce changes not only in the abundance but also the genetic structure of the sponge populations in the long term.