Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is a common urban air pollutant that results from the combustion of fossil fuels. It causes serious human health effects,
is a precursor to the formation of ground level ozone, another serious air pollutant, and is one of the six criteria air pollutants
established by the United States (U.S.) Clean Air Act (CAA). Ogawa Passive Sampling Devices (PSDs) for NO2 were collocated and operated at six NO2 Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitor locations in the El Paso, Texas area for the 2004 calendar year. Passive samples were
taken at 2-week, 3-week, and 4-week intervals and compared against the continuously operating FRM monitors. Results showed
that the collective NO2 annual arithmetic mean for all passive monitors was identical to the NO2 mean for all FRM monitors. Of the individual locations, three passive annual NO2 means were identical to their corresponding FRM means, and three passive annual NO2 means differed from their corresponding FRM means by only one part per billion (ppb). Linear correlation analysis between
all readings of the individual NO2 PSDs and FRM values showed an average absolute difference of 1.2 ppb with an r2 of 0.95. Paired comparison between high and low concentration annual NO2 sites, seasonal considerations, and interlab quality control comparisons all showed excellent results. The ease of deployment,
reliability, and the cost-savings that can be realized with NO2 PSDs could make them an attractive alternative to FRM monitors for screening purposes, and even possibly an equivalent method
for annual NO2 monitoring. More tests of the Ogawa NO2 PSD are recommended for different ecosystem and climate regimes. 相似文献
The annual epidemic spawning period of a Scottish population of Arenicola marina (L.) has been recorded over a period of 13 yr. This population spawns between mid-October and mid-November in a discrete
spawning event over a period of 4 to 5 d. Endocrine manipulation experiments showed that spawning is induced in females only
if sufficient titres of PMH (prostomial maturation hormone) are present in the prostomia. These levels are attained during
the 2 to 3 wk prior to the natural spawning date. The East Sands, St. Andrews population always spawns during periods of spring
tides regardless of tidal amplitude or whether they are full- or new-moon tides. Meteorological data, including sea-temperature
data were collected for each year, and correlation of the environmental data with spawning time was attempted. Correlation
of spawning times with weather patterns showed that mean daily air pressures were significantly higher during the spawning
period than from September to November as a whole. Evidence also suggests that a reduction in sea temperature is required
prior to spawning. A significant moderate negative correlation was found between May to July air temperatures and spawning
date, suggesting that higher May to July temperatures may induce early spawning. Daily rainfall and wind speed were also lower
during the spawning period, but not significantly so. These results indicate that air pressure (or changes therein) may act
as a final spawning cue, and the advantages of this are discussed in relation to fertilization success. A model of the interplay
between environmental parameters and the endocrine mechanisms controlling the induction of spawning is proposed. Higher than
average summer temperatures may advance gametogenesis to bring the population into a state of maturity (full-size oocytes,
well-developed sperm morulae), and may also advance spawning time. Once the population has completed gametogenesis, a drop
in sea temperature is then required to trigger an increase in endocrine titres within the prostomium, without which spawning
cannot be induced by prostomial injection. The population spawns on spring tides; however a lack of clement weather coinciding
with the spring tide will result in population-wide spawning being aborted, as in 1996. Clement weather (high pressure, low
rainfall and wind speed) in conjunction with spring tides permits spawning to proceed to completion.
Received: 21 June 1999 / Accepted: 25 January 2000 相似文献
Abstract: The devastation of island faunas by alien species has been instrumental in raising concerns about the global threat to biological diversity. Colonial nesting species, often restricted to islands, have been affected severely. Eradication of introduced species as a means to alleviate the problem is usually done with little or no understanding of the mechanisms governing interactions between introduced and native species. Such an understanding could help target management action. We analyzed how island area, rock substrate, bird species biology, and presence of an introduced species, the black rat ( Rattus rattus ), interact to explain the distribution and abundance of colonial nesting birds on a set of 72 islands from six archipelagos in the western Mediterranean. Rats were introduced to this region over 2000 years ago, and these communities have had time to reach an equilibrium. Using general linear models, we show that rats have affected species distributions more on the smaller islands and on islands with an acidic or neutral rock substrate; larger bird species are more resistant. On the smaller islands, where rat densities are highest, larger colonial birds are negatively affected. On larger islands, where rat densities are lower and fluctuate form year to year, larger colonial birds can maintain healthy populations despite the presence of rats. Although rats caused local extinction or reduction in bird abundance, the presence of islands varying in size and/or substrate allowed most archipelagos to retain their suite of colonial nesting bird species, despite a presumably reduced abundance for most species. 相似文献
The machair sand dune systems of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland are a unique habitat, which is rare within both a global and
European context. Unusually, the machair habitat also represents an agricultural resource that is very important to the Hebridean
people, having been subject to both grazing and cultivation throughout the historical period. Following designation as an
Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) in 1988, the machairs of South Uist have been studied with the aim of understanding the
links between agricultural practice and their plant community and ecosystem dynamics. This research focused primarily on the
effects of cultivation practices and their role in maintaining plant species richness and community and ecosystem stability.
Within two carefully selected areas, the successional plant communities of machair at different stages of recovery following
ploughing and cultivation of cereals and potato patches or ‘lazy beds’ were identified at both a macro- and micro-level. Investigations
of the vegetation recovery processes on turves taken from newly ploughed land indicated that the initial stages of recolonization
are characterized primarily by rapid vegetative reproduction and growth, although re-vegetation by seeds is also an important
factor. The implications of these findings for the long-term management of machair plant communities are discussed and in
particular the need to maintain old cultivation practices such as shallow ploughing. The need for more detailed research into
both seed banks and seed rain and into processes of vegetative reproduction is stressed.
Nomenclature: Clapham et al. (1981) and Stace (1991, 1997) for vascular plants; Hubbard (1984) for grasses; Pankhurst & Mullin (1991) for
the regional flora; Dobson (1992) for lichens; Watson (1981) for mosses and liverworts. 相似文献
Waste-activated sludge (WAS) may be considered a resource generated by wastewater treatment plants and used for biogas-generation but it requires pre-treatment (PT) for enhanced biogas-yields and reduced WAS disposal costs. To date, a number of studies on the optimization of such PT focused on improved biogas yields but neglected inferred energy and resource consumption. Here, we aimed to identify the most promising thermo-chemical PT-strategy in terms of net energy output and cost-efficiency by optimizing PT temperature and the amount and sort of the alkaline reagent used. We compared methane-potentials and disposal costs of untreated and treated WAS and conducted an annual cost-benefit calculation. We defined 70 °C and 0.04 M NaOH as ideal PT-conditions being both, low-energy demanding and efficient. Applying these conditions, enhanced biogas-yields and improved dewaterability led to reduced electricity and disposal costs of 22 and 27%, respectively, resulting in savings of approx. 28% of the yearly WAS-related expenditures of a wastewater treatment plant. Despite multiple benefits in running costs, the implementation of WAS-PT was not recommendable in the presented case study due to high investment costs.
Intensifying global trade will result in increased numbers of plant pest and pathogen species inadvertently being transported along with cargo. This paper examines current mechanisms for prevention and management of potential introductions of forest insect pests and pathogens in the European Union (EU). Current European legislation has not been found sufficient in preventing invasion, establishment and spread of pest and pathogen species within the EU. Costs associated with future invasions are difficult to estimate but past invasions have led to negative economic impacts in the invaded country. The challenge is combining free trade and free movement of products (within the EU) with protection against invasive pests and pathogens. Public awareness may mobilise the public for prevention and detection of potential invasions and, simultaneously, increase support for eradication and control measures. We recommend focus on commodities in addition to pathways, an approach within the EU using a centralised response unit and, critically, to engage the general public in the battle against establishment and spread of these harmful pests and pathogens. 相似文献
A multi-disciplinary approach was used to evaluate the health of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the St. Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada), which is experiencing a severe population decline in the downstream portion of the river. Physiological parameters, liver alterations, trace metal concentrations, parasite prevalence and abundance, stable isotope composition, and the presence/absence of the viral hemorragic septicemia virus (VHSV) were evaluated in perch collected at six sites along the river: Lake St. François, Lake St. Louis (north and south), Beauregard Island, and Lake St. Pierre (north and south). Trace metal concentrations in surface water were higher in Lake St. Louis and downstream of a major urban wastewater treatment plant discharge, indicating that this effluent was a significant source of Cu, As, Ag, Zn, and Cd. Levels of Pb in surface water exceeded thresholds for the protection of aquatic life in Lake St. Louis and were negatively correlated with body condition index in this lake. In Lake St. Pierre, Cu, Ag, and Cd bioaccumulated significantly in perch liver and lower body condition index and greater liver damage were observed compared to upstream sites. Parasite analyses indicated a higher abundance of metacercariae of the trematodes Apophallus brevis and Diplostomum spp. in Lake St. Louis, and VHSV was not detected in the liver of yellow perch for all studied sites. Overall, results suggested that the global health of yellow perch from Lake St. Pierre is lower compared to upstream studied sites, which could contribute to the documented population collapse at this site. 相似文献
Coastal fisheries are a critical component of Pacific island food systems; they power village economies and provide nutritious aquatic foods. Many coastal women and men actively fishing in this region rely on multi-species fisheries, which given their extraordinary diversity are notoriously difficult to both characterize, and to manage. Understanding patterns of fishing, diversity of target species and drivers of these patterns can help define requirements for sustainable management and enhanced livelihoods. Here we use a 12-month data set of 8535 fishing trips undertaken by fishers across Malaita province, Solomon Islands, to create fisheries signatures for 13 communities based on the combination of two metrics; catch per unit effort (CPUE) and catch trophic levels. These signatures are in turn used as a framework for guiding suitable management recommendations in the context of community-based resource management. While a key proximate driver of these patterns was fishing gear (e.g. angling, nets or spearguns), market surveys and qualitative environmental information suggest that community fishing characteristics are coupled to local environmental features more than the market value of specific species they target. Our results demonstrate that even within a single island not all small-scale fisheries are equal, and effective management solutions ultimately depend on catering to the specific environmental characteristics around individual communities.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01690-z. 相似文献