A new record of the endosymbiont polychaete Veneriserva (Dorvilleidae), with description of a new sub-species, and relationships with its host Laetmonice producta (Polychaeta: Aphroditidae) in Southern Ocean waters (Antarctica)

A new record of the genus Veneriserva Rossi, 1984 (Polychaeta: Dorvilleidae) is reported, as an endosymbiont in the coelom of the polychaete Laetmonice producta Grube, 1877 (Aphroditidae) in the eastern Weddell Sea and off King George Island (Southern Ocean, Antarctica). The specimens studied were very similar to Veneriserva pygoclava Rossi, 1984; however, due to the greater morphological variability and larger dimensions of our specimens, as well as different host species and geographic locations, a new sub-species, V. pygoclava meridionalis, was erected. A total of 842 specimens of L. producta were examined, 163 of which hosted 209 symbionts (183 in the Weddell Sea samples and 26 in the King George Island samples). Symbiont prevalence was higher in the Weddell Sea samples, and increased with depth (max. 51% at stn 14, 850 m depth). Symbiont intensity was equal to one for 78% and to two for 19.6% of all hosts examined; a maximum of six symbionts per single host was observed. Mean symbiont density was equal to 0.36 and 0.07 for the Weddell Sea and King George Island host populations, respectively. A weak linear relationship was found between symbiont and host size. Eight symbiont specimens (all found at a single station, 850 m depth) were bearing eggs, ranging between 10 and 200 µm in diameter, while 13 specimens were observed in regeneration of the posterior part, suggesting the occurrence of both sexual and asexual reproduction. The way of feeding is still not clear; reduction of the jaw apparatus suggests a parasitic host-symbiont relationship, however, no evident damage was observed in the tissues of the host. These results point out that occurrence of polychaete endoparasites in large aphroditids may be a more frequent and widespread phenomenon than previously believed, and that more attention should be paid to this aspect also in temperate and tropical aphroditid species.     

Contaminant residues in seabird eggs from the Canadian Arctic. II. Spatial trends and evidence from stable isotopes for intercolony differences

Eggs of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus), black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) and black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) were collected from several sites throughout the Canadian Arctic. Samples were analyzed for organochlorines as well as mercury and selenium. Glaucous gulls breeding at sites in the High Arctic showed higher levels of organochlorine contamination than those in the western Low Arctic. This was likely due to dietary differences among colonies as suggested by stable isotope data, although different overwintering areas may also play a role. Levels of sigmaPCB, sigmaDDT, sigmaCHLOR, sigmaCBz and dieldrin were significantly lower in thick-billed murres from Prince Leopold Island in the High Arctic compared with colonies in the eastcrn Low Arctic. This difference was likely due to the combined effects of different atmospheric deposition patterns in the High and Low Arctic and different overwintering areas since murres from Prince Leopold Island may winter farther north than murres from the other colonies sampled. Eggs from colonies at higher latitudes generally contained higher concentrations of mercury. The trophic and dietary differences/similarities suggested by stable-nitrogen and carbon isotope data in this study were useful in explaining the spatial patterns of contaminant concentrations observed among colonies of seabirds such as the glaucous gull and the black-legged kittiwake where variation in latitudinal atmospheric deposition patterns and different overwintering grounds did not appear to be confounding factors.     

Methods for collecting time/activity pattern information related to exposure to combustion products

Focus groups, surveys and questionnaires, diaries and observations can be used to gather information about people's exposure to a wide range of combustion products. Information about locations and durations of exposure, and sources of exposure can be obtained with these instruments. The types of instruments used must be fine tuned to meet the design characteristics of the community in which the study will be conducted.     

Soil quality in New Zealand: policy and the science response

Soil depletion and degradation have been increasingly recognized as important environmental issues in many parts of the world. Over the last decade a number of political and legislative measures have been introduced to encourage and enforce sustainable soil management in New Zealand. Application of the new legislation has highlighted gaps in our knowledge of soil quality and a lack of scientific methods to assess and monitor soil quality. This paper describes the legislative measures and outlines the sdentific response to the needs of regulatory agencies responsible for maintaining environmental quality. The research recommended a set of indicators to assess soil quality. Each soil quality attribute has an associated "target range" defining the acceptable value for the attribute. The paper also discusses the communication of results to end-users, including the development of a computerized assessment tool. The legislative measures and scientific response have fostered a closer relationship between the policy and science communities, leading to more well-focused research, but greater collaboration is still required.     

Ion cycling in hemlock-northern hardwood forests of the southern Lake Superior region: a preliminary study

Upland forests of the southern Lake Superior region are diverse and contain a shifting mosaic of eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.] and northern hardwood forests dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). In this study, we survey the relative effects of management practice (old growth vs. managed), forest cover type (hemlock vs. northern hardwood), and soil great group (Entic Haplorthod vs. Alfic Oxyaquic Fragiorthod) on ion cycling as a precursor to a longer-term, more detailed study. Bulk precipitation, throughfall, and soil leachates at three depths were collected for two growing seasons in eight stands on the Ottawa National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A total of 1210 solutions were analyzed for pH, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cl, NO3, and SO4. Losses of base cations (Ca, Mg, K) and SO4 from the bottom of the rooting zone generally were greater in old-growth than in managed northern hardwoods on both fragic and nonfragic soils. Leaching losses of base cations and NO3 usually were greater beneath old-growth northern hardwoods than beneath old-growth hemlock on both soil types and for both forest cover types and management practices on fragic than nonfragic soils. Management practice, forest cover type, and soil type all appear to affect ion cycling within these forests. All of the stands featured striking losses of base cations that probably are influenced strongly by NO3 and SO4 in atmospheric deposition.     

Improvements in the two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of humic substances

Understanding pollutant sorption, bioremediation of these pollutants, and their interactions with humic substances requires knowledge of molecular-level processes. New developments with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments and labeled compounds have improved the overall understanding of these mechanisms. The advancements made with two-dimensional NMR show great promise, as structural information and hydrogen-carbon bond connectivity can be discerned. This communication presents the application of improved two-dimensional NMR methods, the double quantum filtered (DQF) correlation spectroscopy (COSY) and echo/anti-echo heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) experiments, for use in structural studies of humic substances. Both experiments were found to produce significant improvements over the conventional COSY and heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) experiments that have been previously employed in similar studies. The more sensitive echo/anti-echo HSQC experiment produced more cross-peaks with higher resolution when compared with the HMQC spectra. The DQF-COSY significantly suppressed the diagonal signals and allowed numerous signals previously hidden in the standard COSY experiment to be observed. These improvements will aid current characterization strategies of humic substances from soils, sediments, and water and their subsequent reactions with pollutants and microorganisms.     

The Lake Erie Agricultural Systems for Environmental Quality project: an introduction

In the last part of the twentieth century, recognition became widespread of the important effect of agricultural runoff on the health of aquatic ecosystems in the Lake Erie basin and elsewhere. Because of the efforts to remediate Lake Erie, the "dead lake" among the Laurentian Great Lakes, a number of research and demonstration projects were undertaken in the Lake Erie basin to evaluate and foster adoption of conservation tillage and other farming techniques that would reduce runoff while maintaining productivity. In addition, intensive water quality studies of long duration were begun on major tributaries to Lake Erie during this time. The Lake Erie Agricultural Systems for Environmental Quality (LEASEQ) project examined governmental programs, changes in agriculture, and changes in water and soil quality during the period 1975-1995, and sought to evaluate the linkages among these factors. The study area is characterized by extensive agricultural land use of soils developed from glacial materials deposited on Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock, mostly limestone. Tile drainage is extensive, particularly in slow-draining clay-rich lacustrine soils in the lower reaches of the watersheds. This paper introduces the study area, its geology, geography, soils, and agricultural history. In addition, we provide an overview of the LEASEQ concept and introduce the 11 other papers in this series, which provide a detailed exposition of the results of our studies.     

Sensitivity and first-step uncertainty analyses for the preferential flow model MACRO

Sensitivity analyses for the preferential flow model MACRO were carried out using one-at-a-time and Monte Carlo sampling approaches. Four different scenarios were generated by simulating leaching to depth of two hypothetical pesticides in a sandy loam and a more structured clay loam soil. Sensitivity of the model was assessed using the predictions for accumulated water percolated at a 1-m depth and accumulated pesticide losses in percolation. Results for simulated percolation were similar for the two soils. Predictions of water volumes percolated were found to be only marginally affected by changes in input parameters and the most influential parameter was the water content defining the boundary between micropores and macropores in this dual-porosity model. In contrast, predictions of pesticide losses were found to be dependent on the scenarios considered and to be significantly affected by variations in input parameters. In most scenarios, predictions for pesticide losses by MACRO were most influenced by parameters related to sorption and degradation. Under specific circumstances, pesticide losses can be largely affected by changes in hydrological properties of the soil. Since parameters were varied within ranges that approximated their uncertainty, a first-step assessment of uncertainty for the predictions of pesticide losses was possible. Large uncertainties in the predictions were reported, although these are likely to have been overestimated by considering a large number of input parameters in the exercise. It appears desirable that a probabilistic framework accounting for uncertainty is integrated into the estimation of pesticide exposure for regulatory purposes.     

Natural uranium and thorium distributions in podzolized soils and native blueberry

Plant uptake of radionuclides is one of many vectors for introduction of contaminants into the human food chain. Thus, it is critical to understand soil-plant relationships that control nuclide bioavailability. Our objectives in this study were to (i) determine the extent of U and Th uptake and cycling by blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum Aiton) in native habitat and (ii) identify the soil properties and processes that contribute most to U and Th bioavailability in this system. We collected composite samples of plant leaves and stems, and samples from surface (AE) horizons and from the upper part of the Bs horizon at two sites. Concentration ratios (CRs) for U and Th were calculated for all plant tissues, using both the AE and Bs horizons as the base. Soil concentrations of U ranged from 16 to 25 microg g(-1), with a mean of 21.1 microg g(-1). Soil concentrations of Th ranged from 14 to 97 microg g(-1), with a mean of 41.8 microg g(-1). Mean U concentrations were 8.65 x 10(-3) microg g(-1) in leaf tissue, and 7.95 x 10(-3) microg g(-1) in stem tissue. Mean Th concentrations were 1.59 x 10(-1) microg g(-1) in leaf tissue, and 9.10 x 10(-2) microg g(-1) in stem tissue. Blueberry plants are cycling both U and Th in this system, with Th cycling occurring to a greater extent than U. In addition, Th was translocated preferentially to plant leaves while U concentrations showed little preferential translocation. Uranium uptake, however, seemed more sensitive than Th uptake to soil properties.     

Vegetation stress detection through chlorophyll a + b estimation and fluorescence effects on hyperspectral imagery

Physical principles applied to remote sensing data are key to successfully quantifying vegetation physiological condition from the study of the light interaction with the canopy under observation. We used the fluorescence-reflectance-transmittance (FRT) and PROSPECT leaf models to simulate reflectance as a function of leaf biochemical and fluorescence variables. A series of laboratory measurements of spectral reflectance at leaf and canopy levels and a modeling study were conducted, demonstrating that effects of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) can be detected by remote sensing. The coupled FRT and PROSPECT model enabled CF and chlorophyll a + b (Ca + b) content to be estimated by inversion. Laboratory measurements of leaf reflectance (r) and transmittance (t) from leaves with constant Ca + b allowed the study of CF effects on specific fluorescence-sensitive indices calculated in the Photosystem I (PS-I) and Photosystem II (PS-II) optical region, such as the curvature index [CUR; (R675.R690)/R2(683)]. Dark-adapted and steady-state fluorescence measurements, such as the ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence (Fv/Fm), steady state maximal fluorescence (F'm), steady state fluorescence (Ft), and the effective quantum yield (delta F/F'm) are accurately estimated by inverting the FRT-PROSPECT model. A double peak in the derivative reflectance (DR) was related to increased CF and Ca + b concentration. These results were consistent with imagery collected with a compact airborne spectrographic imager (CASI) sensor from sites of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) of high and low stress conditions, showing a double peak on canopy derivative reflectance in the red-edge spectral region. We developed a derivative chlorophyll index (DCI; calculated as D705/D722), a function of the combined effects of CF and Ca + b content, and used it to detect vegetation stress.