Mating system and individual reproductive success of sympatric anadromous and resident brook charr, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvelinus fontinalis</Emphasis>, under natural conditions

Salmonids are known for the occurrence in sympatry of two life-history forms, one that undergoes migration to sea before returning to freshwater to reproduce (anadromous) and one that inhabits freshwater without a migration phase (resident). Whereas one breeding population is often suggested by population genetic studies, mating patterns have rarely been directly assessed, especially when both sexes are found within each life-history form. By using highly polymorphic microsatellite loci and parentage analysis in a natural population of sympatric anadromous and resident brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis), we found that gene flow occurred between the two forms and was mediated by resident males mating with both resident and anadromous females. Determinants of reproductive success, estimated by the number of surviving juveniles (ages 1 and 2 years), differed between the sexes. No strong evidence of the influence of size on individual reproductive success was found for males, whereas larger females (and hence most likely to be anadromous) were more successful. The higher individual reproductive success of anadromous fish compared to residents was mainly explained by this higher reproductive success of anadromous females. We suggest that resident males adopt a “sneaking” reproductive tactic as a way of increasing their reproductive success by mating with females of all sizes in all habitats. The persistence of the resident tactic among females may be linked to their advantage in accessing spatially constrained spawning areas in small tributary streams unavailable to larger females.     

Phylogeography and genetic structure of the Mediterranean killifish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphanius fasciatus</Emphasis> (Cyprinodontidae)

The purpose of this study was to determine the phylogeographic structure of the brackish-hypersaline cyprinodont fish Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821), using sequencing and RFLP analysis of a 1,330 bp mitochondrial DNA segment containing part of the 16S rRNA gene as well as the genes for tRNA-Leu, NADH subunit 1 and tRNA-Ile. Individuals were collected from 13 different sites in Greece and Turkey, while seven published A. fasciatus sequences were also included to cover the area of distribution of the species. Pairwise sequence divergence values ranged from 0 to 4.51%. Congruent phylogenies were recovered with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and neighbour-joining methods. All analyses revealed two main groups. The first group consists of populations from almost all localities that drain into the Aegean Sea. The second group comprises the remaining population samples, which in some cases seem to consist of population-specific subgroups. Our results show that vicariant events have predominantly affected the evolution of A. fasciatus, with the Messinian salinity crisis having shaped the present genetic structure of its populations. Additionally, the life-history traits of the species, which determine a low potential for dispersal, coupled with the typical fragmentation of brackish-hypersaline water habitats have led to a high degree of isolation of A. fasciatus populations, even at restricted spatial scales. Analysis of the partitioning of the total amount of polymorphism with analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) gave a value of F _ST = 84.6%. Potential conservation policies concerning A. fasciatus should also consider the low-genetic variability in the majority of its populations and the presence of fixed haplotypes in some of them.     

Advisory Committee: A Powerful Tool for Helping Decision Makers in Environmental Issues

/ It has been suggested that the general public should be moreinvolved in environmental policy and decision making. It is important forthem to realize that they will have to live with the consequences ofenvironmental policies and decisions. Consequently, policy makers shouldconsider the concerns and opinions of the general public before makingdecisions on environmental issues. This raises questions such as: How can weintegrate the perceptions and reactions of the general population inenvironmental decisions? What kind of public participation should weconsider? In the present study, using a new regional ecosystem model, weattempted to integrate these aspects in its decision making model byincluding the formation of an advisory committee to resolve problems relatedto waste management. The advisory committee requested the activeparticipation of representatives from all levels of the community: economic,municipal, and governmental intervenors; environmental groups; and citizens.Their mandates were to examine different management strategies available inthe region, considering all the interdisciplinary aspects of each strategy,elaborate recommendations concerning the management strategies that are mostsuitable for all, and collaborate in communication of the information to thegeneral population. The results showed that at least in small municipalitiessuch an advisory committee can be a powerful tool in environmental decisionmaking. Conditions required for a successful consultation process, such aseveryday lay language and the presence of a facilitator other than ascientific expert, are discussed.KEY WORDS: Public consultation; Environmental policies;Interdisciplinary aspects; Municipal sewage sludge management; Generalpopulation; Decision-making process     

The use of gas chromatography with ion-trap MS/MS detection for the determination of planar PCBs in biota and sediment

Combining capillary GC with ion-trap detection in the MS/MS mode allows the determination of trace levels of the highly toxic PCB congeners, CB 77, 126 and 169 in complex biological tissues, suspended matter and sediment. The high selectivity and sensitivity of MS/MS detection in the resonant and non-resonant modes yield detection limits of 60 fg, 300 fg and 200 fg for CB 77, 126, and 169, respectively.