Testing of chemical substances for environmental effects—an important task for the chemical industry

Recently the heterogeneous reactions are increasingly recognised as significant in polluted areas. In this work the reactions of gases with solid alkali‐halide crystals at temperatures 200K and 300K were examined by using a recently proposed thermodynamic model (Varotsos et al., 1988) which provides the interconnection of entropy and enthalpy for various processes with well known macroscopic properties of the bulk solid.     

Demography, demand, death, and the seasonal allocation of labor in the Florida harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex badius)

As a self-organizing entity, an ant colony must divide a limited number of workers among numerous competing functions. Adaptive patterns of labor allocation should vary with colony need across each annual cycle, but remain almost entirely undescribed in ants. Allocation to foraging in 55 field colonies of the Florida harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex badius) followed a consistent annual pattern over 4 years. Foragers preceded larvae in spring and peaked during maximal larval production in summer (0.37). In spring, proportion foraging increased due to an increase in forager number and reduction in colony size, and in late summer, it decreased as colony size increased through new worker birth and a loss of ～3 % of foragers per day. The removal of 50 % of the forager population revealed that, at the expense of larval survival, colonies did not draw workers from other castes to fill labor gaps. To determine if labor allocation was age specific, whole colonies were marked with cuticle color-specific wire belts and released, and each cohort's time to first foraging was noted. Workers that eclosed in summer alongside sexual alates darkened quickly and became foragers at ～43 days of age, whereas autumn-born workers required 200 or more days to do so. Following colony reproduction, these long-lived individuals foraged alongside short-lived, summer-born sisters during the next calendar year. Therefore, the large-scale, predictable patterns of labor allocation in P. badius appear to be driven by bimodal worker development rate and age structure, rather than worker responsiveness to changes in colony demand.     

New insight on population genetic connectivity of widespread amphidromous prawn Macrobrachium lar (Fabricius, 1798) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

Due to the sparse and unstable nature of insular freshwater habitats, marine larval dispersal of amphidromous species is considered a critical element of population persistence. We assessed population genetic structure of freshwater prawn Macrobrachium lar across its range that encompasses two biogeographic barriers: the vast open ocean separating Western and Central Pacific regions and the Indo-Malay archipelago separating Indian and Pacific oceans. A total of 173 samples collected from 21 islands throughout the Indo-Pacific were sequenced at 16S and 28S rDNA. We observed distinct genetic isolation of populations located at the eastern and southwestern edge of the species range but no evidence of an effect of the Indo-Pacific barrier. Differentiation patterns are consistent with a stepping-stone model of dispersal. Genetic differences of Central Pacific populations may reflect founder events associated with colonization of isolated islands, or be a signature of a past bottleneck after population depletion caused by drastic climatic events.     

Prospects for Development of an Index of Biotic Integrity for Evaluating Habitat Degradation in Coastal Systems

A multivariate index for assessment of habitat quality and its degradation, the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), has been developed for stream fish communities. the extension of the IBI concept to coastal waters is proposed by the development of an estuarine IBI based on macrobenthos and submerged aquatic vegetation. Eleven variables are proposed for inclusion in this index, although further consideration of the appropriateness of several variables is required. It is concluded that development of an IBI for coastal systems is feasible.     

Predicting barrier passage and habitat suitability for migratory fish species

Fish migrate to spawn, feed, seek refuge from predators, and escape harmful environmental conditions. The success of upstream migration is limited by the presence of barriers that can impede the passage of fish. We used a spatially explicit modeling strategy to examine the effects of barriers on passage for 21 native and non-native migratory fish species and the amount of suitable habitat blocked for each species. Spatially derived physical parameter estimates and literature based fish capabilities and tolerances were used to predict fish passage success and habitat suitability. Both the fish passage and the habitat suitability models accurately predicted fish presence above barriers for most common, non-stocked species. The fish passage model predicted that barriers greater than or equal to 6 m block all migratory species. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was expected to be blocked the least. The habitat suitability model predicted that low gradient streams with intact habitat quality were likely to support the highest number of fish species. The fish passage and habitat suitability models were intended to be used by environmental managers as strategy development tools to prioritize candidate dams for field assessment and make decisions regarding the management of migratory fish populations.     

Current developments in soil ecotoxicology and the need for strengthening soil ecotoxicology in Europe: results of a stakeholder workshop

Background

Soil is one of our most important resources and fulfills many ecological functions such as storage and filtration of water and nutrients, transformation of chemical compounds and nutrients, biomass production, and carbon storage. Such soil functions support ecosystem services provided by soils, which need to be protected to protect soil fertility. However, European soils often contain elevated concentrations of contaminants, putting biodiversity of soil organisms as well as the ecological functions and services at risk. To promote soil ecotoxicology in Switzerland, the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology together with the Federal Office for Environment and the Federal Office for Agriculture organized a stakeholder workshop on 7 June 2018 with participants from research, governmental bodies, and associations. One goal of this workshop was to inform participants about currently available risk assessment approaches for soil, the soil risk assessment for plant protection products in Europe, available bioassays and bioindicators, and results of research projects on soil contaminants in Switzerland. Another goal was to discuss the needs for research in soil ecotoxicology in Switzerland and to identify next steps, potential projects, and future collaborations.

Results

The main needs identified during the workshop were the establishment of (bio)indicators to measure soil fertility, functional parameters to determine soil functions, and the preservation of soil biodiversity. Another priority listed was the formation of a working group, which addresses the issue of the development of environmental quality standards for soil. The need for experimental field sites for implementing and testing new approaches or tools for assessing soil quality was also discussed.

Conclusion

The next steps planned are two workshops with national and international experts in soil ecotoxicology to develop a soil monitoring concept for Switzerland and to find suitable bioindicators to evaluate soil fertility. Additionally, a literature review will be performed summarizing the current ecotoxicological state of the art with regard to the development of bioindicators in relation to the monitoring of plant protection products in Swiss soil, to evaluate their effects on soil fertility. Furthermore, all attendees agreed on the need for annual meetings or workshops where experts can present scientific results, participants can exchange information, and future projects and collaborations can be developed.

     

Don’t get the blues: conspicuous nuptial colouration of male moor frogs (Rana arvalis) supports visual mate recognition during scramble competition in large breeding aggregations

Conspicuous male colouration is expected to have evolved primarily through selection by female choice. In what way conspicuous colours could be advantageous to males scrambling for mates remains largely unknown. The moor frog (Rana arvalis) belongs to the so-called explosive breeders in which spawning period is short; intrasexual competition is strong, and males actively search and scramble for females. During breeding, male body colouration changes from a dull brown (similar to females) to a conspicuous blue, and we wanted to test if male blueness influences mating success or facilitates male mate recognition. To do so, we first measured the colour of mated and non-mated males using a spectrophotometer. In an experiment, we then analysed interactions of actual male moor frogs in natural spawning aggregations with a brown (resembling a female or a non-breeding male) and a blue model frog. Mated and non-mated males did not differ in colouration, suggesting that female choice based on colour traits was unlikely. In our behavioural experiment, male moor frogs spent significantly more time in contact and in amplexus with the brown model than with the blue model. Our results suggest that the nuptial colouration in moor frogs can act as a new type of visual signal in anurans evolved to promote instantaneous mate recognition allowing males to quickly move between rivals while scrambling for females.     

RECHARGE OF THE SNAKE RWER PLAIN AQUIFER: TRANSITIONING FROM INCIDENTAL TO MANAGED1

ABSTRACT: Declining ground-water levels and spring discharges have heightened water user concerns about the sustainability of the Snake River Plain aquifer in southern Idaho. Diminished recharge from surface water irrigation and increased irrigation pumping have been depleting the aquifer at a rate of about 350,000 acre-feet/year. Previously, aquifer conditions were treated as an uncontrollable consequence of weather and development activities. With increasing competition for available water, the State appears to be progressing through a three-stage process of recharge management. The first stage is that which has occurred historically, where recharge is largely an incidental effect of surface water irrigation. The second stage is the implementation of intentional recharge with little regard to identifying or maximizing benefits. Idaho has been at this stage for the past few years. The State is entering a third stage in which recharge sites will be located and designed to meet specific water user and environmental objectives. Preliminary estimates using numerical and analytical models demonstrate that managed recharge within a few miles of the river will result in short-term increases in spring discharge. More distant recharge sites are needed to provide longer-term benefits. The primary challenge facing implementation of the managed recharge program will be the balancing of economic and environmental costs and benefits and to whom they accrue.     

An analysis of the problems of developing environmental education in Brazilian Federal protected areas

This paper describes the problems encountered in developing environmental education in Federal protected areas in Brazil. Results of a survey on the current status of environmental education in four categories of Federal protected areas; namely national parks, biological reserves, ecological stations and environmental protection areas, are described and discussed. The study suggests that the development of environmental education in protected areas in the country has several limitations: financial resources, lack of training, material resources and a lack of policy on environmental education. It also identifies that some of these problems seem to be inter-related with those of the National System of Conservation Units of the country which may result in a retarding of the development of environmental education in such areas.     

Contributions of sustainability science to the study of environmental health problems

From the ontological point of view, environmental health problems do not differ from problems of unsustainability. This leads us to think that sustainability science could contribute to resolve important questions that studies on environmental health are not resolving. A literature review was made in order to analyse the scope and limitations of studies on environmental health problems. Based on the characteristics of environmental health studies, we highlighted some examples of questions that are being ignored and analysed four contributions that sustainability science could make to solve them. These contributions come from three key components of sustainability science: (1) the unit of analysis—social–ecological systems, (2) a theory—resilience theory and, specifically, social–ecological resilience, (3) and the approaches of complex systems and transdisciplinarity. From a sustainability science perspective, four contributions could be made: environmental health problems are redefined as social–ecological systems; environmental health is assumed to be the result of adaptation processes; the environment and society are recognized as systems, not as matrices of factors; and human action acquires content and structure and, in turn, explains the behaviour of environmental health problems.