Responses to sugars and their behavioural mechanisms in the starling (Sturnus vulgaris L.)

Summary The response of the starling to sugar solutions was investigated as this species, which eats sweet fruits, does not prefer sugar solutions according to the literature.In choice tests using two identical fountains, moderate preference for higher concentrations (0.5 M and 1 M) of glucose and fructose to water was demonstrated. The same concentrations of sucrose were rejected. Lower concentrations (0.25 M and less) of all three sugars were neither preferred nor rejected. In choice tests using two differently coloured fountains the subjects did not generally respond more sensitively to sugar solutions. In learning experiments with differently coloured fountains the starlings developed very marked preferences for 0.5 M glucose and 0.5 M fructose and a corresponding rejection of 0.5 M sucrose in the course of 1–2 days. In a learning experiment with dentical fountains they also developed a pronounced preference; the preference values obtained, however, are higher if secondary cues such as the colour of the fountain or its position are available. In short time tests immediate responses to sugar solutions could not be demonstrated.The rejection of sucrose is attributed to illness-induced aversion learning, the learned preference for glucose and fructose to the preference according to gain in energy per unit of time as postulated by the optimal foraging theory. Taste sensations play, if any, only a minor role. The learning mechanisms operating in the experiments could be employed by the starling for the selection of fruits.     

Hochwasser 2002

In August 2002, highly contaminated areas in the region of Bitterfeld, e.g. the floodplain of the creek Spittelwasser, as well as the adjacent regions of Jeßnitz and Raguhn, were submerged by the river Mulde. An input of mobilized contaminated sediments in residential areas was the matter of concern. The objective of the present study was to estimate the pollutants load on the basis of chemical and biological data and identify the sources of pollutants. Deposited sludge and flood water samples were assessed on the basis of biological and chemical analyses and in comparison with administrative reference values. The pollution of the investigated sites was rather heterogeneous. At several sites, tolerance limits of the German Klärschlammverordnung or the Bundesbodenschutzverordnung were clearly exceeded, e.g. for Pb, As and HCH. Organic extracts exhibited significant effects in several biotests. This may be relevant with respect to direct particle uptake via ingestion or respiration. Pollution patterns for heavy metals as well as for organic pollutants differed significantly from the pattern found in the Spittelwasser flood plain before the inundation, which is in contrast to the initial hypothesis of a possible transport of contaminated Spittelwasser sediments into residential areas. Interestingly, a correlation of chemical load and the overall biological effect could be shown. From the viewpoint of the precautionary principle, the identification of the compounds exerting toxic effects and of the respective pollutant sources would be desirable.     

Fernmeßverfahren

The combination of remote sensing methods like Doppler lidar and FTIR allows remote determination of mass fluxes of gases. Doppler lidar measures the three-dimensional wind vector in the vicinity of diffuse sources, or the velocity of air in a chimney plume if an industrial complex is monitored. FTIR is a multicomponent remote sensing method for gas concentrations. The Fourier transformation of an interferogram of a Michelson interferometer within a FTIR system converts the recorded intensity (function of optical path length) to a spectral signal (function of wavenumber). Both information, velocity and concentration, give the mass fluxes of the tracer (gas). A first test was performed at Munich-Nord power station with FTIR and cw-Doppler lidar. Fluxes of CO₂, CO, NO, and HCl were determined. The results are in good agreement with the fluxes measured byin situ instruments of the power station. The method can be used to control industrial complexes from an outside observation site.     

Biologische Sanierung von Rüstungsaltlasten

Many sites of former ammunition plants are contaminated with the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, its derivatives and reduction products. Such nitroaromatic compounds have a high human and ecotoxic potential. Plant uptake of these organic pollutants is known and could be confirmed under field conditions. In this paper rhizospheric soil was analyzed to characterize the effect of vegetation on TNT-contaminated soil. Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were used as test plants. The experiments were performed on two areas with different TNT concentrations. The data reveal a significant decrease of extractable TNT in rhizospheric soil by a factor of 5 to 6 during the vegetation period. On the area with high TNT concentration, an enrichment of nitroaromatic compounds in root tissue was found compared to the rhizospheric soil. Aminodinitrotoluene could be confirmed as the primary pollutant in the root. These results refer to a potential application of plants to biological remediation of soil contaminated with ammunition-specific pollutants.     

The crystal structure of copper(II) sulfate trihydrate

The Science of Nature -     

Approach to histological detection of metallo-proteins

By use of a special type of application, molybdenum-99 is incorporated into xanthine oxidase molecules. The dissemination of molybdenum-99 labeled xanthine oxidase can be demonstrated by autoradiography.