Ökologische Kriterien der Technik- und Stoffbewertung: Integration des Vorsorgeprinzips

The development of criteria for the comparative assessment of technologies and substances beyond the toxicological approach and the development of an integrated pattern of criteria is still at the beginning. The criteria presented here for integrating the precautionary principle into the substance and technology assessment have to be further operationalised and completed, in the same way as the criteria which have been discussed and developed within the framework of

- the poisoning and pollutant paradigm

- the equilibrium paradigm

- the sustainability and “Mitwelt” paradigm

- the energy and the general technology assessment debate.

The resolution of the criteria has to be improved and their range (which is certainly limited) has to be explored more precisely. The application of the criteria should never occur mechanically. Technology assessment and substance assessment are not only scientific, but essentially social and, hence, discursive processes. It is not so much the assessment of individual substances which should be in the center of the debate, but rather the comparative assessment of competing techniques, substances and substancerelated development pathways (see vonGleich andRubik, 1966 as a first approach to assess the environmental effects of old and new materials). According to the example of the energy strategies, only the development of competing strategies in the substance field could create the necessary prerequisites for a broad public discourse and thus for a democratisation of the basic substancerelated policy decisions. This discourse is a duty which science and economy have toward society.     

Social rank, fecundity and lifetime reproductive success in wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Wild European rabbits of both sexes have separate linear rank orders, which are established and maintained by intensive fights. This paper presents data from a 14-year study (1987-2000) on the population physiology and behavioural ecology of wild rabbits living in a 22,000 m² enclosure and focuses on the relationship between social rank and reproduction in females. Group composition, social ranks, fecundity and reproductive success were known for all females (n=197) from the outset of their first reproductive season at an age of about 300 days until their death. The annual reproductive success of females was influenced to a large extent by their social rank. This depended on two effects of about equal strength: a higher fecundity of high-ranking females and a lower mortality of their offspring between birth and adulthood. The lifetime reproductive success of the females varied greatly. Only about 50% of all females had any reproductive success (range: on to nine adult offspring). The social rank achieved by the females during their first reproductive season substantially influenced their lifetime reproductive success: The mean reproductive lifespan and lifetime fitness of high-ranking females (ranks 1 and 2) was about 60% greater than that of lower-ranking females, although many of the latter also gained dominant positions in subsequent years.     

斯德哥尔摩的伙伴关系

新的斯德哥尔摩可持续城市伙伴关系论坛，通过城市和企业间的伙伴关系，将推动可持续性融入城市规划的进程 .开始于 2000年秋季的这个论坛，标志着 1972年联合国环境大会已届 30周年 .全欧各城市的决策者及其选定的企业界同行将应邀参加 .论坛将举办的活动包括各种专题研讨会和在线讨论会 .     

Reproductive biology and embryonic development of Eledone cirrosa (Cephalopoda: Octopoda)

Analyses of bottom trawl samples and feeding experiments in the laboratory revealed a reproduction period ranging from late March to early August in Eledone cirrosa of the Catalonian Sea (Western Mediterranean). The embryonic development, studies for the first time on eggs laid in the laboratory, shows no basic difference from that of other Octopodidae. The newly hatched animals are planktonic; morphologically, this feature is expressed by a relatively small arm-length.Laboratoire associé au C.N.R.S.     

Effects of sand movement by wind on nematodes and soil-borne fungi in coastal foredunes

In stabilized dunesAmmophila arenaria (marram grass) degenerates due to a process involving soil-borne pathogens and parasites. This leads to exposure of the sand surface so that wind erosion may create blowouts.Ammophila rejuvenates on the edges of the blowouts, where the sand has accumulated. We tested the hypothesis that such rejuvenation of plants may be related to a reduction of the plant-parasitic nematodes and fungal propagules during the process of wind-driven transport. Field measurements in blowouts during storm events indicated that the drifted sand contained relatively low numbers of plant pathogenic fungi and plant-parasitic nematodes. A wind tunnel experiment showed that drifting sand may indeed reduce the numbers of fungi and nematodes. Although most fungi were attached to sand particles, they were also affected by the wind-borne sand movement. Sand that had been deposited by wind was made up of a larger proportion of large-sized particles. In our experiment the relatively small particles were lost during transport. Stirring the soil (part of the forces of natural winds) by mixing for 15 min. with a propeller mixer at 1500 rpm significantly reduced the number of nematodes and fungi. Both sand movement in the wind tunnel and intensive stirring of the sand enhanced the growth ofAmmophila test plants in a bioassay. It was concluded that in wind-blown sand the pathogen inoculum is reduced. Therefore, serious consideration should be given to allowing controlled reactivation of blowouts to rejuvenate decliningAmmophila in stabilized foredunes. Implications for dune management are briefly discussed. Nomenclature: van der Meijden (1990) for vascular plants. Nematodes were identified to the genus level according to Bongers (1988). The allocation of nematodes to feeding groups was according to Yeates et al. (1993). Nomenclature of fungi according to Domsch et al. (1980) was used throughout this study except forFusarium. Species of the latter genus were identified according to Nelson et al. (1983).