Attraction,deterrence or intoxication of bees (Apis mellifera) by plant allelochemicals

The influence of 63 dietary allelochemicals (alkaloids, terpenes, glycosides,etc.) on the feeding behaviour of bees (Apis mellifera) was tested in terms of deterrency and attraction. For 39 compounds a deterrent (mostly alkaloids, coumarins and saponins) and for 3 compounds an attractive response (mostly terpenes) was obtained in choice tests, which allowed the calculation of respective ED₅₀-values. Under no-choice conditions, 17 out of 29 allelochemicals caused mortality at concentrations between 0.003 and 0.6%. Especially toxic were alkaloids, saponins, cardiac glycosides and cyanogenic glycosides. These data show that bees which are confronted with plant allelochemicals in nectar and pollen, are not especially adapted (i.e. insensitive) to the plants' defence chemistry. GLC and GLS-MS data are given on the alkaloid composition of nectar and pollen ofBrugmansia aurea, Atropa belladonna andLupinus polyphyllus.     

Nitrate dynamics in an alpine forest site (Mühleggerköpfl) O and N stable isotope analysis in natural water samples

Stable isotope analysis of¹⁵N/¹⁴N and¹⁸O/¹⁶O - nitrate was used to investigate the nitrate dynamics and potential groundwater pollution in an Alpine forest stand in Tyrol/Austria. The dynamics of δ¹⁵−N_nitrate values were followed in a forest ecosystem. The stable isotopic values of the throughfall are comparable with other studies. The completely decoupled dynamics of the δ¹⁵−N_nitrate of the precipitation and the surface water was observed. High variations in δ¹⁵-N - nitrate values in rainfall indicate that nitrate of different sources is deposited at that site. A significant correlation between the δ¹⁵N_nitrate values of the surface water and soil water was obtained, while no significant correlation between the δ¹⁵N_nitrate values of any precipitation sample with the surface water could be found. This suggests that the main source of nitrate in soil water originates from microbiological activity such as nitrification reactions and less from nitrate input by deposition. The results of δ¹⁸O_nitrate measurements strongly supported the microbiological origin of nitrate in the surface and soil water. In an additional lysimeter experiment,¹⁵N - labelled nitrate was applied to study nitrate transport in soil. After 130 days and the collection of 300 L leachate, a total of 52% of the applied nitrate was detected in seepage water.

     

Dynamics of Turbulence in Low-Speed Oscillating Bottom-Boundary Layers of Stratified Basins

This paper focuses on the impact of an oscillating low-speed current on the structure and dynamics of the bottom-boundary layer (BBL) in a small stratified basin. A set of high-resolution current profile measurements in combination with temperature-microstructure measurements were collected during a complete cycle of the internal oscillation (`seiching') in the BBL of Lake Alpnach, Switzerland. It was found that even a relatively long seiching period of 24 hours significantly changed the form of the near-bottom current profiles as well as the dynamics of the turbulent dissipation rate compared to the steady-state law-of-the-wall. A logarithmic fit to the measured current profiles starting at a distance of 0.5 m above the sediment led to inconsistent estimates of both friction velocity and roughness length. Moreover, a phase lag between the current and the turbulent dissipation of 1.5 hours and a persistent maximum in the current profile at a height of 2.5 to 3 m above the sediment were observed. The experimental findings were compared to the results of a k- turbulence model and showed good agreement in general. Specifically, the inconsistent logarithmic fitting results and the observed phase lag were reproduced well by the model.     

Accelerated carbonation of steel slags in a landfill cover construction

Steel slags from high-alloyed tool steel production were used in a full scale cover construction of a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. In order to study the long-term stability of the steel slags within the final cover, a laboratory experiment was performed. The effect on the ageing process, due to i.e. carbonation, exerted by five different factors resembling both the material characteristics and the environmental conditions is investigated. Leaching behaviour, acid neutralization capacity and mineralogy (evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction, XRD, and thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, TG/DTA) are tested after different periods of ageing under different conditions.Samples aged for 3 and 10 months were evaluated in this paper. Multivariate data analysis was used for data evaluation. The results indicate that among the investigated factors, ageing time and carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere were able to exert the most relevant effect. However, further investigations are required in order to clarify the role of the temperature.     

Nebenprodukte der Lebensmittelverarbeitung als Futtermittel

The use of byproducts of the food industry as feedstuffs for animals has become a significant conflict for agriculture. Public regulations concerning the improvement of nutrient recycling and economic production with less financial support, on one hand, and the avoidance of all risks for human and animal health, on the other hand, are seen to affect agriculture practice. In this paper, information is presented about the quantities and quality of byproducts of the food industry used as feedstuffs. Also the nutritional and economical value of meat meal is discussed including ecological aspects. Other use or the disposal of products high in their nutritional value should, in the future, be no alternatives to the use as feed for animals, when risks are carefully controlled, because of the necessity for a sustainable agriculture and economy.     

Learning abatement costs: On the dynamics of the optimal regulation of experience goods

We study the introduction of new technologies when their costs are subject to idiosyncratic uncertainty and can only be fully learned through individual experience. We set up a dynamic model of clean experience goods that replace old polluting consumption options and show how optimal regulation evolves over time. In our base setting where social and private learning incentives coincide, the optimal tax on the polluting consumption is increasing over time. We show, however, that if social and private learning incentives diverge because the private discount rate exceeds the social discount rate, it may be optimal to temporarily increase the tax rate beyond net marginal external damages to induce more learning before reducing the tax rate to the steady state level. Alternatively, one could complement the tax with subsidies for first-time users which can be phased out over time. Similar results apply if consumers have biased expectations. We therefore give a rationale for introductory subsidies on new, clean technologies and non-monotonic tax paths from a perspective of consumer learning.     

The multifunctional pygidial gland secretion of the Steninae (Coleoptera: staphylinidae): ecological significance and evolution

The pygidial gland secretion of the rove beetle genera Stenus Latreille and Dianous Leach is composed of pyridine and piperidine-derived alkaloids and several terpene compounds. Two-choice bioassays with ants and fish, as well as agar diffusion assays, revealed that the secretion compounds are capable of deterring predators and protecting the beetles from infestation with microorganisms. In addition, the beetles use the secretion for rapid movements on the water surface, a process called skimming. Thus, originally developed to chemically defend the sensitive unprotected abdomen from predator attacks, the secretion of recent Steninae can be designated as multifunctional. Four of the alkaloid compounds occur as different configurational isomers in the secretion. Two-choice tests showed that ants discriminate between stereoisomers of stenusine, while there was no effect visible on bacteria in agar diffusion assays. Furthermore, there are evolutionary trends within the Steninae concerning the secretion composition, as some of the alkaloids primarily occur in phylogenetically basal species, while others are mainly restricted to derived species.