Perspectives on small watershed management in China: the case of Biliu

River basin management in China has focused on large rivers, such as the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. However, there are also about 20,000 small river basins that deserve attention. The Biliu River basin in Liaoning Province, northeast China, which is 156 km in length, has many features common to small river basins, including divided jurisdiction among governments leading to vertical and horizontal fragmentation. In the Biliu basin, the key municipalities are Dalian with a population of almost 6 million people and Yingkou with about 2.28 million people. Each has different interests and needs, making coordination and collaboration difficult. The literature and practice suggest that effective integrated water resource management (IWRM) requires at least six features: (1) vision, policy and strategy; (2) a legislative or statutory basis to provide credibility and authority; (3) a river basin organization to coordinate development and management; (4) specification of functions and authority of the river basin organization; (5) public participation and community involvement; and (6) an IRWM strategy and plan. Water management in the Biliu River basin is assessed relative to these features of IWRM, with recommendations offered regarding changes to have water management in the Biliu River basin to reflect what is expected in an IWRM approach.     

Citizenship under pressure: What's a “good soldier” to do?

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) are typically defined as discretionary behaviors that contribute to the effective functioning of organizations. Prior research has generally focused on instances in which employees willingly engage in such behaviors; however, because OCBs are often informally encouraged and rewarded, workers may experience pressure to be “good soldiers” within their organizations. Using a sample of 245 employees, our findings indicate that citizenship pressure is related to increased levels of OCB, particularly among unmarried and less conscientious employees. However, there appear to be negative consequences associated with citizenship pressure, even when controlling for OCB and other job demands, such as role overload and hours worked. In particular, citizenship pressure is associated with work–family conflict, work–leisure conflict, job stress, and intentions to quit. Implications of this study and some directions for future research are also discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Four challenges to an effective national nature assessment

Comprehensive biodiversity assessments play an essential role in strengthening global and national conservation strategies. The recently announced first U.S. National Nature Assessment (NNA) provides an unparalleled opportunity to comprehensively review status and trends of biodiversity at all levels. This broad context can help in the coordination of actions to conserve individual species and ecosystems. The scientific assessments that informed the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the 2022 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference of parties provide models for synthesizing information on trends at multiple levels of biodiversity, including decline in abundance and distribution of species, loss of populations and genetic diversity, and degradation and loss of ecosystems and their services. The assessments then relate these trends to data on drivers of biodiversity loss and pathways to their mitigation. The U.S. NNA can augment such global analyses and avoid the pitfalls encountered by previous U.S. efforts by ensuring policy-relevant design, data accessibility, and inclusivity in process and product and by incorporating spatial data relevant to national and subnational audiences. Although the United States is not formally a CBD party, an effective NNA should take full advantage of the global context by including indicators adopted at the 2022 meeting and incorporating an independent review mechanism that supports periodic stocktaking and ratcheting up of ambition in response to identified shortfalls in stemming biodiversity loss. The challenges to design of an effective U.S. assessment are relevant globally as nations develop assessments and reporting to support the new global biodiversity framework's targets. By considering and incorporating the diverse ways in which society values and benefits from nature, such assessments can help bridge the gap between research and conservation practice and communicate the extent of the biodiversity crisis to the public, fostering broad-based support for transformative change in humanity's relationship to the natural world.     

An axenic plant culture system for optimal growth in long-term studies

The symbiotic co-evolution of plants and microbes leads to difficulties in understanding which of the two components is responsible for a given environmental response. Plant-microbe studies greatly benefit from the ability to grow plants in axenic (sterile) culture. Several studies have used axenic plant culture systems, but experimental procedures are often poorly documented, the plant growth environment is not optimal, and axenic conditions are not rigorously verified. We developed a unique axenic system using inert components that promotes plant health and can be kept sterile for at least 70 d. Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum cv. CDII) plants were grown in sand within flow-through glass columns that were positively pressured with filtered air. Plant health was optimized by regulating temperature, light level, CO2 concentration, humidity, and nutrients. The design incorporates several novel aspects, such as pretreatment of the sand with Fe, graduated sand layers to optimize the air-water balance of the root zone, and modification of a laminar flow hood to serve as a plant growth chamber. Adaptations of several sterile techniques were necessary for maintenance of axenic conditions. Axenic conditions were verified by plating and staining leachates as well as a rhizoplane stain. This system was designed to study nutrient and water stress effects on root exudates, but is useful for assessing a broad range of plant-microbe-environment interactions. Based on total organic C analysis, 74% of exudates was recovered in the leachate, 6% was recovered in the bulk sand, and 17% was recovered in the rhizosphere sand. Carbon in the leachate after 70 d reached 255 microg d(-1). Fumaric, malic, malonic, oxalic, and succinic acids were measured as components of the root exudates.     

Influence of geomorphological variability in channel characteristics on sediment denitrification in agricultural streams

Within fluvial systems, the spatial variability of geomorphological characteristics of stream channels and associated streambed properties can affect many biogeochemical processes. In agricultural streams of the midwestern USA, it is not known how geomorphological variability affects sediment denitrification rates, a potentially important loss mechanism for N. Sediment denitrification was measured at channelized and meandering headwater reaches in east-central Illinois, a region dominated by intensive agriculture and high NO(3)-N stream export, between June 2003 and February 2005 using the chloramphenicol-amended acetylene inhibition procedure. Sediment denitrification rates were greatest in separation zones, ranging from 0.6 to 76.4 mg N m(-2) h(-1), compared with riffles, point bars, pools, and a run ranging from 0 to 36.5 mg N m(-2) h(-1). Differences in benthic organic matter (r = 0.70) and the percentage of fine-grained sediments (r = 0.93) in the streambeds controlled much of the spatial variations in sediment denitrification among the geomorphological features. Although two meandering study reaches removed 390 and 99% more NO(3)-N by sediment denitrification than adjacent channelized reaches, NO(3)-N loss rates from all reaches were between 0.1 and 15.7% d(-1), except in late summer. Regardless of geomorphological characteristics, streams in east-central Illinois were not able to process the high NO(3)-N loads, making sediment denitrification in this region a limited sink for N.     

Use of Airborne γ-Ray Spectrometry for Environmental Assessment of the Rehabilitated Nabarlek Uranium Mine, Australia

This article describes an airborne γ survey of a 7 × 5 km region around the rehabilitated Nabarlek uranium mine in northern Australia. An unusually tight line spacing (100 m) and low aircraft height (50 m) were used, enabling the survey to distinguish man-made structures such as ponds and accommodation areas, as well as creek lines. Positive correlations between airborne data and ground-based readings enabled an estimation of the average absorbed dose rate arising from terrestrial γ radiation over large areas of the site to be derived. For the fenced minesite area this estimate was 0.31 μ Gy hr^{− 1}. The airborne survey data were found to be invaluable in helping to plan further ground-level investigations and showed promise as an assessment tool for rehabilitated minesites.     

Bioassessment in A Harsh Environment: A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages at Reference and Assessment Sites in An Australian Inland River System

The Lachlan River system of inland New South Wales, which extends into semi-arid areas, is prone to natural extremes of climate and water quality and has been almost entirely modified since European settlement in Australia. We used this system as a proving ground for the mainly qualitative bioassessment metrics for river macroinvertebrates that are used widely in Australia – the EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) index, the SIGNAL (Stream Invertebrate Grade Number Average Level) biotic index and the AUSRIVAS O/E (Australian River Assessment System Observed over Expected) index – plus a recently developed qualitative index, the observed proportion of potential taxa (OPP). We tested these metrics on their ability to discriminate between sites judged to be less disturbed by human activities (reference sites) and sites selected by a semi-random process and therefore expected to have a higher average level of human disturbance (assessment sites). All metrics except the AUSRIVAS O/E index differed significantly between the two types of sites at higher altitudes, with SIGNAL showing the greatest discrimination. Assessment at these altitudes was more effective if based on composite data from multiple mesohabitats rather than data from single mesohabitats. No metric differentiated the two types of sites in the more arid, lowland, floodplain region of the river system. We suggest that Australia relies too heavily on bioassessment concepts developed to assess water pollution in well-watered regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Effective assessment of human impacts on macroinvertebrates in the rivers of inland Australia requires a better understanding of the roles of flow regimes, including flood and drought sequences, and of microhabitat structure and invasive alien species. Quantitative approaches may also be required.     

A comparison of X-ray fluorescence and wet chemical analysis for lead on air filters from different personal samplers used in a secondary lead smelter/solder manufacturer

Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology may provide faster turn-around without compromising accuracy when assessing personal exposures to metals such as lead, but it has only been tested in limited field environments. This study is part of a series, where various types of sampler are used to collect airborne lead in different environments for presentation to a portable XRF analyzer. In this case personal samples were taken at a manufacturer of solder alloys consisting mainly of lead and tin, using the closed-face 37 mm cassette (CFC), the 37 mm GSP or "cone" sampler, the 25 mm Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) inhalable sampler, the 25 mm button sampler, and the open-face 25 mm cassette. Mixed cellulose-ester filters were used in all samplers. Following XRF analysis the samples were extracted with acid and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP). The internal surfaces of CFC's and 25 mm open-face cassettes were also wiped, and the wipes analyzed for lead to assess wall-losses in these two samplers. Analysis of all elements present is useful to ascertain contributions to matrix interference effects. In addition to lead, other metals such as tin, copper, iron, silver, cadmium and antimony were also detected in some or all of the samples by ICP analysis, but only copper and iron could be determined using the XRF analyzer under test. After the removal of a few outliers, all five samplers gave good correlations (r(2) > 0.9) between the two analytical methods over the entire range of found lead mass, which encompassed both the action level and the permissible exposure limit enforced in the USA by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Linear regression on the results from most samplers gave almost 1 ratio 1 correlations without additional correction, indicating an absence of matrix effects, particularly from tin, which was the most common element after lead. The average of three XRF readings across filters from the GSP samplers gave the best results with 96.7% of results within +/-25% and 100% within +/-30% of the associated ICP values. Using the center reading only was almost as good with 90.0% of results within +/-25% and 96.7% within +/-30% of the associated ICP values, and results can be obtained faster with a single reading. The use of an algorithm developed by OSHA for three readings from the CFC filter samples gave the next best results with 93.3% of XRF results within +/-25% of the corresponding ICP values. However, analysis of wipes from the interior of the cassettes indicated a substantial loss of sample to the walls, and even larger wall-losses were encountered in the 25 mm open-face cassette. Neither this latter sampler nor the IOM or button sampler met the 95% criterion, even for +/-30% accuracy.     

Trade-Offs Between Biodiversity Conservation and Economic Development in Five Tropical Forest Landscapes

This study explores how conservation and development are interlinked and quantifies their reciprocal trade-offs. It identifies interventions which hold a promise to improve both conservation and development outcomes. The study finds that development trajectories can either be at the cost of conservation or can benefit conservation, but in all cases sustained poverty negatively affects conservation in the long term. Most scenarios with better outcomes for conservation come at a cost for development and the financial benefits of payments for environmental services (PES) are not sufficient to compensate for lost opportunities to earn cash. However, implementation of strategies for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in locations with low population densities come close to overcoming opportunity costs. Environmental services and subsistence income enhance the attractiveness of conservation scenarios to local people and in situations where these benefits are obvious, PES may provide the extra cash incentive to tip the balance in favor of such a scenario. The paper stresses the importance of external factors (such as industrial investments and the development of the national economy) in determining landscape scale outcomes, and suggests a negotiating and visioning role for conservation agencies.     

Whole blood is the sample matrix of choice for monitoring systemic triclocarban levels

The antibacterial triclocarban (TCC) concentrates in the cellular fraction of blood. Consequently, plasma levels are at least two-fold lower than the TCC amount present in blood. Utilizing whole blood sampling, a low but significant absorption of TCC from soap during showering is demonstrated for a small group of human subjects.