Locomotory behaviour and swimming performance of the Norway lobster,Nephrops norvegicus,in the presence of an acoustic tag

Observations have been made on the locomotory behaviour and swimming performances of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.), fitted with an acoustic transmitter ventrally under the cephalothorax. The walking behaviour of adult males (44 mm carapace length) appeared to be unaffected, but the tag caused significant reductions in certain measures of tail-flip swimming performance such as swimming speed and endurance. Flume-tank experiments in low water currents suggested that the transmitter would increase hydrodynamic drag during swimming by 9 to 32%, depending on lobster size. Given the weight and dimensions of the acoustic transmitters currently available, it is considered advisable to confine acoustic tracking studies to relatively large N. norvegicus.Correspondence to: C. J. Chapman     

Strahlenbelastung

Forty test subjects who, either during or after the reactor accident of Chernobyl (26th April 1986), stayed at a building site at Shlobin 150 km away, were examined for spontaneously occurring as well as mitomycin C-induced Sister Chromatid Exchanges (SCE). The building site staff, who underwent a whole-body radionuclide count upon their return to Austria (June through September 1986), were used for the cytogenetic tests. The demonstration of the SCE was made from whole-blood cultures by the fluorescence/Giemse technique. At last 20 Metaphases of the 2nd mitotic cycle were evaluated per person. The radiation doses of the test subjects were calculated by adding the external exposure determined on the building site, the estimated thyroid dose through I-131, and the measured incorporation of Cs-134 and Cs-137. The subjects were divided into two groups for statistical analysis: One was a more exposed group (proven stay at Shlobin between 26th April and 31st May 1986, mostly working in the open air) and the other a less exposed group for comparison (staying at Shlobin from 1st Juni 1986 and working mainly indoors). Results. A variance analysis according toKruskal andWalis showed an only partially significant increase of spontaneous SCE in lymphocytes of the higher exposed group (m=7,7 exposed group, m=7,0 control group). Mitomycin C-induced SCE were significantly reduced in the exposed group (m=31,6 exposed group, m=39,3 control group).     

Sex-biased lactational duration in a human population and its reproductive costs

Summary We tested the proposition that among humans (1) differences in lactational duration result in differences in costs of reproduction even under rich nutritional conditions; and (2) elimination of factors postulated to favor male-biased parental care will be reflected in elimination or reversal of sex-biased care. To do so, we examined the relationship between lactational duration and fertility among Hutterites, a communal-living human population in which the levels of nutritional resources and fertility are high, breast-feeding is the norm, contraceptive use is limited and the collective social and economic system results in low resource variance among individuals. We demonstrate that even under good nutritional conditions, duration of nursing was a significant predictor of the length of time to next pregnancy and that nursing continued to suppress fertility after the resumption of menses. Moreover, we find that daughters were nursed longer than sons, leading to a longer interval to next pregnancy. We examine this uncommon, but not unique, finding of female-biased human parental care in the light of Hutterite social structure, and we explore the consistency of this finding with the most applicable models of parental investment. Correspondence to: S.W. Margulis     

Transport of particulate matter in natural waters — modelling and in situ-measurements

The significant processes controlling the fate of particulates are convection an dispersion on one hand, and sedimentation on the other hand. Due to inteparticulated reactions, larger aggregates can be formed from smaller units thus changing the sedimentation characteristics. These phenomena are summarized in a mathematical model whereby hydrodynamic effects as well as the control mechanisms of the dissolved phase are included. A relationship was derived on the basis of energy considerations leading to the formulation of a critical sedimentation velocity of the suspensa, which determines the transport capacity of the flowing system. The sedimentation term is calculated from the above discussed transport capacity, hydro-dynamic parameters and suspending media properties. Aggregation effects are taken into account as an increase of sedimentation velocities of the particles. The equations are solved in a particular computational routine such that the horizontal distribution of suspended solids in a natural system can be describe as function of the above discussed phenomena. The model was tested with in situ-measurements. It was found that the observed processes are described satisfactorily by this model.