Physical and Economic Sustainability of Water: New Approach Using the Case of the Big Lost River,Idaho

A new approach for evaluating water sustainability is introduced by comparing physical and economic sustainability. To achieve physical sustainability, water should be available in sufficient quantity and of good quality and used efficiently. The economic sustainability can be achieved by balancing between costs and values of water. The objectives of this study were to estimate the physical and economic sustainability of surface water in the Big Lost River, south–central Idaho. The study used a Bayesian network by building a graphical diagram of nodes representing all significant variables related with the sustainability, such as water demand, water quality, and the different costs and values of water. The study showed that the likelihood of the physical sustainability is less than that of the economic sustainability, which is attributed to the scarcity of water in the Big Lost River. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Mitochondrial cytochrome b variation in sleeper sharks (Squaliformes: Somniosidae)

Sleeper sharks are a poorly studied group of deep-sea sharks. The subgenus, Somniosus, contains three morphologically similar species: S. microcephalus found in the Arctic and North Atlantic; S. pacificus in the North Pacific; and S. antarcticus in the Southern Ocean. These sharks have been reported mainly in temperate to polar waters and occasionally in subtropical locations. They have not been recorded in tropical waters. This study investigates the relationships among the accepted species of Somniosus through analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variation. Seventy-five samples were examined from four sampling locations in the North Pacific, Southern Ocean and North Atlantic. Twenty-one haplotypes were found. A minimum spanning parsimony network separated these haplotypes into two divergent clades, an S. microcephalus and an S. pacificus/antarcticus clade, strongly supporting the distinction of S. microcephalus as a separate species from the Pacific sleeper shark species. Analysis of genetic structure within the S. pacificus/antarcticus clade (analysis of molecular variance, allele frequency comparisons, and a nested clade analysis) showed limited or no differences amongst three populations. Further examination of genetic variation at more variable mtDNA and nuclear markers is needed to examine the species status of S. pacificus and S. antarcticus.     

Allochthonous subsidy of periodical cicadas affects the dynamics and stability of pond communities

Periodical cicadas emerge from below ground every 13 or 17 years in North American forests, with individual broods representing the synchronous movement of trillions of individuals across geographic regions. Due to predator satiation, most individuals escape predation, die, and become deposited as detritus. Some of this emergent biomass falls into woodland aquatic habitats (small streams and woodland ponds) and serves as a high-quality allochthonous detritus pulse in early summer. We present results of a two-part study in which we (1) quantified deposition of Brood X periodical cicada detritus into woodland ponds and low-order streams in southwestern Ohio, and (2) conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment in which we examined the effects of deposition of different amounts of cicada detritus on food webs characteristic of forest ponds. In the mesocosm experiment, we manipulated the amount of cicada detritus input to examine if food web dynamics and stability varied with the magnitude of this allochthonous resource subsidy, as predicted by numerous theoretical models. Deposition data indicate that, during years of periodical cicada emergence, cicada carcasses can represent a sizable pulse of allochthonous detritus to forest aquatic ecosystems. In the mesocosm experiment, cicada carcass deposition rapidly affected food webs, leading to substantial increases in nutrients and organism biomass, with the magnitude of increase dependent upon the amount of cicada detritus. Deposition of cicada detritus impacted the stability of organism functional groups and populations by affecting the temporal variability and biomass minima. However, contrary to theory, stability measures were not consistently related to the size of the allochthonous pulse (i.e., the amount of cicada detritus). Our study underscores the need for theory to further explore consequences of pulsed allochthonous subsidies for food web stability.     

All-in-one whole exome sequencing strategy with simultaneous copy number variant,single nucleotide variant and absence-of-heterozygosity analysis in fetuses with structural ultrasound anomalies: A 1-year experience

Objective

We performed a 1-year evaluation of a novel strategy of simultaneously analyzing single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNVs) and copy-number-neutral Absence-of-Heterozygosity from Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) data for prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with ultrasound (US) anomalies and a non-causative QF-PCR result.

Methods

After invasive diagnostics, whole exome parent-offspring trio-sequencing with exome-wide CNV analysis was performed in pregnancies with fetal US anomalies and a non-causative QF-PCR result (WES-CNV). On request, additional SNV-analysis, restricted to (the) requested gene panel(s) only (with the option of whole exome SNV-analysis afterward) was performed simultaneously (WES-CNV/SNV) or as rapid SNV-re-analysis, following a normal CNV analysis.

Results

In total, 415 prenatal samples were included. Following a non-causative QF-PCR result, WES-CNV analysis was initially requested for 74.3% of the chorionic villus (CV) samples and 45% of the amniotic fluid (AF) samples. In case WES-CNV analysis did not reveal a causative aberration, SNV-re-analysis was requested in 41.7% of the CV samples and 17.5% of the AF samples. All initial analyses could be finished within 2 weeks after sampling. For SNV-re-analysis during pregnancy, turn-around-times (TATs) varied between one and 8 days.

Conclusion

We show a highly efficient all-in-one WES-based strategy, with short TATs, and the option of rapid SNV-re-analysis after a normal CNV result.     

Environmental Dependency of Inbreeding Depression: Implications for Conservation Biology

Inbreeding depression is environmentally dependent, such that a population may suffer from inbreeding depression in one environment but not another. We examined the phenotypic responses of 35 inbred ( F = 0.672) lineages of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum in two different climatic environments. We found a significant environmental effect on males but not females. More important, we found that the rank fitness order of lineages differs between environments; lineages of high fitness in one environment may have low fitness in another environment. This change in rank is evident in a significant genotype-by-environment interaction for inbreeding depression for both females and males. These results suggest that even if we know the average environmental effect of inbreeding depression in a population, for any particular lineage measurements of inbreeding depression in one environment may not predict the level of inbreeding depression in another environment. Conservation biologists need to be aware of the environmental dependency of inbreeding depression when planning wildlife refuges or captive propagation programs for small populations. Ideally, captive propagation programs should maintain separate lineages for release efforts. Refuge design programs should consider maintaining a range of habitat types.     

Acclimation responses to salinity of three estuarine red algae from New Jersey

The effects of salinity and acclimation time on the net photosynthetic responses of 3 estuarine red algae, Bostrychia radicans Mont., Caloglossa leprieurii (Mont.) J. Ag., and Polysiphonia subtilissima Mont., from Great Bay Estuary, New Jersey, USA, were investigated. The algae were cultured in a series of synthetic seawater media of 5, 15, 25 and 35% S for acclimation periods of 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 days prior to determining their photosynthetic responses. All species were euryhaline, and demonstrated photosynthesis at all the above salinities. B. radicans, which was more common towards the mouth of the estuary, had a maximum photosynthetic rate at 25% S, whilst C. leprieurii and P. subtilissima, which were more common towards the head of the estuary, had photosynthetic maxima between 15 and 25%, and at 15%, respectively. The curves relating net photosynthesis to salinity were usually similar within a species at different acclimation periods, although statistically significant differences were sometimes noted. The acclimation periods producing maximal net photosynthesis were 0, 2 and 4 days for B. radicans, and 4 days for C. leprieurii, whilst for P. subtilissima there was no significant difference in response for any acclimation period over the range of salinities studied.     

The fixation and leaching of cement stabilized arsenic

The solidification/stabilization of sodium arsenite, sodium arsenate, arsenic trioxide and arsenic pentoxide at dosages of approximately 10% has been investigated using sequential batch leaching tests. The leaching of arsenic, which was found to be diffusion based, was clearly least effective for those formulations containing additional iron(II). Calcium was found to influence the leaching of cement immobilized arsenic: those formulations containing the greatest Ca:As mole ratios were generally the most successful. Analysis using both FTIR and SEM revealed substantial changes to the cement matrices of those formulations to which the ferrous sulfate had been added. Ettringite was identified in the cement+ferrous sulfate formulations.