Effects of water viscosity upon ventilation and metabolism of a flatfish,the common sole <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solea solea</Emphasis> (L.)

The French Atlantic coast contains large highly productive intertidal mudflats that are colonised by juveniles of numerous flatfish species, including the common sole (Solea solea, L.). These ecosystems are also heavily exploited by the shellfish farming industry. Intensive bivalve culture is associated with substantial biodeposition (1–6 t-dw ha⁻¹ day⁻¹), which directly or indirectly contributes to increase exopolysaccharide (EPS) concentrations at the interface between water column and seabed. EPS are long-chain molecules organised into colloids, which influence rheological properties of water, particularly viscosity. Increased water viscosity had consequences for ventilatory activity of juvenile flatfish, whereby the minimal pressure required to ventilate the medium increases directly with EPS concentration. Moreover, the critical EPS concentration ([EPS]_crit) at which water was no longer able to flow through the branchial basket ranged from almost nil to over 30 mg l⁻¹, depending on species and size. [EPS]_crit was lower in small individuals and individuals from species with high metabolic rates (turbot and plaice). These differences may depend upon gill and bucco-branchial cavity morphometrics. The ventilatory workload of sole increased with viscosity to a maximum at 2 mg EPS l⁻¹. Viscosity might, therefore, be a limiting factor for flatfish post larvae, which colonise the intertidal mudflats, depending upon their size and species. EPS concentrations in the field can reach 15 mg l⁻¹. A selective effect is conceivable but remains to be estimated in the field.     

Response of zooxanthellae in symbiosis with the Mediterranean corals Cladocora caespitosa and Oculina patagonica to elevated temperatures

Scleractinian symbiotic corals living in the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea) have experienced warm summers during the last decade, with temperatures rapidly increasing, within a few days, to 3–4°C above the mean value of 24°C. The effect of elevated temperatures on the photosynthetic efficiency of zooxanthellae in symbiosis with temperate corals has not been well investigated. In this study, the corals, Cladocora caespitosa and Oculina patagonica were collected in the Ligurian Sea (44°N, 9°E), maintained during 2 weeks at the mean summer temperature of 24°C and then exposed during 48 h to temperatures of 24 (control), 27, 29 and 32°C. Chlorophyll (chl) fluorescence parameters [F _v/F _m, electron transport rate (ETR), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ)] were measured using pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorimetry before, during the thermal increase, and after 1 and 7 days of recovery (corals maintained at 24°C). Zooxanthellae showed a broad tolerance to temperature increase, since their density remained unchanged and there was no significant reduction in their maximum quantum yield (F _v/F _m) or ETR up to 29°C. This temperature corresponded to a 5°C increase compared to the mean summer temperature (24°C) in the Ligurian Sea. At 32°C, there was a significant decrease in chl contents for both corals. This decrease was due to a reduction in the chl/zooxanthellae content. For C. caespitosa, there was also a decrease in ETR_max, not associated with a change in F _v/F _m or in the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ); for O. patagonica, both ETR_max and F _v/F _m significantly decreased, and NPQ_max showed a significant increase. Damages to the photosystem II appeared to be reversible in both corals, since F _v/F _m values returned to normal after 1 day at 24°C. Zooxanthellae in symbiosis with the Mediterranean corals investigated can therefore be considered as resistant to short-term increases in temperature, even well above the maximum temperatures experienced by these corals in summer.     

Co-evolution-driven cuticular hydrocarbon variation between the slave-making ant Rossomyrmex minuchae and its host Proformica longiseta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Summary. Proformica longiseta exists as two populations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Spain, only one of which is parasitized by the slave-maker ant Rossomyrmex minuchae. To investigate the possible effect of co-evolutionary pressures on cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles (the presumed nestmate recognition cues), we performed a comparative analysis of the CHC of R. minuchae and P. longiseta colonies from both the allopatric and sympatric populations; the latter includes samples of enslaved as well as free-living workers. Discriminant analyses based on these chemical profiles showed two clear profile groups: the first comprised R. minuchae and both enslaved and free-living P. longiseta from the sympatric population; and the second the allopatric P. longiseta workers. As expected, the profiles of the two sympatric P. longiseta groups (enslaved and free-living) were distinct; but, interestingly, those of the enslaved P. longiseta and its parasite R. minuchae were also distinguishable. This indicates that despite their cohabitation each species maintains its own chemical identity. Profile similarity between the sympatric free-living P. longiseta and its parasite may explain the lower than expected aggression observed during raids. We further speculate that in view of the differences between the sympatric and allopatric population of P. longiseta, co-evolutionary pressures have driven changes in the profile of the former to better match that of its parasite R. minuchae. Such an adjustment may have enabled nests of the sympatric P. longiseta to endure multiple raids by the parasite (due to the reduced aggression) and thus to continue to reproduce despite the damage inflicted by the raids.     

Effects of temperature and precipitation on grassland bird nesting success as mediated by patch size

Grassland birds are declining faster than any other bird guild across North America. Shrinking ranges and population declines are attributed to widespread habitat loss and increasingly fragmented landscapes of agriculture and other land uses that are misaligned with grassland bird conservation. Concurrent with habitat loss and degradation, temperate grasslands have been disproportionally affected by climate change relative to most other terrestrial biomes. Distributions of grassland birds often correlate with gradients in climate, but few researchers have explored the consequences of weather on the demography of grassland birds inhabiting a range of grassland fragments. To do so, we modeled the effects of temperature and precipitation on nesting success rates of 12 grassland bird species inhabiting a range of grassland patches across North America (21,000 nests from 81 individual studies). Higher amounts of precipitation in the preceding year were associated with higher nesting success, but wetter conditions during the active breeding season reduced nesting success. Extremely cold or hot conditions during the early breeding season were associated with lower rates of nesting success. The direct and indirect influence of temperature and precipitation on nesting success was moderated by grassland patch size. The positive effects of precipitation in the preceding year on nesting success were strongest in relatively small grassland patches and had little effect in large patches. Conversely, warm temperatures reduced nesting success in small grassland patches but increased nesting success in large patches. Mechanisms underlying these differences may be patch‐size‐induced variation in microclimates and predator activity. Although the exact cause is unclear, large grassland patches, the most common metric of grassland conservation, appears to moderate the effects of weather on grassland‐bird demography and could be an effective component of climate‐change adaptation.     

The primary aerobic biodegradation of biodiesel B20

We describe the primary aerobic biodegradation of a B20 fuel (20% soybean fatty acid methyl esters, 80% petroleum diesel) by unacclimated inocula from a rainwater detention pond. Biodegradation was rapid and essentially complete, with an overall median 'half-life', at approximately 100 ppm B20, of 6.8 days (n=34). Using purge-and-trap and extraction methodologies, both coupled to GC/MS, and hexachloroethane and hexachlorobenzene as conserved internal markers in the B20, we followed the biodegradation of total detectable material, 76 individual analytes and eight undifferentiated groups of isomers, and calculated their half-lives under these conditions. The fatty acid methyl esters, n-alkanes and iso-alkanes, and simple and alkylated aromatic compounds were the most readily degraded compounds, followed by the naphthenes. The last (identified) compounds to be degraded were ethylalkanes, trisubstituted cyclohexanes and decalins, but even these disappeared with an apparent 'half-life' of <30 days.     

Application of an empirical transport model to simulate retention of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide in sand columns

Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide was injected into sand columns to simulate subsurface injection for creation of a permeable treatment barrier. Past usage of this material as an ex situ pilot scale treatment filter has shown that it has a high adsorption capacity for a number of heavy metals and therefore would be a good candidate for injection technology. Three suspension concentrations (50, 75 and 100 mg l(-1)) were pumped through packed sand columns at different flow velocities (3.0, 6.8 and 14.1 cm min(-1)). Little to no particles was detected in the effluent. Most of the nanoparticles remained in the sand columns, with an increasing then decreasing retained solids pattern. Application of a one-dimensional advection-dispersion flow model, that included two empirical kinetic terms to account for particle retention in the porous media, produced data fits that followed the general trend of the data, but did not truly capture the concentration maxima in the data sets. Discussion of these results highlights the limited ability of existing models to aid in predicting particle retention of non-ideal materials for engineering purposes.     

Application of SWAT with and without Variable Source Area Hydrology to a Large Watershed

In this study, two different versions of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model were used to simulate the hydrology and biogeochemical response of the Cannonsville Reservoir watershed, in New York. The first version distributes overland flow in ways that are consistent with variable source area (VSA) hydrology driven by saturation excess runoff, whereas the second version is the standard version of SWAT. These two models were each calibrated for streamflow (Flow), particulate phosphorus (PP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and sediment (Sed) against measured data from the 1,200 km² Cannonsville watershed. The standard version of the model yielded an r² between the measured and simulated data of 0.85, 0.73, 0.70, and 0.72 for Flow, Sed, TDP, and PP, respectively. The VSA version yielded an r² of 0.84, 0.69, 0.72, and 0.53 for Flow, Sed, TDP, and PP, respectively. The two models were then used to determine the maximum upper bound on the reduction in phosphorus loading by removing all of the corn in the watershed. The average reductions between the two models were 65 and 37% for PP and TDP, respectively. The VSA version was also used to estimate the effect of moving corn land in the watershed from the wettest, most runoff prone areas to the driest, least runoff prone areas, which cannot be done directly with the standard SWAT model.     

The OECD Validation Program of the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay for the Identification of In Vitro Inhibitors and Inducers of Testosterone and Estradiol Production. Phase 2: Inter-Laboratory Pre-Validation Studies (8 pp)

Background, Goals and Scope In response to concerns that have been raised about chemical substances that may alter the function of endocrine systems and result in adverse effects on human health, an OECD initiative was undertaken to develop and validate in vitro and in vivo assays to identify chemicals that may interfere with endocrine systems of vertebrates. Here we report on studies that were conducted to develop and standardize a cell-based screening assay using the H295R cell line to prioritize chemicals that may act on steroidogenic processes in humans and wildlife. These studies are currently ongoing as part of the ‘Special Activity on the Testing and Assessment of Endocrine Disruptors’ within the OECD Test Guidelines Program to review, develop, standardize, and validate a number of in vitro and in vivo toxicological assays for testing and assessment of chemicals concerning their potential to interact with the endocrine system of vertebrates. Study Design Six laboratories from five countries participated in the pre-validation studies. Each laboratory tested the effects of three model chemicals on the production of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) using the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay. Chemicals tested were well described inducers or inhibitors of steroidogenic pathways (forskolin, prochloraz and fadrozole). All experiments were conducted in 24 well plates following standard protocols. Six different doses per compound were analyzed in triplicate per plate. A quality control (QC) plate was run in conjunction with the chemical exposure plate to account for inter-assay variation. Each chemical exposure was conducted two or three times. Results All laboratories successfully detected increases and/or decreases in hormone production by H295R cells after exposure to the different model compounds and there was good agreement in the pattern of response for all groups. Forskolin increased both T and E2 while fadrozole and prochloraz decreased production of both hormones. All chemicals affected hormone production in a dose-dependent manner with the exception of fadrozole which caused maximum inhibition of E2 at the two least concentrations tested. Some inter-laboratory differences were noted in the alteration of hormone production measured in chemically exposed cells. However, with the exception of the production of T measured at one laboratory in cells exposed to forskolin, the EC₅₀s calculated were comparable (coefficients of variation 34–49%) for all hormones. Discussion and Perspectives The results indicated that the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay protocol was robust, transferable and reproducible among all laboratories. However, in several instances that were primarily related to one laboratory there were unexplained minor uncertainties related to the inter-laboratory hormone production variation. Based on the findings from this Phase 2 prevalidation study, the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay protocol is currently being refined. The next phase of the OECD validation program will test the refined protocol among the same group of laboratories using an extended set of chemicals (∼30) that will include positive and negative chemical controls as well as a broad spectrum of different potential inducers and inhibitors of steroidogenic pathways. Submission Editor: Dr. Carsten Brühl (bruehl@uni-landau.de)     

Amniotic fluid microvillar enzyme activities in the early detection of fetal abnormalities

Measurement of the microvillar enzymes, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP), aminopeptidase M (APM) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), in amniotic fluid supernatant has been proposed as a method for the early prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. The activities of these enzymes in a series of other fetal abnormalities have now been examined. GGTP activities were below the 5th percentile in 28 out of 54 cases of trisomy 21 and 9 of 14 cases of trisomy 18, while APM values were below this cut-off in 26 of 54 cases of trisomy 21 and 8 of 14 cases of trisomy 18. Abnormal ALP isoenzyme ratios were found in 6 of 54 cases of trisomy 21 and 4 of 14 cases of trisomy 18. If prenatal cytogenetic studies are routinely carried out on amniotic fluid cells, the occasional confounding effect of abnormal microvillar enzymes associated with fetal trisomies rather than with cystic fibrosis should be avoided.