Summer dormancy in edible dormice (Glis glis) without energetic constraints

Average longevity in free-living edible dormice (Glis glis) can reach 9 years, which is extremely high for a small rodent. This remarkable life span has been related to a peculiar life history strategy and the rarity of reproductive bouts in these seed eaters. Most females (96%) reproduce only once or twice in their lifetime, predominantly during years of mast seeding of, e.g., beech, but entire populations can skip reproduction in years of low seed availability. Surprisingly, in non-reproductive years, large fractions of populations apparently vanished and were never captured above ground. Therefore, we determined the duration of above-ground activity, and body temperature profiles in a subset of animals, of dormice under semi-natural conditions in outdoor enclosures. We found that non-reproductive dormice returned to dormancy in underground burrows throughout summer after active seasons as short as <2 weeks. Thus, animals spent up to >10 months per year in dormancy. This exceeds dormancy duration of any other mammal under natural conditions. Summer dormancy was not caused by energy constraints, as it occurred in animals in good condition, fed ad libitum and without climatic stress. We suggest that almost year-round torpor has evolved as a strategy to escape birds of prey, the major predators of this arboreal mammal. This unique predator-avoidance strategy clearly helps in explaining the unusually high longevity of dormice.     

Integrated assessment of future CAP policies: land use changes,spatial patterns and targeting

The recent and upcoming reforms of the Common Agricultural Policies (CAPs) aim at strengthening the multifunctional role of agriculture, acknowledging the differences in economic, environmental and social potentials within European regions. This paper presents results from an integrated assessment of existing and future policies within the framework set up in the FP6 EU project MEA-Scope. Spatial explicit procedures allow for the MEA-Scope modelling tools to provide information related to regional, environmental and socio-economics settings. The impact of different policy scenarios on structural change, land abandonment and cropping pattern of typical farms has been assessed based on linked agent-based (ABM) and Linear Programming (LP) models at regional and farm scale for two study areas. For the German case study area Ostprignitz-Ruppin (OPR), the issue of policy targeting has been addressed by relating non-commodity outputs (NCOs) to soil quality and protection status. For the Italian case study area (Mugello), changes in landscape patterns in terms of increased fragmentation or homogeneity as affected by changes in agricultural intensity have been analysed using semivariance analysis. The spatial explicit approach highlighted the relevance of case study research in order to identifying response structures and explaining policy implementation patterns.     

Learning for social-ecological change: a qualitative review of outcomes across empirical literature in natural resource management

Learning is considered as a promising mechanism to cope with rapid environmental change. The implications of learning for natural resource management (NRM) have not been explored in-depth and the evidence on the topic is scattered across multiple sources. We provide a qualitative review of types of learning outcomes and consider their manifestations in NRM across selected empirical literature. We conducted a systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature (N = 1,223) and a qualitative meta-synthesis of included articles, with an explicit focus on learning outcomes and NRM changes (N = 53). Besides social learning, we found several learning concepts used, including policy and transformative learning, and multiple links between learning and NRM reported. We observe that the development of skills, together with a system approach involving multi-level capacities, is decisive for implications of learning for NRM. Future reviews could systematically compare how primary research applies different learning concepts and discusses links between learning and NRM changes.     

珠江河网水产品中菊酯类农药残留调查及健康风险评价

2012年8月在珠江河网采集水产品样品(13种鱼,4种虾和2种贝),采用超声波提取-气相色谱法对样品中菊酯类农药(PYRs)进行残留检测,并对鱼类PYRs暴露水平进行健康风险评价。结果显示,鱼类肌肉、虾类和贝类中PYRs质量分数分别介于ND~3.05μg·kg-1、0.05~1.13μg·kg-1和0.69~1.20μg·kg-1(ND为未检出,以湿重计),平均值分别为0.90μg·kg-1、0.41μg·kg-1和0.99μg·kg-1。虾类和贝类中PYRs的检出率均很高,除联苯菊酯在虾类体内检出率为75%外,其他菊酯均为100%,鱼类肌肉中氯菊酯检出率最高,达到100%。氯菊酯在鱼类肌肉和贝类中的检出量最高,分别占总菊酯质量分数的52.2%和55.4%,溴氰菊酯在虾类中检出量最高,分别占总菊酯质量分数的33.0%;对居民通过食物摄入的PYRs进行食用暴露风险评估,结果表明,珠江河网水产品中PYRs人体健康危害的年总风险评价介于3.96×10-13~1.21×10-10a-1,水产品的安全消费量为5.54×104kg·d-1,水产品中的PYRs的健康危险风险很小。     

Response of benthic foraminifera to heavy metal contamination in marine sediments (Sicilian coasts,Mediterranean Sea)

To examine the suitability of benthic foraminifera and their test deformations as bioindicators of pollution in coastal marine environments, we studied foraminifera and metal concentrations in 72 marine sediment samples, collected from the inner shelf along the Sicilian coast (Gulfs of Palermo and Termini) and on the south-eastern coast of Lampedusa Island. These areas are characterised by different environmental conditions. On the basis of pollution sources and foraminiferal assemblages, we recognised different zones in the Gulf of Palermo. The most polluted zones showed high metal concentrations, and low diversity of benthic foraminifera with species typical of stressed environments. By contrast, the lowest polluted zones showed a high population density and the highest percentages of epiphytes. Epiphytes were abundant where a Posidonia oceanica meadow was present and decreased in the most polluted zones. Sediments of the Gulf of Termini and Lampedusa exhibited high percentages of benthic foraminifera typical of well-oxygenated waters and low concentrations of metals, with the exception of sites located near sewage outfalls and harbour areas. Furthermore, even though deformed tests are commonly known in natural stressed environmental conditions, this study shows that in the most polluted zones, benthic foraminifera were characterised by the highest percentages of deformed individuals.     

珠江口水、沉积物及生物体As含量分布特征及生态风险评价

于2008年2、5、8及11月对珠江口进行了水、沉积物和生物体As含量的调查,分析其分布特征以及进行生态评价。结果表明：珠江口水体中As含量平均值为2.88μg·L-1,符合一类海水水质标准;其中,11月份显著高于其它3个月份(P <0.05)。全年珠江口水体八个河口在地域分布上As平均含量由高到低依次为：虎门、鸡啼门、磨刀门、崖门、洪沥门、蕉门、横门、虎跳门。表层沉积物As含量平均值为38.73 mg·kg-1,沉积物中As含量均超过海洋沉积物质量一类标准,但均未超三类标准。结果显示,表层沉积物横门含量最高,为(70.5±2.0) mg·kg-1,显著高于其它7个口门(P <0.05),而其它7个口门差异不显著。各口门含量从大到小依次为横门、洪沥门、鸡啼门、虎门、崖门、磨刀门、虎跳门、蕉门。表层沉积物地质累积指数评价结果与潜在生态风险系数评价结果一致,横门为中等污染水平,其余站点均为低污染水平。采集代表性生物样品,其中11种鱼类As平均含量为0.587 mg·kg-1,部分受检鱼类超出水产品中有毒有害物质限量要求,超标率为37.8%,肉食性鱼类平均含量要略低于杂食性鱼类,但不同食性和不同生活水层的鱼类As含量差异不显著(P >0.05)。受检生物样品虾的含量为0.314 mg·kg-1,符合水产品中有毒有害物质限量要求。与历年比较发现珠江口水、沉积物和生物体中As含量有上升的趋势,与其它河口相比较发现珠江口As污染在对比的河口和海湾中受污染程度较高。     

Chemical profile of Festuca arundinacea extract showing allelochemical activity

The allelopathic potential of fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) was investigated under field and laboratory conditions. In the field, incorporation of fescue aboveground biomass into the soil provided an effective weed control as it significantly reduced both the number and the dry weight of all weed species. The effect on weeds was species specific. The reduction of the most abundant species, Picris echioides, with respect to the number of individuals and their dry weight was 67 and 45%. Fescue aboveground biomass, harvested immediately before soil incorporation, was utilized in a bioassay-oriented fractionation, aimed at identifying the compounds in the toxic extracts of the plant. While phytotoxic activity was detected for the n-butanol fraction, no activity was found for the aqueous one. Germination of an indicator species, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), was reduced by 33% at the higher extract concentration of 20 mg/mL, owing to the increase of the number of abnormal seedlings. The LC/MS profile of the extract revealed the presence of two alkaloids, seven flavonol glycosides, and two flavonol aglyca. Quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside were reported in fescue for the first time.     

Proximity to competitors changes secondary metabolites of non-indigenous cup corals, Tubastraea spp., in the southwest Atlantic

Competition for space changes species’ distributions and community organization on tropical rocky shores, and the presence of secondary metabolites in the tissues of non-indigenous species may aid them in establishing and expanding their range through negative competitive interactions. The aim of this study was to describe the range of chemical substances produced by the non-indigenous cup corals Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis and to test whether they varied in the field when the corals were placed in proximity to two local competitors. Cholest-5-en-3β-ol and 9-octadecanoic acid were two common secondary metabolites found in the tissues of Tubastraea. In the competition interaction experiment, necrosis was detected on the tissues of the coral Mussismilia hispida, and this species induced variation in sterol, alkaloid, and fatty acid production in Tubastraea tissues. In contrast, a sponge overgrew Tubastraea colonies. These results indicate that chemical defense may contribute to the ability of these non-indigenous corals to invade native communities.     

Evaluation of geomorphic changes and retreat rates of a coastal pyroclastic cliff in the Campi Flegrei volcanic district,southern Italy

Geomorphic evolution of sea cliffs has significant impact on coastal settlements worldwide, so that evaluation of cliff instability processes, failure factors, and retreat rates involves a growing number of scientists for coastal risk and management purposes. Aerial photogrammetry and lidar are among the most used techniques for topographic characterization and geomorphic monitoring of coastal environments. A crucial role in the combined use of such techniques is the evaluation of different spatial accuracy and co-registration between derived terrain models, so that a robust error analysis is required. In this study, we present a change detection analysis of the Torrefumo coastal cliff, in the Campi Flegrei volcanic area (Southern Italy). Aerial images taken in 1956 and 1974, processed through digital photogrammetry, and an airborne lidar point cloud acquired in 2008 were used to produce Digital Elevation Models of the cliff. The analysis was based on the multi-temporal comparison of these models and included the calculation of volumetric changes and average retreat rates of the cliff face with reference to the 1956–1974 and 1974–2008 time intervals. The spatially variable elevation uncertainty of each Digital Elevation Model was evaluated with a probabilistic approach based on the fuzzy set theory. The results of this study showed significant eroded volumes during the period 1956–1974 and relatively smaller volumes in the 1974–2008 time span, with mean annual retreat rates of 1.2 m/year and 0.17 m/year, respectively. We infer that the significant decrease of erosion characterizing the second period was induced by the sheltering effect at the base of the cliff produced by the construction of a seawall in the early 80’s.     

When creativity enhances sales effectiveness: The moderating role of leader–member exchange

This study extends research on creativity by exploring the boundary conditions of the creativity–job effectiveness relationship. Building on social exchange theory, we argue that the extent to which employee creativity is related to sales—an objective work effectiveness measure—depends on the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX). We hypothesize that the relationship between creativity and sales is significant and positive when LMX is high, but not when LMX is low. Hierarchical linear modelling analysis provided support for the interaction hypothesis in a sample of 151 sales agents and 26 supervisors drawn from both pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Results showed that sales agents who were more creative generated higher sales only when they had high‐quality LMX. An ad hoc qualitative study provided a more detailed understanding of the moderator role played by LMX. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.