On the highly productive Oman Margin of the Arabian Sea, where an intense permanent oxygen minimum impinges on the continental
slope, there is no relationship between oxygen concentration and sedimentary organic-carbon content. However, we provide photographic
and molecular evidence that benthic invertebrates play a significant role in the redistribution of organic matter. High densities
of spider crabs and brittle stars characterize a narrow band near the base of the oxygen minimum zone, where sediments have
depleted organic carbon contents and a remarkable lipid composition that is indicative of metabolic alteration of phytoplankton-derived
sterols by invertebrate detritivores. The distributions of sedimentary sterols and the high abundances of epifaunal crabs
and brittle stars suggest that the metabolism of the megabenthos profoundly influences the quality of organic matter in underlying
sediments.
Received: 12 June 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 26 January 1999 相似文献
The US Department of Defense (DOD) manages over 10.1 million ha of land, much of which is used for training military personnel.
However, vast sections receive little or no use, and military lands have become refuges for many species. At Fort McCoy, Wisconsin,
USA, populations of the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) are found in oak and pine barren communities where wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), a perennial forb required by Karner blue butterfly larvae, still occurs. Oak and pine barren communities are disturbance-dependent,
and the barrens ecosystems in the Midwest have declined in extent by 98% because of fire suppression, succession, and habitat
fragmentation. We studied the effects of disturbance by military manuever training on the density of lupine and Karner blue
butterfly at Fort McCoy. We also wanted to determine whether military training activity could enhance Karner blue butterfly
habitat.
At locations where tracked vehicles had driven through lupine patches, the abundance of lupine and nectar-producing plants
was greater in the median strip between vehicle ruts than in vehicle ruts or 5 m outside the vehicle ruts. The proportion
of lupine stems with Karner blue butterfly larvae feeding sign (the ratio of stems fed upon to stems examined) was greater
in areas where military vehicles had traveled than where they had not. The proportion of lupine stems with feeding sign and
lupine stem density was also positively related to the occurrence of prior bivouacs and fires caused by military munitions.
Shrub and forest canopy abundance were lower in areas traveled by tracked vehicles. At the scale of the lupine patch, lupine
abundance and the proportion of lupine stems with feeding sign were positively correlated with military training activities,
suggesting that maintenance of lupine habitat can be achieved in concert with military training. 相似文献
ABSTRACT: A general framework is proposed for using precipitation estimates from NEXRAD weather radars in raingage network design. NEXRAD precipitation products are used to represent space time rainfall fields, which can be sampled by hypothetical raingage networks. A stochastic model is used to simulate gage observations based on the areal average precipitation for radar grid cells. The stochastic model accounts for subgrid variability of precipitation within the cell and gage measurement errors. The approach is ideally suited to raingage network design in regions with strong climatic variations in rainfall where conventional methods are sometimes lacking. A case study example involving the estimation of areal average precipitation for catchments in the Catskill Mountains illustrates the approach. The case study shows how the simulation approach can be used to quantify the effects of gage density, basin size, spatial variation of precipitation, and gage measurement error, on network estimates of areal average precipitation. Although the quality of NEXRAD precipitation products imposes limitations on their use in network design, weather radars can provide valuable information for empirical assessment of rain‐gage network estimation errors. Still, the biggest challenge in quantifying estimation errors is understanding subgrid spatial variability. The results from the case study show that the spatial correlation of precipitation at subgrid scales (4 km and less) is difficult to quantify, especially for short sampling durations. Network estimation errors for hourly precipitation are extremely sensitive to the uncertainty in subgrid spatial variability, although for storm total accumulation, they are much less sensitive. 相似文献
The first step in assessing the risk of water contamination by Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts from feedlot cattle (Bos taurus) production systems is to quantify the number of C. parvum oocysts present in the fecal material deposited by feedlot cattle. Our primary objective for this project was to estimate the daily environmental load of C. parvum oocysts in fecal material deposited by feedlot cattle from across the central and western USA. Our secondary goal was to genotype isolates of C. parvum from feedlot cattle to help facilitate proper identification of mammalian sources of waterborne C. parvum. Based on 5274 fecal samples from 22 feedlots in seven states (California, Washington, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, and South Dakota), we estimated a point prevalence of C. parvum of 0.99 to 1.08% in fecal material from feedlot pens from a wide range of climates and a diverse range of feedlot management systems. On average, fresh fecal material from throughout feedlot systems (recent arrivals to nearing slaughter) contained about 1.3 to 3.6 oocysts/g feces, which roughly translates to about 2.8 x 10(4) to 1.4 x 10(5) oocysts/animal per day. 相似文献
As charismatic mega-fauna, sea turtles attract many volunteers to conservation programs. This article examines the ways in
which volunteers value sea turtles, in the specific context of volunteers working with the Caribbean Conservation Corporation,
at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. The complexity of volunteer values is explored using a qualitative approach. In-depth interviews
with 31 volunteers were conducted in July of 1999 and 2000. Interviews probed, among other things, interest in sea turtles
and their conservation, motives for participating, and the most gratifying parts of their volunteer experience. Results show
that volunteers hold multiple and complex values for sea turtles, but particular values dominate. Results have implications
for understanding human–environment relations and the emerging study of volunteer tourism. There are also management implications
for volunteer programs hoping to attract participants. 相似文献
A study was conducted to examine the interrelationships among socioeconomic factors, household consumption patterns, calorie intake and greenhouse gas emissions factors in rural eastern India based on household survey data. Findings indicated that higher monthly per capita incomes (12.1–80.1$) were associated with greater average calorie intakes (2021–2525 kcal d?1). As estimated by the FEEDME model, in total 17.2% of the population was calorie malnourished with a regional disparity of 29.4–18.2% malnourishment. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were calculated only on the basis of crop and livestock production and consumption. Rice accounted for the highest share of total GHG emissions, on average 82.6% on a production basis, which varied from 58.1% to 94.9% in regional basis. Rice contributed the greatest share (~?65% and 66.2%) in terms of both calories and GHG emissions (CO2 eq y?1), respectively, on a consumption basis. We conclude that extensive rice farming and increasing animal product consumption are dominant factors in the higher carbon footprint in this region and are likely to further increase with increase in per capita income. This study provides useful information to help for better crop planning and for fine-tuning food access policy, to reduce carbon footprint and calorie malnutrition.
Isocyanates may cause contact dermatitis, sensitization and asthma. Dermal exposure to aliphatic and aromatic isocyanates can occur in various exposure settings. The fate of isocyanates on skin is an important unanswered question. Do they react and bind to the outer layer of skin or do they penetrate through the epidermis as unreacted compounds? Knowing the kinetics of these processes is important in developing dermal exposure sampling or decontamination strategies, as well as understanding potential health implications such exposure may have. In this paper the residence time of model isocyanates on hairless guinea pig skin was investigated in vitro using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectrometry. Model isocyanates tested were octyl isocyanate, polymeric hexamethylene diisocyanate isocyanurate (pHDI), polymeric isophorone diisocyanate isocyanurate (pIPDI) and methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Isocyanates in ethyl acetate (30 microL) were spiked directly on the skin to give 0.2-1.8 micromol NCO cm(-2) (NCO = -N=C=O), and absorbance of the isocyanate group and other chemical groups of the molecule were monitored over time. The ATR-FTIR findings showed that polymeric isocyanates pHDI and pIPDI may remain on the skin as unreacted species for many hours, with only 15-20% of the total isocyanate group disappearing in one hour, while smaller compounds octyl isocyanate and MDI rapidly disappear from the skin surface (80+% in 30 min). Isocyanates most likely leave the skin surface by diffusion predominantly, with minimal reaction with surface proteins. The significance of these findings and their implications for dermal exposure sampling and isocyanate skin decontamination are discussed. 相似文献