Arbeitskreis der Landesanstalten und-Ämter: Konzeption der künftigen Aufgabenbereiche

The expert panel for biological indication and effect research of the state institutes and agencies, pursues the harmonisation and optimisation of methods used for biological indication since 1980. This demonstrated increased significance after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the admission of the new German states, formerly East Germany. The publication of recommendations and the co-operation with other panels of experts (for example the VDI (association of German engineers) build the basis for the expert panel’s effect on the public. As first federal biological indication system, the expert panel, together with the federal institute for the environment, introduced moss-monitoring in the Federal Republic of Germany. For the future, the main point of effort will still lie in the exchange of information between state agencies and the harmonisation of methods. Above this, the expert panel should control the co-ordination of biological indication for a federal environment surveillance, develop evaluation strategies and methods, point out research deficiencies and develop new methods when necessary. Thus, for example, the expert panel has to point out possible connections and co-operations towards the monitoring of genetically manipulated organisms and changes in climate. Existing biological indication methods, including moss-monitoring, are to be screened for actuality and, when necessary, are to undergo further developments. The expert panel will also work on the development of effect-related environmental indicators as tools for an indication of ecological sustainability.     

Dissolved Oxygen and Nutrient Fluxes Across the Sediment–Water Interface of the Neckar River,Germany: In Situ Measurements and Simulations

A benthic in situ flume and a 1D biogeochemical sediment model to evaluate solute fluxes across the sediment–water interface have been developed. The flume was successfully used to determine oxygen and nutrient fluxes at various locations of the Neckar River in Germany. The experimental results were linked with vertical pore water concentration profiles and independently verified with the model. By combining experimental and model results we assessed the influence of dissolved oxygen concentrations in the water column and the availability of degradable organic matter on sediment oxygen demand. The results and the derived relations can be used to parameterize the sediment module of large scale water quality models, allowing one to assess the influence of sediment–water interactions on various aspects of river water quality. Moreover, the biogeochemical sediment model can help to improve the general understanding of the processes governing solute concentrations and fluxes in sediments and across their interfaces.     

Activity patterns of Kemp's ridley turtles, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepidochelys kempii</Emphasis>, in the coastal waters of the Cedar Keys,Florida

Radio and sonic telemetry were used to investigate the tidal orientation, rate of movement (ROM), and surfacing behavior of nine Kemp's ridley turtles, Lepidochelys kempii, tracked east of the Cedar Keys, Florida. The mean of mean turtle bearings on incoming (48ᇅ °) and falling (232ᆽ °) tides was significantly oriented to the mean directions of tidal flow (37Nj °, P<0.0025, and 234Nj °, P<0.005, respectively). Turtles had a mean ROM of 0.44ǂ.33 km/h (range: 0.004-1.758 km/h), a mean surface duration of 18ᆣ s (range: 1-88 s), and a mean submergence duration of 8.4Lj.4 min (range: 0.2-60.0 min). ROM was negatively correlated with surface and submergence durations and positively correlated with the number of surfacings. Furthermore, ROMs were higher and surface and submergence durations were shorter during the day. Daily activities of turtles were attributed to food acquisition and bioenergetics.     

Ricinosomes: an organelle for developmentally regulated programmed cell death in senescing plant tissues

This review describes aspects of programmed cell death (PCD). Present research maps the enzymes involved and explores the signal transduction pathways involved in their synthesis. A special organelle (the ricinosome) has been discovered in the senescing endosperm of germinating castor beans (Ricinus communis) that develops at the beginning of PCD and delivers large amounts of a papain-type cysteine endopeptidase (CysEP) in the final stages of cellular disintegration. Castor beans store oil and proteins in a living endosperm surrounding the cotyledons. These stores are mobilized during germination and transferred into the cotyledons. PCD is initiated after this transfer is complete. The CysEP is synthesized in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where it is retained by its C-terminal KDEL peptide as a rather inactive pro-enzyme. Large number of ricinosomes bud from the ER at the same time as the nuclear DNA is characteristically fragmented during PCD. The mitochondria, glyoxysomes and ribosomes are degraded in autophagic vacuoles, while the endopeptidase is activated by removal of the propeptide and the KDEL tail and enters the cytosol. The endosperm dries and detaches from the cotyledons. A homologous KDEL-tailed cysteine endopeptidase has been found in several senescing tissues; it has been localized in ricinosomes of withering day-lily petals and dying seed coats. Three genes for a KDEL-tailed cysteine endopeptidase have been identified in Arabidopsis. One is expressed in senescing ovules, the second in the vascular vessels and the third in maturing siliques. These genes open the way to exploring PCD in plants.     

Janzen-Connell effects are widespread and strong enough to maintain diversity in grasslands

Crop rotation schemes are believed to work by preventing specialist soil-borne pests from depressing the future yields of similar crops. In ecology, such negative plant-soil feedbacks may be viewed as a type of Janzen-Connell effect, which promotes species coexistence and diversity by preventing the same species from repeatedly occupying a particular site. In a controlled greenhouse experiment with 24 plant species and using soils from established field monocultures, we reveal community-wide soil-based Janzen-Connell effects between the three major functional groups of plants in temperate European grasslands. The effects are much stronger and more prevalent if plants are grown in interspecific competition. Using several soil treatments (gamma irradiation, activated carbon, fungicide, fertilizer) we show that the mechanism of the negative feedback is the buildup of soil pathogens which reduce the competitive ability of nearly all species when grown on soils they have formerly occupied. We further show that the magnitude of the change in competitive outcome is sufficient to stabilize observed fitness differences between functional groups in reasonably large communities. The generality and strength of this negative feedback suggests that Janzen-Connell effects have been underestimated as drivers of plant diversity in temperate ecosystems.     

Contrasting temporal trends and relationships of total organic carbon, black carbon, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rural low-altitude and remote high-altitude lakes

Historical records of total organic carbon (TOC), black carbon (BC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were reconstructed in dated sediment cores from four nearby lakes in central Switzerland. In the sub-Alpine Lake Thun, located at 558 m a.s.l., the proximity to anthropogenic emission sources is reflected in higher input of BC and PAHs into sediments with fluxes only slightly decreasing during the last decades. PAH/BC ratios are relatively high and correlation between levels of total PAHs and BC is almost inexistent in Lake Thun, probably due to the presence of less condensed forms of the BC spectrum (char BC) that is underestimated with the chemothermal oxidation method applied in this study. The sediment profiles of TOC, BC, and PAHs are noticeably different in the mountain lakes located around 2000 m a.s.l. In Lake Engstlen, the PAH/BC ratios, as well as the correlation between PAHs and BC, point towards appreciable amounts of predominantly light soot particles. Light soot particles have higher mobility and can, therefore, be efficiently transported to this remote site. The proglacial Lake Oberaar is shown to be a receptor of BC and PAHs released by the fast melting adjacent glacier acting as a secondary source for these conservative species temporarily stored in the glacier ice. Finally, Lake Stein is in strong contrast to all other lakes. High flux of BC into Lake Stein, combined with constant temporal evolutions of BC and PAHs, and in particular BC/TOC ratios approaching 100% are all strong indications for a geogenic presence of graphite in its catchment area.     

Who are our informal recyclers? An inquiry to uncover crisis and potential in Victoria,Canada

What is considered garbage embodies a recoverable economic value, and environmental cost if not recycled. Throughout the world, the often marginalised and impoverished population earns a living through informal recycling. This is also true for Victoria, British Columbia, one of the most affluent cities in Canada. This paper discusses results of a participatory socio-economic survey involving informal recyclers in Victoria, BC to determine their livelihood determinants. The findings reveal that “binning” is an important survival strategy to generate income. A new waste-management model that considers the social and environmental context is needed. Inclusive public policies can respond to the livelihood concerns outlined in this paper by facilitating access to recyclable materials, devising occupational safety improvements and educating about alternative strategies for resource recovery. This model can contribute to the overall sustainability of the community by reducing the waste of resources and people, empowering marginalised populations and reducing the environmental impacts of natural resource use and waste disposal.     

Analyzing the carbon dynamics of central European forests: comparison of Biome-BGC simulations with measurements

Biogeochemical models are often used for making projections of future carbon dynamics under scenarios of global change. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the process-based biogeochemical model Biome-BGC for application in central European forests from the lowlands to upper treeline as a pre-requisite for environmental impact assessments. We analyzed model behavior along an altitudinal gradient across the alpine treeline, which provided insights on the sensitivity of simulated average carbon pools to changes in environmental factors. A second set of tests included medium-term (30 years) simulations of carbon fluxes, and a third set of tests focused on daily carbon and water fluxes. Model results were compared to aboveground biomass measurements, leaf area index recordings as well as net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and actual evapotranspiration (AET) measurements. The simulated medium-term forest growth agreed well with measured data. Also daily NEE fluxes were simulated adequately in most cases. Problems were detected when simulating ecosystems close to the upper timberline (overestimation of measured growth and pool sizes), and when simulating daily AET fluxes (overestimation of measured fluxes). The results showed that future applications of Biome-BGC could benefit much from an improvement of model algorithms (e.g., the Q₁₀ model for respiration) as well as from a detailed analysis of the ecological significance of crucial parameters (e.g., the canopy water interception coefficient).     

Hunted hunters? Effect of group size on predation risk and growth in the Australian subsocial crab spider Diaea ergandros

A reduced predation risk is considered to be a major adaptive advantage of sociality. While most studies are concerned with non-predatory prey species, group-living predators are likely to face similar threats from higher-order predators. We studied the relationship between group size and predation risk in the subsocial crab spider Diaea ergandros by testing predictions from theoretical models including attack abatement as well as the formation of protective retreats. In a field survey, we found predatory clubionid spiders in 35 % of the D. ergandros nests and as predicted, nest size did not correlate with predator presence. In a subsequent laboratory experiment, we observed survival probability, nest construction activity and feeding behaviour including weight development between groups of different sizes as well as in the absence or presence of a predator. Large groups had an advantage in terms of survival and growth compared to smaller groups or single individuals. They also built significantly larger nests than smaller groups, supporting the idea of protective retreat formation being an adaptive benefit to group living. Even though clubionids did attack D. ergandros, they did not significantly affect overall mortality of D. ergandros. The feeding experiment showed that spiders fed on a larger proportion of flies in the presence of a predator. However, these groups gained significantly less weight compared to the control groups, indicating that the potential predators not only act as predators but also as food competitors, constituting a twofold cost for D. ergandros.