WATER SUPPLY,TREATMENT, DISTRUBTION,AND REUSE OPTIMIZATION IN ARID URBAN AREAS1

ABSTRACT: A Management level model has been formulated in which a system analysis format is employed to answer some of the basic questions regarding urban water management strategies The model incorporates a multilevel optimization scheme to coordinate urban water supply, distribution, and wastewater management. A test of the model's utility is made in an application to the water management problems of the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area. Denver has utilized both agricultural transfers and transmountain diversions to supplement the natural stream resources of the South Platte River. Although plans are being made to increase the capacity of these sources, increasingly stringent standards on the area's effluents are enhancing the feasibility of reclaiming and recycling a portion of the wastewater. The urban model used in this study indicates the decision points at which respective strategies are introduced. However, by formulating the model from a planner's viewpoint, the most important results gained from the analysis are the costs of various institutional constraints which may restrict the decision maker's ability to implement optimal policies.     

Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA variation in orange roughy,Hoplostethus atlanticus (Teleostei: Trachichthyidae): little differentiation between Australian and North Atlantic populations

Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variation was compared in orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett) collected from waters off southern Australia and from waters about 22 000 km away in the North Atlantic west of Scotland. Samples were screened for 11 polymorphic allozyme loci and with 9 restriction enzymes. Significant heterogeneity between the two areas was detected for three allozyme loci (ADA ^*, CK ^* and GPI-1 ^*), and the overall G _ST (gene-diversity statistic) value of 1% was small but significant. Significant mtDNA haplotype heterogeneity was observed after ²- of haplotype frequencies but not after a G _ST analysis. Nucleotide sequence-diversity analysis showed very low net divergence (0.0023%) between the two samples. The Australian orange roughy had a lower allozyme heterozygosity and a lower mitochondrial DNA nucleon diversity than the North Atlantic sample. The very limited, although significant, allozyme and mitochondrial DNA heterogeneity between these areas suggests that there is some gene flow between these two populations. The species appears to be widespread, with its presence reported from the southern Pacific, southern Indian, and northern and southern Atlantic Oceans, and it is likely that gene flow between the antipodes is mediated by stepping-stone exchange between adjacent populations rather than by direct migration.     

Population genetic structure of the brown tiger prawn, Penaeus esculentus, in tropical northern Australia

Eight polymorphic microsatellite loci were analysed in six population samples from four locations of the Australian endemic brown tiger prawn, Penaeus esculentus. Tests of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were generally in accord with expectations, with only one locus, in two samples, showing significant deviations. Three samples were taken in different years from the Exmouth Gulf. These showed no significant heterogeneity, and it was concluded that they were from a single panmictic population. A sample from Shark Bay, also on the west coast of Australia, showed barely detectable differentiation from Exmouth Gulf (F _ST = 0 to 0.0014). A northeast sample from the Gulf of Carpentaria showed low (F _ST = 0.008) but significant differentiation from Moreton Bay, on the east coast. However, Exmouth Gulf/Shark Bay samples were well differentiated from the Gulf of Carpentaria/Moreton Bay (F _ST = 0.047–0.063). The data do not fit a simple isolation by distance model. It is postulated that the east–west differentiation largely reflects the isolation of east and west coast populations that occurred at the last glacial maximum when there was a land bridge between north-eastern Australia and New Guinea.     

Factors contributing to process variance in annual survival of female greater sage-grouse in Montana.

Populations of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have declined by 69-99% from historic levels, and information on population dynamics of these birds at a landscape scale is essential to informed management. We examined the relationships between hen survival and a suite of landscape-scale habitat and environmental conditions. We radio-marked 237 female Sage-Grouse and measured 426 vegetation plots during 2001-2004 at four sites in a 3200-km2 landscape in north-central Montana, USA. We used program MARK to model monthly survival rates for 11 seasonal intervals. There was strong support for the best-approximating model (AICc weight = 0.810), which indicated that (1) hen survival varied by season within years and by year within seasons, (2) nesting hens had higher nesting-season survival than non-nesting hens, and (3) individuals at one site had lower hunting-season survival than at other sites. We observed considerable variation in hen survival. Process variation was 0.255, with an expected range of annual survival of 0.12 to 1.0. The ratio of process to total variation was 0.999, indicating that observed variation was real and not attributable to sampling variation. We observed a nearly fourfold difference in maximum and minimum annual survival, ranging from 0.962 +/- 0.024 (mean +/- SE) for nesting hens in 2001-2002 to 0.247 +/- 0.050) for non-nesters in 2003-2004. Low annual survival in 2003 resulted from the compounded effects of a West Nile virus outbreak in August and a severe winter in 2003-2004. Increased hen mortality associated with severe winter weather contrasts with prior beliefs that Sage-Grouse populations are typically unaffected by winter weather conditions and underscores the importance of protecting winter sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats.     

Population genetics of the northern Pacific seastar Asterias amurensis (Echinodermata: Asteriidae): allozyme differentiation among Japanese,Russian, and recently introduced Tasmanian populations

The northern Pacific seastar Asterias amurensis Lütken was recently introduced to Tasmanian waters, possibly through ballast water discharged from ocean-going vessels. Three Tasmanian populations and seven native populations from Japan and eastern Russia were examined in 1994 for variation at 22 allozyme loci. There was significant spatial heterogeneity in gene frequencies among the native populations, especially for the ocus APK ^*, where G _ST was a very high 0.47. The Tasmanian populations could not be separated genetically from one another, suggesting they have a common origin from a single introduction. The average heterozygosity per locus of the Tasmanian populations (0.116 to 0.127, mean 0.123) was 30 to 40% less than that of the native populations (0.177 to 0.216, mean 0.192), suggesting that colonisation of Tasmanian waters was accompanied by a population-size bottle-neck. The Tasmanian seastars were genetically more closely related to the two populations from central Japan (Suruga and Tokyo Bays) than to populations from Vladivostok, northern Japan (Yoichi, Nemuro and Mutsu Bays) or southern Japan (Ariake Sea). However, there were significant differences between the populations from Tasmania and central Japan, which may be attributable to founder effects or may mean that the true source of the Tasmanian introduction has yet to be identified.     

Pericentric inversion of chromosome 19: prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling

During prenatal diagnosis for advanced maternal age, a pericentric inversion of a chromosome 19 was detected in a male fetus. The inversion was familial, transmitted to the fetus by the phenotypically normal mother. The pregnancy resulted in a term birth of a phenotypically normal male infant. Inversion 19 appears to be a rare abnormality with only seven families reported thus far including ours. Infants with duplication deficiencies for chromosome 19 have not been reported in these families. This may suggest an apparent suppression of crossing over and recombination within the inverted segment of chromosome 19 during meiosis.     

Optimal copula duration in dungflies: effects of frequency dependence and female mating status

Summary The addition of frequency dependence to the marginal value theorem (MVT) model of the dung fly (Scatophaga stercoraria) male's optimal copula duration makes virtually no difference to the predicted competitive optimum (ESS). However, this evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) version allows an explicit solution for the optimum. In a general sense, MVT optima will be close to their ESS equivalent when the cycle duration (expected time between the starts of two successive patch exploitations) is long relative to the plausible patch exploitation times. The optimal copula duration for male dung flies will depend on the ratio of virgin to mated females arriving at the droppings and on whether a male can discriminate between the two sorts of female. In nature, we found only an average of 3% of the total females arriving at the droppings to be virgins, rather less than had been estimated. This means that matings away from droppings (extra-dung matings) must be much commoner than previously suspected. Cumulative gains through copulation time rise much more steeply with virgins than with mated females, and so if males are able to discriminate, on the present model, we calculate that the ESS copula durations (at 20° C) would be around 42 min for non-virgins and 11 min for virgins. If they do not discriminate, the ESS is to copulate for a fixed duration of 41.5 min, i.e. very close to the optimum for mated females. The data indicate that copula duration does not differ for the two types of mating (mated females; virgins), suggesting that males cannot discriminate (or that the copula duration with virgins is not optimised to male interests). ESS copula durations with discrimination are almost entirely independent of the frequency of virgins in the population of females arriving at the droppings; without discrimination the optimal copula duration shifts between the ESS for mated females and that for virgins as the virgin frequency increases from 0 to 1. But at their naturally occurring frequency of only 3%, virgins can be ignored from calculations of optimal copula duration without significant loss of precision.Correspondence to: G.A. Parker     

Large Mammalian Herbivores and the Conservation of Arid Acacia Stands in the Middle East

Abstract: High mortality and poor recruitment in Acacia tree populations in many parts of the Middle East may result in loss of biodiversity. Human activities in recent decades have caused drastic changes in the water regime and the abundance of wild and domestic ungulates, which may negatively affect these trees. We studied the effects of large mammalian herbivores on the establishment of young Acacia raddiana and A. tortilis in the Arava Valley between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, Israel. Seed accumulation under trees was high when large herbivores were excluded, and direct observations confirmed that ungulates were the main seed dispersers of these Acacia species. Insect seed predators (bruchid beetles) damaged more than 95% of seeds not consumed by ungulates. Seed germination was facilitated by gut passage through ungulates. Seedling survival was determined largely by water availability and was independent of herbivore density. Under present conditions, several years of high rainfall are necessary for successful establishment of young trees. Under severe browsing pressure by ungulates, growth in juvenile trees was delayed and smaller sizes were overrepresented. There was no evidence, however, of effects on the long-term demography of Acacia trees, perhaps because ungulates increased seedling densities by enhancing the viability and germination of seeds. We conclude that large mammalian herbivores are essential components of arid Acacia savannas and that wild and domestic ungulates must be included in future conservation plans.     

Widespread contribution of methane-cycle bacteria to the diets of lake profundal chironomid larvae

Reports of unexpectedly 13C-depleted chironomid larvae in lakes have led to an hypothesis that significant transfer of detrital organic matter to chironomid larvae may occur via methane-cycle bacteria. However, to date little is known of how such transfer might vary across species and lakes. We gathered data from 87 lakes to determine how widespread this phenomenon might be and to define boundaries for its likely magnitude. Carbon stable isotope values of chironomid larvae varied greatly between taxa. Very marked 13C-depletion was evident only in certain taxa, especially Chironomus plumosus, C. anthracinus, and C. tenuistylus, all characteristic of eutrophic or dystrophic lakes and known to be tolerant of low oxygen conditions. Furthermore, marked 13C-depletion was only found in larvae from lakes in which late-summer hypolimnetic oxygen depletion near the sediment surface was below an apparent threshold concentration of 2-4 mg O2/L. Similarly, application of a two-source mixing model suggested that methanotrophic bacteria made the greatest contribution to profundal chironomid growth (0-70% of larval carbon) when the late-summer oxygen concentration dropped below approximately 2 mg O2/L. Our study demonstrates that methane-derived carbon is an important, but often neglected, contribution to the flux of carbon through the food webs of many productive or dystrophic lakes.     

The role of marine aggregates in the ingestion of picoplankton-size particles by suspension-feeding molluscs

Suspension-feeding molluscs are important members of coastal communities and a large body of literature focuses on their feeding processes, including the efficiency of particle capture. Some molluscs, such as bivalves, capture individual picoplankton cells (0.2–2.0 μm) with a retention efficiency of less than 50%, leading to the assumption that such particles are not an important food resource. Picoplankton, however, are often concentrated in particle aggregates of much larger size. This study investigates the ability of suspension feeders to ingest picoplankton-size particles (0.2–2.0 μm) bound in marine aggregates. We fed clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), mussels (Mytilus edulis), oysters (Crassostrea virginica), scallops (Argopecten irradians) and slipper snails (Crepidula fornicata) 1.0- and 0.5-μm fluorescent particles (either polystyrene beads or bacteria) that were (1) dispersed in seawater, or (2) embedded within laboratory-made aggregates. Dispersed 10-μm beads were also delivered so that feeding activity could be determined. Ingested fluorescent particles were recovered in feces or isolated digestive glands and quantified. Results indicate that aggregates significantly enhance the ingestion of 1.0- and 0.5-μm beads by all species of bivalves, and enhance the ingestion of bacteria (greatest cell dimension ca. 0.6 μm) by all suspension feeders examined. Differences among species in their ability to ingest aggregates and picoplankton-size particles, however, were evident. Compared to mussels and clams, scallops and oysters ingested fewer aggregates with 1.0-μm beads or bacteria, and slipper snails ingested the most dispersed beads and bacteria. These differences may be a consequence of variations in gill structure and mechanisms of particle processing. Our data demonstrate that suspension feeders can ingest picoplankton-size particles that are embedded within aggregates, and suggest that such constituent particles may be an important food resource.