Effects of symbiont elimination and reinfection on the life processes of the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer

Laboratory experiments were carried out to determine the influence of symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) on the shell growth, longevity, and reproductive potential of Globigerinoides sacculifer (Brady). Its symbionts were eliminated by 72-h treatment with a photosynthetic inhibitor (DCMU). Symbiont elimination resulted in earlier gametogenesis (shortened survival time) and smaller shell sizes of G. sacculifer when compared to untreated foraminifera grown in sea water. Individuals kept in continuous darkness in untreated sea water also exhibited early gametogenesis, short survival times and small shell sizes. Aposymbiotic foraminifera formed on the average one or two chambers fewer per individual and their rate of shell size increase is slower than symbiont-bearing foraminifera. Symbionts were lysed within perialgal vacuoles of G. sacculifer when subjected to DCMU treatment or kept in continuous darkness. One DCMU-treated group was reinfected with symbionts from crushed G. sacculifer donors. Soon after reinfection, these foraminifera resumed a shell growth rate and exhibited developmental stages that were nearly equivalent to those of untreated individuals, as deduced from their shell size, frequency of sac-like chambers, rate of gametogenesis, and survival time. Our experiments indicate that the symbionts aid in calcification and that elimination of symbionts triggers gametogenesis, thus shortening the life span of the foraminiferal host. The results imply that shell growth in symbiont-bearing planktonic foraminifera occurs mainly in the euphotic zone and that they do not survive for long periods below it.     

Cadmium accumulation and metallothionein synthesis in freshwater bivalves (Pyganodon grandis): relative influence of the metal exposure gradient versus limnological variability

The relative influence of limnological confounding factors on cadmium (Cd) bioaccumulation and metallothionein (MT) synthesis was quantified in natural populations of freshwater bivalves (Pyganodon grandis) living in lakes along a Cd concentration gradient. During the ice-free period, we measured 15 environmental variables in the water compartment and determined total concentrations of Cd and MT in the gills of bivalves at 37 littoral stations in 20 lakes distributed across the mining area of Rouyn-Noranda in northwestern Quebec. A multiple linear regression model including pH (+), dissolved Ca concentrations (-) and free Cd2+ concentrations at the sediment-water interface (+) explained 74% of the variability in Cd concentrations in the bivalve gills. Dissolved Ca (-) and free Cd2+ (+) together explained 62% of the variation in MT concentrations in the bivalve gills. Partial linear regression analyses indicated that the limnological factors' pure and shared effects together accounted for 48 and 45% of the total variation in Cd and MT concentrations in the gills, respectively. A lake selection procedure that could be applied in monitoring programs is proposed to minimise the relative influence of these confounding variables.     

Hybrid process for heavy metal removal from wastewater sludge.

Bioleaching processes have been demonstrated to be effective technologies in removing heavy metals from wastewater sludge, but long hydraulic retention times are typically required to operate these bioprocesses. A hybrid process (coupling biological and chemical processes) has been explored in laboratory pilot-scale experiments for heavy metals (cadmium [Cd], copper [Cu], chromium [Cr], and zinc [Zn]) removal from three types of sludge (primary sludge, secondary activated sludge, and a mixture of primary and secondary sludge). The hybrid process consisted of producing a concentrate ferric ion solution followed by chemical treatment of sludges. Ferric iron solution was produced biologically via oxidation of ferrous iron by A. ferrooxidans in a continuous-flow stirred tank (5.2 L) reactor (CSTR). Wastewater sludge filtrate (WSF) containing nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) has been used as culture media to support the growth and activity of indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria. Results showed that total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations of the culture media in excess of 235 mg/L were found to be inhibitory to bacterial growth. The oxidation rate increased as ferrous iron concentrations ranged from 10 to 40 g Fe2+/L. The percentage of ferrous iron (Fe2+) oxidized to ferric iron (Fe3+) increased as the hydraulic retention time (HRT) increased from 12 to 48 h. Successful and complete Fe2+ oxidation was recorded at a HRT of 48 h using 10 g Fe2+/L. Subsequently, ferric ion solution produced by A. ferrooxidans in sludge filtrate was used to solubilize heavy metals contained in wastewater sludge. The best solubilization was obtained with a mixture of primary and secondary sludge, demonstrating a removal efficiency of 63, 71, 49, and 80% for Cd, Cu, Cr, and Zn, respectively.     

“Measuring Sustainability”: A Multi-Criterion Framework

So far, the elementary question of whether one country’s or region’s economy is moving towards sustainability or away from it cannot be answered with unanimous consensus on the ‘measuring rod(s)’ to be employed. The main assumption of this article is that sustainability assessment needs a set of multi-dimensional indicators. From this assumption a question arises: how could such indicators be aggregated? Often, some indicators improve while others deteriorate. For instance, when incomes grow, SO₂ might go down while CO₂ increases. It has to be noted that this is the classical conflictual situation studied in multi-criteria decision theory. The use of a multi-criterion framework for making operational the ‘measuring of sustainability’ is discussed here by means of illustrative examples and more formal arguments.     

An Assessment of the Valuation Methods Used to Calculate the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and Sustainable Net Benefit Index (SNBI)

For some time now, ecological economists have been putting forward a ‘threshold hypothesis’ – the notion that when macroeconomic systems expand beyond a certain size, the additional cost of growth exceeds the flow of additional benefits. In order to support their belief, ecological economists have developed a number of similar indexes to measure and compare the benefits and costs of growth (e.g., the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator). In virtually every instance where an index of this type has been calculated for a particular country, the movement of the index appears to reinforce the existence of the threshold hypothesis. Of late, a number of observers have expressed concerns about whether these alternative indexes reflect concrete reality or the prejudices of ecological economists. In view of these concerns, this paper closely examines the valuation methods used in the calculation the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and the Sustainable Net Benefit Index. It is argued that a consistent and more robust set of valuation techniques is required in order for these alternative indexes to gain broad acceptability.*Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Population structure and genetic diversity in green turtles nesting at Tortuguero,Costa Rica,based on mitochondrial DNA control region sequences

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting population at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, is the largest nesting aggregation in the Atlantic, by at least an order of magnitude. Previous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) surveys based on limited sampling (n = 41) indicated low genetic diversity and low gene flow with other Caribbean nesting colonies. Furthermore, a survey of nuclear DNA diversity invoked the possibility of substructure within the Tortuguero rookery. To evaluate these characteristics, mtDNA control region sequences were determined for green turtles nesting at Tortuguero in 2001 (n = 157) and 2002 (n = 235). The increased sample revealed three additional haplotypes; five haplotypes are now known for Tortuguero female green turtles. Analyses of molecular variance indicated that there was no significant spatial population structure along the 30-km nesting beach. In addition, no temporal population structure was detected either between the two nesting seasons or within the nesting season. As a result of the larger sample size and additional haplotypes, estimates of genetic separation among Caribbean nesting colonies have changed and the concordance of phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns reported in the past for green turtles in the Greater Caribbean has weakened. The five haplotypes from Tortuguero represent 36% of the haplotypes identified in green turtle nesting aggregations in the Greater Caribbean and 17% of the haplotypes known to occur in nesting or foraging aggregations in the Greater Caribbean. Haplotype diversity (0.16) and nucleotide diversity (0.0034) for the Tortuguero population are substantially lower than those for the combined rookeries in the Greater Caribbean (0.44 and 0.0078, respectively). Although comprehensive evaluation of regional genetic diversity requires nuclear DNA data, our study indicates that conserving genetic diversity in Caribbean green turtles will require careful management of the smaller rookeries in addition to the Tortuguero rookery.     

Metals and organic pollutants in snow surrounding an iron factory

To estimate air pollution snow samples were collected in March 2001 at six sites in the vicinity of the Kostomuksha factory in Karelia. Seventy-two chemical elements and more than 200 individual organic compounds were identified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). It was found that the levels of Li, B, Al, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Hg, Mn, Mo as well as hydrocarbons, phthalates and phenols exceeded the existing maximum allowable concentrations. A list of toxicants emitted with the factory exhausts and a list of priority pollutants for Kostomuksha were compiled. The impact of the exhausts of the Kostomuksha factory on the environment in Finland is relatively small. Electronic Publication     

Comparison of allozyme and mitochondrial DNA spatial differentiation in the limpet Patella vulgata

Allozyme and restriction enzyme analysis of mtDNA was used to study variation in samples from British populations of the marine limpet Patella vulgata in two regions. South Wales and Northeast England. Allozyme analysis revealed significant differences in allele frequencies among samples. However F _ST (population differentiation) values were no higher between than within regions, indicating that genetic heterogeneity was localised and not related to geographic separation. For mtDNA, samples from South Wales exhibited higher haplotype diversity values than samples from Northeast England. In addition there were substantial differences in the haplotype distribution between regions. The value of , the haploid analogoue of F _ST , was low within regions (=0.09) but high between regions (=0.44). The estimated difference in migration rate for allozymes and mtDNA exceed the neutral expectation, unless it is assumed that there are influential differences in the magnitude of female and male gametic dispersal.