Characteristics and source attribution of PM2.5 during 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou: Efficacy of radical measures to reduce source emissions

A field campaign was conducted to study the PM_2.5 and atmospheric gases and aerosol's components to evaluate the efficacy of radical measures implemented by the Chinese government to improve air quality during the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou China. The lower level of PM_2.5 (32.48 ± 11.03 µg/m³) observed during the control period compared to pre-control and post-control periods showed that PM_2.5 was alleviated by control policies. Based on the mass concentrations of particulate components, the emissions of PM_2.5 from local sources including fossil fuel, coal combustion, industry and construction were effectively reduced, but non-exhaust emission was not reduced as effectively as expected. The accumulation of SNA (SO₄^2?, NO₃^?, NH₄⁺) was observed during the control period, due to the favourable synoptic weather conditions for photochemical reactions and heterogeneous hydrolysis. Because of transboundary transport during the control period, air masses from remote areas contributed significantly to local PM_2.5. Although, secondary organic carbon (OC_sec) exhibited more sensitivity than primary organic carbon (OC_pri) to control measures, and the increased nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR) implied the regional transport of aged secondary aerosols to the study area. Overall, the results from various approaches revealed that local pollution sources were kept under control, indicating that the implementation of mitigation measures were helpful in improving the air quality of Hangzhou during G20 summit. To reduce ambient levels of PM_2.5 further in Hangzhou, regional control policies may have to be taken so as to reduce the impact of long-range transport of air masses from inland China.     

Seasonal and decadal changes in distribution patterns of Halobates (Hemiptera: Gerridae) populations in the eastern tropical Pacific

Five species of the marine insect Halobates share similar ecology but have distinct biogeographic ranges in the eastern tropical Pacific, a region from approximately 75°W–160°W and 10°S–35°N. Between 2001 and 2010, the Sea Education Association collected Halobates from 682 neuston tows (surface net 1 m × 0.5 m, 335-μm mesh) during fifteen cruises between San Diego, USA, Mexico and Tahiti. Total Halobates spp. densities varied substantially from year to year, but our data do not show a sustained change from a data set collected 40 years earlier from 1967 to 1968 (Cheng and Shulenberger in Fish Bull 78(3):579–591, 1980). Halobates are sensitive to sea surface temperature and we observed significant differences in species distributions over time, but these were not due to differences in water temperature or climate change. Our analyses show that the patterns observed are attributable to substantial but previously undescribed seasonal shifts that occur each year in the ranges for both Halobates sobrinus and Halobates micans. There is substantial overlap in ranges during seasonal shifts, but very little co-occurrence of H. sobrinus and H. micans in individual net tows, suggesting biological mechanisms rather than physical factors are restricting distribution and co-occurrence of these two species.     

Higher trophic level prey does not represent a higher quality diet in a threatened seabird: implications for relating population dynamics to diet shifts inferred from stable isotopes

Diet quality is a key determinant of population dynamics. If a higher trophic level, more fish-based diet is of higher quality for marine predators, then individuals with a higher trophic level diet should have a greater body mass than those feeding at a lower trophic level. We examined this hypothesis using stable isotope analysis to infer dietary trophic level and foraging habitat over three years in eastern rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome filholi on sub-Antarctic Campbell Island, New Zealand. Rockhopper penguins are ‘Vulnerable’ to extinction because of widespread and dramatic population declines, perhaps related to nutritional stress caused by a climate-induced shift to a lower trophic level, lower quality diet. We related the stable nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope values of blood from 70 chicks, 55 adult females, and 55 adult males to their body masses in the 2010, 2011, and 2012 breeding seasons and examined year, stage, age, and sex differences. Opposite to predictions, heavier males consumed a lower trophic level diet during incubation in 2011, and average chick mass was heavier in 2011 when chicks were fed a more zooplankton-based, pelagic/offshore diet than in 2012. Contrary to the suggested importance of a fish-based diet, our results support the alternative hypothesis that rockhopper penguin populations are likely to be most successful when abundant zooplankton prey are available. We caution that historic shifts to lower trophic level prey should not be assumed to reflect nutritional stress and a cause of population declines.     

Differences in olfactory species recognition in the females of two Australian songbird species

Although birds have recently been shown to possess olfactory abilities and to use chemical cues in communication, limited effort has been made to demonstrate the use of odorants in social contexts. Even less is known regarding the use of odorants in species recognition. The ability to recognize conspecifics should be more pronounced in social species. This study investigated the importance of olfactory cues in species recognition in females of two estrildid finch species with different levels of sociality. Combining odor preference tests with chemical analyses, we surveyed whether female zebra finches and diamond firetails are able to distinguish between the species based on volatile traits and whether individuals exhibit species-specific differences in body odorants. Zebra finches are more social than diamond firetails; nevertheless, both species have an overlapping distribution area. Applying an experimental Y-maze paradigm, we showed that zebra finches can use differences in their species odor fingerprints and displayed a significant preference for the odor of conspecifics over that of heterospecifics, whereas diamond firetails did not reveal a preference. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that body odorants of the two species were significantly different in relative composition. This finding demonstrates the potential importance of olfactory cues in species recognition, at least in social bird species. Even these two closely related species displayed remarkable differences in their responsiveness to similar chemical cues, which might be caused by species-specific differences in ecology, physiology, or evolution.     

Matching and mismatching stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) ratios in fin and muscle tissue among fish species: a critical review

Using non-lethal tissue sampling for stable isotope analysis has become standard in many fields, but not for fishes, despite being desirable when species are rare or protected, when repeated sampling of individuals is required or where removal may bias other analyses. Here, we examine the utility of fish dorsal fin membrane as an alternative to muscle for analyzing δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ratios in two reef fish species (blue cod Parapercis colias and spotty Notolabrus celidotus) that have differing feeding modes. Both species exhibited evidence of size-based feeding from fin δ¹⁵N values, but not from muscle. Blue cod fin δ¹⁵N increased steadily throughout the sampled size range (213–412 mm fork length), whereas spotty exhibited a distinct ontogenetic diet shift at approximately 120–140 mm fork length after which size-based feeding did not occur. Fin membrane was higher than muscle in δ¹³C in both species and in δ¹⁵N for blue cod, but fin δ¹⁵N was lower than muscle in spotty. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N fin–muscle offsets were constant in spotty regardless of size, while in blue cod, δ¹³C was constant with fish size, but δ¹⁵N offsets increased with increasing fish size. Non-lethal sampling utilizing fin tissue can be employed to estimate stable isotope values of muscle in fishes, but it is necessary to assess relationships among tissues and the effects of fish size on isotope values a priori for each species studied. Our data indicated that fin membrane may be a more sensitive tissue than muscle for detecting size-based feeding in some fish species using stable isotopes. A critical literature review revealed inconsistencies in tissue types tested, little understanding of tissue-specific trophic shift or turnover rates, and pseudo-replicated analyses leading to erroneous postulating of 1:1 relationships between tissues.     

Towards improved socio-economic assessments of ocean acidification’s impacts

Ocean acidification is increasingly recognized as a component of global change that could have a wide range of impacts on marine organisms, the ecosystems they live in, and the goods and services they provide humankind. Assessment of these potential socio-economic impacts requires integrated efforts between biologists, chemists, oceanographers, economists and social scientists. But because ocean acidification is a new research area, significant knowledge gaps are preventing economists from estimating its welfare impacts. For instance, economic data on the impact of ocean acidification on significant markets such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism are very limited (if not non-existent), and non-market valuation studies on this topic are not yet available. Our paper summarizes the current understanding of future OA impacts and sets out what further information is required for economists to assess socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification. Our aim is to provide clear directions for multidisciplinary collaborative research.     

Identifying trophic variation in a marine suspension feeder: DNA- and stable isotope-based dietary analysis in Mytilus spp.

Accurate field data on trophic interactions for suspension feeders are lacking, and new approaches to dietary analysis are necessary. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) was integrated with stable isotope analysis to examine dietary patterns in suspension-feeding Mytilus spp. from seven spatially discrete locations within a semi-enclosed marine bay (Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland) during June 2009. Results of the two methods were highly correlated, reflecting dietary variation in a similar manner. Variation in PCR-DGGE data was more strongly correlated with the principal environmental gradient (distance from the opening to the Irish Sea), while values of δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N became progressively enriched, suggesting a greater dependence on animal tissue and benthic microalgae. Diatoms and crustaceans were the most frequently observed phylotypes identified by sequencing, but specific DNA results provided little support for the trophic trends observed in the stable isotope data. This combined approach offers an increased level of trophic insight for suspension feeders and could be applied to other organisms.     

Sex and microhabitat influence the uptake and allocation of mycosporine-like amino acids to tissues in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

UVR-absorbing mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) were detected in tissues of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and in ten species of Rhodophyte macroalgae (eight previously untested) collected from intertidal microhabitats in November and January 2006?C2007 in Central California (35°09??N, 120°45??W). In sea urchins, MAA concentrations were higher in ovaries than testes, while epidermal concentrations were similar between sexes. Ovaries and epidermal tissues had similar MAA signatures and broadband UVA/UVB absorbance, while testes had a narrower absorption ranges shifted toward higher energy wavelengths. Sea urchins occupying pits in the substrate exhibited lower MAA concentrations than those outside pits, suggesting adult microhabitat may impact UV protection. Light levels did not influence gonadal MAA concentrations, but correlated with elevated epidermal MAA concentrations for males in the sunniest microhabitat. This study suggests sex and habitat strongly influence MAA concentrations among individual S. purpuratus and that allocation of MAA sunscreens to tissues in response to UVR is sex-dependent.