Satellite-based decadal change assessments of pan-Arctic environments

Remote sensing can advance the work of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program through monitoring of satellite-derived terrestrial and marine physical and ecological variables. Standardized data facilitate an unbiased comparison across variables and environments. Using MODIS standard products of land surface temperature, percent snow covered area, NDVI, EVI, phenology, burned area, marine chlorophyll, CDOM, sea surface temperature, and marine primary productivity, significant trends were observed in almost all variables between 2000 and 2017. Analysis of seasonal data revealed significant breakpoints in temporal trends. Within the terrestrial environment, data showed significant increasing trends in land surface temperature and NDVI. In the marine environment, significant increasing trends were detected in primary productivity. Significantly earlier onset of green up date was observed in bioclimate subzones C&E and longer end of growing season in B&E. Terrestrial and marine parameters showed similar rates of change with unidirectional change in terrestrial and significant directional and magnitude shifts in marine.     

Wildlife impacts and vulnerable livelihoods in a transfrontier conservation landscape

Interactions between humans and wildlife resulting in negative impacts are among the most pressing conservation challenges globally. In regions of smallholder livestock and crop production, interactions with wildlife can compromise human well-being and motivate negative sentiment and retaliation toward wildlife, undermining conservation goals. Although impacts may be unavoidable when human and wildlife land use overlap, scant large-scale human data exist quantifying the direct costs of wildlife to livelihoods. In a landscape of global importance for wildlife conservation in southern Africa, we quantified costs for people living with wildlife through a fundamental measure of human well-being, food security, and we tested whether existing livelihood strategies buffer certain households against crop depredation by wildlife, predominantly elephants. To do this, we estimated Bayesian multilevel statistical models based on multicounty household data (n = 711) and interpreted model results in the context of spatial data from participatory land-use mapping. Reported crop depredation by wildlife was widespread. Over half of the sample households were affected and household food security was reduced significantly (odds ratio 0.37 [0.22, 0.63]). The most food insecure households relied on gathered food sources and welfare programs. In the event of crop depredation by wildlife, these 2 livelihood sources buffered or reduced harmful effects of depredation. The presence of buffering strategies suggests a targeted compensation strategy could benefit the region's most vulnerable people. Such strategies should be combined with dynamic and spatially explicit land-use planning that may reduce the frequency of negative human–wildlife impacts. Quantifying and mitigating the human costs from wildlife are necessary steps in working toward human–wildlife coexistence.     

Bio‐Based Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/Thermoplastic Starch Composites as a Host Matrix for Biochar Fillers

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Biochar is an excellent, but less-used candidate to serve as an alternative filler in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-based composites. Increasing amounts of...     

Using citizen science butterfly counts to predict species population trends

Citizen scientists are increasingly engaged in gathering biodiversity information, but trade‐offs are often required between public engagement goals and reliable data collection. We compared population estimates for 18 widespread butterfly species derived from the first 4 years (2011–2014) of a short‐duration citizen science project (Big Butterfly Count [BBC]) with those from long‐running, standardized monitoring data collected by experienced observers (U.K. Butterfly Monitoring Scheme [UKBMS]). BBC data are gathered during an annual 3‐week period, whereas UKBMS sampling takes place over 6 months each year. An initial comparison with UKBMS data restricted to the 3‐week BBC period revealed that species population changes were significantly correlated between the 2 sources. The short‐duration sampling season rendered BBC counts susceptible to bias caused by interannual phenological variation in the timing of species’ flight periods. The BBC counts were positively related to butterfly phenology and sampling effort. Annual estimates of species abundance and population trends predicted from models including BBC data and weather covariates as a proxy for phenology correlated significantly with those derived from UKBMS data. Overall, citizen science data obtained using a simple sampling protocol produced comparable estimates of butterfly species abundance to data collected through standardized monitoring methods. Although caution is urged in extrapolating from this U.K. study of a small number of common, conspicuous insects, we found that mass‐participation citizen science can simultaneously contribute to public engagement and biodiversity monitoring. Mass‐participation citizen science is not an adequate replacement for standardized biodiversity monitoring but may extend and complement it (e.g., through sampling different land‐use types), as well as serving to reconnect an increasingly urban human population with nature.     

Mastrus ridibundus parasitoids eavesdrop on cocoon-spinning codling moth, Cydia pomonella, larvae

Cocoon-spinning larvae of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae) employ a pheromone that attracts or arrests conspecifics seeking pupation sites. Such intraspecific communication signals are important cues for illicit receivers such as parasitoids to exploit. We tested the hypothesis that the prepupal C. pomonella parasitoid Mastrus ridibundus Gravenhorst (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) exploits the larval aggregation pheromone to locate host prepupae. In laboratory olfactometer experiments, female M. ridibundus were attracted to 3-day-old cocoons containing C. pomonella larvae or prepupae. Older cocoons containing C. pomonella pupae, or larvae and prepupae excised from cocoons, were not attractive. In gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) analyses of bioactive Porapak Q extract of cocoon-derived airborne semiochemicals, ten compounds elicited responses from female M. ridibundus antennae. Comparative GC-mass spectrometry of authentic standards and cocoon-volatiles determined that these compounds were 3-carene, myrcene, heptanal, octanal, nonanal, decanal, (E)-2-octenal, (E)-2-nonenal, sulcatone, and geranylacetone. A synthetic 11-component blend consisting of these ten EAD-active compounds plus EAD-inactive (+)-limonene (the most abundant cocoon-derived volatile) was as effective as Porapak Q cocoon extract in attracting both female M. ridibundus and C. pomonella larvae seeking pupation sites. Only three components could be deleted from the 11-component blend without diminishing its attractiveness to M. ridibundus, which underlines the complexity of information received and processed during foraging for hosts. Mastrus ridibundus obviously eavesdrop on the pheromonal communication signals of C. pomonella larvae that reliably indicate host presence.

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Holoprosencephaly: Prenatal diagnosis by sonography and magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed on two women at the 33rd and 34th pregnancy week, respectively, after ultrasonographic detection of a brain malformation. Fetal neuromuscular blockade was induced by pancuronium bromide injected into the umbilical vein under continuous ultrasound (US) guidance. MR images supported the echotomographic diagnosis of holoprosencephaly, improving the image quality and offering additional information in such cases of difficult differential fetal diagnosis. Holoprosencephaly was finally confirmed by neonatal US and autopsy (case 1), US, CT and MR (case 2).     

Climate change: linking adaptation and mitigation through agroforestry

Agriculture is the human enterprise that is most vulnerable to climate change. Tropical agriculture, particularly subsistence agriculture is particularly vulnerable, as smallholder farmers do not have adequate resources to adapt to climate change. While agroforestry may play a significant role in mitigating the atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG), it also has a role to play in helping smallholder farmers adapt to climate change. In this paper, we examine data on the mitigation potential of agroforestry in the humid and sub-humid tropics. We then present the scientific evidence that leads to the expectation that agroforestry also has an important role in climate change adaptation, particularly for small holder farmers. We conclude with priority research questions that need to be answered concerning the role of agroforestry in both mitigation and adaptation to climate change.     

Early prenatal diagnosis of the fragile site AT Xq27.3 associated with Martin-Bell syndrome

Early prenatal diagnosis of the fragile X was attempted in 44 pregnancies, including one twin pregnancy at risk of Martin-Bell (MB) syndrome. The sex ratio was 24M:21F. The fragile site was reproducibly demonstrated in cultured chorionic villus (CV) cells in eight male and five female fetuses. Six of the male and three of the female fetuses were terminated. Simultaneous RFLP analysis provided confirmative data with flanking DNA markers in 3 of 13 analysed cases. Recombination and/or non-informativeness at available distal and/or proximal loci were found in nine cases. In one male fetus, discordance between the haplotype and cyto-genetics (fragile-X-negative) suggested the presence of a normal male transmitter, a double meiotic cross-over within the region, or a false-negative cytogenetic diagnosis. However, discordance between prenatal and post-termination/postnatal cytogenetic findings was not observed in this series. The use of excess thymidine for induction of the fragile X in cultured CV cells provided in the majority of cases a safe and rapid method for cytogenetic diagnosis, with options for early induced termination in fragile-X-positive pregnancies, for simultaneous RFLP analysis, and for subsequent second-trimester analysis of fetal blood in complicated cases.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments and associated benthos in Lake Erie

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were analyzed in surficial sediments and benthic organisms in southwestern Lake Erie near a large coal fired power plant. Sediment concentrations (530–770 ppb PAH) were relatively homogenous throughout most of the 150 km² area, although river and nearshore concentrations reached nearly 4 ppm. Oligochaete worms and chironomid midges were near equilibrium with local sediments except for enhanced concentrations in nearshore midges.     

Using experimental and forest soils to investigate the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) along an urban-rural gradient

Spatial and temporal variation in the atmospheric deposition of PAHs to soil was examined by deploying experimental soils for approximately 165 days and conducting a survey of forest soils at several sites along an urban-rural transect extending from downtown Toronto to approximately 80 km north of the city. PAH concentrations decreased with distance from the urban centre-by a factor of 2 and 60 for the experimental and forest soils respectively. The large gradient for the forest soils is generally consistent with air concentrations of PAHs measured using high volume and passive air samplers. The smaller gradient for the experimental soils was due to kinetic limitations of PAH accumulation and the relatively short deployment period of approximately 165 days. Mean effective deposition velocities (gas+particle) for the full range of PAHs for the experimental soils at the urban, suburban, and the rural sites were 2, 31 and 26 cm s(-1), respectively. These were incorporated into a dynamic model that was used to assess the long-term uptake of PAHs in forest soils. Model results indicate that lower molecular weight PAHs may achieve equilibrium and become involved in soil-air exchange whereas higher molecular weight PAHs are accumulated for much longer time periods.