ABATEMENT OF GROUND WATER PHOSPHATE IN GIANT CANE AND FOREST RIPARIAN BUFFERS1

ABSTRACT: Forest and grass riparian buffers have been shown to be effective best management practices for controlling nonpoint source pollution. However, little research has been conducted on giant cane [Arundinaria gigantea (Walt. Muhl.)], a formerly common bamboo species, native to the lower midwestern and southeastern United States, and its ability to reduce nutrient loads to streams. From May 2002 through May 2003, orthophosphate or dissolved reactive phosphate (DRP) concentrations in ground water were measured at successive distances from the field edge through 12 m of riparian buffers of both giant cane and mixed hardwood forest along three streams draining agricultural land in the Cache River watershed in southern Illinois. Giant cane and mixed hardwood forest did not differ in their DRP sequestration abilities. Ground water DRP concentrations were significantly reduced (14 percent) in the first 1.5 m of the buffers, and there was an overall 28 percent reduction in DRP concentration by 12 m from the field edge. The relatively low DRP reductions compared to other studies could be attributed to high DRP input levels, narrow (12 m) buffer lengths, and/or mature (28 to 48 year old) riparian vegetation.     

Modelling the reworking effects of bioturbation on the incorporation of radionuclides into the sediment column: implications for the fate of particle-reactive radionuclides in Irish Sea sediments

A microcosm laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the impact of biological reworking by the ragworm Nereis diversicolor on the redistribution of particle-bound radionuclides deposited at the sediment-water interface. Over the course of the 40-day experiment, as much as 35% of a ¹³⁷Cs-labelled particulate tracer deposited on the sediment surface was redistributed to depths of up to 11 cm by the polychaete. Three different reworking models were employed to model the profiles and quantify the biodiffusion and biotransport coefficients: a gallery-diffuser model, a continuous sub-surface egestion model and a biodiffusion model. Although the biodiffusion coefficients obtained for each model were quite similar, the continuous sub-surface egestion model provided the best fit to the data. The average biodiffusion coefficient, at 1.8 ± 0.9 cm² y⁻¹, is in good agreement with the values quoted by other workers on the bioturbation effects of this polychaete species. The corresponding value for the biotransport coefficient was found to be 0.9 ± 0.4 cm y⁻¹. The effects of non-local mixing were incorporated in a model to describe the temporal evolution of measured ⁹⁹Tc and ⁶⁰Co radionuclide sediment profiles in the eastern Irish Sea, influenced by radioactive waste discharged from the Sellafield reprocessing plant. Reworking conditions in the sediment column were simulated by considering an upper mixed layer, an exponentially decreasing diffusion coefficient, and appropriate biotransport coefficients to account for non-local mixing. The diffusion coefficients calculated from the ⁹⁹Tc and ⁶⁰Co cores were in the range 2-14 cm² y⁻¹, which are consistent with the values found by other workers in the same marine area, while the biotransport coefficients were similar to those obtained for a variety of macrobenthic organisms in controlled laboratories and field studies.     

Consequence of altered nitrogen cycles in the coupled human and ecological system under changing climate: The need for long-term and site-based research

Anthropogenically derived nitrogen (N) has a central role in global environmental changes, including climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, greenhouse gas emission, water pollution, as well as food production and human health. Current understanding of the biogeochemical processes that govern the N cycle in coupled human–ecological systems around the globe is drawn largely from the long-term ecological monitoring and experimental studies. Here, we review spatial and temporal patterns and trends in reactive N emissions, and the interactions between N and other important elements that dictate their delivery from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems, and the impacts of N on biodiversity and human society. Integrated international and long-term collaborative studies covering research gaps will reduce uncertainties and promote further understanding of the nitrogen cycle in various ecosystems.     

Narrow reasoning about the use of broad personality measures for personnel selection

Ones and Viswesvaran (1996) have argued for the use of broad bandwidth, rather than narrow bandwidth, personality predictors in personnel selection research when overall job performance is the criterion of interest. We take the opposite position in this article—that homogeneous measures of unidimensional personality traits are always to be preferred as predictors of work (and other) criteria. We maintain that the use of multiple unidimensional predictors provides important advantages over the use of multidimensional aggregates of those predictors. These advantages pertain to both (a) empirical accuracy in predicting job performance, and (b) psychological meaningfulness in explaining work behavior. Our conclusions are supported by Ones and Viswesvaran's own data. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Forest floor depth mediates understory vigor in xeric Pinus palustris ecosystems.

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) woodlands and savannas are among the most frequently burned ecosystems in the world with fire return intervals of 1-10 years. This fire regime has maintained high levels of biodiversity in terms of both species richness and endemism. Land use changes have reduced the area of this ecosystem by >95%, and inadequate fire frequencies threaten many of the remnants today. In the absence of frequent fire, rapid colonization of hardwoods and shrubs occurs, and a broad-leaved midstory develops. This midstory encroachment has been the focus of much research and management concern, largely based on the assumption that the midstory reduces understory plant diversity through direction competition via light interception. The general application of this mechanism of degradation is questionable, however, because midstory density, leaf area, and hardwood species composition vary substantially along a soil moisture gradient from mesic to extremely xeric sites. Reanalysis of recently reported data from xeric longleaf pine communities suggests that the development of the forest floor, a less conspicuous change in forest structure, might cause a decline in plant biodiversity when forests remain unburned. We report here a test of the interactions among fire, litter accumulation, forest floor development, and midstory canopy density on understory plant diversity. Structural equation modeling showed that within xeric sites, forest floor development was the primary factor explaining decreased biodiversity. The only effects of midstory development on biodiversity were those mediated through forest floor development. Boundary line analysis of functional guilds of understory plants showed sensitivity to even minor development of the forest floor in the absence of fire. These results challenge the prevailing management paradigm and suggest that within xeric longleaf pine communities, the primary focus of managed fire regime should be directed toward the restoration of forest floor characteristics rather than the introduction of high-intensity fires used to regulate midstory structure.     

Locus of control and farmer orientation: Effects on conservation adoption

Farmers in a southwestern Ontario watershed were surveyed to determine factors influencing their attitudes towards adoption of soil conservation practices. The majority of farmers in the watershed were internally motivated which indicates they believe that their own actions determine their successes and failures. Most respondents were also environmentally oriented. However, although many farmers in the study area have adopted crop rotations and cross-slope tillage, the adoption rate of conservation tillage is low. The survey suggests that the low adoption rate may be more a function of perceived economic risk associated with the tillage practice than lack of farmer motivation.     

A COMPARISON OF MULTIVARIATE AND TREND FORECASTING ESTIMATES WITH ACTUAL WATER USE1

ABSTRACT: This paper describes a multivariate water forecasting procedure that is neither complicated, time-consuming nor expensive to operationalize. The forecasting procedure has been used to estimate the water demand for a proposed subdivision in Barrie, Ontario. Reliability is checked by applying the procedure to two existing subdivisions in Barrie for which metered consumption is available. For comparison, a trend forecasting procedure is also applied to the proposed subdivision and the existing subdivisions. Both the multivariate and trend forecasting procedures provide encouragingly accurate results when compared to actual use. While the multivariate procedure allows more precision, both procedures should be useful in forecasting water demand for smaller municipalities.     

Mechanoreception in calanoid copepods

A model of early detection of individual algal prey by copepod mechanoreception suggests that mechanoreception may serve as an indicator of prey position. Our model shows that the magnitude of the pressure disturbance created by a particle entrained in a feeding flow of a copepod increases linearly with increasing particle size, decreases as the square of the distance away from the antenna, and is unique for a given particle size. These pressure disturbances may be utilized by the copepod to determine the size and location of particles present in the feeding current and may provide information necessary for initial prey detection.Contribution No. 491 of the Marine Sciences Research Centre     

On-road facility to measure and characterize emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles

In response to lingering concerns about the utility of dynamometer data for mobile source emissions modeling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has constructed an on-road test facility to characterize the real-world emissions of heavy-duty trucks. The facility was designed to effectively demonstrate the full range of vehicle operation and to measure the emissions produced. Since it began operation, the facility has been continuously upgraded to incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Its potential uses include collecting modal emissions data, validating dynamometer test parameters and results, and demonstrating new emission control technologies.