Inorganic carbon uptake by photosynthetically active protoplasts of the red macroalga Chondrus crispus

Photosynthetically active protoplasts were isolated from Chondrus crispus Stackh. by treating thalli with -carrageenase produced from batch culture of Pseudomonas carrageenovora. Using the silicone oil centrifugation technique, it was found that the protoplasts: (1) did not generally accumulate inorganic carbon (C_i) above the concentration in their incubation medium; (2) were saturated at C_i concentrations of 3 to 4 mM; (3) had an intracellular pH of 7.50 when incubated at pH 7.5; and (4) their initial carbon fixation rate was reduced by carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Although the carbon fixation rate of the protoplasts was about 30% that of thallus fragments, presumably due to the relatively harsh protoplast isolation treatment, the behavior of the protoplasts was similar to that of fragments. This similarity indicates that the protoplasts are photosynthetically active and behave as thallus fragments. Further, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that C. crispus acquires C_i for photosynthesis by the diffusion of CO₂ across the plasma membrane.     

The Interstate Air Pollution Surveillance Program Effects Network

A program has been designed to meet a nationwide intelligence-gathering responsibility to obtain general and relative information on current and potential air pollution in areas where interstate transport of pollution may reasonably be expected to exist. This paper describes the field devices utilized in the program. By means of these static “effects packages,” data will be accumulated on: dustfall, particulate impingement, sulfation, corrosion, and tarnishing of metals, and deterioration of textiles, dyes, and rubber. Data accumulated during the “pilot phase” of the program will be discussed.     

Incorporating geodiversity into conservation decisions

In a rapidly changing climate, conservation practitioners could better use geodiversity in a broad range of conservation decisions. We explored selected avenues through which this integration might improve decision making and organized them within the adaptive management cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring. Geodiversity is seldom referenced in predominant environmental law and policy. With most natural resource agencies mandated to conserve certain categories of species, agency personnel are challenged to find ways to practically implement new directives aimed at coping with climate change while retaining their species‐centered mandate. Ecoregions and ecological classifications provide clear mechanisms to consider geodiversity in plans or decisions, the inclusion of which will help foster the resilience of conservation to climate change. Methods for biodiversity assessment, such as gap analysis, climate change vulnerability analysis, and ecological process modeling, can readily accommodate inclusion of a geophysical component. We adapted others’ approaches for characterizing landscapes along a continuum of climate change vulnerability for the biota they support from resistant, to resilient, to susceptible, and to sensitive and then summarized options for integrating geodiversity into planning in each landscape type. In landscapes that are relatively resistant to climate change, options exist to fully represent geodiversity while ensuring that dynamic ecological processes can change over time. In more susceptible landscapes, strategies aiming to maintain or restore ecosystem resilience and connectivity are paramount. Implementing actions on the ground requires understanding of geophysical constraints on species and an increasingly nimble approach to establishing management and restoration goals. Because decisions that are implemented today will be revisited and amended into the future, increasingly sophisticated forms of monitoring and adaptation will be required to ensure that conservation efforts fully consider the value of geodiversity for supporting biodiversity in the face of a changing climate.