PAH metabolites,GST and EROD in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) as possible indicators for eel habitat quality in German rivers

The stock of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) continues to decline and has reached a new minimum in 2011. Poor health status of the spawners due to organic contaminants is one of the possible causes for this dramatic situation. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants, which are rapidly metabolized in vertebrates. EROD (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase) and GST (glutathione-S-transferase) are two enzymes involved in PAH detoxification in fish. In this study, PAH metabolites as well as EROD and GST activity in a large, comprising dataset of more than 260 migratory and pre-migratory eels from five large German river basin districts were used to describe PAH exposure and its metabolism as possible indicators for the habitat quality for eels. Eel from the river Elbe appear to be moderately contaminated with PAH. Highest mean values of PAH metabolites were analysed in fish from the river Rhine. However, the results suggest that contaminants such as PAH are metabolized in the fish and may have contributed to EROD activity in eels caught from the Elbe estuary to 600 km upstream. Since the eel’s onset of cessation of feeding is closely linked to maturation and migration, we propose bile pigments as new indicators contributing to identify the proportion of migratory eel, which is crucial information for eel management plans. We showed that PAH metabolites normalized to bile pigments as well as EROD could be used to describe the habitat quality and might be suitable parameters in search for suitable stocking habitats.     

Design of Adsorption Equipment in Air Pollution Control

The purpose of this paper is to provide a helpful tool for the design of adsorption equipment, recognizing in particular the recent, more stringent regulations on air pollution. This work is based on an earlier paper by Hougen and Marshall,¹ who developed therein an analytical adsorption model. Under certain assumptions, especially that of linear adsorption equilibrium, it is possible to express the results in the form of convenient usable charts. Although more sophisticated models² have recently been developed, the numerical effort involved in solving the associated partial differential equations is such that practical application is often questionable.     

Human health risk assessment case study: an abandoned metal smelter site in Poland

United States Environmental Protection Agency methodologies for human health risk assessment (HRA) were applied in a Brownfields Demonstration Project on the Warynski smelter site (WSS), an abandoned industrial site at Piekary Slaskie town, Upper Silesia, Poland. The HRA included the baseline risk assessment (BRA) and the development of risk-based preliminary remedial goals (RBPRGs). The HRA focused on surface area covered with waste materials, which were evaluated with regard to the potential risks they may pose to humans. Cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc were proposed as the contaminants of potential concern (COPCs) at WSS based on archive data on chemical composition of waste located on WSS. For the defined future land use patterns, the industrial (I) and recreational (II) exposure scenarios were assumed and evaluated. The combined hazard index for all COPCs was 3.1E+00 for Scenario I and 3.2E+00 for Scenario II. Regarding potential carcinogenic risks associated with the inhalation route, only cadmium was a contributor, with risks of 1.6E-06 and 2.6E-07 for Scenario I and Scenario II, respectively. The results of the BRA indicated that the potential health risks at WSS were mainly associated with waste material exposure to cadmium (industrial and recreational scenarios) and lead (industrial scenario). RBPRGs calculated under the industrial scenario were 1.17E+03 and 1.62E+03 mg/kg for cadmium and lead, respectively. The RBPRG for cadmium was 1.18E+03 mg/kg under the recreational scenario. The BRA results, as well as RBCs, are comparable for both scenarios, so it is impossible to prioritize land use patterns for WSS based on these results. For choosing a future land use pattern or an appropriate redevelopment option, different factors would be decisive in the decision-making process, e.g., social, market needs, technical feasibility and costs of redevelopment actions or acceptance of local community.     

Atlantic-Mediterranean and within-Mediterranean molecular variation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coris julis</Emphasis> (L. 1758) (Teleostei,Labridae)

Sequence variation in the mitochondrial control region was studied in the Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis), a species with pronounced pelagic larval phase inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent coastal eastern Atlantic Ocean. A total of 309 specimens from 19 sampling sites were analysed with the aim of elucidating patterns of molecular variation between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean as well as within the Mediterranean Sea. Phylogeographic analyses revealed a pronounced structuring into a Mediterranean and an Atlantic group. Samples from a site at the Moroccan Mediterranean coast in the Alboran Sea showed intermediate frequencies of “Mediterranean” and “Atlantic” haplotypes. We recognised a departure from molecular neutrality and a star-like genealogy for samples from the Mediterranean Sea, which we propose to have happened due to a recent demographic expansion. The results are discussed in the light of previous studies on molecular variation in fish species between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and within the Mediterranean.     

Potentials and limitations of Coastal Web Atlases

A Coastal Web Atlas (CWA) is a valuable resource for a range of users including coastal managers as it provides easy access to maps, spatial data, coastal information and tools. A trans-Atlantic workshop on “Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases”, held in Ireland in July 2006, brought together atlas developers and coastal data experts from Europe and the United States to examine state-of-the-art developments in CWAs and future needs. This paper focuses on workshop outcomes, including what defines a CWA and an overview of international, national, state and regional atlas case studies from both sides of the Atlantic. Results of discussions are presented concerning issues related to design, data, technology and institutional capacity for existing CWAs based on the collective experience of workshop participants. Directions in CWA development and applications since the workshop are also discussed. A major outcome of the workshop was the initiation of an International Coastal Atlas Network. The insights provided give a framework for CWA developers and a useful point of reference for coastal managers and policy makers on atlas potentials and limitations.     

The ultimate function of nuptial feeding in the bushcricket Poecilimon veluchianus (Orthoptera : Tettigoniidae : Phaneropterinae)

Summary During mating the males of the bushcricket Poecilimon veluchianus transfer a large spermatophore of about a quarter of their body weight to the female. Such nuptial feeding is often thought to function as paternal investment by increasing the fitness of the male's offspring. According to an alternative, though not mutually exclusive, hypothesis, the size of the spermatophore is maintained because of its function as a sperm protection device. In this case the cost to the male should be classified as mating effort. To discriminate between these two hypotheses we measured the duration of sperm transfer into the female spermatheca and the time taken for spermatophore consumption. A comparison of durations revealed that spermatophore consumption interferes with the process of sperm transfer (Fig. 4). There was no significant effect of spermatophore consumption on number of eggs laid, weight of eggs or absolute weight of hatched larvae. The relative dry weight of hatched larvae, however, was increased as a result of spermatophore consumption (Table 1). Thus spermatophylax size is adjusted in accordance with a sperm protection function and the spermatophylax therefore represents mating effort. The increase in relative dry weight indicates that there may also be a paternal investment effect of the spermatophylax, if the offspring that benefit from spermatophylax materials are fathered by the donating male. Correspondence to: K. Reinhold     

Hydrogen infrastructure build-up for automotive applications

Some lessons for the introduction of hydrogen fueled vehicles can be learned from experience gained by the introduction of natural gas fueled vehicles, either in Europe or in Argentina. While the European efforts have failed, at least until today, Argentina has achieved a remarkable market share of about 20% natural gas vehicles since the early 80ies. Beyond a short review on the constituents of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-example is analyzed to formulate some ‘must be’s’ for the successful introduction of hydrogen refueling infrastructure: Clear concerted signals have to be sent by all important players, the politicians as well as the involved industry from car producers to fuel suppliers. Bi-fueled hybrid vehicles are not seen as a proper tool, as they are forcing neither the user to look for hydrogen nor the supplier to provide hydrogen. After general considerations, various strategies and policies of different countries and manufacturers are reviewed. For instance, the electric hybrid cars as already today introduced by some Japanese manufacturers offer the chance of settling a maintenance infrastructure for electric drive systems already today which can be easily extended to cover full fuel cell drive systems, once they are available.