Monitoring of raptors and their contamination levels in Norway

This article summarizes results from raptor monitoring and contamination studies in Norway of the golden eagle, gyrfalcon, white-tailed sea eagle, osprey, peregrine, and merlin. Golden eagle and gyrfalcon populations have been monitored since 1990 as part of the "Monitoring Programme for Terrestrial Ecosystems" (TOV). No long-term trend in the population size or productivity of golden eagle has been shown in any of the 5 study areas. The reproductive output of gyrfalcon is monitored in 3 areas. It is positively correlated with the populations of its main prey species, the rock ptarmigan and the willow ptarmigan. The white-tailed sea eagle population has been monitored since 1974 by the Norwegian Ornithological Society, and the population is increasing. The levels of pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls are low in the eggs of both the golden eagle and the gyrfalcon, but elevated levels and effects on reproduction have been indicated for a coastal subpopulation of golden eagle. The pollutant levels in white-tailed sea eagle are lower than in the Baltic population of sea eagles, and shell thinning was never severe overall, but individual eggs have contained pollutant concentrations above critical levels. The levels of pollutants in the bird-eating falcons, peregrine, and merlin were higher than in other species. New emerging pollutants, like brominated diphenylethers and perfluorinated organic compounds, could be detected in all species. By incorporating available published and unpublished data, we were able to produce time trends for pollutants and shell thickness over 4 decades.     

Voltammetric determination of the herbicide Bifenox in drinking and river water using a silver solid amalgam electrode

A new method for the determination of submicromolar and nanomolar concentrations of herbicide Bifenox using differential pulse voltammetry at a mercury meniscus modified silver solid amalgam electrode is described. This new type of working electrode is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and compatible with principles of green analytical chemistry, and its surface can be easily electrochemically renewed in the case of passivation. The newly developed direct differential pulse voltammetric determination of Bifenox gives limit of determination 6.7·10^?7 and 6.9·10^?7?M in drinking and river water, respectively. Both the selectivity and the sensitivity can be further increased by preliminary separation and preconcentration using solid phase extraction. This combination enables to reach limit of determination 0.9?×?10^?9 and 1.5?×?10^?9?M for drinking and river water, respectively. Because of lower running and investment costs, this electroanalytical method can be used for large scale monitoring of possible water contamination with tested herbicide.     

Territorial defense and advertisement by footdrumming in bannertail kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) at high and low population densities

Summary Behaviors associated with territorial defense of large dirt mounds by bannertail kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) at high and low population densities are reported. Rats were observed for 640 h during three summers and one spring from 1980–1982 in SE Arizona.Bannertail kangaroo rats defended their territories by footdrumming, as a long-distance warning signal, and chasing as a closer-distance threat. They footdrummed on or near their mounds spontaneosly during the night, in response to neighbors' footdrums, and durint mound challenges. There were no sexual differences in footdrumming, and juveniles frequently performed the behavior. The low frequency sounds were within the auditory sensitivities of the rats and footdrumming patterns differed somewhat between individuals. A playback experiment provided preliminary evidence that rats can differentiate between the footdrums of neighbors and strangers. When a bannertail visited the mound of another bannertail the mound owner actively defended its mound and immediately chased the visitor away. Fighting and mound challenges occurred infrequently, and the uniformly dispersed distribution of mounds suggested an effort by rats to avoid mutual interference.When population densities were high, dispersing juveniles built new mounds, consequently, distances between mounds decreased. Rats responded by tolerating closer neighbors, spending more time active on their mounds, and visiting neighboring mounds less. Adults increased footdrumming rates at high population densities, but juveniles footdrummed at high rates regardless of the population size.     

Disposition of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in two Norwegian epibenthic marine food webs

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are a group of halogenated hydrocarbons, comprising 210 different, theoretically possible congeners. They are relatively hydrophobic and persistent to biodegradation, thereby rendering them subject to bioaccumulation. This study was conducted in Frierfjord and Eidangerfjord in the Grenland fjord system, Norway, heavily polluted by PCDD/PCDF discharges from the magnesium production at Herøya from 1951 to 2001. Pooled samples of surface-sediments and the following organisms were collected for the Frierfjord and Eidangerfjord study areas: common shrimp (Crangon crangon), polychaetes (mainly Nereis diversicolor), shore crab (Carcinus maenas), cod (Gadus morhua), flounder (Platichthys flesus), trout (Salmo trutta), herring (Clupea harengus), benthic amphipods and zooplankton. Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs were quantified in pooled samples for all species. The relative abundances of stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) were evaluated in the organisms as a measure of chemically-derived trophic level. Contrary to earlier studies on other persistent organochlorines, it was found that the concentrations of PCDD/Fs declined with increasing trophic level. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) also showed differences between species in the pattern of PCDD/Fs. Higher chlorinated congeners constituted lower percentages of the PCDD/F-concentrations higher in the food chain as compared to lower trophic levels. In general, congener patterns did not differ between fjords. Infauna (polychaetes) and zooplankton had congener patterns most similar to the pollution source. The results indicate lower accumulation of higher chlorinated congeners in species at higher trophic levels (fish), presumably due to low membrane permeability (high molecular size) and possibly slow transport through intestinal aqueous phases because of low aqueous solubility.     

Alliances in winter flocks of willow tits; effects of rank on survival and reproductive success in male-female associations

Summary The value of being dominant in winter flocks of willow tits may not only be a matter of personal survival for males, although their survival probability was highest among flock members. Winter flocks of willow tits contain male-female subunits, and the dominant pair may be viewed as an alliance based on mutual benefits. Dominant males provide their mates with protection in winter, and females return the help in reproductive success. Survival was directly related to rank only within sexes. Mates of dominant males survived significantly better than low-ranked males even though these females were subordinate to these males in direct interactions. Mates of dominant males were relatively spared from costs of low rank as they were subject to aggression less often than expected. Presumably dominant males prevented such attacks, as they excluded other flock members from high tree sections where their mates fed. Males should gain from improving the survival probability of their mates since it was not always possible to replace lost mates in spring populations having a male-biased sex ratio. Dominance in avian winter flocks may thus have more indirect effects than merely to improve the personal survival probability through resource priority. The benefits of being a dominant suggest that subordinate willow tits join groups because there is no space available for them to take up a territory as dominants.     

Removal of Phosphorus in Constructed Wetlands with Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow in the Czech Republic

The major processes responsible for phosphorus (P) removal in constructed wetlands with horizontal sub-surface flow (HSF CWs) are adsorption, precipitation and plant uptake if the biomass is harvested. The filtration materials frequently used in HSF CWs, i.e., gravel or crushed rock, provide only limited adsorption and plants are not regularly harvested. As a result, the removal of P in HSF CWs is usually low and typically amounts to only 40 to 60% during the treatment of municipal or domestic sewage. The average inflow and outflow P concentrations for vegetated beds of Czech HSF CWs were 6.6 mg L^-1 and 3.6 mgL^-1, respectively. The average P removal was 45.7%. Despite a wide fluctuation of inflow phosphorus loading rates in the Czech CWs (10.9 – 356 g P m^-2 a^-1) the retention of P is well predictable. The CWs in the Czech Republic are relatively new and therefore, it is not possible to evaluate long-time performance of P removal. However, results from systems that have been in operation for longer periods (maximum of 9 years) indicate that P removal decreases over years probably as a result of limited sorption capacity. The amount of P removed by aboveground Phragmites biomass is very low and usually does not exceed 5% of the total removed P in the beginning of operation. As the sorption decreases over years and macrophyte biomass increases at the same time the importance of P bound in biomass becomes higher but it rarely exceeds the level of 20% of the total P removed.     

Sex pheromones and attractants in the Eucosmini and Grapholitini (Lepidoptera,Tortricidae)

Summary The geometric isomers (E,E)-, (E,Z)-, (Z,E)-, and (Z,Z)-8,10-dodecadien-1-yl acetate were identified as sex pheromone components or sex attractants in the tribes Eucosmini and Grapholitini of the tortricid subfamily Olethreutinae. Species belonging to the more ancestral Tortricinae were not attracted. Each one isomer was behaviourally active in males ofCydia andGrapholita (Grapholitini), either as main pheromone compound, attraction synergist or attraction inhibitor. Their reciprocal attractive/antagonistic activity in a number of species enables specific communication with these four compounds.Pammene, as well as otherGrapholita andCydia responded to the monoenic 8- or 10-dodecen-1-yl acetates. Of the tribes Olethreutini and Eucosmini,Hedya, Epiblema, Eucosma, andNotocelia trimaculana were also attracted to 8,10-dodecadien-1-yl acetates, but several otherNotocelia to 10,12-tetradecadien-1-yl acetates. The female sex pheromones ofC. fagiglandana, C. pyrivora, C. splendana, Epiblema foenella andNotocelia roborana were identified. (E,E)- and (E,Z)-8,10-dodecadien-1-yl acetate are producedvia a commonE9 desaturation pathway inC. splendana. CallingC. nigricana andC. fagiglandana females are attracted to wingfanning males.     

Application of decision tools to ethical analysis in biodiversity conservation

Achieving ethically responsible decisions is crucial for the success of biodiversity conservation projects. We adapted the ethical matrix, decision tree, and Bateson's cube to assist in the ethical analysis of complex conservation scenarios by structuring these tools so that they can implement the different value dimensions (environmental, social, and animal welfare) involved in conservation ethics. We then applied them to a case study relative to the decision-making process regarding whether or not to continue collecting biomaterial on the oldest of the two remaining northern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a functionally extinct subspecies of the white rhinoceros. We used the ethical matrix to gather ethical pros and cons and as a starting point for a participatory approach to ethical decision-making. We used decision trees to compare the different options at stake on the basis of a set of ethical desiderata. We used Bateson's cube to establish a threshold of ethical acceptability and model the results of a simple survey. The application of these tools proved to be pivotal in structuring the decision-making process and in helping reach a shared, reasoned, and transparent decision on the best option from an ethical point of view among those available.     

Levels and trends of polybrominated diphenylethers and other brominated flame retardants in wildlife

In this paper, we review the available data for polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) and other flame retardants in wildlife, with the exception of fishes from Europe and North America which are covered in more detail elsewhere. More data are available for PBDEs than for other compounds, and these show that some of these compounds have become widely distributed in the environment, being found in samples from Europe, Australia, Azerbaijan, North America and the Arctic. Most available data relate to birds and their eggs and marine mammals, but the results of two food web studies are also included. The detection of PBDEs in pelagic marine mammals which feed in deep offshore waters, including baleen whales, indicate that these compounds have found their way into deep-water, oceanic food webs as well as the coastal/shallow sea examples described in detail. In the North Sea study, the most marked increase in lipid-normalised concentrations of six BDE congeners occurred during transfer from predatory fish to marine mammals. In the St. Lawrence Estuary study, marked differences in the ratios observed between species suggested that some fish species may be able to metabolise BDE99.A number of time trend studies have also been conducted, notably in guillemot eggs from Sweden (1969-2000), beluga whales from the Canadian Arctic (1982-1997 and 1989-2001) and from the St. Lawrence Estuary (1988-1999), and ringed seals from the Canadian Arctic (1981-2000). In the temperate latitudes, from these and other studies (e.g. in dated sediment cores), PBDE concentrations began to rise earlier than in those from high latitudes, in line with data for production and use. These trends have now slowed in many cases. Declines could be expected in Europe for many congeners following the cessation of manufacture and use of the penta-mix formulation in the EU, though these are not yet apparent in environmental samples. In Arctic biota, however, the rapidly rising concentrations seen currently in Canada could be expected to continue for some time, reflecting continued production and use of the penta-mix formulation in North America (>95% of the world total) and the impact of long-range atmospheric transport.