Spatial distribution of atmospheric PAHs and PCNs along a north-south Atlantic transect

Ship-board air samples collected between The Netherlands and South Africa in January-February 2001 were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). The highest PAH concentrations occurred in the European samples, and in samples close to West Africa and South Africa. Consistently low PAH concentrations were measured in the southern hemisphere open ocean samples (190-680 pg/m3). The highest PCN concentrations occurred in the European samples, but high values were also detected off the West African coast, and in the sample taken closest to South Africa. Data are presented for diurnal cycles taken in the remote South Atlantic. The day:night ratios of phenanthrene, 1-methylphenanthrene and fluoranthene were typically approximately 1.5-2.5:1. The mechanism(s) causing this observation is/are not understood at present, but dynamic environmental process(es) is/are implicated.     

Temporal and spatial trends of PCB congeners in UK gannet eggs

Gannet (Sula bassana) eggs collected from Ailsa Craig, Western Scotland between 1977-1998 have been analyzed retrospectively for several PCB congeners. Concentrations of a range of congeners were determined in 8-10 eggs analyzed separately for several individual years. All congeners declined in concentrations throughout the time period, but the rates of decline differed for different congeners. Declines were first order and half-lives varied between 5.4 years for PCB-101 to 10.1 years for PCB-180. Egg concentrations reflect the maternal body burden, which itself is controlled by the birds rate of intake (principally via the diet) and losses (via metabolism and other clearance mechanisms). The declining concentrations in eggs, therefore, broadly reflect reductions in prey concentrations (principally herring and mackerel) and--in turn--water column concentrations. Rates of change in PCB concentrations from this study were similar to those noted in fish-eating birds from the Baltic Sea and North American Great Lakes, and ambient air in the UK. This provides indirect evidence that gannet eggs are broadly reflecting regional/global scale clearance/removal mechanisms which are controlling ambient PCB concentrations.     

Evidence of in situ diel vertical migration of a red-tide microplankton species in Ría de Vigo (NW Spain)

The migration capacity of red-tide species in the natural environment was studied at a station in the Ría de Vigo (Rías Bajas, NW Spain) over a 24 h period in September 1991. The Ría de Vigo, where red tides are frequent, normally shows a positive estuarine circulation and is subjected to seasonal upwelling and downwelling phenomena. A marked diel pattern was observed for five species that are capable of causing red tides (Ceratium furca, Scrippsiella trochoidea, Dinophysis acuminata, Mesodinium rubrum, and Eutreptiella sp.). Such diel behaviour could be clearly advantageous in a stratified environment where light and nutrients are often in two separate layers. Active movement enables species such as dinoflagellates and some ciliates to exploit high levels of irradiance at the surface during the day and to take up nutrients in deeper layers at night. Patchy distribution of phytoplankton, shear-induced horizontal dispersion and density variations were considered, but none of them accounted for the vertical changes observed. Vertical migration is thought to be one of the mechanisms that could promote blooms in nutrient-depleted surface layers.     

The ecology of temperate salt-marsh fucoids. II. In situ growth of transplanted Ascophyllum nodosum ecads

Growth, in terms of length, weight, and number of branches and/or dichotomies, in transplanted specimens of Ascophyllum nodosum ecad scorpioides in a temperate salt marsh is described. The ecad scorpioides, when transplanted from its characteristic habitat on the mid-intertidal, Spartina alterniflora-dominated, marsh flats to a location near mean low-water developed characteristics normally associated with A. nodosum ecad mackaii. The growth of these plants was more rapid than those in the mid-intertidal region and was not affected by the shading of algal fronds by S. alterniflora. Unusually high temperatures and light intensities during the winter and spring months were major factors affecting growth in plants that were subjected to relatively long periods of tidal exposure. The presence of S. alterniflora during the summer months may act in a protective capacity for mid-intertidal ecad populations.This research was supported by research grants AG-375 and BO 38018 from the National Science Foundation and, in part, by the State University of New York Research Foundation and the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA).     

南四湖沉积物中二噁英类化合物的分布

用1 3C同位素内标法 ,高分辨率气相色谱 高分辨率质谱对南四湖表层沉积物中 1 7种含 2 3 7 8 氯代二苯并二英 /呋喃 (PCDD/Fs)及 1 2种共平面多氯联苯 (Co PCBs)的含量、同系物异构体的分布特征、沉积通量、毒性当量及来源进行了初步分析 ,并与山东近海 (日照、烟台、青岛 )的测定结果进行比较 .总Co PCBs含量分别为 5 4 4pg·g- 1 dw (南阳湖 )和 41 4pg·g- 1 dw (微山湖 ) .总PCDD/Fs含量分别为 1 0 6 7pg·g- 1 dw (南阳湖 )和1 47 0pg·g- 1 dw (微山湖 ) .两湖含 2 3 7 8 PCDD/Fs异构体对总毒性当量浓度的贡献基本相同 ,即以四—五氯代异构体为主 .PCDD/Fs含量次序为青岛 >日照 >南四湖 >烟台 .南四湖、日照、烟台近海沉积物中的PCDD/Fs对总TEQ (PCDD/F TEQ PCB TEQ)的贡献为68 8%— 93 0 % .南四湖与山东近海沉积物中PCDDs/PCDFs比值和OCDD %∑百分比表明 ,山东省PCDD/Fs的来源较为一致 ,相对恒定 .除河口处外 ,大气沉降应是南四湖及山东近海PCDD/Fs的主要来源 .     

Human preferences for facial masculinity change with relationship type and environmental harshness

In humans (Homo sapiens), sexual dimorphism in face shape has been proposed to be linked to quality in both men and women. Although preferences for high-quality mates might be expected, previous work has suggested that high quality may be associated with decreased investment in partnerships. In line with a trade-off between partner quality and investment, human females have been found to prefer higher levels of masculinity when judging under conditions where the benefits of quality would be maximised and the costs of low investment would be minimised. In this study, we examined facultative preferences for masculinity/femininity under hypothetical high and low environmental harshness in terms of resource availability in which participants were asked to imagine themselves in harsh/safe environments. We demonstrate that environmental harshness influences preferences for sexual dimorphism differently according to whether the relationship is likely to be short or long term. Women prefer less-masculine male faces and men prefer less-feminine female faces for long-term than short-term relationships under conditions of environmental harshness. Such findings are consistent with the idea that high-quality partners may be low investors and suggest that under harsh ecological conditions, both men and women favour a low-quality/high-investment partner for long-term relationships. For short-term relationships, where investment is not an important variable, preferences for sexual dimorphism were similar for the low and high environmental harshness conditions. These results provide experimental evidence that human preferences may be contingent on the environment an individual finds itself inhabiting.     

Concentrations of V,Cr, Mn,Fe, Ni,Co, Cu,Zn, As and Cd in mesopelagic crustaceans from the North East Atlantic Ocean

Specimens of oceanic decapods, mysids and euphausiids, collected from the North East Atlantic Ocean during July 1985, were analysed for V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, As and Cd. Measurement of the metals was carried out using two techniques: inductively-coupled plasma-source mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption (AAS). With the exception of the iron data, good agreement was observed between the data from the two techniques. Baseline-metal data are presented for the species measured, along with any effects of animal size on metal concentration. The data presented for oceanic animals from different trophic levels are important in studies of metal fluxes and for the assessment of markers within the food web in the oceans.     

Umbilical cord haemangioma associated with an eruptive cutaneous haemangioma in a female infant

We report a female infant noted prenatally to have an umbilical cord mass. At birth, a labial strawberry haemangioma was noted. She subsequently developed an abdominal mass which was discovered to be a proliferating haemangioma, continuous with both the labial and the umbilical stump lesions.     

Modeling Connectivity of Non‐floodplain Wetlands: Insights,Approaches, and Recommendations

Representing hydrologic connectivity of non‐floodplain wetlands (NFWs) to downstream waters in process‐based models is an emerging challenge relevant to many research, regulatory, and management activities. We review four case studies that utilize process‐based models developed to simulate NFW hydrology. Models range from a simple, lumped parameter model to a highly complex, fully distributed model. Across case studies, we highlight appropriate application of each model, emphasizing spatial scale, computational demands, process representation, and model limitations. We end with a synthesis of recommended “best modeling practices” to guide model application. These recommendations include: (1) clearly articulate modeling objectives, and revisit and adjust those objectives regularly; (2) develop a conceptualization of NFW connectivity using qualitative observations, empirical data, and process‐based modeling; (3) select a model to represent NFW connectivity by balancing both modeling objectives and available resources; (4) use innovative techniques and data sources to validate and calibrate NFW connectivity simulations; and (5) clearly articulate the limits of the resulting NFW connectivity representation. Our review and synthesis of these case studies highlights modeling approaches that incorporate NFW connectivity, demonstrates tradeoffs in model selection, and ultimately provides actionable guidance for future model application and development.