To court or not to court: reproductive decisions by male fiddler crabs in response to fluctuating food availability

For males, courting and foraging are often behavioral alternatives, which take time and consume energy. When males have a possibility of mating with receptive females, there may be a behavioral trade-off between courtship and feeding; the outcome of which may be affected by male physiological condition and food availability. Although many mathematical models and empirical studies suggest that the expression of male courtship signals are condition-dependent, decisions about courtship and mating strategies in relation to food availability have not attracted much attention. In this study, we tested whether daily changes in food availability affect males’ decisions about whether to court. We conducted experiments with the fiddler crab Uca lactea by providing males with additional food every other day. In food-supplemented enclosures, males did not increase courtship activity on the days when food was supplemented. However, they built more courtship structures (semidomes) and waved more on the days when they were not given additional food. Male size had a strong influence on the number of days the males courted. We also tested whether the frequency of surface mating, as an alternative reproductive tactic, decreased when food was supplemented. Contrary to our expectation, the number of males that exhibited the surface-mating tactic increased when food was supplemented whereas the number of mate-searching females did not change. Our findings in this field study suggest that reproductive decisions by male fiddler crabs are affected by fluctuating food availability and present body condition, and the alternative mating tactic of this species may be more frequently used by males under good condition.     

Recolonizing wolves and mesopredator suppression of coyotes: impacts on pronghorn population dynamics.

Food web theory predicts that the loss of large carnivores may contribute to elevated predation rates and, hence, declining prey populations, through the process of mesopredator release. However, opportunities to test predictions of the mesopredator release hypothesis are rare, and the extent to which changes in predation rates influence prey population dynamics may not be clear due to a lack of demographic information on the prey population of interest. We utilized spatial and seasonal heterogeneity in wolf distribution and abundance to evaluate whether mesopredator release of coyotes (Canis latrans), resulting from the extirpation of wolves (Canis lupus) throughout much of the United States, contributes to high rates of neonatal mortality in ungulates. To test this hypothesis, we contrasted causes of mortality and survival rates of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) neonates captured at wolf-free and wolf-abundant sites in western Wyoming, USA, between 2002 and 2004. We then used these data to parameterize stochastic population models to heuristically assess the impact of wolves on pronghorn population dynamics due to changes in neonatal survival. Coyote predation was the primary cause of mortality at all sites, but mortality due to coyotes was 34% lower in areas utilized by wolves (P < 0.001). Based on simulation modeling, the realized population growth rate was 0.92 based on fawn survival in the absence of wolves, and 1.06 at sites utilized by wolves. Thus, wolf restoration is predicted to shift the trajectory of the pronghorn population from a declining to an increasing trend. Our results suggest that reintroductions of large carnivores may influence biodiversity through effects on prey populations mediated by mesopredator suppression. In addition, our approach, which combines empirical data on the population of interest with information from other data sources, demonstrates the utility of using simulation modeling to more fully evaluate ecological theories by moving beyond estimating changes in vital rates to analyses of population-level impacts.     

Enhancement of As(V) adsorption onto activated sludge by methylation treatment

Biosorption properties of arsenate [As(V)] onto activated sludge were investigated in batch systems. The adsorption of As(V) onto sludge increased from 23 to 266 μg/g dry weight through the methylation of the activated sludge. This increase resulted from neutralization of carboxylic groups via the methylation process. The pH effect of As(V) uptake was also investigated and As(V) adsorption by methylated sludge decreased significantly at high pH (pH > 11) due to competition between As(V) and OH⁻ ions for binding sites distributed on sludge surfaces. In contrast, low pH favored As(V) adsorption by methylated sludge because of the elevated quantities of positively charged functional groups. The results suggest that methylated activated sludge may provide promising applications for the simultaneous removal and separation of As(V) from aqueous effluents.     

The Mini-Cup Jelly Court Cases: A Comparative Analysis from a Food Ethics Perspective

This study compares and analyzes separate court rulings in three countries on “mini-cup jelly” (a firm jelly containing konjac and packaged in bite-sized plastic cups) from a food ethics perspective. While the Korean and US courts decided that the mini-cup jelly was defective, and that the manufacturers or importers were liable for damages in these cases, the Japanese court took an opposing stance in favor of the manufacturer. However, from an absolute and fundamental viewpoint, the jelly was unacceptable, ethically as well as legally, because it was unsafe, unwholesome, and unfit for children’s consumption. I argue that the ignoring or sidelining of fundamental principles of food ethics, especially “respect for life,” was at the core of these cases. If the manufacturers and importers had considered and prioritized the principles of food ethics over and above big sales and profits, the choking accidents could have been prevented. To conclude, it is very important to minimize risks by applying the principles of food ethics at the outset before any accidents can occur.     

Biosecurity procedures for the environmental management of carcasses burial sites in Korea

Avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease are two main contagious pathogenic viral disease which are responsible for the massive burials of livestock in Korea since burial is the primary measure to control these outbreaks. Biosecurity is a set of preventive measures designed to prevent the risk of spreading of these infectious diseases. The main objective of this paper is to discuss about the requirements of biosecurity and develop protocol outlines for environmental management of burial sites in Korea. Current practice prescribes to minimize the potential for on-farm pollution and the spread of the infectious diseases. Specific biosecurity procedures such as proper assessment of leachate quality, safe handling and disposal of leachate, adequate leachate pollution monitoring, necessary seasonal management of burial site, and appropriate sterilization process must be carried out to prevent the indirect transmission of pathogens from the burial sites. Policy makers should acquire robust knowledge of biosecurity for establishing more effective future legislation for carcasses disposal in Korea.     

Quality improvement of recycled aggregates using the acid treatment method and the strength characteristics of the resulting mortar

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This study was conducted with the aim to chemically remove the cement paste attached to the aggregate surface using acidic substances. Sulfuric and...     

Effect of temperature on bacterial emissions in composting of swine manure

Swine manure was subjected to laboratory scale composting in order to quantify bioaerosols, i.e., airborne culturable bacteria and endotoxin, in the exhaust gas, which provided details on the effect of temperature on bacterial emissions. The concentration of airborne bacteria reached 31,250 colony-forming units (CFU)/m³ during the thermophilic stage of composting, and positively correlated with the temperature profile of the compost pile. Initially, the endotoxin concentration was 1820 endotoxin units (EU)/m³, but it decreased exponentially as the composting process proceeded. The temperature can be an excellent indicator of bacterial emissions during the composting process, indicating that the composting process requires a consistently high temperature to ensure sanitization of both compost and bacterial emissions. The cumulative emission data showed that emission factors was 11.2?13.5 CFU/g dry swine manure and that of endotoxin was 0.5?0.9 EU/g dry swine manure. The bacterial diversity in the bioaerosol was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, revealing the presence of various gram-negative bacterial consortia.     

Maize straw and rice husk-derived biochars produced in a simple metal kiln: characteristics and effects on crop productivity in three fields

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Maize straw- and rice husk-derived biochars were produced in a simple metal kiln without automated control. Their characteristics and effects on...     

Absolute dominance of hydrogenotrophic methanogens in full-scale anaerobic sewage sludge digesters

Anaerobic digestion （AD） is gaining increasing attention due to the ability to covert organic pollutants into energy-rich biogas and, accordingly, growing interest is paid to the microbial ecology of AD systems. Despite extensive efforts, AD microbial ecology is still limitedly understood, especially due to the lack of quantitative information on the structures and dynamics of AD microbial communities. Such knowledge gap is particularly pronounced in sewage sludge AD processes although treating sewage sludge is among the major practical applications of AD. Therefore, we examined the microbial communities in three full-scale sewage sludge digesters using qualitative and quantitative molecular techniques in combination： denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） and real-time polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. Eight out of eleven bacterial sequences retrieved from the DGGE analysis were not affiliated to any known species while all eleven archaeal sequences were assigned to known methanogen species. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that, based on the 16S rRNA gene abundance, the hydrogenotrophic order Methanomicrobiales is the most dominant methanogen group （〉 94% of the total methanogen population） in all digesters. This corresponds well to the prevailing occurrence of the DGGE bands related to Methanolinea and Methanospirillum, both belonging to the order Methanomicrobiales, in all sludge samples. It is therefore suggested that hydrogenotrophic methanogens, especially Methanomicrobiales strains, are likely the major players responsible for biogas production in the digesters studied. Our observation is contrary to the conventional understanding that aceticlastic methanogens generally dominate methanogen communities in stable AD environments, suggesting the need for further studies on the dominance relationship in various AD systems.     

High performance of catalytic sheet filters of V2O5-WO3/TiO2 for NOx reduction

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in fuel from the stationary as well as from mobile sources primarily from power stations, industrial heaters,...