Elimination des Zytostatikums Ifosfamid während der simulierten Zersetzung von Hausmüll im Labormaßstab

Drugs are emitted into the environment by hospitals, private households, veterinary and human practices. Remnants of these products are primarily disposed of in landfill sites. At the present, there is no information available about the behaviour of pharmaceutical drugs, like their anaerobic biodegradation or adsorption, in sanitary landfills. Some of these drugs, e.g. antineoplastic substances such as ifosfamide, are supposed to be cancerogenic, mutagenic, fetotoxic or embryotoxic. Therefore, we investigated the behaviour of ifosfamide during waste decomposition in a laboratory-scale lysimeter. Up to 50% of the ifosfamide was eliminated under methanogenic conditions; but the mechanism applying for the elimination remains unclear. As far as present day knowledge is concerned, the risk for the environment through the emission of emitting ifosfamide from sanitary landfills should be negligible.     

15N Metabolic test for the determination of phytotoxic effects of chemicals and contaminated environmental samples

A stable isotope¹⁵N-nitrogen test (ESIMA = Ecotoxicological Stable Isotope Metabolic Assay) was developed to assess biological effects and the potential toxicological hazard of chemicals and contaminated environmental samples on plant metabolism. The assay measures the effect of toxicants on the incorporation of a¹⁵N labelled tracer into the total nitrogen fraction (both the nonprotein and protein fraction) of plants. Segments ofPisum arvense epicotyls are used as test substrates because of their high metabolic activity. The plant material is incubated under standardised conditions for two hours; subsequently¹⁵N incorporation is analysed by determining the¹⁵N abundance (¹⁵N atom-%) in the epicotyl segments. The effects of toxicants are evaluated by comparing the¹⁵N incorporation rates of control tissue and epicotyl segments exposed to individual chemicals or complex environmental samples. The specificity and sensitivity of effects as indicated by ESIMA were compared with effects as measured by two established ecotoxicological bioassays, the pollen tube growth test using pollen ofNicotiana sylvestris and the bacterial luminescence inhibition test using pollen ofPhotobacterium phosphoreum. The results of the study clearly indicate the suitability of ESIMA for assessing toxic impacts on plant nitrogen metabolism. Prof. Dr. habil. Hans Faust dedicated to his 70^th birthday.     

Isopropyl (Z9)-hexadecenoate as a male attractant pheromone from the sternal gland of the rove beetle Aleochara curtala (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

Summary. In the rove beetle Aleochara curtula, a male specific sternal gland is described. Isopropyl (Z9)-hexadecenoate has been identified by GC/MS of surface and sternal gland extracts as a male specific compound. Its emission in the air was demonstrated by closed-loopstripping-analyses. In field experiments, conspecific males and females were attracted by the odor of carrion, caged males from laboratory cultures, and by the synthetic ester. Isopropyl (Z9)-hexadecenoate or live males, combined with fresh carrion attract more beetles than a fresh carcass alone. Isopropyl hexadecanoate as a minor compound was not attractive. The term “aggregation” pheromone and the ecological significance of attracting females to a fresh carcass allowing early copulation and egg-deposition are discussed. Received 20 August 1998; accepted 15 January 1999.     

Verteilungskoeffizienten chlorierter Kohlenwasserstoffe zwischen Muskulatur und Leber bei Fischen

Measured partition coefficients (KL_M/L) related to lipid-concentrations between the muscle (C_ML) and liver (C_LL) tissue of two fish species (Abramis brama, Zoarces viviparus) exhibit nominal values of unity according the relationship KL_M/L=C_ML/C_LL=1 for persistent compounds such as highly chlorinated PCB and values above one for degradable compounds for example chlorinated cyclohexanes or DDT. The corresponding theory is presented. The relationship holds for samples for single fish as well as for pooled samples.     

Dawn chorusing in guereza colobus monkeys

Dawn chorusing by guereza black-and-white colobus monkeys is one of the most impressive spectacles of African rainforests. This vocal behaviour is highly contagious, travelling from one neighbouring group to the next, until a wide forest area is covered by calling monkeys. Chorusing usually occurs up to 2 h before dawn, sometimes more than once, unless the preceding night was cold and wet. We conducted a series of playback experiments, which showed that guerezas’ chorusing was difficult to elicit experimentally, suggesting that callers took several variables into account before responding to other monkeys’ predawn calls. Acoustic analyses showed that morning calls were individually distinct, but we found no evidence that callers took individual identity into account in their decision to participate in chorusing. The only way to reliably elicit chorusing in our study area was to broadcast recordings of morning choruses for longer than 30 s and at a time when a chorus simultaneously emerged in a distant part of the forest.     

An overview of flood mitigation strategy and research support in South Asia: implications for sustainable flood risk management

South Asia faces increasing flooding risks due to climatic and socio-economic changes. Various measures have been adopted by the governments of the countries in this region. However, these measures are not adequate to protect the vulnerable communities from ever-increasing flood losses. This study assesses the policy and planning processes and flood-related scientific research in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Based on a systematic review, a comparison of the existing flood management systems of the three countries is undertaken, and a framework for sustainable flood management in the region is suggested. Insights from the literature show that Bangladesh has been able to develop an effective governance structure to address flood hazards, while Pakistan’s approach to flood management planning is found to be largely inadequate. This inadequacy is mainly attributed to missing links in policy formulation and planning processes, along with a lack of institutional coordination. The results of the literature analysis reveal poor support from scientific research focusing on flooding issues in the case of Pakistan, while Bangladesh and India seem to have benefited from research support in formulating their flood management strategies. Based on these findings, an alternative framework is suggested, emphasizing the need to enhance institutional linkages, community participation and evidence-based research.     

Costing reproduction: effects of mating opportunity on mating success in male Bicyclus anynana butterflies

It is frequently assumed that males have an almost unlimited reproductive capacity, while access to receptive females is typically limiting. Consequently, sexual selection is expected to favor vigorous courtship behavior in males. If such behavior is associated with non-trivial costs, ample current mating opportunities should be accompanied by a reduction in future mating vigor. To test this hypothesis, three treatments differing in sex ratio were established using the tropical butterfly Bicyclus anynana: 50 males each were housed either with 0, 25, or 50 females. Mating trials involving the competition among males from each treatment for a single virgin female were carried out on days 3, 9, and 15 after allocation to treatments. While there was no difference on day 3, prior mating opportunity clearly reduced mating success on days 9 and 15, being lowest if identical numbers of males and females were housed together. This finding suggests accumulating costs associated with high courtship and/or mating activity. Further, older males were more active and initiated copulation earlier than the younger ones, consistent with the residual reproductive value hypothesis. We found no evidence for a survival or fertility cost of mating.