Biogeochemical cycle of arsenic and calculating the enrichment factor by using Li element

In this study, the biogeochemical cycle of arsenic in the Bosporus and the Golden Horn, which have a two-layer stratified structure, was investigated and the dominant feature in this cycle was observed to be the anthropogenic (domestic + industrial) activities. On the contrary, in the rural areas which are far from human activities, such as İğneada, the seawater–atmosphere interchange can be observed evidently in the periods covering the primary production.     

Accumulations of total metal in dominant shrimp species (Palaemon adspersus, Palaemon serratus, Parapenaeus longirostris) and bottom surface sediments obtained from the Northern Inner Shelf of the Sea of Marmara

The aim of this study is to determine the total metal (aluminum, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, zinc, cadmium, iron, mercury) contents of dominant shrimp species and sediments present at 1–50 m depths of the Northern Inner Shelf of the Sea of Marmara. Shrimp and sediment samples were collected from four regions (Büyükçekmece, Silivri, Tekirda?, ?arköy) and from different depths (1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 m) at each region in September and November of 2003. Three shrimp species [Palaemon adspersus (Rathke, 1937), Palaemon serratus (Pennant, 1777), Parapenaeus longirostris (H. Lucas, 1846)] were identified to be dominant as a result of the examination on the obtained samples. Heavy metal contents of these three species were determined and the results were compared with the acceptable treshold values of the Seafood Standards and also with available literatures. The Cu contents were found to be higher than the treshold limits in all samples except P. longirostris from Silivri, also the Cd contents in all samples except P. adspersus from Büyükçekmece, the Zn contents only in P. adspersus and P. longirostris from Tekirda?, and the Pb contents in all species from all regions. These high values are the indicator of industrial pollution. There is not any data in the Seafood Standards about Mn, Ni, Fe and Al contents in shrimp species. The values of these metal contents were given in the present study. The examination of total metal distributions in bottom surface sediment samples in the Northern Inner Shelf of the Sea of Marmara showed that the determined values were higher than the shale average at some depths of examined stations.     

Forests and global change: what can genetics contribute to the major forest management and policy challenges of the twenty-first century?

The conservation and sustainable use of forests in the twenty-first century pose huge challenges for forest management and policy. Society demands that forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services, from timber products, raw materials and renewable energy to sociocultural amenities and habitats for nature conservation. Innovative management and policy approaches need to be developed to meet these often-conflicting demands in a context of environmental change of uncertain magnitude and scale. Genetic diversity is a key component of resilience and adaptability. Overall, forest tree populations are genetically very diverse, conferring them an enormous potential for genetic adaptation via the processes of gene flow and natural selection. Here, we review the main challenges facing our forests in the coming century and focus on how recent progress in genetics can contribute to the development of appropriate practical actions that forest managers and policy makers can adopt to promote forest resilience to climate change. Emerging knowledge will inform and clarify current controversies relating to the choice of appropriate genetic resources for planting, the effect of silvicultural systems and stand tending on adaptive potential and the best ways to harness genetic diversity in breeding and conservation programs. Gaps in our knowledge remain, and we identify where additional information is needed (e.g., the adaptive value of peripheral populations or the genetic determinism of key adaptive traits) and the types of studies that are required to provide this key understanding.     

瑞典维纳恩湖的沉积物和鱼类种群中的汞:污染后的恢复状况

过去流入维纳恩湖的含汞废水颇多.通过连续测定沉积物和鱼体中的汞来监测其影响和恢复状况.汞的主要源头来自湖北岸的一座氯工厂.尽管60年代从源头流出的废水中汞水平有了根本性的减少,附近湖泊沉积物中汞的水平从70年代中期以来只下降了一半多.狗鱼(Esox lucus)体内汞的水平在同期下降的幅度相似.湖泊受影响最大的部分比受影响最小的部分要高出30%.湖泊中的鲈鱼(Percafhviatilis)和三文鱼鱼体内汞水平不高.尽管维纳恩湖沉积物中汞水平有所增加,比起位于同一地区而没有受当地汞废水污染湖泊内的鱼来说,维纳恩湖鱼体内汞的水平相对来说并不算高.据估算,湖内鱼类总生物量所含的汞不到湖泊底部沉积物上层活性生物层所含汞总量的千分之一.这显示了各种环境因子的潜在影响,并促使我们将来要继续对汞水平进行监测.     

Species-specific antipredator capacities and prey refuges: interactions between piscivorous perch (Perca fluviatilis) and juvenile perch and roach (Rutilus rutilus)

The outcome of predator-prey interactions depends on the characteristics of predators and prey as well as the structure of the environment. In a replicated field enclosure experiment, we tested the effects of quantity and quality of different prey refuges (no structure, structure forming a partial refuge, and structure forming a complete refuge) on the interaction between piscivorous perch (Perca fluviatilis) and juvenile perch and roach (Rutilus rutilus). We quantified the behaviour of the predators and the prey and predator-induced prey mortality. The piscivores stayed in or close to the prey refuge and were more dispersed in the presence than in the absence of prey refuges. Survival of juvenile perch and roach decreased in the presence of predators and was higher for juvenile roach than for juvenile perch. In addition, juvenile perch survival increased with refuge efficiency Roach formed schools which were denser in the presence of predators, had a higher swimming speed (both in the open water and in the refuge) and used a larger area than juvenile perch. Both prey species decreased their distance to the prey refuge and increased the proportion of their time spent in the refuge in the presence of predators. The number of switches between the open-water habitat and the prey refuge was higher for juvenile roach than for juvenile perch. Juvenile perch used different parts of the prey refuge in a flexible way depending both on presence of predators and refuge type whereas juvenile roach used the different parts of the prey refuge in fixed proportions over all refuge treatments. Our results suggest that juvenile roach had a overall higher capacity to avoid predation than juvenile perch. However, in the presence of qualitatively different prey refuges juvenile perch responded to predators with more flexible refuge use than juvenile roach. The differences in antipredator capacities of juvenile perch and roach when subjected to piscivorous perch predation may depend on differences in life history patterns of the two species.     

The performance of a natural treatment system for landfill leachate with special emphasis on the fate of organic pollutants.

A natural treatment system for the treatment of leachate was studied at Moskogen landfill in southern Sweden. This facility consists of three consecutive ponds and a soil-plant (SP)-system. A test area, receiving water from the third pond with the same hydraulic load as the SP-system, was used for estimation of the latter system. Quality parameters including biochemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, ammonium, nitrate, orthophosphate, and total suspended solids along the treatment line were determined as well as soluble metals (Cu, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Pb). In addition a thorough investigation along the treatment line has also been performed concerning volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds. Non-polar organic compounds were investigated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Quantification was based on the assumption of equal response for the compounds found in comparison with the chosen marker substances. For polar, water-soluble compounds the measurements were restricted to phenolic compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography. Several different types of organic compounds were found in the raw leachate including aromatics, benzene-sulfonamides, biphenyls, naphthalene, organic phosphates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, phenols and phthalates. The treatment system efficiently reduced organic pollutants, heavy metals, and nitrogen/phosphorous compounds. Most metals and organic compounds in the leachate were already significantly reduced to a low level in the treatment ponds and ammonium-N was efficiently transformed to nitrate-N in the SP-system.     

Evaluation of Monte Carlo-based calibrations of HPGe detectors for in situ gamma-ray spectrometry

The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of Monte Carlo-based calibrations for in situ gamma-ray spectrometry. We have performed in situ measurements at five different sites in Sweden using HPGe detectors to determine ground deposition activity levels of ¹³⁷Cs from the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Monte Carlo-calculated efficiency calibration factors were compared with corresponding values calculated using a more traditional semi-empirical method. In addition, results for the activity ground deposition were also compared with activity densities found in soil samples. In order to facilitate meaningful comparisons between the different types of results, the combined standard uncertainty of in situ measurements was assessed for both calibration methods. Good agreement, both between the two calibration methods, and between in situ measurements and soil samples, was found at all five sites. Uncertainties in in situ measurements for the given measurement conditions, about 20 years after the fallout occurred, were found to be in the range 15–20% (with a coverage factor k = 1, i.e. with a confidence interval of about 68%).     

Remediation of mould damaged building materials--efficiency of a broad spectrum of treatments

We compared the efficiency of some commercially available products and methods used for remediation of mould-contaminated building materials. Samples of gypsum board and pinewood were artificially contaminated with toxin-producing isolates of Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor, respectively, then, ten different remediation treatments were applied according to the manufacturers' instructions. Microbial and chemical analyses of the infested materials were carried out both immediately before and after treatment, after six weeks of drying at room temperature, and after another six weeks of remoistening. The aim of the study was to determine whether the investigated methods could inhibit the mould growth and destroy some selected mycotoxins produced by the moulds. None of the decontamination methods tested could completely eliminate viable moulds. Some methods, especially boron based chemicals, ammonium based chemicals, and oxidation reduced the contents of mycotoxins produced by S. chartarum (satratoxin G and H, verrucarol), whereas the one which uses an ammonium based chemical reduced the amount of sterigmatocystin produced by A. versicolor with statistical significance. No remediation treatment eliminated all the toxins from the damaged materials. These results emphasize the importance to work preventively with moisture safety throughout the construction processes and management to prevent mould growth on building materials.