Chemosensory cues allow courting male garter snakes to assess body length and body condition of potential mates

When choosing between two potential mates, a male may benefit by picking a larger (longer and/or more heavy-bodied) female because she is likely to produce more or larger offspring. Males of many species use visual cues to evaluate the sizes of their mates, but in some situations (at night or in a crowded mating swarm), vision may be useless. Potentially, males may be able to use chemical cues that convey information about female body size. We manipulated cues available to free-ranging male garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) in large courting aggregations near communal dens in Manitoba, Canada. Males not only directed disproportionate courtship to longer and heavier-bodied females, but also courted most vigorously in response to lipids extracted from the skins of such females. Our data show that with a flick of his tongue, a male garter snake can identify not only a female's body length, but also her body condition.     

Factors controlling the bioaccumulation of mercury and methylmercury by the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus

The bioaccumulation of inorganic mercury (HgI) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) by benthic organisms and subsequent trophic transfer couples the benthic and pelagic realms of aquatic systems and provides a mechanism for transfer of sedimentary contaminants to aquatic food chains. Experiments were performed to investigate the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of particle-associated HgI and MMHg by the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus to further understand the controls on bioaccumulation by benthic organisms. HgI and MMHg are particle reactive and have a strong affinity for organic matter, a potential food source for amphipods. Microcosm laboratory experiments were performed to determine the effects of organic matter on Hg bioaccumulation and to determine the major route of Hg uptake (i.e. sediment ingestion, uptake from water/porewater, or uptake from 'food'). Amphipods living in organic-rich sediment spiked with Hg accumulated less Hg than those living in sediments with a lower organic matter content. Feeding had a significant impact on the amount of HgI and MMHg accumulated. Similarly, amphipods living in water with little organic matter accumulated more Hg than those living in water with a greater percentage of organic matter. MMHg was more readily available for uptake than HgI. Experimental results, coupled with results from a bioaccumulation model, suggest that accumulation of HgI and MMHg from sediment cannot be accurately predicted based solely on the total Hg, or even the MMHg, concentration of the sediment, and sediment-based bioaccumulation factors. All routes of exposure need to be considered in determining the accumulation of HgI and MMHg from sediment to benthic invertebrates.     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans: Correlation between in vitro and in vivo structure-activity relationships (SARs)

Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) elicit a number of common biologic and toxic responses which are triggered by their initial binding to a cytosolic receptor protein. These effects include the induction of several cytochrome P-448 dependent monooxygenases (eg, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, AHH), body weight loss and thymic atrophy. The dose-response effects of selected PCDFs on AHH induction in rat hepatoma H-4-II E cells and cytosolic receptor binding affinities have been determined. The results of these and studies demonstrate the remarkable effects of structure on the activity of PCDFs. A systematic study of each of the four different position for chlorine substitution in the dibenzofuran ring system showed that the toxic and biologic potencies of these compounds varied with respect to differential chlorine substitution at all four position, i.e. C-3(7) > C-2(8) >C-4(6) > C-1(9). SARs for PCDDs confirmed the importance of the lateral CI substituents and also showed that 1,2(or 6,7-) substituted PCDDs were more active than the corresponding 1,3-dichloro analogs. In addition, there were significant decreases in activity with increasing non-lateral CI substitution. The SARs for PCDFs were different from the PCDDs and this was directly related to the asymmetric structure of the former group of compounds.     

Bioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs and whole body tissues of freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala individually and in binary solutions with nickel

Contamination of aquatic ecosystems with heavy metals has been receiving increased worldwide attention due to their harmful e ects on human health and other organisms in the environment. Most of the studies dealing with toxic e ects of metals deal with single metal species, while the aquatic organisms are typically exposed to mixtures of metals. Hence, in order to provide data supporting the usefulness of freshwater fish as indicators of heavy metal pollution, it has been proposed in the present study to investigate the bioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs of freshwater fingerlings Cirrhinus mrigala, individually and in binary solutions with nickel. The results show that the kidney is a target organ for chromium accumulation, which implies that it is also the “critical” organ for toxic symptoms. The results further show that accumulation of nickel in all the tissues of C. mrigala is higher than that of chromium. In addition, the metal accumulations of the binary mixtures of chromium and nickel are substantially higher than those of the individual metals, indicating synergistic interactions between the two metals. Theoretically the simplest explanation for an additive joint action of toxicants in a mixture is that they act in a qualitatively similar way. The observed data suggest that C. mrigala could be suitable monitoring organisms to study the bioavailability of water-bound metals in freshwater habitats.     

Application of environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies for an automotive component

Application of appropriate environmentally conscious manufacturing strategies enables the sustainable development of products and processes. Automotive component manufacturers recognise the potential of applying appropriate strategies for attaining Triple Bottom Line benefits. In this context, three strategies such as eco-efficiency, waste minimisation and material efficiency are being applied to minimise environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of automotive products and its associated processes. A case study of an automotive component manufacturing firm has been exemplified. After conducting the study, the potential environmental impact was reduced by 20% and eco-efficiency was improved by 13%. Further, improvements have been observed in terms of overall resource consumption and material efficiency. The overall power consumption was reduced by 18% and weight of the component was reduced by 11%. The study aimed at improving the sustainable performance of product by incorporating green and environmentally friendlier manufacturing practices.

Abbreviations: USEPA: United Nations Environmental Protection Agency; OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; WBCSD: World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Eco-QFD: Environmental Quality Function Deployment; WCED: World Commission on Environment and Development; LCA: Life Cycle Assessment     

Invasive species impacts on ecosystem structure and function: A comparison of Oneida Lake, New York, USA, before and after zebra mussel invasion

Exotic species invasion is widely considered to affect ecosystem structure and function. Yet, few contemporary approaches can assess the effects of exotic species invasion at such an inclusive level. Our research presents one of the first attempts to examine the effects of an exotic species at the ecosystem level in a quantifiable manner. We used ecological network analysis (ENA) and a social network analysis (SNA) method called cohesion analysis to examine the effect of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion on the Oneida Lake, New York, USA, food web. We used ENA to quantify ecosystem function through an analysis of food web carbon transfer that explicitly incorporated flow over all food web paths (direct and indirect). The cohesion analysis assessed ecosystem structure through an organization of food web members into subgroups of strongly interacting predators and prey. Our analysis detected effects of zebra mussel invasion throughout the entire Oneida Lake food web, including changes in trophic flow efficiency (i.e., carbon flow among trophic levels) and alterations of food web organization (i.e., paths of carbon flow) and ecosystem activity (i.e., total carbon flow). ENA indicated that zebra mussels altered food web function by shunting carbon from pelagic to benthic pathways, increasing dissipative flow loss, and decreasing ecosystem activity. SNA revealed the strength of zebra mussel perturbation as evidenced by a reorganization of food web subgroup structure, with a decrease in importance of pelagic pathways, a concomitant rise of benthic pathways, and a reorganization of interactions between top predator fish. Together, these analyses allowed for a holistic understanding of the effects of zebra mussel invasion on the Oneida Lake food web.     

Bioaccumulation of lead and the influence of chelating agents in Catla catla fingerlings

Lead is a widespread element and one of the persistent and cumulative pollutants of the environment. The present study deals with the bioaccumulation of lead and the influence of chelating agents, meso 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), D-Penicillamine and CaNa₂EDTA in reducing the concentration of lead on the selected organs of Catla catla fingerlings for both acute and chronic exposures by using ICP-AES. It is inferred from the present findings that there was a correlation between environmental conditions and the heavy metal contents of the fish. The highest concentration of lead is found in kidney tissues and the lowest in muscle tissues. The accumulation pattern of lead in the selected organs of Catla catla is: kidney > liver > gill > brain > muscle. Also, it has been found that the treatment of chelating agents, DMSA, D-Penicillamine and CaNa₂EDTA reduces the concentration of lead significantly for both acute and chronic exposures. The results also show that DMSA is the most effective chelator of lead in reducing the body burden of C. catla fingerlings. The observed data further indicate that C. catla could be suitable for monitoring organisms to study the bioavailability of water-bound metals in freshwater habitats.     

Metals in tissues of European otters (Lutra lutra) from Denmark, Great Britain and Ireland.

Samples of livers of European otters from Denmark, Great Britain and Ireland were analyzed for manganese, chromium, zinc, copper, nickel and cobalt. Concentrations were generally significantly higher in samples from Great Britain. It was considered that this reflected the catchment geology from where the specimens originated.     

Beach topography mapping—a comparsion of techniques

A comparison of current techniques for measuring elevations in the beach and near-shore zones is presented. Techniques considered include traditional methods such as ground survey along transects and airborne stereophotogrammetry, and also newer methods based on remote sensing such as airborne scanning laser altimetry (LiDAR). The approach taken was to identify a representative group of users of beach elevation data, elicit their requirements regarding these data, then assess how well the different methods met these requirements on both technical and financial grounds. Potential users of beach height measurements include those concerned with coastal defence, coastal environmental management economic exploitation of the intertidal zone, and coastal flood forecasting. Three test areas in the UK were identified covering a range of such users and also different beach types. A total of 17 basic user requirements were elicited. For each requirement each method was scored according to the degree to which it could meet the requirement. Total scores were calculated and each method ranked. This was undertaken for all the requirements together, for a subset relating to survey of narrow beaches, and for a subset relating to survey of wide beaches. Approximate costs were also established for the top six methods. Airborne stereophotogrammetry proved to be the best method technically, but was also the most expensive. Ground survey provides very good technical performance on narrower beaches at moderate cost. Airborne LiDAR can achieve good technical performance on both narrow and wide beaches at lower cost than ground survey. The satellite-based waterline method was also inexpensive and gave good results on wide beaches. An overall conclusion is that, while the traditional methods of ground survey and airborne stereophotogrammetry remain the best for engineering-related surveys requiring high levels of accuracy, airborne LiDAR in particular looks set to have a significant impact on beach survey for applications for which a vertical accuracy of 20 cm is acceptable, provided that its technology evolves satisfactorily.     

The lexicon of love: what cues cause size-assortative courtship by male garter snakes?

Cues that females use to select potential mates have attracted substantial research effort, but the criteria for male mate choice remain very poorly known. Red-sided garter snakes ( Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) court and mate in large aggregations around overwintering dens in southern Manitoba, Canada. Both courtship and mating are size-assortative: small male snakes court small as well as large females, whereas larger males court only large females. This system provides a unique opportunity to assess the cues that males use in selecting mates, and in particular the mechanisms that generate a size-related shift in mate preference. Experiments in which we manipulated body sizes and scents showed that both vision and scent (sex pheromones) were important. Large males directed intense courtship only when the stimulus provided both visual and chemical (skin lipid) evidence of large body size. Small males were much less discriminating in both respects. Thus, size-assortative mating in this system is generated not by larger males excluding their smaller rivals from the largest females (as has been reported in other reptile species), but by a size-related shift in the visual and pheromonal cues that elicit courtship. Males of some species may thus show complex patterns of mate choice, with the cues that stimulate courtship differing even among males within a single population based on traits such as age or body size.