COST BEHAVIOR AND WATER SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: Several factors theoretically affect the cost behavior of water systems. These factors include scale, consumer density, and per capita usage. This analysis examines the several possible influences on the unit costs of water service. The statistical analyses indicate that among the factors of scale, per capita use, and consumer density, only the first two factors are important influences on water system costs. Water consumers appear to benefit from being served by large systems and being located in service areas characterized by relatively high per capita consumption. There is little statistical evidence indicating that more dense areas can be provided water service at lower costs than less dense areas.     

Book reviews

The Garden City Utopia

Robert Beevers. The Macmillan Press, 1988. £27.50. 206 pages.

Cost‐Benefit Analysis in Urban and Regional Planning

J. A. Schofield. Allen and Unwin, London, 1987. 249 pages. £30 hardback.

The Milton Park Affair — Canada's largest citizen‐developer confrontation

Claire Helman. Véhicule Press, Montréal, 1987. $12.95.

Regenerating the Inner City, Glasgow's Experience

Edited by David Donnison and Alan Middleton. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London, 1987. £12.95.

Community Architecture

Nick Wates and Charles Knevitt. Penguin Books, London, 1987. £4.95.     

Demography and disappearing merchandise: How older workforces influence retail shrinkage

Prior research on retail shrinkage has taken a largely individual‐level approach to theorizing about why it occurs, showing that older employees are less prone to theft and more vigilant in preventing customer shoplifting than younger personnel. However, given the influence of organizational contexts on organizational behavior, theorizing about shrinkage may be enhanced by the consideration of business‐unit level contextual variables. The present study addressed this concern by examining the relationship between store‐level age composition, whistle‐blowing (WB) climate, and shrinkage in 726 retail stores. Results indicated that the negative mean age–shrinkage relationship was stronger when there was less age diversity or a climate more supportive of WB. Moreover, the negative WB climate–shrinkage linkage was stronger when the mean age was higher. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating the normal background rate of species extinction

A key measure of humanity's global impact is by how much it has increased species extinction rates. Familiar statements are that these are 100–1000 times pre‐human or background extinction levels. Estimating recent rates is straightforward, but establishing a background rate for comparison is not. Previous researchers chose an approximate benchmark of 1 extinction per million species per year (E/MSY). We explored disparate lines of evidence that suggest a substantially lower estimate. Fossil data yield direct estimates of extinction rates, but they are temporally coarse, mostly limited to marine hard‐bodied taxa, and generally involve genera not species. Based on these data, typical background loss is 0.01 genera per million genera per year. Molecular phylogenies are available for more taxa and ecosystems, but it is debated whether they can be used to estimate separately speciation and extinction rates. We selected data to address known concerns and used them to determine median extinction estimates from statistical distributions of probable values for terrestrial plants and animals. We then created simulations to explore effects of violating model assumptions. Finally, we compiled estimates of diversification—the difference between speciation and extinction rates for different taxa. Median estimates of extinction rates ranged from 0.023 to 0.135 E/MSY. Simulation results suggested over‐ and under‐estimation of extinction from individual phylogenies partially canceled each other out when large sets of phylogenies were analyzed. There was no evidence for recent and widespread pre‐human overall declines in diversity. This implies that average extinction rates are less than average diversification rates. Median diversification rates were 0.05–0.2 new species per million species per year. On the basis of these results, we concluded that typical rates of background extinction may be closer to 0.1 E/MSY. Thus, current extinction rates are 1,000 times higher than natural background rates of extinction and future rates are likely to be 10,000 times higher. Estimación de la Tasa Normal de Extinción de Especies     

Social and ecological factors affecting paternity allocation in American robins with overlapping broods

Factors that affect extra-pair mating in birds are likely to vary across the breeding season. Changing densities of active nests may alter the opportunities for extra-pair mating, and parental duties may alter a male’s opportunity to guard his mate from extra-pair mating. The latter affects species with multiple broods, where males care for fledglings from first nests while females initiate second nests. We studied a population of multi-brooded American robins (Turdus migratorius) to assess how seasonal changes in nesting density and changes in mate-guarding opportunity influenced paternity patterns over successive breeding attempts. Extra-pair paternity (EPP) occurred in 71.9% of broods and accounted for 48.1% of young. High nesting densities in the study population may explain the high overall rate of EPP, but seasonal variation in breeding density did not explain patterns of EPP among nests. Contrary to the predictions of the mate-guarding hypothesis, EPP did not increase in the second nests that followed successful first nests, and the percentage of extra-pair young in second nests did not decline as the overlap between successive nests increased. The fact that EPP was actually lower when the interval between clutches was shorter suggests that the sooner the males can assume sole care of first broods and allow their mates to renest (indicative of superior paternal quality), the more paternity they realize in the next nest. These results suggest that mate-guarding opportunity does not influence paternity in this population of American robins and that female robins may allocate paternity based on their assessment of male parental performance at first nests.     

American robin nestlings compete by jockeying for position

Summary We investigated whether nestling American robins (Turdus migratorius) were capable of influencing food distribution in their nests by perceiving that certain sectors of the nest received a relatively high proportion of feedings and positioning themselves accordingly. Feeding observations were obtained from videotape recordings taken at different stages of the nestling period. Parents generally arrived at a predictable location on the nest rim and allocated proportionally more food to nestlings in the central position. The degree of nestling movement was significantly positively correlated with variation in the predictability of parental arrival locations on the nest rim. Furthermore, nestlings moved more in broods suffering brood reduction. This suggests that when competition for food is intense and the location of parental arrival is predictable, nestlings respond by jockeying for access to the most favorable (i.e., central) position in the nest. We conclude that jockeying for position by nestlings can influence the pattern of food allocation by parents, and that hungry nestlings can improve their competitive standing against nestmates by moving to positions where parents are more likely to feed them. Correspondence to: S.B. McRae     

Gregarious behaviour in a salamander: attraction to conspecific chemical cues in burrow choice

Gregarious behaviour (i.e. living in groups in contrast to a solitary life) is commonly observed in mammals, but rarely documented in amphibians. Environmental features and/or animal mutual attractions can promote the formation of aggregations that may both reduce the risks of dehydration and predation and increase mate access and fitness. Luschan’s salamander (Mertensiella luschani) lives in permanently arid Mediterranean environments; individuals shelter in cracks and crevices and leave only during favourable periods. In this study we examined the role of chemical tracks, in self and conspecific recognition (i.e. gregarious/solitary behaviour), on the social structure of this species. Our results show that juveniles and adults of both sexes use chemical scents deposited on substrate to relocate their shelter. In contrast to numerous other salamander species, Luschan’s salamanders also use social information, conveyed by conspecific scents, to identify a safe shelter. Furthermore, this scent marking does not play a role in sexual attraction but allows sex discrimination. This species exhibits gregarious behaviour (i.e. conspecific attraction) as a possible adaptation to dry environments. We discuss both ultimate and proximate factors in the evolution from a solitary to a gregarious life.     

Biorheological properties of intertidal organic fluff on mud flats and its modification of gill ventilation in buried sole <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solea solea</Emphasis>

Intertidal mudflats are important nursery grounds for juveniles of many fish species. However, they are being used increasingly to farm bivalve molluscs, which produce large amounts of organic “fluff”, overlying the mud. Fish such as sole, Solea solea, hide in this fluff from potential predators, but the energy consumed by respiring the fluff may be high due to its biorheological properties. We developed an ichthyoviscometer. It incorporates a freshly killed fish as a viscometer, and we developed it to measure the rheological properties of fluids and suspensions, including fluff, at scales encompassing those in gill ventilation. We have shown that the rheological behaviour of fluff is close to that of a gel with a yield stress strongly dependent on particulate organic matter concentration ([POM]). This has allowed us to model fluff flow through the gill channels in living sole as a function of fish size and [POM], showing that in a 26-g sole, fluff would halve flow at a [POM] value of 3.2 g l⁻¹, and stop it at 3.4.     

Expanding the benefits of environmental management systems through DFE

Industry's role in environmental protection is changing and growing. Increasing evidence shows that a corporation's understanding and response to environmental issues and concerns can have strategically important consequences for some kinds of businesses.¹ Focusing on concepts of prevention, industry has developed and struggled with a number of environmental approaches, all of which attempt to link the environment with common business practice. Industry has followed and in some cases embraced concepts and approaches like sustainable development, eco-efficiency, green manufacturing, pollution prevention, and extended product responsibility. A particularly timely and promising strategy to reduce the environmental impact of both manufacturing and product use while enhancing business success is the integration of environmental management systems (EMS) with design for the environment (DFE) efforts. A desirable relationship can and should exist between DFE and EMS. This relationship has not been well understood, but is crucial to fulfill the promise of each. In application, the institutionalization of DFE in an organization is difficult and tenuous at best. Some authors suggest that management issues block the implementation of DFE.² Others say that DFE has not been institutionalized to the extent that pollution prevention has.³ This article suggests that through an explicit connection between an EMS and DFE, DFE can extend the promise of EMS to reduce industry's environmental impact and produce business success, and it can do so in an ongoing way. The authors will show the importance of an EMS/DFE linkage, suggest company types that might benefit from investigating these approaches, and then review a series of DFE tool types.