Estimating freshwater turtle mortality rates and population declines following hook ingestion

Freshwater turtle populations are susceptible to declines following small increases in the mortality of adults, making it essential to identify and understand potential threats. Freshwater turtles ingest fish hooks associated with recreational angling, and this is likely a problem because hook ingestion is a source of additive mortality for sea turtles. We used a Bayesian‐modeling framework, observed rates of hook ingestion by freshwater turtles, and mortality of sea turtles from hook ingestion to examine the probability that a freshwater turtle in a given population ingests a hook and subsequently dies from it. We used the results of these analyses and previously published life‐history data to simulate the effects of hook ingestion on population growth for 3 species of freshwater turtle. In our simulation, the probability that an individual turtle ingests a hook and dies as a result was 1.2–11%. Our simulation results suggest that this rate of mortality from hook ingestion is sufficient to cause population declines. We believe we have identified fish‐hook ingestion as a serious yet generally overlooked threat to the viability of freshwater turtle populations.     

Integrated models to support multiobjective ecological restoration decisions

Many objectives motivate ecological restoration, including improving vegetation condition, increasing the range and abundance of threatened species, and improving species richness and diversity. Although models have been used to examine the outcomes of ecological restoration, few researchers have attempted to develop models to account for multiple, potentially competing objectives. We developed a combined state‐and‐transition, species‐distribution model to predict the effects of restoration actions on vegetation condition and extent, bird diversity, and the distribution of several bird species in southeastern Australian woodlands. The actions reflected several management objectives. We then validated the models against an independent data set and investigated how the best management decision might change when objectives were valued differently. We also used model results to identify effective restoration options for vegetation and bird species under a constrained budget. In the examples we evaluated, no one action (improving vegetation condition and extent, increasing bird diversity, or increasing the probability of occurrence for threatened species) provided the best outcome across all objectives. In agricultural lands, the optimal management actions for promoting the occurrence of the Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus), an iconic threatened species, resulted in little improvement in the extent of the vegetation and a high probability of decreased vegetation condition. This result highlights that the best management action in any situation depends on how much the different objectives are valued. In our example scenario, no management or weed control were most likely to be the best management options to satisfy multiple restoration objectives. Our approach to exploring trade‐offs in management outcomes through integrated modeling and structured decision‐support approaches has wide application for situations in which trade‐offs exist between competing conservation objectives.     

The influence of place attachment, and moral and normative concerns on the conservation of native vegetation: A test of two behavioural models

This study examines the influence of place attachment, values, beliefs and personal norms about environmental action on the conservation of native vegetation in two primary production settings in South Australia. We use regression and multiple mediation analyses to test a base model of pro-environmental behaviour which includes variables from value-belief-norm (VBN) theory and then compare it to an expanded model which includes the same variables and five dimensions of place attachment. The expanded model including place attachment explained up to twice the amount of variance in native vegetation planting than the base model when controlling for all variables preceding behaviour, but the overall explanatory power was low (<22%). Place attachment had a stronger influence on the antecedents of behaviour compared with the behaviour itself, particularly nature bonding which was a significant moderate predictor of both personal norms and awareness of consequences in the two study regions. We assert that place attachment has statistically significant direct and indirect effects on variables included in VBN theory. Future studies may reveal stronger effects in settings where there are fewer resource and monetary costs associated with pro-environmental behaviour.     

Chorionic villus sampling for prenatal diagnosis in wales using DNA probes—5 years' experience

Chorionic villi were sampled from 125 women who requested prenatal diagnosis, either for genetic disorders or because of advanced maternal age. Of these, 105 samples were obtained by the transcervical route and 20 were obtained by the transabdominal approach. The sampling success rate was 97 per cent (122/125). The mean maternal age of the patients was 31 years (range 17–44) and the mean gestational age at which the chorionic villus sampling was performed was 10 weeks (range 7–13 weeks). Seventy-four of these diagnoses involved the use of DNA markers. The minimal size of the sample used for DNA diagnosis was 5 mg. Maternal contamination was detected in two samples. A diagnosis was provided on all but two samples. The fetal loss rate was high initially but fell to 1·9 per cent in 1988.     

A review of biochars' potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils

Biochars are biological residues combusted under low oxygen conditions, resulting in a porous, low density carbon rich material. Their large surface areas and cation exchange capacities, determined to a large extent by source materials and pyrolysis temperatures, enables enhanced sorption of both organic and inorganic contaminants to their surfaces, reducing pollutant mobility when amending contaminated soils. Liming effects or release of carbon into soil solution may increase arsenic mobility, whilst low capital but enhanced retention of plant nutrients can restrict revegetation on degraded soils amended only with biochars; the combination of composts, manures and other amendments with biochars could be their most effective deployment to soils requiring stabilisation by revegetation. Specific mechanisms of contaminant-biochar retention and release over time and the environmental impact of biochar amendments on soil organisms remain somewhat unclear but must be investigated to ensure that the management of environmental pollution coincides with ecological sustainability.     

Prenatal diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta type III

Ultrasonographic and radiographic evaluation of a fetus at risk for osteogenesis imperfecta (O.I) type III was performed. Real-time ultrasound measurements at 15 weeks gestation were interpreted as normal, but at 20 and 22 weeks of gestation revealed marked shortening of the long bones and deformity of the femurs. The findings were confirmed by fetal radiography at 22 weeks gestation. Radiographic and histologic changes characteristic of O.I. were observed in the aborted fetus. Thus the antenatal manifestations of O.I. type III maybe severe enough to make prenatal diagnosis possible in the second trimester for families at risk for recurrence of this disorder.     

Characterization of fine primary biogenic organic aerosol in an urban area in the northeastern United States

Scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) was used to quantify individual bioparticles in PM_2.5 samples collected during the Pittsburgh Air Quality Study. Microscopy-based estimates of primary biogenic organic aerosol (PBOA) mass were compared to carbohydrate mass associated with PM_2.5. Carbohydrates show substantial seasonal variations, with higher concentrations in the spring and the fall. During the summer, carbohydrates were about 30% of the estimated PBOA concentrations, but in the winter carbohydrate concentrations often greatly exceeded the PBOA mass estimate. Spores and insect detritus were the most abundant PBOA types in the summer samples, while winter samples were comprised predominantly of a mixture of microorganisms, insect and vegetative detritus. During the summer PBOA contributed on average 6.9 ± 5.4% by mass of the PM_2.5 versus 3.3 ± 1.4% of the PM_2.5 mass during the winter.     

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM BASED NONPOINT POLLUTION MODELING1

ABSTRACT: The reauthorization of the Clean Water Act reemphasizes the need for regional scale monitoring and management of nonpoint pollution loads. The magnitude of the task will require that local governments and their consultants integrate information systems and modeling if they are to manage the massive data sets and conduct the array of simulations that will be needed to support the decision making processes. Interfacing geographic information systems (GIS) and nonpoint pollution modeling is a logical approach. The objective of the present study was to use the 37,000-acre area defined by the Kensington Quadrangle sheet in Montgomery County, Maryland, to show that GIS-supported nonpoint pollution modeling is practical and economically attractive. The purpose of the GIS is to estimate the spatial distribution of nonpoint nitrogen, phosphorous, zinc, lead, BOD, and sediment using a model developed by the Northern Virginia Planning District Commission. The system allows the user to change land uses in subareas to simulate the consequences of additional development or alternate management strategies. The tests show that in-house development of this type of special purpose GIS is a practical alternative to vendor supplied systems and that the required databases can be developed quite reasonably.     

A GIS analysis of suitability for construction aggregate recycling sites using regional transportation network and population density features

Aggregate is used in road and building construction to provide bulk, strength, support, and wear resistance. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and reclaimed Portland cement concrete (RPCC) are abundant and available sources of recycled aggregate. In this paper, current aggregate production operations in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia are used to develop spatial association models for the recycled aggregate industry with regional transportation network and population density features.The cost of construction aggregate to the end user is strongly influenced by the cost of transporting processed aggregate from the production site to the construction site. More than 60% of operations recycling aggregate in the mid-Atlantic study area are located within 4.8 km (3 miles) of an interstate highway. Transportation corridors provide both sites of likely road construction where aggregate is used and an efficient means to move both materials and on-site processing equipment back and forth from various work sites to the recycling operations.Urban and developing areas provide a high market demand for aggregate and a ready source of construction debris that may be processed into recycled aggregate. Most aggregate recycling operators in the study area are sited in counties with population densities exceeding 77 people/km² (200 people/mile²). No aggregate recycling operations are sited in counties with less than 19 people/km² (50 people/mile²), reflecting the lack of sufficient long-term sources of construction debris to be used as an aggregate source, as well as the lack of a sufficient market demand for aggregate in most rural areas to locate a recycling operation there or justify the required investment in the equipment to process and produce recycled aggregate.Weights of evidence analyses (WofE), measuring correlation on an area-normalized basis, and weighted logistic regression (WLR), are used to model the distribution of RAP and RPCC operations relative to transportation network and population distribution data. The models can be used on a regional scale to quickly map the relative site suitability for a RAP or RPCC aggregate recycling operation in a particular area based on transportation network and population parameters. The results can be used to identify general areas to be further evaluated on a site-specific basis using more detailed marketplace information. As transportation or population features change due to planning or actual development, the models can be easily revised to reflect these changes.