Comparison of two methods for obtaining degradation half-lives

Given the paucity of experimental degradation half-life data for most organic chemicals, there is a compelling incentive to use available estimation software when undertaking assessments of chemical persistence and mass balance modeling studies. In this study, half-life data obtained from estimation software for a set of 233 organic chemicals in air, water, soil and sediments were shown to differ significantly from half-life data listed in handbooks. It is suggested that the widely available and used estimation software, EPIWIN (Estimations Program's Interface for Windows), overestimates the reactivity of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Reasons for this overestimation are explored. It is concluded that the maximum "default half-life values" used by the EPIWIN software are too short for estimating half-lives of highly persistent chemicals such as PCBs. There is a need for estimation software such as EPIWIN to be more thoroughly calibrated against experimental derived half-life data for a wide range of chemicals, including potential POPs, thus improving their reliability.     

Chemical contaminants in juvenile gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) from a subsistence harvest in Arctic feeding grounds

Gray whales are coastal migratory baleen whales that are benthic feeders. Most of their feeding takes place in the northern Pacific Ocean with opportunistic feeding taking place during their migrations and residence on the breeding grounds. The concentrations of organochlorines and trace elements were determined in tissues and stomach contents of juvenile gray whales that were taken on their Arctic feeding grounds in the western Bering Sea during a Russian subsistence harvest. These concentrations were compared to previously published data for contaminants in gray whales that stranded along the west coast of the US during their northbound migration. Feeding in coastal waters during their migrations may present a risk of exposure to toxic chemicals in some regions. The mean concentration (standard error of the mean, SEM) of sigmaPCBs [1400 (130) ng/g, lipid weight] in the blubber of juvenile subsistence whales was significantly lower than the mean level [27,000 (11,000) ng/g, lipid weight] reported previously in juvenile gray whales that stranded in waters off the west coast of the US. Aluminum in stomach contents of the subsistence whales was high compared to other marine mammal species, which is consistent with the ingestion of sediment during feeding. Furthermore, the concentrations of potentially toxic chemicals in tissues were relatively low when compared to the concentrations in tissues of other marine mammals feeding at higher trophic levels. These chemical contaminant data for the subsistence gray whales substantially increase the information available for presumably healthy animals.     

Longevity can buffer plant and animal populations against changing climatic variability

Both means and year-to-year variances of climate variables such as temperature and precipitation are predicted to change. However, the potential impact of changing climatic variability on the fate of populations has been largely unexamined. We analyzed multiyear demographic data for 36 plant and animal species with a broad range of life histories and types of environment to ask how sensitive their long-term stochastic population growth rates are likely to be to changes in the means and standard deviations of vital rates (survival, reproduction, growth) in response to changing climate. We quantified responsiveness using elasticities of the long-term population growth rate predicted by stochastic projection matrix models. Short-lived species (insects and annual plants and algae) are predicted to be more strongly (and negatively) affected by increasing vital rate variability relative to longer-lived species (perennial plants, birds, ungulates). Taxonomic affiliation has little power to explain sensitivity to increasing variability once longevity has been taken into account. Our results highlight the potential vulnerability of short-lived species to an increasingly variable climate, but also suggest that problems associated with short-lived undesirable species (agricultural pests, disease vectors, invasive weedy plants) may be exacerbated in regions where climate variability decreases.     

Mitochondrial cytochrome b variation in sleeper sharks (Squaliformes: Somniosidae)

Sleeper sharks are a poorly studied group of deep-sea sharks. The subgenus, Somniosus, contains three morphologically similar species: S. microcephalus found in the Arctic and North Atlantic; S. pacificus in the North Pacific; and S. antarcticus in the Southern Ocean. These sharks have been reported mainly in temperate to polar waters and occasionally in subtropical locations. They have not been recorded in tropical waters. This study investigates the relationships among the accepted species of Somniosus through analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variation. Seventy-five samples were examined from four sampling locations in the North Pacific, Southern Ocean and North Atlantic. Twenty-one haplotypes were found. A minimum spanning parsimony network separated these haplotypes into two divergent clades, an S. microcephalus and an S. pacificus/antarcticus clade, strongly supporting the distinction of S. microcephalus as a separate species from the Pacific sleeper shark species. Analysis of genetic structure within the S. pacificus/antarcticus clade (analysis of molecular variance, allele frequency comparisons, and a nested clade analysis) showed limited or no differences amongst three populations. Further examination of genetic variation at more variable mtDNA and nuclear markers is needed to examine the species status of S. pacificus and S. antarcticus.     

The patchiness of epifoliar fungi in tropical forests: host range, host abundance, and environment

Fungal symbioses affect the diversity, dynamics, and spatial patterns of trees in tropical forests. Their ecological importance is partly driven by their inherent patchiness. We used epifoliar fungi, a guild of common, benign, obligate, fungal symbionts of plants, as a model system to evaluate the relative importance of host phylogeny, host relative abundance, and microclimate on the three-dimensional distribution of plant-fungus symbioses. In parallel studies in rainforests in Panama and Australia, most epifoliar fungi were able to colonize several plant lineages but showed significant host preferences within the local plant community. More closely related plant species were not more likely to share fungal symbionts. Instead, fungal species were more likely to be shared by more abundant hosts, which supported a greater number and diversity of fungi. Environmental conditions strongly affected spatial distributions, with sites in the dark understory 2.5- to fourfold more likely to have epifoliar fungi than in the exposed forest canopy. In the understory, fungal incidence increased with canopy openness. Canopy trees supported only a subset of the fungal symbionts found in the understory, suggesting that adult trees are not reservoirs of these fungal symbionts for understory juveniles.     

Allochthonous subsidy of periodical cicadas affects the dynamics and stability of pond communities

Periodical cicadas emerge from below ground every 13 or 17 years in North American forests, with individual broods representing the synchronous movement of trillions of individuals across geographic regions. Due to predator satiation, most individuals escape predation, die, and become deposited as detritus. Some of this emergent biomass falls into woodland aquatic habitats (small streams and woodland ponds) and serves as a high-quality allochthonous detritus pulse in early summer. We present results of a two-part study in which we (1) quantified deposition of Brood X periodical cicada detritus into woodland ponds and low-order streams in southwestern Ohio, and (2) conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment in which we examined the effects of deposition of different amounts of cicada detritus on food webs characteristic of forest ponds. In the mesocosm experiment, we manipulated the amount of cicada detritus input to examine if food web dynamics and stability varied with the magnitude of this allochthonous resource subsidy, as predicted by numerous theoretical models. Deposition data indicate that, during years of periodical cicada emergence, cicada carcasses can represent a sizable pulse of allochthonous detritus to forest aquatic ecosystems. In the mesocosm experiment, cicada carcass deposition rapidly affected food webs, leading to substantial increases in nutrients and organism biomass, with the magnitude of increase dependent upon the amount of cicada detritus. Deposition of cicada detritus impacted the stability of organism functional groups and populations by affecting the temporal variability and biomass minima. However, contrary to theory, stability measures were not consistently related to the size of the allochthonous pulse (i.e., the amount of cicada detritus). Our study underscores the need for theory to further explore consequences of pulsed allochthonous subsidies for food web stability.