Increased germination of diverse crop-wild hybrid sunflower seeds.

Gene flow from crop fields to wild populations produces hybrids that often differ from their wild counterparts in growth form, phenology, and life history characteristics. Germination and dormancy dynamics have a strong influence on population persistence, competitive dynamics, and ultimately, plant fitness. They may also play a role in modifying crop gene introgression, which has been of primary interest since the release of transgenic crops. We investigated how seed germination and dormancy were affected by sunflower crop wild hybridization in both laboratory and field experiments. Hybridization increased seed germination and decreased dormancy. Of the nine wild populations we assayed, most of their hybrids had higher germination than the wilds of the same population. However, absolute germination levels varied by population and testing environment. Hybrids produced by three different crop lines differed in germination, and their germination rankings shifted across populations. Increased germination in hybrids could accelerate crop gene introgression, provided that hybrids germinate in an appropriate period. Differences in relative germination of wild and hybrid seed indicated that the effect of germination on introgression will likely vary by population due, in part, to initial levels of dormancy in the population. Therefore, the implications of gene flow from crops with novel characteristics or from transgenic crops will also vary by population.     

An agenda for assessing and improving conservation impacts of sustainability standards in tropical agriculture

Sustainability standards and certification serve to differentiate and provide market recognition to goods produced in accordance with social and environmental good practices, typically including practices to protect biodiversity. Such standards have seen rapid growth, including in tropical agricultural commodities such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans, and tea. Given the role of sustainability standards in influencing land use in hotspots of biodiversity, deforestation, and agricultural intensification, much could be gained from efforts to evaluate and increase the conservation payoff of these schemes. To this end, we devised a systematic approach for monitoring and evaluating the conservation impacts of agricultural sustainability standards and for using the resulting evidence to improve the effectiveness of such standards over time. The approach is oriented around a set of hypotheses and corresponding research questions about how sustainability standards are predicted to deliver conservation benefits. These questions are addressed through data from multiple sources, including basic common information from certification audits; field monitoring of environmental outcomes at a sample of certified sites; and rigorous impact assessment research based on experimental or quasi‐experimental methods. Integration of these sources can generate time‐series data that are comparable across sites and regions and provide detailed portraits of the effects of sustainability standards. To implement this approach, we propose new collaborations between the conservation research community and the sustainability standards community to develop common indicators and monitoring protocols, foster data sharing and synthesis, and link research and practice more effectively. As the role of sustainability standards in tropical land‐use governance continues to evolve, robust evidence on the factors contributing to effectiveness can help to ensure that such standards are designed and implemented to maximize benefits for biodiversity conservation.     

Arctic marine mammal population status,sea ice habitat loss,and conservation recommendations for the 21st century

Arctic marine mammals (AMMs) are icons of climate change, largely because of their close association with sea ice. However, neither a circumpolar assessment of AMM status nor a standardized metric of sea ice habitat change is available. We summarized available data on abundance and trend for each AMM species and recognized subpopulation. We also examined species diversity, the extent of human use, and temporal trends in sea ice habitat for 12 regions of the Arctic by calculating the dates of spring sea ice retreat and fall sea ice advance from satellite data (1979–2013). Estimates of AMM abundance varied greatly in quality, and few studies were long enough for trend analysis. Of the AMM subpopulations, 78% (61 of 78) are legally harvested for subsistence purposes. Changes in sea ice phenology have been profound. In all regions except the Bering Sea, the duration of the summer (i.e., reduced ice) period increased by 5–10 weeks and by >20 weeks in the Barents Sea between 1979 and 2013. In light of generally poor data, the importance of human use, and forecasted environmental changes in the 21st century, we recommend the following for effective AMM conservation: maintain and improve comanagement by local, federal, and international partners; recognize spatial and temporal variability in AMM subpopulation response to climate change; implement monitoring programs with clear goals; mitigate cumulative impacts of increased human activity; and recognize the limits of current protected species legislation.     

Littoral microcrustacean (Cladocera and Copepoda) indicators of acidification in Canadian Shield lakes

We identify littoral microcrustacean indicators of acidification in 2 surveys of Canadian Shield lakes conducted 10 years apart. We found a total of 90 cladoceran and copepod species with richness increasing severalfold from acidic to nonacidic lakes. The fauna of the nonacidic lakes differed between the surveys. The 1987 survey employed activity traps, and caught more littoral taxa than the more recent, net-haul-based survey. Similar faunas were identified in the acidified lakes in both surveys, and several good indicator species were identified. For example, Acanthocycops vernalis was restricted to lakes with pH < 6. Sinobosmina sp. was very common but only in lakes with pH > 4.8. Tropocyclops extensus, Mesocyclops edax, and Sida crystallina were commonly found but only at pH > 5, and Chydorus faviformis only at pH > 5.9. These indicators showed promise in gauging the early stages of recovery from acidification in 3 lakes that were included in both surveys.     

Hochwasser 2002

In August 2002, highly contaminated areas in the region of Bitterfeld, e.g. the floodplain of the creek Spittelwasser, as well as the adjacent regions of Jeßnitz and Raguhn, were submerged by the river Mulde. An input of mobilized contaminated sediments in residential areas was the matter of concern. The objective of the present study was to estimate the pollutants load on the basis of chemical and biological data and identify the sources of pollutants. Deposited sludge and flood water samples were assessed on the basis of biological and chemical analyses and in comparison with administrative reference values. The pollution of the investigated sites was rather heterogeneous. At several sites, tolerance limits of the German Klärschlammverordnung or the Bundesbodenschutzverordnung were clearly exceeded, e.g. for Pb, As and HCH. Organic extracts exhibited significant effects in several biotests. This may be relevant with respect to direct particle uptake via ingestion or respiration. Pollution patterns for heavy metals as well as for organic pollutants differed significantly from the pattern found in the Spittelwasser flood plain before the inundation, which is in contrast to the initial hypothesis of a possible transport of contaminated Spittelwasser sediments into residential areas. Interestingly, a correlation of chemical load and the overall biological effect could be shown. From the viewpoint of the precautionary principle, the identification of the compounds exerting toxic effects and of the respective pollutant sources would be desirable.     

Enantiomeric signatures of chiral polychlorinated biphenyl atropisomers in livers of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the southern North Sea

The enantiomeric composition of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) atropisomers, including PCB 95, PCB 149 and PCB 132, was measured in 11 livers of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the southern North Sea. Non-racemic enantiomeric ratios (ERs) were found in some samples. The value of ERs in three of the four juvenile porpoises was equal or almost equal to one, while the ERs in all adults differed from racemic and ranged from 1.31 to 2.54 for PCB 95; from 1.19 to 1.81 for PCB 149 and from 0.45 to 0.94 for PCB 132. There were no relationships between the total concentration of PCBs and ERs. To understand the phenomena, the relationships between the ER value of individual chiral congener with age, concentration of total PCBs and PCB congener pattern were discussed. A model of intake and elimination kinetics was set up and it was tested using the ratio between concentration of PCB 153 and PCB 101 in the liver samples. There was a clear trend between the enantiomeric ratios and the ratio between PCB 153 and PCB 101. Considering that PCB 153 is one of the most persistent PCB congeners in marine mammals and PCB 101 is a relatively easy metabolised congener, this trend means that the enantiomeric ratio most likely reflects the proportion of the metabolised congener. The exposure period in contaminated conditions has a strong impact on ERs, and it is suggested that ERs in wildlife, combined with information on their anthropometric data, health status, diet and habitat conditions, might be good indicators of pollution in coastal ecosystems.     

Assessing differences in macrofaunal assemblages as a factor of sieve mesh size,distance between samples,and time of sampling

With increasing cascading effects of climate change on the marine environment, as well as pollution and anthropogenic utilization of the seafloor, there is increasing interest in tracking changes to benthic communities. Macrofaunal surveys are traditionally conducted as part of pre-incident environmental assessment studies and post-incident monitoring studies when there is a potential impact to the seafloor. These surveys usually characterize the structure and/or spatiotemporal distribution of macrofaunal assemblages collected with sediment cores; however, many different sampling protocols have been used. An assessment of the comparability of past and current survey methods was in need to facilitate future surveys and comparisons. This was the aim of the present study, conducted off the Oregon coast in waters 25–35 m deep. Our results show that the use of a sieve with a 1.0-mm mesh size gives results for community structure comparable to results obtained from a 0.5-mm mesh size, which allows reliable comparisons of recent and past spatiotemporal surveys of macroinfauna. In addition to our primary objective of comparing methods, we also found interacting effects of seasons and depths of collection. Seasonal differences (summer and fall) were seen in infaunal assemblages in the wave-induced sediment motion zone but not deeper. Thus, studies where wave-induced sediment motion can structure the benthic communities, especially during the winter months, should consider this effect when making temporal comparisons. In addition, some macrofauna taxa-like polychaetes and amphipods show high interannual variabilities, so spatiotemporal studies should make sure to cover several years before drawing any conclusions.     

Environmental justice: A louisiana case study

The paper begins with a brief analysis of the concepts of environmental justice and environmental racism and classism. The authors argue that pollution- and environment-related decision-making is prima facie wrong whenever it results in inequitable treatment of individuals on the basis of race or socio-economic status. The essay next surveys the history of the doctrine of free informed consent and argues that the consent of those affected is necessary for ensuring the fairness of decision-making for siting hazardous facilities. The paper also points out that equal opportunity to environmental protection and free informed consent are important rights. Finally, it presents a case study on the proposed uranium enrichment facility near Homer, Louisiana and argues that siting the plant would violate norms of distributive equity and free informed consent. It concludes that siting the facility is a case of environmental injustice and likely an example of environmental racism or classism.     

Automatic classification of climate change effects on marine species distributions in 2050 using the AquaMaps model

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - Habitat modifications driven by human impact and climate change may influence species distribution, particularly in aquatic environments. Niche-based...