Designing and managing successful endangered species recovery programs

Endangered species recovery is characterized by complexity and uncertainty in both its biological and organizational aspects. To improve performance in the organizational dimension, some models of organizations are briefly introduced with an emphasis on the organization as a system for processing information, i.e., for successfully dealing with the high uncertainty in the task environment. A strong task orientation,which rewards achievement of the primary goal, is suggested as ideal for this task, as is generative rationality, which encourages workers to observe, critique, and generate new ideas. The parallel organization—a flexible, participatory, problem-solving structure set up alongside traditional bureaucracies—is offered as a useful structure for meeting the demands of uncertainties encountered during recovery. Task forces and projects teams can be set up as parallel organizations. Improved managerial functions include coordinating roles to facilitate the flow and use of information; decision making to avoid groupthink—the defects, symptoms, and countermeasures are described; and productive, active management of the inevitable conflict. The inability of organizations to solve dilemmas, to examine their own structures and management, and to change themselves for more effective, efficient, and equitable performance is seen as the major obstacle to improved recovery programs. Some recommendations for effecting change in bureaucracies are made along with a call for case studies detailing the organizational dimensions of endangered species recovery programs.     

Exvessel Price Determination in the Alaska King Crab Fishery: A Formula Price Contract under Uncertainty?

Commercial fisheries industry structure often suggests exvessel price formation occurs in the context of a competitive harvesting sector and an oligopsonistic processing sector. However, industry conduct leading to a determination of exvessel price can be notably at odds with this inference. This paper presents empirical evidence that the conduct of at least one such fishery, the Alaska king crab industry, may emulate bilateral monopoly. Exvessel price determination is consistent with an implicit formula price contract in which fishers behave as monopolists through bargaining associations, while processors behave as countervailing monopsonists, even in the absence of explicit collusion. Both sectors appear to behave in a manner consistent with joint expected profit maximization, with profit shares apportioned via the implicit formula price contract. This price formation process simplifies empirical analysis of the bilateral monopoly conduct by avoiding complicated game theoretic/bargaining models.     

Assessment of bioavailable PAH, PCB and OCP concentrations in water, using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), sediments and caged carp

Bioavailable water concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were assessed at several freshwater sites in and around the city of Amsterdam. Carp (Cyprinus carpio) were caged for 4 weeks at 10 sites, together with semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs). In addition, sediment samples were taken at each site. SPMDs and sediments were analysed for PAHs, PCBs and OCPs. Carp muscle tissues were analysed for PCBs and OCP, while PAH metabolites were assessed in fish bile. Contaminant concentrations in the water phase were estimated using three different methods: 1. Using fish tissue concentrations and literature bioconcentration factors (BCFs), 2. Using SPMD levels and a kinetic SPMD uptake model, and 3. Using sediment levels and literature sorption coefficients (K_ocs). Since PAH accumulation in fish is not considered an accurate indicator of PAH exposure, calculated aqueous PAH concentrations from SPMD data were compared with semiquantitatively determined biliary PAH metabolite levels. Contaminant concentrations in the water phase estimated with fish data (Cw_fish) and SPMD data (Cw_spmd) were more in line for compounds with lower K_ow than for compounds with higher K_ow values. This indicates that the assumption of fish–water sorption equilibrium was not valid. At most sites, sediment-based water levels (Cw_sed) were comparable with the Cw_spmd, although large differences were observed at certain sites. A significant correlation was observed between biliary PAH metabolite levels in fish and aqueous PAH concentrations estimated with SPMD data, suggesting that both methods may be accurate indicators of PAH exposure in aquatic ecosystems.     

An investigation of roof runoff during rain events at the Royal Military College of Canada and potential discharge to Lake Ontario

The Royal Military College of Canada, located on the north eastern shore of Lake Ontario, possesses an abundance of copper roofs and lacks surface water treatment prior to discharge into Lake Ontario. Rainwater, roof runoff and soil samples were collected and analyzed for copper and other parameters. Copper was consistently detected in runoff samples with average concentrations of 3200 2100 g/L. Multivariable linear regression analysis for a dependant copper runoff concentration yielded an adjusted R2 value of 0.611, based on an independent variable model using minimum temperature, maximum temperature, total precipitation, and wind speed. Lake water samples taken in the vicinity of storm water outfalls draining areas with copper roofs ranged from 2.0 to 40 g/L copper. Such data exceed the 2.0 g/L Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life as outlined by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). Analysis of raw, filtered and digested forms suggested that the majority of copper present in runoff and lake water samples was in a dissolved form. The majority of soils taken in this study displayed copper concentrations below the 63 g/g CCME residential/parkland land use limits. These findings suggested that ion exchange processes between runoff water and soil do not occur to a sufficient extent to elevate copper levels in soil. It may therefore be concluded that the eventual fate of copper, which is not discharged via storm water outfalls, is lost to the water table and Lake Ontario through the sub-soil.     

Shading facilitates sessile invertebrate dominance in the rocky subtidal Gulf of Maine

Dramatic shifts in community composition occur between vertical and horizontal rocky surfaces in subtidal environments worldwide, yet the forces mediating this transition are poorly understood. Vertical rock walls are often covered by lush, diverse communities of sessile suspension-feeding invertebrates, while adjacent horizontal substrates are dominated by algae, or corals in the tropics. Multiple factors, including light, sedimentation, water flow, and predation have been proposed to explain this pattern, but experimental tests of these hypotheses are lacking. We manipulated light level and predation to test whether variation in these mechanisms could be responsible for the shift in composition of sessile communities between vertical and horizontal surfaces in the rocky subtidal Gulf of Maine. Shaded horizontally oriented granite plots were dominated by invertebrates (e.g., ascidians, barnacles, bryozoans) after 25 months. Unshaded plots were dominated by macroalgae, which was virtually absent in shaded plots. Exclusion of grazers with cages had no effect on percent cover of invertebrates or algae. Preferential settlement of invertebrate larvae to shaded plots, due to larval behaviors such as negative phototaxis, did not seem to play a role. Shading likely affects post-settlement mortality of invertebrates by alleviating competition for space with algae, although greater abundance of micropredators in algal-dominated communities could also be important. Communities on shaded plots lacked many taxa present on natural wall communities, likely due to greater disturbance on horizontal substrates and/or lack of sufficient time for colonization of these taxa. These results suggest that light plays a key role in controlling the structure, composition, and function of shallow subtidal communities.     

Biogeography of bacterioplankton in lakes and streams of an Arctic tundra catchment

Bacterioplankton community composition was compared across 10 lakes and 14 streams within the catchment of Toolik Lake, a tundra lake in Arctic Alaska, during seven surveys conducted over three years using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified rDNA. Bacterioplankton communities in streams draining tundra were very different than those in streams draining lakes. Communities in streams draining lakes were similar to communities in lakes. In a connected series of lakes and streams, the stream communities changed with distance from the upstream lake and with changes in water chemistry, suggesting inoculation and dilution with bacteria from soil waters or hyporheic zones. In the same system, lakes shared similar bacterioplankton communities (78% similar) that shifted gradually down the catchment. In contrast, unconnected lakes contained somewhat different communities (67% similar). We found evidence that dispersal influences bacterioplankton communities via advection and dilution (mass effects) in streams, and via inoculation and subsequent growth in lakes. The spatial pattern of bacterioplankton community composition was strongly influenced by interactions among soil water, stream, and lake environments. Our results reveal large differences in lake-specific and stream-specific bacterial community composition over restricted spatial scales (<10 km) and suggest that geographic distance and connectivity influence the distribution of bacterioplankton communities across a landscape.     

Participant-based monitoring of indoor and outdoor nitrogen dioxide,volatile organic compounds,and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among MICA-Air households

The Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma (MICA) study in Detroit, Michigan introduced a participant-based approach to reduce the resource burden associated with collection of indoor and outdoor residential air sampling data. A subset of participants designated as MICA-Air conducted indoor and outdoor residential sampling of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This participant-based methodology was subsequently adapted for use in the Vanguard phase of the U.S. National Children’s Study. The current paper examines residential indoor and outdoor concentrations of these pollutant species among health study participants in Detroit, Michigan.Pollutants measured under MICA-Air agreed well with other studies and continuous monitoring data collected in Detroit. For example, NO₂ and BTEX concentrations reported for other Detroit area monitoring were generally within 10–15% of indoor and outdoor concentrations measured in MICA-Air households. Outdoor NO₂ concentrations were typically higher than indoor NO₂ concentration among MICA-Air homes, with a median indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio of 0.6 in homes that were not impacted by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during air sampling. Indoor concentrations generally exceeded outdoor concentrations for VOC and PAH species measured among non-ETS homes in the study. I/O ratios for BTEX species (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m/p- and o-xylene) ranged from 1.2 for benzene to 3.1 for toluene. Outdoor NO₂ concentrations were approximately 4.5 ppb higher on weekdays versus weekends. As expected, I/O ratios pollutants were generally higher for homes impacted by ETS.These findings suggest that participant-based air sampling can provide a cost-effective alternative to technician-based approaches for assessing indoor and outdoor residential air pollution in community health studies. We also introduced a technique for estimating daily concentrations at each home by weighting 2- and 7-day integrated concentrations using continuous measurements from regulatory monitoring sites. This approach may be applied to estimate short-term daily or hourly pollutant concentrations in future health studies.     

Windsor, Ontario exposure assessment study: design and methods validation of personal, indoor, and outdoor air pollution monitoring

The Windsor, Ontario Exposure Assessment Study evaluated the contribution of ambient air pollutants to personal and indoor exposures of adults and asthmatic children living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In addition, the role of personal, indoor, and outdoor air pollution exposures upon asthmatic children's respiratory health was assessed. Several active and passive sampling methods were applied, or adapted, for personal, indoor, and outdoor residential monitoring of nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter (PM; PM < or = 2.5 microm [PM2.5] and < or = 10 microm [PM10] in aerodynamic diameter), elemental carbon, ultrafine particles, ozone, air exchange rates, allergens in settled dust, and particulate-associated metals. Participants completed five consecutive days of monitoring during the winter and summer of 2005 and 2006. During 2006, in addition to undertaking the air pollution measurements, asthmatic children completed respiratory health measurements (including peak flow meter tests and exhaled breath condensate) and tracked respiratory symptoms in a diary. Extensive quality assurance and quality control steps were implemented, including the collocation of instruments at the National Air Pollution Surveillance site operated by Environment Canada and at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality site in Allen Park, Detroit, MI. During field sampling, duplicate and blank samples were also completed and these data are reported. In total, 50 adults and 51 asthmatic children were recruited to participate, resulting in 922 participant days of data. When comparing the methods used in the study with standard reference methods, field blanks were low and bias was acceptable, with most methods being within 20% of reference methods. Duplicates were typically within less than 10% of each other, indicating that study results can be used with confidence. This paper covers study design, recruitment, methodology, time activity diary, surveys, and quality assurance and control results for the different methods used.