Food effects on statolith composition of the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)

The concentration of trace elements within cephalopod statoliths can provide a record of the environmental characteristics at the time of calcification. To reconstruct accurately the environmental characteristics at the time of calcification, it is important to understand the influence of as many factors as possible. To test the hypothesis that the elemental composition of cuttlefish statoliths could be influenced by diet, juvenile Sepia officinalis were fed either shrimp Crangon sp. or fish Clupea harengus under equal temperature and salinity regimes in laboratory experiments. Element concentrations in different regions of the statoliths (core–lateral dome–rostrum) were determined using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA- ICPMS). The ratios of Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca and Y/Ca in the statolith’s lateral dome of shrimp-fed cuttlefish were significantly higher than in the statolith’s lateral dome of fish-fed cuttlefish. Moreover, significant differences between statolith regions were found for all analysed elements. The fact that diet adds a considerable variation especially to Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca must be taken into account in future micro-chemical statolith studies targeting cephalopod’s life history.     

Synthetische Nanopartikel — Entwicklungschancen im Dialog

This article provides an overview on the opportunities and risks of nanotechology. It is the outcome of a first national stakelholder dialogue carried out by the Federal Environment Ministry in October 2005. Recommendations are provided for further risk communication.     

Dioxinbilanz für Hamburg

The sources and reservoirs of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in the city of Hamburg, Germany, in the year 1992 were identified and quantified combining analytical data of PCDD/PCDF with statistical data on annual fluxes of materials and products. Fluxes and amounts of PCDD/PCDF were estimated for the environmental compartments water, air, and soil. Dioxin emissions originating from industrial, commercial or private activities were also calculated. Together with the analysis of the specific regional nutrition data, the human exposurevia the various pathways could be determined. It could be shown that the total PCDD/PCDF intake of individuals in Hamburg was about the same as the national average. High annual fluxes of PCDD/PCDF connected with the trade of industrial products and the waste management and disposal: system in Hamburg obviously had no influence on the human intake of PCDD/PCDF.     

Exploratory Analysis and a Stochastic Model for Humusdisintegration

Ulrich (1981) supposes in the hypothesis of humusdisintegrationthat the balance between polymerisation and breakdown of organicmaterial may be disturbed in chemically well buffered Europeanforest soils. This new aspect of aluminium toxicity may causenitrogen exceedance in forest ecosystems and subsequent seasonalnitrate output (Eichhorn and Hütterman, 1999).In a research program the substances in the seepage water aremonitored in a small woodland in central Germany. We explorethese multivariate data for examining possible influences on theprocess of humusdisintegration and its temporal evolution. As aresult, a regression model for carbon is developed, whichincludes covariables, i.e., other substances, as well as spatialand temporal terms describing systematic variability. Especiallyiron and aluminium turn out to be very influential in the model.So far our work is a basic step for monitoring the seepage waterdata by means of stochastic modelling.     

Design and field application of an automated cartridge sampler for VOC concentration and flux measurements

One of the major limitations in advancing the understanding of tropospheric ozone and aerosol generation and developing strategies for their control is the technical ability to accurately measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This paper describes the design of a constant flow VOC sampler. The versatile sampler can be used for fully automated concentration and flux measurements of VOCs. The sampler incorporates a microprocessor control unit and provides highly accurate mass flow control and significant ease of operation. Sampling sequences can be programmed directly or by remote control through a PC. All important operational parameters necessary for a complete sampling audit trail are logged. Compact weatherproof housings and low power consumption allow operation at remote sites and locations which are sensitive to disturbances or have restricted access. Inner wetted surfaces of the sampler are constructed from non-contaminating materials that do not sorb or emit VOC, and thus permit the collection of representative samples even in environments with very low VOC concentrations. The cartridge magazine provides a maximum of 20 sequential cartridge samples, which allows for long-term air quality assessments. In the dual channel mode, two samples can be collected simultaneously through two independent sample loops, providing ten sequential sample pairs. This design allows the parallel collection of (a) quality assurance backup samples, (b) samples on two different types of cartridges/sorbents to allow a variety of analyses, or (c) differential samples for flux measurements using enclosure, aerodynamic profile, or relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) methods. Field applications including airplane profile measurements above a tropical rainforest area, as well as gradient and REA measurements over a mid-latitude mixed forest stand are described, and demonstrate the validity and flexibility of the system. In particular, the application of the VOC sampler as an integrated part of a REA system is emphasized.     

Six years' experience with rapid karyotyping in prenatal diagnosis: Correlations between phenotype detected by ultrasound and fetal karyotype

From September 1985 to March 1992, 804 amniotic fluid samples from 64 different diagnostic centres of the Federal Republic of Germany were sent to our laboratory exclusively for rapid karyotyping. The average time needed for notification of the analysed karyotype was 4·65 days when the ‘pipette method’ was used for chromosome harvesting and 5·97 days when the ‘in situ’ technique was used. The overall incidence of chromosome aberrations was 15·3 per cent. Data are presented about the likelihood of abnormal ultrasound findings being caused by chromosome aberrations. These findings include polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, growth retardation, fetal effusions, neural tube defects, craniofacial defects, heart defects, gastroschisis and omphalocele, gastrointestinal tract defects, urinogenital defects, and limb defects. In future, such data need to contain larger numbers of cases for each week of gestation. This will improve the risk evaluation for each case with abnormal ultrasound findings, which should lead to better management during pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal care for those who require rapid karyotyping.     

A pipette method for rapid karyotyping in prenatal diagnosis

The 'pipette method' is introduced as a method of prenatal diagnosis which is in competition with the 'in situ' and the 'trypsinization' technique. It is sufficiently standardized for routine diagnosis and the banding techniques currently used in prenatal diagnosis (G, Q, C-banding and NOR) have been adapted for it. In 180 cases from 27 different centres, the 'pipette method' was employed for chromosomal harvesting in order to save time. An average of 6·6 days was taken to achieve a result. There was a pathological karyotype in 28 cases (16·1 per cent) and this high proportion can be related to cases where ultrasound scan has led to a diagnosis of 'suspected chromosomal abnormality'. This technique is also of use in advanced stages of pregnancy. The early recognition of the fetal karyotype can contribute to the future management of the pregnancy. The 'pipette method' can also be used in chromosomal harvesting of tumour cells and fibroblast cultures.     

Evolutionary developmental biology: its concepts and history with a focus on Russian and German contributions

Evolutionary theory has been likened to a “universal acid” (Dennett 1995) that eats its way into more and more areas of science. Recently, developmental biology has been infused by evolutionary concepts and perspectives, and a new field of research—evolutionary developmental biology—has been created and is often called EvoDevo for short. However, this is not the first attempt to make a synthesis between these two areas of biology. In contrast, beginning right after the publication of Darwin’s Origin in 1859, Ernst Haeckel formulated his biogenetic law in 1872, famously stating that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Haeckel was in his turn influenced by pre-Darwinian thinkers such as Karl Ernst von Baer, who had noted that earlier developmental stages show similarities not seen in the adults. In this review, written for an audience of non-specialists, we first give an overview of the history of EvoDevo, especially the tradition emanating from Haeckel and other comparative embryologists and morphologists, which has often been neglected in discussions about the history of EvoDevo and evolutionary biology. Here we emphasize contributions from Russian and German scientists to compensate for the Anglo-American bias in the literature. In Germany, the direct influence of Ernst Haeckel was felt particularly in Jena, where he spent his entire career as a professor, and we give an overview of the “Jena school” of evolutionary morphology, with protagonists such as Oscar Hertwig, Ludwig Plate, and Victor Franz, who all developed ideas that we would nowadays think of as belonging to EvoDevo. Franz ideas about “biometabolic modi” are similar to those of a Russian comparative morphologist that visited Jena repeatedly, A. N. Sewertzoff, who made important contributions to what we now call heterochrony research—heterochrony meaning changes in the relative timing of developmental events. His student I. I. Schmalhausen became an important contributor to the synthetic theory of evolution in Russia and is only partly known outside of the Russian-reading world because only one of his many books was translated into English early on. He made many important contributions to evolutionary theory and we point out the important parallels between Schmalhausen’s ideas (stabilizing selection, autonomization) and C. H. Waddington’s (canalization, genetic assimilation). This is one of the many parallels that have contributed to an increased appreciation of the internationality of progress in evolutionary thinking in the first half of the twentieth century. A direct link between German and Russian evolutionary biology is provided by N. V. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, whose work on, e.g., fly genetics in Berlin is a crucial part of the history of evo-devo. To emphasize the international nature of heterochrony research as predecessor to the modern era of EvoDevo, we include Sir G. R. de Beer’s work in the UK. This historical part is followed by a short review of the discovery and importance of homeobox genes and of some of the major concepts that form the core of modern EvoDevo, such as modularity, constraints, and evolutionary novelties. Major trends in contemporary EvoDevo are then outlined, such as increased use of genomics and molecular genetics, computational and bioinformatics approaches, ecological developmental biology (eco-devo), and phylogenetically informed comparative embryology. Based on our survey, we end the review with an outlook on future trends and important issues in EvoDevo.