Species composition of the international shark fin trade assessed through a retail‐market survey in Hong Kong

The shark fin trade is a major driver of shark exploitation in fisheries all over the world, most of which are not managed on a species‐specific basis. Species‐specific trade information highlights taxa of particular concern and can be used to assess the efficacy of management measures and anticipate emerging threats. The species composition of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, one of the world's largest fin trading hubs, was partially assessed in 1999–2001. We randomly selected and genetically identified fin trimmings (n = 4800), produced during fin processing, from the retail market of Hong Kong in 2014–2015 to assess contemporary species composition of the fin trade. We used nonparametric species estimators to determine that at least 76 species of sharks, batoids, and chimaeras supplied the fin trade and a Bayesian model to determine their relative proportion in the market. The diversity of traded species suggests species substitution could mask depletion of vulnerable species; one‐third of identified species are threatened with extinction. The Bayesian model suggested that 8 species each comprised >1% of the fin trimmings (34.1–64.2% for blue [Prionace glauca], 0.2–1.2% for bull [Carcharhinus leucas] and shortfin mako [Isurus oxyrinchus]); thus, trade was skewed to a few globally distributed species. Several other coastal sharks, batoids, and chimaeras are in the trade but poorly managed. Fewer than 10 of the species we modeled have sustainably managed fisheries anywhere in their range, and the most common species in trade, the blue shark, was not among them. Our study and approach serve as a baseline to track changes in composition of species in the fin trade over time to better understand patterns of exploitation and assess the effects of emerging management actions for these animals.     

资源、环境管理与经济发展——发展中国家的资源环境管理与经济政策

在许多地区,自然资源基础(通常是经济发展的关键)正受到人口迅猛增长的威胁和破坏,只有进行有效的政策干预,才能改变国家经济生活中与环境有关的开发利用资源的各种活动。因此,自然资源管理应该成为宏观经济与部门经济中必须考虑的问题。政府要消除有关的制度和体制方面的障碍,制定新的政策和法令,以增进部门间的合作,避免权限重叠,防止由于既得利益的影响使新政策不能发挥效力。     

Agro-climatic classification systems for estimating the global distribution of livestock numbers and commodities.

Investment in agricultural research in developing countries is being increasingly targeted at those agro-climatic zones and issues where the economic and environmental benefits may be expected to be greatest. This first requires that the zones themselves be defined, along with information on domestic livestock numbers and commodity output within agro-climatic zones in different countries. Different methods for classifying agro-climatic zones were compared. These included methods based on estimated length of growing period (LGP) using rainfall and temperature data, the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration (PET), and on more detailed agronomic models, remote sensing data and land use information. Zonation based on LGP has already been linked to existing national livestock data. By defining agro-climatic zones and relating concentrations of livestock populations to those of humans, it is possible to make realistic estimates of livestock populations and the production of livestock commodities for most developing countries. Detailed agro-climatic analyses of Mainland East Asia and Sri Lanka have recently been undertaken using the GROWEST agronomic model. Using this model as the basis of agro-climatic classification appears to be significantly superior, particularly in temperate environments, to approaches based solely on LGP. Different ways of subdividing countries and continents into agro-climatic or agro-ecological zones (AEZs) are reviewed in this paper. In addition, we show how the numbers of production and commodities from domestic livestock can be allocated to such zones. We also indicate how some of this information can be applied.     

Variability in vehicle and dummy responses in rear-end collisions

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to quantify the occupant response variability due to differences in vehicle and seat design in low-speed rear-end collisions. METHODS: Occupant response variability was quantified using a BioRID dummy exposed to rear-end collisions in 20 different vehicles. Vehicles were rolled rearward into a rigid barrier at 8 km/h and the dynamic responses of the vehicle and dummy were measured with the head restraint adjusted to the up most position. In vehicles not damaged by this collision, additional tests were conducted with the head restraint down and at different impact speeds. RESULTS: Despite a coefficient of variation (COV) of less than 2% for the impact speed of the initial 8 km/h tests, the vehicle response parameters (speed change, acceleration, restitution, bumper force) had COVs of 7 to 23% and the dummy response parameters (head and T1 kinematics, neck loads, NIC, N(ij) and N(km)) had COVs of 14 to 52%. In five vehicles tested multiple times, a head restraint in the down position significantly increased the peak magnitude of many dummy kinematic and kinetic response parameters. Peak head kinematics and neck kinetics generally varied linearly with head restraint back set and height, although the neck reaction moment reversed and increased considerably if the dummy's head wrapped onto the top of the head restraint. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the proposition that the vehicle, seat, and head restraint are a safety system and that the design of vehicle bumpers and seats/head restraint should be considered together to maximize the potential reduction in whiplash injuries.     

Partial trisomy 22q12→qter in prenatal diagnosis

Ultrasound examination of a 27-year-old primigravida at 26 weeks' gestation revealed fetal growth retardation, malformation of the ventricular septum, and a neck fold. Chromosome analysis of the amniotic fluid showed an abnormal 46,XY karyotype with an obvious meta-centric chromosome 17. Chromosome analysis of the mother revealed a balanced t (17;22) (p13;q12) translocation. The fetus thus has a rare familial duplication 22q12→qter. Eight live-born and severely malformed infants with this duplication have been reported in the literature.     

Methane emissions of differently fed dairy cows and corresponding methane and nitrogen emissions from their manure during storage

This study investigated the effects of supplementing 40 g lauric acid (C₁₂) kg^-1 dry matter (DM) in feed on methane emissions from early-lactating dairy cows and the associated effects on methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia release from the manure during storage. Stearic acid (C₁₈), a fatty acid without assumed methane-suppressing potential in the digestive tract of ruminants, was added at 40 g kg^-1 DM to a control diet. The complete feed consisted of forage and concentrate in a ratio of 1.5:1 (DM basis). The manure was stored for 14 weeks either as complete slurry or, separately, as urine-rich slurry and farmyard manure representing two common storage systems. Methane release of the cows, as measured in respiratory chambers, was lower with C₁₂ by about 20%, but this was mostly resulting from a reduced feed intake and, partly, from a lower rate of fibre digestion. As milk yield declined less than feed intake, methane emission per kg of milk was significantly lower with C₁₂ (11.4 g) than with C₁₈ (14.0 g). Faeces of C₁₂-fed cows had a higher proportion of undigested fibre and accordingly methane release from their manure was higher compared with the manure obtained from the C₁₈-fed cows. Overall, manure-derived methane accounted for8.2% and 15.4% of total methane after 7 and 14 weeks of storage, respectively. The evolution of methane widely differed between manure types and dietary treatments, with a retarded onset of release in complete slurry particularly in the C₁₂ treatment. Emissions of nitrous oxide were lower in the manures from the C₁₂ treatment. This partially compensated for the higher methane release from the C₁₂ manure with respect to the greenhouse gas potential. The total greenhouse gas potential (cow and manure together) accounted for 8.7 and 10.5 kg equivalents of CO₂ cow^-1 d^-1with C₁₂ and C₁₈, respectively. At unaffected urine-N proportion ammonia and total nitrogen losses from stored manure were lower with C₁₂ than with C₁₈ corresponding to the differences in feed and nitrogen intake. The present results suggest that manure storage significantly contributes to total methane emission from dairy husbandry, and that the identification of effective dietary mitigation strategies has to consider both the digestive tract of the animals and the corresponding manure.     

Mating expenditures reduced via female sex pheromone modulation in the primitively eusocial halictine bee, Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) malachurum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

The present paper reports on behavioral experiments and gas chromatographic analysis of chemical communication in the mating biology of the primitively eusocial sweat bee Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) malachurum. In a dual-choice experiment, a female made odorless was significantly less attractive than an untreated one. Attraction in L. (Evylaeus) malachurum is therefore mediated by a female-produced sex pheromone. Further bioassays showed that unmated gynes are more attractive to males than mated ones. Males are able to differentiate between the two groups of females as little as 3 h after mating. Biotests with different samples obtained from attractive gynes showed surface extracts to be most attractive. Behavioral tests with synthetic copies of the compounds identified as cuticular constituents of virgin gynes were highly attractive to males; the volatile bouquets consisting of n-alkanes, n-alkenes and iso- pentenyl esters of unsaturated fatty acids were the most attractive samples. Isopentenyl esters of unsaturated fatty acids were the key compounds in inducing male inspections as well as stimulating pounces and copulatory attempts. Virgin and nesting gynes differed clearly in the relative and absolute amounts of the volatiles on the cuticle. The total amount of volatiles was significantly higher in virgin gynes and decreased in breeding queens. Hydrocarbons were the dominant group of compounds in both groups of females. The relative amounts of the wax-type ester, hexadecyl oleate, iso- pentenyl esters, and a hitherto unidentified steroid were higher in attractive virgin gynes, while the relative proportions of hydrocarbons and lactones dominated in nesting queens. The site of sex pheromone production in attractive young L. (Evylaeus) malachurum gynes remains unknown. Head glands or Dufour's gland secretions may be involved. Another possible source of the `active principle' found among the cuticular lipids could be glandular cells of the epidermis. The significance of modulation of female sex pheromone composition is discussed in terms of a reduction in mating expenditures. Received: 30 April 1998 / Accepted after revision: 24 July 1998     

Evaluating Genetic Diversity Associated with Propagation-Assisted Restoration of American Shad

Abstract: We investigated the conservation of genetic diversity during a restoration program for American shad ( Alosa sapidissima ) in Virginia ( U.S.A.). Restoration entailed capture of wild Pamunkey River shad broodstock followed by production and release of hatchery-reared fry to supplement the nearly extinct James River shad population. To assess the baseline genetic diversity of donor and recipient populations, we used five tri- and tetra-nucleotide microsatellite loci to test for genetic heterogeneity among yearly subsamples from both rivers and between early- and late-spawning shad from the donor population. Tests for allelic heterogeneity between James River and Pamunkey shad subsamples yielded no significant genetic differentiation (χ ² = 14.72, p = 0.132 and χ ² = 10.24, p = 0.440, respectively). We detected no significant genetic divergence between early- and late-spawning adults in Pamunkey River spawning aggregations in either year. The donor and recipient populations exhibited significant genetic differentiation (χ ² = 27.4, p = 0.003), however, indicating that the stocking program carries a risk of outbreeding depression. Because the two river populations are genetically divergent, replenishment of the James population with Pamunkey fry may be detectable in the future as heterozygote deficits and linkage disequilibria in the James River population. In an analysis of broodstock and their hatchery-reared progeny, microsatellites proved efficient for family analysis, unambiguously determining the parentage of 100% of the hatchery-reared fry studied. Genetic analysis indicated that breeding procedures may result in high levels of reproductive variance.     

The role of social, political, and economic interests in promoting state green electricity policies

State governments in the United States have adopted a number of policies to encourage the production of electricity from “green” energy sources. While these state-level policies have been shown to stimulate green electricity development, the rate at which such policies have been adopted by the states differs significantly. This paper examines the potential influence of a state's particular social, political, and economic interests on its propensity to adopt green electricity policies. We use an empirical model that combines various social, political and economic indicators as explanatory variables of a state's likelihood to adopt four specific green electricity policies: renewable portfolio standards, net metering rules, public benefits funds, and generation disclosure rules. Using binary logistics regressions, the results suggest that social interests, measured by the level of income, the level of education, and the degree of participation in environmental lobbying groups, are positively linked to the adoption of green electricity policies. Similarly, political interests as measured by the pro-environment voting by states’ representatives in the U.S. Congress, also play a positive role in the adoption of such policies.