Patterns of organochlorine pesticide contamination in neotropical migrant passerines in relation to diet and winter habitat

Eleven species of Neotropical migrant passerines collected in Illinois (USA) during May 1996, were analyzed for the presence of organochlorine (OC) pesticides. At least one of five OC pesticide residues was detected in 66 of 72 birds, representing all species examined. The contaminants most frequently detected were p,p'-DDE, dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide, all of which were present in the 10-30 ng/g range. Insectivores had significantly higher levels of these compounds than did non-insectivores, while there was no significant main effect of winter habitat (forest and scrub). Future research on OC pesticide contamination in resident New World passerines may allow more accurate predictions regarding the sources of contamination in Neotropical migrants.     

The gastropod statolith: a tool for determining the age of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Nassarius reticulatus</Emphasis>

The microstructure, shape and appearance of the growth rings in statoliths of Nassarius reticulatus (L.) were investigated. This species possesses two statocysts, each containing a single spherical statolith of calcium carbonate of up to 0.22 mm in diameter in the largest animals. The relationship between statolith diameter (SD) and total shell height (TSH) is exponential [ln(TSH)=26.3SD–0.842], although the function is site specific. Statoliths of the largest whelks (>29 mm) contained three or four clearly defined rings, corresponding to TSH values of ~1.1, 4.6–5.3, 12.0–13.5 and 18.5 mm, respectively. The first ring likely represents the metamorphic ring that was deposited at the time of larval metamorphosis when the post-larval whelk adopted a benthic lifestyle. The estimated size of the whelks at formation of the second, third and fourth statolith rings closely matched the TSH inferred from the shell rings. It is concluded that the patterns of growth rings present in statoliths can provide information about the age and growth of N. reticulatus.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe     

A new technique helps to uncover unknown peptides and disinfection by-products in water

正Environmental water samples can be extremely complex,with potentially thousands of molecules that can derive from natural organic matter(NOM)and thousands that derive from anthropogenic contaminants.As complex as these samples are,drinking water can be even more complex.Due to disinfectants that are used to treat drinking water(e.g.,chlorine,chloramines,     

A ComprehensiveNoise Management Strategy for an Urbanized River Catchment

The Brisbane River serves multiple functions in both its upper catchment and its lower reaches. The lower reaches are highly urbanized where the river flows through Australia's third largest city, and here the river sustains transport activities, waste water disposal, a port, and both motorized recreation and active and passive non-motorized recreation. In the city the river also serves as a locality for community events, as a cultural icon and as a residential neighbour. Many of these functions are spatially and temporally congruent and, amongst other issues, this congruency has the potential to generate significant levels of noise conflict. This paper describes the approach adopted to assess the nature and extent of noise conflicts and to develop a comprehensive strategy of noise management-allas part of a larger scheme for an integrated approach to manage the Brisbane River and its catchment. Noise management strategies recommended for implementation include noise zoning of the river, planning and approval processes for land-based waterway facilities, noise planning and approval processes for residential and other noise-sensitive uses, codes of practice for rowing and similar activities, as well as the more conventional approach of regulatory limits on river-based noise sources. The paper demonstrates that a wide range of strategies are necessary to handle complex pollution problems of this sort, and provides a model of comprehensive action for management of noise from river-related activities that may find application elsewhere.     

Freeze/thaw durability of concrete with recycled demolition aggregate compared to virgin aggregate concrete

An increasing trend towards the use of sustainable processes has led to recycled materials being incorporated into concrete. It is generally recognised that crushed recycled construction aggregate material produces concrete of a lower compressive strength, when used as an aggregate replacement due to deleterious materials within the aggregate.It is generally accepted that in the UK, freeze/thaw attack is, after chloride-induced corrosion, the most common cause of concrete deterioration. This paper addresses the freeze/thaw durability of recycled aggregate concrete using a paired comparison test based upon weight loss and final compressive strength.Recycled aggregate concrete was found to be of at least equal durability to concrete manufactured with virgin aggregates. This was due to careful selection of the replacement aggregate and treatment prior to batching.Durability is an important material property and recycled aggregates need to be widely tested to gain confidence for use within the industry and this work shows future possibilities.     

Community-based organisations in city environmental policy regimes: lessons from Philadelphia

In this paper we examine the role of community-based organisations (CBOs) in the environmental policy regime of Philadelphia, through a citywide survey (N?=?40) and interviews with leaders from three types of CBOs: community development corporations (CDCs), civic associations (CAs), and business-improvement organisations. We found that CBOs of all types have changed their organisational missions and identities in response to their pursuit of sustainability goals, but that CDCs more so than either CAs or business organisations have integrated sustainability into their governance structures. Second, we found that a growing number of CBOs have expanded their work to involve environmental policy and programming. Third, we found that the work of local non-profit organisations has become directly linked to the city's broader sustainability plan, Greenworks.     

Response of sugar maple to calcium addition to northern hardwood forest

Watershed budget studies at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA, have demonstrated high calcium depletion of soil during the 20th century due, in part, to acid deposition. Over the past 25 years, tree growth (especially for sugar maple) has declined on the experimental watersheds at the HBEF. In October 1999, 0.85 Mg Ca/ha was added to Watershed 1 (W1) at the HBEF in the form of wollastonite (CaSiO3), a treatment that, by summer 2002, had raised the pH in the Oie horizon from 3.8 to 5.0 and, in the Oa horizon, from 3.9 to 4.2. We measured the response of sugar maple to the calcium fertilization treatment on W1. Foliar calcium concentration of canopy sugar maples in W1 increased markedly beginning the second year after treatment, and foliar manganese declined in years four and five. By 2005, the crown condition of sugar maple was much healthier in the treated watershed as compared with the untreated reference watershed (W6). Following high seed production in 2000 and 2002, the density of sugar maple seedlings increased significantly on W1 in comparison with W6 in 2001 and 2003. Survivorship of the 2003 cohort through July 2005 was much higher on W1 (36.6%) than W6 (10.2%). In 2003, sugar maple germinants on W1 were approximately 50% larger than those in reference plots, and foliar chlorophyll concentrations were significantly greater (0.27 g/m2 vs. 0.23 g/m2 leaf area). Foliage and fine-root calcium concentrations were roughly twice as high, and manganese concentrations twice as low in the treated than the reference seedlings in 2003 and 2004. Mycorrhizal colonization of seedlings was also much greater in the treated (22.4% of root length) than the reference sites (4.4%). A similar, though less dramatic, difference was observed for mycorrhizal colonization of mature sugar maples (56% vs. 35%). These results reinforce and extend other regional observations that sugar maple decline in the northeastern United States and southern Canada is caused in part by anthropogenic effects on soil calcium status, but the causal interactions among inorganic nutrition, physiological stress, mycorrhizal colonization, and seedling growth and health remain to be established.     

Development of an Ecologic Marine Classification in the New Zealand Region

We describe here the development of an ecosystem classification designed to underpin the conservation management of marine environments in the New Zealand region. The classification was defined using multivariate classification using explicit environmental layers chosen for their role in driving spatial variation in biologic patterns: depth, mean annual solar radiation, winter sea surface temperature, annual amplitude of sea surface temperature, spatial gradient of sea surface temperature, summer sea surface temperature anomaly, mean wave-induced orbital velocity at the seabed, tidal current velocity, and seabed slope. All variables were derived as gridded data layers at a resolution of 1 km. Variables were selected by assessing their degree of correlation with biologic distributions using separate data sets for demersal fish, benthic invertebrates, and chlorophyll-a. We developed a tuning procedure based on the Mantel test to refine the classification's discrimination of variation in biologic character. This was achieved by increasing the weighting of variables that play a dominant role and/or by transforming variables where this increased their correlation with biologic differences. We assessed the classification's ability to discriminate biologic variation using analysis of similarity. This indicated that the discrimination of biologic differences generally increased with increasing classification detail and varied for different taxonomic groups. Advantages of using a numeric approach compared with geographic-based (regionalisation) approaches include better representation of spatial patterns of variation and the ability to apply the classification at widely varying levels of detail. We expect this classification to provide a useful framework for a range of management applications, including providing frameworks for environmental monitoring and reporting and identifying representative areas for conservation.     

Economic analysis of the composition of household solid wastes

An analysis of economic and social factors affecting the quantity and composition of household solid wastes is reported in this paper. The weekly per capita and per household quantities of eleven selected household solid waste components are analyzed using regression equations. Household income, household size, and the age structure of the population are the major variables affecting the quantities of these components. The results indicate that if all glass, metals, plastics, newspaper, other paper, and textiles were recovered, then about 53% by weight of the summer household solid waste load would be usable resources.     

Riparian forest composition affects stream litter decomposition despite similar microbial and invertebrate communities

Cross-boundary flows of energy and nutrients link biodiversity and functioning in adjacent ecosystems. The composition of forest tree species can affect the structure and functioning of stream ecosystems due to physical and chemical attributes, as well as changes in terrestrial resource subsidies. We examined how variation in riparian canopy composition (coniferous, deciduous, mixed) affects adjacent trophic levels (invertebrate and microbial consumers) and decomposition of organic matter in small, coastal rainforest streams in southwestern British Columbia. Breakdown rates of higher-quality red alder (Alnus rubra) litter were faster in streams with a greater percentage of deciduous than coniferous riparian canopy, whereas breakdown rates of lower-quality western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) litter were independent of riparian forest composition. When invertebrates were excluded using fine mesh, breakdown rates of both litter species were an order of magnitude less and were not significantly affected by riparian forest composition. Stream invertebrate and microbial communities were similar among riparian forest composition, with most variation attributed to leaf litter species. Invertebrate taxa richness and shredder biomass were higher in A. rubra litter; however, taxa evenness was greatest for T. heterophylla litter and both litter species in coniferous streams. Microbial community diversity (determined from terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms) was unaffected by riparian forest or litter species. Fungal allele richness was higher than bacterial allele richness, and microbial communities associated with lower-quality T. heterophylla litter had higher diversity (allele uniqueness and richness) than those associated with higher-quality A. rubra litter. Percent variation in breakdown rates was mostly attributed to riparian forest composition in the presence of invertebrates and microbes; however, stream consumer biodiversity at adjacent trophic levels did not explain these patterns. Riparian and stream ecosystems and their biotic communities are linked through exchange and decomposition of detrital resources, and we provide evidence that riparian forest composition affects stream ecosystem catabolism despite similarities in microbial and invertebrate communities.