Effects of Wind Energy Development on Nesting Ecology of Greater Prairie‐Chickens in Fragmented Grasslands

Wind energy is targeted to meet 20% of U.S. energy needs by 2030, but new sites for development of renewable energy may overlap with important habitats of declining populations of grassland birds. Greater Prairie‐Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) are an obligate grassland bird species predicted to respond negatively to energy development. We used a modified before–after control–impact design to test for impacts of a wind energy development on the reproductive ecology of prairie‐chickens in a 5‐year study. We located 59 and 185 nests before and after development, respectively, of a 201 MW wind energy facility in Greater Prairie‐Chicken nesting habitat and assessed nest site selection and nest survival relative to proximity to wind energy infrastructure and habitat conditions. Proximity to turbines did not negatively affect nest site selection (β = 0.03, 95% CI = ?1.2–1.3) or nest survival (β = ?0.3, 95% CI = ?0.6–0.1). Instead, nest site selection and survival were strongly related to vegetative cover and other local conditions determined by management for cattle production. Integration of our project results with previous reports of behavioral avoidance of oil and gas facilities by other species of prairie grouse suggests new avenues for research to mitigate impacts of energy development. Efectos del Desarrollo de la Energía Eólica sobre la Ecología de Anidación de Gallinas de la Gran Pradera en Pastizales Fragmentados     

Effect of Rotational Shepherding on Demographic and Genetic Connectivity of Calcareous Grassland Plants

Response to habitat fragmentation may not be generalized among species, in particular for plant communities with a variety of dispersal traits. Calcareous grasslands are one of the most species‐rich habitats in Central Europe, but abandonment of traditional management has caused a dramatic decline of calcareous grassland species. In the Southern Franconian Alb in Germany, reintroduction of rotational shepherding in previously abandoned grasslands has restored species diversity, and it has been suggested that sheep support seed dispersal among grasslands. We tested the effect of rotational shepherding on demographic and genetic connectivity of calcareous grassland specialist plants and whether the response of plant populations to shepherding was limited to species dispersed by animals (zoochory). Specifically, we tested competing dispersal models and source and focal patch properties to explain landscape connectivity with patch‐occupancy data of 31 species. We fitted the same connectivity models to patch occupancy and nuclear microsatellite data for the herb Dianthus carthusianorum (Carthusian pink). For 27 species, patch connectivity was explained by dispersal by rotational shepherding regardless of adaptations to zoochory, whereas population size (16% species) and patch area (0% species) of source patches were not important predictors of patch occupancy in most species. [Correction made after online publication, February 25, 2014: Population size and patch area percentages were mistakenly inverted, and have now been fixed.] Microsite diversity of focal patches significantly increased the model variance explained by patch occupancy in 90% of the species. For D. carthusianorum, patch connectivity through rotational shepherding explained both patch occupancy and population genetic diversity. Our results suggest shepherding provides dispersal for multiple plant species regardless of their dispersal adaptations and thus offers a useful approach to restore plant diversity in fragmented calcareous grasslands. Efectos del Pastoreo Rotacional sobre la Conectividad Genética y Demográfica de Plantas de Pastizales Calcáreos     

Identification, synthesis and activity of sex pheromone gland components of the autumn gum moth (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a defoliator of Eucalyptus

Summary. The autumn gum moth, Mnesampela privata (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), is native to Australia and can be a pest of plantation eucalypts. Field-collected and laboratory-reared female autumn gum moths were dissected to remove glands likely to contain components of the sex pheromone. Using gas chromatography (GC) and combined gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), three compounds were identified from female extracts, namely (3Z,6 Z,9 Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene, 1-hexadecanol and 1-octadecanol (confirmed by comparison with synthetic samples). Nonadecatriene elicited an antennal response in male autumn gum moth during gas chromatographic analyses combined with electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD). In electroantennogram (EAG) recording male M. privata antennae responded to the nonadecatriene. Nonadecatriene was synthesised via Kolbe electrolysis, starting with (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid (linolenic acid) and propanoic acid or via an alternative four-step method also starting from linolenic acid. In field trials (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene proved attractive to male moths. Thus, we conclude that (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9- nonadecatriene is a sex pheromone component of autumn gum moth. This component has been identified in extracts from other geometrids in the same subfamily, Ennominae. However, to our knowledge this is the first example where (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene has been found in females and also proved attractive to male moths when presented on its own. Our results are discussed in relation to other geometrid pheromones.     

南京市大气气溶胶中二元羧酸昼夜变化研究

2002年3月14-19日在南京大学校园内进行了为期1周的采样,用以研究大气气溶胶PM_2.5中的低分子量(C₂～C₁₀)二元羧酸的昼夜变化规律.结果表明,南京市大气气溶胶中二元羧酸的夜间质量浓度(平均为460ng/m3)普遍高于相应的白天质量浓度(平均为350 ng/m3).草酸是含量最高的二元羧酸,其次是丁二酸与丙二酸,这3种二元羧酸占所检测到的水溶性有机酸总量的89%.由C3/C4(ρ(丙二酸)/ρ(丁二酸))(平均为1.00)可以判断采样期间气溶胶中有机酸主要来源于大气的光化学氧化反应,从C6/C9(ρ(己二酸)/ρ(壬二酸))(平均为0.88)可以认为生物源是有机酸的一个重要来源.      

Effects of a phycotoxin,okadaic acid,on oyster heart cell survival

Okadaic acid (OA) is a dinoflagellate toxin which accumulates in shellfish producing diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) in humans. It was found that OA is a highly selective inhibitor of protein phosphatase types 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A) which produces a marked increase in phosphorylation of several proteins, including p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. The cytotoxicity attributed to OA and the effects on p38 MAP kinase and calcium current were examined in the oyster Crassostrea gigas in this study. Data showed that p38 MAP kinase is strongly expressed in oyster heart and that OA bioaccumulated in cultured heart cells. Hence the effects of OA was tested in vitro and in vivo on oysters. OA was found to (i) exert a positive chronotropic effect on cultured atrial cardiomyocytes which is related to an increase in calcium current via PKC as shown by patch clamp measurements, (ii) produce an activation/phosphorylation of MAP kinase as shown by Westernblot while the non-phosphorylated p38 remained constant during treatment, (iii) did not induce a pro-apoptotic effect. Data suggest that OA may also stimulate the anti-apoptotic pathway by phosphatase inhibition.     

Temporal variability in atmospheric Hg released from natural and anthropogenic sources in central Taiwan

From September 2011 to February 2012, ambient air particulate and particulate-bound mercury [Hg(p)] concentrations were measured, together with dry deposition using a cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CVAFS) analyser, at two characteristic sampling sites in central Taiwan. Results from the sampling site at Westin Park indicated that the lowest particulate dry deposition and lowest average particulate concentrations in total suspended particles (TSP) occurred in September (29.70±7.47 μ g m^?2×min) and February (34.38±13.60 ng m^?3), respectively. Moreover, results from the Gung-Ming junior high school (airport) site, showed that the highest average particulate dry deposition and average highest particulate concentrations in TSP occurred in February (156.76±30.36 μ g m^?2×min) and January (125.49±9.51 ng m^?3), respectively, during the winter. The Dragon Steel Plant and Han-Shian Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation were both nearby. These factors led to the high Hg(p) concentrations at Taichung Airport (TA) compared with Westin Park. Local large suspended particulates from heavy traffic were the main reason for the high average Hg(p) deposition at Westin Park compared with TA in this study.     

Assessment of phenol-degrading ability of Acinetobacter sp. B9 for its application in bioremediation of phenol-contaminated industrial effluents

Successful bioremediation of a phenol-contaminated environment requires application of those microbial strains that have acquired phenol tolerance and phenol-degrading abilities. A newly isolated strain B9 of Acinetobacter sp. was adapted to a high phenol concentration by growing sequentially from low- to high-strength phenol. The acclimatised strain was able to grow and completely degrade up to 14?mM of phenol in 136?h. The degradation rates were found to increase with an increase in the phenol concentration from 2.0 to 7.5?mM. The strain preferred neutral to alkaline pH range for growth and phenol degradation, with the optimum being pH 8.0. The optimum temperature for phenol degradation was found to be in the range of 30–35°C. Transmission electron micrographs showed a disorganised and convoluted cell membrane in the case of phenol-stressed cells, showing a major effect of phenol on the membrane. Enzymatic and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry studies show the presence of an ortho-cleavage pathway for phenol degradation. Efficient phenol degradation was observed even in the presence of pyridine and heavy metals as co-toxicants showing the potential of strain in bioremediation of industrial wastes. Application of strain B9 to real tannery wastewater showed 100% removal of initial 0.5?mM phenol within 48?h of treatment.     

Application of the Red‐List Index at a National Level for Multiple Species Groups

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI) is recognized as one of the key indicators of trends in the status of species. The red‐list assessment done by Finnish authorities of species in Finland is taxonomically one of the most extensive national assessments. We used the Finnish Red Lists from 2000 and 2010 to calculate for the first time the national RLIs for 11 taxonomic groups at different trophic levels and with different life cycles. The red‐list index is calculated on the basis of changes in red‐list categories and indicates trends in the status of biological diversity of sets of species. The RLI value ranges from 0 to 1. The lower the value the faster the set of species is heading toward extinction. If the value is 1, all species in the set are least concern and if the value is 0, all species are (regionally) extinct. The overall RLI of Finnish species decreased. This means that, in Finland, these taxonomic groups were heading toward extinction faster in 2010 than in 2000. Of the analyzed groups of organisms, RLIs of 5 decreased and RLIs of 6 increased. At the national level, the RLIs and status trends varied markedly between species groups. Thus, we concluded that generalizations on the basis of RLIs of a few taxa only may yield a biased view of ongoing trends in the status of biological diversity at the species level. In addition, one overall RLI that includes many different species groups may also be misleading if variation in RLI among species groups is not considered and if RLI values are not presented separately for each group. Aplicación del Índice de la Lista Roja a Nivel Nacional para Grupos de Especies Múltiples     

A Small‐Scale Land‐Sparing Approach to Conserving Biological Diversity in Tropical Agricultural Landscapes

Two contrasting strategies have been proposed for conserving biological diversity while meeting the increasing demand for agricultural products: land sparing and land sharing production systems. Land sparing involves increasing yield to reduce the amount of land needed for agriculture, whereas land‐sharing agricultural practices incorporate elements of native ecosystems into the production system itself. Although the conservation value of these systems has been extensively debated, empirical studies are lacking. We compared bird communities in shade coffee, a widely practiced land‐sharing system in which shade trees are maintained within the coffee plantation, with bird communities in a novel, small‐scale, land‐sparing coffee‐production system (integrated open canopy or IOC coffee) in which farmers obtain higher yields under little or no shade while conserving an area of forest equal to the area under cultivation. Species richness and diversity of forest‐dependent birds were higher in the IOC coffee farms than in the shade coffee farms, and community composition was more similar between IOC coffee and primary forest than between shade coffee and primary forest. Our study represents the first empirical comparison of well‐defined land sparing and land sharing production systems. Because IOC coffee farms can be established by allowing forest to regenerate on degraded land, widespread adoption of this system could lead to substantial increases in forest cover and carbon sequestration without compromising agricultural yield or threatening the livelihoods of traditional small farmers. However, we studied small farms (<5 ha); thus, our results may not generalize to large‐scale land‐sharing systems. Furthermore, rather than concluding that land sparing is generally superior to land sharing, we suggest that the optimal approach depends on the crop, local climate, and existing land‐use patterns. Un Método para Reservar Tierras a Pequeña Escala para Conservar la Biodiversidad en Paisajes Agrícolas Tropicales