Effects of River Impoundment on Ecosystem Services of Large Tropical Rivers: Embodied Energy and Market Value of Artisanal Fisheries

Abstract:  Applying the ecosystem services concept to conservation initiatives or in managing ecosystem services requires understanding how environmental impacts affect the ecology of key species or functional groups providing the services. We examined effects of river impoundments, one of the leading threats to freshwater biodiversity, on an important ecosystem service provided by large tropical rivers (i.e., artisanal fisheries). The societal and economic importance of this ecosystem service in developing countries may provide leverage to advance conservation agendas where future impoundments are being considered. We assessed impoundment effects on the energetic costs of fisheries production (embodied energy) and commercial market value of the artisanal fishery of the Paraná River, Brazil, before and after formation of Itaipu Reservoir. High-value migratory species that dominated the fishery before the impoundment was built constituted a minor component of the contemporary fishery that is based heavily on reservoir-adapted introduced species. Cascading effects of river impoundment resulted in a mismatch between embodied energy and market value: energetic costs of fisheries production increased, whereas market value decreased. This was partially attributable to changes in species functional composition but also strongly linked to species identities that affected market value as a result of consumer preferences even when species were functionally similar. Similar trends are expected in other large tropical rivers following impoundment. In addition to identifying consequences of a common anthropogenic impact on an important ecosystem service, our assessment provides insight into the sustainability of fisheries production in tropical rivers and priorities for regional biodiversity conservation .     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in roasted coffee

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are suspected to be carcinogenic and mutagenic. This study describes the presence of PAHs in light, medium and dark roasted coffee including instant and decaffeinated brands. Total PAHs concentration was related to the degree of roasting with light roasted coffee showing the least and dark roasted coffee showing the highest level. Both instant and decaffeinated coffee brand showed lower levels of PAHs. Naphthalene, acenaphthylene, pyrene and chrysene were the most abundant individual isomers. The concentrations ranged from 0 to 561 ng g^?1 for naphthalene, 0 to 512 ng g^?1 for acenaphthylene, 60 to 459 ng g^?1 for pyrene and 56 to 371 ng g^?1 for chrysene. Thus, roasting conditions should be controlled to avoid the formation of PAHs due to their suspected carcinogenic and mutagenic properties.     

Food aid and development in southern Sudan: implications of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for response planning

In the post-Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) era a greater impact on the unacceptably high prevalence of child malnutrition is more likely to come from additional investment and attention to education, health, hygiene, sanitation and childcare practices than from expanded food aid interventions. The negligible impact of food aid on malnutrition, although most commonly challenged on the quality of needs assessments, is equally attributable to the timing of deliveries, and a dysfunctional distribution system. Comparatively few resources have been allocated to strengthen skills for assessing, analysing and understanding community priorities, local economies, and social safety nets. A more thoughtful allocation of scarce funds could have more impact if a range of alternative responses was considered. Participation in and commitment to a more independent livelihoods analytical forum would improve communication with the new government, local leaders and other partners, as well as providing a platform for reaching consensus on both humanitarian and development planning over the next five years.     

An animal movement model incorporating home range and habitat selection

Wildlife biologists are often interested in how an animal uses space and the habitat resources within that space. We propose a single model that estimates an animal’s home range and habitat selection parameters within that range while accounting for the inherent autocorrelation in frequently sampled telemetry data. The model is applied to brown bear telemetry data in southeast Alaska. This article is based on a portion of this author’s Ph.D. dissertation completed in 2003 at the University of Iowa.     

Establish the Long-effective Mechanism of Food Security in China

In despite of fluctuation in recent years, the grain yield in China has been increasing, which relieves the conflict between supply and demand and turns the situation of food security good. However, because of the rapid increase in food consumption, the conflicts of food quality and structure in the supply and demand equilibrium has become more and more obvious and the long-effective mechanism of food security has not been established yet. It is found that the factors affecting food security in China include the scarcity and dissipation of resources, farmers＇ low enthusiasm in planting grain crops and the inappropriateness of the emphasis and measures of macro-economic regulation and control. Therefore, the authors advance to optimize resources allocation, strengthen macro-economic regulation and control and policy stimulation and establish the mechanism of allocating grain production cost, to set up the long-effective mechanism of China food security and keep it stable in the long term.     

湖南省汨罗市再生资源产业集群升级研究

随着我国经济快速增长。生态建设和环境保护的形势日益严峻，再生资源产业作为根本解决资源枯竭、能源短缺、环境污染等问题的有效途径，对我国资源节约型、环境友好型社会建设具有重要战略意义。汨罗市再生资源产业历史悠久，已经初步建立起再生资源回收系统、再生资源加工利用系统和废弃物资无害化处置系统．呈现出产业集群发展雏形。针对目前汨罗市再生资源产业集群存在的产业链条短、产品加工度不高、附加值低等问题。必须通过再生资源产业价值链技术创新、链核延伸和链条辐射。实现汨罗市再生资源产业集群的动态升级。加速汨罗市再生资源产业集群区域品牌的形成。为其他地区和城市再生资源产业发展提供重要经验借鉴和发展启示。     

SJ—20型环境生物样品微波溶样器的研制

研制出了SJ—20型环境生物样品微波溶样器,测定了溶样器的耐压情况,并在实际生物和食品样品的测定中进行了初步应用.结果表明,该溶样器安全可靠,消化速度快,消解完全,对环境基本无污染.     

Iron and Zinc status in soils, water and staple food cultivars in Itakpe, Kogi State of Nigeria

The levels of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were quantitatively determined in soil and water samples as well as in staple food cultivars in Itakpe, Nigeria's major iron mining town. The survey was conducted to establish a baseline pollution index for Fe and Zn in the Itakpe environment and to evaluate the role of foods as an exogenous source of these metals among the inhabitants. Exceedingly high levels of both metals characterized the staple food cultivars in the town.     

The State of Food Resources and Reproductive Success of Tufted and Horned Puffins in the Northern Sea of Okhotsk

Studies on the reproductive biology of seabirds on Talan and Umara islands in 1987–1999 showed that the diet of nestlings and reproductive success of the tufted puffin (Lunda cirrhata) and horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) considerably varied in different colonies. This was determined by differences in the hydrologic characteristics of water areas and the state of food resources in Taui Bay (the northern Sea of Okhotsk). The reproductive success of tufted puffins was higher on Umara Island due to more favorable environmental conditions and relatively stable food resources in Odyan Bay. The parameters of reproductive success and the nestling diet in tufted and horned puffins from Talan Island differed considerably. The survival of nestlings was always higher in horned puffins, which was related to some characteristics of their feeding ecology.     

Intrapopulation spatial segregation in bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Abramis brama</Emphasis>) and roach (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rutilus rutilus</Emphasis>) in the Rybinsk Reservoir

In the course of studies on mass fish species (bream and roach) in water bodies of the Upper Volga basin, intraspecific groups of individuals have been distinguished. Conditions and possible mechanisms of spatial differentiation of these groups are considered. The intrapopulation divergence of individuals by some adaptive characters, primarily behavioral, enables them to utilize alternative resources, which provides for more efficient use of the environment by populations.