Is the reproduction of Donax trunculus affected by their sites of origin contrasted by their level of contamination?

The reproductive cycle of bivalves is regulated by several natural environmental factors but exposure to chemical pollutants can also interfere and may result in advanced or delayed spawning season. To our knowledge, the gametogenic cycle of the suspension-feeder bivalve Donax trunculus has not yet been used as biomonitoring tool in ecotoxicological surveys. The aim of this study was to examine over a year physiological reproductive endpoints (sex-ratio, gametogenic and energy reserve cycles) and biological indices (condition index, allometry) in D. trunculus originating from two sites differing by their level of contamination. Specimens were collected bimonthly from November 2008 to October 2009 from a polluted site (Radès Méliane) and a comparatively reference site (Sidi Jehmi) in the Gulf of Tunis (Tunisia). Five stages were depicted by histological examination of gonads: undifferentiated, developing, mature, spawn and spent. Differences in the gametogenic cycle according to the site of origin of bivalves were observed. The spawning period began in March and was maximum in May in bivalves from both sites, but the percentage of spawning animals was higher in the polluted site vs the reference site. The spawning period was shorter in animals from the polluted site comparatively to the reference site. Energy reserves (glycogen, lipids) were higher in March and May comparatively to the other studied periods in bivalves from both sites. Lower energy reserves levels were usually observed in animals from the polluted site compared to the reference site. Seasonal variations of the condition index were associated to the reproductive and nutritive status of bivalves. Differences in allometry were depicted between bivalves from both studied sites. If we try to link allometry, energy reserves and reproduction, it can be hypothesized that for bivalves from the reference site, energy reserves are allocated to gametogenesis and length growth. For bivalves from the polluted site, energy reserves could be devoted to tolerance to chemical stress and to reproductive processes. Therefore, D. trunculus appears as a suitable sentinel species for the assessment of the ecotoxicological risk of contaminants such as endocrine disruptors.     

Nitrogen deposition effects on Mediterranean-type ecosystems: an ecological assessment

We review the ecological consequences of N deposition on the five Mediterranean regions of the world. Seasonality of precipitation and fires regulate the N cycle in these water-limited ecosystems, where dry N deposition dominates. Nitrogen accumulation in soils and on plant surfaces results in peaks of availability with the first winter rains. Decoupling between N flushes and plant demand promotes losses via leaching and gas emissions. Differences in P availability may control the response to N inputs and susceptibility to exotic plant invasion. Invasive grasses accumulate as fuel during the dry season, altering fire regimes. California and the Mediterranean Basin are the most threatened by N deposition; however, there is limited evidence for N deposition impacts outside of California. Consequently, more research is needed to determine critical loads for each region and vegetation type based on the most sensitive elements, such as changes in lichen species composition and N cycling.     

The Comparative Approach on Outdoor Leisure Behavior of Urban Elderly People： A Case Study in Beijing

With the income increase of elderly people in Beijing and the improvement of leisure facilities since 2000, the quality of elderly people leisure life in Beijing has obviously increased com- pared to t...     

Population Growth, Available Resources, and Quality of Life： China＇s Post-Reform Economic Development

Two opposing intellectual traditions and their contem- porary developments regarding the relations among population, available resources, and quality of life as reflected in economic growth are reviewe...     

吉林省玉米农田保护性耕作的环境影响评价

以吉林省玉米农田4种保护性耕作为例,应用生命周期评价方法(Life Cycle Assessment,LCA)系统综合地评价吉林省玉米农田不同保护性耕作模式对环境的潜在影响。结果表明,四种保护性耕作模式的能源消耗、温室气体排放、环境酸化和富营养化的潜在环境影响分别平均比传统耕作模式减少14.62%、82.82%、15.37%和15.28%,主要由氮肥的生产及施用引起;水体毒性、土壤毒性及人体毒性则分别比传统耕作高7.40%、6.42%和7.38%,主要由农药的施用引起。综合各种环境影响类型,尽管4种保护性耕作模式较传统耕作模式能显著减缓全球变暖,但对其他环境类型的改变不明显,其中水体毒性为该种植系统中最主要的环境影响类型,富营养化次之。     

承德建龙3#高炉炉役后期安全生产特点

承德建龙3#高炉第1代炉役后期,炉身冷却壁大量损坏,炉缸部分冷却壁水温差超高,炉底、炉基温度达到安全警戒线,炉壳多处开裂变形,依靠外部打水维持生产的情况下,通过采取加强高炉操作,设备维护管理等技术措施,保证了高炉安全生产.     

Application of Agriculture‐Developed Demographic Analysis for the Conservation of the Hawaiian Alpine Wekiu Bug

Insects that should be considered for conservation attention are often overlooked because of a lack of data. The detailed information necessary to assess population growth, decline, and maximum range is particularly difficult to acquire for rare and cryptic species. Many of these difficulties can be overcome with the use of life table analyses and heat energy accumulation models common in agriculture. The wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola), endemic to the summit of one volcanic mountain in Hawaii, is a rare insect living in an environmentally sensitive alpine stone desert, where field‐based population assessments would be inefficient or potentially detrimental to natural and cultural resources. We conducted laboratory experiments with the insects by manipulating rearing temperatures of laboratory colonies and made detailed observations of habitat conditions to develop life tables representing population growth parameters and environmental models for wekiu bug phenology and demographic change. Wekiu bugs developed at temperatures only found in its environment on sunny days and required the thermal buffer found on cinder cones for growth and population increase. Wekiu bugs required approximately 3.5 months to complete one generation. The bug developed optimally from 26 to 30 °C, temperatures that are much higher than the air temperature attains in its elevational range. The developmental temperature range of the species confirmed a physiological reason why the wekiu bug is only found on cinder cones. This physiology information can help guide population monitoring and inform habitat restoration and conservation. The wekiu bug was a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and the developmental parameters we quantified were used to determine the species would not be listed as endangered or threatened. The use of developmental threshold experiments, life table analyses, and degree day modeling can directly inform otherwise unobservable habitat needs and demographic characteristics of extremely rare insects. Aplicación de Análisis Demográfico de Desarrollo Agrícola para la Conservación del Insecto Weiku Alpino Hawaiano     

Modeling the carbon dynamics of the La Grande hydroelectric complex in northern Quebec

A mechanistic semi-empirical carbon cycle model of the La Grande reservoir complex in northern Quebec, Canada was conceived in order to investigate the climate impact of such a large alteration of the continental water cycle. The model includes inputs from the drainage basin, organic matter release from flooded soils, CO₂ emissions across the water-atmosphere interface and sedimentation. Most input data stems from previous research by our group on those ecosystems. The model includes the seven reservoirs of the La Grande complex and was run for periods of 50 and 100 years. Terrigeneous dissolved, particulate and suspended soil carbon fluxes and concentrations were computed. Over 100 years, 31.3 × 10¹² g C are released from flooded soils, equivalent to 28-29% of inputs from the drainage basin. 40-74% of dissolved organic carbon is mineralized. CO₂ fluxes over 100 years are 50.5-79.8 × 10¹² g C, 46.4-67.9 × 10¹² g C more than in the absence of reservoirs. The increase in mineralization of organic matter and in CO₂ emissions is a result of the increase in cumulated water residence time due to the creation of the reservoirs. Changes in other carbon sinks and sources likely offset a part of this additional carbon flux to the atmosphere. In the first years following flooding of the reservoir, organic carbon release from flooded soils exceeds CO₂ emissions, implying the downstream export of large quantities of eroded soil organic carbon. After this initial period, CO₂ emissions are fuelled by organic carbon originating from the drainage basin.     

Effect of tracer dyes on initial deposits and persistence of bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki toxin after application of two commercial formulations onto spruce trees

Abstract

The effect of two tracer dyes [Erio Acid Red (EAR) and Acid Black 48 (AB‐48)] on initial deposits and persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) toxin (delta‐endotoxin) was studied after spraying two commercial formulations, Foray® 48B and Foray® 76B, over potted white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] seedlings, at a dosage rate of 30 billion international units (BIU) per ha. Spray was applied using a spinning disc atomizer calibrated to deliver droplet sizes similar to those utilized in ultra‐low‐volume (ULV) treatments in operational insect control programs. The sprayed seedlings were left outdoors at the Sault Ste. Marie laboratory for 18 days under natural conditions of sunlight, wind and rainfall. Initial deposits and persistence of delta‐endotoxin protein in spruce foliage were determined by immunoassay [enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)] quantification of the delta‐endotoxin. The total protein (inactive plus active) and delta‐endotoxin (active protein) concentrations in the two formulations were determined by a gravimetric procedure and by ELISA respectively.

The initial deposit levels of the toxin on foliage were not markedly affected by the addition of either of the two tracer dyes, and showed only a narrow range of 1521 to 1625 ng/g foliage (fresh weight) for Foray 48B, and 1789 to 2056 ng/g for Foray 76B. However, the persistence of the toxin was significantly influenced by the presence of the dyes. The toxin persisted in foliage only for 7 d post‐spray When the EAR dye was added to Foray 48B, compared to 10 d when no dye was added. The average half‐life (DT₅₀) of disappearance was 17.4 h for Foray 48B with EAR, and 20.9 h when no dye was present. In contrast, the situation was reversed in Foray 76B, since the duration of persistence was 10 d when EAR was added to Foray 76B, compared to 7 d when no dye was added. The average DT₅₀ was 27.9 h for Foray 76B with EAR, and 22.2 h without the dye. Persistence was the longest (14 d) when the AB‐48 dye was added to Foray 76B, and the DT₅₀ was 44.9 h.     

Leaching,mobility and persistence of tebufenozide in columns packed with forest litter and soil

Abstract

Leaching, downward mobility and persistence of tebufenozide was investigated under laboratory conditions in columns packed with forest litter and soil, after fortification with the analytical grade material (purity > 99.6%) and with two commercial formulations, RH‐5992 2F (aqueous flowable) and RH‐5992 ES (emulsion suspension). Two types of litter and soil were used: one type with relatively high amounts of sand and the other with high amounts of clay.

The concentrations eluted in the leachates were lower when the analytical material (dissolved in acetone) was used for fortification, than when the two formulations (diluted with water) were used. The amount leached was higher for RH‐5992 2F than for RH‐5992 ES. The type of substrate, i.e., sandy or clay type, had only marginal influence on the amounts eluted in the leachates. Downward movement of tebufenozide from the top 2‐cm layer to the untreated middle and bottom layers (3‐cm segments) was consistently lower when the analytical material was used for fortification, than when the two formulations were used. Downward movement was higher for RH‐5992 2F than for RH‐5992 ES. Persistence of tebufenozide in substrates, maintained under submerged conditions for 70 days after leaching, indicated an initial 2‐week lag period prior to the onset of degradation. Formulation‐related differences were observed in the half‐life (DT₅₀) values. When the analytical material was used for fortification, the DT₅₀ ranged from ca 54 to 59 d. However, when the formulations were used for fortification, the DT₅₀ showed a higher range, i.e., from ca 62 to 67 d for RH‐5992 2F and ca 70 to 80 d for RH‐5992 ES. Formulation ingredients appear to have caused enhanced adsorption of tebufenozide onto the substrates, thus delaying degradation.