Landfill Leachate Ecotoxicity Experiments using Lemna minor

The effects of varying concentrations of landfill leachate on the growth, frond area, chlorophyll content and fluorescence of four strains of Lemna minor were assessed. Growth fluorescence and frond chlorophyll content decreased after seven days exposure to leachate, although responses differed between the strains and end parameters. A L. minor bioassay was used to assess leachate toxicity and the effectiveness of a constructed wetland treatment system and pre-treatment aeration and settlement in reducing toxicity. Pre-treatments were found to significantly reduce toxicity, so their incorporation in any treatment system may increase pollutant stripping.     

Effect of sunlight radiation,rainfall and droplet spectra of sprays on persistence of bacillus thuringiensis deposits after application of dipel® 76af formulation onto conifers

Abstract

The effect of sunlight radiation, rainfall and droplet spectra of sprays on per ‐sistence of a Bacillus thuringiensis subspp. kurstaki (Btk) formulation, DiPel^® 76AF, was examined after application onto spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] foliage. The investigation consisted of three studies: (i) Study I: a laboratory microcosm study to examine the photostability of DiPel 76AF deposits on foliage after different periods of exposure to two radiation intensities, (ii) Study II: a laboratory microcosm study to examine the rainfastness of foliar deposits after exposure to different amounts of rainfall consisting of two separate droplet spectra, and (iii) Study III: a field microcosm study to investigate the influence of two different droplet spectra of DiPel 76AF sprays on foliar persistence of Btk under natural weathering conditions. In all studies, persistence of Btk was investigated both by bioassay [using spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens)] and total protein assay.

The findings of Study I indicated that bioactivity of foliar deposits decreased with increasing duration of exposure to radiation, and with increasing radiation intensity. The half‐life (DT₅₀, the exposure period required for 50% of the initial bioactivity to disappear) was 5.1 d for the low intensity, and 3.9 d for the higher intensity. In contrast with the bioassay results, the total protein levels [determined by the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method] showed no decrease with increasing duration of exposure, or with increasing radiation intensity.

The findings of Study II indicated that bioactivity of foliar deposits decreased with increasing cumulative rainfall. A new term, RF₅₀ [the amount of rain (in mm) required to washoff 50% of the initial deposit], was introduced to understand the relationship between rainfall intensity and reduction in bioactivity. When the same amount of rain was applied in different droplet sizes, the RF₅₀ value was high (5.2 mm) for the small rain droplets, and was low (2.9 mm) for the large rain droplets. Similar to the bioassay results, the total protein concentrations (determined by the BCA method) decreased with increasing amount of rain and with increasing rainfall intensity. The RF₅₀ value (obtained using ng protein /cm²) was 5.4 mm for the small rain droplets, and was 3.4 mm for the large rain droplets.

The field microcosm study indicated that when DiPel 76AF was applied in small droplets (D_v.5 of 65 μm), the persistence of bioactivity was ca 8.0 d, whereas when it was applied in large droplets (D_v.5 of 130 nm) it was ca 11 d. Bioactivity decreased with time after spray, and the DT₅₀ was 1.98 d for the spray of small droplets, and 2.87 d for that of large droplets. Similar to the bioactivity, the total protein concentrations also decreased with time after spray, and the DT₅₀ values for the small and large droplet spectra were 3.45 and 6.07 d respectively.     

大宁河春季浮游藻类“水华”及其营养限制

报道了大宁河2004年春季和2005年春季浮游藻类的种类组成、垂直分布、数量、生物量以及C含量的调查结果，并应用多样性指数、丰富度指数和均匀性指数对其水质进行了综合评价；对大宁河蓄水后出现的富营养化现象和春季发生“水华”的原因进行了探讨，同时提出了控制水体富营养化的建议。2004年春季，藻类优势种为美丽星杆藻〖WTBX〗（Asterionella formosa）、卵形隐藻（Cryptomonas ovata）、里海小环藻（Cyclotella caspia）和新星形冠盘藻（Stephanodiscus neoastraea）；2005年春季的优势种为实球藻（Pandorina morum）、空球藻（Eudorina elegans）、里海小环藻(Cyclotella caspia)和卵形隐藻(Cryptomonas ovata)〖WTBZ〗。2004年和2005年的细胞密度、生物量和C含量分别平均为171.1×105 cells/L，12.2 mg/L，1 732.2 μg C/L和113.1×105 cells/L，10.1 mg/L，1 395.9μg C/L。对2005年春季熊猫洞采样点“水华”水进行生物测试的结果表明，P是藻类生长的限制因子。研究认为，控制大宁河沿岸带生活污水的排放量并减少由于农田地表径流所带来的营养输入是防止该河加重富营养化和发生“水华”的关键。     

赤潮的生物毒性评价初步研究——生物毒性测试方法在一次胶州湾赤潮中的应用

在2000－07－25－30发生于青岛胶州湾，面积约10km^2的赤潮过程中，于2000－07－26和27日分别采集赤潮现场海水，以三咱标准毒性实验生物黑褐新糠虾（Neomysis awatschensis），卤虫（Artemia salina）和ICR品系小白鼠为实验动物，对胶州湾这次赤潮进行了的毒性研究。结果表明：现场采集的赤潮海水和实验室经f／2培养后藻液对卤虫有急性毒性作用，24h卤虫幼体的存活率分别为83％和73％，对小白鼠的毒性均在相当于STX0．87－1．8μg／L的范围内，而对糠虾没有明显影响。本文同时了赤潮现场海水中的藻类组成与数量，探讨了此次赤潮的毒性来源和致毒机制，提出了对赤潮进行生物毒性评价的观点，并建议有关部门将赤潮毒性测试结果作为一个重要的部分应用于现场赤潮事件报道中。     

Anaerobic biodegradability of terephthalic acid andits inhibitory effect on anaerobic digestion

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蛋白核小球藻与单甲脒的相互作用

本文运用评价化学品对藻类毒性的标准实验方法，得出单甲脒抑制蛋白核小球藻（Ｃ．ｐｙｒｅｎｏｉｄｏｓａ ｃｈｉｃｋ）生长的９６ｈ－ＥＣ５０为３．５ｍｇ．１＾－１。实验结果表明，在单甲脒初始浓度分别为３，５，１０和２０ｍｇ．１＾－１条件下，蛋白核小球藻都不具备降解单甲脒的能力。     

Foraging responses in the butterflies <Emphasis Type="Italic">Inachis io</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aglais urticae</Emphasis> (Nymphalidae), and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gonepteryx rhamni</Emphasis> (Pieridae) to floral scents

Summary. For butterflies to be efficient foragers, they need to be able to recognize rewarding flowers. Flower signals such as colours and scents assist this recognition process. For plant species to attract and keep butterflies as pollinators, species-specific floral signals are crucial. The aim of this study is to investigate foraging responses to floral scents in three temperate butterfly species, Inachis io L. (Nymphalidae), Aglais urticae L. (Nymphalidae), and Gonepteryx rhamni L. (Pieridae), in behavioural choice bioassays. The butterflies were allowed to choose bet-ween flower models varying in scent and colour (mauve or green). Flowers or vegetative parts from the plants Centaurea scabiosa L. (Asteraceae), Cirsium arvense (L.) (Asteraceae), Knautia arvensis (L.) (Dipsacaceae), Buddleja davidii Franchet (Loganicaeae), Origanum vulgareL. (Lamiaceae), Achillea millefolium L. (Asteraceae), and Philadelphus coronarius L. (Hydrangiaceae) were used as scent sources. All visits to the models — those that included probing and those that did not — were counted, as was the duration of these behaviours. Both flower-naive and flower-experienced (conditioned to sugar-water rewards, the colour mauve, and specific floral scents) butterflies were tested for their preference for floral versus vegetative scents, and to floral scent versus colour. The butterflies were also tested for their ability to switch floral scent preferences in response to rewards. Flower-naive butterflies demonstrated a preference for the floral scent of the butterfly-favourable plants C. arvense and K. arvensis over the floral scent of the non-favourable plants Achillea millefolium (Asteraceae), and Philadelphus coronarius cv. (Hydrangiaceae). Most of the butterflies that were conditioned to floral scents of either C. arvense, K. arvensis, or B. davidii readily switched theirfloral scent preferences to the one most recently associated with reward, thus demonstrating that floral scent constancy is a result from learning. These findings suggest that these butterflies use floral scent as an important cue signal to initially identify and subsequently recognize and distinguish among rewarding plants. Received 2 September 2001; accepted 9 September 2002.     

ALGAL BIOASSAY AND GROSS PRODUCTIVITY EXPERIMENTS USING SEWAGE EFFLUENT IN A MICHIGAN WETLAND'

ABSTRACT: One component of the filamentous algal community of a northern fen ecosystem in central Michigan was studied under conditions of nutrient enrichment by secondarily treated sewage effluent during one growing season. The productivity of Cladophora spp. measured by continuous flow bioassay was 2.6 g dry weight m day at the site of effluent addition compared to 0.085 g m day at the control site. Under conditions of nutrient enrichment, uptake by bioassay Cladophora spp. averaged 12 mg m^?2day^?1for phosphorus and 55 mg m^?2day^?1for nitrogen, compared to 0.01 mg m^?2 day^?1and 0.16 mg m^?2day^?1for phosphorus and nitrogen, respectively, in the control area. At the end of the growing season approximately 4.3 g N m^?2 and 0.96 g P m^?2were immobilized in Cladophora algal biomass. Algal growth temporarily immobilized 3.0 percent of the nitrogen and 1.0 percent of the phosphorus added as sewage effluent. Gross productivity of surface water in the fen averaged 1.5 g O₂m^?2day^?1at the nutrient enriched site, compared to 0.5 g O₂ m^?2day^?1at the control area. Gross productivity, community respiration and reaeration constant values in the fen were similar to data collected by other researchers in shallow water aquatic systems, but only at the fertilized sites.     

A BIO ASSAY LABORATORY BOAT WITH COMPARISONS OF CENTRAL VS. BOAT LABORATORY BIOASSAY EVALUATIONS1

ABSTRACT: A laboratory boat designed to investigate toxic effects on site and its use as a bioassay tool in the study of a refinery effluent discharged into the Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, is described. Three-hundred thirty-six-hour continuous-flow bioassay s exposing the bluegill sunfish, the channel catfish, the tadpole snail, the grass shrimp, and the sheephead minnow to concentrations of refinery effluent in Schuylkill, Delaware River, and Delaware Bay water, with and without the addition of sediment were performed. Results indicated that the toxicity (lethality) of fresh samples tested aboard the boat (refinery effluent, dilution water, sediment) were considerably higher (i.e., refinery effluent at full strength was 2.2X as lethal to the bluegill, 1.4X as lethal to the channel catfish, 1.5X as lethal to the sheep-head minnow and 100X as lethal to the grass shrimp) than the same test material collected from the refinery outfall and brought to a central laboratory for testing. Chemical analysis and bioassay data is presented showing the effects of aging and irradiation upon the refinery effluent.