Introduced and cryptogenic species in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia

Port Phillip Bay (PPB) is a large (1,930 km²), temperate embayment in southern Victoria, Australia. Extensive bay-wide surveys of PPB have occurred since 1840. In 1995/1996 the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Centre for Research on Introduced Marine Pests (CRIMP) undertook an intensive evaluation of the region with the aims of developing a comprehensive species list of native and introduced biota and contrasting previous bay-wide assessments with a current field survey in order to detect new incursions and discern alterations to native communities. Two methods were used to meet these aims: a re-evaluation of regional museum collections and published research in PPB to identify and determine the timing of introductions; and field surveys for benthic (infauna, epifauna and encrusting) organisms between September 1995 to March 1996. One hundred and sixty introduced (99) and cryptogenic (61) species were identified representing over 13% of the recorded species of PPB. As expected, the majority of these are concentrated around the shipping ports of Geelong and Melbourne. Invasions within PPB appear to be increasing, possibly due to an increase in modern shipping traffic and an increase in aquaculture (historically associated with incidental introductions); however the records of extensive biological surveys suggest that this may, in part, be an artefact of sampling effort. In contrast to Northern Hemisphere studies, PPB (and Southern Hemisphere introductions in general) have significantly different suites of successfully invading taxa. PPB is presented as one of the most invaded marine ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere.Communicated by M.S. Johnson, Crawley     

Erythroid-specific antibodies enhance detection of fetal nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood

Fetal nucleated erythrocytes (NRBC) in maternal blood are a non-invasive source of fetal DNA for prenatal genetic screening. We compared the effectiveness of three monoclonal antibodies for the separation of fetal cells from maternal blood by flow sorting. Mononuclear blood cells from 49 healthy pregnant women were incubated with antibody to CD 71, CD 36, and/or glycophorin A (GPA), employed singly or in combination with each other. These monoclonal antibodies recognize surface antigens on haematopoietic precursor cells. Successful isolation of fetal cells was defined as detection of Y chromosomal sequences in maternal blood from women carrying male fetuses, with absence of Y sequences when female fetuses were carried. Thus, gender prediction accuracy was used as a measure of fetal cell separation. Using anti-CD 71 to isolate fetal cells, gender prediction was 57 per cent correct; with anti-CD 36, it was 88 per cent correct. Anti-GPA, an erythrocyte-specific antigen, used alone or in combination with anti-CD 71 or 36, improved gender prediction to 100 per cent. We conclude that antibody to GPA improves the retrieval of fetal NRBC from maternal blood, permitting genetic analysis by the polymerase chain reaction.     

Science in the public process of ecosystem management: lessons from Hawaii, Southeast Asia, Africa and the US Mainland

Partnerships and co-operative environmental management are increasing worldwide as is the call for scientific input in the public process of ecosystem management. In Hawaii, private landowners, non-governmental organizations, and state and federal agencies have formed watershed partnerships to conserve and better manage upland forested watersheds. In this paper, findings of an international workshop convened in Hawaii to explore the strengths of approaches used to assess stakeholder values of environmental resources and foster consensus in the public process of ecosystem management are presented. Authors draw upon field experience in projects throughout Hawaii, Southeast Asia, Africa and the US mainland to derive a set of lessons learned that can be applied to Hawaiian and other watershed partnerships in an effort to promote consensus and sustainable ecosystem management. Interdisciplinary science-based models can serve as effective tools to identify areas of potential consensus in the process of ecosystem management. Effective integration of scientific input in co-operative ecosystem management depends on the role of science, the stakeholders and decision-makers involved, and the common language utilized to compare tradeoffs. Trust is essential to consensus building and the integration of scientific input must be transparent and inclusive of public feedback. Consideration of all relevant stakeholders and the actual benefits and costs of management activities to each stakeholder is essential. Perceptions and intuitive responses of people can be as influential as analytical processes in decision-making and must be addressed. Deliberative, dynamic and iterative decision-making processes all influence the level of stakeholder achievement of consensus. In Hawaii, application of lessons learned can promote more informed and democratic decision processes, quality scientific analysis that is relevant, and legitimacy and public acceptance of ecosystem management.     

Inflammation biomarkers associated with arsenic exposure by drinking water and respiratory outcomes in indigenous children from three Yaqui villages in southern Sonora,México

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental arsenic exposure in adults and children has been associated with a reduction in the expression of club cell secretory protein (CC16) and...     

Latent effects of early life stage exposure to triclosan on survival in fathead minnows,Pimephales promelas

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of early life stage triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4, dichlorophenoxy)phenol, TCS) exposure on hatching, development, and survival in the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. Embryonic minnows were exposed to TCS (50 and 100 µg L^?1) for 10 days followed by 6 weeks depuration. Mortality and morphological deformities were recorded and quantified during exposure and at the end of depuration. No significant effects on embryonic survival, time to reach the eyed stage, or hatching were found. However, at the conclusion of the depuration period, survival was significantly reduced in TCS exposed fish depending on the concentration. Visual inspection of the exposed fish suggests that mortality is related to spinal deformities, emaciation, and reduced foraging ability. Triclosan exhibits deleterious effects in fish at lower concentrations over longer durations than previously reported. Further, mortality in exposed fish 6 weeks after exposure demonstrates the need for various exposure assays to evaluate effects of TCS.     

Vietnam’s seafood boom: Economic growth with impoverishment?

By 2050 most seafood will be sourced through aquaculture, with a range of production intensities being required to sustain livelihoods and to meet future needs from seafood. This makes Vietnam a particularly insightful case, since Vietnam is at the forefront of the trend toward greater aquaculture production. Our aim in this paper is to examine the social-ecological sustainability of small producer livelihoods contributing to Vietnam’s seafood boom. This paper uses original survey data to understand the range of fishery-based livelihoods that have contributed to Vietnam being a leading global exporter of seafood. We investigate the kinds of fishery-based livelihood activities that households are engaged in, consider the type and amount (kilograms) of species caught or farmed annually, and examine household perceptions’ of change in species quantity. We find that Vietnam’s seafood sector is facing real sustainability challenges: Nearly 30 % of small producers—fishers and fish farmers—within our sample rest at or below Vietnam’s rural poverty line. Ecological decline and disease in farmed fish is perceived to be a serious issue for all fishers. In this context, policy and management interventions need to better reflect social and ecological variability, adopt an integrated coastal systems perspective across fisheries and aquaculture, and consider the most impact-effective poverty interventions.     

Ectomised conductors in the golden orb-web spider, Nephila plumipes (Araneoidea): a male adaptation to sexual conflict?

Male genitalia may facilitate sperm protection by acting as a plug that prevents or hinders future matings. The pedipalps (intromittant organs) of males of the orb-web spider, Nephila plumipes, have a conductor with a peculiarly curved ending and a triangular process near the terminal end. The tip of the conductor, including the process, breaks during most matings and remains inside the female genital tract. We explored the possible function of the conductor as a mating plug using the double-mating sterile-male technique. Our data are not consistent with a plug function because males use only one pedipalp in each mating, thus leaving an unobstructed insemination duct available for future matings; conductors of males mating with virgin females are not more likely to break than those of males mating with mated females, and second males show no preference for used or unused spermathecae. In addition, males that inserted their palp in the insemination duct that contained a tip of the conductor from a previous male obtained a share in the paternity of the female's clutch of eggs. Interestingly, the conductor is more likely to break if it is inserted in an unused spermatheca. We argue that several lines of evidence suggest that the conductor breaks as a result of intersexual conflict over the duration of copulation.     

Optimization and validation of enhanced biological reduction of 1,2,3‐trichloropropane in groundwater

Laboratory and field demonstration studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of enhanced biological reduction of 1,2,3‐trichloropropane (TCP) in groundwater. Laboratory studies evaluated the effects of pH and initial TCP concentrations on TCP reduction and the activity of a microbial inoculum containing Dehalogenimonas (Dhg). Laboratory results showed successful reduction at a pH of 5 to 9 with optimal reduction at 7 to 9 and at initial TCP concentrations ranging from 10 to over 10,000 micrograms per liter (μg/L). Based on findings from the laboratory study, the effects of TCP concentration, geochemical conditions, and amendment concentration on bioremediation efficacy were investigated during a field demonstration at a site with relatively low initial concentrations of TCP (< 2 μg/L). The field demonstration included injection of emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) and lactate as a carbon substrate for biostimulation, followed by bioaugmentation using the microbial inoculum containing Dhg. Post‐injection performance monitoring demonstrated reduction of TCP to below laboratory detection limits (< 0.005 μg/L) after an initial lag period of approximately six months following injections. TCP reduction was accompanied by generation of the degradation byproduct propene. A marginal increase in TCP concentrations, potentially due to an influx of upgradient aerobic groundwater containing TCP, was observed eight months after injections thereby demonstrating the sensitivity of this bioaugmentation application to changes in geochemical parameters. Despite this marginal increase, performance monitoring results indicate continued TCP biodegradation 15 months after implementation of the injection program. This demonstration suggests that enhanced biodegradation of TCP by combining biostimulation and bioaugmentation may be a promising solution to the challenges associated with remediation of TCP, even when present at low part per billion concentrations in groundwater.