Ecology

Food waste from households contributes the greatest proportion to total food waste in developed countries. Therefore, food waste reduction requires an understanding of the socio-economic (contextual and behavioural) factors that lead to its generation within the household. Addressing such a complex subject calls for sound methodological approaches that until now have been conditioned by the large number of factors involved in waste generation, by the lack of a recognised definition, and by limited available data. This work contributes to food waste generation literature by using one of the largest available datasets that includes data on the objective amount of avoidable household food waste, along with information on a series of socio-economic factors. In order to address one aspect of the complexity of the problem, machine learning algorithms (random forests and boruta) for variable selection integrated with linear modelling, model selection and averaging are implemented. Model se...

Hotel industry, as a very dynamic activity within the tourism industry, applies innovations in business and develops voluntary eco-business standards for developing sustainable tourism. The paper aims to assess business excellence of hotels that are holders of the international eco-certificate Green Key in Serbia, a country in the Western Balkan region, by using the BEX model. The study reviews and presents the current situation when it comes to implementation and valorisation of eco-principles and standards in hotel business in Serbia, while examining their business excellence, as well as the opportunities for better positioning in the international tourism market. The research results show that the examined companies do not have poor ranks of business excellence. It is recommended for these hotels to continue with the current business while implementing innovations in sustainable business in order to improve business results. By monitoring the value of the BEX index, it is possible to avoid business risks, while expanding eco-awareness and implementing sustainable business policies, which would help hotel companies improve their business.

Fluoride (F) as one of the most toxic pollutants affecting the environment severely restricted plant growth and development. The Fluoride toxicity was studied in young olive plants (Olea europaea L. cv Chemlali), which were irrigated for 5 months with increasing NaF concentration: 0 (control), 20, 40, and 80 mM NaF. The NaF application resulted in an increase of the F content in plant tissues with a higher level in roots compared to leaves. Olive plants treated with 20 or 40 mM NaF maintained their mineral status and activated their antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase). In fact, lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage were not affected in the plant leaves. However, olive plants treated with 80 mM NaF showed (i) the highest reduction of antioxidant enzyme activities and mineral contents, and (ii) an increase of oxidative stress markers such as hydrogen peroxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and electrolyte leakage in both roots and leaves.

Abstract: Food habits of golden jackal (Canis aureus) and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) were investigated using scat analysis between November 2010 and June 2011 in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Western India. Total 104 scats of golden jackal and 86 scats of striped ...

Oithona spp. standing stock and production is considered relatively stable in space and time as a result of continuous breeding, low metabolism, reduced predation mortality and the ability of these small cyclopoids to exploit microbial food webs more efficiently than larger copepods. However, through a review of the published literature, we show that Oithona spp. biomass can vary widely both over the year and with latitude. Thus, the present study set out to investigate the basin scale variability in biomass, stage structure and reproduction of Oithona spp. in relation to changes in hydrographic, physico-chemical and biological parameters encountered during three cruises conducted between April and November 2002 in the Irminger Sea, North Atlantic. Here we found that Oithona spp. biomass varied significantly with temperature and with dinoflagellates biomass concentration. On the other hand, Oithona similis egg production rates increased with both ciliates and dinoflagellates concentrations, rather than with temperature. The inverse relationship we found between Oithona spp. naupliar recruitment with Calanus spp. and fish larvae abundance suggests that predation pressure may contribute to control the spatial variation in the stage structure and biomass of Oithona spp. and that the nauplii of this genus may serve as a food source for other planktonic organisms prior to the spring phytoplankton bloom.

As the UK's National marine data centre, a key responsibility of the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) is to provide data management support for the scientific activities of complex multidisciplinary long term research programmes. Since the initial cruise in 1995, the NERC funded Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) project has undertaken 18 north-south transects of the Atlantic Ocean. As the project has evolved there has been a steady growth in the number of participants, the data volume, complexity and the demand for data. BODC became involved in AMT in 2002 at the beginning of phase II of this programme and since then has provided continuous support to both the AMT and wider scientific community through rescue, quality control, processing and access to the data. The data management comprises a team of specialist data managers using a sophisticated infrastructure of software and hardware to manage, integrate and serve the physical, biological and chemical data. Here, we discuss the approach adopted, techniques applied and some guiding principles for management of large multi-disciplinary programmes.

Oithona spp. is considered the most abundant and ubiquitous copepod genus in the marine environment, often outnumbering calanoid copepods throughout the year. Previous studies have argued that one of the reasons for such success is that the respiration rate of Oithona spp. is insensitive to temperature changes and lower than in calanoids. However, comprehensive data on the thermal biology of this important copepod genus is lacking. In this study, the respiration rate of adult female O. similis from the English Channel, was measured over the temperature range 4 to 25°C. The respiration rate of O. similis changed exponentially with temperature (ln O 2 -rate = -3.59 + 0.114 T, df = 35, r 2 = 0.85, p < 0.001, Q 10 = 3.1) similar to that of other poikilotherms. Over the temperature range examined, O. similis basic metabolic cost varied from a minimum of ~1.4% body-C d -1 at 4°C to a maximum of 23% body-C d -1 at 25°C, corresponding to an energy demand of ~3% and 32% body-C d -1 respectively. The respiration rate of O. similis, from the present study, is ~8 times lower than that of a calanoid copepod of equivalent body weight estimated from published empirical metabolism-temperature data. We suggest that these differences in metabolic rates may account for the year-round persistence and higher abundances of Oithona spp. over calanoid copepods, particularly in oceanic and oligotrophic environments where food resources may be limiting for calanoid copepods.

We compare the long-term and seasonal patterns of abundance and phenology of the cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis at the L4 site (1988 -2013) in the North Atlantic and at the LTER-MC site (1984 -2013) in the Mediterranean Sea to investigate whether high temperature limits the occurrence of this species with latitudinal cline. The two sites are well suited to testing this hypothesis as they are characterized by similar chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a) but different temperature [sea surface temperature (SST)]. The abundance of O. similis at L4 was 10 times higher than at LTER-MC. Moreover, this species had several peaks of abundance during the year at L4 but a single peak in spring at LTER-MC. The main mode of temporal variability in abundance was seasonal at both sites. The abundance of O. similis was negatively correlated with SST only at LTER-MC, whereas it was positively correlated with Chl a at both sites. Oithona similis had a temperature optimum between 15 and 208C reaching maximum abundance at 16.58C at LTER-MC, but showed no Chl a optimum at either site. We conclude that the abundance of O. similis increases with prey availability up to 16.58C and that temperature .208C represents the main limiting factor for population persistence.

The present investigation reviews published data on the feeding rates and prey selection of Oithona similis females, Calanus finmarchicus nauplii and females in the Irminger Sea in April/May and July/August 2002. Our aim was to examine how the feeding rates and prey selection of these three copepod stages respond to concomitant changes in microplankton community composition and prey abundance. Copepods typically ingested prey overall according to its ambient concentration although significant species and stage-specific differences in prey-type ingestion and selection were apparent. Despite being of comparable weight, the ingestion rates of C. finmarchicus nauplii were always higher than those of the O. similis females. Moreover, C. finmarchicus nauplii and O. similis females fed preferentially on diatoms and ciliates respectively, whereas adult female C. finmarchicus showed limited prey selectivity. Copepod grazing impact on total and on ciliates/ dinoflagellates standing stock was ,0.5 and ,2%, respectively. We attribute this result to a combination of low grazing rates, low copepod abundance and low microplankton biomass, all of which are indicative of the non-bloom conditions under which these experiments were conducted. The differences in copepod feeding rates and prey selection we report reflect species and stagespecific eco-physiological adaptations, which may act as important driving forces for marine ecosystem structuring and functioning.

This chapter describes the taxonomy of Branchiopoda. Branchiopoda are small crustaceans commonly known as cladocerans or water-fleas. They are epiplanktonic zooplankton seasonally abundant mainly in coastal waters and over the continental shelf of warm temperate and tropical areas, with a few species found in oceanic areas and colder Arctic seas. The chapter covers their life cycle, ecology, and general morphology. It includes a section that indicates the systematic placement of the taxon described within the tree of life, and lists the key marine representative illustrated in the chapter (usually to genus or family level). This section also provides information on the taxonomic authorities responsible for the classification adopted, recent changes which might have occurred, and lists relevant taxonomic sources.

The changing Arctic environment is affecting zooplankton that support its abundant wildlife. We examined how these changes are influencing a key zooplankton species, Calanus finmarchicus, principally found in the North Atlantic but expatriated to the Arctic. Close to the ice-edge in the Fram Strait, we identified areas that, since the 1980s, are increasingly favourable to C. finmarchicus. Field-sampling revealed part of the population there to be capable of amassing enough reserves to overwinter. Early developmental stages were also present in early summer, suggesting successful local recruitment. This extension to suitable C. finmarchicus habitat is most likely facilitated by the long-term retreat of the ice-edge, allowing phytoplankton to bloom earlier and for longer and through higher temperatures increasing copepod developmental rates. The increased capacity for this species to complete its life-cycle and prosper in the Fram Strait can change community structure, with large cons...

The pelagic copepods Oithona similis and Calanus helgolandicus have overlapping geographic ranges, yet contrast in feeding mode, reproductive strategy and body size. We investigate how these contrasting traits influence the seasonality of copepod abundance and reproductive output under environmental variation, using time series data collected over 25 years at the Western Channel Observatory station, L4. The proportional change in egg production rate (EPR, eggs female -1 d -1 ) over the annual cycle was ~10-fold and similar for both species, although EPR of O. similis was only ~11% that of C. helgolandicus. The timing of EPR maxima for O. similis coincided with increased sea surface temperature (SST) in summer, likely due to a temperature-dependent brooding period. Conversely, EPR of broadcast spawning C. helgolandicus was more strongly related to net heat flux and diatom biomass, both parameters associated with the spring phytoplankton bloom. In both species, female body mass correlated negatively with SST, with a 7.5% reduction in body mass per °C in C. helgolandicus compared to just 2.3% in O. similis. Finally, seasonality of EPR and adult and copepodite abundance was strongly decoupled in both species, suggesting that optimum conditions for reproduction and abundance occurred at different times of the year.

We report here the effect of replacing one or both of the purine or pyrimidine blocks of a diblock stilbene donor-acceptor capped hairpin with locked nucleic acid (LNA) bases on the dynamics and efficiency of hole transport. The structures of the DNA and LNA:DNA hybrids are tentatively assigned to B-or A-type structures on the basis of their circular dichroism spectra. Replacing the bases in either the A-block or the G-block of the diblock DNA hairpin with LNA bases results in a modest decrease in the base-to-base hopping rate constant and quantum yield for charge separation. Somewhat larger decreases are observed when all of the purine or pyrimidine bases are replaced by LNA bases.

Background Accurate identification of larval habitats of Ae. aegypti is considered an essential step in targeted control; of this important vector of several arboviruses including dengue and chikungunya viruses. This study determined Ae. aegyptiproductivity in selected larval habitats in Msambweni, Kwale County, Kenya. Methods A total of 664 potential larval habitats were identified and classified based on their use and material into seven habitat types including: buckets, drums, jerrycans, pots, small domestic containers (SDC), tires and others during the habitat census survey. All Ae. aegypti immatures in 83 representative larval habitats were counted daily for 30 consecutive days during a wet and a dry season. All pupae were removed and allowed to emerge in the laboratory. Results Of 664 larval habitats examined at baseline, 144 larval habitats (21.7%) were found to be infested with Aedes aegypti larvae. 71% of the pupae were collected from tires and pots combined, which together...

Aedes aegypti is the main vector for yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. Recent outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya have been reported in Kenya. Presence and abundance of this vector is associated with the risk for the occurrence and transmission of these diseases. This study aimed to characterize the presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes from rural and urban sites in western and coastal regions of Kenya. Presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes were determined indoors and outdoors in two western (urban Kisumu and rural Chulaimbo) and two coastal (urban Ukunda and rural Msambweni) sites in Kenya. Sampling was performed using quarterly human landing catches, monthly Prokopack automated aspirators and monthly Biogents-sentinel traps. A total of 2,229 adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected: 785 (35.2%) by human landing catches, 459 (20.6%) by Prokopack aspiration and 985 (44.2%) by Biogents-sentinel traps. About three times as many Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected in urban than rural sites (1,650 versus 579). Comparable numbers were collected in western (1,196) and coastal (1,033) sites. Over 80% were collected outdoors through human landing catches and Prokopack aspiration. The probability of collecting Ae. aegypti mosquitoes by human landing catches was significantly higher in the afternoon than morning hours (P<0.001), outdoors than indoors (P<0.001) and in urban than rural sites (P = 0.008). Significantly more Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected using Prokopack aspiration outdoors than indoors (P<0.001) and in urban than rural areas (P<0.001). Significantly more mosquitoes were collected using Biogents-sentinel traps in urban than rural areas (P = 0.008) and in western than coastal sites (P = 0.006). The probability of exposure to Ae. aegypti bites was highest in urban areas, outdoors and in the afternoon hours. These characteristics have major implications for the possible transmission of arboviral diseases and for the planning of surveillance and control programs.

Tibetan nomads in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China have experienced profound transitions in recent decades with important implications for land use, livelihoods, and health development. The change from being traditional nomads to agropastoralists engaged in permanent agriculture, a sedentary village life (known as ''sedentarization''), has been associated with a remarkable change in diet and lifestyle, decline in spatial mobility, increase in food production, and emerging infectious and noncommunicable diseases. The overarching response of the government has been to emphasize infrastructure and technological solutions. The local adaptation strategies of Tibetan nomads through maintaining balanced mobile herding, reindeer husbandry, as well as off-farm labor and trade could address both the cause of environmental degradation and improve the well-being of local people. Drawing on transdisciplinary, preliminary field work in Gangga Township of Dingri County in the foothills of Mt. Everest, we identify pertinent linkages between land use and health, and spatial and temporal mismatch of livelihoods and health care services, in the transition to sedentary village life. We suggest emerging imperatives in Ecohealth to help restore Tibetan livelihoods in transition to a sedentary lifestyle.

The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector plays a strategic role in the economic growth of Indonesia. This is important because the majority of the Indonesian population has low education levels and relies on small businesses. One region in Indonesia with the most MSMEs is Bandung Regency with total of 476,954 business units. This has led to high business competition intensity in Bandung Regency. In order to compete, MSMEs require comparative advantages in a competitive business ecosystem. Based on previous research, design plays a significant role in shaping the competitiveness of established companies. However, the situation is different when design is implemented in micro scale business processes that have limitations. This research aims to determine the ability of MSMEs in Bandung Regency to apply design in their business processes. This study uses a mixed-method sequential explanatory approach, which combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. The research sta...

A new type of Lophosteus-finspine ist described. This fragment shows, that Lophosteus and Andreolepis may belong neither to the actinopterygians nor to the sarcopterygians. At present it is impossible to establish its relationships. K u r z f a s s u n g : Ein neuer Typ eines Lophosteus-Flossenstachels wird beschrieben. Dieser Rest zeigt, daf~ es sich bei Lophosteus und Andreolepis weder um Actinopterygier noch um Sarcopterygier handeln kann. Es ist beim derzeitigen Kenntnisstand jedoch noch nicht m6glich, die Beziehungen zu anderen niederen Vertebraten zu kl~iren. Im Jahre 1856 beschrieb PANDEI~ aus dem oberen Silur (Pridoli) des Ohesaare-Kliffs SW-Kiiste der Insel C)sel (= Saaremaa, Estland) Knochenbuchstfickchen von Fischen, die er teils dem Antiarch Pterichthys, teils einer von ihm hierfiir neu aufgestellen Gattung Lophosteus zuwies. Da damals noch nicht die Priiparation phosphatischer Fossilien in Kalken durch Essigs~iure bekannt war, stand ihm fiir seine Beschreibungen nur wenig Material zur Verfiigung. Auch der niichste Bearbeiter, ROHON (1893), konnte nur einige Knochenbruchstficke untersuchen. Immerhin war es RoHoN m6glich, von seinem Material Dfinnschliffe anzufertigen und die Histologie der Reste erstmals zu beschreiben. Aus den dabei gemachten Beobachtungen zog er folgende Schliisse: -alle Reste k6nnen unter dem Namen Lophosteus vereinigt werden; -die Reste geh6rten seiner Meinung nach nicht zu den Antiarchi, sondern zu den Holoptychida, das heitgt zu den Knochenfischen (Osteichthyes = Teleostomi). Der niichste Bearbeiter der Gattung Lophosteus war erst WALTER GROSS. Nachdem er 1968 fragliche Actinopterygierschuppen aus dem Obersilur von Gotland als Andreolepis hedei beschrieben hatte, konnte er 1969 und 1971 Schuppen, Zahnknochen, isolierte Einzelz~ihne und Bruchstiicke von Deckknochen mit Spuren des Sinnesliniensystems von Lophosteus superbus PANDER beschreiben. Ffir diese Untersuchungen stand Gl~oss eine sehr viel gr6t~ere Materialmenge (auch fiir eine grof~e Zahl von Diinnschliffen) als den beiden friiheren Bearbeitern zur Verffigung, da er Lophosteus-reiche Geschiebe in verdiinnter Essigs~iure aufl6ste. Die systematische Stellung konnte trotz der morphologischen Ahnlichkeit mit Actinopterygier-Schuppen nicht endgiiltig abgesichert werden. GRoss konnte * Anschrift des Autors: Dipl.-Geol. MARKUS OTTO,

We examined the winter survival of age-0 smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, in lakes at their northern limit of distribution in New Brunswick, Canada. Pre-and post-winter collections over a 3 year period suggested the smallest individuals, <50 mm total length, died during winter under ice. Experiments with wild, age-0 smallmouth bass held in lakes demonstrated a size-dependent survival where smaller individuals had greater survival with an increasing temperature of exposure, but the largest individuals had reduced survival at warmer temperatures. Survivors lost 22-54% of pre-winter energy reserves measured as ash-free dry weight, which was similar to wild individuals captured in spring. Body size at the onset of winter affects survival, but it also appears that temperature interacting with a suite of environmental and biological factors affect changes in energy use and therefore survival of age-0 smallmouth bass under ice in winter.

We report on the spawning ecology, genetic characteristics, and predation threats to spawning groups of rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax, in Lake Utopia, New Brunswick where a dwarf morpho-type has been listed as a threatened species. Two spawning groups in three inlet streams had been previously identified; we observed three groups using four inlet streams. The earliest group was the largest in body size (12-29 cm fork length (FL)), lowest in numbers (∼1 000), and completed spawning approximately two weeks before the second group. The early spawners were previously identified as the normal morpho-type, but we now classify these as a giant morphotype. The second group spawned in three different streams. They were intermediate in body size (10-15 cm FL) and numbers (∼10 000). The dwarf group began spawning as the intermediate group completed spawning and within the same three streams. The dwarfs were numerous (∼1 000 000), small in size (<12 cm), and with higher gill raker counts. Microsatellite analyses suggested that gene flow among groups occurred, but genetic divergence was high and genetic separation among populations of the same group among streams and within a stream occurred. Stable isotopes and stomach contents indicated the dwarf group were likely consumed by a variety of fishes, but they were not the sole food resource of any predator including a population of landlocked salmon. These are some of the complexities of smelt ecology, but there are clearly life history tactics that we do not yet understand.

The objectives of this study were to establish a protocol for the isolation of metabolically viable ventricular cardiomyocytes from the rainbow trout and to determine which measures may best reflect viability 24 h after isolation. Cardiomyocytes were isolated by enzymatic digestion and maintained in cell suspension. Viability was assessed using Trypan blue dye exclusion, ATP content, oxygen consumption and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage into the medium. Viability, assessed by these measures did not significantly change over the time period of this study. ATP content did correlate significantly with oxygen consumption but not with Trypan blue exclusion. We conclude that primary cultured cardiomyocytes remain metabolically viable for at least 24 h after isolation. Also, it appears that ATP content and oxygen consumption most adequately reflect metabolic cell viability. To be confident with a culture, however, a combination of viability measures is necessary when isolating cardiomyocytes from fish.

The poor survival rate of immature northern bald ibises Geronticus eremita during their first years spent outside the natal site is driving the last known wild colony of the migratory eastern population to extinction. To inform emergency conservation action for this Critically Endangered species we investigated the distribution range and behaviour of immature birds in passage and wintering areas, and the threats to which they are subject. We integrated recent satellite telemetry data with visual observations spanning 130 years. We assessed threats across the range, using satellite tracking and field surveys. Our results show that during the years before they return to the natal site in Syria, immature northern bald ibises reside away from the recently identified adult wintering site in the central Ethiopian highlands. They occur mainly across the northernmost 70–80% of the adult migratory range. Historical records suggest that immature birds spend more time along the western Arabian...

24-epibrassinolide (24-EBL) is plant steroid hormone that can regulate several physiological effects in plants, including promotion of cell growth and induction of heat stress tolerance. The purpose of this work is to investigate the influence of various concentrations of 24-EBL on the dehydration mechanism of seedlings of two maize hybrids (ZP434 and ZP704). Control and treated samples were subjected to isothermal conditions for dehydration processes. The effects of carbohydrates and mineral contents on the possible changes in the dehydration mechanism (from kinetics standpoint) were investigated. Comparing control samples to samples treated with 24-EBL, it was found that different dehydration mechanisms exist. The differences arise from the influence of 24-EBL, that causes a significant increase of phosphorus values for ZP704, whilst the reverse was identified for ZP434. It was assumed that the plumule sensitivity to dehydration stress originates from the interaction of water with primary amino groups as cations in polyamines, for lower concentrations of 24-EBL. It was found that the temperature variation (105-130 °C) leads to situations where trehalose does not arrive fast enough to "replace the water", because its handicap to binds (by hydrogen bonds) to biomolecules instead of water. It was found that 24-EBL cause changes of carbohydrates properties, which are important for the defense mechanism from environmental stresses.

In India, a major part of the rural economy is dependent on the grazing-based livestock husbandry which is unique integration of agriculture and livestock coupled with rich traditional knowledge. Ecosystems of common property resources had been a mainstay in rural economy and livelihood. The traditional grazing forage resources in arid and semi-arid regions have deteriorated a lot due to various factors including heavy grazing pressure, climate change and dominance of invasive species, thus, needs rejuvenation. Additionally, these are causing serious economic and ecological problems such as poor productivity, soil and water erosion and reduced carbon sequestration. The genetic improvement of these grasses encounters various problems such as polyploidy, apomixis, seed shedding and shattering and poor seed to ovule ratio. Transfer of desirable traits from donor germplasm becomes difficult due to the existence of apomixis. The breeding objectives are also multifold including herbage yield, forage nutritional quality, abiotic stress tolerance etc. Identification of sexual lines is prerequisite for transfer of traits. Mutation attempts are also not effective due to polyploidy. ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi has collected rich genetic diversity in these range grasses especially Dichanthium-Bothriochloa complex, Heteropogon, Chrysopogon, Sehima, Panicum, Cenchrus, Pennisetum etc. from different parts of the country as well as procurement from gene banks of the world. These germplasm were evaluated for morphological traits which indicated the existence of wide variation for various morpho-agronomic traits. The paper deals with reporting the extent of variability among the potential range grasses; with prospects of utilizing the diversity in rejuvenating the degraded rangelands of India and other places with isoclimatic conditions.

Copahue is an acidic geothermal volcanic region in the northwest corner of Neuquén Province, Argentina. In the area, there are various ponds, pools and hot springs with different temperatures, pH values and levels of anthropogenic influence. In this study, the prokaryotic biodiversity of five representative ponds was studied by using two complementary molecular ecology techniques: phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA bacterial and archaeal genes and FISH (or CARD-FISH) for quantitative estimation of biodiversity. The results, supported by multivariate statistical analysis, showed that the biodiversity in Copahue ponds seemed to be determined by temperature. High temperature ponds were dominated by archaea, mainly apparently novel representatives from the orders Sulfolobales and Thermoplasmatales that had no close cultivated relatives. By contrast, moderate temperature ponds were colonised by well-characterised sulphur-oxidising bacteria related to acidic environments, such as other geothermal sites or acid mine drainage, and archaea were absent. By combining the biodiversity results from this study and the reported physicochemical features of Copahue, a preliminary model of the possible biogeochemical interaction was outlined for moderate and high temperature ponds.

have not been detected before in Copahue. In this study, we report the presence of Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi and chloroplasts of eukaryotes in the microbial biofilms not detected in the water of the ponds. On the other hand, acidophilic bacteria, the predominant species in the water of moderate temperature ponds, are almost absent in the microbial biofilms in spite of having in some cases similar temperature conditions. Species affiliated with Sulfolobales in the Archaea domain are the predominant microorganism in high temperature ponds and were also detected in the microbial biofilms. Communicated by A. Oren.

A novel thermoacidophilic archaeal strain has been isolated from three geothermal acidic hot springs in Copahue, Argentina. One of the most striking characteristic of ALE1 isolate is its metabolic versatility. It grows on sulphur, tetrathionate, iron (II) and sucrose under aerobic conditions, but it can also develop under anaerobic conditions using iron (III) or sulphur as electron acceptors and sulphur or hydrogen as electron donors autotrophically. A temperature of 75 °C and a pH between 2.5 and 3.0 are strain ALE1 optimal growth conditions, but it is able to oxidise iron (II) even at pH 1.0. Cells are irregular cocci surrounded by a regularly arrayed glycoprotein layer (S-layer). Phylogenetic analysis shows that strain ALE1 belongs to the family Sulfolobaceae in the class Thermoprotei, within the phylum Crenarchaeota. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity on NCBI database, ALE1 does not have closely related relatives, neither in culture nor uncultured, which is more surprising. Its closest related species are strains of Acidianus hospitalis (91 % of sequence similarity), Acidianus infernus (90 %), Acidianus ambivalens (90 %) and Acidianus manzanensis (90 %). Its DNA base composition of 34.5 %mol C+ G is higher than that reported for other Acidianus species. Considering physiological and phylogenetic characteristics of strain ALE1, we considered it to represent a novel species of the genus Acidianus (candidatus "Acidianus copahuensis"). The aim of this study is to physiologically characterise this novel archaea in order to understand its role in iron and sulphur geochemical cycles in the Copahue geothermal area and to evaluate its potential applications in bioleaching and biooxidation.

Two acidic hot springs close to the crater of Copahue Volcano (Neuquén, Argentina) are the source of the Río Agrio. The river runs several kilometres before flowing into Caviahue Lake. Along the river, temperature, iron, other metal and proton concentrations decrease gradually with distance downstream. From the source to the lake and depending on the season, pH can rise from 1.0 (or even less) to about 4.0, while temperature values decrease from 70°C to 15°C. Water samples were taken from different stations on the river selected according to their physicochemical parameters. In order to assess prokaryotic biodiversity throughout the water column, different and complementary molecular biology techniques were used, mainly in situ hybridisation and 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing. All microorganisms found are typical of acidic environments. Sulphur-oxidizing bacteria like Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus albertensis were detected in every station. Moderately thermophile iron-and sulphur-oxidizing bacteria like members of Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus genera were also ubiquitous. Strict iron-oxidizing bacteria like Leptospirillum and Ferrimicrobium were present at the source of the river, but disappeared downstream where iron concentrations were much lower. Iron-oxidizing, mesophilic Ferroplasma spp. were the main archaea found. The data presented in this work represent the first molecular assessment of this rare natural acidic environment.

metaphor, can also serve what Hester Blum has termed the prospect and the “practice of oceanic studies that is attentive to the material conditions and praxis of the maritime world, one that draws from the epistemological structures provided by the lives and writings of those for whom the sea was simultaneously workplace, home, passage, penitentiary, and promise” (670). The ocean remains the one place on planet earth where ecocritics are still somewhat reluctant to tread. Even Lawrence Buell’s Writing for an Endangered World (2001) veers away from the ocean to focus more on how the whale metonymises what he rightly calls the ocean’s “mysterious, radical, ambiguous otherness” (203). This reticence may have something to do with the fact that oceans, as Blum reminds us, have no real signposts, no places to dwell, and are so entirely other. The epistemological ramifications of oceanic turbulence were hardly lost on Foucault. In Madness and Civilization, he argues that since the classica...

Marine drifting animals — zooplankton — play essential ecological roles in the pelagic ecosystem, transferring energy and elements to higher trophic levels, such as fishes, cetaceans, and others. Zooplankton are generally considered passive drifting organisms homogeneously distributed throughout waters, where high dispersal is expected. Although empirical observations have demonstrated that many species possess active swimming mechanisms that generate metacommunities with high beta diversity, the role of animal sizes in the process of marine zooplankton community dynamics remains unexplored. Here, we collected a total of 48 size-fractionated zooplankton samples in the vicinity of a coral reef island with environmental gradients and performed metatranscriptome analyses. The samples were collected in two transects (from nearshore to offshore) twice a day (morning and night). Sample size fraction was the only variable that rendered apparent differences in species composition between th...

The most extensive and severe bleaching of coral ever recorded occurred in 1997 and 1998 as a result of anomalously high sea-surface temperatures. In the Ryukyu Islands, extensive bleaching occurred from late July to early October in 1998. A time-series transect study on a reef flat revealed the different responses of coral populations among species to this event. Coral cover was monitored just before, during, and 6 times after the bleaching occurred, along 5 fixed transects, 710 to 800 m long, across the reef flat of Shiraho Reef, Ishigaki Island, in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. The dominant corals were Heliopora coerulea, massive Porites, and branching Porites, Montipora, Acropora, and Pavona (these latter 4 genera could not always be distinguished to species level, and are thus grouped by genus and ecoform). H. coerulea was the least susceptible to bleaching and maintained almost constant coverage before and after the bleaching. Massive Porites were susceptible to bleaching, but regained their algae after the bleaching and sustained their coverage. On the other hand, the branching Porites, Montipora, and Acropora were susceptible to bleaching and mortality was high. Coverage by branching Montipora was initially reduced by 66%, but by 2 yr after the bleaching it had recovered to pre-bleaching coverage. However, only large patches of more than 70 m along a transect, with coverage of 10 to 40%, recovered. Small patches of less than 30 m along a transect, with coverage of less than 10%, died and did not recover. The response of corals to bleaching differs according to the strategy the coral uses against bleaching; moderately frequent and severe bleaching might permit the coexistence of both types of corals on the same reef flat, as in the case of Shiraho Reef.

A small animal population becomes extinct owing to demographic and environmental stochasticity after declining below the minimum viable population (MVP). However, the actual process of extinction derived by stochastic factors after crossing MVP has not been recorded for long-lived marine mammals. Here, we reconstructed the declining history of a small, isolated population of dugongs in Okinawa over 125 years. The initial population size of approximately 280–420 in the nineteenth century declined to approximately &lt; 100 in 1917 because of overfishing, &lt; 70 in 1979, 11 in 1997, 3 after 2006, and all known individuals disappeared or died by 2019. After 1979, a decline in the natural growth rate has led to extinction. Long-lived animals may persist for a few decades after the population falls below the MVP, at which time active conservation measures, such as captive breeding, should be implemented.

Marine debris is rapidly gaining worldwide recognition as a major anthropogenic threat to global ocean ecosystems and produces a wide range of negative environmental, economic, safety, health and cultural impacts (UNEP, 2009). East Asia is the region with the fastest growing waste production in the world. Indonesia is in second position after China which produces the most waste in the world . The Beach Hygiene Index is a scaled index in a "Clean Coast" program launched by the Israeli ministry in an effort to solve the problem of littering on Israel's beaches. This index can be used as an indicator of pollution in a marine tourism area. The purpose of this study was to identify types of marine debris in the coastal waters of Karang Ria Tuminting and determine the value of the Clean Coast Index as an indicator of pollution. The collected data was then processed and statistically analyzed using Excel, Orange and SPSS software. Sampling was done by adapting the Shoreline Survey Methodology. approximately 1 month and made 2 direct observations, the plastic and rubber waste categories were found as the most common categories with the first observation being 73.4% and the second observation being 10.1%. The activities of the surrounding community are the main factors causing the abundance of marine debris around the coastal areas. The index value obtained is 39.5 with a total of 395 waste in various categories as stated by NOAA (2016).

Lionfish are successful invasive predators in the Caribbean region and inhabit a large range of habitats. Our study in the Caribbean has focused on the relationships between the biological characteristics of lionfish particularly their size, their activities and use of those different habitats. In this study, we observed a high number of lionfish individuals, focusing on the behavioural activities and biological traits in relation to different habitats and environmental characteristics. We monitored 793 individuals, recording their activities, biological traits, and habitat characteristics. Our results report that lionfish are not solitary, but frequently form groups for many activities. We provide evidence of differences between lionfish habitat use according to activity, and the size of individual fish. Considering the size is correlated with age, coral reefs appear to be the preferred habitat of older individuals, whereas the youngest lionfish use a diversity of habitats, ranging from mangroves to coral reefs. In addition, this study suggests that predation of lionfish is age-dependent strategy, and depends on time and the tone of the environment. Lionfish do not only use the head-down posture to catch prey but also horizontal and head-up postures. The youngest lionfish hunt mainly in dark areas and during the night while the older fish were observed hunting mostly during the day and in clear areas. These new aspects of lionfish ecology and behaviour are discussed in light of their invasive success.

In Caribbean reefs, the lionfish Pterois volitans is an invasive species that causes severe negative ecological effects, especially as this crepuscular predator consumes very diverse prey. Lionfish are not active during the day and stay in their refuges, sharing these spaces with various other fishes. The aim of this study is to determine which fishes are associated with the lionfish in their shelters, and what characteristics of both the invasive and native species may influence and explain such coexistence between a predator and its potential prey. Through diving and snorkelling, we visited 141 lionfish refuges, mostly caves, where we observed 204 lionfish and 494 other fish from 16 native species. We recorded species and abundance, as well as lionfish size and abundance. Half of the lionfish were observed in groups and the majority were large-sized. The association with most fish species seems fortuitous, but three species, Gramma loreto, Chromis cyanea and Canthigaster rostrata, were frequently observed in association with lionfish. Numerous fish juveniles, most likely Scarus coeruleus, were also observed together with the invasive predator. The more commonly associated fishes, particularly G. loreto, are mostly associated with large-sized lionfish that were found in groups. The associated fishes are also generally found in groups. Gramma loreto is a potential cleaner of the lionfish; the reasons for the association between these fish species and the invasive lionfish may be more complex than a simple predator-prey relationship and are discussed based on their biological traits and previously reported lionfish trophic ecology and predation behaviour.

Biological diversity index could be used as an option to assess the stability of an agricultural ecosystem. This limited field research was aimed to determine the effect of vermicompost and flowering plants (Asteraceae) to the diversity of herbivore and carnivore arthropods (M+). Conventional treatment with the application of non-organic fertiliser and without the addition of flowering plant was used as control (M0). Sampling was conducted using insect nets, and began at 30 days after planting (DAT), and repeated every other week until before harvesting. The results showed that the diversity of herbivore and carnivore arthropods in modified plots with organic fertiliser worm cast and flower plants/habitat manipulated system (M+) was moderate (herbivores: Shannon diversity index from 1.1 - 2.2; carnivores: 1.93 - 2.09), as well as the diversity of arthropods in the field of non-modified/custom system (M0) (herbivores: Shanon index of 1.2 - 1.7; carnivore: 1.34 - 2.18). Meanwhile, the...

The present checklist of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Ambon is the first comprehensive overview of ant species recorded on the island during the last 150 years. The species list is based on literature and museum collections' records combined with data from our field survey in 2010. In total, there are 74 ant species and subspecies representing 34 genera and six subfamilies known from Ambon. Five of the species found in undisturbed forest were exotic and indicate the overall habitat degradation on the island. The largest proportion of Ambon ant fauna are species with affinities to the Oriental region and species of Oriental-Austro-Melanesian origin. At least 20% of the species are regional endemics. In comparison to other islands in the region, the Ambon fauna seems more diverse and better sampled; however it is clear that a large part of it still remains to be described.

In this study, we found that a copolymer of acrylamide and potassium acrylate (Hydrogel 3005K4®) in two particle sizes (1-2 mm and 2-4 mm) could absorb conditioned Galhaup media recovered from Trametes versicolor growth containing ligninolytic enzymes. It was found that the most efficient absorption capacity of the copolymer in the presence of the conditioned medium was using a 0.2:10 weight/volume (w/v) copolymer-conditioned medium ratio for both particle sizes. This ratio is a quarter of its absorption capacity in distilled water. A different desorption behavior of the medium was also observed, depending on whether the copolymer was exposed to the soil, water, or air. The ligninolytic enzyme media absorbed by the Hydrogel 3005K4® showed slower desorption of conditioned medium in soil for 10 days and faster desorption in air and water between 24 and 72 h. The enzymes were capable to preserve the activity after absorption. The versatility of this vector holding the enzymes may be at...

Recent studies have used occupancy models (OM) and ecological niche models (ENM) to provide a better understanding of species’ distributions at different scales. One of the main ideas underlying the theoretical foundations of both OM and ENM is that they are positively related to abundance: higher occupancy implies higher density and more suitable areas are likely to have more abundant populations. Here, we analyze the relationship between habitat use measured in terms of occupancy probabilities from OM and environmental suitability derived from ENM in three different Neotropical mammal species: Leopardus wiedii, Cuniculus paca, and Dasypus novemcinctus. For ENM, we used climatic and vegetation cover variables and implemented a model calibration and selection protocol to select the most competitive models. For OM, we used a single-species, single-season model with site covariates for camera-trap data from six different sites throughout the Neotropical realm. Covariates included vege...

Clean drinking water is an essential component to maintaining public health. Methods used to purify drinking water include the addition of disinfectants, chemical methods of control, such as ozone or ultraviolet radiation, and physical methods of control, such as filtration. Disinfectants and filtration are the most widely used methods to ensure high-quality drinking water. However these methods do not sterilize the water, and there are still concerns as to whether or not some methods are better than others at reducing bacterial loads. This study tested water from traditional drinking fountains, Poland Springs® water cooler dispensers, and from Halsey-Taylor Filtered Single HAC Coolers with Hydroboost® Bottle Fillers. Water samples were collected from each source types on various days, plated onto Nutrient agar, and analyzed to count CFUs/mL for each source. We found that there is no statistical difference in the mean bacterial CFUs/mL among the three water sources tested. We conclu...

Chronic positive energy balance has surged among societies worldwide due to increasing dietary energy intake and decreasing physical activity, a phenomenon called the energy balance transition. Here, we investigate the effects of this transition on bone mass and strength. We focus on the Indigenous peoples of New Mexico in the United States, a rare case of a group for which data can be compared between individuals living before and after the start of the transition. We show that since the transition began, bone strength in the leg has markedly decreased, even though bone mass has apparently increased. Decreased bone strength, coupled with a high prevalence of obesity, has resulted in many people today having weaker bones that must sustain excessively heavy loads, potentially heightening their risk of a bone fracture. These findings may provide insight into more widespread upward trends in bone fragility and fracture risk among societies undergoing the energy balance transition.

In the fall of 2017, a geophysical survey was conducted at Hampden-Sydney College in Prince Edward County, Virginia. This work was sponsored by the Esther Thompson Atkinson Museum of Hampden-Sydney College and represents an effort to locate buried features associated with the eighteenth-century occupation of the College. The area examined by the survey is referred to as "Old College" and is that part of the College campus where the first buildings were erected beginning in 1775. All of the eighteenth-century buildings constructed at Old College were removed before 1850 and today no building from this time period remains standing at the school. The geophysical survey used two instruments, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and gradiometer-magnetometer. The area surveyed encompasses 2.7 acres. In addition to the geophysical survey, an examination of available documents and records was conducted to collect information on the types of buildings erected at Old College, their architecture, their probable location and, to the extent possible, their potential archaeological footprint as it might exist today. Results of the Geophysical Survey .

Bats are hosts to a large diversity of eukaryotic protozoan blood parasites that comprise species of Trypanosoma and different haemosporidian parasite taxa and bats have played an important role in the evolutionary history of both parasite groups. However, bats in several geographical areas have not been investigated, including in Burkina Faso, where no information about malaria parasites and trypanosomes of bats exists to date. In this study, we collected data on the prevalence and the phylogenetic relationships of protozoan blood parasites in nine different bat species in Burkina Faso. Hepatocystis parasites were detected in two species of epauletted fruit bats, and a relatively high diversity of trypanosome parasites was identified in five bat species. The phylogenetic analyses recovered the trypanosome parasites of the bat species Rhinolophus alcyone and Nycteris hispida as close relatives of T. livingstonei, the trypanosome infections in Scotophilus leucogaster as closely related to the species T. vespertilionis and the trypanosomes from Pipistrellus nanulus and Epomophorus gambianus might present the species T. dionisii. These findings of the first investigation in Burkina Faso present a first snapshot of the diversity of protozoan blood parasites in bats in this country.

Paleoecology is the study of the relationships between past organisms and their environments. The interpretation of the paleoecology and reconstruction of a paleoenvironment comes from extrapolating modern ecological theory and examples to fossil settings (e.g.

Pneumonia causes the deaths of over a million people worldwide each year, with most occurring in countries with limited access to expensive but effective diagnostic methods, e.g., chest X-rays. Physical examination, the other major established method of diagnosis, suffers from several drawbacks, most notably low accuracy and high interobserver error. We sought to address this diagnostic gap by developing a proof-of-concept non-invasive device to identify the accumulation of fluid in the lungs (consolidation) characteristic of pneumonia. This device, named Tabla after the percussive instrument of the same name, utilizes the technique of auscultatory percussion; a percussive input sound is sent through the chest and recorded with a digital stethoscope for analysis. Tabla analyzes differences in sound transmission through the chest at audible frequencies as a marker for lung consolidation. This paper presents preliminary data from five pneumonia patients and eight healthy subjects. We demonstrate 92.3% accuracy in distinguishing between healthy subjects and patients with pneumonia after data analysis with a K-nearest neighbors algorithm. This prototype device is low cost and simple to implement and may offer a rapid and inexpensive method for pneumonia diagnosis appropriate for general use and in areas with limited medical infrastructure.

Pneumonia causes the deaths of over a million people worldwide each year, with most occurring in countries with limited access to expensive but effective diagnostic methods, e.g., chest X-rays. Physical examination, the other major established method of diagnosis, suffers from several drawbacks, most notably low accuracy and high interobserver error. We sought to address this diagnostic gap by developing a proof-of-concept non-invasive device to identify the accumulation of fluid in the lungs (consolidation) characteristic of pneumonia. This device, named Tabla after the percussive instrument of the same name, utilizes the technique of auscultatory percussion; a percussive input sound is sent through the chest and recorded with a digital stethoscope for analysis. Tabla analyzes differences in sound transmission through the chest at audible frequencies as a marker for lung consolidation. This paper presents preliminary data from five pneumonia patients and eight healthy subjects. We ...