Multiple criteria analysis integrates economic, ecological and social objectives for coral reef managers

 Managing a coral reef in a small island state is a difficult task. Apart from having conflicting objectives and few data there is the added problem of how to evaluate the less tangible benefits of management. This study reports the successful use of multiple criteria analysis to help the managers of a coral reef to make “good” decisions. “Good” decisions are consistent with the community’s desires to, in this case, preserve social and ecological values while simultaneously maintaining the economic benefits of dive tourism and maintaining the park as a global model of successful management. Multiple criteria analysis provides a systematic framework for evaluating management options. This study presents one of the first times multiple criteria analysis has been used in coral reef management, let alone in a non-industrialised setting. The results suggest that the method may be more widely useful than previously thought. Accepted: 20 July 1999     

Patches and pulses as fundamental characteristics for matching ecological and cultural diversity: the Baltic Sea archipelago

Focusing on the Baltic archipelago, we address the questions: to what extent are the rhythms of natural and social systems compatible and under which criteria can we make them coincide? Existing mismatches between resource availability and human demand are identified as well as human attempts to dampen ecosystem fluctuations. By means of examples from forestry and fisheries, we illustrate how changes in property rights and technology have altered the diversity and resilience of the archipelago system. Our results suggest that intermediate scale processes of years up to a century are most critical for bringing natural and cultural systems in concordance. The time frame relevant to management and policy in the archipelago seems to correlate with eutrophication processes and the regrowth of forests. In fisheries, a shift from traditional to recreational fisheries has created fishery patterns badly adapted to the dynamics of the coastal ecosystem in disregard of traditional ecological knowledge. A multipurpose and adaptive management of natural resources is advocated as the most appropriate approach for promoting ecological and cultural diversity in the Baltic archipelago. Existing mismatches between the two have to be addressed by governing institutions at many hierarchical levels.     

Post-fire and post-quarry rehabilitation successions in Mediterranean-like ecosystems: Implications for ecological restoration

Resilience against sudden changes in the environment is a very desirable trait in plants used for ecosystem restoration. Mediterranean-like vegetation exhibits particularly strong fire resilience. There are two main functional groups of fire-prone species among Mediterranean-like vegetation: seeders and resprouters. Our aims were to describe how the theory of succession after fire relates to rehabilitation and to use this knowledge to improve the results of rehabilitation attempts in Mediterranean-like ecosystems. Eight post-fire (PF) sites, 14 post-rehabilitated (PR) quarry sites and two woodland sites were sampled. Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis (DCCA) showed that PF and PR successions were quite different. Both displayed an increasing abundance of resprouters over time, but seeder density increased throughout PR succession and decreased during PF succession. Nine species were common to both successions in all studied stages. The results showed that until 15-21 years of succession, the post-rehabilitation sites had not become as resilient to fires as sites populated by indigenous vegetation due to the lack of a seeder seed bank. However, after 21 years of PR succession, the exponentially increasing seeder population may allow for seed bank formation and thus eventually improve the fire resilience of the site.     

Assessment of river health: accounting for perturbation pathways in physical and ecological space

1. A full understanding of changes to river ecosystem structure and functioning along the continuum from relatively pristine to profoundly perturbed requires knowledge of physical, chemical and ecological properties at many spatial and temporal scales. Perturbations may span broad spatio-temporal scales or be spatially and temporally discrete. 2. The relevant scale for study depends on the manner in which perturbations move through two kinds of pathways – through the physical space of the catchment hierarchy and through the ecological space of river food webs. Different kinds of perturbation (e.g. inputs of sediment, nitrogen or phosphorus, changes to shading or discharge) vary in the degree and manner in which they are propagated downstream and through food webs. 3. The fundamental importance of disturbance regimes and refugia to river health is now clear and managers need to take this into account when devising river management schemes. 4. A comparison of the physics, chemistry and ecology of streams in catchments of native tussock and exotic pasture grassland in New Zealand serves to emphasize (i) the extreme complexity of interacting factors resulting from land use change, (ii) the importance of disturbance regime (not encapsulated in biotic indices) and biogeographic patterns (usually unmeasured) in determining ecosystem structure and functioning, and (iii) the lack of concordance between any single index of health and various fundamental features of ecosystem functioning. 5. Practical considerations limit most evaluations of river health to a small suite of indices, though it is important that researchers continue to evaluate the spatial, temporal and biological limitations of these indices. The vagaries of history and geography (extinction and colonization trajectories in relation to natural disturbance regimes) and the complexity of interacting physical, chemical and ecological responses to perturbation suggest that multi-scale, multi-temporal studies of river function offer the best opportunity to evaluate river health.     

Structure and function of a complex between chorismate mutase and DAHP synthase: efficiency boost for the junior partner

Chorismate mutase catalyzes a key step in the shikimate biosynthetic pathway towards phenylalanine and tyrosine. Curiously, the intracellular chorismate mutase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtCM; Rv0948c) has poor activity and lacks prominent active‐site residues. However, its catalytic efficiency increases >100‐fold on addition of DAHP synthase (MtDS; Rv2178c), another shikimate‐pathway enzyme. The 2.35 Å crystal structure of the MtCM–MtDS complex bound to a transition‐state analogue shows a central core formed by four MtDS subunits sandwiched between two MtCM dimers. Structural comparisons imply catalytic activation to be a consequence of the repositioning of MtCM active‐site residues on binding to MtDS. The mutagenesis of the C‐terminal extrusion of MtCM establishes conserved residues as part of the activation machinery. The chorismate‐mutase activity of the complex, but not of MtCM alone, is inhibited synergistically by phenylalanine and tyrosine. The complex formation thus endows the shikimate pathway of M. tuberculosis with an important regulatory feature. Experimental evidence suggests that such non‐covalent enzyme complexes comprising an AroQ_δ subclass chorismate mutase like MtCM are abundant in the bacterial order Actinomycetales.     

Harnessing the potential of the multi‐indicator palaeoecological approach: an assessment of the nature and causes of ecological change in a eutrophic shallow lake

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A computational approach to ecological and economic sustainable harvest management strategies in a multi-species context, with implications for cod recovery plans

Multi-species models consider interactions, particularly predation, between and within species. Traditional harvest management strategies, such as maximum sustainable yield do not account for these interactions. The exploitation of a single species can be maximised, but this does not mean that the entire ecosystem is being harvested sustainably or at its economic maximum. I present a computational technique (evolutionary algorithms) that can simultaneously optimise harvest management strategies of many species and can easily be modified to allow for factors such as stock recovery, sustainable yields or maximum levels of economic sustainable exploitation. I demonstrate that in an ecologically sustainably managed system where a stock is recovering, maximum economic yield is identical to the maximisation of yield by mass. These findings may have important implications for long term conservation aims and long term profits by fishers.     

Prolonged inundation and ecological changes in an Avicennia mangrove: implications for conservation and management

The mangrove around Sungei Pemburongunan, just west of Tanjong Batu and Istana Darul Aman in the Brunei-Muara District, is unique in that it contains the only pure stand of Avicennia marina in Brunei Darussalam. In mid-October, 1990 the mouth of Sungei Pemburongunan was closed due to a natural build-up of a sandbar across it. The mangrove quickly became flooded and adverse effects on the flora and fauna were observed during the following weeks. In mid-December a channel was dug across the sand bar to reduce the flooding and normalise the ecology. Some of the dying Avicennia and Lumnitzera have since recovered but others such as Acrostichum and Casuarina have not. Avicennia showed some interesting responses to prolonged inundation. Many of the Avicennia that had flowered during the flood produced seedlings which are now well rooted and 40–80 cm in height. The survival of large numbers of these seedlings is attributed to the floor-related decrease in the number of grapsid and sesarmid crabs which predate on them. The crab and mollusc populations have largely recovered. Unlike periodic short-term flooding which does not seem to have any apparent adverse affect on the ecosystem, prolonged inundation can result in the loss of the Avicennia and its associated flora and fauna. Thus, fragile mangrove ecosystems such as this need to be monitored and managed closely.This work demonstrates that contrary to conventional wisdom, human intervention and management can be beneficial to more fragile ecosystems, which could otherwise succumb to natural processes. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of the dynamic nature of the environment which should be considered in management and conservation programmes.     

Identifying and mapping the protective forests of southeast Mt. Olympus as a tool for sustainable ecological and silvicultural planning, in a multi-purpose forest management framework

Rural development in forested lands and high altitude ecosystems created new regimes and disturbances that set protective function of forests as the most fundamental of all forest functions. Considering protective forests as engineering structures against natural hazards and risks, such as erosion, able to replace costly manmade infrastructures, a methodology is presenting aiming at their spatial identification in a changing mountainous environment. The methodology followed is based on field observations, calibrated models, topographical, geological and climatic data as well as human presence indicators combined properly in a GIS environment. Analysis showed that some forest soils are prone to erosion hazard unable to absorb disturbances like selective logging, revealing the protective role of their forest cover. The spatial identification of the forests with a particular protective function is the necessary step required for the design of a sustainable management of high elevated ecosystems.     

Applications of biotope mapping for spatial environmental planning and policy: case studies in urban ecosystems in Korea

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current status and method of biotope mapping for practical use for landscape planning and environmental policy in urban ecosystem in Korea. We examine current ecological mapping of Seoul, Seongnam, Daegu, and Yongin. Ecological mapping is examined closely in terms of investigation methodology, investigation subject, classification of urban landscape, and the present condition of application. Biotope mapping in Seoul and Seongnam were carried out by the city governments concerned with the pre-set budgets earmarked for mapping. In order to promote the utilization of biotope maps for city planning in Korea, the following actions should be considered. First, the survey method should be standardized by introducing a uniform standard with respect to the scope of survey, the quality of primary data used, the survey method, and the level of the survey. Second, it is necessary to identify a basic category of biotope for each area by consolidating the outcome of the previous surveys. Third, it is highly desirable to minimize the differences between the evaluation criteria and the assessment factors. Fourth, it is ideal to apply the results of the biotope evaluation to city planning in an indirect manner through reflecting the results first in the landscape plans. In order to facilitate this alternative utilization, it is necessary to strengthen the control provisions contained in the ordinances of the city concerned or to enact a set of new provisions in the ordinances so that biotope mapping could be used more widely as a criterion for the spatial environmental impact assessment.     

Health status of Pomatoschistus microps populations in relation to pollution and natural stressors: implications for ecological risk assessment

Effects induced on wild populations by recurrent environmental contamination may difficult the ecological risk assessment of punctual pollution events such as oil spills. Here, the issue was addressed by comparing the health status of Pomatoschistus microps populations from four NW Iberian estuaries, using an integrated chemical–biological monitoring. Despite high seasonal variability, the parameters measured discriminated estuaries with different contamination levels and associated biological effects with chemical and abiotic stress. The decreased health status of fish from polluted sites strengthens the need of considering pollution-induced background effects and seasonal variability when assessing impacts and risks of oil and other chemical spills.     

Seasonal pollen flow and progeny diversity in Amianthium muscaetoxicum: ecological potential for multiple mating in a self-incompatible,hermaphroditic perennial

Summary The ecological potential for multiple mating is high in Amianthium muscaetoxicum. The percentage of long-distance pollinations (20–100 m) is greater than reported for most insect-pollinated systems. Estimations of neighborhood area are at least an order of magnitude larger than any previously reported for plant species. Seasonal effects on fluorescent dust dispersal indicate that neighborhood areas change during the flowering season. The number of flowers marked with fluorescent dust on an inflorescence increases with increasing inflorescence size, and the proportions of available inflorescences that are marked decrease with distance from the source. Allozyme analysis indicates that heterozygosity levels are typical of outcrossing plants. The diversity of seed genotypes is increased by increasing the size of the floral display. The present investigation is the first to consider the effects of floral display on seed diversity and adds to existing data indicating that inflorescence size is important to fecundity and/or pollen donation in some systems.     

SMARThivPack: a complexity free and cost effective "three tests" combo kit model for improving HIV patients monitoring standards in resource poor settings

We propose a second method at an implementation level with cost and complexity reductions for monitoring HIV patients in resource-limited settings. The model is SMARThivPack, a "three tests" combo kit. Cost and complexity reductions of HIV patient monitoring technologies were described in a first model (at a technology development stage) proposed earlier. In developed countries, HIV patient clinical management programs comport three laboratory tests containing CD4 count, viral load measurement and pharmaco-resistance testing. In most developing countries only CD4 count is performed without the other two tests. Cost and complexity of required technologies are the major challenges to the developing world to meeting the "three tests" standard. SMARThivPack model achieves the "three tests" standard in the developing world by optimizing technology choice as to favour cross-use of equipments, thereby reducing equipment cost at the laboratory implementation level. Equipment cross use also reduces complexity by reducing training time, promoting specialization and substantiating experience in equipment use. The second level cost and complexity reductions model sets the grounds for a third level, global coordination cost and complexity reductions model.     

Testing for evolutionary trade-offs in a phylogenetic context: ecological diversification and evolution of locomotor performance in emydid turtles

The evolution of ecological trade-offs is an important component of ecological specialization and adaptive radiation. However, the pattern that would show that evolutionary trade-offs have occurred between traits among species has not been clearly defined. In this paper, we propose a phylogeny-based definition of an evolutionary trade-off, and apply it to an analysis of the evolution of trade-offs in locomotor performance in emydid turtles. We quantified aquatic and terrestrial speed and endurance for up to 16 species, including aquatic, semi-terrestrial and terrestrial emydids. Emydid phylogeny was reconstructed from morphological characters and nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences. Surprisingly, we find that there have been no trade-offs in aquatic and terrestrial speed among species. Instead, specialization to aquatic and terrestrial habitats seems to have involved trade-offs in speed and endurance. Given that trade-offs between speed and endurance may be widespread, they may underlie specialization to different habitats in many other groups.     

Reconciling Ecosystem Rehabilitation and Service Reliability Mandates in Large Technical Systems: Findings and Implications of Three Major US Ecosystem Management Initiatives for Managing Human-Dominated Aquatic-Terrestrial Ecosystems

How can decision makers reconcile the demand for increasingly reliable services drawn from the environment (including water and power) with the desire for both a better environment and more environmental amenities? In this paper, which is based on US case studies of ecosystem rehabilitation initiatives in the San Francisco Bay-Delta, the Columbia River Basin in the Pacific Northwest, and the Florida Everglades, we focus on several notable problems in current management practice. We assess the role of adaptive management and identify five areas of major innovation by which ecologists and the authorities that operate large water and hydropower systems attempt to reconcile the tension between maintaining service reliability and promoting ecological rehabilitation. The implications of the findings for a wider framework within which ecosystems can be matched to the most appropriate management regime are related specifically to aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems. Finally, we emphasize the importance of redefining ecosystem functions and services so that the inherent conflict between high-reliability services and ecosystem rehabilitation can be reconciled.     

The lactate conundrum in wound healing: Clinical and experimental findings indicate the requirement for a rapid point-of-care diagnostic

The increasing prevalence of chronic wounds has significant financial implications for nations with advanced healthcare provision. Although the diseases that predispose to hard‐to‐heal wounds are recognized, their etiology is less well understood, partly because practitioners in wound management lack specialized diagnostic support. Prognostic indicators for healing may be inherent to wound biochemistry but remain invisible under routine clinical investigation; lactate is an example of this. In this study, lactate concentration in exudate obtained from 20 patients undergoing wound management in hospital was variable but in some cases approached or exceeded 20 mM. In vitro viability studies indicated that fibroblasts and endothelial cells tolerated low levels of lactate (1–10 mM), but cell viability was severely compromised by high lactate concentrations (=20 mM). Scratched monolayer experiments revealed that cell migration was affected earlier than viability in response to increasing lactate dose, and this was shown by immunocytochemistry to be associated with cytoskeletal disruption. A prototype enzyme‐based colorimetric assay for lactate generating a color change that was rapid in the context of clinical practise, and capable of functioning within a gel vehicle, was developed with point‐of‐care dipstick applications in mind. A randomized single‐blinded trial involving 30 volunteers and using a color chart to calibrate the assay demonstrated that lactate concentration could be reliably estimated with 5 mM precision; this suggesting that “physiological” and “pathological” lactate concentration could be distinguished. The present data suggest that a dipstick‐type colorimetric assay could comprise a viable diagnostic tool for identifying patients at‐risk from high‐wound lactate. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 28: 917–924, 2012     

Fox‐baiting in agricultural landscapes in south‐eastern Australia: a case‐study appraisal and suggestions for improvement

Summary In south‐eastern Australia, the introduced Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a major predator of native wildlife and livestock. Fox control in agricultural landscapes is heavily reliant on the laying of poisoned baits by private landholders, yet there have been few assessments of the application or success of landholder‐baiting practices. We evaluated a community‐based fox‐baiting campaign, typical of programs employed throughout the agricultural regions of south‐eastern Australia to control foxes. We recorded the spatial coverage of 1080 baits deployed by landholders, assessed baiting procedures, monitored the survival of six radio‐collared foxes during and after baiting, and compared the spatial coverage and likely effectiveness of the baiting program with two alternative (theoretical) baiting strategies. Relative to other baiting programs, coordination among neighbours was reasonably high, with 37.5% of baited properties (n = 40) adjoining ≥3 neighbouring properties that also contained baits. Nevertheless, the maximum distance from the centre of a baited property to the nearest edge of an unbaited property was <750 m (mean = 380 m ± 147 m SD). On average, 33% (±17% SD) of each fox’s home range overlapped with baited properties, but only two foxes died during the baiting program. The remaining four foxes were still alive 10 weeks after baiting ceased. Modelling of simulated fox home ranges showed that 13.5% contained no bait stations based on the community baiting program, whereas alternative roadside‐ and grid‐baiting strategies (theoretically) delivered baits to all simulated home ranges. Some landholders employed practices that could reduce the effectiveness of baiting programs such as not removing decayed baits before deploying new ones or placing bait stations too close together. Our research illustrates the difficulties of managing a coordinated baiting program on private land that effectively controls foxes. Alternative baiting strategies such as roadside baiting need to be considered to improve fox control in agricultural landscapes.     

Statistical and ecological analysis for the evaluation of floristic diversity: The case of a volcanic complex in North-eastern Italy (Colli Euganei,Padova, Italy)

ABSTRACT

The Euganean Hills are a volcanic mountainous complex, which rises from the eastern Po Plain, and consists of about one hundred hills, rising from 80 m to 604 m above sea level. In the studied area, 1158 taxa of Tracheophytes have been collected. The chorological and life-form analyses of this flora have shown the predominance of the Mediterranean s.l. elements and of the hemicryptophytes, followed by the therophytes. The chorological aspect of this floristic complex was analysed. A cross-spectrum was calculated to see how life-forms are represented in the different chorotypes. A comparison with the biological and chorological spectra of the Veneto Region and of Italy as a whole was also carried out. Several species of remarkable floristic and phytogeographical interest have been found, as well as some included in the national and Regional lists of protected species.     

Bioconversion and biotransformation of coir pith for economic production of Pleurotus florida: chemical and biochemical changes in coir pith during the mushroom growth and fructification

Coir pith represents ∼50% of the waste from the coir industries and was tested for its potential in serving as a growth substrate for the production of species of oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida. Due to its high lignin (∼48%) content and amorphous powdery nature, coir pith supported poor mushroom mycelial growth and yields were considerably low (∼25% bioconversion efficiency). Pre-treating coir pith with hot water did not prove economical to produce the mushroom yields. Acid swelling and alkali delignification of coir pith though served to change the structure of coir pith; the mushroom yields were not improved. Amendment of coir pith with rice (Oryza sativa) straw and horse gram (Dolichos biflorus) plant residue tended to greatly modify the physical characteristics of the inoculated mushroom bed. Such a supplementation of coir pith growth substrate resulted in production of mushroom yields with 110–125% bioconversion efficiency. Implications of supplementing coir pith with rice straw/horse gram plant residue in terms of holocellulose:lignin ratio are discussed. Sensorially, the mushrooms so produced did not differ from that on rice straw, the economic growth substrate recommended for production of the mushroom yields on commercial scale. Changes in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents of coir pith amended with rice straw were studied. Cellulase, hemicellulase and protease enzyme activities in the amended coir pith substrate showed a continuous increase from inoculation till the end of fructification, whereas laccase activity decreased during fructification, in consonance with decreased lignin degradation during fructification.