A Peat Moss-Based Technology for Mitigating Residues of the Explosives TNT,RDX, and HMX in Soil

There is increased interest in how to balance military preparedness and environmental protection at Department of Defense (DoD) facilities. This research evaluated a peat moss-based technology to enhance the adsorption and biodegradation of explosive residues at military testing and training ranges. The evaluation was performed using 30-cm-long soil columns operated under unsaturated flow conditions. The treatment materials were placed at the soil surface, and soil contaminated with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) was spread over the surface. Simulated rainfall initiated dissolution and leaching of the explosive compounds, which was monitored at several depths within the columns. Peat moss plus soybean oil reduced the soluble concentrations of TNT, RDX and HMX detected at 10 cm depth by 100%, 60%, and 40%, respectively, compared to the no-treatment control column. Peat moss alone reduced TNT and HMX concentrations at 10 cm depth relative to the control, but exhibited higher soluble RDX concentrations by the end of the experiment. Concentrations of HMX and RDX were also reduced at 30 cm depth by the peat moss plus soybean oil treatments relative to those observed in the control column. These preliminary results demonstrate proof-of-concept of a low cost technology for reducing the contamination of groundwater with explosives at military test and training ranges.     

Bioremediation of Soil Contaminated with Explosives at the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown

The explosives TNT, HMX, and RDX are integral components of many munitions. The wastes from the manufacture and the use of these and other explosives has resulted in substantial contamination of water and soil. White rot fungi have been proposed for use in the bioremediation of contaminated soil and water. Strains of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pleurotus ostreatus adapted to grow on high concentrations of TNT were studied with regard to their ability to degrade TNT in liquid cultures. Both strains were able to cause extensive degradation of TNT. Field bioremediation studies using P. ostreatus were performed on site at the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station Yorktown (Yorktown, VA). In two plots, 6 cubic yards of soil contaminated with TNT, HMX, and RDX were blended with 3 cubic yards of a substrate mixture containing nutrients that promote the growth of fungi. In soil amended with growth substrate and P. ostreatus, concentrations of TNT, HMX and RDX were reduced from 194.0±50, 61±20 mg/kg and 118.0±30 to 3±4, 18±7 and 5±3?mg/kg, respectively, during a 62-day incubation period. Interestingly, in soil that was amended with this substrate mixture, but not with P. ostreatus, the concentrations of TNT, HMX, and RDX were also reduced substantially from 283±100, 67±20, and 144±50?mg/kg to 10±10, 34±20, and 12±10?mg/kg, respectively, during the same period. Thus, it appears that addition of amendments that enhance the growth and activity of indigenous microorganisms was sufficient to promote extensive degradation of these compounds in soil.     

Nesting biology of Eastern Yellow Wagtails at Cape Romanzof, Alaska

ABSTRACT.   The nesting biology of the Eastern Yellow Wagtail ( Motacilla tschutschensis ) was studied at Cape Romanzof, Alaska, an arctic tundra site on the Bering Sea coast near the northeastern limit of the breeding distribution of the Yellow Wagtail ( Motacilla flava/citreola/tschutschensis ) species complex. Ninety-four nests were located and monitored from 1996 to 1999. Females built nests in 5–7 d, and nests were located on the ground. The mean clutch size was 5.6 eggs, and the mean incubation period was 11 d. Both adults incubated, and some males had a partial brood patch. The mean duration of the nestling period was 11.6 d, and both parents brooded and fed the young. Some adults began the complete prebasic molt (including primaries) while their young were still in the nest. Nestling development was similar to that reported for other Yellow Wagtails ( sensu lato ), but the breeding cycle and breeding season of Eastern Yellow Wagtails was compressed relative to Western Yellow Wagtails in Europe and to other passerine species breeding in western Alaska. Some breeding events overlapped, including initiation of egg laying before completion of nest building and initiation of adult molt while young were still in the nest. Clutch sizes were larger than reported for most European relatives. Clutch size generally fit with models predicting an increase of about one egg per 19 degrees of increased latitude. Rapid nest initiation, overlap of breeding cycle events, nest attendance (including incubation) by males, and slightly larger clutches appear to be adaptations to high-latitude breeding in this long-distance migrant.     

Tree-ring analysis of traditional native bark-stripping at Ship Island, Southeast Alaska, USA

Tree-ring analyses of 23 bark-stripped trees, mostly Thuja plicata (western red cedar) but also Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (yellow cedar) and Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce), help describe traditional Native tree-bark exploitation at a site north of Ketchikan in southeast Alaska, USA. Tree-ring samples exposed 36 cultural scars dating from between a.d. 1718 and 1912, showing that Natives landed on this hazardous stretch of Clarence Strait to take tree bark in 29 (about 15%) of the 195 years spanned by the sample. One-third of these culturally modified trees had multiple scars indicating repeated use of individual trees. The most intensive forest use occurred between 1852 and 1895, while the lack of bark scars after 1912 marks a decline in traditional Native craft. A burst of bark-stripping between 1779 and 1787 may be associated with the legendary last battle between the Stikine Tlingit of Alaska and the Tsimshian of British Columbia. The sample is compared with dated samples from British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State, USA.     

Quantification of character-species in vegetation at the tree limit,Brooks Range,Northern Alaska

Quantification of character-species using Dahl's uniformity index is tested on phytosociological data using species composition of tree limit communities on the south slope of the Brooks Range, Northern Alaska as an example. Species in 246 relevés are grouped by minimum spanning tree (MST) analysis. The resulting six species groups are ordinated in a congruent pattern by detrended correspondence analysis along the two main axes of mesotopographic-scale nutrient and moisture gradients. The eutraphent species are restricted to the more fertile sites of the undulating topography in this permafrost area. Uniformity indices are highest for the species in eutrophic sites with average frequencies. In contrast, most oligotraphent species are ubiquitous and occur even within the more eutrophic communities on raised mounds, shallow soils and in the exposed rocky areas. In general, their high frequency and low uniformity indices confirm that they are not useful as characterspecies. Dahl's uniformity index seems to be useful for quantifying a plant's value as a character-species.Abbreviations DCA Detrended correspondence analysis - MST Minimum spanning tree     

Territoriality of Feral Pigs in a Highly Persecuted Population on Fort Benning,Georgia

ABSTRACT We examined home range behavior of female feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in a heavily hunted population on Fort Benning Military Reservation in west-central Georgia, USA. We used Global Positioning System location data from 24 individuals representing 18 sounders (i.e., F social groups) combined with mark-recapture and camera-trap data to evaluate evidence of territorial behavior at the individual and sounder levels. Through a manipulative experiment, we examined evidence for an inverse relationship between population density and home range size that would be expected for territorial animals. Pigs from the same sounder had extensive home range overlap and did not have exclusive core areas. Sounders had nearly exclusive home ranges and had completely exclusive core areas, suggesting that female feral pigs on Fort Benning were territorial at the sounder level but not at the individual level. Lethal removal maintained stable densities of pigs in our treatment area, whereas density increased in our control area; territory size in the 2 areas was weakly and inversely related to density of pigs. Territorial behavior in feral pigs could influence population density by limiting access to reproductive space. Removal strategies that 1) match distribution of removal efforts to distribution of territories, 2) remove entire sounders instead of individuals, and 3) focus efforts where high-quality food resources strongly influence territorial behaviors may be best for long-term control of feral pigs.     

Identification of linear and threshold responses in streams along a gradient of urbanization in Anchorage, Alaska*

We examined biotic and physiochemical responses in urbanized Anchorage, Alaska, to the percent of impervious area within stream basins, as determined by high-resolution IKONOS satellite imagery and aerial photography. Eighteen of the 86 variables examined, including riparian and instream habitat, macroinvertebrate communities, and water/sediment chemistry, were significantly correlated with percent impervious area. Variables related to channel condition, instream substrate, water chemistry, and residential and transportation right-of-way land uses were identified by principal components analysis as significant factors separating site groups. Detrended canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the macroinvertebrate communities responded to an urbanization gradient closely paralleling the percent of impervious area within the subbasin. A sliding regression analysis of variables significantly correlated with percent impervious area revealed 8 variables exhibiting threshold responses that correspond to a mean of 4.4 – 5.8% impervious area, much lower than mean values reported in other, similar investigations. As contributing factors to a subbasin's impervious area, storm drains and roads appeared to be important elements influencing the degradation of water quality with respect to the biota.     

Alaska sentinel surveillance for antimicrobial resistance in Helicobacter pylori isolates from Alaska native persons, 1999-2003

BACKGROUND: Previous studies in Alaska have demonstrated elevated proportions of antimicrobial resistance among Helicobacter pylori isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed H. pylori data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s sentinel surveillance in Alaska from July 1999 to June 2003 to determine the proportion of culture-positive biopsies from Alaska Native persons undergoing routine upper-endoscopy, and the susceptibility of H. pylori isolates to metronidazole [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of > 8 g metronidazole/mL), clarithromycin (MIC > or = 1), tetracycline (MIC > or = 2) and amoxicillin (MIC > or = 1)] using agar dilution. RESULTS: Nine-hundred sixty-four biopsy specimens were obtained from 687 participants; 352 (51%) patients tested culture positive. Mean age of both culture-positive and culture-negative patients was 51 years. Metronidazole resistance was demonstrated in isolates from 155 (44%) persons, clarithromycin resistance from 108 (31%) persons, amoxicillin resistance from 8 (2%) persons, and 0 for tetracycline resistance. Metronidazole and clarithromycin resistance varied by geographic region. Female patients were more likely than male subjects to show metronidazole resistance (p < .01) and clarithromycin resistance (p = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin is more common among H. pylori isolates from Alaska Native persons when compared with those from elsewhere in the USA.     

福建中亚热带常绿阔叶林(米槠林)最小面积的确定

通过“种-面积曲线”,“群落系数-面积曲线”以及“重要值-面积曲线”3种方法对福建中亚热带常绿阔叶林（米储林）的最小面积进行研究。结果表明,用3种方法确定的群落最小面积基本下相同。对所研究的植被类型。样地面积为400m^2时,可包括整个群落60%的物种数目;样地面积为1000m^2时,则可包括整个群落90%的物种数目,确定最小面积时应比计算出的理论面积稍大一些为宜,即样地面积大小为1200m^2。     

Climate warming causes phenological shift in Pink Salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, behavior at Auke Creek, Alaska

Thirty‐four years (1972–2005) of water temperature data and extensive biological observations at Auke Creek, Alaska indicate a general warming trend that affected the native pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) population. Serial environmental records at nearby Auke Bay, Alaska over 46 years show trends of increasing air and sea surface temperatures. Trends of increased total precipitation and earlier date of ice out on nearby Auke Lake also occurred, but not at significant rates. Average water temperatures during the incubation of pink salmon in Auke Creek increased at a rate of 0.03 °C yr^?1 over the 34‐year period. For the 1972–2005 broods, midpoints of fry migrations from Auke Creek ranged between April 2 and May 7, and there was a trend of earlier migration of pink salmon fry at a rate of ? 0.5 days yr^?1. The migration timing of adult salmon into Auke Creek also showed a trend toward earlier timing. The earlier adult migration combined with warmer incubation temperatures are related to earlier migration of pink salmon fry. If the observed warming trend continues, Auke Creek may become unsuitable habitat for pink salmon. Given the trend for salmon fry to migrate earlier, a larger portion of the population may become mismatched with optimum environmental conditions during their early marine life history. If salmon adults continue to migrate into the creek earlier when water temperatures are commonly high, it will result in increased prespawning mortality.     

CO2 enrichment, drought stress and growth of Alaska pea plants (Pisum sativum)

The interaction of CO₂ enrichment and drought on water status and growth of pea plants was investigated. Pisum sativum L. (cv. Alaska) plants were grown from seeds in growth chambers using 350 and 675 μl I1 CO₂, a photon flux density of 600 μmol M-2 S-1, a 16 h photoperiod and a temperature regime of 20/14°C. The drought treatment was started at the beginning of branch initiation and lasted for 9 or 11 days. The water status of the plants was monitored daily by measuring total leaf water potential and stomatal conductance. The total leaf water potential of well-watered plants was not affected by the CO₂ level. Under draughting conditions total leaf water potential decreased, with a slower decrease under the high CO₂ regime, due, at least in part, to reduced stomatal conductance. Upon rewatering, total leaf water potential and stomatal conductance recovered within one day. High CO₂ counteracted the reduction in height and, to some extent, leaf area that developed in low CO₂ unwatered plants. Additional CO₂ had no effect on branch number and did not prevent the complete inhibition of branch development that resulted from drought stress. Removing the drought conditions resulted in a rapid recovery of the internal water status and also a rapid recovery of most, but not all, plant growth parameters.     

Inter-decadal patterns of population and dietary change in sea otters at Amchitka Island, Alaska

After having been hunted to near-extinction in the Pacific maritime fur trade, the sea otter population at Amchitka Island, Alaska increased from very low numbers in the early 1900s to near equilibrium density by the 1940s. The population persisted at or near equilibrium through the 1980s, but declined sharply in the 1990s in apparent response to increased killer whale predation. Sea otter diet and foraging behavior were studied at Amchitka from August 1992 to March 1994 and the data compared with similar information obtained during several earlier periods. In contrast with dietary patterns in the 1960s and 1970s, when the sea otter population was at or near equilibrium density and kelp-forest fishes were the dietary mainstay, these fishes were rarely eaten in the 1990s. Benthic invertebrates, particularly sea urchins, dominated the otter’s diet from early summer to mid-winter, then decreased in importance during late winter and spring when numerous Pacific smooth lumpsuckers (a large and easily captured oceanic fish) were eaten. The occurrence of spawning lumpsuckers in coastal waters apparently is episodic on a scale of years to decades. The otters’ recent dietary shift away from kelp-forest fishes is probably a response to the increased availability of lumpsuckers and sea urchins (both high-preference prey). Additionally, increased urchin densities have reduced kelp beds, thus further reducing the availability of kelp-forest fishes. Our findings suggest that dietary patterns reflect changes in population status and show how an ecosystem normally under top-down control and limited by coastal zone processes can be significantly perturbed by exogenous events. Received: 23 March 1999 / Accepted: 19 January 2000     

Spring time production of bottom ice algae in the landfast sea ice zone at Barrow, Alaska

The primary production of bottom ice algae is an important food source for sympagic, pelagic and benthic organisms in the Arctic Ocean as well as Antarctic Ocean. Using ¹³C-¹⁵N isotope tracers, the recent ice algal production at Barrow during the spring season was lower in 2003 than three decades ago, although the maximum chlorophyll-a concentration for the bottom ice algae was similar to the values from previous studies. Estimated recent new and total production rates of the ice algae were 0.8 g C m^- 2 yr^- 1 and 2.0 g C m^- 2 yr^- 1 respectively, while the rates of water column phytoplankton were 0.2 g C m^- 2 yr^- 1 and 0.7 g C m^- 2 yr^- 1 for the spring sampling period in 2003. The ice algae contributed 74% of the pelagic primary production under the landfast sea ice at Barrow before the phytoplankton spring bloom. At the end of the season in 2003, a high carbon allocation of lipids in the ice algae was found. Three possible explanations- nutrient depletion, increasing light, and/or changes in species composition- were suggested for the high carbon incorporation into lipids. This high lipid synthesis of the bottom ice algae might be significant to zooplankton and benthic fauna grazers because lipids are the most energy dense biomolecules.     

Efficient,Noninvasive Genetic Sampling for Monitoring Reintroduced Wolves

ABSTRACT Traditional methods of monitoring gray wolves (Canis lupus) are expensive and invasive and require extensive efforts to capture individual animals. Noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) is an alternative method that can provide data to answer management questions and complement already-existing methods. In a 2-year study, we tested this approach for Idaho gray wolves in areas of known high and low wolf density. To focus sampling efforts across a large study area and increase our chances of detecting reproductive packs, we visited 964 areas with landscape characteristics similar to known wolf rendezvous sites. We collected scat or hair samples from 20% of sites and identified 122 wolves, using 8–9 microsatellite loci. We used the minimum count of wolves to accurately detect known differences in wolf density. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian single-session population estimators performed similarly and accurately estimated the population size, compared with a radiotelemetry population estimate, in both years, and an average of 1.7 captures per individual were necessary for achieving accurate population estimates. Subsampling scenarios revealed that both scat and hair samples were important for achieving accurate population estimates, but visiting 75% and 50% of the sites still gave reasonable estimates and reduced costs. Our research provides managers with an efficient and accurate method for monitoring high-density and low-density wolf populations in remote areas.     

落叶收集法测定叶面积指数的快速取样方法

叶面积指数(LAI)是植被冠层结构的一个重要参数,它不仅是许多生态和气候模型的重要输入变量,而且是生态系统动态变化监测的一个重要指标。LAI可通过各种间接和直接的手段来观测,而间接观测的LAI值常常需要直接的观测数据来校验。落叶收集法是一种广泛使用的直接观测LAI的方法,过去的研究还未发现有涉及落叶收集的取样技术及其观测精度的内容。对长白山和北京地区落叶阔叶林的落叶进行了3a的观测,每年一次性收集落叶样品分析,研究结果表明:①不同层次落叶的含水量差异巨大,且落叶含水量的日变化明显。上下层落叶的含水量绝对值差异高达10%以上,日变化绝对值差异高达20%以上。因此,在野外收集落叶样本时,为减小落叶含水量变化所导致的LAI观测误差,应从上到下直到地面进行取样,且尽可能多地收集落叶样本。②在落叶阔叶人工林和天然林里,无论样地的大小(1hm2或30m×30m样地),无论取样单元的大小(1m2或25m2分辨率),林内的LAI分布很不均匀,LAI介于0-15.5(1m2分辨率的1hm2样地)或者2.6-9.1(25m2分辨率的30m×30m样地)。③要准确测定落叶林的LAI,收集落叶的样地面积越大越好,且尽量选择地势平坦的样地。对于1hm2或者30m×30m大小的样地,可随机布设一个10m×10m的小样地来观测,精度分别可达85%、80%。④10m×10m小样地的LAI观测,可将其分为4个相邻的5m×5m小样进行取样。对每个5m×5m小样,快速的取样方法是:Ⅰ.随机布设6个1m2取样,这样取样可以保证在99%概率水平上,100m2、30m×30m和1hm2样地的LAI观测精度分别为90%、75%、70%左右。Ⅱ.随机布设11个1m2取样。可以保证在99%概率水平上,100m2、30m×30m和1hm2样地的LAI观测精度分别为94%、80%、75%左右。     

Sampling distributions, biases, variances, and confidence intervals for genetic correlations

Genetic correlations are frequently estimated from natural and experimental populations, yet many of the statistical properties of estimators of are not known, and accurate methods have not been described for estimating the precision of estimates of Our objective was to assess the statistical properties of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), restricted maximum likelihood (REML), and maximum likelihood (ML) estimators of by simulating bivariate normal samples for the one-way balanced linear model. We estimated probabilities of non-positive definite MANOVA estimates of genetic variance-covariance matrices and biases and variances of MANOVA, REML, and ML estimators of and assessed the accuracy of parametric, jackknife, and bootstrap variance and confidence interval estimators for MANOVA estimates of were normally distributed. REML and ML estimates were normally distributed for but skewed for and 0.9. All of the estimators were biased. The MANOVA estimator was less biased than REML and ML estimators when heritability (H), the number of genotypes (n), and the number of replications (r) were low. The biases were otherwise nearly equal for different estimators and could not be reduced by jackknifing or bootstrapping. The variance of the MANOVA estimator was greater than the variance of the REML or ML estimator for most H, n, and r. Bootstrapping produced estimates of the variance of close to the known variance, especially for REML and ML. The observed coverages of the REML and ML bootstrap interval estimators were consistently close to stated coverages, whereas the observed coverage of the MANOVA bootstrap interval estimator was unsatisfactory for some H, n, and r. The other interval estimators produced unsatisfactory coverages. REML and ML bootstrap interval estimates were narrower than MANOVA bootstrap interval estimates for most H, and r. Received: 6 July 1995 / Accepted: 8 March 1996     

太白山几类植物群落灌木及草本层的最小取样面积研究

采用2条非饱和与2条饱和曲线方程对太白山7种类型植物群落(Ⅰ.锐齿栎林、Ⅱ.铁橡树林、Ⅲ.红桦林、Ⅳ.巴山冷杉-牛皮桦林、Ⅴ.巴山冷杉林、Ⅵ.太白红杉林和Ⅶ.头花杜鹃-大毛状薹草灌草丛)灌木及草本层拟合的种-面积曲线,计算研究精度要求分别为60%、70%、80%、90%时各群落各层的最小取样面积,并进行分析比较.结果表明,不同群落灌木及草本层最小取样面积均随研究精度增高而增大,群落Ⅰ~Ⅶ灌木层的取样面积分别为96、35、73、63、75、1701、8 m2时,草本层为91、91、57、59、71、657、m2时,可满足精度80%以下的研究要求;灌木层的取样面积为163、62、122、104、120、296、35 m2时,草本层为150、151、109、110、126、1192、9 m2时,可满足精度90%的研究要求.方差分析表明,不同群落灌木及草本层最小取样面积存在差异,有些差异达显著水平(P<0.05).因此,在野外调查时应根据研究精度要求和群落类型合理设置最小取样面积.