Temperature thresholds of opportunistic annelids used as benthic indicators of aquaculture impact in Newfoundland (Canada)

In Newfoundland, Canada, aquaculture sites set up over deep, hard bottom substrates dictate the use of visual indicators to monitor aquaculture footprints on the seafloor. Opportunistic annelids (referred to as opportunistic polychaete complexes, or OPC) are among these indicators. The effect of temperature on the distribution and survival of Ophryotrocha cyclops, the species constituting OPC in Newfoundland aquaculture sites is not known. To address this knowledge gap, this study assesses O. cyclops survival at different temperatures in the laboratory, and describes relationships between O. cyclops presence and seafloor temperatures measured in the field. Results show that worms died within two days at temperatures > 12 °C in the laboratory, and appear restricted to temperatures below 7.9 °C at aquaculture sites, tending to be more frequent at temperatures below 5 °C. We recommend that seafloor temperature be recorded and considered in the assessment of benthic aquaculture impact based on OPC presence.     

A preliminary study of the Odonata of S’Albufera Natural Park, Mallorca: status, conservation priorities and bio-indicator potential

This study obtained baseline information for adult Odonata and assessed their conservation priorities and suitability as biological indicators in S’Albufera Natural Park in Mallorca, Spain. At this site, human activities in and around the wetland have raised concerns about their impact on the ecosystem. Investigations on adult diversity produced records of 14 species (four Zygoptera and 10 Anisoptera) and included the first record of Erythromma viridulum for the park. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) ordination categorised study sites according to their geographical locations in the park and showed clustering of the sites around particular species based on these locations. This pattern might reflect the differences in brackishness in water supplied by different water sources. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated that some environmental factors were related to particular species. Water flow, vegetation, and depth and size of a water body could discriminate stenotopic species from eurytopic species. Only a few species appeared to be tolerant to the sites with high salinity and low oxygen concentration. The ordination results can be useful for establishing conservation priorities with information of species diversity, abundance, distribution and flight period. Although, with the current limited basic information, the use of Odonata species as biological indicators seems to be difficult, some clear relationships between environmental factors and particular species indicate the great potential of using adult Odonata as biological indicators in the park.     

A system of systems approach to energy sustainability assessment: Are all renewables really green?

Renewable energies are emerging across the globe in an attempt to slow down global warming and to improve national energy security in face of the depleting fossil fuel reserves. However, the general policy of mandating the replacement of fossil fuels with the so-called “green” energies may not be as effective and environmental-friendly as previously thought, due to the secondary impacts of renewable energies on different natural resources. Thus, an integrated systems analysis framework is essential to selecting optimal energy sources that address global warming and energy security issues with minimal unintended consequences and undesired secondary impacts on valuable natural resources. This paper proposes a system of systems (SoS) framework to determine the relative aggregate footprint (RAF) of energy supply alternatives with respect to different sustainability criteria and uncertain performance values. Based on the proposed method, the RAF scores of a range of renewable and nonrenewable energy alternatives are determined using their previously reported performance values under four sustainability criteria, namely carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and cost of energy production. These criteria represent environmental efficiency, water use efficiency, land use efficiency, and economic efficiency, respectively. The study results suggest that geothermal energy and biomass energy from miscanthus are the most and least resource-use efficient energy alternatives based on the performance data available in the literature. In addition, despite their lower carbon footprints, some renewable energy sources are less promising than non-renewable energy sources from a SoS perspective that considers the trade-offs between the greenhouse gas emissions of energies and their effects on water, ecosystem, and economic resources. Robustness analysis suggests that with respect to the existing performance values and uncertainties in the literature, solar thermal and hydropower have the most and least level of RAF robustness, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that geothermal energy and ethanol from sugarcane, have the lowest and highest RAF sensitivity to resource availability, respectively.     

Sampling efficiency of the pale grass blue butterfly Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): A versatile indicator species for environmental risk assessment in Japan

The pale grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), has successfully been employed as an indicator species to evaluate acute biological changes in polluted human-living environments after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Here, we quantitatively examined the field sampling efficiency of the butterfly and its associated sexual sampling bias under different conditions, which may provide important information for environmental risk assessment. Sampling data were obtained in 2014 and 2015 from 87 localities across Japan. Across the localities, the mean capture rate was 17 individuals per hour per person, and males represented approximately 80% of the collected butterflies. No significant difference was detected in the capture rate under different weather conditions. Among the four habitats, the riverside showed a significantly higher capture rate than the city park. A shorter sampling time tended to yield a higher capture rate. Comparisons among prefectures and districts of collection localities revealed that the Kanto district had significantly higher percentages of collected males than 4 other districts. Fukushima prefecture also had high percentage, although not significant. A generalized linear mixed model indicated that the capture rate was significantly negatively affected by the agricultural village, the city park, the rainy weather, and latitude and positively by longitude. Together, the present study showed high sampling efficiency and versatility of this butterfly as an indicator for environmental risk assessment but simultaneously suggested preferable conditions for a field sampling design. This study also suggested a possibility that the Fukushima nuclear accident or other factors might have affected behavioral or population dynamics of the butterfly.     

How do ecologists select and use indicator species to monitor ecological change? Insights from 14 years of publication in Ecological Indicators

Indicator species (IS) are used to monitor environmental changes, assess the efficacy of management, and provide warning signals for impending ecological shifts. Though widely adopted in recent years by ecologists, conservation biologists, and environmental practitioners, the use of IS has been criticized for several reasons, notably the lack of justification behind the choice of any given indicator. In this review, we assess how ecologists have selected, used, and evaluated the performance of the indicator species. We reviewed all articles published in Ecological Indicators (EI) between January 2001 and December 2014, focusing on the number of indicators used (one or more); common taxa employed; terminology, application, and rationale behind selection criteria; and performance assessment methods. Over the last 14 years, 1914 scientific papers were published in EI, describing studies conducted in 53 countries on six continents; of these, 817 (43%) used biological organisms as indicators. Terms used to describe organisms in IS research included “ecological index”, “environmental index”, “indicator species”, “bioindicator”, and “biomonitor,” but these and other terms often were not clearly defined. Twenty percent of IS publications used only a single species as an indicator; the remainder used groups of species as indicators. Nearly 50% of the taxa used as indicators were animals, 70% of which were invertebrates. The most common applications behind the use of IS were to: monitor ecosystem or environmental health and integrity (42%); assess habitat restoration (18%); and assess effects of pollution and contamination (18%). Indicators were chosen most frequently based on previously cited research (40%), local abundance (5%), ecological significance and/or conservation status (13%), or a combination of two or more of these reasons (25%). Surprisingly, 17% of the reviewed papers cited no clear justification for their choice of indicator. The vast majority (99%) of publications used statistical methods to assess the performance of the selected indicators. This review not only improves our understanding of the current uses and applications of IS, but will also inform practitioners about how to better select and evaluate ecological indicators when conducting future IS research.     

Testing environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: The role of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and trade in OECD countries

This paper investigates the causal relationships between per capita CO₂ emissions, gross domestic product (GDP), renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, and international trade for a panel of 25 OECD countries over the period 1980–2010. Short-run Granger causality tests show the existence of bidirectional causality between: renewable energy consumption and imports, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, non-renewable energy and trade (exports or imports); and unidirectional causality running from: exports to renewable energy, trade to CO₂ emissions, output to renewable energy. There are also long-run bidirectional causalities between all our considered variables. Our long-run fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimates show that the inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis is verified for this sample of OECD countries. They also show that increasing non-renewable energy increases CO₂ emissions. Interestingly, increasing trade or renewable energy reduces CO₂ emissions. According to these results, more trade and more use of renewable energy are efficient strategies to combat global warming in these countries.     

鸟类用于环境监测的意义及研究进展

对鸟类应用于环境监测的历史和研究方法进行了简要回顾,在种群,种团,群落三个层次上对鸟类用于环境监测的意义进行了综述评述,并对其研究方向予以展望。     

Life cycle assessment of integrated food chains—a Swedish case study of two chicken meals

Background, aims, and scope  Food is a vital human need that not only provides essential nutrition but is also a key part of our social life as well as being a valued sensory experience. However, food, or rather the production chain of food, from primary production (agriculture/aquaculture/fishing) to consumer and beyond, also results in some form of environmental impact, as does transport between steps. There are several life cycle assessment studies of food products, most of them analysing the impact of the food chain of single food items. Still, detailed studies of complete meals are less frequent in the literature. In the Swedish study presented in this article, the environmental impacts of two different chicken meals (homemade and semi-prepared) were analysed. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge of the environmental impact of integrated food chains and also to explore the effect of improvement measures in the post-farm systems. To this end, two chicken meals were chosen for analysis, with two scenarios for each meal; the first scenario reflects the present conditions of the food chain, and the second scenario incorporates a number of improvement actions in the stages after the farm. Materials and methods  Input data to the model were based mainly on previous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of Swedish food products and studies on wastage and consumer transport. Food engineering data and information from producing companies were used for modelling the industries. The improvement scenario was constructed using insight from a preceding LCA study of a meatball meal (Sonesson et al., Ambio, 34:411–418, 2005a) along with goals set out by a Swedish agreement between representatives from national and regional government, food industry sectors and retailers. The impact assessment was conducted according to Lindfors et al. (Nordic guidelines on life cycle assessment, The Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1995), and the following environmental effects were included: global warming potential, eutrophication potential, acidification potential, photochemical ozone creation potential, and use of primary energy carriers and secondary energy. Results  In terms of energy use, the largest part is used in the steps after the farm for both meal types. Hence, the changes made in the improvement scenario have a significant impact on the total energy use. For the homemade and semi-prepared meal, the reduction is 15% and 20% respectively, not only due to less consumer transport and packaging but also reduction in industry (semi-prepared). Agriculture is also a significant contributor to emissions of greenhouse gases and eutrophying emissions; for the homemade meal, around 40% of the greenhouse gases originate from agriculture, and for the semi-prepared meal, the figure is 50%. The improvement actions with the greatest reduction in greenhouse gases are, again, less consumer transport and, in the case of the semi-prepared meal, the reduction in energy use in industry. Regarding eutrophication, more than 90% of the emissions originate from agriculture. Hence, the only improvement action that has an effect here is the utilisation of raw material downstream in the production chain; a slight reduction in waste still gives a notable reduction in overall eutrophic emissions. Discussion  There are two significant areas of research to reduce the impact of meals that are not explored in this study: choice of meal components and production methods in agriculture. However, the aim with this study was to explore if there are further ways of reducing the impact without going into these very complex areas, and our conclusion is that there are effective ways in the post-farm chain to cut emissions that, together with choices of diet and agricultural research, can significantly reduce the impact of our food consumption. Conclusions  Actions in the post-farm chain that can significantly reduce the environmental impact of a meal are less food thrown away in the household, fewer car trips to the supermarket (e.g. only once a week) and, for semi-prepared food products, more efficient energy use in the food industry. The study shows that consumer actions prove just as important as industrial actions. Recommendations and perspectives  Further research is needed to understand the mechanism for the disposal of food, i.e. the reasons for food being wasted, and the relationship between shopping frequency, retail location, size of packaging, etc. in order to reduce the impact of waste and consumer transport. Responsible editor: Niels Jungbluth     

Meeting the quest for spatial efficiency: progress and prospects of extensive aquaculture within offshore wind farms

Along the German North Sea coast, the observed high spatial competition of stakeholders has encouraged the idea of integrating open ocean aquaculture in conjunction with offshore wind farms beyond the 12 miles zone. The article provides an overview on the current state of transdisciplinary research on a potential implementation of such a multifunctional use concept on a showcase basis, covering biological, technical, economic and social/policy aspects as well as private–public partnerships and the relevant institutional bodies. We show that the cultivation of seaweeds and blue mussels is biologically and technically feasible in a high-energy environment using modified cultivation strategies. The point of departure of our multi-use concept was that the solid groundings of wind turbines could serve as attachment points for the aquaculture installations and become the key to the successful commercial cultivation of any offshore aquatic organism. However, spaces in between the turbines are also attractive for farming projects, since public access is restricted and thus the cultivation site protected from outside influences. An economic analysis of different operation scenarios indicates that the market price and the annual settlement success of juvenile mussels are the main factors that determine the breakeven point. Social and policy science research reveals that the integration of relevant actors into the development of a multi-use concept for a wind farm-mariculture interaction is a complex and controversial issue. Combining knowledge and experience of wind farm planners as well as mussel fishermen and mariculturists within the framework of national and EU policies is probably the most important component for designing and developing an effective offshore co-management regime to limit the consumption of ocean space.

Habitat preferences of Hericium erinaceus in Slovakia

Distribution patterns, ecology and habitats of Hericium erinaceus in Slovakia are presented, together with an indication of its population size and dynamics as driven by the type of substratum the fungus feeds on. Basidiomata have been recorded both on living and dead trees, predominantly on oaks (Quercus spp.) but also on European beech (Fagus sylvatica), and at altitudes ranging from 103 to 753 m, which in Slovakia corresponds to warm hilly and upland beech-oak forests. Standing trunks were a more common substratum than fallen trunks. Although the fungus tends to occur in old-growth forests, nearly half of the observations were from managed forests. Given the observed distribution, we conclude that H. erinaceus is not a strict indicator of intact old-growth forests in Slovakia.     

Recommendations for Assessing the Effectiveness of Surrogate Species Approaches

Surrogate species approaches, including flagship, focal, keystone, indicator, and umbrella, are considered an effective means of conservation planning. For conservation biologists to apply surrogates with confidence, they must have some idea of the effectiveness of surrogates for the circumstances in which they will be applied. We reviewed tests of the effectiveness of surrogate species planning to see if research supports the development of generalized rules for (1) determining when and where surrogate species are an effective conservation tool and (2) how surrogate species should be selected such that the resulting conservation plan will effectively protect biodiversity or achieve other conservation goals. The context and methods of published studies were so diverse that we could not draw general conclusions about the spatial or temporal scales, or ecosystems or taxonomic groups for which surrogate species approaches will succeed. The science of surrogate species can progress by (1) establishing methods to compare diverse measures of effectiveness; (2) taking advantage of data-rich regions to examine the potential effectiveness of surrogate approaches; (3) incorporating spatial scale as an explanatory variable; (4) evaluating surrogate species approaches at broader temporal scales; (5) seeking patterns that will lead to hypothesis driven research; and (6) monitoring surrogate species and their target species.     

Spatio-temporal impact of climate change on the activity and voltinism of the spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus

The spruce bark beetle Ips typographus is one of the major insect pests of mature Norway spruce forests. In this study, a model describing the temperature-dependent thresholds for swarming activity and temperature requirement for development from egg to adult was driven by transient regional climate scenario data for Sweden, covering the period of 1961–2100 for three future climate change scenarios (SRES A2, A1B and B2). During the 20th century, the weather supported the production of one bark beetle generation per year, except in the north-western mountainous parts of Sweden where the climate conditions were too harsh. A warmer climate may sustain a viable population also in the mountainous part; however, the distributional range of I. typographus may be restricted by the migration speed of Norway spruce. Modelling suggests that an earlier timing of spring swarming and fulfilled development of the first generation will significantly increase the frequency of summer swarming. Model calculations suggest that the spruce bark beetle will be able to initiate a second generation in South Sweden during 50% of the years around the mid century. By the end of the century, when temperatures during the bark beetle activity period are projected to have increased by 2.4–3.8 °C, a second generation will be initiated in South Sweden in 63–81% of the years. The corresponding figures are 16–33% for Mid Sweden, and 1–6% for North Sweden. During the next decades, one to two generations per year are predicted in response to temperature, and the northern distribution limit for the second generation will vary. Our study addresses questions applicable to sustainable forest management, suggesting that adequate countermeasures require monitoring of regional differences in timing of swarming and development of I. typographus , and planning of control operations during summer periods with large populations of bark beetles.     

The recent occurrence,establishment and potential impact of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geophagus proximus</Emphasis> (Cichlidae: Perciformes) in the Tietê River reservoirs: an Amazonian fish species introduced in the Paraná Basin (Brazil)

The introduction of allochthonous fish species happens constantly in large bodies of freshwater, like as the reservoirs of Paraná Basin, located in Brazilian southeast, representing a threat for local biodiversity. The fish species Plagioscion squamosissimus and Cichla ocellaris were introduced from the 1970s in several water bodies of this basin and had successfully established themselves in all six reservoirs located in the middle and lower Tietê River (SP, Brazil), particularly. After six decades from the first recorded species introduction, this hydrographic system remains open to the invasion of further fish species, owing to widespread fish-farming activity and by the channels opened between this system and other reservoirs and river basin. This study was an effort to confirm the Geophagus proximus occurrence in the six Tietê River reservoirs, verifying the actual introduction status and analyzing its potential environmental impacts on local species by the analysis of the population structure (abundance, body dimensions and feeding habits). By the results, this species was confirmed in the Ibitinga, Nova Avanhandava and Três Irmãos reservoirs. The abundance and feeding analysis shows, respectively, it is successfully established in the Três Irmãos reservoir with the same feeding habitats of local species, such as Geophagus brasiliensis. It was further shown to be very likely that G. proximus would spread throughout the reservoir system of the middle and lower Tietê River, in the manner of P. squamosissimus and C. ocellaris, and the competition pressure for food resources between G. proximus and the local species which represents a potential environmental impact system. These scientific evidences fortifies the knowledge basin for the implantation of a fish management system, to control and reduce the abundance of the invader and to prevent its becoming established in all the Tietê River Basin, avoiding the disastrous consequences for the native species of Paraná River Basin.     

Environmental impacts of forest production and supply of pulpwood: Spanish and Swedish case studies

Background, aim and scope  Forest operations use large amounts of energy, which must be considered when life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to forest products. Forest management practices differ considerably between countries and may also differ within a country. This paper aims to identify and compare the environmental burdens from forest operations in Sweden and Spain focused on pulpwood production and supply to pulp mills. Materials and methods  To perform the analysis, the main forest plantations were investigated as well as the most important tree species used in pulp mills in both countries: eucalyptus and, Norway spruce and Scots pine, were taken into account for the Spanish and Swedish case studies, respectively. Energy requirements for pulpwood production and supply to Spanish and Swedish pulp mills are evaluated in this paper. All forest operations from site preparation to extraction of felled wood to the delivery point at the roadside are included within the system boundaries as well as wood transport from forest landing to the pulp mill gate. Seedling and machinery production are excluded from the system boundaries due to lack of field data. The impact assessment phase was carried out according to the Swedish Environmental Management Council and, in particular, the impact categories assessed in forest and agricultural LCAs (global warming, acidification, eutrophication and photochemical oxidant formation) were analysed. SimaPro 7.10 software was used to perform the impact assessment stage. Results  Different types of wood are produced in both case studies: softwood in Sweden and hardwood in Spain, with higher production of round wood and biomass per hectare in Sweden. Total energy use for pulpwood production and supply are in a similar order of magnitude, up to 395 MJ and 370 MJ/m³ solid under bark in Spain and Sweden, respectively. Field operations, such as silviculture and logging, are more energy-intensive in the Spanish case study. However, secondary hauling of pulpwood to pulp mill requires more energy in the Swedish case study. These important differences are related to different forest management practices as well as to pulpwood supply to the pulp mill. The eventual imports of pulpwood, application of pesticides, thinning step or final felling considerably affects energy requirements, which are reflected on the environmental results. Discussion  Although differences between both case studies were observed, several stages were investigated: wood delivery to the pulp mill by road, harvesting and forwarding, contribute considerably to acidification, eutrophication and global warming potential in both cases. The type of wood, the machines used in forest operations (mechanised or motor-manual), the use of fossil fuels and the amount of wood produced influence the results. These differences must be kept in mind in comparative studies between such different countries. Conclusions  The results obtained in this work allow one to forecast the importance of forest operations in LCA of forest products (in this case, wood pulp) and the influence of energy use in the results. Special attention has been paid in the inventory analysis stage for both case studies. It is possible to gain a better environmental performance in both case studies if alternative practices are considered, mainly focused on site preparation and stand tending in the Spanish system and on pulpwood supply in the Swedish one. Recommendations and perspectives  This study provides useful information that can assist forest-based industries in the aim of increasing their sustainability. Future work will focus on the study of several transport alternatives of pulpwood supply including railway, road and ship. In addition, pulpwood processing in Spanish and Swedish paper pulp mills considered to be representative of the “state of art” will be carried out in order to get a complete picture of this kind of forest-based industry. In addition, the use of biofuels (such as forest biomass) instead of fossil fuels and CO₂ uptake of wood via photosynthesis will be carried out in order to have a complete perspective of forest ecosystems.     

Environmental life cycle assessment of a commercial office building in Thailand

Background, aim, and scope  To minimize the environmental impacts of construction and simultaneously move closer to sustainable development in the society, the life cycle assessment of buildings is essential. This article provides an environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of a typical commercial office building in Thailand. Almost all commercial office buildings in Thailand follow a similar structural, envelope pattern as well as usage patterns. Likewise, almost every office building in Thailand operates on electricity, which is obtained from the national grid which limits variability. Therefore, the results of the single case study building are representative of commercial office buildings in Thailand. Target audiences are architects, building construction managers and environmental policy makers who are interested in the environmental impact of buildings. Materials and methods  In this work, a combination of input–output and process analysis was used in assessing the potential environmental impact associated with the system under study according to the ISO14040 methodology. The study covered the whole life cycle including material production, construction, occupation, maintenance, demolition, and disposal. The inventory data was simulated in an LCA model and the environmental impacts for each stage computed. Three environmental impact categories considered relevant to the Thailand context were evaluated, namely, global warming potential, acidification potential, and photo-oxidant formation potential. A 50-year service time was assumed for the building. Results  The results obtained showed that steel and concrete are the most significant materials both in terms of quantities used, and also for their associated environmental impacts at the manufacturing stage. They accounted for 24% and 47% of the global warming potential, respectively. In addition, of the total photo-oxidant formation potential, they accounted for approximately 41% and 30%; and, of the total acidification potential, 37% and 42%, respectively. Analysis also revealed that the life cycle environmental impacts of commercial buildings are dominated by the operation stage, which accounted for approximately 52% of the total global warming potential, about 66% of the total acidification potential, and about 71% of the total photo-oxidant formation potential, respectively. The results indicate that the principal contributor to the impact categories during the operation phase were emissions related to fossil fuel combustion, particularly for electricity production. Discussion  The life cycle environmental impacts of commercial buildings are dominated by the operation stage, especially electricity consumption. Significant reductions in the environmental impacts of buildings at this stage can be achieved through reducing their operating energy. The results obtained show that increasing the indoor set-point temperature of the building by 2°C, as well as the practice of load shedding, reduces the environmental burdens of buildings at the operation stage. On a national scale, the implementation of these simple no-cost energy conservation measures have the potential to achieve estimated reductions of 10.2% global warming potential, 5.3% acidification potential, and 0.21% photo-oxidant formation potential per year, respectively, in emissions from the power generation sector. Overall, the measures could reduce approximately 4% per year from the projected global warming potential of 211.51 Tg for the economy of Thailand. Conclusions  Operation phase has the highest energy and environmental impacts, followed by the manufacturing phase. At the operation phase, significant reductions in the energy consumption and environmental impacts can be achieved through the implementation of simple no-cost energy conservation as well as energy efficiency strategies. No-cost energy conservation policies, which minimize energy consumption in commercial buildings, should be encouraged in combination with already existing energy efficiency measures of the government. Recommendations and perspectives  In the long run, the environmental impacts of buildings will need to be addressed. Incorporation of environmental life cycle assessment into the current building code is proposed. It is difficult to conduct a full and rigorous life cycle assessment of an office building. A building consists of many materials and components. This study made an effort to access reliable data on all the life cycle stages considered. Nevertheless, there were a number of assumptions made in the study due to the unavailability of adequate data. In order for life cycle modeling to fulfill its potential, there is a need for detailed data on specific building systems and components in Thailand. This will enable designers to construct and customize LCAs during the design phase to enable the evaluation of performance and material tradeoffs across life cycles without the excessive burden of compiling an inventory. Further studies with more detailed, reliable, and Thailand-specific inventories for building materials are recommended.