Feasibility of Estimating Cu Contamination in Floodplain Soils using VNIR Spectroscopy—A Case Study in the Le’an River Floodplain,China

Heavy metal accumulation can influence the physical, chemical, and ecological processes in the soil ecosystem, and the accumulation of heavy metals has become a serious environmental issue in China, especially in the floodplains downstream from mining and smelting sites. A novel method of estimating the heavy metal contamination of soil is proposed using visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Our study focuses on the Le’an river floodplain, Jiangxi Province, China, which houses the largest copper mining operation in China and has suffered a series of environmental setbacks from the extraction of copper. Our study employs PLSR to summarize the relationship between VNIR reflectance spectra and the copper content of collected soil samples, and then estimates copper contamination of the soil using VNIR spectroscopy and the calibrated model. More specifically, with 71 soil samples collected from the Le’an River floodplain, our study aims at (1) exploring the correlation between VNIR and soil constituents, including soil organic matter, total copper, and iron content; (2) assessing the relationship between VNIR determination of copper and the pre-processing of soil samples; and (3) evaluating the performance of data transformation methods in PLSR. The correlation analysis revealed that the mechanism of estimating Cu content lay in its correlation with Fe content. The PLSR model with logarithmic scale transformed copper content and the standard normal variate spectra was chosen for estimating copper contamination from untreated soil samples; the model with logarithmic scale transformed copper content and reflectance spectra was selected for pretreated soil samples. The correlation analyses and regression results in the PLSR models both suggest that the main mechanism for estimating Cu content in this case study lies in its correlation with Fe content. Therefore, the coupling of VNIR spectroscopy and PLSR could serve as an alternative method of monitoring heavy metal contamination of soil.     

Variability and Vulnerability of Coastal ‘Blue Carbon’ Stocks: A Case Study from Southeast Australia

‘Blue carbon’ ecosystems—seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves—serve as dense carbon sinks important for reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, yet only recently have stock estimates emerged. We sampled 96 blue carbon ecosystems across the Victorian coastline (southeast Australia) to quantify total sediment stocks, variability across spatial scales, and estimate emissions associated with historical ecosystem loss. Mean sediment organic carbon (C_org) stock (±SE) to a depth of 30 cm was not significantly different between tidal marshes (87.1 ± 4.90 Mg C_org ha^?1) and mangroves (65.6 ± 4.17 Mg C_org ha^?1), but was significantly lower in seagrasses (24.3 ± 1.82 Mg C_org ha^?1). Location (defined as an individual meadow, marsh, or forest) had a stronger relationship with C_org stock than catchment region, suggesting local-scale conditions drive variability of stocks more than regional-scale processes. We estimate over 2.90 million ± 199,000 Mg C_org in the top 30 cm of blue carbon sediments in Victoria (53% in tidal marshes, 36% in seagrasses, and 11% in mangroves) and sequestration rates of 22,700 ± 5510 Mg C_org year^?1 (valued at over $AUD1 million ± 245,000 year^?1 based on the average price of $AUD12.14 Mg CO₂ eq^?1 at Australian Emissions Reduction Fund auctions). We estimate ecosystem loss since European settlement may equate to emissions as high as 4.83 million ± 358,000 Mg CO₂ equivalents (assuming 90% remineralization of stocks), 98% of which was associated with tidal marsh loss, and what would have been sequestering 9360 ± 2500 Mg C_org year^?1. This study is among the first to present a comprehensive comparison of sediment stocks across and within coastal blue carbon ecosystems. We estimate substantial and valuable carbon stocks associated with these ecosystems that have suffered considerable losses in the past and need protection into the future to maintain their role as carbon sinks.     

Problems in application of the terms ‘blastic’ and ‘thallic’ to modes of conidiogenesis in some onygenalean fungi

A woman suffering from acute tubulo-interstitial nephritis was admitted to the hospital ten days after deliberate intoxication by ingestion of Cortinarius orellanus. Orellanine, the main toxin responsible for orellanine poisoning, was detected in biological fluids and renal biopsies. It was assayed by direct spectrofluorimetry on two-dimensional thin-layer chromatograms after specific photodecomposition into orelline. The orellanine concentration was 6.12 mg/l in the plasma (10 days after ingestion). Orellanine levels in renal biopsies were 7 g per 25 mm³ of the first biopsy (13 days after ingestion) and 24 g per 8 mm³ of the second biopsy (6 months later).Taken in part from the doctorate thesis of S. Rapior.     

‘Good-genes’ and ‘compatible-genes’ effects in an Alpine whitefish and the information content of breeding tubercles over the course of the spawning season

Abies ziyuanensis is a highly endangered fir species endemic to South China. Unlike other Abies species that are distributed in areas with cold climates, A. ziyuanensis is restricted to several isolated island-like localities at subtropical mountains. In this study, we used dominant amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and co-dominant simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers to infer the genetic structure of A. ziyuanensis. Seven populations consisting of 139 individuals were sampled across their whole distribution. A. ziyuanenesis has a relatively low level of genetic variation, with a mean genetic diversity per population (He) of 0.136 (AFLP) and 0.337 (SSR), which is lower than that of other reported endemic species based on the same kind of marker. We observed high population differentiation, with Gst = 0.482 (AFLP) and Fst = 0.250 (SSR), among the seven populations. AMOVA also detected significant differentiation among populations (Φst (AFLP) = 0.550 and Φst (SSR) = 0.289) and among regions (Φct (AFLP) = 0.139 and Φct (SSR) = 0.135) in both marker types. Both ongoing evolutionary forces (e.g., genetic drift resulting from small population size) and historical events (e.g., population contraction and fragmentation during and after the Quaternary glacial cycles) may have contributed to the genetic structure in A. ziyuanensis.     

‘Good-genes’ and ‘compatible-genes’ effects in an Alpine whitefish and the information content of breeding tubercles over the course of the spawning season

Some models of sexual selection predict that individuals vary in their genetic quality and reveal some of this variation in their secondary sexual characteristics. Alpine whitefish (Coregonus sp.) develop breeding tubercles shortly before their spawning season. These tubercles are epidermal structures that are distributed regularly along the body sides of both males and females. There is still much unexplained variation in the size of breeding tubercles within both sexes and with much overlap between the sexes. It has been suggested that breeding tubercles function to maintain body contact between the mating partners during spawning, act as weapons for defence of spawning territories, or are sexual signals that reveal aspects of genetic quality. We took two samples of whitefish from their spawning place, one at the beginning and one around the peak of spawning season. We found that females have on average smaller breeding tubercles than males, and that tubercle size partly reveals the stage of gonad maturation. Two independent full-factorial breeding experiments revealed that embryo mortality was significantly influenced by male and female effects. This finding demonstrates that the males differed in their genetic quality (because offspring get nothing but genes from their fathers). Tubercle size was negatively linked to some aspects of embryo mortality in the first breeding experiment but not significantly so in the second. This lack of consistency adds to inconsistent results that were reported before and suggests that (i) some aspects of genetic quality are not revealed in breeding tubercles while others are, or (ii) individuals vary in their signaling strategies and the information content of breeding tubercles is not always reliable. Moreover, the fact that female whitefish have breeding tubercles of significant size while males seem to have few reasons to be choosy suggests that the tubercles might also serve some functions that are not linked to sexual signaling.     

A new North American therizinosaurid and the role of herbivory in ‘predatory’ dinosaur evolution

Historically, ecomorphological inferences regarding theropod (i.e. ‘predatory’) dinosaurs were guided by an assumption that they were singularly hypercarnivorous. A recent plethora of maniraptoran discoveries has produced evidence challenging this notion. Here, we report on a new species of maniraptoran theropod, Nothronychus graffami sp. nov. Relative completeness of this specimen permits a phylogenetic reassessment of Therizinosauria—the theropod clade exhibiting the most substantial anatomical evidence of herbivory. In the most comprehensive phylogenetic study of the clade conducted to date, we recover Therizinosauria as the basalmost maniraptoran lineage. Using concentrated changes tests, we present evidence for correlated character evolution among herbivorous and hypercarnivorous taxa and propose ecomorphological indicators for future interpretations of diet among maniraptoran clades. Maximum parsimony optimizations of character evolution within our study indicate an ancestral origin for dietary plasticity and facultative herbivory (omnivory) within the clade. These findings suggest that hypercarnivory in paravian dinosaurs is a secondarily derived dietary specialization and provide a potential mechanism for the invasion of novel morpho- and ecospace early in coelurosaurian evolution—the loss of obligate carnivory and origin of dietary opportunism.     

Predicted distributions and abundances of the sea turtle ‘lost years’ in the western North Atlantic Ocean

Oceanic dispersal characterizes the early juvenile life-stages of numerous marine species of conservation concern. This early stage may be a ‘critical period’ for many species, playing an overriding role in population dynamics. Often, relatively little information is available on their distribution during this period, limiting the effectiveness of efforts to understand environmental and anthropogenic impacts on these species. Here we present a simple model to predict annual variation in the distribution and abundance of oceanic-stage juvenile sea turtles based on species’ reproductive output, movement and mortality. We simulated dispersal of 25 cohorts (1993–2017) of oceanic-stage juveniles by tracking the movements of virtual hatchling sea turtles released in a hindcast ocean circulation model. We then used estimates of annual hatchling production from Kemp's ridley Lepidochelys kempii (n = 3), green Chelonia mydas (n = 8) and loggerhead Caretta caretta (n = 5) nesting areas in the northwestern Atlantic (inclusive of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and eastern seaboard of the U.S.) and their stage-specific mortality rates to weight dispersal predictions. The model's predictions indicate spatial heterogeneity in turtle distribution across their marine range, identify locations of increasing turtle abundance (notably along the U.S. coast), and provide valuable context for temporal variation in the stranding of young sea turtles across the Gulf of Mexico. Further effort to collect demographic, distribution and behavioral data that refine, complement and extend the utility of this modeling approach for sea turtles and other dispersive marine taxa is warranted. Finally, generating these spatially-explicit predictions of turtle abundance required extensive international collaboration among scientists; our findings indicate that continued conservation of these sea turtle populations and the management of the numerous anthropogenic activities that operate in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean will require similar international coordination.     

Co-Managers or Co-Residents? Indigenous Peoples’ Participation in the Management of Protected Areas: a Case Study of the Agta in the Philippines

Indigenous peoples’ participation in the co-management of protected areas is recognised as essential for conserving both cultural and biological diversity. While this practice is increasingly common, few studies have quantitatively evaluated the efficacy of these initiatives. Here we examine levels of knowledge and involvement among the Agta, a hunter-gatherer population who co-manage the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, the largest protected area in the Philippines. We find that the Agta generally possess low levels of knowledge about the protected area they are supposed to co-manage. Participation in park management is hampered by several factors, including a lack of cultural sensitivity regarding the Agta’s foraging lifestyle among park officials and little political will to realistically empower and support the Agta as co-managers. Recommendations to strengthen Agta participation – and indigenous peoples’ participation in protected area management more widely – are made to help protect the world’s remaining cultural and biological diversity.     

Multiple afforestation programs accelerate the greenness in the ‘Three North’ region of China from 1982 to 2013

China has launched multiple afforestation programs since 1978, including the ‘Three North’ Shelterbelt Development Program (TNSDP), the Beijing–Tianjin Sand Source Control Program (BSSCP), the Nature Forest Conservation Program (NFCP), and the Grain to Green Program (GTGP). These programs focus on local environment restoration by planting trees in semi-arid and arid regions and by protecting natural forests. However, the effectiveness of these programs has been questioned by several previous studies. Here, we report an increasing trend of greenness in this region using the satellite-retrieved normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from GIMMS, GIMMS-3g and MODIS datasets in the past 32 years. The NDVI increase for the ‘Three North’ region was 0.28%–0.38% yr⁻¹ in 1982–2000 and 0.86%–1.12% yr⁻¹ in 2000–2013, which is much higher than the country's means of 0.060%–0.063% yr⁻¹ and 0.27%–0.30% yr⁻¹, respectively. Most of the increase occurred in low and sparsely vegetated areas; and enlarged the moderate vegetated area (growing season mean NDVI above 0.5) from 16.5% to 25.7% for the two time periods, respectively. We also analyzed changes in the length of the growing season and the climate conditions including temperature, precipitation and two drought indices. However, these environmental factors cannot completely explain the changes in vegetation activity. Our study suggests these multiple afforestation programs contributed to the accelerated greening trend in the ‘Three North’ region and highlight the importance of human intervention in regional vegetation growth under climate change condition.     

Does the Neighborhood Area of Residence Influence Non-Attendance in an Urban Mammography Screening Program? A Multilevel Study in a Swedish City

MethodsWe analyze all women invited to mammography screening in 2005–09, residing in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Information regarding mammography screening attendance was linked to data on area of residence, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics available from Statistics Sweden. The influence of individual and neighborhood factors was assessed by multilevel logistic regression analysis with 29,901 women nested within 212 neighborhoods.ResultsThe prevalence of non-attendance among women was 18.3%. After adjusting for individual characteristics, the prevalence in the 212 neighborhoods was 3.6%. Neighborhood of residence had little influence on non-attendance. The multilevel analysis indicates that 8.4% of the total individual differences in the propensity of non-attendance were at the neighborhood level. However, when adjusting for specific individual characteristics this general contextual effect decreased to 1.8%. This minor effect was explained by the sociodemographic characteristic of the neighborhoods. The discriminatory accuracy of classifying women according to their non-attendance was 0.747 when considering only individual level variables, and 0.760 after including neighborhood level as a random effect.ConclusionOur results suggest that neighborhoods of residence in Malmö, Sweden (as defined by small-area market statistics (SAMS) areas) do not condition women’s participation in population based mammography screening. Thus, interventions should be directed to the whole city and target women with a higher risk of non-attendance.     

Radiocaesium in an organic soil and the effect of treatment with the fungicide ‘Captan’

Soil fungi accumulate radiocaesium from contaminated soil and it has been hypothesised that this may alter the plant availability and movement of the radionuclide in soil. The effect of twice-monthly addition of an aqueous suspension of the fungicide ‘Captan’ on the changes in a peaty podzol soil at 2 sites, contaminated 2 or 3 years earlier by the injection of ¹³⁴Cs, has been quantified. The sites had different soil acidity and vegetation cover. The less acid soil (pH_water 5.0) had been improved by the addition of lime and fertilizer and was reseeded with grass and clover. The more acid soil (pH_water 3.8) was under hill grasses, herbs and heather. On both sites the addition of fungicide did not alter the amount or concentration of radiocaesium in plant material sampled monthly or the depth distribution of radiocaesium in the soil profile. The concentration of the fungal constituent, ergosterol, in the soil, measured monthly, was unaffected by the fungicide treatment but evidence was obtained from a pot experiment to show that ergosterol decomposes slowly in cold, wet soils. On the more acid soil, two weeks after the last application of fungicide, there was a decline in active fungi as measured by fluorescein diacetate staining. Chloroform fumigation of the more acid soil resulted in a small increase in the amount of ¹³⁴Cs exchangeable with 1 M ammonium acetate. Radiocaesium in seven different fungi grown in pure culture was found to be almost entirely extractable (> 95%) with 1 M ammonium acetate. Another, Amanita rubescens, showed some retention and 88% was extractable. These findings do not preclude the fungal biomass as an important soil component controlling plant availability of radiocaesium from acid, organic soils by maintaining radiocaesium in a biological cycle, but make it unlikely that any fixation by fungi in a chemical sense is involved.     

Polyphenol gene expression and changes in anthocyanins and polyphenols in the skin of ‘Braeburn’ apples after the autumn application of prohexadione-calcium

Prohexadione-calcium (Pro-Ca) transient inhibits 2-Oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases and causes significant changes in the flavonoid spectrum of apple. In the present study the influence of two autumn preharvest applications of Pro-Ca on the polyphenol metabolism in apple peel during the advanced maturation was investigated. Pro-Ca was sprayed in two doses, approximately five and 3 weeks before the technological maturity. Changes in the concentrations of hydroxycinnamic acids, dihydrochalcones, flavonols, flavanols and anthocyanins as well as their related gene expression and enzyme activities in the apple peel were monitored six times during the advanced maturation until the technological maturity of the fruits. To evaluate its influence on red coloration differences in the chromatic values a*, h° and L* between the treated and untreated apples were monitored. The parameters showed a temporary effect of Pro-Ca on the intensity of red coloration, which was not detected anymore at the technological maturity of apples. The application of Pro-Ca decreased the flavanone 3-hydroxylase activity and slightly inhibited activities of all the enzymes analyzed. Concomitantly, the concentrations of anthocyanins in the peel of the treated apples decreased, whereas the concentrations of hydroxycinnamic acids, dihydrochalcones and flavan 3-ols increased. Flavonol concentrations, however, remained unchanged. The expression of ANS, ANR, FGT and MYB10 was downregulated after the Pro-Ca treatment. The results indicate that the autumn application of Pro-Ca modulates the biosynthetic pathway resulting in distinct changes in the flavonoid composition in the apple peel of ‘Braeburn’ apples. However, the changes are temporary and are generally suspended during apple storage.     

Morphology and accessibility of the ‘transverse’ tubular system in frog sartorius muscle after glycerol treatment

Summary Sartorius muscles were exposed to a hypertonic Ringer's fluid containing 400mm glycerol and subsequently returned to normal Ringer's fluid. Employing lanthanum as an extracellular marker and after suitable preparation, sections of muscle fibers were examined with an electron-microscope. Extensive alteration in transverse tubular morphology occurs after glycerol treatment. The number of sites at the Z line level usually containing complete triads decreases by about two-thirds. In about half of the sites with altered morphology no transverse tubules were present, while in the other half the sites were completely empty. Fibers at all depths in glycerol-treated muscles were equally affected. The remnants of the transverse tubules which remain were not very accessible to extracellular lanthanum. Estimates based on measurements of the presence or absence of lanthanum indicate that glycerol treatment disconnects 90% of the transverse tubules from the external solution. The remaining tubules connected to the external solution are largely but not entirely located in a surface layer of about one-tenth the fiber radius in depth.     

How to ‘catch’ floating populations? Research and the fixing of migration in space and time

Abstract

The recent ‘mobilities turn’ in the social sciences suggests that research always fixes mobility somehow in time and space, in order to understand it. Migration, being a form of mobility, has to be fixed on certain times and spaces in order to make it possible to define and research it. Being a geographer, I build on this insight in the first part of the article to re-read the critiques on post-war methodological nationalism. Reflecting on my own past research practice, I argue in the second part that leaving behind the methodological nationalism paradigm does not mean leaving behind the necessity to fix migration in time and space, on either the ontological or the practical methodological level. New ways of fixing are chosen and, out of recurring ontological and methodological choices, new migration stereotypes are developing such as what might be called ‘methodological ruralism’ in the case of Romanian migration.