The thin edge of the wedge: Extremely high extinction risk in wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes

1. The process of understanding the rapid global decline of sawfishes (Pristidae) has revealed great concern for their relatives, the wedgefishes (Rhinidae) and giant guitarfishes (Glaucostegidae), not least because all three families are targeted for their high‐value and internationally traded ‘white’ fins.
2. The objective of this study was to assess the extinction risk of all 10 wedgefishes and six giant guitarfishes by applying the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria, and to summarize the latest understanding of their biogeography and habitat, life history, exploitation, use and trade, and population status. Three of the 10 wedgefish species had not been assessed previously for the IUCN Red List.
3. Wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes have overtaken sawfishes as the most imperilled marine fish families globally, with all but one of the 16 species facing an extremely high risk of extinction through a combination of traits: limited biological productivity; presence in shallow waters overlapping with some of the most intense and increasing coastal fisheries in the world; and overexploitation in target and by‐catch fisheries, driven by the need for animal protein and food security in coastal communities and the trade in meat and high‐value fins.
4. Two species with very restricted ranges, the clown wedgefish (Rhynchobatus cooki) of the Malay Archipelago and the false shark ray (Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis) of Mauritania, may be very close to extinction.
5. Only the eyebrow wedgefish (Rhynchobatus palpebratus) is not assessed as Critically Endangered, with it occurring primarily in Australia where fishing pressure is low and some management measures are in place. Australia represents a ‘lifeboat’ for the three wedgefish and one giant guitarfish species occurring there.
6. To conserve populations and permit recovery, a suite of measures will be required that will need to include species protection, spatial management, by‐catch mitigation, and harvest and international trade management, all of which will be dependent on effective enforcement.

     

Risk characterisation and management of sewage sludge on agricultural land-implications for the environment and the food-chain

The disposal of sewage wastes may cause severe environmental problems as was graphically demonstrated with pollution on Sydney's ocean beaches in recent years. Sewage sludges contain valuable plant nutrients and organic matter which can improve the fertility and structure of the soil. However, human parasites, pathogenic micro-organisms and chemicals capable of causing soil contamination, phytotoxicity and residues in animal products may also be present. Although sewage sludge is frequently spread on agricultural land overseas, it is not common in Australia and most states do not have specific regulations to minimise risk and promote good practice. A sludge-to-land program began in the Sydney region in 1990. It follows guidelines written by NSW Agriculture to encourage beneficial agricultural use of sludge by adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. This article describes the major risks to the food-chain and the environment, which may be associated with applying sewage sludge to agricultural land. It summarises how the risks are managed, and where further research data are required.     

Possible hormonal modes of action of three apple thinning agents

Thinning-experiments were carried out with carbaryl, ethephon (CEPA) and the amide of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAAm) in the apple cultivars ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘King of the Pippins’. In order to get more information on the possible hormonal modes of action of these substances, fruit treated with thinning-agents were analysed for ethylene (C₂H₄), diffusable and extractable indoleacetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin-like substances (GA_s), and compared with water-treated controls.It is thought that the observed reduction in IAA transport is a major factor in the mode of action of all 3 thinning-agents investigated. Auxin transport may be affected directly by the chemicals or via a shift in the mobilizing ability of the treated fruits. The role of other hormones investigated is briefly discussed.     

Zitrusfrüchte aus der Wüste – Obstbau unter extremen Klimabedingungen in Saudi Arabien

Saudi Arabia has a citrus growing area of 16,000?ha. Oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons and limes are the major fruit species. The Najran Valley, located in the South-West of the country, is the most important citrus growing region. Economic, climatic and pedogenic problems – first of all scarcity of water and increasing soil salinity – are the most significant constraints for citrus growing. This article describes the citrus production in the Najran Valley as well as recent activities to secure and improve fruit quality.     

Epidemic of blindness in kangaroos - evidence of a viral aetiology

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cause of an epidemic of blindness in kangaroos. DESIGN AND PROCEDURES: Laboratory examinations were made of eyes and brains of a large number of kangaroos using serological, virological, histopathological, electron microscopical, immunohistochemical methods, and PCR with cDNA sequencing. In addition, potential insect viral vectors identified during the disease outbreak were examined for specific viral genomic sequences. SAMPLE POPULATION: For histopathological analysis, 55 apparently blind and 18 apparently normal wild kangaroos and wallabies were obtained from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. A total of 437 wild kangaroos and wallabies (including 23 animals with apparent blindness) were examined serologically. RESULTS: Orbiviruses of the Wallal and Warrego serogroups were isolated from kangaroos affected with blindness in a major epidemic in south-eastern Australia in 1994 and 1995 and extending to Western Australia in 1995/96. Histopathological examinations showed severe degeneration and inflammation in the eyes, and mild inflammation in the brains. In affected retinas, Wallal virus antigen was detected by immunohistochemical analysis and orbiviruses were seen in electron microscopy. There was serological variation in the newly isolated Wallal virus from archival Wallal virus that had been isolated in northern Australia. There were also variations of up to 20% in genotype sequence from the reference archival virus. Polymerase chain reactions showed that Wallal virus was present during the epidemic in three species of midges, Culicoides austropalpalis, C dycei and C marksi. Wallal virus nucleic acid was also detected by PCR in a paraffin-embedded retina taken from a blind kangaroo in 1975. CONCLUSION: Wallal virus and perhaps also Warrego virus are the cause of the outbreak of blindness in kangaroos. Other viruses may also be involved, but the evidence in this paper indicates a variant of Wallal virus, an orbivirus transmitted by midges, has the strongest aetiological association, and immunohistochemical analysis implicates it as the most damaging factor in the affected eyes.     

The impact of hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.)) on balsam fir and spruce in New Brunswick, Canada

In 1989, the first recorded outbreak of hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.)) occurred in New Brunswick, Canada. Data were collected from ten plots established in an area infested from 1992–1994, to assess impacts of hemlock looper. Ocular and branch sample assessments of current defoliation and ocular assessments of total defoliation (all age classes of foliage) were conducted for balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.), white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.). Stand response was assessed and related to cumulative defoliation. Ocular assessments were found to accurately estimate defoliation, which was significantly related to tree mortality. Ninety-two percent of balsam fir trees that had cumulative defoliation >90% died. Mortality of balsam fir was significantly (p < 0.05) related to tree size, in both lightly and severely defoliated plots; trees with DBH <11 cm sustained 22–48% higher mortality than larger trees. Mortality of balsam fir, in terms of both percent stems/ha and m³/ha merchantable volume, increased exponentially in relation to three estimates of cumulative (summed) plot mean defoliation. The strongest relationships (r² = 0.75–0.79) were between mortality and the ocular defoliation assessment for 1990–1993 foliage. Tree mortality caused by the looper outbreak ranged from 4–14% stems/ha in lightly defoliated and from 32–100% in severely defoliated plots; merchantable volume killed was 3–14 m³/ha and 51–119 m³/ha, respectively. Relationships between mortality and defoliation were similar when defoliation was assessed for 1987–1993 and 1990–1993 foliage age classes.     

Particle nucleation in the tropical boundary layer and its coupling to marine sulfur sources

New particle formation in a tropical marine boundary layer setting was characterized during NASA's Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics A program. It represents the clearest demonstration to date of aerosol nucleation and growth being linked to the natural marine sulfur cycle. This conclusion was based on real-time observations of dimethylsulfide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid (gas), hydroxide, ozone, temperature, relative humidity, aerosol size and number distribution, and total aerosol surface area. Classic binary nucleation theory predicts no nucleation under the observed marine boundary layer conditions.     

A global map of human impact on marine ecosystems

The management and conservation of the world's oceans require synthesis of spatial data on the distribution and intensity of human activities and the overlap of their impacts on marine ecosystems. We developed an ecosystem-specific, multiscale spatial model to synthesize 17 global data sets of anthropogenic drivers of ecological change for 20 marine ecosystems. Our analysis indicates that no area is unaffected by human influence and that a large fraction (41%) is strongly affected by multiple drivers. However, large areas of relatively little human impact remain, particularly near the poles. The analytical process and resulting maps provide flexible tools for regional and global efforts to allocate conservation resources; to implement ecosystem-based management; and to inform marine spatial planning, education, and basic research.     

MODULATION IN YIELD AND JUICE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF CITRUS FRUIT FROM TREES SUPPLIED WITH ZINC AND POTASSIUM FOLIARLY

Citrus, especially K innow (Citrus deliciosa × Citrus nobilis), fruit yield and quality in Pakistan is not competitive with that of other countries which could be mainly attributed to the lack of good nutrient management for citrus orchards. The yield losses in this fruit crop occur mainly due to heavy fruit dropping. Experiments to overcome these problems were conducted at four different sites one each in Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang and Sargodha districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The soil and leaf chemical analysis showed severe deficiency of Zn and our pervious results have shown that soil amendment with potassium (K) at 75 K₂O kg ha^?1 improved the citrus fruit yield and quality at all selected sites. In the present experiments, effect of foliar application of Zn and K alone or in combination was studied on nutrient uptake, fruit yield, fruit dropping and juice quality. The fruit trees were pretreated with a selected K level of sulfate of potash (SOP) or muriate of potash (MOP), i.e., 75 kg K₂O ha^?1 along with recommended nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) doses. Zinc [Zn, 1% zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄) solution], K [1% potassium sulfate (K₂SO₄) solution] and Zn + K (solution containing 0.5% each of ZnSO₄ and K₂SO₄) were sprayed at the onset of spring and flush of leaves or flowers, fruit formation and at color initiation on fruit. Overall, application of Zn, K or Zn + K was effective in improving the nutrient uptake, yield and quality parameters of citrus fruit at all sites. Fruit dropping was also reduced by the foliar spray of Zn, K or Zn + K but the most promising results were recorded with foliar spray containing both Zn and K.