Metal content of an indigenous moss in Armadale,Central Scotland

As part of a survey of patterns of disease in relation to air pollution in various towns, atmospheric concentrations of metals were measured in Armadale, West Lothian. The first survey of metallic pollutants in the environment consisted of measuring selected metal concentrations in indigenous Hypnum cupressiforme throughout Armadale. As in other surveys using this moss, Hypnum proved to be most useful in collecting at least 9 metals from the atmosphere. Some values, such as Fe, were significantly lower in Armadale, than those levels found in a similar survey sited around a steelworks in Consett, England. However, other metals such as Cu were present in much higher concentrations. All metals measured (apart from Pb values, which showed the influence of traffic routes) revealed an increasing concentration from the periphery of the town towards the vicinity of Armadale's steel foundry.     

The effect of total carbon on microscopic soil properties and implications for crop production

Soil structure is a dynamic property affected by physical, chemical, and microbiological processes. Addition of organic matter to soils and the use of different management practices have been reported to impact soil structure and crop production. Moderation in soil temperature and increases in microbial activity and soil water retention are often suggested as reasons for the rise in crop yield when organic matter is added to the soil. Less is known about the direct effect of changes in soil structure on crop production. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of summer cover crop and in-season management system on soil structure. The experiment was a nested design with summer cover crop as the main plot and management system as the subplot. Summer cover crop treatments included cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) incorporated into the soil in the fall (CI), cowpea used as mulch in the fall (CM), sudangrass (Sorghum vulgare) incorporated into the soil in the fall (S), and dry fallow or bare ground (B). Management systems were organic (ORG) and conventional (CNV) systems. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and cantaloupes (Cucumis melo L.) were cultivated in rotation in the plots for three consecutive years using the same cover crops and management systems for each plot. Disturbed and undisturbed soil cores were collected at the end of the third year and used for laboratory experiments to measure physical, chemical, and hydraulic properties. Image analysis was used to quantify soil structure properties using a scanning electron microscope on thin sections prepared from the undisturbed soil cores. We found that total soil carbon was correlated with porosity, saturation percentage, and pore roughness. Pore roughness was correlated with crop production in general and with marketable production in particular. We found that the higher the complexity of the pore space, the more water retained in the soil, which may increase soil water residence and reduce plant water stress.     

Lactation Weight Loss in Primiparous Sows: Consequences for Embryo Survival and Progesterone and Relations with Metabolic Profiles

Our objective was to study reproductive consequences of lactation bodyweight loss occurring in primiparous sows with mild feed restriction and to relate these lactation weight losses and its consequences to metabolic profiles during lactation and subsequent early gestation. After weaning, 47 first‐litter sows were retrospectively assigned to a high– (HWL, >13.8%, n = 24) or low (LWL, ≤13.8%, n = 23)–weight loss group. Thirty‐six animals received an indwelling jugular vein catheter to determine lactational and gestational profiles of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and urea and gestational profiles of progesterone. At day 35 after insemination, sows were euthanized and their reproductive tract collected. Pregnancy rate was 75% (18/24) for HWL and 96% (22/23) for LWL sows. High–weight loss sows had a lower number of implantation sites (17.2 ± 0.8 vs 19.5 ± 0.7, respectively, p = 0.03) and a lower embryonic survival (65.6 ± 3.4 vs 77.4 ± 2.9%, p = 0.02), resulting in fewer vital embryos (14.9 ± 0.9 vs 16.8 ± 0.7, p = 0.07) than LWL sows. Progesterone peak values were reached later in HWL than in LWL sows (day 13.4 ± 0.5 vs 12.0 ± 0.5, respectively, p = 0.05). Gestational concentrations of IGF‐1, NEFA and urea were almost identical for HWL and LWL sows, whilst numerical differences were seen during lactation. The current study shows negative consequences of lactational weight loss in mildly feed‐restricted primiparous sows for embryonic survival and shows that these consequences seem only mildly related with metabolic alterations during lactation and not with metabolic alterations during subsequent gestation.     

Effects of Storing Pig Ovaries at 4 or 20°C for Different Periods of Time on the Morphology and Viability of Pre-Antral Follicles

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of cooling ovarian tissue on pig pre-antral follicles. Ovaries were maintained in saline solution (0.9%) at 4 or 20 degrees C for 6, 12 or 18 h. After storage, pre-antral follicles were morphologically evaluated. While primordial follicles were not affected by the storage, the percentage of morphologically normal growing follicles was significantly reduced in ovarian tissue stored at 20 degrees C for 12 or 18 h. To test the viability of stored follicles, growing follicles isolated from ovaries stored at 4 degrees C for 18 h and at 20 degrees C for 6 h were cultured for 3 days. Follicles stored in either condition presented the same growth pattern in vitro as fresh follicles. We conclude that storage of pig ovaries at 4 degrees C for up to 18 h or at 20 degrees C for up to 6 h does not affect the morphology of growing follicles or their ability to grow in vitro.     

Transdisciplinary research for supporting the integration of ecosystem services into land and water management in the Tarim River Basin,Xinjiang,China

There is a growing need for both science and practice domains to collaboratively and systematically seek knowledge-based strategies for sustainable development.In recent years,transdisciplinary research has emerged as a new approach that enables joint problem solving among scientists and stakeholders in various fields. In this paper,we aim to introduce transdisciplinary research for supporting the integration of the concept of ecosystem services into land and water management in the Tarim River Basin,Xinjiang,Northwest China.While a large number of ecosystem service studies have helped to raise the awareness for the value of nature in China,a number of challenges remain,including an improved understanding of the relationships between ecosystem structure, functions and services,and the interaction of the various ecosystem services.A meaningful valuation of ecosystem services also requires the consideration of their strong spatial heterogeneity.In addition,ways to introduce the concept of ecosystem services into decision-making in China need to be explored.Thus,successful integration of the concept of ecosystem services into actual land and water management requires a broad knowledge base that only a number of scientific disciplines and stakeholders can provide jointly,via a transdisciplinary research process.We regard transdisciplinary research as a recursive process to support adaptive management that includes joint knowledge generation and integration among scientists and stakeholders.System,target,and transformation knowledge are generated and integrated during the process of(1)problem(re)definition,(2)problem analysis and strategy development,and(3)evaluation of the impact of the derived strategy.Methods to support transdisciplinary research comprise participatory modelling(actor-based modelling and Bayesian Networks modelling)and participatory scenario development.Actor-based modelling is a semi-quantitative method that is based on the analysis of problem perspectives of individual stakeholders as depicted in perception graphs.With Bayesian Networks,complex problem fields are modelled probabilistically in a simplified manner,using both quantitative data and qualitative expert judgments.These participatory methods serve to integrate diverse scientific and stakeholder knowledge and to support the generation of actually implementable management strategies for sustainable development.For the purpose of integrating ecosystem services in land and water management in the Tarim River Basin through transdisciplinary research,collaboration among scientists and institutional stakeholders from different sectors including water,agriculture,forestry,and nature conservation is required.The challenge is to adapt methods of transdisciplinary research to socio-cultural conditions in China,particularly regarding ways of communication and decision-making.     

Groundfish species diversity and assemblage structure in Icelandic waters during recent years of warming

Elevated ocean temperatures have been predicted to lead to a poleward shift in the latitudinal distribution ranges of fish species. Different responses of fish species to increased temperatures might lead to changes in assemblage structure and local species richness. In this study, the assemblage structure and diversity of groundfish in Icelandic waters were examined using data from a standardized groundfish survey conducted annually in 1996–2007. We used hierarchical cluster analysis to define assemblages in two time periods and canonical correspondence analysis to explore the relationships between the assemblages and temperature, depth, latitude, longitude and year. We further used two estimates of diversity, species richness and the Shannon index. Four major species assemblages were identified. Assemblages in the hydrographically stable deep waters north of the country were consistent during the study, while assemblage structure in the more variable shallow waters underwent some changes. For this period of generally increasing sea temperature, the canonical correspondence analysis also revealed a shift towards species representative of warmer temperatures. Diversity was shown to be highly variable both temporally and spatially, and also to vary with depth and temperature. Species richness increased with temperature and time southwest of the country, but decreased northeast of the country. The different trends detected between the northern and southern areas illustrate the importance of performing analyses at the most appropriate scale.     

Annual weed distributions can be mapped with kriging

The authenticity of weed distribution maps prepared by the geostatistical estimation method, kriging, was investigated. We concentrated on the total number of weed plants and the dominant weed genus Veronica spp. in a 2.1-ha field of winter wheat. Different sampling distances were evaluated. Our analyses showed that kriging weed densities based on seedling counts collected in, 0.25.m² circles in a sampling grid of approximately 10 m × 10 m gave good agreement with actual observations. Reducing the sampling grid to 20 m × 30 m gave poor agreement. New sampling methods combined with positioning devices and injection sprayers are discussed with reference to site-specific weed management.