Development of the conservation of Dutch coastal waters

1. Traditionally, the living and nonliving natural resources of the coastal waters of The Netherlands have been exploited. Part of this exploitation took the form of embankment and reclamation to produce new agricultural land. 2. The first nature reserve within the coastal waters was established in 1916. After this year the number of coastal nature reserves gradually increased. However, until about 1970 the status of a nature reserve provided little protection when other interests claimed the same area. 3. In the period 1965–1980 the situation changed drastically. The Dutch government took far-reaching decisions with regard to the protection of the Wadden Sea and the Oosterschelde estuary. 4. At the start of this century about 10 000 km² of coastal waters existed between the mainland coast and the three-miles territorial border of The Netherlands. Of these, 4500 km² have been embanked and reclaimed or changed into freshwater lakes, 4000 km² have protected status, and about 1500 km² within the former three-miles zone and in the Westerschelde estuary (250 km²) are still unprotected. 5. The present situation with regard to the conservation of coastal waters in The Netherlands is largely due to private initiatives. Scientists played an active part in the conservation movement by providing information, especially in the early phases of this development. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Giant Neutrophil Granules in the Chediak-Higashi Syndrome of Man, Mink, Cattle and Mice

The percent of conventionally stained circulating neutrophils containing abnormal giant granules in Chediak-Higashi mink, cattle and mice is highly variable and strikingly less than the 100% found in neutrophils from similarly affected humans. In contrast, using either peroxidase or Sudan Black, it can be demonstrated that 100% of circulating neutrophils in all affected individuals of the four species studied contain the abnormal granules. Minor species differences in the shape of the granules were noted. The significance of these findings as well as the variations in granular staining by the several techniques employed are discussed.     

EVALUATION OF STANDARD MAGNETIC RESONANCE CHARACTERISTICS USED TO DIFFERENTIATE NEOPLASTIC,INFLAMMATORY, AND VASCULAR BRAIN LESIONS IN DOGS

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging characteristics are commonly used to help predict intracranial disease categories in dogs, however, few large studies have objectively evaluated these characteristics. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate MR characteristics that have been used to differentiate neoplastic, inflammatory, and vascular intracranial diseases in a large, multi‐institutional population of dogs. Medical records from three veterinary teaching hospitals were searched over a 6‐year period for dogs that had diagnostic quality brain MR scans and histologically confirmed intracranial disease. Three examiners who were unaware of histologic diagnosis independently evaluated 19 MR lesion characteristics totaling 57 possible responses. A total of 75 dogs with histologically confirmed intracranial disease were included in analyses: 51 with neoplasia, 18 with inflammatory disease, and six with cerebrovascular disease. Only strong contrast enhancement was more common in neoplasia than other disease categories. A multivariable statistical model suggested that extra‐axial origin, T2‐FLAIR mixed intensity, and defined lesion margins were also predictive of neoplasia. Meningeal enhancement, irregular lesion shape, and multifocal location distinguished inflammatory diseases from the other disease categories. No MR characteristics distinguished vascular lesions and these appeared most similar to neoplasia. These results differed from a previous report describing seven MR characteristics that were predictive of neoplasia in dogs and cats. Findings from the current study indicated that the high performance of MR for diagnosing canine intracranial diseases might be due to evaluator recognition of combinations of MR characteristics vs. relying on any one MR characteristic alone.     

Enhancement of growth of virulent strains of Escherichia coli by interleukin-1.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a polypeptide cytokine that mediates many physiological responses to infection and inflammation and is a growth factor for certain mammalian cells. Virulent and avirulent clinical isolates of Escherichia coli were grown in culture media in the presence of human IL-1. IL-1 beta, but not tumor necrosis factor or IL-4, enhanced the growth of virulent, but not avirulent, E. coli. This enhancement was blocked by the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). Radiolabeled IL-1 bound to virulent but not avirulent E. coli in a specific and saturable fashion; IL-1ra inhibited this binding. Thus, human IL-1 may recognize a functional IL-1-like receptor structure on virulent E. coli and may be a virulence factor for bacterial pathogenicity.     

Effect of adjacent agricultural habitat on the distribution of passerines in natural grasslands

Habitat heterogeneity has often been acknowledged as a key factor determining which species occur in a landscape, but we still know little on the nature and relative importance of the processes controlling species distribution and abundance within complex landscape mosaics. We used a framework defined by the compensation, supplementation and complementation models to study the distribution of four species of passerines typical of steppe habitats and identify the degree to which landscape context accounts for their distribution in the steppe-agriculture mosaic of the Crau, southern France. Steppe habitat was the best predictor of species distribution in all cases and that densities were highest in steppe. One of these species, the Calandra lark, is strictly tied to the natural steppe habitats independently of its context. For another species, the Tawny pipit, we document a significant positive effect of the presence, near steppe habitat, of extensive pastoral habitats, such as fallows and grazed crops. Finally, the abundance of the two remaining species, Skylark and Short-toed lark, was negatively affected by the presence of non-herbaceous habitats in the vicinity of steppe habitat. This suggests that the quality of the steppe habitat, as perceived by these species is conditional to the nature of adjacent habitats. Our results suggest that the management of the context in which steppe habitat is imbedded will significantly affect the distribution and abundance of this group of passerines and determine both habitat quality and conservation value at a landscape scale.     

Spatially explicit trophic modelling of a harvested benthic ecosystem in Tongoy Bay (central northern Chile)

• 1. A dynamical and spatial simulation model of a harvested benthic ecosystem of central northern Chile (Tongoy Bay) was constructed using the ECOSPACE software package.
• 2. In this system the red alga (Chondrocanthus chamissoi), the scallop (Argopecten pupuratus), the gastropod (Xanthochorus cassidiformis) and the crab (Cancer polyodon) are harvested intensively. The impacts of harvesting these resources exclusively in the seagrass, sand‐gravel, and in the sand habitats, as well as, in the seagrass and sand‐gravel and in all habitats were assessed. The goal was to explore policies of sustainable exploitation of the benthic systems.
• 3. The most important findings were: (a) Fishing exclusively in either the seagrass or sand habitats produces a population increase in the sea star Luidia magallanica, in the seagrass Heterozostera tasmanica, and in the crab Paraxanthus barbiger. (b) Exclusive fishing in the sand‐gravel habitat causes only small effects on the species and groups, which suggests that this habitat is the most resistant to harvest. (c) The simultaneous fishing on two or three habitats would produce the largest negative effect on the entire system. Therefore, a habitat rotation fishery is recommended.
• 4. Our study suggests that trophic‐spatially explicit models offer great possibilities for the screening and planning of effective interventions or manipulations of natural systems.

Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.