Oribatid mites in urban zones of West Berlin

Summary A comparison is made between oribatid fauna (Acari, Oribatida) in the urban regions of West Berlin and forest areas. There are characteristic species compositions living in urban soils, in epilithic moss cushions or on the bark of trees. The urban environment obviously causes a change in the species pattern in these types of habitats and minimizes the number of species in central urban regions. The most important regional factors are probably relative aridity, air pollution and habitat isolation, showing a similar increasing tendency from sub-urban to central regions of West Berlin. The effects of air pollution (SO2) on moss-inhabiting oribatid mites are analysed in 13 sites of the urban district of West Berlin. The use of moss- and bark-dwelling mites as bioindicators of air pollution is discussed.Soil oribatids might be useful bioindicators of soil pollution in further research.Dedicated to the late Prof. Dr. M.S. Ghilarov     

Analysis of leaf and needle litter decomposition by differential scanning calorimetry and differential thermogravimetry

Summary Changes in the physicochemical properties of three kinds of litter (Prunus serotina leaves, Carpinus betulus leaves, and Pinus sylvestris needles) were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and differential thermogravimetry after decomposition for 12 to 27 months under field conditions. As expected, holocellulose was always decomposed to a larger extent than the corresponding lignin components, leading to an enrichment of lignin in the residue. These lignins were more or less modified depending on the plant species. Moreover, the results suggest that energy-rich crystalline cellulose accumulates during decomposition at the expense of easier degradable amorphous cellulose and hemicelluloses. The quotient Q, from the corresponding calorimetry and thermogravimetry values, was introduced to estimate the specific energy content as a measure for the decomposition of litter components.Dedicated to the late Prof. Dr. W. Kühnelt     

Experimental acidification of Little Rock Lake,Wisconsin

The controlled acidification of a two-basin lake is described. The lake was divided by a vinyl curtain in 1984; acidification of one basin began in 1985. Target pH values of 5.5, 5.0 and 4.5 are planned for 2-yr increments. Biotic and chemical responses and internal alkalinity generation are being studied. Baseline studies, initial results at pH 5.5, and predictions of lake responses to acidification are described.     

Real-time observation and prediction of physical processes in a typhoon-affected lake

A nowcasting system integrating observations and a numerical model was developed to better understand the spatial distributions and temporal variations in the dynamics of a small, subtropical lake occasionally influenced by severe rainstorms. The nowcasting system was used to monitor real-time meteorological conditions and thermal structures, to provide spatial information on the thermal and flow dynamics from model predictions, and to compare the predictions with the observations. The system was also able to determine whether the instruments collecting field data were performing correctly using telemetry operations. The nowcasting system was initially operated in the spring of 2009 in Yuan-Yang Lake, Taiwan. Rainstorm-induced mixing occurred due to Typhoon Morakot during August 7–9, 2009. The mixing was observed by the instruments, and the spatial distributions and temporal variations during the mixing were successfully predicted by the three-dimensional hydrodynamic lake model. A quantitative comparison of the energy balances among the heat, wind, and water inflow inputs to the lake implied that the typhoon-induced mixing was primarily caused by strong winds. The model predictions showed that the lake experienced mixing and flooding (large amounts of inflow/outflow discharges), resulting in homogenous temperatures and flows that moved to the outlet of the lake.     

Biochemical analysis of uterine fluid for identification of indicators for subclinical endometritis in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Alterations in biochemical constituents of uterine fluid have been suggested for diagnosis of subclinical uterine infection in the bovine. This study was undertaken to investigate whether uterine fluid biomolecules could act as tool for diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in the buffalo. Uterine fluid samples from normal (n = 22) and subclinical endometritis (n = 18; diagnosed based on uterine cytology)‐affected buffaloes were subjected to biochemical analysis. Among the different biochemical constituents estimated, urea, urea N, cholesterol, total bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentrations were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in uterine fluid obtained from subclinical endometritis‐affected buffaloes. The extent of difference between normal and subclinical endometritis‐affected buffaloes was highest in ALP (69%) followed by cholesterol (55%), bilirubin (48%), urea (30%) and urea N (30%) concentrations. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that the likelihood ratio (LR) was 3.63 for urea, indicating that buffaloes having less than the threshold concentration (47.5 mg/dl) of urea in their uterine fluid were at 3.6 times more risk to be affected with SE. The LRs for urea N, cholesterol, ALP and bilirubin were 2.33, 2.54, 2.12 and 1.65, respectively. It was concluded that ALP, urea, urea N and cholesterol concentrations in uterine fluid may serve as an aid for diagnosing subclinical endometritis in the buffalo.     

Nutrient balances as indicators for sustainability of broiler production systems

1. Flock balances of nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc and copper (N, P, Zn, Cu) were calculated in order to evaluate environmental effects of three different broiler production systems (intensive indoor, free range and organic). 2. Nutrient gain in birds per unit nutrient intake (retention) in intensive indoor production was higher than in free range and organic production. 3. Nutrient surplus relative to nutrient retention was higher in organic production than in free range and intensive indoor production. 4. The main reasons for differences in nutrient efficiency between intensive indoor, free range and organic production were duration of growth period, strain of broilers and feeding strategy. 5. The calculation of whole farm indicators (livestock density, N and P excretions per hectare of farmland) demonstrates how defining system boundaries affects the outcome of an evaluation: organic farms had the smallest livestock densities and the lowest N and P excretions per hectare of farmland. 6. In the efforts to reach a more holistic evaluation of agricultural production systems, the definition of adequate system boundaries must be discussed. In addition to nutrient balances, further indicators of sustainability, such as human and ecological toxicity, should be considered.     

Effect of Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentration on Rice Quality: Nutritive Value,Color, Milling,Cooking, and Eating Qualities

Increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO₂]) enhanced the concentration of carbohydrates in rice grains, according to results of a previous study. However, its impact on other quality traits is little known. To investigate the effect of CO₂ levels (375 and 550 μmol/mol) on rice quality, a field experiment was conducted with open‐top chambers. Elevated [CO₂] affected several nutritional parameters of the grain. Whereas the concentration of α‐linolenic acid increased, that of linoleic and γ‐linolenic acids decreased. For example, reductions of 9 and 28% were observed for linoleic acid in the brown rice and for γ‐linolenic acid in the husk, respectively. Phytic acid concentration and zinc bioavailability were unaffected. Whereas iron bioavailability decreased in the brown rice (22%), calcium bioavailability increased in the bran and husk (5–11%). The concentrations of essential amino acids were also reduced; for example, the amount of isoleucine in the white rice, tyrosine in the brown rice, and phenylalanine in the bran decreased by 40, 57, and 23%, respectively. In contrast, elevated [CO₂] resulted in improved grain whiteness (3%) and starch viscosity (11%), with no effect on the milling quality. These data indicate that increased [CO₂] has both positive and negative effects on quality, depending on the specific end use of the rice grain.     

Carbon dioxide supersaturation in the surface waters of lakes

Data on the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) in the surface waters from a large number of lakes (1835) with a worldwide distribution show that only a small proportion of the 4665 samples analyzed (less than 10 percent) were within +/-20 percent of equilibrium with the atmosphere and that most samples (87 percent) were supersaturated. The mean partial pressure of CO(2) averaged 1036 microatmospheres, about three times the value in the overlying atmosphere, indicating that lakes are sources rather than sinks of atmospheric CO(2). On a global scale, the potential efflux of CO(2) from lakes (about 0.14 x 10(15) grams of carbon per year) is about half as large as riverine transport of organic plus inorganic carbon to the ocean. Lakes are a small but potentially important conduit for carbon from terrestrial sources to the atmospheric sink.