Ecology, Environment & Conservation back issues from November 2008:
Studies from Environmental Protection Agency further understanding of science.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "A new framework for environmental assessment is needed because no existing framework explicitly includes all types of environmental assessments. We propose a framework that focuses on resolving environmental problems by integrating different types of assessments," scientists in the United ...
New life sciences research from J.D. Connor and co-researchers described.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research published in the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, "This article evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the Catchment Care Australian conservation auction. It provides evidence of auction cost effectiveness, and estimates cost savings from ...
New findings from University of Sydney describe advances in ecohealth.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "As the proportion of older people increases within populations, financial demands related to the cost of health service delivery threaten global stability. This population trend challenges the traditional approach to health service delivery to older populations," scientists in Sydney, ...
Reports from G. Cesaroni and co-researchers add new data to research in environmental medicine.
Nov 07, 2008 ... Researchers in Rome, Italy conducted a study "To evaluate the association of different indices of traffic-related air pollution (self-report of traffic intensity, distance from busy roads from geographical information system (GIS), area-based emissions of particulate matter (PM), and ...
Study data from University of Oregon update knowledge of ecology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Species spatial turnover, or beta-diversity, induces a decay of community similarity with geographic distance known as the distance-decay relationship. Although this relationship is central to biodiversity and biogeography, its theoretical underpinnings remain poorly understood," ...
Data on planetary science discussed by researchers at University of Houston.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Despite emission reductions, Houston continues to be designated as a nonattainment area for ozone (O-3) by the Environmental Protection Agency. Upper-level synoptic maps and information about the vertical structure of the lower troposphere obtained by in situ measurements were analyzed to ...
Study data from C.V. Eadsforth and co-authors update knowledge of surfactants and detergents.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Chester, the United Kingdom, "The production of normal paraffin from Gas to Liquids (GTL) plants provides LAB producers with a more cost-effective feed-stock than normal paraffin extracted from kerosene. Test results to date demonstrate that the ...
Researchers from National University provide details of new studies and findings in the area of amphibian research.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "The viviparous snake species Epicrates cenchria alvarezi and Boa constrictor occidentalis inhabit the Gran Chaco region of South America. Ecological factors determining their distribution are poorly known," scientists in Velez Sarsfield, Argentina report. "GIS-based modelling ...
Research on geology discussed by scientists at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Increased terrestrial sediment and nutrient yields are regarded as significant threats to coral reef health. Within the central Great Barrier Reef lagoon, where water quality has reportedly declined since European settlement (since ca. A.D. 1850), inner-shelf reef conditions have ...
Investigators at Australian National University have published new data on biogeography.
Nov 07, 2008 ... " To assess phylogeographic pattern throughout the range of Metacrinia nichollsi in order to develop specific biogeographical hypotheses for the wet forests of south-western Australia. This was carried out by contrasting a direct-developing frog species, M. nichollsi, that breeds ...
Study results from B.S. Chauhan and colleagues broaden understanding of weed science.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Los Banos, Philippines, "Goosegrass is considered one of the most important grassy weeds of rice, particularly in rain-fed environments. Experiments were conducted in laboratory, screenhouse, and field to study the germination ecology of goosegrass seeds." ...
New earth sciences study findings recently were reported by researchers at Federal University.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Low resolution of the continental sedimentary record is a common source of skepticism about the application of geomorphology and seclimentology to Quaternary studies. In spite of this, when supported by independent proxy data, geomorphology and seclimentology may favor palaeo-hydrologic ...
Study results from University of Guilan update understanding of applied ichthyology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Temporal and spatial variability in gonad development, duration of spawning period, and size/age at maturity were investigated in sand flathead, Platycephalus bassensis. A 3-year study (2001-2003) revealed that variation in gonad weight with somatic weight was a function of an interaction ...
New environmental microbiology study findings have been reported by researchers at University of Lausanne.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Lausanne, Switzerland, "The complex ecology of free-living amoebae (FLA) and their role in spreading pathogenic microorganisms through water systems have recently raised considerable interest. In this study, we investigated the presence of FLA and ...
Reports outline marine science study findings from P. Diaz and colleagues.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Estimates of Spanish bottom trawl discards of anglerfish Lophius budegassa and Lophius piscatorius in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean are presented. Both species are commercially valuable in ICES Subareas VI and VII, and Divisions VIIIc and IXa," researchers in Vigo, Spain report. ...
Findings in botany reported from M. Mushtaq and co-researchers.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Karachi, Pakistan, "A total of 13 species belonging to 9 genera were isolated from slime fluxes of Araucaria cooki, Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Ficus religiosa." "The isolated yeast species were identified on the basis of ...
Research from C.S. Hall and co-researchers yields new findings on ornithology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Boluses were collected from Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) nestlings in 1992 to examine the impact of night-heron predation on a restored tern colony. Boluses (n = 101) were collected from 18 nests," scientists writing in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology report. ...
New herpetology data have been reported by M.S. Lopez and co-authors.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "We studied the sexual dimorphism, feeding habits, reproductive biology, and seasonal activity of the snake Philodryas patagoniensis in northeastern Argentina, where this species is the most abundant snake. There were differences in snout-vent length, tail length, and scale counts between ...
Research on mammal research published by scientists at University of Kiel.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "1. The occurrence of different species of seal (Phocidae) during the Holocene in north-eastern Europe was influenced by a changing geological situation over the last 12 000 years, characterized by alternating freshwater, brackish and marine stages and by spatially and temporally limited ...
Studies from University of Colorado have provided new data on hydrology.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from the United States, "The objective of this study was to measure hydroxyl radical reaction rates using both UV/H2O2 and pulse radiolysis techniques for 10 US EPA Contaminant Candidate List compounds (2,6- and 2,4-DNT, EPTC, prometon, linuron, diuron, RDX, molinate, ...
Reports summarize photosynthetica study results from M.T. Portes and co-researchers.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "We investigated the photosynthetic induction time-course in species of different ecological groups grown in contrasting forest irradiance environments, gap and understorey, exposed to different darkness times in order to verify the plant capacity to exploit irradiance heterogeneity ....
Researchers at University of British Columbia target zoology.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Prince George, Canada, "Decreased reproductive success among birds breeding later in the season is it common pattern in temperate environments, although the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. The quality hypothesis Suggests that high-quality ...
Researchers from University of Sussex report recent findings in ecology and sociobiology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research published in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, "The dawn chorus is a striking feature of spring mornings and a characteristic behaviour of many bird species, particularly the passerines. Dawn singing has been considered a reliable signal of male ...
New environment study findings have been reported by researchers at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... "This study investigated the feasibility of using the spatial distribution of expiratory aerosols and the viability functions of airborne viruses to estimate exposures to airborne viruses in an indoor environment under imperfectly mixed condition. A method adopting this approach was tested ...
New meteorology study results reported from University of Cagliari.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Cagliari, Italy, "A new verification method is proposed to test the consistency of ensemble high-resolution precipitation fields forecasted by calibrated downscaling models. The method is based on a generalization of the verification rank histogram and tests the ...
New environmental chemistry data have been reported by researchers at University of Ghent.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "In the present study, the individual effects of Ca, Mg, and pH on the chronic toxicity of Ni to Daphnia magna were examined in a series of 21-d reproduction tests in synthetic test solutions. Based on the linear increase of 21-d median effective concentrations expressed as Ni2+ activity ...
Scientists at University of Toronto discuss research in fisheries research.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Toronto, Canada, "Knowledge of Canada's lakes is needed to manage environmental stresses. Lake inventory and lake feature databases were used to build a national impact assessment template and assess regional typology." "There are similar to 910 ...
Reports outline science and technology study results from A. Wishkerman et al.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Mainz, Germany, "Methyl bromide (CH3Br) is the most abundant brominated organic compound in the atmosphere. It is known to originate from natural and anthropogenic sources, although many uncertainties remain regarding strengths of both sources and sinks and the ...
Research on environmental management published by scientists at University of New Hampshire.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Among the most conspicuous environmental effects of roads are vehicle-related mortalities of wildlife. Research to understand the factors that contribute to wildlife-vehicle collisions can be partitioned into several major themes, including (i) characteristics associated with roadkill hot ...
Research reports from University of Leuven provide new insights into geoenvironmental engineering.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Louvain, Belgium, "The spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) method aims to determine the small strain dynamic soil characteristics of shallow soil layers. The method involves an in situ experiment, the determination of an experimental dispersion curve, and ...
New functional ecology research from University of Oklahoma described.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "1. The leaf litter of tropical forests serves as a carbon sink, slows soil erosion and leaching, and is home to a large fraction of the forest's biodiversity," scientists in the United States report. "Standing leaf litter reflects the balance of litterfall and decomposition; ...
New bird conservation study results from R.T. Barrett et al described.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research published in the journal Bird Conservation International, "Common Guillemots Uria aalge and Brunnich's Guillemots U. lomvia are common victims of oil spills, drowning in fishing nets and winter wrecks." "Because the Norwegian population of Common ...
Studies from University of New South Wales add new findings in the area of marine biology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Sydney, Australia, "Although polyclads are amongst the most structurally simple of the triploblastic metazoans, they adopt a wide range of reproductive strategies. Parental care behaviour in this group is yet to be quantified for any species." "We ...
Scientists at Massey University publish research in environmental engineering.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "The use of computation fluid dynamics (CFD) for waste stabilization pond design is becoming increasingly common but there is a large gap in the literature with regard to validating CFD pond models against experimental flow data. This paper assesses a CFD model against tracer studies ...
Reports outline sustainable development and world ecology study results from F. Liu et al.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Beijing, People's Republic of China, "Surface ozone (O-3) pollution, a critical environmental challenge facing government agencies at all levels, is becoming more and more serious in China, especially in rapidly developing urban areas like Beijing. However, in ...
Study data from Harvard University provide new insights into ecology and evolution.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Insects use chemical cues to identify host plants, which suggests that chemosensory perception could be a target of natural selection during host specialization," researchers in the United States report. "Five papers using data from the 12 recently sequenced Drosophila genomes ...
Research from C.A. Pilditch and co-authors provides new data about continental shelf research.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Hamilton, New Zealand, "Low tide rainfall may represent an important but little studied process affecting sediment fluxes on intertidal mudflats. In this study, we simulated rainfall events on an intertidal mudflat (median grain size = 18.4 mu m) of low ...
Studies from Purdue University further understanding of ocean research.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from the United States, "Sediment cores from Ocean Drilling Program sites 1094 and 1093 hold the most extensive and most detailed records of carbon and nitrogen isotopes of diatom-bound organic matter in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean over the past ...
New findings in toxicology described from University of Trieste.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Moss bags of Rhynchostegium riparioides were exposed to different water concentrations of 11 trace elements under laboratory conditions, according to a saturated fractional factorial design (67 treated combinations), with the aim of measuring (1) element uptake and (2) the main effects ...
Study results from University of Edinburgh update understanding of environmental change.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Environmental change alters ecosystem functioning and may put the provision of services to human at risk. This paper presents a spatially explicit and quantitative assessment of the corresponding vulnerability for Europe, using a new framework designed to answer multidisciplinary policy ...
Reports outline microbiology and ecology study results from Wageningen University.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research published in the journal Fems Microbiology Ecology, "The anaerobic degradation of tetradecylamine and other long-chain alkylamines by a newly isolated denitrifying bacterium was studied. Strain ZN6 was isolated from a mixture of soil and active sludge and was ...
Research results from University of Barcelona update understanding of chemical research.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Barcelona, Spain, "We studied the in vitro antitumoral effect of a series of phenazine di-N-oxide derivatives, named 2-chloroacetylamino-7(8)-nitrophenazine N-5,N-10-dioxide (1), 2-amino-7(8)-(1,3-dioxol-2-yl)phenazine N-5,N-10-dioxide (2), ...
Studies from University of Vigo provide new data on behavioral ecology.(Report)
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Red, orange, and yellow carotenoid-based colorations displayed by fishes and birds may function as honest sexual signals of the bearer's quality. However, the mechanisms underlying the expression of these traits and the information they convey are still controversial," scientists in Vigo, ...
Research from University of Ljubljana provide new insights into environmental research.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research published in the journal Plant Cell and Environment, "A detailed localization of elements in leaf tissues of the field-collected Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox (Brassicaceae) growing at a highly metal-polluted site was determined by micro-proton-induced ...
Studies conducted at University of Washington on gastroenterology and hepatology recently published.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Previous studies of lower intestinal bleeding (LIB) have limited power to study mortality. We sought to identify characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality in a large cohort of patients with LIB," scientists writing in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology ...
Study: Wildlife need more complex travel plans.
Nov 07, 2008 ... A new UC Davis study says that people trying to help nature by designing corridors for wildlife need to think more naturally. "Human beings tend to think in terms of regular, symmetrical structures, but nature can be much more irregular," said UC Davis postdoctoral researcher ...
Inmates conduct ecological research on slow-growing mosses.
Nov 07, 2008 ... Nalini Nadkarni of Evergreen State College currently advises a team of researchers who sport shaved heads, tattooed biceps and prison-issued garb rather than the lab coats and khakis typically worn by researchers. Why is Nadkarni's team composed of such apparently iconoclastic researchers? ...
Recent studies from Oregon State University add new data to ecology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from the United States, "Douglass el al. (Ecol." "Lett, 11, 2008, 1) concluded that grazer diversity and predator diversity have an interactive effect on herbivore abundance in experimental marine mesocosms," wrote P.A. Murtaugh and colleagues, ...
Investigators at Stanford University release new data on ecology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "We asked if element concentrations in ferns differ systematically from those in woody dicots in ways that could influence ecosystem properties and processes. Phylogenetically, ferns are deeply separated from angiosperms; for our analyses we additionally separated leptosporangiate ferns ...
Studies from University of Halle-Wittenberg have provided new data on environmental microbiology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Halle, Germany, "Enrichment cultures capable of reductively dechlorinating 1,2,4-trichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,2,4-TrCDD) were shown to dechlorinate 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (1,2,3-TrCB) to 1,3-dichlorobenzene. To test if this activity can be used to enrich ...
Research from Federal University has provided new information about herpetology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Brazil, "Crossodactylus bokermanni is a spinythumb frog known only from the type locality and categorized as Endangered or Vulnerable in different red lists. The examination of many unidentified specimens collected in the range of the Serra do Espinhaco, ...
Study findings on ecology are outlined in reports from University of Zurich.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from Zurich, Switzerland, "Crop rotation schemes are believed to work by preventing specialist soil-borne pests from depressing the future yields of similar crops. In ecology, such negative plant-soil feedbacks may be viewed as a type of Janzen-Connell effect, which ...
Investigators at University of Padua publish new data on biogeography.
Nov 07, 2008 ... " To evaluate the relative importance of water-energy, land-cover, environmental heterogeneity and spatial variables on the regional distribution of Red-Listed and common vascular plant species richness. Location Trento Province (c. 6200 km(2)) on the southern border of the European Alps ...
New environmental chemistry study findings recently were published by researchers at University of Windsor.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widespread contaminants emanating from, among other sources, the production/degradation of fluorinated chemicals used in surface repellant applications, such as carpet manufacturing. The goal of the present study was to assess the concentrations of PFAAs, ...
Report summarizes environmental chemistry study findings from Environmental Protection Agency.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from the United States, "Traditionally, chronic toxicity in aquatic organisms and wildlife has been determined from either toxicity test data, acute to chronic ratios, or application of safety factors. A more recent alternative approach has been to estimate chronic ...
New marine biology data have been reported by scientists at University of Hamburg.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Rates of routine respiration (RR, mu l O-2 fish(-1) h(-1)) and total ammonia nitrogen excretion (ER, mu g NH4- N + NH3-N fish(-1) h(-1)) were measured on larval and juvenile haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) to ascertain how energy losses due to metabolism were influenced by temperature ...
Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University details research in environmental change.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "A stakeholder dialogue was embedded in the ATEAM project to facilitate the development and dissemination of its European-wide vulnerability assessment of global change impacts. Participating stakeholders were primarily ecosystem managers and policy advisers interested in potential impacts ...
Study findings on ecology are outlined in reports from University of Queensland.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Offspring size is strikingly variable within species. Although theory can account for variation in offspring size among mothers, an adaptive explanation for variation within individual broods has proved elusive," researchers in Brisbane, Australia report. "Theoretical ...
Reports outline climate research from Clark University.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "The challenge of reversing rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations is growing with the continued expansion of CO2-emitting energy infrastructure throughout the world and with the lack of coordinated, effective measures to manage and reduce emissions. Given this situation, it is prudent for ...
Scientists at University of Paris detail research in ecology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "An evaluation of the link between climate and population dynamics requires understanding of climate effects both within and across generations. In ectothermic vertebrates, demographic responses to climate changes should crucially depend on balancing needs for heat and water," researchers ...
Researchers from University of Missouri provide details of new studies and findings in the area of ecology and sociobiology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from the United States, "The social environment of many species includes synchronous maturation of siblings in family groups, followed by limited dispersal of adults from their natal site. Under these conditions, females may experience high encounter rates with ...
Reports on meteorology findings from F. Uboldi and co-researchers provide new insights.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "An objective analysis technique is applied to a local, high-resolution meteorological observation network in the presence of complex topography. The choice of optimal interpolation (01) makes it possible to implement it standard spatial interpolation algorithm efficiently," investigators ...
Scientists at International Atomic Energy Agency publish research in toxicology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... "Radiotracer experiments using Pb-210 and Hg-203 demonstrated that eggs of the spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula absorbed lead and inorganic mercury directly from seawater over 21 days of experimental exposure, attaining total egg concentration factors (CFs) relative to water of ...
Studies conducted at M. Castonguay et al on fisheries research recently published.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to recent research from Canada, "Predicting fluctuations in recruitment of commercial marine fish remains the Holy Grail of fisheries science. In previous Studies, we identified statistical relationships linking Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) recruitment to regional ...
Studies from Michigan State University yield new information about meteorology.
Nov 07, 2008 ... According to a study from the United States, "The climatology of high wind events in the Owens Valley, California, a deep valley located just east of the southern Sierra Nevada, is described using data from six automated weather stations distributed along the valley axis in combination ...