The impact of hunting on tropical mammal and bird populations.

Hunting is a major driver of biodiversity loss, but a systematic large-scale estimate of hunting-induced defaunation is lacking. We synthesized 176 studies to quantify hunting-induced declines of mammal and bird populations across the tropics. Bird and mammal abundances declined by 58% (25 to 76%) and by 83% (72 to 90%) in hunted compared with unhunted areas. Bird and mammal populations were depleted within 7 and 40 kilometers from hunters' access points (roads and settlements). Additionally, hunting pressure was higher in areas with better accessibility to major towns where wild meat could be traded. Mammal population densities were lower outside protected areas, particularly because of commercial hunting. Strategies to sustainably manage wild meat hunting in both protected and unprotected tropical ecosystems are urgently needed to avoid further defaunation.

An allometric approach to quantify the extinction vulnerability of birds and mammals.

Methods to quantify the vulnerability of species to extinction are typically limited by the availability of species-specific input data pertaining to life-history characteristics and population dynamics. This lack of data hampers global biodiversity assessments and conservation planning. Here, we developed a new framework that systematically quantifies extinction risk based on allometric relationships between various wildlife demographic parameters and body size. These allometric relationships have a solid theoretical and ecological foundation. Extinction risk indicators included are (1) the probability of extinction, (2) the mean time to extinction, and (3) the critical patch size. We applied our framework to assess the global extinction vulnerability of terrestrial carnivorous and non-carnivorous birds and mammals. Irrespective of the indicator used, large-bodied species were found to be more vulnerable to extinction than their smaller counterparts. The patterns with body size were confirmed for all species groups by a comparison with IUCN data on the proportion of extant threatened species: the models correctly predicted a multimodal distribution with body size for carnivorous birds and a monotonic distribution for mammals and non-carnivorous birds. Carnivorous mammals were found to have higher extinction risks than non-carnivores, while birds were more prone to extinction than mammals. These results are explained by the allometric relationships, predicting the vulnerable species groups to have lower intrinsic population growth rates, smaller population sizes, lower carrying capacities, or larger dispersal distances, which, in turn, increase the importance of losses due to environmental stochastic effects and dispersal activities. Our study is the first to integrate population viability analysis and allometry into a novel, process-based framework that is able to quantify extinction risk of a large number of species without requiring data-intensive, species-specific information. The framework facilitates the estimation of extinction vulnerabilities of data-deficient species. It may be applied to forecast extinction vulnerability in response to a changing environment, by incorporating quantitative relationships between wildlife demographic parameters and environmental drivers like habitat alteration, climate change, or hunting.

Plant species sensitivity distributions for ozone exposure.

This study derived Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSD), representing a cumulative stressor-response distribution based on single-species sensitivity data, for ozone exposure on natural vegetation. SSDs were constructed for three species groups, i.e. trees, annual grassland and perennial grassland species, using species-specific exposure-response data. The SSDs were applied in two ways. First, critical levels were calculated for each species group and compared to current critical levels for ozone exposure. Second, spatially explicit estimates of the potentially affected fraction of plant species in Northwestern Europe were calculated, based on ambient ozone concentrations. We found that the SSD-based critical levels were lower than for the current critical levels for ozone exposure, with conventional critical levels for ozone relating to 8-20% affected plant species. Our study shows that the SSD concept can be successfully applied to both derive critical ozone levels and estimate the potentially affected species fraction of plant communities along specific ozone gradients.

Organ-specific accumulation and elimination patterns of PCBs in adult seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

The present study quantifies and explains the differences between measured organ-specific polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulation and elimination kinetics in seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), comparing these results with calculations using the generic model OMEGA. Specimens of approximately 250 g were selected and fed with contaminated food with PCBs 18, 44, 49, 52, 101, 105, 118, 138, 180 and 187. The OMEGA model was applied using a measured biomass (re)production coefficient and the food ingestion coefficient. It produced estimations of total body concentrations within a factor between 1.5 and 7.0 times of the measured and it also reproduced the general trend of the PCB concentrations during the experiment. This study allows us to confirm that internal distribution of PCBs is slow, producing significant differences in the tissues elimination rate constants and consequently in tissues bioaccumulation factors (BAF). The distribution of PCBs within the organism was slower than reported before, due to the bigger body size and the high lipid content of these fish.

Mini-review on cardiac complications after mediastinal irradiation for Hodgkin lymphoma.

We present a 62-year-old man who over the years developed almost all the possible cardiac complications of radiation therapy after treatment of a Hodgkin's lymphoma. A review of the literature and a summary of treatment options for cardiac complications after irradiation of the mediastinum for Hodgkin's lymphoma are presented.

Comparing the effectiveness of interventions to improve ventilation behavior in primary schools.

UNLABELLED: Poor air quality in schools has been associated with adverse health effects. Indoor air quality can be improved by increasing ventilation. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of different interventions to improve ventilation behavior in primary schools. We used indoor CO(2) concentrations as an indicator. In 81 classes of 20 Dutch primary schools, we applied three different interventions: (i) a class-specific ventilation advice; (ii) the advice combined with a CO(2) warning device and (iii) the advice combined with a teaching package. The effectiveness of the interventions was tested directly after intervention and 6 weeks after intervention by measuring the CO(2) concentrations and comparison with a control group (iv). Before intervention, the CO(2) concentration exceeded 1000 ppm for 64% of the school day. The class-specific ventilation advice without further support appeared an ineffective tool to improve ventilation behavior. The advice in combination with a CO(2) warning device or the teaching package proved effective tools and resulted in lower indoor CO(2) concentrations when compared with the control group. Ventilation was significantly improved, but CO(2) concentrations still exceeded 1000 ppm for more than 40% of the school day. Hence, until ventilation facilities are upgraded, the CO(2) warning device and the teaching package are useful low-cost tools. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: To improve ventilation behavior and indoor air quality in schools, CO(2) warning device and teaching package combined with a class-specific ventilation advice, are effective tools, while giving the ventilation advice solely, is not effective. Although ventilation is significantly improved through behavioral change, the ventilation rate is still insufficient to maintain good air quality during the full school day. Therefore, the improvement of the ventilation facilities is recommended. Hence, until ventilation facilities in schools are upgraded, the CO(2) warning device and the teaching package are useful low-cost tools to improve current indoor air quality.

Environmental and health impact by dairy cattle livestock and manure management in the Czech Republic.

In this study we evaluate the potential environmental and health impact of dairy cattle livestock and manure management in the Czech Republic. We present a new approach for national assessments of the environmental impact of an agricultural sector. Emission estimates are combined with a country-specific set of indicators to assess the environmental impact in nine regions with specific environmental characteristics. We estimate the contribution of emissions of ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen oxides (NO) to acidification and terrestrial eutrophication, nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4) to aquatic eutrophication, nitrogen oxides (NO), particulate matter (PM10) and (PM2.5) to human toxicity and methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (NO) to global warming. We present large regional differences in the environmental and health impact per unit of agricultural production. The regional acidifying, eutrophying and global warming impact of dairy cattle is calculated to be up to three times the national average, depending on the dairy cattle intensity. Aquatic eutrophication is found to be a problem in regions with relatively high eutrophying emissions per hectare of so-called nitrate vulnerable zones. Human toxicity problems caused by dairy cattle livestock and manure management are problematic in regions with a high population density in rural areas. The strength of our approach is the use of country-specific characterisation factors to assess the potential environmental and health impact of agriculture at the sub-national scale. We were able to analyse the potential environmental impact without explicit quantification of specific effects on humans and ecosystems. The results can be used to identify the most polluted areas as well as appropriate targets for emission reduction.

Human intake fractions of pesticides via greenhouse tomato consumption: comparing model estimates with measurements for Captan.

Human intake due to pesticide residues in food commodities can be much higher than those related to water consumption and air inhalation, stressing the importance to correctly estimate pesticide uptake into plants and predict subsequent intake by humans. We calculated the human intake fraction of captan via tomato consumption taking into account the time between pesticide application and harvest, the time between harvest and consumption, the absorption of spray deposit on plant surfaces, transfer properties through the cuticle, degradation inside the plant and loss due to food processing. Human population intake fractions due to ingestion were calculated for complete, washed and peeled tomatoes. The calculated intake fractions were compared with measurements derived from an experimental setup in a Mediterranean greenhouse. The fraction of captan applied in the greenhouse as plant treatment that eventually is ingested by the human population is on average 10(-2)-10(-5), depending on the time between pesticide application and ingestion of tomatoes and the processing step considered. Model and experimentally derived intake fractions deviated less than a factor of 2 for complete and washed tomatoes and a factor of 3 for peeled tomatoes. Intake fractions due to air inhalation and consumption of drinking water are expected to be significantly lower (5-9 orders of magnitude) than those induced by the intake of tomatoes in this case study.

Cumulative exergy extraction from the natural environment (CEENE): a comprehensive life cycle impact assessment method for resource accounting.

The objective of the paper is to establish a comprehensive resource-based life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method which is scientifically sound and that enables to assess all kinds of resources that are deprived from the natural ecosystem, all quantified on one single scale, free of weighting factors. The method is based on the exergy concept. Consistent exergy data on fossils, nuclear and metal ores, minerals, air, water, land occupation, and renewable energy sources were elaborated, with well defined system boundaries. Based on these data, the method quantifies the exergy "taken away" from natural ecosystems, and is thus called the cumulative exergy extraction from the natural environment (CEENE). The acquired data set was coupled with a state-of-the art life cycle inventory database, ecoinvent. In this way, the method is able to quantitatively distinguish eight categories of resources withdrawn from the natural environment: renewable resources, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, metal ores, minerals, water resources, land resources, and atmospheric resources. Third, the CEENE method is illustrated for a number of products that are available in ecoinvent, and results are compared with common resource oriented LCIA methods. The application to the materials in the ecoinvent database showed that fossil resources and land use are of particular importance with regard to the total CEENE score, although the other resource categories may also be significant.

Comparison of three fish bioaccumulation models for ecological and human risk assessment and validation with field data.

This article compares two bioconcentration Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSARs) for fish applied in human risk assessments with the mechanistic bioaccumulation model OMEGA and field data. It was found that all models are virtually similar up to a Kow of 10(6). For substances with a Kow higher than 10(6), the fish bioconcentration curve in the risk assessment model EUSES decreases parabolically. In contrast, OMEGA bioaccumulation outcomes approximately show a linear increase, based on mechanistic bioconcentration and biomagnification properties of chemicals. The OMEGA-outcomes are close to the fish bioconcentration outcomes of the risk assessment model CalTOX. For very hydrophobic substances, field accumulation data in freshwater and marine fish species are closer to OMEGA- and CalTOX-outcomes compared to EUSES. The results also show that it is important to include biomagnification in fish and lipid content of fish in human exposure models.

Geographical scenario uncertainty in generic fate and exposure factors of toxic pollutants for life-cycle impact assessment.

In environmental life-cycle assessments (LCA), fate and exposure factors account for the general fate and exposure properties of chemicals under generic environmental conditions by means of 'evaluative' multi-media fate and exposure box models. To assess the effect of using different generic environmental conditions, fate and exposure factors of chemicals emitted under typical conditions of (1). Western Europe, (2). Australia and (3). the United States of America were compared with the multi-media fate and exposure box model USES-LCA. Comparing the results of the three evaluative environments, it was found that the uncertainty in fate and exposure factors for ecosystems and humans due to choice of an evaluative environment, as represented by the ratio of the 97.5th and 50th percentile, is between a factor 2 and 10. Particularly, fate and exposure factors of emissions causing effects in fresh water ecosystems and effects on human health have relatively high uncertainty. This uncertainty is mainly caused by the continental difference in the average soil erosion rate, the dimensions of the fresh water and agricultural soil compartment, and the fraction of drinking water coming from ground water.