Effect of height and colour of bee bricks on nesting occupancy of bees and wasps in SW England

Bee bricks are a novel solitary-bee nesting habitat made from reclaimed concrete, designed to be built into walls to provide nest sites in urban areas. We tested if cavity-nesting bees and wasps used bee bricks, and if they showed any preference for nesting in bricks of different colours or at different heights. We carried out surveys of solitary bees in 15 private urban gardens and eight rural public gardens, where the bee bricks were then placed for two years (2016-2017). Bee bricks were placed on structures that were either 1 m in height with 4 bricks (red, yellow, white and wooden control) or with three platforms where white bricks were placed at 0 m, 0.6 m or 1.0 m above the ground. The number of occupied nest holes was counted at the end of each summer. Nesting holes that were capped with mud were more common than those capped with chewed or cut leaves. The average % of holes capped with either mud or chewed leaf was greatest in red bricks and lowest in wooden controls. Only one brick out of 39 placed at ground level had capped holes, although the difference in the % of holes capped between heights was not statistically significant. Cavity-nesting bees and wasps use solitary-bee bricks for nests, but population level impacts are still untested.

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Cranial crassicaudiasis in two coastal dolphin species from South Africa is predominantly a disease of immature individuals

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms ◽

10.3354/dao03468 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 139 ◽

pp. 93-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

MF Van Bressem ◽

P Duignan ◽

JA Raga ◽

K Van Waerebeek ◽

N Fraijia-Fernández ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Bone Development ◽

Bottlenose Dolphins ◽

Fatal Outcome ◽

Population Level ◽

Cape Coast ◽

Osteolytic Lesions ◽

Immune Mediated ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Difference

Crassicauda spp. (Nematoda) infest the cranial sinuses of several odontocetes, causing diagnostic trabecular osteolytic lesions. We examined skulls of 77 Indian Ocean humpback dolphins Sousa plumbea and 69 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins Tursiops aduncus, caught in bather-protecting nets off KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from 1970-2017, and skulls of 6 S. plumbea stranded along the southern Cape coast in South Africa from 1963-2002. Prevalence of cranial crassicaudiasis was evaluated according to sex and cranial maturity. Overall, prevalence in S. plumbea and T. aduncus taken off KZN was 13 and 31.9%, respectively. Parasitosis variably affected 1 or more cranial bones (frontal, pterygoid, maxillary and sphenoid). No significant difference was found by gender for either species, allowing sexes to be pooled. However, there was a significant difference in lesion prevalence by age, with immature T. aduncus 4.6 times more likely affected than adults, while for S. plumbea, the difference was 6.5-fold. As severe osteolytic lesions are unlikely to heal without trace, we propose that infection is more likely to have a fatal outcome for immature dolphins, possibly because of incomplete bone development, lower immune competence in clearing parasites or an over-exuberant inflammatory response in concert with parasitic enzymatic erosion. Cranial osteolysis was not observed in mature males (18 S. plumbea, 21 T. aduncus), suggesting potential cohort-linked immune-mediated resistance to infestation. Crassicauda spp. may play a role in the natural mortality of S. plumbea and T. aduncus, but the pathogenesis and population level impact remain unknown.

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Considerations on Ambient Levels of Ozone Concentrations and Relationship with NOx in an Urban Environment

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.17.4.5560 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (4) ◽

pp. 824-829

Author(s):

Cornel Ianache ◽

Laurentiu Predescu ◽

Mirela Predescu ◽

Dumitru Dumitru

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Oxides ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

Ground Level ◽

Distinct Pattern ◽

Weekend Effect ◽

Monitoring Site ◽

Ground Level Ozone ◽

Ozone Concentrations

The serious air pollution problem has determined public concerns, worldwide. One of the main challenges for countries all over the world is caused by the elevated levels of ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations and its anthropogenic precursors. Ploiesti city, as one of the major urban area of Romania, is facing the same situation. This research aims to investigate spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of O3 in relationship with nitrogen oxides (NOx) using statistical analysis methods. Hourly O3 and NOx measurements were collected during 2014 year in Ploiesti. The results obtained showed that the ozone spatial distribution was non-normal for each month in 2014. The diurnal cycle of ground-level ozone concentrations showed a mid-day peak, while NOx diurnal variations presented 2 daily peaks, one in the morning (7:00 a.m.) and one in the afternoon (between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m.). In addition, it was observed a distinct pattern of weekly variations for O3 and NOx. Like in many other urban areas, the results indicated the presence of the �ozone weekend effect� in Ploiesti during the 2014 year, ozone concentrations being slightly higher on weekends compared to weekdays. For the same monitoring site, the nitrogen oxides were less prevalent on Saturdays and Sundays, probably due to reducing of road traffic and other pollution-generating activities on weekends than during the week.

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Development of a Line Source Dispersion Model for Gaseous Pollutants by Incorporating Wind Shear near the Ground under Stable Atmospheric Conditions

Environmental Sciences Proceedings ◽

10.3390/ecas2020-08154 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 17

Author(s):

Saisantosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju ◽

Ashok Kumar

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Wind Shear ◽

Dispersion Model ◽

Near Field ◽

Ground Level ◽

Gaseous Pollutants ◽

Air Pollution Control ◽

Mobile Sources ◽

Input Variables

Transportation sources are a major contributor to air pollution in urban areas. The role of air quality modeling is vital in the formulation of air pollution control and management strategies. Many models have appeared in the literature to estimate near-field ground level concentrations from mobile sources moving on a highway. However, current models do not account explicitly for the effect of wind shear (magnitude) near the ground while computing the ground level concentrations near highways from mobile sources. This study presents an analytical model based on the solution of the convective-diffusion equation by incorporating the wind shear near the ground for gaseous pollutants. The model input includes emission rate, wind speed, wind direction, turbulence, and terrain features. The dispersion coefficients are based on the near field parameterization. The sensitivity of the model to compute ground level concentrations for different inputs is presented for three different downwind distances. In general, the model shows Type III sensitivity (i.e., the errors in the input will show a corresponding change in the computed ground level concentrations) for most of the input variables. However, the model equations should be re-examined for three input variables (wind velocity at the reference height and two variables related to the vertical spread of the plume) to make sure that that the model is valid for computing ground level concentrations.

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A Quantitative Method for Evaluation of Visual Privacy in Residential Environments

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings11070272 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 272

Author(s):

He Zheng ◽

Bo Wu ◽

Heyi Wei ◽

Jinbiao Yan ◽

Jianfeng Zhu

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Architectural Design ◽

Ground Level ◽

High Density ◽

Rapid Expansion ◽

High Rise ◽

Visual Exposure ◽

Building Management ◽

Visual Privacy ◽

Building Level

With the rapid expansion of high-rise and high-density buildings in urban areas, visual privacy has become one of the major concerns affecting human environmental quality. Evaluation of residents’ visual exposure to outsiders has attracted more attention in the past decades. This paper presents a quantitative indicator; namely, the Potential Visual Exposure Index (PVEI), to assess visual privacy by introducing the damage of potential visual incursion from public spaces and neighborhoods in high-density residences. The method for computing the PVEI mainly consists of three steps: extracting targets and potential observers in a built environment, conducting intervisibility analysis and identifying visible sightlines, and integrating sightlines from building level and ground level to compute the PVEI value of each building opening. To validate the proposed PVEI, a case study with a sample building located at the center of Kowloon, Hong Kong, was evaluated. The results were in accordance with the common-sense notion that lower floors are subjected to poor visual privacy, and privacy is relatively well-preserved in upper floors in a building. However, residents of middle floors may suffer the worst circumstances with respect to visual privacy. The PVEI can be a useful indicator to assess visual privacy and can provide valuable information in architectural design, hotel room selection, and building management.

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The circadian clock uses different environmental time cues to synchronize emergence and locomotion of the solitary bee Osmia bicornis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-54111-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katharina Beer ◽

Mariela Schenk ◽

Charlotte Helfrich-Förster ◽

Andrea Holzschuh

Keyword(s):

Circadian Clock ◽

Circadian System ◽

Evolutionary Adaptation ◽

Solitary Bee ◽

Daily Rhythms ◽

Osmia Bicornis ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Impact On Survival ◽

Life On Earth ◽

And Behavior

AbstractLife on earth adapted to the daily reoccurring changes in environment by evolving an endogenous circadian clock. Although the circadian clock has a crucial impact on survival and behavior of solitary bees, many aspects of solitary bee clock mechanisms remain unknown. Our study is the first to show that the circadian clock governs emergence in Osmia bicornis, a bee species which overwinters as adult inside its cocoon. Therefore, its eclosion from the pupal case is separated by an interjacent diapause from its emergence in spring. We show that this bee species synchronizes its emergence to the morning. The daily rhythms of emergence are triggered by temperature cycles but not by light cycles. In contrast to this, the bee’s daily rhythms in locomotion are synchronized by light cycles. Thus, we show that the circadian clock of O. bicornis is set by either temperature or light, depending on what activity is timed. Light is a valuable cue for setting the circadian clock when bees have left the nest. However, for pre-emerged bees, temperature is the most important cue, which may represent an evolutionary adaptation of the circadian system to the cavity-nesting life style of O. bicornis.

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Wetland Roofs as an Attractive Option for Decentralized Water Management and Air Conditioning Enhancement in Growing Cities—A Review

Water ◽

10.3390/w11091845 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1845

Author(s):

Andreas Zehnsdorf ◽

Keani C. U. Willebrand ◽

Ralf Trabitzsch ◽

Sarah Knechtel ◽

Michael Blumberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Ground Level ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Positive Side ◽

Climate Regulation ◽

Decentralized Treatment ◽

Attractive Option ◽

Stormwater Retention ◽

Positive Side Effects

While constructed wetlands have become established for the decentralized treatment of wastewater and rainwater, wetland roofs have only been built in isolated cases up to now. The historical development of wetland roofs is described here on the basis of a survey of literature and patents, and the increasing interest in this ecotechnology around the world is presented. In particular, this article describes the potential for using wetland roofs and examines experience with applications in decentralized water management in urban environments and for climate regulation in buildings. Wetland roofs are suitable as a green-blue technology for the future—particularly in cities with an acute shortage of unoccupied ground-level sites—for the decentralized treatment of wastewater streams of various origins. Positive “side effects” such as nearly complete stormwater retention and the improvement of climates in buildings and their surroundings, coupled with an increase in biodiversity, make wetland roofs an ideal multi-functional technology for urban areas.

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The derivation of the rotational potential function from atom–atom potentials. III. Borohydride compounds

Canadian Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1139/v88-137 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 66 (4) ◽

pp. 791-793 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

David Smith

Keyword(s):

Transition Temperature ◽

Experimental Method ◽

Potential Function ◽

Ground Level ◽

Potential Functions ◽

The Difference ◽

Level Degeneracy ◽

Entropy Of Transition ◽

Good Agreement

The rotational potential functions for the borohydride ion embedded in potassium and rubidium halides are derived from atom–atom potentials of the Buckingham (exp-6) type. The librational frequencies computed from the potential functions are in good agreement with the observed frequencies. The potential functions for rubidium and potassium borohydrides derived from the atom–atom potentials yield librational frequencies that are about 10% higher than the observed values. Since the entropy of transition for potassium and rubidium borohydrides is less than expected, there is a possibility that there is some ordering of the borohydride ions above the transition temperature. An experimental method is presented for studying the ordering of the borohydride ions based on the difference in the ground level degeneracy of a tetrahedral ion in ordered and disordered states.

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Thunderstorm outflows preceding epidemics of asthma during spring and summer

Thorax ◽

10.1136/thx.56.6.468 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 56 (6) ◽

pp. 468-471

Author(s):

G B Marks ◽

J R Colquhoun ◽

S T Girgis ◽

M Hjelmroos Koski ◽

A B A Treloar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pollen Grains ◽

Ground Level ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Detailed Examination ◽

Asthma Exacerbations ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

The Difference ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Thunderstorm Outflow

BACKGROUNDA study was undertaken to assess the importance of thunderstorms as a cause of epidemics of asthma exacerbations and to investigate the underlying mechanism.METHODSA case control study was performed in six towns in south eastern Australia. Epidemic case days (n = 48) and a random sample of control days (n = 191) were identified by reference to the difference between the observed and expected number of emergency department attendances for asthma. The occurrence of thunderstorms, their associated outflows and cold fronts were ascertained, blind to case status, for each of these days. In addition, the relation of hourly pollen counts to automatic weather station data was examined in detail for the period around one severe epidemic of asthma exacerbations. The main outcome measure was the number of epidemics of asthma exacerbations.RESULTSThunderstorm outflows were detected on 33% of epidemic days and only 3% of control days (odds ratio 15.0, 95% confidence interval 6.0 to 37.6). The association was strongest in late spring and summer. Detailed examination of one severe epidemic showed that its onset coincided with the arrival of the thunderstorm outflow and a 4–12 fold increase in the ambient concentration of grass pollen grains.CONCLUSIONSThese findings are consistent with the hypothesis that some epidemics of exacerbations of asthma are caused by high concentrations of allergenic particles produced by an outflow of colder air, associated with the downdraught from a thunderstorm, sweeping up pollen grains and particles and then concentrating them in a shallow band of air at ground level. This is a common cause of exacerbations of asthma during the pollen season.

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Environmental Risk Assessment of Vehicle Exhaust Particles on Aquatic Organisms of Different Trophic Levels

Toxics ◽

10.3390/toxics9100261 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 261

Author(s):

Konstantin Pikula ◽

Mariya Tretyakova ◽

Alexander Zakharenko ◽

Seyed Ali Johari ◽

Sergey Ugay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Sea Urchin ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Artemia Salina ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Submicron Particles ◽

Vehicle Exhaust ◽

Exhaust Particles ◽

The Difference

Vehicle emission particles (VEPs) represent a significant part of air pollution in urban areas. However, the toxicity of this category of particles in different aquatic organisms is still unexplored. This work aimed to extend the understanding of the toxicity of the vehicle exhaust particles in two species of marine diatomic microalgae, the planktonic crustacean Artemia salina, and the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. These aquatic species were applied for the first time in the risk assessment of VEPs. Our results demonstrated that the samples obtained from diesel-powered vehicles completely prevented egg fertilization of the sea urchin S. intermedius and caused pronounced membrane depolarization in the cells of both tested microalgae species at concentrations between 10 and 100 mg/L. The sample with the highest proportion of submicron particles and the highest content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) had the highest growth rate inhibition in both microalgae species and caused high toxicity to the crustacean. The toxicity level of the other samples varied among the species. We can conclude that metal content and the difference in the concentrations of PAHs by itself did not directly reflect the toxic level of VEPs, but the combination of both a high number of submicron particles and high PAH concentrations had the highest toxic effect on all the tested species.

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Diversity Scaling of Human Digestive Tract (DT) Microbiomes: The Intra-DT and Inter-individual Patterns

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2021.724661 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Hongju (Daisy) Chen ◽

Bin Yi ◽

Qiang Liu ◽

Xia Xu ◽

Lin Dai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Digestive Tract ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Population Level ◽

Individual Heterogeneity ◽

Scaling Parameter ◽

Genus Richness ◽

Species Area ◽

The Difference ◽

Human Digestive Tract ◽

Biodiversity Changes

The human gut microbiome has been extensively studied, but its diversity scaling (changes or heterogeneities) along the digestive tract (DT) as well as their inter-individual heterogeneities have not been adequately addressed to the best of our knowledge. Here we fill the gap by applying the diversity-area relationship (DAR), a recent extension to the classic species-area relationship (SAR) in biogeography, by reanalyzing a dataset of over 2000 16s-rRNA microbiome samples obtained from 10 DT sites of over 200 individuals. We sketched out the biogeography “maps” for each of the 10 DT sites by cross-individual DAR analysis, and the intra-DT distribution pattern by cross-DT-site DAR analysis. Regarding the inter-individual biogeography, it was found that all DT sites have the invariant (constant) scaling parameter—all sites possessing the same diversity change rate across individuals, but most sites have different potential diversities, which include the portions of diversity that may be absent locally but present regionally. In the case of this study, the potential diversity of each DT site covers the total diversity of the respective site from all individuals in the cohort. In terms of the genus richness, an average individual hosts approximately 20% of the population-level genus richness (total bacterial genus of a human population). In contrast, in terms of community biodiversity, the percentages of individual over population may exceed 90%. This suggests that the differences between individuals in their DT microbiomes are predominantly in the composition of bacterial species, rather than how their abundances are distributed (i.e., biodiversity). Regarding the intra-DT patterns, the scaling parameter (z) is larger—suggesting that the intra-DT biodiversity changes are larger than inter-individual changes. The higher intra-DT heterogeneity of bacteria diversity, as suggested by larger intra-DT z than the inter-individual heterogeneity, should be expected since the intra-DT heterogeneity reflects the functional differentiations of the DT tract, while the inter-individual heterogeneity (z) reflects the difference of the same DT site across individuals. On average, each DT site contains 21–36% of the genus diversity of the whole DT, and the percentages are even higher in terms of higher taxon levels.

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