Sublethal Behavioral and Physiological Effects of the Biomedical Bleeding Process on the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus

The hemolymph of the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is harvested from over 500,000 animals annually to produce Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), a medically important product used to detect pathogenic bacteria. Declining abundance of spawning Limulus females in heavily harvested regions suggests deleterious effects of this activity, and while mortality rates of the harvest process are known to be 10%–30%, sublethal behavioral and physiological effects are not known. In this study, we determined the impact of the harvest process on locomotion and hemocyanin levels of 28 female horseshoe crabs. While mortality rates after bleeding (18%) were similar to previous studies, we found significant decreases in the linear and angular velocity of freely moving animals, as well as changes in their activity levels and expression of circatidal behavioral rhythms. Further, we found reductions in hemocyanin levels, which may alter immune function and cuticle integrity. These previously unrecognized behavioral and physiological deficits suggest that the harvest of LAL may decrease female fitness, and thus may contribute to the current population decline

Ecosystem Services Beyond Valuation, Regulation and Philanthropy: Integrating Consumer Values into the Economy

Environmental Markets, Ecosystem Service Markets, Payment For Ecosystem Services, Incentives, Nature's Services, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q20, Q57, C93, H41,

Assessment of the Effect of Long Term Tillage on the Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Colonization of Vegetable Crops Grown in Andisols

In Indonesia, amount of biodiversity could be found including soil microorganism which were useful for sustainable agriculture. Everything lives in agricultural land were interacts and influences each others. Many factors of biotic and a-biotic environment such as land and climate fluctuation influences microbial expansion within the soils. For example arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) which was formed by myches (fungus) and root of higher plant maybe fluctuated in the expansion due to the soil tillage. Land management and the present higher plant affected its growth and expansion. Mycorrhizae spores as one of the important generative form of various species in the difference host plant. The implication of different host plant often close related to the soil management and properties. Soil sample that was collected from various host plant in the fields or bare land have been found varied spores. Andisols and its properties conserve higher organic matter relatively and developed in the cold temperature, therefore very suitable for AM expansion and also as natural resources stock of AM potentially

Demonstration of a Daily High-Resolution (375-m) ALEXI Evapotranspiration Product for the NENA Region

While the current constellation of geostationary sensors provides near-global coverage (60N to 60S) – it requires merging data from 7 satellites [resolving time differences; view angles; atmospheric correction]. Polar orbiting sensors such as MODIS and VIIRS provide daily global coverage of LST at higher resolutions than GEO sensors but at only two times per day

Gold Phytomining: a New Idea for Enviromental Sustainablity in Indonesia

DOI: 10.17014/ijog.v1i1.171New technology is needed to protect the safety and health of communities and the environment at ASGM locations in Indonesia. This technology must be simple, cheap, easy to operate, and financially rewarding. A proven option that should be promoted is phytoextraction, a farming activity that could develop agriculture as an alternative livelihood in ASGM areas. This is a technology where plants are used to extract metals from waste rock, soil, or water. These metals can be recovered from the plant in its pure form, then be sold or recycled. Gold phytoextraction is a commercially available technology, while an International research has shown that phytoextraction will also work for mercury. In the context of this idea, tailings would be contained in ‘farming areas\u27 and cropped using phytoextraction technology. Gold and mercury would be extracted in the crops, with the remaining mercury burden of the tailings becoming adsorbed to soil constituents. The system would be financially rewarding to ‘gold farmers\u27. The economic value of this scenario could facilitate the clean-up and management of mercury pollution, reducing the movement of mercury from tailings into soil, water, and plants, thereby mitigating environmental and human risk in the mining areas. The goal of the described research is to promote agriculture as an alternative livelihood in ASGM areas. The gold value of the phytoremediation crop should provide a cash incentive to artisanal farmers who develop this new agricultural enterprise. The benefits will be social, environmental, and economic, as opportunities for education, employment, new business, the containment of toxic mercury, food safety and security, and revenue are all realized

Demonstration of a Daily High-Resolution (375-m) ALEXI Evapotranspiration Product for the NENA Region

No abstract availabl