Dietary niche partitioning in a piscivorous fish guild in response to stocking of an additional competitor - The role of diet specialisation

Species belonging to the same ecological guild can coexist only if there are differences in their responses to limiting resources. Thus, competitor introductions may modify the niches of the resident competitors, but empirical studies are rare. The extent of niche modification might further depend on the species’ trophic specialisation along the specialists-to-generalists axis. In this study, we performed a semi-natural experiment by introducing a trophically specialised piscivorous fish (pikeperch) to the resident predator guild of a trophic generalist (perch) and a trophic specialist (pike) in a temperate freshwater lake. Individual diet data were used to calculate total niche hypervolume and inter- and intraspecific dietary niche overlap to evaluate strength of competitive interactions before and after pikeperch introduction. In both pike and perch, there was a moderate niche compression in response to pikeperch stocking. Furthermore, whereas perch diet hypervolume did not overlap at all with that of pikeperch, the intersection of niche space between the two trophic specialists was highly asymmetrical in favour of pike due to its less specialised diet composition in comparison with pikeperch. The intraspecific dietary niche overlap between perch size classes reflected an enhanced partitioning, whereas that of pike size classes was found almost unchanged in response to pikeperch stocking. These empirical results corroborate that competitive interactions and the degree of specialisation may strongly shape the success of introductions of top-predators in freshwater ecosystems. The most specialised species may persist only if the competitors belong rather to the generalists along the specialisation continuum.     

AstroGrid-D: Grid technology for astronomical science

We present status and results of AstroGrid-D, a joint effort of astrophysicists and computer scientists to employ grid technology for scientific applications. AstroGrid-D provides access to a network of distributed machines with a set of commands as well as software interfaces. It allows simple use of computer and storage facilities and to schedule or monitor compute tasks and data management. It is based on the Globus Toolkit middleware (GT4).Chapter 1 describes the context which led to the demand for advanced software solutions in Astrophysics, and we state the goals of the project.We then present characteristic astrophysical applications that have been implemented on AstroGrid-D in chapter 2. We describe simulations of different complexity, compute-intensive calculations running on multiple sites (Section 2.1), and advanced applications for specific scientific purposes (Section 2.2), such as a connection to robotic telescopes (Section 2.2.3). We can show from these examples how grid execution improves e.g. the scientific workflow.Chapter 3 explains the software tools and services that we adapted or newly developed. Section 3.1 is focused on the administrative aspects of the infrastructure, to manage users and monitor activity. Section 3.2 characterises the central components of our architecture: The AstroGrid-D information service to collect and store metadata, a file management system, the data management system, and a job manager for automatic submission of compute tasks.We summarise the successfully established infrastructure in chapter 4, concluding with our future plans to establish AstroGrid-D as a platform of modern e-Astronomy.     

Setting priorities for land management to mitigate climate change

Background

No consensus has been reached how to measure the effectiveness of climate change mitigation in the land-use sector and how to prioritize land use accordingly. We used the long-term cumulative and average sectorial C stocks in biomass, soil and products, C stock changes, the substitution of fossil energy and of energy-intensive products, and net present value (NPV) as evaluation criteria for the effectiveness of a hectare of productive land to mitigate climate change and produce economic returns. We evaluated land management options using real-life data of Thuringia, a region representative for central-western European conditions, and input from life cycle assessment, with a carbon-tracking model. We focused on solid biomass use for energy production.

Results

In forestry, the traditional timber production was most economically viable and most climate-friendly due to an assumed recycling rate of 80% of wood products for bioenergy. Intensification towards "pure bioenergy production" would reduce the average sectorial C stocks and the C substitution and would turn NPV negative. In the forest conservation (non-use) option, the sectorial C stocks increased by 52% against timber production, which was not compensated by foregone wood products and C substitution. Among the cropland options wheat for food with straw use for energy, whole cereals for energy, and short rotation coppice for bioenergy the latter was most climate-friendly. However, specific subsidies or incentives for perennials would be needed to favour this option.

Conclusions

When using the harvested products as materials prior to energy use there is no climate argument to support intensification by switching from sawn-wood timber production towards energy-wood in forestry systems. A legal framework would be needed to ensure that harvested products are first used for raw materials prior to energy use. Only an effective recycling of biomaterials frees land for long-term sustained C sequestration by conservation. Reuse cascades avoid additional emissions from shifting production or intensification.     

Influence of plastic fines content on the liquefaction susceptibility of sands: cyclic loading

Acta Geotechnica - The paper presents an experimental study on the effect of plastic fines content on the undrained behavior and liquefaction susceptibility of sand-fines mixtures under cyclic...     

Sr and Nd isotope composition of Late Pleistocene sapropels and nonsapropelic sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: implications for detrital influx and climatic conditions in the source areas

Isotopic ratios of Sr and Nd from lithogenic components of three isochronous core sections recovered from an east-west transect in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) have been analyzed. The data are used for a quantitative estimate of the temporal and spatial variation of detrital flux to the EMS, assuming Saharan dust and Aegean/Nile particulate matter as dominant end members. It was established that the carbonate-free Saharan dust flux during deposition of the nonsapropel layers of marine oxygen isotope stage 5.4 (MIS 5.4) was similar to the present flux. During the deposition of sapropels S5 and S6, however, the Saharan dust input was drastically reduced and was not balanced by a change in the riverine influx at this time. Denser vegetation cover during more humid conditions may have reduced physical erosion and sediment removal in the source area. During marine oxygen isotope stage 6.2 (MIS 6.2) a pronounced increase of Saharan dust and detrital influx from the Aegean region is evident and implies more arid conditions in the southern and northern catchment areas. During this period, intersite variations are interpreted in terms of their geographic location relative to the seaways connecting the Aegean Sea and EMS. The width of the straits and hence the amount of sediment entering the eastern basins may have been affected by a low sea level that impeded interbasin sediment dispersal.     

Sound in media: audio drama and audio-guided tours as stimuli for the creation of place

Mass media frequently makes use of more than the visual image. With the exception of music, movie scores, and radio news however, media geographers have largely ignored the impact sound in media has on shaping and characterizing our experience of the world. We address this lack by showcasing two types of audio media: audio drama and audio-guided tours. The former will be explored with the help of the world’s most successful audio drama series The Three Investigators to give a historical and theoretical introduction to the realm of sound within mass media. The latter will be illustrated using the example of the Austin Walking Tour as a representative production for city tourism.