Some guidelines for economic evaluation of geochemical engineering projects

Most geochemical engineering projects aim at commercial application. The proper economical analysis during the initial stages of the engineering process are of the utmost importance for the successful realisation of such projects. Many of the costs are committed at this stage. Important issues are: the scale of the project, the product quality and the choice of raw materials. For chemical plants, the Zevnik/Buchanan method is often used to make a rough estimation of the economic viability in an early stage. After the preliminary design of a geochemical process or other application has been completed, a more accurate estimation can be made by means of an economic balance. Guidelines for various costs are given in this article. Generally two criteria are used by companies to make a decision about further commercial realisation. One is the return on investment (R.O.I.), the annual profit divided by the total investment. The other is the pay-out time, the inverse of the R.O.I., the time needed to earn back the invested sum. This article provides geochemical engineers with some basic tools, that can be used to make an estimation of the economic potential of new geochemical engineering methods.     

Contrasting changes between the northern and southern Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystems associated with the collapse of groundfish stocks

In order to have a global view of ecosystem changes associated with the collapse of groundfish species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the early 1990s, Ecopath mass-balance models were constructed incorporating uncertainty in the input data. These models covered two ecosystems (northern and southern Gulf of St. Lawrence; NAFO divisions 4RS and 4T), and two time periods (before the collapse, in the mid-1980s, and after it, in the mid-1990s). Our analyses revealed that the ecosystem structure shifted dramatically from one previously dominated by piscivorous groundfish and small-bodied forage species during the mid-1980s to one now dominated only by small-bodied pelagic species during the mid-1990s in both southern and northern Gulf. The species structure in the northern Gulf versus southern Gulf was different, which may explain why these two ecosystems did not recover the same way from the collapse in the early 1990s. Productivity declined in the northern Gulf after the collapse but increased in the southern Gulf. The collapse of groundfish stocks resulted in declines in the mean trophic level of the landings in both the northern and the southern Gulf. Even though fishing mortality was then intentionally reduced, this part of the total mortality was taken up by predation. The temporal changes in the internal structure of both ecosystems are reflected in their overall emergent properties.     

Description of feeding apparatus and mechanism innemopilema nomurai kishinouye (scyphozoa: rhizostomeae)

Feeding apparatus, mechanism and passage of ingested prey were described forNemopilema nomurai (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae).N. nomurai medusae without central mouths have developed complicated canal systems connecting the tip of the tentacle and oral arm to the gut cavity. The number of junctions in the canal system increases with the bell diameter. The prey is gathered by paralyzing nematocyst at the tentacles and by adhering cirri at the oral arms and scapulets. They are engulfed into the terminal pore located at the oral arms and scapulets, and entered into the gut cavity via the canal system. The estimated digestion time is 1 hour and 20 min. The diameter of terminal pore is always about 1 mm, implying that they could not eat prey larger than that pore size. On the other hand, ephyrae have central mouths and could swallow prey as large as adults could. Exploitation of the same size of food by adult and ephyra implies thatN. nomurai can affect seriously the whole food web, massively ingesting micro-and mesozoopl a n k t o n and cutting the energy transfer toward the higher level of carnivores.     

Do predator and prey foraging activity patterns match? A study of coyotes (Canis latrans), and lagomorphs (Lepus californicus and Sylvilagus audobonii)

Many aspects of an animal’s ecology are associated with activity patterns. One important and controversial one is in the predator/prey relationship. We examined temporal patterns of coyotes (Canis latrans) and lagomorphs (Lepus californicus, Sylvilagus audobonii), their main prey in the Chihuahuan Desert. We test the hypothesis that a predator and prey will have non-random distribution of activity relative to each other; this non-random activity could be a substantial overlap or the lack of synchrony depending on the competing theories. We used GPS collars to track coyotes; we identified areas of activity and determined daily patterns. We installed lagomorph feeding stations and game cameras in coyote activity areas to assess lagomorph patterns. All three species were mainly crepuscular. Black-tail jackrabbits and Audubon’s cottontail rabbits had different hourly patterns of activity (P < 0.001). Activity peaks for jackrabbits occurred between 0400-0700 h, and 1800-2000 h. Cottontail rabbit activity peaks occurred between 0500-0700 h, and 1800-2000 h. The coyote evening activity peak was synchronous with lagomorph activity, but the morning peak occurred from 0700 to 1000. We found partial lack of synchrony in the activity patterns of the predator and its prey.     

Flexibility in feeding periodicity of a grazing mayfly in response to different concentrations of benthivorous fish

Flexibility is an important adaptive attribute of the feeding periodicity of grazing mayfly larvae because most natural environments offer a wide variation in local predation risk in terms of space, time or predator species. In this study any changes of diel feeding periodicity and consumption rates of Baetis rhodani (Ephemeroptera) were analysed in response to different densities of benthivorous fish (Barbatula barbatula, Gobio gobio) by quantifying gut fullness using the fluorescence of algal pigments. Laboratory experiments with the grazer species B. rhodani were conducted by using different concentrations of chemical fish cues. In order to assess the transferability of the results to a larger scale, the experimental results were compared with field observations in two second order streams using different densities of freely foraging benthivorous fish. During the presence of chemical fish cues in the laboratory experiments the feeding periodicity of the B. rhodani larvae were mostly diurnal while in the absence of fish chemicals nocturnal feeding was observed. The same patterns could be detected in the field during the experiments with the different fish densities. These findings indicate that the larvae were able to assess variations in the predation risk and to alter their feeding habits by making flexible behavioural adjustments. The results from the laboratory experiments further suggested that the behavioural response is controlled by fish density. Behavioural changes were observed for medium and high concentrations of the fish cues but not for a very low concentration. In the field however, the mere presence of fish seemed to be sufficient to induce the observed behavioural shifts. Although the presence of benthivorous fish seemed to cause a lower consumption rate of the B. rhodani larvae in the field, such a reduction could not be found in the laboratory experiments. A conclusion from this study is that the identification of behavioural modifications is an essential component needed for a better understanding of complex trophic interactions in benthic communities. Accurate evaluation and detailed observation of direct and indirect effects cannot be made without the consideration of such behavioural mechanisms.     

Feeding ecology of the mud shrimp Solenocera melantho in the East China Sea

The feeding habits of the mud shrimp Solenocera melantho were studied in the East China Sea by analysing 720 stomach contents and comparing diet composition and prey diversity among seasons, sexes and size classes. Feeding activity was linked to season and ovarian condition. The stomach fullness was high during spring and summer and low in fall. Females with advanced ovaries also displayed low stomach fullness, which suggests that feeding activity is affected by the reproductive cycle. The diet of S. melantho consisted of 42 different prey categories, primarily smaller crustaceans, Foraminifera, polychaetes, mollusks and fishes (larvae and eggs). Crustacea,Foraminifera and polychaetes together constituted the dominant prey groups, accounting for 75% of total prey abundance and >50% of total prey occurrence. Diet composition differed among seasons between sexes and size classes. Females and males consumed the same prey items but with different orders of importance. In terms of body size, the small shrimps preferred relatively small food items, such as Foraminifera and algae, whereas larger shrimps preferred polychaetes and crustaceans. Trophic diversity varied among the seasons within both sexes and size classes, with the highest values being observed in fall. Niche overlap was high within both sexes and size classes among seasons (0.6051–0.8740).     

The profitability of the Spanish swordfish fleet in the North Atlantic

Our aim is to analyse the profitability of the Spanish swordfish fleet in the North Atlantic on the basis of the estimate of the gross profit per standard vessel, the average yield and the investment payback period (PP). The swordfish fleet has grown over the last decade to become the main producer in this fishery and one of the most stable fleets of all the Spanish fisheries. The results obtained show increases in profit per vessel, although there was a slight decrease in the final year studied, relatively high rates of return and PP shorter than the average life of one of the fleet's standard vessels.     

Drift algae reduce foraging efficiency of juvenile flatfish

Although flatfish species utilise a wide range of habitats as adults, several species are confined to a very limited habitat as juveniles. Recruitment levels are dependent on the quality and quantity of these nursery areas and changes therein. In the Baltic Sea, these shallow environments are often subject to influxes of drifting macroalgae, which add structure to otherwise bare sandy substrate. Structure, such as vegetation, alters predator–prey interactions of a wide range of fauna and in an array of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial systems. The aim of our study was to assess the inhibition potential of drifting macroalgae on the foraging efficiency of juvenile flatfish (young of the year Scophthalmus maximus L., young of the year- and group 1 + Platichthys flesus L.) through a series of microcosm experiments. Our results show that foraging success is restricted by drift algae as predation efficiency of all predator species and size classes was negatively affected by the presence of macroalgae. Overall, there was a reduction in predation success by 80 ± 12% due to structural effects and/or the induced changes in water chemistry associated with the algae. Flatfish depend on shallow sandy areas as feeding and nursery grounds during their juvenile stage and frequently occurring macroalgal assemblages drastically change the features of the otherwise bare substrate, setting the stage for small-scale, localised processes potentially affecting population dynamics.     

Habitat selection of stone and starry flounders in an estuary in relation to feeding and survival

Juveniles of both stone flounder Platichthys bicoloratus and starry flounder Platichthys stellatus utilize estuaries as nursery grounds. To understand their habitat selection and the functions of habitats such as food supply, we defined the seasonal distribution of recently settled fish of these species in shallow nursery areas and investigated their feeding habits in the Natori River estuary, Japan. Distribution of stone flounder was limited to the lower estuary (<3 km upriver from the mouth) and stone flounder were most abundant near the mouth. Recently settled starry flounder were first detected further upstream in areas characterized by low salinity <10 and by the absence of the predatory sand shrimp Crangon uritai. Early juvenile stone and starry flounders consumed mainly siphons of the bivalve Nuttallia olivacea and the mysid Neomysis awatschensis, respectively; however, 1- and 2-yr-old fish of both stone and starry flounders fed mainly on the bivalve siphons. These results indicate that habitat selections of juvenile stone and starry flounders enable utilization of preferred prey and predator avoidance, respectively, and that non-overlap of these species' habitats results in avoidance of inter-specific competition for food between these two species.