The Reference Manure Concept for Transformation Tests of Veterinary Medicines and Biocides in Liquid Manure

Veterinary medicines and biocides are frequently applied in animal houses of livestock husbandry. Due to these application patterns, they reach liquid manure. So far these substances are not transformed during manure storage, they enter soil by the application of manure as organic fertilizer. Therefore, biodegradability of veterinary medicines and biocides in manure is in the focus of regulatory procedures of environmental risk assessment. Since the representative and reproducible sampling of manures from high volume tanks is considered impossible due to high matrix variabilities, the reference manure concept was developed to utilize liquid bovine and pig manures for reproducible laboratory testing. Accordingly, excrement samples of cattle and pigs individually kept at experimental and conventional animal houses were taken. Tap water was added to matrix characterized excrements in order to prepare bovine and pig reference manures of 10 and 5% dry substance contents, respectively. Subsequently, the long‐term transformation of selected ¹⁴C‐labeled test substances was investigated under strictly anaerobic conditions. The application of different batches of bovine or pig reference manures indicated that extrapolation of transformation rates within the same animal species was possible. However, results cannot be transferred from bovine to pig manure because of substance specific interactions with the different manure matrices. The dependency of metabolic dynamics on different dry substance contents (2.5, 5, 10%) was additionally investigated in both manure matrices. These tests clearly showed that the dry substance content of the reference manure is one of the most relevant factors affecting the transformation of veterinary medicines and biocides. In contrast to highly variable tank manures, the reference manure concept allows for the exact adjustment of this parameter to guarantee reproducible laboratory testing.     

南极无冰区生态与环境变化在粪土层中的记录

The accumulative profiles of seabird and sea animal excrement together with the depositional sequences influenced by the excrement have been utilized to reconstruct the historical populations of Antarctic penguins and seals, also to study the eco-geology in the ice-free areas of Antarctica and Arctic. The historical populations of Antarctic penguins show dramatic fluctuations, the period of sharp decrease coincides well with Neoglaciation, and extremely cold or warm climate conditions are unfavorable for the survival of Antarctic penguin. The historical change of seal population seems to be related to climatic variations, sea-ice coverage and its forage behavior. The fluctuations of Hg (mercury) in the seal hairs and the sediments influenced by seal excrement were found to be closely associated with ancient gold and silver mining activities and the ancient civilization over the past several thousand years.     

南极无冰区生态与环境变化在粪土层中的记录

极地海鸟、海兽等生物排泄物的堆积层和含粪的沉积层是进行极地生态地质学研究的良好载体。从生物粪土沉积层中恢复出的企鹅、海豹数量变化记录表明,历史时期南极企鹅、海豹种群数量出现过显著的波动。在新冰期时企鹅数量锐减,气候过冷或过暖都不利于它们的生存,南极海豹数量变化也受到气候变化、海冰条件和取食行为的控制。另外,南极海豹毛和生物粪土层中还保存了过去几千年人类文明的历史信息,汞（Hg）含量的波动与人类冶金文明的盛衰存在明显的响应关系。