Political Ecology

To evaluate water treatment residue (WTR) as a soil substitute material, its physical properties were investigated and compared with decomposed granite soil (DGS). For comparison purposes, relative gas diffusivity (D/D0), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), water retention curve, porosity and readily available water were measured for both the WTR and the DGS. The measured D/D0, Ks, [...]

The use of hair as a potential biomonitoring tissue in exposure and risk assessment of POPs was evaluated by examining the relationship between PCB and p,p′-DDE levels in hedgehogs’ hair and blood. Contaminant profiles were used to gain insight into biotransformation of the studied compounds in each step of the investigated food chain and in [...]

The accumulation of species-specific enemies around adults is hypothesized to maintain plant diversity by limiting the recruitment of conspecific seedlings relative to heterospecific seedlings1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Although previous studies in forested ecosystems have documented patterns consistent with the process of negative feedback7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, these [...]

The effects of bacterial-feeding nematodes on nitrification and the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) community composition were studied in soil microcosms. Sterilized soils were inoculated with mixed soil bacteria (obtained by filtering) or with bacteria and bacterial-feeding nematodes, after which the dynamic inorganic nitrogen concentration was measured weekly. After 28 days of incubation, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [...]

Terrestrial ecosystems gain carbon through photosynthesis and lose it mostly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). The extent to which the biosphere can act as a buffer against rising atmospheric CO2 concentration in global climate change projections remains uncertain at the present stage1, 2, 3, 4. Biogeochemical theory predicts that soil nitrogen (N) scarcity [...]

The Resomation process breaks down a corpse using alkaline hydrolysis instead of extremely high heat. The body is placed in a steel chamber along with potassium hydroxide at high pressure (10 bar) and a temperature of 180 °C, which is 80% cooler than a standard crematorium, Sullivan notes.The raised pressure and temperature increase the speed [...]

In the entire growing season, nitrogen deposition tended to increase N2O emission, to reduce CH4 uptake and to decrease CO2 emission, and the differences caused by nitrogen deposition were all not significant (p < 0.05). However, we still found significant difference (p < 0.05) between the control and nitrogen deposition treatment at some observation dates [...]