Harvesting and marketing of Gnetum species (Engl) in Cameroon and Nigeria
September 2010
The harvesting and marketing of Gnetum africanum and Gnetum bucholzianum (Engl), a major Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) in West and Central Africa, was carried out between 2002 - 2008, with the objective of examining the production and marketing ofGnetum species and their economic contributions to the economies of Cameroon and Nigeria and that of West and Central Africa at large. Besides...
Ecology and behavior of the estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea: Delphinidae), in Sepetiba Bay, South-eastern Brazil
September 2010
The dynamics of habitat utilization by Sotalia guianensis has been investigated. Between January 1997 and May 1998, 145 h of direct observations were made from a fixed location at Ponta do Zumbi on Marambaia Island, and 249 groups of dolphins were sighted. Initial and final times of the observation, approximate location, presence of calves, activities performed by the dolphins and prevailing weather conditions were...
‘Traditional religion and natural resources’: A reflection on the significance of indigenous knowledge systems on the utilisation of natural resources among the Ndau people in South-eastern Zimbabwe
September 2010
The depletion of natural resources is one of the greatest challenges with far reaching consequences if sustainable environmental management programmes are not properly put into practice in Zimbabwe. The major contending issue, however, is how the exigency of sustainable environmental management can be contextualised in light of the local indigenous knowledge systems. Although literature is abound on the recommended...
Phytoplankton diversity at Watlab Ghat in Wular Lake, Kashmir
August 2010
The present study on Wular Lake, located at a distance of 34 km from Srinagar city of Kashmir valley, was undertaken from March, 2007 to February, 2008 to study various limnological parameters including plankton. A total of 64 phytoplankton spp. were identified. Bacillariophyceae was found to be the most dominant group at the selected site. The population density of bacillariophyceae varied from a minimum of 32 No./ml...
Studies on biomass changes and nutrient lock-up efficiency in a Kashmir Himalayan wetland ecosystem, India
August 2010
Wetlands are landscape sinks which accumulate and sequester a wide range of nutrients, heavy metals and pesticides. Whilst some studies hitherto have addressed the phyto-sociology and sequestering potential of wetland plants in isolation, we attempted to integrate the two aspects in a Kashmir Himalayan Ramsar site (Hokersar wetland), India. The results of studies (November, 2000 – October, 2001) on the seasonal...
A survey of ectoparasites from wild rodents and Anourosorex squamipes in Sichuan Province, South-west China
August 2010
Lei Wei1, 2a, Xinwei Wang1a, Chengmin Wang1and Hongxuan He1*
Age and growth rate determination using growth rings of selected miombo woodland species in charcoal and, slash and burn regrowth stands in Zambia
August 2010
The field of dendrochronology has not been widely applied in tropical species because many scientists generally perceive that such species rarely produce distinct growth rings. This study was undertaken to determine if the key Miombo species produce distinct growth rings and to determine the relationship between the number of growth rings and age of the tree and stem diameter. The results showed a high correlation...
Observations on nesting ecology of White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Aves: Coraciiformes) in Cauvery Delta, Southern India
July 2010
The nesting ecology of the White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was studied in Cauvery delta of Tamil Nadu, Southern India between 2005 and 2006. A total of 46 nests were studied and the White-breasted Kingfishers were found to excavate long tunnels ranging in length from 48 - 152 cm (mean 114.1 ± 1.7 cm) and ending in widened egg chambers. The mean length and circumference of the nest entrance...
Review of hydrologic assessment models for predicting pesticide leaching in Nigeria
June 2010
The need to evaluate the potential risks of pesticides usage that may lead to contamination of water resources has been the reason behind the development of models for predicting pesticide leaching in soils and watershed areas. Various assessment models have been developed in the past. For example, the vulnerability of groundwater to pesticide leaching may be evaluated by indices and overlay-based methods, by...
Green marketing or green wash? A comparative study of consumers’ behavior on selected Eco and Fair trade labeling in Sweden
June 2010
Green marketing is in the focus of present marketing strategy due to the pressure that comes from inclined environmental awareness in the global climate change. Different initiatives have been considered to support environmental programme and practices and one of the meaningful business initiatives is eco or fair trade labeling. Eco-label provides the information of product contribution in the context of environmental...
Impact of soil amendment on phytotoxicity of a 5-month old waste engine oil polluted soil
June 2010
The present study investigated the effects of soil amendment on the remediation of waste engine oil (WEO) polluted soil, as well as the eventual phytotoxic effects of remediated amended soil on some growth parameters of cowpea. There was significant decrease in heavy metal concentration of the polluted soil more than average, nine months after amendment. There was also total remediation of some PAH compounds...
Resource sharing under hi-education agglomeration
May 2010
In China, recent years have witnessed a trend of higher education agglomeration (HEA) which affects job markets and industries through diffusion, sharing, and matching mechanisms. The mechanisms in this new trend can be explained by some previous models in industrial agglomeration, but meanwhile have characters that deserve to be paid attention. Happening between educational and industrial sectors, as the following...
Ecological connectivity framework in the state of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia: A potential conservation strategy in the rapid changing tropics
May 2010
Ecological connectivity refers to the structural and functional connectivity of landscapes that facilitates suitable habitats for flora and fauna. The state of Selangor, peninsular Malaysia, is hosting a natural mosaic of landscapes ranging from montane, hill, lowland, peat-swamp, and mangrove forests to lake, river and coastal landscapes. This is a unique feature in the tropics and valuable habitat for diverse flora...
Ecology of macrozoobenthos in Shallabugh wetland of Kashmir Himalaya, India
May 2010
Macrozoobenthos comprise of an important group of aquafauna by way of their contribution to ecosystem stability, besides acting as potential bioindicators of trophic status. Being efficient energy converters, they constitute an important link in the aquatic food web. In view of importance of such an aquatic bioresource, on one hand, and scarcity of information about them, on the other, the present study aimed at working...
Effect of P2O5 on coriander induced by AMF under water deficit stress
April 2010
This experiment was carried out using a split factorial based randomized complete block design with 4 replications. The factors studied included two levels of drought stress, application and non-application of mycorrhiza (Glomus hoi) and 0, 35 and 70 kg ha-1 phosphorus applications. The results showed that drought stress had significant effect on essential oil yield, biological yield, shoot P content,...
Opportunistic animal’s diet depend on prey availability: spring dietary composition of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal
April 2010
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a least concerned omnivore, distributed widely between 2,500m and 4,500m in different protected areas of Nepal. We investigated the spring feeding habits of the red fox in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve of Nepal. Livestock depredation by red fox, wolf and leopard, and the consequently retaliatory killings of these carnivores by local livestock herders, is becoming a serious issue for the...
Biofuel potential and FAO’s estimates of available land: The case of Tanzania
March 2010
While there exists under-utilized lands in several countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the drive towards transforming huge areas of land to biofuel plantations must be reviewed critically. Both the facts that much of these lands are presently covered with forests or classified as wetlands, having a high carbon storage capacity and that these lands are used by local communities for their survival, must be acknowledged. The...
Biological, chemical and biochemical dynamics during litter decomposition at different depths in arable soil
March 2010
A field study was conducted to elucidate interactions among soil fauna, plant litter, soil nutrients and biochemical activities during litter decomposition in tropical desert land. Faunal association, nutrient dynamics, soil respiration and dehydrogenase activities were monitored in Hardwickia binata (T) tree based silvipasture system with Cenchurus cilliaris (CC) and Lesiurus sindicus (LS)...
Review of pollution sources and controls in Caspian Sea region
February 2010
Experts believe that the release of over one billion cubic meters of industrial, chemical and household wastewater into the Caspian Sea per annum has polluted the water, and reduced the level of oxygen jeopardizing over 400 aquatic species including sturgeons. Extraction and transportation of oil in the Sea are one of the pollution sources in the Seawater. Caspian Sea contains about 100000 million barrels of oil. It...
Cytotoxic and topoisomerase I inhibitory activities from extracts of endophytic fungi isolated from mangrove plants in Zhuhai, China
February 2010
To isolate endophytic fungi from mangrove plants in Zhuhai, China and examine their DNA topoisomerase I inhibitory and antitumor activity. Endophytic fungi were isolated using surface-sterilization methods and were identified by morphological or molecular evidence. DNA topoisomerase I inhibitory activities were measured by topoisomerase I-mediated DNA plasmid relaxation assay. Antitumor...
Preliminary studies on the ecology of Mbasa (Opsaridium microlepis (Gunther)) in Lake Nyasa around the Ruhuhu River
February 2010
The ecology of Opsaridium microlepis was studied in Lake Nyasa around the Ruhuhu River. The species is endemic to the lake and is economically very important. The catches of O. microlepis have declined tremendously and it is now regarded as a threatened species. The main objective of the study was to determine the probable reasons for the decline in the species populations in the Ruhuhu...
Plant communities and tree species associations in a Miombo ecosystem in the Lake Rukwa basin, Southern Tanzania: Implications for conservation
February 2010
This study assessed the plant communities and species associations in the eastern Miombo woodlands eco-region of the Lake Rukwa basin southern Tanzania. Information was collected from 288 temporary sample plots in 32 sampling sites established randomly in the area and covering as much variation in the landscape as possible. Detailed analysis of the vegetation identified six tree communities of conservation importance,...
Study of seasonal and spatial variation in surface water quality of Cauvery river stretch in Karnataka
January 2010
In this study, multivariate statistical techniques, such as discriminant, factor /principal component and cluster analyses were applied to water quality data set monitored in pre- and post- monsoon for twenty five locations during three years to investigate seasonal and spatial variations in river water quality. The variables were mainly divided into two categories viz., non-conservative – DO, BOD, COD, nitrates...
Impact of small scale tobacco growing on the spatial and temporal distribution of Miombo woodlands in western Tanzania
January 2010
This paper examines the impact of tobacco farming on Miombo ecosystem in Western Tanzania. Methods employed include literature review, secondary data collection, data sets generation from satellite images (1984, 1995 and 2000) and fieldwork for ground verification. Data sets on tobacco production were computed to generate hectarage cleared for tobacco farming and tree felling for tobacco curing. Trend of tobacco...
The contents of zooplankton of the Tungabhadra river, near Harihar, Karanataka and the saprobiological analysis of water quality
December 2009
The plankton constitutes the basic food source of any aquatic ecosystems, which supports fish and other aquatic animals. Zooplanktons are microscopic animals that eat other plankton. The zooplankton community analysis and saprobiological characteristics of the Tungabhadra River using diversity index during December 2004 to November 2005. The present investigation can enrich knowledge on bio-indicators in understanding...
Effects of sowing date and planting density on quantity and quality features in valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.)
December 2009
This study was conducted as split plot field experiment in a randomized complete block design with four replications for one year planting. The main factors were the sowing dates (10 August, 1 and 20 September) and sub factors were the planting densities (4, 8 and 12 plants/m2). Our results showed that sowing date (SD) and planting density (PD) significantly affected grain yield, essential oil yield, essential oil...
Biology of pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa Malloch on Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. in Manipur, India
December 2009
The biology of Pod fly, Melanagromyza obtusa Malloch (Diptera: Agromyzidae) was studied during 2004 - 2005 in the laboratory of Department of Life Sciences, Manipur University, Imphal (Altitude: 790 msl and Latitude: 23.83oN - 25.68oN) at a temperature of 17.39 ± 0.23oC and 59.16 ± 0.39% relative humidity. The mean longevity of the adult pod fly was 6.59 ± 0.38 days. The...
Influence of calcium presence on the absorption of cadmium by the rock oyster Saccostrea cucullata from Persian Gulf (Ostreidae; Bivalvia) in laboratory conditions
November 2009
Bioaccumulation of Cadmium as a function of its concentration and exposure time inSaccostrea cucullata (Ostreidae; Bivalvia) has been studied in filtered sea water and in laboratory. Results showed that the accumulation of Cd by gills was greater than other organs such as visceral mass. At 150 µg /l saturation as a function of time appeared in uptake of Cadmium by gills, all binding sites for Cd may be...
Phytosociology of roadside communities to identify ecological potentials of tolerant species
November 2009
Roadside vegetations are open to contaminations of diverse heavy metals and other gaseous pollutants, and to physical disturbances of being trampled by pedestrians and crushed by vehicles continuously. Being a biodiversity-rich region of the world, roadsides of Southwest India, are expected to be rich in unique pollution-tolerant species. Tolerant plants in heavy metal polluted roadsides may be excluders or accumulators...
Environment in Jeopardy: Consequences of climate change in Egypt
November 2009
Egypt is at risk to the possessions of global warming and potentially facing "catastrophic" consequences in sea level rise (SLR), water scarcity, agriculture and food insufficiency, loss of biodiversity and habitats and new pressures on human health and national economy. To confront these adverse impacts, the Prime Minister re-established in 2007 a National Climate Change Committee consists of scientists...
Development of pedo transfer functions (PTFs) to predict soil physico-chemical and hydrological characteristics in southern coastal zones of the Caspian Sea
October 2009
The research presented in this paper attempts to develop a more realistic model using multi-layer perceptron (MLP), a feed forward artificial neural network (ANN), instead of traditional models like multiple linear regression (MLR) for predicting some soil physico-chemical and hydrological properties. The study area (Guilan Province) which is located in northern Iran bordering to south side of Caspian Sea in a coastal...
Physiological studies of some weeds grown under heavy metal and industrial effluent discharge zone of fertilizer factory
October 2009
The present study deals with the characterization of effluent released from Brahmaputra valley Fertilizer complex, Namrup, Assam, India and distribution of heavy metals in water near to effluent discharge channel. The extent of damage caused by the effluents on physiological and biochemical properties of plants was investigated. Chlorophyll pigment, foliar protein and sugar concentration were...
Abuse of nonhuman animals’ rights in the context of Zimbabwe’s Agrarian reforms (2000 - 2006): An ethical perspective
September 2009
The paper explores the history of the relationship between human and nonhuman animals in Zimbabwe and how her chaotic agrarian reforms that started in the year 2000 have impacted on the rights of nonhuman animals. It also attempts to make some comparisons between the moral status of nonhuman animals in Western tradition and traditional Zimbabwean societies. Finally, the paper explores the impact of Zimbabwe’s...
Deposition of heavy metals (Pb, Sr and Zn) in the county of Obrenovac (Serbia) using mosses as bioindicators
September 2009
In this study, the deposition of three heavy metals (Pb, Sr and Zn) in the county of Obrenovac (Serbia) in four moss taxa (Bryum argenteum, Bryum capillare, Brachythecium sp. and Hypnum cupressiforme) is presented. Distribution of average heavy metal content in all mosses in the county of Obrenovac is presented in maps, while long term atmospheric deposition (in mosses Bryum argenteum andB....
Bacteriological assessment of groundwater in Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi basins, Bangalore, Karnataka
September 2009
In the newly developed and old parts of Bangalore city, municipal, domestic and industrial effluents are channelized into an open sewerage system. Most of the wells situated within 2 km radius of this open sewerage networks were found to be profoundly loaded with total and facal coliform. The average counts of total and facal coliform from the lake samples were 227 and 79 CFU/100 ml, 82 and 14 CFU/100 ml from the open...
Diversity of true mangroves and their associates in the Pondicherry region of South India and development of a mangrove knowledgebase
August 2009
Mangroves are salt–tolerant forest ecosystems of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. There may be no other group of plants with such highly developed morphological and physiological adaptations to extreme conditions. They are a rich source of steroids, triterpenes, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins. The Pondicherry region in South India has no forest, but has scattered patches of...
Physico-chemical characteristics of the open Mediterranean sea water far about 60 Km from Damietta harbor, Egypt
August 2009
The aim of the present study is to investigate the hydrographic characteristics, nutrient salts and some heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni) as well as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) in six vertical profiles in the open Mediterranean sea water far about 60 Km from Damietta harbor (Egypt). Water samples were collected during April 2007. The results revealed that...
Ecological status of waterfowl habitat on the Gemenc floodplain area in Hungary
August 2009
Hydrological, chemical and biological methods were applied to investigate the ecological status of the Gemenc floodplain area. The examined wetland was generally poor in planktonic organisms, however benthonic eutrophication was evident. 81 plant species and 17 associations were proved to appear during the examined years. Formation of vegetation was influenced by water-level. The hydrological regime changed...
Comparison of understorey vegetation in exotic and indigenous tree plantations in Shivalik Hills of N.W. Indian Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh)
August 2009
Presently, a total of 104 species belonging to 87 genera under 38 families of flowering plants in exotic (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook.) and indigenous (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) tree plantations were determined. There were higher numbers of plant species under the indigenous plantations as compared to the exotic ones. InEucalyptus plantations 60% species were exotic,...
Municipal drinking water source protection in low income countries: Case of Buea municipality- Cameroon
July 2009
Source water contamination poses a risk to public health and increases the cost of drinking water treatment. Source water protection is a proactive approach for the enhancement of drinking water quality and quantity. A combination of research methods (desk review, interviews and reconnaissance field appraisal) have been used to identify major drinking water sources in Buea, land use activities which constitute potential...
The effect of MRET activated water on staphylococcal infection in vivo in animal model and in vitro on the culture of Staphylococcus aureus wood-46
July 2009
The article relates to detailed observation of the effect of MRET activated water with the modified molecular structure on Staphylococcus aureus. MRET water is produced with the help of Molecular Resonance Effect Technology patented in the USA. The investigation described in this article was conducted in animal model and in vitro at the Division of Microbiology and Immunology,...
Maxent modeling for predicting suitable habitat for threatened and endangered tree Canacomyrica monticola in New Caledonia
July 2009
Distribution data on threatened and endangered species are often sparse and clustered making it difficult to model their suitable habitat distribution using commonly used modeling approaches. We used a novel method called maximum entropy distribution modeling or Maxent for predicting potential suitable habitat forCanacomyrica monticola, a threatened and endangered tree species in New Caledonia, using small number of...
Ecological integrity of wetland, their functions and sustainable use
June 2009
It is estimated that 90% of sewage in cities in developing countries are today discharged untreated into water bodies. The physical, biological, chemical and geologic interactions among different components of the environment that occur within a wetland. Anzali wetland complex is a good example of a natural wetland, characteristic of the South Caspian lowlands. It supports an extremely diverse wetland flora and fauna....
Projecting forest tree distributions and adaptation to climate change in northern Thailand
June 2009
Climate change is a global threat to biodiversity because it has the potential to cause significant impacts on the distribution of species and the composition of habitats. The objective of this research is to evaluate the consequence of climate change in distribution of forest tree species, both deciduous and evergreen species. We extracted the HadCM3 A2 climate change scenario (regionally-oriented economic development)...
Mangrove biodiversity in the restoration and sustainability of the Nigerian natural environment
June 2009
The objective of this study was to evaluate the floral biodiversity and sustainability of Lagos wetlands. In other to achieve this, mangrove communities of 8 localities in Lagos and its environs viz: Atlas Cove, Five Cowrie Creek, Maroko, Berger De Motz, Palaver Island, Bayeku, Majidun and University of Lagos beach were sampled. A comprehensive quantitative vegetation analysis of the vegetation within the selected...
Carbon sequestration rate and aboveground biomass carbon potential of four young species
May 2009
Carbon is sequestered by the plant photosynthesis and stored as biomass in different parts of the tree. Carbon sequestration rate has been measured for young species (6 years age) of Shorea robusta at Chadra forest in Paschim Medinipur district, Albizzia lebbek in Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah district, Tectona grandis at Chilapata forest in Coochbehar...
Soybean response to application of poultry manure and phosphorus fertilizer in the Sub-humid Savanna of Nigeria.
May 2009
Field experiments were conducted during the rainy seasons of 2003 and 2005 in Samaru in the Northern Guinea Savanna zone of Nigeria to test the response of two soybean varieties to application of poultry manure and phosphorus fertilizer levels. Soybean varieties TGx 1448-2E and TGx 1019-2EB were grown without and with 1t/ha of poultry manure and four levels of P (0, 13.2, 26.4 and 39.6 kgP/ha) in all possible factorial...
Assessment of bore wells water quality in Gwagwalada town of FCT
May 2009
Bore wells water quality was carried out in Gwagwalada town of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria in December 2008. Acceptable standard method of sampling and analysis was used. Samples were collected from one bore well from the 11 part of the town. Wells were selected for the sample collections randomly. Sampling point locations and elevation were obtained using G.P.S. Analysis was carried out for Total...
Plants canopy coverage at the edge of main communications network in Hyrcanian forests
May 2009
To investigate the plants canopy coverage on cut and fill slopes of Lat Talar forest roads in Hyrcanian zone, the systematic randomize sampling method with 60 parallelogram shape plots was used. Within each plot the herbaceous plants and regeneration of woody species were recognized and their canopy coverage was recorded in %. Results showed that the canopy coverage of herbaceous plants and regeneration on cut and fill...
Developing urban ecotourism in Kenyan cities: A sustainable approach
April 2009
Tourism is not only a powerful social and economic force but also a factor in the physical environment as well. It has the power to improve the environment, provide funds for conservation, preserve culture and history, to set sustainable use limits and to protect natural attractions. Ecotourism potentially provides a sustainable approach to development. A frequently cited definition of ecotourism originated with The...
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