Most animals restrain their movement activities to familiar areas which leads to home ranges. Although understanding both establishment and shifts of home ranges is highly relevant for basic science and conservation, pinpointing the factors that shape the dynamics of home ranges remains a challenge. Evidently home ranges are influenced by the underlying landscape. Landscape composition, i.e., the fraction of different land cover types, has recently been shown to affect home range size. Yet, the explicit spatial configuration of the landscape, a factor which is known to be of central importance in spatial ecology, is not taken into account by most studies. We quantify the effect of landscape configuration on summer home range sizes across multiple spatio-temporal scales using GPS data from two behaviorally distinct ungulate species, red (<I>Cervus elaphus</I>) and roe deer (<I>Capreolus capreolus</I>), in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. We show that the spatial configuration of the landscape is the dominant factor explaining home range size. Furthermore, we find that the shape of the relationship between home range size and landscape configuration depends on a species' habitat requirements: while roe deer decrease their home range size with increasing landscape patchiness, the relationship is hump-shaped for red deer. Our results are robust at all tested spatio-temporal scales.

We report the development and validation of a method to detect and quantify diverse nonpolar halogenated micropollutants in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent, effluent, primary sludge, and secondary sludge matrices (including both the liquid and particle phases) by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) coupled to micro- electron capture detector (μECD). The 59 target analytes included toxaphenes, polychlorinated naphthalenes, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and emerging persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals. The method is robust for a wide range of nonpolar halogenated micropollutants in all matrices. For most analytes, recoveries fell between 70% and 130% in all matrix types. GC×GC-μECD detections of several target analytes were confirmed qualitatively by further analysis with GC×GC coupled to electron capture negative chemical ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ENCI-TOFMS). We then quantified the concentrations and apparent organic solid–water partition coefficients (<I>K</I><I><SUB>p</SUB></I>) of target micropollutants in samples from a municipal WWTP in Switzerland. Several analyzed pollutants exhibited a high frequency of occurrence in WWTP stream samples, including octachloronaphthalene, PCB-44, PCB-52, PCB-153, PCB-180, several organochlorine pesticides, PBDE-10, PBDE-28, PBDE-116, musk tibetene, and pentachloronitrobenzene. Our results suggest that sorption to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can contribute substantially to the apparent solids-liquid distribution of hydrophobic micropollutants in WWTP streams.

Water resource managers often tout the potential of potable water reuse to provide a reliable, local source of drinking water in water-scarce regions. Despite data documenting the ability of advanced treatment technologies to treat municipal wastewater effluent to meet existing drinking water quality standards, many utilities face skepticism from the public about potable water reuse. Prior research on this topic has mainly focused on marketing strategies for garnering public acceptance of the process. This study takes a broader perspective on the adoption of potable water reuse based on concepts of societal legitimacy, which is the generalized perception or assumption that a technology is desirable or appropriate within its social context. To assess why some potable reuse projects were successfully implemented while others faced fierce public opposition, we performed a series of 20 expert interviews and reviewed in-depth case studies from potable reuse projects in California. Results show that proponents of a legitimated potable water reuse project in Orange County, California engaged in a portfolio of strategies that addressed three main dimensions of legitimacy. In contrast, other proposed projects that faced extensive public opposition relied on a smaller set of legitimation strategies that focused near-exclusively on the development of robust water treatment technology. Widespread legitimation of potable water reuse projects, including direct potable water reuse, may require the establishment of a portfolio of standards, procedures, and possibly new institutions.

Environmental stress is a fundamental force influencing species distributions and abundances in many habitats globally. The role of environmental stress may be increasing in a wide range of locations due to anthropogenic factors including chemical pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change. These abiotic stressors often combine to cause complex effects and challenge researchers to accurately assess and predict impacts at different levels of biological organisation. Thus, understanding how multiple stressors damage ecological systems is an important research goal for ecotoxicologists and ecologists.<br /> Over recent decades, concern has mounted regarding the threat posed by chemicals discharged to waterways from municipal wastewater, as opposed to industry or agriculture, on aquatic ecosystems. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are designed to remove contaminants prior to discharge, but total elimination using traditional technologies is often impossible. This means treated wastewater effluent often contributes a wide range of contaminants to the environment, including both micropollutants (e.g., low concentrations of pharmaceuticals and pesticides in mixtures) and nutrients. However, it is poorly understood how the effect of these compounds act together on the receiving ecosystems. My thesis is part of a mesocosm experiment at Eawag to investigate how nutrients modify the toxic effects of micropollutants, and focuses on the responses of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus fossarum as a model study organism to these abiotic stressors.<br /> A recent meta-analysis of multiple stressor effects suggests the most common interaction is antagonistic (i.e., one stressor cancels the other one out), and previous work has shown that nutrients can dampen the effects of pesticides on freshwater invertebrates. Thus, the main hypothesis I tested was that there is an interaction of effects of nutrients and toxicants and that nutrients reduce (‘mask’) the negative effects of micropollutants found in wastewater. Here I assumed that nutrients improve food resources for amphipods (for example, promoting the microbial conditioning of leaf discs). As a result, amphipods might be better able to cope with the stress caused by micropollutants, which should increase metabolic activity and thus represent an energy demand. Therefore, we predicted that a micropollutant treatment would have strong negative effects on gammarids, while the combined presence of nutrients and micropollutants would show effects more similar to the controls, which would constitute the best conditions.<br /> The experiment was conducted using the Maiandros experimental flumes system at ARA Bachwis in Fällanden. The design involved four water quality treatments that were each replicated in four channels (16 channels in total). Each channel contained 14 amphipods in individual cages and four control cages (amphipods absent). River water only from the Glatt was used as the control treatment, and river water dosed with a solvent (methanol) was used as technical control. The third treatment consisted of a mixture of micropollutants representative for wastewater in Switzerland in composition and concentration. For the last treatment, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) were added to this mixture. These two mixtures were dosed to Glatt river water with the methanol solvent. The influence of nutrients on the effects of the micropollutants treatment is therefore the main research interest of this thesis.<br /> In my thesis, I tested the hypothesis that nutrients mask the effects of micropollutants using three <em>Gammarus fossarum endpoints</em> (survival, growth, and consumption) during a five-week experiment.<br /> The results were equivocal and there was large variation observed in the treatments. Survival was reduced in the nutrient treatments compared to micropollutants, while no significant effects of treatments were found for growth and consumption. The initial size of gammarids was evenly distributed over treatments and significantly explained growth but not survival at the end of the experiment.<br /> My results do not strongly support the hypothesis tested that nutrients reduce a negative effect of micropollutants, although they do not necessarily reject it. This shows the complexity of the topic investigated and points to the need for further research regarding the ecosystem effects of multiple stressors in wastewater.

Die Makrozoobenthos-Erhebungsmethode des Modul-Stufen-Konzepts (MSK) wird breit angewandt. Wie eine Umfrage zeigt, entspricht sie überwiegend den Erwartungen der Anwender und Anwenderinnen. Um die Verlässlichkeit zu steigern, bedarf es jedoch einer Weiterentwicklung der Methode. So soll die Methode künftig den natürlichen Hintergrund miteinbeziehen, weitergehende Indices sollen auf Schweizer Daten getestet und die Ergebnisse publiziert werden.

Deficiencies of micronutrients, including essential trace elements, affect up to 3 billion people worldwide. The dietary availability of trace elements is determined largely by their soil concentrations. Until now, the mechanisms governing soil concentrations have been evaluated in small-scale studies, which identify soil physicochemical properties as governing variables. However, global concentrations of trace elements and the factors controlling their distributions are virtually unknown. We used 33,241 soil data points to model recent (1980–1999) global distributions of Selenium (Se), an essential trace element that is required for humans. Worldwide, up to one in seven people have been estimated to have low dietary Se intake. Contrary to small-scale studies, soil Se concentrations were dominated by climate–soil interactions. Using moderate climate-change scenarios for 2080–2099, we predicted that changes in climate and soil organic carbon content will lead to overall decreased soil Se concentrations, particularly in agricultural areas; these decreases could increase the prevalence of Se deficiency. The importance of climate–soil interactions to Se distributions suggests that other trace elements with similar retention mechanisms will be similarly affected by climate change.

Il est bien connu qu'il est difficile de faire évoluer les habitudes et mentalités. Hans-Joachim Mosler du département de Sciences sociales de l'environnement de l'Eawag a développé une méthode qui favorise les changements de comportement. Il a maintenant créé une société de conseil qui suscite un fort intérêt, notamment chez les professionnels de la coopération au développement.

Prises isolément, les cellules bactériennes ont la mémoire courte. En groupe, elles peuvent en revanche développer une mémoire collective qui les aide à mieux gérer les situations de stress. C'est ce que des chercheurs de l'Eawag et de l'EPF de Zurich viennent de démontrer expérimentalement dans une étude publiée dans la revue <I>PNAS</I>.

L'empreinte hydrique indique la quantité d'eau nécessaire à la fabrication des biens de consommation. Des chercheurs de l'Eawag révèlent que pour sa détermination, le mode de calcul de sa part dite grise doit être uniformisé. Par exemple, les différentes normes utilisées pour la qualité de l'eau rendent les comparaisons aujourd'hui difficiles.

The water footprint indicates how much water is used to produce consumer goods. A study by Eawag scientists shows that there is a need for standardization in assessments of the grey water component. Comparability is impaired, for example, by the use of different water quality standards.

Changing people’s behaviour is no easy matter. Having developed a method that has been shown to promote behaviour change, Hans-Joachim Mosler of Eawag’s Environmental Social Sciences department has now set up a consulting firm – attracting considerable interest among development cooperation professionals in particular.

Individual bacterial cells have short memories. But groups of bacteria can develop a collective memory that can increase their tolerance to stress. This has been demonstrated experimentally for the first time in a study by Eawag and ETH Zurich scientists published in <I>PNAS</I>.

Einzelne Bakterienzellen vergessen sehr schnell. Aber Bakteriengruppen können ein kollektives Gedächtnis bilden, das ihnen helfen kann, besser mit Stress umzugehen. Das weist eine in der Zeitschrift <I>PNAS</I> veröffentlichte Studie der Eawag und der ETH Zürich erstmals experimentell nach.

Der Wasserfussabdruck gibt an, wie viel Wasser die Herstellung von Konsumgütern benötigt. Forschende der Eawag zeigen auf, dass dabei die Berechnung des Anteils des sogenannten grauen Wassers vereinheitlicht werden muss. Bisher erschweren zum Beispiel verschiedene Standards für die Wasserqualität die Vergleichbarkeit.

Menschliches Verhalten zu ändern ist bekanntlich schwer. Hans-Joachim Mosler von der Abteilung Umweltsozialwissenschaften der Eawag hat eine Methode entwickelt, die Verhaltensänderungen nachweislich fördert. Jetzt hat er eine Beratungsfirma gegründet, die insbesondere bei Fachleuten für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit auf grosses Interesse stösst.

Angesichts des erheblichen aktuellen Biodiversitätsverlusts und des allmählichen Wegbröckelns der Ökosystemleistungen, das damit einhergeht, scheinen die herkömmlichen Erhaltungsansätze teilweise nicht mehr geeignet, um die Ökosysteme – auf die der Mensch nun einmal angewiesen ist – in ihrer Gesamtheit zu bewahren, da sich die Prioritäten bei der Erhaltung in erster Linie an der Seltenheit einer Art orientieren statt an ihrer funktionellen Bedeutung für das Ökosystem. Vor dem allgemeinen Hintergrund knapper Budgets für die Arterhaltung entsteht ein Missverhältnis zwischen den unternommenen Anstrengungen zur Erhaltung einer bestimmten Art in einem bestimmten Ökosystem und der Erfordernis, die Funktions- und Widerstandsfähigkeit des Ökosystems in seiner Gesamtheit zu erhalten. Die Autoren sind der Auffassung, dass es einer umfassenden Neuausrichtung dieser Anstrengungen im Sinne eines Schutzes der ökologischen Netzwerke bedarf, um sowohl die Biodiversität als auch das sie umgebende Ökosystem als Ganzes zu schützen.

In wild populations natural selection is a constant companion and adaptation the only way of surviving, and in the long-term that adaptation must be heritable. <em>Daphnia</em> represent an ideal system to test for heritable adaptation as they are a widespread freshwater zooplankton. Even though different species are found all over the world, individual populations have limited dispersal ability and are mostly confined to their lake and compelled to adapt to that lake’s properties and its fluctuations. <em>Daphnia</em> reproduce mainly asexually, but when presented with adverse environments they produce resting eggs which can be recovered from lake sediments. These eggs can be hatched in the laboratory and provide snapshots of past phenotypes and genotypes.<br /> Switzerland’s lake Greifensee has been intensively studied over the past decades during which time the environment within the lake changed a lot. In the second half of the 20th century human-caused eutrophication of the lake took place, peaking in the 1950-1970s and a subsequent clearing of the lake water when waste water treatment plants were put into operation. By using the resurrection method, it has previously been shown that <em>Daphnia</em> from times of eutrophication are better adapted to pollution in water than their counterparts originating from times of clear water. In this Thesis, I combine whole genome resequencing and population genetic methods to find genetic evidence of this adaptation in 43 <em>Daphnia</em> galeata clones hatched from ephippia taken from dated core samples of Greifensee originating from 1958 to 2012.<br /> The population genomic methods I used revealed genetic differentiation and isolation over time, temporal population structure and evidence of strong diversifying selection. Comparison of allele frequencies with long term environmental data collected from Greifensee, suggests a strong association between allele frequency and environmental parameters particularly phosphorous and temperature. My results identify a number of variable sites in the <em>Daphnia</em> galeata genome that are correlated with changing environments, and these candidates can be used in future studies to test functional significance. In the final section of my thesis I also discuss the many technical advances in <em>Daphnia</em> growing and harvesting that was made during this research.

Reports of viruses infecting insects have increased with the rapid emergence of new sequencing technologies. In this study, a newly discovered RNA virus infecting the parasitoid wasp <em>Lysiphlebus fabarum</em> (LysV) is investigated. Wasps were reared on aphid hosts (<em>Aphis fabae</em>) that are protected against parasitism by a suite of facultative endosymbionts, including the protective bacterium <em>Hamiltonella defensa</em>. During experimental evolution of wasps in three different aphid environments, either <em>H. defensa</em> free (H–) or carrying H. defensa strains 76 or 402, differences in viral presence were observed by RNA–seq. Following upon these results viral presence was found with PCR screenings in different sexually and asexually reproducing wasp lineages reared in the lab, albeit their infection percentages varied highly. Wasps evolving on hosts infected with <em>H. defensa</em> strain 76 had a higher infection rate than the other two evolution lineages. A qPCR assay was subsequently developed for quantification of viral presence, and showed that qPCR was more sensitive to low copy numbers of viral RNA than PCR. More detailed knowledge of viral infection thus requires a qPCR approach as PCR analyses may underestimate the degree of infection. Both horizontal and vertical transmission of the virus were demonstrated experimentally. Phylogenetic analyses classified the virus as belonging to the <em>Iflaviridae </em>family, with its closest known relatives all being parasitoid wasp–infecting viruses. Support is also provided for viral occurrence in wild populations at four sites located in western Switzerland, demonstrating its origin and introduction to the lab. Three haplotypes could be distinguished in the wild populations, of which two were also found in lab populations. Lastly, comparisons across time points suggest that this is a persistent infection in laboratory populations, without clear symptoms of the virus in infected wasps. This hints towards a possible commensal or mutualist relationship of the virus and its parasitoid host, although detailed fitness comparisons between infected and uninfected wasps will be required to verify this.

Urban stormwater discharges during wet weather has always been a sensitive issue to deal with. By inducing combined sewer overflows, substantial impacts on receiving water are commonly feared. Aware of this problematic situation, the VSA already created the STORM guideline to cope with this issue in small rivers. However, such a guideline is still lacking for large rivers and lakes. This project is a first step towards this direction and tries to prospect the necessity of such instructions for lakes. For this purpose, the present master thesis studies the impact of urban stormwater discharged via the Flon river into the Vidy Bay of Lake Geneva, next to the city of Lausanne.<br /> A Sediment Quality Triad, meaning a combination of three assessment methods (chemistry, ecotoxicology and in situ benthic communities), was implemented to assess the impact of stormwater discharges on the sediments in this part of the lake. On a large sampling grid composed of 15 sites, heavy metals were measured and ostracod bioassays were performed with the sediment samples collected at these sites. Subsequently, on the six sites located in the central transect of this sampling grid, further experiments were led to understand the incidence of stormwater discharges on sediment quality while moving away from the Flon river’s effluent. In addition to heavy metals, PAHs and PCBs were measured at these sites. A battery of three extra ecotoxicological bioassays was also carried out on five of these six sites. These tests were implemented with the following organisms: chironomids, macrophytes and nematodes. Finally, two kind of in situ communities were studied in these five sites: microbial communities in order to perform a pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) and oligochaete communities in order to implement the oligochaete index of lake bioindication (IOBL).<br /> The implementation of these experiments showed that the contamination induced by urban stormwater discharges is limited to the proximity of the combined sewer overflow. A set of pollutants mainly composed of copper, zinc, PCBs and PAHs was identified within this contaminated area. Although no toxicity was observed on the sites affected by this contamination, in situ community studies revealed substantial shifts towards resistant species in both oligochaete and microbial community structures.<br /> Another contamination area, observed in remote sites and mainly composed of cobalt, chromium, iron, manganese and nickel, remains not well understood. The laboratory toxicity tests detected some toxicity in benthic invertebrates but the benthic communities studied in situ showed no apparent alteration. Modeling tools are required to get a better understanding of the source of this contamination.

1. Habitat destruction, biological invasions and water quality deterioration are serious threats to native communities and can lead to modifications in community composition and structure, and in ecosystem function.<BR/>2. To predict the consequences of river restoration, biological invasions and water quality change in the taxonomic composition of macroinvertebrate communities in rivers, we extended the mechanistic model Streambugs, which describes growth, respiration and death of interacting taxa under given environmental conditions.<BR/>3. The model parameterised with prior knowledge on macroinvertebrate traits had already a reasonable explanatory power for data from restored and unrestored sites in two Swiss rivers. As anticipated, the explanatory power of the model was increased further by incorporation of learning from observations through Bayesian inference. The predictive application of the model to changes in water quality and invasions by alien species indicated the importance of integrative planning of management measures: although invasive species are predicted to be able to colonise restored and unrestored sites and replace native species, both invasion of alien species and subsequent exclusion of native taxa is predicted to be reduced when water quality improves.<BR/>4. The unavoidable simplification in the mathematical description of complex interactions in the macroinvertebrate community results in predictions that are uncertain. Our modelling techniques make the best attempt to quantify this uncertainty. Despite the uncertainty that always calls for more research, this study makes a considerable step towards improving our understanding of community structure and supporting river management through mechanistic, predictive modelling of macroinvertebrate communities in rivers under changing environmental conditions.

The development of a wide array of process technologies to enable the shift from conventional biological wastewater treatment processes to resource recovery systems is matched by an increasing demand in predictive capabilities. Mathematical models are excellent tools to meet this demand. However, obtaining reliable and fit-for-purpose models remains a cumbersome task due to the inherent complexity of biological wastewater treatment processes. In this work, we present a first study in the context of environmental biotechnology that adopts and explores the use of extents as a way to simplify and streamline the dynamic process modeling task. In addition, the extent-based modeling strategy is enhanced by optimal accounting of nonlinear algebraic equilibria and nonlinear measurement equations. Finally, a thorough discussion of our results aims at demonstrating the benefits of extent-based modeling and its potential to turn environmental process modeling into a highly automated task.

Iron(III)-precipitates formed by Fe(II) oxidation in aqueous solutions affect the cycling and impact of Fe and other co-precipitated elements in environmental systems. Fresh Fe(III)-precipitates are metastable and their transformation into more stable phases during aging may result in the release of initially co-precipitated ions. Phosphate, silicate, Mg and Ca play key roles in determining the structure and composition of fresh Fe(III)-precipitates. Here we examine how these ions affect the structure and phosphate retention of Fe(III)-precipitates formed by oxidation of 0.5 mM dissolved Fe(II) at pH 7.0 after aging for 30 days at 40 °C.<BR/>Iron K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) shows that aged precipitates consist of the same structural units as fresh precipitates: Amorphous Fe(III)- or Ca-Fe(III)-phosphate, ferrihydrite, and poorly crystalline lepidocrocite. Mg, Ca, and dissolved phosphate stabilize (Ca-)Fe(III)-phosphate against transformation into ferrihydrite. Silicate further attenuates (Ca-)Fe(III)-phosphate transformation. The crystallinity of lepidocrocite formed in phosphate- and silicate-free solutions slightly increases during aging. The transformation of Fe(III)- and Ca-Fe(III)-phosphate into ferrihydrite and ongoing ferrihydrite crystallization during aging result in the release of co-precipitated phosphate. Dissolved Ca on the other hand limits phosphate concentrations to values consistent with solubility control by octacalciumphosphate. Owing to the combined effects of Ca and silicate, phosphate is most effectively retained by Fe(III)-precipitates formed and aged in Ca- and silicate-containing solutions. The results from this study contribute to an improved understanding of the formation and transformation of Fe(III)-precipitates and emphasize that the complexity of Fe(III)-precipitate dynamics in the presence of multiple interfering solutes must be considered when addressing their impact on major and trace elements in environmental systems.

In der vorliegenden Studie wurde für fünf kleine Schweizer Fliessgewässer anhand akuter und chronischer Risikoquotienten eine Risikobewertung für chemisch analysierte Pflanzenschutzmittelmischungen durchgeführt. An vier der fünf Standorte wurde ein zeitweise hohes Risiko der Mischung für Pflanzen oder wirbellose Organismen nachgewiesen. Biologische Untersuchungen unterstützen diese Risikoeinschätzung.

Zebrafish were exposed through diet to two environmentally relevant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) mixtures of contrasted compositions, one of pyrolytic (PY) origin and one from light crude oil (LO). Monoamine concentrations were quantified in the brains of the fish after six month of exposure. A significant decrease in noradrenaline (NA) was observed in fish exposed to both mixtures, while a decrease in serotonin (5HT) and dopamine (DA) was observed only in LO-exposed fish. A decrease in metabolites of 5HT and DA was observed in fish exposed to both mixtures. Several behavioural disruptions were observed that depended on mixtures, and parallels were made with changes in monoamine concentrations. Indeed, we observed an increase in anxiety in fish exposed to both mixtures, which could be related to the decrease in 5HT and/or NA, while disruptions of daily activity rhythms were observed in LO fish, which could be related to the decrease in DA. Taken together, these results showed that (i) chronic exposures to PAHs mixtures disrupted brain monoamine contents, which could underlie behavioural disruptions, and that (ii) the biological responses depended on mixture compositions.

Fathead minnow (FM, <em>Pimephales promelas</em>) are a species of small fish native to North America. Their small size, fast development, and ability to breed in the lab make them an ideal species to use in research, especially in toxicology. Behaviour in general is poorly studied in FM. The aim of this study was to characterize the normal behaviour of fathead minnow at 3 different stages of development in a light-dark box and in a social behaviour test. Fish larvae showed a preference for the light area, and then an increase in dark preference was seen as the fish aged. FM preferred to be with conspecifics at each age, but this preference was much stronger at the adult stage. The time of first entry into the conspecific area was reduced with increasing age of the fish. The time spent in the conspecific area increased between the juvenile and adult stage, and adults stayed more in this area when they entered it. Maturation of behavior in FM was demonstrated in our study. The FM is another good model fish to assess behavioral effects of chemicals, and this study helps to define the appropriate ages for behavioral studies with FM.

Predicting the composition and dynamics of communities is a challenging but useful task to efficiently support ecosystem management. Community ecology has developed a number of promising theories, including food webs, metabolic theory, ecological stoichiometry and environmental filtering. Their joint implementation in a mechanistic modeling framework should help us to bring community ecology to a new level by improving its predictive abilities. One of the challenges lies in the proper consideration of model uncertainty.<br />In this paper we contribute to this challenging task by modeling the temporal dynamics of macroinvertebrate communities in a stream subjected to hydropeaking in Switzerland. To this end, we extended the mechanistic model Streambugs regarding flood-induced drift-processes and the use of trait information to define performance filters.<br />Model predictions without any calibration were in the right order of magnitude but did not reflect the dynamics of most of the invertebrate taxa well. Bayesian inference drastically improved the model fit. It revealed that a large share of total model output uncertainty can be attributed to observation errors, which exceeded model parameter uncertainty. Observed and simulated community-aggregated traits helped to identify and understand model deficits. The combination of different ecological theories and trait information in a single mechanistic modeling framework combined with Bayesian inference can thus help to predict responses of communities to environmental changes, which can support ecosystem management.

Using new high-resolution <SUP>10</SUP>Be measurements in the NGRIP, EDML and Vostok ice cores, together with previously published data from EDC, we present an improved synchronization between Greenland and Antarctic ice cores during the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion ∼41 kyr ago. We estimate the precision of this synchronization to be ±20 years, an order of magnitude better than previous work. We discuss the implications of this new synchronization for making improved estimates of the depth difference between ice and enclosed gas of the same age (Δdepth), difference between age of ice and enclosed gas at the same depth (Δage) in the EDC and EDML ice cores, spectral properties of the ¹⁰Be profiles and phasing between Dansgaard–Oeschger-10 (in NGRIP) and AIM-10 (in EDML and EDC).

What methods and procedures support transdisciplinary knowledge integration? We address this question by exploring knowledge integration within four thematic synthesis processes of the Swiss National Research Programme 61 Sustainable Water Management (NRP 61). Drawing on literature from inter- and transdisciplinary research, we developed an analytical framework to map different methods and procedures of knowledge integration. We use this framework to characterize the variety of methods and procedures that were combined in the four processes to produce thematic synthesis reports. We suggest that the variety of combinations observed reflects the different objectives and questions that guided the processes of knowledge integration as well as the different roles that leaders assumed in these processes. Although the framework was developed in the course of NRP 61, we consider it as a basis for designing ex ante new synthesis processes by defining and sequencing different synthesis stages and by identifying, for each stage, the contributions of specific scientific and societal actors, the purpose of their contributions, and the methods and procedures supporting their contributions. Used in a formative evaluation process, the framework supports reflection on and adaptation of synthesis processes and also facilitates the generation of new knowledge for designing future processes.

The presence of predators can impact a variety of organisms within the ecosystem, including microorganisms. Because the effects of fish predators and their phenotypic differences on microbial communities have not received much attention, we tested how the presence/absence, genotype, and plasticity of the predatory three-spine stickleback (<I>Gasterosteus aculeatus</I>) influence aquatic microbes in outdoor mesocosms. We reared lake and stream stickleback genotypes on contrasting food resources to adulthood, and then added them to aquatic mesocosm ecosystems to assess their impact on the planktonic bacterial community. We also investigated whether the effects of fish persisted following the removal of adults, and the subsequent addition of a homogenous juvenile fish population. The presence of adult stickleback increased the number of bacterial OTUs and altered the size structure of the microbial community, whereas their phenotype affected bacterial community composition. Some of these effects were detectable after adult fish were removed from the mesocosms, and after juvenile fish were placed in the tanks, most of these effects disappeared. Our results suggest that fish can have strong short-term effects on microbial communities that are partially mediated by phenotypic variation of fish.

Increasing urbanization makes it more and more important to have accurate stormwater runoff predictions, especially with potentially severe weather and climatic changes on the horizon. Such stormwater predictions in turn require reliable rainfall information. Especially for urban centres, the problem is that the spatial and temporal resolution of rainfall observations should be substantially higher than commonly provided by weather services with their standard rainfall monitoring networks. Commercial microwave links (CMLs) are non-traditional sensors, which have been proposed about a decade ago as a promising solution. CMLs are line-of-sight radio connections widely used by operators of mobile telecommunication networks. They are typically very dense in urban areas and can provide path-integrated rainfall observations at sub-minute resolution. Unfortunately, quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) from CMLs are often highly biased due to several epistemic uncertainties, which significantly limit their usability. In this manuscript we therefore suggest a novel method to reduce this bias by adjusting QPEs to existing rain gauges. The method has been specifically designed to produce reliable results even with comparably distant rain gauges or cumulative observations. This eliminates the need to install reference gauges and makes it possible to work with existing information. First, the method is tested on data from a dedicated experiment, where a CML has been specifically set up for rainfall monitoring experiments, as well as operational CMLs from an existing cellular network. Second, we assess the performance for several experimental layouts of "ground truth" from rain gauges (RGs) with different spatial and temporal resolutions. The results suggest that CMLs adjusted by RGs with a temporal aggregation of up to 1 h (i) provide precise high-resolution QPEs (relative error <7%, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient >0.75) and (ii) that the combination of both sensor types clearly outperforms each individual monitoring system. Unfortunately, adjusting CML observations to RGs with longer aggregation intervals of up to 24 h has drawbacks. Although it substantially reduces bias, it unfavourably smoothes out rainfall peaks of high intensities, which is undesirable for stormwater management. A similar, but less severe, effect occurs due to spatial averaging when CMLs are adjusted to remote RGs. Nevertheless, even here, adjusted CMLs perform better than RGs alone. Furthermore, we provide first evidence that the joint use of multiple CMLs together with RGs also reduces bias in their QPEs. In summary, we believe that our adjustment method has great potential to improve the space–time resolution of current urban rainfall monitoring networks. Nevertheless, future work should aim to better understand the reason for the observed systematic error in QPEs from CMLs.

Adaptation to local resource availability depends on responses in growth rate and nutrient acquisition. The growth rate hypothesis (GRH) suggests that growing fast should impair competitive abilities for phosphorus and nitrogen due to high demand for biosynthesis. However, in microorganisms, size influences both growth and uptake rates, which may mask trade-offs and instead generate a positive relationship between these traits (size hypothesis, SH). Here, we evolved a gradient of maximum growth rate (<em>μ</em>_max) from a single bacterium ancestor to test the relationship among <em>μ</em>_max, competitive ability for nutrients and cell size, while controlling for evolutionary history. We found a strong positive correlation between <em>μ</em>_max and competitive ability for phosphorus, associated with a trade-off between <em>μ</em>_max and cell size: strains selected for high <em>μ</em>_max were smaller and better competitors for phosphorus. Our results strongly support the SH, while the trade-offs expected under GRH were not apparent. Beyond plasticity, unicellular populations can respond rapidly to selection pressure through joint evolution of their size and maximum growth rate. Our study stresses that physiological links between these traits tightly shape the evolution of competitive strategies.

Climate change is occurring across the world, with effects varying by ecosystem and region but already occurring quickly in high-latitude and high-altitude regions. Biotic interactions are important in determining ecosystem response to such changes, but few studies have been long-term in nature, especially in the High Arctic. Mesic tundra plots on Svalbard, Norway, were subjected to grazing at two different intensities by captive Barnacle geese from 2003–2005, in a factorial design with warming by Open Top Chambers. Warming manipulations were continued through 2014, when we measured vegetation structure and composition as well as growth and reproduction of three dominant species in the mesic meadow. Significantly more dead vascular plant material was found in warmed compared to ambient plots, regardless of grazing history, but in contrast to many short-term experiments no difference in the amount of living material was found. This has strong implications for nutrient and carbon cycling and could feed back into community productivity. Dominant species showed increased flowering in warmed plots, especially in those plots where grazing had been applied. However, this added sexual reproduction did not translate to substantial shifts in vegetative cover. Forbs and rushes increased slightly in warmed plots regardless of grazing, while the dominant shrub, <I>Salix polaris</I>, generally declined with effects dependent on grazing, and the evergreen shrub <I>Dryas octopetala</I> declined with previous intensive grazing. There were no treatment effects on community diversity or evenness. Thus despite no changes in total live abundance, a typical short-term response to environmental conditions, we found pronounced changes in dead biomass indicating that tundra ecosystem processes respond to medium- to long-term changes in conditions caused by 12 seasons of summer warming. We suggest that while high arctic tundra plant communities are fairly resistant to current levels of climate warming, underlying ecosystem processes are beginning to change. In addition, even short bouts of intense herbivory can have long-term consequences for some species in these communities.

The significant increase of contaminants entering fresh water bodies calls for the development of rapid and reliable methods to monitor the aquatic environment and to detect water toxicity. Cell culture-based biosensing techniques utilise the overall cytotoxic response to external stimuli, mediated by a transduced signal, to specify the toxicity of aqueous samples. These biosensing techniques can effectively indicate water toxicity for human safety and aquatic organism health. In this review we account for the recent developments of the mainstream cell culture-based biosensing techniques for water quality evaluation, discuss their key features, potentials and limitations, and outline the future prospects of their development.

Predicting the evolution of phenotypic traits requires an understanding of natural selection on them. Despite its indispensability in the fight against parasites, selection on host immune defense has remained understudied. Theory predicts immune traits to be under stabilizing selection due to associated trade-offs with other fitness-related traits. Empirical studies, however, report mainly positive directional selection. This discrepancy could be caused by low phenotypic variation in the examined individuals and/or variation in host resource level that confounds trade-offs in empirical studies. In a field experiment where we maintained <I>Lymnaea stagnalis</I> snails individually in cages in a lake, we investigated phenotypic selection on two immune defense traits, phenoloxidase (PO)-like activity and antibacterial activity, in hemolymph. We used a diverse laboratory population and manipulated snail resource level by limiting their food supply. For six weeks, we followed immune activity, growth, and two fitness components, survival and fecundity of snails. We found that PO-like activity and growth were under stabilizing selection, while antibacterial activity was under positive directional selection. Selection on immune traits was mainly driven by variation in survival. The form of selection on immune defense apparently depends on the particular trait, possibly due to its importance for countering the present parasite community.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is recognized as an important process for nitrogen cycling, yet little is known about its role in the subsurface biosphere. In this study, we investigated the presence, abundance, and role of anammox bacteria in upland soil cores from Tianjin, China (20 m depth) and Basel, Switzerland (10 m depth), using isotope-tracing techniques, (q)PCR assays, and 16 S rRNA & <I>hzs</I>B gene clone libraries, along with nutrient profiles of soil core samples. Anammox in the phreatic (water-saturated) zone contributed to 37.5–67.6% of the N-loss (up to 0.675 gN m<SUP>−2 </SUP>d<SUP>−1</SUP>), with anammox activities of 0.005–0.74 nmolN g<SUP>−1</SUP> soil h<SUP>−1</SUP>, which were even higher than the denitrification rates. By contrast, no significant anammox was measured in the vadose zone. Higher anammox bacterial cell densities were observed (0.75–1.4 × 10<SUP>7</SUP> copies g<SUP>−1</SUP> soil) in the phreatic zone, where ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) maybe the major source of nitrite for anammox bacteria. The anammox bacterial cells in soils of the vadose zone were all <10<SUP>3</SUP> copies g<SUP>−1</SUP> soil. We suggest that the subsurface provides a favorable niche for anammox bacteria whose contribution to N cycling and groundwater nitrate removal seems considerably larger than previously known.

Many contaminants in the California Bay–Delta (Bay–Delta) exceed regulatory standards, affect aquatic species, and potentially affect human health. Recent studies provide multiple lines of evidence that contaminants affect species of concern in the Bay–Delta (e.g., the decline of several important fish species referred to as the “Pelagic Organism Decline” or POD). Contaminants occur as dynamic complex mixtures and exert effects at multiple levels of biological organization. Multiple chemicals impair processes at cellular and physiological levels (measured as growth, development, and behavior abnormalities), and when viability and reproductive output are affected, populations are affected. As an important example, the population decline of the endangered Delta Smelt (<I>Hypomesus transpacificus</I>) is significantly associated with multiple stressors, including insecticide use. New analyses presented in this paper show significant correlations between pyrethroid use and declining abundance of POD fish species. Water sampled from the Bay–Delta causes multiple deleterious effects in fish, and Delta Smelt collected from the Bay–Delta exhibit contaminant effects. Fish prey items are also affected by contaminants; this may have an indirect effect on their populations. Co-occurrence with thermal changes or disease can exacerbate contaminant effects. Contaminants also pose threats to human health via consumption of fish and shellfish, drinking water, and contact recreation, in particular, mercury, cyanobacteria toxins, disinfection byproducts, pathogens, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The role of contaminants in the decline of Bay–Delta species is difficult to accurately assess in a complex, dynamic system. However, tools and approaches are available to evaluate contaminant effects on Bay–Delta species, and separate the effects of multiple stressors. Integrated monitoring and focused mechanistic studies are instrumental for addressing management needs. Effect and risk assessments should be conducted for different species across multiple life stages, with emphasis on early life stages of highpriority Bay–Delta species.

Detailed measurements of physical, chemical and biological dynamics in groundwater are key to understanding the important processes in place and their influence on water quality – particularly when used for drinking water. Measuring temporal bacterial dynamics at high frequency is challenging due to the limitations in automation of sampling and detection of the conventional, cultivation-based microbial methods. In this study, fully automated online flow cytometry was applied in a groundwater system for the first time in order to monitor microbial dynamics in a groundwater extraction well. Measurements of bacterial concentrations every 15 minutes during 14 days revealed both aperiodic and periodic dynamics that could not be detected previously, resulting in total cell concentration (TCC) fluctuations between 120 and 280 cells μL<SUP>−1</SUP>. The aperiodic dynamic was linked to river water contamination following precipitation events, while the (diurnal) periodic dynamic was attributed to changes in hydrological conditions as a consequence of intermittent groundwater extraction. Based on the high number of measurements, the two patterns could be disentangled and quantified separately. This study i) increases the understanding of system performance, ii) helps to optimize monitoring strategies, and iii) opens the possibility for more sophisticated (quantitative) microbial risk assessment of drinking water treatment systems.

1. Trait-based approaches are increasingly being used to test mechanisms underlying species assemblages and biotic interactions across a wide range of organisms including terrestrial arthropods and to investigate consequences for ecosystem processes. Such an approach relies on the standardized measurement of functional traits that can be applied across taxa and regions. Currently, however, unified methods of trait measurements are lacking for terrestrial arthropods and related macroinvertebrates (terrestrial invertebrates hereafter).<BR/>2. Here, we present a comprehensive review and detailed protocol for a set of 29 traits known to be sensitive to global stressors and to affect ecosystem processes and services. We give recommendations how to measure these traits under standardized conditions across various terrestrial invertebrate taxonomic groups.<BR/>3. We provide considerations and approaches that apply to almost all traits described, such as the selection of species and individuals needed for the measurements, the importance of intraspecific trait variability, how many populations or communities to sample and over which spatial scales.<BR/>4. The approaches outlined here provide a means to improve the reliability and predictive power of functional traits to explain community assembly, species diversity patterns and ecosystem processes and services within and across taxa and trophic levels, allowing comparison of studies and running meta-analyses across regions and ecosystems.<BR/>5. This handbook is a crucial first step towards standardizing trait methodology across the most studied terrestrial invertebrate groups, and the protocols are aimed to balance general applicability and requirements for special cases or particular taxa. Therefore, we envision this handbook as a common platform to which researchers can further provide methodological input for additional special cases.

Environmental conditions unsuitable for microbial growth are the rule rather than the exception in most habitats. In response to this, microorganisms have developed various strategies to withstand environmental conditions that limit active growth. Endospore-forming Firmicutes (EFF) deploy a myriad of survival strategies in order to resist adverse conditions. Like many bacterial groups, they can form biofilms and detect nutrient scarcity through chemotaxis. Moreover, within this paraphyletic group of Firmicutes, ecophysiological optima are diverse. Nonetheless, a response to adversity that delimits this group is the formation of wet-heat resistant spores. These strategies are energetically demanding and therefore might affect the biological success of EFF. Therefore, we hypothesize that abundance and diversity of EFF should be maximized in those environments in which the benefits of these survival strategies offsets the energetic cost. In order to address this hypothesis, geothermal and mineral springs and drillings were selected because in these environments of steep physicochemical gradients, diversified survival strategies may become a successful strategy.We collected 71 samples from geothermal and mineral environments characterized by none (null), single or multiple limiting environmental factors (temperature, pH, UV radiation, and specific mineral composition). To measure success, we quantified EFF gene copy numbers (GCN; <I>spo0A</I> gene) in relation to total bacterial GCN (16S rRNA gene), as well as the contribution of EFF to community composition. The quantification showed that relative GCN for EFF reached up to 20% at sites characterized by multiple limiting environmental factors, whereas it corresponded to less than 1% at sites with one or no limiting environmental factor. Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene supports a higher contribution of EFF at sites with multiple limiting factors. Community composition suggested a combination of phylotypes for which active growth could be expected, and phylotypes that are most likely in the state of endospores, in all the sites. In summary, our results suggest that diversified survival strategies, including sporulation and metabolic adaptations, explain the biological success of EFF in geothermal and natural springs, and that multiple extreme environmental factors favor the prevalence of EFF.

It is widely recognized that ecological dynamics influence evolutionary dynamics, and conversely that evolutionary changes alter ecological processes. Because fragmentation impacts all biological levels (from individuals to ecosystems) through isolation and reduced habitat size, it strongly affects the links among evolutionary and ecological processes such as population dynamics, local adaptation, dispersal and speciation. Here, we review our current knowledge of the eco-evolutionary dynamics in fragmented landscapes, focusing on both theory and experimental studies. We then suggest future experimental directions to study eco-evolutionary dynamics and/or feedbacks in fragmented landscapes, especially to bridge the gap between theoretical predictions and experimental validations.

<I>N</I>-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a carcinogenic disinfection byproduct from water chloramination. Despite the identification of numerous NDMA precursors, essential parts of the reaction mechanism such as the incorporation of molecular O<SUB>2</SUB> are poorly understood. In laboratory model systems for the chloramination of secondary and tertiary amines, we investigated the kinetics of precursor disappearance and NDMA formation, quantified the stoichiometries of monochloramine (NH<SUB>2</SUB>Cl) and aqueous O<SUB>2</SUB> consumption, derived <SUP>18</SUP>O-kinetic isotope effects (<SUP>18</SUP>O-KIE) for the reactions of aqueous O<SUB>2</SUB>, and studied the impact of radical scavengers on NDMA formation. Although the molar NDMA yields from five <I>N, N</I>-dimethylamine-containing precursors varied between 1.4% and 90%, we observed the stoichiometric removal of one O<SUB>2</SUB> per <I>N, N</I>-dimethylamine group of the precursor indicating that the oxygenation of N atoms did not determine the molar NDMA yield. Small <SUP>18</SUP>O-KIEs between 1.0026 ± 0.0003 and 1.0092 ± 0.0009 found for all precursors as well as completely inhibited NDMA formation in the presence of radical scavengers (ABTS and trolox) imply that O<SUB>2</SUB> reacted with radical species. Our study suggests that aminyl radicals from the oxidation of organic amines by NH<SUB>2</SUB>Cl and <I>N</I>-peroxyl radicals from the reaction of aminyl radicals with aqueous O<SUB>2</SUB> are part of the NDMA formation mechanism.

The implementation of targeted and nontargeted chemical screening analysis in combination with in vitro and organism-level bioassays is a prerequisite for a more holistic monitoring of water quality in the future. For chemical analysis, little or no sample enrichment is often sufficient, while bioanalysis often requires larger sample volumes at a certain enrichment factor for conducting comprehensive bioassays on different endpoints or further effect-directed analysis (EDA). To avoid logistic and technical issues related to the storage and transport of large volumes of water, sampling would benefit greatly from onsite extraction. This study presents a novel onsite large volume solid phase extraction (LVSPE) device tailored to fulfill the requirements for the successful effect-based and chemical screening of water resources and complies with available international standards for automated sampling devices. Laboratory recovery experiments using 251 organic compounds in the log D range from−3.6 to 9.4 (at pH 7.0) spiked into pristine water resulted in acceptable recoveries and from 60 to 123% for 159 out of 251 substances. Within a European-wide demonstration program, the LVSPE was able to enrich compounds in concentration ranges over three orders of magnitude (1 ng L<SUP>−1</SUP> to 2400 ng L<SUP>−1</SUP>). It was possible to discriminate responsive samples from samples with no or only low effects in a set of six different bioassays (i.e. acetylcholinesterase and algal growth inhibition, androgenicity, estrogenicity, fish embryo toxicity, glucocorticoid activity). The LVSPE thus proved applicable for onsite extraction of sufficient amounts of water to investigate water quality thoroughly by means of chemical analysis and effect-based tools without the common limitations due to small sample volumes.

We conducted a choice experiment (CE) to estimate willingness to accept (WTA) values for a planned conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme designed to increase toilet use in South Africa. The payment is made conditional on using a toilet and bringing urine to a central collection point. In a split-sample approach, a segment of respondents were given time to think (TTT) (24 hours) about their responses, while the remaining respondents had to answer immediately. We found significant differences in the choice behaviour between the subsamples. To validate the stated preferences with actual behaviour, a CCT programme was implemented afterwards. The stated WTA estimates were far below those revealed by actual behaviour for both subsamples. Contrary to our expectations, the TTT group had underestimated their actual WTA values by an even larger margin. The preferences for various attributes were nevertheless useful in informing the design of the real intervention.

Identifying the selective forces that initiate ecological speciation is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. Sensory drive has been implicated in speciation in various taxa, largely based on phenotype-environment correlations and signatures of selection in sensory genes. Here, we present a reciprocal transplant experiment revealing species differences in performance in alternative visual environments, consistent with speciation by divergent sensory drive. The closely related cichlids <I>Pundamilia pundamilia</I> and <I>Pundamilia nyererei</I> inhabit different visual environments in Lake Victoria and show associated differences in visual system properties. Mimicking the two light environments in the laboratory, we find a substantial reduction in survival of both species when reared in the other species’ visual environment. This implies that the observed differences in <I>Pundamilia</I> color vision are indeed adaptive and substantiates the implicit assumption in sensory drive speciation models that divergent environmental selection is strong enough to drive divergence in sensory properties.

We demonstrate the direct detection of a total alkalinity depth profile through the use of an integrated thin layer electrochemical modulation instrument which acts as an alkalinity sensor. The technique uses a chemically selective proton pump that alters the concentration of hydrogen ions in the thin layer sample. As the proton pump releases hydrogen ions the resulting pH is recorded at the pH probe placed directly opposite the thin sample gap. This results in an acid-base titration that takes place directly in the thin layer sample and therefore obviates the need for traditional sample manipulation. Collected samples from a stratified lake were assessed with this alkalinity probe to record a total alkalinity profile, indicating a substantial increase from 2.59 to 4.11 mM with depth. Results of the new method were in excellent agreement with titration alkalinity data, and offer the potential for autonomous on site measurements of this key parameter.

<I>Iranocichla persa</I> sp. n. is described from the Shur, Hasanlangi and Minab River drainages flowing into the Persian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. It is distinguished from <I>I. hormuzensis</I>, from the Mehran River drainage, by nuptial males having a bright orange breast and lower part of the head (vs. black), a poorly developed or invisible (vs. distinctive) “<I>Tilapia</I>-mark” in the dorsal fin and very clear white spots making almost wavy bars or stripes on the caudal fin (vs. without or with very few white spots). Mitochondrial DNA sequence characters suggest that both <I>Iranocichla</I> species are closely related but form two distinct clades, diagnosable by several fixed mutations in ND2, D-loop and partially by COI sequences. Populations from Kol River drainage, which is situated in-between the Mehran and the Shur River drainages, are more similar to <I>I. hormuzensis</I> in terms of their male nuptial coloration but to <I>I. persa</I> sp. n. in their mitochondrial sequence characters. Their status requires further investigation.

Whitefish (<I>Coregonus spp</I>.) are an important catch for many freshwater fisheries, particularly in Switzerland. In support of this, supplemental stocking of whitefish species is carried out, despite lacking complete knowledge of the extent, distribution and origin of whitefish diversity in these lakes, potentially threatening local endemics via artificial gene flow. Here, we investigate phenotypic and genetic differentiation among coexisting whitefish species spawning along a depth gradient in a subalpine Swiss lake to better delineate intralacustrine whitefish biodiversity. We find depth-related clines in adaptive morphology and in neutral genetic markers. This individual variation is structured in three distinct clusters with spatial overlap. Individual genetic distances correlate strongly with differences in growth rate and gill-raker number, consistent with predictions of isolation-by-adaptation and ecological speciation. Genetic differentiation between species suggests reproductive isolation, despite demographic admixture on spawning grounds. Our results are consistent with clinal speciation resulting in three species coexisting in close ecological parapatry, one (<I>C</I>. sp. “benthic intermediate”) being previously unknown. A second unknown species spawning in close proximity, was found to be of potential allochthonous origin. This study highlights the importance of taxonomically unbiased sampling strategies to both understand evolutionary mechanisms structuring biodiversity and to better inform conservation and fisheries management.

Background: Monitoring the scale of pharmaceuticals, illicit and licit drugs consumption is important to assess the needs of law enforcement and public health, and provides more information about the different trends within different countries. Community drug use patterns are usually described by national surveys, sales and seizure data. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been shown to be a reliable approach complementing such surveys.<BR/>Method: This study aims to compare and correlate the consumption estimates of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine from wastewater analysis and other sources of information. Wastewater samples were collected in 2015 from 8 different European cities over a one week period, representing a population of approximately 5 million people. Published pharmaceutical sale, illicit drug seizure and alcohol, tobacco and caffeine use data were used for the comparison.<BR/>Results: High agreement was found between wastewater and other data sources for pharmaceuticals and cocaine, whereas amphetamines, alcohol and caffeine showed a moderate correlation. methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and nicotine did not correlate with other sources of data. Most of the poor correlations were explained as part of the uncertainties related with the use estimates and were improved with other complementary sources of data.<BR/>Conclusions: This work confirms the promising future of WBE as a complementary approach to obtain a more accurate picture of substance use situation within different communities. Our findings suggest further improvements to reduce the uncertainties associated with both sources of information in order to make the data more comparable.

High-frequency, <I>in-situ</I> monitoring provides large environmental datasets. These datasets will likely bring new insights in landscape functioning and process scale understanding. However, tailoring data analysis methods is necessary. Here, we detach our analysis from the usual temporal analysis performed in hydrology to determine if it is possible to infer general rules regarding hydrochemistry from available large datasets. We combined a 2-year in-stream nitrate concentration time series (time resolution of 15 min) with concurrent hydrological, meteorological and soil moisture data. We removed the low-frequency variations through low-pass filtering, which suppressed seasonality. We then analyzed the high-frequency variability component using Pareto Density Estimation, which to our knowledge has not been applied to hydrology. The resulting distribution of nitrate concentrations revealed three normally distributed modes: low, medium and high. Studying the environmental conditions for each mode revealed the main control of nitrate concentration: the saturation state of the riparian zone. We found low nitrate concentrations under conditions of hydrological connectivity and dominant denitrifying biological processes, and we found high nitrate concentrations under hydrological recession conditions and dominant nitrifying biological processes. These results generalize our understanding of hydro-biogeochemical nitrate flux controls and bring useful information to the development of nitrogen process-based models at the landscape scale.

Treatment of biowaste, the predominant waste fraction in low- and middle-income settings, offers public health, environmental and economic benefits by converting waste into a hygienic product, diverting it from disposal sites, and providing a source of income. This article presents a comprehensive overview of 13 biowaste treatment technologies, grouped into four categories: (1) direct use (direct land application, direct animal feed, direct combustion), (2) biological treatment (composting, vermicomposting, black soldier fly treatment, anaerobic digestion, fermentation), (3) physico-chemical treatment (transesterification, densification), and (4) thermo-chemical treatment (pyrolysis, liquefaction, gasification). Based on a literature review and expert consultation, the main feedstock requirements, process conditions and treatment products are summarized, and the challenges and trends, particularly regarding the applicability of each technology in the urban low- and middle-income context, are critically discussed. An analysis of the scientific articles published from 2005 to 2015 reveals substantial differences in the amount and type of research published for each technology, a fact that can partly be explained with the development stage of the technologies. Overall, publications from case studies and field research seem disproportionately underrepresented for all technologies. One may argue that this reflects the main task of researchers—to conduct fundamental research for enhanced process understanding—but it may also be a result of the traditional embedding of the waste sector in the discipline of engineering science, where socio-economic and management aspects are seldom object of the research. More unbiased, well-structured and reproducible evidence from case studies at scale could foster the knowledge transfer to practitioners and enhance the exchange between academia, policy and practice.