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The relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition can provide information on how biogeochemical cycles are affected by ongoing rates of extinction, but such evidence has come mostly from local studies and microcosm experiments. We conducted a globally distributed experiment (38 streams across 23 countries in 6 continents) using standardised methods to test the hypothesis that detritivore diversity enhances litter decomposition in streams, to establish the role of other characteristics of detritivore assemblages (abundance, biomass and body size), and to determine how patterns vary across realms, biomes and climates. We observed a positive relationship between diversity and decomposition, stron- gest in tropical areas, and a key role of abundance and biomass at higher latitudes. Our results suggest that litter decomposition might be altered by detritivore extinctions, parti- cularly in tropical areas, where detritivore diversity is already relatively low and some environmental stressors particularly prevalent.

Insects represent the majority of known animal species and exploit a variety of fascinating nanotechnological concepts. We investigated the wings of the damselfly Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis , whose males have dark pigmented wings and females have slightly pigmented wings. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoscale synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microscopy analysis for characterizing the nanostructure and the elemental distribution of the wings, respectively. The spatially resolved distribution of the organic constituents was examined by synchrotron Fourier transform infrared (s-FTIR) microspectroscopy and subsequently analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis. The chemical distribution across the wing was rather uniform with no evidence of melanin in female wings, but with a high content of melanin in male wings. Our data revealed a fiber-like structure of the hairs and confirmed the presence of voids close to its base connecting the hairs to the damselfly wings. Within these voids, all detected elements were found to be locally depleted. Structure and elemental contents varied between wing membranes, hairs and veins. The elemental distribution across the membrane was rather uniform, with higher Ca, Cu and Zn levels in the male damselfly wing membranes.

The relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition can provide information on how biogeochemical cycles are affected by ongoing rates of extinction, but such evidence has come mostly from local studies and microcosm experiments. We conducted a globally distributed experiment (38 streams across 23 countries in 6 continents) using standardised methods to test the hypothesis that detritivore diversity enhances litter decomposition in streams, to establish the role of other characteristics of detritivore assemblages (abundance, biomass and body size), and to determine how patterns vary across realms, biomes and climates. We observed a positive relationship between diversity and decomposition, strongest in tropical areas, and a key role of abundance and biomass at higher latitudes. Our results suggest that litter decomposition might be altered by detritivore extinctions, particularly in tropical areas, where detritivore diversity is already relatively low and some environmental stressors particularly prevalent. It is unclear whether stream detritivore diversity enhances decomposition across climates. Here the authors manipulate litter diversity and examine detritivore assemblages in a globally distributed stream litterbag experiment, finding a positive diversity-decomposition relationship stronger in tropical streams, where detritivore diversity is lower.

Issue Title: Theme Evaluation and Application of Methods for Biological Assessment of Streams During the past decade, new biological assessment methods have been developed for use in inland waters. Less work has gone into objective testing of the individual methods and their diagnostic or other capabilities, and very little effort has been devoted to comparing methods. This special issue of Hydrobiologia brings together a number of the most recently developed bioassessment methods, or aspects of them, so readers can begin to compare their potential value and practical usefulness.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Average taxonomic distinctness (delta+) is a measure of the mean taxonomic breadth of a sample and is thus a measure of biodiversity. It has the great advantage of not being sensitive to variations in sampling effort, unlike measures of species richness, and is thus potentially of great value for examining the effects of disturbance on biodiversity. In addition, it is possible to test delta+ for departures from expectation. The increasing level of salinity in rivers in Victoria and South Australia is a well known environmental hazard. Delta+ was calculated using all insect species or the subset of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) species from the bank and main channel habitats at 941 and 607 sites respectively. Samples from these sites were classified into 16 salinity categories (ranging from 0.05 to 30 mS cm −1 ). Delta+ values for the insects showed minor change and were close to the expected value until salinity levels reached 7‐14.9 mS cm −1 ; at higher salinities delta+ declined and became significantly different from expectation. When EPT species were used trends were less consistent and the decline at higher salinities was weaker. Feeding group diversity within each salinity category declined more or less linearly as delta+ decreased. Overall, the diversity of aquatic insects, as measured by delta+, began to decline at higher salinities than suggested by previous work. Delta+ responded somewhat differently to salinity increase compared with species richness. In addition, trophic diversity diminished continuously as delta+ declined, indicating that this index of biodiversity was explicitly linked to an aspect of functional diversity. This last characteristic may make delta+ a more interpretable measure of disturbance than other measures of biodiversity. Delta+ is well suited for giving a preliminary view of the effects of a specific disturbance over a large region, but needs to be tested with other stressors.

Local government services must continually improve in order to meet rising public expectation and changing demands of customers. However, the model of incremental change is no longer sufficient when results are needed across an entire range of council services -- it is...

The tree sales are an invaluable experience for the Scouts as they work to unload trees, help buyers find the perfect tree and load it on their vehicle, keep the lot clean, handle cash and enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow Scouts.

IT is unwise to consider any aspect of art education as a separate entity: and when considering the training of future teachers it is difficult to separate any phase of education which has played a part in their development.