Aura of pollution

Aura of pollution

Morr& : Populations o f bwertebrate An&lals and the Management of" Chalk Grassland in Britain It is sometimes implied that it is n o t necessary to u ...

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Morr& : Populations o f bwertebrate An&lals and the Management of" Chalk Grassland in Britain It is sometimes implied that it is n o t necessary to u n d e r s t a n d fully the effects o f m a n a g e m e n t on f a u n a and vegetation, p r o v i d i n g some simple criteria can be used to j u d g e the success o r failure o f m a n a g e m e n t . However, when c o n s i d e r a t i o n has to be given to diversity a n d richness, p a r t i c u l a r l y o f animals, a m o n g the objects o f m a n a g e m e n t , a m o r e detailed and fuller u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f the p r o b a b l e effects o f m a n a g e m e n t is required.

References ARNOLD, G. W. (1964). Factors within plant associations affecting the behaviour and performance of grazing animals. Pp. 133-54 in Grazing in Terrestrial and Marine Environments (Ed. D. J. Crisp), Blackwell, Oxford. BOYCOTT, A. E. (1934). The habitats of land Mollusca in Britain. J. Ecol., 22, 1-38.

DUFFEY, E. (1956). Aerial dispersal in a known spider population. J. Anita. Ecol., 25, 85-111. DUFFEV, E. (1962). A population study of spiders in limestone grassland. Description of study area, sampling methods, and population characteristics. J. Anita. Ecol., 31, 571-99. DUFFEY, E. (1962a). A population study of spiders in limestone grassland. The field-layer fauna. Oikos, 13, 15-34. DUFFEY, E. (1963). Ecological studies on the spider fauna of the Malham Tarn area. Fld Stud., 1, 86-97. DUFFEr, E. & MORRIS, M. G. (1966). The invertebrate fauna of the Chalk and its scientific interest. Handbk A. Rep. Soe. Promot. Nat. Reserves, 1966, pp. 83-94. ELTON, C. S. (1966). The Pattern o f Animal Communities. Methuen, London, 432 pp., 87 pl. ELTON, C. S. & MILLER, R. S. (1954). The ecological survey of animal communities, with a practical system of classifying habitats by structural characters. J. Ecol., 42, 160-96. HALSTEAD, D. G. H. (1963). Coleoptera Histeroidea. Handbk Ident. Br. Insects, 4, part 10, 16 pp. KULLENBERG, B. (1946). Studien iiber die Biologic der Capsiden. Zool. Bidr. Upps., 23, 1-522.

Aura of Pollution

Specific records, as compared with general statements, on such phenomena as air pollution, are rare enough in the conservation literature that a definite instance seems worth placing on record. On Sunday, 13 October 1968, at about noon, I was driving west along the western part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, near Pittsburgh. The day was sunny until, at about the New Stanton Exit, some 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Pittsburgh, 1 encounted a thick haze, greyish to slightly

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LIPSCOMB, C. G. & JACKSON, R. A. (1964). Some considerations on some present-day conditions as they affect the continued existence of certain butterflies. Entomologist's Rec. J. Var., 76, 63-8. LUFF, M. L. (1965). The morphology and microclimate of Dactylis glomerata tussocks. J. Ecol., 53, 771-87. LUFF, M. L. (1966). The abundance and diversity of the beetle fauna of grass tussocks. J. Anim. Ecol., 35, 189-208. MANI, M. S. (1964). The Ecology o f Plant Galls. Junk, The Hague, xii _ 434 pp., 164 figs. MORRIS, M. G. (1967). Differences between the invertebrate faunas of grazed and ungrazed chalk grassland. I: Responses of some phytophagous insects to cessation of grazing. J. Appl. Ecol., 4, 459-74. MORRIS, M. G. (in press). Differences between the invertebrate faunas of grazed and ungrazed chalk grassland. II: The faunas of sample turves. J. Appl. Ecol., 5, 601-11. NORMAN, M. J. T. (1960). The relationship between competition and defoliation in pasture. J. Br. GrassldSoc., 15, 145-9. SOUTHWOOD, T. R. E. (1957). The zoogeography of the British Hemiptera-Heteroptera. Proc. S. Lond. Ent. Nat. Hist. Soc., 1956, pp. 111-36. SOUTHWOOD, T. R. E. & JEPSON, W. F. (1962). The productivity of grasslands in England for Oscinella frit (L.) (Chloropidae) and other stem-boring Diptera. Bull. Ent. Res., 53, 395407. SUTTON, S. L. (1968). The population dynamics of Trichoniscus pusillus and Philoscia muscorum (Crustacea, Oniscoidea) in limestone grassland. J. Anita. Ecol., 37, 425-44. TROUGHTON, A. (1957). The underground organs of herbage grasses. Bull. Commonw. Bur. Past. FId Crops, 44, 163 pp. WARD, L. K. [1966]. The Biology o f Thysanoptera, Ph.D. Thesis, University of London, MS., 396 pp., 82 figs. WATERHOUSE, F. L. (1955). Microclimatological profiles in grass cover in relation to biological problems. Q. Jl R. Met. Soc., 81, 63-71. WELCH, R. C. (1964). A simple method of collecting insects from rabbit burrows. Entomologist's Mon. Mag., 100, 99-100. WELLS, T. C. E. (1965). Chalk grassland nature reserves and their management problems. Handbk A. Rep. Soc. Promot. Nat. Reserves, 1965, pp. 62-70.

bluish-grey, and very acrid to nostrils and eyes. This varied in density, apparently correlated somewhat with elevation, but definitely produced an overcast sky in place of the bright sun farther east. It was not a regular cloud or fog layer, however. Many cars coming in the opposite direction had their lights on. The Turnpike runs in a generally south-east to northwest direction, skirting about 10 miles (16 km) north-east of downtown Pittsburgh through hilly or low mountainous country. The haze was continuous, except for one or two areas of dim sunlight, though it thinned out to some extent

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Biological Conservation

westwards to the Beaver Valley Exit about 35 miles (56 km) north-west of Pittsburgh, where the sun reappeared, though some traces of haze persisted even to west of the Ohio boundary. On my return trip a week later, on Sunday 20 October, covering the same stretch of road at about ll00 to 1200 hrs, I noted that the sun was shining throughout the entire distance. However, at the Beaver Valley Exit a slight haze was encountered, not obscuring the sun, and acrid to the nostrils but not generally to the eyes. This continued, varying in intensity, to several miles east of the New Stanton Exit. It was thickest near the Irwin Exit, about l0 miles south-east of Pittsburgh, but even here the sky was not overcast. Near the Irwin Exit and just east of the New Stanton Exit were the only places where the eyes were affected as well as the nostrils. It appeared that, on 13 October, an inversion layer was present and a very considerable amount of smog was trapped beneath it. On 20 October this did not seem to be the case. I have seen other examples of smog spreading from cities--for example to the east of Los Angeles and to the west of Baltimore--but have kept no definite records of the phenomenon. It is probable that, in a zone some miles wide around almost any industrial city, there is a more or less continuous smog concentration. It would be interesting to compare the biota in this zone with those in similar habitats far enough out from the city not to have any perceptible smog. The effect of duration as well as intensity should of course be studied, as it is likely to be considerable. F. R. FOSBERG,

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A.

systems, design methodology, the planning process, the quality of the physical environment, and monitoring and evaluation of the social and economic environment. So far, over a quarter of a million pounds have been committed to supporting research in various research establishments throughout the United Kingdom. Research results and general information on issues of interest in the development of the urban environment are disseminated rapidly in the form of Working Papers and Information Papers, and an extensive forum for the discussion of environmental and planning problems is being provided through programmes of lectures, seminars, conferences, and meetings. The study of urban biota of various kinds, of the atmospheric and other conditions under which they live, and of the various forms of pollution occurring in the unique environment created by Man in large cities, involves important aspects of biological conservation

sensu lato. A. H. CHILVER,

Director, Centre for Environmental Studies, 5 Cambridge Terrace, Regent's Park, London N. W. l, England.

Mlilwane Game Sanctuary, Swaziland On the 7th of September, 1968, the South African Wildlife Foundation, of which Dr Anton Rupert is the President, signed over to the management of the Mlilwane Game Sanctuary in Swaziland the usufruct of 2,800 acres (1,134 ha) of land--see the account by the Director of the Foundation, J. E. M. Verwey, in our preceding issue, p. 184. The Sanctuary thus increases fourfold in size. In this

The Centre for Environmental Studies, London, England The Centre for Environmental Studies is an independent organization concerned with the advancement of Man's understanding of the relationships within and between the social, economic, and physical, systems making up the urban environment. These aims are pursued by engaging in four main areas of activity, namely: (i) the sponsorship of research in universities and research institutes; (ii) the determination of research priorities and the conduct of environmental research; (iii) the coordination of research effort in the involved field and the development of a two-way communication between research and practice; (iv) the collection and dissemination of information on the state of research and education in environmental studies. The Centre is carrying out and initiating research in urban economics, urban sociology, models of urban

photo, Swaziland's Minister of Agriculture, Mr A. K. Hlope, is seen signing the documents on behalf of his Government, With him appear, from left to right: the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture (Mr S. J Sihanyoni), Mr Harry Oppenheimer, Swaziland's Deputy Prime Minister (Mr M. Sukati), Mr Sidney Spiro, and Dr Anton Rupert.