No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Metal tolerant and non-tolerant plants from two grass species (<i>Festuca rubra</i> and <i>Agrostis capillaries)</i> were grown in standardised conditions with control, copper, zinc and salt treatments. Leaf reflectance properties (400 – 1100 nm) of the different treatments were measured using an integrating sphere. Pigment concentration analysis was also undertaken. Differences between treatments were examined using the raw reflectances, as well as a number of published and novel vegetation indices and red edge position. Non-parametric statistical tests were used. Tolerant plants showed different spectral responses to non-tolerant plants irrespective of treatment. No spectral analysis technique consistently showed a stress response in all non-tolerant treatments, although different techniques did show different stress responses. In the second part of the study canopies of monocultures and mixtures of tolerant and non-tolerant ecotypes of <i>Festuca rubra</i> were grown in plots with control and zinc treatments. Reflectance measurements (400 – 2500 nm) were made under artificial lighting using a spectroradiometer mounted inside a light proof tent. Pigment analysis was also undertaken. Spectral analysis techniques were the same as those used in the first part of the study. No vegetation index gathered from the literature distinguished the control from the metal treatments for the monoculture plots, but many were successful for the mixture plots. Indices developed during this study based on the green-red region were successful. Leaf and canopy reflectance models were used to stimulate reflectance changes following community responses to metal stress. These showed that the detection of contaminated ground via vegetation stress requires that the area being surveyed is either comprised of a non-tolerant ecotype which is stressed (i.e. before being outcompeted by tolerant plants) or that the contamination level is so high the tolerant ecotype shows stress. The results indicate that the use of remote sensing to detect contaminated ground via vegetation stress is far from straightforward. To be successful the measurements have to be made during a community transition from non-tolerant stressed plants to tolerant plants (although this transition could vary from weeks to years). The measurements should also be made over the senescence time period, to locate areas senescing early. As many methods of analysis (indices, red edge position etc.) as possible should be used. The users also have to accept that false negative results will occur where tolerant populations are on contaminated ground. The cause of stress will not be identifiable.

The environmental performance of National Health Service Scotland's (NHSScotiand) smaller healthcare buildings were investigated with a view to identifYing ways .of reducing the environmental impacts ofenergy, waste, water and transport. Energy emerged as one ofthe prominent issues. This was based on data taken from an energy audit of 180 buildings randomly selected from all NHSScotiand health boards. A wide variance in energy consumption throughout the sample was discovered, which could not be explained by variations in fabric, structure, elevation and orientation ofthe buildings. It was believed a benchmark or similar suitable energy target could be an appropriate tool to help lower energy use in buildings ofthis class. Therefore, based on Building Research Establishment (BRE) baseline and good practice data for similar buildings, and including an allowance for patients' needs, an energy target was developed. Research into waste and water issues showed that the disposal ofprescription, and over the counter, medicines is highlighted as a problem area in Scotland. The research showed there could be over 300 tonnes of medicines being disposed of in Scotland every year with over 40% of these flushed into sewerage systems where sewage treatment plants have no means of removing them before emitting them into surface water systems. The impacts of these pharmaceuticals alone can have serious adverse affects on non-target species but there is little known about the effects cocktail mixtures ofthese chemicals may have on the environment. Further research was carried out on the awareness ofmanagement and staffofenvironmental issues and their behaviour towards such issues while at their place of work. Results from a randomly selected group of71 health centres and clinics showed that many healthcare workers who responded believe that climate change is happening with the majority of those blaming human society as the main cause; many also believe the trend can be reversed. A high proportion of respondents believe that power generation contributes to impacts on human health. Given that NHSScotland's negative impacts on the environment are substantial, due mainly to poor environmental performance, investigation was carried out into how best to approach changing the culture within the organisation to help reach environmental targets and become sustainable in the long term.

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No description available.

The calcareous grassland ecosystem is highly biodiverse. It is semi-natural, having been created and maintained by the farming of livestock iri a traditional, non-intensive manner. During the last 60 years, with the increasing intensification of farming, its extent has declined dramatically, and consequently many of the flora and fauna that comprise it are now endangered. Since the early 1990s substantial efforts have been made to restore ex-arable land to species-rich calcareous grassland, but there is little evidence that the target ecosystem can be obtained by the restoration techniques and management practices currently used. My primary interests were to assess the efforts currently underway, and to identify any areas in which improvements could be made. This called for an approach which centred on several large-scale surveys (since it has been previously shown that a timescale of at least several decades is needed for grassland restoration on ex-arable land) combined with a number of experimental studies in order to limit variation under controlled conditions. The large-scale surveys involved 40 restoration sites, representing a range of restoration ages and management practices, paired with 40 nearby ancient calcareous grasslands. At these sites vegetation, seed bank, and ant communities were measured, and measures of site isolation and soil chemistry made. At a smaller range of sites, soil bacterial communities were investigated through molecular means. Pot experiments were used to measure the effects of different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities and soil fertility on the growth of, and competition between, specialist calcareous grassland and early-successional plant species. Through the multivariate analysis of 40 pairs of sites, it was found that restoration appears to be moving in the right direction, although 60 years did not appear to be long enough for complete success. A high soil phosphorus concentration, or high phosphorus/nitrogen ratio was particularly detrimental to the restoration of the vegetation and seed bank communities, as was the isolation of sites, due in no small part to the increased competition faced by calcareous grassland species from early successional species under these conditions. More controversial was the evidence that seeding of restoration sites can prevent restoration proceeding, particularly where seed mixes used were of low diversity. The ant communities were not sensitive enough to record all of these effects, but MY17llica sabuleti was found to be a useful representative of the invertebrate taxa for indicating restoration success. Bacterial communities from long-term restoration sites appeared more similar to those of recently abandoned arable land than those of the target sites, although how much of a problem this may be to restoration success requires further investigation at a finer level of resolution. Different AMF communities were found not to influence plant growth in this instance, but a more comprehensive investigation should be a priority for future research. These results provided further insights into ecological theory and also gave rise to several practical recommendations.

No description available.

No description available.