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Environmental Science and ecology.

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Removal of Methylene Blue From Aqueous Solutions Using Tar Sands. Lua'y Zeatoun, and Musab Tamimi, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

The adsorption of Methylene Blue, a cationic dye, has been investigated using activated and non-activated tar sands. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of contact time, initial dye concentration, solution temperature, pH of the solution, and salt addition on this removal process. Results showed that the sorption process is fast and dye uptake Increases with the increase in initial concentration of dye, and pH of the solution. While, increasing solution temperature or adding soft ions such as sodium, Na+ decreases the uptake of the dye. Physical activation of the tar sands has a moderate influence on the adsorption process. The sorption process found to obey both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models.

Foraging Perch and Patch Selection by Loggerhead Shrikes in Natural Habitat. Miles Becker and Peter Bednekoff, Eastern Michigan University, Department of Biology, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Declines in Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) populations may be partly due to loss of foraging habitat. Key foraging habitat characteristics for shrikes are perch availability and vegetation structure surrounding perches. Shrikes are expected to select tall dead foraging perches and prefer short vegetation to increase the likelihood of detecting prey on the ground. We observed shrikes in natural grasslands in the rolling plains region of northern Texas. Perches used for foraging were paired with a random shrub within the territory and the habitat characteristics recorded for each. Shrikes preferred partially dead mesquite and completely dead shrubs. Living mesquite was the most common random shrub species. Vegetation height and insect abundance were similar...

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