Comparison of arsenic resistance in Mediterranean woody shrubs used in restoration activities

Myrtus communis, Arbutus unedo and Retama sphaerocarpa are Mediterranean shrubs widely used in revegetation of semiarid degraded soils. The aim of this work is to study the resistance of these plants to arsenic under controlled conditions, in order to evaluate their potential use in revegetation and/or phytoremediation of As-polluted soils. R. sphaerocarpa showed higher resistance to As than M. communis or A. unedo according to its higher EC50, P status and P/As molar ratio in both, roots and shoots, and the lower increases in lipid peroxidation and decrease of chlorophyll levels in response to arsenic, while the highest arsenate sensitivity was obtained for A. unedo. Arsenic was mainly retained in roots, and, although M. communis accumulated higher arsenic amounts than the other two species, R. sphaerocarpa showed the highest root to shoot transfer. Most of the studied parameters (chlorophylls, MDA and total thiols) showed significant correlation with arsenic concentration in roots and leaves of plants, so they can be useful indexes in the diagnosis of arsenic toxicity in these species. According to our results, both M. communis and R. sphaerocarpa could be used in the revegetation of moderately arsenic contaminated sites.     

Avifaunal Use of Wooded Streets in an Urban Landscape

Abstract: Birds in urban landscapes primarily occupy parks (  forest fragments), wooded streets ( linear strips connecting fragments), or the urban matrix. I studied the effects of street location in the landscape, vegetation structure, and human disturbance ( pedestrian and automobile load) within wooded streets on bird species richness, temporal persistence, and density of feeding and nesting guilds, and on the probability of street occupation by individual species in Madrid during two consecutive breeding seasons. The number of species recorded increased from the least suitable (control streets without vegetation) to the most suitable habitats (urban parks), with wooded streets being intermediate landscape elements. Fourteen species, belonging to four of the eight guilds identified in this system, were recorded in wooded streets in both years. Streets that connected urban parks, along with vegetation structure, positively influenced the number of species within wooded streets, species persistence, guild density, and probability of occupation of streets by individual species. Human disturbance exerted a negative influence on the same variables. Wooded streets potentially could function as corridors, allowing certain species—particularly those feeding on the ground and breeding in trees or tree holes—to fare well by supporting alternative habitat for feeding and nesting. Local improvements in corridor quality, through increased vegetation complexity and reduced human disturbance, could exert a positive influence on the regional connectivity of the system. Because of differential use of corridors by species with different habitat requirements, however, corridor implementation should also take into account the target species of management.     

Non-invasive matrices in human biomonitoring: a review

Humans and other living organisms are exposed to a variety of chemical pollutants that are released into the environment as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. Environmental pollutants are incorporated into the organism by different routes and can then be stored and distributed in different tissues, which leads to an internal concentration that can induce different alterations, adverse effects and/or diseases. Control measures should be taken to avoid these effects and human biomonitoring is a very useful tool that can contribute to this aim. Human biomonitoring uses different matrices to measure the target chemicals depending on the chemical, the amount of matrix necessary for the analysis and the detection limit (LOD) of the analytical technique. Blood is the ideal matrix for most chemicals due to its contact with the whole organism and its equilibrium with organs and tissues where chemicals are stored. However, it has an important disadvantage of being an invasive matrix. The development of new methodology and modern analytical techniques has allowed the use of other matrices that are less or non-invasive, such as saliva, urine, meconium, nails, hair, and semen or breast milk. The presence of a chemical in these matrices reflects an exposure, but correlations between levels in non-invasive matrices and blood must be established to ensure that these levels are related to the total body burden. The development of new biomarkers that are measurable in these matrices will improve non-invasive biomonitoring. This paper reviews studies that measure Cd, Pb, Hg, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides and phthalates in non-invasive matrices, the most used techniques for measurements and what alternative techniques are available.     

A new bioseed for determination of wastewater biodegradability: analysis of the experimental procedure

A new bioassay proposed in the patent P201300029 was applied to a pre-treated wastewater containing a mixture of commercial pesticides to simulate a recalcitrant industrial wastewater in order to determine its biodegradability. The test uses a mixture of standardized inoculum of the lyophilized bacteria Pseudomonas putida with the proper proportion of salts and minerals. The results highlight that biodegradation efficiency can be calculated using a gross parameter (chemical oxygen demand (COD)) which facilitates the biodegradability determination for routine water biodegradability analysis. The same trend was observed throughout the assay with the dehydrated and fresh inoculums, and only a difference of 5 % in biodegradation efficiency (E _f) was observed. The obtained results showed that the P. putida biodegradability assay can be used as a commercial test with a lyophilized inoculum in order to monitor the ready biodegradability of an organic pollutant or a WWTP influent. Moreover, a combination of the BOD₅/COD ratio and the P. putida biodegradability test is an attractive alternative in order to evaluate the biodegradability enhancement in water pre-treated with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs).     

Hazardous Air Pollutants from Mobile Sources in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City

Abstract

Environmental agencies are currently in the process of implementing a new air management program, which includes the improvement of fuel quality. In this work, exhaust emissions data and estimated relative risk for various fuels testing in-use vehicles, equipped with three different exhaust emission control technologies, are presented. Aromatics, sulfur, and olefins contents; type of oxygenated compound; and Reid vapor pressure were varied. The aim also includes calculating the ozone (O₃)of forming potential and a relative cancer risk of emissions from current and formulated gasoline blends in Mexico. The proposed gasoline decreases carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons (THC), and nitrogen oxides emissions by 18 and 14%, respectively, when compared with gasoline sold in the rest of the country and within ozone nonattainment metropolitan areas in Mexico, respectively.     

Potential physiological effects of pharmaceutical compounds in Atlantic salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo salar</Emphasis>) implied by transcriptomic analysis

Background, aim, and scope  

Pharmaceuticals are emerging pollutants widely used in everyday urban activities which can be detected in surface, ground, and drinking waters. Their presence is derived from consumption of medicines, disposal of expired medications, release of treated and untreated urban effluents, and from the pharmaceutical industry. Their growing use has become an alarming environmental problem which potentially will become dangerous in the future. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about long-term effects in non-target organisms as well as for human health. Toxicity testing has indicated a relatively low acute toxicity to fish species, but no information is available on possible sublethal effects. This study provides data on the physiological pathways involved in the exposure of Atlantic salmon as representative test species to three pharmaceutical compounds found in ground, surface, and drinking waters based on the evaluation of the xenobiotic-induced impairment resulting in the activation and silencing of specific genes.     

Growth response to ozone of annual species from Mediterranean pastures

Ozone (O3) phytotoxicity has been reported on a wide range of plant species. However, scarce information has been provided regarding the sensitivity of semi-natural grassland species, especially those from dehesa Mediterranean grasslands, in spite of their great biological diversity and the high O3 levels recorded in the region. A screening study was carried out in open-top chambers (OTCs) to assess the O3-sensitivity of representative therophytes of these ecosystems based on the response of selected growth-related parameters. Three O3 treatments and 3 OTCs per treatment were used. Legume species were very sensitive to O3, because 78% of the tested species showed detrimental effects on their total biomass relative growth rate (RGR) following their exposure to O3. The Trifolium genus was particularly sensitive showing O3-induced adverse effects on most of the assessed parameters. Gramineae plants were less sensitive than Leguminosae species because detrimental effects on total biomass RGR were only observed in 14% of the assessed species. No relationship was found between relative growth rates when growing in clean air and O3 susceptibility. The implications of these effects on the performance of dehesa acidic grasslands and on the definition of ozone critical levels for the protection of semi-natural vegetation are discussed.     

Sensitivity analysis of a parameterization of the stomatal component of the DO3SE model for Quercus ilex to estimate ozone fluxes

A sensitivity analysis of a proposed parameterization of the stomatal conductance (g(s)) module of the European ozone deposition model (DO(3)SE) for Quercus ilex was performed. The performance of the model was tested against measured g(s) in the field at three sites in Spain. The best fit of the model was found for those sites, or during those periods, facing no or mild stress conditions, but a worse performance was found under severe drought or temperature stress, mostly occurring at continental sites. The best performance was obtained when both f(phen) and f(SWP) were included. A local parameterization accounting for the lower temperatures recorded in winter and the higher water shortage at the continental sites resulted in a better performance of the model. The overall results indicate that two different parameterizations of the model are needed, one for marine-influenced sites and another one for continental sites.     

Feasibility of vermicomposting dairy biosolids using a modified system to avoid earthworm mortality

Abstract

A laboratory study was conducted to examine the feasibility of vermicomposting dairy biosolids (dairy sludge), either alone or with either of the bulking agents ‐ cereal straw or wood shavings, using the epigeic earthworm ‐ Eisinea andrei. Earthworms added directly to these three substrates died within 48 hours. A system was developed to overcome the toxic effect of unprocessed dairy biosolids. The substrates were placed over a layer of vermicomposted sheep manure into which the earthworms were inoculated. Within two weeks, all earthworms were within the upper layer of substrate. Compared to sheep manure which is a favourable substrate for vermicomposting, the three substrates containing dairy biosolids were more effective in supporting earthworm growth and reproduction. The final products obtained after 63 days of vermicomposting had 39–53% less organic carbon than the initial substrates. Organic fractionation indicated that vermicomposting increased the stability of the materials to biological decomposition. The vermicomposts obtained from the three substrates with dairy biosolids had low heavy metal contents and electrical conductivities, and did not inhibit plant growth when compared with a commercial vermicompost in a bioassay.