The significance of water ionic strength on aluminium toxicity in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.)

The toxicity of aluminium to fish is related to interactions between aluminium and the gill surface. We investigated the possible effect of water ionic strength on this interaction. The mortality of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) exposed to three different degrees of Al polymerisation was compared in water with increased ionic strength (mean 7.31 x 10(-4) M) after additions of the base cations Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+ or K+, and in water with no such addition (mean ionic strength 5.58 x 10(-4) M). Only a very slight ameliorating effect of increased ionic strength was observed, while the degree of Al polymerisation was of major importance in fish mortality. In addition, it was observed that smaller fish survived the Al exposures for a longer time than larger fish. We hypothesise that this is because larger fish are more susceptible to hypoxia than smaller fish.     

Alternative herbicides to manage Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum lam) resistant to glyphosate at different phenological stages

During the growing season of 2002--2003, field and greenhouse experiments were conducted with the objective of evaluating the influence of Italian ryegrass phenological stages and management alternatives on the control of resistant biotypes to glyphosate. Three field experiments were conducted in Lagoa Vermelha, RS, Brazil and glyphosate was applied alone and in combinations with alternative herbicides. Two greenhouse experiments were also conducted at the Department of Crop Science, ESALQ/USP, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. The Italian ryegrass resistant population was collected from Lagoa Vermelha, RS, Brazil. From the results it was possible to conclude that: (i) the more advanced the phenological stage of application, the more difficult the control of resistant Italian ryegrass by glyphosate, mainly by the rate of 960 g a.i. ha(-1); however, this rate applied at earlier phenological stage (five tillers), the control was higher than 90%; (ii) with the increment of glyphosate rate, it significant response was observed on the control at all stages of application; (iii) the mixture of glyphosate + clethodim (1440 + 72 g a.i. ha(-1)), paraquat + diuron (500 + 250 g a.i. ha(-1)), at all stages of application and clethodim (96 g a.i. ha(-1)) and paraquat + diuron (300 + 150 g a.i. ha(-1)) at the initial stages until pre-flowering were excellent alternatives for management of these populations; and (iv) the response of control was much faster for the mixture of glyphosate + clethodim, independently of growth stage.     

Effects of herbicide and insecticide interaction on soil entomofauna under maize crop

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the herbicide mixture nicosulfuron + atrazine, with or without the insecticide chlorpyrifos, onto soil entomofauna under maize crop. The treatments, applied 25 days after maize emergence, were represented by a weeded control without insecticide and herbicide, a weeded control with chlorpyrifos, and mixtures of nicosulfuron + atrazine, with or without chlorpyrifos. Arthropods populations, on the soil surface, as well as inside the soil under maize, were principally represented by mites (Arachnida: Acari), decomposer collembolans (Hexapoda:Parainsecta:Collembola) and predator ants (Hymenoptera:Formicidae). The nicosulfuron + atrazine mixture with chlorpyrifos and the isolated chlorpyrifos reduced the population dynamics of all insect groups on the soil surface compared to the weeded control. In the soil, mite and ant populations were reduced after application of the herbicide mixture with chlorpyrifos and of the isolated chlorpyrifos.     

Allelopathic potential and systematic evaluation of organic extracts from Canavalia ensiformis leaves (Jack beans)

This article describes the assessment of possible allelopathic potential of organic extracts obtained from leaves of Canavalia ensiformis under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, a systematic evaluation of these extracts was carried out using specific protocols developed in capillary electrophoresis (CE) to determine some groups of secondary metabolites. After the identification and quantification of compounds, the effects of compounds on germination of some common weeds was investigated, which are becoming a real problem in pastures in the state of Pará, Brazil.     

Removal of the herbicide amitrole from water by anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton

Here we demonstrate that an aqueous solution of the herbicide amitrole can be completely depolluted at pH 3.0 by anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton process. Anodic oxidation gives faster degradation with a boron-doped diamond anode than with a Pt anode. Electro-Fenton with a Pt anode and 1 mmol l ^–1 Fe²⁺ as catalyst yields the quickest depollution. Amitrole decay always follows a pseudo first-order reaction. NO₃^– and NH₄⁺ are accumulated in the medium during mineralization, although volatile N-products are also formed. These environmentally friendly electrochemical treatments could be applied to the remediation of wastewaters containing amitrole.     

Precipitation of aragonite by calcitic bivalves in Mg-enriched marine waters

To understand the relative importance of biological versus physicochemical control over biomineralization, we have tested if the chemical composition of the medium (i.e., the Mg/Ca ratio) can change the mineralogy of mollusk shells. The shells of mollusks are made of calcite and/or aragonite, which are by far the most common CaCO₃ polymorphs. Several species of bivalves with predominantly calcitic shells have been cultivated in artificial seawater with a Mg/Ca molar ratio within the range of 8.3–9.2, well above the present value for seawater (5.2). Four out of six species used (the scallop Chlamys varia, the oyster Ostrea edulis, the saddle oyster Anomia ephippium and the mussel Mytilus edulis) survived long enough to secrete significant amounts of calcium carbonate. The deposits (sometimes extensive) formed on the interior shell surfaces were predominantly aragonitic. Three individuals of C. varia also increased their length by adding new shell at the margin. Contrary to the internal shell deposits, these margins were high-Mg calcite. This implies that the marginal mantle is able to exert a more strict control on the secreted mineral phase than the mantle facing the internal shell surface. This is the first report on an in vivo experimentally forced switch in bivalve shell mineralogy, from calcite to aragonite due to a change in water chemistry.     

Accumulation and Depuration Kinetics of Rotavirus in Mussels Experimentally Contaminated

Bivalve mollusks as filter-feeders concentrate in their digestive tissue microorganisms likely present in the harvesting water, thus becoming risky food especially if consumed raw or poorly cooked. To eliminate bacteria and viruses eventually accumulated, they must undergo a depuration process which efficacy on viruses is on debate. To better clarify the worth of the depuration process on virus elimination from mussels, in this study we investigated rotavirus kinetics of accumulation and depuration in Mytilus galloprovincialis experimentally contaminated. Depuration process was monitored for 9 days and virus residual presence and infectivity were evaluated by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, cell culture and electron microscopy at days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 of depuration. Variables like presence of ozone and of microalgae feeding were also analyzed as possible depuration enhancers. Results showed a two-phase virus removal kinetic with a high decrease in the first 24 h of depuration and 5 days necessary to completely remove rotavirus.     

Water reforms in Brazil: opportunities and constraints

The last decade saw repeated attempts to adopt and implement an integrated management of water in Brazil. Internationally established principles, such as water economics and public participation, have influenced the development of a novel regulatory framework for water use and conservation in the country. However, despite changes in policies and in the legislation, the opportunity to address old and new management problems has been largely frustrated by the internal contradictions of the ongoing institutional reforms. A case study of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin demonstrates the distance between, on the one hand, calls for decentralisation and responsibility sharing and, on the other hand, the persistence of bureaucratised and exclusionary practices. The main distortion is the excessive effort expended on the introduction of water pricing and environmental charges, a controversial policy instrument that has dominated the agenda of the new river basin committee, at the expense of addressing river restoration, public mobilisation and environmental justice.     

Vitellogenesis in the deep-sea shark Centroscymnus coelolepis

At present, information on the reproductive physiology of Centroscymnus coelolepis, which is one of most important and widespread deep-sea shark species, is completely lacking. In this study, we investigated vitellogenesis, a key step in the reproduction biology of fishes. Specimens of C. coelolepis were collected at 2850 m depth in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The size of the collected sharks (range: 35.5–65.0 cm TL) was much lower than those typically reported for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The marked distinctiveness of Mediterranean and Atlantic/Pacific populations was reflected by the achievement of sexual maturity at a smaller size in Mediterranean specimens. The examination of cytoplasmatic components of oocytes indicated that vitellogenin uptake in the ovary started when oocytes reached 14 mm in diameter. Only reproductive females displayed a significant relationship between plasmatic vitellogenin and gonadal development, suggesting that vitellogenesis in C. coelolepis is a discontinuous process. Oestradiol levels were tightly coupled with gonadal development, underlining the importance of this hormone in controlling vitellogenesis. All these findings suggest that vitellogenesis in this yolk-sac viviparous shark might occur with similar mechanisms of oviparous vertebrates.