Motility of cryopreserved spermatozoa for the ecotoxicological evaluation of aquatic environments

A new approach to environmental studies was investigated by the authors, who propose the use of cryopreserved biological systems in ecotoxicological bioassays. The feasibility of spermiotoxicity tests using cryopreserved semen of the sea bream Sparus aurata, with sperm motility parameters as the endpoint, was evaluated. Thawed sperm was incubated in environmental samples (sediment elutriate and dumpsite leachate) and in a reference toxicant (cadmium) at scaled concentrations. Motility was then evaluated by video-microscopy using both visual and computer-assisted analyses. Activation time, sperm motility and velocity and motility duration were assessed on thawing and at the end of the incubation time, and the difference with respect to the control was statistically evaluated. All the endpoints of the bioassay proved to have good sensitivity even at the highest dilutions of the tested matrices. Observed differences in the sensitivity thresholds of the endpoints were considered to be representative of different aspects of sperm physiology. Therefore the proposed bioassay is a promising starting point for the development of toxicity tests that are increasingly tailored to the needs of ecotoxicology and environmental quality evaluation strategies for aquatic environments.     

Effects of nano carbon black and single-layer graphene oxide on settlement,survival and swimming behaviour of Amphibalanus amphitrite larvae

The effects of two carbon-based nanomaterials, nano-sized carbon black (nCB), and single-layer graphene oxide (GO) on settlement of Amphibalanus amphitrite (Cirripedia, Crustacea) cypris larvae (cyprids) were assessed after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure. Additionally, the effects of these nanomaterials on the mortality and swimming behaviour of the nauplius larvae (nauplii) of the same organism were determined after 24 and 48 h. The data indicate that nCB is more effective as a potential antisettlement agent than single-layer GO; moreover, nCB did not show any adverse effects on the larvae. The swimming behaviour of II stage nauplii of A. amphitrite exposed to a suspension of nCB was inhibited only at very high nCB concentrations (≥0.5 mg/mL). Single-layer GO, on the contrary, showed lower antisettlement effects and was more active in altering the survival and inhibiting the swimming behaviour of the nauplii. An indication of the toxic or non-toxic mechanisms of the antisettlement properties of both of these nanomaterials is provided by the reversibility of the antisettlement activity. In conclusion, we propose nCB as an innovative antifouling nanomaterial that shows low toxicity towards the model organism (crustaceans) used in this study.     

The self‐built ecovillage in L'Aquila,Italy: community resilience as a grassroots response to environmental shock

The paper applies the community resilience approach to the post‐disaster case of Pescomaggiore, an Italian village affected by the L'Aquila earthquake in 2009. A group of residents refused to accept the housing recovery solutions proposed by the government, opting for autonomous recovery. They developed a housing project in the form of a self‐built ecovillage, characterised by earthquake‐proof buildings made of straw and wood. The project is a paradigmatic example of a community‐based response to an external shock. It illustrates the concept of ‘community resilience’, which is widely explored in the scientific debate but still vaguely defined. Based on qualitative methodologies, the paper seeks to understand how the community resilience process can be enacted in alternative social practices such as ecovillages. The goal is to see under which conditions natural disasters can be considered windows of opportunity for sustainability.     

Atmospheric mercury at mediterranean coastal stations

Mercury in air has been measured at five coastal Mediterranean sites, involving measurements in Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia and Israel. Four two-weeks long measurements campaigns were performed at the five sites. The measurements were carried out during autumn 2003 and winter, spring and summer 2004. Total gaseous mercury/elemental gaseous mercury, particulate mercury and divalent gaseous mercury were measured in parallel at the five sites. The activities constituted a subtask of the EU funded MERCYMS research project, which also included Mediterranean Sea cruises where both mercury in air and water were measured. The result from an evaluation of all the coastal air data is presented. Mercury concentrations from the different sites are compared with similar data obtained in northern Europe and elsewhere. The result shows that the background concentration of mercury in Mediterranean coastal air is lower than earlier anticipated. Background concentrations of TGM, RGM and TPM corresponded to 1.75–1.80 ng m⁻³, 1–13 and 3–23 pg m⁻³, respectively. The measurements also showed that the mercury concentration occasionally can be very high in some areas due to local anthropogenic emissions. It is proposed that diurnal variation in RGM concentrations observed during situation with nocturnal inversion merely is an effect of meteorology rather than due to local photochemistry.     

Meiofaunal cryptic species revealed by confocal microscopy: the case of Xenotrichula intermedia (Gastrotricha)

The phylum Gastrotricha includes about 750 species of meiobenthic marine and freshwater species that are often widely distributed. The microscopic size, short life cycle, low motility of adults, and the absence of larval stages normally required for dispersal raise doubts about the putative cosmopolitan distribution of many of gastrotrich species. The phenomenon of cosmopolitanism is acknowledged for all major meiobenthic taxa (“the meiofauna paradox”) and can be explained, at least in part, with the existence of sibling species, so far identified primarily by molecular analysis. In this paper, we report the discovery of sibling species in the marine chaetonotidan Xenotrichula intermedia using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A total of 40 specimens collected from two geographically separate populations, the Mediterranean (Adriatic Sea) and the Arabian Gulf (Kuwait), were investigated. Fifteen specimens of each population were studied in vivo with a contrast interference microscope (DIC) in order to obtain the main morphometric parameters; ten other animals (five in each population) were fixed and marked with fluorescent phalloidin for the observation of their muscular systems under CLSM. The metrics and meristic data of the two populations fall within the range of measures recognized for the species. Pairwise comparisons (t-test) in general did not reveal statistically significant differences between the traits of specimens belonging to the two populations; moreover, multivariate analyses (cluster- and MDS analysis) were unable to separate clearly the Mediterranean from the Arabian specimens. In contrast, an examination of their muscular systems revealed clear dissimilarities between the two geographic groups. In particular, while the Italian specimens possessed incomplete circular bands and dorsoventrally orientated muscles that are partially inserted into the basal lamina of the cuticle, in both splanchnic- and somatic positions, their Arabian counterparts showed partial dorsoventral bands and complete circular muscles that surround the entire body of the animal in the same corresponding positions. Additional differences in the position of helicoidal bands (present in a more anterior location in the Italian specimens) are noted between Mediterranean and Arabian specimens. Since the investigated animals share a similar interstitial habitat, a working hypothesis connects the differences in the musculature to possible differences in the reproductive modality of specimens between the two populations.     

Potential disruptive effects of copper-based antifouling paints on the biodiversity of coastal macrofouling communities

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The expanded use of copper(I)-based antifouling paints (AF) has increased copper leaching into coastal environments, requiring attention and...     

Metal Contamination in Urban Soils of Coastal Tuscany (Italy)

Urban soils are often contaminated by metals deriving from human activities. Urban polluted soils can affect human health through direct physical contact or through the food chain. The behaviour of metals is affected by chemical and physical soil properties. Heavy metal concentration was determined in some soils of three medium sized towns of coastal Tuscany, Central Italy. Soil samples were collected in roadsides, urban agricultural soils (allotments), playgrounds and public parks. The analysis included total metal content (Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd), and sequential extraction. Lead reached the highest levels in the soils and was higher near roads. In urban agricultural soils and in allotments Cu was present in noticeable quantities (300 mg kg⁻¹). The presence of Cu in urban soils seems to be typical of soils used for a long period as agricultural land, especially vineyards in the area covered by this study. Sequential extraction was performed to evaluate the mobility of the metals and to better understand the impact of the anthropogenic activity on urban sites. In the present study principal components analysis (PCA) is employed to describe the characteristics of urban soils.     

A system dynamics perspective on a viable systems approach definition for sustainable value

Aim of this work is to shed light on sustainable value and develop a model, based on vSa and translated at applicative level through the system dynamics methodology for measuring sustainable value. By adopting vSa perspective, value, characterized by strongly subjective contents, will be considered as a vector quantity, as the result of the subjective weighting of the different dimensions that may change according to the considered organization. Starting from the analysis of system dynamics and vSa, we will implement the theoretical framework into a model developed with system dynamics, hence through a methodology capable of addressing systemic problems which is also an expressive approach to solve issues arising in complex systems (characterized by interdependence, mutual interaction, information feedback, circular causality). In order to translate theory into “action and application” we will develop a model through which it will be possible to exploit the advantages of vSa implemented into an SD model, which ultimately can also be instantiated to specific cases and then simulated for further quantitative insights. Currently, there is no theoretical/practical approach to sustainable value measurement for business organizations that simultaneously considers the dimensions of the triple bottom line together with the subjective perspective of decision-makers. From these considerations, we derived the idea to integrate vSa and system dynamics with the aim of analyzing the issue of sustainable value, whose triple dimension is usually (erroneously) seen under a perspective that does not consider the interactions among those three dimensions. The integration of the subjective perspective within a model for calculating sustainable value can be seen as considering vSa as the theoretical framework, and system dynamics as the methodology that allows translating such an approach into a model that can later be simulated. It is also worth mentioning that through the application of the vSa theory to the case of sustainable value, by means of a transcoding approach like the system dynamics one, we are somehow trying to “redefine”, or better “enhance”, the vSa theory itself, by “operationalizing” it.