Motivations for Adopting the ISO 14001 Standard: A Study of Spanish Industrial Companies

This article analyzes what motivates companies to obtain ISO 14001 certification and what factors within companies determine the success or failure of the environmental management standard. The most important motivators appear to be the worldwide recognition accorded the ISO 14000 norm, and its applicability to all sectors. The factors that most contribute to success are the company's experience in management systems and involvement by management. Failure most often results from lack of employee training and organizational rigidity. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Seed trait changes in dispersers' guts and consequences for germination and seedling growth

The effectiveness of a frugivore as a disperser of a plant is greatly determined by how fruits and seeds are handled in its mouth and its digestive tract. Although a number of studies have investigated the effect of avian ingestion on germination, we still know very little about the modifications to seeds during ingestion and the specific consequences on plant fitness. Here we investigate for the first time the different mechanisms by which germination patterns of seeds are modified following ingestion by frugivores. Specifically, we examine changes in seed mass, water content, permeability, seed coat thickness, texture, and resistance in two common Mediterranean fleshy-fruited plants, Phillyrea angustifolia and Myrtus communis, after ingestion by Eurasian Blackbirds, Turdus merula. We found a number of differences between the plant species: Phillyrea seeds lost mass, mainly due to water loss, and had thinner coats after gut passage, but Myrtus seeds did not. Seeds of both species showed increased permeability, while Myrtus seeds in particular became less resistant to breakage. No quantifiable changes in seed coat texture were detected in either species, although this trait was partly associated with differences in germination rate in Phillyrea. High intraspecific plant variation was found for most seed traits measured. Seed passage through birds' guts sped up germination in both species, especially in Myrtus. Increased permeability in seeds of both species following ingestion resulted in a higher germination rate. Moreover, seeds with thick coats (and in the case of Phillyrea, harder coats) germinated at a slower rate and produced seedlings that also grew more slowly, indicating a cost of coat thickness and/or hardness for seedling emergence. Results obtained here contribute to explaining the great heterogeneity in germination responses among and within plant species and the large variety of factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the plants, that influence such responses.     

A temporal and spatial monitoring of organotin pollution in a harborside region of Brazil by imposex and ecological quality ratio using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucozonia nassa</Emphasis>

This study represents the first use of Leucozonia nassa (Mollusca-Gastropoda) in a program of long-term monitoring. Specimens of L. nassa were collected between 2006 and 2014 and analyzed for the occurrence of imposex in two areas in Southeastern Brazil, one control area and another characterized by the presence of many ports and marinas. Imposex was evaluated in nine sites based on the percentage of females exhibiting imposex (I%), relative penis length index and vas deferens sequence index, classical indices to evaluate tributyltin (TBT) impacts. Moreover, this study uses for the first time in a tropical environment the ecological quality ratio (EQR), an approach to verify the imposex levels as an indicator of the impact by organotin compounds according to the EU Water Framework Directive. The results confirm the occurrence of high levels of imposex in L. nassa with all the indices evaluated. Furthermore, the results also indicate that, despite the international ban, antifouling paints based on TBT are still possibly used in Brazil. In addition, this study shows that L. nassa has the characteristics that make it a suitable bioindicator to monitor TBT pollution, and that the use of the EQR may create important data regarding this problem.     

Modelling the Ecological Vulnerability to Forest Fires in Mediterranean Ecosystems Using Geographic Information Technologies

Forest fires represent a major driver of change at the ecosystem and landscape levels in the Mediterranean region. Environmental features and vegetation are key factors to estimate the ecological vulnerability to fire; defined as the degree to which an ecosystem is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of fire (provided a fire occurs). Given the predicted climatic changes for the region, it is urgent to validate spatially explicit tools for assessing this vulnerability in order to support the design of new fire prevention and restoration strategies. This work presents an innovative GIS-based modelling approach to evaluate the ecological vulnerability to fire of an ecosystem, considering its main components (soil and vegetation) and different time scales. The evaluation was structured in three stages: short-term (focussed on soil degradation risk), medium-term (focussed on changes in vegetation), and coupling of the short- and medium-term vulnerabilities. The model was implemented in two regions: Aragón (inland North-eastern Spain) and Valencia (eastern Spain). Maps of the ecological vulnerability to fire were produced at a regional scale. We partially validated the model in a study site combining two complementary approaches that focused on testing the adequacy of model’s predictions in three ecosystems, all very common in fire-prone landscapes of eastern Spain: two shrublands and a pine forest. Both approaches were based on the comparison of model’s predictions with values of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), which is considered a good proxy for green biomass. Both methods showed that the model’s performance is satisfactory when applied to the three selected vegetation types.     

Degradation of indomethacin in river water under stress and non-stress laboratory conditions: degradation products, long-term evolution and adsorption to sediment

The pharmaceutical compound indomethacin is not totally removed in wastewater treatment plants,whose effluents flow into aquatic environments;concentrations in the 0.1-100 ng/L range are commonly found in surface waters,and its fate is unknown.Here,biological,photochemical and thermal degradation assays were conducted under stress and non-stress conditions to estimate its degradation rate in river water and establish its degradation products over time.The results revealed that direct sunlight irradiation promoted the complete degradation of indomethacin(2 μg/L) in less than 6 hr,but indomethacin was detected over a period of 4 months when water was kept under the natural day-night cycle and the exposure to sunlight was partially limited,as occurs inside a body of water.The biological degradation in water was negligible,while the hydrolysis at pH 7.8 was slow.Residues were monitored by ultra-pressure liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight/mass spectrometry after solid-phase extraction,and six degradation products were found;their structures were proposed based on the molecular formulae and fragmentation observed in high-resolution tandem mass spectra.4-Chlorobenzoic and 2-acetamido-5-methoxybenzoic acids were the long-term transformation products,persisting for at least 30 weeks in water kept under non-stress conditions.Furthermore,the degradation in the presence of sediment was also monitored over time,with some differences being noted.The adsorption coefficients of indomethacin and degradation products on river sediment were calculated;long-term degradation products did not have significant adsorption to sediment.     

Assessing high-impact spots of climate change: spatial yield simulations with Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model

Drybeans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are an important subsistence crop in Central America. Future climate change may threaten drybean production and jeopardize smallholder farmers’ food security. We estimated yield changes in drybeans due to changing climate in these countries using downscaled data from global circulation models (GCMs) in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. We generated daily weather data, which we used in the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) drybean submodel. We compared different cultivars, soils, and fertilizer options in three planting seasons. We analyzed the simulated yields to spatially classify high-impact spots of climate change across the four countries. The results show a corridor of reduced yields from Lake Nicaragua to central Honduras (10–38 % decrease). Yields increased in the Guatemalan highlands, towards the Atlantic coast, and in southern Nicaragua (10–41 % increase). Some farmers will be able to adapt to climate change, but others will have to change crops, which will require external support. Research institutions will need to devise technologies that allow farmers to adapt and provide policy makers with feasible strategies to implement them.     

Phytoplankton distribution during two contrasted summers in a Mediterranean harbour: combining automated submersible flow cytometry with conventional techniques

Present study was conducted in rapidly growing city Islamabad, and surface soils were collected from three major land cover types viz., built-up, drain side, and green areas. A total of seven physicochemical parameters and 11 metals were determined in surface soils. Factor analysis based on principal component analysis explained total variance of 68.0%, 64.5%, and 60.2% of three land cover types and showed high loadings for major elements (Mg and K) in built-up and green area and Fe in drain side. Top soil pollution index was carried out by using geo-accumulation index and metal pollution index (MPI₆). Concentration of major elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K) in surface soils is derived by parent material, whereas concentration of Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn were mainly related with anthropogenic sources. Geostatistical methods such as kirging identified hotspot areas of metal contamination by Pb, Ni, and Zn in built-up areas influenced mainly by vehicular emissions and waste disposal. The results stresses that land clearing should be avoided to reduce contamination and management of urban soils.     

Spatial Patterns of Water Quality in the Cuiabá River Basin, Central Brazil

This study evaluates the spatial patterns of land occupation and their relationship to water quality in the Cuiabá River watershed, one of the main affluents of the Pantanal floodplain. The impact of farming and other land occupation forms were studied using a three year time series. Monitoring included 15 parameters at 21 stations with a total of 1266 different samples. Ten stations along the Cuiabá River were ordinated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). For an exploratory analysis in the spatial domain, sub-basins of the Cuiabá watershed were classified according to mean concentrations of selected water quality parameters. Supervised classification of digital Landsat ETM imagery and standard GIS techniques were applied to parameterize land use and occupation according to a watershed scale. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) was then used to evaluate impacts of environmental and socio-economic factors on water quality.A Cuiabá headwater station only shows slightly elevated total coliform counts and concentrations of nutrients in the river after it passes regions of extensive cattle farming. After the confluence with the Manso River, nutrient and COD concentrations increase significantly, receiving loads from sub-basins under intensive agricultural land use, with mean annual concentrations up to 1.74 mg/L of total nitrogen (Kjedahl). Sub-watersheds with intensive fishing culture activities were shown to have significant impact on nitrogen concentrations, reaching mean concentrations of 2.66 mg/L of total nitrogen in the affluents. Most serious biological and chemical water pollution can be observed at stream outlets in the urban agglomeration of Cuiabá/Várzea Grande. Affluent pollution is reflected in the water quality of the Cuiabá River: subsequent monitoring stations in the urban area are ordinated on a gradient of increasing degradation of chemical and biological water quality. The auto-depuration capacity of the Cuiabá River is intact, but elevated concentrations of Phosphorous and Chemical Oxygen Demand can be observed as far away as the Pantanal floodplain, about 120 km downstream from the urban agglomeration.     

Initial study on the effects of Prestige oil on human health

The big oil tanker Prestige wrecked at 130 miles from the coast of Galicia, on the Northwest of Spain, in November 19, 2002. During the accident over 40,000 tons of oil were spilled, and along the next weeks 22,000 more reached the shore in the way of three black tides. A great number of people participated in the cleaning tasks. The objective of this study was to initially evaluate the damage caused by Prestige oil in exposed individuals both from the cytogenetic and the endocrine points of view. Exposure level was determined by analysing volatile organic compounds in the environment and heavy metals in blood. Cytogenetic damage was determined by sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), and plasmatic prolactin and cortisol levels were used as biomarkers of endocrine toxicity. Finally we have determined the possible influence of GST genetic polymorphisms (GSTM1 and GSTT1 deletion polymorphisms, GSTP1 Ala105Val) on the evaluated effects. The exposed population was classified according to the performed cleaning tasks in three groups: volunteers that collaborated for 1 week (N=25), hired manual workers (N=20) and hired high-pressure cleaner workers (N=23). The control population consisted of 42 individuals. Exposure to Prestige oil caused cytogenetic damage in exposed individuals, being its effect influenced by age, sex, tobacco consumption and GSTM1 polymorphism. With regard to endocrine toxicity, our results showed that xenobiotics present in Prestige oil induced alterations in hormonal status, and thus it may be considered as an endocrine disruptor. Therefore, the selected parameters have shown to be good indicators of toxicity related to exposure to Prestige oil. In addition, data obtained point to the importance of using protective devices in preventing the effects related to the exposure.     

In vitro toxic effects of heavy metals on fungal growth and phosphate-solubilising abilities of isolates obtained from Phragmites australis rhizosphere

In this research, we evaluated the toxic effect of metal ions on mycelial growth and phosphate-solubilising activity of soil-borne micromycetes isolated from the Phragmites australis rhizosphere using Pikovskaya-agar plates supplemented with four metal concentrations. The diameter growth rate (DGR) decreased as the metal concentration rise for all tested fungi. Trichoderma atroviride had the fastest growth rate (1.48?cm²?day^?1) and was the least susceptible to Al³⁺, Cd²⁺, Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ with a median effective concentration (MEC₅₀) of 12.19, 0.48, 4.51, 11.44 and 50.05?mM, respectively. Aspergillus japonicus was the most tolerant to Co²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺, with MEC₅₀ values of 3.36, 1.095 and 2.34?mM, respectively. Penicillium italicum was the most tolerant to Cr6⁺ (MEC₅₀?=?0.677?mM). The ability to solubilise phosphate remained, despite the decrease in the DGR, and P. italicum and Penicillium dipodomyicola had the highest Phosphate Solubilisation Indexes (PSIs) at 1.97 and 2.12, respectively. In particular, P. italicum recorded the highest PSI of all the studied isolates at 0.62?mM Cr³⁺ (PSI?=?4.74). A. japonicus and T. atroviride were the most tolerant isolates to all tested metals, which suggests that these isolates are promising candidates for further study with regard to mycoremediation and biofertilisation of metal-polluted soils.