Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Exposure to environmental pollutants has been associated with alteration on relative levels of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn). However, the... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Algal organic matter (AOM) in water reservoirs is a worldwide concern for drinking water treatment; once it is one of the main precursors for... 相似文献
During gestation, essential and non-essential trace elements are transferred from the pregnant females to embryos. This study aimed to determine and compare the concentrations of seven essential trace elements (Fe, Zn, Se, Cu, Mn, Cr, Co) and six non-essential trace elements (As, Cd, V, U, Tl, Ag) in the muscle and the liver of a Munk’s pygmy devil ray pregnant female, Mobula munkiana, and its embryo. Transfer evidence of essential and non-essential trace elements was detected in M. munkiana tissues. Arsenic was found in elevated concentrations in the pregnant female and the embryo tissues. Elevated levels of Cd, V, U, and Ag were found in the pregnant female liver, but were minimal in the embryo tissue. This is the first study to investigate maternal transfer of essential and non-essential trace elements in these species and their reproductive strategy.
Sexual systems vary considerably among caridean shrimps and while most species are gonochoric, others are described as sequential
protandric hermaphrodites or simultaneous hermaphrodites with an early male phase. At present, there is confusion about the
sexual system exhibited by several species mostly because those studies attempting to reveal their sexual system draw inferences
solely from the distribution of the sexes across size classes. Here we investigated the sexual system of the shrimp Hippolyte williamsi from Chile to determine if the species is protandric or gonochoric with sexual dimorphism (males smaller than females). Morphological
identification and size frequency distributions indicated that the population comprised small males, small immature females,
and large mature females, which was confirmed by dissections. No transitional individuals were found. Males maintained in
the laboratory molted 1–8 times, and many grew up to reach sizes observed in only a small fraction of males in the field.
No indication of sex change was recorded. Our results indicate that H. williamsi is a sexually dimorphic gonochoric species and emphasizes the importance of using several kinds of evidence (size measurements,
growth experiments, morphological dissections, and histological studies) to reveal the sexual system of Hippolyte species. Whether the observed size dimorphism between males and females in many species of Hippolyte is expression of contrasting sexual and natural selection, and whether divergent sexual fitness functions can contribute
to the evolution of hermaphroditism remains to be revealed in future studies. 相似文献
Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT; Thunnus thynnus) is a migrating species straddling the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It is assumed that this species is divided
into a western and an eastern stock, which spawn in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. To learn more
about the reproductive behavior of the eastern BFT stock, we tracked gonadal development in adult fish that were sampled between
April and July during three consecutive years (2003–2005). Sampling campaigns were carried out using common fishing methods
at selected locations within the Mediterranean Sea, namely Levantine Sea, Malta, and Balearic Islands. An additional sampling
point, Barbate, was situated northwest of the Straits of Gibraltar along the Atlantic coast. Morphometric parameters such
as the total body mass (MB) and the weights of the gonads (MG) were recorded, and the respective gonadosomatic index (GSI) values were calculated. The data collected revealed two important
trends: (1) GSI values are higher in fish caught in the eastern rather than the western locations across the Mediterranean
Sea, and (2) the GSI reaches maximum values between late May and early June in Levantine Sea (eastern Mediterranean Sea),
and only 2 and 4 weeks later in the central (Malta) and western (Balearic Islands) locations, respectively. The advanced gonadal
development in BFT correlates well with higher sea surface temperatures. Our findings also distinguish the northern Levantine
Sea BFT population (mean MB 78.41 ± 4.13 kg), and the Barbate BFT population with the greatest MB (all fish sampled > 100 kg). These data reflect a situation in which the eastern Mediterranean basin may function as a habitat
for young BFT, until they gain a larger MB and are able to move to the Atlantic Ocean. However, the existence of genetically discrete BFT populations in the Mediterranean
Sea cannot be ruled out. 相似文献
Contemporary shallow lakes theory proposes that these ecosystems may experience abrupt regime shifts due to small changes in controlling variables or triggers. So far, these triggers have been related mostly to nutrients as the immediate driver. During May 2004 the río Cruces wetland, a Ramsar site located in Southern Chile, underwent a major regime shift, from a clear water state, vastly dominated by the invasive macrophyte Egeria densa, to a turbid water state. In this article we show, through the analysis of long-term meteorological data that late fall 2004 was anomalous due to the presence of a high-pressure cell that persisted most of the month of May over Southern Chile. This climatic event caused an almost complete absence of precipitations and lower temperatures during this period, including several freezing nights. Eco-physiological experiments showed that 6 h exposure to desiccation kill the macrophyte. We developed a simple-biology dynamic model, under Stella Research 9.1, to show that the climatic anomaly of May 2004, plus the increased sedimentation of the wetland's floodplains, and the associated response of E. densa, explains its sudden disappearance from río Cruces wetland. 相似文献
In this study, spent compact fluorescent lamps were characterized to determine the distribution of mercury. The procedure used in this research allowed mercury to be extracted in the vapor phase, from the phosphor powder, and the glass matrix. Mercury concentration in the three phases was determined by the method known as cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. Median values obtained in the study showed that a compact fluorescent lamp contained 24.52±0.4ppb of mercury in the vapor phase, 204.16±8.9ppb of mercury in the phosphor powder, and 18.74±0.5ppb of mercury in the glass matrix. There are differences in mercury concentration between the lamps since the year of manufacture or the hours of operation affect both mercury content and its distribution. The 85.76% of the mercury introduced into a compact fluorescent lamp becomes a component of the phosphor powder, while more than 13.66% is diffused through the glass matrix. By washing and eliminating all phosphor powder attached to the glass surface it is possible to classified the glass as a non-hazardous waste. 相似文献
Soil pollution with Cd is an environmental problem common in the world, and it is necessary to establish what Cd concentrations
in soil could be dangerous to its fertility from toxicity effects and the risk of transference of this element to plants and
other organisms of the food chain. In this study, we assessed Cd toxicity on soil microorganisms and plants in two semiarid
soils (uncultivated and cultivated). Soil ATP content, dehydrogenase activity, and plant growth were measured in the two soils
spiked with concentrations ranging from 3 to 8000 mg Cd/kg soil and incubated for 3 h, 20 days, and 60 days. The Cd concentrations
that produced 5%; 10%;, and 50%; inhibition of each of the two soil microbiological parameter studied (ecological dose, ED,
values) were calculated using two different mathematical models. Also, the effect of Cd concentration on plant growth of ryegrass
(Lolium perenne, L.) was studied in the two soils. The Cd ED values calculated for soil dehydrogenase activity and ATP content were higher
in the agricultural soils than in the bare soil. For ATP inhibition, higher ED values were calculated than for dehydrogenase
activity inhibition. The average yields of ryegrass were reduced from 5.03 to 3.56 g in abandoned soil and from 4.21 to 1.15
g in agricultural soil with increasing concentrations of Cd in the soil. Plant growth was totally inhibited in abandoned and
agricultural soils at Cd concentrations above 2000 and 5000 mg/kg soil, respectively. There was a positive correlation between
the concentration of Cd in the plants and the total or DTPA-extractable concentrations of Cd in the soil. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Metal uptake capacity and growth patterns of three cardoon cultivars (Sardo, Siciliano, and Spagnolo) were investigated for phytoremediation in a... 相似文献
The Antarctic region offers unparalleled possibilities of investigating the natural distribution of metals and metalloids, such as arsenic. Total and inorganic As were analysed in nine species of Antarctic macroalgae collected during the 2002 summer season in the Potter Cove area at Jubany-Dallmann Station (South Shetland Islands, Argentinian Base). Total As was determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion. Inorganic As was determined by acid digestion, solvent extraction, flow injection-hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry. Total As ranged from 5.8 microg g(-1) dry weight (dw) (Myriogramme sp.) to 152 microg g(-1)dw (Himantothallus grandifolius). Total As concentrations were higher in Phaeophytes (mean+/-SD: 71+/-44 microg g(-1)dw) than in Rhodophytes (mean+/-SD: 15+/-11 microg g(-1)dw). Inorganic As ranged from 0.12 microg g(-1) (Myriogramme sp.) to 0.84 microg g(-1)dw (Phaeurus antarcticus). The percentage of inorganic As with respect to total As was 0.7 for Phaeophytes, but almost 4 times higher for Rhodophytes (2.6). The work discusses possible causes for the presence of As in marine organisms in that pristine environment. 相似文献