Estimation of pasture infectivity according to weather conditions through a fuzzy parametrized model for the free-living stage of Ostertagia ostertagi

Gastrointestinal parasitism is one of the diseases that has the highest economic impact on the Argentinian beef production system, rendering it inefficient. In the region of the Humid Pampas, it has been estimated that 22 million dollars are lost annually because of the death of calves and 170 million dollars are lost in sub-clinic costs. A mathematical model with fuzzy parameters was constructed for the analysis of the free-living stages of gastrointestinal parasites, with the purpose of estimating the pool of L3 larvae available for migration to pasture and the levels of infection in pasture at any time of the year under different climatic conditions. The model is formulated in terms of a system of three difference equations. These equations describe the abundance of parasites in each of the successive stages of the population development. The model was calibrated and tested with data gathered through fieldwork carried out in Tandil (37°19′S, 59°08′05″W), province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and the corresponding weather data. A comparison between model simulations and fieldwork data obtained in other locations achieved satisfactory results.     

Effects of increased content of leaf surface flavonoids on the performance of mountain birch feeding sawflies vary for early and late season species

Summary. The effects of artificially added flavonoid aglycones to birch leaf surfaces on the larval performance of six species of leaf-chewing sawflies were investigated. Significantly negative effects of increased contents of both total flavonoid and individually fed flavonoid compounds were found for the larval performance of certain mid to late and late, but not early season, sawfly species. Species-specific variations in the quantity of faecal flavonoid glycosides, which were examined to investigate whether effective glycosylation of foliar flavonoid aglycones in larvae correlated with varying tolerance to these compounds, also yielded significant species-specific differences between early and late season species. The results suggest seasonal adaptations in host plant use by sawflies feeding on mountain birch, such that phenologically earlier species are better adapted to coping with leaf surface flavonoid aglycones, which occur in the highest concentrations in young leaves.     

Anomalies of mouthparts in Rana arvalis Nilss tadpoles and ecological conditions providing for their emergence

Rana arvalis tadpoles reared under natural or experimental conditions have been studied to analyze anomalies in the development of mouthparts and to compile a catalog of corresponding characters. It has been shown that the frequency of these anomalies increases in the course of growth and development and that their manifestations differ in tadpoles from different spawns and depend on environmental conditions. In turn, anomalies of the mouthparts have an effect on the rate of larval growth and development and on the survival of tadpoles in the period of the metamorphic climax. The results of this study provide an explanation for some deviations observed in laboratory experiments.     

Protective effect of weak pulsed magnetic fields on early ontogeny of tugun Coregonus tugun (Pallas) under conditions of chronic oil pollution

The state of internal organs in tugun larvae was analyzed histologically in the intact (control) group, the group treated with a water-soluble oil fraction (WSOF) in fivefold excess over the maximum allowable concentration, and the group exposed in a weak pulsed magnetic field at the stage of hatching, prior to treatment with WSOF. Larvae of the second group had severe pathologies of inner organs that caused 100% mortality before the age of 15 days, but no pathomorphological changes in the organs of larvae and juvenile fish of the third group were revealed for up to 40 days. Probable causes of high resistance to the toxic agent in fish of the experimental group are discussed.     

Impact of different benthic animals on phosphorus dynamics across the sediment-water interface

As a diagenetic progress, bioturbation influences solute exchange across the sediment-water interface (SWI). Different benthic animals have various mechanical activities in sediment, thereby they may have different effects on solute exchange across the SWI. This laboratory study examined the impacts of different benthic animals on phosphorus dynamics across the SWI. Tubificid worms and Chironomidae larvae were introduced as model organisms which, based on their mechanical activities, belong to upward-conveyors and gallery-diffusers, respectively. The microcosm simulation study was carried out with a continuous flow culture system, and all sediment, water, and worms and larvae specimens were sampled from Taihu Lake, China. To compare their bioturbation effects, the same biomass (17.1 g wet weight (ww)/m2) was adopted for worms and larvae.Worms altered no oxygen penetration depth in sediment, while larvae increased the O2 penetration depth, compared to the control treatment. Their emergence also enhanced sediment O2 uptake. The oxidation of ferrous iron in pore water produced ferric iron oxyhydroxides that adsorbed soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) from the overlying water and pore water. Larvae built obviously oxidized tubes with about 2 mm diameter and the maximum length of 6 cm in sediment, and significantly decreased ferrous iron and SRP in the pore water compared to the control and worms treatments. Worms constructed no visually-oxidized galleries in the sediment in contrast to larvae, and they did not significantly alter SRP in the pore water relative to the control treatment. The adsorption of ferric iron oxyhydroxides to SRP caused by worms and larvae inhibited SRP release from sediment. Comparatively, worms inhibited more SRP release than larvae based on the same biomass, as they successively renewed the ferric iron oxyhydroxides rich oxidation layer through their deposition.     

石油烃污染对海胆胚胎及浮游幼虫生长发育的影响

为研究石油烃污染对海胆的毒性, 采用海胆胚胎发育技术, 观察0号柴油、船用轻质柴油和船用重质燃料油分散液对马粪海胆胚胎及浮游幼虫生长发育的影响.结果显示, 三种油品分散液使得胚胎发育至2-细胞期、4-细胞期、8-细胞期、16-细胞期、囊胚期的时间延后,这种延后的现象随着发育进程和油品分散液浓度升高而愈发明显.与对照组相比,染毒的海胆浮游幼虫生长速度明显减慢,二腕幼虫及四腕幼虫的体长均变短.三种油品对于海胆胚胎生长发育过程的毒性顺序为:0号柴油>船用轻质柴油>船用重质燃料油.     

污水处理系统中摇蚊幼虫的控制方法

摇蚊幼虫在水处理系统中经常出现大量繁殖,造成污水处理管道堵塞,因此对摇蚊虫的控制近来受到越来越广泛重视。对国内外现有的有关摇蚊幼虫的研究与控制方法进行了较系统论述。     

氯苯对斑马鱼胚胎发育和仔鱼的毒性效应研究

选取健康的雌雄斑马鱼按1:1或1:2的比例进行交配产卵。采用静态法,以丙酮为助溶剂,分别用不同浓度的CB进行斑马鱼受精卵和刚平衡游动仔鱼的暴露试验,记录胚胎孵化数和胚胎、仔鱼畸形数以及仔鱼死亡数。不同浓度的CB可导致斑马鱼胚胎孵化率降低及孵出的仔鱼畸形率增加,且毒性呈现剂量-效应关系。当CB浓度高于0.88μg/L时,斑马鱼胚胎及其孵出的仔鱼畸形率开始增加;当CB为108.9μg/L时,暴露24 h的胚胎出现全致畸效应。能平衡游动的斑马仔鱼对CB的毒性也很敏感,24 h、72 h和96 h的LC50值分别为95.35、80.51和62.28μg/L;110.0μg/L CB使处理24 h的仔鱼全部死亡。较低浓度的CB就使斑马鱼胚胎发育畸形;其对仔鱼的毒性也很显著,达到一定浓度可使其死亡。     

碳质材料和溶解性有机质对沉积物中全氟化合物在摇蚊幼虫体内富集的影响

全氟化合物(PFASs)是一类具有疏水基团和亲水基团的新型污染物.目前,在环境条件对PFASs生物富集影响方面已开展了诸多研究,但有关碳质材料(CMs)和溶解性有机质(DOM)共存对PFASs在生物体内富集的影响还未见报道。为探讨这一问题,研究了沉积物-水体系中2种碳质材料木炭(W400)、多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT10)和4种DOM(丹宁酸、富里酸、蛋白胨和腐殖酸)对6种典型PFASs在摇蚊幼虫体内生物富集的影响。结果表明,暴露10 d后(已达到富集平衡状态),无论体系中是否存在CMs,添加1~50 mg C·L-1不同类型的DOM对PFASs在摇蚊幼虫体内生物富集的影响不显著。无论体系中是否存在DOM,添加CMs均能降低摇蚊幼虫体内PFASs的含量,且MWCNT10对PFASs生物富集的降低比例显著高于W400。与对照相比,添加0.4%的MWCNT10对摇蚊幼虫体内PFASs含量的降低比例为21%~56%,而同等添加量的W400对其降低比例均低于20%。这表明,在沉积物-水体系中,当CMs和DOM共存时,CMs是影响PFASs在摇蚊幼虫体内富集的主要因素,而少量DOM的引入对其影响不大。     

A study on the effects of four heavy metals on five species of chironomous larvae present on Mahé Island of Seychelles

A study was conducted on the island of Mahé, Seychelles, on five species of chironomous larvae endemic to the island. The chironomous larvae were exposed to four heavy metals – copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and zinc (Zn), for a 96-hr period, and the LC₅₀ values were calculated. It was observed that the most sensitive species of chironomous larvae was Gymnometriocnemus mahensis. The least sensitive form of chironomous larvae examined was Paramerina minima. The 96-hr LC₅₀ values obtained for Tanypus complanatus for Cu, Cd, Hg, and Zn were 1.9 (1.73–2.09), 1.35 (1.17–1.57), 0.33 (0.26–0.43), and 28.96 (27.03–31.03) ppm, respectively. Similar results were obtained for other species studied.