A suggested local regions in the Southern Gulf of Mexico using a diatom database (1979-2002) and oceanic hidrographic features

A diatom data-base of 255 species obtained from 14 oceanographic cruises (14801 entries of 647 sampling sites) together with the analysis of oceanic features were used to establish four local regions in the southern Gulf of Mexico. In addition, common species for each region were designated. This study is based on the application of cluster analysis and the species frequency data. Material for this undertaking consisted of water and net samples obtained between June 1979 and December 2002. Results show that the most frequent species (> 40%) were: Asterionellopsis glacialis, Bacteriastrum delicatulum, B. hyalinum, Chaetoceros affinis, C. coarctatus, C. compresus, C. curvisetus, C. danicus, C. decipiens, C. diversus, C. lorenzianus, C. pelagicus, C. peruvianus, Coscinodiscus radiatus, Cylindrotheca closterium, Guinardia flaccida, Hemiaulus hauckii, H. membranaceus, H. sinensis, Leptocylindrus danicus, Neocalyptrella robusta, Nitzschia bicapitata, Pleurosigma diverse-striatum, Proboscia alata, Pseudo-nitzschia pungens, Pseudosolenia calcar-avis, Rhizosolenia imbricata, R. setigera, Skeletonema costatum, Thalassionema bacillare, T frauenfeldii, T nitzschioides and Thalassiosira eccentrica. The species composition for each region and season are discussed. Itis concluded that sampling site assemblages are related to oceanographic conditions. A total list of species composition is given, forty-seven species taxa being new records for this area.     

Influence of the mineralogical composition on microbial activities in marine sediments: an experimental approach

We investigated the influence of the mineralogical composition of marine sediments on bacterial activity in experimental microcosms. Calcite and quartz were added to natural marine sediments and microbial response in terms of total bacterial abundance and biomass, β-D-glucosidase exo-enzymatic activity and bacterial incorporation of a radio-labelled (³H-leucine) substrate were investigated for a period of one month. We report here that after 15 days the mineralogical composition of the sediment (calcite vs. quartz) had an impact on bacterial abundance and activity (reduced for ca 15% and 56%, respectively). However, such impact was mitigated or even disappeared in high organic nutrient conditions.     

Application of diatom biotic indices in the Guadalquivir River Basin, a Mediterranean basin. Which one is the most appropriated?

The diatom community was studied in 110 sites within the Guadalquivir River catchment area, South Spain, in order to test the applicability of diatom biotic indices developed in other European regions to this site and to provide a useful tool for monitoring water quality in the river basin. We identified 399 taxa and calculated five diatomic indices (Specific Polluosensitivity Index (IPS), Biological Diatom Index, Trophic Diatom Index, Index of the European Economic Community, and Diatom-based Eutrophication Pollution Index (EPI-D)). Since the indices analyzed were highly correlated, their results could be compared. The indices that gave the best results were the EPI-D followed by the IPS, the latter being the most widely used index in Iberian catchments. Nevertheless, the EPI-D presented certain advantages: (1) this index correlated the best with the water chemistry in the catchment area; (2) EPI-D is not sensitive to the presence of taxa belonging to the Achnanthidium minutissimum complex frequently present in the Guadalquivir basin. Nevertheless, EPI-D retains its effectiveness and thus constitutes an easier index for application from a taxonomical standpoint. We estimated the general water quality of the entire basin on the basis of EPI-D. According to these results, 55% of the sites had either high or good water quality. The species that better characterized each water quality category in the study area were: A. minutissimum (high and good), Amphora pediculus (moderate), Nitzschia frustulum (poor), and Nitzschia capitellata (bad).     

All Fish for China?

In this paper we examine the effect of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the level of fish intake in China in comparison with the rest of the world. We also analyse the origin and destination of China’s seafood products in order to understand the main patterns during the last decades. The results show that in the 1961–2011 period the rate of growth of the GDP in China doubled that of other developing regions, while the daily fish intake of China increased fourfold, making China the largest fish consumer in the world. Given the size and scale of China’s role in production, consumption, and global transformation of seafood markets, China is shaping a new era of industrialization in the history of the fishing industry.     

Evolution of the landscape as a response of a demographic change. A case study in the Duero riverside,Spain

The Arribes del Duero area, in western Spain, at the border with Portugal, is suffering a drastic change in the landscape, as a response of the diminution of population. Traditional tasks related to agriculture have been abandoned, and heavy sheep farming on the area is provoking the impoverishment of soils. The effect derived from these actions is the disintegration of the terraces, which are one of the major attractions for tourists visiting the region. We propose that incentives for local people could help to develop those traditional labours to recover the landscape, together with the promotion of immigration of families with school-age children, could bring back the economy to the area.     

Biogeographic methods identify gymnosperm biodiversity hotspots

A remarkable congruence among areas of endemism, panbiogeographic nodes, and refugia in western North America, Japan, south-western China, Tasmania, and New Caledonia indicates that these areas deserve special status for conservation. Here we propose that areas identified by different biogeographic methods are significant candidates for designation as hotspots.     

Representing inequities in the distribution of socio-economic benefits and environmental risk

There is currently no standard methodfor analyzing claims of environmental inequity. Neitheris there a database of statistics on the extent ofrelationship between regional indicators ofenvironmental quality, likely sources of pollution, andthe demographic characteristics of affectedpopulations. The resolution of environmental disputesis often hampered by inadequate communication betweenstakeholder groups about their perceptions andprioritization of the issues in dispute and bydifferential access to information about the issues byeach stakeholder group. This paper describes a web-based tool, ICEP, that uses multi-layered GIS maps toestablish a standard method for analyzing claims ofenvironmental inequity and establish a database ofcorrelation coefficients between environmentalindicators, industry type by SIC code, and demographiccharacteristics of the population in proximity tonoxious facilities. The maps are generated fromstakeholder reports of environmental quality and aredesigned to be accessible via the Internet. Thisprovides stakeholders with direct access to graphicaldisplays of the perceptions of their co-stakeholdersand provides all groups with links to relevantinformation sources about the issues in dispute. ICEPenhances existing community environmental websites likeScorecard and Envirofacts by providingdisplays of median household income as a measure of thedistribution of benefits accrued within an area.     

The spatiotemporal expression pattern of trypsinogen and bile salt-activated lipase during the larval development of red porgy (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagrus pagrus</Emphasis>, Pisces,Sparidae)

A restoration programme was introduced in the Mondego Estuary (Portugal) to recover seagrass beds of Zostera noltii endangered by eutrophication. A long-term survey of 10 years was used to assess the development of the processes involved, focusing one of the key species (Cyathura carinata, Isopoda). The mitigation measures implemented since 1998 (nutrient loading reduction, freshwater circulation improvement and seagrass bed protection) enhanced water quality and seagrass recovery, thus preventing the development of macroalgal blooms. C. carinata was resilient to the occurrence of floods and macroalgal blooms, although both events caused dispersion of individuals. This isopod was not much influenced by the changes occurring in the estuary, showing an unalterable population structure during the entire study period. After 1998, its density and biomass became more stable at an inner unvegetated sand flat area, where this isopod was most abundant; its population slightly increased in a bare mud flat at the middle section of the estuary; but it could not establish successfully in a downstream Z. noltii bed, contrarily to other common estuarine species. Apart from other unknown reasons, the disrupted balanced between trematodes and their hosts, caused by the eutrophication processes, may have an important role in the discontinuity of C. carinata at the Z. noltii bed. If the intertidal areas become fully restored to the original seagrass coverage, high prevalence and intensity trematodes may prevent this isopod and other crustaceans from recovering within the intervened areas, by enhancing host mortality and recruitment failure. In order to avoid this kind of situation, it may be necessary to survey the levels of parasite infestation within the target hosts and safeguard areas where crustaceans present healthy populations.     

深圳再生水补水河流溶解N2O空间分布和产生机制

为了探究在再生水回补城市河流的条件下河流N₂O的微生物产生过程及其空间变化特征,以深圳市西乡河为研究对象,分析了河水中c（溶解性N₂O）、c（NH₄+-N）、c（NO₃--N）、δ15Nbulk-N₂O、δ18O-N₂O、同位素异位体位嗜值（site preference,SP）及其他环境因子,并基于端元混合模型和同位素分馏模型定量计算硝化和反硝化作用对河水中N₂O贡献百分比.结果表明:①随着流速降低,西乡河河水从上游的好氧环境逐渐发育成中下游的厌氧环境.②再生水进入西乡河后河水c（溶解性N₂O）从1.36 μmol/L沿程降至0.19 μmol/L;相关性分析表明,影响c（溶解性N₂O）的主要因素为ρ（DO）（R2=0.800,P < 0.01）和c（CH₄）（R2=-0.736,P < 0.01）.③硝化和反硝化作用对河水中N₂O贡献率分别为14.36%~80.53%和19.47%~85.64%;N₂O的来源在好氧河段中以硝化作用为主,在厌氧河段则以反硝化作用为主;N₂O还原成N₂的比例与ρ（DO）具有显著负相关关系（R2=-0.782,P < 0.01）.研究显示,再生水回补城市河流引入了较高质量浓度的N₂O和NO₃--N,而河道的厌氧环境促进河水中N₂O还原成N₂,下游河流成为N₂O的汇.      

Veterinary drugs in groundwater in a dairy region of central Argentina and risk assessment for human health

Veterinary drugs used in dairy production are potential contaminants of surface or groundwater sources, being able to affect human and environmental health. It is known that chronic exposure to antibiotics in low concentrations present in water can generate microbial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of veterinary drugs in 53 groundwater samples used for animal and human consumption, collected in dairy milking parlors, in an important milk-producing area of central Argentina, and to assess the risk to human health when they are used as drinking water. In 75% of the total samples analyzed, at least one veterinary drug was detected. The most frequently found drugs in water samples were the antibiotics tetracycline in 58.5% and oxytetracycline in 56.6%, and an anti-inflammatory, flunixin in 39.6%. In the water samples, the tetracycline and oxytetracycline concentrations were between 0.1 and 5.3 μg/L and flunixin concentrations were between 0.01 and 2.1 μg/L. The frequency of appearance and the concentration levels of the substances found in the water samples were evaluated according to the productivity, size, and production system (confined or pasture) of the dairy farms. Higher concentrations and proportions of water samples containing antibiotics were observed when the number of animals per dairy farm was >182 and when the productivity was high (>25 liters per animal per day). In the case of flunixin, the percentage of detection was similar in all evaluated categories. The risk assessment for children and adults, considering the intake of drinking water containing residues of these drugs, did not indicate a significant health risk. It would be advisable to evaluate other sources of drinking water, both surface and underground, in other regions of the country, to provide data to assess the impact of these substances and the other contaminants on environmental and human health.