The challenges of sustainability in mining regions: The coal mining region of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Throughout history, mining communities have invariably found themselves striving for a good quality of life and a long‐term future. In the 21st century, problems of maintaining the economic vitality of mining regions are now compounded by concerns about the biophysical integrity of the local environment. In regions of the world where the economic viability of the resource is marginal and achieving a reasonable quality of life is a daily struggle, sustainable mining may seem to be a dubious prospect at best. Yet the twin imperatives of global political forces and burgeoning environmental concerns are requiring industry, governments and other interests to re‐conceptualize the way in which mining takes place in communities. Although mining itself may not be seen as an industry that contributes to the achievement of environmental objectives, it could — with careful planning — be used as a tool to foster a more sustainable and healthier community. This argument is considered in the context of the coal mining region of Santa Catarina, Brazil.     

Composition of alkaloids in different box tree varieties and their uptake by the box tree moth Cydalima perspectalis

Larvae of the moth Cydalima perspectalis are specialized on box trees (Buxus spp.). Native to eastern Asia, the moth has been introduced to Europe in 2007 and is nowadays causing severe damage to box trees in private and public gardens, as well as in semi-natural box tree forests. Box trees contain highly toxic triterpenoid alkaloids which may be sequestered by specialized herbivores such as C. perspectalis. We determined the alkaloid composition in leaves of the five most common box tree varieties in Europe belonging to two Buxus species using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) metabolite profiling. We also examined whether larvae and moths of C. perspectalis accumulate alkaloids from the different box tree varieties. The differences in alkaloid composition observed between the box tree species Buxus sempervirens and Buxus microphylla were mirrored in the tissue of C. perspectalis larvae fed on either of the different box tree species, indicating uptake of alkaloids. The larvae stored large amounts of dibasic alkaloids in their body, while monobasic alkaloids were metabolized and/or excreted. Newly emerged adult moths contained no traces of alkaloids.     

Plant responses to a phytomanaged urban technosol contaminated by trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Medicago sativa was cultivated at a former harbor facility near Bordeaux (France) to phytomanage a soil contaminated by trace elements (TE) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In parallel, a biotest with Phaseolus vulgaris was carried out on potted soils from 18 sub-sites to assess their phytotoxicity. Total soil TE and PAH concentrations, TE concentrations in the soil pore water, the foliar ionome of M. sativa (at the end of the first growth season) and of Populus nigra growing in situ, the root and shoot biomass and the foliar ionome of P. vulgaris were determined. Despite high total soil TE, soluble TE concentrations were generally low, mainly due to alkaline soil pH (7.8–8.6). Shoot dry weight (DW) yield and foliar ionome of P. vulgaris did not reflect the soil contamination, but its root DW yield decreased at highest soil TE and/or PAH concentrations. Foliar ionomes of M. sativa and P. nigra growing in situ were generally similar to the ones at uncontaminated sites. M. sativa contributed to bioavailable TE stripping by shoot removal (in g ha^?1 harvest^?1): As 0.9, Cd 0.3, Cr 0.4, Cu 16.1, Ni 2.6, Pb 4, and Zn 134. After 1 year, 72 plant species were identified in the plant community across three subsets: (I) plant community developed on bare soil sowed with M. sativa; (II) plant community developed in unharvested plots dominated by grasses; and (III) plant community developed on unsowed bare soil. The shoot DW yield (in mg ha^?1 harvest^?1) varied from 1.1 (subset I) to 6.9 (subset II). For subset III, the specific richness was the lowest in plots with the highest phytotoxicity for P. vulgaris.