Effects of heavy metals and nitroaromatic compounds on horseradish glutathione S-transferase and peroxidase

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and peroxidase (POX) activities have a direct relation to the effect of stress on plant metabolism. Changes in the activities of the enzymes were therefore studied. Horseradish hairy roots were treated by selected bivalent ions of heavy metals (HMs) and nitroaromatic compounds (NACs). We have shown differences in GST activity when assayed with substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB). The conjugation of DCNB catalysed by GST was inhibited in all roots treated with HMs as compared to non-treated roots, whereas NACs caused induction of the activity in dependence on the exposition time and concentration of compounds. The conjugation of CDNB by GST was not affected to the same extent. The increase of GST activity was determined in cultures treated by nickel (0.1 mM) and diaminonitrotoluenes (DANTs, 0.1 mM) for 6 h, whereas the roots treated by 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (ADNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT, 1.0 mM) needed 27 h treatment to induce the activity. The POX activity of cultures treated by HMs was inhibited to 17-35% in comparison to non-treated cultures. The POX activity of roots treated by TNT (0.1 and 1.0 mM) for 6 and 27 h and by ADNT (0.1 and 1.0 mM) for 6 h was inhibited. A partial increase of POX activity was measured in roots treated by all NACs for 27 h. The content of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the roots differed significantly. It was followed as a symptom of the stress reaction of the plant metabolism to the effect of NACs and HMs.     

Boreal bog plants: nitrogen sources and uptake of recently deposited nitrogen

The main goals of this study were to determine the delta15N signature of quantitatively important boreal bog plants as basis for discussing their N sources, and to assess the effects of five different 3 year N treatments (i.e. 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) on the bog plants and surface peat at different depths (i.e. 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 cm) by using 15N as tracer. Plants and peat were analyzed for N concentration, 15N natural abundance and 15N at.%. From the results we draw three main conclusions: First, the relative importance of different N sources is species-specific among bog plants. Second, an annual addition of 5 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) was sufficient to significantly increase the N concentration in Sphagnum mosses, liverworts and shallow rooted vascular plants, and an annual addition of 40 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) during 3 years was not sufficient to increase the N concentration in deep rooted plants, although the 15N content increased continuously, indicating a possible longer term effect. Third, an annual addition of 40 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) during 3 years increased the N content in surface peat at depths of 5 and 10 cm, but not at depths of 20 and 40 cm, indicating the capacity of the living Sphagnum mosses and the surface peat to take up deposited N, and thereby function as a filter.     

Volatile nanoparticle formation and growth within a diluting diesel car exhaust

A major source of particle number emissions is road traffic. However, scientific knowledge concerning secondary particle formation and growth of ultrafine particles within vehicle exhaust plumes is still very limited. Volatile nanoparticle formation and subsequent growth conditions were analyzed here to gain a better understanding of "real-world" dilution conditions. Coupled computational fluid dynamics and aerosol microphysics models together with measured size distributions within the exhaust plume of a diesel car were used. The impact of soot particles on nucleation, acting as a condensational sink, and the possible role of low-volatile organic components in growth were assessed. A prescribed reduction of soot particle emissions by 2 orders of magnitude (to capture the effect of a diesel particle filter) resulted in concentrations of nucleation-mode particles within the exhaust plume that were approximately 1 order of magnitude larger. Simulations for simplified sulfuric acid-water vapor gas-oil containing nucleation-mode particles show that the largest particle growth is located in a recirculation zone in the wake of the car. Growth of particles within the vehicle exhaust plume up to detectable size depends crucially on the relationship between the mass rate of gaseous precursor emissions and rapid dilution. Chassis dynamometer measurements indicate that emissions of possible hydrocarbon precursors are significantly enhanced under high engine load conditions and high engine speed. On the basis of results obtained for a diesel passenger car, the contributions from light diesel vehicles to the observed abundance of measured nucleation-mode particles near busy roads might be attributable to the impact of two different time scales: (1) a short one within the plume, marked by sufficient precursor emissions and rapid dilution; and (2) a second and comparatively long time scale resulting from the mix of different precursor sources and the impact of atmospheric chemistry.     

Improved phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture: a key requirement for its sustainable use

Mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers processed from fossil reserves have enhanced food production over the past 50 years and, hence, the welfare of billions of people. Fertilizer P has, however, not only been used to lift the fertility level of formerly poor soils, but also allowed people to neglect the reuse of P that humans ingest in the form of food and excrete again as faeces and urine and also in other organic wastes. Consequently, P mainly moves in a linear direction from mines to distant locations for crop production, processing and consumption, where a large fraction eventually may become either agronomically inactive due to over-application, unsuitable for recycling due to fixation, contamination or dilution, and harmful as a polluting agent of surface water. This type of P use is not sustainable because fossil phosphate rock reserves are finite. Once the high quality phosphate rock reserves become depleted, too little P will be available for the soils of food-producing regions that still require P supplements to facilitate efficient utilization of resources other than P, including other nutrients. The paper shows that the amounts of P applied in agriculture could be considerably smaller by optimizing land use, improvement of fertilizer recommendations and application techniques, modified livestock diets, and adjustment of livestock densities to available land. Such a concerted set of measures is expected to reduce the use of P in agriculture whilst maintaining crop yields and minimizing the environmental impact of P losses. The paper also argues that compensation of the P exported from farms should eventually be fully based on P recovered from ‘wastes’, the recycling of which should be stimulated by policy measures.     

Long Term Trends in Concentration of Major Pollutants (SO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, CO,NO, NO<Subscript>2</Subscript>, O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and PM<Subscript>10</Subscript>) in Prague – Czech Republic (Analysis of Data Between 1992 and 2005)

To assess the effect of changes in traffic density and fuels used for heating at the beginning of the 1990s, 1992–2005 monthly averages of PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, NO, CO and O₃ from Prague, the Czech capital, were analyzed together with long term trends in emissions of major pollutants, fuel consumption and number of vehicles registered in Prague. The data from all monitoring stations were retrieved from the database of the state automated monitoring system. Correlation coefficients between ambient monthly averaged temperature and all pollutants of concern showed distinct seasonal trends. The results showed that while SO₂ and to some extent also CO concentrations dropped namely in the first half of the analyzed period (1992–1997) as a result decreased fossil fuel consumption for local heating, the behaviour of other pollutant concentrations followed a different pattern. PM₁₀ concentrations decreased during the beginning of the 1990s but showed a sign of increase after 2000. Concentrations of ozone and NO₂ did not reveal any significant change throughout the whole studied period. It can be concluded that during the studied period traditional urban sources of pollution, such as coal and oil combustion, lost their importance but were simultaneously substituted by pollutants from automotive transport (namely PM and NO₂) making the problem of air quality even worse.     

Agricultural drainage ditches mitigate phosphorus loads as a function of hydrological variability

Phosphorus (P) loading from nonpoint sources, such as agricultural landscapes, contributes to downstream aquatic ecosystem degradation. Specifically, within the Mississippi watershed, enriched runoff contributions have far-reaching consequences for coastal water eutrophication and Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. Through storm events, the P mitigation capacity of agricultural drainage ditches under no-till cotton was determined for natural and variable rainfall conditions in north Mississippi. Over 2 yr, two experimental ditches were sampled monthly for total inorganic P concentrations in baseflow and on an event-driven basis for stormflows. Phosphorus concentrations, Manning's equations with a range of roughness coefficients for changes in vegetative densities within the ditches, and discharge volumes from Natural Resources Conservation Service dimensionless hydrographs combined to determine ranges in maximum and outflow storm P loads from the farms. Baseflow regressions and percentage reductions with P concentrations illustrated that the ditches alternated between being a sink and source for dissolved inorganic P and particulate P concentrations throughout the year. Storm event loads resulted in 5.5% of the annual applied fertilizer to be transported into the drainage ditches. The ditches annually reduced 43.92 +/- 3.12% of the maximum inorganic effluent P load before receiving waters. Agricultural drainage ditches exhibited a fair potential for P mitigation and thus warrant future work on controlled drainage to improve mitigation capacity.     

Observations of Atmospheric Nitrogen and Phosphorus Deposition During the Period of Algal Bloom Formation in Northern Lake Taihu,China

Cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Taihu occurred at the end of April 2007 and had crucial impacts on the livelihood of millions of people living there. Excessive nutrients may promote bloom formation. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition appears to play an important role in algal bloom formation. Bulk deposition and rain water samples were collected respectively from May 1 to November 30, 2007, the period of optimal algal growth, to measure the bulk atmospheric deposition rate, wet deposition rate, and dry deposition rate for total nitrogen (TN; i.e., all species of nitrogen), and total phosphorus (TP; i.e., all species of phosphorus), in northern Lake Taihu, China. The trends of the bulk atmospheric deposition rate for TN and the wet deposition rate for TN showed double peaks during the observation period and distinct influence with plum rains and typhoons. Meanwhile, monthly bulk atmospheric deposition rates for TP showed little influence of annual precipitation. However, excessive rain may lead to high atmospheric N and P deposition rates. In bulk deposition samples, the average percentage of total dissolved nitrogen accounting for TN was 91.2% and changed little with time. However, the average percentage of total dissolved phosphorus accounting for TP was 65.6% and changed substantially with time. Annual bulk atmospheric deposition rates of TN and TP during 2007 in Lake Taihu were estimated to be 2,976 and 84 kg km⁻² a⁻¹, respectively. The results showed decreases of 34.4% and 78.7%, respectively, compared to 2002–2003. Annual bulk deposition load of TN for Lake Taihu was estimated at 6,958 t a⁻¹ in 2007 including 4,642 t a⁻¹ of wet deposition, lower than the values obtained in 2002–2003. This may be due to measures taken to save energy and emission control regulations in the Yangtze River Delta. Nevertheless, high atmospheric N and P deposition loads helped support cyanobacterial blooms in northern Lake Taihu during summer and autumn, the period of favorable algal growth.     

Effects of Acidification and its Mitigation with Lime and Wood Ash on Forest Soil Processes: A Review

Anthropogenic acid deposition causes forest soil acidification and perturbation of the soil forming processes. The impact of soil acidification on tree growth is discussed in view of the role of mycorrhizal fungi in weathering and nutrient uptake. A review has been carried out of experiments involving treatments of forest soil by lime and wood ash, where soil properties and soil solution composition have been investigated. Results from these experiments in Europe and North America are summarized. In general, the content of C in the mor layer decreased as a result of treatment due to higher microbial activity and soil respiration as well as increased leakage of DOC. In addition, the content of N in the mor layer, in general, decreased after treatment and there are occasional peaks of high NO₃concentrations in soil solution. In nearly all reviewed investigations the pH of the deep mineral soil solution decreased and Al, SO₄and NO₃concentrations increased after treatment. These effects are probably due to the high ionic strength and increased microbial activity as a consequence of the treatments. In the soil, pH, CEC and base saturation increased in the upper horizons, but decreases in the upper mineral soil are also reported. In general, there was no increase in tree growth as a result of these treatments. The positive effects of the treatments on soil processes and tree growth are therefore questionable. In view of these conclusions, an investigation was carried out on the soil and soil solution chemistry and the role of mycorrhizal fungi in a spruce stand treated with two doses of lime and another treated with lime/ash in southern Sweden. The results of this investigation is reported in this volume.     

An Assessment of Oil Pollution in the Coastal Zone of Patagonia,Argentina

The Patagonian coast is considered a relatively pristine environment. However, studies conducted along coastal Patagonia have showed hydrocarbon pollution mostly concentrated at ports that have fishing, oil loading, general merchant, and/or tourist activities. A high value of total aliphatic hydrocarbons (TAH) was found at the Rawson fishing port (741 μg/g dw). In other ports with and without petroleum-related activities, hydrocarbon values were approximately 100 μg/g dw. The highest values for TAH and total aromatic hydrocarbons (TArH) were found in Faro Aristizábal, north of San Jorge gulf (1304 and 737 μg/g dw, respectively). This is very likely the result of petroleum-related activities at the Comodoro Rivadavia, Caleta Cordova, and Caleta Olivia ports located within this gulf. In other coastal areas away from potential anthropogenic sources, hydrocarbon values were less than 2 and 3 μg/g dw for TAH and TArH, respectively. This review of published and unpublished information suggests that ports are important oil pollution sources in the Patagonian coast. More detailed studies are needed to evaluate the area affected by port activities, to understand the mechanisms of hydrocarbon distribution in surrounding environments, and to assess bioaccumulation in marine organisms. Despite that some regulations exist to control oil pollution derived from port and docked vessel activities, new and stricter management guidelines should be implemented.     

Phosphates for Pb immobilization in soils: a review

In its soluble ionic forms, lead (Pb) is a toxic element occurring in waters and soils mainly as the result of human activities. The bioavailability of lead ions can be decreased by complexation with various materials in order to decrease their toxicity. Pb chemical immobilization using phosphate addition is a widely accepted technique to immobilize Pb from aqueous solution and contaminated soils. The application of different P amendments cause Pb in soils to shift from forms with high availability to the most strongly bound Pb fractions. The increase of Pb in the residual or insoluble fraction results from formation of pyromorphite Pb₅(PO₄)₃X where X = F, Cl, Br, OH, the most stable environmental Pb compounds under a wide range of pH and Eh natural conditions. Accidental pyromorphite ingestion does not yield bioavailable lead, because pyromorphite is insoluble in the intestinal tract. Numerous natural and synthetic phosphates materials have been used to immobilize Pb: apatite and hydroxyapatite, biological apatite, rock phosphate, soluble phosphate fertilizers such as monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid, biosolids rich in P, phosphatic clay and mixtures. The identification of pyromorphite in phosphate amended soils has been carried out by different non destructive techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray absorption fine structure, transmission electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. The effectiveness of in situ Pb immobilization has also been evaluated by selective sequential extraction, by the toxicity leaching procedure and by a physiologically based extraction procedure simulating metal ingestion and gastrointestinal bioavailability to humans. Efficient Pb immobilization using P amendments requires increasing the solubility of the phosphate phase and of the Pb species phase by inducing acid conditions. Although phosphorus addition seems to be highly effective, excess P in soil and its potential effect on eutrophication of surface water, and the possibility of As enhanced leaching remains a concern. The use of mixed treatments may be a useful strategy to improve their effectiveness in reducing lead phyto- and bioavailability.