Auxinic herbicides induce oxidative stress on Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Pesticides might increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dicamba (DIC) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) are auxinic...     

Larvicidal and pupicidal activities of eco-friendly phenolic lipid products from Anacardium occidentale nutshell against arbovirus vectors

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus are vectors of diseases that constitute public health problems. The discovery of products capable of...     

Application of treated wastewater and digested sewage sludge to obtain biodiesel from Helianthus annuus L. seeds oil

Waste from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for Helianthus annuus L. production may be a viable solution to obtain biodiesel. This study achieved two objectives: assess the agronomical viability of waste (wastewater and sludge) from the Alcázar de San Juan WWTP in central Spain for H. annuus L. production; use H. annuus L. seeds grown in this way to obtain biodiesel. Five study plots, each measuring 6 m × 6 m (36 m²), were set up on the agricultural land near the Alcázar de San Juan WWTP. Five fertilizer treatment types were considered: drinking water, as the control; treated wastewater; 10 t ha^?1 of air-dried sewage sludge; 20 t ha^?1 of air-dried sewage sludge; 0.6 t ha^?1 of commercial inorganic fertilizer. Soil, irrigation water, sewage sludge, crop development and fatty acid composition in achenes oil were monitored. The 20 t ha^–1 dose of sewage sludge proved effective to grow H. annuus L. with similar results to those grown with a commercial fertilizer. However, precautions should be taken when irrigating with wastewater because of high salinity and nutrient deficiency. Sunflower oil was composed mostly of linoleic and oleic acid. The remaining fatty acids were linolenic, estearic, nervonic, palmitoleic, and palmitic.     

Epiphytische Flechten im Wandel von Immissionen und Klima ? Ergebnisse einer Vergleichskartierung 1989/2007 in Nordwestdeutschland

Zusammenfassung   Hintergrund, Ziel und Zweck Borkenbewohnende (epiphytische) Flechten reagieren sehr empfindlich auf verschiedene Umwelteinflüsse wie Stoffgehalte in der Atmosph?re und Temperaturen. Sie haben als Bioindikatoren für Luftverunreinigungen einen hohen Stellenwert bei Umweltuntersuchungen. Basierend auf einer 1989 durchgeführten Kartierung borkenbewohnender (epiphytischer) Flechten in einem landwirtschaftlich intensiv genutzten Raum Nordwestdeutschlands erfolgte 2007 eine Wiederholungsuntersuchung. Dabei galt es, m?gliche Ver?nderungen der Immissionssituation und des Klimas zu erkennen. Material und Methoden Die Studie basiert auf einer vergleichenden Kartierung epiphytischer Flechten von 355 Tr?gerb?umen an 45 Monitoringpunkten. Die angewandte Methode orientiert sich an der 1989 angewandten halb-quantitativen Erfassung. Ergebnisse Es stellten sich gravierende Ver?nderungen in der Vegetation rindenbewohnender Flechten heraus. Insgesamt war eine Erh?hung der Artenzahl an nahezu allen Monitoringpunkten festzustellen. Es wurde eine sehr starke Abnahme s?uretoleranter Arten und eine deutliche Zunahme basen- und n?hrstofffordernder Flechtenarten festgestellt. Darüber hinaus zeigte sich eine deutliche Zunahme w?rmeliebender Flechtenarten mit einem Verbreitungsschwerpunkt in Südeuropa bei gleichzeitigem Rückgang von Arten mit einem boreal-montanem Verbreitungsschwerpunkt. Diskussion Die festgestellte Entwicklung steht im Einklang mit überregionalen Beobachtungen. Sie wird im Wesentlichen auf eine gro?r?umig ver?nderte Immissionssituation, d. h. einer Abnahme der atmosph?rischen SO₂-Belastung und Zunahme der Ammoniakbelastung zurückgeführt. Ebenso treten deutliche Auswirkungen der Klimaerw?rmung hervor. Schlussfolgerungen Mit relativ geringem Untersuchungsaufwand lie?en sich Ver?nderungen bei den epiphytischen Flechten in den letzten 18 Jahren aufzeigen. Diese sind relevant für die Beurteilung regional und kleinr?umig ver?nderter Umweltbedingungen, die auch für andere Organismen und ?kosysteme l?ngerfristig von gro?er Bedeutung sind. Empfehlungen und Ausblick Unter Verwendung standardisierter Methoden vermitteln epiphytische Flechten ein differenziertes Bild der Luftbelastungssituation in Ballungsr?umen und in landwirtschaftlich genutzten Regionen. Darüber hinaus sind sie offensichtlich gute Indikatoren für Temperatur?nderungen ihrer Umgebung. Weiterer Forschungsbedarf besteht für die Verwendung epiphytischer Flechten zum Biomonitoring von Klimaver?nderungen.      

Assessing spatial variability of SO2 field as detected by an air quality network using Self-Organizing Maps,cluster, and Principal Component Analysis

In Bilbao (Spain), an air quality network measures sulphur dioxide levels at 4 locations. The objective of this paper is to develop a practical methodology to identify redundant sensors and evaluate a network's capability to correctly follow and represent SO₂ fields in Bilbao, in the frame of a continuous network optimization process.The methodology is developed and tested at this particular location, but it is general enough to be useable at other places as well, since it is not tied neither to the particular geographical characteristics of the place nor to the phenomenology of the air quality over the area.To assess the spatial variability of SO₂ measured at 4 locations in the area, three different techniques have been used: Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), cluster analysis (CA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results show that the three techniques yield the same results, but the information obtained via PCA can be helpful not only for that purpose but also to throw light on the major mechanisms involved. This might be used in future network optimization stages. The main advantage of cluster analysis and SOMs is that they provide readily interpretable results. All the calculations have been carried out using the freely available software R.     

From land cover change to land function dynamics: a major challenge to improve land characterization

Land cover change has always had a central role in land change science. This central role is largely the result of the possibilities to map and characterize land cover based on observations and remote sensing. This paper argues that more attention should be given to land use and land functions and linkages between these. Consideration of land functions that provide a wide range of goods and services makes more integrated assessments of land change possible. The increasing attention to multifunctional land use is another incentive to develop methods to assess changes in land functions. A number of methods to quantify and map the spatial extent of land use and land functions are discussed and the implications for modeling are identified based on recent model approaches in land change science. The mixed use of land cover, land use and land function in maps and models leads to inconsistencies in land change assessments. Explicit attention to the non-linear relations between land cover, land use and land function is essential to consistently address land change. New methods to map and quantify land function dynamics will enhance our ability to understand and model land system change and adequately inform policies and planning.     

Ecological impacts of early 21st century agricultural change in Europe – A review

The impacts of agricultural land use are far-reaching and extend to areas outside production. This paper provides an overview of the ecological status of agricultural systems across the European Union in the light of recent policy changes. It builds on the previous review of 2001 devoted to the impacts of agricultural intensification in Western Europe. The focus countries are the UK, The Netherlands, Boreal and Baltic countries, Portugal, Hungary and Romania, representing a geographical spread across Europe, but additional reference is made to other countries. Despite many adjustments to agricultural policy, intensification of production in some regions and concurrent abandonment in others remain the major threat to the ecology of agro-ecosystems impairing the state of soil, water and air and reducing biological diversity in agricultural landscapes. The impacts also extend to surrounding terrestrial and aquatic systems through water and aerial contamination and development of agricultural infrastructures (e.g. dams and irrigation channels). Improvements are also documented regionally, such as successful support of farmland species, and improved condition of watercourses and landscapes. This was attributed to agricultural policy targeted at the environment, improved environmental legislation, and new market opportunities. Research into ecosystem services associated with agriculture may provide further pressure to develop policy that is targeted at their continuous provisioning, fostering motivation of land managers to continue to protect and enhance them.     

Integrating Landscape Analysis and Planning: A Multi-Scale Approach for Oriented Management of Tourist Recreation

Tourism and landscape are interdependent concepts. Nature- and culture-based tourism are now quite well developed activities and can constitute an excellent way of exploiting the natural resources of certain areas, and should therefore be considered as key objectives in landscape planning and management in a growing number of countries. All of this calls for careful evaluation of the effects of tourism on the territory. This article focuses on an integrated spatial method for landscape analysis aimed at quantifying the relationship between preferences of visitors and landscape features. The spatial expression of the model relating types of leisure and recreational preferences to the potential capacity of the landscape to meet them involves a set of maps showing degrees of potential visitor satisfaction. The method constitutes a useful tool for the design of tourism planning and management strategies, with landscape conservation as a reference.     

Radiofrequency exposure in the French general population: Band, time, location and activity variability

Information on the exposure of individual persons to radiofrequency (RF) fields is scarce, although such data are crucial in order to develop a suitable exposure assessment method, and frame the hypothesis and design of future epidemiological studies. The main goal of this survey is to assess individual RF exposure on a population basis, while clarifying the relative contribution of different sources to the total exposure. A total of 377 randomly selected people were analyzed. Each participant was supplied with a personal exposure meter for 24-hour measurements (weekday), and kept a time–location–activity diary. Electric field strengths were recorded in 12 different RF bands every 13 s. Summary statistics were calculated with the robust regression on order statistics method. Most of the time, recorded field strengths were not detectable with the exposure meter. Total field, cordless phones, WiFi-microwave, and FM transmitters stood apart with a proportion above the detection threshold of 46.6%, 17.2%, 14.1%, and 11.0%, respectively. The total field mean value was 0.201 V/m, higher in urban areas, during daytime, among adults, and when moving. When focusing on specific channels, the highest mean exposure resulted from FM sources (0.044 V/m), followed by WiFi-microwaves (0.038 V/m), cordless phones (0.037 V/m), and mobile phones (UMTS: 0.036 V/m, UMTS: 0.037 V/m). Various factors, however, contributed to a high variability in RF exposure assessment. These population-based estimates should therefore be confirmed by further surveys to better characterize the exposure situation in different microenvironments.     

A soil sampling intercomparison exercise for the ALMERA network

Soil sampling and analysis for radionuclides after an accidental or routine release is a key factor for the dose calculation to members of the public, and for the establishment of possible countermeasures. The IAEA organized for selected laboratories of the ALMERA (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity) network a Soil Sampling Intercomparison Exercise (IAEA/SIE/01) with the objective of comparing soil sampling procedures used by different laboratories. The ALMERA network is a world-wide network of analytical laboratories located in IAEA member states capable of providing reliable and timely analysis of environmental samples in the event of an accidental or intentional release of radioactivity. Ten ALMERA laboratories were selected to participate in the sampling exercise. The soil sampling intercomparison exercise took place in November 2005 in an agricultural area qualified as a “reference site”, aimed at assessing the uncertainties associated with soil sampling in agricultural, semi-natural, urban and contaminated environments and suitable for performing sampling intercomparison. In this paper, the laboratories sampling performance were evaluated.