Essential and non-essential trace element concentrations in muscle and liver of a pregnant Munk’s pygmy devil ray (Mobula munkiana) and its embryo

During gestation, essential and non-essential trace elements are transferred from the pregnant females to embryos. This study aimed to determine and compare the concentrations of seven essential trace elements (Fe, Zn, Se, Cu, Mn, Cr, Co) and six non-essential trace elements (As, Cd, V, U, Tl, Ag) in the muscle and the liver of a Munk’s pygmy devil ray pregnant female, Mobula munkiana, and its embryo. Transfer evidence of essential and non-essential trace elements was detected in M. munkiana tissues. Arsenic was found in elevated concentrations in the pregnant female and the embryo tissues. Elevated levels of Cd, V, U, and Ag were found in the pregnant female liver, but were minimal in the embryo tissue. This is the first study to investigate maternal transfer of essential and non-essential trace elements in these species and their reproductive strategy.

     

Testing the extraction of 12 mycotoxins from aqueous solutions by insoluble beta-cyclodextrin bead polymer

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites of filamentous fungi; they are common contaminants in numerous foods and beverages. Cyclodextrins are ring-shaped...     

Iron oxide nanoparticles embedded in organic microparticles from Yerba Mate useful for remediation of textile wastewater through a photo-Fenton treatment: Ilex paraguariensis as a platform of environmental interest – Part 1

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Seven composites of iron oxide nanoparticles embedded in organic microparticles mediated by Cu(II) were synthesized using yerba mate (Ilex...     

Phycobiliproteins extract from Spirulina protects against single-dose cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity in male mice

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cadmium (Cd) is known for its many toxic effects on male population such as hypogonadism and fertility difficulties, which are oftenly associated with...     

Living close, doing differently: small-scale asynchrony in demography of two species of seabirds

Studies on spatiotemporal pattern of population abundance predict that close populations should exhibit a high level of synchrony, reflected in a parallel time variation of at least one demographic parameter. We tested this prediction for two threatened species of Procellariiformes sharing similar life history traits: the European Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) and the Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus). Within each species, we compared adult survival, proportion of transients (breeders that do not settle), and average productivity at two neighboring colonies. Physical and environmental features (e.g., food availability) of the breeding sites were similar. However, while Balearic Shearwater colonies were free of predators, aerial predators occurred especially in one colony of the European Storm Petrel. Despite this difference, we found similar results for the two species. A high proportion of transient birds was detected in only one colony of each species, ranging between 0.00-0.38 and 0.10-0.63 for the petrels and shearwaters, respectively. This seems to be an emergent feature of spatially structured populations of seabirds, unrelated to colony size or predator pressure, that can have important demographic consequences for local population dynamics and their synchrony. Local survival of resident birds was different at each colony, an unexpected result, especially for predator-free colonies of Balearic Shearwater. Productivity varied between the two colonies of European Storm Petrels, but not between the two colonies of Balearic Shearwaters. We demonstrated that within each species, several demographic parameters were colony specific and sufficiently different to generate short-term asynchronous dynamics. Our findings suggest that, in spatially structured populations, local factors, such as predation or small-scale habitat features, or population factors, such as individual quality or age structure, can generate unexpected asynchrony between neighboring populations.     

Phylogeography of the Southwestern Atlantic menhaden genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brevoortia</Emphasis> (Clupeidae,Alosinae)

Among pelagic fish, the Southwestern Atlantic menhaden genus Brevoortia (Clupeidae, Alosinae) constitutes an important species model to investigate the patterns of genetic differentiation. It is abundant in the Río de la Plata estuary and in the Atlantic coastal lagoons system from Uruguay and Southern Brazil. To access in the taxa discrimination and population structure in Brevoortia we perform a phylogeographic approach based on mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt-b) sequences including 240 individuals from 16 collecting sites. Among the 720 bp cyt-b sequenced, 199 correspond to variables and 88 to phylogenetically informative sites. High values of haplotype diversity (h = 1.000) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.061), as well as an average of 0.084 polymorphic segregating sites and 46 different haplotypes were found. Maximum likelihood analysis based on the GTR + I + G model and Bayesian inference strongly support the idea that B. aurea is the only species of the genus inhabiting the Southwestern Atlantic region. Our analyses revealed a complex population pattern characterized by the existence of long-term highly structured genetic assemblages of mixed stocks. Each monophyletic entity included individuals from different collecting sites, different age groups and collected in different years. Our data also suggest that the recruitment of unrelated mtDNA haplotypes carried out by individuals within schools could be occurring in the same nursery areas revealing the existence of many different maternal lineages. A scenario where different simultaneously and successively mixed mtDNA lineages remain historically connected through basal haplotypes among different clades could explains more accurately the complex and ordered metapopulation dynamic found in this pelagic fish.     

Correlation analysis between sulphate content and leaching of sulphates in recycled aggregates from construction and demolition wastes

In some recycled aggregates applications, such as component of new concrete or roads, the total content of soluble sulphates should be measured and controlled. Restrictions are usually motivated by the resistance or stability of the new structure, and in most cases, structural concerns can be remedied by the use of techniques such as sulphur-resistant cements. However, environmental risk assessment from recycling and reuse construction products is often forgotten. The purpose of this study is to analyse the content of soluble sulphate on eleven recycled aggregates and six samples prepared in laboratory by the addition of different gypsum percentages. As points of reference, two natural aggregates were tested. An analysis of the content of the leachable amount of heavy metals regulated by European regulation was included. As a result, the correlation between solubility and leachability data allow suggest a limiting gypsum amount of 4.4% on recycled aggregates. This limit satisfies EU Landfill Directive criteria, which is currently used as reference by public Spanish Government for recycled aggregates in construction works.     

Pyrolysis of plastic packaging waste: A comparison of plastic residuals from material recovery facilities with simulated plastic waste

Pyrolysis may be an alternative for the reclamation of rejected streams of waste from sorting plants where packing and packaging plastic waste is separated and classified. These rejected streams consist of many different materials (e.g., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), aluminum, tetra-brik, and film) for which an attempt at complete separation is not technically possible or economically viable, and they are typically sent to landfills or incinerators. For this study, a simulated plastic mixture and a real waste sample from a sorting plant were pyrolyzed using a non-stirred semi-batch reactor. Red mud, a byproduct of the aluminum industry, was used as a catalyst. Despite the fact that the samples had a similar volume of material, there were noteworthy differences in the pyrolysis yields. The real waste sample resulted, after pyrolysis, in higher gas and solid yields and consequently produced less liquid. There were also significant differences noted in the compositions of the compared pyrolysis products.