Photocatalytic degradation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in pure water system

Due to the low water solubility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, organic solvent is usually added into the oxidation system to enhance the removal efficiency. In this study the photocatalytic degradation of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), a type of polybrominated diphenyl ether used throughout the world, in pure water without the addition of organic solvent was investigated. In the pure water system, BDE209 was not dissolved but dispersed as nano-scale particles with a mean diameter of 166 nm. Most of BDE209 (>98%) were removed within 4 h and the final debromination ratio was greater than 80%. Although the addition of organic solvent (tetrahydrofuran, THF) could lead to a relatively high BDE209 degradation rate, the final debromination ratio (<50%) was much lower than that in pure water system. Major oxidation intermediates of tetrahydrofuran, including tetrahydro-2-furanol and γ-butyrolactone, were detected indicating the engagement of THF in the BDE209 degradation process. The photocatalytic degradation of BDE209 in the pure water system followed first-order kinetics. The BDE209 degradation rate constant increased from 0.0011 to 0.0023 min⁻¹ as the pH increased from 3 to 9.     

Uncertainty quantification of steady and transient source term estimation in an urban environment

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The growing concern of the effects of potential releases of chemical, biological or radiological materials in populated areas has led to an increase in urban...     

Towards improved socio-economic assessments of ocean acidification’s impacts

Ocean acidification is increasingly recognized as a component of global change that could have a wide range of impacts on marine organisms, the ecosystems they live in, and the goods and services they provide humankind. Assessment of these potential socio-economic impacts requires integrated efforts between biologists, chemists, oceanographers, economists and social scientists. But because ocean acidification is a new research area, significant knowledge gaps are preventing economists from estimating its welfare impacts. For instance, economic data on the impact of ocean acidification on significant markets such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism are very limited (if not non-existent), and non-market valuation studies on this topic are not yet available. Our paper summarizes the current understanding of future OA impacts and sets out what further information is required for economists to assess socio-economic impacts of ocean acidification. Our aim is to provide clear directions for multidisciplinary collaborative research.     

Identifying trophic variation in a marine suspension feeder: DNA- and stable isotope-based dietary analysis in Mytilus spp.

Accurate field data on trophic interactions for suspension feeders are lacking, and new approaches to dietary analysis are necessary. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) was integrated with stable isotope analysis to examine dietary patterns in suspension-feeding Mytilus spp. from seven spatially discrete locations within a semi-enclosed marine bay (Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland) during June 2009. Results of the two methods were highly correlated, reflecting dietary variation in a similar manner. Variation in PCR-DGGE data was more strongly correlated with the principal environmental gradient (distance from the opening to the Irish Sea), while values of δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N became progressively enriched, suggesting a greater dependence on animal tissue and benthic microalgae. Diatoms and crustaceans were the most frequently observed phylotypes identified by sequencing, but specific DNA results provided little support for the trophic trends observed in the stable isotope data. This combined approach offers an increased level of trophic insight for suspension feeders and could be applied to other organisms.     

Flux by fin: fish-mediated carbon and nutrient flux in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Seagrass meadows are among the most productive ecosystems in the marine environment. It has been speculated that much of this production is exported to adjacent ecosystems via the movements of organisms. Our study utilized stable isotopes to track seagrass-derived production into offshore food webs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. We found that gag grouper (Myctereoperca microlepis) on reefs as far as 90 km from the seagrass beds incorporate a significant portion of seagrass-derived biomass. The muscle tissue of gag grouper, a major fisheries species, was composed on average of 18.5–25% seagrass habitat-derived biomass. The timing of this annual seagrass subsidy appears to be important in fueling gag grouper egg production. The δ³⁴S values of gag grouper gonad tissues varied seasonally and were δ³⁴S depleted during the spawning season indicating that gag utilize the seagrass-derived biomass to support reproduction. If such large scale trophic subsidies are typical of temperate seagrass systems, then loss of seagrass production or habitat would result in a direct loss of offshore fisheries productivity.     

Earthworms and in vitro physiologically-based extraction tests: complementary tools for a holistic approach towards understanding risk at arsenic-contaminated sites

The relationship of the total arsenic content of a soil and its bioaccumulation by earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus and Dendrodrilus rubidus) to the arsenic fraction bioaccessible to humans, measured using an in vitro physiologically-based extraction test (PBET), was investigated. Soil and earthworm samples were collected at 24 sites at the former arsenic mine at the Devon Great Consols (DGC) in southwest England (UK), along with an uncontaminated site in Nottingham, UK, for comparison. Analysis of soil and earthworm total arsenic via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was performed following a mixed acid digestion. Arsenic concentrations in the soil were elevated (204–9,025 mg kg⁻¹) at DGC. The arsenic bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for both earthworm species was found to correlate positively with the human bioaccessible fraction (HBF), although the correlation was only significant (P ≤ 0.05) for L. rubellus. The potential use of both in vitro PBETs and earthworms as complementary tools is explored as a holistic and multidisciplinary approach towards understanding risk at contaminated sites. Arsenic resistant earthworm species such as the L. rubellus populations at DGC are presented as a valuable tool for understanding risk at highly contaminated sites.     

A multi-mutualist simulation: Applying biological market models to diverse mycorrhizal communities

We present a cellular automaton that simulates the interaction between a host tree and multiple potential mycorrhizal symbionts and generates testable hypotheses of how processes at the scale of individual root tips may explain mycorrhizal community composition. Existing theoretical biological market models imply that a single host is able to interact with and select from multiple symbionts to organize an optimal symbiont community. When evaluating the tree–symbiont interaction, two scales must be considered simultaneously: the scale of the entire host plant at which carbon utilization and nutrient demands operate, and the scale of the individual root tip, at which colonization and carbon-nutrient trade occurs. Three strategies that may be employed by the host tree for optimizing carbon use and nutrient acquisition through mycorrhizal symbiont communities are simulated: (1) carbon pool adjustment, in which the plant controls only the total amount of carbon to be distributed uniformly throughout the root system, (2) symbiont selection, wherein the plant opts either for or against the interaction at each fine root tip, and (3) selective carbon allocation, wherein the plant adjusts the amount of carbon allocated to each root tip based on the cost of nutrients. Strategies were tested over various nutrient availabilities (the amount of inorganically and organically bound nutrients). Success was defined on the basis of minimizing carbon expended for nutrient acquisition because this would allow more carbon to be utilized for growth and reproduction. In all cases, the symbiont selection and selective carbon allocation strategies were able to meet the nutritional requirements of the plant, but did not necessarily optimize carbon use. The carbon pool adjustment strategy is the only strategy that does not operate at the individual root tip scale, and the strategy was not successful when inorganic nutrients were scarce since there is no mechanism to exclude suboptimal symbionts. The combination of the symbiont selection strategy and the carbon pool adjustment resulted in optimal carbon use and nutrient acquisition under all environmental conditions but result in monospecific symbiont assemblages. On the other hand, the selective carbon allocation strategy is the only strategy that maintained successful, multi-symbiont communities. The simulations presented here thus imply clear hypotheses about the effect of nutrient availability on symbiont selection and mycorrhizal community richness and composition.     

Provenance and threat-sensitive predator avoidance patterns in wild-caught Trinidadian guppies

The antipredator behaviour of prey organisms is shaped by a series of threat-sensitive trade-offs between the benefits associated with successful predator avoidance and a suite of other fitness-related behaviours such as foraging, mating and territorial defence. Recent research has shown that the overall intensity of antipredator response and the pattern of threat-sensitive trade-offs are influenced by current conditions, including variability in predation risk over a period of days to weeks. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that long-term predation pressure will likewise have shaped the nature of the threat-sensitive antipredator behaviour of wild-caught Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Female guppies were collected from two populations that have evolved under high- and low-predation pressure, respectively, in the Aripo River, Northern Mountain Range, Trinidad. Under laboratory conditions, we exposed shoals of three guppies to varying concentrations of conspecific damage-released chemical alarm cues. Lower Aripo (high-predation) guppies exhibited the strongest antipredator response when exposed to the highest alarm cue concentration and a graded decline in response intensity with decreasing concentrations of alarm cue. Upper Aripo (low-predation) guppies, however, exhibited a nongraded (hypersensitive) response pattern. Our results suggest that long-term predation pressure shapes not only the overall intensity of antipredator responses of Trinidadian guppies but also their threat-sensitive behavioural response patterns.     

Budgets of turbulent kinetic energy,Reynolds stresses,and dissipation in a turbulent round jet discharged into a stagnant ambient

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - This paper presents a set of stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) measurements of a turbulent round water jet (jet exit Reynolds number $$Re = 2679$$ and...     

A farewell to Dr Thomas Knacker (* 29.04.1951 – ? 30.10.2011): scientific contributions and personal memories

Background

The bioaccumulation potential of chemical substances is commonly determined in flow-through fish tests according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) technical guideline (TG) 305, aiming at the determination of bioconcentration factors (BCF). Investigations on aquatic organisms have shown a significant positive correlation between the accumulation of a chemical and the lipid content of organisms. Residue levels can thus differ between individuals, species, and size groups depending on their lipid content. BCF values can be normalized by lipid content; however, this requires the use of appropriate extraction techniques to ensure the complete extraction of total lipids from fish/tissue samples. The OECD TG 305 is currently under revision. A literature review was carried out to select preferred methods which shall be included in the updated OECD TG 305 along with a sampling schedule for lipid measurement in fish.

Results

An overview and appraisal of a broad range of lipid extraction methods is presented. Extraction procedures applied in bioaccumulation studies described in the literature and procedures currently used for such studies by governmental, academic, and industrial labs are surveyed. Possible impacts of unsuitable extraction techniques on lipid normalized BCF results were assessed. Default values for BCF normalization commonly used in bioaccumulation studies are described. The effect of differences in residue distribution over different organs and/or lipids on the normalization of BCF values is discussed.

Conclusions

A broad range of procedures for lipid extraction are available. However, only the use of suitable extraction techniques guarantees the complete extraction of total lipids from fish samples in bioaccumulation studies which is required to ensure the correct lipid normalization of BCF values. Preferred methods for inclusion in the updated OECD 305 test guideline as well as a standard schedule for lipid measurements are suggested.