Social organization and sexual pattern in the Mediterranean parrotfish Sparisoma cretense (Teleostei: Scaridae)

We examined the social organization and reproductive pattern of a population of Sparisoma cretense L. at Lampedusa Island (Italy). During the breeding season (July to September) individuals occur either in territorial or in non-territorial groups, which quantitatively differ with respect to use of space, sex-ratio and sexual activity. Territorial groups consist of one male plus one to three females, whereas in non-territorial groups as many as 54 fish share a common area. Among non-territorial groups, variations, in both sex-ratio and behavior, suggest they could represent either feeding aggregations or reproductive aggregations. Spawning, always in pairs, occurs daily in a short period of time before dusk and has been observed only in territorial groups. Group spawning has never been observed, but another alternative mating tactic, streaking on pair spawning, was recorded. In the non-breeding season fish do not aggregate in organized social units. Histological examination of gonads showed that adults are larger than 12 cm total length. Females have an asynchronous ovary, typical of species spawning several times during the breeding season. Males show secondary testes, indicating that their gonads develop ovaries as juveniles, which are later redifferentiated into functional testes. Histological and demographic data seem to indicate that, as in other species of this genus, prematurational sex-change occurs. The sexual pattern appears to be essentially gonochoristic, but the potential for sex-change is not excluded. Received: 5 January 1999 / Accepted: 22 June 1999     

A roadmap for ladybird conservation and recovery

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) provide services that are critical to food production, and they fulfill an ecological role as a food source for predators. The richness, abundance, and distribution of ladybirds, however, are compromised by many anthropogenic threats. Meanwhile, a lack of knowledge of the conservation status of most species and the factors driving their population dynamics hinders the development and implementation of conservation strategies for ladybirds. We conducted a review of the literature on the ecology, diversity, and conservation of ladybirds to identify their key ecological threats. Ladybird populations are most affected by climate factors, landscape composition, and biological invasions. We suggest mitigating actions for ladybird conservation and recovery. Short-term actions include citizen science programs and education, protective measures for habitat recovery and threatened species, prevention of the introduction of non-native species, and the maintenance and restoration of natural areas and landscape heterogeneity. Mid-term actions involve the analysis of data from monitoring programs and insect collections to disentangle the effect of different threats to ladybird populations, understand habitat use by taxa on which there is limited knowledge, and quantify temporal trends of abundance, diversity, and biomass along a management-intensity gradient. Long-term actions include the development of a worldwide monitoring program based on standardized sampling to fill data gaps, increase explanatory power, streamline analyses, and facilitate global collaborations.     

ARX modeling approach to leak detection and diagnosis

This work presents a time series strategy for detection, location and quantification of leaks in large pipeline systems. The technology has two active components, which operate sequentially: the Detector and the Localizer. The Detector continuously screens real-time data, searching for any anomalies such as leaks, which are detected (or not) depending on their size and position. The Detector is based on auto-regressive multi-input/multi-output (MIMO) ARX predictors with one input filter. Subsequent to successful leak detection, the Localizer is launched to diagnose the leak via estimation of its parameters – diameter and location – using recorded data on a Search Time Window that includes information in the neighborhood of the instant of detection. The Localizer is also an ARX predictor, but with two input processors, the first is a filter for dynamic plant inputs and the second filter processes “parameter signals” of active leaks. The Localizer is developed beforehand via model identification with plant data under the action of known, artificially simulated, leaks. It is, therefore, able to recognize an active pattern of leak parameters, by maximizing the adherence of its predictions to data in the Search Time Window. The proposed detection and location methods were successfully tested in simulated leak scenarios for an industrial naphtha pipeline.     

E‐waste in the world today: An overview of problems and a proposal for improvement in Brazil

Environmental issues have been at the center of society's concerns for a long time. Recently, this kind of concern is growing even more due to the damage caused to the environment by electrical and electronic product waste. Based on this same concern, this work aimed to analyze, through a literature review, the production and treatment of electronic waste in today's world, with an emphasis on Brazil and China. The articles reviewed point to an increase in the production of this type of waste, in both Brazil and China, and reveal that the current processes of treatment of electronic waste mostly aim to obtain profit through the recovery of precious metals such as copper. This paper concluded that although Brazil is one of the major producers of e‐waste, more than 90% of its e‐waste has not had a proper final destination. This deficiency in e‐waste treatment in Brazil is mainly due to financial factors and the lack of a robust educational policy focused on the environment. Thus, this work suggests the implementation of an effective educational policy aimed at environmental conservation, as well as investments in research on recycling methods in Brazil, especially on the use of e‐waste as an aggregate in the manufacture of concrete.     

Simultaneous and direct determination of glyphosate and AMPA in water samples from the hydroponic cultivation of eucalyptus seedlings using HPLC-ICP-MS/MS

Abstract

Glyphosate is the main herbicide currently used in the world due to wide applicability and efficiency in controlling weeds in many crops. However, its overuse may lead to undesirable impacts on the environment and to human health in the long run. This present study aimed to optimize and validate solid phase extraction (SPE) using an anionic resin for the simultaneous and direct determination of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in water samples using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with inductively coupled plasma with triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (HPLC-ICP-MS/MS). The results showed that recovery percentage and relative standard deviation were 103.9?±?7.9 and 99.40?±?9.9% for glyphosate and AMPA, respectively. The validation certified that the method was precise, accurate, linear, and selective, with a limit of quantification of 1.09 and 0.29?μg L^?1 for glyphosate and AMPA, respectively. The optimized methodology reached the concentration factor of 250 times and was successfully applied to analyze water samples from hydroponic cultivation of the eucalyptus seedlings. The results showed that the exudation process occurs at glyphosate doses starting from 2?L ha^?1.     

Do tailings from the Mariana,MG (Brazil), disaster affect the initial development of millet,maize, and sorghum?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The collapse of the Fundão dam in Mariana, MG, in 2015 resulted in the overflow of more than 50 million m3 of mud containing mine tailings,...     

Assessment of natural coagulants to remediate Tunisian textile wastewater by combining physicochemical,analytical, and toxicological data

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Due to the complexity and variability of textile wastewater composition, a constant search for new treatment strategies that are efficient,...     

Ammonia volatilization from crop residues and frozen green manure crops

Agricultural systems can lose substantial amounts of nitrogen (N). To protect the environment, the European Union (EU) has adopted several directives that set goals to limit N losses. National Emission Ceilings (NEC) are prescribed in the NEC directive for nitrogen oxides and ammonia. Crop residues may contribute to ammonia volatilization, but sufficient information on their contribution to the national ammonia volatilization is lacking. Experiments were carried out with the aim to assess the ammonia volatilization of crop residues left on the soil surface or incorporated into the soil under the conditions met in practice in the Netherlands during late autumn and winter.Ammonia emission from residues of broccoli, leek, sugar beet, cut grass, fodder radish (fresh and frozen) and yellow mustard (frozen) was studied during two winter seasons using volatilization chambers. Residues were either placed on top of soil or mixed with soil. Mixing residues with soil gave insignificant ammonia volatilization, whereas volatilization was 5–16 percent of the N content of residues when placed on top of soil.Ammonia volatilization started after at least 4 days. Total ammonia volatilization was related to C/N-ratio and N concentration of the plant material. After 37 days, cumulative ammonia volatilization was negligible from plant material with N concentration below 2 percent, and was 10 percent of the N content of plant material with 4 percent N. These observations can be explained by decomposition of plant material by micro-organisms. After an initial built up of the microbial population, NH₄⁺ that is not needed for their own growth is released and can easily emit as NH₃ at the soil surface.The results of the experiments were used to estimate the contribution of crop residues to ammonia volatilization in the Netherlands. Crop residues of arable crops and residues of pasture topping may contribute more than 3 million kg NH₃–N to the national ammonia volatilization of the Netherlands, being more than 3 percent of the national emissions in 2005. This contribution should therefore be considered when focusing on the national ceilings for ammonia emissions.     

Exposure to ultrafine particles and PM2.5 in four Sydney transport modes

Concentrations of ultrafine (<0.1 μm) particles (UFPs) and PM_2.5 (<2.5 μm) were measured whilst commuting along a similar route by train, bus, ferry and automobile in Sydney, Australia. One trip on each transport mode was undertaken during both morning and evening peak hours throughout a working week, for a total of 40 trips. Analyses comprised one-way ANOVA to compare overall (i.e. all trips combined) geometric mean concentrations of both particle fractions measured across transport modes, and assessment of both the correlation between wind speed and individual trip means of UFPs and PM_2.5, and the correlation between the two particle fractions. Overall geometric mean concentrations of UFPs and PM_2.5 ranged from 2.8 (train) to 8.4 (bus) × 10⁴ particles cm^?3 and 22.6 (automobile) to 29.6 (bus) μg m^?3, respectively, and a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between modes was found for both particle fractions. Individual trip geometric mean concentrations were between 9.7 × 10³ (train) and 2.2 × 10⁵ (bus) particles cm^?3 and 9.5 (train) to 78.7 (train) μg m^?3. Estimated commuter exposures were variable, and the highest return trip mean PM_2.5 exposure occurred in the ferry mode, whilst the highest UFP exposure occurred during bus trips. The correlation between fractions was generally poor, and in keeping with the duality of particle mass and number emissions in vehicle-dominated urban areas. Wind speed was negatively correlated with, and a generally poor determinant of, UFP and PM_2.5 concentrations, suggesting a more significant role for other factors in determining commuter exposure.     

Five years of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde monitoring in the Rio de Janeiro downtown area – Brazil

The fuel matrix used in Brazil is unique around the world. The intensive use of hydrated ethanol, gasohol (gasoline with 25% v/v of ethanol), compressed natural gas (CNG), and biodiesel leads to a peculiar composition of the urban atmosphere. From 1998 to 2002 an increase in formaldehyde levels was observed and since then, a reduction. This work presents a monitoring campaign that was executed from March 2004 to February 2009 by sampling at early morning on every sunny Wednesday for a total of 183 samples. The results indicate a strong reduction in formaldehyde levels from 2004 (average of 135.8 μg m^?3 with SD 28.4 μg m^?3) to 2009 (average of 49.3 μg m^?3 with SD 27.4 μg m^?3). The levels of acetaldehyde showed a slight reduction from 2004 (average of 34.9 μg m^?3 with SD 8.0 μg m^?3) to 2009 (average of 26.8 μg m^?3 with SD 11.5 μg m^?3). Comparing the results with the concurrent evolution of the fleet and of fuel composition indicates that the observed formaldehyde levels could be associated with the increase in ethanol use and in CNG use by engines with improved technology over the first converted CNG engines. Modelling studies using the OZIPR trajectory model and the SAPRC chemical mechanism indicate that formaldehyde is the main ozone precursor in Rio de Janeiro and acetaldehyde is the forth one.