The response of epiphytic lichens to air pollution and subsets of ecological predictors: a case study from the Italian Prealps

We investigated the response of epiphytic lichens to air pollution, against the background of other ecological predictors in a prealpine heterogeneous area, using Non-Parametric Multiplicative Regression (NPMR). The best NPMR model for total lichen diversity according to N environmental predictors at tree level has a cross R(2)=0.709. It includes 10 variables, belonging to three different subsets of factors: two pollution-related factors (distance in meters from the road and from the cement factory); four stand-related (habitat, heat index, LAI and elevation) and four substrate-related factors (inclination, circumference and texture and tree species). Considering separately the effects of each subset on lichen diversity, substrate- and stand-related factors produce good models with similar cross R(2) (0.490 and 0.500, respectively), whereas pollution-related factors produce a model with a lower cross R(2) (0.340). Hence, we provide information to investigate the applicability of lichen biomonitoring to complex heterogeneous areas where standardized protocols are not reliable.     

Preferential retention of POPs on the northern aspect of mountains

Soils are the main reservoirs of POPs in mountain ecosystems, but the great variability of the concentrations, also at small scale, leaves some uncertainties in the evaluation of environmental burdens and exposure. The role of the aspect of the mountain side and the seasonal variation in the contamination levels was analysed by means of several soil samples taken from central Italian Alps. A greater contamination content was present in northern soils with a mean ratio between the north vs. south normalised concentration of around a factor of 2 (North-South Enrichment Factor). Experimental factors agreed with theoretical calculations based on temperature-specific calculated K_sa values. From May to November consistent differences in normalised concentrations up to 5-fold were observed. A dynamic picture of the POP contamination in high altitudinal soils is derived from the data in this work, with spring-summer half-lives between 60 and 120 days for most of the compounds.     

Agricultural and green infrastructures: the role of non-urbanised areas for eco-sustainable planning in a metropolitan region

Non-Urbanised Areas (NUAs) are part of agricultural and green infrastructures that provide ecosystem services. Their role is fundamental for the minimization of urban pollution and adaptation to climate change. Like all natural ecosystems, NUAs are endangered by urban sprawl. The regulation of sprawl is a key issue for land-use planning. We propose a land use suitability strategy model to orient Land Uses of NUAs, based on integration of Land Cover Analysis (LCA) and Fragmentation Analysis (FA). With LCA the percentage of evapotranspiring surface is defined for each land use. Dimensions and densities of NUAs patches are assessed in FA. The model has been developed with Geographical Information Systems, using an extensive set of geodatabases, including orthophotos, vectorial cartographies and field surveys. The case of the municipality of Mascalucia in Catania metropolitan area (Italy), characterized by a considerable urban sprawl, is presented.     

Assisted phytoremediation of mixed metal(loid)-polluted pyrite waste: effects of foliar and substrate IBA application on fodder radish

Exogenous application of plant-growth promoting substances may potentially improve phytoremediation of metal-polluted substrates by increasing shoot and root growth. In a pot-based study, fodder radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.) was grown in As-Zn-Cu-Co-Pb-contaminated pyrite waste, and treated with indolebutyric acid (IBA) either by foliar spraying (10 mg L⁻¹), or by direct application of IBA to the substrate (0.1 and 1 mg kg⁻¹) in association, or not, with foliar spraying. With the exception of foliar spraying, IBA reduced above-ground biomass, whilst direct application of IBA to the substrate surface reduced root biomass (−59%). Trace element concentrations were generally increased, but removals (mg per plant) greatly reduced with IBA application, together with greater metal leaching from the substrate. It is concluded that, in our case, IBA had a negative effect on plant growth and phytoextraction of trace elements, possibly due to unsuitable root indoleacetic acid concentration following soil IBA application, the direct chelating effect of IBA and the low microbial activity in the pyrite waste affecting its breakdown.     

One-Year Study of the Elemental Composition and Source Apportionment of PM10 Aerosols in Florence,Italy

Abstract

An extensive investigation was carried out for the characterisation of the air particulate composition in Florence. The aim was to determine the aerosol elemental concentrations, as well as to identify pollution sources. For our investigation, the external Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission–Particle-Induced γ-Ray Emission beam facility of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Van de Graaff accelerator at the Physics Department of the Florence University was used. We report the results of the analysis of a long temporal series (approximately 1 yr) of PM₁₀ particulate samples, collected on Millipore filters on a daily basis in three different sites (characterised by different urban settings). Daily concentrations of more than 20 elements were detected. The long sampling period (approximately 1 yr) allowed a comparison with the air quality recommended values and the identification of seasonal variations. Four main sources (traffic, oil-combustion, soil-dust, and wind transported sea-salt) were extracted with the help of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). An absolute PCA showed traffic to be the major source both in the high traffic site and in the urban background site.     

Towards metrics of sustainable food systems: a review of the resilience and vulnerability literature

Food and nutrition security is a persisting global issue and, in addition, food systems are now facing a new set of intersecting economic, social and environmental challenges. Recurrent socio-economic and biophysical changes put the sustainability of food systems at risk. There is an urgent need to develop knowledge-based tools to assess and monitor food sustainability and to identify pathways for food security and resource conservation. The systemic nature of these interactions calls for multidimensional approaches and integrated assessments for decision-making to guide change. This paper reviews social–ecological system frameworks with the view to conceptualize the sustainability issues that affect the food systems. It is argued that the understanding of the food systems as social–ecological systems, and inputs from the theories of vulnerability and resilience in particular, can provide the concepts necessary to understand and model the complex system dynamics involved in the multiple interactions between human and natural components.     

Minor crops for export: A case study of boscalid,pyraclostrobin, lufenuron and lambda-cyhalothrin residue levels on green beans and spring onions in Egypt

Dissipation rates of boscalid [2-chloro-N-(4′ -chlorobiphenyl-2-yl)nicotinamide], pyraclostrobin [methyl 2-[1-(4-chlorophenyl) pyrazol-3-yloxymethyl]-N-methoxycarbanilate], lufenuron [(RS)-1-[2,5-dichloro-4-(1,1,2,3,3,3-hexafluoropropoxy)phenyl]-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)urea] and λ-cyhalothrin [(R)-cyano(3-phenoxyphenyl)methyl (1S,3S)-rel-3-[(1Z)-2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-1-propenyl]-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate] in green beans and spring onions under Egyptian field conditions were studied. Field trials were carried out in 2008 in a Blue Nile farm, located at 70 kilometer (km) from Cairo (Egypt). The pesticides were sprayed at the recommended rate and samples were collected at pre-determined intervals. After treatment (T₀) the pesticide residues in green beans were 7 times lower than in spring onions. This is due to a different structure of vegetable plant in the two crops. In spring onions, half-life (t_1/2) of pyraclostrobin and lufenuron was 3.1 days and 9.8 days respectively. At day 14th (T₁₄) after treatment boscalid residues were below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) (0.34 versus 0.5 mg/kg), pyraclostrobin and λ -cyhalothrin residues were not detectable (ND), while lufenuron residues were above the MRL (0.06 versus 0.02 mg/kg). In green beans, at T₀, levels of boscalid, lufenuron and λ -cyhalothrin were below the MRL (0.28 versus 2 mg/kg; ND versus 0.02 mg/kg; 0.06 versus 0.2 mg/kg, respectively) while, after 7 days treatment (T₇) pyraclostrobin residues were above the MRL (0.03 versus 0.02 mg/kg). However, after 14 days the residue level could go below the MRL (0.02 mg/kg), as observed in spring onions.