Interaction of higher marine fungi with the herbicide atrazine. III. Adsorption of atrazine to the marine fungus Dendryphiellasalina

The adsorption of the herbicide ¹⁴C-atrazine to the marine fungus $\text{Dendryphiella}$$\text{salina}$ was studied using sodium azide as an inhibitor of active uptake. Adsorption of atrazine (94 ppb) was found to reach equilibrium within six hours. Adsorption as a function of concentration (9.4 to 468 ppb) conformed to the empirically derived Freundlich equation giving a K value of 6.2. Atrazine on the fungal cell surface was easily desorbed by successive artificial seawater washes indicating a relatively loose binding. The ability of the marine fungus $\text{D.}$$\text{salina}$ to remove ¹⁴C-atrazine from an artificial seawater medium suggests an environmental role in the transport and redistribution of atrazine in estuaries.     

Transformation and adsorption of Fenamiphos, f. sulfoxide and f. sulfone in molokai soil and simulated movement with irrigation

The ban of commonly used soil fumigants, DBCP and EDB, for control of nematodes in pineapple fields has prompted investigations into a non-fumigant nematicide, fenamiphos (Nemacur^®). The transformation and adsorption in soil of fenamiphos and its transformation products, f. sulfoxide and f. sulfone were studied in the laboratory. Fenamiphos adsorption on soil exceeded that of f. sulfoxide and f. sulfone. F. sulfoxide, however, was the most persistent. A one-dimensional simulation model was used to assess the impact of transformation and adsorption on the mobility and distribution of fenamiphos and f. sulfoxide in soil. Simulated results showed that fenamiphos stayed in the topsoil and transformed rapidly to f. sulfoxide. Because of the persistence and mobility of f. sulfoxide, this metabolite leached rapidly and significant amounts remained in the soil. This suggests that for times exceeding three weeks, f. sulfoxide may be the dominant compound providing nematode control in drip-irrigated pineapple.     

Effect of mecoprop drift on some plant species of conservation interest when grown in standardized mixtures in microcosms

There has been an increasing awareness of potential impacts of herbicide drift on to vegetation in nature reserves and field margin habitats adjacent to treated areas. Previous work using single species bioassays has suggested that the effects of a single drift event are confined close to the sprayer (< 10 m). In the present study eight native dicotyledonous species, with and without a perennial grass (Lolium perenne), were grown in standardized microcosms in order to study (1) the effects of herbicide drift where plants were exposed to competition, and (2) the effects of a second spray application. The microcosms were arranged downwind (0-8 m) of a standard agricultural sprayer applying mecoprop at recommended rates. The effects of the herbicide drift on foliar symptoms of plant damage and end-of-season yield were assessed in each of two years. The main conclusions were that (1) growth of Stachys sylvatica and Lolium perenne (where sown) was enhanced near the sprayer and, (2) six other species (Digitalis purpurea, Galium mollugo, Hypericum hirsutum, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Primula veris and Ranunculus acris) showed some evidence of reduction in either performance (assessed non-destructively after a single exposure) or yield after two exposures. Three species (Lychnis flos-cuculi, Primula veris and Ranunculus acris) showed a reduction in flowering performance. Thus, mecoprop drift affected the aesthetic appearance, possibly the fecundity of some species and the balance between species in these microcosm experiments. The implications of these results for the persistence of attractive plant communities in sensitive areas are discussed.     

A comparison of (Pb, Cd and Zn) accumulation in terrestrial slugs maintained in microcosms: evidence for metal tolerance

The relative tissue accumulation of Pb, Cd and Zn were compared in two populations each of two species of slugs (Arion subfuscus and Deroceras reticulatum). One population was resident at a contaminated Pb/Zn mine site, and the other population was from an uncontaminated site and was transferred for 20 days to microcosms established at the mine site. It was found that when the experiment was conducted during late spring (May), but not in late winter (February), that the Pb and Zn concentrations in the tissues of the 'transplants', were significantly higher than in the tissues of 'residents'; the Cd concentrations in the transplants, although significantly higher in the May sample than in February, did not exceed those of their 'resident' counterparts. It was postulated that: (a) Pb and Zn tolerance in slugs is phenotypically expressed by a reduction in metal accumulation; (b) Cd tolerance, if present, may be characterized by enhanced storage capacity; and (c) the presence of local metal-tolerant ecotypes is a biotic variable that may confound the relationship between dry tissue and environmental metal concentrations that forms a basis of pollution biomonitoring.