Elemental composition of otolith growth marks in three geographically separated populations of European hake (Merluccius merluccius)

The composition of the opaque and translucent bands in the otoliths of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) from three different populations (Celtic Sea, Galicia shelf and Cretan Sea) was analysed with wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS) and differences in Ca, Sr and Na were compared. The translucent bands (annual marks and checks altogether) were significantly richer in Sr and Ca and significantly poorer in Na than opaque bands. Results support the idea of a more compact arrangement of crystals in translucent bands compared to opaque. Analyses did not help to discriminate between putative annual marks and checks. Clear differences in the range of Sr/Ca variation across the otolith as well as in the composition of the otolith core were observed among the three populations. As a result it was possible to discriminate the natal origin of each fish using the composition of the otolith core in Ca, Sr and Na. Nevertheless, the overall pattern across the otolith was similar among the three populations suggesting the existence of ontogenetic trends. Variation of Na/Ca ratios was largely uninformative. Based on these results, a conceptual model for hake is proposed which integrates the different sources of otolith Sr/Ca variation: ambient Sr/Ca, endogenous cues (ontogeny) and exogenous cues (environment).     

The effect of 4-Nonylphenol on the pigmentation of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ocimum basilicum</Emphasis> (Basil)

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Tests during the last few years have confirmed that 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) can have oestrogen-like effects (xeno-hormone) on animal organisms. The objective was to firstly evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of 4-NP on plants such as hydrocultures. To clarify how this substance interferes with the photosynthetic system of plants, various tests were carried out using the basil plant (Ocimum basilicum). METHODS: The effect of the pollutant 4-NP on the pigment content in the leaves of the basil plant was analysed with the use of High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A general assessment of the HPLC data revealed that plants that came in contact with the 4-nonylphenol showed a change in pigmentation. More chlorophyll a and b was produced, although at the same time a higher production of degradation products and by-products of the chlorophylls was observed. These occurrences can therefore be seen as an impairment of the photosynthetic process. The contaminated plants produced less xanthophylls than the non-contaminated ones, though these differences were statistically not significant. CONCLUSION AND PERSPECTIVE: The variations on the pigment content in the leaves of the basil plant can be interpreted as a consequence of the 4-NP application. It was, however, not investigated whether the plants absorbed the pollutants directly. The effect could have been caused by adsorption of the oily substance to the roots, and this could have led to a hindrance of the uptake of nutrients and possibly water. In order to clarify this further, biochemical experiments are being conducted.     

Quantification of advective solute travel times and mass transport through hydrological catchments

This study has investigated and outlined the possible quantification and mapping of the distributions of advective solute travel times through hydrological catchments. These distributions are essential for understanding how local water flow and solute transport and attenuation processes affect the catchment-scale transport of solute, for instance with regard to biogeochemical cycling, contamination persistence and water quality. The spatial and statistical distributions of advective travel times have been quantified based on reported hydrological flow and mass-transport modeling results for two coastal Swedish catchments. The results show that the combined travel time distributions for the groundwater-stream network continuum in these catchments depend largely on the groundwater system and model representation, in particular regarding the spatial variability of groundwater hydraulic parameters (conductivity, porosity and gradient), and the possible contributions of slower/deeper groundwater flow components. Model assumptions about the spatial variability of groundwater hydraulic properties can thus greatly affect model results of catchment-scale solute spreading. The importance of advective travel time variability for the total mass delivery of naturally attenuated solute (tracer, nutrient, pollutant) from a catchment to its downstream water recipient depends on the product of catchment-average physical travel time and attenuation rate.     

Airborne bacteria associated with particulate matter from a highly urbanised metropolis: A potential risk to the population’s health

• The airborne bacteria of Mexico City are representative of urban environments. • Particle material<10 µm influenced the type and quantity of airborne bacteria. • The diversity and richness of bacteria were higher in the rainy season. • The emission & transport of airborne bacteria determine the atmosphere’s microbiome. • Bacterias as Kocuria, Paracoccus, and Staphylococcus were in the air of Mexico City. Bacteria in the air present patterns in space and time produced by different sources and environmental factors. Few studies have focused on the link between airborne pathogenic bacteria in densely populated cities, and the risk to the population’s health. Bacteria associated with particulate matter (PM) were monitored from the air of Mexico City (Mexico). We employed a metagenomic approach to characterise bacteria using the 16S rRNA gene. Airborne bacteria sampling was carried out in the north, centre, and south of Mexico City, with different urbanisation rates, during 2017. Bacteria added to the particles were sampled using high-volume PM₁₀ samplers. To ascertain significant differences in bacterial diversity between zones and seasons, the Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon tests were done on alpha diversity parameters. Sixty-three air samples were collected, and DNA was sequenced using next-generation sequencing. The results indicated that the bacterial phyla in the north and south of the city were Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, while in the central zone there were more Actinobacteria. There were no differences in the alpha diversity indices between the sampled areas. According to the OTUs, the richness of bacteria was higher in the central zone. Alpha diversity was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season; the Shannon index and the OTUs observed were higher in the central zone in the dry season. Pathogenic bacteria such as Kocuria, Paracoccus, and Micrococcus predominated in both seasonal times, while Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Nocardioides were found during the rainy season, with a presence in the central zone.     

Effect of UV-B exposure on eggs and embryos of patagonian anurans and evidence of photoprotection

In Patagonia, enhanced levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are affecting not only the southernmost territories but the northern as well, and there is a growing body of evidence indicating effects on terrestrial and aquatic communities. Anurans occur along a wide geographical gradient in Patagonia and are common in shallow waters, usually breeding during spring when seasonal UV-B radiation is at its highest level. In this paper we analyse the effective irradiances (I) experienced in nature by eggs and embryos of the patagonian anurans Pleurodema bufoninum, Pleurodema thaul and Bufo spinulosus papillosus, considering water and egg jelly optical properties. Besides, we determine photoprotective pigments in eggs and embryos of the different species, and ontogenetic shifts in pigment concentration. Finally, we studied the effects of natural and enhanced levels of UV-B on eggs of P. bufoninum aiming to evaluate the role of the jelly envelope in screening the damaging radiation. The evidence gathered in this work shows that natural and enhanced UV-B levels did not induce significant changes on the survivorship but incremented the occurrence of malformations. Also, the species experiencing high levels of exposure presented high concentrations of melanin suggesting that exposure to sunlight triggers photoprotection by pigments. Collectively our results suggest that the studied species bear certain levels of adaptation to cope with high ambient UVR conferred by environmental and biological factors.     

The solitary median maxillary central incisor (SMMCI) syndrome: Associations,prenatal diagnosis,and outcomes

Solitary median maxillary central incisor (SMMCI) syndrome is a complex disorder consisting of multiple, developmental defects involving midline structures of the head, which includes the cranial bones, the maxilla, and its container dentition (specifically the central incisor tooth germ), together with other midline structures of the body. SMMCI may appear as an isolated trait or in association with other midline developmental anomalies. We describe the case of a patient with SMMCI. He presented with a solitary median maxillary incisor, short stature, corpus callosum anomalies and a microform of holoprosencephaly (HPE), diabetes insipidus, and neurodevelopmental delay. The diagnosis was performed postnatally based on clinical features, radiological imaging, and a comprehensive genetic study. SMMCI can be diagnosed during the prenatal or neonatal periods or during infancy. Evaluation of the superior maxillary bone is important for prenatal diagnosis. Direct evaluation through bidimensional ultrasound or the use of multiplanar ultrasound or tridimensional reconstruction should be performed in cases of brain or face malformations. Early diagnosis can contribute to improved prenatal assessment and postnatal management.     

Detection and Characterization of Hepatitis A Virus and Norovirus in Mussels from Galicia (NW Spain)

Shellfish are recognized as a potential vehicle of viral disease and despite the control measures for shellfish safety there is periodic emergence of viral outbreaks associated with shellfish consumption. In this study a total of 81 mussel samples from Ría do Burgo, A Coruña (NW Spain) were analysed. Samples were collected in seven different harvesting areas with the aim to establish a correlation between the prevalence of norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in mussel samples and the water quality. In addition, the genogroup of the detected HAV and NoV strains was also determined. The HAV presence was detected in 18.5 % of the samples. Contamination levels for this virus ranged from 1.1 × 10² to 4.1 × 10⁶ RNA copies/g digestive tissue. NoV were detected in 49.4 % of the cases reaching contamination levels from 5.9 × 10³ to 1.6 × 10⁹ RNA copies/g digestive tissue for NoV GI and from 6.1 × 10³ to 5.4 × 10⁶ RNA copies/g digestive tissue for NoV GII. The χ²-test showed no statistical correlation between the number of positive samples and the classification of molluscan harvesting area based on the E. coli number. All the detected HAV strains belong to genogroup IB. NoV strains were assigned to genotype I.4, II.4 and II.6.     

Fire hazard after prescribed burning in a gorse shrubland: implications for fuel management

Prescribed burning is commonly used to prevent accumulation of biomass in fire-prone shrubland in NW Spain. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the efficacy of the technique in reducing fire hazard in these ecosystems. Fire hazard in burned shrubland areas will depend on the initial capacity of woody vegetation to recover and on the fine ground fuels existing after fire. To explore the effect that time since burning has on fire hazard, experimental tests were performed with two fuel complexes (fine ground fuels and regenerated shrubs) resulting from previous prescribed burnings conducted in a gorse shrubland (Ulex europaeus L.) one, three and five years earlier. A point-ignition source was used in burning experiments to assess ignition and initial propagation success separately for each fuel complex. The effect of wind speed was also studied for shrub fuels, and several flammability parameters were measured. Results showed that both ignition and initial propagation success of fine ground fuels mainly depended on fuel depth and were independent of time since burning, although flammability parameters indicated higher fire hazard three years after burning. In contrast, time since burning increased ignition and initial propagation success of regenerated shrub fuels, as well as the flammability parameters assessed, but wind speed had no significant effect. The combination of results of fire hazard for fine ground fuels and regenerated shrubs according to the variation in relative coverage of each fuel type after prescribed burning enabled an assessment of integrated fire hazard in treated areas. The present results suggest that prescribed burning is a very effective technique to reduce fire hazard in the study area, but that fire hazard will be significantly increased by the third year after burning. These results are valuable for fire prevention and fuel management planning in gorse shrubland areas.     

The effect of changes to the method of estimating the pollen count from aerobiological samples

Pollen data have been recorded at Novi Sad in Serbia since 2000. The adopted method of producing pollen counts has been the use of five longitudinal transects that examine 19.64% of total sample surface. However, counting five transects is time consuming and so the main objective of this study is to investigate whether reducing the number to three or even two transects would have a significant effect on daily average and bi-hourly pollen concentrations, as well as the main characteristics of the pollen season and long-term trends. This study has shown that there is a loss of accuracy in daily average and bi-hourly pollen concentrations (an increase in % ERROR) as the sub-sampling area is reduced from five to three or two longitudinal transects. However, this loss of accuracy does not impact on the main characteristics of the season or long-term trends. As a result, this study can be used to justify changing the sub-sampling method used at Novi Sad from five to three longitudinal transects. The use of two longitudinal transects has been ruled out because, although quicker, the counts produced: (a) had the greatest amount of % ERROR, (b) altered the amount of influence of the independent variable on the dependent variable (the slope in regression analysis) and (c) the total sampled surface (7.86%) was less than the minimum requirement recommended by the European Aerobiology Society working group on Quality Control (at least 10% of total slide area).