Toxicity of copper to the marine amphipod Allorchestes compressa in the presence of water-and lipid-soluble ligands

Acute toxicity tests were carried out on the marine amphipod Allorchestes compressa Dana using copper sulphate and some organocopper complexes. For copper sulphate, 96 h LC₅₀ values of 0.11 and 0.5 mg Cu l^-1 were determined for the juveniles and the adults, respectively, juveniles being 4.5 times more sensitive to copper than adults. Organocopper complexes were tested on adults only. The three water-soluble ligands nitrilotriacetic acid, 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulphonic acid and tannic acid ameliorated copper toxicity by decreasing the concentration of free ionic copper, while lipid-soluble ligands such as oxine and potassium ethylxanthogenate increased copper toxicity, presumably as a result of the complexes diffusing through the cell membrane and participating in injurious reaction. The copper complex with 2,9-dimethyll, 10-phenanthroline was the most toxic complex tested. It is suggested that the presence of these ligands in the receiving water should be taken into consideration when establishing water-quality criteria.     

Ecological niche segregation among five toothed whale species off the NW Iberian Peninsula using ecological tracers as multi-approach

This study aims to assess niche segregation among the five main toothed whales that frequent the NW Iberian Peninsula waters: the common dolphin, the harbour porpoise, the bottlenose dolphin, the striped dolphin and the long-finned pilot whale. We used cadmium (Cd) and stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) as ecological tracers to assess degree of segregation in diet/trophic level and in foraging habitat, over various time-scales. δ¹³C values highlighted different habitats, while Cd concentrations highlighted feeding differences between oceanic and neritic species. Moreover, δ¹⁵N values suggest different trophic levels of prey targeted within oceanic and neritic species. Hence, results revealed long-term ecological segregation among five toothed whales that coexist in the NWIP and demonstrated the ability of ecological tracers to discriminate ecological niches among closely related species.     

Speciation of arsenic in plants by HPLC-HG-AFS: extraction optimisation on CRM materials and application to cultivated samples

A recently developed method for the determination of arsenic species (arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonate, MMAA, and dimethylarsinate, DMAA) has been applied to the study of arsenic speciation in plants. This method uses ion-exchange liquid chromatography coupled on-line to atomic fluorescence spectrometry through continuous hydride generation. Various extraction procedures have been studied in detail using three plant certified reference materials. None of the procedures tested revealed fully satisfying results with all kinds of plant samples; microwave assisted extraction with 0.3 mol dm-3 orthophosphoric acid was found to be the most convenient for dealing with terrestrial plants. Species stability appears good. This method was applied to real world cultivated plant parts. Arsenate appears to predominate in soils, roots and leaves; unidentified species (probably arsenosugars) play an important role (60%) in rice fruits. Carrot was found to be the most contaminated edible plant part, containing 1 mg kg-1 essentially as arsenate species. MMAA was detected in all soils and some plant parts especially shallots at low levels, whereas DMAA was found only in one soil sample and in hot pepper leaves. Arsenite is a minor component of all soils; it is also present in some plant parts at low levels. However, no evident relationships were found between As speciation in the various plant parts and much more detailed studies will be necessary to elucidate As behaviour in plants.     

Detection of Hepatitis E Virus in Sewage After an Outbreak on a French Island

A hepatitis E outbreak, which occurred on a small isolated island, provided an opportunity to evaluate the association between the number of hepatitis E cases in the community and the concentration of virus detected in sewage. Samples were collected from the different sewage treatment plants from the island and analyzed for the presence of hepatitis E (HEV) virus using real-time RT-PCR. We demonstrated that if 1–4 % of inhabitants connected to a WWTP were infected with HEV, raw sewage contained HEV at detectable levels. The finding that such a small number of infected people can contaminate municipal sewage works raises the potential of the further distribution of the virus. Indeed, investigating the routes of transmission of HEV, including the potential for sewage effluent to contain infectious HEV, may help us to better understand the epidemiology of this pathogen, which is considered to be an emerging concern in Europe.     

Identification of 1-methyloctyl butanoate as the major sex pheromone component from females of the saddle gall midge,Haplodiplosis marginata (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

The saddle gall midge, Haplodiplosis marginata (von Roser) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), has undergone a resurgence recently as a pest of cereals in Belgium and other European countries. An effective monitoring tool of saddle gall midge flights is needed to understand the enigmatic population dynamics of this pest, and to design an integrated management strategy. Therefore, volatile compounds emitted by females (alkan-2-ols and alk-2-yl butanoates) were identified, and the chirality of the emitted esters was determined to be the R absolute configuration. In field-trapping experiments, racemic non-2-yl butanoate attracted substantial numbers of H. marginata males. Thus, this compound will be useful in baited traps for monitoring seasonal flight patterns, and improving integrated management of the saddle gall midge in agricultural systems.     

Degradation in an Inert Solid Medium of Poly(Lactic Acid) Polymeric Material by Kibdelosporangium aridum

The aim of this work was to estimate the biodegradation of a poly(lactic acid) polymeric material by the actinomycetes Kibdelosporangium aridum using a vermiculite based inert solid medium which could simulate compost medium and enable us to achieve complete carbon balances. The mineralisation rate at the end of the test was compared to those obtained for two basal media. It was shown that cumulative mineralisation after 45 days of degradation was greater (70%) in vermiculite with a basal medium containing gelatin than in vermiculite with a basal medium containing glucose (20%).     

The toxicity of composted sediments from Mediterranean ports evaluated by several bioassays

This work investigates the ecotoxicological evaluation of contaminated dredged sediments from French Mediterranean navy harbour (A), commercial port (B) and two composite specimens (C) and (D) coming from the mixture of A and B with other port sediments. The toxicity of elutriates from these sediments is estimated using embryo-toxicity test, Microtox® solid phase test, LuminoTox, phytotoxicity tests and genotoxicity test. Bioassay responses are not clearly correlated with chemical contamination in the whole sediment and vary as a function of tested organisms. The highest contaminated samples (A and C) are almost always more toxic than the less contaminated samples (B and D). Among composite sediments, the mixture effect with other sediments is not efficient to decrease toxicity in sample C, suggesting that other parameters influence toxicity level such as particle size or organic matter content. These parameters should be taken into consideration in order to improve the efficiency of the mixture process and produce composite sediments with low toxicity.