Orientation of sandhoppers at different points along a dynamic shoreline in southern Tuscany

Orientation experiments were carried out on Talitrus saltator (Crustacea Amphipoda) at four points along 3 km on a dynamic sandy beach inside the Maremma Regional Park (Grosseto, Italy) to highlight behavioural variation related to distance from a river mouth, to erosion or accretion of shoreline, and to human trampling on the beach. Tests were performed using circular transparent Plexiglas arenas, contemporaneously at the four points. Replicates were made in 2 different months (September 2002 and May 2003), on 2–3 successive days, in the morning and afternoon. The distributions of the angles of orientation were compared for the different points and seasons, and multiple regression analysis was performed to test the effects of environmental and intrinsic variables on orientation. Sandhoppers showed the highest scatter at the eroded shoreline, intermediate scatter at the accreting beach most distant from the river mouth, and consistent orientation seaward at the least disturbed point. Orientation of sandhoppers was significantly affected by season, global radiation, time of day, distance from the river mouth, and human trampling. Sex and air humidity were of minor significance in the multiple regression model. The results, on the one hand, confirm plasticity in orientation of sandhoppers living on a dynamic shoreline, and on the other hand, show that variation in orientation could potentially be used as a bioindicator of shoreline changes.Communicated by R. Cattanevo-Vietti, Genova     

A novel gas purification system for biologically produced gases

A novel gas purification system employing membrane contactors with dense membranes in the absorption as well as the desorption unit has been tested concerning the separation efficiency of CO₂. The separation efficiency of potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) promoted by piperazine (PZ) as absorption medium has been tested in the absorption unit. Since the absorbent will be regenerated in the desorption unit, the influence of temperature, sweep flow rate and absorbent type (0.5 M K₂CO₃ and 0.5 M K₂CO₃/0.5 M PZ) on the separation efficiency of CO₂ in the desorption unit has been investigated. Desorption by vacuum has been considered as well.In addition experimental results of the coupling of a bioreactor producing hydrogen by anoxygenic photosynthesis (low and fluctuating product gas flow rates and fluctuating compositions) with a membrane contactor for gas purification are reported. This was done in order to show the applicability of this system to processes producing biogases.     

Egg production and hatching success in North Adriatic Sea populations of the copepod acartia clausi

Egg production, fecal pellet production and hatching success are reported for Acartia clausi females sampled during three cruises in February 1997, 1998 and June 1997 at 20-24 stations along 4 transects in the North Adriatic Sea. Dramatically low hatching rates were recorded during both diatom bloom events in February as opposed to much higher rates during post-bloom conditions in June, even though A. clausi productivity during the bloom was apparently high. These results are discussed in the light of recent findings on the negative impact of diatoms on copepod reproductive potential.     

Forensic Evaluation of Metals (Cr,Cu, Pb,Zn), Isotopes (δ13C and δ15N), and C:N Ratios in Freshwater Sediment

A forensic approach was used to evaluate sediments from Portão Stream, including analysis of metals, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotopes, and C:N ratios. Samples collected at various points located along the stream were tested in order to investigate a possible illegal leachate input. The studied stream is heavily impacted by sewage and industrial discharges from two cities along its course. Among the metals analyzed, chromium (Cr) was noticeably the main pollutant, showing the highest levels, above regulatory limits, downstream from some potential sources of effluents enriched with this metal. Isotope analyses revealed a general trend of depletion in the heavier isotope along the stream for C and N. The exception was one point near a hazardous waste landfill, where relatively more enriched δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values were found. The isotope and metal analysis results indicated that this site was affected by a particular source, demonstrating the combination of these parameters could be used for the discrimination of sources in a heavily polluted stream. Nevertheless, further investigations are necessary to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the biogeochemical processes involved in the incorporation of leachate in sediments to use this analysis as evidence for the illegal leachate discharge.     

An appraisal of soil diffuse contamination in an industrial district in northern Italy

Soil diffuse contamination is one the major soil threats, especially in regions with a high population density and strong industrialization. In this work agricultural, natural, and periurban soils of an Italian Province (858 km(2)) were sampled and analyzed. Overall, 140 samples were taken at two depths and analyzed for 10 trace elements, 13 rare earth elements and for organic contaminants (PCBs, PCDDs and PAHs). The aim of this work was to obtain an appraisal of soil diffuse contamination in a large Italian Province by applying and validating available tools to quantify background values and evaluate the intensity of contamination. Data were processed, background values estimated, and enrichment and contamination factors calculated. For some contaminants the results allowed a discrimination between natural or anthropic-derived contaminants. Some contaminants revealed clear trends of enrichment in function of the land use (in particular for periurban soils). REEs were found to mostly derive from parent material. The results obtained in this study show the importance of merging the quantification of contaminants with the elaboration of indices of contamination. These require an accurate quantification of background values to be able to discriminate the anthropic contribution. Enrichment factor resulted to be more accurate than contamination factor but it cannot be applied to organic contaminants and requires a careful selection of the reference element to be adopted. This study revealed that some contaminants - Sb, Sn, Pb, and organic contaminants - can be used as tracers of diffuse contamination, and should be therefore always included in similar studies.     

Evaluation of a bioassays battery for ecotoxicological screening of marine sediments from Ionian Sea (Mediterranea Sea, Southern Italy)

Sediments are an ecologically important component of the aquatic environment and may play a key role in mediating the exchange of contaminants between particulate, dissolved, and biological phases. For a comprehensive assessment of potential sediment toxicity, the use of a single species may not detect toxicant with a specific mode of action. Therefore it is advisable to carry out ecotoxicological tests on a base-set of taxa utilizing test species belonging to different trophic levels. This paper describes the ecotoxicological evaluation of marine sediments from seven sites of Mar Piccolo estuary (Southern, Italy), four of them were located in the first inlet and three in the second inlet of Mar Piccolo estuary. Sediment samples from a site in Taranto Gulf were used as control sediment. Dunaliella tertiolecta, Tigriopus fulvus, Mytilus galloprovincialis, and Corophium insidiosum, were employed to identify the quality of sediments. The integration of biological tests results showed that all sampling sites located in the first inlet of Mar Piccolo were identified as toxic, according to all tests, while the sites of second inlet were found not toxic. The results obtained in this study indicate that the use of a battery of biological tests have important implications for risk assessment in estuarine e coastal waters.