Impacts of past and future land changes on landslides in southern Italy

Regional Environmental Change - Land use and land cover (LULC), as well as their geographical and temporal variations, affect landslide occurrence and the related risk, in ways that are difficult...     

Olive mill solid residues as heavy metal sorbent material: a preliminary study

Biosorption of heavy metals is an innovative and alternative technology to remove these pollutants from aqueous solutions using inactive and dead biomasses such as agricultural and industrial wastes, algae and bacteria. In this study olive mill solid residue was used as heavy metal adsorbent material for its wide availability as agricultural waste and also for its cellulosic matrix, rich of potential metal binding active sites. Preliminary studies concerned with the removal of different heavy metals (Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd), the effect of pre-treatments by water and n-hexane and the regeneration possibility. Olive mill solid residue resulted able to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions with an affinity series reflecting the hydrolytic properties of the metallic ions, but also a particular affinity for copper. It can be supposed that biosorption phenomenon occur by a general ion exchange mechanism combined with a specific complexation reaction for copper ions. Water pre-treatment is sufficient to reduce COD release in the effluent according to the law limit, while n-hexane pre-treatment strongly reduces also the adsorption properties of this material. Experimental isotherms obtained under different operating conditions were fitted using a non linear regression method for the estimation of the Langmuir parameters. Moreover a simple Scatchard plot analysis was performed for a preliminary investigation of the active sites, showing the presence of two different site affinities depending on the metal concentration, according to the previous hypothesis of two kinds of uptake mechanisms for copper biosorption. Regeneration tests gave good results in terms of yield of regeneration and also concentration ratios.     

Environmental distribution of uranium and other trace elements at selected Kosovo sites

This paper reports the results of a study using lichens as biomonitors to investigate the environmental distribution of uranium and other trace elements at selected Kosovo sites. The results suggested that the use of depleted uranium (DU) ammunitions in Kosovo did not cause a diffuse environmental contamination in such a way to have caused a detectable U enrichment in lichens. Also isotopic (235)U/(238)U measurements did not indicate the presence of DU particles in lichens. The present results also provided no indication of intense environmental contamination by the other trace elements analyzed, with the exception of Kosovska Mitrovica, where a diffuse environmental contamination by several heavy elements such as Pb, Zn, As and Cd was found.     

Association of serum concentration of organochlorine pesticides with dietary intake and other lifestyle factors among urban Chinese women

Concerns about the carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting characteristics of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have led to a global ban on OCP use. However, OCPs persist in the environment for decades because of their long half-life. We evaluated serum levels of OCPs and their correlations with usual dietary intake and other lifestyle factors among 250 healthy women who participated as controls in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. Serum levels of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH), dichloro-di-phenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) isomers (p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), trans-nonachlor (TNC), and eight polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) congeners (IUPAC no. 74, 118, 138, 153, 170, 180, 183, and 187) were measured. Lifestyle factors and usual dietary habits over the past 5 years were assessed through an in-person interview. With the exception of PCB, total OCP levels in our study population were significantly higher than those observed in other countries. Age, income, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, number of pregnancies, and/or total duration of breastfeeding were all significantly correlated with all types of OCPs. Of the 20 food groups evaluated, correlations with serum total OCPs were observed for eggs (r=0.13), fresh beans (r=-0.17), tea (r=0.14), and animal fat (r=0.18). Multiple regression analyses showed that age and animal fat intake were positively associated with serum total level OCPs, while leafy vegetable and fresh bean consumption was negatively associated with OCPs level. Our study suggests that dietary intake may be an important contributor of serum levels of OCPs in Chinese women.     

Differentiating the effects of climate and land use change on European biodiversity: A scenario analysis

Current observed as well as projected changes in biodiversity are the result of multiple interacting factors, with land use and climate change often marked as most important drivers. We aimed to disentangle the separate impacts of these two for sets of vascular plant, bird, butterfly and dragonfly species listed as characteristic for European dry grasslands and wetlands, two habitats of high and threatened biodiversity. We combined articulations of the four frequently used SRES climate scenarios and associated land use change projections for 2030, and assessed their impact on population trends in species (i.e. whether they would probably be declining, stable or increasing). We used the BIOSCORE database tool, which allows assessment of the effects of a range of environmental pressures including climate change as well as land use change. We updated the species lists included in this tool for our two habitat types. We projected species change for two spatial scales: the EU27 covering most of Europe, and the more restricted biogeographic region of ‘Continental Europe’. Other environmental pressures modelled for the four scenarios than land use and climate change generally did not explain a significant part of the variance in species richness change. Changes in characteristic bird and dragonfly species were least pronounced. Land use change was the most important driver for vascular plants in both habitats and spatial scales, leading to a decline in 50–100% of the species included, whereas climate change was more important for wetland dragonflies and birds (40–50 %). Patterns of species decline were similar in continental Europe and the EU27 for wetlands but differed for dry grasslands, where a substantially lower proportion of butterflies and birds declined in continental Europe, and 50 % of bird species increased, probably linked to a projected increase in semi-natural vegetation. In line with the literature using climate envelope models, we found little divergence among the four scenarios. Our findings suggest targeted policies depending on habitat and species group. These are, for dry grasslands, to reduce land use change or its effects and to enhance connectivity, and for wetlands to mitigate climate change effects.     

Electrophysiological and behavioural responses of Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to tomato plant volatiles

Flight responses of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi to tomato volatiles have recently demonstrated that different plant stresses can lead to increases in attractiveness for this parasitoid. For example, infestation of tomato plants by the aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae results in the overexpression of defensive genes, as well as the release of volatile compounds that attract aphid parasitoids. Here, we determine which of the induced compounds elicit a significant electrophysiological response from parasitoid antennae. Compounds shown to be detected at the antennal level were then tested at a range of doses in a wind tunnel assay. A significant electroantennogram response was demonstrated for three compounds, (8S,9R)-(E)-caryophyllene, methyl salicylate, and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, over four concentrations. These compounds proved to be significantly attractive in the wind tunnel at a rate not always proportionally dependent upon the dose. The practical implications of these findings are discussed in the framework of sustainable control for pest aphids in agriculture.