Changes in elemental uptake and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation during the life cycle of Thlaspi praecox Wulfen

Elemental uptake and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation were studied during the life cycle of field collected Cd/Zn hyperaccumulating Thlaspi praecox (Brassicaceae). Plant biomass and tissue concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe and Ni were found to vary during development, while no variation in P, K, Ca, Mn and Cu tissue concentrations were observed. The lowest Cd bioaccumulation in rosette leaves (BAF(RL)) observed during seeding was partially attributed to lower translocation from roots to rosette leaves and partially to high translocation to stalks, indicating a high Cd mobility to reproductive tissues, in line with our previous studies. The highest intensity of AM colonisation (M%) was observed in the flowering phase and was accompanied by increased root Cd, Zn, Pb and Fe contents. In addition, a positive correlation between AM colonisation and Fe contents in rosette leaves was found. The results indicate developmental dependence of AM formation, accompanied by selective changes in nutrient acquisition in T. praecox that are related to increased plant needs, and the protective role of AM colonisation on metal polluted sites during the reproductive period.     

Solanum nigrum grown in contaminated soil: effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on zinc accumulation and histolocalisation

Zn tissue accumulation in Solanum nigrum grown in a non-contaminated and a naturally contaminated Zn matrix and the effect of inoculation with different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on metal uptake were assessed. S. nigrum grown in the contaminated soil always presented higher Zn accumulation in the tissues, accumulating up to 1622 mg Zn kg(-1). The presence of both Glomus claroideum and Glomus intraradices enhanced the uptake and accumulation of Zn by S. nigrum (up to 83 and 49% higher Zn accumulation, respectively). The main deposits of the metal were found in the intercellular spaces and in the cell walls of the root tissues, as revealed by autometallography, with the inoculation with different AMF species causing no differences in the location of Zn accumulation. These findings indicate that S. nigrum inoculated with selected heavy metal tolerant AMF presents extracting and accumulating capacities, constituting a potentially suitable remediation method for Zn polluted soils.     

Localisation and quantification of elements within seeds of Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox by micro-PIXE

Cd, Zn and Pb accumulation, spatial distribution within seeds and germinating seedlings, and seeds fitness of metal hyperaccumulating Thlaspi praecox were investigated in order to gain more knowledge on plant reproductive success at metal polluted sites. The seeds contained up to 1351 microg g-1 (dry weight) of Cd, 121 microg g-1 of Zn and 17 microg g-1 of Pb. Seed fitness was negatively influenced by seed Cd hyperaccumulation. Nevertheless, the viability of seeds was decreased by maximally 20%, indicating very efficient tolerance of the plant embryos to Cd. Localisation by micro-PIXE revealed preferential storage of most elements in the embryonic axis. Cd and Zn were preferentially localised in the epidermis of cotyledons. The restriction of seed Pb and Zn uptake and hyperaccumulation of Cd, accompanied by partitioning of Cd in the epidermal tissues of cotyledons, may enable the survival of T. praecox embryos and seedlings in Cd polluted environments.     

Removal of famoxadone, fluquinconazole and trifloxystrobin residues in red wines: effects of clarification and filtration processes

The effects of six clarification agents [egg albumin, blood albumin, bentonite + gelatine, charcoal, polyvinylpolypyrrolidine (PVPP) and silica gel] on the removal of residues of three fungicides (famoxadone, fluquinconazole and trifloxystrobin) applied directly to a racked red wine, elaborated from Monastrell variety grapes from the D.O. Region of Jumilla (Murcia, Spain) were studied. The clarified wines were filtered with 0.45 microm nylon filters to determine the influence of this winemaking process in the disappearance of fungicide residues. Analytical determination of fluquinconazole and trifloxystrobin was performed by gas chromatography with electron captor detector (ECD), while that of famoxadone using an HPLC equipped with a diode array detector (DAD). Generally, trifloxystrobin is the fungicide that is the lowest persistent one in wines, except in the egg albumin study whereas, the most persistent one is fluquinconazole. The elimination depends on the nature of the active ingredient, though the water stability in the presence of light within it has more influence than the solubility and polarity of the product itself. The most effective clarifying agents were the charcoal and PVPP. The silica gel and bentonite plus gelatine were not enough to reduce considerably the residual contents in the wine clarified with them. In general terms, filtration is not an effective step in the elimination of wine residues. The greatest removal after filtration is obtained in wines clarified with egg albumine and bentonite plus gelatine, and the lowest in those clarified with PVPP.     

Total mercury, organic mercury and selenium in liver and kidney of a South American coastal dolphin

Selenium and total and organic mercury were determined in the liver and kidney of franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) incidentally caught in fishing nets along two Brazilian coastal areas (southeast and south). Regional differences in the concentrations of these contaminants were observed in P. blainvillei. Liver showed the highest organic and total mercury. In general, samples of individuals collected at the southern of Brazil had the highest concentrations of selenium and total and organic mercury. No significant gender differences were observed. Growth stage influenced the accumulation of these contaminants in both organs, and hepatic concentrations increased with the body length, according to the sampling area. Molar mercury and selenium concentrations in liver were significantly correlated, with a Se:Hg ratio close to 4. The among-site differences we found may be related to differences in preferred prey, bioavailability in the marine environment, environmental conditions, or these individuals may belong to distinct populations.     

Including Public Perspectives in Industrial Biotechnology and the Biobased Economy

Industrial (“white”) biotechnology promises to contribute to a more sustainable future. Compared to current production processes, cases have been identified where industrial biotechnology can decrease the amount of energy and raw materials used to make products and also reduce the amount of emissions and waste produced during production. However, switching from products based on chemical production processes and fossil fuels towards “biobased” products is at present not necessarily economically viable. This is especially true for bulk products, for example ethanol production from biomass. Therefore, scientists are also turning to genetic modification as a means to develop organisms that can produce at lower costs. These include not only micro-organisms, but also organisms used in agriculture for food and feed.The use of genetic modification for “deliberate release” purposes, in particular, has met great opposition in Europe. Many industrial biotechnology applications may, due to their scale, entail deliberate releases of GM organisms. Thus, the biobased economy brings back a familiar question; is it ethically justifiable, and acceptable to citizens, to expose the environment and society to the risks associated with GM, in order to protect that same environment and to sustain our affluent way of life? For a successful innovation towards a biobased economy, its proponents, especially producers, need to take into account (take responsibility for) such issues when developing new products and processes. These issues, and how scientists can interact with citizens about them in a timely way, are further explored in projects at Delft University and Leiden University, also in collaboration with Utrecht University.     

Comparison of properties of traditional and accelerated carbonated solidified/stabilized contaminated soils

The investigation of the long-term performance of solidified/stabilized (S/S) contaminated soils was carried out in a trial site in southeast UK. The soils were exposed to the maximum natural weathering for four years and sampled at various depths in a controlled manner. The chemical properties (e. g. , degree of carbonation (DOC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC)) and physical properties (e. g. , moisture content (MC), liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), plasticity index (PI)) of the samples untreated and treated with the traditional and accelerated carbonated S/S processes were analyzed. Their variations on the depths of the soils were also studied. The result showed that the broad geotechnical properties of the soils, manifested in their PIs, were related to the concentration of the water soluble ions and in particular the free calcium ions. The samples treated with the accelerated carbonation technology (ACT), and the untreated samples contained limited number of free calcium ions in solutions and consequently interacted with waters in a similar way. Compared with the traditional cement-based S/S technology, e. g. , treatment with ordinary portland cement (OPC) or EnvirOceM, ACT caused the increase of the PI of the treated soil and made it more stable during long-term weathering. The PI values for the four soils ascended according to the order: the EnvirOceM soil, the OPC soil, the ACT soil, and the untreated soil while their pH and EC values descended according to the same order.     

Reach and messages of the world's largest ivory burn

Recent increases in ivory poaching have depressed African elephant populations. Successful enforcement has led to ivory stockpiling. Stockpile destruction is becoming increasingly popular, and most destruction has occurred in the last 5 years. Ivory destruction is intended to send a strong message against ivory consumption, both in promoting a taboo on ivory use and catalyzing policy change. However, there has been no effort to establish the distribution and extent of media reporting on ivory destruction events globally. We analyzed media coverage of the largest ivory destruction event in history (Kenya, 30 April 2016) across 11 nation states connected to ivory trade. We used an online‐media crawling tool to search online media outlets and subjected 5 of the largest print newspapers (by circulation) in 5 nations of interest to content analysis. Most online news on the ivory burn came from the United States (81% of 1944 articles), whereas most of the print news articles came from Kenya (61% of 157 articles). Eighty‐six to 97% of all online articles reported the burn as a positive conservation action, whereas 4–50% discussed ivory burning as having a negative impact on elephant conservation. Most articles discussed law enforcement and trade bans as effective for elephant conservation. There was more relative search interest globally in the 2016 Kenyan ivory burn than any other burn in 5 years. Ours is the first attempt to track the reach of media coverage relative to an ivory burn and provides a case study in tracking the effects of a conservation‐marketing event.     

Governance and Standardization in Fish Value Chains: Do They Take Care of Key Animal Welfare Issues?

Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics - Innovation in fisheries is a global development that focuses on a broad range of aims. One example is a project that aims to develop technology...     

Auramine dyes induce toxic effects to aquatic organisms from different trophic levels: an application of predicted non-effect concentration (PNEC)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The dyes Auramine and Auramine O are used in several industrial products, despite the scarce information regarding their ecotoxicity. The aim of the...