Toxic Effects of Crude Oil Combined with Oil Cleaner Simple Green on Yolk-sac Larvae and Adult Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (4 pp)

Background, Goal and Scope Cleaner CRYSTAL Simple Green (SG) was used for the cleanup of the oil spill in the Baltic Sea near Lithuania in 2001. No scientific data are available on the effects and consequences of its application for local aquatic life. The aim of this study was to determine and compare sublethal effects of a) solution SG; b) crude oil alone; c) SG in combination with oil on rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss at different stages of its development in laboratory conditions.Methods Laboratory studies were performed on adult rainbow trout (4-day duration) and on yolk-sac larvae (25-day duration) evaluating their biological parameters. Concentrations of water-soluble and thin-dispersed fractions of petroleum hydrocarbons were measured using gas chromatography.Results and Discussion SG solution (0.5 mg/l) did not affect the survival of larvae and adult fish, and no significant changes were determined in respiratory parameters of the exposed larvae and adult fish. The most expressed alterations were found in morphological parameters (a decrease in the average body mass) of larvae and in haematological indices (a decrease in the leukocyte count) of adult fish at the end of the tests. Crude oil (1610 mg/l) did not affect the survival of adult fish during the 4-day exposure. An increase in larvae mortality rate (~ 36%) was recorded at the end of the tests. A significant decrease in the average body mass and heart rate of larvae as well as in gill ventilation frequency of larvae and adult fish were determined. SG combined with oil induced an increase in larval mortality  46% of individuals died at the end of the tests. No mortality was recorded in adult fish. The average body mass and heart rate of larvae were significantly decreased. Marked changes were also found in respiratory parameters (gill ventilation frequency of larvae and adult fish significantly decreased, while “coughing” rate increased). A 1-day, 2-day exposure of fish to SG combined with oil induced a significant decrease in the leukocyte count of adult fish, which was also determined at the end of the tests. The augmentation of adverse impact could be explained by the data obtained from our studies. When SG was added into dilution water with crude oil the concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the mixture increased 3 ~ 4.5 times after 24 h and 96 h, respectively. Conclusions The comparative study of the effects of crude oil alone, SG and SG combined with oil showed that their toxic effects on fish differed. Oil combined with SG was found to be more toxic to fish (larvae and adults) than SG alone and oil alone. Fish at early stages of development (yolk-sac larvae) were more sensitive to the effects of the compounds studied than adults.Recommendations and Outlook To diminish the negative impact of oil spill cleanup using chemicals on aquatic ecosystems, it is recommended to carry out more comprehensive studies of their effects and after-effects in laboratory conditions using a wide scale of local aquatic organisms. The selected species of the most sensitive aquatic organisms should include those which are unable to escape the impact of combined action of oil and cleaners. Special attention should be directed to the research of effects of these pollutants on studied organisms at their most sensitive stages of life (reproduction, hatching, early stages of development), as after-effects of exposure to pollutants may be observed in future generations.     

Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) and Chlorite (ClO2ˉ) to Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (4 pp)

Goal, Scope and Background Chlorite (ClO2ˉ) is a primary decomposition product when chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is added during water treatment; therefore the toxic effects of both compounds on aquatic organisms are possible. Limited data are available concerning their toxicity to fish. The aim of this study was to investigate sensitivity of rainbow trout to acute and chronic toxicity of chlorine dioxide and chlorite, and to estimate the Maximum-Acceptable-Toxicant-Concentration (MATC) of those compounds in fish. Methods The acute and chronic toxicity of chlorine dioxide and chlorite to larval and adult rainbow trout was investigated in 96-hour to 20-day laboratory exposures evaluating the wide range spectrum of biological indices under semi-static conditions. Results and Discussion Median lethal concentration (96-hour LC50) values derived from the tests were: 2.2 mg/l for larvae; 8.3 mg/l for adult fish and 20-day LC50 for larvae was 1.6 mg/l of chlorine dioxide, respectively. Chlorite was found to be from 48 to 18 times less acutely toxic to larvae and adult fish, correspondingly. Both chemical compounds induced similar toxic effects in rainbow trout larvae during chronic tests (they affected cardio-respiratory and growth parameters), but chlorine dioxide had a higher toxic potency than chlorite. A significant decrease in the heart rate and respiration frequency of larvae was established. However, within an increase in exposure duration recovery of cardio-respiratory responses was seen to have occurred in larvae exposed to chlorite. Meanwhile, in larvae exposed to chlorine dioxide, a significant decrease in cardio-respiratory responses remained during all 20-day chronic bioassays. Chlorine dioxide also more strongly affected growth parameters of rainbow trout larvae at much lower test concentrations. Decreased rate of yolk-sack resorption occurred only in the tests with chlorine dioxide. Conclusions Maximum-Acceptable-Toxicant-Concentration (MATC) of 0.21 mg/l for chlorine dioxide and of 3.3 mg/l for chlorite to fish was derived from chronic tests based on the most sensitive parameter of rainbow trout larvae (growth rate). According to substance toxicity classification accepted for Lithuanian inland waters, chlorine dioxide and chlorite can be referred to substances of \moderate\ toxicity to fish. Recommendations and Outlook Due to its very reactive nature, chlorine dioxide is rapidly (in a few hours) reduced to chlorite, which is persistent also as a biocide but 16 times less toxic to fish, according to MATC. Therefore, it is much more likely that fish will be exposed to chlorite than to chlorine dioxide in natural waters. Presently accepted, the Maximum-Permitted-Concentration of total residual chlorine (TRC) in waste-water discharging into receiving waters is 0.6 mg/l. If this requirement will not be exceeded, it is unlikely that fish would be exposed to lethal or even to sublethal concentrations of chlorine dioxide or chlorite. Furthermore, chlorine dioxide does not generate toxic nitrogenous (chloramines) or carcinogenic organic residuals (trihalomethanes). All these properties make chlorine dioxide a more promising biocide than chlorine.     

Effects of environmental parameters on the chestnut gall wasp and its complex of indigenous parasitoids

The chestnut gall wasp (CGW), Dryocosmus kuriphilus, an invasive pest native to China, has caused severe yield and economic losses to chestnut production in Europe since its arrival in 2002. In Southern Italy, the complex of indigenous parasitoids colonizing CGW was monitored between 2013 and 2015, with the aim of estimating the composition of the indigenous parasitoid complex, its ability to control CGW populations, and the interactions of both factors with several measured environmental parameters. We compared results among three differently managed field types. Results showed an increase in the rate of parasitism both when the host population density was lower and in unmanaged chestnut stands with more natural conditions. The percentage of parasitism in galls was related to morphological traits of the galls and to higher seasonal temperatures, which reduced the parasitism intensity because CGW develops earlier under such conditions. The host–parasitoid mortality inside galls varied among sites and was associated mostly with rot fungi during wet spring and summer months. Parasitoid species richness was similar among the study sites, but the proportion of parasitoid species differed between orchards and unmanaged coppice stands. The timing of attack by parasitoids followed a species-specific successional sequence throughout the larva-to-adult life cycle of the CGW. These interactions should be considered in future research on trophic relationships and when modeling invasive scenarios for new pest species.     

Parental care compromises feeding in the pumpkinseed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepomis gibbosus</Emphasis>)

Providing parental care is potentially costly. Costs can arise through elevated energy expenditure or from an increased risk of mortality. A cost of parental care can also occur because a parent is compromised in their ability to forage. We used pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, a fish with an alternative male mating strategy, to test whether parental males differed in their feeding in comparison with females and cuckolder males. To address this question, we examined the stomach contents of female, cuckolder male, and parental male pumpkinseed during the breeding season over an entire diel cycle. We showed that parental males had a lower total weight of food in their stomachs in comparison with females, while cuckolder males did not. Parental males also had a lower weight and number of chironomids in their stomachs. The temporal pattern of feeding of parental males diverged from that of females, and they had a lower probability of pupal chironomids in their stomachs, which implies spatial segregation in foraging. Parental males had a greater probability of conspecific eggs in their stomachs than females, while the probability of egg cannibalism did not differ between cuckolder males and females. Overall, these finding meet predictions in accordance with an assumption that parental care and territoriality can compromise feeding.     

The fractal dimension of a conspicuous ornament varies with mating status and shows assortative mating in wild red-legged partridges (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Alectoris rufa</Emphasis>)

Complex body designs, such as plumage ornaments in birds, can be described by fractal geometry. These complex patterns could have a role as visual signals during courtship and social interactions, but an empirical validation in the wild is currently lacking. Here, we investigated whether the fractal dimension (FD) of a complex plumage pattern displayed by red-legged partridges Alectoris rufa could function as a potential sexual signal. We captured wild birds early in the breeding season and tested if mated and unmated birds differed in the FD of their conspicuous melanin-based black bib. We also tested if the FD of the black bib was correlated within the pair, looking for evidence of assortative mating based on the expression of this trait. We simultaneously assessed similar effects in other ornamental traits (black bib size, white throat patch and black flank band surface, redness of the eye rings and bill). Mated birds showed higher black bib FD values than unmated ones. Mated males, but not females, also displayed a larger black bib. Moreover, the black bib FD (but not the trait size) and the white throat patch surface showed assortative mating. Finally, females with higher black bib FD showed smaller black flank band surface, suggesting a trade-off in the expression of the two melanin-pigmented plumage traits. This provides unique and novel indication for the shape complexity of a pigmented trait, here described by its fractal dimension, to be potentially under sexual selection in a wild animal.     

The determinants mostly disclosed by companies that are members of the Carbon Disclosure Project

Concerns about climate change as a result of anthropic actions have led to an increase in the volume of information disclosed about it in the reports of companies that are members of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). In this context, the factors most disclosed remain obscure due to both the complexity of climate change impacts and the stakeholders’ different interests. This study aims to identify which factors are most disclosed in the reports of companies that are members of CDP. For this purpose, it is necessary to investigate if the factors indicated by managers and experts are the main ones disclosed in the reports of Brazilian companies that are members of CDP, as well as to identify which companies stand out in climate change disclosure based on these factors. To this end, 463 reports submitted by 48 companies between 2014 and 2016 were examined and 32 factors were investigated using the NVivo® software. Some companies submitted reports with unified titles, which reduced the sample. The results indicate that certain factors—prevention of pollution, prevention of loss, management of environmental assets, volume of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and climate change strategy—account for 50.03% of the total volume of information disclosed about climate change. The main lesson learned from this research is that climate change mitigation strategy is strongly supported by the evidence of corporate annual reports, and it has relation with the following determinant factors: pollution prevention, loss prevention, environmental asset management, GHG emissions, and the strategy chosen by the companies to deal with climate change. Due to the low volume of research related to loss prevention and pollution prevention, we have identified that little attention has been paid to these items. Based on our results, we recommend that climate change mitigation strategies begin to consider these determinant factors in their structure because both have a strong influence in demonstrating how companies are managing these factors for stakeholders. Therefore, companies can benefit from this data to manage their resources for the maintenance of the social contract (legitimacy) through the factors most disclosed, especially companies with lower scores on the scale of ranking presented. Hence, stakeholders can have access to more information on strategies that mitigate climate change and help companies improve the disclosure of the actions that contribute to reduction of GHG emissions.     

Soil moisture determines the effectiveness of two urease inhibitors to decrease N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O emission

Among the mitigation strategies to prevent nitrogen (N) losses from ureic fertilizers, urease inhibitors (UIs) have been demonstrated to promote high N use efficiency by reducing ammonia (NH₃) volatilization. In the last few years, some field experiments have also shown its effectiveness in reducing nitrous oxide (N₂O) losses from fertilized soils under conditions of low soil moisture. An incubation experiment was carried out with the aim of assessing the main biotic mechanisms behind N₂O emissions once that the UIs N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamid (NBPT) and phenil phosphorodiamidate (PPDA) were applied with Urea (U) under different soil moisture conditions (40, 60 and 80 % water-filled pore space, WFPS). In the same study we tried to analyze to what extent soil WFPS regulates the effect of these inhibitors on N₂O emissions. The use of PPDA in our study allowed us to compare the effect of NBPT with that of another commercially available urease inhibitor, aiming to see if the results were inhibitor-specific or not. Based on the results from this experiment, a WFPS (i.e. 60 %) was chosen for a second study (i.e. mesocosm experiment) aiming to assess the efficiency of the UIs to indirectly affect N₂O emissions through influencing the pool of soil mineral N. The N₂O emissions at 40 % WFPS were almost negligible, being significantly lower from all fertilized treatments than that produced at 60 and 80 % WFPS. When compared to U alone, NBPT+U reduced the N₂O emissions at 60 % WFPS but had no effect at 80 % WFPS. The application of PPDA significantly increased the emissions with respect to U at 80 % WFPS whereas no significant effect was found at 60 %. At 80 % WFPS, denitrification was the main source of N₂O emissions for all treatments. In the mesocosm study, the application of NBPT+U was an effective strategy to reduce N₂O emissions (75 % reduction compared to U alone), due to a lower soil ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) content induced by the inhibitor. These results suggest that adequate management of the UI NBPT could provide, under certain soil conditions, an opportunity for mitigation of N₂O emissions from fertilized soils.     

Carbon mitigation potential of Indian steel industry

Steel dominates the global metal production accounting for 5 % of increase in Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). Today, India is the 4th largest producer of crude steel in the world. The sector contributes around 3 % to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) but adds 6.2 % to the national greenhouse gas (GHG) load. It accounts for 28.4% of the entire industry sector emissions, which are 23.9% of the country’s total emissions. Being a developing country, India is not obliged to cut its emissions under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), but gave voluntary commitment to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 20–25 % from the 2005 level by 2020. This paper attempts to find out if the Indian steel sector can help the country in fulfilling this commitment. The sector reduced its CO₂ emissions per ton of steel produced by 58% from 1994 to 2007. The study generates six scenarios for future projections which show that the sector can reduce its emission intensity by 12.5 % to 63 %. But going by the conservative estimates, the sector can reduce emission intensity by 30 % to 53 %. However, actual emissions will go up significantly in every case.     

Using activated biochar for greenhouse gas mitigation and industrial water treatment

This study explored the feasibility of using residual biomass to both mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and remediate water contaminated by hydrocarbons. Using produced (process-affected) water from Canada’s oil sands operations as a case study, activated biochar (ACB) was found to have a higher affinity to organics than activated coal and removed 75 % of total organic carbon (TOC) from produced water in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations or 90 % of the TOC from synthetic tailings (ST) water sample. Up to 6 Tg dry biomass year^?1 would be required to treat the waters associated with the 93?×?10⁶-m³ of bitumen recovered per year. Landfilling the spent ACB and flaring any biogas produced were estimated to provide a greater GHG benefit than the combustion of the biochar + organics for heat to offset natural gas demand. Net costs for the ACB were about 13.84?$?m^?3 bitumen for SAGD operations and 1.76?$?m^?3 bitumen for mining operations. The values for mining operations justify further work to create a value chain that will integrate bioprocesses into the fossil fuel industry.