Great tits breeding performance and mercury contamination from the paper and pulp industry in the west coast of Portugal

Passerine species have been increasingly used as monitors of metal pollution, especially by making use of non-destructive indicators of bird exposure, such as collecting feathers, faeces or blood. During this study, mercury concentrations were determined in feathers, faeces and blood of nestling great tits (Parus major) in industrial (a paper mill) and rural sites on the west coast of Portugal. The aim of this study was to compare the level of mercury in both areas over the study period, as indicated by nestlings’ mercury levels, while assessing possible contamination effects on the breeding performance and health status of great tits. Over the years, feathers showed a significant annual decrease in mercury contamination in the study area. Blood analyses also revealed a significant annual decrease in mercury concentrations, but no significant differences were detected between areas. Faeces data showed no significant difference between years or areas. We found no direct influence of mercury levels on nestling health status or great tit breeding performance.     

Geochemistry,mineralogy, solid-phase fractionation and oral bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils of Lisbon

An urban survey of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal, was carried out to investigate its environmental burden, emphasizing metallic elements and their public health impacts. This paper examines the geochemistry of lead (Pb) and its influence on human health data. A total of 51 soil samples were collected from urban recreational areas used by children to play outdoors. The semi-quantitative analysis of Pb was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after an acid digestion. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the soil mineralogy. The solid-phase distribution of Pb in the urban soils was investigated on a subset of 7 soils, out of a total of 51 samples, using a non-specific sequential extraction method coupled with chemometric analysis. Oral bioaccessibility measurements were obtained using the Unified BARGE Method developed by the Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe. The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) investigation of Pb solid-phase distribution; (2) interpretation of Pb oral bioaccessibility measurements; (3) integration of metal geochemistry with human health data; and (4) understanding the influence of geochemistry and mineralogy on oral bioaccessibility. The results show that the bioaccessible fraction of Pb is lower when major metal fractions are associated with less soluble soil phases such as Fe oxyhydroxides, and more increased when the metal is in the highly soluble carbonate phase. However, there is some evidence that the proportion of carbonates in the soil environment is also a key control over the oral bioaccessibility of Pb, irrespective of its solid-phase fractionation.     

Males are faster foragers than females: intersexual differences of foraging behaviour in the Apennine chamois

Availability of food resources and individual characteristics can influence foraging behaviour, which can differ between males and females, leading to different patterns of food/habitat selection. In dimorphic species, females are usually more selective in food choice, show greater bite rates and spend more time foraging than males. We evaluated sexual differences in foraging behaviour in Apennine chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata, during the warm season, before the rut. Both sexes selected nutritious vegetation patches and spent a comparable amount of time feeding. However, males had a significantly greater feeding intensity (bite rate) and a lower search effort for feeding (step rate), as well as they spent more time lying down than females. Females selected foraging sites closer to refuge areas than males. In chamois, sexual size dimorphism is seasonal, being negligible in winter–spring, but increasing to 30–40 % in autumn. Our results suggest that males enhance their energy and mass gain by increasing their food intake rate during the warm season, to face the costs of the mating season (November). Conversely, females seem to prioritize a fine-scale selection of vegetation and the protection of offspring. A great food intake rate of males in the warm season could have developed as a behavioural adaptation leading herbivores to the evolutionary transition from year-round monomorphism to permanent dimorphism, through seasonal dimorphism.     

The potential of marine live-bait introductions into oceanic islands

The likely introduction of non-indigenous species into the coastal ecosystems of oceanic islands through live-bait utilizations was studied. A store survey identified the species that are traded as live fishing-bait. Only Polychaeta species were identified as imported live-bait on São Miguel Island and all specimens were identified as Perinereis linea. Reponses to surveys of 77 anglers showed that: 44 % harvest from native sources, 44 % buy live-bait and 12 % do both; 56 % of the anglers’ fish on a weekly basis; 31 % dispose of the bait into the sea. A field survey at five sites where fishing rods are routinely utilized was developed to investigate if the non-indigenous polychaetes sold as fishing-bait are already established in the natural environment of the Azores archipelago. Three species of Nereididae were identified: the native Neanthes nubila and P. oliveirae and the cryptogenic P. cultrifera. The escalating utilization of live-bait argues for a change in the habits of fishermen with respect to the discarding of leftover bait, as the higher the volume of discards the higher becomes the probability of non-indigenous species establishment successes, especially on oceanic islands characterized by vulnerable ecosystems with simpler trophic webs.     

Copper and lead ion removal from wastewater using fava d’anta fodder (Dimorphandra gardneriana Tulasne)

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The contamination of bodies of water by potentially hazardous elements has in recent decades become an environmental problem that poses serious risks to...     

Atrazine toxicity to Handroanthus heptaphyllus,a nontarget species from a Brazilian biome threatened by agriculture

The economic basis of the Brazilian midwest is agriculture, concentrating most of the grain production in the country. With the purpose of increasing yield, farmers have intensified land use and the use of atrazine among other pesticides, which can supposedly compromise human health and photosynthetic metabolism of plant species from Cerrado, such as Handroanthus heptaphyllus. The aim of this study was to determine experimentally the sensitivity level of H. heptaphyllus to atrazine, by measuring gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, chloroplastidic pigments, and membrane permeability. The experiment was conducted in a factorial scheme. Nine‐month‐old H. heptaphyllus plants were treated with six realistic doses of atrazine: 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 g a.i. ha^–1 (corresponding to 10, 20, 40, 80, and 100% of the commercial dose recommended for corn crops, respectively), with five replications. Evaluations were performed at 12, 36, 84, 180, and 276 h after treatment application. Photosynthesis, the effective quantum yield of photosystem II, and electron transport rate were gradually reduced by the action of atrazine. On the other hand, the nonphotochemical quenching increased gradually, which indicates that this mechanism was not sufficient to avoid oxidative stress and cellular damage in H. heptaphyllus treated plants. Based on these results, we concluded that the action of the herbicide in the photosynthetic reduction occurs by the electron transport rate limitation. Therefore, H. heptaphyllus trees are at risk in Cerrado areas next to agricultural lands.     

Induction of gene mutations in salmonella and Drosophila by soluble Cr(Vi) compounds: Synergistic effects of nitrilotriacetic acid

The interaction between NTA and soluble Cr(VI) (K₂Cr₂O₇) was studied by the Ames test on S. typhimurium and the sex‐linked recessive lethal test on D. melanogaster. In both systems a synergistic effect of NTA on Cr(VI) mutagenicity took place at sub‐toxic doses of Cr(VI). The synergism could depend on the action of NTA on intracellular Cr(VI) reduction, as more Cr(VI) was reduced in vitro to Cr(III) by Salmonella and Drosophila protein extracts in the presence of NTA. A similar enhancement of soluble Cr(VI) mutagenicity was produced by low doses of EDTA.     

The meaning of mainland Portugal beaches and dunes’ psammophilic plant communities: a contribution to tourism management and nature conservation

Due to their position of interface between the sea and land, the flora and vegetation of coastal beaches and dunes, occupy ecologically extreme, sensitive, unique and valuable habitats. The occurrence of a large number of endemic taxa and specific plant associations endowed with key ecological services and adapted to a stressful and harsh environmental gradient, gives them a high interest for nature conservation and an important role in sustainable territorial planning. However, such ecosystems are vulnerable to the disruption caused by several anthropogenic sources. Among other global threat factors, the inevitable sea rise caused by climate change and, at a local scale, the non-negligible implications of trampling caused by disorderly coastal touristic exploitation, growing construction pressure in the littoral, and a seasonal population boom in late spring and in summer, plus all derivate forms of pollution, are threat factors to their integrity. Therefore, a correct planning of the touristic economic activities requires the understanding of the vegetation composition and spatial distribution patterns, intrinsically determined by their biogeographic context in the Euro-Siberian or Mediterranean Regions. This comprehensive work, based on a broad phytogeographic study, brings together disperse information on plant communities of the Portuguese sandy coasts (beaches and dunes), by analysing floristic compositions, chorology and ecological characteristics, and matching them with the “Nature 2000” network habitats. Resilience and vulnerability are also studied. In a nature conservation perspective, a positive balance (and a sustainable co-existence) between the preservation of natural values and human development in the Portuguese coast, will benefit with the integration of this knowledge in coastal planning and management activities.     

Ecosystem service value losses from coastal erosion in Europe: historical trends and future projections

Coastal zones experience increased rates of coastal erosion, due to rising sea levels, increased storm surge frequencies, reduced sediment delivery and anthropogenic transformations. Yet, coastal zones host ecosystems that provide associated services which, therefore, may be lost due to coastal erosion. In this paper we assess to what extent past and future coastal erosion patterns lead to losses in land cover types and associated ecosystem service values. Hence, historical (based on CORINE land cover information) and projected (based on Dynamic and Interactive Vulnerability Assessment - DIVA - simulations) coastal erosion patterns are used in combination with a benefits transfer approach. DIVA projections are based on regionalized IPCC scenarios. Relative to the period 1975–2050, a case study is provided for selected European coastal country member states. For historical (1975–2006) coastal erosion trends, we observe territory losses in coastal agricultural, water body and forest & semi-natural areas – total coastal erosion equaling over 4,500 km². Corresponding coastal ecosystem service values decrease from about €22.3 billion per year in 1975 to about €21.6 billion per year in 2006. For future (2006–2050) coastal erosion projections, total territory losses equal between ~3,700 km² and ~5,800 km² – coastal wetland areas being affected most severely. Corresponding coastal ecosystem service values decrease to between €20.1 and €19.4 billion per year by 2050. Hence, we argue that the response strategy of EU member states to deal with coastal erosion and climate change impacts should be based on the economic as well as the ecological importance of their coastal zones.