A roadmap for ladybird conservation and recovery

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) provide services that are critical to food production, and they fulfill an ecological role as a food source for predators. The richness, abundance, and distribution of ladybirds, however, are compromised by many anthropogenic threats. Meanwhile, a lack of knowledge of the conservation status of most species and the factors driving their population dynamics hinders the development and implementation of conservation strategies for ladybirds. We conducted a review of the literature on the ecology, diversity, and conservation of ladybirds to identify their key ecological threats. Ladybird populations are most affected by climate factors, landscape composition, and biological invasions. We suggest mitigating actions for ladybird conservation and recovery. Short-term actions include citizen science programs and education, protective measures for habitat recovery and threatened species, prevention of the introduction of non-native species, and the maintenance and restoration of natural areas and landscape heterogeneity. Mid-term actions involve the analysis of data from monitoring programs and insect collections to disentangle the effect of different threats to ladybird populations, understand habitat use by taxa on which there is limited knowledge, and quantify temporal trends of abundance, diversity, and biomass along a management-intensity gradient. Long-term actions include the development of a worldwide monitoring program based on standardized sampling to fill data gaps, increase explanatory power, streamline analyses, and facilitate global collaborations.     

Monitoring of firefighters exposure to smoke during fire experiments in Portugal

Forest fires represent a serious threat to public security in Europe due to the large burned area. Moreover, smoke pollution due to forest fire events is an important public health issue for the communities directly affected, and particularly for the personnel involved in firefighting operations. Aiming to contribute to the scientific knowledge concerning firefighters exposure to forest fires smoke, data of individual exposure to carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter were obtained during experimental field fires for a group of 10 firefighters equipped with portable “in continuum” measuring devices. Measured values are very high exceeding the Occupational Exposure Standard limits, in particular for peak limit thresholds. These are the first measurements and analysis of firefighter's individual exposure to toxic gases and particles in fire smoke experiments in Europe. However, they already indicate that urgent measures to avoid these levels of exposure are needed.     

Copper availability assessment of Cu-contaminated vineyard soils using black oat cultivation and chemical extractants

Grapevines grown on acid soils with low fertility in southern Brazil are treated with intense foliar applications of copper (Cu) fungicides, resulting in an increased level of Cu in the soil and increased toxicity. The present study evaluated the accumulation and bioavailability of Cu, and soils with varying levels of Cu from the main producing regions of southern Brazil were collected. The forms of Cu present in the soil were assessed using chemical extractants; additionally, oat cultivation was performed, reflecting the use of the plant as an indicator of Cu bioavailability. Cu accumulated in the topsoil, mainly in bioavailable forms, and there was also an increase of Cu up to a depth of 0.4 m. Cu was primarily found in the mineral fraction, with apparent saturation of the soil organic matter functional groups. Inceptisol and Alfisol soils with a long history of cupric fungicide application were found to have levels of Cu toxic to oat plants. Furthermore, accumulated copper in Alfisol soil from the Campanha Gaúcha region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul had higher bioavailability compared to Cu accumulated in Inceptisol soil from the Serra Gaúcha region. In addition, the copper concentration in roots was found to serve as an indicator of Cu bioavailability in soil, but not of copper phytotoxicity in plants.     

Evaluation of dispersal volcanic products of recent events in lichens in environmental gradient,Nahuel Huapi National Park,Argentina

The atmospheric transport of volcanic products are subject to several variables, mainly the height of the eruption column and wind direction, thus elements associated with the ashes are deposited in major or lesser degree depending on variables as latitude, wind and humidity. The lichens are able to reflect the atmospheric fallout. The present work evaluated the correlation between meteorological parameters, geographic locations, sulphur and other element concentrations in lichens genus Usnea affected by Puyehue–Cordón Caulle complex (North Patagonia Andean Range) eruption of June 4, 2011. Semiquantitative analyses of biological elements by scanning electron microscope methods, sulphur (S) by LECO and other elements by instrumental neutron activation were evaluated by principal component analysis. Elements as antimony, arsenic, barium, bromine, calcium, caesium, potassium, rubidium, selenium, and uranium correlated with distance to volcano, also calcium and potassium with longitude while bromine, rubidium, and potassium with humidity. Those results indicate that Usnea sp. is a good bioindicator of the atmospheric volcanic emissions in relation to environmental gradient.     

Factors affecting RPSI in imposex monitoring studies using Nucella lapillus (L.) as bioindicator

Nucella lapillus (L.) is a marine gastropod mollusc widely used as a bioindicator of TBT pollution in the North Atlantic coastlines. The species reproductive cycle and the male penis length seasonal/spatial variation were studied at a single site at Aveiro seashore (NW Portugal) between December 2005 and June 2007. The main objective of this work is to assess if the "Relative Penis Size Index" (RPSI)--an important imposex assessment index--varies seasonally and spatially in the same sampling site and how this can affect results obtained in imposex monitoring programmes. Animals able to reproduce were found every month but a seasonal pattern in N. lapillus reproductive cycle was evident. Female gametogenic maturation varied seasonally and a decrease in capsule gland volume and condition factor occurred in late summer/early autumn. The gametogenesis in males did not show a significant seasonal variation as in females but the condition factor, penis length, amount of sperm and prostate volume also diminished in late summer/early autumn. On the other hand, males that were close to egg capsules clusters had larger penises than those far away from clusters. The temporal and spatial male penis length variation introduces a bias on imposex assessment results when using RPSI and the magnitude of the error involved is evaluated for different TBT pollution levels scenarios. We consider that RPSI provides interesting and complementary information that should not be excluded from monitoring programmes, but temporal or spatial comparisons of imposex should be based on other more reliable imposex indices like the VDSI.     

Application of manure and compost to contaminated soils and its effect on zinc accumulation by Solanum nigrum inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Zn accumulation in Solanum nigrum grown in naturally contaminated soil in the presence of different types of organic amendments was assessed. Under the same conditions, the response of the plant to inoculation with two different isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Glomus claroideum and Glomus intraradices) was also evaluated. S. nigrum grown in the non-amended soil always presented higher Zn accumulation in the tissues, with the addition of amendments inducing reductions of up to 80 and 40%, for manure and compost, respectively, and enhancing plant biomass yields. The establishment of S. nigrum in the Zn contaminated soil combined with the application of amendments led to a 70-80% reduction in the amount of Zn leached through the soil. The use of S. nigrum in combination with manure appeared as an effective method for reducing the effects of soil contamination, diminishing Zn transfer to other environmental compartments via percolation.     

Factors influencing the food transition in riverine communities in the Brazilian Amazon

The objective of this study was to determine the main patterns and factors influencing food transition in riverine people in the Brazilian Amazon. Through interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire, we inferred their food habits and provide information about general demographic, socioeconomic, resource use and environmental context. Data from the questionnaires were categorized and analyzed using a logistic regression model to assess the relative influence of socioeconomic and environment factors on the local diet. Based on a logistic regression data analysis, it was found a greater consumption of processed food significantly associated with multiple factors such as market participation, sex (female and male), government aid to forest conservation and environment context (upland and wetland). Although the local diet is composed mainly of local resources such as fish and cassava flour, increasing incomes due to direct government subsidy programs and marketing of cassava flour have influenced these local practices and habits. Through the analysis of factors influencing food transition, it was possible to evaluate those having the greatest effect on this Amazon region and propose an alternative method to subsidy food policy grounded in local opinion surveys.     

Detection of herbicides in water bodies of the Samambaia River sub-basin in the Federal District and eastern Goiás

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify and quantify herbicide residues in water samples of rain, cisterns, streams, ponds, springs, semi-artesian wells, dams and a river in the Rio Samambaia sub-basin in the Federal District and eastern Goiás. A total of 287 samples were collected from 20 farms in the sub-basin in the rainy (February, summer) and dry (August, winter) seasons in 2016. Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA, a glyphosate metabolite), clethodim, chlorimuron-ethyl, diuron, fluazifop acid (a fluazifop-p-butyl metabolite and the active ingredient), haloxyfop acid (a haloxyfop-methyl metabolite and the active ingredient), imazamox, mesotrione, metsulfuron, nicosulfuron and pendimethalin were not identified in any water sample. In the rainy season, approximately 99% of the samples contained residues at least one of the evaluated herbicides; in the dry season (, 100% of the samples contained residues of at least one of the evaluated herbicides. When considering only detection frequency, metribuzin, atrazine, clomazone and haloxyfop-methyl were the main herbicides found in the water of the Samambaia River sub-basin. In turn, based on levels higher than the limit of quantification, the main compounds detected were atrazine, clomazone, haloxyfop-methyl and glyphosate. In both seasons, the highest relative concentrations of herbicides for the rainy and dry seasons were found in spring water, 25% and 56%, respectively, and dam water, 23% and 16%, respectively.     

Euglena gracilis as a model for the study of Cu2+ and Zn2+ toxicity and accumulation in eukaryotic cells

We have observed the effect of copper and zinc on the biology of Euglena gracilis. The cells displayed different sensitivities to these metals, as the apparent LC50 for Cu2+ was 0.22 mM, and for Zn2+ it was 0.88 mM. While Zn2+ was able to increase cell proliferation even at 0.1 mM, the minimal CuCl2 concentration tested (0.02 mM) was sufficient to impair cell division. Higher concentrations of these metals not only inhibited cell division in a concentration-dependent manner, but also interfered with the metabolism of E. gracilis. A higher accumulation of proteins and lipids per cell was observed at the DI50 concentration for metal-treated cells. These results suggest that the test concentration of both metals leads to a failure in completing cell division. Ultrastructural analysis indicated a chloroplast disorganization in copper-treated cells, as well as the presence of electron dense granules with different shapes and sizes inside vacuoles. Microanalysis of these granules indicated an accumulation of copper, thus suggesting a detoxification role played by the vacuoles. These results indicate that E. gracilis is an efficient biological model for the study of metal poisoning in eukaryotic cells. They also indicate that copper and zinc (copper being more poisonous) had an overall toxic effect on E. gracilis and that part of the effect can be ascribed to defects in the structure of chloroplast membranes.