Biodegradation and bioconversion of cellulose wastes using bacterial and fungal cells immobilized in radiopolymerized hydrogels

Annually, great amounts of cellulose wastes, which could be measured in many billions of tons, are produced worldwide as residues from agricultural activities and industrial food processing. Consequently, the use of microorganisms in order to remove, reduce or ameliorate these potential polluting materials is a real environmental challenge, which could be solved by a focused research concerning efficient methods applied in biological degradation processes. In this respect, the scope of this chapter is to present the state of the art concerning the biodegradation of redundant cellulose wastes from agriculture and food processing by continuous enzymatic activities of immobilized bacterial and fungal cells as improved biotechnological tools and, also, to report on our recent research concerning cellulose wastes biocomposting to produce natural organic fertilizers and, respectively, cellulose bioconversion into useful products, such as: ‘single-cell protein’ (SCP) or ‘protein-rich feed’ (PRF). In addition, there are shown some new methods to immobilize microorganisms on polymeric hydrogels such as: poly-acrylamide (PAA), collagen-poly-acrylamide (CPAA), elastin-poly-acrylamide (EPAA), gelatin-poly-acrylamide (GPAA), and poly-hydroxy-ethyl-methacrylate (PHEMA), which were achieved by gamma polymerization techniques. Unlike many other biodegradation processes, these methods were performed to preserve the whole viability of fungal and bacterial cells during long term bioprocesses and their efficiency of metabolic activities. The immobilization methods of viable microorganisms were achieved by cellular adherence mechanisms inside hydrogels used as immobilization matrices which control cellular growth by: reticulation size, porosity degree, hydration rate in different colloidal solutions, organic and inorganic compounds, etc. The preparative procedures applied to immobilize bacterial and fungal viable cells in or on radiopolymerized hydrogels and, also, their use in cellulose wastes biodegradation are discussed in detail. In all such performed experiments were used pure cell cultures of the following cellulolytic microorganisms: Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis from bacteria, and Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus florida, and Trichoderma viride from fungi. These species of microorganisms were isolated from natural habitats, then purified by microbiological methods, and finally, tested for their cellulolytic potential. The cellulose biodegradation, induced especially by fungal cultures, used as immobilized cells in continuous systems, was investigated by enzymatic assays and the bioconversion into protein-rich biomass was determined by mycelial protein content, during such long time processes. The specific changes in cellular development of immobilized bacterial and fungal cells in PAA hydrogels emphasize the importance of physical structure and chemical properties of such polymeric matrices used for efficient preservation of their metabolic activity, especially to perform in situ environmental applications involving cellulose biodegradation by using immobilized microorganisms as long-term viable biocatalysts.     

Experimental evidence that workers recognize reproductives through cuticular hydrocarbons in the ant Odontomachus brunneus

Eusociality is characterized by a reproductive division of labor, wherein workers respond to the presence of reproductive individuals by refraining from reproduction themselves and restricting the reproductive efforts of others. Our understanding of how eusociality is maintained therefore depends on characterizing the mechanism by which workers detect the presence of a reproductive. Variations in cuticular hydrocarbons correspond to changes in reproductive ability in ants, and experimental studies are beginning to reveal the function of hydrocarbons as signals. In this study, we compare the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of dominant and reproductive workers and queens of the ant Odontomachus brunneus with profiles of non-reproductive workers. Using split/reunification tests we document the existence of worker policing in both queenless and queenright colonies; supernumerary reproductives were treated aggressively by nestmates. Finally, we induce aggression and replicate queen-like submissive nestmate responses by supplementing the hydrocarbon profile of workers with (Z)-9-nonacosene, a compound that was significantly more abundant on the cuticles of reproductives. In three bioassays, we compare this manipulation to various control manipulations of the hydrocarbon profile and demonstrate that workers gauge the reproductive activity of nestmates through changes in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles.     

Fate of organo‐heavy metal complexes of sludges from domestic wastes in soils: A simplified modelization

Simplified models provided information on the binding ability of organic acids with trace elements, the distribution of the formed organo‐heavy metal complexes at different pH, and the biological stability (biodegradation ability) of these complexes.     

“An eye for an eye?”—on the generality of the intimidating quality of eyespots in a butterfly and a hawkmoth

Large eyespots on the wings of butterflies and moths have been ascribed generally intimidating qualities by creating a frightening image of a bird or mammal much larger than the insect bearing the eyespots. However, evidence for this anti-predator adaptation has been largely anecdotal and only recently were peacock butterflies, Inachis io, shown to effectively thwart attacks from blue tits, Parus caeruleus. Here, we test whether large eyespots on lepidopterans are generally effective in preventing attacks from small passerines and whether the size of insect or bird can influence the outcome of interactions. We staged experiments between the larger eyed hawkmoths, Smerinthus ocellatus, and the smaller peacock butterflies, I. io, and the larger great tits, Parus major, and the smaller blue tits, P. caeruleus. Survival differed substantially between the insect species with 21 of 24 peacock butterflies, but only 6 of 27 eyed hawkmoths, surviving attacks from the birds. Thus, surprisingly, the smaller prey survived to a higher extent, suggesting that factors other than insect size may be important. However, great tits were less easily intimidated by the insects’ eyespots and deimatic behaviour and consumed 16 of 26, but the blue tits only 8 of 25, of the butterflies and hawkmoths. Our results demonstrate that eyespots per se do not guarantee survival and that these two insects bearing equally large eyespots are not equally well protected against predation.     

Culturally correct song dialects are correlated with male age and female song preferences in wild populations of brown-headed cowbirds

Variation in vocal behavior among local populations of songbirds may be significant to females in mate choice. In a study of dialect populations of brown-headed cowbirds, estradiol-implanted females from two dialects held the pre-copulatory lordosis posture longer in response to playback of the local flight whistle song than to foreign whistle types from adjacent and more distant dialects. Females were held in captivity for a relatively brief period prior to testing and received no tutoring so discrimination was based solely on experience in the wild. This is the first study to show evidence of discrimination by female cowbirds based on flight whistle type. Evidence is presented from one of the study dialects that the majority of yearling male cowbirds are vocally distinct from resident adults in having either foreign or incomplete local whistles. Although these yearlings are fully mature sexually, they have little or no mating success. The correlation between female whistle preference and male mating success suggests that the ability to give the correct local whistle type may be a characteristic used by females to assess age and quality of a potential mate. A learned female preference for the predominant local song type may be a factor in the stability of these dialects by making it adaptive for males to conform to the local dialect.     

Defending the scientific integrity of conservation‐policy processes

Government agencies faced with politically controversial decisions often discount or ignore scientific information, whether from agency staff or nongovernmental scientists. Recent developments in scientific integrity (the ability to perform, use, communicate, and publish science free from censorship or political interference) in Canada, Australia, and the United States demonstrate a similar trajectory. A perceived increase in scientific‐integrity abuses provokes concerted pressure by the scientific community, leading to efforts to improve scientific‐integrity protections under a new administration. However, protections are often inconsistently applied and are at risk of reversal under administrations publicly hostile to evidence‐based policy. We compared recent challenges to scientific integrity to determine what aspects of scientific input into conservation policy are most at risk of political distortion and what can be done to strengthen safeguards against such abuses. To ensure the integrity of outbound communications from government scientists to the public, we suggest governments strengthen scientific integrity policies, include scientists’ right to speak freely in collective‐bargaining agreements, guarantee public access to scientific information, and strengthen agency culture supporting scientific integrity. To ensure the transparency and integrity with which information from nongovernmental scientists (e.g., submitted comments or formal policy reviews) informs the policy process, we suggest governments broaden the scope of independent reviews, ensure greater diversity of expert input and transparency regarding conflicts of interest, require a substantive response to input from agencies, and engage proactively with scientific societies. For their part, scientists and scientific societies have a responsibility to engage with the public to affirm that science is a crucial resource for developing evidence‐based policy and regulations in the public interest.     

Persistent chlorinated pesticides in fish and cattle fat and their implications for human serum concentrations from the Sene-Gambian region

The concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in fish, shrimps, cattle fat and human serum samples from the Sene-Gambian region were measured using validated analytical methodologies. The results obtained were compared with those of other existing African studies and with data from other developing countries. In fish samples, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) and HCB were detected with a frequency of 100%, whereas p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT) was detected in eight, heptachlorepoxide in six and endosulfansulfate in five of the nine fish samples. Relatively low concentrations of OCPs were found in cattle and shrimp fat samples. p,p'-DDE and alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH) were the most frequently identified. The sum of HCHs ranged from undetected to 13.3 ng g-1 fat, the sum of DDTs from 11.1 to 199.2 ng g-1 fat and the sum of endosulfans from not detected to 49.7 ng g-1 fat in fish and shrimps. In serum samples, alpha-HCH, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDT were detected in all 16 pooled serum samples, whereas endosulfansulfate, methoxychlor, mirex, heptachlorepoxide and endrin were detected in 15 samples with most of the concentrations below 10 ng mL-1. The concentrations of OCPs in human serum were given on a serum lipid and whole serum volume basis. The implications for the human diet of these OCP concentrations in serum were investigated by means of biomagnification factors related to the log Kow values of the targeted compounds. The current use of HCH mixtures was suggested to explain the unusually high alpha-HCH concentration. The distribution pattern of these OCPs in humans was also discussed and compared with that in other studies.     

Soil and preen waxes influence the expression of carotenoid-based plumage coloration

The signaling function of carotenoid-based plumage is mainly determined by the concentration of pigments in feathers. For this reason, most studies of the proximate control of coloration focus on processes during and preceding moult. In great tits Parus major, past research demonstrates that carotenoid-based plumage coloration honestly indicates male quality and, thus, may be a sexually selected signal. In this study, we investigate how dirt and preen oil influence the coloration of carotenoid-based feathers in the great tit. We collected six feathers from each individual bird; three feathers served as controls while the remaining three feathers were washed with a chloroform/methanol mixture to remove soil and preen waxes. We assessed plumage coloration using digital photography. This cleaning procedure slightly enhanced ornamentation; the experimentally cleaned feathers expressed hues shifted towards shorter wavelengths and expressed brighter overall coloration than control feathers. This is the first experimental study conducted on wild birds demonstrating that, in addition to pigment concentration, the presence of preen waxes and soils on feathers may contribute to variation in coloration.     

Rodent predation on hibernating peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies

Insects that hibernate as adults have a life span of almost a whole year. Hence, they must have extraordinary adaptations for adult survival. In this paper, we study winter survival in two butterflies that hibernate as adults and have multimodal anti-predator defences—the peacock, Inachis io, which has intimidating eyespots that are effective against bird predation, and the small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae, which does not have an effective secondary defence against birds. We assessed predation on wild butterflies hibernating in the attic of an unheated house, as well as survival of individually marked butterflies placed by hand on different sites in the attic. Our objectives were to assess (1) the number of butterflies that were killed during hibernation, (2) whether survival differed between butterfly species, and (3) how predation was related to hibernation site and the identity of the predator. There was a strong pulse of predation during the first 2 weeks of hibernation: 58% of A. urticae and 53% of I. io were killed during this period. Thereafter, predation decreased and butterfly survival equalled 98% during the final 16 weeks of hibernation. There was no difference in survival between the two butterfly species, but predation was site-specific and more pronounced under light conditions in locations accessible to a climbing rodent, such as the common yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis. We contend that small rodents are likely important predators on overwintering butterflies, both because rodents are active throughout winter when butterflies are torpid and because they occur at similar sites.     

Important areas at sea for adult loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: satellite tracking corroborates findings from potentially biased sources

Sea turtle populations worldwide suffer from reduced survival of immatures and adults due to fishery bycatch. Unfortunately, information about the whereabouts of turtles outside the breeding habitat is scarce in most areas, hampering the development of spatially explicit conservation plans. In the Mediterranean, recoveries of adult females flipper-tagged on nesting beaches suggest that the Adriatic Sea and Gulf of Gabès are important foraging areas for adults, but such information could be heavily biased (observing and reporting bias). In order to obtain unbiased data, we satellite-tracked seven loggerhead sea turtles after they completed nesting in the largest known Mediterranean rookery (Bay of Laganas, Zakynthos, Greece). Three females settled in the north Adriatic Sea, one in the south Adriatic Sea and two in the Gulf of Gabès area at the completion of their post-nesting migrations (one individual did not occupy a distinct foraging area). The concordance of tracking results with information from recoveries of flipper-tagged turtles suggests that the north Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Gabès represent key areas for female adult Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles.