High diversity of deep-sea Gromia from the Arabian Sea revealed by small subunit rDNA sequence analysis

Gromia is a large marine protist with filose pseudopodia and ovoid test, common in coastal intertidal and sublittoral waters. Although deep-water Gromia-like morphospecies were discovered in the 1990s, their relations to the shallow water species have never been established. Moreover, very little is known about the diversity within Gromia, reflecting the fact that these morphologically relatively simple protists have few characters useful for species identification. Consequently, we have analysed the SSU rDNA and ITS rDNA genes to examine gromiid diversity in two different areas located on the Oman and Pakistan margins of the Arabian Sea (water depths 1,000–2,000 m). In total, 27 deep-sea gromiid sequences of the SSU rDNA gene and six sequences of the ITS rDNA region were obtained. Our data confirm that Gromia-like protists from the bathyal deep sea are related to the shallow-water gromiids. Within Arabian Sea Gromia, we identified seven distinctive lineages, five of which form a monophyletic group branching as a sister group to shallow-water species. Six lineages of Arabian Sea Gromia can be defined morphologically, while one lineage includes specimens that look identical to specimens from two other lineages. This indicates that each Gromia lineage represents probably a separate species and suggests that deep-sea gromiid diversity is higher than indicated by their simple morphology.     

Wheat yield functions for analysis of land-use change in China

CERES-Wheat, a dynamic process crop growth model, is specified and validated for eight sites in the major wheat-growing regions of China. Crop model results are then used to test the Mitscherlich-Baule and the quadratic functional forms for yield response to nitrogen fertilizer, irrigation water, temperature, and precipitation. The resulting functions are designed to be used in a linked biophysical-economic model of land-use and land-cover change in China. While both functions predict yield responses adequately, the Mitscherlich-Baule function is preferable to the quadratic function because its parameters are biologically and physically realistic. Variables explaining a significant proportion of simulated yield variance are nitrogen, irrigation water, and precipitation; temperature was a less significant component of yield variation within the range of observed year-to-year variability at the study sites. Crop model simulations with a generic soil with median characteristics of the eight sites compared to simulations with site-specific soils showed that agricultural soils in China have similar and, in general, low-to-moderate water-holding capacities and organic matter contents. The validated crop model is useful for simulating the range of conditions under which wheat is grown in China, and provides the means to estimate production functions when experimental field data are not available.     

Determination of BTEX by GC–MS in Air of Offset Printing Plants: Comparison between Conventional and Ecological Inks

The use of inks containing organic solvents by the offset printing process implies in the release of volatile organic compounds to the work environment. Many of these compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the xylene isomers (well known by the acronym BTEX) are extremely toxic. In this study, the BTEX concentrations were determined in two different printing plants that use distinct types of inks: the conventional and the so-called ecological, which is manufactured based on vegetal oil. Concentration ranges were 43–84, 15–3,480, 2–133, 5–459, and 2–236 μg m^?3 for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m?+?p-xylene, and o-xylene, respectively, for the conventional printing plant. At the ecological printing plant, concentration ranges were below limit of detection (<LD)-31, <LD-618, <LD-1,690, <LD-10,500, <LD-3,360 μg m^?3 for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m?+?p-xylene, and o-xylene, respectively. BTEX concentrations are lower at the ecological printing environment than in the conventional, where mineral oil-based inks are used. However, the worker who cleans the printing matrices is exposed to high concentrations of ethylbenzene and xylenes, due probably to the cleaning product’s composition (containing high amounts of BTEX). Although the BTEX concentrations found in both printing work environments were below the limits considered by the Brazilian Law for Activities and Unhealthy Operations (NR-15), the exposure to such vapors characterizes risk to the workers’ health for some of the evaluated samples, mainly the personal ones.     

Report: citizen participation as a part of integrated solid waste management: Porto Alegre case.

This study presents the effects of citizen participation on integrated solid waste management. Porto Alegre was chosen as the area of study since its system is a good example for developing countries, based on the partnership between local government and the former scavengers' association that implements selective collection in the city. A life-cycle approach was used to estimate environmental loadings and economic costs based on solid waste generation, and a survey assessment tool was used to analyse social aspects. The results showed a decrease in environmental and economic impacts in the current situation, allowing Porto Alegre to have one of the most affordable integrated solid waste management systems in Brazil. The survey assessment pointed out that public campaign changed the perceptions and practices of most of Porto Alegre's citizens regarding solid waste management. On the other hand, it also pointed out that citizens need more education to increase their participation. Therefore, more research is needed to increase cooperation among all stakeholders, improve citizen participation, and consequently, further decrease the environmental impacts and economic costs.     

Gametogenesis,embryogenesis, and larval features of the oviparous sponge <Emphasis Type="Italic">Petrosia ficiformis</Emphasis> (Haplosclerida,Demospongiae)

This study describes the reproductive cycle of Petrosia ficiformis and documents for the first time embryogenesis in an oviparous haplosclerid demosponge. Gonochoric adults, occurring in 2:1 female/male ratios, spawned in late autumn, after a 7-month long oogenesis and a 2.5-week-long spermatogenesis. Following a remarkable migration, the oocytes were released as 250 μm eggs bearing attached polar bodies and a thin mucous cover. Round-headed spermatozoa with three large mitochondria, and many proacrosomal vesicles fertilized the eggs externally. A fertilization membrane appeared around the zygotes. Nearly equal and total cleavage led to a stereoblastula that subsequently became an entirely ciliated larva. The larva alternated spherical and multilobate body shape and consisted of undifferentiated cells. It had poor abilities to swim and glide, probably experiencing passive dispersal and unselective attachment. Settlers developed choanocyte chambers after 1.5 months. Symbiotic microbes were absent from gametes and larvae, being necessarily acquired from the ambient at each sponge generation. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Abundance,population structure and claw morphology of the semi-terrestrial crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pachygrapsus marmoratus</Emphasis> (Fabricius, 1787) on shores of differing wave exposure

Wave action is known to influence the abundance and distribution of intertidal organisms. Wave action will also determine the duration and suitability of various foraging windows (high-tide and low-tide, day and night) for predation and can also affect predator behaviour, both directly by impeding prey handling and indirectly by influencing prey abundance. It remains uncertain whether semi-terrestrial mobile predators such as crabs which can access intertidal prey during emersion when the effects of wave action are minimal, are influenced by exposure. Here, we assessed the effect of wave action on the abundance and population structure (size and gender) of the semi-terrestrial intertidal crab Pachygrapsus marmoratus on rocky shores in Portugal. The activity of P. marmoratus with the tidal cycle on sheltered and exposed shores was established using baited pots at high-tide to examine whether there was activity during intertidal immersion and by low-tide searches. Because prey abundance varies along a wave exposure gradient on most Portuguese shores and because morphology of crab chelipeds are known to be related to diet composition, we further tested the hypothesis that predator stomach contents reflected differences in prey abundance along the horizontal gradient in wave exposure and that this would be correlated with the crab cheliped morphology. Thus, we examined phenotypic variation in P. marmoratus chelipeds across shores of differing exposure to wave action. P. marmoratus was only active during low-tide. Patterns of abundance and population structure of crabs did not vary with exposure to wave action. Stomach contents, however, varied significantly between shores of differing exposure with a higher consumption of hard-shelled prey (mussels) on exposed locations, where this type of prey is more abundant, and a higher consumption of barnacles on sheltered shores. Multivariate geometric analysis of crab claws showed that claws were significantly larger on exposed shores. There was a significant correlation between animals with larger claws and the abundance of mussels in their stomach. Variation in cheliped size may have resulted from differing food availability on sheltered and exposed shores.     

Evaluation of violations in water quality standards in the monitoring network of São Francisco River basin,the third largest in Brazil

The São Francisco River is the largest river located entirely within Brazil, and water scarcity problems have been a major concern of Brazilian society and government. Water quality issues are also a concern and have worsened with the recent intensification of urbanization and industrialization. In this study, violations to water quality standards established by local legislation were calculated as a percentage for 26 selected parameters over a monitoring period of 14 years. The violation percentages were analyzed spatially using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by multiple comparison analysis. Temporal analysis was performed using the Mann-Kendall test and Spearman correlation. Some parameters could be identified as cause for concern due to high violation levels, such as the fecal coliform indicator (FCI) and phosphorus—both related to domestic and effluent disposal without treatment or with insufficient treatment—and color, turbidity, manganese, and total suspended solids—which can be affected by erosive processes of natural and anthropogenic causes. The study found that these violations are concentrated in the most urbanized and industrialized areas of the basin. Some metallic parameters, such as iron and arsenic violations, may be related to mining activities in the rich soil of the Iron Quadrangle area located within the Minas Gerais State. Trend analysis results indicated that most monitoring stations did not have significant modification (elevation or reduction) trends over time, which, together with the high violation percentages, might indicate the maintenance of a scenario of constant pressure upon water resources, in particular in those more urbanized areas.