Toxicity of fipronil and its enantiomers to marine and freshwater non-targets

Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide used in agricultural and domestic settings for controlling various insect pests in crops, lawns, and residential structures. Fipronil is chiral; however, it is released into the environment as a racemic mixture of two enantiomers. In this study, the acute toxicity of the (S,+) and (R,-) enantiomers and the racemic mixture of fipronil were assessed using Simulium vittatum IS-7 (black fly), Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog), Procambarus clarkii (crayfish), Palaemonetes pugio (grass shrimp), Mercenaria mercenaria (hardshell clam), and Dunaliella tertiolecta (phytoplankton). Results showed that S. vittatum IS-7 was the most sensitive freshwater species to the racemic mixture of fipronil (LC50 = 0.65 microg/L) while P. pugio was the most sensitive marine species (LC50 = 0.32 microg/L). Procambarus clarkii were significantly more sensitive to the (S,+) enantiomer while larval P. pugio were significantly more sensitive to the (R,-) enantiomer. Enantioselective toxicity was not observed in the other organisms tested. Increased mortality and minimal recovery was observed in all species tested for recovery from fipronil exposure. These results indicate that the most toxic isomer of fipronil is organism-specific and that enantioselective toxicity may be more common in crustaceans than in other aquatic organisms.     

Landscape Influences on Headwater Streams on Fort Stewart,Georgia, USA

Military landscapes represent a mixture of undisturbed natural ecosystems, developed areas, and lands that support different types and intensities of military training. Research to understand water-quality influences of military landscapes usually involves intensive sampling in a few watersheds. In this study, we developed a survey design of accessible headwater watersheds intended to improve our ability to distinguish land–water relationships in general, and training influences, in particular, on Fort Stewart, GA. We sampled and analyzed water from watershed outlets. We successfully developed correlative models for total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), organic carbon (OC), and organic nitrogen (ON), which dominated in this blackwater ecosystem. TSS tended to be greater in samples after rainfall and during the growing season, and models that included %Wetland suggested a “build-and-flush” relationship. We also detected a positive association between TSS and tank-training, which suggests a need to intercept sediment-laden runoff from training areas. Models for OC showed a negative association with %Grassland. TN and ON both showed negative associations with %Grassland, %Wetland, and %Forest. Unexpected positive associations were observed between OC and equipment-training activity and between ON and %Bare ground + Roads. Future studies that combine our survey-based approach with more intensive monitoring of the timing and intensity of training would be needed to better understand the mechanisms for these empirical relationships involving military training. Looking beyond local effects on Fort Stewart streams, we explore questions about how exports of OC and nitrogen from coastal military installations ultimately influence estuaries downstream.     

Population structure of an exploited benthic cnidarian: the case study of red coral (Corallium rubrum L.)

Octocorals are an important part of many ecosystems as they add three-dimensional complexity to the benthos and thereby increase biodiversity. The Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum, L. 1758) is a longevous octocoral that is harvested commercially, yet natural and anthropogenic influences on its population size structure are little understood. This study found that some harvested red coral populations had a significantly different size structure when compared to populations at the nearby Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Medas Islands at the Spanish Costa Brava (NW Mediterranean). Eighty-nine percent of the red corals in the harvested Costa Brava area are less than 10 years old and 96% of all colonies have not yet grown more than second-order branches. The size/age distribution of the harvested population is notably skewed towards younger and smaller colonies. Thus, although red coral is still abundant, its population structure is strongly distorted by harvesting. The results confirm that MPAs are useful to distinguish between anthropogenic and natural influences on population structure. However, 14 years of protection appears to be an insufficient recovery time for a longevous octocoral population such as red coral.     

Bioaccumulation of HCH isomers in selected macroinvertebrates from the Elbe River: sources and environmental implications

Sediments of the Elbe River have been extremely polluted by contaminants originating from previous large-scale hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) production and the application of γ-HCH (lindane) in its catchment in the second half of the twentieth century. In order to gain knowledge on bioaccumulation processes at lower trophic levels, field investigations of HCHs in macroinvertebrates were carried out along the longitudinal profile of the Elbe and tributary. Among the sites studied, concentrations in macroinvertebrates ranged within five orders of magnitude (0.01–100 μg/kg). In general, lower values of HCH isomers were observed at all Czech sites (mostly <1 μg/kg) compared with those in Germany. At the most contaminated site, Spittelwasser brook (a tributary of the Mulde), extremely high concentrations were measured (up to 234 μg/kg α-HCH and 587 μg/kg β-HCH in Hydropsychidae). In contrast, the Ob?íství site, though also influenced by HCH production facilities, showed only negligibly elevated values (mostly <1 μg/kg). Results showed that fairly high levels of α-HCH and β-HCH compared to γ-HCH can still be detected in aquatic environments of the Elbe catchment, and these concentrations are decreasing over time to a lesser extent than γ-HCH. Higher HCH concentrations in sediments in the springtime are considered to be the result of erosion and transport processes during and after spring floods, and lower concentrations at sites downstream are thought to be caused by the time lapse involved in the transportation of contaminated particles from upstream. In addition, comparison with fish (bream) data from the literature revealed no increase in tissue concentrations between invertebrates and fish.     

Estimation of mercury content in tailings of the gold mine area of Poconé, Mato Grosso,Brazil

As in many other parts of the world, gold is produced in the surface mining region of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil, using mercury. The goal of this investigation was to estimate the amount of mercury in certain tailings and to determine the area of the land that has been contaminated by the gold mining operations. Mercury concentrations from 2 to 495 ng/g (dw) were determined in the tailing materials. It was observed that only isolated sites were acting as central points of contamination. Using digital Landsat satellite data (The-matic Mapper) and aerial photos, the sites degraded by the mining were classified, and their total area was estimated to be 12.3 km² in the region of Poconé. It was estimated, that 4.9 km² were occupied by the contaminated tailings. The mean height of the pile slags was determined to be 4.5 m. From the experimentally calculated average density of the material in the tailings, 2.01 g/cm³, the total mercury content in the piles of tailings was estimated to be 1600 ± 350 kg.