Identification and dose dependency of ibuprofen biliary metabolites in rainbow trout

The biotransformation of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (IBF) was studied by exposing rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to IBF via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, and via water at four (0.17, 1.9, 13 and 145 μg L⁻¹) exposure levels for 4 d. Following exposure, the bile was collected and analyzed by LC–MS/MS methods. The identification of the formed metabolites in i.p. injected fish bile was based on the exact mass determinations by a time-of-flight mass analyzer (Q–TOF–MS) and on the studies of fragments and fragmentation patterns of precursor ions by ion trap mass analyzer (IT-MS). In addition to unmetabolized IBF, several phase I and phase II metabolites were found in the bile. The main metabolites were acyl glucuronides and taurine conjugates of IBF and of hydroxylated IBFs. The bioconcentration factors (BCF_bile), defined as the ratio of the sum of IBF and its metabolites in fish bile to the concentration of IBF in water, was determined following enzymatic deconjugation and was found to range from 14 000 to 49 000. The highest BCF_bile was found at the lowest exposure concentration (0.17 μg L⁻¹). The results show that rainbow trout has a high capacity for biotransformation of IBF, and the exposure of fish to sub μg L⁻¹ concentrations of IBF can be determined by the analyses of the biliary metabolites of the compound.     

Lead poisoning and other human-related factors cause significant mortality in white-tailed eagles

The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) suffered a severe population decline due to environmental pollutants in the Baltic Sea area ca. 50 years ago but has since been recovering. The main threats for the white-tailed eagle in Finland are now often related to human activities. We examined the human impact on the white-tailed eagle by determining mortality factors of 123 carcasses collected during 2000–2014. Routine necropsy with chemical analyses for lead and mercury were done on all carcasses. We found human-related factors accounting for 60% of the causes of death. The most important of these was lead poisoning (31% of all cases) followed by human-related accidents (e.g. electric power lines and traffic) (24%). The temporal and regional patterns of occurrence of lead poisonings suggested spent lead ammunition as the source. Lead shot was found in the gizzards of some lead-poisoned birds. Scavenging behaviour exposes the white-tailed eagle to lead from spent ammunition.     

Nitrification in polluted soil fertilized with fast- and slow-releasing nitrogen: a case study at a refinery landfarming site

The nitrifying activity and the effect of fertilization with urea and methylene urea were studied in a landfarming site. The site has been operative over 20 years and maintained by heavy nitrogen fertilization. The landfarming soil contained 4-6% (w/w) oil. The nitrate accumulation was 20-50mg NO3-N day(-1)kg(-1) observed after methylene urea fertilization of 889 g Nm(-2). Nitrification ex situ (in laboratory conditions) was 8.8 mg NO3-N day(-1) kg(-1) in the presence of 380 mg kg(-1) NH4+-N. The half-saturation concentration of nitrification was more than 200 mg NH4+-N kg(-1). The results show that nitrification was active in soil with high oil concentration. Urea fertilization of 893 g Nm(-2) caused an increase of soil NH4+-N concentration up to 5500 mg kg(-1) and pH>8.5. This led to inhibition of nitrification, which persisted after NH4+ concentration decreased below 200mg NH4+ kg(-1).     

Landscape pattern and census area as determinants of the diversity of farmland avifauna in Estonia

Landscape structure affects farmland bird species richness and diversity at different scales. We develop a predictive, metric-based model for farmland bird species richness in different bird guilds and study how the research area size influences the relationship between bird diversity and landscape metrics. Thirty research locations (randomly selected, each containing four counting points) were located in three counties of Estonia. In early summer 2002 and 2004, two bird counts per point were carried out in each research location. Three landscape metrics (patch density, edge density and Shannon’s diversity index) were calculated at three spatial scales: 100- and 200-m buffer zones around the count points and in a 1 km² at 1 m × 1 m grain size. Using generalized additive mixed models with repeated measures, we found in most cases that the proportion of variance explained between the bird variables and landscape metrics increased with an increased study area thus demonstrating the effect of scale. Thus, a larger research area is recommended for landscape metrics. At large scales, however, all used landscape metrics were equally good predictors for bird species richness.     

Pharmaceuticals in settleable particulate material in urban and non-urban waters

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are important sources of settleable particulate material (SPM), heading to sediments with natural suspended solids. To date, there is little information about the fate of pharmaceuticals in sediment systems. In this study, the objective was to determine if pharmaceuticals are detected in SPM at locations near WWTPs or even in rural areas, thus being susceptible for sedimentation.SPM samples were collected from 10 sites in Finland, grouped as reference, rural and wastewater effluent sites. SPM collectors were placed about 35 cm above bottom for about 2 months during summer. After extraction, a set of 17 pharmaceuticals was analyzed.Several pharmaceuticals were detected in SPM accumulated at sites next to WWTPs. The concentration of citalopram was notably high (300-1350 ng g⁻¹ dw). Also bisoprolol and ciprofloxacin were detected at high concentrations (6-325 and 9-390 ng g⁻¹ dw, respectively). In contrast, none of the pharmaceuticals were detected from reference sites and only two were found from a single rural site.There is no previous information about the presence of pharmaceuticals in SPM. The results showed that pharmaceuticals are sorbed to particles in WWTP and nearby, eventually ending up in sediments. These results also indicate that pharmaceuticals are not markedly contaminating sediments of rural areas in Finland.     

Connecting Diverse Knowledge Systems for Enhanced Ecosystem Governance: The Multiple Evidence Base Approach

Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as practitioners’ knowledge can provide valid and useful knowledge to enhance our understanding of governance of biodiversity and ecosystems for human well-being. There is, therefore, a great need within emerging global assessment programs, such as the IPBES and other international efforts, to develop functioning mechanisms for legitimate, transparent, and constructive ways of creating synergies across knowledge systems. We present the multiple evidence base (MEB) as an approach that proposes parallels whereby indigenous, local and scientific knowledge systems are viewed to generate different manifestations of knowledge, which can generate new insights and innovations through complementarities. MEB emphasizes that evaluation of knowledge occurs primarily within rather than across knowledge systems. MEB on a particular issue creates an enriched picture of understanding, for triangulation and joint assessment of knowledge, and a starting point for further knowledge generation.     

Microbial activities in soils of a former sawmill area

To find out microbial metabolic functioning and toxicity in a former sawmill area, carbon dioxide evolution, methane oxidation potential, 10 hydrolytic enzyme activities, Vibrio fischeri test, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis activity (FDA), soil pH, carbon, nitrogen and pentachlorophenol (PCP) content were measured at four sites. The area is contaminated with aged chlorophenols. Chlorophenol content of soil was analyzed with a novel HPLC-MS technique, which allowed to measure chlorophenols without derivatization. The sites had a pollution gradient from 0.5 to 15 microg PCP g dw of soil(-1). Endogenous carbon dioxide evolution, methane oxidation potential, butyrate-esterase, acetate-esterase, sulphatase and aminopeptidase activities were lower at the site 2 than 3, although the site 2 and 3 had similar content of carbon and nitrogen. The soil was toxic in V. fischeri test at the site 2, which had high content of PCP (3.93+/-1.00 microg PCP g dw of soil(-1)). The results indicated that endogenous carbon dioxide evolution, methane oxidation potential, butyrate-esterase, acetate-esterase, sulphatase and aminopeptidase activities were sensitive to PCP in the soil. The results indicated that alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, beta-xylosidase, beta-cellobiosidase, phosphomonoesterase, N-acetyl-glucosaminidase activity and FDA hydrolysis activity were not sensitive to PCP in the soil. Soil processes involved in the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus were only slightly vulnerable in the former sawmill area and most sensitive microbial species were probably replaced with more tolerant ones to maintain and recover functioning of the former sawmill soils.     

Prior residency as a key determinant of social dominance in the willow tit (Parus montanus)

Summary We studied how age, body size and prior residency affected social dominance in the willow tit (Parus montanus) groups. The contribution of each variable was experimentally tested in unisexual two-bird trials, in which the birds were matched for all variables except the one studied. Large birds were dominant over smaller ones (Fig. 1). The effect of body size was more prominent in males than in females. Age had no influence on dominance. Residents became dominant more often than newcomers (Fig. 2). Adulthood or larger body size did not override the advantage of prior residency (Fig. 2). Therefore, the proximate reason for the age-dependent dominance seen in natural willow tit flocks is most likely the prior residency advantage of the adults. Factors connected with fighting ability (body size and age) seem to be less important than the time of establishment of rank, which may reflect the importance of resource value differences between residents and newcomers in this context. The advantage of residency might make it advantageous to be a member of a flock even as a subordinate, rather than being solitary.     

Effects of herbicide stress on wheat cultivars from organic and conventional cropping systems

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings grown from seeds produced in “organic”; (non‐chemical) and “conventional”; cropping systems are characterized by a) similar rates of root and shoot growth, b) equal sensitivity to phytotoxicity by the herbicide glyphosate, and c) equivalent basal activity of the enzyme glutathione S‐transferase (both in the roots and in the shoots). In addition, treatment of these seedlings with glyphosate leads to significantly higher contents of this enzyme both in the shoots and in the roots. However, time‐course and dose‐response investigations indicate significant differences in the induction pattern of glutathione S‐transferase: the response of “conventional”; wheat seedlings takes place earlier and with higher efficiency, than that of the “organic”; ones.