Benthic Biological Processes and EH as a Basis for a Benthic Index

It is proposed that the common measures of benthic community condition can be augmented with a vertical EH profile taken through the benthic bioturbation zone. Sediment EH, an electrochemical measure of oxidized and reduced compounds in sediment porewater, measures the integrative consequences of all metabolic and transport processes of the benthic community. Biota, especially microbiota, metabolize carbon using a variety of electron acceptors, including O2, SO4 and some nitrogen and metal compounds. Motile benthic macrofauna ingest and transport particles, ventilate deep burrows and anoxic sediment with overlying seawater while sedentary suspension-feeding fauna deposit suspended organic matter onto the sediment surface. Collectively, these metabolic and behavioral processes advect particles and seawater between bottom water and deep sediment and define the overall structure of porewater chemistry. That structure creates a full spectrum of biogeochemical conditions of solubility, reactivity, and microbial metabolism which remineralizes excess organic carbon and most organic contaminants, defines solubility of trace metals, and pushes the vertical EH profile toward oxidizing conditions. It is proposed that a standard EH probe inserted downward through the bioturbation zone will provide a general measure of this resulting porewater chemistry and thus the impact of feeding, irrigation, and metabolism of the total macro, meio, and microbenthic community. If such a measure can be validated it will permit extended measurement of community function and reduced efforts in measuring community structure.     

Links among nitrification, nitrifier communities, and edaphic properties in contrasting soils receiving dairy slurry

Soil biotic and abiotic factors strongly influence nitrogen (N) availability and increases in nitrification rates associated with the application of manure. In this study, we examine the effects of edaphic properties and a dairy (Bos taurus) slurry amendment on N availability, nitrification rates and nitrifier communities. Soils of variable texture and clay mineralogy were collected from six USDA-ARS research sites and incubated for 28 d with and without dairy slurry applied at a rate of ~300 kg N ha(-1). Periodically, subsamples were removed for analyses of 2 M KCl extractable N and nitrification potential, as well as gene copy numbers of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). Spearman coefficients for nitrification potentials and AOB copy number were positively correlated with total soil C, total soil N, cation exchange capacity, and clay mineralogy in treatments with and without slurry application. Our data show that the quantity and type of clay minerals present in a soil affect nitrifier populations, nitrification rates, and the release of inorganic N. Nitrogen mineralization, nitrification potentials, and edaphic properties were positively correlated with AOB gene copy numbers. On average, AOA gene copy numbers were an order of magnitude lower than those of AOB across the six soils and did not increase with slurry application. Our research suggests that the two nitrifier communities overlap but have different optimum environmental conditions for growth and activity that are partly determined by the interaction of manure-derived ammonium with soil properties.     

Development and Validation of an Aquatic Fine Sediment Biotic Index

The Fine Sediment Biotic Index (FSBI) is a regional, stressor-specific biomonitoring index to assess fine sediment (<2 mm) impacts on macroinvertebrate communities in northwestern US streams. We examined previously collected data of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and substrate particle sizes for 1,139 streams spanning 16 western US Level III Ecoregions to determine macroinvertebrate sensitivity (mostly at species level) to fine sediment. We developed FSBI for four ecoregion groupings that include nine of the ecoregions. The grouping were: the Coast (Coast Range ecoregion) (136 streams), Northern Mountains (Cascades, N. Rockies, ID Batholith ecoregions) (428 streams), Rockies (Middle Rockies, Southern Rockies ecoregions) (199 streams), and Basin and Plains (Columbia Plateau, Snake River Basin, Northern Basin and Range ecoregions) (262 streams). We excluded rare taxa and taxa identified at coarse taxonomic levels, including Chironomidae. This reduced the 685 taxa from all data sets to 206. Of these 93 exhibited some sensitivity to fine sediment which we classified into four categories: extremely, very, moderately, and slightly sensitive; containing 11, 22, 30, and 30 taxa, respectively. Categories were weighted and a FSBI score calculated by summing the sensitive taxa found in a stream. There were no orders or families that were solely sensitive or resistant to fine sediment. Although, among the three orders commonly regarded as indicators of high water quality, the Plecoptera (5), Trichoptera (3), and Ephemeroptera (2) contained all but one of the species or species groups classified as extremely sensitive. Index validation with an independent data set of 255 streams found FSBI scores to accurately predict both high and low levels of measured fine sediment.     

Variations in speciated emissions from spark-ignition and compression-ignition motor vehicles in California's south coast air basin

The U.S. Department of Energy Gasoline/Diesel PM Split Study examined the sources of uncertainties in using an organic compound-based chemical mass balance receptor model to quantify the contributions of spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engine exhaust to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This paper presents the chemical composition profiles of SI and CI engine exhaust from the vehicle-testing portion of the study. Chemical analysis of source samples consisted of gravimetric mass, elements, ions, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) by the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) and Speciation Trends Network (STN) thermal/optical methods, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hopanes, steranes, alkanes, and polar organic compounds. More than half of the mass of carbonaceous particles emitted by heavy-duty diesel trucks was EC (IMPROVE) and emissions from SI vehicles contained predominantly OC. Although total carbon (TC) by the IMPROVE and STN protocols agreed well for all of the samples, the STN/IMPROVE ratios for EC from SI exhaust decreased with decreasing sample loading. SI vehicles, whether low or high emitters, emitted greater amounts of high-molecular-weight particulate PAHs (benzo[ghi]perylene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and coronene) than did CI vehicles. Diesel emissions contained higher abundances of two- to four-ring semivolatile PAHs. Diacids were emitted by CI vehicles but are also prevalent in secondary organic aerosols, so they cannot be considered unique tracers. Hopanes and steranes were present in lubricating oil with similar composition for both gasoline and diesel vehicles and were negligible in gasoline or diesel fuels. CI vehicles emitted greater total amounts of hopanes and steranes on a mass per mile basis, but abundances were comparable to SI exhaust normalized to TC emissions within measurement uncertainty. The combustion-produced high-molecular-weight PAHs were found in used gasoline motor oil but not in fresh oil and are negligible in used diesel engine oil. The contributions of lubrication oils to abundances of these PAHs in the exhaust were large in some cases and were variable with the age and consumption rate of the oil. These factors contributed to the observed variations in their abundances to total carbon or PM2.5 among the SI composition profiles.     

Mercury Balance on a Large Pulverized Coal-Fired Furnace

This paper presents results of a survey of mercury concentrations in coal, ash, water, fly ash, and flue gas discharges from a 5.5 × 10⁶ Ib/hr steam generator serving a 775 MW (net) turbine-generator set. Representative composite or grab samples were obtained for inlet coal and outlet ash and water. Stack samples were obtained for fly ash and mercury vapor emissions while the unit was operated at 660 MW (net) (85% of full load). Samples were analyzed by anodic stripping voltammetry, plasma emission spectroscopy, and neutron activation analysis to determine mercury concentration entering the furnace in the coal and leaving the furnace in the flue gas, fly ash, bottom and hopper ash, and water. Method inter-comparisons are discussed. A material balance for mercury has been calculated from fuel, ash, and stack gas flow rates. About 90% of the mercury in the coal is released and appears as vapor discharged in the stack gas while 10% remains in the residual ash. For a 700 MW (net) unit, about 5 lb/day of mercury vapor is released to the atmosphere.     

Air Pollution Damage to the Forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California

Numerous oxidant-injured ponderosa pine and other tree species have been detected in the lower elevation forests of the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range of California in the Sequoia National Forest, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks, and on state and private lands. Affected pines were observed in a broad band following the many ridges that rise above the Central Valley floor to the 1900-2600 m elevation. Slight symptoms of ozone chlorotic mottle on ponderosa pine appeared from about 1000 m altitude, increased in severity as elevation increased and then diminished in severity above 2600 m. An apparent east to west gradient of disease was discovered; severity lessened as distance from the Central Valley increased. Atmospheric monitoring in three forested sites suggests that ozone occurs in doses sufficient to elicit symptoms of this widespread disease.     

Combustion as the Principal Source of Carbonaceous Aerosol in the Ohio River Valley

Organic and elemental carbon and a number of carboxylic acids and n-alkanes were measured in aerosol samples collected at three sites in the Ohio River Valley between October 1980 and August 1981. Approximately 100 filters were analyzed for organic and elemental carbon for each site. For the 11-month period organic and elemental carbon comprised about 19 percent of the total aerosol mass with about two-thirds of the carbon as organic. Regression analysis showed that the principal source of organic carbon was combustion. The measurements of the specific organic compounds indicated a weak biogenic component to the organic aerosol.     

Chlorpyrifos acute exposure induces hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in rats

In this study we evaluated the hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF) after an acute exposure in rats. The mechanisms involved in hyperglycemia induced by CPF were studied. A single dose of CPF (50 mg kg⁻¹, subcutaneous, s.c.) was administered to overnight-fasted rats. Glucose and corticosterone levels, lipid status and paraoxonase (PON1) activity were determined in plasma of rats. Cardiovascular risk factors and the atherogenic index were calculated. Glycogen levels, tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activities were determined in livers of rats. Cerebral acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was also determined. CPF caused an increase in glucose and glycogen levels as well as in TAT and G6Pase activities. The CPF exposure caused an increase in corticosterone levels, an inhibition of AChE activity and a reduction of PON1 activity. Regarding the lipid status, CPF induced an increase in triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL) levels and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels associated with an increase of cardiovascular risk factors and the atherogenic index. The present study demonstrated that a single CPF administration caused hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in rats. The activation of the gluconeogenesis pathway, probably elicited by hypercorticosteronemia, is involved in the hyperglycemic effect of CPF in rats.     

Influence of mercury and selenium chemistries on the progression of cardiomyopathy in pygmy sperm whales, Kogia breviceps

More than half of pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps) that strand exhibit signs of cardiomyopathy (CMP). Many factors may contribute to the development of idiopathic CMP in K. breviceps, including genetics, infectious agents, contaminants, biotoxins, and dietary intake (e.g. selenium, mercury, and pro-oxidants). This study assessed trace elements in K. breviceps at various stages of CMP progression using fresh frozen liver and heart samples collected from individuals that stranded along US Atlantic and Gulf coasts between 1993 and 2007. Standard addition calibration and collision cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed for total Se analysis and pyrolysis atomic absorption (AA) was utilized for total Hg analysis to examine if the Se/Hg detoxification pathway inhibits the bioavailability of Se. Double spike speciated isotope dilution gas chromatography ICP-MS was utilized to measure methyl Hg and inorganic Hg. Immunoblot detection and colorimetric assays were used to assess protein oxidation status. Data collected on trace elements, selenoproteins, and oxidative status were evaluated in the context of animal life history and other complementary histological information to gain insight into the biochemical pathways contributing to the development of CMP in K. breviceps. Cardiomyopathy was only observed in adult pygmy sperm whales, predominantly in male animals. Both Hg:Se molar ratios and overall protein oxidation were greater in males than females and increased with progression of CMP.     

Diphenyl diselenide attenuates hepatic and hematologic toxicity induced by chlorpyrifos acute exposure in rats

Purpose

In this study, we investigated the effect of diphenyl diselenide [(PhSe)₂] on chlorpyrifos (CPF)-induced hepatic and hematologic toxicity in rats.

Methods

Rats were pre-treated with (PhSe)₂ (5?mg/kg) via the oral route (oral gavage) once a day for 7?days. On the eighth and ninth days, rats were treated with (PhSe)₂ (5?mg/kg) 30?min prior to CPF (50?mg/kg, by subcutaneous route). The aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities were determined in plasma of rats. Lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl, and non-protein thiol levels as well as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and gluthatione S-transferase activities were determined in livers of rats. Hematological parameters were also determined.

Results

The results showed that CPF caused hepatic oxidative damage, as demonstrated by an increase in lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl levels which was associated with a decrease in antioxidant defenses. CPF exposure caused a reduction in the leukocyte, indicating hematologic toxicity. (PhSe)₂ was effective in attenuating these toxic effects caused by CPF exposure in rats.

Conclusions

The results indicated that (PhSe)₂ was effective in protecting the hepatic and hematologic toxicity induced by acute CPF exposure in rats.