An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - New information on the lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids and fipronil on organisms is presented in this review, complementing the...     

Preliminary assessment of antimicrobial activity and acute toxicity of norfloxacin chlorination by-product mixture

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Among drugs and personal care products, antibiotics arouse interest since they are widely used in human and veterinary medicine and can lead to the...     

Robinsonecio gerberifolius as a sentinel organism for atmospheric pollution by heavy metals in several sites of Mexico city and its metropolitan area

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Evaluate the effect of heavy metals (HM) on sentinel organisms such as vascular plants represent a model to estimate toxic hazard due to environmental...     

Heavy metals and metalloid levels in the tissues of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) from Spain: sex,age, and geographical location differences

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and arsenic (As) were measured in liver, kidney, and feathers of adult,...     

Copaiba oil and vegetal tannin as functionalizing agents for açai nanofibril films: valorization of forest wastes from Amazonia

The applicability of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) has received attention due to their attractive properties. This study proposes the functionalization of açai CNFs with copaiba oil and vegetal tannins to produce films with potential for packaging. Bio-based films were evaluated by vapor permeability, colorimetry, and mechanical strength. CNFs were produced by mechanical fibrillation, from suspensions of bleached açai fibers and commercial eucalipytus pulp. Moreover, copaiba oil and vegetal tannin were added to the CNFs to produce films/nanopapers by casting from both suspensions with concentrations of 1% (based on CNF dry mass). The bulk densities of the eucalyptus CNF films were higher (1.126–1.171 g cm^?3) compared to the açai CNF ones. Films from eucalyptus and açai pulps containing copaiba oil and tannins presented higher Tonset and Tmax, respectively (312 and 370 °C). Films with açaí CNFs functionalized with copaiba oil and tannin showed the lowest permeability value (370 g day^?1 m^?2). Films produced with eucalyptus pulp, and eucalyptus pulp functionalized with copaiba oil highlighted by superior mechanical strength, achieving 133.8 and 121.4 MPa, respectively. The evaluation of colorimetry showed a greater tendency to yellowing for açai films, especially those functionalized with vegetal tannins. Besides the low cost, functionalized vegetal-based nanomaterials could have attractive properties, with potential for application as some kind of packaging, for transporting basic products, such as breads, flours, or products with low moisture content, enabling efficient utilization of forest wastes.

     

Factors driving sediment compositional change in the distal area of the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain): oceanographic processes vs. paleopollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We analyze potential Late Holocene metal contamination along a sediment core collected in the distal zone of Ria de Vigo (North Spain). Statistical...     

Edge-Core Effects and the Effectiveness of Traditional Reserves in Conservation: Eurasian Badgers in Doñana National Park

Abstract: High rates of human-mediated mortality on animals are frequently reported inside protected areas, especially near their borders, so the overall effect of reserves on animal conservation is not usually known. To determine the effect of a traditional reserve (Doñana National Park, southwestern Spain) on the Eurasian badger (   Meles meles ), a medium sized carnivore, we studied mortality causes and rates, with the aid of radiotelemetry, in two populations inside the reserve, one closer to the border than the other. Human-related mortality ( poaching and road kills) was by far the most common cause of mortality (85% of deaths recorded). The average annual mortality rate due to poaching was high (0.48 ± 0.08) for the population close to the border of the park, whereas none of the radiomarked badgers in the core of the reserve died during the study period. A logistic model that included distance from the border of the park, sampling effort, and the local area (i.e., edge and core populations) indicated that the difference between both sites was due to the effect of distance from the border on survival probability. On a regional scale, badger density at the core of the park was 3.16 times higher than outside. Overall, the effect of the reserve was positive, but edge effects reduced reserve effectiveness by 36%. Edge effects in close proximity of the border were strong, reducing badger density even below the expected density outside the reserve. Edge effects should be considered carefully when reserves are implemented because they can greatly reduce reserve effectiveness and influence the viability of the populations inside. Enlargement of reserves and control of human activities that promote edge effects, both inside and outside the reserve, are the two management actions that can most effectively mitigate edge effects.     

Survival in an extreme habitat: the roles of behaviour and energy limitation

Extreme habitats challenge animals with highly adverse conditions, like extreme temperatures or toxic substances. In this paper, we report of a fish (Poecilia mexicana) inhabiting a limestone cave in Mexico. Several springs inside the cave are rich in toxic H₂S. We demonstrate that a behavioural adaptation, aquatic surface respiration (ASR), allows for the survival of P. mexicana in this extreme, sulphidic habitat. Without the possibility to perform ASR, the survival rate of P. mexicana was low even at comparatively low H₂S concentrations. Furthermore, we show that food limitation affects the survival of P. mexicana pointing to energetically costly physiological adaptations to detoxify H₂S.     

Persistence of a Mesozoic, non-therian mammalian lineage (Gondwanatheria) in the mid-Paleogene of Patagonia

We describe two isolated molariforms recovered from early–middle Eocene (early Lutetian) levels of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Comparisons with major lineages of therian and non-therian mammals lead us to refer them to a new genus and species of Gondwanatheria (Allotheria). There is a single root supporting each tooth that is very short, wide, rounded, and covered by cementum; the steep sidewalls, lack of a neck between the crown and root, and the heavily worn stage in both molariforms suggest that they were of a protohypsodont type. Both teeth are strongly worn at their centers, all along their length, with the labial edge less worn than the lingual; they show strong transverse crests that alternate with lingual grooves. The protohypsodont aspect of the teeth, as well as the strong, transverse crests, are suggestive of sudamericid affinities; on the other hand, the thin enamel layer and the occlusal pattern formed by the crests and grooves shows more similarities to molariform teeth of the Ferugliotheriidae. The new taxon adds evidence regarding the (1) extensive radiation of the Gondwanatheria throughout the Southern Hemisphere, (2) persistence of several lineages well after the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary, and (3) early evolution of hypsodont types among South American herbivorous mammals.