Eurythoe complanata (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae), the ‘cosmopolitan’ fireworm, consists of at least three cryptic species

Eurythoe complanata (Pallas 1766) has been considered a cosmopolitan species with a great morphological similarity across its geographic range. To elucidate whether E. complanata is actually a single species, genetic (cytochrome oxidase subunit I and allozymes) and morphological differences were compared among specimens from the Pacific, Caribbean, and South Atlantic Oceans. Large levels of COI divergence (10–22%) and diagnostic allozyme loci identified three cryptic species: one in the eastern Pacific and two in the Atlantic, with one being morphologically differentiated and found only in islands. COI sequences between Pacific and Atlantic lineages were much more divergent than those of other transisthmian invertebrates, indicating their split before the Panama Isthmus closure or a faster evolutionary rate of COI for this species. The existence of two Atlantic species may be a consequence of parapatric speciation followed by a secondary invasion or even a sympatric speciation in the Atlantic oceanic islands.     

Sampling techniques for the assessment of anthropogenic vapour and particulate mercury in the Brazilian Amazon atmosphere

A system, based on annular gold-coated denuders, was optimized and used in the atmospheric sampling of mercury in urban and rural sites of the Alta Floresta, a region in the Brazilian Amazon. Results showed that vapour phase mercury (Hgv) is dominant in samples collected in both sites. However, particulate mercury (Hg) may sometimes be significant at the urban site, with values representing up to 77% of the total Hg collected during sampling, but may also be insignificant at the same site, depending on the gold commercialization activity and, probably, on the meteorological conditions during the sampling period. The presence of mercury in both the vapour and particulate phases in the atmosphere of the urban site can explain the high mercury concentrations found in urban dust reported for some cities in the Amazon, and also the relatively high Hg concentrations found in soils adjacent to the urban centre of Alta Floresta. It appears that the urban dust of "garimpo" areas in the Amazon can act as an efficient adsorber of Hgv emitted by gold dealer operations during the purification process. Mercury emissions from gold dealer shops in the Amazon have been considered as a human health risk through the inhalation of Hg vapour. However, although true for indoor sites, the significant contribution of particulate phase Hg shown in this study in outdoor urban sites calls for a re-evaluation of the risk assessment estimates performed up to now in urban centres in the Amazon.     

Correction to: Ecological restoration as a strategy for mitigating and adapting to climate change: lessons and challenges from Brazil

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - The original version of the article unfortunately contained an error.     

Healing with animals in a semiarid northeastern area of Brazil

This study presents information on the use of medicinal animals in a semiarid area of northeast Brazil, a region where animals have recognized importance in local popular medicine. The information on the use of animals for medicinal purposes was obtained through semi-structured questionnaires, complemented by free interviews and informal conversations. The results obtained showed that the residents of the area studied utilize a considerable richness of animal species (n = 42) for medicinal purposes, as occurs in other areas of Brazil’s semiarid region, demonstrating that zootherapy represents an alternative form of health care that is important to the inhabitants of the region. There is a need for new investigations on medicinal fauna, aimed at promoting the sustainable use of eventual medicinal species and preserving popular knowledge associated with the use of animal species.     

Statistical analysis in estimating probable concentrations of representative chemical species in leachate: a solution for the source term of new or unmonitored landfills

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Leakage modeling can be crucial for environmental management and control of waste landfills. However, defining boundary conditions for these models...     

Emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from gasohol and ethanol vehicles

The exhaust emission of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) considered toxic to human health were investigated on two spark ignition light duty vehicles, one being gasohol (Gasohol, in Brazil, is the generic denomination for mixtures of pure gasoline plus 20–25% of anhydrous ethyl alcohol fuel (AEAF).)-fuelled and the other a flexible-fuel vehicle fuelled with hydrated ethanol. The influence of fuel type and quality, aged lubricant oil type and use of fuel additives on the formation of these compounds was tested using standardized tests identical to US FTP-75 cycle. PAH sampling and chemical analysis followed the basic recommendations of method TO-13 (United States. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999. Compendium Method TO-13A – Determination of polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Ambient Air Using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (CG/MS). Center for environmental research information, Cincinnati, p. 78), with the necessary modification for this particular application.Results showed that the total PAH emission factor varied from 41.9 μg km^?1 to 612 μg km^?1 in the gasohol vehicle, and from 11.7 μg km^?1 to 27.4 μg km^?1 in the ethanol-fuelled vehicle, a significant difference in favor of the ethanol vehicle. Generally, emission of light molecular weight PAHs was predominant, while high molecular weights PAHs were not detected. In terms of benzo(a)pyrene toxicity equivalence, emission factors varied from 0.00984 μg TEQ km^?1 to 4.61 μg TEQ km^?1 for the gasohol vehicle and from 0.0117 μg TEQ km^?1 to 0.0218 μg TEQ km^?1 in the ethanol vehicle.For the gasohol vehicle, results showed that the use of fuel additive causes a significant increase in the emission of naphthalene and phenanthrene at a confidence level of 90% or higher; the use of rubber solvent on gasohol showed a reduction in the emission of naphthalene and phenanthrene at the same confidence level; the use of synthetic oil instead of mineral oil also contributed significantly to a decrease in the emission of naphthalene and fluorene. In relation to the ethanol vehicle, the same factors were tested and showed no statistically significant influence on PAH emission.     

Environmental management in Brazil: is it a completely competitive priority?

Current studies indicate a need to integrate environmental management with manufacturing strategy, including topics like cross-functional integration, environmental impact, and waste reduction. Nevertheless, such studies are relatively rare, existing still a need for research in specific regional contexts. At the same time, the results found are not unanimous. Due to these gaps, the objective of this article is to analyze if environmental management can be considered a new competitive priority for manufacturing enterprises located in Brazil. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with Brazilian companies certified by ISO 14001. Sixty-five valid questionnaires were analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The first conclusion is that environmental management presents a preventive approach in the sample analyzed, focused on eco-efficiency, what potentially do not to create a competitive advantage. This preventive approach inhibits environmental management from being regarded as a new competitive manufacturing priority, in the full sense as defined by the literature. Another important result is that environmental management, although following a preventive focus, may influence positively the four manufacturing priorities: cost, quality, flexibility and delivery.     

The electro-oxidation of tetracycline hydrochloride in commercial DSA® modified by electrodeposited platinum

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) electro-oxidation by commercial DSA® and commercial DSA® modified by platinum electrodeposition was...