An integrated methodology for environmental impacts and costs evaluation in industrial processes

The development of methods for process analysis has contributed to the improvement of production systems. In this context, many models and methodologies have been established in the literature in order to evaluate environmental performance of industrial processes, since it has become an important issue for society. However, few of them analyze environmental impacts and related costs simultaneously. So, this work presents an integrated methodology to perform this evaluation, based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Activity-Based Costing (ABC) principles. The proposed methodology was applied in a metallurgical industry in Brazil. As result, it allowed to identify the production process stages which have critical environmental impacts and greatest contribution to increase environmental costs of the company.     

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.     

Effects of Land Use Changes on the Ecosystem Service Values of Coastal Wetlands

Changes in the coastal landscape of Southern Sinaloa (Mexico), between 2000 and 2010, were analyzed to relate spatial variations in wetlands extent with the provision and economic value of the ecosystem services (ES). Remote sensing techniques applied to Landsat TM imagery were used to evaluate land use/land cover changes while the value transfer method was used to assess the value of ES by land cover category. Five wetland types and other four land covers were found as representative of the coastal landscape. Findings reveal a 14 % decrease in the saltmarsh/forested mangrove area and a 12 % increase in the area of shrimp pond aquaculture (artificial wetland) during the study period. ES valuation shows that the total value flow increased by 9 % from $215 to $233 million (2007 USD) during the 10-year period. This increase is explained as result of the high value worldwide assigned to saltmarsh. We recognize limitations in the transfer-based approach in quantifying and mapping ES values in the region, but this method provides with value estimates spatially defined, and also provides some guidance in the preliminary screening of policies and projected development in the context of data-scarce regions.     

An Evaluation of Air Pollution Health Impacts and Costs in São Paulo, Brazil

The need to determine cost estimates of the hazardous effects of diseases is important in order to establish the priorities of actions for prevention and health management. The evaluation of air pollution impacts on health, based on expenditures, has been carried out, but there are obvious comparison difficulties among countries, as the health-per-capita investment varies enormously. In order to achieve a standard indicator, we applied the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) method to estimate the health burden and cost estimate due to air pollution in São Paulo, Brazil. The basic methodology was the utilization of dose–response curves of epidemiological studies conducted in São Paulo to assess air pollution and its health effects. DALY attributable to air pollution in São Paulo added up to 28,212 years annually. An indirect health cost attributable to air pollution resulted in US$ 3,222,676. This estimate refers to the children and the elderly population. These results give a preliminary and underestimated value of the burden of diseases promoted by air pollution.     

Ant–plant–herbivore interactions in the neotropical cerrado savanna

The Brazilian cerrado savanna covers nearly 2 million km² and has a high incidence on foliage of various liquid food sources such as extrafloral nectar and insect exudates. These liquid rewards generate intense ant activity on cerrado foliage, making ant–plant–herbivore interactions especially prevalent in this biome. We present data on the distribution and abundance of extrafloral nectaries in the woody flora of cerrado communities and in the flora of other habitats worldwide, and stress the relevance of liquid food sources (including hemipteran honeydew) for the ant fauna. Consumption by ants of plant and insect exudates significantly affects the activity of the associated herbivores of cerrado plant species, with varying impacts on the reproductive output of the plants. Experiments with an ant–plant–butterfly system unequivocally demonstrate that the behavior of both immature and adult lepidopterans is closely related to the use of a risky host plant, where intensive visitation by ants can have a severe impact on caterpillar survival. We discuss recent evidence suggesting that the occurrence of liquid rewards on leaves plays a key role in mediating the foraging ecology of foliage-dwelling ants, and that facultative ant–plant mutualisms are important in structuring the community of canopy arthropods. Ant-mediated effects on cerrado herbivore communities can be revealed by experiments performed on wide spatial scales, including many environmental factors such as soil fertility and vegetation structure. We also present some research questions that could be rewarding to investigate in this major neotropical savanna.     

Author index

Authors Index

Author index     

Foraging activity and resource use by three parrotfish species at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, tropical West Atlantic

Parrotfishes are important components of the herbivore and detritivore guilds of tropical and subtropical reefs. Most of parrotfish species are protogynous hermaphrodites that change colour and sex, from initial phase females or males (IP) to terminal phase males (TP). We studied the foraging behaviour of Sparisoma amplum, S. axillare and S. frondosum, three syntopic scarids on the rocky reefs of Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, Tropical West Atlantic. The three parrotfish species differed in food selection and preference, but IP and TP individuals of the same species preferred the same food types, except for S. amplum. Feeding rates of IP individuals were higher than those of TP individuals, but the distribution of feeding frequencies throughout the day of IP and TP individuals of the same species was similar. IP individuals had higher feeding rates than TP ones, which seems related to the fact that TP individuals spend a large amount of time patrolling their territories and chasing away conspecific individuals at the study site. The general foraging pattern we found for S. amplum, S. axillare and S. frondosum is similar to patterns found for other parrotfish species in the Western Atlantic.