Understanding the transfer of mercury (Hg) from soil to crops is crucial due to Hg toxicity and Hg occurrence in terrestrial
systems. Previous research has shown that available Hg in soils contributes to plant Hg levels. Plant Hg concentrations are
related to soil conditions and plant characteristics. Mechanistic models describing such soil–plant interactions are however
difficult to quantify. Here we performed a field study in agricultural, mining and industrial areas in Portugal to evaluate
potential food chain risks. The uptake of Hg by Italian ryegrass, ryegrass, orchard grass, collard greens and rye was measured
to calculate daily intakes (DI) of Hg for cows and sheep grazing. A total of 136 soil samples and 129 plant samples were analysed.
Results show that total Hg concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 98 mg kg−1 in soils; 0.01–5.4 mg kg−1 in shoots and 0.01–42 mg kg−1 in roots. Calculated DI ranged from 0.18 to 132 mg d−1 for cows, and from 0.028 to 23 mg d−1 for sheep. In 27 grassland sites, daily intakes exceeded the acceptable daily intake of both cows and sheep in view of food
safety considering Hg in animal kidneys evidencing potential risks to human health. The transfer of Hg from soil to crops
was described using empirical Freundlich-type functions. For ryegrass, orchard grass and collard greens, the soil-to-root
or soil-to-shoot transfer of Hg appeared to be controlled by the total soil Hg concentration and levels of Alox and Feox. Empirical functions allowed us to obtain realistic estimates of Hg levels in crops and can be used as an alternative to
mechanistic models when evaluating food chain risks of Hg contamination in agricultural soils. 相似文献
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This study was conducted to evaluate the microbiological quality of a mangrove estuary in the Vitória Bay region, Espírito Santo, Brazil. We analyzed the presence and concentration of enteric viruses and thermotolerant coliforms in water, mussels (Mytella charruana and Mytella guyanensis), and oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae), collected over a 13-month period. Human adenovirus, rotavirus A (RVA), and norovirus genogroup II were analyzed by quantitative PCR. The highest viral load was found in RVA-positive samples with a concentration of 3.0 × 104 genome copies (GC) L−1 in water samples and 1.3 × 105 GC g−1 in bivalves. RVA was the most prevalent virus in all matrices. Thermotolerant coliforms were quantified as colony-forming units (CFU) by the membrane filtration method. The concentration of these bacteria in water was in accordance with the Brazilian standard for recreational waters (< 250 CFU 100 mL−1) during most of the monitoring period (12 out of 13 months). However, thermotolerant coliform concentrations of 3.0, 3.1, and 2.6 log CFU 100 g−1 were detected in M. charruana, M. guyanensis, and C. rhizophorae, respectively. The presence of human-specific viruses in water and bivalves reflects the strong anthropogenic impact on the mangrove and serves as an early warning of waterborne and foodborne disease outbreaks resulting from the consumption of shellfish and the practice of water recreational activities in the region.
Trail-making ants lay pheromones on the substrate to define paths between foraging areas and the nest. Combined with the chemistry of these pheromone trails and the physics of evaporation, trail-laying and trail-following behaviours provide ant colonies with the quickest routes to food. In relatively uniform environments, such as that provided in many laboratory studies of trail-making ants, the quickest route is also often the shortest route. Here, we show that carpenter ants (Camponotus rufipes), in natural conditions, are able to make use of apparent obstacles in their environment to assist in finding the fastest routes to food. These ants make extensive use of fallen branches, twigs and lianas as bridges to build their trails. These bridges make trails significantly longer than their straight line equivalents across the forest floor, but we estimate that ants spend less than half the time to reach the same point, due to increased carriage speed across the bridges. We also found that these trails, mainly composed of bridges, are maintained for months, so they can be characterized as trunk trails. We suggest that pheromone-based foraging trail networks in field conditions are likely to be structured by a range of potentially complex factors but that even then, speed remains the most important consideration. 相似文献
Considering that diesel oil is one of the most common aquatic contaminants, we compare the oxidative stress between two species of fish with different habitats (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi, benthic and Oreochromis niloticus, nektonic) exposed to diesel oil. Malondialdehyde concentrations (MDA) and the activities of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase were all analyzed in the fishes' livers and gills after 2 and 7 days of exposure to different concentrations of diesel (0.1 and 0.5 mL/L). In the tilapia, MDA levels and the activities of EROD and GST activity in the liver, as well as MDA levels and the activities of GST and SOD in the gill had statistically significant differences between the treatments and between the times of exposure. For the catfish, the same occurred in the case of MDA, EROD, and SOD in the liver and in CAT and SOD in the gills. There were significant differences in the enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation between the species. Although the activity of most enzymes seemed to be more expressive and responsive to diesel in O. niloticus, diesel oil also caused significant effects on oxidative stress parameters in P. anisitsi, even though this species is benthic and thus has less access to insoluble fractions of diesel oil. Therefore, both species can be used as sentinel organisms in environmental biomonitoring of diesel contamination. 相似文献