Organisms boring into intertidal consolidated sediments generate bioerosion. It is generally unknown, however, whether they can significantly contribute to coastline retraction. In this paper, we describe endolithic communities and estimate bioerosion and physical erosion rates at three southwestern Atlantic intertidal sites (37, 38, and 42°S; Argentina). In the northernmost site, we have also analyzed spatial variation in species richness and abundance as a function of height within the tidal slope, orientation of the rock surface in relation to breaking waves (i.e., facing or not), and rock hardness. The number of species and the combined abundance of individuals from the different species were larger at the low intertidal level but did not differ between surface orientations. The density of chemically boring organisms increased with increasing rock hardness and calcium carbonate content. In contrast, no correlation was found between rock hardness and the abundance of organisms that bore by mechanical means. Endolithic community composition and bioerosion rates differed among the three sites, the latter being higher at the site with the softer substrate. Bioerosion estimates were two orders of magnitude lower than physical erosion estimates at each site. The bivalve Lithophaga patagonica was the species that contributed the most to bioerosion at all these locations. While results suggest that bioerosion contributes little to overall coastal erosion at the three study sites, boring organisms might still facilitate physical erosion by weakening the rock either via chemical or mechanical means. Besides, their apparently inconsequential direct action as bioeroders can have positive consequences for biodiversity via increased habitat complexity. 相似文献
This study reports an overview of the economic, social and environmental performance of the main South American countries (SAC) as measured by the Sustainable Society Index. This is a well-known composite indicator, composed of 21 indicators, grouped in seven categories, covering environmental, social and economic wellbeing dimensions. Thirteen European countries recently incorporated into the European Union (NEUC) are considered as a reference. The study covers the period 2006–2016. The South American Region features significant natural resources and plays an important role in the global economy. However, there is concern about the long-term sustainability of social and economic development, given the high rate of economic growth based on the production of low added-value primary products. Sustainable development requires reasonable balance between economic, social and environmental performance, as well as a sustained and balanced increase in performance associated with those fundamental dimensions. Moreover, it is important to agree on minimum performance levels for all performance indicators, taking into account particular social, economic and environmental realities. SAC feature a clear imbalance in some categories affecting the economic, social and environmental wellbeing dimensions, showing either stagnation or significant decrease in recent years. It can be concluded that in the light of findings reported here, South American countries are far from being on the pathway towards sustainable development. 相似文献
The first step in assessing the risk of water contamination by Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts from feedlot cattle (Bos taurus) production systems is to quantify the number of C. parvum oocysts present in the fecal material deposited by feedlot cattle. Our primary objective for this project was to estimate the daily environmental load of C. parvum oocysts in fecal material deposited by feedlot cattle from across the central and western USA. Our secondary goal was to genotype isolates of C. parvum from feedlot cattle to help facilitate proper identification of mammalian sources of waterborne C. parvum. Based on 5274 fecal samples from 22 feedlots in seven states (California, Washington, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, and South Dakota), we estimated a point prevalence of C. parvum of 0.99 to 1.08% in fecal material from feedlot pens from a wide range of climates and a diverse range of feedlot management systems. On average, fresh fecal material from throughout feedlot systems (recent arrivals to nearing slaughter) contained about 1.3 to 3.6 oocysts/g feces, which roughly translates to about 2.8 x 10(4) to 1.4 x 10(5) oocysts/animal per day. 相似文献
The evaluation of the concentration of pesticides in drinking water presents a real concern. In this study, a simple and rapid method based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and electron capture detectors was developed aiming at multiclass determination of 23 pesticides regulated by the Brazilian legislation. The extraction was carried out by direct immersion mode (DI-SPME) using DVB/Car/PDMS fiber coating. In order to improve the extraction efficiency, parameters such as temperature, salting-out effect, and extraction time were optimized. The method was evaluated using drinking water samples spiked with the analytes at different concentrations, and it showed good linearity in the range studied. The values obtained for limits of quantification (LOQ) were below the limits established by Brazilian regulations. Accuracy and precision of the method exhibited satisfactory results, providing relative recoveries from 70 to 123.34% at three spiked levels, and the relative standard deviations ranged from 0.53 to 24.8%. The method was applied in 20 drinking water samples from 13 cities in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
The Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve (UGC&CRDBR) is a Marine Protected Area that was established in 1993 with the aim
of preserving biodiversity and remediating environmental impacts. Because remaining vigilant is hard and because regulatory
measures are difficult to enforce, harvesting has been allowed to diminish poaching. Useful management strategies have not
been implemented, however, and conflicts remain between conservation legislation and the fisheries. We developed a transdisciplinary
methodological scheme (pressure-state-response, loop analysis, and Geographic Information System) that includes both protected
species and fisheries modeled together in a spatially represented marine ecosystem. We analyzed the response of this marine
ecosystem supposing that conservation strategies were successful and that the abundance of protected species had increased.
The final aim of this study was to identify ecosystem-level management alternatives capable of diminishing the conflict between
conservation measures and fisheries. This methodological integration aimed to understand the functioning of the UGC&CRDBR
community as well as to identify implications of conservation strategies such as the recovery of protected species. Our results
suggest research hypotheses related to key species that should be protected within the ecosystem, and they point out the importance
of considering spatial management strategies. Counterintuitive findings underline the importance of understanding how the
community responds to disturbances and the effect of indirect pathways on the abundance of ecosystem constituents. Insights
from this research are valuable in defining policies in marine reserves where fisheries and protected species coexist. 相似文献
The Tula Valley receives untreated wastewater from Mexico City for agricultural irrigation, half of which infiltrates to aquifers from where drinking water is extracted. Samples of wastewater and infiltrated water from three areas of the valley were analyzed for microorganisms, organic micropollutants, and some basic parameters. Concentrations of microorganisms in the infiltrated water were generally very low but the incidence of fecal coliforms (present in 68% of samples), somatic bacteriophages (36%), Giardia spp. (14%), and helminth eggs (8%) suggested a health risk. Organic micropollutants, often present at high concentrations in the wastewater, were generally absent from the infiltrated water except carbamazepine which was in 55% of samples (up to 193 ng/L). There was no correlation between carbamazepine concentrations and the presence of microorganisms but highest concentrations of carbamazepine and boron coincided. A treatment such as nanofiltration would be necessary for the infiltrated water to be a safe potable supply. 相似文献
Many previous studies revealed a high ability of mushrooms to accumulate heavy metals from environment. This paper concerns
the capacity of some wild macromycetes belonging to Russula genus to accumulate heavy metals in natural condition of pH (between 6.5 and 6.8) and the pattern of metal translocation
in the fruiting body. 相似文献
Research aiming at generating effective contributions to sustainable development faces particular complexity related challenges.
This article proposes an analytical framework disentangling and structuring complexity issues with which research for sustainable
development is confronted. Based on theoretical conceptions from fields like policy sciences and transdisciplinary research
as well as on an in-depth analysis of the concept of sustainable development, three meta-perspectives on research for sustainable
development are introduced and elaborated. The first perspective focuses on notions of sustainable development, sorting out
the problem of unclear or ambiguous interpretations of the general sustainability objectives in specific contexts. The second
perspective introduces a broad conception of the policy process representing the way societal change towards sustainable development
is brought about. It supports identifying those academic and non-academic actors and stakeholders that are relevant for coming
up with effective knowledge contributions. The third perspective identifies different forms of knowledge that are needed to
tackle sustainability problems as well as the significance of their mutual interrelations. How the framework perspectives
support reflecting on the fundamental complexity issues research for sustainable development is confronted with is illustrated
using a case example from natural scientific research in the field of land use. We argue that meeting the complexity inherent
in the concept of sustainable development requires joint learning in policy processes, working out shared visions being in
line with the core objectives of sustainable development and generating knowledge about empirical, normative and pragmatic
aspects. 相似文献
Dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) are ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants of recognized negative effects on human health. Assessing highly polluted areas should be an important public health issue. This study proposes to use the milk of grazing animals as a bioindicator of dl-PCB contamination in the environment. The hypothesis is that milk concentration of dl-PCBs are related to soil concentrations of these compounds, and that soils are generally reflective of a larger environmental issue of dl-PCB contamination. In this study, we evaluate the possibility of predicting soil concentrations using milk of sheep, cows and buffalos in a spatial model. For this purpose, samples of soil and milk collected in Campania (Italy) were introduced in a GIS platform to perform geostatistical analysis for building a simple predictive model. The ordinary least squares regressions (OLS) showed a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.05) between soil and milk contamination. However, this relationship was spatially variable. Thus, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) was performed, obtaining R2 values of 0.91, 0.77 and 0.66 for sheep’s, buffalo’s and cow’s milk respectively. Assessed the mathematical relationships between the variables, new data was introduced to evaluate the performance of the model. Predictions of soil contamination with dl-PCBs using sheep’s, cow’s and buffalo’s milk showed a mean error of 23%, 25% and 36% respectively. According to these results the sheep’s milk can be considered the best bioindicator of dl-PCBs contamination among the three species. The results of this project evidence the potentialities of the proposed approach to assess bioindicator performance in a spatial predictive model. 相似文献
The purpose of this study was to explore a possible relationship between the availability of metals in soil (Cd, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) and their concentrations in leaves of Vaccinium myrtillus L. as a species which has been reported to be a successful colonist of acid-and-heavy metal-contaminated soil. Analysis also concerned the antioxidant response of plants from three heavily polluted (immediate vicinity of: zinc smelter, iron smelter and power plant) and three relatively clean sites (nature reserve, ecological site and unprotected natural forest community) in southern Poland. The contents of glutathione, non-protein thiols, protein, proline and activity of guaiacol peroxidase in leaves of bilberry were measured. Generally, the concentrations of metals in the HNO3 and CaCl2 extracants of the soil from the polluted sites were higher. Moreover, the antioxidant responses were also elevated in bilberries in the polluted sites. Significant positive relationships between Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in soil and in the plants were found. In the leaves of V. myrtillus from the polluted sites, higher concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn were noted (In Miasteczko ?l?skie respectively 6.26, 157.09 and 207.17 mg?kg?1?d.w.). We found a positive correlation between the increase in the NPTs and protein contents as well as the Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in V. myrtillus. Cd, Pb and Zn also decreased guaiacol peroxidase activity. However, the activity of this enzyme increased under Fe. A decreasing trend in glutathione contents was observed with increasing iron and manganese concentrations in bilberry leaves. Parameters such as protein, non-protein –SH groups and changes in GPX activity seem to be universal, sensitive and correlated well with heavy metal stress. 相似文献