Risk ranking of multiple-POPs in detritivorous fish from the Río de la Plata

To evaluate the bioaccumulation and the risk associated to consumption of lipid-rich detritivorous fish, a comprehensive set of organic pollutants (n = 213) including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin like PCBs (dlPCBs), chlorinated pesticides (CHLPs), chlorobenzenes (CBzs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins and furans (PCDD/F), resolved (ALI) and unresolved aliphatic hydrocarbons (UCM) and linear alkyl benzenes (LABs) were analyzed in Sábalo fish (Prochilodus lineatus) collected in the polluted Metropolitan Buenos Aires coast and in migrating specimens. Fatty fish muscles (lipids: 74 ± 9.3% dry weight) contained homogeneous (24-51% variability) and very high-concentrations of organic pollutants ranging from 60 to 1300 μg g⁻¹ fresh weight (fw) ALI + UCM; 10-40 μg g⁻¹ fw LABs and PCBs; 0.1-1 μg g⁻¹ fw dlPCBs, DDTs, chlordanes, CBzs and PBDEs; 0.01-0.1 μg g⁻¹ fw mirex, endosulfans, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin and 0.07-0.2 ng g⁻¹ PCDD/F. Total toxicity equivalents (TEQs) ranged from 60 to 395 pg g⁻¹ fw (34 ± 17 and 213 ± 124 pg g⁻¹ TEQs for PCDD/F and dlPCBs respectively). These are among the highest concentrations reported for fish and point out the remarkable ability of Sábalo to feed on anthropogenic organic-enriched particles and tolerate a high pollutant load. Contaminant signatures show partial alteration with still abundant lower molecular weight components indicating that fish feeds directly in the outfalls. Consumption limits based on reference doses ranged from 0.1 (PCBs) to >12 000 g d⁻¹ (endosulfan) allowing a comprehensive risk-based ranking of contaminants in this long-range migrating, detritivorous fish.     

Geochemistry of heavy metals in bottom sediments from streams of the western coast of the rio de la plata estuary, Argentina

The fluvial system within the southwestern coastal sector of the Río de la Plata interacts with a very large and efficient mixing basin known as the Río de la Plata estuary. The region is a densely populated and productive sector of Argentina and is characterised by a temperate humid climate. The streams Carnaval, Martín, Del Gato and El Pescado of the study area drain two main geomorphologic units: a higher inner zone and the low lands of the coastal plain. In particular, the Del Gato stream receives heavily polluted discharges from agricultural, urban and industrial point and non-point sources of pollution, while the other streams collect a lower and variable discharge input. As a part of an initial assessment of the role of fluvial bottom sediments in the fate of metals through the stream ecosystems, the spatial distribution of trace and major elements related to particles in the accumulation areas was examined. Concentration of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, Fe and Mn, grain size, mineralogy (clay-X ray diffraction) and organic matter content were analysed in the four streams considering both geomorphologic units at different depositional time. Untreated and iron-normalised trace metal concentrations in the most polluted streams show higher levels in the upper layers of most contaminated sectors and accumulation areas associated to topographic low lands. The coastal plain sector behaves as a regional sink between the upstream area and the estuary.     

Correcting common misconceptions to inspire conservation action in urban environments

Despite repeated calls to action, proposals for urban conservation are often met with surprise or scepticism. There remains a pervasive narrative in policy, practice, and the public psyche that urban environments, although useful for engaging people with nature or providing ecosystem services, are of little conservation value. We argue that the tendency to overlook the conservation value of urban environments stems from misconceptions about the ability of native species to persist within cities and towns and that this, in turn, hinders effective conservation action. However, recent scientific evidence shows that these assumptions do not always hold. Although it is generally true that increasing the size, quality, and connectivity of habitat patches will improve the probability that a species can persist, the inverse is not that small, degraded, or fragmented habitats found in urban environments are worthless. In light of these findings we propose updated messages that guide and inspire researchers, practitioners, and decision makers to undertake conservation action in urban environments: consider small spaces, recognize unconventional habitats, test creative solutions, and use science to minimize the impacts of future urban development.     

New DDT inputs after 30 years of prohibition in Spain. A case study in agricultural soils from south-western Spain

This study provides information on the current status of contamination by DDT in agricultural soils in south-western Spain. A recent use of technical DDT in at least 17% of the soils was found based on the values (<1) of the ratio Rp,p^′/p,p^′=[p,p^′-DDE+p,p^′-DDD]/[p,p^′-DDT]. According to the ratio Ro,p^′/p,p^′=[o,p^′-DDT]/[p,p^′-DDT], a dicofol type contamination was detected in about 27% of the soils. A wide range of concentrations was observed (0.08-11.1 ng/g d.w.) regardless of the type of crop soil. Enantiomeric fractions (EFs), based on the chiral analysis of o,p′-DDT residues differed from the racemic value (0.500) in most soils but they were not correlated with the study variables [DDTs], SOM, Rp,p^′/p,p^′ and Ro,p^′/p,p^′. Given the health risks posed by DDT, our findings support how the environmental control of legacy pollutants such as DDT cannot be neglected.     

A fluorometric method to determine rainfastness,volatilization and photostability of glyphosate from glass slides,after application of vision® with two adjuvants

Abstract

A fluorometric method was developed to quantify glyphosate loss from glass surfaces after exposure to the natural forest environment. The method was based on the principle of converting glyphosate into glycine, followed by the fluorogenic labeling with o‐phthalaldehyde. A fluorometer (with λ _Ex = 360 nm / λ_Em =430 nm) was used to quantify the derivatized fluorogenic compound. Response was linear over the concentration range of 143, 286, 572, 858 and 1144 μg of glyphosate (acid equivalent, AE) per mL of the diluted Vision® formulation. Three end‐use mixtures of Vision® were prepared, each at a concentration of 28.6 g AE/L, without and with two adjuvants, Ethomeen® T/25 at 4.5 mL/L and Silwet^® L‐77 at 1.5 mL/L. Several dilutions of the end‐use mixtures were applied on glass slides without and with the coating of cuticular wax extracted from trembling aspen foliage. The slides were left for 5 days in a forest opening to determine rainfastness, volatilization and photostability of glyphosate. The residues were quantified using the method developed. Three calibration curves were required because Silwet decreased the fluorometric response of glyphosate, whereas Ethomeen increased it. The minimum detection limit was 143 μg of glyphosate/mL. Glyphosate was resistant to volatilization and sunlight‐mediated degradation, regardless of the presence of wax coating or the adjuvants. About 64% of the applied glyphosate was washed off after a 9.6 mm rainfall when no adjuvant was present. Both adjuvants provided some amount of rain‐protection to glyphosate, but Silwet reduced the washoff to a greater extent (46%) than Ethomeen (55%).     

Savviness of prey to introduced predators

The prey naivety hypothesis posits that prey are vulnerable to introduced predators because many generations in slow gradual coevolution are needed for appropriate avoidance responses to develop. It predicts that prey will be more responsive to native than introduced predators and less responsive to introduced predators that differ substantially from native predators and from those newly established. To test these predictions, we conducted a global meta-analysis of studies that measured the wariness responses of small mammals to the scent of sympatric mammalian mesopredators. We identified 26 studies that met our selection criteria. These studies comprised 134 experiments reporting on the responses of 36 small mammal species to the scent of six introduced mesopredators and 12 native mesopredators. For each introduced mesopredator, we measured their phylogenetic and functional distance to local native mesopredators and the number of years sympatric with their prey. We used predator and prey body mass as a measure of predation risk. Globally, small mammals were similarly wary of the scent of native and introduced mesopredators; phylogenetic and functional distance between introduced mesopredators and closest native mesopredators had no effect on wariness; and wariness was unrelated to the number of prey generations, or years, since first contact with introduced mesopredators. Small mammal wariness was associated with predator-prey body mass ratio, regardless of the nativity. The one thing animals do not seem to recognize is whether their predators are native.     

Redistribution of benefits but not detection in a fisheries bycatch‐reduction management initiative

Reducing the capture of small fish, discarded fish, and bycatch is a primary concern of fisheries managers who propose to maintain high yields, species diversity, and ecosystem functions. Modified fishing gear is one of the primary ways to reduce by‐catch and capture of small fish. The outcomes of gear modification may depend on c ompetition among fishers using other similar resources and other gears in the same fishing grounds and the subsequent adoption or abandonment of modified gears by fishers. We evaluated adoption of modified gear, catch size, catch per unit effort (CPUE), yield, and fisher incomes in a coral reef fishery in which a 3‐cm escape gap was introduced into traditional traps. There were 26.1 (SD 4.9) fishers who used the experimental landing sites and 228(SD 15.7) fishers who used the control landing sites annually over 7 years. The size of fish increased by 10.6% in the modified traps, but the catch of smaller fish increased by 11.2% among the other gears. There was no change in the overall CPUE, yields, or per area incomes; rather, yield benefits were redistributed in favor of the unmodified gears. For example, estimated incomes of fishers who adopted the modified traps remained unchanged but increased for net and spear fishers. Fishers using escape‐gap traps had a high proportion of income from larger fish, which may have led to a perception of benefits, high status, and no abandonment of the modified traps. The commensal rather than competitive outcome may explain the continued use of escape‐gap traps 3 years after their introduction. Trap fishers showed an interest in negotiating other management improvements, such as increased mesh sizes for nets, which could ultimately catalyze community‐level decisions and restrictions that could increase their profits.     

Effects of cost metric on cost‐effectiveness of protected‐area network design in urban landscapes

A common goal in conservation planning is to acquire areas that are critical to realizing biodiversity goals in the most cost‐effective manner. The way monetary acquisition costs are represented in such planning is an understudied but vital component to realizing cost efficiencies. We sought to design a protected‐area network within a forested urban region that would protect 17 birds of conservation concern. We compared the total costs and spatial structure of the optimal protected‐area networks produced using three acquisition‐cost surrogates (area, agricultural land value, and tax‐assessed land value). Using the tax‐assessed land values there was a 73% and 78% cost savings relative to networks derived using area or agricultural land value, respectively. This cost reduction was due to the considerable heterogeneity in acquisition costs revealed in tax‐assessed land values, especially for small land parcels, and the corresponding ability of the optimization algorithm to identify lower‐cost parcels for inclusion that had equal value to our target species. Tax‐assessed land values also reflected the strong spatial differences in acquisition costs (US$0.33/m²–$55/m²) and thus allowed the algorithm to avoid inclusion of high‐cost parcels when possible. Our results add to a nascent but growing literature that suggests conservation planners must consider the cost surrogate they use when designing protected‐area networks. We suggest that choosing cost surrogates that capture spatial‐ and size‐dependent heterogeneity in acquisition costs may be relevant to establishing protected areas in urbanizing ecosystems.     

Use of sibling relationship reconstruction to complement traditional monitoring in fisheries management and conservation of brown trout

Declining trends in the abundance of many fish urgently call for more efficient and informative monitoring methods that would provide necessary demographic data for the evaluation of existing conservation, restoration, and management actions. We investigated how genetic sibship reconstruction from young‐of‐the‐year brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) juveniles provides valuable, complementary demographic information that allowed us to disentangle the effects of habitat quality and number of breeders on juvenile density. We studied restored (n = 15) and control (n = 15) spawning and nursery habitats in 16 brown trout rivers and streams over 2 consecutive years to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat restoration activities. Similar juvenile densities both in restored and control spawning and nursery grounds were observed. Similarly, no differences in the effective number of breeders, N_b(SA), were detected between habitats, indicating that brown trout readily used recently restored spawning grounds. Only a weak relationship between the N_b(SA) and juvenile density was observed, suggesting that multiple factors affect juvenile abundance. In some areas, very low estimates of N_b(SA) were found at sites with high juvenile density, indicating that a small number of breeders can produce a high number of progeny in favorable conditions. In other sites, high N_b(SA) estimates were associated with low juvenile density, suggesting low habitat quality or lack of suitable spawning substrate in relation to available breeders. Based on these results, we recommend the incorporation of genetic sibship reconstruction to ongoing and future fish evaluation and monitoring programs to gain novel insights into local demographic and evolutionary processes relevant for fisheries management, habitat restoration, and conservation.     

Use of opportunistic sightings and expert knowledge to predict and compare Whooping Crane stopover habitat

Predicting a species’ distribution can be helpful for evaluating management actions such as critical habitat designations under the U.S. Endangered Species Act or habitat acquisition and rehabilitation. Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) are one of the rarest birds in the world, and conservation and management of habitat is required to ensure their survival. We developed a species distribution model (SDM) that could be used to inform habitat management actions for Whooping Cranes within the state of Nebraska (U.S.A.). We collated 407 opportunistic Whooping Crane group records reported from 1988 to 2012. Most records of Whooping Cranes were contributed by the public; therefore, developing an SDM that accounted for sampling bias was essential because observations at some migration stopover locations may be under represented. An auxiliary data set, required to explore the influence of sampling bias, was derived with expert elicitation. Using our SDM, we compared an intensively managed area in the Central Platte River Valley with the Niobrara National Scenic River in northern Nebraska. Our results suggest, during the peak of migration, Whooping Crane abundance was 262.2 (90% CI 40.2?3144.2) times higher per unit area in the Central Platte River Valley relative to the Niobrara National Scenic River. Although we compared only 2 areas, our model could be used to evaluate any region within the state of Nebraska. Furthermore, our expert‐informed modeling approach could be applied to opportunistic presence‐only data when sampling bias is a concern and expert knowledge is available.