A participatory approach to the establishment of a baseline scenario for a reforestation Clean Development Mechanism project

This paper is part of a two-year study to investigate the feasibility of initiating a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in an indigenous community of Eastern Panamá, Ipetí-Emberá. We use participatory mapping and matrices as well as household surveys to develop a land-use/land-cover baseline scenario and examine the role of local participation in assessing land-use change. In Ipetí, land-use change has not occurred in a linear way over the last decades, and our data unveils socio-economic factors as potential key drivers of change. The concordance that we observed between geographic information and individual and collective perceptions of land-use change substantiates the possibility of using local knowledge in the establishment of baseline data for CDM projects. Our calculations suggest that the total carbon (C) stocks in the Tierra Colectiva (TC) of Ipetí-Emberá in 2004 represents a 47% reduction from the estimated C stock at the onset of settlement in the early 1970’s. Results from the participatory assessments predict that, in 2024 and in absence of a CDM project, the C stocks will decline from 301,859 t C in 2004 to 155,730 t C, which constitutes a reduction of 52%. The scenario with CDM estimates C stocks of 305,853 t C for 2024, a value slightly superior to the 2004 value. In the TC there is ground to believe that cattle ranching is likely to become an ever more important activity as the population is young and growing and cannot easily move elsewhere. Forests tend to be cleared for cultivation while pastures are established on short fallows. Our baseline scenario underlines the potential for a CDM project to make a significant difference in the future C stocks of this landscape.     

Fitness costs of an immune response in the house martin (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Delichon urbica</Emphasis>)

Immune responses constitute a major way for hosts to defend themselves against parasites. Because hosts do not habitually produce strong responses all the time, immune responses might be costly to produce or maintain. We tested experimentally if the production of a response to a challenge with a novel antigen resulted in a cost in terms of fitness using the highly colonial house martin Delichon urbica as a model system. We injected adult breeding birds during laying of the first clutch with either Newcastle disease virus (NDV) or a control injection, and the clutch was subsequently removed to induce relaying. NDV stimulates the non-specific immune system, causing production of antibodies during a period of more than 2 weeks. Accordingly, we found an increase in leukocyte counts in experimental birds compared to controls. Experimental treatment reduced the frequency of re-laying, caused a delay in timing of relaying and a reduction in brood size. Quality of nestlings in terms of body size, body mass and T-cell-mediated immune response did not differ significantly between treatments. Overall, seasonal reproductive success differed significantly between treatments, showing that the production of an immune response by adult birds is costly in terms of future fecundity.     

Particulate matter,nitrogen oxides,ozone, and select volatile organic compounds during a winter sampling period in Logan,Utah, USA

Particulate matter mass (PM), trace gaseous pollutants, and select volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with meteorological variables were measured in Logan, Utah (Cache Valley), for >4 weeks during winter 2017 as part of the Utah Winter Fine Particle Study (UWFPS). Higher PM levels for short time periods and lower ozone (O₃) levels were present due to meteorological and mountain valley conditions. Nitrogenous pollutants were relatively strongly correlated with PM variables. Diurnal cycles of NO_x, O₃, and fine PM(PM 2.5) (aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm [PM_2.5]) suggested formation from NO_x. O₃ levels increased from early morning into midafternoon, and NO_x and PM_2.5 increased throughout the morning, followed by sharp decreases. Toluene/benzene and xylenes/benzene ratios and VOC correlations with nitrogenous and PM species were indicative of local traffic sources. Wind sector comparisons suggested that pollutant levels were lower when winds were from nearby mountains to the east versus winds from northerly or southerly origins.

Implications: The Cache Valley in Idaho and Utah has been designated a PM_2.5 nonattainment area that has been attributed to air pollution buildup during winter stagnation events. To inform state implementation plans for PM_2.5 in Cache Valley and other PM_2.5 nonattainment areas in Utah, a state and multiagency federal research effort known as the UWFPS was conducted in winter 2017. As part of the UWFPS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) measured ground-based PM species and their precursors, VOCs, and meteorology in Logan, Utah. Results reported here from the EPA study in Logan provide additional understanding of wintertime air pollution conditions and possible sources of PM and gaseous pollutants as well as being useful for future PM control strategies in this area.     

Respiratory health assessment and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mexican indigenous population

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Indoor air pollution is an important risk factor for the generation of lung diseases in developing countries. The indigenous population is...     

Inhibition of the antioxidant activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase from Fusarium verticillioides exposed to a Jacquinia macrocarpa antifungal fraction

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of an antifungal fraction obtained from Jacquinia macrocarpa plant (JmAF) in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the activity of the catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes from Fusarium verticillioides, as well as their influence in the viability of the fungus spores. The compounds present in the JmAF were determined by gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/QTOF-MS). The effect of the exposition to JmAF on the generation of ROS, as well as in the CAT and SOD activities in F. verticillioides, was determined. The main compounds detected were γ-sitosterol, stephamiersine, betulinol and oleic acid. JmAF showed very high ability in inhibiting the spore viability of F. verticillioides, and their capacity to cause oxidative stress by induction of ROS production. JmAF induced the highest ROS concentration and also inhibited CAT and SOD activities. The results obtained in this study indicate that JmAF is worthy of being considered for the fight against phytopathogenic fungi.     

Improving Salmonella determination in Sinaloa rivers with ultrafiltration and most probable number methods

Monitoring of waterborne pathogens is improved by using concentration methods prior to detection; however, direct microbial enumeration is desired to study microbial ecology and human health risks. The aim of this work was to determine Salmonella presence in river water with an ultrafiltration system coupled with the ISO 6579:1993 isolation standard method (UFS-ISO). Most probable number (MPN) method was used directly in water samples to estimate Salmonella populations. Additionally, the effect between Salmonella determination and water turbidity was evaluated. Ten liters or three tenfold dilutions (1, 0.1, and 0.01 mL) of water were processed for Salmonella detection and estimation by the UFS-ISO and MPN methods, respectively. A total of 84 water samples were tested, and Salmonella was confirmed in 64/84 (76%) and 38/84 (44%) when UFS-ISO and MPN were used, respectively. Salmonella populations were less than 5 × 10(3) MPN/L in 73/84 of samples evaluated (87%), and only three (3.5%) showed contamination with numbers greater than 4.5 × 10(4) MPN/L. Water turbidity did not affect Salmonella determination regardless of the performed method. These findings suggest that Salmonella abundance in Sinaloa rivers is not a health risk for human infections in spite of its persistence. Thus, choosing the appropriate strategy to study Salmonella in river water samples is necessary to clarify its behavior and transport in the environment.     

Ultrastructural, Morphological, and Antifungal Properties of Micro and Nanoparticles of Chitosan Crosslinked with Sodium Tripolyphosphate

Recent studies have demonstrated the antibacterial effect of micro and nanoparticles of chitosan (CS) crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), and incorporating metallic ions, bringing that the size, shape, and zeta potential are related to the antimicrobial potential. However, there are few studies on the antifungal activity and the effect of TPP on the antimicrobial potential. Micro and nanoparticles were prepared from CS by ionotropic gelation with TPP, and structurally characterized by transmission and scanning electron spectroscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Depending on the concentration of CS and TPP, spherical particles were obtained from 80 nm to 20 μm. Subsequently, particles were evaluated for their antifungal potential against Aspergillus parasiticus assessing radial growth, spore germination, and morphological changes. An increase in the antifungal potential compared with CS in solution was observed, inhibiting the development of the fungus causing clear morphological changes in both, hyphae and spores. Particle size and the availability of functional groups of CS/TPP (amino group and phosphate), suggest a possible synergistic effect between CS and TPP.     

Geographic patterns of natal dispersal in barn swallows <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hirundo rustica</Emphasis> from Denmark and Spain

Dispersal is an important factor that determines the degree of gene flow and, hence, the degree of differentiation among populations. Using two long-term datasets on natal philopatry and short-distance dispersal in barn swallows Hirundo rustica from Denmark and Spain, we evaluated the fitness costs and benefits and test a number of predictions about the functional significance of dispersal. The proportion of philopatric individuals was more than six times larger in Spain than in Denmark, with a higher rate of philopatry in males than in females. Dispersal propensity decreased in both populations during the course of the study. Males from the more philopatric Spanish population lived longer when philopatric rather than dispersing while that was not the case for either sex of the less philopatric Danish population. There were large differences in dispersal propensity among cohorts and breeding sites, suggesting that sites differed in their suitability as sites for immigrants. We found no evidence consistent with the mate competition hypothesis suggesting that males in better condition or with larger condition-dependent secondary sexual characters were more likely to be philopatric. These findings suggest that there is a high degree of intraspecific variation in dispersal propensity between populations, probably relating to local differences in costs and benefits of philopatry and dispersal.     

Food sources of arsenic in pregnant Mediterranean women with high urine concentrations of this metalloid

Seafood consumption provides a significant amount of arsenic, although in its organic, nontoxic forms. Mediterranean populations may incorporate high levels of this metalloid as a consequence of seafood consumption. In the present study, the significance of this input among pregnant women from a Mediterranean city (Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain) is assessed. Total urinary arsenic was analyzed in 489 pairs of urine samples, corresponding to the 12th and 32th weeks of pregnancy. Association of arsenic content with seafood and other dietary items were studied. Geometric mean concentrations were 34 and 37 μg/g creatinine during the first and third trimesters, respectively. The observed concentrations were similar to those reported in studies from other Mediterranean countries. The differences between both periods were not statistically significant. The only dietary factor significantly and positively associated with total urinary arsenic in both series of samples was seafood, particularly lean fish. Moreover, lean fish consumption during both periods was found to be the main determinant for differences in levels of arsenic between the first and third trimesters, which confirms the association between high levels of total urinary arsenic and seafood consumption.