Potencial uso de Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) como indicador biológico de calidad del agua en un estuario templado de Sudamérica

The potential use of Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) as a biological indicator of water quality in a temperate estuary of South America Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) is a euryhaline tanaidacean distributed worldwide and recorded in the freshwater zone of the Río de la Plata estuary. Despite the vast bibliography on this species, its sensitivity to pollution has never been assessed. This study was conducted in the coastal freshwater tidal zone of the Río de la Plata estuary, encompassing approximately 170 km of Argentine shoreline subjected to different types of anthropogenic disturbance. Benthic samples were taken seasonally in triplicate in vegetated zones, along with 19 sampling sites from 2005 to 2010. To explore the main environmental gradients within the study area, a principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted. For the interpretation of the most relevant variables, the axis defined by PCA was followed by a varimax-normalised rotation. The ecological optima and tolerance limits of S. stanfordi were calculated for each environmental variable analysed. The multivariate analysis suggested that most of the variations within the study area could be related to the impact of anthropogenic pollution as well as the natural dynamics of the estuary. The abundance of the species was significantly lower in sites with high levels of nutrients and oxygen demands, exhibiting a negative correlation with soluble reactive phosphorous concentrations and a positive correlation with oxygen levels. Turbidity and conductivity did not represent limiting variables for the distribution of this tanaid. This study constitutes the first approach to assess the effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the populations of this crustacean and contributes to the knowledge of tanaidacean ecology. The low species abundance in the most polluted sites would suggest that S. stanfordi could be useful in biomonitoring studies in the Rio de la Plata estuary as well as other temperate estuarine systems.Potencial uso de Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) como indicador biológico de calidad del agua en un estuario templado de Sudamérica Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) es un tanaidáceo eurihalino distribuido mundialmente y registrado en el sector de agua dulce del estuario del Río de la Plata. A pesar de la vasta bibliografía disponible sobre esta especie, su sensibilidad a la contaminación no ha sido evaluada anteriormente. Este estudio se llevó a cabo en la zona intermareal de la porción dulceacuícola del estuario del Río de La Plata, abarcando aproximadamente 170 km de la costa argentina sometida a diferentes tipos de perturbaciones antropogénicas. Las muestras bentónicas fueron tomadas estacionalmente por triplicado en la zona vegetada, a lo largo de 19 sitios de muestreo entre 2005-2010. Con el objeto de explorar los gradientes ambientales dentro de esta área, se realizó un Análisis de Componentes Principales (PCA). Para la interpretación de las variables más relevantes, los ejes definidos por el PCA fueron sometidos a una “varimax-rotation” normalizada. Se analizaron los óptimos ecológicos y límites de tolerancia de S. stanfordi para cada variable ambiental. El análisis multivariado sugirió que la mayor parte de la variación en el área de estudio se debe tanto al impacto de la contaminación antrópica como a la dinámica natural del estuario. La abundancia de la especie fue significativamente menor en los sitios con alto contenido de nutrientes y demandas de oxígeno, exhibiendo una correlación negativa con el contenido de fosforo disuelto y una correlación positiva con los niveles de oxígeno. La conductividad y la turbidez del agua no representaron variables limitantes en la distribución de esta especie. Este estudio constituye el primer aporte para la evaluación de los efectos de los disturbios antropogénicos sobre las poblaciones de este crustáceo y contribuye al conocimiento de la ecología de los tanaidáceos. Las bajas abundancias de la especie registradas en los sitios más contaminados sugerirían que S. stanfordi podría ser útil en estudios de biomonitoreo en el estuario del Río de La Plata como así también en otros sistemas estuarinos templados.Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet

Ecological Monitoring Perspectives from Biotesting of Surface Waters: A Study of Pavlovsk Reservoir (Bashkortostan, Russia)

The cost of environmental analysis is becoming astronomically high at the global scale. One of the major trends in the respective research activities is the development of biotesting methods. Such methods, in addition to ecotoxicology, are highly demanded for environmental monitoring and ecological standardization. The development of biotesting in toxicology, however, is limited to the “battery of tests” paradigm, while environmental monitoring and ecological standardization are based on the “uniformity of measurements” paradigm. A “reference bioindicator” is proposed to harmonize these approaches. A reference bioindicator serves for comparison of data obtained by different bioindicators. This method was approved for the state environmental control. Application of reference bioindicators makes analytical procedure substantially cheaper. It requires, however, thorough calibration in relation to specific environmental factors (such as temperature, photoperiod etc.) as well as to specific active agents and their combinations. This problem can be solved with the start-up of calibrating analytical centers and long-term study of the effects of spatiotemporal environmental factors in specific areas and for specific reference objects. This paper demonstrates long-term study results for the surface waters of Pavlovsk reservoir (Bashkortostan, Russia)

Genotoxic Biomarkers in Fishes of the Chapada Das Mesas National Park, Brazil

Genotoxic and hematological parameters in Hypostomus pusarum and Mylossoma duriventre were used as biomarkers to assess the exposure to environmental stressors within the Chapada das Mesas National Park (PNCM). Fishes were sampled at two sites in PNCM: São Romão and Prata Waterfall. Biometric data (length and weight) were recorded, and blood was collected from all fishes for analysis. The abiotic variables were measured in each region: pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen. A drop of blood from each fish was placed on two microscope slides and smeared. The slides were left to dry at room temperature for 24 h and then fixed in absolute ethanol for 30 min. Means and standard deviations (SDs) of the biometric data of H. pusarum showed length and total weight bigger than M. duriventre. Nuclear morphological changes (NMAs) were identified in the two sampled species for the two collection points. Among the NMAs found, binucleated nucleus (BN), vacuolated nucleus (VC) and micronucleus (MN) were also found in both species; however, in M. duriventre, the frequency of MN and NMA was higher than H. pusarum. The presented data show that methodologies based on biomarkers will be used in the future park management programs

Potencial uso de Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) como indicador biológico de calidad del agua en un estuario templado de Sudamérica

The potential use of Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) as a biological indicator of water quality in a temperate estuary of South America Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) is a euryhaline tanaidacean distributed worldwide and recorded in the freshwater zone of the Río de la Plata estuary. Despite the vast bibliography on this species, its sensitivity to pollution has never been assessed. This study was conducted in the coastal freshwater tidal zone of the Río de la Plata estuary, encompassing approximately 170 km of Argentine shoreline subjected to different types of anthropogenic disturbance. Benthic samples were taken seasonally in triplicate in vegetated zones, along with 19 sampling sites from 2005 to 2010. To explore the main environmental gradients within the study area, a principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted. For the interpretation of the most relevant variables, the axis defined by PCA was followed by a varimax-normalised rotation. The ecological optima and tolerance limits of S. stanfordi were calculated for each environmental variable analysed. The multivariate analysis suggested that most of the variations within the study area could be related to the impact of anthropogenic pollution as well as the natural dynamics of the estuary. The abundance of the species was significantly lower in sites with high levels of nutrients and oxygen demands, exhibiting a negative correlation with soluble reactive phosphorous concentrations and a positive correlation with oxygen levels. Turbidity and conductivity did not represent limiting variables for the distribution of this tanaid. This study constitutes the first approach to assess the effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the populations of this crustacean and contributes to the knowledge of tanaidacean ecology. The low species abundance in the most polluted sites would suggest that S. stanfordi could be useful in biomonitoring studies in the Rio de la Plata estuary as well as other temperate estuarine systems.Potencial uso de Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) como indicador biológico de calidad del agua en un estuario templado de Sudamérica Sinelobus stanfordi (Richardson, 1901) es un tanaidáceo eurihalino distribuido mundialmente y registrado en el sector de agua dulce del estuario del Río de la Plata. A pesar de la vasta bibliografía disponible sobre esta especie, su sensibilidad a la contaminación no ha sido evaluada anteriormente. Este estudio se llevó a cabo en la zona intermareal de la porción dulceacuícola del estuario del Río de La Plata, abarcando aproximadamente 170 km de la costa argentina sometida a diferentes tipos de perturbaciones antropogénicas. Las muestras bentónicas fueron tomadas estacionalmente por triplicado en la zona vegetada, a lo largo de 19 sitios de muestreo entre 2005-2010. Con el objeto de explorar los gradientes ambientales dentro de esta área, se realizó un Análisis de Componentes Principales (PCA). Para la interpretación de las variables más relevantes, los ejes definidos por el PCA fueron sometidos a una “varimax-rotation” normalizada. Se analizaron los óptimos ecológicos y límites de tolerancia de S. stanfordi para cada variable ambiental. El análisis multivariado sugirió que la mayor parte de la variación en el área de estudio se debe tanto al impacto de la contaminación antrópica como a la dinámica natural del estuario. La abundancia de la especie fue significativamente menor en los sitios con alto contenido de nutrientes y demandas de oxígeno, exhibiendo una correlación negativa con el contenido de fosforo disuelto y una correlación positiva con los niveles de oxígeno. La conductividad y la turbidez del agua no representaron variables limitantes en la distribución de esta especie. Este estudio constituye el primer aporte para la evaluación de los efectos de los disturbios antropogénicos sobre las poblaciones de este crustáceo y contribuye al conocimiento de la ecología de los tanaidáceos. Las bajas abundancias de la especie registradas en los sitios más contaminados sugerirían que S. stanfordi podría ser útil en estudios de biomonitoreo en el estuario del Río de La Plata como así también en otros sistemas estuarinos templados.Fil: Ambrosio, Eugenia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología ; ArgentinaFil: Ferreira, Ana Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología ; ArgentinaFil: Rodrigues Capitulo, Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología ; Argentin

Assessment of Bryophyte Communities Along the Waccamaw River, SC

The focus of this study was to determine the bryophyte communities present along the Waccamaw River, South Carolina and determine if there are any environmental constraints affecting bryophyte diversity. Another aspect of this study was to determine if bryophyte communities are bioindicators for dissolved inorganic nutrients in the Waccamaw River. A total of 1050 bryophyte specimens were collected over the course of the study. Twelve genera were identified and consisted of thirteen moss species and one liverwort species. The bryophyte species were collected at seven sites along the Waccamw River in a nested sampling design which assessed the bryophytes growing on trees, knees, and benthic zone (river bottom). The specimens were then taken to the lab and washed of any debris and epiphytes. Afterwards they were sorted by species based on leaf morphology. Then they were weighed for an initial wet weight and placed in a drying oven for 48 to 72 hours at 77◦ C. Then they were weighed again to get a dry weight which was used to determine the biomass of the species. Water samples were collected at the seven sites to determine the variability of the water chemistry along the Waccamaw River. These samples were sent to the Agricultural Service Laboratory at Clemson University and were tested for the following variables: calculated dissolved salts, calculated sodium absorption ratio, calcium, carbonate, chloride, copper, bicarbonate, boron, electrical conductivity, iron, nitrate nitrogen, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, total dissolved solids, zinc. A YSI 85 instrument was used to determine the salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and oxygen concentration in the field. Bryophytes can store nutrients in their tissues at a higher rate than those found in their surrounding environment. Therefore, samples of two commonly found bryophytes (Fontinalis sullivantii and Calypogeia muelleriana) were sent to the Agricultural Service Laboratory at Clemson University and analyzed for the following variables: phosphorus, potassium, total nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, iron, sulfur, and sodium. These samples were not replicated and used to determine the variability of the nutrients in the bryophytes species along the Waccamaw River. Bryophytes were found on trees in 33 plots, on knees in 33 subplots, and on benthic substrate in 23 quadrats. Benthic samples yielded the highest biomass per m2 of river bottom while the biomass of bryophytes growing on trees yielded the lowest biomass (g/m2). Total bryophyte biomass was highest at the Conway site and lowest at the Sandy Island. Fontinalis sullivantii and Calypogeia muelleriana yielded the highest biomass and the common species according to presence/absence data were Brachythecium acuminatum, Calypogeia muelleriana, Fontinalis sullivantii and Fissidens fontanus. The water physicochemical parameters and elemental composition of plant tissue samples showed little variability among sites, however, total dissolved solids and total bryophyte biomass were significantly correlated. The bryophyte communities were not correlated with any environmental variables and therefore are not bioindicators of ecosystem health for the Waccamaw River, SC. However, they do provide valuable information about the ecological integrity of the Waccamaw River and potentially other blackwater river systems

Effects of Land Use and Pollution Loadings on Ecotoxicological Assays and Bacterial Taxonomical Diversity in Constructed Wetlands

Freshwater ecosystems are affected by anthropogenic alterations. Different studies have extensively studied the concentrations of metals, nutrients, and water quality as measurements of pollution in freshwater ecosystems. However, few studies have been able to link these pollutants to bioindicators as a risk assessment tool. This study aimed to examine the potential of two bioindicators, plant ecotoxicological assays and sediment bacterial taxonomic diversity, in ecological risk assessment for six freshwater constructed wetlands in a rapidly urbanizing watershed with diverse land uses. Sediment samples were collected summer, 2015 and 2017, and late summer and early fall in 2016 to conduct plant ecotoxicological assays based on plant (Lepidium, Sinapis and Sorghum) growth inhibition and identify bacterial taxonomical diversity by the 16S rRNA gene sequences. Concentrations of metals such as lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) (using XRF), and nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate (using HACH DR 2800TM spectrophotometer) were measured in sediment and water samples respectively. Analyses of response patterns revealed that plant and bacterial bioindicators were highly responsive to variation in the concentrations of these pollutants. Hence, this opens up the scope of using these bioindicators for ecological risk assessment in constructed freshwater wetland ecosystems within urbanizing watershed

Assessment of Bryophyte Communities Along the Waccamaw River, SC

The focus of this study was to determine the bryophyte communities present along the Waccamaw River, South Carolina and determine if there are any environmental constraints affecting bryophyte diversity. Another aspect of this study was to determine if bryophyte communities are bioindicators for dissolved inorganic nutrients in the Waccamaw River. A total of 1050 bryophyte specimens were collected over the course of the study. Twelve genera were identified and consisted of thirteen moss species and one liverwort species. The bryophyte species were collected at seven sites along the Waccamw River in a nested sampling design which assessed the bryophytes growing on trees, knees, and benthic zone (river bottom). The specimens were then taken to the lab and washed of any debris and epiphytes. Afterwards they were sorted by species based on leaf morphology. Then they were weighed for an initial wet weight and placed in a drying oven for 48 to 72 hours at 77◦ C. Then they were weighed again to get a dry weight which was used to determine the biomass of the species. Water samples were collected at the seven sites to determine the variability of the water chemistry along the Waccamaw River. These samples were sent to the Agricultural Service Laboratory at Clemson University and were tested for the following variables: calculated dissolved salts, calculated sodium absorption ratio, calcium, carbonate, chloride, copper, bicarbonate, boron, electrical conductivity, iron, nitrate nitrogen, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, total dissolved solids, zinc. A YSI 85 instrument was used to determine the salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and oxygen concentration in the field. Bryophytes can store nutrients in their tissues at a higher rate than those found in their surrounding environment. Therefore, samples of two commonly found bryophytes (Fontinalis sullivantii and Calypogeia muelleriana) were sent to the Agricultural Service Laboratory at Clemson University and analyzed for the following variables: phosphorus, potassium, total nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, iron, sulfur, and sodium. These samples were not replicated and used to determine the variability of the nutrients in the bryophytes species along the Waccamaw River. Bryophytes were found on trees in 33 plots, on knees in 33 subplots, and on benthic substrate in 23 quadrats. Benthic samples yielded the highest biomass per m2 of river bottom while the biomass of bryophytes growing on trees yielded the lowest biomass (g/m2). Total bryophyte biomass was highest at the Conway site and lowest at the Sandy Island. Fontinalis sullivantii and Calypogeia muelleriana yielded the highest biomass and the common species according to presence/absence data were Brachythecium acuminatum, Calypogeia muelleriana, Fontinalis sullivantii and Fissidens fontanus. The water physicochemical parameters and elemental composition of plant tissue samples showed little variability among sites, however, total dissolved solids and total bryophyte biomass were significantly correlated. The bryophyte communities were not correlated with any environmental variables and therefore are not bioindicators of ecosystem health for the Waccamaw River, SC. However, they do provide valuable information about the ecological integrity of the Waccamaw River and potentially other blackwater river systems