Modifications in the structure of the lichen Cladonia thallus in the aftermath of habitat contamination and implications for its heavy-metal accumulation capacity

Phenotypic traits of lichens can be greatly modified by environmental factors. Granulose thalli on soil and podetia, densely covered with granules, referring to common and widespread lichen Cladonia cervicornis subsp. verticillata were found near zinc smelter. The granules are stratified, filled with fungal medulla and heavily encrusted with calcium oxalate weddellite crystals, not observed on regularly developed thalli of the species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that deformed granulose forms belong to this taxon, showing that the phenotypic plasticity of the lichens of Cladonia can lead to the emergence of features that do not coincide with the taxonomic definition of the species. The heavy-metal accumulation capacity of both granulose and regular form of primary and secondary lichen thallus, in relation to the element content in corresponding substrate, was determined. Granulose-modified thalli accumulate greater amounts of heavy metals than regular ones, meaning that the bioaccumulation property of a given species may be greatly affected by morphological modifications. The granulose forms are also characterised by considerably higher ratios of Cd, Pb and As concentrations in lichen samples in relation to the corresponding substrates than regular ones. This means that collection of variously formed thalli should be avoided in biomonitoring sampling procedures. The results indicate that a substantial part of the element load, in particular zinc, in the examined lichen thalli collected near the smelter originates from atmospheric fallout

Factors and mechanisms affecting seasonal changes in the prevalence of microbiological indicators of water quality and nutrient concentrations in waters of the Białka river catchment, Southern Poland

This 3-year study was aimed to understand the factors and mechanisms that cause the temporal changes in the concentration of microbiological indicators of water quality and nutrient concentration in selected sites of the Białka river catchment (southern Poland) situated in direct vicinity of the largest ski station in the region. The analysis comprised 35 sampling campaigns conducted in five sites. Water temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity were measured during sampling, laboratory analyses included determination of the selected nutrients content (NH4, NO3, NO2, PO4); and the number of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria, coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli. Based on the cluster analysis, the collected samples were grouped into three to four groups, depending on the most characteristic features. Seasonal variation was evident, showing the predominance of either anthropogenic or natural-environment factors, depending on the considered season. On the other hand, principal component analysis revealed clear effect of various forms of land use in different sites

The effect of a Sewage Treatment Plant modernization on changes in the microbiological and physicochemical quality of water in the receiver

Due to insufficient operation efficiency, the studied treatment plant has undergone modernization. The aim of this study was to assess whether this modernization improved quality of the STP effluent and water quality in the receiver. The research period of fifty months covered time before and after the modernization. Samples were collected in four sites – upstream and downstream of the STP and by the sewage discharge. Electrolytic conductivity, water temperature and pH were measured onsite. Chemical analyzes were based on ion chromatography and determined the concentration of NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, PO43-, TDS. Microbiological analysis comprised serial dilutions to assess the number of mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria and membrane filtration to enumerate E. faecalis, total and fecal coliforms as well as total and fecal E. coli. Values of most analyzed parameters did not improve after the modernization, or improved for a very short period of time (NH4+), while some of them even increased, such as PO43-, total and thermotolerant coliforms and E. coli. The maximum value of thermotolerant E. coli reached nearly 7 million CFU/100 ml and was observed after modernization. Also at the sites situated downstream of the STP some of analyzed parameters increased. The conducted modernization did not improve the quality of treated sewage and even a further deterioration was observed. It could have been a result of rapidly growing number of tourists visiting the studied area, thus generating large amounts of sewage causing STP overload coupled with poor water and wastewater management. Significant percentage of unregistered tourists hinders proper assessment of the STP target efficiency.Z powodu niewystarczającej efektywności, badana oczyszczalnia ścieków została poddana modernizacji, a celem badań była ocena czy modernizacja ta poprawiła jakość ścieków wypływających z oczyszczalni i jakość wody w odbiorniku. Okres badań (50 miesięcy) objął czas przed i po modernizacji. Próbki pobrano w czterech punktach – przed i za oczyszczalnią oraz przy zrzucie ścieków. Przewodnictwo elektrolityczne, temperaturę i pH wody mierzono na miejscu. Analizy chemiczne oparto na chromatografii jonowej i oznaczono stężenia NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, PO43-, TDS. Analizy mikrobiologiczne obejmowały oznaczenie liczby bakterii mezofilnych i psychrofilnych techniką seryjnych rozcieńczeń oraz filtrację membranową w celu oznaczenia liczebności E. faecalis, bakterii grupy coli i E. coli całkowitych i kałowych. Wartości większości badanych parametrów nie uległy poprawie po modernizacji lub poprawiły się na bardzo krótki okres (NH4+), natomiast wartości niektórych wzrosły, np. PO43-, bakterii grupy coli i E. coli. Maksymalną liczebność termotolerancyjnych E. coli – niemal 7 milionów jtk/100 ml – stwierdzono w okresie po modernizacji. Również w punktach położonych za oczyszczalnią nastąpił wzrost niektórych analizowanych parametrów. Przeprowadzona modernizacja nie poprawiła jakości mikrobiologicznej oczyszczanych ścieków, a nawet stwierdzono dalsze jej pogorszenie. Może być to wynikiem gwałtownie rosnącej liczby turystów odwiedzających badany region, generujących ogromne ilości ścieków powodujących przeciążenie oczyszczalni, a także może być spowodowane słabą gospodarką wodno-ściekową. Znaczny odsetek turystów, których pobyt nie jest rejestrowany, utrudnia właściwe zaprojektowanie docelowej skuteczności oczyszczalni ścieków

High intraspecific genetic and morphological variation in the pioneer lichen Cladonia rei colonising slag dumps

This study investigates the genetic and morphological variability of the lichen Cladonia rei inhabiting strongly contaminated postsmelting slag dumps in southern Poland. Altogether, 27 C. rei samples were analysed, including 17 from a single population in one dump. The phylogenetic analysis includes samples of C. rei, outgroup species, and external sequences of Cladonia section representatives from GenBank. Comparative analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences revealed the presence of 19 C. rei haplotypes overall, including several of the most frequent, of which 11 are represented by single individuals only. As many as 12 haplotypes were recorded within a single population. Three strongly supported monophyletic clades comprised of specimens from different geographical regions were recovered. Morphometric analysis showed great phenotypic variability within particular clades. Apart from a full range of previously known morphological forms of the species, an additional specific morphotype was recognised in the dumps; however, its representatives do not create a monophyletic group. High genetic variability within a single population suggests that C. rei has a great potential for colonising anthropogenic habitats. This attribute emphasises the role of this lichen as an essential pioneer in the early stages of natural regeneration of such sites

A widespread peroxiredoxin-like domain present in tumor suppression- and progression-implicated proteins

Background Peroxide turnover and signalling are involved in many biological phenomena relevant to human diseases. Yet, all the players and mechanisms involved in peroxide perception are not known. Elucidating very remote evolutionary relationships between proteins is an approach that allows the discovery of novel protein functions. Here, we start with three human proteins, SRPX, SRPX2 and CCDC80, involved in tumor suppression and progression, which possess a conserved region of similarity. Structure and function prediction allowed the definition of P-DUDES, a phylogenetically widespread, possibly ancient protein structural domain, common to vertebrates and many bacterial species. Results We show, using bioinformatics approaches, that the P-DUDES domain, surprisingly, adopts the thioredoxin-like (Thx-like) fold. A tentative, more detailed prediction of function is made, namely, that of a 2-Cys peroxiredoxin. Incidentally, consistent overexpression of all three human P-DUDES genes in two public glioblastoma microarray gene expression datasets was discovered. This finding is discussed in the context of the tumor suppressor role that has been ascribed to P-DUDES proteins in several studies. Majority of non-redundant P-DUDES proteins are found in marine metagenome, and among the bacterial species possessing this domain a trend for a higher proportion of aquatic species is observed. Conclusions The new protein structural domain, now with a broad enzymatic function predicted, may become a drug target once its detailed molecular mechanism of action is understood in detail

Intraspecific molecular variation of Allium ursinum (Amaryllidaceae) across the border of two subspecies distribution ranges

The study investigates the genetic differentiation among two subspecies of Allium ursinumL., namely A. ursinumsubsp. ursinumand subsp. ucrainicumas well as their putative hybrid that is represented by individuals withintermediate morphology. Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) were applied to determine the status of inter-mediate morphotypes in terms of their genetic pattern and to assess the level of genetic variability within andbetween various populations of A. ursinum. The study comprises 144 specimens from nine populations alongthe east-west transect in Poland, which includes localities of both subspecies and their putative hybrid. Amongthe examined populations, 48 bands were amplified, of which 45 were found to be polymorphic. The principalcoordinate analysis (PCoA), the neighbour-net analysis and Mantel test showed a strong correlation betweengenetic variability and geographic distance. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that a greater pro-portion of total genetic variation resided within populations rather than among them. The Structure Bayesianclustering analysis revealed the presence of three distinct genetic groups within studied populations, where 'east-ern' genotypes correspond to A. ursinumsubsp. ucrainicum, and 'western' to subsp. ursinum; whereas the thirdgenetic group has the largest share in the individuals occurring at the border of the distribution ranges of bothsubspecies. The emergence of the third genetic group is probably an effect of hybridization events occurring with-in the secondary contact zone. Typical morphologically intermediate populations occur only in a relatively nar-row geographical zone, but the hybrid zone revealed by molecular markers is actually much wider than it is sug-gested by the morphological pattern of individuals. The current distribution pattern of both subspecies of A. ursinumand their hybrid zone is related to the two main directions of postglacial migration of Fagus syl-vaticato the area of Poland. The hybrid zone arose as an effect of the secondary contact of two divergent line-ages of A. ursinum

Poziom rozwoju mowy czynnej i biernej dzieci w wieku wczesnoszkolnym

The aim of the presented research was to assess the level of language development of early school age children in two aspects: language production and comprehension. For this purpose, 458 children from five Subcarpathian schools were examined. The Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS) test module and the Language Development Test (Test Rozwoju Językowego, TRJ) subtests were used in the study. The child’s gender, place of living and class were assumed to influence the level of development of language production and comprehension. Research results indicate a relatively large number of children with a low score in both language production and comprehension, as well as slightly better language skills of girls compared to boys. In addition, there is a need for checking the language development of children also at subsequent levels of education to identify those with difficulties in this area and implement proper support.Celem prezentowanych badań była ocena poziomu rozwoju językowego dzieci w wieku wczesnoszkolnym w obszarze mowy czynnej i biernej. W tym celu przebadano 458 dzieci z pięciu podkarpackich szkół. Do badań wykorzystano moduł testu IDS Skale Inteligencji i Rozwoju dla Dzieci w wieku 5–10 lat oraz podtesty Testu Rozwoju Językowego (TRJ). Założono, że płeć dziecka, miejsce zamieszkania oraz klasa, do której uczęszcza dziecko mogą wpływać na poziom rozwoju słownictwa czynnego i biernego. Rezultaty badań wskazują na stosunkowo dużą liczbę dzieci uzyskujących wyniki niskie, zarówno w odniesieniu do poziomu rozwoju mowy czynnej, jak i biernej, a także nieznacznie lepsze zdolności językowe dziewczynek w porównaniu do chłopców. Ponadto istnieje konieczność monitorowania poziomu rozwoju językowego dzieci także na późniejszych etapach edukacji w celu zidentyfikowania dzieci z trudnościami w tym obszarze oraz wdrożenia odpowiedniego wsparcia

Diurnal variation in the selected indicators of water contamination in the Białka river affected by a sewage treatment plant discharge

This study was aimed to assess the diurnal variability in the number of microbial indicators of water quality and the content of the selected main ions at 3 sites located on Białka river, Podhale. The examined sites included the stream being a receiver of sewage from the treatment plant, before the treatment plant and few kilometers downstream of the sewage discharge - at the water intake for artificial snowing of the largest ski station in the region. Twelve series of samples were collected over 36 hours period. Temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen were measured onsite, microbiological analyses included the numbers of mesophilic bacteria, fecal Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, chemical analyses determined the concentration of main ions. E. faecalis was not detected in this study, while the concentration of mesophilic bacteria and E. coli varied largely between sites and hours of sampling. The smallest content of microorganisms was observed before the treatment plant and significantly increased at the sewage discharge. It was found that the cycle of the sewage treatment plant operation affects microbial contamination of water both in the stream which receives effluent from the treatment plant and in the downstream part of the river