Hazard evaluation of plastic mixtures from four Italian subalpine great lakes on the basis of laboratory exposures of zebra mussels

Studies related to the evaluation of plastics in freshwaters have been increasing in recent years because approximately 80% of plastic items found in the sea are from inland waters. Despite the ecological relevance of these surveys, no information has been available until now about the hazard related to plastic mixtures in freshwaters. To fill this knowledge gap, we carried out a study aimed to assess the environmental risk associated with the \u201ccocktail\u201d of plastics and environmental pollutants adsorbed on their surface in one of the larger European freshwater basins. Plastic debris was collected by a manta trawl along one transect each in four of the Italian subalpine great lakes (Lake Maggiore, Como, Iseo and Garda) and administered to zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), a useful freshwater biological model present in all these lakes. We estimated a plastic density from 4908 MPs/km2 (Lake Iseo) to 272,261 MPs/km2 (Lake Maggiore), while the most common polymers found were polyethylene and polypropylene, with percentages varying between 73% and 100%. A biomarkers suite consisting of 10 different endpoints was performed after 7 days of exposure to investigate the molecular and cellular effects of plastics and related adsorbed pollutants. The main results highlighted a diffuse but different toxicity due to plastics for each lake, and there were significant changes in the antioxidant and detoxifying enzyme activities in Lake Maggiore, Iseo and Garda, an increase in protein carbonylation in L. Como, and a cellular viability decrease of approximately 30% for zebra mussels from L. Iseo and Garda. Despite this variability in the endpoints' responses, the application of the biomarker response index showed a similar environmental hazard due to plastics for all the sampled lakes

Florintesa, a program agreement for the italian botanical gardens and the national floristic heritage.

OUR CLAIM: "The Botanical Gardens are, par excellence, responsible for carrying out the important mission of the conservation of our flora, through specific actions on live plants and their seeds, along with education and outreach aimed at spreading a new environmental culture, more careful and respectful of the essential needs of life, more sensible to the aesthetic and scientific value of the national flora" To overcome the isolation and strengthen their role in our society, the University Botanical Gardens have become promoters of national and European consortiums: examples are the working group "Botanical and Historic Gardens" of the Italian Botanical Society (1) and, on the global level, the Botanic Garden Conservation International (2). Aims and tasks of the Botanical Gardens in the second millennium have been the topic of a thorough debate, with specific references to the provisions of the United Nations Programme for a sustainable development. In particular, the Action Plan for Botanic Gardens in the European Union (3) identifies the following major assets: scientific research, conservation of plant diversity, public advisory services on it, environmental education related to it. To pursue these objectives, initiatives are constantly needed to enhance the visibility of the institutions involved and help them to perform their functions. in this contest was born FLORINTESA FLORINTESA is a program agreement, funded by the Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) with identification code ACPR12_00201, involving as partners ENEA, Plinianum Forum and the Italian Botanical Society, which contributes to bridge the still existing gap between the scientific research, the technical action of conservation and preservation of plant diversity and the public awareness on such themes. The main objectives of the FLORINTESA can be summarized as follows: - Establishing an institutional network service for information and dissemination on the flora of Italy, with reference to the role of Botanical Gardens as centers of research and knowledge on the national flora, as well as on the assessment and conservation of its rarest species,; - Disseminating and publicizing the activities of the University Botanical Gardens for the flora of Italy; - Increasing the visibility of the Italian Botanical Society and of its working group on "Botanical and Historic Gardens"; - Disseminating the achievements and helpful assistance offered by the Botanical Gardens in the implementation of the National Strategy for Biodiversity (4) and the Natura 2000 Network (5), through initiatives such as the Italian Germplasm Banks Network (6), the International Foundation pro Herbario Mediterraneo (7), the pan-Mediterranean Genmeda network (8), the Horti Mediterranei Educational Network (9). The flora of Italy will be the leitmotif of the actions envisaged in FLORINTESA, highlighting the unique role of the University Botanical Gardens and their respective institutions as "engines of knowledge" on the national flora heritage, as "engines of awareness" on the important issue of conservation of flora and habitats, as "engines of passion" for the grateful acknowledgement of the role of plants as primary producers not only of resources in the natural ecosystems, but also of inspiring beauty in the human cultures. The kick-off meeting, open to all members of the Italian Botanical Society, will take place in Rome, at the Auditorium of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, on January 23, 2014

Remote and local monitoring of dissolved and suspended fluorescent organic matter off the Svalbard

Distribution maps of CDOM and algal pigments, both in superficial and deep waters, have been obtained operating a portable dual laser spectrofluorometer and a lidar fluorosensor equipments for the first time during two polish AREX oceanographic campaigns in 2006 and 2007 summertime in the Svalbard area. The different hydrological regimes strongly affected the biological factors in the waters around the Svalbard Islands as monitored during the campaigns with strong regional differentiations between the two years. The occurrence of large phytoplanktonic blooms and patches have been observed in the western area of the Spitsbergen Island coastline due to the nutrient release from pack ice and/or iceberg melting with values of more than 10 µg/l in both campaigns. Different CDOM fractions have been monitored with the remote and local instruments and inverse proportionality with salinity is confirmed along the water column. Phycobilin pigments, as phycoerythrin and phycocyanin accessory algal pigments, have been monitored in the northern area as well as tyrosine and tryptophan protein-like fluorescence distribution. The double filtration, performed with the dual laser spectrofluorometer, allows to retrieve the small fluorescence contribution due to NADPH and carotenoids pigments in the blue fluorescence emission. Successively, the large spectroscopic data base has been critically analyzed with a robust statistic instrument, thus identifying different marine provinces and retrieve distinctive CDOM fractions

bloowater

Supporting tools for the integrated management of drinking water reservoirs contaminated by Cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins. Cyanobacteria, known as blue-green algae, under favourable environmental conditions, can quickly multiply and form blooms in water and release toxic secondary metabolites during their senescence and death. The presence of toxins from Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in drinking water reservoirs may represent serious health risks for the human population. It is necessary to plan effective strategies of risk assessment and management considering all the possible routes of exposure for the human populations. [More](http://www.waterjpi.eu/joint-calls/joint-call-2018-waterworks-2017/booklet/bloowater

A contribution to the trophic ecology of the Adriatic Sturgeon, Acipenser naccarii: Morphological observations on mouth and head sensorial equipment

This study refers to morphological observations carried out on oral structures and head sensorial equipment of juveniles and adult of A. naccarii, taking into account the scarcity of bibliographic data pertaining to such structures in this species. SEM and histological examination were performed on a 9-year-old ( mature male, weight: 9 kg; SL: 108 cm) adult and a 180-day-old juvenile ( weight 10 gr; SL: 14.5 cm), from two different induced reproductions carried out in 1992 and 1997, respectively, at VIP fish farm ( Orzinuovi, Brescia, Italy) and reared at ENEL Thermal Aquaculture experimental plant "La Casella" ( Piacenza, Italy). The morphological and histological results can be interpreted as follows: i) a 180 day-old sturgeon should be considered still a juvenile, as revealed by the presence of some still persisting transitional structures ( e. g. teeth); ii) with the exception of olfaction ( not treated in this study), the most important sense organ in the external rostro-ventral region of the head are the ampullar organs, which are able to perceive electrical stimuli. These organs are similar to those described in Gymnotidae and Mormyridae by Szabo ( 1974) with both ciliated columnar and mono-ciliated pear-shaped sensory cells; iii) the sturgeon scans the surrounding environment in search of signals of the presence of food through the olfactory organ, which is considered to be the system with the greatest effective range ( more than 100 m) in many fish species, including sturgeons. Again, the head lateral line and ampullar organs ensure more precise and closer orientation of the fish towards the source of the signal. The inner and outer taste buds confer on juveniles a differential sensitivity to prey taste. External taste buds play a role in the preliminary determination of the suitability of food, intervening in the decision whether to seize the item or not. The taste receptors in the mouth, which are assumed to be more sensitive and to perceive a wider range of substances than the outer buds, are involved in the final verification of the quality of the prey seized ( swallow or reject it)

Chromium(III) removal fromwastewater by chitosan flakes

Chitosan is very effective in removing metal ions through their adsorption. A preliminary investigation of the adsorption of chromium(III) by chitosan was carried out by means of batch tests as a function of contact time, pH, ion competition, and initial chromium(III) concentration. The rate of adsorption was rather rapid (t1/2 < 18 min) and influenced by the presence of other metal ions. The obtained data were tested using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and, based on R2 values, the former appeared better applicable than the latter. Chitosan was found to have an excellent loading capacity for chromium(III), namely 138.0 mg Cr per g of chitosan at pH = 3.8, but metal ions adsorption was strongly influenced by the pH. About 76% of the recovered chromium was then removed simply by washing the used chitosan with 0.1 M EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) solution. This study demonstrates that chitosan has the potential to become an effective and low-cost agent for wastewater treatment (e.g., tannery waste) and in situ environmental remediation

La scelta delle piante destinate al verde ornamentale tra percezioni e cambiamenti: Anthosart green tool, uno strumento per conoscere, selezionare, adottare le piante della nostra quotidianità secondo criteri sostenibili

The presence and importance of plant life on the planet does not seem to reach our sensory perception, therefore activate reactions of interest, and correct ecological behaviour. The increasing number of extinct species witnesses the human oblivion towards ecosystems. The concept of plant blindness describes the phenomenon that produces significant consequences on nature conservation. Urban green infrastructure, part of our daily life, is the right place to re-connect with plant systems. Designing and creating “built green” by means of nature-based solutions and local species pool is the main goal of Anthosart green tool, a free and user-friendly on-line tool, which can be useful for designers, nurserymen, stakeholder and citizens