EDDS and EDTA-enhanced zinc accumulation by solanum nigrum inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi grown in contaminated soil

The effect of two different chelating agents [EDTA and EDDS S,S-ethylenediaminedissucinic acid)] on Zn tissue accumulation in Solanum nigrum L. grown in a naturally contaminated soil was assessed. Under those conditions, the response of the plant to the inoculation with two different isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) – Glomus claroideum and Glomus intraradices – was also studied. Plants grown in the local contaminated soil (Zn levels of 433 mg Kgˉ¹1) accumulated up to 1191 mg Kgˉ¹ of Zn in the roots, 3747 mg Kgˉ¹ in the stems and 3409 mg Kgˉ¹ in the leaves. S. nigrum plants grown in the same soil spiked with extra Zn (Zn levels of 964 mg Kgˉ¹) accumulated up to 4735, 8267 and 7948 mg Zn Kgˉ¹ in the leaves, stems and roots, respectively. The addition of EDTA promoted an increase in the concentration of Zn accumulated by S. nigrum of up to 231% in the leaves, 93% in the stems and 81% in the roots, while EDDS application enhanced the accumulation in leaves, stems and roots up to 140, 124 and 104%, respectively. In the stems, the presence of Zn was predominantly detected in the cortex collenchyma cells, the starch sheath and the internal phloem and xylem parenchyma, and the addition of chelating agents did not seem to have an effect on the localisation of accumulation sites. The devise of a chelate-enhanced phytoextraction strategy, using chelating agents and AMF, is discussed

Coping with antidepressants in a changing ocean: behavioural implications in juvenile meagre (Argyrosomus regius) exposed to venlafaxine.

Na publicação: FABIOLA FOGAÇA

Payment for environmental services: a critical review of schemes, concepts, and practice in Brazil.

The Payment for Environmental Services (PES) is often conceived through complex schemes without a clear definition of all concepts involved. This study presents the results of a systematic literature review on PES schemes in Brazil, accompanied by a critical assessment of their efficacy for potential environmental gains. The PES approaches were grouped into six categories based on the research focus, and those that were focused on PES policies were identified as the most studied. A particular emphasis has been given to the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes, where the ecosystem services studied were mostly centered on issues related to carbon and water, respectively. Approximately one-third of all schemes provided no clear definition of which ecosystem services are proposed for payment. In addition, the review showed no consensus among studies on the definition of services in similar schemes. Most schemes presented no payment system conditioned on the provision of environmental services. Furthermore, the review showed that the absence of clarity in the application of concepts may hinder the development of public policies to properly implement PES in Brazil. The conclusion is that standardizing terms used in the literature and in PES schemes is critical; therefore, the use of the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) as a reference is recommended to ensure clarity, objectivity and, more importantly, the expected environmental efficacy