WP4 result summary report relevant for "Environmental Best Practice"

This report presents a distillation of the main findings from ECO2 WP4, together with information available from other EU and Nationally funded projects, presented within and specifically for the context of Environmental Best Practice. The information and key messages contained within this deliverable (D4.4) will be directly applied to the project wide “Guidance on Environmental Best Practice” and will form the basis of Chapter 6 “Assessing biological impact of CO2 leakage”. There were 8 key findings that came from the ECO2 research conducted with WP4: - Exposure to elevated levels of CO2 has a negative impact on marine organisms - There is a wide range of CO2 sensitivities across different marine taxa and groups - Care must be taken when predicting species specific response and sensitivity to CO2 for Environmental Risk Assessments - Exposure to elevated levels of CO2 has a negative impact on marine communities, biodiversity and ecosystem processes / functions - The leakage / release of formation water can have a negative impact on marine organisms - Other environmental factors could exacerbate or ameliorate the impact of CCS leakage - Some biological responses may be employed in a programme of Environmental Monitoring - Collecting spatially and temporally referenced biological data is important for creating effective Baseline Survey

Active regulatory T-cells contribute to broadened T-cell repertoire diversity in ivIg-treated SLE patients

Octapharma

Bright spots as climate‐smart marine spatial planning tools for conservation and blue growth

publishedVersio

Nature based solutions for climate change, people and biodiversity

Published ahead of the COP26 climate change conference in November, 202021, Dr Annalisa Savaresi and colleagues explore nature based solutions for climate change, people and biodiversity, in a briefing paper for the COP26 universities network.This briefing is produced in association with the COP26 Universities Network, a growing group of more than 50 UK-based universities and research institutes working together to help deliver an ambitious outcome at the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow and beyond. The briefing represents the views of its authors (listed on page one) and not necessarily that of every University or institution participating in the network. For more information about the COP26 Universities Network, please contact [email protected]

Broadened T-cell Repertoire Diversity in ivIg-treated SLE Patients is Also Related to the Individual Status of Regulatory T-cells

Intravenous IgG (ivIg) is a therapeutic alternative for lupus erythematosus, the mechanism of which remains to be fully understood. Here we investigated whether ivIg affects two established sub-phenotypes of SLE, namely relative oligoclonality of circulating T-cells and reduced activity of CD4 + Foxp3+ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) reflected by lower CD25 surface density.Octapharma research funding; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia postdoctoral fellowships: (SFRH/BPD/20806/2004, SFRH/BPD/34648/2007); FCT Programa Pessoa travel grant

Benthic fauna contribute to microplastic sequestration in coastal sediments

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the marine environment, however, the mechanisms governing their uptake by, and burial within, seabed habitats are poorly understood. In this study, microplastic burial and its impact on fauna-mediated sedimentary processes was quantified at three coastal sites, and the potential contribution of burrowing faunal communities to this process assessed via functional trait diversity analysis of field data. In addition, laboratory exposures were used to assess whether sediment-processing undertaken by the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis, a key species in the sampled area, could explain the burial of microplastic fibres. Field observations confirmed broad-scale burial of microplastics across the coastal seabed, consistent across sites and seasons, with microplastic sequestration linked to benthic-pelagic exchange pathways, driven by burrowing fauna. Brittlestars were observed to bury and line their burrow walls with microfibres during experiments, and their burial activity was also modified following exposure to nylon fibres, relative to controls. Collectively, these results indicate that biodiverse and functionally important seabed habitats act as microplastic sinks, with burrowing fauna contributing to this process via well-known benthic-pelagic pathways, the rates of which are modified by plastic exposure.Peer reviewe

Valuable Nutrients from Ulva rigida: Modulation by Seasonal and Cultivation Factors

Ulva macroalgae species are recognized to be an underexploited source of key nutrients, including proteins, fibers and minerals. The present work evaluated the nutritional value protein, ash, mineral composition, fat, fatty acid profile and dietary fiber of the green macroalgae Ulva rigida produced in an open land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system, over four seasons. Overall, protein and fat content of the farmed algae ranged between 7.6 and 25.8% DW and between 0.2 and 1.3% DW, respectively, reaching the highest levels during autumn/winter seasons. In turn, total dietary fiber and ashes showed a contrary seasonal tendency, reaching maximum levels in spring (40.9-58.3% DW and 25.5-38.8% DW, respectively). Notably, the latter were particularly characterized by their richness in potassium, magnesium and iron, and a sodium/potassium ratio bellow 1.7. Variable cultivation conditions of stocking density (Sd) and flow rate (Fr) were also tested, allowing to confirm that manipulation of cultivation conditions in an IMTA system may help to improve the nutritional value of this macroalga and to boost its market value through its use as a functional food ingredient

Polyhydroxyalkanoates-accumulating bacteria isolated from activated sludge acclimatized to hardwood sulphite spent liquor

This work aimed to isolate and characterize organisms able to store polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), from a mixed microbial culture (MMC) selected under feast and famine conditions, using hardwood sulfite spent liquor (HSSL), a by-product of the pulp and paper industry, as the carbon source. The MMC was able to accumulate PHA from the different HSSL carbon components (acetic acid, xylose and lignosulfonates) with a PHA storage content during the reactor operation of 54.2 +/- 10.6 % PHB. In order to clarify the MMC composition, isolation was performed from the MMC, using HSSL or its main components. Three isolates were identified: Rhodococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Klebsiella spp. All isolates were able to grow and accumulate PHAs in harsh conditions of HSSL using xylose, the second most abundant sugar in nature. Rhodococcus and Pseudomonas isolates were able to accumulate a homopolymer PHB, whereas Klebsiella accumulated the copolymer P(HB-co-HV), with a composition of 96 % HB and 4 % HV. 16S rDNA clonal analysis was performed to identify the unculturable fraction of the MMC, and members of Novosphingobium spp., Sphingobium spp. and Pleomorphomonas spp., were found to be related to PHA production. The capability of the isolated bacteria to simultaneously consume xylose and accumulate PHAs offers a possibility for further studies and routes for the valorization of xylose-rich by-products