Facies characterization of organic-rich mudstones from the Chokier Formation (lower Namurian), south Belgium

In a case study of two wells from the Namur Synclinorium, the black shale-dominated Chokier Formation was analyzed for petrography, mineralogy and organic geochemistry. Thin section petrography revealed a different facies assemblage for each well and a total of six microfacies types. Whole rock mineralogical data largely confirms a facies-dependent mineral composition. All different microfacies types of locality 1 (MFT-1, laminated silty mudstone; MFT-2, laminated mud-clast-rich mudstone; MFT-3, calcareous bioclast-rich mudstone) and locality 2 (MFT-4, lenticular mudstone; MFT-5, burrow-mottled mudstone; MFT-6, burrowed silty laminated mudstone) show ample evidence of a distal shelf environment that is sourced by currents, which may be linked to seasonal (monsoonal) transport of sediment from land to sea. Erosive bedload transport is an important mechanism of sedimentation whereas accumulation by settling from the water column can be excluded for the majority of investigated strata. Frequently, endobenthic activity and other processes after deposition, e.g. winnowing and reworking, caused strong fabric modifications. Various, but simple ichnofabrics prove at least temporary dysoxic conditions as confirmed by relatively low TS/TOC ratios. With regard to sedimentary features, organic geochemistry data hints to organic matter preservation due to rapid burial rather than intense anoxity. Silicification is a widespread diagenetic feature independent from facies and locality. It is most likely linked to a high supply rate of terrestrially dissolved silica as indicated by SEM observations, paleogeographic constraints and sedimentary features

Effecten van het rapen van oesters in de Waddenzee op de benthosgemeenschap en vogelpopulatie

Eind 2009 en begin 2010 zijn er door de Provincie Fryslân een 18-tal vergunningen verleend voor het experimenteel commercieel handmatig rapen van oesters voor een periode van 4 jaar. Omdat oesterrapen een nieuwe activiteit is in de Waddenzee is nog niet bekend of deze activiteit negatieve effecten heeft op Natura 2000 instandhoudingsdoelstellingen. Het gaat dan met name om habitattype H1140-A (Slik- en zandplaten, getijdengebieden) en verschillende vogelsoorten die foerageren op mossel- en oesterbanken

Effecten van garnalenvisserij in Natura 2000 gebieden

De garnalenvisserij is economisch en in aantallen schepen één van de belangrijkste visserijen in Nederland en opereert vooral binnen Natura 2000 gebieden. Voor zowel de Noordzeekustzone als de Waddenzee is er binnen de Natura 2000 wetgeving een verbeterdoelstelling geformuleerd voor Habitattype 1110 (permanent overstroomde zandbanken). Het effect van het garnalentuig op het ecosysteem is echter niet goed bekend. Om in dit kennishiaat te voorzien, is er in de periode 2012-2014 onderzoek uitgevoerd naar een aantal aspecten van de mogelijke effecten van de garnalenvisserij. Enerzijds is de bijvangst in kaart gebracht, anderzijds is experimenteel onderzoek verricht naar de korte termijneffecten van het garnalentuig op de bodemfauna

De ontwikkeling van niet beviste sublitorale mosselbanken 2009 - 2012

In de Nederlandse kustwateren vindt mosselzaadvisserij en mosselkweek plaats. Deze wateren herbergen echter belangrijke natuurwaarden en de meeste wateren zijn derhalve aangewezen als natuurgebied, wat Nederland verplicht om er voor te zorgen dat de natuurwaarden in deze gebieden in stand blijven. Verbetering van de kwaliteit is vooral mogelijk ten aanzien van bodemfauna en de vorming van biogene structuren met mossels (en de daaraan geassocieerde biodiversiteit). Het is in de Waddenzee echter niet goed bekend hoe gesloten (i.e. onbeviste) sublitorale mosselzaadbanken zich ontwikkelen in de tijd en welke specifieke natuurwaarden ze herbergen. Om hier inzicht in te verkrijgen is een monitorprogramma, welke loopt van 2010 t/m 2013, opgesteld waarin gesloten sublitorale mosselbanken gevolgd worden

Application of biostimulant products and biological control agents in sustainable viticulture: A review

Current and continuing climate change in the Anthropocene epoch requires sustainable agricultural practices. Additionally, due to changing consumer preferences, organic approaches to cultivation are gaining popularity. The global market for organic grapes, grape products, and wine is growing. Biostimulant and biocontrol products are often applied in organic vineyards and can reduce the synthetic fertilizer, pesticide, and fungicide requirements of a vineyard. Plant growth promotion following application is also observed under a variety of challenging conditions associated with global warming. This paper reviews different groups of biostimulants and their effects on viticulture, including microorganisms, protein hydrolysates, humic acids, pyrogenic materials, and seaweed extracts. Of special interest are biostimulants with utility in protecting plants against the effects of climate change, including drought and heat stress. While many beneficial effects have been reported following the application of these materials, most studies lack a mechanistic explanation, and important parameters are often undefined (e.g., soil characteristics and nutrient availability). We recommend an increased study of the underlying mechanisms of these products to enable the selection of proper biostimulants, application methods, and dosage in viticulture. A detailed understanding of processes dictating beneficial effects in vineyards following application may allow for biostimulants with increased efficacy, uptake, and sustainability.KJ wishes to acknowledge financial support (3710473400); MS-M thanks to RTI2018-099417-B-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities cofunded with EU FEDER funds); JB wish to acknowledge the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/Brasil (CNPQ process number 309477/2021-2); RO-H is supported by the Ramón y Cajal program from the MICINN (RYC-2017 22032), PAIDI 2020 (Ref. 20_00323), AEI GGOO 2020 (GOPC-CA-20-0001), “José Castillejo” program from the “Ministerio de Universidades” (CAS21/00125) and PID2019-106004RA-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. SM and GT thanks to Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (grant PID2020-114330GB-100). PAIDI2020 from Junta de Andalucía, grant P18-RT-1401 to SM, MD, and GT is also acknowledged. GT acknowledge the support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

Degradation of haloaromatic compounds

An ever increasing number of halogenated organic compounds has been produced by industry in the last few decades. These compounds are employed as biocides, for synthetic polymers, as solvents, and as synthetic intermediates. Production figures are often incomplete, and total production has frequently to be extrapolated from estimates for individual countries. Compounds of this type as a rule are highly persistent against biodegradation and belong, as "recalcitrant" chemicals, to the class of so-called xenobiotics. This term is used to characterise chemical substances which have no or limited structural analogy to natural compounds for which degradation pathways have evolved over billions of years. Xenobiotics frequently have some common features. e.g. high octanol/water partitioning coefficients and low water solubility which makes for a high accumulation ratio in the biosphere (bioaccumulation potential). Recalcitrant compounds therefore are found accumulated in mammals, especially in fat tissue, animal milk supplies and also in human milk. Highly sophisticated analytical techniques have been developed for the detection of organochlorines at the trace and ultratrace level

Biophysical interactions in tropical agroforestry systems

sequential systems, simultaneous systems Abstract. The rate and extent to which biophysical resources are captured and utilized by the components of an agroforestry system are determined by the nature and intensity of interac-tions between the components. The net effect of these interactions is often determined by the influence of the tree component on the other component(s) and/or on the overall system, and is expressed in terms of such quantifiable responses as soil fertility changes, microclimate modification, resource (water, nutrients, and light) availability and utilization, pest and disease incidence, and allelopathy. The paper reviews such manifestations of biophysical interactions in major simultaneous (e.g., hedgerow intercropping and trees on croplands) and sequential (e.g., planted tree fallows) agroforestry systems. In hedgerow intercropping (HI), the hedge/crop interactions are dominated by soil fertility improvement and competition for growth resources. Higher crop yields in HI than in sole cropping are noted mostly in inherently fertile soils in humid and subhumid tropics, and are caused by large fertility improvement relative to the effects of competition. But, yield increases are rare in semiarid tropics and infertile acid soils because fertility improvement does not offse

Facies characterization of organic-rich mudstones from the Chokier Formation (lower Namurian), south Belgium

In a case study of two wells from the Namur Synclinorium, the black shale-dominated Chokier Formation was analyzed for petrography, mineralogy and organic geochemistry. Thin section petrography revealed a different facies assemblage for each well and a total of six microfacies types. Whole rock mineralogical data largely confirms a facies-dependent mineral composition. All different microfacies types of locality 1 (MFT-1, laminated silty mudstone; MFT-2, laminated mud-clast-rich mudstone; MFT-3, calcareous bioclast-rich mudstone) and locality 2 (MFT-4, lenticular mudstone; MFT-5, burrow-mottled mudstone; MFT-6, burrowed silty laminated mudstone) show ample evidence of a distal shelf environment that is sourced by currents, which may be linked to seasonal (monsoonal) transport of sediment from land to sea. Erosive bedload transport is an important mechanism of sedimentation whereas accumulation by settling from the water column can be excluded for the majority of investigated strata. Frequently, endobenthic activity and other processes after deposition, e.g. winnowing and reworking, caused strong fabric modifications. Various, but simple ichnofabrics prove at least temporary dysoxic conditions as confirmed by relatively low TS/TOC ratios. With regard to sedimentary features, organic geochemistry data hints to organic matter preservation due to rapid burial rather than intense anoxity. Silicification is a widespread diagenetic feature independent from facies and locality. It is most likely linked to a high supply rate of terrestrially dissolved silica as indicated by SEM observations, paleogeographic constraints and sedimentary features