Influence of fissuring and karstification of the carbonate aquifer unsaturated zone on its vulnerability to contamination (Cracow Upper Jurassic Region, Poland)

The carbonate fissure–karstic aquifer of Upper Jurassic age is the main aquifer in the Cracow Upper Jurassic Region (CUJR). The aquifer is recharged directly or indirectly by Quaternary or Quaternary–Cretaceous overburden of varying permeability, which predominates diffused recharge. Concentrated recharge occurs locally and has a diverse nature. Field studies carried out in 20 quarries show moderate permeability of the unsaturated zone of carbonate massif. Karst funnels are filled with rubble and clay material and dominate filled fissures with an opening b < 10 mm. The average surface fissure porosity of massive with chalky limestones and bedded limestones reach 0.12 and 0.45 %, respectively, while fissure permeability coefficient is, respectively, k S 6.60 × 10−5 and 1.27 × 10−3 m/s. The average karstification in quarries was determined as n k = 2.5 %. Tracer studies, carried out in an unconfined carbonate Zakrzówek horst in Cracow (Kraków), document vertical migration of infiltrating water through the systems with different hydraulic resistance, with a flow rate from 8.1 × 10−6 to 4.9 × 10−5 m/s and the lateral migration velocity between communicated caves from 6.94 × 10−6 to 1.06 × 10−4 m/s. The significant presence of poorly permeable overburden and moderate fissuring and karstification of rock in the unsaturated zone of CUJR are reflected in the assessment of the Upper Jurassic aquifer vulnerability to contamination, performed by a modified DRASTIC method. In the area of unconfined karst, occupying 55 % of the area, vulnerability to contamination is high, while as much as 45 % of the area is characterized by medium and low vulnerability

Interspecific transfer of parasites following a range-shift in Ficedula flycatchers

Human‐induced climate change is expected to cause major biotic changes in species distributions and thereby including escalation of novel host‐parasite associations. Closely related host species that come into secondary contact are especially likely to exchange parasites and pathogens. Both the Enemy Release Hypothesis (where invading hosts escape their original parasites) and the Novel Weapon Hypothesis (where invading hosts bring new parasites that have detrimental effects on native hosts) predict that the local host will be most likely to experience a disadvantage. However, few studies evaluate the occurrence of interspecific parasite transfer by performing wide‐scale geographic sampling of pathogen lineages, both within and far from host contact zones. In this study, we investigate how haemosporidian (avian malaria) prevalence and lineage diversity vary in two, closely related species of passerine birds; the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca and the collared flycatcher F. albicollis in both allopatry and sympatry. We find that host species is generally a better predictor of parasite diversity than location, but both prevalence and diversity of parasites vary widely among populations of the same bird species. We also find a limited and unidirectional transfer of parasites from pied flycatchers to collared flycatchers in a recent contact zone. This study therefore rejects both the Enemy Release Hypothesis and the Novel Weapon Hypothesis and highlights the complexity and importance of studying host‐parasite relationships in an era of global climate change and species range shifts

The chemical signatures underlying host plant discrimination by aphids

The diversity of phytophagous insects is largely attributable to speciation involving shifts between host plants. These shifts are mediated by the close interaction between insects and plant metabolites. However, there has been limited progress in understanding the chemical signatures that underlie host preferences. We use the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) to address this problem. Host-associated races of pea aphid discriminate between plant species in race-specific ways. We combined metabolomic profiling of multiple plant species with behavioural tests on two A. pisum races, to identify metabolites that explain variation in either acceptance or discrimination. Candidate compounds were identified using tandem mass spectrometry. Our results reveal a small number of compounds that explain a large proportion of variation in the differential acceptability of plants to A. pisum races. Two of these were identified as L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine but it may be that metabolically-related compounds directly influence insect behaviour. The compounds implicated in differential acceptability were not related to the set correlated with general acceptability of plants to aphids, regardless of host race. Small changes in response to common metabolites may underlie host shifts. This study opens new opportunities for understanding the mechanistic basis of host discrimination and host shifts in insects

Downregulation of pyrophosphate: d-fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase activity in sugarcane culms enhances sucrose accumulation due to elevated hexose-phosphate levels

Analyses of transgenic sugarcane clones with 45–95% reduced cytosolic pyrophosphate: d-fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP, EC 2.7.1.90) activity displayed no visual phenotypical change, but significant changes were evident in in vivo metabolite levels and fluxes during internode development. In three independent transgenic lines, sucrose concentrations increased between three- and sixfold in immature internodes, compared to the levels in the wildtype control. There was an eightfold increase in the hexose-phosphate:triose-phosphate ratio in immature internodes, a significant restriction in the triose phosphate to hexose phosphate cycle and significant increase in sucrose cycling as monitored by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. This suggests that an increase in the hexose-phosphate concentrations resulting from a restriction in the conversion of hexose phosphates to triose phosphates drive sucrose synthesis in the young internodes. These effects became less pronounced as the tissue matured. Decreased expression of PFP also resulted in an increase of the ATP/ADP and UTP/UDP ratios, and an increase of the total uridine nucleotide and, at a later stage, the total adenine nucleotide pool, revealing strong interactions between PPi metabolism and general energy metabolism. Finally, decreased PFP leads to a reduction of PPi levels in older internodes indicating that in these developmental stages PFP acts in the gluconeogenic direction. The lowered PPi levels might also contribute to the absence of increases in sucrose contents in the more mature tissues of transgenic sugarcane with reduced PFP activity

Unexpected removal of the most neutral cationic pharmaceutical in river waters

Contamination of surface waters by pharmaceuticals is now widespread. There are few data on their environmental behaviour, particularly for those which are cationic at typical surface water pH. As the external surfaces of bacterio-plankton cells are hydrophilic with a net negative charge, it was anticipated that bacterio-plankton in surface-waters would preferentially remove the most extensively-ionised cation at a given pH. To test this hypothesis, the persistence of four, widely-used, cationic pharmaceuticals, chloroquine, quinine, fluphenazine and levamisole, was assessed in batch microcosms, comprising water and bacterio-plankton, to which pharmaceuticals were added and incubated for 21 days. Results show that levamisole concentrations decreased by 19 % in microcosms containing bacterio-plankton, and by 13 % in a parallel microcosm containing tripeptide as a priming agent. In contrast to levamisole, concentrations of quinine, chloroquine and fluphenazine were unchanged over 21 days in microcosms containing bacterio-plankton. At the river-water pH, levamisole is 28 % cationic, while quinine is 91–98 % cationic, chloroquine 99 % cationic and fluphenazine 72–86 % cationic. Thus, the most neutral compound, levamisole, showed greatest removal, contradicting the expected bacterio-plankton preference for ionised molecules. However, levamisole was the most hydrophilic molecule, based on its octanol–water solubility coefficient (K ow). Overall, the pattern of pharmaceutical behaviour within the incubations did not reflect the relative hydrophilicity of the pharmaceuticals predicted by the octanol–water distribution coefficient, D ow, suggesting that improved predictive power, with respect to modelling bioaccumulation, may be needed to develop robust environmental risk assessments for cationic pharmaceuticals

A few remarks about groundwater modelling

Obecnie modelowanie przepływu wód podziemnych jest podstawową metodą rozwiązywania skomplikowanych problemów hydrogeologicznych. Szerokie zainteresowanie modelowaniem numerycznym pojawiło się w latach 80. XX w., jako wynik ułatwionego dostępu do komputerów klasy PC i programów symulacyjnych dostosowanych do ich możliwości. Głównymi zaletami numerycznego modelowania są prędkość, dokładność i wiarygodność obliczeń. Modelowanie wymaga jednak przede wszystkim zrozumienia procesów i zjawisk oraz właściwego podejścia, polegającego na łączeniu wiedzy geologicznej z możliwościami sprzętu komputerowego i programów obliczeniowych. Ważnymi cechami modelowania są możliwości wykonywania prognoz i prezentacji wyników w postaci bilansu wodnego oraz graficznie, w formie map hydroizohips wraz z liniami prądu.Nowadays groundwater flow modelling is the basic method of solving complicated hydrogeological problems. Wide interests of numerical modelling started in the 1980s as a result of easier access to personal computers and calculation programs adjusted to PC capabilities. The main advantages of numerical modelling are speed, accuracy and reliability of calculations. Groundwater modelling require first of all both understanding flow processes and phenomena as well as appropriate approach, based on connecting geological knowledge with computer hardware and software capabilities. Important attributes of groundwater modelling are possibilities to make predictions and presenting results as a water budget or water table contour maps with flow lines

Geo-environmental effects of sulphur mines closure in Tarnobrzeg region

Prognozy zmian stosunków wodnych w rejonie likwidowanych kopalń Tarnobrzeskiego Zagłębia Siarkowego, wykonane na podstawie wyników modelu hydrogeologicznego, wskazują na możliwość ujawnienia się negatywnych zmian w środowisku wodno-gruntowym po wyłączeniu istniejących systemów odwadniających. W obrębie kopalni "Jeziorko" i w otoczeniu kopalni "Piaseczno" uregulowanie stosunków wodnych ma podstawowe znaczenie dla dalszego kierunku zagospodarowania terenów pogórniczych. Artykuł dokumentuje wpływ odtworzonego zwierciadła na produktywność gleb, stopień uszkodzenia i główne zagrożenia, których usunięcie wymagać będzie wykonania specjalistycznych melioracji szczegółowych.The water conditions prognosis within the area of mines put to closure of Tarnobrzeg Sulphur Basin, elaborated on the basis of hydrogeological model results, show the possibility of occurrence the negative changes in ground-water environment, after eliminating the existing drainage systems. Within the surroundings of "Jeziorko" and "Piaseczno" mines, the water conditions engineering is of basie importance, for further direction of post-mining land development. The paper presents the evidence of the influence of reconstructed ground-water level over the soil productiveness, the size of damages and main threats removal of which needs to carry out special detailed land melioration

Prognosis of water system changes in the vicinity of planned exploitation of sulphur deposits situated under the Osieckie Lake near Tarnobrzeg

Opracowany model hydrogeologiczny i wykonane na nim obliczenia symulacyjne umożliwiły przedstawienie prognozy warunków wodnych w piętrze czwartorzędowym, spowodowanych planowaną eksploatacją części złoża siarki zalegającego pod Jeziorem Osieckim. Wydobycie prowadzone metodą podziemnego wytapiania stanie się możliwe po zmianie sposobu odwadniania obszaru górniczego. Zakłada on przegrodzenie jeziora groblą ziemną, sczerpanie wody z południowej części i utworzenie w niej kilku rząpi. Pompowana z nich woda, z sumaryczną wydajnością około 5000 m3/d, zapewni wymagane obniżenie zwierciadła wód gruntowych również w warunkach tworzącej się niecki osiadań. W pozostałej, północnej części jeziora zachowane zostaną dotychczasowe warunki środowiskowe, co jednak będzie wymagać doprowadzenia czystych wód powierzchniowych w ilości około 1400 m3/d.The hydrogeological model along with prognostic calculations allowed for presenting the prognosis of water condition changes within the Quaternary multiaquifer formation as a result of planned exploitation of the sulphur deposit situated under the Osieckie Lake. Sulphur extraction with use of underground melting will become possible after changing the way of deposit dewatering. It includes lake partition with the earth weir, water pumping out from the southern part of the lake and the creation of several mining sumps. Their total discharge of ca. 5000 m3/d will assure required depression of the groundwater table also under the conditions of land subsidence. In the northern part of the lake, the current environmental conditions will be retained. However, a supply of uncontaminated surface water with the rate of 1400 m3/d will be required