Zur Aquatoxizität ausgewählter Harnstoffherbizide und zu ihrer Kategorisierung als Wasserschadstoffe

Eight urea herbicides, as are used for weed control, are investigated for their effect on the green alga Ankistrodesmus falcatus and the warm-water fish Poecilia reticulata and found to be highly toxic for the test alga or highly to moderately toxic for the fish. If other criteria (acute toxicity to warm-blooded animals, carcinogenicity and biochemical degradability) are taken into account too, the tested herbicides have to be classified as very dangerous water pollutants. Legal sanctions to be applied in cases of exceeded limiting values are discussed.     

Kontamination mit coliformen Keimen durch Insektenlarven bei der Aufbereitung von Trinkwasser

Contamination of Drinking Water with Coliform Organisms by the Larves of Gnats in the Water Treatment Plant E. coli and coliform organisms are used to judge the microbial quality of drinking water. The presence of these organisms in water indicates that there is a risk for faecal oral transmitted pathogen organisms. E. coli shows the faecal contamination of men and warm blooded animals (mammalian and birds), coliform organisms may be excreted as well from cold blooded animals. The cold blooded animals normally don’t excrete pathogen organisms relevant for human beings. So coliform organisms don’t have such a high relevance for drinking water microbiology. In this paper an incident is presented with a contamination of drinking water with coliform organisms in the treatment plant by the larves of gnats. The larves of the gnats crawl into the treatment chamber via entrance for ventilation. The larves were kept back on the surface of the filters but they contaminated the water with coliform organisms.     

The Fauna of Different Drinking Water Sources of Bhagalpur,India

In three drinking water sources i. e. river, well and filter water, there were detected 50 taxa of animals: 10 amoebae and 2 ciliates (protozoa), 24 rotifera, 5 cladocerans, and 9 copepods. Chief components of the rotifers population were Brachionus and Keratella, although K. cochlearis is the most common form at all the sites. The presence of Entamoeba histolytica in well water was indicative of faecal contamination which may become a causative agent of amoebiasis in human beings.     

微囊藻毒素生物学功能研究进展

我国淡水水体蓝藻水华的频繁发生已成为我国目前和今后长时期内面临的重大水环境问题.微囊藻(Microcystis)因其产生对人类健康具有危害的微囊藻毒素而尤其受到重视.研究者对构成蓝藻水华的主要种类、微囊藻毒素的毒性、毒理等方面的认识逐渐明晰,但对微囊藻毒素生物学功能的了解还相对较少.本文对微囊藻毒素的产生,尤其是近年来随着技术的发展在微囊藻毒素生物学功能方面的研究开展讨论:总结了微囊藻毒素可能作为化感物质、参与光合作用、在微囊藻的越冬或复苏中可能发挥的作用以及可能参与微囊藻群体形成及维持等4个方面的生物学功能;分析了微囊藻毒素作为信号分子的研究现状;探讨了全球气候变化及实验室模拟条件下微囊藻毒素产毒与无毒株的竞争,并对微囊藻毒素未来的研究热点及组学技术可能在其研究中的应用进行了展望.     

Does litter decomposition vary between the foraging pits of two soil‐disturbing mammal species?

Soil‐disturbing animals play a critical role in many ecosystem processes. The loss of native soil‐foraging mammals (e.g. greater bilby Macrotis lagotis; burrowing bettong, Bettongia lesueur) throughout vast areas of Australia has altered fundamental soil processes such as decomposition. Little is known about whether surviving native soil‐disturbing animals (e.g. short‐beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus) produce soil disturbances that are functionally equivalent to those of locally‐extinct native animals. We used a litter bag study to compare abiotic and biotic mechanisms of decomposition within the foraging pits of two native mammal species. We compared decomposition rates between landforms, which we used as a surrogate for soil texture; grass species Austrostipa scabra subsp. scabra and Triodia scariosa subsp. scariosa, which we used as our substrates; and the effects of chemically excluding fungi and/or termites. There were initial differences in the organic mass loss between echidna and bilby/bettong foraging pits, with bilby/bettong pits losing more over 30 days, and echidnas losing more over 63 days. However, over 396 days there was no significant difference between the two pit types. Landform (soil texture) and chemical exclusion of termites and fungi did not affect our measures of decomposition until the final stage of the study. The two grass species lost significantly different amounts of organic material at each collection interval, with Austrostipa losing more at 30, 63 and 130 days and Triodia losing more at the final 396 day collection. This provided the most consistent effect on decomposition. Our results highlight the temporal idiosyncrasies in the various drivers of decomposition in this dune‐swale system. Overall, this study provides evidence that the foraging pits of the short‐beaked echidna do not differ markedly from those of the locally extinct greater bilby and burrowing bettong in terms of their capacity to maintain rates of decomposition at an annual scale. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PBDEs in the blubber of marine mammals from coastal areas of São Paulo, Brazil, southwestern Atlantic

Limited information is available in the literature on the levels of brominated flame retardants in the southern hemisphere. This study presents concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the blubber of small cetaceans from the coast of São Paulo (Brazil), southwestern Atlantic. PBDE levels were highest in Stenellafrontalis (770 ng g⁻¹ lipid) followed by Stenobredanensis (475 ng g⁻¹ lipid), Sotaliaguianensis (65.6 ng g⁻¹ lipid), Tursiopstruncatus (64.2 ng g⁻¹ lipid) and Pontoporiablainvillei (60.3 ng g⁻¹ lipid). In general, continental shelf individuals exhibited higher contamination than inshore animals. This might be related to larger prey items consumed by continental shelf dolphins. The pattern of contamination indicates that Penta-BDE commercial mixtures are a major source of PBDEs to top predators in the southwestern Atlantic. Congeners found in Octa-BDE formulations were not detected in the investigated animals.     

The trophic importance of epiphytic algae in a freshwater macrophyte system (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Potamogeton perfoliatus</Emphasis> L.): stable isotope and fatty acid analyses

Stable isotope and fatty acid analyses were used to study carbon sources for animals in a submerged plant bed. Epiphytes growing on Potamogeton perfoliatus, sand microflora, and alder leaves were the most important carbon sources. The most abundant macrophyte, P. perfoliatus was unimportant as a food source. Modelling (IsoSource) showed that epiphytes were the most important food source for the most abundant benthic invertebrates, the isopod Asellus aquaticus (annual mean contribution 64%), the amphipod Gammarus pulex (66%), and the gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum (83%). The mean annual contributions of sand microflora were, respectively, 21, 19, and 9%; and of alder leaves, 15, 15, and 8% for these three species. The relative importance of carbon sources varied seasonally. The relative contribution of epiphytes was lowest for all three grazer species in July: A. aquaticus 38%, G. pulex 43%, and P. antipodarum 42%. A decline in epiphyte biomass in summer may have caused this switch to less attractive food sources. P. perfoliatus provided habitat and shelter for consumers, but food was mainly supplied indirectly by providing space for attached epiphytes, which are fast-growing and provide a highly nutritious food source.     

Evaluation of the Comparative Toxicity of Thiotox,Dichlorvos and Carbofuran to Two Fresh Water Teleosts Ophiocephalus punctatus and Mystus Vittatus

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the comparative toxicity of Thiotox (Endosulfan) (an organochlorine), Dichlorvos (DDVP) (an organophosphorus) and Carbofuran (a carbamate) so as to determine the TL 50 values, acute toxicity ranges, relative toxicities, relative susceptibility, safe concentrations, regression equations, heterogeneity factor and 95% confidence limits for the period of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, taking two fresh water teleosts, Mystus vittatus and Ophiocephalus punctatus as test animals. From the relative toxicity of these pesticides it is evident that thiotox was the most toxic and dichlorvos the least toxic one, while the toxicity of carbofuran was in between these two extremes for both the fishes. On the basis of relative susceptibility, Mystus vittatus was found to be more susceptible than Ophiocephalus punctatus for thiotox, dichlorvos and carbofuran, respectively. The safe concentrations were computed for all the three pesticides taking different application factors, so as to avoid the long term water pollution by these pesticides.     

Significance of an In Vivo Genotoxicity Test for Surface Waters Is Increased when the Physiological Characteristics of the Test Organism (Bivalvia: Mollusca) Are Taken into Account?

The alkaline filter elution assay using the gills of the freshwater clam species Corbicula fluminea detects breaks in single‐stranded DNA and is thus a good method for determining the genotoxic potential of surface waters. In attempting to standardize the procedure, a wide range of factors which could have an influence on the uptake of genotoxic substances by the exposed clams were studied. The most important parameters of the static exposure in relation to the rate of filtration by the animals turned out to be the temperature, the volume of the water, and the exposure time. Differences in body size and in the amount of suspended particles in surface waters did not play a significant role. The results demonstrate that the in vivo test system can be quite sensitive and its results reproducible when the relevant species‐specific characteristics of the test organisms are brought into consideration, even if the test organism belongs to a biologically more advanced group. A clear dose‐response relationship to the reference substances 4‐nitroquinoline‐1‐oxide (NQO) and N‐methyl‐N‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) can be observed even after a short exposure time of between four and twenty hours. No genotoxic effects were observed when using this method on surface waters from the area of Cologne (including water from the Rhine River and within the protection zone 2 of the Cologne waterworks).     

Environmental hypoxia as a metabolic constraint on fish: The case of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

Hypoxia is known to provoke a wide range of effects on aquatic animals. Here we use laboratory and field data on Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, to illustrate that many of these responses can be explained within the metabolic scope (MS) framework, i.e. taking into account the directive and limiting effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) on the ability of animals to acquire energy for growth and activity. A MS model for cod shows that scope for activity (swimming, feeding, etc.) is proportional to DO and becomes nil, jeopardising survival, when DO is <≈20% air saturation. Laboratory studies have confirmed this lethal threshold and demonstrated that growth and food ingestion were significantly reduced below 70% sat. This loss of appetite has been linked to a reduction of the peak value and an increase in duration of postprandial metabolism, in agreement with the MS model. Dwindling MS during hypoxia imposes an upper limit to swimming performance. Cod may also opt to reduce spontaneous swimming activity to spare oxygen for other activities such as digestion. In the Kattegat, the Baltic Sea, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, eastern Canada, cod completely avoid waters where their MS is near zero. Furthermore, cod density increases exponentially with DO up to ≈70% sat in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Although hypoxia results in other direct and indirect effects as well, the MS framework allows modelling of many of the responses to hypoxia for individual cod that ought to be reflected at the population and community levels. The MS framework is also useful to compare species responses. We show that the impact of hypoxia on MS is similar, when expressed as a proportion of MS in normoxia, in cod, European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), the common sole (Solea solea) and turbot (Psetta maxima). Data are required for other species to evaluate how general these findings are.     

Über das Schwimmverhalten von Cyclopoiden bei Verminderungen der Bestrahlungsstärke

Summary Certain aspects of the problems connected with vertical migration were investigated by a new method. The experimental animals were adult males of the spring and summer populations ofCyclops abyssorum praealpinus (Kiefer) andCyclops vicinus lobosus (Kiefer). The swimming traces were for the first time observed continually over a period of about eight minutes and photographically recorded, without exposing the animals to additional stimulus from the recording technique. The animals' natural biotope was imitated as closely as possible and experimentally stabilised so that irradiance reductions were the only stimulus. The results can be summarised under three headings: The direct result of an intensity reduction was a passive sinking of the animals, which we have called the “wait and see”-effect. It depends mainly on the relative reduction of intensity and, to a small extent, on the basic intensity. The later, more prolonged upward movement, which we call the “swimming-up”-effect, depends mainly on the prevailing irradiance. If the irradiance is constant, the animals swim for a considerable time in a restricted region, termed the “lingering-space”. Its dimensions are determined by the direction-dependent swimming velocities. These velocities vary according to the species and the time of the year. As expected, the animals showed no horizontal orientation behaviour, nor were they influenced by the short-wavelength infra-red light used for photographing. An endogenous rhythm was only barely perceptible. These results were analysed exclusively by modern statistical techniques.

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Résumé Certains aspects des problèmes de la migration verticale sont étudiés dans ce travail en se servant d'une méthode nouvelle. L'auteur a choisi pour ces essais des males adultes deCyclops vicinus lobosus (Kiefer) ainsi que ceux provenant de populations printanières et estivales deCyclops abyssorum praealpinus (Kiefer). La trajectoire de natation a pu, pour la première fois, être continuellement observée et photographiée pendant une période d'un peu plus de huit minutes, sans que les animaux aient subi une excitation supplémentaire due aux techniques de registration. Le biotope naturel des animaux a été imité au plus près possible et stabilisé de telle sorte que seule restait comme stimulus une diminution de l'éclairement énergétique. Les résultats, analysés à l'aide de méthodes de statistiques les plus récentes, se laissent grouper comme suit: A la suite de la diminution de l'intensité, les animaux coulent; nous avons appelé ce phénomène: ?wait and see?. Il est surtout fonction de la grandeur relative de la diminution d'intensité et, dans une mesure plus faible, de l'intensité de base. Il est suivi d'une nage ascendante prolongée; nous avons appelé ce phénomène le: ?swimmingup?. Il dépend surtout de l'éclairement énergétique ambiant. Lorsque l'intensité d'éclairement est constante, les animaux nagent, pendant une période prolongée, dans un espace restreint, appelé ?lingering-space?, dont les dimensions dépendent des vitesses de nage dans les différentes directions. Ces vitesses varient suivant les espèces et les saisons. Dans les conditions expérimentales choisies, les animaux, comme prévu, ne montrèrent pas de sens d'orientation horizontale; ils ne furent pas influencés par les rayons infrarouges de courte longueur d'ondes employés pour l'enregistrement et un rythme endogène ne fut qu'à peine perceptible. Les résultats furent analysés exclusivement au moyen de techniques modernes de statistiques.

     

The Acute Toxicity of Plant Origin Pesticides into the Freshwater Fish Channa punctatus

Mortality to fish Channa punctatus caused by the latices of four species of terrestrial plants belonging to family Euphorbiaceae and Apocynaceae have been reported. It was found that extremely dilute aqueous solutions of the latex were effective in killing the fishes. The ranking of toxicity of four plants was Nerium indicum > Euphorbia royleana > Thevetia peruviana > Jatropha gossypifolia. It has been suggested that these plant products cannot be used directly in freshwater ecosystem unless their detailed toxicity has been studied on the beneficial freshwater animals.     

洞庭湖区域黑线姬鼠（Apodemus agrarius）种群迁入湖滩后的繁殖特征

黑线姬鼠(Apodemus agrarius)是广泛分布于我国的主要农田害鼠之一,2003年三峡工程开始蓄水后洞庭湖湖滩鼠类群落结构发生了演变,黑线姬鼠已大量侵入湖滩,且逐步成为湖滩生境鼠类群落的优势鼠种。动物在新生境中的繁殖状况是了解其对环境适应的关键指标。为掌握黑线姬鼠种群侵入湖滩生境后的适应情况,为其种群动态的预测预报提供科学依据,本文对2003—2020年洞庭湖湖滩和农田生境中捕获的黑线姬鼠繁殖状况进行比较分析,并结合季节动态和生境差异等因子分析了该鼠在繁殖方面对湖滩生境的适应。结果表明:(1)湖滩生境中黑线姬鼠平均繁殖指数(0.71±0.27)低于农田生境(1.21±0.47),在2016—2020年湖滩上黑线姬鼠的繁殖指数为0.99,略高于农田的0.96;(2)湖滩生境较农田生境中的孕鼠在繁殖中偏向有更多的胎仔数,有6只以上胎仔数的孕鼠占比(65.59%)高于农田生境(49.10%);(3)湖滩生境中发现有幼年组的黑线姬鼠参与繁殖,其繁殖指数、参产率、怀孕率及雄鼠的睾丸下降率随年龄递增;(4)春季和秋季是湖滩生境中黑线姬鼠的主要繁殖季节,其繁殖指数、参产率、怀孕率都显著高于...     

松原灌区建设对查干湖生态风险分析及对策

松原灌区将对国家自然保护区查干湖周围的盐碱地实施大面积围垦,若大量高浓度碱性尾水直排入湖,将导致查干湖生态系统严重污染.对这一风险合理评估并防范,关系到湖区生态安全与灌区的可行.本文在对湖区生态环境及灌区尾水排放模式与含盐特性系统分析基础上,提出利用退化沼泽湿地(盐沼)构建湿地处理系统(生态缓冲区),而非直接入湖的构想.当灌区运行一定时期,尾水水质得到改善,再入湖发挥补水效应.同时在设计上采取盐碱地分批滚动开发,以控制年排盐总量,降低排盐强度;以及充分利用碱湖泡随机承泄,减轻对查干湖的压力,既可防止湖水污染,又可保证灌区建设可行.     

Escherichia coli strains harvested from springs in Kampala,Uganda: cell characterization and transport in saturated porous media

We hypothesized that the transport of Escherichia coli strains harvested from springs could be characterized by a similar set of cell characteristics and transport parameters. The hypothesis was tested by sampling springs throughout the Lubigi catchment in Kampala, Uganda. Chemo‐physical parameters in addition to total coliform concentrations were determined. Furthermore, E. coli strains were harvested, and cell properties determined. Column experiments in saturated quartz columns of 7 cm height were conducted to determine transport parameters of selected E. coli strains. Using a two‐site non‐equilibrium sorption model, transport was modelled by fitting breakthrough data in HYDRUS 1D. Results indicated faecal contamination of the springs with high concentrations of total coliforms, chloride and nitrate. Furthermore, the maximum relative E. coli concentrations (C/C₀)_max in the column experiments were high. Compared with our previous work on E. coli strains, collected from a pasture and from zoo animals, attachment was low. Modelling revealed that both equilibrium and kinetic sorption were not important under conditions employed in the experiments. These observations are explained by the way in which the strains were harvested: from termination points of flow lines (springs). Such strains may possess characteristics that might have influenced their transport in the subsurface leading to their low attachment efficiency and possibly contributing to the lack of influence of equilibrium and kinetic sorption characteristics. There was no significant correlation between cell properties and transport parameters. Furthermore, 58% of the tested strains were of the O21:H7 serotype, and all definable serotypes identified were associated with diseases. We speculate that this serotype may possess characteristics that allow preferential transport through the aquifers of the area. We demonstrated that bacteria harvested from termination points of flow lines compared with those obtained from pollution sources, which have not undergone transport yet, present a good option for the assessment of bacteria transport characteristics in aquifers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gas-bacuoles and other viruslike structures in blue-green algae

The result of electron microscopic investigation of gas-vacuoles in a culture of the benthal algaOscillatoria chalybea was compared with the extensive literature concerning gas-vacuole formation and virus infection in bacteria and animals. On the basis of 21 features indicating that gas-vacuoles are pathological inclusions it was concluded that they are viruslike particles. Viruslike structures have also been found in our material ofSymploca muscorum, Plectonema boryanum, aNostoc sp., and a new case of virus infection in the thermophilic algaMastigocladus laminosus has been described.     

The ecological requirements of Agapetus fuscipes Curtis (Glossosomatidae), a characteristic species in unimpacted streams

Agapetus fuscipes is a caddisfly that only seems to occur in unimpacted streams and therefore can be a suitable indicator species for natural conditions. The species has decreased in the Netherlands because of human activities which caused organic pollution and hydromorphological degradation. Literature was reviewed to study the autecology and life cycle of A. fuscipes in order to reveal the ecological requirements of this species. By taking Agapetus fuscipes as an example, it is shown that the autecology and life cycle of an indicator species can give important clues for its presence in unimpacted and absence in impacted streams. A. fuscipes is very susceptible to organic pollution and to a lesser degree to discharge dynamics (dropping water level and discharge peaks). The species copes with dynamic discharge events by maintaining a high population density and recolonisation of disturbed habitats from refuges. However, the vulnerability of the species strongly depends on the life stage of the animals (e.g., the ability to migrate, the oxygen demand and the habitat requirements differ between instars). Although several adaptations to dynamic conditions, a high frequency of discharge peaks or a long period of drought can cause the population to decline. Once a population has totally disappeared from a stream it will take the species a long time to recolonise the stream because of its low dispersion capacity. To protect this species stream restoration should focus on water quality (avoid organic pollution and agricultural run off) and on stabilising the discharge by taking care of natural infiltration in the catchment area instead of fast removal of rain water by drainage systems.     

Sodium Arsenite Induced Alteration of Hemocyte Density of Lamellidens marginalis – An Edible Mollusk from India

Lamellidens marginalis (Molluska Bivalvia Eulamellibranchiata) is an important member of the freshwater ecosystem of India, which is sustained by filtering phytoplankton, bacteria and other particulate organic matter from the available water. Hemocytes, the circulating blood cells of bivalves, function as immunological effector cells under exposure to toxins and/or parasites. The hemocytes of Lamellidens marginalis have been identified morphologically and enumerated as being qualified for use as a biomarker to analyze the threat of freshwater contamination by sublethal concentrations of sodium arsenite, a natural pollutant of freshwater ecosystems. Diverse subpopulations of hemocytes were identified as blast‐like cells, granulocytes, agranulocytes, hyalinocytes and asterocytes. Supression in the total count of hemocytes and blast‐like cells was recorded under the exposure of all the concentrations of sodium arsenite tested. Sodium arsenite elevated the relative density of granulocytes, hyalinocytes, and asterocytes. Partial restoration of the total count of the hemocytes was recorded after the post‐treated animals were maintained in arsenic‐free water for periods of 15 and 30 days. The data predict a shift in the immunological parameters of this bivalve in arsenic contaminated environments. The present study is aimed at quantifying the arsenic induced stress in Lamellidens marginalis and establishing the hemocyte density as a biomarker of aquatic pollution in selected geographical regions of India.     

Plastic contamination in the decapod crustacean Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The aim of this study was to determine the extent Nephrops consumes plastics in the Clyde Sea and if this intake occurs through their diet. Plastic contamination was found to be high in Nephrops, 83% of the animals sampled contained plastics (predominately filaments) in their stomachs. Tightly tangled balls of plastic strands were found in 62% of the animals studied but were least prevalent in animals which had recently moulted. No significant difference in plastic load was observed between males and females. Raman spectroscopy indicated that some of the microfilaments identified from gut contents could be sourced to fishing waste. Nephrops fed fish seeded with strands of polypropylene rope were found to ingest but not to excrete the strands. The fishery for Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, is the most valuable in Scotland and the high prevalence of plastics in Nephrops may have implications for the health of the stock.