Material type and roughness influence structure of inter‐tidal communities on coastal defenses

On a global scale, urbanization has resulted in substantial proportions of coasts being replaced by artificial structures such as marinas, breakwaters and seawalls. There is broad consensus that coastal defense structures are poor surrogates of the natural habitats that they replace. Here we investigated the effects of the type and roughness of materials used for the construction of artificial structures on the surrounding biota by comparing abundances and distribution of key inter‐tidal taxa between natural shores and coastal defenses. Lower abundances of gastropods and barnacles were found on artificial coastal defense structures (regardless of the material type). At small spatial scales, abundances of key taxa increased with increasing roughness. Our results suggest that the choice of materials used for the construction of coastal defense structures has little effect on community structure per se, but that enhanced roughness could make coastal defenses better surrogates of natural habitats by supporting assemblages that are more similar to those found on natural shores.     

Mechanisms of imposex induction in the mud snail,Ilyanassa obsoleta: TBT as a neurotoxin and aromatase inhibitor

The occurrence of imposex, imposition of male sex characteristics on female snails, has been extensively documented throughout the world. Tributyltin (TBT) and other organotins have been causally linked to imposex induction at levels as low as 2 ng/l. There are several proposed mechanisms of action. First, TBT has been shown to be neurotoxic and to accumulate in snail ganglia. Peptide hormones control sexual differentiation in gastropods, and one hypothesis is that TBT acts as a neurotoxin to abnormally release the peptide hormone Penis Morphogenic Factor (PMF). However, PMF has not been characterized to date. The neuropeptide APGWamide significantly induces imposex in the mud snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta, at 10(-16) moles sub-cutaneous (SQ) injection over 2 weeks, and could be the PMF in this species. A second hypothesis is that TBT inhibits aromatase activity leading to increased testosterone levels and decreased estradiol. In vitro studies with snail digestive gland microsomes showed that TBT-dosed snails not exhibiting imposex had a 52% reduction in aromatase activity. Although the role of vertebrate sex steroids is not known in gastropods, it is possible that the combination of changes in peptide and steroid hormones may lead to imposex induction at extremely low doses of TBT.     

Ecological consequence of the introduction of the polychaete Marenzelleria cf. viridis into a shallow-water biotope of the northern Baltic Sea

Effects of the North American polychaete Marenzelleria cf. viridis on a simple shallow-water benthic community of the northern Baltic Sea were studied in a field experiment combining natural densities of dominating macrofaunal species. The presence of M. cf. viridis increased benthic production (chlorophyll a) and reduced the survival of the native polychaete Nereis diversicolor. Adult Macoma balthica caused a significant mortality on M. cf. viridis whereas adult Cerastoderma glaucum had no effect on M. cf. viridis. We suggest that the competitive interactions between M. cf. viridis and M. balthica are a possible key factor determining the distribution pattern of M. cf. viridis in the Baltic Sea.     

Nitrate reduction potential of a fractured Middle Triassic carbonate aquifer in Southwest Germany

Hydrogeology Journal - Nitrate reduction constitutes an important natural mechanism to mitigate the widespread and persistent nitrate contamination of groundwater resources. In fractured aquifers,...     

Duluth Complex FC1 Apatite and Zircon: Reference Materials for (U-Th)/He Dating?

The accuracy and validation of geo- and thermochronological dating hinges on the availability of well-characterised age reference materials. The Mesoproterozoic gabbroic anorthosite FC1 from the Duluth Complex, Minnesota is a reference material for zircon U-Pb and a suggested reference material for apatite fission-track dating. We evaluate FC1 as (U-Th)/He reference material, and determine its apatite U-Pb, and zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He age. Our dating results constrain the thermal history of FC1, showing that fast cooling occurred between ~ 1099 and 1040 Ma from ≥ 600 °C to ~ 200 °C. The zircon (U-Th)/He data from air-abraded grains give a robust isochron age of 1037 ± 25 Ma (2s) without overdispersion. The within-grain homogeneity of U and Th, the availability of FC1 zircon, and the absence of radiation-damage effects on the (U-Th)/He age support its use as reference material. Unabraded zircon grains give lower and more dispersed ages, highlighting the usefulness of air abrasion to control for α-ejection in (U-Th)/He dating. Our apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He single-grain ages vary between 180 and 300 Ma. Their wide dispersion argues against the use of FC1 apatite as (U-Th-Sm)/He reference material and makes the interpretation of their low-temperature thermal history complicated.     

The Ohlsbach Plume – Discharge of deep saline water from the crystalline basement of the Black Forest, Germany

 Salt-water discharges from a fault system in the crystalline basement of the Black Forest into the gravel aquifer of the Kinzig River valley near Ohlsbach, upper Rhine River valley, southwestern Germany. The salt water (TDS, 16 g/kg) ascends from a reservoir at  1 3 km depth. Once discharged into the gravel aquifer, the saline deep water mixes with fresh groundwater and is carried along the groundwater flow path to the middle of the Rhine River valley. There, the natural geogene salt-water plume merges with a man-made chloride-rich infiltration zone along the Rhine River. The plume was mapped using (1) chloride data from groundwater observation wells, and (2) resistivity data from geoelectric sounding. Background chloride is about 7 mg/kg. In the central region of the plume, chloride concentration exceeds 200 mg/kg. A continuous area of Cl  1 50 mg/kg is distinguished from the discharge fault to the Rhine River over a distance of 12 km. Resistivities range from  1 50 Ω in uncontaminated regions to <7 Ω in the 700 m-long central region of the plume. A low resistivity plume (7–10 Ω) stretches for  1 7 km into the Rhine River valley. The two plume maps are in good agreement. Received, April 1998 / Revised, November 1998, January 1999 / Accepted, January 1999     

Antioxidant responses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides in green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis): do mussels "integrate" biomarker responses?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) are generally present in the marine environment in complex mixtures. The ecotoxicological nature of contaminant interactions, however, is poorly understood, with most scientific observations derived from single contaminant exposure experiments. The objective of this experiment was to examine dose-response relationships between antioxidant parameters and body contaminant levels in mussels exposed to different exposure regimes under laboratory conditions. Accordingly, the green-lipped mussel, Perna viridis, was challenged with a mixture of PAHs (anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene) and OC pesticides (alpha-HCH, aldrin, dieldrin, p,p'-DDT) over a 4 week period. Contaminants were delivered under four different dosing regimes, with all treatments receiving the same total contaminant load by the end of the exposure period. Antioxidant biomarkers were measured after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks, including glutathione (GSH), gluathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and lipid peroxidase (LPO). GST and CAT were induced in hepatic tissues in most of the exposure regimes, with the majority of significant induction occurring in a constant exposure regime and a two-step alternate exposure regime. Significant differences among exposure regimes were detected in the body burden of contaminants after 28 days. Hepatic CAT and GSH are proposed as potentially useful biomarkers as they showed good correlation with target contaminants and were not readily affected by different dosing patterns.     

Ocean urea fertilization for carbon credits poses high ecological risks

The proposed plan for enrichment of the Sulu Sea, Philippines, a region of rich marine biodiversity, with thousands of tonnes of urea in order to stimulate algal blooms and sequester carbon is flawed for multiple reasons. Urea is preferentially used as a nitrogen source by some cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, many of which are neutrally or positively buoyant. Biological pumps to the deep sea are classically leaky, and the inefficient burial of new biomass makes the estimation of a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere questionable at best. The potential for growth of toxic dinoflagellates is also high, as many grow well on urea and some even increase their toxicity when grown on urea. Many toxic dinoflagellates form cysts which can settle to the sediment and germinate in subsequent years, forming new blooms even without further fertilization. If large-scale blooms do occur, it is likely that they will contribute to hypoxia in the bottom waters upon decomposition. Lastly, urea production requires fossil fuel usage, further limiting the potential for net carbon sequestration. The environmental and economic impacts are potentially great and need to be rigorously assessed.     

Antioxidant responses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides in green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis): Do mussels “integrate” biomarker responses?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) are generally present in the marine environment in complex mixtures. The ecotoxicological nature of contaminant interactions, however, is poorly understood, with most scientific observations derived from single contaminant exposure experiments. The objective of this experiment was to examine dose-response relationships between antioxidant parameters and body contaminant levels in mussels exposed to different exposure regimes under laboratory conditions. Accordingly, the green-lipped mussel, Perna viridis, was challenged with a mixture of PAHs (anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene) and OC pesticides (α-HCH, aldrin, dieldrin, p,p′-DDT) over a 4 week period. Contaminants were delivered under four different dosing regimes, with all treatments receiving the same total contaminant load by the end of the exposure period. Antioxidant biomarkers were measured after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks, including glutathione (GSH), gluathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and lipid peroxidase (LPO). GST and CAT were induced in hepatic tissues in most of the exposure regimes, with the majority of significant induction occurring in a constant exposure regime and a two-step alternate exposure regime. Significant differences among exposure regimes were detected in the body burden of contaminants after 28 days. Hepatic CAT and GSH are proposed as potentially useful biomarkers as they showed good correlation with target contaminants and were not readily affected by different dosing patterns.