Presence of DDT and Lindane in a Karstic Groundwater Aquifer in Yucatan,Mexico

Pollution caused by pesticides is becoming relevant because of their harmful environmental effects. The persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity of some organochloride pesticides have resulted in their restricted use since 1970 and a requirement to monitor them in many countries. Pesticides have endocrine, immunological, reproductive and carcinogenic effects in both humans and animals. The facilitated infiltration of substances results in the pollution of hydric underground resources in karstic limestone such as that found in the state of Yucatan. Observing the north occidental region of the state of Yucatan is particularly important as it is characterized by agricultural activities (wide use of pesticides), significant human settlements and underground water flows oriented towards the north coast. In this study, the underground water quality of a karstic aquifer was evaluated by quantifying the presence of organochlorine pesticides in 29 wells located throughout the Mérida‐Progreso transect, Yucatan, Mexico. The presence of DDT, lindane and their metabolites was detected at concentrations above the permissible limits stated by Mexican regulatory standards (NOM‐127‐SSA1‐1994 2010) in the majority of wells studied. Continuous monitoring of the underground hydric resources in this region is therefore essential to raising awareness of pollution risks and the vulnerability of the coastal north to the contamination of the underground water flows.     

Mesoscale eddies off Peru in altimeter records: Identification algorithms and eddy spatio-temporal patterns

Relatively little is known about coherent vortices in the eastern South-Pacific along the Peruvian coast, even with regard to basic facts about their frequency of occurrence, longevity and structure. This study addresses these issues with nearly 15 years of relatively high-resolution satellite altimetry measurements.We first compare two distinct automated methods for eddy identification. The objective validation protocol shows that the rarely-used geometrical or “winding-angle method”, based on the curvature of the streamline functions, is more accurate than the commonly-used “Okubo–Weiss algorithm”, which defines a vortex as a simple connected region with values of Okubo–Weiss parameter weaker than a given threshold.We then investigate vortices off Peru using more than 20,000 mesoscale eddies identified by the winding-angle method. Coherent eddies, characterized by a high ratio of vorticity to deformation rate, are typically formed along the coast and propagate westward at 3–6 cm s⁻¹. The vortices have a mean radius of 80 km, increasing northward, and are most frequently observed off of Chimbote (9°S) and south of San Juan (15°S). The mean eddy lifetime is about 1 month, but if eddies survive at least 2 months, the probability for surviving an additional week (or month) is constant at 90% (or 67%). Anticyclonic eddies tend to propagate northwestward whereas cyclonic vortices migrate southwestward. In general, cyclones and anticyclones are similar, except for eddies surviving at least 6 months. In this case, after a similar 3–4 months of radius and amplitude growth, amplitudes (or sizes) decay particularly rapidly for anticyclonic (or cyclonic) eddies. In terms of intensity, cyclonic eddies show a rapid decay during the first 3 months before arriving at a quasi-constant value, whereas anticyclones exhibit steady decline. Finally, eddy temporal variations were examined at seasonal and interannual scales in the “coastal” region favorable to the formation of energetic mesoscale structures. On seasonal scales, eddy activity is maximal in fall and minimum in spring. At interannual scales, the eddy activity index was maximal during the strong El Niño of 1997–1998 but another strong maximum of eddy activity also occurred late in 2004. These temporal variations are probably associated with the intensification of the upwelling thermal front and with the passage of coastal-trapped waves which generate baroclinic instabilities. Further investigation of the mechanisms involved on the eddy genesis is needed.     

A weight of evidence approach for quality assessment of sediments impacted by an oil spill: The role of a set of biomarkers as a line of evidence

In an attempt to incorporate both line of evidence (LOE) and classical weight of evidence (WOE) approaches for the assessment of sediment quality, a set of biomarkers were analyzed in target tissues of two invertebrate species after 28 days of exposure to sediments impacted by oil (derived from the tanker Prestige (2002)). The integration of biomarkers with sediment contamination, acute toxicity and benthic alteration parameters provides an “early warning” tool which not only indicates the environmental quality of an area, but also constitutes an advisory tool for potential ecological risks. The selected biomarkers provide information about the first biological responses due to the presence of contaminants in the environment providing predictable reports about further effects to the ecosystem. The present study demonstrates that the use of a set of biomarkers as part of a WOE approach designed to assess contaminated sediments contributes added value to the classical LOE and allows characterization of the environmental status of the studied area in a more precise and accurate way.     

Carbon isotopic fractionation in macroalgae from Cádiz Bay (Southern Spain): Comparison with other bio-geographic regions

The ¹³C signature of forty-five macroalgal species from intertidal zones at Cádiz Bay was analysed in order to research the extension of diffusive vs. non-diffusive utilisation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and to perform a comparison with data published for other bio-geographic regions. The ∂¹³C values ranged from −6.8‰ to −33‰, although the span of variation was different depending on the taxa. Thus, ∂¹³C for Chlorophyta varied from −7‰ (Codium adhaerens) to −29.6‰ (Flabellia petiolata), while all the Phaeophyceae (excepting Padina pavonica with ∂¹³C higher than −10‰) had values between −10‰, and −20‰. The widest variation range was recorded in Rhodophyta, from values above −10‰ (Liagora viscida) to values lower than −30‰ obtained in three species belonging to the subclass Rhodymeniophycidae. Accordingly, the mean ∂¹³C value calculated for red algae (−20.2‰) was significantly lower than that for brown (−15.9‰) and green algae (−15.6‰). Most of the analysed red algae were species inhabiting crevices and the low intertidal fringe which explains that, on average, the shaded-habitat species had a ∂¹³C value lower than those growing fully exposed to sun (i.e. in rockpools or at the upper intertidal zone). The comparison between the capacity for non-diffusive use of DIC (i.e. active or facilitated transport of HCO₃⁻ and/or CO₂) and the ∂¹³C values reveals that values more negative than −30‰ indicate that photosynthesis is dependent on CO₂ diffusive entry, whereas values above this threshold would not indicate necessary the operation of a non-diffusive DIC transport mechanism. Furthermore, external carbonic anhydrase activity (_extCA) and ∂¹³C values were negatively correlated indicating that the higher the dependence of the photosynthesis on the CO₂ supplied from HCO₃⁻ via _extCA, the lower the ∂¹³C in the algal material. The comparison between the ∂¹³C values obtained for the analysed species and those published for species inhabiting other bio-geographic areas (warm-temperate, cold and polar) suggests that globally (at least for the red and brown algae) the non-diffusive entry of DIC is more widely spread among the species from Cádiz Bay than among those of polar regions. If it is assumed that non-diffusive use of DIC implies saturation of photosynthesis at the present-day CO₂ concentration in seawater, our data indicate that the potential impact of the acidification on photosynthesis in the seaweed communities will be different depending on the latitude.     

Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) carrying antibiotic resistant enterococci. A potential bioindicator of marine contamination?

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a growing problem that is not only restricted to the clinical setting but also to other environments such as marine species that harbor antibiotic resistant bacteria and therefore may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistance genetic determinants. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibiotic resistance phenotypes in enterococci isolated from fecal samples of gilthead seabream and the associated mechanisms of resistance. A collection of 118 samples were analyzed and 73 enterococci were recovered. The strains showed high percentages of resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline (58.9% and 17.8%, respectively). Lower level of resistance (<13%) was detected for quinupristin-dalfopristin, ampicillin, high-level-gentamicin, high-level-streptomycin, high-level-kanamycin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. The erm(B), tet(L) or tet(M), aac(6′)-aph(2″) and aph(3′)-IIIa genes were shown in isolates resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, high-level gentamicin and high-level kanamycin, respectively. Antibiotic resistance in natural microbiota is becoming a concern of human and environmental health.     

Contrasting shell morphology, ingestion and grazing preferences in the neritid gastropod Smaragdia viridis (L.) on two seagrass species

The neritid Smaragdia viridis represents the only known native marine mollusc that feeds on seagrass tissues in the European coasts, displaying a strong association with the seagrasses Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera marina in southern Spain. Seasonal dynamics, shell and radular morphology, growth and feeding of this gastropod have been studied in relation to each seagrass species for contrasting trends resulting from a different type of substrate and food source. In both seagrass species, stable populations of this gastropod occur at similar densities and displaying similar growth rates. Nevertheless shells of individuals from C. nodosa are narrower than those from Z. marina and some differences, possibly a consequence of increased wearing on C. nodosa, were noted amongst the radulae. In C. nodosa, a pre-ingestive selection for young epidermal tissues occurs as it was previously observed in Z. marina. The ingestion rate is higher in C. nodosa than in Z. marina but the absorption of ingested tissues is lower in the former. If both seagrasses are present, most individuals ingested preferentially Z. marina rather than C. nodosa, probably due to the lower digestibility of the epidermal tissues in the latter. Seagrass beds, especially those of Z. marina, are suffering a strong regression in southern Spain and the presence of stable populations of this neritid may be restricted to other declining seagrass species in the area.     

Bloom of the Yessotoxin producing dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum (Dinophyceae) in Northern Chile

Potential spawning habitat is defined as the area where environmental conditions are suitable for spawning to occur. Spawning adult data from the first quarter (January–March) of the International Bottom Trawl Survey have been used to study the inter-annual variability of the potential spawning habitat of North Sea plaice from 1980 to 2007. Generalised additive models (GAM) were used to create a model that related five environmental variables (depth, bottom temperature and salinity, seabed stress and sediment type) to presence–absence and abundance of spawning adults. Then, the habitat model was applied each year from 1970 to 2007 to predict inter-annual variability of the potential spawning habitat. Predicted responses obtained by GAM for each year were mapped using kriging. A hierarchical classification associated with a correspondence analysis was performed to cluster spawning suitable areas and to determine how they evolved across years. The potential spawning habitat was consistent with historical spawning ground locations described in the literature from eggs surveys. It was also found that the potential spawning habitat varied across years. Suitable areas were located in the southern part of the North Sea and along the eastern coast of England and Scotland in the eighties; they expanded further north from the nineties. Annual survey distributions did not show such northward expansion and remained located in the southern North Sea. This suggests that this species' actual spatial distribution remains stable against changing environmental conditions, and that the potential spawning habitat is not fully occupied. Changes in environmental conditions appear to remain within plaice environmental ranges, meaning that other factors may control the spatial distribution of plaice spawning habitat.     

Microencapsulation of okadaic acid as a tool for studying the accumulation of DSP toxins in mussels

The possibility and effectiveness of microencapsulation of okadaic acid (OA) in gelatin-acacia microcapsules has been studied. The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 33%. The microcapsules were shown to be very stable, not leaching more than 9% of the encapsulated OA in a 20-h period. OA from the microcapsules was absorbed by the mussels very efficiently, accumulating--after 3 days of feeding and one of depuration--65% of the OA in microcapsules and 22% of the total OA used at the beginning of the microencapsulation process. These efficiencies and the possibility of encapsulating single DSP toxins and derivatives constitute a valuable tool for the study of the accumulation and biotransformation of DSP toxins in bivalves.     

The Neoproterozoic-early Paleozoic metamorphic and magmatic evolution of the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas: an overview

The Eastern Sierras Pampeanas were structured by three main events: the Ediacaran to early Cambrian (580?C510?Ma) Pampean, the late Cambrian?COrdovician (500?C440?Ma) Famatinian and the Devonian-Carboniferous (400?C350?Ma) Achalian orogenies. Geochronological and Sm?CNd isotopic evidence combined with petrological and structural features allow to speculate for a major rift event (Ediacaran) dividing into two Mesoproterozoic major crustal blocks (source of the Grenvillian age peaks in the metaclastic rocks).This event would be coeval with the development of arc magmatism along the eastern margin of the eastern block. Closure of this eastern margin led to a Cambrian active margin (Sierra Norte arc) along the western margin of the eastern block in which magmatism reworked the same crustal block. Consumption of a ridge segment (input of OIB signature mafic magmas) which controlled granulite-facies metamorphism led to a final collision (Pampean orogeny) with the western Mesoprotrozoic block. Sm?CNd results for the metamorphic basement suggest that the T _DM age interval of 1.8?C1.7?Ga, which is associated with the less radiogenic values of ??Nd₍₅₄₀₎ (?6 to ?8), can be considered as the mean average crustal composition for the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas. Increasing metamorphic grade in rocks with similar detrital sources and metamorphic ages like in the Sierras de Córdoba is associated with a younger T _DM age and a more positive ??Nd₍₅₄₀₎ value. Pampean pre-540?Ma granitoids form two clusters, one with T _DM ages between 2.0 and 1.75?Ga and another between 1.6 and 1.5?Ga. Pampean post-540?Ma granitoids exhibit more homogenous T _DM ages ranging from 2.0 to 1.75?Ga. Ordovician re-activation of active margin along the western part of the block that collided in the Cambrian led to arc magmatism (Famatinian orogeny) and related ensialic back-arc basin in which high-grade metamorphism is related to mid-crustal felsic plutonism and mafic magmatism with significant contamination of continental crust. T _DM values for the Ordovician Famatinian granitoids define a main interval of 1.8?C1.6, except for the Ordovician TTG suites of the Sierras de Córdoba, which show younger T _DM ages ranging from 1.3 to 1.0?Ga. In Devonian times (Achalian orogeny), a new subduction regime installed west of the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas. Devonian magmatism in the Sierras exhibit process of mixing/assimilation of depleted mantle signature melts and continental crust. Achalian magmatism exhibits more radiogenic ??Nd₍₅₄₀₎ values that range between 0.5 and ?4 and T _DM ages younger than 1.3?Ga. In pre-Devonian times, crustal reworking is dominant, whereas processes during Devonian times involved different geochemical and isotopic signatures that reflect a major input of juvenile magmatism.