Root cell wall (RCW) modification is a widespread important defense strategy of plant to cope with trace metals. However, mechanisms underlying its remolding in cadmium (Cd) accumulation are still lacking in hyperaccumulators. In this study, changes of RCW structures and components between nonhyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE) and hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) of Sedum alfredii were investigated simultaneously. Under 25 μM Cd treatment, RCW thickness of NHE is nearly 2 folds than that of HE and the thickened cell wall of NHE was enriched in low-methylated pectin, leading to more Cd trapped in roots tightly. In the opposite, large amounts of high-methylated pectin were assembled around RCW of HE with Cd supply, in this way, HE S. alfredii decreased its root fixation of Cd and enhanced Cd migration into xylem. TEM and AFM results further confirmed that thickened cell wall was caused by the increased amounts of cellulose and lignin while root tip lignification was resulted from variations of sinapyl (S) and guaiacyl (G) monomers. Overall, thickened cell wall and methylated pectin have synchronicity in spatial location of roots, and their coordination contributed to Cd accumulation in S. alfredii.

Previous studies assessing excessive proliferation of phytoplankton (EPP) in lakes are generally based on single investigation and focused on limited environmental factors; meanwhile, less attention has been paid to lakes susceptibility to EPP. Here, we identify the priority of lakes for EPP control in a basin by assessing EPP in multiple lakes and identify the key factors related to lakes’ vulnerability to EPP. Field measurements, as well as multi-source survey data acquisition were conducted for 63 shallow lakes in the middle-lower Yangtze River basin. Resource-use efficiency by phytoplankton (RUE) was then used to represent lake susceptibility to EPP. Generalized linear models were used to assess the relative importance of environmental factors for RUE. We found that most lakes (76.19 %) were not suitable for recreation, due to health concern attributed to irritative or allergenic risk caused by EPP. Phosphorus was the primary limiting nutrient for EPP (74.60 % of lakes) which should be limited to < 0.09 mg/L. The linear model that included latitude, particulate matter 10, and precipitation explained 27.60 % of the variation of RUETP among lakes. In contrast, the linear model that included ozone, Secchi depth, and wind speed explained 19.41 % of the variation of RUETN among lakes. The key factor related to RUETP and RUETN was particulate matter 10 and ozone, respectively, both of which potentially increase RUE or reflect it. Our results suggest that integrating multiple survey datasets is critical for lakes EPP assessment in a basin, while lakes impacted by air pollution are a high priority for EPP control.

Microorganisms able to form biofilms in marine ecosystems are selected depending on immersed surfaces and environmental conditions. Cell attachment directly on toxic surfaces like antifouling coatings suggests a selection of tolerant (or resistant) organisms with characteristics conferring adaptive advantages. We investigated if environment would drive metal resistance gene abundance in biofilms on artificial surfaces. Biofilms were sampled from three surfaces (a PVC reference and two antifouling coatings) deployed in three coastal waters with dissimilar characteristics: The Mediterranean Sea (Toulon) and Atlantic (Lorient) and Indian (Reunion) Oceans. The two coatings differed in metals composition, either Cu thiocyanate and Zn pyrithione (A3) or Cu2O (Hy). Metal resistance genes (MRG) specific to copper (cusA, copA, cueO) or other metals (czcA and pbrT) were monitored with qPCR in parallel to the microbial community using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. A lower α-diversity on A3 or Hy than on PVC was observed independent on the site. Weighted Unifrac suggested segregation of communities primarily by surface, with lower site effect. Metacoder log2 fold change ratio and LeFSe discrimination suggested Marinobacter to be specific of Hy and Altererythrobacter, Erythrobacter and Sphingorhabdus of A3. Likewise, the relative abundance of MRG (MRG/bacterial 16S rRNA) varied between surfaces and sites. A3 presented the greatest relative abundances for cusA, cueO and czcA. The latter could only be amplified from A3 communities, except at Toulon. Hy surface presented the highest relative abundance for copA, specifically at Lorient. These relative abundances were correlated with LeFSe discriminant taxa. Dasania correlated positively with all MRG except cueO. Marinobacter found in greater abundance in Hy biofilm communities correlated with the highest abundances of copA and Roseovarius with czcA. These results prove the selection of specific communities with abilities to tolerate metallic biocides forming biofilms over antifouling surfaces, and the secondary but significant influence of local environmental factors.

Air quality has been significantly improved in China in recent years; however, our knowledge of the long-term changes in health risks from exposure to air pollutants remain less understood. Here we investigated the temporal variations and spatial distributions of six criteria pollutants (SO₂, NO₂, O₃, CO, PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Pearl River Delta (PRD) during 2015–2019. SO₂ showed 36−60% reductions in three regions, comparatively, NO₂ decreased by 3–17% in BTH and YRD and had a 5% increase in PRD. PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ showed the largest reductions in BTH (30−33%) and the lowest in PRD (7−13%), while O₃ increased by 9% during 2015–2019 particularly in BTH and YRD. Assuming that only air pollutants above given thresholds exert excess risk (ERₜₒₜₐₗ) of mortality, we found that the different variations of pollutants have caused ERₜₒₜₐₗ in BTH decreasing significantly from 4.8% in 2015 to 2.0% in 2019, while from 1.9% to 1.0% in YRD, and a small change in PRD. These results indicate substantially decreased health risks of mortality from exposure to air pollutants as a response to improved air quality. Overall, PM₂.₅ dominated ERₜₒₜₐₗ accounting for 42−53% in BTH and 58−64% in YRD with steadily increased contributions, yet ERₜₒₜₐₗ presented strong seasonal dependence on air pollutants with largely increased contribution of O₃ in summer. The ERₜₒₜₐₗ caused by SO₂ was decreased substantially and became negligible except in winter in BTH, while NO₂ only played a role in winter. We also found that ERPM₂.₅ was compositional dependent with organics being the major contributor at low ERPM₂.₅ while nitrate was more important at high ERPM₂.₅. Our results highlight that evaluation of public health risks of air pollution needs to consider chemical differences of PM in different regions in addition to dominant air pollutants in different seasons.

In this study, the co-pyrolysis of food waste with lignocellulosic biomass (wood bark) in a continuous-flow pyrolysis reactor was considered as an effective strategy for the clean disposal and value-added utilization of the biowaste. To achieve this aim, the effects of major co-pyrolysis parameters such as pyrolysis temperature, the flow rate of the pyrolysis medium (nitrogen (N₂) gas), and the blending ratio of food waste/wood bark on the yields, compositions, and properties of three-phase pyrolytic products (i.e., non-condensable gases, condensable compounds, and char) were investigated. The temperature and the food waste/wood bark ratio were found to affect the pyrolytic product yields, while the N₂ flow rate did not. More non-condensable gases and less char were produced at higher temperatures. For example, as the temperature was increased from 300 °C to 700 °C, the yield of non-condensable gases increased from 6.3 to 17.5 wt%, while the yield of char decreased from 63.6 to 30.6 wt% for the co-pyrolysis of food waste and wood bark at a weight ratio of 1:1. Both the highest yield of hydrogen (H₂) gas and the most significant suppression of the formation of phenolic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds were achieved with a combination of food waste and wood bark at a weight ratio of 1:1 at 700 °C. The results suggest that the synergetic effect of food waste and lignocellulosic biomass during co-pyrolysis can be exploited to increase the H₂ yield while limiting the formation of phenolic compounds and PAH derivatives. This study has also proven the effectiveness of co-pyrolysis as a process for the valorization of biowaste that is produced by agriculture, forestry, and the food industry, while reducing the formation of harmful chemicals.

Microcystins are cyanotoxins produced by many species of cyanobacteria. They are specific inhibitors of serine/threonine protein phosphatases and are phytotoxic to agricultural plants. This study used a formal meta-analysis to estimate the phytotoxicity and bioconcentration rates of agricultural plants exposed to microcystins, and the human health risk from consuming microcystin-contaminated plants. Among the 35 agricultural plants investigated, microcystins were most phytotoxic to durum wheat, corn, white mustard and garden cress. Leafy vegetables such as dill, parsley and cabbage could bioconcentrate ∼3 times more microcystins in their edible parts than other agricultural plants. Although the human health risk from ingesting microcystins could be greater for leafy vegetables than other agricultural plants, further work is needed to confirm bioconcentration of microcystins in realistic water-soil-plant environments. Still, we should avoid growing leafy vegetables, durum wheat and corn on agricultural land that is irrigated with microcystins-contaminated water and be attentive to the risk of microcystins contamination in the agricultural food supply.

After decades of imposed regulations about reducing the primary emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), these pollutants are still present in the environment. Soils are important repositories of such persistent semivolatile organic contaminants (SVOCs), and it is assumed that SVOCs sequestered in these reservoirs are being re-mobilized due to anthropogenic influence. In this study, concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in soil and air, their fugacities, fluxes and the soil-air partition coefficient (KSA) were determined for three different land cover types (glacial, remote/mountainous and urban) of the Lesser Himalayan Region (LHR). The concentrations of OCPs, PCBs and PBDEs in soils and air ranged between 0.01 and 2.8, 0.81–4.8, 0.089–0.75 ng g⁻¹; 0.2–106, 0.027–182, and 0.011–7.26 pg m⁻³, respectively. The levels of SVOCs in the soil were correlated with soil organic matter (SOM) indicating that SOM is a substrate for the organic pollutants in soils. The Clausius-Clapeyron plots between ln P and inverse of temperature (1000/T) suggested that long range atmospheric transport was the major input source of PBDEs and higher chlorinated PCBs over the LHR. The uneven and wide distribution of local sources in LHR and up-slope enrichment of SVOCs explained the spatial variability and altitudinal patterns. The soils near mountain and urban lakes act as local sinks of SVOCs such as β-HCH, pp΄-DDT, CB-28, -118, −153, BDE-47, -99, and −154, with soil-air exchange fluxes tending more toward deposition. However, the soils near glacial lakes acted as local sources of more volatile congeners of α-HCH, γ-HCH, op′-DDT, pp′-DDE and lower to medium chlorinated PCBs such as CB-18, -28, −53, −42 and BDE-47, -99, with soil-air exchange tending more toward volatilization flux.

Road transport is the main anthropogenic source of NOx in Europe, affecting human health and ecosystems. Thus, mitigation policies have been implemented to reduce on-road vehicle emissions, particularly through the Euro standard limits. To evaluate the effectiveness of these policies, we calculated NO₂ and NOx concentration trends using air quality and meteorological measurements conducted in three European cities over 26 years. These data were also employed to estimate the trends in NOx emission factors (EFNOₓ, based on inverse dispersion modeling) and NO₂:NOx emission ratios for the vehicle fleets under real-world driving conditions. In the period 1998–2017, Copenhagen and Stockholm showed large reductions in both the urban background NOx concentrations (−2.1 and −2.6% yr⁻¹, respectively) and EFNOₓ at curbside sites (68 and 43%, respectively), proving the success of the Euro standards in diminishing NOx emissions. London presented a modest decrease in urban background NOx concentrations (−1.3% yr⁻¹), while EFNOₓ remained rather constant at the curbside site (Marylebone Road) due to the increase in public bus traffic. NO₂ primary emissions —that are not regulated— increased until 2008–2010, which also reflected in the ambient concentrations. This increase was associated with a strong dieselization process and the introduction of new after-treatment technologies that targeted the emission reduction of other species (e.g., greenhouse gases or particulate matter). Thus, while regulations on ambient concentrations of specific species have positive effects on human health, the overall outcomes should be considered before widely adopting them. Emission inventories for the on-road transportation sector should include EFNOₓ derived from real-world measurements, particularly in urban settings.

The distribution of freshwater and marine microplastics (MPs) varies due to the difference in fresh and seawater densities and MP sources. This study aims to investigate the abundance of MPs and their possible sources in surface waters of different ecosystems, such as sea, lagoon, and lake. We classified MPs in terms of their color and type and established the relationship between the MPs in surface waters with different characteristics. The mean MP abundance (33 particles L⁻¹) detected herein was higher than that in the previously conducted studies. Fragment particles (37.95%) were determined to be the dominant MP type, and the predominant MP color was blue (75.28%). As for the seasonal MP distribution, its highest content (48.03 particles L⁻¹) was observed in autumn, unlike that reported by other studies. The findings of this study reveal the effects of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge and current flow on the MP distribution in the study area. This study aims to provide representative data on the MP abundance and distribution, as well as MP-affecting parameters for similar aquatic areas in other parts of the world.

Riverine ecosystems can have tipping points at which the system shifts abruptly to alternate states, although quantitative characterization is extremely difficult. Here we show, through critical analysis of two different reach scale (25 m and 50 m) studies conducted downstream of two point sources, two tributaries (main stem and confluences) and a 630 km segment of the Ganga River, that human-driven benthic hypoxia/anoxia generates positive feedbacks that propels the system towards a contrasting state. Considering three positive feedbacks-denitrification, sediment-P- and metal-release as level determinants and extracellular enzymes (β-D-glucosidase, protease, alkaline phosphatase and FDAase) as response determinants, we constructed a ‘river ecosystem resilience risk index (RERRI)’ to quantitatively characterize tipping points in large rivers. The dynamic fit intersect models indicated that the RERRI<4 represents a normal state, 4–18 a transition where recovery is possible, and >18 an overstepped condition where recovery is not possible. The resilience risk index, developed for the first time for a lotic ecosystem, can be a useful tool for understanding the tipping points and for adaptive and transformative management of large rivers.