This paper presents the first acute toxicity data of the natural insecticide spinosad in amphibians. The sensitivity of two neotropical sympatric anuran species, Boana pulchella and Rhinella arenarum, to spinosad-based formulation Tracer™ was evaluated. Lethal effects are reported in tadpoles of B. pulchella stage 25 between 2.81 and 35.44 mg spinosad/L, while for the same concentration range no lethal effects were detected in tadpoles of R. arenarum of the same stage. In addition, Tracer™ produced sublethal effects at the individual level on the swimming activity, morphology (growth and presence of abnormalities), and development of B. pulchella from 2.81 to 5.78 mg spinosad/L, while in R. arenarum effects were only detected in the swimming activity and growth from 2.78 and 6.22 mg/L, respectively. At the biochemical level, Tracer™ produced inhibition of different enzymatic activities, among them, catalase activity at 2.81 mg spinosad/L, glutathione S- transferase activity from 2.81 to 2.98 mg spinosad/L, and acetylcholinesterase activity at 2.81 mg spinosad/L. These findings allow us to conclude that B. pulchella is more sensitive than R. arenarum to spinosad-based formulation Tracer™. The effects demonstrated here are not consistent with those expected since spinosad is supposed to be an environmental healthy alternative. This paper provides useful and necessary information to implement regulations on the use of new compounds entering the market and its associated risks. | Instituto de Recursos Biológicos | Fil: Bahl, María Florencia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Brodeur, Celine Marie Julie. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Recursos Bilológicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Salgado Costa, Carolina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: D'Andrea, María Florencia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Recursos Bilológicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Sansiñena, Jesica Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Marino, Damián José. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Natale, Guillermo S. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Departamento de Química. Centro de Investigaciones del Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.

The Paraná River basin is one of the most important in South America and is affected by human activities that take place on its margins. In particular, the De la Cruz stream flows through an industrial pole and the Arrecifes River goes mainly through agricultural fields. The aim of this study was to evaluate the water quality of the De la Cruz stream (S1) and the Arrecifes River (S2) by means of physicochemical parameters, including metals and pesticides concentrations. Since amphibians are good indicators of environmental quality, bioassays with Rhinella arenarum were carried on. For lethal and sublethal parameters, embryos and larvae were exposed to a dilution gradient of water samples and AMPHITOX Solution (AS) as negative control for 504 h. For the determination of oxidative stress biomarkers (Catalase -CAT-, Glutathione S-Transferase -GST-, Reduced Glutathione -GSH-, and lipid peroxidation -TBARS-), embryos and larvae were exposed to undiluted water samples and AS. For the determination of micronuclei, larvae at hind limb bud stage (S.28) were exposed to undiluted water samples, simultaneously with negative and positive controls (AS and cyclophosphamide 40 mg/L, respectively). Dissolved oxygen was low in both sites and the copper levels exceeded the Argentine limit for the protection of aquatic life. In embryos exposure, water sample from S1 caused lethal effects (504h-LC50 = 49 (28–71.6)%), increased TBARS levels, and GST and CAT activities. In larvae exposure, water sample from this site decreased CAT activity, while the water sample from S2 caused important lethal effects (504h-LC50 = 98.72 (60.60–302.52)%), low GSH levels and increased GST activity. Water samples from both sites induced higher micronuclei frequency than the negative control. This study alerts about the degradation of water quality of the studied sites including lethal and sublethal effects in R. arenarum that can jeopardize the native populations of this species. | Fil: Peluso, Julieta. Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM). Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Aronzon, Carolina Mariel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM). Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina. | Fil: Ríos de Molina, María del Carmen. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Rojas, Dante Emanuel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Instituto de Química Biológica; Argentina. | Fil: Cristos, Diego Sebastian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Instituto de Química Biológica; Argentina. | Fil: Pérez Coll, Cristina Silvia. Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM). Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina.

Lead (Pb) contamination of agricultural soils, and subsequently of crops, has been widely reported. Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) has been indicated as a plant that accumulates Pb, even in soils that do not exceed the maximum permissible levels. Considering the toxicity of this heavy metal, the aim of the present study was to assess different concentrations of Pb, from low to extremely high (0.25 mM, 1 mM, and 2.5 mM), in soybean seedlings and their tolerance by analyzing morpho-physiological parameters in hydroponic experiments. Soybean seedlings were exposed to control and Pb treatments during 8 days, coinciding with the early growth stages, and the following variables were analyzed: biomass, Pb content in roots, stems and leaves, photosynthetic efficiency, leaf area, biochemical response (antioxidant power, chlorophylls, malondialdehyde), and relative water content of leaves. Results showed that roots accumulated much more Pb than the other organs, with Pb accumulation in roots being saturated even at the lowest Pb concentration, which was reflected in root biomass. Moreover, absorption of culture solutions was lower in Pb treatments, which was also reflected in the lower leaf relative water content. Lead toxicity symptoms in leaves (chlorosis and dark spots, and a decrease of biomass and leaf area, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic efficiency), and an increase of the oxidative defense system were associated only with the highest Pb concentration (2.5 mM). Our findings support the evidence of soybean as a species tolerant to Pb, showing the effects of toxicity at very high concentrations. | Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales | Fil: Blanco, Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores; Argentina | Fil: Blanco, Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina | Fil: Pignata, María L. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores; Argentina | Fil: Pignata, María L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina | Fil: Lascano, Hernán Ramiro. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentina | Fil: Lascano, Hernán Ramiro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios (UDEA); Argentina | Fil: Lascano, Hernán Ramiro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales. Argentina | Fil: Rodriguez, Judith H. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores. Argentina | Fil: Rodriguez, Judith H. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina

Glycine max (L.) Merr. (soybean) crop plants have been found to have high lead (Pb) levels in aerial organs; however, knowledge about the processes involved in the incorporation, and subsequent translocation and accumulation of the metal in the plants is scarce. Considering the toxicity of this heavy metal, the aim of the present study was to evaluate Pb uptake and translocation, and their toxic effects on soybean seedlings via experiments of ionic competition with Ca2+ (2.5 mM, Ca:Pb 1:1) and alteration of the transpiration flow [0.25 mM Pb(NO3)2]. The following variables were analyzed: biomass, leaf area (morphological parameters), photosynthetic efficiency, biochemical response (considered physiological stress markers: antioxidant power, chlorophylls, carotenoids, starch, proteins, sugars, and malondialdehyde), and Pb content. Results showed that soybean seedlings can accumulate high Pb concentration in its organs; however, in general, no morpho-physiological Pb stress symptoms were observed, except for lipid peroxidation and antioxidant power. The treatment with Ca ions was not effective in reducing Pb entry into root over time when both Ca and Pb where present in the grow solution. Alteration of the transpiration rate in soybean showed that the air flow increased the consumption of solutions, regardless of the treatments. | Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales | Fil: Blanco, Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores; Argentina | Fil: Blanco, Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina | Fil: Pignata, María L. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores; Argentina | Fil: Pignata, María L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina | Fil: Lascano, Hernán Ramiro. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentina | Fil: Lascano, Hernán Ramiro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Estudios Agropecuarios (UDEA); Argentina | Fil: Lascano, Hernán Ramiro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Fisiología y Recursos Genéticos Vegetales; Argentina | Fil: Salazar, María J. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores; Argentina | Fil: Salazar, María J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina | Fil: Rodriguez, Judith H. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV). Área Contaminación y Bioindicadores; Argentina | Fil: Rodriguez, Judith H. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina

Neonicotinoids are globally used insecticides, and there are increasing evidence on their negative efects on birds. This study is aimed at characterizing the behavioral and physiological efects of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (IMI) in a songbird. Adults of Agelaioides badius were exposed for 7 days to non-treated peeled millet and to peeled millet treated with nominal concentrations of 75 (IMI1) and 450 (IMI2) mg IMI/kg seed. On days 2 and 6 of the trial, the behavior of each bird was evaluated for 9 min by measuring the time spent on the foor, the perch, or the feeder. Daily millet consumption, initial and fnal body weight, and physiological, hematological, genotoxic, and biochemical parameters at the end of exposure were also measured. Activity was greatest on the foor, followed by the perch and the feeder. On the second day, birds exposed to IMI1and IMI2 remained mostly on the perch and the feeder, respectively. On the sixth day, a transition occurred to sec tors of greater activity, consistent with the disappearance of the intoxication signs: birds from IMI1 and IMI2 increased their time on the foor and the perch, respectively. Control birds always remained most of the time on the foor. IMI2 birds signifcantly decreased their feed intake by 31% the frst 3 days, compared to the other groups, and signifcantly decreased their body weight at the end of the exposure. From the set of hematological, genotoxic, and biochemical parameters, treated birds exhibited an alteration of glutathione-S-transferase activity (GST) in breast muscle; the minimal efects observed are probably related to the IMI administration regime. These results highlight that the consumption of less than 10% of the bird daily diet as IMI-treated seeds trigger efects at multiple levels that can impair bird survival. | Fil: Poliserpi, María Belén. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; Argentina | Fil: Abad, Tatiana Noya. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentina. Universidad Maimómides. Centro de Ciencias Naturales, Ambientales y Antropológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina | Fil: De Gerónimo, Eduardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. | Fil: Brodeur, Julie Céline. Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Recursos Biológicos. Argentina | Fil: Aparicio, Virginia Carolina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina

The concentrations of 17 non-essential elements (Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Ce, Cr, Hg, La, Li, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Th, Ti, and Tl) were determined in brown grain rice samples of two varieties: Fortuna and Largo Fino. The samples were collected from the four main producing regions of Corrientes province (Argentina). Quantitative determinations were performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), using a validated method. The contents of As, Be, Cd, Ce, Cr, Hg, Pb, Sb, Sn, Th, and Tl were very low or not detected in most samples. The non-essential element levels detected were in line with studies conducted in rice from different parts of the world. In order to characterize the influence of geographical origin in the samples, the following classification methods were carried out: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), k-nearest neighbors (k-NN), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), support vector machine (SVM) and random forests (RF). The best performance was obtained by using RF (96%) and SVM (96%). The results reported here showed the variation in the non-essential element profiles in rice grain depending on the geographical origin.

This chapter presents general aspects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as environmental pollutants and synthesizes information on the presence and levels of PAHs in the coasts and deep sea throughout the world. PAHs are a large group of compounds formed of two or more fused benzene rings or, in some cases, a pentagonal ring. PAHs are solid at room temperature and characterized by low steam pressures and low water solubility, as well as high melting and boiling points. PAHs can originate from three possible sources: petrogenic, pyrolytic and natural. Although PAHs can occur naturally, anthropogenic activities are generally considered the major source of PAHs released into the environment. PAHs can be introduced into marine environments by different ways: spillage of fossil fuels, ship traffic, atmospheric depositions, urban runoff, and municipal and industrial wastewater discharge. PAHs associated with sediments are considered to be less bioavailable to organisms and therefore less toxic for aquatic biota than PAHs dissolved in seawater. | Fil: Oliva, Ana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina | Fil: Ronda, Ana Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina | Fil: Girones, Lautaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina | Fil: Orazi, Melina Mirta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina | Fil: Recabarren Villalón, Tatiana Valentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina | Fil: Marcovecchio, Jorge Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad FASTA "Santo Tomas de Aquino"; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina | Fil: Arias, Andres Hugo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química; Argentina

Abstract: The cryosphere in South America is a very important resource because it is the main source of water for 85 million inhabitants distributed in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina [1-2]. To know the effects due to global phenomena such as arctic oscillation (AO) in the reduction of the cryosphere in this region, we proceeded to analyze sources of reanalysis information (ERA-40; NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis) and high resolution snow cover (MOD10 500m) from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Several linear adjustments were made to observe how snow cover variations (Y) responded to variations in AO (X1 ), surface temperature (X2 ) and snow precipitation (X3 ).