Micro(nano)plastics, new emerging contaminants, are ubiquitously found in the environment due to continuous release and accumulation. Widespread micro(nano)plastics can increase their exposure to organisms, pose threats to the ecological environment and human health, and potentially result in global biodiversity changes. Research has been started on micro(nano)plastics regarding their environmental distribution, contamination sources, and methods and technologies for analysis, as well as the environmental impacts and ecological effects on organisms ingesting micro(nano)plastics. However, limited information focused on the consequences of global biodiversity has been reported and the research approaches on biodiversity change caused by micro(nano)plastics are still seldom developed. Recently, researchers in environmental and ecological groups have begun to be conscious of the relationship between micro(nano)plastics and biodiversity. Even so, more efforts are needed to assess the impacts of micro(nano)plastics on this subject, as well as the interactions between organisms and micro(nano)plastics.

Natural steroid hormones in the aquatic environment have attracted increasing attention because of their strong endocrine disrupting potency. Seven steroid hormones (estrone, 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, estriol, testosterone, androstenedione, and progesterone) were analyzed from surface water and sediment sampled from Chaohu Lake, its upstream rivers (the Hangbu River, Nanfei River, Shiwuli River, and Pai River), drainage from the adjacent farmland, and treated and untreated municipal sewage. Concentrations of the seven target steroid hormones ranged from below the detection limit (ND) to 69.5 ng L⁻¹ in the water of Chaohu Lake and the upstream rivers. Three steroids—estrone, estriol, and 17α-estradiol—were found in relatively high residual concentrations in the water, with maximum concentrations of 69.5 ng L⁻¹, 51.5 ng L⁻¹, and 23.3 ng L⁻¹, respectively. All of the target steroid hormones except estriol were detected in the sediment in concentrations of ND–16344 ng kg⁻¹. The dominant steroid hormone in the sediment of Chaohu Lake and the upstream rivers was 17α-estradiol. In the Shiwuli River and the Pai River, the dominant steroid hormones (estrone and estriol) were the same as those in the untreated municipal sewage. This confirmed the deduction that untreated municipal sewage was the major source of steroid hormone residues in these two rivers. The main steroid hormone in the water of the Hangbu River and Chaohu Lake was 17α-estradiol, the same as that in the farmland drainage. In addition, 17α-estradiol was verified as the major factor in the contribution of farmland drainage to the pollution in these rivers. The water in the Nanfei River had high concentrations of estriol and 17α-estradiol. This indicates that both untreated municipal sewage and farmland drainage were the major sources. The discharge of steroid hormones from the four rivers to Chaohu Lake was approximately 75.1 kg year⁻¹, with the highest contributor being 17α-estradiol (24 kg year⁻¹). Therefore, based on the results of this study, the farmland drainage should be controlled to reduce the steroid hormone pollution in Chaohu Lake.

Early stages of ontogenesis determining subsequent growth, development, and productivity of crops can be affected by wastewater and sludge contaminated with pharmaceuticals. Diclofenac (DCF) and paracetamol (PCT; both 0.0001 to 10 mg/L) did not affect seed germination and primary root length of onion, lettuce, pea, and tomato. Conversely, 20-day-old pea and maize plants exhibited decrease in biomass production, leaf area (by approx. 40% in pea and 70% in maize under 10 mg/L DCF), or content of photosynthetic pigments (by 10% and 60% under 10 mg/L PCT). Quantum yields of photosystem II were reduced only in maize (FV/FM and ΦII by more than 40% under 10 mg/L of both pharmaceuticals). Contents of H₂O₂ and superoxide increased in roots of both species (more than four times under 10 mg/L PCT in pea). Activities of antioxidant enzymes were elevated in pea under DCF treatments, but decreased in maize under both pharmaceuticals. Oxidative injury of root cells expressed as lowered oxidoreductase activity (MTT assay, by 40% in pea and 80% in maize) and increase in malondialdehyde content (by 60% and 100%) together with the membrane integrity disruption (higher Evans Blue accumulation, by 100% in pea and 300% in maize) confirmed higher sensitivity of maize as a C4 monocot plant to both pharmaceuticals.

The process of urbanization of natural environments has dramatically increased the incidence of pest insects. To control these organisms in urban environments, the last decades have been marked by an increase in the use of synthetic insecticides. However, the intensive and indiscriminate use of synthetic insecticides has provoked a series of environmental problems and human health. In this way, the concern and the searching for environmentally safer alternatives for the control of urban pests is increasing. In the present study we evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects of essential oils (EOs) of six accessions of Varronia curassavica (Jacq.) (Cordiaceae) and their constituents (E)-caryophyllene and α-humulene on the ant Dorymyrmex thoracicus Gallardo, 1916 (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), a species commonly found in urban environments and which can cause damage to human health. Bioassays of fumigation toxicity and locomotor activity in partially treated arenas were performed. The lethal concentrations to kill 50% of the D. thoracicus population ranged from 0.69 to 2.48 μL/L for EOs and from 3.75 to 1.49 μL/L for the (E)-caryophyllene and α-humulene compounds. The survival of the ants exposed to LC₉₅ of the treatments was reduced over time, ranging from 4.2 to 35.6 h to kill 50% of the D. thoracicus population. In general, EOs of V. curassavica caused repellency and affected the locomotor activity of the ants. Our results indicate that EOs of V. curassavica are a promising source for the control of the urban ant D. thoracicus.

There is increasing evidence that titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) present in water or diet can be taken up by fish and accumulate in internal organs including the liver. However, their further fate in the organ is unknown. This study provides new insights into the interaction, uptake mechanism, intracellular trafficking, and fate of TiO₂ NPs (Aeroxide® P25) in fish liver parenchymal cells (RTL-W1) in vitro using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) as complementary analytical techniques. The results demonstrate that following their uptake via caveolae-mediated endocytosis, TiO₂ NPs were trafficked through different intracellular compartments including early endosomes, multivesicular bodies, and late endosomes/endo-lysosomes, and eventually concentrated inside multilamellar vesicles. TEM and spICP-MS results provide evidence that uptake was nano-specific. Only NPs/NP agglomerates of a specific size range (~ 30–100 nm) were endocytosed; larger agglomerates were excluded from uptake and remained located in the extracellular space/exposure medium. NP number and mass inside cells increased linearly with time and was associated with an increase in particle diameter suggesting intracellular agglomeration/aggregation. No alterations in the expression of genes regulated by the redox balance-sensitive transcription factor Nrf-2 including superoxide dismutase, glutamyl cysteine ligase, glutathione synthetase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione S-transferase were observed. This shows that, despite the high intracellular NP burden (~ 3.9 × 10² ng Ti/mg protein after 24 h) and NP-interaction with mitochondria, cellular redox homeostasis was not significantly affected. This study contributes to a better mechanistic understanding of in vitro particokinetics as well as the potential fate and effects of TiO₂ NPs in fish liver cells.

Water column and sediment samples were collected in the southern Gulf of Mexico (GoMex) during 3 oceanographic cruises: XIXIMI-04 (September 2015), XIXIMI-05 (June 2016), and XIXIMI-06 (August 2017). DNA that was extracted from the samples was analyzed by qPCR to detect and quantify bacterial groups that have been reported to metabolize alkanes (Alcanivorax) and aromatic hydrocarbons (Cycloclasticus) and are involved in methane production (Methanomicrobiales). The results were then analyzed with regard to the water masses that are currently detected in the GoMex. Generally, we observed a decrease in the proportion of Alcanivorax and a rise in those of Cycloclasticus and Methanomicrobiales in samples from the surface to deep waters and in sediment samples. Scatterplots of the results showed that the relative abundance of the 3 groups was higher primarily from the surface to 1000 m, but the levels of Cycloclasticus and Methanomicrobiales were high in certain water samples below 1000 m and in sediments. In conclusion, oil-degrading bacteria are distributed widely from the surface to deep waters and sediments throughout the southern GoMex, representing a potential inoculum of bacteria for various hydrocarbon fractions that are ready for proliferation and degradation in the event of an oil spill from the seafloor or along the water column.

Traditional microbe indicators including total bacteria, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci, and F+ coliphage are all frequently used to characterize the microbial contamination state of water bodies for their correlation with pathogenic bacteria. However, these indicators have a poor relationship with viruses, which pose serious threat to economic and human health. Alternative indicators such as bacteroidales may be suitable complementary alternatives to traditional microbe indicators and are being increasingly reported. In the present study, water was analyzed for selected sites along Haihe River in Tianjin for traditional indicators, an alternative indicator (bacteroidales), pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus), viruses (enteric adenovirus, norovirus, enterovirus, poliovirus and rotavirus), and physicochemical parameters. Results indicated that traditional microbe indicators detected in this study showed good correlation with pathogenic bacteria, and the alternative indicator (bacteroidales) had a surprisingly good relationship with viral presence. We propose that bacteroidales might be a suitable complementary indicator for viral contamination in water bodies.

Arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) are ubiquitous pollutants that pose a threat to the environment. Our aim is to study the underlying mechanisms by which As and Cu act on the chicken gizzard. In order to detect ionic disorders in chicken gizzard under chronic treatment with As³⁺ and/or Cu²⁺ and whether they can induce oxidative damage as well as immune disorders, 30 mg/kg arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃) and/or 300 mg/kg copper sulfate (CuSO₄) were added to the chicken’s basal diet. After 12 weeks of exposure, trace elements were found to have significant interference, accompanied by damage to the antioxidant system. In addition, As³⁺ and/or Cu²⁺ activated the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), inducing severe inflammation. At the same time, damaged structural integrity which might be caused by inflammation was discovered after hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Moreover, symbolic Th1/Th2 (Th, helper T cell) drift was also observed in treatment groups, meaning that immune function is left to be affected, and the increment in heat shock proteins may be a self-protective mechanism of gizzard. Interestingly, we found that the damage to the gizzard of chicken was aggravated in a time-dependent manner, and the combined exposure was more pathogenic than the single exposure, of which the mechanism needs further exploration. Together, this work helps move us toward a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that mediate the interactions between Cu excess and As³⁺ exposures and possible health consequences in susceptible species.

The developing countries and emerging economies are crucially contributing to global economic development, energy transition, and climate governance. This paper employs panel cointegration technique to investigate the long-run relationship between carbon emissions and five impacting factors (per capita GDP, primary energy consumption, international trade, fossil proportion, and quadratic per capita GDP) in 50 representative developing countries during 1995–2017. The empirical findings confirm the existence of long-run equilibrium, and the regressing coefficients of fully-modified OLS (FMOLS) indicate that (a) impacting features of the inverted U-shaped curve of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory appear in a few countries, such as Mexico, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Algeria, Indonesia, and Thailand; (b) the energy consumption has statistically positive and significant impacts on boosting the carbon emissions; (c) the negative effect of international trade emerges in the developing nations enjoying trade surpluses; and (d) fossil energy share poses a mixed impact. This paper reveals that the vast and inspiring contribution of developing countries to global carbon emission reduction should attract more international attention and assistance.

Under flooded conditions in paddy soil, the mobility of As increases while the mobility of Cd decreases. The opposite geochemical behavior of As and Cd makes it difficult to reduce their mobilities simultaneously. Our recent study found that combined applications of biochar and zero-valent iron successfully reduced the mobilities of As and Cd simultaneously. On this basis, in the present study, an iron-modified biochar (Fe-BC) was developed, and its effect on decreasing the accumulations of As and Cd in rice was verified in a 2-year field trial. In addition, previous studies indicated that silicon fertilizer can also reduce As and Cd accumulation in rice grain. Hence, the effect of the combined or separate application of Fe-BC and silica sol on As and Cd accumulation in rice grain was investigated. Over the 2-year field trial, the grain yields decreased in the following order: iron-modified biochar plus silica sol (Fe-BC plus Si) > silica sol (Si) > Fe-BC > control (CK). Concentrations of As and Cd in brown rice were in the order: Fe-BC plus Si < Si ≈ Fe-BC < CK. The treatments of Fe-BC and Fe-BC plus Si significantly increased the soil pH and thus decreased available As and available Cd in the soil. In addition, significantly positive correlations between available As and As in brown rice and between available Cd and Cd in brown rice were found. In conclusion, co-application of iron-modified biochar and silica sol should be a recommended strategy to reduce the accumulation of As and Cd in rice grains.