International audience

Immunotoxicological effects of environmentally relevant concentrations (10, 23, 50, 100 μg/l) of atrazine were studied in Lymnaea stagnalis. Individual hemolymph sampling was performed at 0, 24, 48, 72, 96, 168, 336, 504 and 672 h during exposure. Every atrazine concentration induced a significant increase in the mean number of circulating hemocytes, without any concentration–response relation. A peak (1.6-fold increase) of hemocyte density was observed after 96 h of exposure. After 504 h, the number of hemocytes remained higher only in the snails exposed to the two highest concentrations. Granulocytes contributed most to the increase in hemocyte density in herbicide-exposed snails. Both short- (24 and 96 h) and long-term (504 h) exposures resulted in significant inhibition of hemocyte phagocytic activity upon E. coli. Over the long-term, phagocytosis recovered for the two lowest concentrations. After 504 h of exposure, every herbicide level resulted in a significant reduction of reactive oxygen species production in E. coli-stimulated hemocytes, which was not observed for short-term exposures.

[Departement_IRSTEA]GMA [TR1_IRSTEA]12 - MILEAU / EXPER | International audience | Biomarkers are early warning systems of the exposure of aquatic organisms to pollutants. Among them, the measurement of the cholinesterase (ChE) activities in fish muscle is a biomarker of the exposure to organophosphosphates and carbamates pesticides. As Such it has been used in numerous field studies both in marine and continental waters. Cyprinids (chub, Leuciscus cephalus) were sampled in river sites (France) in relatively clean and polluted areas. We performed the statistical analysis of the ChE activities and we generally observed a statistical relationship between ChE activities and fish length, the larger fish having the lower ChE activities. We concluded that the great majority of the significant differences in ChE activities between sites could be due in fact to differences in fish length between field samples. We stress the importance of taking into account the fish length whenever differences in ChE levels between field sites must be interpreted.

International audience | Estimates of standing biomass and fluxes of biomass in a mixed-deciduous woodland were derived, and used with results for concentrations of seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different compartments of the woodland system to quantitatively assess some of the key fluxes and burdens of PAHs in this complex system. We quantified PAH burdens in air, in leaves of three deciduous tree species, in leaf litter and in soil, and uptake of PAHs by the tree leaves; PAH fluxes in litterfall, and deposition to the litter layer on the woodland floor during winter were calculated from these data. Air burdens exhibited marked seasonal variations for all compounds, with lowest values in summer when combustion-related emissions were low. Leaves did not accumulate large burdens of PAHs while on the trees and consequently, litterfall-associated fluxes of PAHs were small, representing only a fraction of the burdens in the litter layer to which they were deposited. Higher PAH burdens in air in winter, combined with the organic-matter-rich nature of the litter layer, are thought to be responsible for fluxes of PAHs to the litter layer in winter being 20–170 times the peak litterfall fluxes. The soil compartment was calculated to contain 25 years' worth of deposition of benzo[ghi]perylene, the most recalcitrant PAH in this study. Storage quotients for fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[k]fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene burdens in soil represented 7–10 years' worth of deposition, while fluorene and phenanthrene storage in soil approached unity with inputs (1 and 3 years' worth of deposition, respectively). The relative importance of storage and loss processes was therefore closely related to the physico-chemical properties of the PAH, and is discussed in relation to the cycling of carbon in the woodland.

In this paper the short review of the results of calculation of the coincidence between the water level and quality parameters at the gauging station Cuprija-rail bridge (Serbia, Yugoslavia) is presented. The basic principles of the applied method and criteria for the estimation of the statistic significance of coincidence indicators are given. At the end of the analyses and comments of the obtained results, as well as the possibility for application of this methodology are given. The paper gives numerical quantities of the estimated indicators of statistical significance of the coincidence of water level and quality parameters of groundwater. Also, the graphical illustration, which shows the common exceeding probabilities of the water level and quality parameters, is presented.

Using the then years data series of organic load (COD, BOD), ammonia and organic nitrogen, total phosphorus, detergents and oxygen dissolved, a heavy pollution of Bega Canal at the Romanian - Yugoslav Border ("Srpski Itebej" Control Station) is illustrated. High load of organic matters and nutrients as well as extremely low oxygen dissolved content created anaerobic conditions in aquatic environment, are the main characteristics of Bega Canal state at the analyzed location. As the Bega Canal (left tributary of Tisza river) is an international river, a transboundary issue of pollution is considered in this paper.

In this paper the results of determination of natural waters from the territory of the township Smederevska Palanka and Rekovac (Serbia, Yugoslavia) are presented. The content of metals in waters was determined by the AAS method and other parameters were determined by spectrophotometric and potentiometric method.

In previous works numerous specific changes of water composition in the Danube backwater effects Iron Gate 1 reservoir (Yugoslavia), have been initiated. By studies of conditions of generation and composition of sediments, the models denying importance of assumption on sedimentological features of deposited materials foreseen by the project, have been established, as it was confirmed with more details by newer investigations. The new data on the character of sediments coincide in all elements with changes of water composition, which was formerly presented, thus the knowledges of these phenomena being in that way more important. The data on composition of the deposited material, the macro and micro-composition are of great importance to perceive the influence of new sediments to the quality of surface and groundwater, especially of the sources for water supply, then in a long term for the sudden high risk processes corresponding to a chemical time bomb. Data have confirmed validity of the model of intensified deposition of allochthonous material with plankton and influence of this phenomenon to the processes trough the downstream section.

In this paper, we are consider processing of soils erosion and his way on protection expoitation of water for population water supply, melioration's systems for irrigation and for strew of manger of the Lim river with the tug and suspend bank (Montenegro, Yugoslavia). We are given suggestions for protective utilization of agricultural and forest lands and the possibilities of water exploitation from Bistrica river (Montenegro, Yugoslavia). That is useful for fishing, irrigation, energetic, tourism and water supply. In this paper, you can meet some suggestions about exploitations of minerals and organic fertilizars that are not toxics and they not any influence on pollution of land and water.

During the 1994-1995, seasonal investigations of the fountainhead and spring region of the river Susica, near Uzice in West Serbia (Yugoslavia) were carried out. The bottom fauna composition, termic properties of air and water as well as chemical parameters were also determined. By the study of bottom composition 26 taxa were determined. The most uniform fauna was found in the Susica fountainhead while its diversity was increasing farther downstream the spring region.