An evaluation of the quality status of the pristine karst, tufa depositing aquatic environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park based on the analysis of heavy (ecotoxic) metals was examined for the first time. Analyses of trace metals in water, sediment and fish (Salmo trutta, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Squalius cephalus) samples were conducted either by stripping voltammetry (Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu) or cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (Hg). The concentration of dissolved trace metals in water was very low revealing a pristine aquatic environment (averages were, in ng/L: 258 (Zn), 10.9 (Cd), 11.7 (Pb), 115 (Cu) and 1.22 (Hg)). Slightly enhanced concentrations of Cd (up to 50 ng/L) and Zn (up to 900 ng/L) were found in two main water springs and are considered as of natural origin. Observed downstream decrease in concentration of Cd, Zn and Cu in both water and sediments is a consequence of the self-purification process governed by the formation and settling of authigenic calcite. Anthropogenic pressure was spotted only in the Kozjak Lake: Hg concentrations in sediments were found to be up to four times higher than the baseline value, while at two locations, Pb concentrations exceeded even a probable effect concentration. The increase of Hg and Pb was not reflected on their levels in the fish tissues; however, significant correlations were found between Cd level in fish tissues (liver and muscle) and in the water/sediment compartments, while only partial correlations were estimated for Zn and Cu. A high discrepancy between values of potentially bioavailable metal fraction estimated by different modelling programs/models raised the question about the usefulness of these data as a parameter in understanding/relating the metal uptake and their levels in aquatic organism. The aquatic environment of the Plitvice Lakes National Park is characterized, in general, as a clean ecosystem.

Abundances and community compositions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in unvegetated sediment and the rhizosphere sediments of three submerged macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria spinulosa, and Potamogeton crispus) were investigated in a large, eutrophic freshwater lake, Lake Taihu. Abundances of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase alpha-subunit (amoA) gene (from 6.56 × 10⁶copies to 1.06 × 10⁷copies per gram of dry sediment) were higher than those of bacterial amoA (from 6.13 × 10⁵to 3.21 × 10⁶copies per gram of dry sediment) in all samples. Submerged macrophytes exhibited no significant effect on the abundance and diversity of archaeal amoA gene. C. demersum and V. spinulosa increased the abundance and diversity of bacterial amoA gene in their rhizosphere sediment. However, the diversity of bacterial amoA gene in the rhizosphere sediments of P. crispus was decreased. The data obtained in this study would be helpful to elucidate the roles of submerged macrophytes involved in the nitrogen cycling of eutrophic lake ecosystems.

A highly efficient demulsifying strain, LH-6, was isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil and identified as Bacillus cereus by 16S rDNA gene analysis. It achieved 95.61 and 95.40 % demulsifying ratios within 12 h for water-in-oil (W/O) and oil-in-water (O/W) model emulsions, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) detections indicated that the LH-6’s extracellular biodemulsifiers were different types of lipopeptides for the W/O and O/W emulsions. Optimization of the culture medium composition was conducted to improve the biosynthesis and demulsifying efficiency of the biodemulsifier. The optimal carbon source was liquid paraffin, while waste frying oil could also be an alternative carbon source. The optimal nitrogen sources were ammonium sulfate and yeast extract. To further enhance the biodemulsifier efficiency, the optimal cultivation conditions were determined using response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite rotation design (CCRD). Using the optimized cultivation conditions, the demulsifying ratios increased to 98.23 and 97.65 % for the W/O and O/W model emulsions, respectively.

Brazilian soybean cultivars (Glycine max Sambaíba and Tracajá) routinely grown in Amazonian areas were exposed to filtered air (FA) and filtered air enriched with ozone (40 and 80 ppb, 6 h/day for 5 days) to assess their level of tolerance to this pollutant by measuring changes in key biochemical, physiological, and morphological indicators of injury and in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Sambaíba plants were more sensitive to ozone than Tracajá plants, as revealed by comparing indicator injury responses and antioxidant stimulations. Sambaíba exhibited higher visible leaf injury, higher stomatal conductance, and a severe decrease in the carbon assimilation rate. Higher ozone level (80 ppb) caused an increase in cell death in both cultivars. Levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide also increased in Tracajá exposed under 80 ppb. Sambaíba plants exhibited decreases in ascorbate and glutathione levels and in enzymatic activities associated with these antioxidants. The higher tolerance of the Tracajá soybean appeared to be indicated by reduced physiological injuries and lower stomatal conductance, which might decrease the influx of ozone and enhance oxidation-reduction reactions involving catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, ascorbate, and glutathione, most likely stimulated by higher hydrogen peroxide.

This study investigated the effectiveness of successive bioaugmentation, conventional bioaugmentation, and biostimulation of biodegradation of B10 in soil. In addition, the structure of the soil microbial community was assessed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The consortium was inoculated on the initial and the 11th day of incubation for successive bioaugmentation and only on the initial day for bioaugmentation and conventional bioaugmentation. The experiment was conducted for 32 days. The microbial consortium was identified based on sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and consisted as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Achromobacter xylosoxidans, and Ochrobactrum intermedium. Nutrient introduction (biostimulation) promoted a positive effect on microbial populations. The results indicate that the edaphic community structure and dynamics were different according to the treatments employed. CO₂evolution demonstrated no significant difference in soil microbial activity between biostimulation and bioaugmentation treatments. The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) analysis indicated a biodegradation level of 35.7 and 32.2 % for the biostimulation and successive bioaugmentation treatments, respectively. Successive bioaugmentation displayed positive effects on biodegradation, with a substantial reduction in TPH levels.

This study reports the results of an experimental research project carried out in Bologna, a midsize town in central Po valley, with the aim at characterizing local aerosol chemistry and tracking the main source emissions of airborne particulate matter. Chemical speciation based upon ions, trace elements, and carbonaceous matter is discussed on the basis of seasonal variation and enrichment factors. For the first time, source apportionment was achieved at this location using two widely used receptor models (principal component analysis/multi-linear regression analysis (PCA/MLRA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF)). Four main aerosol sources were identified by PCA/MLRA and interpreted as: resuspended particulate and a pseudo-marine factor (winter street management), both related to the coarse fraction, plus mixed combustions and secondary aerosol largely associated to traffic and long-lived species typical of the fine fraction. The PMF model resolved six main aerosol sources, interpreted as: mineral dust, road dust, traffic, secondary aerosol, biomass burning and again a pseudo-marine factor. Source apportionment results from both models are in good agreement providing a 30 and a 33 % by weight respectively for PCA-MLRA and PMF for the coarse fraction and 70 % (PCA-MLRA) and 67 % (PMF) for the fine fraction. The episodic influence of Saharan dust transport on PM₁₀exceedances in Bologna was identified and discussed in term of meteorological framework, composition, and quantitative contribution.

Fenton’s reagent and sawdust were used on the dewaterability of the raw oily sludge in this study. The result shows that the combination of the two treatment processes is favorable, although the application of Fenton’s reagent only is not so good. The capillary suction time (CST) and specific resistance to filtration (SRF) were used to evaluate the effect of dewaterability of the raw oily sludge, and the CST and SRF values are reduced from 1,760 s and 13.8 × 10¹² m/kg to 185 s and 1.5 × 10¹² m/kg, respectively. The dry matter contents of sludge cakes and properties of the supernatant all gained when using only the Fenton’s reagent and when using the combined treatment with Fenton’s reagent and sawdust respectively were investigated. The results indicate that the oily sludge is more suitable for further treatment after combined process with Fenton’s reagent and sawdust.

Microphytoplankton data along the southern Tunisian coasts have been monitored weekly since 1995. This study used the data collected during the period 2000–2007 to determine the temporal variability patterns and to characterize the geographical structures of microphytoplankton populations. The methodological approach consisted in isolating the temporal variability common to all sampled sites and in analyzing the “residual” site-specific component. Multivariate ordination methods were used to determine the seasonal and interannual variability. The temporal pattern shared by all sites was highlighted and the seasonal cycle of the most frequent phytoplankton communities contrasted the diatoms winter-spring species to the dinoflagellates summer-fall species. Multitable comparison allowed the identification of three areas exhibiting similar phytoplankton population variability. The results, despite the coastal location of sampling sites, indicated that hydrodynamic and geomorphologic properties of the different areas as well as anthropogenic activities play a key role in the structure of the phytoplankton communities.

Range expansion potential is an important consideration for prioritizing management actions against an invasive species. Understanding the potential for range expansion by invasive reptiles such as the Burmese python can be challenging, because the lack of knowledge on fundamental physiological and behavioral constraints initially forces reliance on modeling to predict hypothetical invasive range potential. Hypothetical predictions for Burmese python range limits in the USA have been highly divergent, from only extreme South Florida and the extreme southern Gulf edge of Texas to a broad swath over the southern third of the continental USA. Empirical observations on python thermal tolerances and behavioral abilities to cope with more temperate temperatures became evident during a cold spell in December 2009–January 2010. We review and highlight important considerations for improving invasive range estimation methodology, deciding between competing range predictions, and the importance of having, and applying, empirical data to aid in decision making.