We expose here a detailed spatially explicit model of aphid population dynamics at the scale of a whole country (Metropolitan France). It is based on convection–diffusion-reaction equations, driven by abiotic and biotic factors. The target species is the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae F., considering both its winged and apterous morphs. In this preliminary work, simulations for year 2004 (an outbreak case) produced realistic aphid densities, and showed that both spatial and temporal S. avenae population dynamics can be represented as an irregular wave of population peak densities from southwest to northeast of the country, driven by gradients or differences in temperature, wheat phenology, and wheat surfaces. This wave pattern fits well to our knowledge of S. avenae phenology. The effects of three insecticide spray regimes were simulated in five different sites and showed that insecticide sprays were ineffective in terms of yield increase after wheat flowering. After suitable validation, which will require some further years of observations, the model will be used to forecast aphid densities in real time at any date or growth stage of the crop anywhere in the country. It will be the backbone of a decision support system, forecasting yield losses at the level of a field. The model intends then to complete the punctual forecasting provided by older models by a comprehensive spatial view on a large area and leads to the diminution of insecticide sprayings in wheat crops.

Current techniques for the ecological risk assessment of chemical substances are often criticised for their lack of environmental realism, ecological relevance and methodological accuracy. ChimERA is a 3-year project (2013–2016), funded by Cefic’s Long Range Initiative (LRI) that aims to address some of these concerns by developing and testing mechanistic fate and effect models, and coupling of these models into one integrated platform for risk assessment. This paper discusses the backdrop against which this project was initiated and lists its objectives and planned methodology.

Struvite precipitate obtained from yeast industry anaerobic effluent with high ammonium nitrogen (NH₄–N) was investigated for fertilizer effect on plant growth and nutrition according to applications of N, nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium (NPK), and control. Optimum struvite formation conditions were determined via Box–Behnken design. Optimum condition was obtained at pH 9.0 and Mg/N/P molar ratio of 1.5:1:1. Under these conditions, heavy metal concentrations in the obtained struvite precipitate (except Cu) were below the detection limits. In addition to high N, P, and Mg content, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed that the struvite also included the nutritional elements Ca, K, Na, and Fe. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the complex structures of NaAl(SO₄)₂(H₂O)₁₂, NaMn²⁺Fe₂(PO₄)₃, and (Na₂,Ca)O₂(Fe,Mn)O.P₂O₅in the precipitate. High Na⁺and Ca²⁺concentrations in the anaerobic effluent reacted with phosphate during struvite precipitation. Different applications and struvite dosages significantly affected fresh and dry weights and nutrient element uptakes by plants (P < 0.05). N, P, and Mg uptakes of plants were significantly higher at struvite ×2, ×3, and ×4 dosages compared with NPK application. For adequate nutrition and supply of optimum dry weight, struvite ×2 dosage (5.71 g struvite/kg soil) was found appropriate for both maize and tomato plants.

Phthalates are common atmospheric contaminants used in the plastic industry. Ants have been shown to constitute good bioindicators of phthalate pollution. Hence, phthalates remain trapped on ant cuticles which are mostly coated with long-chain hydrocarbons. In this study, we artificially contaminated Lasius niger ants with four phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP). The first three have previously been found on ants in nature in Touraine (France), while the fourth has not. The four phthalates disappeared rapidly (less than 5 days) from the cuticles of live ants. In contrast, on the cuticles of dead ants, DEHP quantities remained unchanged over time. These results indicate that phthalates are actively absorbed by the cuticles of live ants. Cuticular absorption of phthalates is nonspecific because eicosane, a nonnatural hydrocarbon on L. niger cuticle, was similarly absorbed. Ants are important ecological engineers and may serve as bioindicators of ecosystem health. We also suggest that ants and more generally terrestrial arthropods may contribute to the removal of phthalates from the local environment.

Five Asian willow species (Salix jiangsuensis J172, Salix matsudana, Salix integra Yizhibi, Salix integra Weishanhu, and Salix mongolica) were evaluated for their potential for phytofiltration of arsenic (As) from synthetically contaminated waters. Arsenic accumulation, tolerance, uptake influx, and phytofiltration ability of the five willow species were examined under hydroponic conditions in a glasshouse. Short-term exposure (2 weeks) to solutions containing 80 μmol L⁻¹arsenate (As(V)), resulted in significant accumulation of As in all willow species. Arsenic concentration in plant roots ranged from 322 mg kg⁻¹dry weight (DW) for S. matsudana to 604 mg kg⁻¹(DW) for S. integra Yizhibi. S. integra Yizhibi decreased As(V) concentration in water from 3.87 to 1.89 μmol L⁻¹(290 to 142 μg L⁻¹) over 168 h, which is 50 % of the total As(V) in the solution. The results suggested that even though Asian willow was not a traditional aquatic species, it still had significant potential for phytofiltration of As from contaminated waters. Of the five willow species studied, S. integra Yizhibi had the greatest capacity to remove As from As-contaminated waters. Thus, Asian willow has significant potential for the phytofiltration of As and may also be suitable for practical phytoremediation of As in highly water-logged areas.

Currently, the poor water quality in Taihu Lake is a major problem in China, so pollution control in the upstream areas has become a government priority. In Jiangsu Province, pollution emissions around the western areas of Taihu Lake, including Changzhou Municipality and Yixing City, need to be highly restricted, and calculating the water environmental capacity is important if pollution is to be reduced. In this study, 19 control units in these areas were established, and a 0-D mathematical model was used to calculate the water environmental capacity. For three important control units with important cross sections, a 1-D model was established to redress the results. Finally, the total maximum monthly loads of each control unit were obtained using temporal allocation principles. The results suggested that (1) the total pollution control of chemical oxygen demand was 58,894.2 tonnes per annum (t a⁻¹), with ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus amounting to 3,808, 6,054.6, and 386.6 t a⁻¹, respectively; (2) water environmental capacity per unit water area in the ambient control units was smaller than that in the middle control units; and (3) the largest water environmental capacity was in June, and the smallest capacity was in December. The study provides important information for local governments, which will enable them to implement pollution control strategies that will improve the water quality in Taihu Lake.

The intensive campaign conducted in March 2013 in Rome, Italy, at one coffee bar, one primary school and two homes revealed that in indoor environments, drugs can reach concentration levels exceeding orders of magnitude those recorded outdoors, even when the same substances are not consumed there. At homes, the gross average of cocaine reached 0.13 ng/m³indoors and 0.09 ng/m³outdoors (ratio ~ 1.6); Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol was 6.6 ng/m³indoors and 1.1 ng/m³outdoors (ratio ~ 7); cannabidiol reached 0.30 and 0.07 ng/m³, respectively (ratio ~ 6); and cannabinol 2.3 ng/m³indoors and 0.7 ng/m³outdoors (ratio ~ 3). At the coffee bar, the average drug burdens were even higher, namely 0.33, 4.7, 14.3 and 2.5 ng/m³, respectively, for cocaine, cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol. The school presented a special behaviour: the indoor/outdoor concentration ratios of cocaine, cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol accounting for ~1.5, ~0, ~4 and ~0.5, in the order. Cocaine was more abundant on weekdays at all sites except one home indoors, whilst total cannabinoids prevailed on weekends at the other home and the school. Using the regional network stations as reference, all indoor locations except one were more contaminated by cocaine by a factor ≥1.5, whilst cannabinoids were, aside from the school, up to 100 times higher.

Today, urban runoff is considered as an important source of environmental pollution. Roofing materials, in particular, the metallic ones, are considered as a major source of urban runoff metal contaminations. In the context of the European Water Directive (2000/60 CE), an accurate evaluation of contaminant flows from roofs is thus required on the city scale, and therefore the development of assessment tools is needed. However, on this scale, there is an important diversity of roofing materials. In addition, given the size of a city, a complete census of the materials of the different roofing elements represents a difficult task. Information relating roofing materials and their surfaces on an urban district do not currently exist in urban databases. The objective of this paper is to develop a new method of evaluating annual contaminant flow emissions from the different roofing material elements (e.g., gutter, rooftop) on the city scale. This method is based on using and adapting existing urban databases combined with a statistical approach. Different rules for identifying the materials of the different roofing elements on the city scale have been defined. The methodology is explained through its application to the evaluation of zinc emissions on the scale of the city of Créteil.

Liaohe River Basin is an important region in northeast China, which consists of several main rivers including Liao River, Taizi river, Daliao River, and Hun River. As a highly industrialized region, the basin receives dense waste discharges, causing severe environmental problems. In this study, the spatial and temporal distribution of aqueous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Liaohe River Basin from 50 sampling sites in both dry (May) and level (October) periods in 2012 was investigated. Sixteen USEPA priority PAHs were quantified by gas chromatography/mass selective detector. The total PAH concentration ranged from 111.8 to 2,931.6 ng/L in the dry period and from 94.8 to 2766.0 ng/L in the level period, respectively. As for the spatial distribution, the mean concentration of PAHs followed the order of Taizi River > Daliao River > Hun River > Liao River, showing higher concentrations close to large cities with dense industries. The composition and possible sources of PAHs in the water samples were also determined. The fractions of low molecular weight PAHs ranged from 58.2 to 93.3 %, indicating the influence of low or moderate temperature combustion process. Diagnostic ratios, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to study the possible source categories in the study area, and consistent results were obtained from different techniques, that PAHs in water samples mainly originated from complex sources, i.e., both pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. The benzo[a]pyrene equivalents (EBaP) characterizing the ecological risk of PAHs to the aquatic environment suggested that PAHs in Liaohe River Basin had already caused environmental health risks.

The effects of zinc (Zn) on seed germination and growth of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) were investigated. Under zinc stress, the seed germination rate did not show significant difference from that of the control. Hydroponics experiments indicated that Moso bamboo had a strong ability to accumulate Zn in the shoot and it reached its maximum value in the shoot at 100 μM Zn. The root Zn concentration ranged from 2,329.29 to 8,642.51 mg kg⁻¹, with the root Zn concentration at 10 μM Zn being 58.23 times that of the control. The root morphology parameters slightly increased at the lower Zn treatments, while growth restriction was evident at higher Zn treatments. Root ultrastructural studies revealed that the cell structure, root tips, and organelles were significantly changed under Zn stress as compared to those of the control. Some abnormalities were evident in the cell walls, vacuoles, mitochondria, plasmalemma, tonoplast, and xylem parenchyma of root cells. While Moso bamboo seems a suitable candidate for phytoremediation, its metal remediation ability should be further explored in future investigations.