scholarly journals Microbiome Development of Seawater-Incubated Pre-production Plastic Pellets Reveals Distinct and Predictive Community Compositions

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Ward ◽  
Zoie Diana ◽  
Kate Meicong Ke ◽  
Beatriz Orihuela ◽  
Thomas P. Schultz ◽  
...  

Plastics of various chemistries pollute global water bodies. Toxic chemicals leach with detrimental and often unpredictable impacts on the surrounding ecosystems. We found that seawater leachates of plastic pre-production pellets from 7 recycle categories are acutely toxic to stage II barnacle nauplii; lethal concentration 50 (LC50s) were observed in 24-h leachates from dilutions ranging from 0.007 to 2.1 mg/mL of seawater. Based on previous observations that macro-organismal settlement on fouling management coatings of various toxicities can be used to predict the toxicity of the coating, we hypothesized that interaction of plastic pre-production pellets with emerging microbiomes would exhibit patterns indicative of the chemistry at the pellet surface. We used amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes to characterize the microbiomes that developed from 8 through 70 days on pellets exposed to the same flowing ambient seawater. Diversity and composition of the microbiomes colonizing plastic pellets changed over time and varied with plastic type. Microbial taxa belong to taxonomic groups known to consume hydrocarbons, to be prevalent following marine oil spills, or to live on fouling management surfaces. Microbiomes were still distinct between plastic types at Day 70, suggesting that differences in the physicochemical characteristics of the underlying plastics continue to exert variable selection of surface microbial communities. A random forest-based sample classifier correctly predicted 93% of plastic types using microbiome compositions. Surface microbiomes have promise for use in forensically identifying plastic types and potential toxicities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Vienna Saraswaty ◽  
Rossy Choerun Nissa ◽  
Bonita Firdiana ◽  
Akbar Hanif Dawam Abdullah

THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RECYCLED-PLASTIC PELLETS OBTAINED FROM DISPOSABLE FACE MASK WASTES. The government policy to wear a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased disposable face mask wastes. Thus, to reduce such wastes, it is necessary to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of disposable face masks wastes before the recycling process and the recycled products. In this study, physicochemical characterization of the 3-ply disposable face masks and the recycled plastic pellets after disinfection using 0.5% v/v sodium hypochlorite were evaluated. A set of parameters including the characterization of surface morphology by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), functional groups properties by a fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal behavior by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile strength and elongation at break were evaluated. The surface morphological of each layer 3-ply disposable face mask showed that the layers were composed of non-woven fibers. The FT-IR evaluation revealed that 3-ply disposable face mask was made from a polypropylene. At the same time, the DSC analysis found that the polypropylene was in the form of homopolymer. The SEM analysis showed that the recycled plastic pellets showed a rough and uneven surface. The FT-IR, tensile strength and elongation at break of the recycled plastic pellets showed similarity with a virgin PP type CP442XP and a recycled PP from secondary recycling PP (COPLAST COMPANY). In summary, recycling 3-ply disposable face mask wastes to become plastic pellets is recommended for handling disposable face mask wastes problem.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesc López-Giráldez ◽  
Andrew H. Moeller ◽  
Jeffrey P. Townsend

Phylogenetic research is often stymied by selection of a marker that leads to poor phylogenetic resolution despite considerable cost and effort. Profiles of phylogenetic informativeness provide a quantitative measure for prioritizing gene sampling to resolve branching order in a particular epoch. To evaluate the utility of these profiles, we analyzed phylogenomic data sets from metazoans, fungi, and mammals, thus encompassing diverse time scales and taxonomic groups. We also evaluated the utility of profiles created based on simulated data sets. We found that genes selected via their informativeness dramatically outperformed haphazard sampling of markers. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrate that the original phylogenetic informativeness method can be extended to trees with more than four taxa. Thus, although the method currently predicts phylogenetic signal without specifically accounting for the misleading effects of stochastic noise, it is robust to the effects of homoplasy. The phylogenetic informativeness rankings obtained will allow other researchers to select advantageous genes for future studies within these clades, maximizing return on effort and investment. Genes identified might also yield efficient experimental designs for phylogenetic inference for many sister clades and outgroup taxa that are closely related to the diverse groups of organisms analyzed.


1975 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Leinonen ◽  
D. Mackay

Abstract Mathematical models are presented which quantify the processes of evaporation and dissolution of components of crude oil in three situations: a spill on water, a spill on ice, and a spill under ice cover in which the oil lies between the water and ice phases. Constant spill area is assumed. The evaporation flux is calculated using a mass transfer coefficient based on windspeed and spill dimensions. The dissolution flux can be calculated from two models, a mass transfer coefficient approach and an eddy diffusivity approach involving the integration of a set of partial differential equations in depth and time. The selection of model parameters is discussed. For the three physical situations, using a synthetic crude oil, results are presented giving the relative rates of evaporation and dissolution and the aqueous phase concentration of selected hydrocarbons. The implications of the results for clean-up technology and aquatic toxicity are discussed, particularly with regard to spills under ice.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kruttika Phalnikar ◽  
Krushnamegh Kunte ◽  
Deepa Agashe

ABSTRACTBacterial communities associated with insects can substantially influence host ecology, evolution and behavior. Host diet is a key factor that shapes bacterial communities, but the impact of dietary transitions across insect development is poorly understood. We analyzed bacterial communities of 12 butterfly species across different development stages, using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Butterfly larvae typically consume leaves of a single host plant, whereas adults are more generalist nectar feeders. Thus, we expected bacterial communities to vary substantially across butterfly development. Surprisingly, very few species showed significant developmental transitions in bacterial communities, suggesting weak impacts of dietary transitions across butterfly development. On the other hand, bacterial communities were strongly influenced by butterfly species identity and dietary variation across species. Larvae of most butterfly species largely mirrored bacterial community composition of their diets, suggesting passive acquisition rather than active selection. Overall, our results suggest that although butterflies harbor distinct microbiomes across taxonomic groups and dietary guilds, the dramatic dietary shifts that occur during development do not impose strong selection to maintain distinct bacterial communities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e46915
Author(s):  
José Romário de Carvalho ◽  
Luis Moreira de Araujo Junior ◽  
Dirceu Pratissoli ◽  
Débora Fragoso ◽  
Amanda Túler

The tomato is a crop of great importance for Brazilian agriculture. Among the most damaging pests, the small tomato borer, Neoleucinodes elegantalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambiadae) has caused great losses, since they directly reach the fruits to be commercialized, being used for its handling a large volume of insecticides. In this way, the use of alternative techniques that help in the management of this pest becomes of great importance. Among them, the use of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma spp. has been promising. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the performance of Trichogramma species and/or strains in N. elegantalis by selection of strains. The selection was made based on four lineages maintained in the Nucleus of Scientific and Technological Development in Phytosanitary Management of Pests (NUDEMAFI), being three strains of the species T. pretiosum and one of T. galloi species. The parameters evaluated were percentage of parasitized eggs, egg viability, number of individuals per eggs, sex ratio and number of Trichogramma spp. to be released. The T. galloi (T. g1) showed the best parameters for selection of the strain. Estimating the optimal number of T. g1 in eggs of small-fruit-borer was 82 individuals per egg parasitoid. Therefore, this strain was selected for the management of the small tomato-borer, whose eggs presented favorable physicochemical characteristics for the development of the parasitoid.


1985 ◽  
Vol 1985 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-120
Author(s):  
E. H. Owens ◽  
H. H. Roberts ◽  
S. P. Murray ◽  
C. R. Foget

ABSTRACT The movement of oil on the water surface is a result of meteorologic and oceanographic processes. Attempts to contain or divert surface oil using booms should factor these processes into the development of deployment tactics. Attempts to deploy booms, disregarding physical and environmental conditions often have met with failure. Differing physical parameters affect water circulation and the movement of oil in the nearshore environments of reef/lagoon and barrier inlet systems; generalized models identify the primary features of each of these two systems for selection of appropriate methods of boom deployment. Circulation patterns across reefs are dominated by wave-driven and tidal-driven forces that carry water across the reef crest into the low energy lagoonal environment. Within the lagoon, tidal and wind stress forces become important factors that drive the circulation systems. Barrier island inlets that form in meso-tidal environments have circulation patterns that are dominated by cyclical tidal forces. In the narrow inlet throats current velocities are frequently too great for booms to contain oil. In this situation diversion of surface oil to areas of low current speeds can be used to protect sensitive lagoonal environments. During the early stages of a flooding tide, current inflow through the inlet is in marginal channels and at this tidal stage oil could be diverted to the shoreline before it enters the inlet throat.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazumori Mise ◽  
Shigeto Otsuka

ABSTRACT Compared with the well-studied soil prokaryotic communities, little is known about soil eukaryotic communities. Here, we investigated the eukaryotic community structures in 43 arable soils using amplicon sequencing of 18S rRNA genes. Major taxonomic groups, such as Fungi, Holozoa, and Stramenopiles, were detected in all samples.


2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1105-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Martínez-Gómez ◽  
A. D. Vethaak ◽  
K. Hylland ◽  
T. Burgeot ◽  
A. Köhler ◽  
...  

Abstract Martínez-Gómez, C., Vethaak, A. D., Hylland, K., Burgeot, T., Köhler, A., Lyons, B. P., Thain, J., Gubbins, M. J., and Davies, I. M. 2010. A guide to toxicity assessment and monitoring effects at lower levels of biological organization following marine oil spills in European waters. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1105–1118. The usefulness of applying biological-effects techniques (bioassays and biomarkers) as tools to assist in evaluating damage to the health of marine ecosystems produced by oil spills has been demonstrated clearly during recent decades. Guidelines are provided for the use of biological-effects techniques in oil spill pollution monitoring for the NE Atlantic coasts and the NW Mediterranean Sea. The emphasis is on fish and invertebrates and on methods at lower levels of organization (in vitro, suborganismal, and individual). Guidance is provided to researchers and environmental managers on: hazard identification of the fuel oil released; selection of appropriate bioassays and biomarkers for environmental risk assessment; selection of sentinel species; the design of spatial and temporal surveys; and the control of potential confounding factors in the sampling and interpretation of biological-effects data. It is proposed that after an oil spill incident, a monitoring programme using integrated chemical and biological techniques be initiated as soon as possible for ecological risk assessment, pollution control, and monitoring the efficacy of remediation. This can be done by developing new biomonitoring programmes or by adding appropriate biological-effects methods to the existing monitoring programmes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 920-922
Author(s):  
Robert W. Castle ◽  
Fred Wehrenberg

ABSTRACT The fate, behavior, impact, and response to oil spills can vary significantly in response to oil type and condition. This paper presents a field methodology that can be used to classify spilled oil based on observable physical properties. The classification methodology is intended to be used for shoreline cleanup assessment team (SCAT) surveys, selection of response techniques, and other emergency response applications.


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