scholarly journals Assessing Impacts of Metallic Contamination along the Tidal Gradient of a Riverine Mangrove: Multi-metal Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Filter-Feeding Bivalves

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 504
Author(s):  
Rita S. W. Yam ◽  
Yen-Tzu Fan ◽  
Zhehan Tan ◽  
Tzu-Dan Wang ◽  
Chiu-Yu Chiu
Keyword(s):  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
River Continuum ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystems ◽  
Metallic Contaminants ◽  
Metallic Pollution ◽  
Riverine Mangroves ◽  
Metallic Contamination

Most riverine mangroves (characterized by salinity fluctuations and tidal inundations), are seriously threatened by metallic pollution. Whether differences in salinity and tidal effects along the river continuum can affect metallic bioaccumulation and the biomagnification of species is still unknown. Bivalves are representative sessile inhabitants in mangrove ecosystems, with a high capacity to bioaccumulate metallic contaminants. The present study used two bivalves, Meretrix lusoria and Mytilopsis sallei, to monitor inter-site changes in metallic contamination and assess the associated ecological impacts along the tidal gradients of riverine mangroves. The concentrations of a total of six metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) in M. lusoria and M. sallei, collected at three different sites along Danshuei Riverine Mangrove, were investigated. The metallic concentrations of the whole soft body of the studied bivalves, and the associated surface sediment from each site, were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the inter-site effects on the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of metallic contaminants in bivalves. There are increasing concentrations of four metallic contaminants, Zn, Cr, Cd and Cu, in the seaward direction of the bivalves. The increasing mean metallic concentrations along the seaward direction may be the effect of salinity, further decreasing the rate of the elimination of these metals, thus resulting in a net increase in metallic contaminants. Our results clearly show prominent inter-site changes in the metallic burdens of bivalves in our study on riverine mangrove ecosystems associated with different levels of bioaccumulation and biomagnification of metallic contaminants. Thus, it is important to monitor multiple sites along the dynamic environment of riverine mangroves in order to gain a good understanding of the ecological impact of metallic pollution risks. The present findings provide important evidence of the use of simple indices to assess the ecological impacts of metallic pollution in riverine mangroves.

High predatory efficiency and abundance drive expected ecological impacts of a marine invasive fish

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 195-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
EM DeRoy ◽  
R Scott ◽  
NE Hussey ◽  
HJ MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Eastern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Red Grouper ◽  
Per Capita

The ecological impacts of invasive species are highly variable and mediated by many factors, including both habitat and population abundance. Lionfish Pterois volitans are an invasive marine species which have high reported detrimental effects on prey populations, but whose effects relative to native predators are currently unknown for the recently colonized eastern Gulf of Mexico. We used functional response (FR) methodology to assess the ecological impact of lionfish relative to 2 functionally similar native species (red grouper Epinephelus morio and graysby grouper Cephalopholis cruentata) foraging in a heterogeneous environment. We then combined the per capita impact of each species with their field abundance to obtain a Relative Impact Potential (RIP). RIP assesses the broader ecological impact of invasive relative to native predators, the magnitude of which predicts community-level negative effects of invasive species. Lionfish FR and overall consumption rate was intermediate to that of red grouper (higher) and graysby grouper (lower). However, lionfish had the highest capture efficiency of all species, which was invariant of habitat. Much higher field abundance of lionfish resulted in high RIPs relative to both grouper species, demonstrating that the ecological impact of lionfish in this region will be driven mainly by high abundance and high predator efficiency rather than per capita effect. Our comparative study is the first empirical assessment of lionfish per capita impact and RIP in this region and is one of few such studies to quantify the FR of a marine predator.

scholarly journals An experimental study of the ecological impacts of hydraulic bivalve dredging on maerl

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Hauton ◽  
J.M Hall-Spencer ◽  
P.G Moore
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The West ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Sediment Tracer ◽  
Razor Clams ◽  
Short Term Experiment ◽  
Clyde Sea ◽  
Sea Area

AbstractA short-term experiment to assess the ecological impact of a hydraulic blade dredge on a maerl community was carried out during November 2001 in the Clyde Sea area on the west coast of Scotland. A fluorescent sediment tracer was used to label dead maerl, which was then spread out on the surface of sediment to act as a proxy for living maerl. The fauna collected by the dredge was dominated by the bivalves Dosinia exoleta and Tapes rhomboides, which were found to be intact. The target razor clams Ensis spp. were caught in low numbers, which reflected the low abundance of this genus within the maerl habitat. The hydraulic dredge removed, dispersed and buried the fluorescent maerl at a rate of 5.2 kg m−2 and suspended a large cloud of sediment into the water column, which settled out and blanketed the seabed to a distance of at least 8 m either side of the dredge track. The likely ecological consequences of hydraulic dredging on maerl grounds are discussed, and a case is made for protecting all maerl grounds from hydraulic dredging and establishing them as reservoirs to allow for the recruitment of commercial bivalve populations at adjacent fished sites.

scholarly journals Levels of Minor and Trace Elements of Some Commercial Fruit Juices and Syrup Produced in Artisanal and Semi-Industrial Units in Benin Republic

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Alassane A. K. Youssao ◽  
Magloire A. N. Gbaguidi ◽  
Léonce Dovonon ◽  
Oriol Baltrons ◽  
Fabienne Seby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Plasma Source ◽  
Fruit Juices ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Pineapple Juice ◽  
Metallic Contaminants

Fruit juices have been gaining interest in recent years for their contributions of minerals and other essential vitamins. But, with the development of intensive agriculture massively using pesticides and mineral fertilizers, the risk of contamination of these juices is high along the production chain. In this study, we evaluated the concentrations of arsenic       (As), cadmium (Cd), berrylium (Be), aluminium (Al), strontium (Sr), tin       (Sn), barium (Ba), mercury (Hg), thallium          (Tl), lead   (Pb), thorium (Th), uranium (U) for 92 commercial samples of pineapple juice, cocktail of pineapple and watermelon and pineapple syrup of Benin and France using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Source Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The concentrations vary in the following ranges: As <QL at 39.3 ppb, Cd <QL at 0.7 ppb, Be <QL at 0.59 ppb, Al 26.4 ppb at 30620 ppb, Sr 130 ppb at 4049 ppb, Sn<QL at 43 ppb, Ba 42 ppb at 1582 ppb, Hg <QL at 31.7 ppb, Tl<QL at 21.3 ppb, Pb<QL at 608 ppb, Th<QL at 24.7 ppb ppb and U <QL at 1.04 ppb. Se, Ag and Pt have concentrations below the quantification limit (<QL). The levels of Ba, Hg and Pb exceeded the norms for some samples. The presence of aluminum, arsenic and cadmium in the tested samples of fruit juices can be toxic since they have no nutritional value, and hence may be treated as potential contaminants in these beverages. The classification of concentration levels of metallic contaminants reveals two main groups, the minor and the trace elements. These results make it possible to classify the contaminants in the decreasing order of the concentrations in the following way: Al> Sr> Ba> Pb> Sn> Tl> As> Th> Hg> Cd> Be> U. The average concentrations’ levels of trace elements are generally in accordance with the levels obtained for French pineapple juices chosen as reference, national and international standards for the quality of beverages.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Research Investigating the Combined Ecological Impact of Anthropogenic Noise and Artificial Light at Night

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter Halfwerk ◽  
Paul Jerem
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
The Impact

Levels of anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN) are rapidly rising on a global scale. Both sensory pollutants are well known to affect animal behavior and physiology, which can lead to substantial ecological impacts. Most studies on noise or light pollution to date have focused on single stressor impacts, studying both pollutants in isolation despite their high spatial and temporal co-occurrence. However, few studies have addressed their combined impact, known as multisensory pollution, with the specific aim to assess whether the interaction between noise and light pollution leads to predictable, additive effects, or less predictable, synergistic or antagonistic effects. We carried out a systematic review of research investigating multisensory pollution and found 28 studies that simultaneously assessed the impact of anthropogenic noise and ALAN on animal function (e.g., behavior, morphology or life-history), physiology (e.g., stress, oxidative, or immune status), or population demography (e.g., abundance or species richness). Only fifteen of these studies specifically tested for possible interactive effects when both sensory pollutants were combined. Four out of eight experimental studies revealed a significant interaction effect, in contrast to only three out seven observational studies. We discuss the benefits and limitations of experimental vs. observational studies addressing multisensory pollution and call for more specific testing of the diverse ways in which noise and light pollution can interact to affect wildlife.

Introduced flow variability and its propagation downstream of hydropower stations in Sweden

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elenius ◽  
Göran Lindström
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Swedish Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hydropower Stations

<p>Hydropower provides a low-carbon solution to a large portion of Sweden’s energy demand, which is increasingly important in order to combat climate change. However, associated flow regulations introduce variability of the flow on the daily, weekly and seasonal time scales, driven by the varying energy demand. Additional variability is introduced when compensating for the shifting wind energy production. The Water framework directive requires all EU member states to evaluate the ecological impact from anthropogenic activities, such as hydropower. Ecological impacts must also be assessed when all hydropower permissions in Sweden are renewed over the coming 20 years. Because different species are sensitive to different longevity of high- and low-flow periods, it is important to understand the introduced variability of flow in terms of its dominant periods, and how quickly these perturbations are attenuated downstream of regulations.</p><p>In this work, time-series of flow from hydrological simulations with HYPE are analyzed with the Fourier transform to examine the amplitudes of perturbations of different periods, and their decay downstream of hydropower stations. HYPE is a catchment-based model that simulates rainfall-runoff as well as water quality processes. The Swedish model application has been developed over the past decade and covers all of Sweden. Seasonal regulations are modeled with calibrated input parameters, whereas short-term regulations are introduced with station updates from observations that are available at or close to the majority of hydropower regulations. Very high accuracy has been proven between the updated sub-catchments. This, together with a verified model for natural flow, gives us a unique opportunity to study the impact of hydropower on dominant periods and their decay over the entire country, as well as the mechanisms that govern this decay.</p><p>In many sub-catchments, especially in large regulated rivers in northern Sweden, Fourier analysis of daily time series results in dominance of the 7-day period. The exponential decay rate of this and other modes is presented for all Sweden and analyzed in terms of land use and other parameters. Short periods decay faster than long ones. Periods of one month or longer are amplified in the downstream direction in most of Sweden.</p><p>Apart from aid in ecological assessments, our analysis can be used to introduce short-term regulations in hydrological simulators, for either deterministic forecasts (the 7-day mode typically has a minimum value on Sundays) or for stochastic seasonal forecasts where it will impact indicators such as the number of days below or above a threshold.</p>

Ecological Impacts

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Getz
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Footprint Analysis ◽  
Entire Nation ◽  
Ecological Footprint Analysis

In this chapter we examine nature, ecology and ecological impacts, as distinct from the impacts of events and tourism on the built or human environment. This brings sustainability to the fore, and that is a term that has to be examined carefully with reference to the ‘greening’ of events, different interpretations of the meaning of sustainability, and how this influences evaluation and impact assessment. It is also very useful to examine environmental impacts ON events, as opposed to the impacts OF events. This involves an illustration of the event settings spectrum that identifies important variables related to the differences between indoor events and those situated in natural environments. The subjects and objects of ecological impact assessment for events and tourism are examined in detail, presenting goals, methods and indicators that can be applied to the full range of ‘subjects’ – individuals and families or the entire nation. The process of EIA follows the generic IA process model, with a number of special considerations. Methods include the Leopold Matrix, Forces-Pressures-State-Impact-Response model, and carbon and ecological footprint analysis.

Progress towards small-scale field trials of coastal enhanced weathering of olivine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Romaniello ◽  
Shanee Stopnitzky ◽  
Tom Green ◽  
Francesc Montserrat ◽  
Eric Matzner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Stage Of Development

<p>Slow progress towards achieving global greenhouse gas emissions targets significantly increases the likelihood that future climate efforts may require not only emissions cuts but also direct climate mitigation via negative emissions technologies (IPCC AR5). Currently, such technologies exist at only a nascent stage of development, with significant uncertainties regarding their feasibility, cost, and potential unintended consequences and/or co-benefits.</p><p>Coastal enhanced weathering of olivine (CEWO) has been suggested as one potential pathway for achieving net negative CO<sub>2</sub> emissions at scale. CEWO involves the mining of olivine-rich ultramafic rocks (such as dunite) for incorporation during beach augmentation and restoration work. While grinding this rock into increasingly fine particle sizes is essential for increasing its surface area and reactivity, this step is also costly and energetically expensive. CEWO attempts to minimize this cost and energy penalty by relying on wave and tidal action to provide ongoing physical weathering of olivine grains once distributed on beaches. Laboratory experiments and carbon emissions assessments of CEWO suggest that these approaches may be technically feasible and carbon negative, but significant uncertainties remain regarding the real-world kinetics of coastal olivine dissolution. Furthermore, concerns about the fate and ecological impact of nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr)—potentially toxic trace metals found in olivine—require careful evaluation.</p><p>In 2019, Project Vesta was established as a nonprofit, philanthropically funded effort to evaluate the technical feasibility and ecological impacts of CEWO through a dedicated research program ultimately culminating in small-scale, real-world field trials of CEWO. This presentation will provide an overview and discussion of our overall research strategy, share insights from interim modeling and mesocosm experiments designed to ensure the practicality and safety of future field experiments, and explain our approach for ensuring transparent, responsible, and ethical research oversight and governance.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing the Ecological Impact of Ultramarathon Events in Protected Natural Sites: ‘Le Grand Raid Réunion’

Heritage ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 749-760
Author(s):  
Sandra Heck
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Future Event ◽  
Outdoor Sports ◽  
Sports Events ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Sport Events ◽  
World Natural Heritage

Outdoor sport events evidently have an impact on the environment. If they are taking place in naturally protected areas this impact is even greater. By taking ’Le Grand Raid Réunion’, an international ultramarathon annually organized in the heart of an UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, as a case study, this paper concentrates on assessing the ecological impact of an outdoor sports event in a protected natural site. On the basis of datasets taken from official logistics lists and from a survey conducted among all event participants the analysis embraces ecological and carbon event footprinting. Measuring those two indicators allows identifying the specific event-related ecological impacts, including diverse variables caused by the athletes, the spectators, and the related organizational requirements. The results of the study thereby have the ability to strongly influence the future event policy and to function as a model for the assessment of the ecological impact of other outdoor sports events.

Powerline easements: ecological impacts and contribution to habitat fragmentation from linear features

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya C. Strevens ◽  
Marji L. Puotinen ◽  
Robert J. Whelan
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Habitat Area ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Animal Populations

The ecological effects of roads on plant and animal populations are well recognized. However, very little is known about the magnitude of the effects created by powerline easements. Like roads, powerline easements are ubiquitous in many landscapes, including reserves such as National Parks, which have restricted human activities. Regular mowing of the easements to manage vegetation regrowth creates a stark discontinuity with adjacent natural vegetation. Abrupt transitions such as these contribute to habitat fragmentation and are associated with movement and dispersal inhibition of fauna. We used GIS to estimate the area of direct and indirect effects of powerline easements in a 5735 km2 area of coastal New South Wales, focusing on the potential reduction of habitat area both within and outside reserves. While the area directly replaced by these features is a small percentage of the total landscape (<1%), the upper estimates of direct and indirect effects combined amounted to a substantial portion of habitat (10 103 ha). Further, roads and powerlines combined may affect up to 33 780 ha (8%) of habitat in the study area. Although the overall ecological impact of powerline easements could be reduced by concentrating them in regions of pre-existing fragmentation, in our study area powerlines rarely occurred adjacent to paved roads. For example, in National Parks, only 3% of the habitat area affected by powerlines overlapped with that affected by roads. This study highlights the potential for powerline easements to make a significant contribution to habitat fragmentation, even in the presence of dense road networks, thus calling for greater attention to their ecological impacts and to improved management strategies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document