scholarly journals Benthic Foraminifera as an Environmental Indicators in Mediterranean Marine Caves: A Review

Geosciences ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Elena Romano ◽  
Luisa Bergamin ◽  
Mario Parise
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Sediment Type ◽  
Marine Systems ◽  
Marine Caves ◽  
Different Characteristics

Marine caves are characterized by wide environmental variability for the interaction between marine and continental processes. Their conditions may be defined as extreme for inhabiting organisms due to the enclosed morphology, lack of light, and scarcity of nutrients. Therefore, it is necessary to identify reliable ecological indicators for describing and assessing environmental conditions in these habitats even more than elsewhere. This review aims to provide the state of art related to the application of benthic foraminifera as proxies in the (paleo)ecological characterization of different habitats of marine caves. Special attention was addressed to a research project focused on Mediterranean marine caves with different characteristics, such as extent, morphology, freshwater influence, salinity, sediment type, oxygenation, and organic matter supply. This review aims to illustrate the reliability of foraminifera as an ecological and paleoecological indicator in these habitats. They respond to various environmental conditions with different assemblages corresponding to a very detailed habitat partitioning. Because marine caves may be considered natural laboratories for environmental variability, the results of these studies may be interpreted in the perspective of the global variability to understand the environmental drivers of future changes in marine systems.

scholarly journals Understanding the critical rate of environmental change for ecosystems, cyanobacteria as an example

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253003
Author(s):  
Bregje van der Bolt ◽  
Egbert H. van Nes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Gradual Increase ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Critical Rate ◽  
Rates Of Change ◽  
Rapid Environmental Change ◽  
Fast Rates

Recently it has been show that in some ecosystems fast rates of change of environmental drivers may trigger a critical transition, whereas change of the same magnitude but at slower rates would not. So far, few studies describe this phenomenon of rate-induced tipping, while it is important to understand this phenomenon in the light of the ongoing rapid environmental change. Here, we demonstrate rate-induced tipping in a simple model of cyanobacteria with realistic parameter settings. We explain graphically that there is a range of initial conditions at which a gradual increase in environmental conditions can cause a collapse of the population, but only if the change is fast enough. In addition, we show that a pulse in the environmental conditions can cause a temporary collapse, but that is dependent on both the rate and the duration of the pulse. Furthermore, we study whether the autocorrelation of stochastic environmental conditions can influence the probability of inducing rate-tipping. As both the rate of environmental change, and autocorrelation of the environmental variability are increasing in parts of the climate, the probability for rate-induced tipping to occur is likely to increase. Our results imply that, even though the identification of rate sensitive ecosystems in the real world will be challenging, we should incorporate critical rates of change in our ecosystem assessments and management.

scholarly journals Living Benthic Foraminifera from the Surface and Subsurface Sediment Layers Applied to the Environmental Characterization of the Brazilian Continental Slope (SW Atlantic)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1863
Author(s):  
Luciana Cristina de Carvalho Santa-Rosa ◽  
Sibelle Trevisan Disaró ◽  
Violeta Totah ◽  
Silvia Watanabe ◽  
Ana Tereza Bittencourt Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Continental Slope ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Subsurface Layer ◽  
Environmental Characterization ◽  
Potiguar Basin ◽  
Middle Slope ◽  
Sw Atlantic ◽  
Sediment Layers ◽  
Lower Slope

Living benthic foraminifera (>63 µm) were studied to characterize the continental slope of the Potiguar Basin (SW Atlantic). Foraminifers from the surface (0–2 cm), subsurface (2–5 cm), and integrated (0–5 cm) sediment layers were analyzed to verify their contribution to environmental characterization. It was also estimated if and which changes occur when the subsurface is added. Sampling stations were distributed in five transects in four isobaths (150, 400, 1000, and 2000 m). Sediment samples were fixed with 4% buffered formaldehyde and stained with Bengal rose. Were recorded 396 species in the surface layer, 228 in the subsurface, and 449 in integrating both layers. This study did not include tubular agglutinated species. The assemblages from 150 m isobath indicated the upper slope, from 400 m indicated the middle slope and the ones from the 2000 m indicated the lower slope. The surface layer’s assemblage at 1000 m isobath was more similar to the middle slope; in contrast, its subsurface layer´s assemblage had more similarity with the lower slope. Rarefaction curves, Permanova, and NMDS routines indicated a high resemblance between surface and integrated layers. Therefore, the first two centimeters were sufficient to characterize this region based on living benthic foraminifera.

scholarly journals Environmental Drivers and Age Trends in Site Productivity for Oak in Southern Poland

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Luiza Tymińska-Czabańska ◽  
Jarosław Socha ◽  
Marek Maj ◽  
Dominika Cywicka ◽  
Xo Viet Hoang Duong
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Deposition ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Additive Model ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Site Productivity ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Si Model

Site productivity provides critical information for forest management practices and is a fundamental measure in forestry. It is determined using site index (SI) models, which are developed using two primary groups of methods, namely, phytocentric (plant-based) or geocentric (earth-based). Geocentric methods allow for direct site growth modelling, in which the SI is predicted using multiple environmental indicators. However, changes in non-static site factors—particularly nitrogen deposition and rising CO2 concentration—lead to an increase in site productivity, which may be visible as an age trend in the SI. In this study, we developed a geocentric SI model for oak. For the development of the SI model, we used data from 150 sample plots, representing a wide range of local topographic and site conditions. A generalized additive model was used to model site productivity. We found that the oak SI depended predominantly on physicochemical soil properties—mainly nitrogen, carbon, sand, and clay content. Additionally, the oak SI value was found to be slightly shaped by the topography, especially by altitude above sea level, and topographic position. We also detected a significant relationship between the SI and the age of oak stands, indicating the long-term increasing site productivity for oak, most likely caused by nitrogen deposition and changes in climatic conditions. The developed geocentric site productivity model for oak explained 77.2% of the SI variation.

Characterization of NH4-montmorillonite coexisting with NH4Cl salt at different aggregation states. Application to Ceres.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Munoz-Iglesias ◽  
Maite Fernández-Sampedro ◽  
Carolina Gil-Lozano ◽  
Laura J. Bonales ◽  
Oscar Ercilla Herrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Spectroscopic Data ◽  
External Surface ◽  
Deionized Water ◽  
Asteroid Belt ◽  
Aqueous Alteration ◽  
Dawn Mission ◽  
Main Asteroid Belt ◽  
Spectroscopic Signatures

<p>Ceres, dwarf planet of the main asteroid belt, is considered a relic ocean world since the Dawn mission discovered evidences of aqueous alteration and cryovolcanic activity [1]. Unexpectedly, a variety of ammonium-rich minerals were identified on its surface, including phyllosilicates, carbonates, and chlorides [2]. Although from the Dawn’s VIR spectroscopic data it was not possible to specify the exact type of phyllosilicates observed, montmorillonite is considered a good candidate owing to its ability to incorporate NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> in its interlayers [3]. Ammonium-rich phases are usually found at greater distances from the Sun. Hence, the study on their stability at environmental conditions relevant to Ceres’ interior and of its regolith can help elucidate certain ambiguities concerning the provenance of its precursor materials.</p> <p>In this study, it was investigated the changes in the spectroscopic signatures of the clay mineral montmorillonite after (a) being immersed in ammonium chloride aqueous solution and, subsequently, (b) washed with deionized water. After each treatment, samples were submitted to different environmental conditions relevant to the surface of Ceres. For one experiment, they were frozen overnight at 193 K, and then subjected to 10<sup>-5</sup> bar for up to 4 days in a Telstar Cryodos lyophilizer. For the other, they were placed inside the Planetary Atmospheres and Surfaces Chamber (PASC) [4] for 1 day at 100 K and 5.10<sup>-8</sup> bar. The combination of different techniques, i.e., Raman and IR spectroscopies, XRD, and SEM/EDX, assisted the assignment of the bands to each particular molecule. In this regard, the signatures of the mineral external surface were distinguished from the interlayered NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+ </sup>cations. The degree of compaction of the samples resulted crucial on their stability and spectroscopic response, being stiff smectites more resistant to low temperatures and vacuum conditions. In ground clay minerals, a decrease in the basal space with a redshift of the interlayered NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> IR band was measured after just 1 day of being exposed to vacuum conditions.</p> <p>Acknowledgments</p> <p>This work was supported by the Spanish MINECO projects ESP2017-89053-C2-1-P and PID2019-107442RB-C32, and the AEI project MDM‐2017‐0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”.</p> <p>References</p> <p>[1] De Sanctis et al.,  Space Sci. Rev. 216, 60, 2020</p> <p>[2] Raponi et al., Icarus 320, 83,  2019</p> <p>[3] Borden and Giese, Clays Clay Miner. 49, 444, 2001</p> <p>[4] Mateo-Marti et al., Life 9, 72, 2019</p>

Development and Characterization of Quercetin Loaded Nanoparticle for Skin Cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Nikita Verma
Keyword(s):  
Skin Cancer ◽  
Drug Loading ◽  
Quadratic Model ◽  
Precipitation Method ◽  
Dietary Flavonoid ◽  
Ultraviolet Ray ◽  
Average Size ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Polymer Ratio

As a disease skin cancer has obtained different characteristics over the decades. Solar radiation that contains ultraviolet ray is the prime cause of skin cancer. In this present research, the nano-precipitation method was applied for preparing Quercetin loaded Nanoparticle (Qu-Nps) with much enhanced loading properties and improves incorporation of corresponding drugs. At the same time, the Quadratic model that takes help of the Response Surface Method was applied to observe the effects of some specific parameters maintained in the development of nanoparticle. Here, the sonication time was 20 min and delivery system F6 (with Drug: Polymer ratio of 1:45) provided optimum drug entrapment ability which is 70%. The optimized formulation for average size was almost 102.39 ±7.64 nm with zeta potential diameter averaging -28.43mV. Quercetin is a dietary flavonoid possessing multidimensional properties that is used in various other diseases including viral infection, bacterial infection, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. All outcomes support the view that Quercetin loaded nanoparticles (Qu-Nps) has high entrapment and drug loading abilities.

Characterization of three alternative splice variants associated with the Arabidopsis rhomboid protein gene At1g74130

Botany ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (12) ◽  
pp. 840-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Powles ◽  
Katharine Sedivy-Haley ◽  
Eric Chapman ◽  
Kenton Ko
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Alternative Splice ◽  
Splice Variant ◽  
Serine Proteases ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Splice Variants ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Alternative Splice Variants

Rhomboid serine proteases are grouped into three main types — secretases, presenilin-like associated rhomboid-like (PARL) proteases, and “inactive” rhomboid proteins. Although the three rhomboid groups are distinct, the different types are likely to operate within the same cell or compartment, such as observed in the plastids of Arabidopsis. There are four distinct plastid rhomboid genes at play in Arabidopsis plastids, two for active types (At1g25290 and At5g25752) and two for inactive forms (At1g74130 and At1g74140). The number of working plastid rhomboids is further increased by alternative splicing, as reported for At1g25290. To understand how the plastid rhomboid system works, it is necessary to identify all rhomboid forms in play. To this end, this study was designed to examine the alternative splicing activities of At1g74130, one of the two genes encoding proteolytically “inactive” plastid rhomboids. The exon mapping and DNA sequencing results obtained here indicate the presence of three prominent alternative splice variants in the At1g74130 transcript population. The dominant splice variant, L, encodes the full-length protein. The other two splice variants, M and S, produce proteins lacking sections from the carboxyl transmembrane domain region. The splice variants M and S appear to be at levels with functional potential and appear to adjust relative to each other during development and in response to changes in the level of Tic40, a component of the plastid translocon. The splice variant proteins themselves exhibit different characteristics with respect to rhomboid protein–substrate interactions. These differences were observed in bacterial co-expression pull-down assays and in yeast mitochondrial studies. When considered together, the data suggest that the alternative splicing of At1g74130 bears functional significance in Arabidopsis and is likely to be part of a mechanism for diversifying plastid rhomboid function.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal patterns of the oceanic conditions and nearshore marine community in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (New Jersey, USA)

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan C. Levesque
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Sediment Type ◽  
Temperature Preference ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
The World ◽  
Marine Community

Oceanic environmental conditions influence, shape, and control the geographical range, spatial distribution, abundance, and size composition of marine fauna. Water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, depth, and sediment type influence select fish life-history characteristics and community structure. Marine communities are vulnerable to major changes in environmental conditions, but the response and severity depends on various biological or ecological factors, such as resilience to stress or adaptation. Researchers around the world have predicted and documented numerous alterations in fish communities caused by ongoing significant physicochemical shifts associated with natural and potentially unnatural sources, but published studies describing the historical conditions are lacking for most regions around the world, including the coastal waters off New Jersey. Given the need to understand these processes, a multifaceted investigation was undertaken to describe, evaluate, and compare the oceanic conditions and nearshore marine fauna community off New Jersey during 1988 through 2015. Findings showed the oceanic conditions varied over time and space. Mean surface water temperature increased significantly about 0.6 °C per decade, mean salinity decreased about 1.3 psu per decade, and dissolved oxygen increased 0.09 mg/l per decade. Over 20.4 million fish and invertebrates (1,338.3 mt) representing 214 (water temperature preference classified) species (not including unidentified species) were collected within 15 strata (areas: 12−26) off the coast of New Jersey from 1988 to 2015. Three marine fauna water temperature preference groups (coldwater-adapted, warmwater-adapted, and subtropic-adapted) were identified in the study area. The main coldwater-adapted species collected were longfin squid (Loligo pealei) (n = 2, 225, 975), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) (n = 544, 032), and little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) (n = 316, 356), while Atlantic butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus) (n = 2, 873, 138), scup (Stenotomus chrysops) (n = 1, 318, 569), and northern searobin (Prionotus carolinus) (n = 503, 230) represented the warmwater-adapted group. Bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) (n = 9, 227, 960), striped anchovy (Anchoa hepsetus) (n = 245, 214), and Atlantic moonfish (Vomer setapinnis) (n = 38, 691) denoted the subtropic-adapted group. Subtropic-adapted species were the most abundant and coldwater-adapted were the least abundant water temperature preference group. The estimated abundance of coldwater-adapted species declined, warmwater-adapted species slightly increased, and subtropic-adapted species decreased with time, which suggest the environmental conditions are influencing and thereby shifting the marine community.

scholarly journals The effects of population synchrony, life history, and access constraints on benefits from fishing portfolios

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiva L. Oken ◽  
André E Punt ◽  
Daniel S. Holland
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Population Synchrony ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Interannual Fluctuations ◽  
Short Time

Natural resources often exhibit large interannual fluctuations in productivity driven by shifting environmental conditions, and this translates to high variability in the revenue resource users can earn. However, users can dampen this variability by harvesting a portfolio of resources. In the context of fisheries, this means targeting multiple populations, though the ability to actually build diverse fishing portfolios is often constrained by the costs and availability of fishing permits. These constraints are generally intended to prevent overcapitalization of the fleet and ensure populations are fished sustainably. As linked human-natural systems, both ecological and fishing dynamics influence the specific advantages and disadvantages of increasing the diversity of fishing portfolios. Specifically, a portfolio of synchronous populations with similar responses to environmental drivers should reduce revenue variability less than a portfolio of asynchronous populations with opposite responses. We built a bioeconomic model characterized by the Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister), Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and groundfish fisheries in the California Current, and used it to explore the influence of population synchrony and permit access on revenue patterns. As expected, synchronous populations reduced revenue variability less than asynchronous populations, but only for portfolios including crab and salmon. Synchrony with longer-lived groundfish populations was not important because environmentally-driven changes in groundfish early life survival were mediated by growth and natural mortality over the full population age structure, and overall biomass was relatively stable across years. Thus, building a portfolio of diverse life histories can buffer against the impacts of extremely poor environmental conditions over short time scales, though not for long-term declines. Increasing access to all permits generally led to increased revenue stability and decreased inequality of the fleet, but also resulted in less revenue earned by an individual from a given portfolio because more vessels shared the available biomass. This means managers are faced with a tradeoff between the average revenue individuals earn and the risk those individuals accept. These results illustrate the importance of considering connections between social and ecological dynamics when evaluating management options that constrain or facilitate fishers’ ability to diversify their fishing.

scholarly journals Сomputer-based calculation of atmospheric pollutant emissions by automobile transport at controlled crossings

2021 ◽  
Vol 334 ◽  
pp. 02032
Author(s):  
Gennady Denisov ◽  
Vladimir Zelikov ◽  
Elena Tarasova ◽  
Vladimir Klyavin
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
State Standard ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Calculation Methods ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Atmospheric Pollutant ◽  
Atmospheric Air

The paper uses pollutant emissions calculation methods in accordance with GOST (All-Union State Standard) in combination with the method of mathematical statistics, which makes it possible to determine the amount of emissions from automobile transport, which is in line at a red traffic light in the area of a controlled intersection. The methods allow calculating such environmental indicators as the mass of pollutant emissions, the concentration of pollutants and the Air Pollution Index. The authenticity of this technique is confirmed by testing the hypothesis on the Pearson Law of distribution of pollutants. Based on the combined methodology, the software has been developed with the purpose to monitor atmospheric air pollution. This approach will make it possible to qualitatively assess the level of atmospheric air pollution and take timely measures in the event of dangerous environmental conditions.

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