Ecological Function of Phenolic Compounds from Mediterranean Fucoid Algae and Seagrasses: An Overview on the Genus Cystoseira sensu lato and Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile

Biodiversity is undergoing rapid and worrying changes, partially driven by anthropogenic activities. Human impacts and climate change (e.g., increasing temperature and ocean acidification), which act at different spatial scales, represent the most serious threats to biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. In the Mediterranean Sea, complex systems such as fucoid algae and seagrasses, characterized by a high associated biodiversity, are regularly exposed to natural and anthropogenic pressures. These systems, particularly sensitive to a variety of stressors, evolved several physiological and biochemical traits as a response to the different pressures which they are subjected to. For instance, they produce a huge quantity of secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds, to adapt to different environmental stressors and to defend themselves from biological pressures. These natural products are receiving increasing attention due to their possible applications in a wide range of industrial sectors. In this paper we provide an overview on the ecological role of phenolic compounds from the genus Cystoseira sensu lato and Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, also highlighting their potential use as ecological biomarkers.

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Assessment of the ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean)

Italian Botanist ◽

10.3897/italianbotanist.9.46426 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Valentina Gnisci ◽

Selvaggia Cognetti de Martiis ◽

Alessandro Belmonte ◽

Carla Micheli ◽

Viviana Piermattei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Shoot Density ◽

Northern Coast ◽

Site Specific ◽

Fragmented Habitat ◽

Ecological Structure ◽

Wide Range

The ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows was evaluated on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean sea). This is an infra-littoral zone with a wide range of anthropogenic activities and high geo-morphological variability, which reflects heterogeneity in shoot density, leaf morphology and biomass in fragmented patches. Genetic variability in populations corresponds to the formation of 3 sub-clusters, in the diverse impacted zones (north, centre and south), being correlated to the geographical distance between sites. AMOVA estimated a high genetic variation showing 43.05% individual differences within populations with a marked differentiation among the populations (56.9%) indicated by Fst value (0.57). These results revealed the role of the genetic structure of seagrasses for determining selectivity of fragmented habitat, in response to natural drivers. They showed that site-specific self-recruitment is related to biodiversity capacity and to the geo-morphological characteristic of the coast.

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Annual changes in the Biodiversity Intactness Index in tropical and subtropical forest biomes, 2001-2012

10.1101/311688 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Adriana De Palma ◽

Andrew Hoskins ◽

Ricardo E. Gonzalez ◽

Luca Börger ◽

Tim Newbold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Human Impacts ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Anthropogenic Pressures ◽

Biodiversity Indicators ◽

Percentage Points ◽

Wide Range ◽

Average Abundance ◽

Combined Models ◽

First Time

ABSTRACTFew biodiversity indicators are available that reflect the state of broad-sense biodiversity—rather than of particular taxa—at fine spatial and temporal resolution. The Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) estimates how the average abundance of native terrestrial species in a region compares with their abundances before pronounced human impacts. BII is designed for use with data from a wide range of taxa and functional groups and for estimation at any resolution for which data on land use and related pressures are available. For each year from 2001 to 2012, we combined models of how land use and related pressures in tropical and subtropical forested biomes affect overall abundance and compositional similarity of plants, fungi, invertebrates and vertebrates, with data on anthropogenic pressures to produce annual maps of modelled BII at a spatial resolution of 30 arc seconds (roughly 1 km at the equator) across tropical and subtropical forested biomes. This is the first time temporal change in BII has been estimated across such a large region. The approach we have used to model compositional similarity uses data more efficiently than that used previously when estimating BII. Across tropical and subtropical biomes, BII fell by an average of 1.9 percentage points between 2001 and 2012, with 81 countries seeing an average reduction and 43 an average increase; the extent of primary forest fell by 3.9% over the same period. Changes are not strongly related to countries’ rates of economic growth over the same period.

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Catostylus tagi (Class: Scyphozoa, Order: Discomedusae, Suborder: Rhizostomida, Family: Catostylidae) life cycle and first insight into its ecology

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12056 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12056

Author(s):

Sonia K.M. Gueroun ◽

Tatiana M. Torres ◽

Antonina Dos Santos ◽

Nuno Vasco-Rodrigues ◽

João Canning-Clode ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Total Body Length ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Ecosystem Structure ◽

Full Life Cycle ◽

Wide Range ◽

Key Factor ◽

Total Body

Jellyfish proliferations, which are conspicuous and natural events, cause blooms that may lead to severe consequences for anthropogenic activities and ecosystem structure and functioning. Although research during the last decade has focused on factors influencing the different jellyfish life stages, few species currently have their full life cycle known. In this context, we describe for the first time the developmental stages in the life cycle of Catostylus tagi, from planula to young medusa, reared in the laboratory. The species displays the typical Rhizostomida metagenetic life cycle. Mature scyphistomae display 16 tentacles and a total body length of 1.5 ± 0.2 mm. Only podocyst production and strobilation were observed. Strobilation, occurring continuously under laboratory conditions, was mainly polydisc. The eight-rayed typical ephyrae, with a total body diameter of 2.4 ± 0.4 mm at detachment, showed development typical of the Rhizostomida. As a first step in studying this species’ ecology, we also present preliminary assessments of: (i) the influence of different temperature and salinity regimes on planulae survival, settlement and metamorphosis and (ii) the effect of temperature and diet on asexual reproduction. The results showed a high tolerance of planulae to a wide range of salinities (15‰ to 25‰), while polyp development was significantly faster at higher temperature (20–25 °C). Strobilation onset was 2–3 times faster at 20 °C (10.6 ± 5.4 to 15 ± 6.6 day at various tested diet) than at 15 °C (32.2 ± 3 day). Feeding was a key factor as unfed polyps never underwent strobilation during the trial. Finally, we present the spatial and seasonal distribution of C. tagi in the Tagus estuary (Portugal) in 2019, showing its occurrence throughout the year (except in April), with most observations recorded on the northern shoreline. As C. tagi shows the ability to form blooms and a wide tolerance for temperature and salinity (for planulae and medusae stage), it is essential to understand its life cycle.

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Influence of Anthropogenic Pressures on Groundwater Quality from a Rural Area

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.17.8.5756 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (8) ◽

pp. 1744-1748

Author(s):

Catalina Stoica ◽

Gabriela Geanina Vasile ◽

Alina Banciu ◽

Daniela Niculescu ◽

Irina Lucaciu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Bacterial Load ◽

Animal Husbandry ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

Contamination Level ◽

Anthropogenic Pressures ◽

Limit Values ◽

Physico Chemical

During the past few decades, the anthropogenic activities induced worldwide changes in the ecological systems, including the aquatic systems. This work analysed the contamination level of groundwater resources from a rural agglomeration (Central-Western part of Prahova County) by biological and physico-chemical approaches. The study was performed during the autumn of 2016 on several sampling sites (four drilling wells, depth higher than 100 m supplying three villages; two wells lower than 10 m depth and one spring). The water quality was evaluated by comparison with the limit values of the drinking water quality legislation (Law no.458/2002) and the Order 621/2014 (applicable to all groundwater bodies of Romania). The results showed that phenols and metals (iron and manganese) exceeded the threshold values in all sampling sites. Moreover, the anthropogenic factors including agriculture, use of fertilizers, manures, animal husbandry led to an increase of the bacterial load, particularly at wells sites.

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Applications of Biocatalysts for Sustainable Oxidation of Phenolic Pollutants: A Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158620 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8620

Author(s):

Sanaz Salehi ◽

Kourosh Abdollahi ◽

Reza Panahi ◽

Nejat Rahmanian ◽

Mozaffar Shakeri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Phenolic Pollutants ◽

Petroleum Refinery Wastewater ◽

Start Up ◽

Low Concentrations ◽

Effective Removal ◽

Wide Range ◽

Loading Effects ◽

Spent Caustic

Phenol and its derivatives are hazardous, teratogenic and mutagenic, and have gained significant attention in recent years due to their high toxicity even at low concentrations. Phenolic compounds appear in petroleum refinery wastewater from several sources, such as the neutralized spent caustic waste streams, the tank water drain, the desalter effluent and the production unit. Therefore, effective treatments of such wastewaters are crucial. Conventional techniques used to treat these wastewaters pose several drawbacks, such as incomplete or low efficient removal of phenols. Recently, biocatalysts have attracted much attention for the sustainable and effective removal of toxic chemicals like phenols from wastewaters. The advantages of biocatalytic processes over the conventional treatment methods are their ability to operate over a wide range of operating conditions, low consumption of oxidants, simpler process control, and no delays or shock loading effects associated with the start-up/shutdown of the plant. Among different biocatalysts, oxidoreductases (i.e., tyrosinase, laccase and horseradish peroxidase) are known as green catalysts with massive potentialities to sustainably tackle phenolic contaminants of high concerns. Such enzymes mainly catalyze the o-hydroxylation of a broad spectrum of environmentally related contaminants into their corresponding o-diphenols. This review covers the latest advancement regarding the exploitation of these enzymes for sustainable oxidation of phenolic compounds in wastewater, and suggests a way forward.

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Recent Advances in Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Glucose Sensing

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21144672 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (14) ◽

pp. 4672

Author(s):

Mohamed H. Hassan ◽

Cian Vyas ◽

Bruce Grieve ◽

Paulo Bartolo

Keyword(s):

Noble Metals ◽

Direct Electrochemistry ◽

Glucose Sensing ◽

Glucose Sensors ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Past Century ◽

Industrial Sectors ◽

Recent Advances ◽

Wide Range ◽

Sensitivity And Selectivity

The detection of glucose is crucial in the management of diabetes and other medical conditions but also crucial in a wide range of industries such as food and beverages. The development of glucose sensors in the past century has allowed diabetic patients to effectively manage their disease and has saved lives. First-generation glucose sensors have considerable limitations in sensitivity and selectivity which has spurred the development of more advanced approaches for both the medical and industrial sectors. The wide range of application areas has resulted in a range of materials and fabrication techniques to produce novel glucose sensors that have higher sensitivity and selectivity, lower cost, and are simpler to use. A major focus has been on the development of enzymatic electrochemical sensors, typically using glucose oxidase. However, non-enzymatic approaches using direct electrochemistry of glucose on noble metals are now a viable approach in glucose biosensor design. This review discusses the mechanisms of electrochemical glucose sensing with a focus on the different generations of enzymatic-based sensors, their recent advances, and provides an overview of the next generation of non-enzymatic sensors. Advancements in manufacturing techniques and materials are key in propelling the field of glucose sensing, however, significant limitations remain which are highlighted in this review and requires addressing to obtain a more stable, sensitive, selective, cost efficient, and real-time glucose sensor.

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Responses of Vertebrate Wildlife to Oil and Natural Gas Development: Patterns and Frontiers

Current Landscape Ecology Reports ◽

10.1007/s40823-021-00065-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A. D. Chalfoun

Keyword(s):

Natural Gas ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Population Level ◽

Low Frequencies ◽

Natural Gas Development ◽

The Usa ◽

Oil And Natural Gas

Abstract Purpose of Review Anthropogenic activities can lead to the loss, fragmentation, and alteration of wildlife habitats. I reviewed the recent literature (2014–2019) focused on the responses of avian, mammalian, and herpetofaunal species to oil and natural gas development, a widespread and still-expanding land use worldwide. My primary goals were to identify any generalities in species’ responses to development and summarize remaining gaps in knowledge. To do so, I evaluated the directionality of a wide variety of responses in relation to taxon, location, development type, development metric, habitat type, and spatiotemporal aspects. Recent Findings Studies (n = 70) were restricted to the USA and Canada, and taxonomically biased towards birds and mammals. Longer studies, but not those incorporating multiple spatial scales, were more likely to detect significant responses. Negative responses of all types were present in relatively low frequencies across all taxa, locations, development types, and development metrics but were context-dependent. The directionality of responses by the same species often varied across studies or development metrics. Summary The state of knowledge about wildlife responses to oil and natural gas development has developed considerably, though many biases and gaps remain. Studies outside of North America and that focus on herpetofauna are lacking. Tests of mechanistic hypotheses for effects, long-term studies, assessment of response thresholds, and experimental designs that isolate the effects of different stimuli associated with development, remain critical. Moreover, tests of the efficacy of habitat mitigation efforts have been rare. Finally, investigations of the demographic effects of development across the full annual cycle were absent for non-game species and are critical for the estimation of population-level effects.

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On the generation of internal waves by river plumes in subcritical initial conditions

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81464-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

R. Mendes ◽

J. C. B. da Silva ◽

J. M. Magalhaes ◽

B. St-Denis ◽

D. Bourgault ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Numerical Modeling ◽

Internal Waves ◽

Coastal Waters ◽

Initial Conditions ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

River Plumes ◽

Wide Range ◽

Near Shore ◽

Generation Mechanisms ◽

Douro River

AbstractInternal waves (IWs) in the ocean span across a wide range of time and spatial scales and are now acknowledged as important sources of turbulence and mixing, with the largest observations having 200 m in amplitude and vertical velocities close to 0.5 m s−1. Their origin is mostly tidal, but an increasing number of non-tidal generation mechanisms have also been observed. For instance, river plumes provide horizontally propagating density fronts, which were observed to generate IWs when transitioning from supercritical to subcritical flow. In this study, satellite imagery and autonomous underwater measurements are combined with numerical modeling to investigate IW generation from an initial subcritical density front originating at the Douro River plume (western Iberian coast). These unprecedented results may have important implications in near-shore dynamics since that suggest that rivers of moderate flow may play an important role in IW generation between fresh riverine and coastal waters.

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The Role of Aquatic Ecosystems (River Tua, Portugal) as Reservoirs of Multidrug-Resistant Aeromonas spp.

Water ◽

10.3390/w13050698 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 698

Author(s):

Sónia Gomes ◽

Conceição Fernandes ◽

Sandra Monteiro ◽

Edna Cabecinha ◽

Amílcar Teixeira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Nalidixic Acid ◽

Water Samples ◽

Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Anthropogenic Pressures ◽

Resistance Rates

The inappropriate use of antibiotics, one of the causes of the high incidence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria isolated from aquatic ecosystems, represents a risk for aquatic organisms and the welfare of humans. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial resistance rates among riverine Aeromonas spp., taken as representative of the autochthonous microbiota, to evaluate the level of antibacterial resistance in the Tua River (Douro basin). The prevalence and degree of antibiotic resistance was examined using motile aeromonads as a potential indicator of antimicrobial susceptibility for the aquatic environment. Water samples were collected from the middle sector of the river, which is most impacted area by several anthropogenic pressures. Water samples were plated on an Aeromonas-selective agar, with and without antibiotics. The activity of 19 antibiotics was studied against 30 isolates of Aeromonas spp. using the standard agar dilution susceptibility test. Antibiotic resistance rates were fosfomycin (FOS) 83.33%, nalidixic acid (NA) 60%, cefotaxime (CTX) 40%, gentamicin (CN) 26.67%, tobramycin (TOB) 26.67%, cotrimoxazole (SXT) 26.67%, chloramphenicol (C) 16.67%, and tetracycline (TE) 13.33%. Some of the nalidixic acid-resistant strains were susceptible to fluoroquinolones. Multiple resistance was also observed (83.33%). The environmental ubiquity, the natural susceptibility to antimicrobials and the zoonotic potential of Aeromonas spp. make them optimal candidates for studying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic ecosystems. Aquatic environments may provide an ideal setting for the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance because anthropogenic activities frequently impact them. The potential risk of multi- and pan-resistant bacteria transmission between animals and humans should be considered in a “One Health—One World” concept.

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TLC analysis of some phenolic compounds in kombucha beverage

Acta periodica technologica ◽

10.2298/apt0435199m ◽

2004 ◽

pp. 199-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Radomir Malbasa ◽

Eva Loncar ◽

Ljiljana Kolarov

Keyword(s):

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Thin Layer ◽

Thin Layer Chromatography ◽

Green Tea ◽

Black Tea ◽

Wide Range ◽

Tea Fungus ◽

Natural Phenolic Compounds ◽

Tlc Analysis ◽

Layer Chromatography

Black and green tea contains a wide range of natural phenolic compounds Flavanoids and their glycosides, catechins and the products of their condensation, and phenolic acids are the most important. Kombucha beverage is obtained by fermentation of tea fungus on black or green tea sweetened with sucrose. The aim of this paper was to investigate the composition of some phenolic compounds, catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, myricetin, gallic and tanic acid, and monitoring of their status during tea fungus fermentation. The method used for this study was thin layer chromatography with two different systems. The main phenolic compounds in the samples with green tea were catechin and epicatechin, and in the samples with black tea it was quercetin.

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