Terrestrial Biota as Bioindicators for Microplastics and Potentially Toxic Elements

Plastic products used in our daily life remain in the environment for a long time. Plastics decompose gradually into smaller fragments (<5 mm) known as microplastics. There are different sources of microplastics contamination, including plastic bags, masks, synthetic textiles, and various coatings. Microplastics’ smaller size enhances toxic pollutants’ adsorption, through which they are easily digested by small biota and finally accumulated along the food chain. Many studies are found concerning marine microplastic distribution and pollution; however, rarely do they address terrestrial contamination. The terrestrial species Eobania vermiculata, Rumina decollata, Porcellio, Armadillo, Lumbricus terrestris, and Scolopendra were evaluated as bioindicators for soil pollution by microplastics and some potentially toxic metallic elements. Microplastics were isolated with the help of caustic potash. The particles were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); some associated potentially toxic metals were assessed in the filtrate by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP). The following polymers were present in all studied samples: copolyamide, nylon, high- and low-density polyethylene, polyamide, and polyester. In addition, the metallic elements antimony, iron, aluminum, selenium, and zinc were determined with different concentrations. Thus, terrestrial biota can serve as bioindicators for microplastic pollution of soil, which could act as a vector for potentially toxic elements.

Spatiotemporal evolution of the Jehol Biota: Responses to the North China craton destruction in the Early Cretaceous

The Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota is a terrestrial lagerstätte that contains exceptionally well-preserved fossils indicating the origin and early evolution of Mesozoic life, such as birds, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, mammals, insects, and flowering plants. New geochronologic studies have further constrained the ages of the fossil-bearing beds, and recent investigations on Early Cretaceous tectonic settings have provided much new information for understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of the biota and dispersal pattern of its members. Notably, the occurrence of the Jehol Biota coincides with the initial and peak stages of the North China craton destruction in the Early Cretaceous, and thus the biotic evolution is related to the North China craton destruction. However, it remains largely unknown how the tectonic activities impacted the development of the Jehol Biota in northeast China and other contemporaneous biotas in neighboring areas in East and Central Asia. It is proposed that the Early Cretaceous rift basins migrated eastward in the northern margin of the North China craton and the Great Xing’an Range, and the migration is regarded to have resulted from eastward retreat of the subducting paleo-Pacific plate. The diachronous development of the rift basins led to the lateral variations of stratigraphic sequences and depositional environments, which in turn influenced the spatiotemporal evolution of the Jehol Biota. This study represents an effort to explore the linkage between terrestrial biota evolution and regional tectonics and how plate tectonics constrained the evolution of a terrestrial biota through various surface geological processes.

Determining the Sustainability of Land-Applying Biosolids to Agricultural Lands Using Environmentally-Relevant Terrestrial Biota

Biosolids, the treated solid by-product of a WWPT, have been land-applied for decades as a means of disposal of an inexpensive form of fertilizer. However, research has shown that many chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides, plasticizers, detergents, or heavy metals pass through the WWTP, often unaltered, and potentially end up in the biosolids. Therefore, a need to determine if the land-application of biosolids has an impact on terrestrial biota exists. In this work, six different organisms were used including Folsomia candida, Lumbricus terrestris, Zea mays, Glycine max, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Brassca rap. It was determined that government protocols were inadequate since they either prescribed organisms not environmentally-relevant or only looked at initial growth stages such as germination and emergence and not at effect, if any, on subsequent generations. Thus, new protocols were developed. Additionally, it was concluded that very little impact was seen on any of the terrestrial biota examined.

Determining the Sustainability of Land-Applying Biosolids to Agricultural Lands Using Environmentally-Relevant Terrestrial Biota

Biosolids, the treated solid by-product of a WWPT, have been land-applied for decades as a means of disposal of an inexpensive form of fertilizer. However, research has shown that many chemicals such as pharmaceuticals, herbicides, pesticides, plasticizers, detergents, or heavy metals pass through the WWTP, often unaltered, and potentially end up in the biosolids. Therefore, a need to determine if the land-application of biosolids has an impact on terrestrial biota exists. In this work, six different organisms were used including Folsomia candida, Lumbricus terrestris, Zea mays, Glycine max, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Brassca rap. It was determined that government protocols were inadequate since they either prescribed organisms not environmentally-relevant or only looked at initial growth stages such as germination and emergence and not at effect, if any, on subsequent generations. Thus, new protocols were developed. Additionally, it was concluded that very little impact was seen on any of the terrestrial biota examined.

Global-scale episodes of transoceanic biological dispersal during the Cenozoic

Since formalization of plate tectonic theory in the 1960s, vicariance has been the dominant model for interpretation in biogeography. However, modern research suggests transoceanic ‘rafting’ is also an important process in biological dispersal. Here we show that Cenozoic occurrences of rafting-associated colonization of new lands by terrestrial biota are not randomly distributed in time, but cluster at c. 40 million years ago (Ma) and c. 15 Ma. These excursions in rafting activity are reflected across taxonomic groups and ocean basins. The global scale and ~25 million-year (My) wavelength of the fluctuations suggest they are associated with planetary-scale changes and/or events.

A rapid urban biodiversity blitz using aquatic environmental DNA

BackgroundAs global biodiversity declines, there’s an increasing need to create an educated and engaged society. Having people from all ages participate in measuring biodiversity where they live helps to create awareness. Recently, the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for biodiversity surveys has gained momentum. Here, we test whether sampling eDNA and metabarcoding can be used for rapid urban biodiversity surveys for educational purposes.Materials & MethodsWe sampled 2×1 L of water from each of 15 locations in the city of Trondheim, Norway, including a variety of freshwater, marine and brackish habitats. DNA was extracted, amplified in triplicate for the COI gene and sequenced. The obtained data were analysed on the novel mBRAVE platform, an online open access software and computing resource.ResultsThe water samples were collected in two days by two people and the lab analysis was completed in five days by one person. Overall, we detected the presence of 501 taxa identified as belonging to 435 species, representing 90 orders and 18 phyla. On average, only 5.4% of the taxa were shared among six replicates per site. Based on the observed diversity, three distinct clusters were detected and related to geographic distribution of sites. There were some taxa shared between the habitats, with a substantial presence of terrestrial biota.DiscussionOur results match expected patterns of biodiversity in the landscape and show that with minimal sampling effort, hundreds of species can be detected. Thus, using eDNA analysis of water is promising for rapid biodiversity surveys, and it is likely that more detailed results could be obtained by optimising field and lab methods for particular groups of interest. We recommend that rapid eDNA surveys, with openly available services and softwares, can be used to raise awareness in the importance of biodiversity.