Biota

This study aimed to investigate the salivary microbiota and metabolome of 13 children with celiac disease (CD) under a glutenfree diet (treated celiac disease [T-CD]). The same number of healthy children (HC) was used as controls. The salivary microbiota was analyzed by an integrated approach using culture-dependent and -independent methods. Metabolome analysis was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-solid-phase microextraction. Compared to HC, the number of some cultivable bacterial groups (e.g., total anaerobes) significantly (P < 0.05) differed in the saliva samples of the T-CD children. As shown by community-level catabolic profiles, the highest Shannon's diversity and substrate richness were found in HC. Pyrosequencing data showed the highest richness estimator and diversity index values for HC. Levels of Lachnospiraceae, Gemellaceae, and Streptococcus sanguinis were highest for the T-CD children. Streptococcus thermophilus levels were markedly decreased in T-CD children. The saliva of T-CD children showed the largest amount of Bacteroidetes (e.g., Porphyromonas sp., Porphyromonas endodontalis, and Prevotella nanceiensis), together with the smallest amount of Actinobacteria. T-CD children were also characterized by decreased levels of some Actinomyces species, Atopobium species, and Corynebacterium durum. Rothia mucilaginosa was the only Actinobacteria species found at the highest level in T-CD children. As shown by multivariate statistical analyses, the levels of organic volatile compounds markedly differentiated T-CD children. Some compounds (e.g., ethyl-acetate, nonanal, and 2-hexanone) were found to be associated with T-CD children. Correlations (false discovery rate [FDR], <0.05) were found between the relative abundances of bacteria and some volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The findings of this study indicated that CD is associated with oral dysbiosis that could affect the oral metabolome.

Total Hg concentrations and Hg speciation were determined in bottom sediments of Marano lagoon to investigate the consequences of Hg phases on Wsh farms and shellWsh cultivation areas. Mercury phases were separated into cinnabar (HgS) and non-cinnabar compounds, via a thermo-desorption technique, in surface and core sediments; both of which had been contaminated by industrial wastes and mining activity residues. The former are due to an industrial complex, which has been producing cellulose, chlor-alkali and textile artiWcial Wbres since 1940. Processing and seepage wastewaters, which were historically discharged into the Aussa-Corno river system and therefore into the lagoon, have been signiWcantly reduced since 1984 due to the construction of wastewater treatment facilities. The second source is the Isonzo River, which has been the largest contributor of Hg into the northern Adriatic Sea since the 16th century due to Hg mining at the Idrija mine (western Slovenia). Red cinnabar (HgS) derived from the mining area is mostly stable and insoluble under current environmental conditions. In contrast, organically bound Hg, such as Hg bound to humic acids, has the potential to be transformed into bioavailable Hg compounds (for example, methylmercury). The presence of the two Hg forms permitted each Hg source to be quantiWed. It also allowed the areas with the highest risk of Hg contamination from Hg-rich sediment to be identiWed; thus potentially avoiding the transfer of Hg from the sediment into the water column and eventually into living biota. The results show that Hg Enrichment Factors in bottom sediments exceed values of 10 and cinnabar dominates the central sector near the main tidal channel where tidal Xux is more eVective. Non-cinnabar compounds were found to be enriched in Wne grained material and organic matter. In fact, up to 98% of total Hg at the Aussa-Corno river mouth and in the inner margin of the basin occurred in an organic form. This evidence, combined with the high contents of total Hg (4.1-6.6 g g ¡1 and EF > 10) measured in surface sediments, suggest that Hg in Marano lagoon is involved in biogeochemical transformations (e.g., methylation). 

Two high performance flow atomic absorption (HPF-AAS) related techniques were chosen to assess their suitability for the determination of several trace elements in complex environmental and biological samples. The technique selected were the Hydraulic High Pressure Nebulization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HHPN-AAS), and the Hydraulic High Pressure Nebulization Flame Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HHPN-FF-AAS), which were applied directly, or after using off line liquid-liquid separation-preconcentration-back extraction procedures. Analytical methodologies were developed for Be, Sr, Ba, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, Cd, Ag, Al, Tl, Pb, and Bi, for a variety of samples such as river and seawater, river and marine sediments, soft tissue of mussels, tunicate siphons, aquatic plants, and human samples of clinical interest such as placentas, umbilical cords, and cardiovascular tissues from surgical procedures. The analytical efficiency of the techniques was also proved in a proposed trace metal fractionation approach for river and seawater samples. All samples collected in this work were obtained from the North of Chile, where the most important economic activity is the mining industry.

The development of the gut is controlled and modulated by different interacting mechanisms such as, genetic endowment, intrinsic biological regulatory functions, environment influences and last but no least, the diet influence. Considered together with other endogenous and exogenous factors the type of feeding may interfere greatly in the regulation of the intestinal microbiota. During the last years molecular methods offer a complementarity to the classic culture-based knowledge. FISH has been applied for molecular evaluation of the microbiota in newborns delivered by vaginal delivery. Eleven probes/probe combinations for specific groups of faecal bacteria were used to determine the bacterial composition in faecal samples of newborns infants under different types of feeding. Breast-fed infants harbor a fecal microbiota by more than two times increased in numbers of Bifidobacterium cells when compared to formula-fed infants. After formula-feeding, Atopobium was found in significant counts and the numbers of Bifidobacterium dropped followed by increasing numbers in Bacteroides population. Moreover, under formula feeding the infants microbiota was more diverse.

Organisms respond to changes in their environment by evolutionary adaptations in form and behaviour. At present, we face great survival challenges as both these factors have come under undue stress due to our unbridled demands of high national economic growth and expanding individual needs and desires.

Opisthorchiasis, together with its associated cholangiocarcinoma, is one of the most important human parasitic diseases on continental Southeast Asia. A great deal of epidemiological data from humans is available on this disease, particularly from the northeast of Thailand, however, only limited information is available on those aspects of the life cycle relating to its Bithynia (Gastropoda) and cyprinid fish intermediate hosts. Here we review the information which is available on the Bithynia hosts of Opisthorchis viverrini. Only one major ecological study has been carried out at one site on a single species of Bithynia. We show not only that detailed ecological studies are required to clarify the epidemiology of opisthorchiasis, but also that the taxonomic status of the Bithynia species transmitting O. viverrini requires clarification.

Food availability is a primary driver of avian population regulation. However, few studies have considered the effects of what is essentially a massive supplementary feeding experiment: the practice of wild bird feeding. Bird feeding has been posited as an important factor influencing the structure of bird communities, especially in urban areas, although experimental evidence to support this is almost entirely lacking. We carried out an 18-mo experimental feeding study at 23 residential properties to investigate the effects of bird feeding on local urban avian assemblages. Our feeding regime was based on predominant urban feeding practices in our region. We used monthly bird surveys to compare avian community composition, species richness, and the densities of local species at feeding and nonfeeding properties. Avian community structure diverged at feeding properties and five of the commonest garden bird species were affected by the experimental feeding regime. Introduced birds part...

Golf courses have historically been seen as places of heavy pesticide and fertilizer use, however, there are few scientific studies on the ecology of golf courses. The aim of this study was to assess the value of golf courses for conserving forest biota in urban landscapes.

While the presence of steroid estrogens in the environment has become a major environmental and health concern, their occurrence in coastal sediments remains poorly characterized. In this study, we measured the levels of three natural (estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol) and one synthetic (17α-ethinylestradiol) estrogens in 54 coastal sediment samples collected from nine locations off central-southern Chile. Steroid estrogens were found in every sample. Remarkably high levels of 17α-ethinylestradiol were detected, reaching up to 48.14 ng/g dry weight. As a result, the global estrogenic loads were estimated to be high at all sites. Interestingly, they were found to correlate with the size of human populations served by sewage plants. Our study indicates that 17α-ethinylestradiol may accumulate in coastal sediments. The possible impact of this highly potent synthetic estrogen on the biota of the marine ecosystem off central-south Chile and on human health remains an open question.

Ecological studies require key decisions regarding the appropriate size and number of sampling units. No methods currently exist to measure precision for multivariate assemblage data when dissimilarity-based analyses are intended to follow. Here, we propose a pseudo multivariate dissimilarity-based standard error (MultSE) as a useful quantity for assessing sample-size adequacy in studies of ecological communities. Based on sums of squared dissimilarities, MultSE measures variability in the position of the centroid in the space of a chosen dissimilarity measure under repeated sampling for a given sample size. We describe a novel double resampling method to quantify uncertainty in MultSE values with increasing sample size. For more complex designs, values of MultSE can be calculated from the pseudo residual mean square of a PERMANOVA model, with the double resampling done within appropriate cells in the design. R code functions for implementing these techniques, along with ecological examples, are provided.

Tropical forests are among the most species-rich ecosystems on the planet. Some authors argue that predictions of a tropical forest extinction crisis based on analyses of deforestation rates are overly pessimistic since they do not take account of future agricultural abandonment as a result of rural-urban migration and subsequent secondary regrowth. Even if such regrowth occurs, it is crucial to consider threats to species that are not directly correlated with area of forest cover. Hunting is an insidious but significant driver of tropical forest defaunation, risking cascading changes in forest plant and animal composition. Ineffective legislation and enforcement along with a failure of decision makers to address the threats of hunting is fanning the fire of a tropical forest extinction crisis. If tropical forest ecosystems are to survive, the threat of unsustainable hunting must be adequately addressed now.

This review discusses the mechanisms of generation and potential impacts of microplastics in the ocean environment. Weathering degradation of plastics on the beaches results in their surface embrittlement and microcracking, yielding microparticles that are carried into water by wind or wave action. Unlike inorganic fines present in sea water, microplastics concentrate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by partition. The relevant distribution coefficients for common POPs are several orders of magnitude in favour of the plastic medium. Consequently, the microparticles laden with high levels of POPs can be ingested by marine biota. Bioavailability and the efficiency of transfer of the ingested POPs across trophic levels are not known and the potential damage posed by these to the marine ecosystem has yet to be quantified and modelled. Given the increasing levels of plastic pollution of the oceans it is important to better understand the impact of microplastics in the ocean food web.

s Mangrove is kind of plant which has a living place near to the sea. Many spesies of mangroves are highly distributed around the coastal area of tropical zone, especially in Indonesia. Usually, mangrove are have a good adaptation in the high salinity condition. For many faunas, mangrove has been used in ecosystem as a house, it's because mangrove act as a spawning ground, nursery ground and feeding ground. This research is aimed to determine the value of diversity index by Shannon-Wienner, Evenness Index, Simpsons Dominance Index, Margalef Index, Density Index, and Morisita Index for mangrove association's biota in Pramuka Island, Kepulauan Seribu. Sample had been collected from mangrove ecosystem in Pramuka Island, Kepulauan Seribu. In each plot, we took the sample using quadran (1 x 1m). The result showed that the fourth plot has highest value of diversity, Margalef, and density index. On the other side, plot with the highest value of evenness was fifth, and second plot for the highest value for Dominance Index and Morisita index. Mangrove ecosystem in Pramuka Island is highly dominated by macrozoobenthos from gastropods class and cardinal fish group.

Current meta-omics developments provide a portal into the functional potential and activity of the intestinal microbiota. The comparative and functional meta-omics approaches have made it possible to get a molecular snap shot of microbial function at a certain time and place. To this end, metagenomics is a DNA-based approach, metatranscriptomics studies the total transcribed RNA, metaproteomics focuses on protein levels and metabolomics describes metabolic profiles. Notably, the metagenomic toolbox is rapidly expanding and has been instrumental in the generation of draft genome sequences of over 1000 human associated microorganisms as well as an astonishing 3.3 million unique microbial genes derived from the intestinal tract of over 100 European adults. Remarkably, it appeared that there are at least 3 clusters of co-occurring microbial species, termed enterotypes, that characterize the intestinal microbiota throughout various continents. The human intestinal microbial metagenome fu...

1. Climate extremes and their physical impactsincluding droughts, fires, floods, heat waves, storm surges and tropical cyclonesare important structuring forces in riverine ecosystems. Climate change is expected to increase the future occurrence of extremes, with potentially devastating effects on rivers and streams. We synthesise knowledge of extremes and their impacts on riverine ecosystems in Australia, a country for which projected changes in event characteristics reflect global trends. 2. Hydrologic extremes play a major structuring role in river ecology across Australia. Droughts alter water quality and reduce habitat availability, driving organisms to refugia. Extreme floods increase hydrological connectivity and trigger booms in productivity, but can also alter channel morphology and cause disturbances such as hypoxic blackwater events. 3. Tropical cyclones and post-cyclonic floods damage riparian vegetation, erode stream banks and alter water quality. Cyclone-induced delivery of large woody debris provides important instream habitat, although the wider ecological consequences of tropical cyclones are uncertain. 4. Wildfires destroy catchment vegetation and expose soils, increasing inputs of fine sediment and nutrients to streams, particularly when followed by heavy rains. 5. Research on the impacts of heat waves and storm surges is scarce, but data on temperature and salinity tolerances, respectively, may provide some insight into ecological responses. 6. We identify research gaps and hypotheses to guide future research on the ecology of extreme climate events in Australia and beyond. A range of phenomenological, experimental and modelling approaches is needed to develop a mechanistic understanding of the ecological impact of extreme events and inform prediction of responses to future change.

Organic matter in modern saline systems tends to accumulate in bottom sediments beneath a density-stratified mass of saline water where layered hydrologies are subject to oscillations in salinity and brine level. Organic matter is not produced at a constant rate in such systems; rather, it is generated in pulses by a halotolerant community in response to relatively short times of less stressful conditions (brackish to mesohaline) that occur in the upper part of the layered hydrology. Accumulations of organic matter can occur in any layered brine lake or epeiric seaway when an upper less-saline water mass forms on top of nutrient-rich brines, or in wet mudflats wherever waters freshen in and above the uppermost few millimetres of a microbial mat. A flourishing community of halotolerant algae, bacteria and archaeal photosynthesizers drives the resulting biomass bloom. Brine freshening is a time of “feast” characterized by very high levels of organic productivity. In a stratified brine column (oligotrophic and meromictic) the typical producers are planktonic algal or cyanobacterial communities inhabiting the upper mesohaline portion of the stratified water mass. In mesohaline holomictic waters, where light penetrates to the water bottom, the organic-producing layer is typically the upper algal and bacterial portion of a benthic laminated microbialite characterized by elevated numbers of cyanobacteria.
Short pulses of extremely high productivity in the upper freshened part of a stratified brine column create a high volume of organic detritus settling through the column and/or the enhanced construction of benthic microbial mats in regions where freshened waters reach the hypersaline base of the column. With the end of the freshening event, ongoing intensely arid conditions mean that salinity, temperature and osmotic stress increase rapidly in the previously freshened water mass. This leads to a time of mass die-off of the once flourishing mesohaline community (“famine”). First, these increasingly salty waters no longer support haloxene forms. Then, halotolerant life dies back, and finally by the halite precipitation stage, only a few halophilic archaea and bacteria remain in the brine column (typically acting as heterotrophs and fermenters). Repeated pulses of organic matter, created during a feasting event followed by a famine event, create laminated organic-enriched sediment on an anoxic bottom.
There are three, possibly four, major mesohaline density-stratified settings where organic-rich laminites (petroleum source rocks) accumulated in ancient “famine or feast” saline settings: (1) basin-centre lows in marine-fed evaporitic drawdown basins, associated with basinwide evaporites; (2) mesohaline intra-shelf lows on epeiric platforms, associated with platform evaporites; (3) saline-bottomed lows in under-filled perennial saline lacustrine basins; (4) closed seafloor depressions in halokinetic deep-water marine slope and rise terrains. An inherently restrictive hydrology means that the same mesohaline settings show a propensity to evolve into regions characterized by the accumulation of widespread evaporite salts. If this happens soon after deposition of a layer of organic-rich sediment there is an increased likelihood of evaporite plugging in the source-rock layer, this in-turn decreases expulsion efficiency and downgrades the laminite bed’s ability to act as a prolific source rock.

Despite the iconic association of palms with semi-arid regions, most are introduced and can invade natural areas. Along the San Diego River (San Diego, California, USA), the introduced Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) forms dense patches among native riparian shrubs like arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis). The structural differences between the palm and native shrubs are visually obvious, but little is known about palm's effects on the ecosystem. We tested for the effects of the palm on a riparian invertebrate community in June 2011 by comparing the faunal and environmental variables associated with palm and willow canopies, trunks and ground beneath each species. The palm invertebrate community had lower abundance and diversity, fewer taxa feeding on the host (e.g., specialized hemipterans), and more taxa likely using only the plant's physical structure (e.g., web-builders, oak moths, willow hemipterans). There were no observed effects on the ground-dwelling fauna. Faunal differences were due to the physical and trophic changes associated with palm presence, namely increased canopy density, unpalatable leaves, trunk rugosity, and litter accumulations. Palm presence and resulting community shifts may have further ecosystem-level effects through alteration of physical properties, food, and structural resources. These results were consistent with a recent study of invasive palm effects on desert spring arthropods, illustrating that effects may be relatively generalizable. Since spread of the palm is largely localized, but effects are dramatic where it does occur, we recommend combining our results with several further investigations in order to prioritize management decisions.

The present work is a survey of the herpetofauna of Carlos Botelho State Park (CBSP), located in the region of Serra de Paranapiacaba, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Data were gathered from specimens collected in six areas within the park during a period of 76 days distributed in one year, and from three Brazilian scientific collections. We also offer photographs and information on the biology and occurrence of species within the park and among Brazilian biomes. The herpetofauna of CBSP may be considered one of the most diverse in the State of São Paulo, with 65 species of amphibians and 59 species of reptiles recorded in the present study. From the 65 species of amphibia recorded, 84% (55 spp.) are endemic from forested areas of the Atlantic forest. We also distinguished different altitudinal patterns within the amphibian assemblage, with 46% being recorded only at altitudes above 500 m, while 9% are exclusive of areas under 400 m and 45% occur in all altitudes within the park. The reptile fauna of PECB is composed of 59 species, including 10 species of lizards, 48 snakes, and one chelonian. Among the snakes collected at the CBSP, the Lancehead Bothrops jararaca was the most frequent, with 26,9% (N = 14) of the total of the collected specimens. Species that are considered difficult to sample, such as Echinanthera cephalostriata (13,5%; N = 7) and Taeniophallus affinis (7,7%; N = 4), were also numerous in PECB. Among lizards, Enyalius iheringii was the most abundant species, representing 50% (N = 16) of sampled specimens. We also performed a cluster analysis comparing 25 amphibian assemblages from different localities in the Atlantic Forest, and including the PECB, which resulted in the clustering of four main groups. The anurofauna of PECB presented high similarity with the assemblages of Jacupiranga (0,68) and Intervales (0,66) State Parks. These places are geographically close and constitute one of the largest preserved forest fragments of Atlantic rainforest in Brazil. The present work provides at the first time a list of reptiles for the CBSP, and complements the knowledge about the amphibian fauna at the CBSP. Brasil. Biota Neotrop. 10(3): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n3/pt/abstrac t?inventory+bn00210032010.

Christianti, Y.A., J.S. Datula’bi, M. Tandiongan, V.V. Makawaehe, M.M. Adrian, S.I. Hengkengbala, R.B.S. Roring, R.K. Mangaro, K.S. Hatumena dan F. Daud. 2019. TUGAS TOKSIKOLOGI LAUT Jenis Biota Laut Beracun. Program Studi Ilmu Kelautan. Universitas Sam Ratulangi. Manado. (Halaman 1-2)

Golf courses have historically been seen as places of heavy pesticide and fertilizer use, however, there are few scientific studies on the ecology of golf courses. The aim of this study was to assess the value of golf courses for conserving forest biota in urban landscapes. The biota occurring in 12 Japanese golf courses and their surrounding areas was investigated. Investigations were done at golf course sites located on the green, fairway, rough, green belts between holes, and the out of bounds forest. Roadside, paddy fields, park and forest sites were investigated outside the golf courses. Presence/absence data for plants, arthropods and vertebrates in each sample habitat were analysed by TWINSPAN. As a result, communities in golf courses were classified by the part of course (e.g. green, fairway), and not by the location of the course nor chemical use. However, differences between golf courses in urban and rural landscapes were detected in the biota of the whole course. The out of bounds forest of golf courses was similar to forests that exist outside the courses, and this area held more flora and fauna than turf vegetation and artificial biotopes outside the course such as roadside and paddy. This suggests that golf courses in urbanised areas can be a refuge for flora and fauna, since forest cover occurs in only limited proportions in urban landscapes. Furthermore, the application of regulations for golf course construction seemed to be useful in maintaining forest species on golf courses. This may contribute to the conservation of native forest biota within Japanese urban landscapes.

Metals are common contaminants worldwide. Long-term deposition of metals in soils can lead to accumulation, transport and biotoxicity/zootoxicity caused by mobility and bioavailability of significant fraction of the metals. Contaminant bioavailability is increasingly being used as a key indicator of potential risk that contaminants pose to both environmental and human health. However, the definition of bioavailability and the concepts on which it is based are still unclear, the methods adopted for its measurement vary and as such there is no single standard technique for the assessment of either plant availability of contaminants or their ecotoxicological impacts on soil biota. Moreover, bioavailability is often assumed to be static in nature where most decisions on risk and remediation are based on laboratory estimations of the bioavailable fraction, which may vary with time, nature of species as well as with temporal variation in environmental factors. Because of their immutable nature, strict natural attenuation processes alone may not be sufficient in mitigating the risks from metals. However, accelerating these processes with human interference (i.e., assisted natural remediation) that effectively immobilizes metals might be a viable option. Application to soils of certain amendments that enhance key biogeochemical processes in soils that effectively immobilize metals have already been demonstrated in Europe and North America on a field scale. Case studies using lime, phosphate and biosolid amendments have demonstrated, under field conditions, enhanced natural remediation resulting in substantially improved vegetation growth, invigorated microbial population and diversity, and reduced offsite metal transport. Depending on soil/hydrogeochemical properties, source term and metal form/species, and land use, the immobilization efficacy induced by such assisted natural remediation may be enduring. The use of green plants as a remediation tool in environmental cleanup has also offered some potential. Plants can uptake and bioaccumulate (phytoextraction) as well as immobilize (phytoimmobilization) certain trace elements, in conjunction with their rhizospheric processes. While long-term stability of certain metal complexes, such as metal pyromorphites has been shown in model systems, the influence of plant roots and its microbial and mycorrhizal association on such stability is unknown. A suite of chemical and biological tests are available to monitor the efficacy of assisted natural remediation. D

Good quality toxicity data underpins robust hazard and risk assessments in aquatic systems and the derivation of water quality guidelines for ecosystems. Hence, an objective scheme to assess the quality of toxicity data forms an important part of this process. The variation of scores from 2 research papers using the Australasian ecotoxicity database (AED) quality assessment scheme was evaluated by 23 ecotoxicologists. The results showed that the quality class that the assessors gave each paper varied by less than 10% when compared with a quality score agreed a priori between the authors of this study. It was determined that the majority of the variation in each assessment was due to ambiguous or poorly written assessment criteria, information that was difficult to find, or information in the paper that was overlooked by the assessor. This led to refinements of the assessment criteria in the AED, which resulted in a 16% improvement (i.e., reduction) in the mean variation of scores for the 2 papers when compared with the a priori scores. The improvement in consensus among different assessors evaluating the same research papers suggests that the data quality assessment scheme proposed in this article provides a more robust scheme for assessing the quality of aquatic toxicity data than methods currently available.

Many black meristematic fungi persist on rock surfaces-hostile and exposed habitats where high doses of radiation and periods of desiccation alternate with rain and temperature extremes. To cope with these extremes, rock-inhabiting black fungi show phenotypic plasticity and produce melanin as cell wall pigments. The rather slow growth rate seems to be an additional prerequisite to oligotrophic conditions. At least some of these fungi can undergo facultative, lichen-like associations with photoautotrophs. Certain genera presenting different lifestyles are phylogenetic related among the superclass Dothideomyceta. In this paper, we focus on the genus Lichenothelia, which includes border-line lichens, that is, associations of melanised fungi with algae without forming proper lichen thalli. We provide a first phylogenetic hypothesis to show that Lichenothelia belongs to the superclass Dothideomyceta. Further, culture experiments revealed the presence of co-occurring fungi in Lichenotheli...

The present research was carried out to study the trophic relationship between aphids and their primary parasitoids in Pothwar, Pakistan during 2009-2010 in the districts of Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, and Jhelum. Ten species of aphids were recorded from 17 host plants. The aphids were parasitized by 11 species of primary parasitoids. Five quantitative aphid-parasitoid food webs were constructed describing the trophic relationships between the community of aphids and their primary parasitoids.

Produced water has been described as the largest volume waste stream in the exploration and production process of oil and gas. It is accompanied by discharges of naturally occurring radionuclides raising concerns over the potential radiological impacts of produced water on marine biota. In the Northern European marine environment, radioactivity in produced water has received substantial attention owing to the OSPAR Radioactive Substances Strategy which aims at achieving &#39;concentrations in the environment near background values for naturally occurring radioactive substances&#39;. This review provides an overview of published research on the impacts to biota from naturally occurring radionuclides discharged in produced water by the offshore oil and gas industry. In addition to summarising studies and data that deal directly with the issue of dose and effect, the review also considers studies related to the impact of added chemicals on the fate of discharged radionuclides. The revi...

Prompted by the thesis that an organism’s umwelt possesses not just a descriptive dimension, but a normative one as well, some have sought to annex semiotics with ethics. Yet the pronouncements made in this vein have consisted mainly in rehearsing accepted moral intuitions, and have failed to concretely further our knowledge of why or how a creature comes to order objects in its environment in accordance with axiological charges of value or disvalue. For want of a more explicit account, theorists writing on the topic have relied almost exclusively on semiotic insights about perception originally designed as part of a sophisticated refutation of idealism. The end result, which has been a form of direct givenness, has thus been far from convincing. In an effort to bring substance to the right-headed suggestion that values are rooted in the biological and conform to species-specific requirements, we present a novel conception that strives to make explicit the elemental structure underlying umwelt normativity. Building and expanding on the seminal work of Ayn Rand in metaethics, we describe values as an intertwined lattice which takes a creature’s own embodied life as its ultimate standard; and endeavour to show how, from this, all subsequent valuations can in principle be determined.

Introducción eniendo en cuenta la relación con las plantas, se ha estimado que el número total de especies de hongos existentes en el mundo se aproxima a 1.5 millones . Colombia, considerado como el cuarto entre los países megadiversos, posee 35000 especies de plantas con flores (Angiospermas) (Forero 1999), y se espera que esta diversidad se extienda a los hongos. Sin embargo el conocimiento que se ha generado en el país para conocer la diversidad micológica se ha centrado en bosques montanos, principalmente la de los bosques de roble (Quercus humboldtii Bonpl.), caracterizados por presentar un gran número de especies ectomicorrízicas. Información para otras regiones y tipos de vegetación, además de ser escasa, es dispersa y refleja la falta de estudios sistemáticos que la documenten.

Limbah tahu yang dibuang kelingkungan tanpa ada proses pengolahan terlebih dahulu berbahaya bagi kondisi lingkungan perairan dan dapat menyebabkan perubahan lingkungan, terutama bagi ekosistem perairan termasuk juga biota air di dalamnya. Limbah cair industri tahu mengandung zat-zat organik yaitu protein 40% - 60 %, karbohidrat 25%–50%, lemak 10% dan padatan tersuspensi lainnya yang di alam dapat mengalami perubahan fisika, kimia dan hayati yang akan menghasilkan zat toksik atau menciptakan media tumbuh bagi mikroorganisme patogen. Untuk mengukur limbah tah di perairan digunakan uji toksisitas akut. Uji Toksisitas akut adalah uji yang dilakukan untuk mengevaluasi konsentrasi bahan kimia atau durasi pemaparan (Limbah Tahu) yang dibutuhkan terhadap satu sampel uji (Ikan Nila) yang diamati dalam kurun waktu 24 jam dengan kondisi yang disesuaikan.

Gorham's Cave is located in the British territory of Gibraltar in the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula. Recent excavations, which began in 1997, have exposed an 18 m archaeological sequence that covered the last evidence of Neanderthal occupation and the first evidence of modern human occupation in the cave. By applying the Mutual Climatic Range method on the amphibian and reptile assemblages, we propose here new quantitative data on the terrestrial climatic conditions throughout the latest Pleistocene sequence of Gorham's Cave. In comparison with current climatic data, all mean annual temperatures were about 1.6e1.8 C lower in this region. Winters were colder and summers were similar to today. Mean annual precipitation was slightly lower, but according to the Aridity Index of Gaussen there were only four dry months during the latest Pleistocene as opposed to five dry months today during the summer. The climate was Mediterranean and semi-arid (according to the Aridity Index of DantineRevenga) or semi-humid (according to the Aridity Index of Martonne). The atmospheric temperature range was higher during the latest Pleistocene, mainly due to lower winter temperatures. Such data support recent bioclimatic models, which indicate that high rainfall levels may have been a significant factor in the late survival of Neanderthal populations in southern Iberia. The Solutrean levels of Gorham's Cave and climate records from cores in the Alboran Sea indicate increasing aridity from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3-2. Because Neanderthals seem to have been associated with woodland habitats, we propose that lessening rainfall may have caused the degradation of large areas of forest and may have made late surviving Neanderthal populations more vulnerable outside southern refuges like the Rock of Gibraltar.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (n ‫؍‬ 152) in African pearl millet slurries and in the metagenomes of amylaceous fermented foods were investigated by screening 33 genes involved in probiotic and nutritional functions. All isolates belonged to six species of the genera Pediococcus and Lactobacillus, and Lactobacillus fermentum was the dominant species. We screened the isolates for the abilities to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract and to synthesize folate and riboflavin. The isolates were also tested in vitro for their abilities to survive exposure to bile salts and to survive at pH 2. Because the ability to hydrolyze starch confers an ecological advantage on LAB that grow in starchy matrixes as well as improving the nutritional properties of the gruels, we screened for genes involved in starch metabolism. The results showed that genes with the potential ability to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract were widely distributed among isolates and metagenomes, whereas in vitro tests showed that only a limited set of isolates, mainly those belonging to L. fermentum, could tolerate a low pH. In contrast, the wide distribution of genes associated with bile salt tolerance, in particular bsh, is consistent with the high frequency of tolerance to bile salts observed. Genetic screening revealed a potential for folate and riboflavin synthesis in both isolates and metagenomes, as well as high variability among genes related to starch metabolism. Genetic screening of isolates and metagenomes from fermented foods is thus a promising approach for assessing the functional potential of food microbiotas.

Competition between microbial species is a product of, yet can lead to a reduction in, the microbial diversity of specific habitats. Microbial habitats can resemble ecological battlefields where microbial cells struggle to dominate and/or annihilate each other and we explore the hypothesis that (like plant weeds) some microbes are genetically hard-wired to behave in a vigorous and ecologically aggressive manner. These 'microbial weeds' are able to dominate the communities that develop in fertile but uncolonizedor at least partially vacant -habitats via traits enabling them to out-grow competitors; robust tolerances to habitat-relevant stress parameters and highly efficient energy-generation systems; avoidance of or resistance to viral infection, predation and grazers; potent antimicrobial systems; and exceptional abilities to sequester and store resources. In addition, those associated with nutritionally complex habitats are extraordinarily versatile in their utilization of diverse substrates. Weed species typically deploy multiple types of antimicrobial including toxins; volatile organic compounds that act as either hydrophobic or highly chaotropic stressors; biosurfactants; organic acids; and moderately chaotropic solutes that are produced in bulk quantities (e.g. acetone, ethanol). Whereas ability to dominate communities is habitat-specific we suggest that some microbial species are archetypal weeds including generalists such as: Pichia anomala, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas putida; specialists such as Dunaliella salina, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus spp. and other lactic acid bacteria; freshwater autotrophs Gonyostomum semen and Microcystis aeruginosa; obligate anaerobes such as Clostridium acetobutylicum; facultative pathogens such as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Pantoea ananatis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and other extremotolerant and extremophilic microbes such as Aspergillus spp., Salinibacter ruber and Haloquadratum walsbyi. Some microbes, such as Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Pseudoxylaria spp., exhibit characteristics of both weed and non-weed species. We propose that the concept of nonweeds represents a 'dustbin' group that includes species such as Synodropsis spp., Polypaecilum pisce, Metschnikowia orientalis, Salmonella spp., and Caulobacter crescentus. We show that microbial weeds are conceptually distinct from plant weeds, microbial copiotrophs, r-strategists, and other ecophysiological groups of microorganism. Microbial weed species are unlikely to emerge from stationary-phase or other types of closed communities; it is open habitats that select for weed phenotypes. Specific characteristics that are common to diverse types of open habitat are identified, and implications of weed biology and openhabitat ecology are discussed in the context of further studies needed in the fields of environmental and applied microbiology.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membandingkan lamun hasil temuan di Kepulauan Seribu terutama di Pulau Panggang dan Pulau Pramuka serta untuk membandingkan hasil temuan biota di kedua Pulau tersebut. Pulau Panggang merupakan daerah tempat tinggal penduduk terpadat di Kepulauan Seribu, sedangkan Pulau Pramuka merupakan daerah penelitian dan daerah konservasi atau tempat tinggal peneliti di daerah Kepulauan Seribu. Penelitian ini dilaksanankan selama setahun, yaitu pada setiap awal bulan selama 12 bulan. Penelitian ini dilakukan selama 12 bulan untuk membandingkan hasil temuan lamun dan biota tiap bulan. Untuk mengetahui apakah ada pengaruh musim pada pertumbuhan lamun dan perkembangan biota yang ada di Kepulauan Seribu terutama di Pulau Panggang dan Pulau Pramuka. Selain itu juga untuk melihat parameter lingkungan di Pulau Panggang dan Pulau Pramuka. Pulau Pramuka dan Pulau Panggang merupakan dua pulau yang berbeda tingkat pencemarannya. Sehingga perbandingan penelitian inventarisasi di kedua pulau ini dirasa cukup untuk mengetahui inventarisasi lamun di Kepulauan Seribu. Indonesia merupakan negara kepulauan dengan lebih dari 16.981 pulau. Indonesia memiliki keanekaragaman hayati yang sangat besar baik di darat maupun di laut. Salah satu kepulauan di Indonesia adalah Kepulauan Seribu. Kepulauan Seribu terdiri dari pulau sebanyak 110 buah dengan total luas wilayah daratan sebesar 8,7 km². Posisi Kepulauan Seribu secara geografis terletak pada 5°24´-5°45´ LS dan 106°25´-106°40´ BT dengan luas wilayah 11,8 km². Salah satu pulau yang ada di Kepulauan seribu adalah Pulau Panggang. Pulau Panggang merupakan kelurahan di wilayah Kepulauan Seribu, Daerah Kawasan Ibukota Jakarta. Pulau Panggang memiliki luas wilayah 62,1 hektar. Pulau Panggang memiliki potensi kawasan pantai yang luas (Anonim, 2009). Kepulauan Seribu memiliki berbagai habitat alami yang terdiri dari mangrove, padang lamun dan terumbu karang. Keanekaragaman hayati yang ada dimasing-masing pulau dikelola oleh stakeholder yang terdiri dari masyarakat, pemerintah setempat, dan lembaga seperti UNESCO sehingga kelestarian sumberdaya alam yang ada di Kepulauan Seribu dapat terjaga. Keanekaragaman hayati yang tinggi sangat menarik minat wisatawan untuk melihatnya. Hal ini mendorong pengelola TNKpS untuk membagi wilayah Kepulauan Seribu menjadi menjadi beberapa daerah peruntukan yaitu kawasan wisata, cagar alam, cagar budaya dan lainnya. Pulau Panggang terletak disebelah selatan kawasan TNKpS memiliki

Atlántico (IGAC 1970). Sin lugar a dudas se trata de la cuenca más importante del país, en donde se localizan las ciudades principales y se concentra más del 80% de la población nacional y genera cerca del 90% del producto interno del país. En términos de extracción pesquera aportó en sus mejores momentos, en la década del 70 del siglo pasado, casi el 80% de la pesca continental de Colombia (Mojica 2002). La parte media del Magdalena se extiende desde el raudal de Honda hasta población de Tamalameque (Lozano & Dister 1990), y tiene como principales tributarios provenientes