Effects of Sewage on the Chemical Composition of Piracicaba River,Brazil

Water samples were collected from 7 locations along major rivers of Piracicaba River basin for 22 months. The 4 upstream points represent non-polluted sites and the 3 downriver points represent polluted sites. Due to sewage input, concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), major conservative cations and anions increased significantly in the polluted sites. The major increases were observed for sodium, chloride and sulfate. Nitrate was an exception for this pattern, with similar concentrations between polluted and non-polluted sites. The probable cause was reduction of nitrate to ammonium in the polluted sites, where anoxic conditions prevail. Most of the variables had an inverse correlation with water discharge, especially in the polluted points. The sewage load was diluted by precipitation and surface waters.     

Opportunistic Predation of the Sea Urchin,Lytechinus variegatus,by the Amphipod,Elasmopus levis,in an Intensive Inland Culture System

Invasive and/or opportunistic organisms can negatively influence the success of sea urchin culture operations. To our knowledge, pests associated with sea urchin aquaculture have not been reported. In this study, we report the predatory association of the amphipod, Elasmopus levis (Amphipoda: Melitidae), with the sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), within an intensive inland culture system. Wild‐caught Ly. variegatus broodstock were placed in an intensive culture system, and within their canopy of spines or within transport seawater, populations of epifauna (including amphipods) and microfauna were most likely transferred into the culture system. A growing population of the amphipod developed over time. Associations of the amphipod with the sea urchin were observed to negatively affect the health of the sea urchin, and in some cases, epithelial tissue from the sea urchin test appeared to be consumed by the amphipod. An infestation of these amphipods in commercial sea urchin cultures could have the potential to be costly, and we recommend quarantine and/or water purification procedures be considered to prevent the introduction of pests to inland culture systems.     

Simultaneous effect of sex and dose on efficacy of clove oil,tricaine methanesulfonate, 2‐phenoxyethanol and propofol as anaesthetics in guppies,Poecilia reticulata (Peters)

We studied the simultaneous effect of sex and dose on anaesthesia efficacy to estimate, if possible, the lowest effective dose (LED) for clove oil, tricaine methanesulphonate (MS‐222), 2‐phenoxyethanol (2‐PE) and propofol in mature guppies. LED is the lowest dose needed to reach A5 stage in a mean time of 3 min, with mean recovery (R5) time of 5 min. We used four doses/anaesthetic: 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/L for clove oil; 120,140,160 and 180 mg/L for MS‐222; 800, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,400 mg/L for 2‐PE, and 7.50, 8.25, 10.00 and 11.25 mg/L for propofol. Each dose was tested on 10 females and 10 males. Morbidity, mortality and behavioural changes were checked on two control groups (10 males and 10 females/group). Sedation (A3), A5 and R5 times were recorded. Significant interactive effect dose*sex on A5 time was found for each anaesthetic agent (p_dose*sex < .05). Except for MS‐222 (p_dose*sex = .284), significant interactive effect dose * sex on R5 time was found (p_dose*sex < .05). A5 time in females tended to be greater than in males, but, in general, R5 times were longer in males. Body size differences between males and females could explain these differences in MS‐222 on A5 time and for clove oil, 2‐PE and propofol on R5 time. No dose simultaneous meet LED′s conditions relating to both A5 and R5 times; therefore the lowest doses inducing A5 in a mean time of 3 min could be a safe guideline for anaesthetic procedure in both male and females.     

Depth matters for bivalve culture in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) and other polyculture strategies under non-eutrophic conditions

Bivalve cultivation, in single cultivation or in polyculture (including integrated multitrophic aquaculture; IMTA), is generally limited to eutrophic waters. We carried out a modeling study to test if, under meso- and oligotrophic conditions, depth could be a key factor for bivalve productivity associated to IMTA and other polyculture strategies. We applied the model Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM) at three strata of the water column in two coastal fish farm areas in the Mediterranean Sea, using water column variables sampled seasonally to estimate the potential mussel production. According to FARM, mussel production was high in both areas and, in some cases, almost doubled when mussels were cultured below 25-m depth compared to shallower levels. Phytoplankton abundance is expected to notably influence mussel production compared to particulate organic matter. Thus, in meso- and oligotrophic stratified waters, where chlorophyll maximum is relatively deep, depth can be a key factor for the productivity of mussel cultivation. The obtained results could help to maximize the production of suspension-feeding bivalve cultivation and, therefore, the expansion and development of sustainable aquaculture in non-eutrophic marine waters.     

Interacting effects of soil degradation and precipitation on plant productivity in NE Patagonia,Argentina

Our objective was to examine the effects of inter-annual variation of precipitation on productivity of two dominant species (Chuquiraga avellanedae, an evergreen shrub, and Nassella tenuis, a perennial grass) in two communities of contrasting soil degradation: a herbaceous steppe with shrubs (HSS) and a degraded shrub steppe (SS). Data were collected during two consecutive years with different annual precipitation. Aboveground productivity was determined nondestructively using a double sampling approach. The number of inflorescences per plant was recorded too. Perennial grass productivity was lower in SS than in HSS in both years, while shrub productivity was lower in SS only during the year of below average precipitation. With rising precipitation the perennial grass increased the number of inflorescences while the evergreen shrub augmented vegetative biomass. In summary, the effects of precipitation on plant productivity are community dependent; abiotic factors, such as superficial and sub-superficial soil characteristics, and biotic factors, such as leaf area index (LAI) or tussock sizes, may interact to influence the responses of species to precipitation. Our results suggest that if precipitation increased, this would favor the dominance of shrubs over grasses.     

Evaluation of a serum-based PCR assay for the diagnosis of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis

The aim of this study was to estimate the relative diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in the serum of dogs with naturally occurring non-myelosuppressive canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), and to investigate the association between PCR positivity and immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) titres for Ehrlichia canis. Serum samples obtained from 38 dogs with non-myelosuppressive CME and 12 healthy dogs were analyzed retrospectively. Each serum sample was analyzed in triplicate using an E. canis-specific nested PCR assay targeting a 389 bp sequence of the 16S rRNA gene. E. canis DNA was amplified in 24 of 38 (63.1%) affected dogs; all samples from healthy dogs were negative. A high level of agreement was found among the PCR replicates (P < 0.0001). Median IFA titre of the 24 PCR-positive dogs was significantly lower than that of the PCR-negative infected dogs (P = 0.0029), indicating that E. canis DNA may circulate prior to the development of a high antibody titre. Serum-based PCR analysis is suggested for the early diagnosis of CME when whole blood samples are not available.     

Ethanol/Water extraction combined with solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction concentration for the determination of chlorophenols in cork stoppers

The appearance of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) in cork stoppers is of great concern because it can cause off-flavors in bottled wine. To prevent this sensorial defect, there should not be any traces of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (TeCP), or pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the finished corks, because they are the direct precursors of TCA. In the course of this study two methodologies based upon an extraction with ethanol/water mixtures to determine the chlorophenolic content in cork matrices were developed. The cork extract is preconcentrated using both solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction methodologies. The latter was optimized by applying a full two-level factorial design. Finally, spiked ground corks at nanogram per gram levels of each chlorophenol were analyzed under optimal conditions and by applying both procedures. The obtained results demonstrate that chlorophenols can be detected in corks contaminated at the nanogram per gram level and, thus, these approaches can be successfully applied as quality control measures in the cork industry.     

Effects of dietary exposure to brominated flame retardant BDE-47 on thyroid condition, gonadal development and growth of zebrafish

Little is known about the effects of brominated flame retardants in teleosts and some of the information currently available is inconsistent. This study examined effects of dietary exposure to 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) on thyroid condition, body mass and size, and gonadal development of zebrafish. Pubertal, 49-day-old (posthatch) fish were fed diets without BDE-47 (control) or with 1, 5 or 25 μg/g BDE-47/diet. Treatments were conducted in triplicate 30-L tanks each containing 50 zebrafish, and 15 fish per treatment (5 per tank) were sampled at days 40, 80 and 120 of exposure. Measurements were taken of body mass, standard length, head depth and head length. Sex (at 40–120 days of exposure), germ cell stage (at 40 days) and thyroid condition (at 120 days; follicular cell height, colloid depletion, angiogenesis) were histologically determined. Whole-body BDE-47 levels at study completion were within the high end of levels reported in environmentally exposed (wild) fishes. Analysis of variance was used to determine differences among treatments at each sampling time. No effects were observed on thyroid condition or germ cell stage in either sex. Reduced head length was observed in females exposed to BDE-47 at 80 days but not at 40 or 120 days. In males, no apparent effects of BDE-47 were observed at 40 and 80 days, but fish exposed to 25 μg/g had lower body mass at 120 days compared to control fish. These observations suggest that BDE-47 at environmentally relevant whole-body concentrations does not affect thyroid condition or pubertal development of zebrafish but does affect growth during the juvenile-to-adult transition, especially in males.