Relationships Between Heavy Metals Contamination in Shallow Marine Sediments with Industrial and Urban Development in Catalonia (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea)

A total of 179 surface sediment samples from shallow waters have been collected in Catalonia (Northwestern Mediterranean) from 2002 to 2010 to analyze heavy metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, V, and Zn) concentrations, organic matter content, and sediment size in order (i) to find baseline values, (ii) to investigate metal contamination trends, and (iii) to identify its spatial and temporal distribution. Highest metals concentrations were registered in the Barcelona metropolitan area and in the mouth of Besòs and Llobregat Rivers for Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd. Mercury was also abundant in these areas but the highest record was found close to Tarragona. The concentrations agree with those reported in other studies performed in big river’s mouths and industrialized areas. The absence of large industrial activity and urbanization outside Barcelona and Tarragona explains the low metal contents found at the other sampling sites. Based on enrichment factor (EF), Pb was the most enriched metal. Results will provide a useful aid for sustainable marine management in Catalonia.     

Bioactive plants from Argentina and Bolivia

Antibacterial and molluscicidal activities of methanol and chloroform extracts of 16 plant species belonging to the families Compositae and Melastomataceae were evaluated. The chloroform extract of Vernonanthura tweediana and the methanol extract of Senecio santelisis resulted to be very toxic to brine shrimp nauplii (LC(50)=1 microg/ml). Chloroform extracts of S. santelisis and Senecio leucostachys as well as the methanol extract of Wedelia subvaginata displayed molluscicidal effects on Biomphalaria peregrina showing LC(100)<100 microg/ml. Moderate antibacterial action was produced by the chloroform extracts of Flaveria bidentis, Grindelia scorzonerifolia and Vernonia incana against two strains of Staphylococcus aureus.     

Responsible Research and Innovation Framework,the Nagoya Protocol and Other European Blue Biotechnology Strategies and Regulations: Gaps Analysis and Recommendations for Increased Knowledge in the Marine Biotechnology Community

As the quest for marine-derived compounds with pharmacological and biotechnological potential upsurges, the importance of following regulations and applying Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) also increases. This article aims at: (1) presenting an overview of regulations and policies at the international and EU level, while demonstrating a variability in their implementation; (2) highlighting the importance of RRI in biodiscovery; and (3) identifying gaps and providing recommendations on how to improve the market acceptability and compliance of novel Blue Biotechnology compounds. This article is the result of the work of the Working Group 4 “Legal aspects, IPR and Ethics” of the COST Action CA18238 Ocean4Biotech, a network of more than 130 Marine Biotechnology scientists and practitioners from 37 countries. Three qualitative surveys (“Understanding of the Responsible Research and Innovation concept”, “Application of the Nagoya Protocol in Your Research”, and “Brief Survey about the experiences regarding the Nagoya Protocol”) indicate awareness and application gaps of RRI, the Nagoya Protocol, and the current status of EU policies relating to Blue Biotechnology. The article categorises the identified gaps into five main categories (awareness, understanding, education, implementation, and enforcement of the Nagoya Protocol) and provides recommendations for mitigating them at the European, national, and organisational level.     

A contribution to the maintenance of grapevine diversity: The rescue of Tinta Castañal (Vitis vinifera L.), a variety on the edge of extinction

The arrival of powdery mildew, phylloxera, and then downy mildew from America in the late 19th/early 20th century, was one of the most important causes of the loss of grapevine diversity in Europe. Many varieties traditionally grown in small winemaking areas of Europe were substituted by direct producing hybrids or by a small number of varieties from other vine-growing areas. For geographic, economic, sociological, and cultural reasons, the north and northwest of Spain acts as a kind of refuge area where grapevine diversity is still high. At the Misión Biológica de Galicia (CSIC) research station a collection of living vines with a number of dispersed individuals belonging to old varieties was established in 1992. Many of these varieties had practically disappeared from vineyards and the majority existed only as centuries-old individuals.     

Herd characteristics and management practices associated with bulk tank milk quality of dairy herds in southeastern Brazil

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study identified the association of management practices and herd characteristics with milk quality of bulk tanks in southeastern, Brazil. Milk samples...     

Stand structure, competition and growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in a Mediterranean mountainous environment

The relationship between competition and tree growth was studied in four stands of Pinus sylvestris L. occurring in a continental Mediterranean mountain area (in the Guadarrama range, Spain), i.e., an uneven-aged stand, a stand with oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) understorey, a plantation, and a mature even-aged stand. Competition was measured by a simple size-ratio distance-independent index and was negatively associated with tree diameter. This negative association was stronger in the uneven-aged, plantation and mature even-aged stands than in the stand with oak understorey. Competition was also negatively associated with current diameter increment. This relationship was moderately strong in the mature even-aged stand and weak in the uneven-aged stand and the plantation. In the uneven-aged and the mature even-aged stands, a weakly significant relationship was found between diameter growth and tree size, whereas these parameters were not associated in the stand with oak understorey. The competition index provided a better prediction of growth rate than the alternative use of diameter. Both diameter and basal area growth were greater in the uneven-aged than in the even-aged stands.     

A survey of Salmonella spp and Campylobacter spp in dairy goat faeces and bulk tank milk in the Murcia region of Spain

This study was designed to investigate the occurrence of Salmonella spp and Campylobacter spp in faeces samples from 222 healthy Murciano-Granadina dairy goats reared on 12 farms in Spain and in samples of bulk tank milk from 11 of those herds. Neither Salmonella spp nor Campylobacter spp were isolated from any of the samples. Our results suggest that, under the management practices applied to this breed in Spain, Murciano-Granadina goats are not likely to be a significant reservoir for these food-borne pathogens.     

Effects of feeding with different live preys on the lipid composition,growth and survival of Octopus vulgaris paralarvae

To move forward in the farming of Octopus vulgaris paralarvae, it is necessary to search for a live prey easy to obtain and maintain in the laboratory that meets the nutritional requirements of the octopus paralarvae and adapts to its predatory behaviour. Grapsus adscensionis zoeae (Crustacea, Decapoda) seems to fulfil most of these targets, and it was herein used to deepen knowledge of paralarvae lipid requirements and composition, growth and survival. To this purpose, the effects of feeding with Grapsus zoeae as sole prey were compared with Artemia at two different stages (nauplii and juveniles), which also differed in their lipid profiles. After 15 days of feeding, the best growth and survival of paralarvae was obtained in the Grapsus group, and no differences were observed between both Artemia groups. Triacylglycerides storage in paralarvae seemed to be co‐related with a lower growth and survival, but not with its prey levels. Contrarily, sterol ester levels were higher in paralarvae fed Grapsus, reflecting its content in the prey. The best paralarval viability was related to higher levels of 22:6n‐3 (DHA) and 20:4n‐6 (ARA), also reflecting its higher content in the prey. On the other hand, neither the 20:5n‐3 (EPA) levels in the prey nor in paralarvae were related to growth or survival. The implications of these results are discussed considering the lipid requirements of O. vulgaris paralarvae.     

Evaluation of three immunoserological techniques in the detection of porcine trichinellosis

Three immunoserological tests (IST) used for the detection of porcine trichinellosis, immunofluorescence (IF), enzyme-inmunoanalysis (EIA), and Western blot (WB), were compared. Three groups of animals were analyzed: Group 1, animals naturally infected with parasite burdens (PB) of <1 muscle larvae (ML)/g (n = 18); Group 2, animals naturally infected with PB of ≥2 ML/g (n = 23); Group 3, animals raised and home-slaughtered on farms in Argentina (n = 59). Animals from Groups 1 and 2 were identified in outbreaks and were analyzed by individual artificial digestion (AD) of ≥30 g of muscle. Animals in Group 3 were subjected to AD of 5 g of muscle.The detection percentages in sera of swine with the lower PB were 100% for IF, 72% for EIA, and 50% for WB. Eighty-three percent of the animals were serologically positive by two or three techniques. In pigs with the higher PB, the detection percentage was similar for IF and EIA (100% vs. 91%, respectively), and was lower for the WB (61%). Ninety-six percent of the animals were serologically positive by two or three techniques. Group 3 animals had similar detection percentages for the three techniques (IF, 30%; EIA, 29%; WB, 42%). Twenty-five percent of the animals were serologically positive by two or three techniques. Two animals were positive by AD with PB of 0.33 and 2.4 ML/g, and were positive for IF and WB, or IF, EIA, and WB. Results indicate that the sensitivity of each technique depends on the PB, and always ranked in sensitivity as IF > EIA > WB. For the lower PB, the decrease in the sensitivity is more pronounced for the EIA. Although the WB has a low sensitivity, the detection of the specific bands for Trichinella spiralis makes it a useful confirmatory tool. Considering that more than 83% of the parasitologically positive animals had 2 or 3 positive serological results using the techniques tested here, for the diagnosis of porcine trichinellosis, pigs positive by two of these serological techniques must be regarded as truly infected pigs.