Pub Date : 2022-07-25DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3030022
K. Garber, G. DeGrandi-Hoffman, R. Curry, Jeffrey M. Minucci, Daniel E. Dawson, C. Douglass, Joseph P. Milone, S. Purucker
The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) employs a tiered process for assessing risks of pesticides to bees. The model discussed in this paper focuses on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). If risks to honey bees are identified at the first tier based on exposure and toxicity data for individual adult and larval honey bees, then effects are evaluated in higher-tier studies using honey bee colonies. Colony-level studies require large amounts of resources (to conduct and review) and can yield data complicated by the inherent variability of colonies, which are influenced by factors that cannot readily be controlled, including weather, pests, diseases, available forage, and bee management practices. To better interpret these data, the USEPA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a simulation model, BeePop+, that assesses potential honey bee colony-level effects of pesticides. Here, we describe this model using the population model guidance, use, interpretation, and development for ecological risk assessment (Pop-GUIDE) framework, which is a conceptual framework for the development and evaluation of population models. Within the context of Pop-GUIDE, BeePop+ is considered a “realistic-precise” model and reflects the inherent variability of colony response to pesticide exposure by simulating many outcomes. This model meets the desired features needed for use in pesticide risk assessments as its required data inputs are typically available, it is applicable to different US locations, and the outputs are both relevant to USEPA’s protection goals for honey bees and are consistent with the outcomes of empirical studies. This model has also been evaluated using available empirical colony-level data; however, additional evaluation with other studies may still be done in the future prior to completing implementation.
{"title":"Simulating the Effects of Pesticides on Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) Colonies with BeePop+","authors":"K. Garber, G. DeGrandi-Hoffman, R. Curry, Jeffrey M. Minucci, Daniel E. Dawson, C. Douglass, Joseph P. Milone, S. Purucker","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3030022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3030022","url":null,"abstract":"The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) employs a tiered process for assessing risks of pesticides to bees. The model discussed in this paper focuses on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). If risks to honey bees are identified at the first tier based on exposure and toxicity data for individual adult and larval honey bees, then effects are evaluated in higher-tier studies using honey bee colonies. Colony-level studies require large amounts of resources (to conduct and review) and can yield data complicated by the inherent variability of colonies, which are influenced by factors that cannot readily be controlled, including weather, pests, diseases, available forage, and bee management practices. To better interpret these data, the USEPA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a simulation model, BeePop+, that assesses potential honey bee colony-level effects of pesticides. Here, we describe this model using the population model guidance, use, interpretation, and development for ecological risk assessment (Pop-GUIDE) framework, which is a conceptual framework for the development and evaluation of population models. Within the context of Pop-GUIDE, BeePop+ is considered a “realistic-precise” model and reflects the inherent variability of colony response to pesticide exposure by simulating many outcomes. This model meets the desired features needed for use in pesticide risk assessments as its required data inputs are typically available, it is applicable to different US locations, and the outputs are both relevant to USEPA’s protection goals for honey bees and are consistent with the outcomes of empirical studies. This model has also been evaluated using available empirical colony-level data; however, additional evaluation with other studies may still be done in the future prior to completing implementation.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48681515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-12DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3030021
Christopher J. Butler
The dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is a widespread understory palm of the southeastern United States. This palm is expected to be one of the species that exhibits a range shift in response to climate change, and the population at the northwestern edge of its distribution in Oklahoma appears to be increasing in both numbers and extent. However, this palm may also be susceptible to cold damage during unusually severe winters, which could potentially limit the spread of this species. An unusually cold arctic outbreak spread across the southern Great Plains during 13–17 February 2021, with minimum temperatures of −11 °C recorded in Houston (Texas), −15 °C in San Antonio (Texas), and −26 °C in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). In order to evaluate the effects of the arctic outbreak on Sabal minor, I examined individuals in four counties (one site in Brazoria County, TX; one site in Brazos County, TX; two sites in McCurtain County, Oklahoma; and two sites in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma) in the period of 5–16 March 2021. At nearly every site, 30 individuals were examined, and the number of palmate leaves as well as the extent of the green area on the leaf was visually estimated, with percentages rounded to the nearest 5%. There was little evidence of cold damage from southeastern Oklahoma to coastal Texas, with palmate leaves retaining a median of 85% green area. However, some damage was noted in seedlings at the northernmost population in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. In contrast, extensive leaf damage was noted in dwarf palmetto plantings in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, with plants retaining a median of only 5% green leaf area. The results of this study suggest that arctic outbreaks are unlikely to prohibit the continued spread of this species at the northern edge of its native range but may cause damage to multiple plant growth stages that could reduce the rate at which the species survives and reproduces.
{"title":"Little Evidence of Leaf Damage to Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor; Arecaceae) during an Unusual Arctic Outbreak","authors":"Christopher J. Butler","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3030021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3030021","url":null,"abstract":"The dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is a widespread understory palm of the southeastern United States. This palm is expected to be one of the species that exhibits a range shift in response to climate change, and the population at the northwestern edge of its distribution in Oklahoma appears to be increasing in both numbers and extent. However, this palm may also be susceptible to cold damage during unusually severe winters, which could potentially limit the spread of this species. An unusually cold arctic outbreak spread across the southern Great Plains during 13–17 February 2021, with minimum temperatures of −11 °C recorded in Houston (Texas), −15 °C in San Antonio (Texas), and −26 °C in Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). In order to evaluate the effects of the arctic outbreak on Sabal minor, I examined individuals in four counties (one site in Brazoria County, TX; one site in Brazos County, TX; two sites in McCurtain County, Oklahoma; and two sites in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma) in the period of 5–16 March 2021. At nearly every site, 30 individuals were examined, and the number of palmate leaves as well as the extent of the green area on the leaf was visually estimated, with percentages rounded to the nearest 5%. There was little evidence of cold damage from southeastern Oklahoma to coastal Texas, with palmate leaves retaining a median of 85% green area. However, some damage was noted in seedlings at the northernmost population in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. In contrast, extensive leaf damage was noted in dwarf palmetto plantings in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, with plants retaining a median of only 5% green leaf area. The results of this study suggest that arctic outbreaks are unlikely to prohibit the continued spread of this species at the northern edge of its native range but may cause damage to multiple plant growth stages that could reduce the rate at which the species survives and reproduces.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41999532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-27DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3030020
Marco Campera, M. Balestri, A.N. Stewart, K. Nekaris
The activity patterns of mammals depend on environmental changes (e.g., moon luminosity, food availability, weather) and endogenous rhythms. Behavioral observations are traditionally used to estimate the activity patterns of animals, but low visibility and the cryptic nature of some species entail that, in certain conditions, the animal is visible only for around 60% of the time. Recent advances in technology allow automatic data collection on the activity levels of animals. We used five years of data collected via accelerometers to understand how moon luminosity, seasonality, sex, and weather conditions influence the activity levels of the nocturnal and cryptic Javan slow loris. We collected 9589 h on six females and 7354 h on six males. Via Generalized Additive Mixed Models, we found that lorises are lunarphobic; they reduce activity levels during cold nights, they have higher activity levels when the relative humidity is close to 100%, and they have high peaks of activity between December and February and between June and August. The activity levels are thus influenced by avoidance of predators, food availability, consumption of insects and nectar, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to cold temperatures and energy requirements during reproductive stages. We highlight the importance of using bio-loggers for cryptic animals as with behavioral observations only, and the observer might underestimate active behaviors and overestimate inactivity.
{"title":"Influence of Moon Luminosity, Seasonality, Sex and Weather Conditions on the Activity Levels of the Nocturnal Javan Slow Loris","authors":"Marco Campera, M. Balestri, A.N. Stewart, K. Nekaris","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3030020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3030020","url":null,"abstract":"The activity patterns of mammals depend on environmental changes (e.g., moon luminosity, food availability, weather) and endogenous rhythms. Behavioral observations are traditionally used to estimate the activity patterns of animals, but low visibility and the cryptic nature of some species entail that, in certain conditions, the animal is visible only for around 60% of the time. Recent advances in technology allow automatic data collection on the activity levels of animals. We used five years of data collected via accelerometers to understand how moon luminosity, seasonality, sex, and weather conditions influence the activity levels of the nocturnal and cryptic Javan slow loris. We collected 9589 h on six females and 7354 h on six males. Via Generalized Additive Mixed Models, we found that lorises are lunarphobic; they reduce activity levels during cold nights, they have higher activity levels when the relative humidity is close to 100%, and they have high peaks of activity between December and February and between June and August. The activity levels are thus influenced by avoidance of predators, food availability, consumption of insects and nectar, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to cold temperatures and energy requirements during reproductive stages. We highlight the importance of using bio-loggers for cryptic animals as with behavioral observations only, and the observer might underestimate active behaviors and overestimate inactivity.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44145943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-26DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3030019
P. Ortega, H. A. Vitorino
This study analyzed field and acclimatized (7 days) mangrove Ucides cordatus crabs from polluted and unpolluted environments to compare their HSP70 levels. The animals were cryo-anesthetized and dissected. Gills (anterior and posterior) and hepatopancreas were collected to evaluate total proteins and HSP70 levels using ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) method. The acclimatized animals from polluted environments showed higher HSP70 levels in the hepatopancreas than field animals. Results showed higher HSP70 levels in laboratory animals from the polluted environment than in field animals in the posterior gills. The regulation to decrease the damage caused by the environment and the acclimatization process may not be sufficient to stabilize physiological responses, especially in animals from polluted environments.
{"title":"HSP70 in Gills and Hepatopancreas of Mangrove Crabs Ucides cordatus: Comparison between Contaminated and Pristine Environments","authors":"P. Ortega, H. A. Vitorino","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3030019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3030019","url":null,"abstract":"This study analyzed field and acclimatized (7 days) mangrove Ucides cordatus crabs from polluted and unpolluted environments to compare their HSP70 levels. The animals were cryo-anesthetized and dissected. Gills (anterior and posterior) and hepatopancreas were collected to evaluate total proteins and HSP70 levels using ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) method. The acclimatized animals from polluted environments showed higher HSP70 levels in the hepatopancreas than field animals. Results showed higher HSP70 levels in laboratory animals from the polluted environment than in field animals in the posterior gills. The regulation to decrease the damage caused by the environment and the acclimatization process may not be sufficient to stabilize physiological responses, especially in animals from polluted environments.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43630069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-13DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3020017
G. Hotos, Ioanna Touloupi
In the quest of finding local strains of marine ciliates that can be easily cultured under a broad range of salinity and fed with microalgae, Fabrea salina Henneguy, 1890 and Condylostoma sp. Bory de St. Vincent, 1826 were cultured for 22 days in small volumes at a temperature of 16–18 °C and fed with flagellated microalgae. F. salina presented a clear preference for the salinity of 40 ppt and Condylostoma. sp. for 20 ppt. Rhodomonas salina Hill and Wetherbee, 1989 were the most efficient feeds, resulting in 30 ind./mL in F. salina and 73 ind./mL in Condylostoma. Dunaliella salina Teodoresco, 1905 and Nephroselmis sp. F. Stein, 1878 also resulted in considerable ciliate densities while Isochrysis galbana Parke, 1949 came last with the highest density in Condylostoma. The strain of Tetraselmis sp. F. Stein, 1878 (var. red pappas) which is transformed in immobilized palmelloid cells and the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae Hulburt, 1957, which is suspected of toxin production, were inappropriate for both ciliates. These ciliates can be easily cultured and can serve as useful organisms in bioassays and probably as live food in marine fish hatcheries.
为了寻找能够在广泛的盐度范围内容易培养并以微藻为饲料的海洋纤毛虫本地菌株，Fabrea salina Henneguy(1890)和Condylostoma sp. Bory de St. Vincent(1826)在16-18°C的温度下小体积培养22天，并以鞭毛虫微藻为饲料。F. salina对40 ppt的盐度和尖锐湿疣有明显的偏好。Sp. for 20 ppt。1989年的Rhodomonas salina Hill和Wetherbee是最有效的饲料，对F. salina和Condylostoma的影响分别为30 ind./mL和73 ind./mL。Dunaliella salina Teodoresco, 1905和Nephroselmis sp. F. Stein, 1878也产生了相当大的纤毛虫密度，而Isochrysis galbana Parke, 1949在尖锐湿疣中密度最高。在固定的棕榈样细胞中转化的Tetraselmis sp. F. Stein, 1878(变种红pappas)菌株和怀疑产生毒素的甲藻Amphidinium carterae Hulburt, 1957，都不适合这两种纤毛虫。这些纤毛虫很容易培养，可以作为生物分析中的有用生物，也可能作为海洋鱼类孵化场的活食。
{"title":"Response of the Ciliates Fabrea salina and Condylostoma sp. to Different Salinities and Microalgal Feeds","authors":"G. Hotos, Ioanna Touloupi","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3020017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3020017","url":null,"abstract":"In the quest of finding local strains of marine ciliates that can be easily cultured under a broad range of salinity and fed with microalgae, Fabrea salina Henneguy, 1890 and Condylostoma sp. Bory de St. Vincent, 1826 were cultured for 22 days in small volumes at a temperature of 16–18 °C and fed with flagellated microalgae. F. salina presented a clear preference for the salinity of 40 ppt and Condylostoma. sp. for 20 ppt. Rhodomonas salina Hill and Wetherbee, 1989 were the most efficient feeds, resulting in 30 ind./mL in F. salina and 73 ind./mL in Condylostoma. Dunaliella salina Teodoresco, 1905 and Nephroselmis sp. F. Stein, 1878 also resulted in considerable ciliate densities while Isochrysis galbana Parke, 1949 came last with the highest density in Condylostoma. The strain of Tetraselmis sp. F. Stein, 1878 (var. red pappas) which is transformed in immobilized palmelloid cells and the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae Hulburt, 1957, which is suspected of toxin production, were inappropriate for both ciliates. These ciliates can be easily cultured and can serve as useful organisms in bioassays and probably as live food in marine fish hatcheries.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69602977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-12DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3020016
Munshi Md. Shafwat Yazdan, Raaghul Kumar, S. Leung
Micro-pollutants especially estrogens, progesterone, androgens, glucocorticoids, and growth hormones, are biological and chemical impurities that find their way into natural aquatic environments in trace quantities (ng/L), and possess a significant disturbance by impacting human and aquatic life. Due to the significant progress in in the analysis and detection techniques, these trace elements have been observed and quantified in several studies. However, as a result of limited methods and management technology, the adverse effects by these micro-pollutants in surface and coastal water is largely unknown. For this study, the compounds of estrogens, progesterone, androgens, glucocorticoids, and growth hormones have been selected according to their high frequent detection value in environmental waters. The concentration of the selected steroid and hormones ranges from 0.1–196 ng/L (estrogens), less than 0.1 to 439 ng/L (progesterone), 0.06–86 ± 2 (androgens), less than 0.1 to 433 ng/L (glucocorticoids), and 26.6 ng/g to 100 ng/L (growth hormones), and their percentage of removal efficiency varies from less than 10% to 99%, as the measurement of compounds concentration was found to be very low. Here, we report that future studies are necessary to detect the entry routes of these compounds into the environmental water, as well as to explore the technological approaches which are able to resolve this issue permanently.
{"title":"The Environmental and Health Impacts of Steroids and Hormones in Wastewater Effluent, as Well as Existing Removal Technologies: A Review","authors":"Munshi Md. Shafwat Yazdan, Raaghul Kumar, S. Leung","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3020016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3020016","url":null,"abstract":"Micro-pollutants especially estrogens, progesterone, androgens, glucocorticoids, and growth hormones, are biological and chemical impurities that find their way into natural aquatic environments in trace quantities (ng/L), and possess a significant disturbance by impacting human and aquatic life. Due to the significant progress in in the analysis and detection techniques, these trace elements have been observed and quantified in several studies. However, as a result of limited methods and management technology, the adverse effects by these micro-pollutants in surface and coastal water is largely unknown. For this study, the compounds of estrogens, progesterone, androgens, glucocorticoids, and growth hormones have been selected according to their high frequent detection value in environmental waters. The concentration of the selected steroid and hormones ranges from 0.1–196 ng/L (estrogens), less than 0.1 to 439 ng/L (progesterone), 0.06–86 ± 2 (androgens), less than 0.1 to 433 ng/L (glucocorticoids), and 26.6 ng/g to 100 ng/L (growth hormones), and their percentage of removal efficiency varies from less than 10% to 99%, as the measurement of compounds concentration was found to be very low. Here, we report that future studies are necessary to detect the entry routes of these compounds into the environmental water, as well as to explore the technological approaches which are able to resolve this issue permanently.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46741938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-06DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3020015
Chiara Accolla, Amelie Schmolke, Andy Jacobson, Colleen Roy, V. Forbes, R. Brain, N. Galic
Mechanistic models are invaluable in ecological risk assessment (ERA) because they facilitate extrapolation of organism-level effects to population-level effects while accounting for species life history, ecology, and vulnerability. In this work, we developed a model framework to compare the potential effects of the fungicide chlorothalonil across four listed species of cyprinid fish and explore species-specific traits of importance at the population level. The model is an agent-based model based on the dynamic energy budget theory. Toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic sub-models were used for representing direct effects, whereas indirect effects were described by decreasing food availability. Exposure profiles were constructed based on hydroxychlorothalonil, given the relatively short half-life of parent chlorothalonil. Different exposure magnification factors were required to achieve a comparable population decrease across species. In particular, those species producing fewer eggs and with shorter lifespans appeared to be more vulnerable. Moreover, sequentially adding effect sub-models resulted in different outcomes depending on the interplay of life-history traits and density-dependent compensation effects. We conclude by stressing the importance of using models in ERA to account for species-specific characteristics and ecology, especially when dealing with listed species and in accordance with the necessity of reducing animal testing.
{"title":"Modeling Pesticide Effects on Multiple Threatened and Endangered Cyprinid Fish Species: The Role of Life-History Traits and Ecology","authors":"Chiara Accolla, Amelie Schmolke, Andy Jacobson, Colleen Roy, V. Forbes, R. Brain, N. Galic","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3020015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3020015","url":null,"abstract":"Mechanistic models are invaluable in ecological risk assessment (ERA) because they facilitate extrapolation of organism-level effects to population-level effects while accounting for species life history, ecology, and vulnerability. In this work, we developed a model framework to compare the potential effects of the fungicide chlorothalonil across four listed species of cyprinid fish and explore species-specific traits of importance at the population level. The model is an agent-based model based on the dynamic energy budget theory. Toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic sub-models were used for representing direct effects, whereas indirect effects were described by decreasing food availability. Exposure profiles were constructed based on hydroxychlorothalonil, given the relatively short half-life of parent chlorothalonil. Different exposure magnification factors were required to achieve a comparable population decrease across species. In particular, those species producing fewer eggs and with shorter lifespans appeared to be more vulnerable. Moreover, sequentially adding effect sub-models resulted in different outcomes depending on the interplay of life-history traits and density-dependent compensation effects. We conclude by stressing the importance of using models in ERA to account for species-specific characteristics and ecology, especially when dealing with listed species and in accordance with the necessity of reducing animal testing.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46373191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-01DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3020014
Taiki Mori
Researchers have studied the impact of various anthropogenic activities on litter decomposition rates because of their large impact on the future carbon budget and climate change. However, any assessment of the global-scale impact of anthropogenic activity on litter decomposition requires standardized methods that can exclude the variability of litter chemistry. The Tea Bag Index (TBI) is widely used as a standardized method to obtain both the decomposition constant k of early-stage litter decomposition and the stabilization factor S. Recently, a tea bag manufacturer changed the materials and size of the tea bag mesh from a 0.25 mm woven mesh to a nonuniform, nonwoven mesh. To test whether these changes in mesh materials have any effect on the TBI approach, an incubation study was performed. Obtaining time series decomposition data for both green and rooibos teas, two essential assumptions of the TBI approach were examined: (i) that most of the unstabilized hydrolyzable fraction of green tea is decomposed within 90 days (unless the environment is unfavorable for decomposition) and (ii) the S of green tea is equal to that of rooibos tea. The results did not show a clear breakdown of the first assumption of the TBI approach due to the changes in mesh materials, and they did not support the second assumption. The S of rooibos tea determined by fitting an asymptote model to the time series data was significantly larger than the TBI-based S. In conclusion, the TBI may be undeterminable using nonwoven tea bags.
{"title":"Can Nonwoven Tea Bags Be Used to Determine the Tea Bag Index?","authors":"Taiki Mori","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3020014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3020014","url":null,"abstract":"Researchers have studied the impact of various anthropogenic activities on litter decomposition rates because of their large impact on the future carbon budget and climate change. However, any assessment of the global-scale impact of anthropogenic activity on litter decomposition requires standardized methods that can exclude the variability of litter chemistry. The Tea Bag Index (TBI) is widely used as a standardized method to obtain both the decomposition constant k of early-stage litter decomposition and the stabilization factor S. Recently, a tea bag manufacturer changed the materials and size of the tea bag mesh from a 0.25 mm woven mesh to a nonuniform, nonwoven mesh. To test whether these changes in mesh materials have any effect on the TBI approach, an incubation study was performed. Obtaining time series decomposition data for both green and rooibos teas, two essential assumptions of the TBI approach were examined: (i) that most of the unstabilized hydrolyzable fraction of green tea is decomposed within 90 days (unless the environment is unfavorable for decomposition) and (ii) the S of green tea is equal to that of rooibos tea. The results did not show a clear breakdown of the first assumption of the TBI approach due to the changes in mesh materials, and they did not support the second assumption. The S of rooibos tea determined by fitting an asymptote model to the time series data was significantly larger than the TBI-based S. In conclusion, the TBI may be undeterminable using nonwoven tea bags.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49542971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-05-31DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3020013
Márcia Ramos Jorge, F. Merey, B. Crispim, Fábio Kummrow, A. Barufatti, Fabiana Gomes da Silva Dantas, Kelly M P Oliveira, E. J. Arruda
The development of new insecticides for vector control that are toxicologically safe and eco-friendly (such as those obtained from industrial by-products) is an important public health concern. Previous research has shown that the obtained tCNSL (technical cashew nutshell liquid) + NatCNSLS (sodium tCNSL sulfonate mixture) emulsion displayed both surfactant properties and larvicidal activity (LC50-24 h 110.6 mg/L). Thus, the emulsion is considered a promising alternative product for the control of Aedes aegypti. The goal of this study was an ecotoxicological evaluation of the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion and its components. In addition, we compared the toxicity of the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion with toxicity data from larvicide currently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Ecotoxicological tests were performed to assess acute toxicity, phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and mutagenicity using Daphnia similis, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Oreochromis niloticus, Allium cepa, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Regarding acute toxicity, D. similis was the most sensitive test organism for the three evaluated products, followed by P. subcapitata and O. niloticus. The highest acute toxicity product was tCNSL. The tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion did not show cytotoxic, genotoxic, or mutagenic effects, and showed low acute toxicity to D. similis. In addition, the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion presented a lower or similar toxicological classification to the larvicides recommended by the WHO. Therefore, ecotoxicological tests suggest that the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion can be considered a larvicide environmentally safe way to control Ae. aegypti.
开发毒理学安全和环保的新的病媒控制杀虫剂（如从工业副产品中获得的杀虫剂）是一个重要的公共卫生问题。先前的研究表明，所获得的tCNSL（工业腰果果壳液）+NatCNSLS（tCNSL磺酸钠混合物）乳液显示出表面活性剂性质和杀幼虫活性（LC50-24 h 110.6mg/L）。因此，该乳液被认为是控制埃及伊蚊的一种有前景的替代产品。本研究的目的是对tCNSL+NatCNSLS混合乳液及其成分进行生态毒理学评价。此外，我们将tCNSL+NatCNSLS混合乳剂的毒性与世界卫生组织（世界卫生组织）目前推荐的杀幼虫毒性数据进行了比较。使用类似瑞香、亚皮塔假鸡尾藻、尼罗罗非鱼、洋葱和鼠伤寒沙门氏菌血清型进行生态毒理学试验，以评估急性毒性、植物毒性、细胞毒性、遗传毒性和致突变性。就急性毒性而言，对三种评估产品最敏感的测试生物是相似D.similis，其次是亚皮塔P.subcapita和尼罗O.niloticus。急性毒性最高的产品是tCNSL。tCNSL+NatCNSLS混合乳液没有表现出细胞毒性、基因毒性或诱变作用，并且对类似D.similis表现出低急性毒性。此外，与世界卫生组织推荐的杀幼虫剂相比，tCNSL+NatCNSLS混合乳剂的毒理学分类更低或相似。因此，生态毒理学试验表明，tCNSL+NatCNSLS混合乳液可以被认为是一种对环境安全的杀幼虫方法来控制埃及伊蚊。
{"title":"Ecotoxicological Evaluation of Products Obtained from Technical Cashew Nutshell Liquid (tCNSL) Proposed as Larvicide to Control Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)","authors":"Márcia Ramos Jorge, F. Merey, B. Crispim, Fábio Kummrow, A. Barufatti, Fabiana Gomes da Silva Dantas, Kelly M P Oliveira, E. J. Arruda","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3020013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies3020013","url":null,"abstract":"The development of new insecticides for vector control that are toxicologically safe and eco-friendly (such as those obtained from industrial by-products) is an important public health concern. Previous research has shown that the obtained tCNSL (technical cashew nutshell liquid) + NatCNSLS (sodium tCNSL sulfonate mixture) emulsion displayed both surfactant properties and larvicidal activity (LC50-24 h 110.6 mg/L). Thus, the emulsion is considered a promising alternative product for the control of Aedes aegypti. The goal of this study was an ecotoxicological evaluation of the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion and its components. In addition, we compared the toxicity of the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion with toxicity data from larvicide currently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Ecotoxicological tests were performed to assess acute toxicity, phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and mutagenicity using Daphnia similis, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Oreochromis niloticus, Allium cepa, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Regarding acute toxicity, D. similis was the most sensitive test organism for the three evaluated products, followed by P. subcapitata and O. niloticus. The highest acute toxicity product was tCNSL. The tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion did not show cytotoxic, genotoxic, or mutagenic effects, and showed low acute toxicity to D. similis. In addition, the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion presented a lower or similar toxicological classification to the larvicides recommended by the WHO. Therefore, ecotoxicological tests suggest that the tCNSL + NatCNSLS mixture emulsion can be considered a larvicide environmentally safe way to control Ae. aegypti.","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48860339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-05-27DOI: 10.3390/ecologies3020012
Sandy Raimondo, Valery E Forbes
Under standard guidance for conducting Ecological Risk Assessments (ERAs), the risks of chemical exposure to diverse organisms are most often based on deterministic point estimates evaluated against safety-factor-based levels of concern (LOCs). While the science and guidance for mechanistic effect models (e.g., demographic, population, and agent-based) have long been demonstrated to provide more ecologically relevant effect endpoints upon which risk can be evaluated, their application in ERAs has been limited, particularly in the US. This special issue highlights the state of the science in effect modeling for ERAs through demonstrated application of the recently published Population modeling Guidance, Use, Interpretation, and Development for ERA (Pop-GUIDE). We introduce this issue with a perspective on why it is critical to move past the current application of deterministic endpoints and LOCs. We demonstrate how the current, widely used approaches contain extensive uncertainty that could be reduced considerably by applying models that account for species life histories and other important endogenous and exogenous factors critical to species sustainability. We emphasize that it is long past time to incorporate better, more robust, and ecologically relevant effect models into ERAs, particularly for chronic risk determination. The papers in this special issue demonstrate how mechanistic models that follow Pop-GUIDE better inform ERAs compared to the current standard practice.
{"title":"Moving beyond Risk Quotients: Advancing Ecological Risk Assessment to Reflect Better, More Robust and Relevant Methods.","authors":"Sandy Raimondo, Valery E Forbes","doi":"10.3390/ecologies3020012","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ecologies3020012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Under standard guidance for conducting Ecological Risk Assessments (ERAs), the risks of chemical exposure to diverse organisms are most often based on deterministic point estimates evaluated against safety-factor-based levels of concern (LOCs). While the science and guidance for mechanistic effect models (e.g., demographic, population, and agent-based) have long been demonstrated to provide more ecologically relevant effect endpoints upon which risk can be evaluated, their application in ERAs has been limited, particularly in the US. This special issue highlights the state of the science in effect modeling for ERAs through demonstrated application of the recently published Population modeling Guidance, Use, Interpretation, and Development for ERA (Pop-GUIDE). We introduce this issue with a perspective on why it is critical to move past the current application of deterministic endpoints and LOCs. We demonstrate how the current, widely used approaches contain extensive uncertainty that could be reduced considerably by applying models that account for species life histories and other important endogenous and exogenous factors critical to species sustainability. We emphasize that it is long past time to incorporate better, more robust, and ecologically relevant effect models into ERAs, particularly for chronic risk determination. The papers in this special issue demonstrate how mechanistic models that follow Pop-GUIDE better inform ERAs compared to the current standard practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":72866,"journal":{"name":"Ecologies","volume":"3 2","pages":"145-160"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9214658/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10246978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：