Aim This study aimed to evaluate land use, distribution of particle size fractions, organic matter (OM) and perform a metal quantification liable to complexation in the Itupararanga Reservoir (São Paulo, Brazil). This aquatic ecosystem is used for water supply and energy generation and is constantly subjected to anthropogenic impacts that alter its physical and chemical characteristics. Methods In a single campaign, samples of surface sediment (10 cm) were collected from nine sampling stations, in triplicate, along the reservoir. The collection was carried out with a “Lenz” type bottom sampler. The physicochemical variables, including the quantification of the metals copper, chromium, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc, were evaluated by basic descriptive statistics techniques combined with geostatistics and the use of remote sensing. Results All along the reservoir the sediment is predominantly organic and water depth interfered directly in the OM concentration and particle size distribution. Therefore, heterogeneity was observed regarding OM contents, particle size fractions and metals, with the exception of chromium, and the three zones of the reservoir proved to be distinct from each other. The land use classification showed the real situation of the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) and the results indicate that the central portion is more subject to anthropic impacts, while the dam region has high levels of metals, probably originated from the activities in the reservoir’s surroundings. Conclusions The soil erosion in the reservoir’s region shows the lack of efficiency in the Itupararanga EPA’s management, being needed a strategic coordination among the municipalities to enhance its conservation.
Os metais são reconhecidos pelo caráter potencialmente tóxico às comunidades além de bioacumulativos em alguns organismos. No presente trabalho, avaliou-se as concentrações dos metais cádmio, cromo, cobre, chumbo, mercúrio e zinco em sedimentos de três pontos de amostragem nos reservatórios Billings, Guarapiranga e Rio Grande (São Paulo, Brasil) entre os anos 2008 e 2017. Os dados foram comparados à valores de referência regionais, à legislação local e a valores guia de qualidade de sedimento: nível de efeito limiar (TEL), nível de efeito provável (PEL) e Critérios de Avaliação dos Sedimentos (CQS). Amostras de sedimento do reservatório Billings apresentaram os maiores números de metais acima dos valores de referência e acima de PEL. Observou-se elevadas concentrações de cobre nos reservatórios Guarapiranga e Rio Grande, provavelmente em decorrência do sistema de gestão aplicado no local à base de Sulfato de Cobre Pentahidratado. Os dados analisados aqui, indicam que a falta de índices regionalizados, com valores de background e critérios de toxicidade para o sedimento, específicos para esses reservatórios é uma grande deficiência para análises mais acuradas e preditivas. Ainda assim, fica demonstrado que os níveis atuais de contaminação dos sedimentos dos reservatórios estão reduzindo a qualidade da água e pressionando negativamente a biota local e alterando e comprometendo o ecossistema aquático.
In fish farming, high losses occur during egg incubation and larviculture due to diseases caused by oomycetes. This study aimed to identify the oomycete species that occurs in zebrafish Danio rerio eggs and to evaluate the oomyceticidal effect of copper sulfate, bronopol and methylene blue on the mycelial growth of this organism, as well as to determine the lethal and sublethal toxicity of these compounds in embryos of D. rerio. The isolates were cultivated in yeast-starch medium to determine the concentration necessary to inhibit mycelial growth by 50% (IC50) and 100% (minimum oomyceticidal concentration) after a 96 h exposure to these compounds. In addition, tests with D. rerio eggs were conducted to determine the lethal concentrations for 50% of the organisms (96h-LC50), and the concentrations that inhibited 17% of the eggs hatching (96h-IC17) after 96 h. The organism responsible for the mortality of D. rerio eggs was classified by classical and molecular methods as Aphanomyces brasiliensis, representing the first report of this pathogen in zebrafish eggs. IC50 values could be determined for both bronopol and copper sulfate, whereas methylene blue had low effectiveness against the oomycete. Copper showed high toxicity to D. rerio eggs at low concentrations, while methylene blue and bronopol toxicity was low and similar to each other. The use of bronopol at a concentration of 4.8 mg l-1 for the treatment of zebrafish eggs allows controlling the pathology without causing deleterious effects to the treated organisms.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the impacts caused by the presence of microplastics (MP) in aquatic environments. The impacts of microalgae exposure to microplastics are still insufficiently investigated and further studies are needed to understand the possible outcomes. In addition, much of the literature has focused on the study of concentrations above those found naturally in the environment and in less toxic polymer matrices. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastics have a composition rich in additives and, so far, have been studied superficially. In the present study, two of the most commonly used green microalgae species in toxicity assays, Chlorella vulgaris and Raphidocelis subcapitata, were exposed to different concentrations of primary ABS-MP for a period of 6 days. Here, we observed physiological changes in cell growth and chlorophyll a content induced by the concentration and time of exposure to ABS-MP. The lowest concentration did not prove to be potentially toxic to cells, while the highest concentration was the most toxic. Primary consumers, such as microalgae, are essential for the proper functioning of entire ecosystems. Changes in these communities can lead to permanent damage to the communities of organisms at higher levels, so it is essential that their study be done carefully in the face of threats such as MP.
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