Ascidians are known to accumulate extremely high levels of vanadium in their blood cells (up to 350 mM). The branchial sac and the intestine are thought to be the first tissues to contact the outer environment and absorb vanadium ions. The concentration of vanadium in the branchial sac and the intestine of the most vanadium-rich ascidian Ascidia gemmata were determined to be 32.4 and 11.9 mM, respectively. Using an expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of a cDNA library from the intestine of A. gemmata, we determined 960 ESTs and found 55 clones of metal-related gene orthologs, 6 redox-related orthologs, and 18 membrane transporter orthologs. Among them, two genes, which exhibited significant similarity to the vanadium-binding proteins of other vanadium-rich ascidian species, were designated AgVanabin1 and AgVanabin2. Immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography revealed that recombinant AgVanabin1 bound to metal ions with an increasing affinity for Cu(II)> Zn(II) > Co(II) and AgVanabin2 bound to metal ions with an increasing affinity for Cu(II) > Fe(III) > V(IV). To examine the use of AgVanabins for a metal absorption system, we constructed Escherichia coli strains that expressed AgVanabin1 or AgVanabin2 fused to maltose-binding protein and secreted into the periplasmic space. We found that the strain expressing AgVanabin2 accumulated about 13.5 times more Cu(II) ions than the control TB1 strain. Significant accumulation of vanadium was also observed in the AgVanabin2-expressing strain as seen by a 1.5-fold increase.

The aim of the research was to know the effect of anthropogenic activity around the coastal area of Giliketapang Island toward community structure of coral reefs. This study used belt transect method which consisted of 18 transects in three locations (harbour, near the forest, and transitionol areas) at 50-80 m from the coast, with a plot sized of 2×2m 2 . Abundance of coral reefs were observed based on their coverage. There were 11 families of coral reefs found. The percentage of coral damage decreased and the number of the species increased at the zones far from the coast. This also affected the coverage value of coral reefs. Coral coverage at the harbour and near the forest was 53. 06 % and 65. 36 % respectively, whereas in the transitional area was 38. 38%. Co-domination between Porites lobata and Chyphastrea microphthalma occurred at the harbour, while Poritesmayeri and Acropora spp. codominated in the location near the forest. Poritidae family dominated the transition area. Anthropogenic activities at transitional location caused severe damage toward coral reefs.

Five farmer groups in Lawang, Malang Regency, East Java Provinces, established organic agricultural practices almost two decades. They were visited frequently for farmer benchmarking activities; therefore they had planned to develop agroedutourism. The aims of this research were to identify potential organic farming activities as agroedutourism attractions as well as farmer ecopreneurship, to find out the existing agroedutourism facilities profile and to propose some strategies for further sustainable development. The data were gathered by interviewing key person of each farmer group in Lawang. Their agroedutourism profiles compared with a developed local agro-tourism using gap analysis. Farmer groups offered some distinct attractions and become their strengths such as out door activities in the organic perfumed and pigmented rice field, fruits and vegetable garden, zero waste management, biological pest control and healthy agricultural products. Establishment of this agroedutourism would be advantageous to lesson sharing among farmers and students, to be ecopreneur activity shown by an effective market system, to show real benefits of healthy agro-ecosystem and its products, as well as to show promising green business or ecopreneurship. Collaboration among them would improve available attractions and length of visit. Moreover, the results showed that 80% of farmer groups were visited regularly 5-10 times per month by potential visitors such as other farmer groups, house wives, staffs of agricultural departments and students. All farmer groups planned to develop agroedutourism; however the policy was only issued by 60% of farmer groups. Most of farmer groups showed a high variability in providing edutourism tours and guides. For sustainable development, farmer groups should provide more interesting attractions and facilities, develop their human resource, net working, and public promotion.

Retnaningdyah C, Arisoesilaningsih E, Samino S. 2017. Use of local Hydromacrophytes as phytoremediation agent in pond to improve irrigation water quality evaluated by Diatom Biotic Indices. Biodiversitas 18: 1596-1602. Irrigation water in Indonesia generally has been polluted because of agricultural, industrial and domestic activity. The aims of this research were to determine the effectiveness of phytoremediation models conducted by planting some local Hydromacrophytes in three phytoremediation ponds through a continuous culture system with water discharge about 0.3 L/seconds for improving the irrigation water quality. The quasiexperimental research was conducted in a phytoremediation pond located in Kepanjen District of Malang, East Java Indonesia. The phytoremediation pond was divided into four interconnected sections. Pond 1 and 2 were planted with some of floating leaf and emergent hydromacrophyte, pond 3 was planted by combinations of same plants added with submerged Hydromacrophytes, while pond 4 was container pond to collecting the water as a result of phytoremediation process. The success of phytoremediation process was known from some physico-chemical parameters of water and some of diatom biotic indices (trophic diatom index/TDI, percentage of pollution tolerant value (%PTV), and Shannon Wiener diversity Index) that was found from artificial substrate been installed in the early treatment. The water quality monitoring performed in each part of the ponds after the plants grew steadily. The results showed that planting of Hydromacrophytes can significantly improve the physico-chemical quality of water. This was reflected in the decline value of conductivity (from 188 μS/cm to 182 μS/cm), turbidity (30 NTU become 8 NTU), total suspended solid (TSS) from 31.3 mg/L to be 5.5 mg/L, nitrates (7.5 mg/L to 3.3 mg/L) and dissolved phosphates (from 0.16 mg./L become 0.04 mg/L) and increasing value of dissolved oxygen (DO) in waters from 2.6 mg/L become 2.9 mg/L. Based on biotic indices there were improvement of the water quality from heavily polluted (diversity index 0.91) become moderately polluted (diversity index 2.07), eutrophic (TDI 52) become mesoeutrophic (TDI 38), and from heavily organic pollution (PTV 93%) to be some organic pollution contribute to eutrophication (PTV 38%). Improvement of water quality was effectively occur after passing through the third pond.