Culturable yeast diversity in urban topsoil influenced by various anthropogenic impacts.

In urban ecosystems, processes associated with anthropogenic influences almost always lead to changes in soil micromycete complexes. The taxonomic structure of soil micromycete complexes is an important informative parameter of soil bioindication in the ecological control of urban environments. Unicellular fungi, such as culturable yeasts, are a very suitable and promising object of microbiological research for monitoring urban topsoil. This review aims to give an overview of the yeast communities in urban topsoil in different areas of Moscow (heating main area, household waste storage and disposal area, highway area) and to discuss the changes in the taxonomic structure of culturable yeast complexes depending on the type and intensity of anthropogenic impact.

Monitoring Bioindication of Plankton through the Analysis of the Fourier Spectra of the Underwater Digital Holographic Sensor Data.

The study presents a bioindication complex and a technology of the experiment based on a submersible digital holographic camera with advanced monitoring capabilities for the study of plankton and its behavioral characteristics in situ. Additional mechanical and software options expand the capabilities of the digital holographic camera, thus making it possible to adapt the depth of the holographing scene to the parameters of the plankton habitat, perform automatic registration of the "zero" frame and automatic calibration, and carry out natural experiments with plankton photostimulation. The paper considers the results of a long-term digital holographic experiment on the biotesting of the water area in Arctic latitudes. It shows additional possibilities arising during the spectral processing of long time series of plankton parameters obtained during monitoring measurements by a submersible digital holographic camera. In particular, information on the rhythmic components of the ecosystem and behavioral characteristics of plankton, which can be used as a marker of the ecosystem well-being disturbance, is thus obtained.

Assessment of the ecological status of the river water system in European North under conditions of ultra-fresh humus waters using biotic indices (Suna River, Lake Onega Basin, Russia).

Protecting rivers and lakes from pollution is crucial for maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems and ensuring the well-being of both wildlife and humans. Present study intends to examine the water quality of the Suna River (Eastern Fennoscandia in the European North of Russia) to assess the ecological risk. Widespread methods for assessing water quality based on macrozoobenthos and phytoperiphoton were applied. It was found that in conditions of ultra-fresh waters with high humus content, biotic indicators may indicate pollution of water bodies that do not actually experience significant anthropogenic impact. Ratings ranging from 'poor' to 'excellent' were obtained for different stations, reflecting the influence of natural features of different sections of the river. 'Good' water quality was noted at the river stones biotopes. In river gravel, sand and silt biotopes, as well as all lake biotopes, 'mediocre' water quality was found. The low anthropogenic income on the river catchment allows us to conclude that most indices for assessing water quality significantly underestimate the results in the natural conditions of Eastern Fennoscandia. Biotic indices EPT, BBI and EBI are most accurate for assessing the water quality of rivers and lakes in Eastern Fennoscandia.

Young-of-the-year fish as bioindicators of eutrophication and temperature regime of water bodies.

Young-of-the-year fish communities are widely used as bioindicators of various environmental disturbances. This study was conducted from 1997 to 2015 and aims to develop fish trait-based indices of changes in the temperature regime and eutrophication of water bodies in the Dnipro River basin. We identified fish traits that significantly correlate with both temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration optimum: reproduction habitat, oxygen tolerance, and toxicity tolerance. Compared to other ecological groups, lithophilic species exhibited the lowest degree of thermal and eutrophication optimum, indicating this species' greater vulnerability to environmental alteration. Fish species that are intolerant to water quality and low oxygen concentration were the most sensitive to changes in temperature regime and eutrophication level. Salinity preferences and water quality tolerance emerged as reliable predictors of temperature optimum. Freshwater fish had an average temperature optimum that was 4.5% higher than that of freshwater-brackish and freshwater-brackish-marine fish. Species tolerance to the temperature factors and nutrient loads correlated only with rheophily, with rheophilic species having an average 13.8% higher temperature tolerance than other fish species and a 10.4% higher chlorophyll-a concentration tolerance. The fish temperature index increased over time during the study period in all the studied water bodies, consistent with ongoing warming affecting all sites. In contrast, the Fish Eutrophication Index showed greater temporal heterogeneity in studied water bodies, indicating various adaptative potentials of fish communities to eutrophication. These indices can be relevant for assessing disturbed situations caused by changes in climatic and anthropogenic impacts on water bodies.

Degenerative and Regenerative Actin Cytoskeleton Rearrangements, Cell Death, and Paradoxical Proliferation in the Gills of Pearl Gourami (Trichogaster leerii) Exposed to Suspended Soot Microparticles.

The effect is studied of water-suspended soot microparticles on the actin cytoskeleton, apoptosis, and proliferation in the gill epithelium of pearl gourami. To this end, the fish are kept in aquariums with 0.005 g/L of soot for 5 and 14 days. Laser confocal microscopy is used to find that at the analyzed times of exposure to the pollutant zones appear in the gill epithelium, where the actin framework of adhesion belts dissociates and F-actin either forms clumps or concentrates perinuclearly. It is shown that the exposure to soot microparticles enhances apoptosis. On day 5, suppression of the proliferation of cells occurs, but the proliferation increases to the control values on day 14. Such a paradoxical increase in proliferation may be a compensatory process, maintaining the necessary level of gill function under the exposure to toxic soot. This process may occur until the gills' recovery reserve is exhausted. In general, soot microparticles cause profound changes in the actin cytoskeleton in gill cells, greatly enhance cell death, and influence cell proliferation as described. Together, these processes may cause gill dysfunction and affect the viability of fish.

Oribatid mites in different Mediterranean crop rotations fertilized with animal droppings.

Unsustainable soil management is one of the drivers of soil degradation, but impact assessment requires the development of indicators. Oribatids might be considered as early indicators of disturbances due to the stability of their community. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of oribatids as bioindicators of sustainable agricultural practices. Under a dry Mediterranean climate, three fertilization experiments - two under a two-crop rotation system and one under maize monoculture and established 12 years earlier - were sampled 3× for oribatid identification during the last annual cropping cycle. The hypothesis was that different nutrient and crop managements affect the number of oribatid species and individuals present, and these parameters could be used as indicators of soil degradation. In total, 18 oribatid species were identified, and 1974 adult individuals were recovered. Maximum abundance was found prior to sowing. Pig slurry (PS) vs. control, and dairy cattle manure (CM) vs. mineral fertilization increased oribatid abundance. This increase was evident when the average applied rates with PS were ca. 2 Mg of organic matter (OM) ha- 1 yr- 1, or higher than ca. 4 Mg OM ha- 1 yr- 1 for CM. When the preceding crop was wheat and PS or CM were used, Oribatula (Zygoribatula) excavata (which reproduces sexually) predominated. In maize monoculture fertilized with CM, Tectocepheus sarekensis and Acrotritia ardua americana (which can reproduce through parthenogenesis) prevailed vs. Oribatula, which indicated a heavily disturbed soil. Under this specific Mediterranean environment, the predominance of certain parthenogenic oribatid species and the number of individuals provide advanced warning on soil degradation.

High phytoremediation and translocation potential of an invasive weed species (Amaranthus retroflexus) in Europe in metal-contaminated areas.

We demonstrated the metal accumulation potential of Amaranthus retorflexus, a European weed species, both in moderately and strongly metal-contaminated sites. Metal accumulation in roots, stems, and leaves were studied. We also calculated the bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and translocation factor (TF) values to quantify the metal accumulation, and translocation between plant organs. Our findings indicated that metal accumulation correlated with metal concentration; that is plant organs accumulated higher concentration of metals in the contaminated area than in the control one. We found that the concentrations of Ba, Mn, Sr and Zn were the highest in leaves, and Al, Cr, Cu, Fe and Pb in roots. High BAF value was found for Sr in all studied areas, indicating this metal's high accumulation potential of Amaranthus retorflexus. High TF values were found for Al, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sr and Zn; these metals were successfully transported to aboveground plant organs. We demonstrated that A. retroflexus, a fast-growing, rapidly spreading weed in Europe, was especially useful for heavy metal phytoremediation and phytoextraction.

In Situ Measurements of Plankton Biorhythms Using Submersible Holographic Camera.

The paper presents a diagnostic complex for plankton studies using the miniDHC (digital holographic camera). Its capabilities to study the rhythmic processes in plankton ecosystems were demonstrated using the natural testing in Lake Baikal in summer. The results of in situ measurements of plankton to detect the synchronization of collective biological rhythms with medium parameters are presented and interpreted. The most significant rhythms in terms of the correlation of their parameters with medium factors are identified. The study shows that the correlation with water temperature at the mooring site has the greatest significance and reliability. The results are verified with biodiversity data obtained by the traditional mesh method. The experience and results of the study can be used for the construction of a stationary station to monitor the ecological state of the water area through the digitalization of plankton behavior.

Monitoring the ecological status of rivers with diatom eDNA metabarcoding: A comparison of taxonomic markers and analytical approaches for the inference of a molecular diatom index.

Recently, several studies demonstrated the usefulness of diatom eDNA metabarcoding as an alternative to assess the ecological quality of rivers and streams. However, the choice of the taxonomic marker as well as the methodology for data analysis differ between these studies, hampering the comparison of their results and effectiveness. The aim of this study was to compare two taxonomic markers commonly used in diatom metabarcoding and three distinct analytical approaches to infer a molecular diatom index. We used the values of classical morphological diatom index as a benchmark for this comparison. We amplified and sequenced both a fragment of the rbcL gene and the V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene for 112 epilithic samples from Swiss and French rivers. We inferred index values using three analytical approaches: by computing it directly from taxonomically assigned sequences, by calibrating de novo the ecovalues of all metabarcodes, and by using a supervised machine learning algorithm to train predictive models. In general, the values of index obtained using the two "taxonomy-free" approaches, encompassing molecular assignment and machine learning, were closer correlated to the values of the morphological index than the values based on taxonomically assigned sequences. The correlations of the three analytical approaches were higher in the case of rbcL compared to the 18S marker, highlighting the importance of the reference database which is more complete for the rbcL marker. Our study confirms the effectiveness of diatom metabarcoding as an operational tool for rivers ecological quality assessment and shows that the analytical approaches by-passing the taxonomic assignments are particularly efficient when reference databases are incomplete.

Significant contributions of combustion-related NH3 and non-fossil fuel NOx to elevation of nitrogen deposition in southwestern China over past five decades.

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) emissions and deposition have been increasing over past decades. However, spatiotemporal variations of N deposition levels and major sources remain unclear in many regions, which hinders making strategies of emission mitigation and evaluating effects of elevated N deposition. By investigating moss N contents and δ15 N values in southwestern (SW) China in 1954-1964, 1970-1994, and 2005-2015, we reconstructed fluxes and source contributions of atmospheric ammonium ( NH 4 + ) and nitrate ( NO 3 - ) deposition and evaluated their historical changes. For urban and non-urban sites, averaged moss N contents did not differ between 1954-1964 and 1970-1994 (1.2%-1.3%) but increased distinctly in 2005-2015 (1.6%-2.3%), and averaged moss δ15 N values decreased from +0.4‰ to +3.3‰ in 1954-1964 to -1.9‰ to -0.7‰ in 1974-1990, and to -4.8‰ to -3.6‰ in 2005-2015. Based on quantitative estimations, N deposition levels from the 1950s to the 2000s did not change in the earlier 20 years but were elevated substantially in the later 30 years. Moreover, the elevation of NH 4 + deposition (by 12.2 kg-N/ha/year at urban sites and 4.6 kg-N/ha/year at non-urban sties) was higher than that of NO 3 - deposition (by 6.0 and 2.9 kg-N/ha/year, respectively) in the later 30 years. This caused a shifted dominance from NO 3 - to NH 4 + in N deposition. Based on isotope source apportionments, contributions of combustion-related NH3 sources (vehicle exhausts, coal combustion, and biomass burning) to the elevation of NH 4 + deposition were two times higher than volatilization NH3 sources (wastes and fertilizers) in the later 30 years. Meanwhile, non-fossil fuel NOx sources (biomass burning, microbial N cycles) contributed generally more than fossil fuel NOx sources (vehicle exhausts and coal combustion) to the elevation of NO 3 - deposition. These results revealed significant contributions of combustion-related NH3 and non-fossil fuel NOx emissions to the historical elevation of N deposition in SW China, which is useful for emission mitigation and ecological effect evaluation of atmospheric N loading.

Age-specific accumulation of toxic metal(loid)s in northern pike (Esox lucius) juveniles.

Northern pike specimens of 0+, 1+, and 2+ age classes were collected in June 2013 from the Vizelj channel near Belgrade (Serbia). Inductively coupled plasma optical spectrometry (ICP-OES) and atomic absorption spectrometer SpectrAA 220 were used for analyzing concentrations of As, Cr, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Sr, Pb, and Zn, as well as Hg in muscle, gills, and liver. Metal pollution index (MPI) was calculated. Concentrations of As, Cd, Co, and Pb were below the limit of detection. Concentrations of Cu, Hg, and Zn in muscle did not exceed the maximum allowed concentrations. The gills were tissue which was most affected by pollution. The highest concentrations of Fe in muscle, Cr and Fe in gills, and Hg, Sr, and Zn in liver were recorded in 0+ individuals, as well as Zn in gills of 2+ individuals. On contrary, the lowest concentrations were recorded for Zn in gills of 0+ individuals, Hg in gills of 1+ individuals, and Fe in muscle, Cr and Sr in gills, and Zn in liver of 2+ individuals. Regarding age classes, 2+ juveniles had the highest MPI values for all tissues. Correlations between the metal(loid) accumulation and fish condition were not significant, as well as between fish length and weight and Cu and Hg in muscle, Cu, Hg, and Sr in gills, and Cu, Cr, and Fe in liver. Results indicated that young individuals were more sensitive to pollution, but older fish showed higher overall bioaccumulation of toxic elements analyzed in this study.

Changes in Morphometric Traits of Ground Beetles Along Urbanization Gradients.

Urbanization has a significant impact on abiotic and biotic factors in nature. We examined the morphometric characters of four carabid species (Abax parallelepipedus, Carabus scheidleri, Carabus violaceus, and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus) along urbanization gradients in and around the cities of Vienna (Austria) and Debrecen (Hungary). We found significant differences among urban, suburban, and rural areas in the parameters of antennomers, the maxillary palpus, the labial palpus, and the length of the tibia and the elytra of the carabids studied. We also found significant differences between males and females based on the parameters of antennomers, the maxillary palpus, the labial palpus, the femur, and the elytra. An interaction between urbanization and sex was found in the case of antennomers, the maxillary palpus, the labial palpus, the femur, and the elytra. Our findings suggested that in the cases of species from Carabini tribus the parameters of antennomers, the maxillary palpus, and the elytra could be useful for assessing the effects of urbanization because these morphometric characters responded sensitively to the environmental stress, whereas the most useful parameters are those of antennomers and the tibia for the species of Pterostichini tribus. Our findings also revealed that females are more sensitive to environmental stress than males.

Searching for lichen indicator species: the application of self-organizing maps in air quality assessment-a case study from Balkan area (Serbia).

The subject of this paper is the possibility of using self-organizing map (SOM) in the biomonitoring studies. We used lichens as biomonitors to indicate different degrees of air quality. This research included all of 88 lichen species that was collected at 75 investigated points. These lichen species showed the different responses to air pollution. The air quality was assessed by IAP (index of atmospheric pollution) values. The IAP values were calculated for all of investigated points on the territory of four natural and one urban ecosystem. Calculated IAP values were in range of 10 to 75. On the basis of the lichen data and IAP values, we have employed SOM analysis that distinguished three clusters (A, B, and C). It presented lichen indicator species for each cluster: 16 species for cluster A, 18 species for cluster B, and two species for cluster C. This paper presents a useful method to find indicator species.

Heavy Metals Bioindication Potential of the Common Weeds Senecio vulgaris L., Polygonum aviculare L. and Poa annua L.

In recent years, heavy metals (HMs) levels in soil and vegetation have increased considerably due to traffic pollution. These pollutants can be taken up from the soil through the root system. The ability of plants to accumulate HMs into their tissues can therefore be used to monitor soil pollution. The aim of this study was to test the ruderal species Senecio vulgaris L., Polygonum aviculare L., and Poa annua L., as possible candidates for biomonitoring Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb in multiple environments. The soils analyzed in this work came from three different environments (urban, woodland, and ultramafic), and therefore deeply differed for their metal content, texture, pH, and organic matter (OM) content. All urban soils were characterized by high OM content and presence of anthropogenic metals like Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cu. Woodland soils were sandy and characterized by low metal content and low OM content, and ultramafic soils had high Ni and Cr content. This soil variability affected the bioindication properties of the three studied species, leading to the exclusion of most metals (Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Pb) and one species (P. aviculare) due to the lack of linear relations between metal in soil and metal in plants. Senecio vulgaris and Poa annua, conversely, appeared to be good indicators of Ni in all the soils tested. A high linear correlation between total Ni in soil and Ni concentration in P. annua shoots (R2 = 0.78) was found and similar results were achieved for S. vulgaris (R2 = 0.88).

Caddisfly Assemblages in Metal Contaminated Rivers of the Tikhaya Basin, East Kazakhstan.

The Ulba river basin is one of the most industrialized regions of Kazakhstan. The development of mining and metallurgical industries has increased pollution of the basin's surface waters by heavy metals, primarily zinc and copper. The taxonomical structure of Trichoptera was studied in reference and impacted reaches of the river basin. A significant decrease in Trichoptera species richness was recorded in the most polluted areas. A total of 35 species were identified at the reference site of the Breksa River, but only 14 in the impacted sites. Ceratopsyche newae, Dicosmoecus palatus, Glossosoma altaicum and Rhyacophila sibirica showed a significant reduction at sites with high heavy metal concentrations.

Trace elements in Polytrichum commune and Polytrichastrum formosum from the Karkonosze Mountains (SW Poland).

The Karkonosze National Park, an unique mountainous biosphere reserve, is influenced by long-distance anthropogenic atmospheric transport of among others trace elements and additionally by local tourist centres, which may be supplementary sources of pollution. Discharged trace elements are non-degradable, and their level must be precisely monitored. Therefore, the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb and Zn in Polytrichum commune and Polytrichastrum formosum collected from the Karkonosze sites influenced only by long-range pollution and from sites in the vicinity of local tourist centres were established. P. commune and P. formosum revealed the ability to accumulate higher concentrations of trace elements while growing in locally contaminated sites in comparison with sites free from such pollution. Therefore, both species may be utilised for bioindication in the Karkonosze National Park. Elevated levels of trace elements in both species (except for Hg) in comparison with concentrations typical for mosses from unpolluted sites point to the existence of pollution of this area. P. commune was a better bioindicator of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb and Rb than P. formosum, probably because of the larger gametophytes and its morphology, which appears prone to an increased uptake of trace elements from the atmosphere.

Response of nematode communities to metals and PAHs in freshwater microcosms.

Freshwater microcosms were used to investigate the effects of various metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), applied as single substances and in mixtures, on sediment-inhabiting nematode assemblages. Several community measures, including nematode abundance, biomass, species richness, species composition and the NemaSPEAR[%]-index, were assessed and their changes in response to the chemical treatments were compared with the results of single-species toxicity testing using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The diagnostic power of endpoints revealing toxic effects was then evaluated to assess the general suitability of nematodes as bioindicators of sediment contamination by a set of relevant chemicals. Overall, community measures based on species-level (detected with principle response curves) responded most sensitively to chemical stress in the microcosms, especially in terms of biomass, with the C. elegans toxicity test was for the most part as sensitive to the chemicals as the nematode species composition. Generally, this study justified the suitability of nematodes in assessments of the risk of chemicals frequently associated with freshwater sediments and underlined the value of C. elegans in the prospective risk assessment of chemicals, as this species was able to indicate the negative effects of comparatively low sediment concentrations of the contaminants.

Seasonal changes of basic erythrocyte-metric parameters in Pelophylaxridibundus (Amphibia: Ranidae) from anthropogenically polluted biotopes in Southern Bulgaria and their role as bioindicators.

The purpose of this research work is to present data that show the seasonal changes (spring-summer-autumn) of basic erythrocyte-metric parameters (ЕL: Erythrocyte length, ЕW: Erythrocyte width, ЕL/ЕW, ES: Erythrocyte size; NL: Nucleus length, NW: Nucleus width, NL/NW; NS: Nucleus size, NS/ES: Nucleus-cytoplasmic ratio) in Pelophylax ridibundus populations from three biotopes located on two rivers in Southern Bulgaria (less disrupted biotope, with domestic sewage pollution and heavy metal pollution). Differences of high statistical significance were found among the different populations. Within the population living in conditions of domestic sewage pollution, for the entire period of the investigation the erythrocytes and their nuclei had an elliptical shape (a slight elongation of ellipses in autumn) and the biggest sizes (EL, EW, ES, NL and NS were constantly higher than the less disrupted biotope), NS/ES, became significantly smaller in autumn. Throughout the period of investigation, the values of all nine cellular and nuclear parameters were statistically-significantly the lowest in the population from the biotope with heavy metal pollution. The parameters: EL, ЕW, NL, NW and ES became significantly lower, progressively and statistically, during seasonal transitions. Cells and nuclei grew ovular in shape in comparison to the populations from the other two biotopes (this process was most pronounced in autumn) and NS/ES numbers were significantly decreased in summer and autumn.

Think regionally, act locally: metals in honeybee workers in the Netherlands (surveillance study 2008).

In June 2008, a surveillance study for metals in honeybees was performed in the Netherlands. Randomly, 150 apiaries were selected. In each apiary, five colonies were sampled. Per apiary, the hive samples were pooled. The apiary sample was analysed for Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Ti, V and Zn. All metals could be detected in all apiaries. As, Li, Sb, Sn and V were detected in part of the apiaries. The overall picture showed a regional pattern. In apiaries in the east of the Netherlands, Al, Ba, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se and Ti are found in higher concentrations compared to the west. In-region variation was demonstrated, indicating local effects. The vicinity of the apiaries was mapped afterwards and characterised as land uses of >50 % agricultural area, >50 % wooded area, >50 % urban area and mixed land use within a circle of 28 km(2) around the apiary. The results indicated that in apiaries located in >50 % wooded areas, significantly higher concentrations of Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Sr, Ti and Zn were found compared to agricultural, urban and mixed land use areas. We conclude that (1) the ratio between metal concentrations varies per region, demonstrating spatial differences, and (2) there is in-region local variation per metal. The results indicate the impact of land use on metal concentrations in honeybees. For qualitative bioindication studies, regional, local and land use effects should be taken into account.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in herbaceous Centaurium erythraea affected by various sources of environmental pollution.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent xenobiotics with harmful effects on humans and wildlife. Their levels in the environment and accumulation in biota must be carefully controlled especially in species harvested from wild populations and commonly used as medicines. Our objective has been to determine PBDE concentrations (BDEs 28, 47, 66, 85, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183 and 209) in Centaurium erythraea collected at sites with various levels of environmental pollution. PBDE congener profiles in C. erythraea were dominated by BDE209, which accounted for 47-89% of the total PBDE burden in the plants. Principal Component and Classification Analysis, which classifies the concentration of PBDEs in C. erythraea, allowed us to distinguish the pattern of these compounds characteristic for the origin of pollution: BDEs 28, 47, 66, 85, 99, 100 for lignite and general chemical industry and the vicinity of an expressway and BDEs 183 and 209 for a thermal power plant and ferrochrome smelting industry. Careful selection of sites with C. erythraea for medicinal purposes is necessary as this herb can accumulate PBDEs while growing at polluted sites.