Copper Content and Export in European Vineyard Soils Influenced by Climate and Soil Properties.

Copper-based fungicides (Cuf) are used in European (EU) vineyards to prevent fungal diseases. Soil physicochemical properties locally govern the variation of the total copper content (Cut) in EU vineyards. However, variables controlling Cut distribution at a larger scale are poorly known. Here, machine learning techniques were used to identify governing variables and to predict the Cut distribution in EU vineyards. Precipitation, aridity and soil organic carbon are key variables explaining together 45% of Cut distribution across EU vineyards. This underlines the effect of both climate and soil properties on Cut distribution. The average net export of Cu at the EU scale is 0.29 kg Cu ha-1, which is 2 orders of magnitude less than the net accumulation of Cu (24.8 kg Cu ha-1). Four scenarios of Cuf application were compared. The current EU regulation with a maximum of 4 kg Cu ha-1 year-1 may increase by 2% of the EU vineyard area, exceeding the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) in soil in the next 100 years. Overall, our results highlight the vineyard areas requiring specific remediation measures and strategies of Cuf use to manage a trade-off between pest control and soil and water contamination.

Ecological risk assessment of mercury and chromium in greenhouse soils.

Very little information is available about Hg and Cr evolution in greenhouse soils. This paper presents the results of determining Hg and Cr in greenhouse soils in a semi-arid region in the southern Iberian Peninsula (Almería, Spain), and assessing the enrichment level and the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) according to crop age. Hakanson's approach was used to evaluate the PERI. To investigate the behaviour of Hg and Cr in greenhouse soils over time, samples were grouped into values in soils for blocks according to crop age: 0 years, 5-10 years, 10-20 years, more than 20 years. The results showed that 74% of GS exceeded the obtained background level (37.1 µg kg-1) for Hg, with 43% (48.9 mg kg-1) for Cr. Temporal patterns indicated that these elements are accumulating in greenhouse soils and this trend was very significant for Hg. After more than 20 intensive crop-farming years, concentrations and the PERI had clearly increased. Although the ecological risk was moderate, our observations suggest that the farming practices performed in the last 35 years have allowed these metals to accumulate. In fact, the 15% of the studied soils presented a considerable potential risk and were the soils that had been used longer.

Modeling Regional Effects of Climate Change on Soil Organic Carbon in Spain.

Soil organic C (SOC) stock assessments at the regional scale under climate change scenarios are of paramount importance in implementing soil management practices to mitigate climate change. In this study, we estimated the changes in SOC sequestration under climate change conditions in agricultural land in Spain using the RothC model at the regional level. Four Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate change scenarios (CGCM2-A2, CGCM2-B2, ECHAM4-A2, and ECHAM4-B2) were used to simulate SOC changes during the 2010 to 2100 period across a total surface area of 2.33 × 10 km. Although RothC predicted a general increase in SOC stocks by 2100 under all climate change scenarios, these SOC sequestration rates were smaller than those under baseline conditions. Moreover, this SOC response differed among climate change scenarios, and in some situations, some losses of SOC occurred. The greatest losses of C stocks were found mainly in the ECHAM4 (highest temperature rise and precipitation drop) scenarios and for rainfed and certain woody crops (lower C inputs). Under climate change conditions, management practices including no-tillage for rainfed crops and vegetation cover for woody crops were predicted to double and quadruple C sequestration rates, reaching values of 0.47 and 0.35 Mg C ha yr, respectively.

Levels and variability of metals in soils of the province of Golestan (Iran).

Studying the concentration distribution of metals is necessary for soil pollution monitoring and maintaining environmental quality. To date, very little large-scale research has been performed to investigate metal contamination in developing countries. In this study, the content and spatial distributions of five metals (cadmium [Cd], copper [Cu], nickel [Ni], lead [Pb], and zinc [Zn]) were quantified based on 346 topsoil samples from 12 districts in the province of Golestan (northeast [NE] Iran). The concentration levels (mg/kg) of Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn varied from 0.02 to 0.36, 9.3 to 93.7, 6.8 to 44, 9.5 to 85.35, and 25 to 417.4, respectively. The average concentrations (mg/kg) obtained were as follows: Cd 0.12 ± 0.07, Cu 23.9 ± 9.07, Ni 34.88 ± 11.59, Pb 15.42 ± 5.81 and Zn 82.08 ± 30.87. Significant differences in the distribution of trace elements among districts were detected. The AzadShahr and BandarGaz districts displayed the highest metal concentrations. Greater metal values were obtained in the central, south, west, and NE areas, although Zn concentration was also high to the north of the province. Values of contamination factor and contamination degree indicated that the metal pollution level was on the order of Zn > Cd > Pb > Cu > Ni and that all of the metals belonged to a low or moderate pollution category. Ni and Cu levels derived from natural sources, whereas Cd, Pb, and Zn derived from anthropogenic activities with greater mean concentrations than reference concentrations.

Volcanic mercury in Pinus canariensis.

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere by both human activities and natural processes. Volcanic emissions are considered a natural source of mercury in the environment. In some cases, tree ring records taken close to volcanoes and their relation to volcanic activity over time are contradictory. In 1949, the Hoyo Negro volcano (La Palma-Canary Islands) produced significant pyroclastic flows that damaged the nearby stand of Pinus canariensis. Recently, 60 years after the eruption, we assessed mercury concentrations in the stem of a pine which survived volcano formation, located at a distance of 50 m from the crater. We show that Hg content in a wound caused by pyroclastic impacts (22.3 µg kg(-1)) is an order of magnitude higher than the Hg concentrations measured in the xylem before and after the eruption (2.3 µg kg(-1)). Thus, mercury emissions originating from the eruption remained only as a mark-in pyroclastic wounds-and can be considered a sporadic and very high mercury input that did not affect the overall Hg input in the xylem. In addition, mercury contents recorded in the phloem (9.5 µg kg(-1)) and bark (6.0 µg kg(-1)) suggest that mercury shifts towards non-living tissues of the pine, an aspect that can be related to detoxification in volcanism-adapted species.

Source identification of soil mercury in the Spanish islands.

This study spatially analysed the relation between mercury (Hg) content in soil and Hg in rock fragment for the purpose of assessing natural soil Hg contribution compared with Hg from human inputs. We present the Hg content of 318 soil and rock fragment samples from 11 islands distributed into two Spanish archipelagos (the volcanic Canary Islands [Canaries] and the Mediterranean Balearic [Balearic] islands). Assumedly both are located far enough away from continental Hg sources to be able to minimise the effects of diffuse pollution. Physical and chemical soil properties were also specified for the samples. Hg contents were significantly greater in the Balearic limestone soils (61 µg kg(-1)) than in the volcanic soils of the Canaries (33 µg kg(-1)). Hg levels were also greater in topsoil than in rocky fragments, especially on the Balearics. The soil-to-rock ratios varied between 1 and 30. Interestingly, the highest topsoil-to-rock Hg ratio (>16 ×) was found in the vicinity of a coal-fired power plant in Majorca, whereas no similar areas in the Canary archipelago were identified.

Application of an Ecotoxicological Battery Test to the Paddy Field Soils of the Albufera Natural Park.

Albufera Natural Park (ANP) (Valencia, Spain) is one of the most important wetland areas of the Mediterranean coast subject to high anthropogenic pressure, on whose soils a battery of bioassays has never been applied to evaluate the ecotoxicological risk. The present study determined available and water-soluble heavy metal content in four paddy soils used in the ANP, and the ecotoxicological effect on these soils was evaluated by performing the bioassays regulated in Spanish Royal Decree 9/2005. Soil properties and extractable Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn (EDTA pH = 7) were analyzed in soils. These elements and macro- and micronutrients were also assessed in soil leachate. A test battery covering the following was needed: acute toxicity test in Eisenia foetida (OECD TG 207); mineralization tests of nitrogen (OECD TG 2016) and carbon (OECD TG 217); growth inhibition test in Raphidocelis subcapitata (OECD TG 201); mobility inhibition test in Daphnia magna (OECD TG 202). The soils found in the most anthropized areas to the north of the ANP (Massanassa and Alfafar) demonstrated a higher concentration of available heavy metals than in the southern ones (Sueca and Sollana). The aqueous leachate of the studied soils contained very low concentrations, which would be related to soil properties. Despite the high concentration of available potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the Massanassa and Alfafar soils, the studied soils showed no toxicity during the performed battery bioassays. Therefore, soils can be considered non-toxic despite the obtained PTEs available concentration.

Spatial methods to analyze the relationship between Spanish soil properties and cadmium content.

In this study, concentrations of cadmium using 3778 samples encompassing the total size of Spain (about 505 km2) were investgated. Two novel spatial methods namely Moran eigenvector spatially varying coefficient (MESVC) and spatially filtered unconditional quantile regression (SF-UQR) were employed with the aim of avoiding the problem of local collinearity which is prevalent in regression models. Additionally, the spatially varying coefficients methods were applied to assess the influence of soil properties together with soil texture on the spatial variations of cadmium. It was indicated that the overall level of cadmium is low compared to the concentrations found around the world. In particular, the values of Cd varied between 0.01 and 2.00 mgkg-1, with the median of 0.23 mgkg-1. The residual standard error and adjusted R2 produced by MESVC were 0.16 and 0.69, respectively which are better than 0.21 and 0.39 yielded by the SF-UQR model. Both of these models outperformed compared to the geographically weighted regression (GWR) and the performance of MESVC was also better than the traditional method of kriging. For instance, in terms of willmott index (d) and root mean squared relative error (RMSRE), the MESVC had superior performance with values equal to 0.612 and 0.275 compared to 0.399 and 0.379 obtained for the ordinary kriging. The MESVC and GWR demonstrated that CaCO3, sand, silt and clay had a negligible influence on spatial variations of cadmium whereas, EC had the largest contribution followed by SOM and pH.

Trends in soil mercury stock associated with pollution sources on a Mediterranean island (Majorca, Spain).

Hg is a global concern given its adverse effects on human health, food security and the environment, and it requiring actions to identify major local Hg sources and to evaluate pollution. Our study provides the first assessment of Hg stock trends on the entire Majorca surface, identifying major Hg sources by studying the spatiotemporal soil Hg variation at two successive times (2006 and 2016-17). The Hg soil concentration ranged from 14 to 258 µg kg-1 (mean 52 µg kg-1). Higher concentrations (over 100 µg kg-1) were found in two areas: (i) close to the Alcudia coal-fired power plant; (ii) in the city of La Palma. During the 11-year, the total Hg stock in Majorcan soil increased from 432.96 tons to 493.18 tones (14% increase). Based on a block kriging analysis, soil Hg enrichment due to power plant emissions was clearly detectable on a local scale (i.e. a shorter distance than 18 km from the power plant). Nonetheless, a significant island-wide Hg increase due to diffuse pollution was reported. This result could be extrapolated to other popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean islands where tourism has increased in recent decades In short, more than 60 tons of Hg have accumulated on Majorca island in 11 years.

"Living Well" in the Constitution of Bolivia and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Reflections on Well-Being and the Right to Development.

The article analyzes how approaches to "Living Well" as reflected in the Constitution of the State of Bolivia, the Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Organization of American States (OAS) contribute to understanding the Andean cosmovision of indigenous peoples of the American continent. To do so, it first studied the most immediate precedents that led to incorporation of the notion of Living Well into Bolivian law. Second, it approached the right to development from the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which has as its source the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The paper thus proposes reflections on the Bolivian State and the American Declaration that advance understanding of Living Well, a notion comparable in the West to the right to development (political, social, economic, environmental, and cultural) that enables the individual and collective realization of the individual. Fullness, understood in terms of well-being, is related to the protection of health and of the environment. Finally, the paper employs a qualitative methodology with a well-documented hermeneutic focus, as well as the tool of a semi-structured interview with a Bolivian scholar familiar on the topic.

Patterns of Occurrence and Activity of Entomopathogenic Fungi in the Algarve (Portugal) Using Different Isolation Methods.

Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are distributed in natural and agricultural soils worldwide. To investigate EPF occurrence in different botanical habitats and soil-ecoregions, we surveyed 50 georeferenced localities in the spring of 2016 across the Algarve region (South Portugal). Additionally, we compared three EPF isolation methods: insect baiting in untreated or pre-dried-soil and soil dilution plating on a selective medium. We hypothesized that forest habitats (oak and pine semi-natural areas) and the acidic soil ecoregion may favor EPF occurrence. Overall, EPF species were present in 68% of sites, widely distributed throughout the Algarve. The use of selective media resulted in higher recovery of EPF than did either soil-baiting method. Contrary to our hypothesis, neither vegetation type nor ecoregion appeared to influence EPF occurrence. Traditional and molecular methods confirmed the presence of five EPF species. Beauveria bassiana (34% of sites), was the most frequently detected EPF, using pre-dried soil baiting and soil dilution methods. However, baiting untreated soil recovered Fusarium solani more frequently (26% of sites), demonstrating the utility of using multiple isolation methods. We also found Fusarium oxysporum, Purpureocillium lilacinum and Metarhizium anisopliae in 14%, 8% and 2% of the sites, respectively. Three abiotic variables (pH, soil organic matter and Mg) explained 96% of the variability of the entomopathogen community (EPF and entomopathogenic nematodes) in a canonical correspondence analysis, confirming the congruence of the soil properties that drive the assemblage of both entomopathogens. This study expands the knowledge of EPF distribution in natural and cultivated Mediterranean habitats.

Human rights in the Horn of Africa: an index of child and maternal health.

OBJECTIVE: To construct a territorial measure and classification of child and maternal health in the countries of the Horn of Africa based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. METHOD: The design of our index includes the variables child and maternal health defined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to enable territorial ranking of the countries. For this purpose, we used Pena's distance method for 2017. RESULTS: The results indicate a relatively high territorial disparity in maternal health between the countries of the Horn of Africa according to the differing values of the SDGs variables of child and maternal health. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a territorial classification in the countries of the Horn of Africa. We believe that the most striking differences between countries relate to basic variables of maternal health such as being attended by skilled health personnel.

Wood and bark of Pinus halepensis as archives of heavy metal pollution in the Mediterranean Region.

Natural levels of heavy metals (HM) have increased during the industrial era to the point of posing a serious threat to the environment. The use of tree species to record contamination is a well-known practice. The objective of the study was to compare HM levels under different pollution conditions: a) soil pollution due to mining waste; b) atmospheric pollution due to coal-fired power plant emissions. We report significant HM enrichment in Pinus halepensis tissues. Near a burning power plant, Pb content in a tree wood was 2.5-fold higher that in natural areas (no pollution; NP). In mining areas, Cd content was 25-fold higher than NP. The hypothesis that HM contents in tree rings should register pollution is debatable. HM uptake by pines from soil, detoxification mechanisms and resuspended local soil dust is involved in HM contents in wood and bark.

Trace elements concentrations in soil, desert-adapted and non-desert plants in central Iran: Spatial patterns and uncertainty analysis.

The concentrations of Cd, Cr and Pb in soil samples and As, Cd, Cr and Pb in plant specimens were analyzed in an arid area in central Iran. Plants were categorized into desert-adapted (Haloxylon ammodendron, Atraphaxis spinosa and Artemisia persica) and non-desert species. It was found that the trace element (TE) accumulating potential of the desert species (Haloxylon ammodendron and Artemisia persica) with a mean value of 0.1 mg kg-1 for Cd was significantly higher than that of the majority of the non-desert species with an average of 0.05 mg kg-1. Artemisia also had a high As accumulating capability with a mean level of 0.8 mg kg-1 in comparison with an average of 0.2 mg kg-1 for most of the other plant species. The mean values of Cr and Pb in Haloxylon ammodendron and Artemisia persica were 5 and 3 mg kg-1, respectively. Among the desert-adapted plants, Atraphaxis proved to be a species with high Cr and Pb accumulating potential, as well. The geoaccumulation index and the overall pollution scores indicated that the highest environmental risk was related to Cd. Different statistical analyses were used to study the spatial patterns of soil Cd and their connections with pollution sources. The variogram was estimated using a classical approach (weighted least squares) and was compared with that of the posterior summaries that resulted from the Bayesian technique, which lay within the 95% Bayesian credible quantile intervals (BIC) of posterior parameter distributions. The prediction of cadmium values at un-sampled locations was implemented by multi-Gaussian kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation methods. The prediction maps showed that the region most contaminated by Cd was the north-eastern part of the study area, which was linked to mining activities, while agricultural influence contributed less in this respect.

Effects of dietary 2,2', 4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) exposure on medaka (Oryzias latipes) swimming behavior.

A diet fortified with 2,2', 4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47: 0, 10, 100, and 1000 ng/g) was dosed to 4-7-day-old post-hatch medaka fish for 40 days to evaluate the effects on the swimming activity of fish using a miniaturized swimming flume. Chlorpyrifos (CF)-exposed fish were selected as the positive control to assess the validity and sensitivity of the behavioral findings. After 20 and 40 days of exposure, the locomotor activity was analyzed for 6 min in a flume section (arena). The CF positive control for each time point were fish exposed to 50 ng CF/ml for 48 h. Swimming patterns, presented as two-dimensional heat maps of fish movement and positioning, were obtained by geostatistical analyses. The heat maps of the control groups at time point 20 revealed visually comparable swimming patterns to those of the BDE-47-treated groups. For the comparative fish positioning analysis, both the arenas were divided into 15 proportional areas. No statistical differences were found between residence times in the areas from the control groups and those from the BDE-47-treated groups. At time point 40, the heat map overall patterns of the control groups differed visually from that of the 100-ng BDE-47/g-treated group, but a comparative analysis of the residence times in the corresponding 15 areas did not reveal consistent differences. The relative distances traveled by the control and treated groups at time points 20 and 40 were also comparable. The heat maps of CF-treated fish at both time points showed contrasting swim patterns with respect to those of the controls. These differential patterns were statistically supported with differences in the residence times for different areas. The relative distances traveled by the CF-treated fish were also significantly shorter. These results confirm the validity of the experimental design and indicate that a dietary BDE-47 exposure does not affect forced swimming in medaka at growing stages.

Heavy metals contents in agricultural topsoils in the Ebro basin (Spain). Application of the multivariate geoestatistical methods to study spatial variations.

In this work the content of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) and other parameters (the pH, organic matter, carbonates and granulometric fraction) in agricultural topsoil in the Ebro basin are quantified, based on 624 samples collected according to an 8 by 8 km square mesh. The average concentrations (mg/kg) obtained were: Cd 0.415+/-0.163, Cr 20.27+/-13.21, Cu 17.33+/-14.97, Ni 20.50+/-22.71, Pb 17.54+/-10.41, Zn 17.53+/-24.19 and Hg 35.6+/-42.05 microg/kg. The concentration levels are relatively low in areas of high pH and low organic matter content concentration. The results of factor analysis group Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn in F1 and Cr y Ni in F2. The spatial heavy metals component maps based on geostatistical analysis, show definite association of these factors with the soil parent material. The local anomalies (found in Cu, Zn and Pb) are attributed to anthropogenic influence.

Soil as an archive of coal-fired power plant mercury deposition.

Mercury pollution is a global environmental problem that has serious implications for human health. One of the most important sources of anthropogenic mercury emissions are coal-burning power plants. Hg accumulations in soil are associated with their atmospheric deposition. Our study provides the first assessment of soil Hg on the entire Spanish surface obtained from one sampling protocol. Hg spatial distribution was analysed with topsoil samples taken from 4000 locations in a regular sampling grid. The other aim was to use geostatistical techniques to verify the extent of soil contamination by Hg and to evaluate presumed Hg enrichment near the seven Spanish power plants with installed capacity above 1000 MW. The Hg concentration in Spanish soil fell within the range of 1-7564 µg kg(-1) (mean 67.2) and 50% of the samples had a concentration below 37 µg kg(-1). Evidence for human activity was found near all the coal-fired power plants, which reflects that metals have accumulated in the basin over many years. Values over 1000 µg kg(-1) have been found in soils in the vicinity of the Aboño, Soto de Ribera and Castellon power plants. However, soil Hg enrichment was detectable only close to the emission source, within an approximate range of only 15 km from the power plants. We associated this effect with airborne emissions and subsequent depositions as the potential distance through fly ash deposition. Hg associated with particles of ash tends to be deposited near coal combustion sources.

Effect of soil properties, heavy metals and emerging contaminants in the soil nematodes diversity.

Among soil organisms, nematodes are seen as the most promising candidates for bioindications of soil health. We hypothesized that the soil nematode community structure would differ in three land use areas (agricultural, forest and industrial soils), be modulated by soil parameters (N, P, K, pH, SOM, CaCO3, granulometric fraction, etc.), and strongly affected by high levels of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Hg) and emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals and personal care products, PPCPs). Although these pollutants did not significantly affect the total number of free-living nematodes, diversity and structure community indices vastly altered. Our data showed that whereas nematodes with r-strategy were tolerant, genera with k-strategy were negatively affected by the selected pollutants. These effects diminished in soils with high levels of heavy metals given their adaptation to the historical pollution in this area, but not to emerging pollutants like PPCPs.

Entomopathogenic nematode food webs in an ancient, mining pollution gradient in Spain.

Mining activities pollute the environment with by-products that cause unpredictable impacts in surrounding areas. Cartagena-La Unión mine (Southeastern-Spain) was active for >2500years. Despite its closure in 1991, high concentrations of metals and waste residues remain in this area. A previous study using nematodes suggested that high lead content diminished soil biodiversity. However, the effects of mine pollution on specific ecosystem services remain unknown. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) play a major role in the biocontrol of insect pests. Because EPNs are widespread throughout the world, we speculated that EPNs would be present in the mined areas, but at increased incidence with distance from the pollution focus. We predicted that the natural enemies of nematodes would follow a similar spatial pattern. We used qPCR techniques to measure abundance of five EPN species, five nematophagous fungi species, two bacterial ectoparasites of EPNs and one group of free-living nematodes that compete for the insect-cadaver. The study comprised 193 soil samples taken from mining sites, natural areas and agricultural fields. The highest concentrations of iron and zinc were detected in the mined area as was previously described for lead, cadmium and nickel. Molecular tools detected very low numbers of EPNs in samples found to be negative by insect-baiting, demonstrating the importance of the approach. EPNs were detected at low numbers in 13% of the localities, without relationship to heavy-metal concentrations. Only Acrobeloides-group nematodes were inversely related to the pollution gradient. Factors associated with agricultural areas explained 98.35% of the biotic variability, including EPN association with agricultural areas. Our study suggests that EPNs have adapted to polluted habitats that might support arthropod hosts. By contrast, the relationship between abundance of Acrobeloides-group and heavy-metal levels, revealed these taxa as especially well suited bio-indicators of soil mining pollution.

An index for quantifying female education and child health in emerging economies.

OBJECTIVE: To construct an index to measure female education and child health in the least developed countries (LDCs) of Asia. METHODS AND RESULTS: The design of our index includes the variables of female education and child health defined in the goals of the Millennium Declaration. For this purpose, we used Pena's P2 distance method for 2011, the last year for which data were available for the set of variables. CONCLUSION: We have proposed a territorial measure and classification of female education and child health in the LDCs of Asia. We believe that the most striking differences between countries relate to basic female education variables such as girls' primary completion rate, and female literacy.