Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?

Plastic debris, specifically microplastic in the aquatic environment, is an escalating environmental crisis. Efforts at national scales to reduce or ban microplastics in personal care products are starting to pay off, but this will not affect those materials already in the environment or those that result from unregulated products and materials. To better inform future microplastic research and mitigation efforts this study (1) evaluates methods currently used to quantify microplastics in the environment and (2) characterizes the concentration and size distribution of microplastics in a variety of products. In this study, 50 published aquatic surveys were reviewed and they demonstrated that most (~80%) only account for plastics ≥ 300 µm in diameter. In addition, we surveyed 770 personal care products to determine the occurrence, concentration and size distribution of polyethylene microbeads. Particle concentrations ranged from 1.9 to 71.9 mg g-1 of product or 1649 to 31,266 particles g-1 of product. The large majority ( > 95%) of particles in products surveyed were less than the 300 µm minimum diameter, indicating that previous environmental surveys could be underestimating microplastic contamination. To account for smaller particles as well as microfibers from synthetic textiles, we strongly recommend that future surveys consider methods that materials < 300 µm in diameter.

Enhancing conservation, ecosystem services, and local livelihoods through a wildlife premium mechanism.

We propose the wildlife premium mechanism as an innovation to conserve endangered large vertebrates. The performance-based payment scheme would allow stakeholders in lower-income countries to generate revenue by recovering and maintaining threatened fauna that can also serve as umbrella species (i.e., species whose protection benefits other species with which they co-occur). There are 3 possible options for applying the premium: option 1, embed premiums in a carbon payment; option 2, link premiums to a related carbon payment, but as independent and legally separate transactions; option 3, link premiums to noncarbon payments for conserving ecosystem services (PES). Each option presents advantages, such as incentive payments to improve livelihoods of rural poor who reside in or near areas harboring umbrella species, and challenges, such as the establishment of a subnational carbon credit scheme. In Kenya, Peru, and Nepal pilot premium projects are now underway or being finalized that largely follow option 1. The Kasigau (Kenya) project is the first voluntary carbon credit project to win approval from the 2 leading groups sanctioning such protocols and has already sold carbon credits totaling over $1.2 million since June 2011. A portion of the earnings is divided among community landowners and projects that support community members and has added over 350 jobs to the local economy. All 3 projects involve extensive community management because they occur on lands where locals hold the title or have a long-term lease from the government. The monitoring, reporting, and verification required to make premium payments credible to investors include transparent methods for collecting data on key indices by trained community members and verification of their reporting by a biologist. A wildlife premium readiness fund would enable expansion of pilot programs needed to test options beyond those presented here.

Identifying Where REDD+ Financially Out-Competes Oil Palm in Floodplain Landscapes Using a Fine-Scale Approach.

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) aims to avoid forest conversion to alternative land-uses through financial incentives. Oil-palm has high opportunity costs, which according to current literature questions the financial competitiveness of REDD+ in tropical lowlands. To understand this more, we undertook regional fine-scale and coarse-scale analyses (through carbon mapping and economic modelling) to assess the financial viability of REDD+ in safeguarding unprotected forest (30,173 ha) in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain in Malaysian Borneo. Results estimate 4.7 million metric tons of carbon (MgC) in unprotected forest, with 64% allocated for oil-palm cultivations. Through fine-scale mapping and carbon accounting, we demonstrated that REDD+ can outcompete oil-palm in regions with low suitability, with low carbon prices and low carbon stock. In areas with medium oil-palm suitability, REDD+ could outcompete oil palm in areas with: very high carbon and lower carbon price; medium carbon price and average carbon stock; or, low carbon stock and high carbon price. Areas with high oil palm suitability, REDD+ could only outcompete with higher carbon price and higher carbon stock. In the coarse-scale model, oil-palm outcompeted REDD+ in all cases. For the fine-scale models at the landscape level, low carbon offset prices (US $3 MgCO2e) would enable REDD+ to outcompete oil-palm in 55% of the unprotected forests requiring US $27 million to secure these areas for 25 years. Higher carbon offset price (US $30 MgCO2e) would increase the competitiveness of REDD+ within the landscape but would still only capture between 69%-74% of the unprotected forest, requiring US $380-416 million in carbon financing. REDD+ has been identified as a strategy to mitigate climate change by many countries (including Malaysia). Although REDD+ in certain scenarios cannot outcompete oil palm, this research contributes to the global REDD+ debate by: highlighting REDD+ competitiveness in tropical floodplain landscapes; and, providing a robust approach for identifying and targeting limited REDD+ funds.

[Comparison of three methods for DNA extraction from bone remains]. / Comparación de tres métodos de extracción de ADN a partir de restos óseos.

Extraction of amplifiable DNA is a frequent problem when working with degraded specimens like bone samples. The possibility of obtaining as much information as possible from these samples has a particular significance in many forensic investigations. The present investigation was aimed to assess the efficiency of three organic extraction methods for purifying amplifiable DNA from bone samples. The amount of nucleic acids obtained, the success rate in the amplification of DNA microsatellite (STR) markers and amelogenin by PCR, the influence of PCR inhibitors and environmental conditions, and where the samples were found before their processing in the laboratory, were all evaluated in this investigation for the three methods. Results showed that method A (a modification of FBI method for DNA extraction) performed better in producing not a higher amount but a better quality amplifiable DNA, in comparison with the other two methods evaluated. It was also demonstrated that the quality of the DNA to be amplified by PCR was influenced by the presence of inhibitors and/or contaminants and the environmental conditions where the bone sample was taken from. The worst conditions were observed from aquatic environments. The results suggest that the implementation of some specific modifications in the method A (use of purification columns, reliable quantification methods and different dilutions) would help to obtain better DNA extracts intended to be used in different molecular identification tests.

Frecuencia del alelo causante de la enfermedad de Charcot-Marie-Tooth (tipo axonal con herencia autosómica recesiva) en Palmares, Costa Rica / Frequency of the allele causing Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (axonal type with autosomal recessive inheritance) in Palmares, Costa Rica

Frecuency of the allele causing the axonal form of autosomal recessive Charcot-Marie-Tooth in Palmares, Costa Rica. The Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease constitutes is among the most frequent hereditary peripheral neuropathies world-wide. We identified a family from Palmares (Alajuela, Costa Rica) with 18 affected members. Their neuropathy is axonal, with an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance; the responsible gene is at the 19q13.33 chromosomal region. Later the mutation was identified in gene MED25. We studied the frequency and geographic distribution of the mutant allele. In a random sample of 103 individuals, six were heterozygote and were widely distributed in Palmares. There was no person in homozigote state for the mutant allele. Clinical characteristics do not differ significantly between individuals that are homozygous for the wildtype allele and individuals hetero zygous for the mutation. A 5.83 % of the population is heterozygote and the frequency of the Ala335Val allele is 0.029, six times higher than in a sample of the Costa Rican population. Werecommend a molecular analysis of carriers to detect additional cases in the region. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 (Suppl.1): 381-387. Epub 2009 November 30.

La enfermedad de Charcot-Marie-Tooth constituye elgrupo de neuropatías periféricas hereditarias más común a nivel mundial. Una familia con 18 afectados del cantón de Palmares (Alajuela, Costa Rica) con una neuropatía de tipo axonal y herencia autosómica recesiva, permitió localizar el gen responsable en la región 19q13.33. Posteriormente se identificó la mutación causante en el gen MED25. El presente estudio determinó la frecuencia del alelo mutante, así como la distribución geográfica de este alelo. En una muestra al azar de 103 individuos se encontraron seis individuos heteroigotas para la mutación, distribuidos por todo el cantón. No se encontró ninguna persona en estado homocigota para este alelo. No hallamos algunacaracterística clínica que difiera significativamente entre los individuos homocigotos silvestres y los heterocigotos para la mutación. El 5.83% de la población es heterocigota y la frecuencia del alelo Ala335Val es de 0.029, seis veces mayor que en una muestra de toda la población costarricense. Por esta razón se recomienda un análisis molecular de portadores con el fin de alertar sobre la posibilidad de aparición de más casos en el cantón.

Comparación de tres métodos de extracción de ADN a partir de restos óseos / Comparison of three methods for DNA extraction from bone remains

Extraction of amplifiable DNA is a frequent problem when working with degraded specimens like bone samples. The possibility of obtaining as much information as possible from these samples has a particular significance in many forensic investigations. The present investigation was aimed to assess the efficiency of three organic extraction methods for purifying amplifiable DNA from bone samples. The amount of nucleic acids obtained, the success rate in the amplification of DNA microsatellite (STR) markers and amelogenin by PCR, the influence of PCR inhibitors and environmental conditions, and where the samples were found before their processing in the laboratory, were all evaluated in this investigation for the three methods. Results showed that method A (a modification of FBI method for DNA extraction) performed better in producing not a higher amount but a better quality amplifiable DNA, in comparison with the other two methods evaluated. It was also demonstrated that the quality of the DNA to be amplified by PCR was influenced by the presence of inhibitors and/or contaminants and the environmental conditions where the bone sample was taken from. The worst conditions were observed from aquatic environments. The results suggest that the implementation of some specific modifications in the method A (use of purification columns, reliable quantification methods and different dilutions) would help to obtain better DNA extracts intended to be used in different molecular identification tests.