Effects of ifosfamide and cisplatin exposure combined with a climate change scenario on the transcriptome responses of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Coastal ecosystems are currently exposed to pollutants and climate change. Namely, the increasing consumption of antineoplastic drugs and their potential release to aquatic ecosystems are raising concerns. Nevertheless, information regarding the toxicity of these drugs towards non-target species is scarce, especially considering climate change scenarios. Ifosfamide (IF) and cisplatin (CDDP) are among the antineoplastics already detected in aquatic compartments and due to their mode of action (MoA) can negatively affect aquatic organisms. This study evaluates the transcription of 17 selected target genes related to the MoA of IF and CDDP in Mytilus galloprovincialis gills exposed to environmentally relevant and toxicological meaningful concentrations (IF - 10, 100, 500 ng/L; CDDP - 10, 100, 1000 ng/L), under an actual (17 °C) and predicted warming scenario (21 °C). Results showed an upregulation of the cyp4y1 gene when exposed to the highest concentrations of IF, regardless of the temperature. Both drugs upregulated genes related to DNA damage and apoptosis (p53, caspase 8 and gadd45), especially under warmer conditions. Increased temperature also downregulated genes related to stress and immune responses (krs and mydd88). Therefore, the present results showed a gene transcriptional response of mussels to increasing concentrations of antineoplastics and that warmer temperatures modulated those effects.

An emergent treat: Marine heatwaves - Implications for marine decapod crustacean species - An overview.

Anthropogenic-mediated climate change severely affects the oceans. The most common definition of a Marine heatwave (MHW) considers that water temperatures rise above the 90th percentile threshold values, based on the last 30 years' average of temperature records for a particular location, and remains this high for five or more days. The current review addresses the evolution of definitions used, as well as the current understanding of the driving mechanisms of MHWs. The collected information shows that the study of MHW is recent and there is a growing interest among the scientific community on this topic, motivated largely by the impacts that pose to marine ecosystems. Further, a more in-depth analysis was carried out, addressing the impacts of MHW events on marine decapod crustacean species. The investigation of such impacts has been carried out using three main methodological approaches: the analysis of in situ records, observed in 33 studies; simulating MHW events through mesocosm experiments, found in 6 studies; and using computational predictive models, detected in 1 study. From the literature available it has been demonstrated that consequences are serious for these species, from altered expansion ranges to alterations of assemblages' abundances. Still, studies addressing the impacts of these extreme events on the decapod communities are scarce, often only limited to adult life forms of commercially relevant species, neglecting non-commercial ones and meroplanktonic life stages. Despite the severe impacts on the health of ecosystems, repercussions on socioeconomic human activities, like fisheries and aquaculture, are also a reality. Overall, this review aims to raise scientific and public awareness of these marine events, which are projected to increase in intensity and frequency in the coming decades. Therefore, there is a growing need to better understand and predict the mechanisms responsible for these extreme events and the impacts on key species, like decapod crustaceans.

Social values and sustainable development: community experiences.

Background: This paper presents a review of the literature and trends related to social values and sustainable development and describes a set of case studies from a variety of community-based projects which illustrate the advantages that social values bring about as part of efforts to promote sustainability. Three approaches were used to develop this study: a bibliometric analysis of the topic "social values and sustainable development", an analysis of case studies that concretely present community projects addressing social values and sustainability, and the development of a framework linking up bibliometric clusters and the cases studies. Results: While the bibliometric analysis revealed clusters where social values are strongly connected with sustainable development, the case studies indicated the lack of a common terminology and understanding of the relation between social values, sustainable development, and community-based projects. Conclusions: The study concludes by suggesting a set of measures that could be deployed to better take social values into account when planning policies or making decisions related to community projects.

An overview of the interactions between food production and climate change.

This paper provides an overview of how food production influences climate change and also illustrates the impact of climate change on food production. To perform such an overview, the (inter)link between different parts of the food supply chain continuum (agriculture production, livestock farming, food processing, food transport and storing, retail food, and disposal of food waste) and climate change has been investigated through a bibliometric analysis. Besides UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, associated with climate change, other SDGs that are associated with this overview are goals #1, #2, #3, #6, #7, #12, and #15. Based on the evidence gathered, the paper provides some recommendations that may assist in efforts to reduce the climate-related impacts of food production.

A case study of local ecological knowledge of shellfishers about edible cockle (Cerastoderma edule) in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon, Western Iberia.

BACKGROUND: The cockle is available to numerous fishing villages in Europe, especially Portugal. In the Ria de Aveiro, there is a lack of a fisheries management program and the need for new ecological studies on cockle biology, ecology, and conservation. We shared local ecological knowledge (LEK) highlights about the cockle-Cerastoderma edule (Linnaeus 1758) in the Ria de Aveiro in favor of adaptive management of this bioresource. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with sixty shellfishers in this coastal lagoon were carried out during April and May 2021. LEK data on the biology and ecology of the cockle were analyzed using an ethical-emic approach and the model of integration of different individual skills. These informal data were compared with previously published data for the species, the Fish Base, and GBIF databases. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The average minimum size of the cockle for capture was 23.4 mm, and the average capture per tide was 137.12 kg. The areas with the highest productivity and the most shellfish were RIAV1 and RIAV2. Cockles inhabit areas of sand and mud at an average depth of 2.71 cm. Feeds are mainly small particles, plankton, mud, and algae. The main predators were crabs, European plaice, and bird species. Cockles spawn primarily in late spring and summer. As of 2010, there was a slight decrease in cockle stocks in the Ria de Aveiro due to overfishing, increased rainfall, and changes in the sediment. Considering and analyzing this knowledge is essential for a better understanding of the environmental context the cockles thrive in the view of users of the natural resource. CONCLUSION: Informal data shared by shellfishers in the Ria de Aveiro were typical of filter-feeding bivalves. LEK may assist in planning future management plans for cockles, and unrefuted data may serve as untestable hypotheses. Ethnobiological studies in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon with other species may improve the management of this system since multiple fisheries are carried out in this coastal area.

Fishermen's knowledge and conservation attitudes: focus on the great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Minho River, Portugal.

Considerate the attitudes of traditional communities and their local ecological knowledge (LEK) can contribute to better policymaking and more appropriate management plans. Thus, this study strived to share the Minho River's fishermen LEK about great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758), as well as it exposes their conservation attitudes towards this species. We described and analysed interviewees' LEK qualitatively, while their attitudes were analysed quantitatively through correlation with variables from fishermen's profile. Fishermen were able to identify cormorant's ecological characteristics like habitats, prey species, and foraging behaviour. They also exposed an overall moderate attitude towards the conservation of great cormorants. The LEK often was supported by published data, but we found diverse information in some themes, such as habitat and diet. We found a significant negative correlation between fishermen's age and attitudes (p = 0.02), and those fishermen who often fished contrasted significantly from those who rarely fished (p = 0.02). We lastly reaffirm the importance of the present study as background information regarding P. carbo in Minho River and of ethnobiological studies as a tool for management plans. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10452-021-09928-4.

The impacts of the early outset of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change research: Implications for policy-making.

Since January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the media and exercises pressure on governments worldwide. Apart from its effects on economies, education systems and societies, the pandemic has also influenced climate change research. This paper examines the extent to which COVID-19 has influenced climate change research worldwide during the first wave at the beginning of 2020 and how it is perceived to exploit it in the future. This study utilised an international survey involving those dedicated to climate change science and management research from Academia, Government, NGOs, and international agencies in 83 countries. The analysis of responses encompasses four independent variables: Institutions, Regions, Scientific Areas, and the level of economic development represented by the Human Development Index (HDI). Results show that: (1) COVID-19 modified the way the surveyed researchers work, (2) there are indicators that COVID-19 has already influenced the direction of climate change and adaptation policy implementation, and (3) respondents perceived (explicitly concerning the COVID-19 lockdowns of March-April 2020), that the pandemic has drawn attention away from climate policy. COVID- 19 has influenced the agenda of climate change research for more than half of the respondents and is likely to continue in the future, suggesting that the impacts on their research will still be felt for many years. The paper concludes by outlining critical implications for policy-making.

Effects of the antineoplastic drug cyclophosphamide on the biochemical responses of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis under different temperatures.

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is an antineoplastic drug widely used in chemotherapy treatments with high consumption rates and that has been detected in the aquatic environment. After being released into the aquatic environment, CP may cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms since antineoplastics are well-known cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic and teratogenic drugs. Moreover, predicted environmental changes, such as the temperature rising, may alter the impacts caused by CP on organisms. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the effects caused by CP chronic exposure in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, under actual and predicted warming scenarios. Organisms were exposed for 28 days to different concentrations of CP (10, 100, 500 and 1000 ng/L) at control (17 ± 1.0 °C) and increased (21 ± 1.0 °C) temperatures. Biochemical responses related to metabolic capacity, energy reserves, oxidative stress and neurotoxicity were assessed. The results showed that the organisms were able to maintain their metabolic capacity under all exposure conditions. However, their antioxidant defense mechanisms were activated mostly at higher CP concentrations being able to prevent cellular damage, even under the warming scenario. Overall, the present findings suggest that temperature rise may not alter the impacts of CP towards M. galloprovincialis.

The antineoplastic drugs cyclophosphamide and cisplatin in the aquatic environment - Review.

Cyclophosphamide (CP) and Cisplatin (CDDP) are antineoplastic drugs widely used in the treatment of neoplastic diseases that have been detected in the aquatic environment. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the presence in the aquatic environment of these two drugs and their effects on freshwater and marine invertebrates, which includes good model species in ecotoxicology and risk assessment programs. The consumption levels, occurrence in freshwater and marine ecosystems, and the impacts exerted on aquatic organisms, even at low concentrations, justifies this review and the selection of these two drugs. Both pharmaceuticals were detected in different aquatic environments, with concentrations ranging from ng L-1 up to 687.0 µg L-1 (CP) and 250 µg L-1 (CDDP). The available studies showed that CP and CDDP induce individual and sub-individual impacts on aquatic invertebrate species. The most common effects reported were changes in the reproductive function, oxidative stress, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity. The literature used in this review supports the need to increase monitoring studies concerning the occurrence of antineoplastic drugs in the aquatic environment since negative effects have been reported even at trace concentrations (ng L-1). Furthermore, marine ecosystems should be considered as a priority since less is known on the occurrence and effects of antineoplastic drugs in this environment comparing to freshwater ecosystems.

COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development teaching.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis, one which also influences the ways sustainability is being taught at universities. This paper undertakes an analysis of the extent to which COVID-19 as a whole and the lockdown it triggered in particular, which has led to the suspension of presence-based teaching in universities worldwide and influenced teaching on matters related to sustainable development. By means of a worldwide survey involving higher education institutions across all continents, the study has identified a number of patterns, trends and problems. The results from the study show that the epidemic has significantly affected teaching practices. The lockdowns have led to a surge in the use of on-line communication tools as a partial replacement to normal lessons. In addition, many faculty teaching sustainability in higher education have strong competencies in digital literacy. The sampled higher education educations have-as a whole-adequate infrastructure to continue to teach during the lockdowns. Finally, the majority of the sample revealed that they miss the interactions via direct face-to-face student engagement, which is deemed as necessary for the effective teaching of sustainability content. The implications of this paper are two-fold. Firstly, it describes how sustainability teaching on sustainable development has been affected by the lockdown. Secondly, it describes some of the solutions deployed to overcome the problem. Finally, the paper outlines the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may serve the purpose of showing how university teaching on sustainability may be improved in the future, taking more advantage of modern information technologies.

COVID-19: the impact of a global crisis on sustainable development research.

The crisis caused by COVID-19 has affected research in a variety of ways. As far as research on sustainable development is concerned, the lockdown has significantly disrupted the usual communication channels and, among other things, has led to the cancellation of meetings and long-planned events. It has also led to delay in the delivery of research projects. There is a gap in the literature in regards to how a global crisis influences sustainability research. Therefore, this ground-breaking paper undertakes an analysis of the extent to which COVID-19 as a whole, and the lockdown in particular, has influenced sustainability research, and it outlines the solutions pursued by researchers around the world to overcome the many challenges they have experienced. This paper also outlines some measures that may be implemented in the future to take more advantage of existing technologies that support research on sustainable development.

Assessing the impacts of climate change in cities and their adaptive capacity: Towards transformative approaches to climate change adaptation and poverty reduction in urban areas in a set of developing countries.

Many cities across the world are facing many problems climate change poses to their populations, communities and infrastructure. These vary from increased exposures to floods, to discomfort due to urban heat, depending on their geographical locations and settings. However, even though some cities have a greater ability to cope with climate change challenges, many struggle to do so, particularly in cities in developing countries. In addition, there is a shortage of international studies which examine the links between climate change adaptation and cities, and which at the same time draw some successful examples of good practice, which may assist future efforts. This paper is an attempt to address this information need. The aim of this paper is to analyse the extent to which cities in a sample of developing countries are attempting to pursue climate change adaptation and the problems which hinder this process. Its goal is to showcase examples of initiatives and good practice in transformative adaptation, which may be replicable elsewhere. To this purpose, the paper describes some trends related to climate change in a set of cities in developing countries across different continents, including one of the smallest capital cities (Georgetown, Guyana) and Shanghai, one the world's most populous cities. In particular, it analyses their degree of vulnerability, how they manage to cope with climate change impacts, and the policies being implemented to aid adaptation. It also suggests the use of transformative approaches which may be adopted, in order to assist them in their efforts towards investments in low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, thereby maximizing investments in urban areas and trying to address their related poverty issues. This paper addresses a gap in the international literature on the problems many cities in developing countries face, in trying to adapt to a changing climate.

An Assessment of the Relationships between Extreme Weather Events, Vulnerability, and the Impacts on Human Wellbeing in Latin America.

Climate change and variability are known to have an influence on human wellbeing in a variety of ways. In Latin America, such forces are especially conspicuous, particularly in respect of extreme climatological, hydrological, and weather events (EWEs) and climate-sensitive disasters (CSDs). Consistent with the need to study further such connections, this paper presents an analysis of some of the vulnerabilities of environmental health issues and climate-related impacts that are focusing on EWEs and CSDs in Latin American countries. The research includes an analysis of the (i) human and socio-economic development; (ii) geographical and socio-economic determinants of vulnerability and adaptability of environmental health issues (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity); (iii) occurrence of CSDs from 1988 to 2017 and their direct impacts on human wellbeing (Total death and Affected people); (iv) an online survey on the perceptions of the effects of EWEs on human wellbeing in a sample of countries in the region; and (v) discussion of possible solutions. The socio-economic and development indices, and the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) and Climate-Risk Index (CRI) disaster statistics suggest that the impacts of CSDs are primarily related to socio-economic determinants of human wellbeing and health inequalities. Also, >80% respondents to the survey say that the leading causes of climate-related human impacts are the lack of (i) public awareness; (ii) investment and (iii) preparedness. The paper concludes by adding some suggestions that show how countries in Latin America may better cope with the impacts of Climate-sensitive Disasters.

A Comparative Analysis of Climate-Risk and Extreme Event-Related Impacts on Well-Being and Health: Policy Implications.

There are various climate risks that are caused or influenced by climate change. They are known to have a wide range of physical, economic, environmental and social impacts. Apart from damages to the physical environment, many climate risks (climate variability, extreme events and climate-related hazards) are associated with a variety of impacts on human well-being, health, and life-supporting systems. These vary from boosting the proliferation of vectors of diseases (e.g., mosquitos), to mental problems triggered by damage to properties and infrastructure. There is a great variety of literature about the strong links between climate change and health, while there is relatively less literature that specifically examines the health impacts of climate risks and extreme events. This paper is an attempt to address this knowledge gap, by compiling eight examples from a set of industrialised and developing countries, where such interactions are described. The policy implications of these phenomena and the lessons learned from the examples provided are summarised. Some suggestions as to how to avert the potential and real health impacts of climate risks are made, hence assisting efforts to adapt to a problem whose impacts affect millions of people around the world. All the examples studied show some degree of vulnerability to climate risks regardless of their socioeconomic status and need to increase resilience against extreme events.

Evaluating fishermen's conservation attitudes and local ecological knowledge of the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus), Peniche, Portugal.

BACKGROUND: European sardines are an important fishing resource in the North Atlantic. Recognized for its great commercial and economic value in southern Europe, this resource currently has low stock indices. From this perspective, fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) is appreciated as an auxiliary tool in the management of sardines in this region. Our goal is to evaluate the LEK and attitudes towards the conservation of Sardina pilchardus in the typical fishing village of Peniche, Portugal. METHODS: From June to September 2016, we carried out 87 semi-structured interviews. The four main points of the interviews were interviewee profile, fishing structure, fishermen's LEK and attitudes towards sardine conservation. The interviews were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using a 3-point Likert scale. An LEK index and an attitude index were generated. Comparison analyses and correlations were made between the indices and variables of the interviewee profile and the fishing structure. RESULTS: The mean LEK index was 0.55 and was classified as moderate. The attitudes index in relation to conservation was 0.76 and was classified as positive. This index had a positive and significant correlation with the LEK index and a significant negative correlation with the fishermen's age. When the LEK index was compared with the educational level, significant differences were observed only between class A and class C. The result showed that the differences in the attitudes index were statistically significant when the three educational classes were compared. CONCLUSIONS: The fishermen of Peniche in Portugal present moderate informal knowledge about the biology and ecology of sardines. Attitudes towards conservation were predominantly positive. Fishermen with greater LEK, with a higher educational level and at a younger age presented more positive attitudes in relation to environmental conservation issues in the present case of the sardine population. The LEK is not necessarily related to the educational level of the fishermen. We suggest environmental education programs for the communities that depend on this resource. The use of LEK and fishermen's perceptions can help in the management of the European sardine fishery in Portugal.

Interannual abundance changes of gelatinous carnivore zooplankton unveil climate-driven hydrographic variations in the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal.

The persistent massive blooms of gelatinous zooplankton recorded during recent decades may be indicative of marine ecosystem changes. In this study, we investigated the potential influence of the North Atlantic climate (NAO) variability on decadal abundance changes of gelatinous carnivore zooplankton in the Mondego estuary, Portugal, over the period 2003-2013. During the 11-year study, the community of gelatinous carnivores encompassed a larger diversity of hydromedusae than siphonophores; the former dominated by Obelia spp., Lizzia blondina, Clythia hemisphaerica, Liriope tetraphylla and Solmaris corona, while the latter dominated by Muggiaea atlantica. Gelatinous carnivore zooplankton displayed marked interannual variability and mounting species richness over the period examined. Their pattern of abundance shifted towards larger abundances ca. 2007 and significant phenological changes. The latter included a shift in the mean annual pattern (from unimodal to bimodal peak, prior and after 2007 respectively) and an earlier timing of the first annual peak concurrent with enhanced temperatures. These changes were concurrent with the climate-driven environmental variability mainly controlled by the NAO, which displayed larger variance after 2007 along with an enhanced upwelling activity. Structural equation modelling allowed depicting cascading effects derived from the NAO influence on regional climate and upwelling variability further shaping water temperature. Such cascading effect percolated the structure and dynamics of the community of gelatinous carnivore zooplankton in the Mondego estuary.

A sensory and nutritional comparison of mussels (Mytilus sp.) produced in NW Iberia and in the Armona offshore production area (Algarve, Portugal).

A biometric, nutritional and sensory analysis of raw and cooked mussels comparing Mytilus sp. from the north-west coast of Portugal and Spain (Minho and Galicia, respectively) and the new offshore production site of Armona (Algarve, south Portugal) was carried out. In addition, multiple factorial analysis was performed to explore potential relationships between sensory attributes and nutritional content properties between the different mussels. Results showed that, at similar times of sale, biometrics of mussels from Armona and Vigo were similar and bigger than the remaining. Nonetheless, despite some similarities in proximate composition, mussels presented differences in lipid classes, fatty acid content and free amino acids profiles. These differences were not fully reflected in the sensory assessment by the panel, which were able to distinguish different production sites in raw specimens but displayed problems in discrimination these in cooked mussels. Some nutritional components were related to specific sensory sensations.

Environmental forcing on jellyfish communities in a small temperate estuary.

The impact of biological, hydrodynamic and large scale climatic variables on the jellyfish community of Mondego estuary was evaluated from 2003 to 2010. Plankton samples were collected at the downstream part of the estuary. Siphonophora Muggiaea atlantica and Diphyes spp. were the main jellyfish species. Jellyfish density was generally higher in summer and since 2005 densities had increased. Summer community analysis pointed out Acartia clausi, estuarine temperature and salinity as the main driven forces for the assemblage's structure. Also, Chl a, estuarine salinity, runoff and SST were identified as the major environmental factors influencing the siphonophores summer interannual variability. Temperature influenced directly and indirectly the community and fluctuation of jellyfish blooms in the Mondego estuary. This study represents a contribution to a better knowledge of the gelatinous plankton communities in small temperate estuaries.

Microcystin-producing blooms--a serious global public health issue.

The investigation on microcystin topics is increasing due to the related ecological and public health risks. Recent investigation confirms a gap in establishing global patterns relating a particular environment to the bloom occurrence of a species and the production of certain microcystin variants. All the results concerning the environmental effects on the microcystin synthesis of one species must be checked in the light of genome diversity. Thus, the poisoning risks of a bloom depend on the strain causing toxicity. To be more effective, specific water treatment methods are required for blooms of different microcystin producing species (such as colonial and filamentous cyanobacteria found in stratified and unstratified water bodies, respectively). With the increasing number of new microcystin variants discovered, the development of new rapid, inexpensive and sensitive enough monitoring methods to promptly screen simultaneously a great diversity of toxins and also check their toxic effects is becoming necessary.