Potentials of Miscanthus x giganteus for phytostabilization of trace element-contaminated soils: Ex situ experiment.

Phytomanagement is proposed as a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly suggestion for sustainable use of large metal-contaminated areas. In the current work, the energy crop miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) was grown in ex situ conditions on agricultural soils presenting a Cd, Pb and Zn contamination gradient. After 93 days of culture, shoot and root growth parameters were measured. Soils and plants were sampled as well to study the TE accumulation in miscanthus and the effects of this plant on TE mobility in soils. Results demonstrated that miscanthus growth depended more on the soils silt content rather than TE-contamination level. Moreover, soil organic carbon at T93 increased in the soils after miscanthus cultivation by 25.5-45.3%, whereas CaCl2-extractible TEs decreased due to complex rhizosphere processes driving plant mineral uptake, and organic carbon inputs into the rhizosphere. In the contaminated soils, miscanthus accumulated Cd, Pb and Zn mainly in roots (BCF in roots: Cd " Zn > Pb), while strongly reducing the transfer of these elements from soil to all organs and from roots to rhizomes, stems and leaves (average TFs: 0.01-0.06, 0.11-1.15 and 0.09-0.79 corresponding to Cd, Pb and Zn respectively). Therefore, miscanthus could be considered a TE-excluder, hence a potential candidate crop for coupling phytostabilization and biomass production on the studied Metaleurop TE-contaminated soils.

The environmental impacts of mining on Gishwati Protected Reserve in Rwanda.

Gishwati forest is part of Gishwati-Mukura National Park. It has a long history of degradation due to human activities. Despite many efforts initiated to restore and protect this concession, the mining activities continue to affect its biodiversity. This study aims at assessing the impact of mining on the landscape, quality of water, soil, and vegetation in Gishwati and its vicinity. Data were collected from five mining sites and one non-mined control site. Methods included direct field observations of the landscape, physico-chemical analysis of water, mine tailings analysis and vegetation inventory, and measurement of the concentrations of metals/metalloids in both water and soil (mine tailings). The findings revealed that mining has accelerated the erosion and the stream/river sedimentation and has created new landforms around some mining sites. The physico-chemical properties of mine tailings piled and scattered on mining sites are not conducive for biodiversity, and the concentrations of metals and metalloids in the water and soil are generally higher on mining sites than on the non-mined area and even higher than international standards. Such high metal/metalloid concentrations threaten both aquatic and terrestrial life as they are likely to cause the extinction of a good number of vegetation species on mining sites. They may also cause toxicity and lead to migration of a variety of animals living in Gishwati. The study recommends the use of mining best practices to safeguard biodiversity in the Gishwati area.

Suitability of Miscanthus species for managing inorganic and organic contaminated land and restoring ecosystem services. A review.

The mitigation of potential health hazards and land scarcity due to land use change can be addressed by restoring functional and ecosystem services of contaminated land. Physico-chemical remediation options are criticized as being costly and not providing environment-friendly solutions. The use of plants and associated microorganisms could be a sustainable, cost-effective option to reduce pollutant exposure. Phytomanagement aims at using valuable non-food crops to alleviate environmental and health risks induced by pollutants, and at restoring ecosystem services. Suitable plant species must be tolerant to contaminants, reduce their transfer into the food chain, and efficiently produce marketable biomass. Based on Miscanthus' capacity to sequestrate inorganic contaminants into the root system and to induce dissipation of persistent organic contaminants in soil, these plant species are favorable for phytostabilization and phytodegradation. Among Miscanthus species, the noninvasive hybrid Miscanthus × giganteus, with a high lignocellulosic content, is a promising biomass crop for the bio-economy, notably the biorefinery and bioenergy industries. Planting this species on contaminated and marginal land is a promising option to avoid changes in arable land use to mitigate the food vs. biofuel controversy. Key issues in promoting sustainable management of Miscanthus sp. on contaminated land are: (a) crop suitability, integration, and sustainability in a region with a potential local market; (b) site suitability in relation to the species' requirements and potential, (c) biotic interactions in the landscape diversity; and (d) increase in shoot yields in line with various stressors (e.g., pollutants, drought, cold temperatures), and with minimal inputs.

Corrigendum to "Data collected to assess the effect of inquiry-based learning on environmental knowledge and attitudes among pre-service biology teachers in Tanzania" [Data in Brief, 49 (August, 2023), 1-10/ 109429].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.109429.].

Data collected to assess the effect of inquiry-based learning on environmental knowledge and attitudes among pre-service biology teachers in Tanzania.

The proliferation of global environmental problems has necessitated the need to re-examine the environmental impacts caused by human-nature relations. Yet individual attitudes and environmental literacy remain among the critical determinants of environmental sustainability. Consequently, environmental psychology has been one of the most effective tools for shaping people's actions in favor of the environment. As such, this article presents a dataset that describes an intervention carried out to explore the effect of inquiry-based learning on shaping environmental attitudes (EAs) and knowledge of pre-service biology teachers in selected teacher colleges (TCs) in Tanzania. Data were collected from four TCs located in four different regions of Tanzania (N = 333). Particularly, EAs were measured using the two-factor model of ecological attitudes (2-MEV) by assessing two uncorrelated domains of environmental attitudes: Preservation and Utilization of nature. In addition, a Competence Model for Environmental Education was used to measure the three dimensions (system knowledge, action-related knowledge, and effectiveness knowledge) of environmental knowledge among pre-service biology teachers. A modified design of the Solomon four-group was employed to guide the intervention in measuring the level of change in EAs and environmental knowledge before and after the study intervention. A paired-sample t-test was used to assess the effect of the intervention on TCs that had pre- and post-tests, given the variation in the number of subjects in each TC. In addition, the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared the mean scores of the combined study groups at the post-test. Besides, in the regression analysis, Hayes' PROCESS macro (version 4.1) was used to assess the moderation effect of the Social Desirability Responding (SDR) on the relationships between EAs and environmental knowledge. Likewise, age (in years) was entered as a covariate in the regression model of the Statistical Product and Service Solution (IBM SPSS version 25). The presented dataset can act as a basis for improving the status of environmental education delivery in teacher education in Tanzania and other areas with similar or related contexts. Thus, program-specific interventions could be designed for prospective biology teachers as potential change agents in shaping how people interact with the environment.

On the predictors of pro-environmental behaviors: integrating personal values and the 2-MEV among secondary school students in Tanzania.

The role of personal values in understanding pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors has received considerable attention from psychological researchers. However, little is known about the mutual interaction of personal values and the Theory of Ecological Attitudes (2-MEV) in explaining pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). To explore the mediating factors with which pro-environmental behaviors are explained via environmental attitudes and personal values, this article reports the study findings from secondary school students. Specifically, the article indicates the extent to which a unified model of personal values and the Theory of Ecological Attitudes (2-MEV) explain self-reported PEBs. The cross-cultural validity of the 2-MEV for measuring environmental attitudes (EA) among the selected respondents is as well investigated. A cross-sectional survey of 408 secondary school students was used for data collection. As expected, principal component analysis with a varimax rotation confirmed the two-factor structure of the 2-MEV measuring EA with two uncorrelated factors of Preservation and Utilization. Interestingly, multiple regression analyses indicated that a combined model of personal values and the 2-MEV provides a more explained variance of self-reported PEBs compared to when any of the two predicators is used independently. Overall, altruistic value provides the largest predictive power over egoistic and biospheric values in mediating EA. In turn, the general model that includes personal values and the 2-MEV indicates that Preservation makes the largest and unique contribution in explaining recycling, biodiversity protection, environmental activism, and general PEBs. Conversely, the Utilization factor provides the largest negative explained variance for management of environmental pollution behavior. These findings remain unaltered even when the age of respondents and social desirability responding are statistically controlled. The implications regarding these study findings are discussed.

Dataset related to the effect of resource-based instruction on Rwandan pre-service biology teachers' academic achievement, attitude, and motivation.

This dataset belongs to a large doctoral research project in Biology education conducted under the African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS), University of Rwanda College of Education (URCE). The data were collected from students undertaking biology education as their future teaching career [here referred to as pre-service biology teachers]. The data were collected from two higher learning institutions in Rwanda. This data article describes how we collected data and designed the study. We used valid and reliable research instruments to collect data. Thus, this dataset informs university lecturers, education policymakers of the status of academic achievement, attitude, and motivation towards learning biology using resource-based instructions such as animations and small laboratory groups. It allows researchers to reanalyze it, depending on the interest variables.

Effect of Miscanthus cultivation on metal fractionation and human bioaccessibility in metal-contaminated soils: comparison between greenhouse and field experiments.

The in situ stabilization of metals in soils using plants with great biomass value is a promising, cost-effective, and ecologically friendly alternative to manage metal-polluted sites. The goal of phytostabilization is to reduce the bioavailable concentrations of metals in polluted soil and thus reduce the risk to the environment and human health. In this context, this study aimed at evaluating Miscanthus × giganteus efficiency in phytostabilizing metals on three contaminated agricultural sites after short-term exposure under greenhouse conditions and after long-term exposure under field conditions. Particular attention was paid to the influence of Miscanthus cultivation on (i) Cd, Pb, and Zn fractionation using sequential extractions and (ii) metal bioaccessibility using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion test. Data gave evidence of (i) different behaviors between the greenhouse and the field; (ii) metal redistribution in soils induced by Miscanthus culture, more specifically under field conditions; (iii) higher environmental availability for Cd than for Pb and Zn was found in both conditions; and (iv) overall, a higher bioaccessible fraction for Pb (about 80 %) and Cd (65-77 %) than for Zn (36-52 %) was recorded in the gastric phase, with a sharp decrease in the intestinal phase (18-35 % for Cd, 5-30 % for Pb, and 36-52 % for Zn). Compared to soils without culture, the results showed that phytostabilization using Miscanthus culture provided evidence for substantial effects on oral bioaccessibility of Cd, Pb, and Zn.