VKORC1 single nucleotide polymorphisms in rodents in Spain.

Rodents are considered one of the animal pests with the greatest impact on agricultural production and public health. Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), used as one of the most effective ways to control rodent populations worldwide, inhibit the vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase (VKORC1) enzyme involved in blood coagulation. Resistances to ARs are mainly associated with mutations or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vkorc1 gene.

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.

Effects of Soil Quality on the Microbial Community Structure of Poorly Evolved Mediterranean Soils.

Physical and chemical alterations may affect the microbiota of soils as much as the specific presence of toxic pollutants. The relationship between the microbial diversity patterns and the soil quality in a Mediterranean context is studied here to test the hypothesis that soil microbiota is strongly affected by the level of anthropogenic soil alteration. Our aim has been to determine the potential effect of organic matter loss and associated changes in soil microbiota of poorly evolved Mediterranean soils ( and ) suffering anthropogenic stress (i.

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 (mean 52 μg kg).

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

Copper-based fungicides (Cu) are used in European (EU) vineyards to prevent fungal diseases. Soil physicochemical properties locally govern the variation of the total copper content (Cu) in EU vineyards. However, variables controlling Cu distribution at a larger scale are poorly known.

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 km) 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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.

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.

Impact of gold mining associated with mercury contamination in soil, biota sediments and tailings in Kenya.

This work considered the environmental impact of artisanal mining gold activity in the Migori-Transmara area (Kenya). From artisanal gold mining, mercury is released to the environment, thus contributing to degradation of soil and water bodies. High mercury contents have been quantified in soil (140 μg kg(-1)), sediment (430 μg kg(-1)) and tailings (8,900 μg kg(-1)), as expected.

Spatial relations of mercury contents in Pike (Esox lucius) and sediments concentration of the Anzali wetland, along the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, Iran.

In recent decades, the Anzali wetland has been threatened and destroyed by environmental pollution from several sources. The purpose of this study was to determine the possible relationships between mercury concentrations in Pike and their respective sediments within the assumed multiple activity center scales of Pike (100, 250 and 500 m in radius). To gain a better understanding spatial distribution pattern of Hg in sediments and to pursue the main purpose of this study, kriging (geostatistic spatial interpolation method) was applied.

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).

Local deposition of mercury in topsoils around coal-fired power plants: is it always true?

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere through human activities, mainly fossil fuel combustion. Hg accumulations in soil are associated with atmospheric deposition, while coal-burning power plants remain the most important source of anthropogenic mercury emissions. In this study, we analyzed the Hg concentration in the topsoil of the Kozani-Ptolemais basin where four coal-fired power plants (4,065 MW) run to provide 50 % of electricity in Greece.

Effect of mine tailing on the spatial variability of soil nematodes from lead pollution in La Union (Spain).

The Cartagena-La Union mining district, exploited since the end of the 3rd century BC, was one of the world's largest lead producers in the 19th century. Although activity ceased in 1991, today mining residues pose a huge pollution problem. This study characterises lead contents (total and DPTA) and other soil parameters (N, P, K, pH, SOM, CaCO3, granulometric fraction, etc.

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.

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.