Unveiling microplastic and metal pollution in giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) from areas impacted by human activities in the Rio Doce Basin, Brazil.

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest armadillo species, inhabiting vast areas of South America, including forests, savannas, and grasslands. The Rio Doce State Park (RDSP) is an important conservation unit that harbors P. maximus individuals.

Oxidative stress dynamics in Hyalella azteca under sub-chronic exposure to naturally aged polypropylene microplastics.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution has revealed a serious environmental issue, demonstrating chronic consequences for the affected environments and organisms. Although these plastic particles, pristine and aged, can circulate in different environmental matrices, their actual impacts on aquatic ecosystems are still under investigation. Here, we studied the toxicity of naturally aged secondary polypropylene (PP) MPs after constant exposure to ultraviolet radiation (26 µm) to the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca.

The Toxicity of Poly(acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene) Microplastics toward Is Associated with Biofragmentation and Oxidative Stress.

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is a thermoplastic copolymer commonly used in the electronics, automotive, and construction industries. In the aquatic environment, the formation of microplastics from larger-sized plastic waste occurs naturally, induced by physical, chemical, and biological processes that promote the aging of these particles. Here, we investigated the interactions between the freshwater amphipod and ABS microplastics (10-20 μm) (pristine and after accelerated aging) over 7 days of exposure.

Transformative nanobioplasmonic effects: Toxicological implications of plasmonic silver nanoparticles in aquatic biological models.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) present unique properties, such as the induced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) provoked under illumination with a proper wavelength, allowing these nanomaterials to be applied in fields such as catalysis and biomedicine. The study of AgNPs is also highly relevant from the environmental pollution viewpoint due to their high production and application in commercial products. Consequently, AgNPs reach aquatic environments and can be plasmonically stimulated under natural light conditions.

Biotic homogenization in multisystem cascade reservoirs: insights from sedimentary photopigment analysis.

The existing literature provides limited insights into the dynamics of phytoplankton communities and the spatial heterogeneity of physicochemical parameters in multisystem cascade reservoirs (interconnected reservoirs derived from different rivers). The existing studies are concentrated on cascade reservoirs (interconnected reservoirs derived from the same river). To address this knowledge gap, the aims of the present study were as follows: (1) investigate the spatial heterogeneity, within and between reservoirs, of geochemical parameters associated with the eutrophication process, considering total phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, pheophytin, and metals (chromium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, iron, and manganese); (2) evaluate sediment quality at the designated locations; (3) assess differences in the richness and concentration of sedimentary photopigments between the reservoirs.