Interactions between blood lead (Pb) concentration, oxidative stress, cellular immune response and reproductive status in livestock from a mining area.

Chronic exposure to lead (Pb) in livestock grazing in abandoned mining areas affects animal welfare and productivity, as well as represents a significant food safety risk. Here, we evaluate the physiological effects of Pb exposure in goats maintained under extensive farming conditions in a non-remediated mining area. We monitored blood, fecal, and milk Pb levels in two groups of goats, pregnant (n = 17) and lactating (n = 24), kept in different enclosures with high soil Pb concentrations (geometric means of 270 and 143 μg/g, respectively) in Sierra Madrona mining district (Spain).

Retrospective serological and molecular survey of myxoma or antigenically related virus in the Iberian hare, Lepus granatensis.

The 2018 outbreak of myxomatosis in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis) has been hypothesized to originate from a species jump of the rabbit-associated myxoma virus (MYXV), after natural recombination with an unknown poxvirus. Iberian hares were long considered resistant to myxomatosis as no prior outbreaks were reported. To provide insights into the emergence of this recombinant virus (ha-MYXV), we investigated serum samples from 451 Iberian hares collected over two time periods almost two decades apart, 1994-1999 and 2017-2019 for the presence of antibodies and MYXV-DNA.

Factors influencing lead, mercury and other trace element exposure in birds from metal mining areas.

Non-ferrous metal mining is considered one of the largest sources of toxic metal released to the environment and may threaten ecosystems, notably biota. We explored how birds that inhabit non-ferrous metal mining sites are exposed to mercury, lead, and other trace elements by analyzing their feathers and verifying which factors may influence element concentrations in feathers. We sampled a total of 168 birds, representing 26 species, with different feeding habits and migration patterns in a non-polluted reference site and two historical metal mining areas: Almadén, which is considered one of the most heavily mercury-contaminated sites worldwide, and the Sierra Madrona mountains where lead has been mined since ancient times.

Identification of a Novel Myxoma Virus C7-Like Host Range Factor That Enabled a Species Leap from Rabbits to Hares.

Myxoma virus (MYXV) is naturally found in rabbit species and is known to cause lethal myxomatosis in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In 2019, an MYXV strain (MYXV strain Toledo [MYXV-Tol]) causing myxomatosis-like disease in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) was identified. MYXV-Tol acquired a recombinant region of ∼2.

Trace element bioaccumulation in hypersaline ecosystems and implications of a global invasion.

Hypersaline ecosystems are under increasing threat due to anthropogenic pressures such as environmental pollution and biological invasions. Here we address the ecotoxicological implications of the Artemia franciscana (Crustacea) invasion in saltpans of southern Spain. This North American species is causing the extinction of native Artemia populations in many parts of the globe.

A multidisciplinary approach to the evaluation of the effects of foraging on landfills on white stork nestlings.

The use of landfills as foraging areas by white storks (Ciconia ciconia) is a recent well-known behaviour. While several studies have highlighted positive effects at a populational level others suggest that the presence of pollutants, pathogens and the lower presence of antioxidants in the food could pose a health risk for individuals. The objective of this study was to evaluate potential effects of the use of landfills as a food resource on the physiology and health of white stork nestlings, by a multidisciplinary approach based on the analysis of nutritional status, body condition, blood parameters, oxidative stress balance and the presence of pathogens.

Integrating active and passive monitoring to assess sublethal effects and mortality from lead poisoning in birds of prey.

The ingestion of lead (Pb) ammunition is the most important exposure pathway to this metal in birds and involve negative consequences to their health. We have performed a passive monitoring of Pb poisoning in birds of prey by measuring liver (n = 727) and blood (n = 32) Pb levels in individuals of 16 species found dead or sick in Spain between 2004 and 2020. We also performed an active monitoring by measuring blood Pb levels and biomarkers of haem biosynthesis, phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) metabolism, oxidative stress and immune function in individuals (n = 194) of 9 species trapped alive in the field between 2016 and 2017.

Effect of mineral supplementation on lead bioavailability and toxicity biomarkers in sheep exposed to mining pollution.

The chronic exposure of livestock to lead (Pb) pollution in historical mining areas may represent significant and unnecessary costs for farmers and primary producers, in addition to important food safety risks. Here, we evaluate the effect of mineral supplements, in the form of a commercial mineral block (MB), to reduce Pb bioavailability and toxicity in sheep through an experimental approach under real farming conditions in an abandoned mining area. Blood, fecal Pb levels, and soil ingestion, along with different blood and plasma biomarkers were studied.

In vitro assessment of mineral blocks as a cost-effective measure to reduce oral bioavailability of lead (Pb) in livestock.

Soil contamination in former mining districts is a persistent problem resulting from the historic lack of legal requirements as regards land restoration after mine closures. Much of this polluted land is currently being used worldwide for livestock and big game production, with the consequent health risks for the animals exposed and the subsequent threats to food safety. Soil remediation and restoration may be unfeasible or difficult to accomplish in the short term when pollution affects large territories and other alternatives must, therefore, be explored in order to reduce the probability of grazing animals being exposed to this contamination.

Tools for non-invasive sampling of metal accumulation and its effects in Mediterranean pond turtle populations inhabiting mining areas.

Among reptiles, freshwater turtle species have high potential for metal accumulation because of their long lifespan or their aquatic and terrestrial habits. In order to monitor metal bioaccumulation, determine potential toxic effects, and investigate tools for non-invasive metal sampling in reptiles, we studied lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) accumulation in Mediterranean pond turtles (Mauremys leprosa) inhabiting two former mining areas, one of them with high environmental concentrations of Pb (Sierra Madrona-Alcudia Valley district) and the other one with high environmental concentrations of Hg (Almadén district). Individuals from the Pb mining area showed mean blood concentrations (i.

Age-dependent changes in essential elements and oxidative stress biomarkers in blood of red deer and vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies.

Changes in the concentration of circulating essential elements in animals over life may be indicative of periods of vulnerability to deficiencies and associated diseases. Here we studied age-related variations in essential elements (Se, Cu, Zn and Mn) and some selected oxidative stress biomarkers (GPx, SOD, vitamin A and vitamin E) in blood of an Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) population living in semicaptive conditions. Animals during their first year of life showed to be especially vulnerable to suffer Se- and Cu-related diseases and disorders.

Assessing estuarine quality: A cost-effective in situ assay with amphipods.

In situ assays based on feeding depression can be powerful ecotoxicological tools that can link physiological organism-level responses to population and/or community-level effects. Amphipods are traditional target species for toxicity tests due to their high sensitivity to contaminants, availability in the field and ease of handling. However, cost-effective in situ assays based on feeding depression are not yet available for amphipods that inhabit estuarine ecosystems.

Patchy sediment contamination scenario and the habitat selection by an estuarine mudsnail.

Since mudsnails are able to avoid contaminated sediment and that the contaminants in sediment are not uniformly distributed, the mudsnail Peringia ulvae was exposed to cadmium (Cd) spiked sediment and assessed for avoidance response in a heterogeneous contamination scenario. Four Cd concentrations were prepared and disposed in patches on dishes, which were divided in 25 fields (six fields for each sediment concentration); 24 organisms were deployed in the central field, with no sediment. Observations were made at 2, 4 and 6 h (corresponding to immediate response), 8, 10 and 12 h (very short term), and 24 h (short term).

Altered immune response in mallard ducklings exposed to lead through maternal transfer in the wild.

Lead (Pb) poisoning has caused significant mortality in waterfowl populations worldwide. In spite of having been banned since 2003, prevalence of Pb shot ingestion in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from the Ebro delta was still 15.5% in 2011-12.

Effects of Agricultural Management Policies on the Exposure of Black-Winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) Chicks to Cholinesterase-Inhibiting Pesticides in Rice Fields.

Levels of exposure to pesticides in rice fields can be significant depending on the environmental policies practiced. The aim of European Union integrated management policy is to reduce pesticide use and impact on environment. Rice fields provide an alternative breeding habitat for many waterbirds that are exposed to the pesticides used and therefore can be valuable indicators of their risk for wildlife.

Addressing the recovery of feeding rates in post-exposure feeding bioassays: Cyathura carinata as a case study.

Post-exposure bioassays are used in environmental assessment as a cost-effective tool, but the effects of organism's recovery after exposure to pollutant has not yet been addressed in detail. The recoveries of post-exposure feeding rates after being exposed to two sublethal concentrations of cadmium during two different exposure periods (48h and 96h) were evaluated under laboratory conditions using the estuarine isopod Cyathura carinata. Results showed that feeding depression was a stable endpoint up to 24h after cadmium exposure, which is useful for ecotoxicological bioassays.

A short-term laboratory and in situ sediment assay based on the postexposure feeding of the estuarine isopod Cyathura carinata.

In situ assays based on feeding depression have been proposed as sublethal assays able to assess immediate contaminant effects on key ecosystem functions, long before effects on life-history traits can be detected. The in situ peculiarities provide more realistic exposure scenarios than laboratory-controlled conditions, which is particularly relevant for estuarine ecosystems where environmental conditions are highly variable. In this context, we developed a short-term cost-effective in situ assay based on the postexposure feeding of the estuarine species, Cyathura carinata, through the following steps: i) develop a methodology to quantify feeding under laboratory conditions; ii) quantify the sensitivity of the postexposure feeding response under laboratory conditions; iii) deploy the in situ assay at various field sites covering different environmental variables in a reference estuary and degrees of contamination in a contaminated estuary to, respectively, derive a model to predict postexposure feeding rates across sites varying in environmental variables and evaluate the potential of this in situ tool to assess sediment contamination in estuaries.

Reducing Pb poisoning in birds and Pb exposure in game meat consumers: the dual benefit of effective Pb shot regulation.

The use of lead (Pb) ammunition in the form of shot pellets has been identified as a Pb exposure risk in wildlife and their human consumers. We explore the hypothesis that Pb shot ban enforcement reduces the risk of avian Pb poisoning as well as Pb exposure in game meat consumers. We assessed compliance with a partial ban on Pb shot commencing in 2003 by examination of 937 waterbirds harvested by hunters between 2007 and 2012 in the Ebro delta (Spain).