Notes

Result of lamb rumen fermentation and also microbe communities to give infected with the actual endophyte Epichloë gansuensis while examined together with rumen-simulating technology.
Microplastics have been found in all compartments of the environment, and numerous life forms are known to take up the anthropogenic particles. Marine filter feeders are particularly susceptible to ingest suspended microplastics, but long-term studies on the potential effects of this uptake are scarce. We exposed juvenile Mytilus spp. to environmentally realistic doses of irregularly shaped polyvinylchloride (PVC) particles (15, 1500, 15,000, 150,000, 1,500,000 particles/individual/week calibrated in the size range 11-60 μm) and regularly shaped polystyrene (PS) beads (15, 1500, 15,000 particles/individual/week, 40 μm) over 42 weeks. During this period, we monitored physiological traits such as clearance rate, byssus production, growth rate, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and the condition index (CI). Negative effects of the tested microplastics on mussel performance emerged late in the experiment and were rather weak. Interestingly, even after having received the lowest particle dose of PS, SOD activity in the gill was significantly lower in mussels exposed to microplastics compared to a group of conspecifics that were kept in clean water. However, growth and CI, which are both closely related to the fitness of the mussels, were not found to be impaired at the end of the exposure phase. This is the so far longest laboratory microplastic exposure study on mussels and we worked with particle doses that reflect todays pollution levels. The small effect sizes we observed for the response variables assessed suggest that these specific microplastics pose only a minor threat to blue mussel populations.Reforestation may help protect the health of endangered forest ecosystems. To implement this action, it is important to evaluate the effects of the planted species on soil quality. Previous studies have demonstrated that soil properties are closely driven by the effects of plant roots and plant remains (quantity and quality) reaching the soil surface. However, little research is available about the effects of plant species on soil quality of reforested sites compared to natural forest ecosystems. This study evaluates the changes in the main soil properties between two 30-40 year-old stand types in forest areas of northern Iran i) two stands, each one comprising a natural species (Parrotia persica or Pinus taeda); and ii) two stands, each one with planted trees (Quercus castaneifolia or Alnus glutinosa). Compared to reforested sites, the soils with natural trees showed higher root weight density (+43%), pH (+17%), and organic carbon (+64%). These differences led to higher nutrient contents, microbial respiration, aggregate stability, and water retention in soils with natural trees, as confirmed by the correlation analysis. A principal component analysis provided a meaningful combined factor (the first principal component) that showed a clear discrimination in soil quality and fertility among natural and reforested species. The calculation of a soil quality index confirms that planted species may lead to an overall lower quality of soils with planted species compared to natural forest. Since the lower soil quality of planted forests can be also the result of unsuitable management practices, this study suggest that forest operations in reforested areas should be avoided, since this could lead to negative effects on soil quality and contribute to an increase in the risk of soil degradation.The presence of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) plays a vital role in the accumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles to microorganisms, in which the involved processes and mechanisms are still waiting to be revealed. Herein, we specifically investigated the interfacial interaction between titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) and algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) with/without EPS and the effect of EPS on algal cell internalization of nTiO2. Results showed that the presence of EPS on cell surface promoted heteroaggregation between nTiO2 and algal cells, and induced more nTiO2 accumulation on algal surface; however, algal cell internalization of nTiO2 was limited by the presence of EPS. Pearson correlation analysis further proved that the presence of EPS had a positive effect on the surface accumulation of nTiO2 and a negative effect on the internalization of nTiO2. More than 60% of cell internalized nTiO2 entered algal cells through the energy dependent endocytosis pathway. It is interesting to find that anatase nTiO2 (nTiO2-A) entered algal cells mainly through the clathrin dependent endocytosis, while rutile nTiO2 (nTiO2-R) mainly through the dynamin dependent endocytosis. This difference could be due to the different affinities of nTiO2-A and nTiO2-R to the mediating receptors referring to different endocytic pathways. The removal of EPS activated the associated mediating pathways, allowing more nTiO2 to be internalized. AD-5584 cell line These findings address the role of EPS on the interaction between nTiO2 and algae and promote a deeper understanding of the ecological effect of nTiO2.There has been an ever-increasing attention over years for investigating microplastics in feces of lower to higher trophic organisms from diverse environments. Focusing on the standardization of methodologies for reliable generation and comparison of data is one of the important aspects in microplastic area. This first review, comprising 20 studies in total, critically summarizes and compares the methodological approaches for the determination of microplastics in feces as well outlines the levels and characteristics of microplastics detected in feces worldwide. Contaminations and QA/QC measures are also discussed. Despite variations among the approaches, most studies (n = 12) described herein rely on the digestion processes involving H2O2 (n = 7) and KOH (n = 6) for the separation of microplastics, whereas very few included wet sieving (n = 5), density separation using NaCl (n = 3) and NaI (n = 1) and enzymatic digestion (n = 2). Microscopical sorting and spectroscopic methods such as infrared and Raman were combined for identification and characterization of microplastics. The detected microplastics varied by size, shape, color and polymer types and the differences in reporting units of microplastic abundance make comparison across studies difficult. Taking advantage of the current knowledge, our review identified analytical challenges and suggested appropriate methods on research into microplastic contamination in feces. This work will serve as a valuable information of available analytical methods for examining microplastics in feces and will stimulate further research to advance our understanding of microplastics from feces.
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