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Over the centuries, the populations of human beings settled in the surroundings of water tributaries have indiscriminately disposed of their waste, throwing it into rivers, lakes, oceans, and surrounding land. When the amounts of waste, mostly biodegradable, are low, the environmental consequences and the health of biotic communities are minimal. However, the mass manufacture and disposal of non-biodegradable synthetic materials since the mid-20th century has had profound biological and environmental effects. Plastics are the most significant example of these ubiquitous synthetic materials, usually single-use, non-biodegradable and with high amounts of toxic chemical additives. Due to the high stability and resistance of plastic, it is impossible to quickly bind it in processes that allow its degradation and decomposition; for this reason, they have become half of the waste that exists on the planet today. The drift of these materials leads them, under ambient conditions, to gradually fragment into particles reaching the scales of micrometers and nanometers. These particles have been categorized as incidental contaminants: micro and nanoplastics. Today, the world is witnessing the nanotechnology boom and more and more industries are interested in the use of this emerging technology; They intentionally produce micro and nanoplastics to be incorporated into cosmetic products, textile fibers, among many other purposes. The contamination of these plastic particles of imperceptible dimensions, reaches food for human consumption through persistence in ecosystems and bioaccumulation, through different routes of exposure, mainly through ingestion in the different chains that make up the global trophic web, in addition, of the migration of the material used for the storage, preservation and packaging of food. When ingested, nanoplastics and some microplastics cross physical epithelial barriers and are distributed throughout the body, entering practically all body tissues, al, A través de los siglos, las poblaciones de seres humanos asentadas en los alrededores de afluentes hídricos han dispuesto indiscriminadamente sus desechos arrojándolos a los ríos, lagos, océanos, y terrenos aledaños. Cuando las cantidades de desechos, en su mayoría biodegradables son bajas, las consecuencias ambientales y sobre la salud de las comunidades bióticas son mínimas. Sin embargo, la fabricación y disposición en masa de materiales sintéticos no biodegradables desde mediados del siglo XX ha tenido profundos efectos biológicos y ambientales. Los plásticos son el ejemplo más significativo de estos ubicuos materiales sintéticos, usualmente de un solo uso, no biodegradables y con altas cantidades de aditivos químicos tóxicos. Debido a la alta estabilidad y resistencia del plástico, es imposible vincularlo rápidamente en procesos que permitan su degradación y descomposición; por ello, se han convertido en la mitad de los residuos que hoy existen en el planeta. La deriva de estos materiales conlleva a que, bajo condiciones ambientes, paulatinamente se vayan fragmentando en partículas alcanzando las escalas de los micrómetros y los nanómetros, a estas partículas se les ha categorizado como contaminantes incidentales: micro y nanoplásticos. Hoy en día, el mundo contempla el boom de la nanotecnología y cada vez más industrias se interesan por el uso de esta tecnología emergente; producen micro y nanoplásticos de manera intencional para ser incorporados en productos cosméticos, fibras textiles, entre muchos otros propósitos. La contaminación de estas partículas plásticas de dimensiones imperceptibles, llega a los alimentos de consumo humano a través de la persistencia en los ecosistemas y la bioacumulación, por diferentes vías de exposición, principalmente por ingesta en las diferentes cadenas que componen la red trófica mundial, además, de la migración del material empleado para el almacenamiento, preservación y empaque de los alimentos. Los nanoplásticos y algunos m

Ecological communities can be stable over multiple generations, or rapidly shift into structurally and functionally different configurations. In kelp forest ecosystems, overgrazing by sea urchins can abruptly shift forests into alternative states that are void of macroalgae and primarily dominated by actively grazing sea urchins. Beginning in 2014, a sea urchin outbreak along the central coast of California resulted in a patchy mosaic of remnant forests interspersed with sea urchin barrens. In this study, we used a 14-year subtidal monitoring dataset of invertebrates, algae, and fishes to explore changes in community structure associated with the loss of forests. We found that the spatial mosaic of barrens and forests resulted in a region-wide shift in community structure. However, the magnitude of kelp forest loss and taxonomic-level consequences were spatially heterogeneous. Taxonomic diversity declined across the region, but there were no declines in richness for any group, suggesting compositional redistribution. Baseline ecological and environmental conditions, and sea urchin behaviour, explained the persistence of forests through multiple stressors. These results indicate that spatial heterogeneity in preexisting ecological and environmental conditions can explain patterns of community change.

Harmful cyanobacteria blooms are a growing threat in estuarine waters as upstream blooms are exported into coastal environments. Cyanobacteria can produce potent toxins, one of which-hepatotoxic microcystins (MCs)-can persist and accumulate within the food web. Filter-feeding invertebrates may biomagnify toxins up to 100× ambient concentrations. As such, bivalves can be used as an environmentally relevant and highly sensitive sentinel for MC monitoring. To date there has been little research on cyanotoxin bioaccumulation in estuaries. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) aquatic food web has undergone a profound change in response to widespread colonization of aquatic invasive species such as Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) in the freshwater portion of the Delta. These clams are prolific-blanketing areas of the Delta at densities up to 1000 clams/m2 and are directly implicated in the pelagic organism decline of threatened and endangered fishes. We hypothesized that Asian clams accumulate MCs which may act as an additional stressor to the food web and MCs would seasonally be in exceedance of public health advisory levels. MCs accumulation in Delta Asian clams and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) were studied over a two-year period. ELISA and LC-MS analytical methods were used to measure free and protein-bound MCs in clam and crayfish tissues. We describe an improved MC extraction method for use when analyzing these taxa by LC-MS. MCs were found to accumulate in Asian clams across all months and at all study sites, with seasonal maxima occurring during the summer. Although MC concentrations rarely exceeded public health advisory levels, the persistence of MCs year-round still poses a chronic risk to consumers. Crayfish at times also accumulated high concentrations of MCs. Our results highlight the utility of shellfish as sentinel organisms for monitoring in estuarine areas.

Studies of community assembly typically focus on the effects of abiotic environmental filters and stabilizing competition on functional trait dispersion within single trophic levels. Predation is a well-known driver of community diversity and composition, yet the role of functionally diverse predator communities in filtering prey community traits has received less attention. We examined functionally diverse communities of predators (fishes) and prey (epifaunal crustaceans) in eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in two northern California estuaries to evaluate the filtering effects of predator traits on community assembly and how filters acting on predators influence their ability to mediate prey community assembly. Fish traits related to bottom orientation were correlated with more clustered epifauna communities, and epifauna were generally overdispersed while fishes were clustered, suggesting prey may be pushed to disparate areas of trait space to avoid capture by benthic sit-and-wait predators. We also found correlations between the trait dispersions of predator and prey communities that strengthened after accounting for the effects of habitat filters on predator dispersion, suggesting that habitat filtering effects on predator species pools may hinder their ability to affect prey community assembly. Our results present compelling observational evidence that specific predator traits have measurable impacts on the community assembly of prey, inviting experimental tests of predator trait means on community assembly and explicit comparisons of how the relative effects of habitat filters and intraguild competition on predators impact their ability to affect prey community assembly. Integrating our understanding of traits at multiple trophic levels can help us better predict the impacts of community composition on food web dynamics as regional species pools shift with climate change and anthropogenic introductions.

The costs of foraging can be high while also carrying significant risks, especially for consumers feeding at the top of the food chain. To mitigate these risks, many predators supplement active hunting with scavenging and kleptoparasitic behaviours, in some cases specializing in these alternative modes of predation. The factors that drive differential utilization of these tactics from species to species are not well understood. Here, we use an energetics approach to investigate the survival advantages of hunting, scavenging and kleptoparasitism as a function of predator, prey and potential competitor body sizes for terrestrial mammalian carnivores. The results of our framework reveal that predator tactics become more diverse closer to starvation, while the deployment of scavenging and kleptoparasitism is strongly constrained by the ratio of predator to prey body size. Our model accurately predicts a behavioural transition away from hunting towards alternative modes of predation with increasing prey size for predators spanning an order of magnitude in body size, closely matching observational data across a range of species. We then show that this behavioural boundary follows an allometric power-law scaling relationship where the predator size scales with an exponent nearing 3/4 with prey size, meaning that this behavioural switch occurs at relatively larger threshold prey body size for larger carnivores. We suggest that our approach may provide a holistic framework for guiding future observational efforts exploring the diverse array of predator foraging behaviours.

Climate crisis, war, and, famine are some of society's most popular debate topics. Food production is one of the most important issues in the world but also one of the most debated. Being able to produce food is one of man's most basic needs for survival, especially in times of crisis. Agriculture is often criticized because the production of food emits greenhouse gases and thus harms the environment. Farmers work to reduce their environmental impact daily, but so must the rest of the food chain. The food chain also includes consumers, food companies, and the public sector. All participants in the food chain have a responsibility and must work together for sustainable development in food production. As world hunger worsens and the population continues to grow, more food must be produced. The path to sustainable food production and consumption, as well as who bears the responsibility, will be discussed in this study. This study was a collaboration with the EU project PATHWAYS. The purpose of the project was to investigate how to reduce the environmental impact while meeting society's demands for safe, nutritious, and affordable meat and dairy products. The project aimed to identify and increase sustainable practices along the supply and production chains in the European livestock sector. Part of PATHWAYS was a ten-part consumer survey. Consumers' eating habits, attitudes towards sustainable solutions, and how socio-democratic characteristics affect consumer motivation have been examined, among other things. These data will be analyzed and discussed in the study. The study also includes a literature review that is used to compare and analyze the results. The results of the study show that the Swedish consumer is concerned about sustainable food production and generally has a high level of motivation in several situations. The economy has a major impact on food consumption and sustainable food products must be affordable for consumers to choose them. The consumer was c, Klimatkris, krig och hungersnöd är några av samhällets idag mest populära debattämnen. Matproduktion är en av de viktigaste frågorna i världen men också en av de mest debatterade. Att kunna producera mat är en av människans mest basala behov för överlevnad, framförallt i kristider. Lantbruket kritiseras ofta på grund av att produktionen av livsmedel släpper ut växthusgaser och därmed har en negativ effekt på miljön. Lantbrukare arbetar med att minska dess miljöpåverkan dagligen, men det måste även resten av livsmedelskedjan göra. I livsmedelskedjan ingår också konsumenter, livsmedelsföretag samt offentlig sektor. Alla medverkande i livsmedelskedjan har ett ansvar och måste tillsammans arbeta för en hållbar utveckling i livsmedelsproduktionen. I takt med att hungersnöden i världen blir värre samt en ständig ökning av populationen, måste mer mat produceras. Vägen till hållbar livsmedelsproduktion och konsumtion, samt vem som bär ansvaret, kommer diskuteras i denna studie. Denna studie har skett i samarbete med EU-projektet PATHWAYS. Syftet med projektet var att undersöka hur man kan minska miljöpåverkan samtidigt som samhällets krav på säkra, näringsrika och prisvärda kött- och mejeriprodukter tillgodoses. Syftet med projektet var att identifiera och öka hållbara metoder längs leverans- och produktionskedjorna i den europeiska boskapssektorn. En del av PATHWAYS var en konsumentundersökning bestående av tio delar. Man har undersökt bland annat konsumenternas matvanor, inställning till hållbara lösningar, samt hur sociodemokratiska egenskaper påverkar motivationen hos konsumenten. Dessa uppgifter kommer att analyseras och diskuteras i studien. Studien innehåller även en litteraturgenomgång som används för att jämföra och analysera resultaten. Resultaten från studien visar att den svenska konsumenten är mån om hållbar livsmedelsproduktion och har generellt en hög motivationsnivå i flertalet situationer. Ekonomi har en stor inverkan på livsmedelskonsumtionen och hållbara

The allometric trophic network (ATN) framework for modeling population dynamics has provided numerous insights into ecosystem functioning in recent years. Herein we extend ATN modeling of the intertidal ecosystem off central Chile to include empirical data on pelagic chlorophyll-a concentration. This intertidal community requires subsidy of primary productivity to support its rich ecosystem. Previous work models this subsidy using a constant rate of phytoplankton input to the system. However, data shows pelagic subsidies exhibit highly variable, pulse-like behavior. The primary contribution of our work is incorporating this variable input into ATN modeling to simulate how this ecosystem may respond to pulses of pelagic phytoplankton. Our model results show that: (1) closely related sea snails respond differently to phytoplankton variability, which is explained by the underlying network structure of the food web; (2) increasing the rate of pelagic-intertidal mixing increases fluctuations in species biomasses that may increase the risk of local extirpation; (3) predators are the most sensitive species to phytoplankton biomass fluctuations, putting these species at greater risk of extirpation than others. Finally, our work provides a straightforward way to incorporate empirical, time-series data into the ATN framework that will expand this powerful methodology to new applications.

Ecosystems that are coupled by reciprocal flows of energy and nutrient subsidies can be viewed as a single "meta-ecosystem." Despite these connections, the reciprocal flow of subsidies is greatly asymmetrical and seasonally pulsed. Here, we synthesize existing literature on stream-riparian meta-ecosystems to quantify global patterns of the amount of subsidy consumption by organisms, known as "allochthony." These resource flows are important since they can comprise a large portion of consumer diets, but can be disrupted by human modification of streams and riparian zones. Despite asymmetrical subsidy flows, we found stream and riparian consumer allochthony to be equivalent. Although both fish and stream invertebrates rely on seasonally pulsed allochthonous resources, we find allochthony varies seasonally only for fish, being nearly three times greater during the summer and fall than during the winter and spring. We also find that consumer allochthony varies with feeding traits for aquatic invertebrates, fish, and terrestrial arthropods, but not for terrestrial vertebrates. Finally, we find that allochthony varies by climate for aquatic invertebrates, being nearly twice as great in arid climates than in tropical climates, but not for fish. These findings are critical to understanding the consequences of global change, as ecosystem connections are being increasingly disrupted.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) transport substantial plant carbon (C) that serves as a substrate for soil organisms, a precursor of soil organic matter (SOM), and a driver of soil microbial dynamics. Using two-chamber microcosms where an air gap isolated AMF from roots, we 13CO2-labeled Avena barbata for 6 wk and measured the C Rhizophagus intraradices transferred to SOM and hyphosphere microorganisms. NanoSIMS imaging revealed hyphae and roots had similar 13C enrichment. SOM density fractionation, 13C NMR, and IRMS showed AMF transferred 0.77 mg C g-1 of soil (increasing total C by 2% relative to non-mycorrhizal controls); 33% was found in occluded or mineral-associated pools. In the AMF hyphosphere, there was no overall change in community diversity but 36 bacterial ASVs significantly changed in relative abundance. With stable isotope probing (SIP)-enabled shotgun sequencing, we found taxa from the Solibacterales, Sphingobacteriales, Myxococcales, and Nitrososphaerales (ammonium oxidizing archaea) were highly enriched in AMF-imported 13C (> 20 atom%). Mapping sequences from 13C-SIP metagenomes to total ASVs showed at least 92 bacteria and archaea were significantly 13C-enriched. Our results illustrate the quantitative and ecological impact of hyphal C transport on the formation of potentially protective SOM pools and microbial roles in the AMF hyphosphere soil food web.

Bioenergetic approaches have been greatly influential for understanding community functioning and stability and predicting effects of environmental changes on biodiversity. These approaches use allometric relationships to establish species' trophic interactions and consumption rates and have been successfully applied to aquatic ecosystems. Terrestrial ecosystems, where body mass is less predictive of plant-consumer interactions, present inherent challenges that these models have yet to meet. Here, we discuss the processes governing terrestrial plant-consumer interactions and develop a bioenergetic framework integrating those processes. Our framework integrates bioenergetics specific to terrestrial plants and their consumers within a food web approach while also considering mutualistic interactions. Such a framework is poised to advance our understanding of terrestrial food webs and to predict their responses to environmental changes.

Marine animal biomass is expected to decrease in the 21st century due to climate driven changes in ocean environmental conditions. Previous studies suggest that the magnitude of the decline in primary production on apex predators could be amplified through the trophodynamics of marine food webs, leading to larger decreases in the biomass of predators relative to the decrease in primary production, a mechanism called trophic amplification. We compared relative changes in producer and consumer biomass or production in the global ocean to assess the extent of trophic amplification. We used simulations from nine marine ecosystem models (MEMs) from the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Models Intercomparison Project forced by two Earth System Models under the high greenhouse gas emissions Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP5-8.5) and a scenario of no fishing. Globally, total consumer biomass is projected to decrease by 16.7 ± 9.5% more than net primary production (NPP) by 2090-2099 relative to 1995-2014, with substantial variations among MEMs and regions. Total consumer biomass is projected to decrease almost everywhere in the ocean (80% of the worlds oceans) in the model ensemble. In 40% of the worlds oceans, consumer biomass was projected to decrease more than NPP. Additionally, in another 36% of the worlds oceans consumer biomass is expected to decrease even as projected NPP increases. By analysing the biomass response within food webs in available MEMs, we found that model parameters and structures contributed to more complex responses than a consistent amplification of climate impacts of higher trophic levels. Our study provides additional insights into the ecological mechanisms that will impact marine ecosystems, thereby informing model and scenario development.

Soil viral ecology is a growing research field; however, the state of knowledge still lags behind that of aquatic systems. Therefore, to facilitate progress, the first Soil Viral Workshop was held to encourage international scientific discussion and collaboration, suggest guidelines for future research, and establish soil viral research as a concrete research area. The workshop took place at Søminestationen, Denmark, between 15 and 17th of June 2022. The meeting was primarily held in person, but the sessions were also streamed online. The workshop was attended by 23 researchers from ten different countries and from a wide range of subfields and career stages. Eleven talks were presented, followed by discussions revolving around three major topics: viral genomics, virus-host interactions, and viruses in the soil food web. The main take-home messages and suggestions from the discussions are summarized in this report.

Spatial dynamics can promote persistence of strongly interacting predators and prey. Theory predicts that spatial predator-prey systems are prone to long transients, meaning that the dynamics leading to persistence or extinction manifest over hundreds of generations. Furthermore, the form and duration of transients may be altered by spatial network structure. Few empirical studies have examined the importance of transients in spatial food webs, especially in a network context, due to the difficulty in collecting the large scale and long-term data required. We examined predator-prey dynamics in protist microcosms using three experimental spatial structures: isolated, river-like dendritic networks and regular lattice networks. Densities and patterns of occupancy were followed for both predators and prey over a time scale that equates to >100 predator and >500 prey generations. We found that predators persisted in dendritic and lattice networks whereas they went extinct in the isolated treatment. The dynamics leading to predator persistence played out over long transients with three distinct phases. The transient phases showed differences between dendritic and lattice structures, as did underlying patterns of occupancy. Spatial dynamics differed among organisms in different trophic positions. Predators showed higher local persistence in more connected bottles while prey showed this in more spatially isolated ones. Predictions based on spatial patterns of connectivity derived from metapopulation theory explained predator occupancy, while prey occupancy was better explained by predator occupancy. Our results strongly support the hypothesized role of spatial dynamics in promoting persistence in food webs, but that the dynamics ultimately leading to persistence may occur with long transients which in turn may be influenced by spatial network structure and trophic interactions.

Predation pressure and herbivory exert cascading effects on coral reef health and stability. However, the extent of these cascading effects can vary considerably across space and time. This variability is likely a result of the complex interactions between coral reefs' biotic and abiotic dimensions. A major biological component that has been poorly integrated into the reefs' trophic studies is the microbial community, despite its role in coral death and bleaching susceptibility. Viruses that infect bacteria can control microbial densities and may positively affect coral health by controlling microbialization. We hypothesize that viral predation of bacteria has analogous effects to the top-down pressure of macroorganisms on the trophic structure and reef health. Here, we investigated the relationships between live coral cover and viruses, bacteria, benthic algae, fish biomass, and water chemistry in 110 reefs spanning inhabited and uninhabited islands and atolls across the Pacific Ocean. Statistical learning showed that the abundance of turf algae, viruses, and bacteria, in that order, were the variables best predicting the variance in coral cover. While fish biomass was not a strong predictor of coral cover, the relationship between fish and corals became apparent when analyzed in the context of viral predation: high coral cover (> 50%) occurred on reefs with a combination of high predator fish biomass (sum of sharks and piscivores > 200 g m-2) and high virus-to-bacteria ratios (> 10), an indicator of viral predation pressure. However, these relationships were non-linear, with reefs at the higher and lower ends of the coral cover continuum displaying a narrow combination of abiotic and biotic variables, while reefs at intermediate coral cover showed a wider range of parameter combinations. The results presented here support the hypothesis that viral predation of bacteria is associated with high coral cover and, thus, coral health and stability. We

Predator-prey interactions are one of ecology's central research themes, but with many interdisciplinary implications across the social and natural sciences. Here we consider an often-overlooked species in these interactions, namely parasites. We first show that a simple predator-prey-parasite model, inspired by the classical Lotka-Volterra equations, fails to produce a stable coexistence of all three species, thus failing to provide a biologically realistic outcome. To improve this, we introduce free space as a relevant eco-evolutionary component in a new mathematical model that uses a game-theoretical payoff matrix to describe a more realistic setup. We then show that the consideration of free space stabilizes the dynamics by means of cyclic dominance that emerges between the three species. We determine the parameter regions of coexistence as well as the types of bifurcations leading to it by means of analytical derivations as well as by means of numerical simulations. We conclude that the consideration of free space as a finite resource reveals the limits of biodiversity in predator-prey-parasite interactions, and it may also help us in the determination of factors that promote a healthy biota.

El trabajo trata de los efectos de la reciente reforma de la Ley 12/2013 de medidas para mejorar el funcionamiento de la cadena alimentaria en las cooperativas y en otras entidades asociativas. Primero se explica el origen y evolución de esta norma y el contenido de la reforma realizada por la Ley 16/2021, que parte de la imposición a las cooperativas de la obligación de formalizar contratos alimentarios individualizados y por escrito por las entregas que realicen sus socios. Después se defiende que, por la naturaleza jurídica de la actividad cooperativizada (que se demuestra con apoyos legales concretos que es tiene carácter interno, societario, sin ánimo de lucro y no comercial), no debería serle de aplicación en ningún punto la ley de la cadena alimentaria, norma que está diseñada para equilibrar poderes entre los diferentes eslabones de la cadena de valor. El trabajo también trata de la situación respecto a la ley de la cadena alimentaria de las cooperativas de segundo y ulterior grado, de las sociedades agrarias de transformación, de las sociedades de capital participadas mayoritariamente por cooperativas y de las operaciones realizadas en virtud de acuerdos intercooperativos. Por último, se realiza un análisis crítico del precepto que establece las condiciones necesarias para que las cooperativas y otras entidades asociativas puedan salvar la obligación de articular con contratos las entregas de productos de sus socios, realizando una serie de recomendaciones para que estas entidades establezcan debidamente, en los estatutos o por acuerdos sociales, el procedimiento de determinación del valor del producto entregado por sus socios y el calendario de liquidación., This paper aims to analyze the effects produced by the recent legal amendment of Law 12/2013, which regulates different measures to improve the food chain in cooperatives as well as in other associative entities. Firstly, it will be developed the origin and evolution of the aforementioned Act. On top of that, it will be discussed the legal reform carried out by Law 16/2021, which among others, imposes the obligation of establishing individualized written food contracts for the deliveries made by their partners. Secondly, it is argued that due to the legal nature of the cooperative activity, the food chain law should not be applied at any point. Even so, this will also be underlined by taking into account the specific legal support cooperative activity has, such as its internal, corporate, non-profit, and non-commercial nature. Thirdly, the paper deal with the situation regarding this law that affects second and subsequentdegree cooperatives, agrarian transformation companies, capital companies majority-owned by cooperatives, as well as the study of the operations carried out under inter-cooperative agreements. Finally, a critical analysis is made of the provision that establishes the requirements for cooperatives and other associative entities to avoid the obligation to contractually articulate the deliveries of their members' products. Viable solutions or recommendations that these entities, statutorily or by social agreements should establish, will be discussed. To name just but a few examples, it will be developed the procedure for determining the value of the product delivered by its partners or the settlement schedule., Escuela de Estudios Cooperativos, Fac. de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, TRUE, pub

Aquatic ecosystems world-wide are being irreversibly altered, suggesting that new and innovative management strategies are necessary to improve ecosystem function and sustainability. In river ecosystems degraded by dams environmental flows and selective withdrawal (SWD) infrastructure have been used to improve habitat for native species. Yet, few studies have quantified nutrient and food web export subsidies from upstream reservoirs, despite their potential to subsidize downstream riverine food webs. We sampled nutrient, phytoplankton, and zooplankton concentrations in outflows from the Shasta-Keswick reservoir complex in Northern California over a 12-month period to understand how SWD operation and internal reservoir conditions interact to influence subsidies to the Sacramento River. We found that nutrients, phytoplankton, and zooplankton were continuously exported from Shasta Reservoir to the Sacramento River and that gate operations at Shasta Dam were important in controlling exports. Further, our results indicate that gate operations and water-export depth strongly correlated with zooplankton community exports, whereas internal reservoir conditions (mixing and residence time) controlled concentrations of exported zooplankton biomass and chlorophyll a. These results demonstrate that reservoirs can be an important source of nutrient and food web subsidies and that selective withdrawal infrastructure may provide a valuable management tool to control ecosystem-level productivity downstream of dams.

This paper aims to analyze the effects produced by the recent legal amendment of Law 12/2013, which regulates different measures to improve the food chain in cooperatives as well as in other associative entities. Firstly, it will be developed the origin and evolution of the aforementioned Act. On top of that, it will be discussed the legal reform carried out by Law 16/2021, which among others, imposes the obligation of establishing individualized written food contracts for the deliveries made by their partners. Secondly, it is argued that due to the legal nature of the cooperative activity, the food chain law should not be applied at any point. Even so, this will also be underlined by taking into account the specific legal support cooperative activity has, such as its internal, corporate, non-profit, and non-commercial nature. Thirdly, the paper deal with the situation regarding this law that affects second and subsequentdegree cooperatives, agrarian transformation companies, capital companies majority-owned by cooperatives, as well as the study of the operations carried out under inter-cooperative agreements. Finally, a critical analysis is made of the provision that establishes the requirements for cooperatives and other associative entities to avoid the obligation to contractually articulate the deliveries of their members' products. Viable solutions or recommendations that these entities, statutorily or by social agreements should establish, will be discussed. To name just but a few examples, it will be developed the procedure for determining the value of the product delivered by its partners or the settlement schedule., El trabajo trata de los efectos de la reciente reforma de la Ley 12/2013 de medidas para mejorar el funcionamiento de la cadena alimentaria en las cooperativas y en otras entidades asociativas. Primero se explica el origen y evolución de esta norma y el contenido de la reforma realizada por la Ley 16/2021, que parte de la imposición a las cooperativas de la obligación de formalizar contratos alimentarios individualizados y por escrito por las entregas que realicen sus socios. Después se defiende que, por la naturaleza jurídica de la actividad cooperativizada (que se demuestra con apoyos legales concretos que es tiene carácter interno, societario, sin ánimo de lucro y no comercial), no debería serle de aplicación en ningún punto la ley de la cadena alimentaria, norma que está diseñada para equilibrar poderes entre los diferentes eslabones de la cadena de valor. El trabajo también trata de la situación respecto a la ley de la cadena alimentaria de las cooperativas de segundo y ulterior grado, de las sociedades agrarias de transformación, de las sociedades de capital participadas mayoritariamente por cooperativas y de las operaciones realizadas en virtud de acuerdos intercooperativos. Por último, se realiza un análisis crítico del precepto que establece las condiciones necesarias para que las cooperativas y otras entidades asociativas puedan salvar la obligación de articular con contratos las entregas de productos de sus socios, realizando una serie de recomendaciones para que estas entidades establezcan debidamente, en los estatutos o por acuerdos sociales, el procedimiento de determinación del valor del producto entregado por sus socios y el calendario de liquidación.

Consumers’ interest in local food has recently increased, even if the distinction between local and global food still remains unclear. Aside from the concept of food-miles, no metrics exist to quantify the level of “localness” of a product. In this study, five criteria for making this distinction are derived from the literature: geographical distance, supply chain size, supply chain length, identity, and governance. Two case studies from the Swiss cheese sector are analyzed using these criteria in order to illustrate the application of the framework and to show the differences in their localness. On average, the local cheese obtains a degree of localness of 56% and the global one achieves 31%. There are small differences in “geographical distance” and “supply chain length”; but the distinction lies more in “supply chain size,” “identity,” and “governance.” This study shows that these cheeses hide a local–global hybridity, by promoting local attributes and values while being embedded in international markets.

In addition to microbiological criteria for food (food safety criteria and hygiene criteria in the production process), microbiological purity criteria are a very important link in the microbiology of the food chain. Swab samples of equipment, devices, accessories, work surfaces, work clothes and hands of workers engaged in production, processing and traffic in facilities and vehicles that come into contact with food, and where there is a risk of the appearance and spread of an infectious disease, were used for testing. The examined samples originated from facilities for the production, processing and distribution of food restaurants and other catering facilities where food is served, educational and social protection facilities (accommodation facilities) and vehicles that come into contact with food. The study was carried out during year 2020 and included 2,958 samples. Laboratory analysis of swab samples was performed using BAS EN ISO 4833-1:2014, BAS EN ISO 21528-2:2018, BAS EN ISO 11290-1:2018 and BAS EN ISO 6579-1:2018 methods. The aim of the study is to assess the microbiological purity in the food chain. Of the total number of analyzed swab samples, 94.22% were satisfactory, and 5.78% were unsatisfactory. Observed in relation to the total number of analyzed samples, 77.19% of the samples were unsatisfactory due to the increased number of aerobic microorganisms at 30°C, and 22.81% due to the increased number of Enterobacteriaceae. Pathogens Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were not isolated in any swab samples. The obtained results indicate that the general level of hygiene in the production and distribution of food is at a high level, especially due to the absence of pathogens Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, but that there is still a risk of contamination by Enterobacteriaceae, which are indicators of the hygiene of the production process.

Imprudent use of antibiotics in the production of plants and animals raised for food contributes to the spread and evolution of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, the expansion of resistant bacteria and resistance genes among human-associated, animal-associated, and environmental microbiomes in food production systems break boundary barriers, further exacerbating the problem. Therefore, based on the understanding of the fate and dynamics of antibiotic resistance in food production systems, this paper adheres to the One Health framework to support collaborative efforts across multiple sectors to apply preventive measures (e.g., heightening awareness of antibiotic resistance and its confounding factors, strengthening environmental governance and regulatory frameworks, and constructing integrated food production surveillance systems) for the mitigation of antibiotic resistance. This review provides updated information on the sources and transmission of antibiotic resistance in agri-food production and proposes some strategies to alleviate the human burden of antibiotic resistance.

Plastic is broadly used for various human interests (technological devices, food packaging, medical products, etc.) and there is an increasing concern about the risks for our surrounding environment and health. In particular, microplastics (MPs), both primary and secondary, occur in all environmental pockets and constitute a potential warning, since they easily enter into the food chain. Moreover, microplastics have the ability to absorb diverse pollutants, which thereby get accumulated inside human body via processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. A systematic review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of wastewater treatment facilities (WWTPs) in removing microplastics. Published research on the effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for microplastic removal were searched using international databases (PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus). Contamination of MPs in aquatic environment has presently been recorded as a transpiring environmental threat because of their fatalistic impact on the ecosystem. Their sources are numerous, but, undoubtedly, all are from synthetic matters. The sources of MPs are cosmetics and products of personal care, textile and tyre, abrasion processes of some other plastic products, bitumen and paints for road marking. Due to their low density and tiny particle size, MPs get easily extravasated into the wastewater drainage systems. Therefore, the municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are designated to be the foremost recipients of MPs prior to getting excreted into the natural water reservoirs. The focus of this article is to put forward an all-inclusive review in order to preferably understand the channels of MPs into the environment, their characteristics in wastewater, and most importantly, the removal efficiency of MPs of the subsisting wastewater treatment technologies, as arrogated by the WWTPs. This review also encompasses the expansion of budding microplastics treatment technologies that have

Distribution of Earth's biomes is structured by the match between climate and plant traits, which in turn shape associated communities and ecosystem processes and services. However, that climate-trait match can be disrupted by historical events, with lasting ecosystem impacts. As Earth's environment changes faster than at any time in human history, critical questions are whether and how organismal traits and ecosystems can adjust to altered conditions. We quantified the relative importance of current environmental forcing versus evolutionary history in shaping the growth form (stature and biomass) and associated community of eelgrass (Zostera marina), a widespread foundation plant of marine ecosystems along Northern Hemisphere coastlines, which experienced major shifts in distribution and genetic composition during the Pleistocene. We found that eelgrass stature and biomass retain a legacy of the Pleistocene colonization of the Atlantic from the ancestral Pacific range and of more recent within-basin bottlenecks and genetic differentiation. This evolutionary legacy in turn influences the biomass of associated algae and invertebrates that fuel coastal food webs, with effects comparable to or stronger than effects of current environmental forcing. Such historical lags in phenotypic acclimatization may constrain ecosystem adjustments to rapid anthropogenic climate change, thus altering predictions about the future functioning of ecosystems.

Siphonophores (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) are abundant and diverse gelatinous predators in open-ocean ecosystems. Due to limited access to the midwater, little is known about the diets of most deep-dwelling gelatinous species, which constrains our understanding of food-web structure and nutrient flow in these vast ecosystems. Visual gut-content methods can rarely identify soft-bodied rapidly-digested prey, while observations from submersibles often overlook small prey items. These methods have been differentially applied to shallow and deep siphonophore taxa, confounding habitat and methodological biases. DNA metabarcoding can be used to assess both shallow and deep species' diets under a common methodological framework, since it can detect both small and gelatinous prey. We (1) further characterized the diets of open-ocean siphonophores using DNA metabarcoding, (2) compared the prey detected by visual and molecular methods to evaluate their technical biases, and (3) evaluated tentacle-based predictions of diet. To do this, we performed DNA metabarcoding analyses on the gut contents of 39 siphonophore species across depths to describe their diets, using six barcode regions along the 18S gene. Taxonomic identifications were assigned using public databases combined with local zooplankton sequences. We identified 55 unique prey items, including crustaceans, gelatinous animals, and fish across 47 siphonophore specimens in 24 species. We reported 29 novel predator-prey interactions, among them the first insights into the diets of nine siphonophore species, many of which were congruent with the dietary predictions based on tentilla morphology. Our analyses detected both small and gelatinous prey taxa underrepresented by visual methods in species from both shallow and deep habitats, indicating that siphonophores play similar trophic roles across depth habitats. We also reveal hidden links between siphonophores and filter-feeders near the base of the food web. This study expands o

In the present work, a mathematical model is built that represents the dynamics that exist between phytoplankton (F), zooplankton (Z) and anchovy (A) from the model of Samares and Anal. This food chain occurs in the Peruvian maritime area where there is a three-link ecosystem, in addition to the fact that the food chain is a main axis in the ecological balance within the sea. The behavior of the populations (maritime species) will be studied where the stability of the model (Routh-Hurwitz criterion) in the long term will be determined, where it will be analyzed with the Dulac-Bendixon criterion to evaluate the existence of closed periodic orbits. And the respective computational simulations to complement the study and interpret the situations that affect the maritime ecosystem., En el presente trabajo, se construye un modelo matemático que representa la dinámica que existe entre el fitoplancton (F), el zooplancton (Z) y la anchoveta (A) a partir del modelo de Samares y Anal. Esta cadena alimenticia se presenta en el área marítima peruana donde se encuentra un ecosistema de tres eslabones, además que la cadena alimenticia es un eje principal en el equilibrio ecológico dentro del mar. Se estudiará el comportamiento de las poblaciones (especies marítimas) donde se determinará la estabilidad del modelo (criterio de Routh-Hurwitz) en el largo plazo, donde se analizará con el criterio de Dulac-Bendixon para evaluar la existencia de órbitas periódicas cerradas. Y las respectivas simulaciones computacionales para complementar el estudio e interpretar las situaciones que afectan al ecosistema marítimo.

Persistent and semi-persistent halogenated compounds cause health problems for the animals occupying the upper level of the food web in the Baltic Sea. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), being a top piscivore in the Baltic Sea, has been observed to carry a large body burden of halogenated toxins. Here, a mixture of nine halogenated compounds belonging to different groups was created, based on the observed composition of halogenated toxins in salmon serum. The toxicokinetic properties of the compounds were studied in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos to achieve the same proportions between the internal doses of the compounds in the zebrafish as in the salmon. Toxicity was evaluated for the compounds dosed individually as well as in a mixture. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was the dominant compound in the salmon and was observed to be the driving force for effects on swimbladder inflation caused by the mixture with a 50% effect concentration of 4.8 µM nominal dose, or 1300 µMD based on the area under the internal concentration-time curve (AUC). The driving compound for other severe effects caused by the mixture, including lethality, spinal deformity, and edemas, was the hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ether 6-OH-BDE47, which was observed to have a 50% lethality concentration of 93 nM, corresponding to 94 µMD based on internal dose (AUC). The individual compounds were observed to act additively on most of the documented outcomes when dosed as a mixture.

Distribution of Earth's biomes is structured by the match between climate and plant traits, which in turn shape associated communities and ecosystem processes and services. However, that climate-trait match can be disrupted by historical events, with lasting ecosystem impacts. As Earth's environment changes faster than at any time in human history, critical questions are whether and how organismal traits and ecosystems can adjust to altered conditions. We quantified the relative importance of current environmental forcing versus evolutionary history in shaping the growth form (stature and biomass) and associated community of eelgrass (Zostera marina), a widespread foundation plant of marine ecosystems along Northern Hemisphere coastlines, which experienced major shifts in distribution and genetic composition during the Pleistocene. We found that eelgrass stature and biomass retain a legacy of the Pleistocene colonization of the Atlantic from the ancestral Pacific range and of more recent within-basin bottlenecks and genetic differentiation. This evolutionary legacy in turn influences the biomass of associated algae and invertebrates that fuel coastal food webs, with effects comparable to or stronger than effects of current environmental forcing. Such historical lags in phenotypic acclimatization may constrain ecosystem adjustments to rapid anthropogenic climate change, thus altering predictions about the future functioning of ecosystems.

Food webs map feeding interactions among species, providing a valuable tool for understanding and predicting community dynamics. Using species' body sizes is a promising avenue for parameterizing food-web models, but such approaches have not yet been able to fully recover observed community dynamics. Such discrepancies suggest that traits other than body size also play important roles. For example, differences in species' use of microhabitat or non-consumptive effects of intraguild predators may affect dynamics in ways not captured by body size. In Laubmeier et al. (2018), we developed a dynamic food-web model incorporating microhabitat and non-consumptive predator effects in addition to body size, and used simulations to suggest an optimal sampling design of a mesocosm experiment to test the model. Here, we perform the mesocosm experiment to generate empirical timeseries of insect herbivore and predator abundance dynamics. We minimize least squares error between the model and time-series to determine parameter values of four alternative models, which differ in terms of including vs excluding microhabitat use and non-consumptive predator-predator effects. We use both statistical and expert-knowledge criteria to compare the models and find including both microhabitat use and non-consumptive predatorpredator effects best explains observed aphid and predator population dynamics, followed by the model including microhabitat alone. This ranking suggests that microhabitat plays a larger role in driving population dynamics than non-consumptive predator-predator effects, although both are clearly important. Our results illustrate the importance of additional traits alongside body size in driving trophic interactions. They also point to the need to consider trophic interactions and population dynamics in a wider community context, where non-trophic impacts can dramatically modify the interplay between multiple predators and prey. Overall, we demonstrate the potential for uti, CC BY 4.0Correspondence Address: Wootton, K.L.; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden; email: kate.l.wootton@gmail.comData Availability Statement: All data are available from the Swedish national data service https://snd.gu.se/en. Title: Population dynamics in greenhouse experiments of aphids and their predators, based on body size and habitat use.Funding: This research was supported by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (KLW, RB, TR) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, August T. Larsson guest researchers programme (awarded to RB) URL:https://www.slu.se/en/faculties/nj

Anoxic conditions within reservoirs related to thermal stratification and oxygen depletion lead to methylmercury (MeHg) production, a key process governing the uptake of mercury in aquatic food webs. Once formed within a reservoir, the timing and magnitude of the biological uptake of MeHg and the relative importance of MeHg export in water versus biological compartments remain poorly understood. We examined the relations between the reservoir stratification state, anoxia, and the concentrations and export loads of MeHg in aqueous and biological compartments at the outflow locations of two reservoirs of the Hells Canyon Complex (Snake River, Idaho-Oregon). Results show that (1) MeHg concentrations in filter-passing water, zooplankton, suspended particles, and detritus increased in response to reservoir destratification; (2) zooplankton MeHg strongly correlated with MeHg in filter-passing water during destratification; (3) reservoir anoxia appeared to be a key control on MeHg export; and (4) biological MeHg, primarily in zooplankton, accounted for only 5% of total MeHg export from the reservoirs (the remainder being aqueous compartments). These results improve our understanding of the role of biological incorporation of MeHg and the subsequent downstream release from seasonally stratified reservoirs and demonstrate that in-reservoir physical processes strongly influence MeHg incorporation at the base of the aquatic food web.

Pinnatoxins (PnTX) and Portimines (Prtn), two toxins produced by the benthic dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum, are known to be lethal to mice after intraperitoneal or oral administration. They are also known to accumulate in shellfish such as mussels and clams, but their effect on fish and the upper food chain remains unknown. In this work, juveniles of the fish Liza ramada (Mullet) were exposed to a strain of V. rugosum producing PnTX G and Prtn A. The fishes’ viability and contamination were recorded at times interval. Results showed that L. ramada juveniles were able to feed on V. rugosum and that their tissues could be contaminated by PnTX G and Prtn A without impact on fish viability. Furthermore, the microalgae temporary cysts survived and germinated after fish gut passage. This study showed the potential of L. ramada to transfer PnTX and Prtn toxins to the upper food chain and to disseminate V. rugosum in environment.

A narrative in ecology is that prey modify traits to reduce predation risk, and the trait modification has costs large enough to cause ensuing demographic, trophic and ecosystem consequences, with implications for conservation, management and agriculture. But ecology has a long history of emphasising that quantifying the importance of an ecological process ultimately requires evidence linking a process to unmanipulated field patterns. We suspected that such process-linked-to-pattern (PLP) studies were poorly represented in the predation risk literature, which conflicts with the confidence often given to the importance of risk effects. We reviewed 29 years of the ecological literature which revealed that there are well over 4000 articles on risk effects. Of those, 349 studies examined risk effects on prey fitness measures or abundance (i.e., non-consumptive effects) of which only 26 were PLP studies, while 275 studies examined effects on other interacting species (i.e., trait-mediated indirect effects) of which only 35 were PLP studies. PLP studies were narrowly focused taxonomically and included only three that examined unmanipulated patterns of prey abundance. Before concluding a widespread and influential role of predation-risk effects, more attention must be given to linking the process of risk effects to unmanipulated patterns observed across diverse ecosystems.

The presence of high levels of carcinogenic metalloid arsenic (As) in the groundwater system of Bangladesh has been considered as one of the major environmental disasters in this region. Many parts of Bangladesh have extensively reported the presence of high levels of arsenic in the groundwater due to both geological and anthropogenic activities. In this paper, we reviewed the available literature and scientific information regarding arsenic pollution in Bangladesh, including arsenic chemistry and occurrences. Along with using As-rich groundwater as a drinking-water source, the agricultural activities and especially irrigation have greatly depended on the groundwater resources in this region due to high water demands for ensuring food security. A number of investigations in Bangladesh have shown that high arsenic content in both soil and groundwater may result in high levels of arsenic accumulation in different plants, including cereals and vegetables. This review provides information regarding arsenic accumulation in major rice varieties, soil-groundwater-rice arsenic interaction, and past arsenic policies and plans, as well as previously implemented arsenic mitigation options for both drinking and irrigation water systems in Bangladesh. In conclusion, this review highlights the importance and necessity for more in-depth studies as well as more effective arsenic mitigation action plans to reduce arsenic incorporation in the food chain of Bangladesh.

Not only spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) but also vespine wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae ) including hornets (the genus Vespa ) and yellowjackets (the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula ) belong to top predator community within arthropod food webs . Thus, between two communities, intraguild predation (IGP) defined as killing and eating among potential competitors is considered to occur. However, the possibility has not investigated enough so far. In the present study by means of bibliographic survey it has been reported that the observations of predation on Vespa , Vespula , and Dolichovespula of vespine wasps by spiders; i.e., large web building spider Argiope spp. (Araneidae) captured Vespa orientalis , A. amoena and A. bruennichi fed on hornets V. analis , jumping spiders such as Phidippus aud ax (Salticidae) preyed on yellowjackets Vespula germanica , Dolichovespula maculate , and D. arenaria ), a tunnel web spider Porrhothele antipodiana ( consumed Vl. germanica , orb weavers A. aurantia and A. florida captured Vl. squamosa diet of wandering spider Phoneutria boliviensis Ctenidae) contained Vespula sp. By contrast, 20 cases were that vespine wasps foraged spiders from 10 publications with certain species names. Accordingly, symmetric IGP between vespine wasps and spiders is suggested. Observations on kleptoparasitism by hornets, an escaping from a spider’s web by a vespulid wasp, and a killing between a spider and a yellowjacket each other were also known. Although spiders are both prey and predators of vespine wasps, further studies are required to elucidate quantitatively the interaction of prey predator relationship as symmetric IGP., Serket, 18(3), pp.287-298; 2022

Species ranges are shifting in response to climate change, but most predictions disregard food-web interactions and, in particular, if and how such interactions change through time. Predator-prey interactions could speed up species range shifts through enemy release or create lags through biotic resistance. Here, we developed a spatially explicit model of interacting species, each with a thermal niche and embedded in a size-structured food-web across a temperature gradient that was then exposed to warming. We also created counterfactual single species models to contrast and highlight the effect of trophic interactions on range shifts. We found that dynamic trophic interactions hampered species range shifts across 450 simulated food-webs with up to 200 species each over 200 years of warming. All species experiencing dynamic trophic interactions shifted more slowly than single-species models would predict. In addition, the trailing edges of larger bodied species ranges shifted especially slowly because of ecological subsidies from small shifting prey. Trophic interactions also reduced the numbers of locally novel species, novel interactions and productive species, thus maintaining historical community compositions for longer. Current forecasts ignoring dynamic food-web interactions and allometry may overestimate species tendency to track climate change.

Hyperparasitoids are some of the most diverse members of insect food webs. True hyperparasitoids parasitize the larvae of other parasitoids, reaching these larvae with their ovipositor through the herbivore that hosts the parasitoid larva. During pupation, primary parasitoids also may be attacked by pseudohyperparasitoids that lay their eggs on the parasitoid (pre)pupae. By attacking primary parasitoids, hyperparasitoids may affect herbivore population dynamics, and they have been identified as a major challenge in biological control. Over the past decades, research, especially on aphid- and caterpillar-associated hyperparasitoids, has revealed that hyperparasitoids challenge rules on nutrient use efficiency in trophic chains, account for herbivore outbreaks, or stabilize competitive interactions in lower trophic levels, and they may use cues derived from complex interaction networks to locate their hosts. This review focuses on the fascinating ecology of hyperparasitoids related to how they exploit and locate their often inconspicuous hosts and the insect community processes in which hyperparasitoids are prominent players.

The presence of plastic materials in a water stream is a serious environmental concern because of their poor degradability characteristics. The enormous rise in the production of plastics causes a significant amount of plastic waste on the land to enter water bodies. If the particle size is small at the micro level (less than 5 mm in diameter), it has significant potential for blocking the fine pores of filtration and membrane systems. Their encroachment also poses a threat to human health in the food chain. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in removing a significant amount of microplastics; otherwise, they end up in the process of bioaccumulation. This study provides an idea about the characteristics of microplastics, removal efficiency, and the correlation between wastewater quality and microplastic concentrations from three different WWTPs that differ in the biological and advanced wastewater treatment techniques, which are believed to play an important role in microplastic removal. It also focuses on how waste treatment facilities affect the retention of microplastics and discusses issues with using sewage sludge laden with microplastic.

This paper tries to reproduce two types of trophic chains on the example of an aquatic ecosystem model, with the participation of planktonic and benthic organisms: "yersinia - infusoria - daphnia - fish" and "yersinia - insect larvae - fish". The concentration of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis during primary infection (infusoria culture medium) was 109/ml. In the first hours after infection, the concentration of bacteria in the infusoria decreased (105cfu/mass ). In daphnia, which consumed infected infusoria, the concentration of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis decreases in the first 3-5 days (from 105 to 103 cfu/10 individuals), then the reproduction of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in daphnia continues, and on the 11th day it reaches 107 cfu/10 individuals. The concentration of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in the intestines of fish fed infected daphnia (107cfu/10 individuals) is continuously decreasing: 105 cfu (after 24 hours) and 102-101 cfu/individuals (after 15-30 days).

Consumers play a crucial role in reducing the burden on the environment through their food choices. Currently, food choices are mainly determined by price, convenience, taste and health. To change eating patterns to more sustainable eating patterns, it is essential to understand how consumers interpret “sustainability” in relation to the food supply chain. The aim of this systematic review is to categorize and to describe consumer perceptions of food-related environmental sustainability in general. We conducted a systematic literature review of quantitative and qualitative studies published between January 2010 and June 2020. This resulted in 76 articles; 49 quantitative, 21 qualitative and 6 mixed-method studies. Open coding (grounded theory) was used, and codes were subsequently categorized into subcategories, categories and domains (domain analysis). In total, 834 codes were categorized into 118 subcategories. These subcategories were clustered into 30 categories describing seven different overarching domains: 1) production, 2) transportation, 3) product, 4) product group, 5) consumer, 6) waste and 7) contextual factors. The domains production (31%), transportation (19%) and product (14%) were the largest domains identified in quantitative studies, and in qualitative studies these were production (25%), consumer (20%) and product (20%). Environmental impact, (locally and organic) food choices and ethical production are the most frequent categories mentioned by consumers. However, this literature review also showed that consumers still lack key knowledge on some other specific food-related sustainability topics. In particular, consumers have difficulty defining the concept “sustainability” and to estimate the environmental impact of their food choices. Consumers believe that sustainability does not (yet) influence their food choices. Currently, consumers consider price, taste and individual health more influential than sustainability. It would be useful for policy

The adverse effects of agriculture and livestock production on the environment are well-known and require mitigation in order to achieve sustainability in the food production chain. This study focused on adverse effects related to biogeochemical flows of phosphorus and nitrogen cycles which natural balances have been greatly disturbed by current practices. To assess the potential benefits and detrimental effects of proposed mitigation measures, adequate impact indicators are required. The challenge lies in identifying and providing indicators that cover the important aspects of environmental sustainability and allow a direct comparison of policy alternatives. A review of potential indicators that are also consistent with those used to indicate the performance of agricultural and general sustainability (i.e. the European Green Deal) led to the selection of fifteen agri-environmental indicators covering the main environmental issues in agriculture. The indicators identified offered an effective representation of environmental behaviour and would be useful in communicating a comprehensive ‘dashboard’ for professional end users of solutions to nutrient recovery and nutrient efficiency improvement in arable and livestock systems. The selected dashboard indicators (DBI) covered the dimensions of ‘use of primary resources’, ‘emissions to the environment’ and ‘resilience to climate change’. Five case studies were investigated to test the DBI using an Excel questionnaire applying the qualitative approach of the Delphi method together with expert knowledge. As expected, the results indicated that there were potential benefits of the technologies in terms of improved ‘nutrient recovery’ and decreased ‘nitrate leaching’. Potential disadvantages included increased electricity and oi

Polymetallic nodule fields provide hard substrate for sessile organisms on the abyssal seafloor between 3000 and 6000 m water depth. Deep-seabed mining targets these mineral-rich nodules and will likely modify the consumer-resource (trophic) and substrate-providing (non-trophic) interactions within the abyssal food web. However, the importance of nodules and their associated sessile fauna in supporting food-web integrity remains unclear. Here, we use seafloor imagery and published literature to develop highly-resolved trophic and non-trophic interaction webs for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ, central Pacific Ocean) and the Peru Basin (PB, South-East Pacific Ocean) and to assess how nodule removal may modify these networks. The CCZ interaction web included 1028 compartments connected with 59,793 links and the PB interaction web consisted of 342 compartments and 8044 links. We show that knock-down effects of nodule removal resulted in a 17.9% (CCZ) to 20.8% (PB) loss of all taxa and 22.8% (PB) to 30.6% (CCZ) loss of network links. Subsequent analysis identified stalked glass sponges living attached to the nodules as key structural species that supported a high diversity of associated fauna. We conclude that polymetallic nodules are critical for food-web integrity and that their absence will likely result in reduced local benthic biodiversity.

As concerns about anthropogenic and natural disturbance grow, understanding animal resource use patterns has been increasingly prioritized to predict how changes in environmental conditions, food web structure, and population dynamics will affect biological resilience. Among the tools used to assess resource use, stable isotope analysis has proliferated in ecological studies, particularly in relation to describing intra- and interspecific variation in trophic interactions. Despite a growing need to disseminate scientific information, the inherent limitations of stable isotope ratios and inappropriate synonymizing of distinct evolutionary and ecological processes may mislead ecological inferences in natural systems. This situation necessitates a re-evaluation of the utility of stable isotope ratios to address certain ecological questions. Here, we assess the efficacy of stable isotope ratios to describe two fundamental ecological processes, niche partitioning and individual specialization. Investigation of these processes has increased substantially in accordance with increased access to stable isotope data. This article discusses the circumstances and approaches that are necessary to evaluate niche partitioning and individual specialization, and outlines key considerations for the associated application of stable isotope ratios.

[EN] Each year, an estimated one third of all food produced, equivalent to 1.3 billion tons worth, ends up in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices. To fully understand the benefits and aims of SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production) mainly on agroindustry - sustainable development goals, these objectives will be fulfilled: 1) To identify the potential of circular economy on the agroindustry, 2) to develop new key sourcing partners immerse and focused on the SDG 12. Throughout the revision of academic papers, magazines and professional websites secondary data will be retrieved. Them interviews with sustainable food producers and exporters will be organized in order to obtain first hand experiences, pros and cons. A survey oriented to food industry specialist and consumers will be sent and relevant primary data will be collected and analyzed., [ES] Cada año, aproximadamente un tercio de todos los alimentos producidos, el equivalente a 1.300 millones de toneladas, termina en los contenedores de consumidores y minoristas, o echándose a perder debido a las malas prácticas de transporte y recolección. Para comprender plenamente los beneficios y los objetivos del ODS 12 (Producción y consumo responsables) principalmente en la agroindustria - metas de desarrollo sostenible, se plantean los siguientes objetivos: 1) Identificar el potencial de la economía circular en la agroindustria, 2) Desarrollar nuevas fuentes clave. socios inmersos y enfocados en el ODS 12. A través de la revisión de artículos académicos, revistas y sitios web profesionales se obtendrán datos secundarios. Además se organizarán entrevistas con productores y exportadores de alimentos sostenibles con el fin de obtener experiencias de primera mano, pros y contras. Se enviará una encuesta orientada a especialistas de la industria alimentaria y consumidores y se recopilarán y analizarán datos primarios relevantes.

[ES] En los últimos años, el uso de plásticos ha aumentado de manera exponencial. Su difícil reciclaje y su baja capacidad de degradación tienen como consecuencia una acumulación de estos en el medio ambiente. La radiación solar, las oxidaciones y los rozamientos por viento y oleaje, trocean los plásticos ayudando a su dispersión incontrolada por aire, mar y tierra. De este modo, los residuos plásticos generan una gran cantidad de microplásticos y nanoplásticos difíciles de eliminar y que acaban incorporándose en la cadena trófica. Además, sustancias toxicas como los PCBs, PAHs y Bisfenol-A, pueden ser transportados a la biota vía ingesta de los microplásticos y causar efectos toxicológicos en animales y humanos. El presente trabajo tiene por objetivo realizar una revisión bibliográfica para cuantificar la presencia de microplásticos en ciertos alimentos e identificar los principales tipos, así como estudiar su transferencia en la cadena trófica y su impacto en la salud. Los resultados muestran la presencia de microplásticos en cantidades significativas en diferentes alimentos, siendo los materiales identificados con mayor frecuencia el tereftalato de polietileno (PET), el polietileno (PE) y el polipropileno (PP). Finalmente, el estudio ha permitido abordar la exposición dietética a los microplásticos que acceden a la cadena trófica tras contaminar el medio ambiente, [EN] In recent years, the use of plastics has increased exponentially. Their difficult recycling and low degradability have resulted in an accumulation of plastics in the environment. Solar radiation, oxidation and friction caused by wind and waves break plastics, helping their uncontrolled dispersion through the air, sea and land. In this way, plastic waste generates a large amount of microplastics and nanoplastic that are difficult to eliminate and end up in the food chain. In addition, toxic substances such as PCBs, PAHs and Bisphenol-A can be transported to biota via ingestion of microplastics and cause toxicological effects in animals and humans. The present work aims to carry out a bibliographical review to quantify the presence of microplastics in certain foods and to identify the main types, as well as to study their transfer in the food chain and their impact on health. The results show the presence of microplastics in significant quantities in different foods, the most frequently identified materials being polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Finally, the study has made it possible to address dietary exposure to microplastics that enter the food chain after contaminating the environment.

[ES] Los materiales plásticos se encuentran muy presentes en nuestra vida cotidiana debido a sus buenas propiedades. Una de estas propiedades es su resistencia a la degradación. Los plásticos que se emplean en diversas industrias no son degradados, sino que se fragmentan en porciones más pequeñas como es el caso de los microplásticos. Estos son considerados contaminantes ya que se dispersan en el medio ambiente por lo que la exposición a los materiales plásticos aumenta drásticamente. Una elevada exposición se traduce en una mayor probabilidad de incorporación de este contaminante a la cadena alimentaria. Actualmente se han encontrado microplásticos en productos destinados a consumo humano, por lo que la exposición e ingesta de este contaminante por parte de las personas es una realidad. Por ello es necesario estudiar tanto la exposición real que tienen los seres humanos de estos materiales en su dieta, así como los efectos que puede llegar a tener lo que es objeto de gran controversia en la que existen diferentes valoraciones. Además, se han de conocer todos los efectos asociados de los microplásticos para que finalmente se puedan tomar acciones que ayuden tanto a minimizar la exposición cómo a ser conscientes de la gravedad de este asunto. Todos estos aspectos serán plasmados en el presente trabajo., [EN] Plastic materials are very present in our daily life due to their good properties. One of these properties is its resistance to degradation. The plastics used in various industries are not degraded, but are fragmented into smaller portions as is the case with microplastics. These are considered pollutants since they are dispersed in the environment so that exposure to plastic materials increases dramatically. A high exposure translates into a greater probability of incorporation of this pollutant into the food chain. Microplastics have currently been found in products intended for human consumption, so the exposure and ingestion of this pollutant by people is a reality. For this reason, it is necessary to study both the real exposure that human beings have of these materials in their diet, as well as the effects that it can have, which is the subject of great controversy in which there are different evaluations. Therefore, all the associated effects of microplastics must be known so that actions can finally be taken that help both to minimize exposure and to be aware of the seriousness of this matter.