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Given the urgent need for effective environmental management of metal-polluted ecosystems, understanding the drivers of heavy metal bioavailability and microbial adaptation is crucial. The Dongdagou River, a major pollution source to the upper Yellow River, presents significant risks to regional water quality and biodiversity. This study investigates heavy metal bioavailability and its drivers, alongside microbial community responses, in 39 surface sediment samples from the river. The results revealed severe contamination, particularly with cadmium (Cd). Statistical analysis revealed that effective sulfur (ES) plays a crucial role in driving bioavailability. High-throughput sequencing indicated that bacterial communities were primarily dominated by Proteobacteria, with increased microbial diversity observed downstream. Functional predictions highlighted the prevalence of chemoheterotrophy and nitrogen cycling processes, alongside a significant presence of metal-resistance genes and enzymes, such as Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase and metal-efflux transporters. These adaptations imply that microbial communities are developing mechanisms of resilience in response to prolonged heavy metal exposure. These findings offer valuable insights for formulating targeted remediation strategies in environments affected by heavy metal pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of heterogeneous catalysts, designated as POP-n-Pd (where n = 1, 2, 3, or 4), were synthesized by polymerizing a six-membered N-heterocyclic compound with an alkyl substituted group monomer (S1), using divinylbenzene (DVB) as crosslinkers. This process was followed by the incorporation of palladium (Pd) nanoparticles. The impact of the substituted group and the S1:DVB ratio in the catalysts, together with the reaction conditions, was investigated to assess their influence on the catalytic performance in converting propylamine, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and 4-iodoanisole to oxazolidinones. The POP-1-Pd catalyst, featuring a methyl substituted group and a S1:DVB ratio of 1:4, exhibited remarkable efficiency, resulting in an excellent yield of 96 % under room temperature and ambient pressure conditions. Furthermore, it has demonstrated wide applicability across a variety of substrates and in the treatment of lime kiln exhaust gas. Additionally, POP-1-Pd can be used in a gram-scale reaction and maintains its performance after six recycles, with no significant decline in yield. The possible catalytic mechanism is proposed as follows: the catalyst's pores adsorb both CO 2 and substrates, creating a high concentration reactant enrichment microenvironment. This facilitates the activation of both CO 2 and substrates by the imidazole moiety and Pd nanoparticles in the catalyst, thereby generating oxazolidinones., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The unique properties of nanomaterials offer vast opportunities to advance sustainable processes. Incidental nanoparticles (INPs) represent a significant part of nanomaterials, yet their potential for sustainable applications remains largely untapped. Herein, we developed a simple strategy to harness INPs to upgrade the waste-to-resource paradigm, significantly reducing the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Using the recycling of fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) as a proof of concept, we reveal that incidental iron oxide nanoclusters confined inside the residual carbon trigger Fenton-like catalysis by contacting H 2 O 2 at circumneutral pH (5.0-7.0). This approach efficiently detoxifies the adsorbed dioxins under ambient conditions, which otherwise relies on energy-intensive thermal methods in the developed recovery paradigms. Collective evidence underlines that the uniform distribution of iron oxide nanoclusters within dioxin-enriched nanopores enhances the collision between the generated active oxidants and dioxins, resulting in a substantially higher detoxification efficiency than the Fe(II)-induced bulk Fenton reaction. Efficient and cost-effective detoxification of MSWI fly ash at 278‒288 K at pilot scale, combined with the satisfactory removal of adsorbed chemicals in other solid wastes unlocks the great potential of incidental nanoparticles in upgrading the process of solid waste utilization and other sustainable applications., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Z.Y., Y.Y., and B.P. are the inventors of a patent filed by Nanjing University related to the detoxification of fly ash by H2O2 presented here (Chinese Patent ZL 202310935899.5 granted on Mar. 8th, 2024). The remaining authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) contain harmful substances that significantly contribute to respiratory conditions. Previous studies have primarily focused on the presence of carcinogens in CSE. However, it should be noted that other compounds may also synergistically contribute to a greater impact. This study proposes an innovative collaboration between natural products in CSE and carcinogens to enhance CSE-induced acute toxicity. Bioinformatics analysis coupled with experimental validation have elucidated the pivotal role of CYP1B1 in CSE-induced acute toxicity. Inhibitors targeting CYP1B1 have demonstrated preferential cytotoxicity towards cells exhibiting elevated levels of CYP1B1 expression. Afterwards, we conducted a virtual screening of the CSE composition database to identify a potential inhibitor for CYP1B1. After analyzing docking scores and complex interaction modes, γ-mangostin emerged as a highly promising CYP1B1 inhibitor. Molecular docking and dynamics were used to elucidate the complex structure formed between γ-mangostin and CYP1B1. Further investigations suggest that γ-mangostin can synergistically interact with carcinogens in CSE, causing cellular harm and contributing significantly to acute toxicity induced by CSE. Furthermore, γ-mangostin showed increased affinity towards CYP1B1 variants L432V and N453S, suggesting that organisms with these genetic variations may be more susceptible to cell damage caused by CSE. These new perspectives enhance our understanding of the mechanism behind acute toxicity associated with CSE and offer new possibilities for improving preventive measures and treatment strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a persistent organic pollutant, poses significant ecological risks. This study investigates the effects of PFOS on rhizosphere microbial communities of two wetland plants, Lythrum salicaria (LS) and Phragmites communis (PC). We conducted microcosm experiments to analyze the physiological status of soil microbes under varying PFOS concentrations and examined the role of root exudates in modulating PFOS mobility. Flow cytometry and soil respiration measurements revealed that PFOS exposure increased microbial mortality, with differential impacts observed between LS and PC rhizospheres. LS root exudates intensified microbial stress, whereas PC exudates mitigated PFOS toxicity. Thin-layer chromatography indicated that LS exudates decreased PFOS mobility, leading to higher local concentrations and increased microbial toxicity, while PC exudates enhanced PFOS mobility, reducing its local impact. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy of root exudates identified compositional shifts under PFOS stress, highlighting distinct defense strategies in LS and PC. These findings underscore the importance of plant-microbe interactions and root exudate composition in determining microbial resilience to PFOS contamination., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The intensification of human activities has led to flow reduction and cut-off in most global rivers, seriously affecting riverine organisms and the biogeochemical processes. As key indicators of river ecosystems' structure and function, benthic biofilms play a critical role in driving primary production and material cycling in rivers. This research aimed to investigate the characteristics of microbial communities' complexity and stability during river flow reduction. Benthic biofilms were grown in artificial channels and subjected to eight gradients of flow reduction (represented by flow velocity from 0.4 to 110 cm/s). Biofilms' biodiversity, ecological networks and community assembly of bacteria, fungi and algae were investigated by high-throughput sequencing. Results showed significant differences in community composition and structure under different flow conditions. The eight flow gradients' microbial communities were divided into three groups: low, medium and high flows. The flow reduction led to significant decreases in bacterial and fungal communities' Chao1 index. Low flow conditions enriched the bacterial phyla Oxyphotobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Mollicutes, but significantly decreased the fungal phylum Chytridiomycota. Lowering flow reduced the fungal network's number of nodes and increased the algal network's number of edges. Cross-domain interactions network analysis showed a gradual increase in node and edge numbers with decreasing flow, while decreasing average path length. The neutral model predicted stochastic processes primarily drove biofilm community assembly, and that model's explanations decreased as the flow gradient decreased. The null model analysis revealed diffusion limitation as the most common stochastic ecological process for bacterial and algal communities, with reduced flow reducing heterogeneous selection and increasing diffusion-limited processes. This study provides an in-depth analysis of flow reduction's effects on biofilm communities' ecological networks and community assembly., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The fate and effects of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) in sewage treatment plants effluents on nutrients and submerged macrophytes are far from clear in wetlands. This study conducted a 24-day experiment to investigate changes in nutrients and epiphytic biofilm of Hydrilla verticillata in wetlands receiving effluents with 0.5, 2 and 5 mg L -1 SDBS. The decrease of SDBS in overlying water followed pseudo-first-order kinetic equation, with over 80 % of SDBS removal achieved. 2 and 5 mg L -1 SDBS decreased nutrient removal efficiency, induced oxidative stress response and damaged cells of H. verticillata. SDBS altered bacterial and eukaryotic community diversity. 0.5 mg L -1 SDBS can promote carbon fixation and methane oxidation of microorganisms. Network analysis revealed that 0.5 mg L -1 SDBS decreased the stability of epiphytic ecosystems. Mantel tests indicated significant influences of SDBS, temperature, and total nitrogen on epiphytic microbial communities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Lanthanum carbonate (LC) represents a novel material for the immobilization of internal phosphorus (P) in sediments. Activated carbon (AC) is a traditional adsorbent that has been employed in the remediation of sediments on a wide scale. The objective of this study is to examine the mechanisms and effects of the combined use of LC and AC capping materials on the immobilization of P and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in sediments, through a 90-day incubation experiment. The results of isotherm experiments showed that the adsorption mechanism of P on LC and AC was mainly chemisorption. The XPS analyses showed the adsorption mechanism of P on LC was mainly ligand exchange and inner-sphere complexation; while the adsorption mechanism of P on AC was mainly ligand exchange and electrostatic adsorption. The results demonstrated that the concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and DOM in the 0 to -100 mm sediment layer were reduced by 69.79% and 33.93%, respectively, in comparison to the control group with the LC + AC group. Moreover, the HCl-P and Res-P (stable P) in the 0-5 cm sediment layer were increased by 50.07% and 21.04%, respectively, in the LC + AC group. This indicates that the combined application of LC and AC has the potential to reduce the risk of P release. Furthermore, the formation of Fe(III)/Mn(IV) oxyhydroxides by LC + AC treatment resulted in an increased adsorption of SRP and DOM. Moreover, the effect of LC + AC capping on microbial community was smaller than that of LC/AC capping alone. The findings of this study indicated that the combined use of LC and AC represents a novel approach to the effective treatment of internal P and DOM in eutrophic lake sediments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The confinement strategy was considered as an effective method for enhanced aquatic contaminant removal in catalytic systems, and the two-dimensional (2D) material displayed sufficient capacities for contaminant attenuation as compared to other materials due to the unique interlayer structures. However, information on the construction of confined catalytic systems using 2D materials is still lacked. Here, a novel 2D catalytic system in which Fe atoms were illustrated into MXene layers and polyether sulfone (PES) substrate (named MXene-Fe@PES) was established to explore its degradation potential toward typical aquatic contaminants e.g., phenol. Compared to the control (Fe@PES), higher electron densities and migration rates, but lower coordination numbers of Fe atoms were achieved in the MXene-Fe@PES system. This new system with 14.5 Å channels (model phenol: 1.472 s -1 ) exhibited an ultrafast degradation rate, which was 60∼1200 times higher than the common homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton-like systems. Further analysis showed that enhanced reactive oxygen species generation, electron density of Fe site, H 2 O 2 decomposition, electron interactions between Fe and H 2 O 2 , and O-O bond cleavage in H 2 O 2 accounted for the improved contaminant removal. Moreover, the degradation pathway of phenol was changed from the kinetically favorable ring-opening pathway in Fe@PES system to the thermodynamically favorable oligomerization pathway in MXene-Fe@PES system. Application in actual water samples, including river waters, lake waters, and treated-wastewater effluents showed that the removal efficiencies were maintained at 69∼97%, indicating high potential for water decontamination. Correlation analysis showed that phenol removal in actual waters was negatively correlated with the abundances and molecular weights of dissolved organic matters as well as the phosphorus concentrations. This study provides not only a paradigm for the delicate design of high-efficient confined Fenton reaction system, but also a theoretical reference for the construction and selection of catalytic systems in environment restoration of actual waters., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, an efficient stabilizer material for cadmium (Cd 2+ ) treatment was successfully prepared by simply co-milling olivine with magnesite. Several analytical methods including XRD, TEM, SEM and FTIR, combined with theoretical calculations (DFT), were used to investigate mechanochemical interfacial reaction between two minerals, and the reaction mechanism of Cd removal, with ion exchange between Cd 2+ and Mg 2+ as the main pathway. A fixation capacity of Cd 2+ as high as 270.61 mg/g, much higher than that of the pristine minerals and even the individual/physical mixture of milled olivine and magnesite, has been obtained at optimized conditions, with a neutral pH value of the solution after treatment to allow its direct discharge. The as-proposed Mg-based stabilizer with various advantages such as cost benefits, green feature etc., will boosts the utilization efficiency of natural minerals over the elaborately prepared adsorbents., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The ease with which genome-wide data can nowadays be collected allows complicated phylogenetic questions to be re-evaluated. Phylogenetic relationships among newts have often proven difficult to resolve due to the prevalence of incomplete lineage sorting and introgressive hybridization. For the newt genus Lissotriton, phylogenetic relationships are not settled and there is controversy surrounding the species status of several taxa. We obtain c. 7 k nuclear DNA markers with target enrichment by sequence capture and conduct a concatenated analysis with RAxML, gene-tree summarization with ASTRAL, and species tree estimation with SNAPPER. We explore introgression between evolutionary lineages with TreeMix and Dsuite and compare how introgression events influence the different phylogenetic tools employed. We retrieve tree topologies that are discordant with previous mtDNA-based attempts, particularly concerning the phylogenetic placement of L. italicus and the L. vulgaris species complex. Yet, we also observe deviations between the phylogenetic hypotheses resulting from the different analyses. We interpret the placement of L. montandoni deep within the L. vulgaris species complex by SNAPPER, rather than as the sister taxon to the remainder of the L. vulgaris species complex according to RAxML and ASTRAL, as an artifact of introgression - well-documented in previous work and backed up by TreeMix and Dsuite analyses. Our analyses allow us to make some taxonomical recommendations: we confirm the recently proposed species status of L. kosswigi and L. graecus and propose that L. v. lantzi and L. v. schmidtleri had better be treated as subspecies. Our work also highlights areas for further taxonomic research: range-wide phylogenomic data are required to disentangle the L. boscai - L. maltzani species complex and the northern and southern lineages of L. v. vulgaris. Our study illustrates the power of target enrichment by sequence capture in tackling longstanding questions in taxa with an extensive history of hybridization and introgression., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

With the increasing prevalence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the environment, gaining a deeper understanding of the chemical information pertaining to the contamination source is a crucial step toward effective prevention and control of these ECs. This study presents a novel strategy for analyzing the chemical information of contamination sources using gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and demonstrates it on landfill leachate, a common and representative environmental contamination source. Initially, a non-targeted screening approach using HRMS was used to characterize a total of 5344 organic compounds with identification confidence levels 1 and 2 in 14 landfill leachate samples. Leveraging this as a base data set, the similarity analysis was first performed, and the classification fingerprints exhibited a pronounced level of similarity. Second, 169 characteristic marker contaminants with important and significant differences were identified in the 3 groups of landfill leachate with different solid waste compositions (mostly kitchen waste, mostly plastic & daily chemical product waste, and proportion average) by difference analysis. Finally, 101 hazardous chemicals (HCs) were screened in the data set. The results demonstrated that a class of contamination source exhibited certain common characteristics, while different groups of samples had their own distinct contamination signatures. This work offers a unique perspective on the interpretation of chemical information from contamination sources, aiming to provide a valuable reference for environmental pollution management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal). ., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice poses significant risks to human health. The Cd accumulation levels vary widely among cultivars and are strongly associated with the rhizosphere microecosystem. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a field experiment in Cd-contaminated areas with 24 popular regional cultivars. These cultivars were categorized into high Cd accumulation (HA) and low Cd accumulation (LA) groups based on their grain Cd content. Rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties were monitored, and key metabolites, microbiomes, and their interaction contributing to Cd accumulation were analyzed using omics-sequencing technologies and bioinformatics analysis. Metabolomic analysis identified distinct rhizosphere metabolite profiles between the HA and LA groups, with key metabolites showing strong correlations with Cd accumulation. Key metabolites in the LA group were linked to reduced Cd uptake and enhanced antioxidant defense mechanisms, while those in the HA group were associated with increased Cd mobility and uptake. Metagenomic analysis of the rhizosphere soil showed that the LA group harbored a more diverse and interconnected microbial community, with tax such as Syntrophaceae, Anaerolineae, Thermoflexales, and Syntrophales, along with metabolite such as disopyramide, playing central roles in Cd immobilization and detoxification. Additionally, the enhanced carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling in the LA group suggests a more robust nutrient assimilation process that supports plant growth and reduces Cd uptake. This study highlights the critical role of the rhizosphere microecosystem in regulating Cd accumulation and underscores the potential of selecting rice cultivars with favorable rhizosphere traits as a strategy for reducing Cd uptake., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Microplastics (MPs) have been confirmed as a hotspot for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater. However, the impact of MPs on the transfer of ARGs in wastewater treatment remains unclear. This study investigated the roles and mechanisms of conventional (polystyrene, PS) and biodegradable (polylactic acid, PLA) MPs in the conjugative transfer of ARGs during ultraviolet disinfection. The results showed that MPs significantly facilitated the conjugative transfer of ARGs compared with individual ultraviolet disinfection, and PSMPs exhibited higher facilitation than PLAMPs. The facilitation effects were attributed to light shielding and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nanoplastics from ultraviolet irradiation of MPs. The light shielding of MPs protected the bacteria and ARGs from ultraviolet inactivation. More importantly, ROS and nanoplastics generated from irradiated MPs induced intracellular oxidative stress on bacteria and further increased the cell membrane permeability and intercellular contact, ultimately enhancing the ARG exchange. The greater fragmentation of PSMPs than PLAMPs resulted in a higher intracellular oxidative stress and a stronger enhancement. This study highlights the concerns of conventional and biodegradable MPs associated with the transfer of ARGs during wastewater treatment, which provides new insights into the combined risks of MPs and ARGs in the environment.

Antibiotic pollution, particularly the persistence of Sulfaquinoxaline (SQ) residues in livestock and poultry farming environments, has emerged as a pressing environmental concern. Despite this, there remains a limited understanding of the optimized conditions and mechanisms for the efficient degradation of SQ by microorganisms. To address this knowledge gap, we isolated Bacillus sp. strain DLY-11 from aerobically composted manure, which exhibits exceptional SQ degradation capability. Using response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design, we optimized the conditions: 5 % inoculum, 60 °C, pH 8.02, and 0.5 g/L MgSO 4 . Strain DLY-11 achieved 95.5 % SQ degradation in 2 d. We identified 12 degradation products, including one newly reported, and proposed four degradation pathways involving S-N and C-N bond cleavage, hydroxylation, SO 2 release, deamination, oxidation, acetylation, and formylation. One of the proposed pathways is entirely new and has not been previously reported in the literature. This work closes important information gaps in the bacterial degradation pathways of SQ by optimizing the degradation conditions and introducing a useful microbial resource for the effective breakdown of SQ. It also provides a solid theoretical foundation for tackling the problem of antibiotic contamination in livestock and poultry production., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The burden of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its oxidized products on human health can no longer be ignored due to the detection types and concentrations in the environment continue to increase. Environmental ozone (O 3 ) and ultraviolet A (UVA) may induce ozonation and photoaging of 6PPD to produce toxic products. However, the impact of specific environmental conditions on the aging and toxic effects of 6PPD is unclear. This study investigated the aging effects of O 3 and UVA on 6PPD, and compared the repeated inhalation toxicity of differently aging 6PPDs in C57BL/6 male mice. The result showed that UVA and O 3 accelerated 6PPD aging, and the aging products varied depending on the O 3 and irradiation conditions. After 10 weeks of inhalation intoxication at human comparable level, mice exhibited significant neurobehavior alterations, respiratory dysfunction, and DNA damage in the blood, showing significant heterogeneity among groups. Notably, 6PPD treated with perozonation and UVA aging may be the most toxic. The study suggests inhalation health risks of transportation derived tire pollutants under the influence of ground-level ozone and ultraviolet light need more attention, and provides new insights into risk assessment and pollution control of 6PPD and other pollutants from the perspective of environmental factors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Offshore windfarms (OWFs) constitute a rapidly expanding source of renewable energy that inevitably affects marine biodiversity, especially those built within critical areas for biodiversity conservation. To understand the potential effect of OWFs on bird communities, we systematically tracked bird communities and their behavior within OWFs near the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea in China from 2020 to 2022 using voyage investigations. The results indicated that bird diversity was greater within OWFs than in seawaters away from the OWFs. The composition of the bird community varied at different distance scales and the closer to the windfarm, the higher the number of birds from the Laridae and Anatidae. In addition, the flight heights of Laridae, Accipitridae, and Anatidae overlapped with the rotor-swept zones, and there were significant altitudinal variations in the OWFs and nearby waters. Based on 16 functional traits and the devised risk assessment function, we found that OWFs could have distinct impacts on different birds. Birds of the family Accipitridae, which have a larger body size, are likely to experience more stress from OWFs than other families. And, fish-eating birds, such as Laridae and Anatidae, have higher risk scores due to their closer proximity to the windfarm, medium body size and greater number of individuals. However, Passeriformes with smaller body size and fewer individuals have lower risk values. Our study revealed in detail the different strategies used by birds to cope with OWFs and provides a theoretical basis for rationalizing the conservation of bird diversity at these locations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Analyses of mosquito-borne virus outbreaks have revealed the presence of similar virus strains over several years. However, it remains unclear how mosquito-borne viruses can persist over winter, when conditions are generally unfavorable for virus circulation. One potential route for virus persistence is via diapausing mosquitoes. We therefore studied whether Usutu virus (USUV), West Nile virus (WNV) and/or Sindbis virus (SINV) can be identified in diapausing mosquitoes in The Netherlands. Mosquito collections were carried out in November 2022 in hibernacula located in two areas with previously observed WNV and/or USUV activity. A total of 4857 mosquitoes, belonging to four species (groups) (Culex pipiens/torrentium, Culiseta annulata, Anopheles maculipennis s.l. and Culex territans), were collected. WNV-, USUV- and SINV-screening using a multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay was carried out on mono-specific mosquito pools. One Culex pipiens/torrentium pool tested positive for USUV RNA. Whole genome sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed that the virus belongs to USUV lineage Africa 3 and clusters with other USUV sequences derived from The Netherlands in 2022. This finding confirms our hypothesis of the potential of local overwintering of USUV in diapausing mosquitoes in The Netherlands., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Microbial communities thrive in virtually every habitat on Earth and are essential to the function of diverse ecosystems. Most microbial habitats are not spatially continuous and well-mixed, but rather composed, at the microscale, of many isolated or semi-isolated local patches of different sizes, resulting in partitioning of microbial populations into discrete local populations. The impact of this spatial fragmentation on population dynamics is not well-understood. Here, we study how such variably sized micro-habitat patches affect the growth dynamics of clonal microbial populations and how dynamics in individual patches dictate those of the metapopulation. To investigate this, we developed the μ-SPLASH, an ecology-on-a-chip platform, enabling the culture of microbes in microscopic landscapes comprised of thousands of microdroplets, with a wide range of sizes. Using the μ-SPLASH, we cultured the model bacteria E. coli and based on time-lapse microscopy, analyzed the population dynamics within thousands of individual droplets. Our results reveal that growth curves substantially vary with droplet size. Although growth rates generally increase with drop size, reproductive success and the time to approach carrying capacity, display non-monotonic patterns. Combining μ-SPLASH experiments with computational modeling, we show that these patterns result from both stochastic and deterministic processes, and demonstrate the roles of initial population density, patchiness, and patch size distribution in dictating the local and metapopulation dynamics. This study reveals basic principles that elucidate the effects of habitat fragmentation and population partitioning on microbial population dynamics. These insights deepen our understanding of natural microbial communities and have significant implications for microbiome engineering., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Microbial Ecology.)

Antibiotic secretion plays a pivotal role in bacterial interference competition; yet, the impact of environmental hydration conditions on such competition is not well understood. Here, we investigate how hydration conditions affect interference competition among bacteria, studying the interactions between the antibiotic-producing Bacillus velezensis FZB42 and two bacterial strains susceptible to its antibiotics: Xanthomonas euvesicatoria 85-10 and Pseudomonas syringae DC3000. Our results show that wet-dry cycles significantly modify the response of the susceptible bacteria to both the supernatant and cells of the antibiotic-producing bacteria, compared to constantly wet conditions. Notably , X. euvesicatoria shows increased protection against both the cells and supernatants of B. velezensis under wet-dry cycles, while P. syringae cells become more susceptible under wet-dry cycles. In addition, we observed a reciprocal interaction between P. syringae and B. velezensis , where P. syringae inhibits B. velezensis under wet conditions. Our findings highlight the important role of hydration conditions in shaping bacterial interference competition, providing valuable insights into the microbial ecology of water-unsaturated surfaces, with implications for applications such as biological control of plant pathogens and mitigating antibiotic resistance.IMPORTANCEOur study reveals that hydration conditions, particularly wet-dry cycles, significantly influence antibiotic-mediated competition between bacterial species. We revealed that the effectiveness of antibiotics produced by Bacillus velezensis against two susceptible bacterial species: Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas varies based on these hydration conditions. Unlike traditional laboratory environments, many real-world habitats, such as soil, plant surfaces, and even animal skin, undergo frequent wet-dry cycles. These conditions affect bacterial competition dynamics and outcomes, with wet-dry cycles providing increased protection for some bacteria while making others more susceptible. Our findings highlight the importance of considering environmental hydration when studying microbial interactions and developing biological control strategies. This research has important implications for improving agricultural practices and understanding natural microbial ecosystems.

Invasive alien plants pose a significant threat to biodiversity and the agricultural economy. The invasive weed (Ammannia coccinea) competes with rice in paddy fields, potentially threatening rice production. Despite the crucial need to estimate the global geographical distribution and ecological niche dynamics of A. coccinea for effective early warning, control strategies, and global rice security, relevant research remains scarce. This study utilized the Biomod2 platform, which integrates multiple single models into ensemble model, incorporating environmental and species data to analyze the distribution range shifts of A. coccinea under current and future climate scenarios. It also quantified and analyzed shifts in the species' ecological niche across these climate scenarios. The results indicated that the potential suitable areas for A. coccinea were mainly in Southern North America, northern and south-eastern South America, south-western Europe, the Middle East, central Africa, western Asia, south-eastern Asia, with a gradual increase in mid-high suitability habitat over time and radiation levels. While the overall ecological niche of A. coccinea remains stable, minor shifts are expected under future conditions. Temperature, precipitation, and the human impact index were the key factors influencing the future distribution of A. coccinea. Climate change contributes to the expansion of A. coccinea's highly suitable areas and shifts its ecological niche. Organizations efforts should focus on preventing the spread of A. coccinea in regions where its potential distribution overlaps with key rice production areas. The findings of this study provide critical insights into the global distribution and ecological niche dynamics of A. coccinea, aiding in the development of early warning and control strategies to mitigate its impact on biodiversity, agriculture, and particularly rice production under future climate scenarios., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Plastic film mulching can effectively increase soil temperature, retain moisture, and enhance crop yield and quality. However, long-term application might pose risks of increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and residual film pollution. Biodegradable film provides a crucial solution to alleviate farmland plastic pollution, but it remains unclear whether biodegradable film can simultaneously enhance crop yields and reduce GHG emissions. Thus, a two-year field experiment was conducted in rain-fed maize farmland of Northeast China. This field experiment included four treatments: BM1 (0.006 mm-thick biodegradable film), BM2 (0.010 mm-thick biodegradable film), PM (0.010 mm-thick traditional plastic film), and CK (non-mulching control). Results indicated that film mulching increased cumulative CO 2 emissions by improving soil temperature and moisture. BM1 and BM2 achieved lower cumulative CO 2 emissions than PM. N 2 O emissions were mainly concentrated in the emergence and jointing stages, whose peaks and cumulative values were reduced by film mulching. BM1 and BM2, however, had higher cumulative N 2 O emissions than PM. All treatments were CH 4 sinks, and mulching treatments showed low soil CH 4 absorption compared to CK. Additionally, mulching treatments increased maize yield, GWP and GHGI by 4.19 % to 15.89 %, 8.52 % to 52.20 % and - 0.06 % to 45.93 %, respectively, compared to CK. PM showed the highest GWP and GHGI. All mulching treatments improved the net ecosystem economic budget, with increases of 3.03-3.08 thousand CNY ha -1 and 0.35-1.39 thousand CNY ha -1 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, compared to CK. Biodegradable film treatments had higher net ecosystem economic budgets than traditional plastic film treatment. Overall, the biodegradable film can be used to replace traditional plastic film to enhance maize yield while minimizing residual film pollution and GHG emissions in the experimental region., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

With the booming socio-economic development and accelerated urbanisation, the problem of water pollution is becoming more and more prominent, which not only puts great pressure on nature, but also poses a serious threat to the production and life of human beings. Therefore, the study of dissolved organic matter fractions in lakes and their accurate traceability is the key to alleviate the ecological pressure. In this study, the three-dimensional fluorescence spectral properties, characteristic parameters and fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter in water bodies were analyzed in depth using Changdang Lake in China as an example. Three methods, peak-finding method, Tucker coefficient and self-organised neural network, were prominently used for the analysis. Combined with conventional water quality parameters, Combined with conventional water quality parameters, this method further reveals the correlation between DOM composition and surrounding pollution sources in Changdang Lake. The results showed that there were four main components of dissolved organic matter in the lake body of Changdang Lake, of which C1, C2 and C4 were humic substances and C3 was protein. In addition, the fluorescence characteristic parameters of Changdang Lake, FI, ranged from 1.64 to 1.75, BIX, ranged from 0.95 to 1.05, and HIX, ranged from 0.5 to 0.65, which indicated that the increment of dissolved organic matter in Changdang Lake was mainly a mixture of endogenous and exogenous inputs. Through the joint interpretation of peak discovery, data presentation and result visualisation, it was found that these fluorescence fractions were extremely similar to those of the surrounding aquaculture and textile printing and dyeing. The results of this study not only provide effective data support for the local environmental protection department of Changdang Lake, but also provide a useful reference for pollution traceability in other lake basins., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Moderate grazing can sustain high species diversity and productivity. However, nitrogen enrichment often reduces species richness while promoting primary productivity, which contradicts the traditional understanding of the positive effect of plant diversity on productivity. Whether the responses of diversity and productivity to N enrichment on a long-term scale conform to those on short-term scale. Furthermore, chemical N forms may alter species richness or functional diversity because of species preferences for different N forms. We used data from a 19-year field experiment with manipulated livestock exclusion and the addition of N in three chemical forms (ammonium, nitrate, and their mixture) in an alpine grassland to test their effects on diversity and aboveground productivity. Productivity in no N without grazing plots (Ctr) initially increased by 66 % during the first five years after livestock exclusion (0.53 kg m -2 ), following which productivity fluctuated at a similar level as that in winter livestock grazing (0.32 kg m -2 ) for the next eight years and ultimately decreased to the level of 0.24 kg m -2 , below that in Gr with continued species loss. The addition of N forms in grazing exclusion increased productivity, accompanied by the loss of rare species in the first five years. Afterward, productivity decreased, and it took longer than the control to reach the same level as that seen in winter grazing. Then, productivity continued to decline with more species loss. The functional diversity of leaf traits and plant growth forms decreased. Ammonium favored grasses with guerrilla and phalanx rhizomes, nitrate favored sedges and forbs with guerrilla rhizomes, and ammonium-nitrate sustained a relatively higher diversity of plant growth forms. Our general conclusion is that grasslands with moderate grazing are beneficial for sustaining diverse species and high productivity. N enrichment reduces plant diversity, and the increase in productivity driven by N is only transitional, as productivity declines in the long run, with continuous N addition., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bioaerosol is composed of different particles, originating from organisms, or their fragments with different origin, shape, and size. Sampling, analysing, identification and describing this airborne diversity has been carried out for over 100 years, and more recently the use of molecular genetic tools has been implemented. However, up to now there are no established protocols or standards for detecting airborne diversity of bacteria, fungi, viruses, pollen, and plant particles. In this review we evaluated commonalities of methods used in molecular genetic based studies in the last 23 years, to give an overview of applicable methods as well as knowledge gaps in diversity assessment. Various sampling techniques show different levels of effectiveness in detecting airborne particles based on their DNA. The storage and processing of samples, as well as DNA processing, influences the outcome of sampling campaigns. Moreover, the decisions on barcode selection, method of analysis, reference database as well as negative and positive controls may severely impact the results obtained. To date, the chain of decisions, methodological biases and error propagation have hindered DNA based molecular sequencing from offering a holistic picture of the airborne biodiversity. Reviewing the available studies, revealed a great diversity in used methodology and many publications didn't state all used methods in detail, making comparisons with other studies difficult or impossible. To overcome these limitations and ensure genuine comparability across studies, it is crucial to standardize protocols. Publications need to include all necessary information to enable comparison among different studies and to evaluate how methodological choices can impacts the results. Besides standardization, implementing of automatic tools and combining of different analytical techniques, such as real-time evaluation combined with sampling and molecular genetic analysis, could assist in achieving the goal of accurately assessing the actual airborne biodiversity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Merita Xhetani and Mirela Lika reports financial support was provided by Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF and IIE). Alexandra Penha, Ana Costa, Celia M Antunes, Helena Ribeiro reports financial support was provided by Foundation for Science and Technology. Lucia Muggia and Alberto Pallavicini reports financial support was provided by Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem. Rosa Perez-Badia and Beatriz Lara reports financial support was provided by Government of Spain Ministry of Health. Rosa Perez-Badia and Beatriz Lara reports financial support was provided by Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha. Agnieszka Grinn-Gofron reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Poland. Zsofia Tischner reports financial support was provided by Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Hungary. Carsten Ambelas Skjoth reports financial support was provided by Novo Nordisk Foundation. Babette Muyshondt reports financial support was provided by FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, service indoor air quality. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) are extensively used in agricultural production in China due to their selective neurotoxicity towards target insects. In recent years, the rapid development of agriculture has increased the use and residue of NNIs. Consequently, the sediment environment, serving as the ultimate sink, is significantly impacted by NNIs. Upon release into the environment, NNIs can enter the human body through the food chain, posing potential ecological and human health risks. This study analyzed 79 sediment samples from two major river basins in North and South China, the Liaohe River basin in Liaoning Province and the Jianjiang River basin in Guangdong Province. The content, composition, distribution, and source of eight NNIs were analyzed, and assess the ecological and human health risks of the target compounds in these regions. The results indicated that the average concentration of NNIs in the sediments of the Jianjiang River basin (2.34 μg/kg) is slightly higher than that of the Liaohe River basin (2.32 μg/kg), and the sources of NNIs in the two areas were different, with differences in the sources of NNIs likely attributable to varying types of agricultural production. The risk assessment revealed that the ecotoxicological and public health risks were more pronounced in the Jianjiang River basin compared to the Liaohe River basin, underscoring the critical need for surveillance and management of hazardous substances like NNIs. The insights findings from this study can provide scientific guidance for the risk evaluation and environmental management of NNIs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bisphenols, including bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogs such as bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA) and tetrabromobisphenol S (TBBPS), are typical endocrine disruptors widely used in plastic production. However, until now, the occurrence mechanisms of these bisphenols in hair, a non-invasive material for human biomonitoring, have been inadequately explored. This study employed fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking to investigate the interactions between these 6 bisphenols and hair keratin. The findings revealed that these bisphenols quenched keratin's intrinsic fluorescence in a concentration-dependent manner and exhibited a mixed quenching mechanism. Their binding constants to keratin at 308 K range from 6.98 × 10 2 to 7.24 × 10 6  M -1 , with a spontaneous binding mode observed. Halogenated bisphenols demonstrated a higher binding affinity to keratin compared to non-halogenated bisphenols, with bromobisphenols showing a greater affinity than chlorinated bisphenols. The combined results from fluorescence and molecular docking suggest that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions are the predominant forces driving the binding of bisphenols to hair keratin. These insights first provide a novel perspective on understanding the mechanisms of small molecular pollutants deposition in hair, marking an important step toward utilizing hair as a biomonitoring tool., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in summer has been observed in river-estuary systems worldwide. Many studies have caused our stereotype that biochemical oxygen depletion was higher in summer than in winter; however, there was no direct evidence particularly in the tidal river with complex hydrological and biochemical processes. This study employed natural-abundance and labeled isotopes to quantify seasonal apportionment of biochemical oxygen depletion. In this study, apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover potentials (nitrification rates and δ 13 C signals) were higher in the wet season than in the dry season. However, calculation results of the nitrification flux demonstrated that actual N turnover was constrained by shorter river residence time in the wet season. Similarly, the δ 13 C end-member mixing and Rayleigh fractionation models revealed that the conservative C behavior was more pronounced than degradation in situ in the river channel. Overall, C- and N-driven oxygen depletion accounted only for ~8% of AOU in the wet season. This substantiated that the hydrological control regulated C and N behaviors to "the conservative transport" to mitigate O 2 depletion in the wet season. In contrast, a good correspondence between C and N turnover and low oxygen was recorded in the dry season. Therefore, the "nutrient- and non-nutrient-constrained DO cold spots" during the dry and wet seasons provided new insights into oxygen deficits in tidal rivers. Our study provided compelling evidence that seasonal apportionment of C- and N-driven oxygen depletion in situ has changed in tidal rivers. Biochemical oxygen depletion was more evident in the dry season than in the wet season; thus, it had been previously overestimated in the wet season, which will provide implications for using different water management strategies in different seasons., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In 2018 the European Commission adopted revisions to the Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) to introduce nanomaterial-specific clarifications and provisions. Multicomponent nanomaterial (MCNM) is a non-regulatory term that has been used in recent EU-funded projects to describe nanomaterials with a complex structure and/or composition and which are expected to be increasingly used in products in the near future. This paper examines the regulatory preparedness of REACH, and its revised Annexes, for MCNMs. Several situations have been identified where there is potential confusion and uncertainty around how regulatory definitions used in REACH should be applied to MCNMs. If a MCNM cannot be identified as falling within a specific definition, understanding the regulatory obligations that apply to it is very difficult. Examples of these grey areas include how the term "surface functionalisation or modification" applies when a chemical is physisorbed to the surface of a nanoform, and the identity of the substance that should be registered when the modification takes it outside the definition of a nanoform. We conclude that the regulatory preparedness can be improved by amending the REACH guidance on information requirements for nanoforms and revising the definition of "nanoform" in line with the updated EC Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Offshore wind energy (OWE) represents a key technology for achieving a sustainable energy transition. However, offshore wind farms (OWFs) can impact the environment via installation, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning activities together with the raw materials and energy required for their manufacturing. This study assesses the material and carbon footprint of potential OWF locations in the North Sea for various possible future technology developments. We find that better sitings could save up to ∼0.11 kg (∼65%) of steel, ∼ 0.16 g (∼31%) of copper, and ∼6.44 kg (∼26%) of embodied CO 2 -eq per MWh of electricity produced compared to the status quo setups. Nearshore regions of the North Sea, particularly the eastern and northwestern areas, have the lowest CO 2 -eq per MWh of electricity produced due to favorable wind resources. Developing an OWF in the central North Sea requires more copper and aluminum due to large distances to shore and thus incurs higher embodied CO 2 -eq per MWh. These areas also overlap with several protected areas and thus remain the least favorable for OWE development. The future emergent OWE technological developments for 2040 such as the installation of larger turbines with an extended lifetime alone could, on average, lead to reductions of ∼0.06 kg in steel demand (∼35%), ∼ 0.15 g in copper demand (∼31%), and ∼10.97 kg of CO 2 -eq (∼41%) per MWh produced. Future OWFs incorporating these technological developments, when placed in the most suitable locations, have the potential to substantially lower OWF environmental impacts across the full turbine life cycle.

Smart city development is a complex, transdisciplinary challenge that requires adaptive resource use and context-aware decision-making practices to enhance human functionality and capabilities while respecting societal and environmental rights, and ethics. There is an urgent need for action in cities, particularly to (i) enhance the health and wellbeing of urban residents while ensuring inclusivity in urban development (e.g., through the intelligent design of public spaces, mobility, and transportation) and (ii) improve resilience and sustainability (e.g., through better disaster management, planning of city logistics, and waste management). This paper aims to explore how neuroscientific and neurotechnological solutions can contribute to the development of smart cities, as experts in various fields underline that real-time sensing designs and control algorithms inspired by the brain could help build and plan urban systems that are healthy, safe, inclusive, and resilient. Motivated by the potential interplay between societal challenges and these emerging technologies, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art research through a bibliometric analysis of neurochallenges within the context of smart cities using terms and data extracted from the Scopus database between 2018 and 2022. The results indicate that smart city research remains fragmented and technology-driven, relying heavily on internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based technologies. Mostly, it also lacks careful integration and adoption tailored to societal goals and human-centric concerns. In this context, the article explores key research streams and discusses how to create new synergies and complementarities in the challenge-technology intersection. We conclude that realizing the vision of smart cities at the nexus of neuroscience, technology, urban space, and society requires more than just technological progress. Integrating the human dimension alongside various technological tools and systems is crucial. This necessitates better interdisciplinary collaboration and co-production of knowledge toward a hybrid intelligence, where synergies of education and research, technological innovation, and societal innovation are genuinely built. We hope the insights from this analysis will help orient neurotechnological interventions on urban living and ensure they are more responsive to societal and environmental challenges as well as to legal and ethical concerns., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Özkaynak, Aras, Daloğlu Çetinkaya, Ersoy, Durmaz İncel, Koca, Nalça, Onay, Öncü, Ülger Vatansever, Yücesoy and Yücesoy.)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent pollutants in aquatic environments that can accumulate in marine organisms and pose potential health risks to humans through trophic transfer in the food webs. However, the accumulation and health risks of PAHs in organisms at different trophic levels remain unclear. This study investigated the accumulation and trophic transfer of PAHs in 40 marine organisms from Beibu Gulf (China), and assessed their health risks. Utilizing the trophic level spectrum constructed with stable isotope methods, the organisms were categorized into three trophic levels: Omnivorous (15.00 %), low-level carnivorous (67.50 %), and mid-level carnivorous (17.50 %). The contamination levels of total PAHs in these organisms ranged from "mild pollution" to "moderate pollution", with all organisms exhibiting significant PAH accumulation (Bioconcentration factor value > 2000). Total PAH concentrations increased with higher trophic levels, following the trend of mid-level carnivores > low-level carnivores > omnivores. Notably, only three PAH compounds (Nap, Fla and Phe) showed biomagnification effects, while the others exhibited trophic dilution. Carcinogenic risk assessment indicated an "Unacceptable risk" level for all populations, with the highest risk due to consumption of mid-level carnivorous. These findings offer new insights into the accumulation and health risks of PAHs from a trophic transfer perspective., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pesticide contamination in the river basins is closely associated with land covers. However, the impact of land covers on the pesticide contamination remains unclear. In this study, concentrations of 14 pesticides (10 insecticides, 3 fungicides, and 1 herbicide) in water were investigated along a major tributary of the Pearl River in wet and dry seasons in 2023. Thirteen pesticides were found in wet season, while all for dry season. Correlation analyses indicated that herbaceous cropland and grassland covers predominantly positively affected the overall pesticide concentrations in both seasons. Irrigated cropland cover positively affected the concentrations of 3 pesticides only in wet season, suggesting their use for the crops. Closed evergreen broadleaved forest cover negatively affected the overall pesticide concentration in only wet season, indicating the mitigation effect of forest. In dry season, positive effect of open evergreen broadleaved forest was found only for malathion, suggesting its usage in the forest. Additionally, ecological risks of the pesticides were low to moderate, with similar dominant pesticides in both seasons. Finally, the investigation of pesticide used in croplands, grasslands, and forests, and forest protection are recommended for pesticide contamination management. These outcomes will deepen our understanding of pesticide contamination control in the river basins., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing known interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mineral resources are essential for reaching net-zero ambitions by 2050. There is a rising diversity of metals in electricity generation and storage technologies, as well as for mobility technologies. However, little is known about the future supply of minor elements historically mined in low volumes such as indium, tellurium, germanium, or tantalum. Those minor elements are found in lower concentrations in the ores of major elements and therefore rarely form economic deposits on their own. Such elements are often produced as byproducts of a host (or "target commodity", which underpins the bulk of a mine's profitability) in ore, e.g., in porphyry ore, tellurium is a byproduct where copper is the host. As a result, the primary supply of those minor elements depends on the supply of the major elements. Such dependency has not been accounted for in scenarios of the mineral supply. To address this gap, we developed a methodology to harmonize scattered data of mineral resource estimates and to calculate the mass ratio between the byproduct and the host in ores and concentrates, called the byproduct-to-host (BtH) ratio. We collected crude ore tonnage and element grades, among other key data, from the state-of-the-art literature and publicly available mining company reports. Our data set covers 3422 deposits across 141 countries providing 22 275 BtH ratios. The future supply of minor elements can be derived by multiplying the primary production of host elements by the developed BtH ratios, noting the limitations of data representativity. The open-access nature of this work facilitates the enrichment and update of this data set in the coming years.