Search

One of the greatest challenges facing global environmental science is the protection of aquatic from heavy metal contamination stemming from human activities. This article is intended as a response to the global dynamic evolution of industries, transportation, increased extraction of fossil fuels, ever-rising consumption patterns, and unregulated discharge of wastewater resulting in increasing of environmental pollution with heavy metals. The aim of the article extends beyond the mere identification of heavy metals in the environment; it encompasses a comprehensive analysis of their modes of transportation and fate, a thorough evaluation of their impacts on various trophic levels, and an in-depth exploration of their potential toxicity. Furthermore, this article looks toward a fresh era in environmental stewardship, characterized by a deep-seated commitment to improving the removal of such damaging pollutants from our environment. To continue to foster ecological and economic sustainability, as set out in the Sustainable Development Goals 2015, and develop global environmental policy, there is an increasing need for pioneering and comprehensive methods of environmental reclamation aimed at eradicating heavy metals from surface waters. Such comprehensive methods include ecohydrological biotechnologies and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) based on knowledge of geochemical and molecular processes. Both are presented in this article under the global principle of 'One Health' - the health of the environment, people and animals. Due to its extensive effects on ecosystems, and the resulting need for international cooperation, it is crucial that the problem of heavy metal contamination is addressed on the global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Pilica River catchment (central Poland) is analyzed with a focus on understanding the total phosphorous transfer along the river system which also contains the large artificial Sulejów Reservoir. The paper presents a GIS method for estimating the total phosphorous (TP) load from proxy data representing sub-catchment land use and census data. The modelled load of TP is compared to the actual transfer of TP in the Pilica River system. The results shows that the metrics of connectivity between river system and dwelling areas as well as settlement density in the sub-catchments are useful predictors of the total phosphorous load. The presence of a large reservoir in the middle course of the river can disrupt nutrient transport along a river continuum by trapping and retaining suspended sediment and its associated TP load. Analysis of the indirect estimation of TP loads with the GIS analysis can be useful for identifying beneficial reservoir locations in a catchment. The study has shown that the Sulejów Reservoir has been located in a subcatchment with a largest load of the TP, and this feature helps determine the problem of reservoir eutrphication

A problem characteristic of the modern anthropogenic era is pollution of the environment with xenobiotics. The continual development of industry and the use of insufficiently balanced waste management results in increasing amounts of pollutants entering surface waters, particularly xenobiotic substances. These substances, such as dyes, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, endocrine-active compounds, pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, have a negative impact on biodiversity. Their main routes of transfer to aquatic ecosystems include industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, and waste from households, industry and agriculture. As such, there is a great need to identify xenobiotics in the environment, define transfer and transformation pathways, assess the impact of these substances on individual levels of the trophic chain, and characterize their potential toxicity. In response to legal regulations such as Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and the Act of 20 July 2017 on the Water Law, aimed at organizing the management of these substances, increasing attention is being paid to the improvement of existing low-cost remediation methods and the development of new ones; such new approaches include ecohydrological biotechnology and nature-based solutions (NBS) intended for the removal of xenobiotics from surface water. This is extremely important for surface water resources in Europe, where a significant number of 70% of surface water bodies were classified as worse than good ecological condition by the European Environment Agency in 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence and location of long-term refugia determine the current patterns of biodiversity on Earth. The importance of the refugial debate is certain to increase in response to observed and expected species extinctions caused by climate change. Small areas where species survive outside their core range are important, as unique natural phenomena and model systems for observing the response of species to climate change. They can play a crucial role as potential sources for species recovery in the future or can act as progenitors of a new species. While most authors believe that sites connected with only long-term isolation should be included into the refugium concept, this approach can result in the loss of linkage between the ecological and evolutionary processes taking place during different phases of the species range dynamics. Moreover, the papers often interpret the nature of described phenomena in different ways. In response, the conceptual scheme given in our letter summarises the patterns which occur during species range shift. It proposes an equivalent scheme for small refugial sites according to their function and capacity, based on the relict species concept. This approach and proposed terminology is tested on the example of two plant species with different pattern of the long term range dynamics. Our paper highlights the importance of sites harboring 'trailing-edge' young relicts for the future long-term persistence of the species (as old relicts) under unfavorable regional conditions. By considering the age gradients of small refugial sites it is possible to reveal community interactions, species traits or genes that drive the responses of biota to climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:The distribution of refugial habitats is the main factor affecting the existence of cold-adapted species in the lowlands. In addition, regional climatic conditions could have an influence on relicts. Aims:Co-occurrence of environmental factors in the determination of the distribution of the glacial relictFestuca amethystinawas examined in Poland. Methods:Climatic data, habitat indicator species, parent material of soils and range of glaciations were analysed, using ecological niche modelling. Prediction ofFestuca amethystinaoccurrence for different sets of data – only climatic, only habitat and all data – was modelled. Results:The distribution ofFestuca amethystinawas related to the presence of oak forests (Potentillo albae-Quercetum), to moderate subcontinental climate, but not to the distribution of loess soils. In addition, variables related to temperature and precipitation in the driest quarter of the year, isothermality and a mean diurnal range had the strongest influence on the occurrence ofF. amethystinawithin thePotentillo-Quercetumrange. Conclusions:Climate acts as a regional filter and habitat availability as a local filter for distribution of the species. Therefore, the habitat can act as microrefugium in some parts of its range. In a flat landscape, relicts can persist where environmental conditions are simultaneously favourable for the persistence of refugial vegetation and relict populations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The main objectives of the presented study were to quantify the transfer of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) along the river continuum and to evaluate the impact of wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) located in the catchment on the river quality. The samples were collected during the spring (high water flow) and summer season (serene water flow) of 2010. The river samples were collected from five stations located along the lowland Pilica River, including two stations situated above and below the Sulejow Reservoir. At the same time, samples from the outlets of 17 WTPs were collected. As evidenced by the results, the largest WTPs discharged up to 59.09 μg toxic equivalent (TEQ) of PCDDs/PCDFs and dl-PCBs per day during high flow events and up to 26.03 μg TEQ during serene water flows. During the same time, the smallest WTPs released on average 0.81 and 0.70 μg TEQ day-1, respectively. The obtained results have also demonstrated an increase in the TEQ concentration along the Pilica River continuum (from 4.75 to 6.25 pg TEQ L-1). The exception were samples collected below the dam where 63% TEQ reduction was observed compared to samples collected above the reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rehabilitation of landscapes along river valleys play an ever more important role in urban management. The first step is evaluation of natural conditions of green areas. We propose a validation method based on analysis of land use changes in the last 200 years, actual vegetation mapping, and the hemeroby concept. The field study was conducted in the Sokołówka River valley in Łódź city (Central Poland). All analyses were performed using the GIS software. The results show that after World War II, during urbanization and industrialization of Łódź, a surprising increase in the forest cover and a decline of agricultural areas have been observed in the study area. The current naturalization of the landscape should be used for rehabilitation projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing concern about the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during wastewater treatment and their potential impacts on the receiving water bodies. We hypothesised that the quantity of ARGs in effluents may be related to the size of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and sampling season. To date, only several attempts have been made to investigate the impact of the above factors at the catchment scale. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to explore possible differences in the quantity of ARGs in treated wastewater from small, medium-sized and large WWTPs in the catchment of the Pilica River (9258 km2). The impact of treated wastewater on the concentration of ARGs was also determined along the river continuum from upland to lowland segments to the point of confluence with the Vistula (342 km). Treated effluent was sampled in 17 WWTPs, and river water was sampled in 7 sampling sites in four seasons. The concentrations of bla TEM , tet (A), erm F, sul 1 and aac(6′)-Ib-cr genes, the integrase gene intI1 and the 16S rRNA gene were analysed by quantitative PCR. The physical and chemical parameters and nutrient concentrations (23 various parameters) in the analysed samples were determined. The highest absolute concentrations of the studied genes were noted in effluent samples from small WWTPs (p < 0.01). The concentration of ARGs (gene copies/mL) peaked in winter and spring samples (p < 0.04). The results of statistical analyses indicate that in small WWTPs, the absolute concentration of ARGs can be predicted based on the biochemical oxygen demand, in routine water analyses. However, none of the studied parameters supported predictions of ARG abundance in medium-sized and large WWTPs or in river water. Unlabelled Image • The quantity of ARGs in effluents was related to the size of WWTPs. • The abundance of ARGs was highest in effluent samples from small WWTPs. • ARG concentrations peaked in winter and spring samples. • The trends in ARG abundance were similar in terms of absolute and relative gene copy numbers. • BOD can probably be used to predict ARG copy numbers in small WWTPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated dibenzo--dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) are environmental contaminants that have widespread distribution and pose a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems. We conducted a study to quantify the distribution, patterns, and transport of PCDDs and PCDFs along the Pilica River in central Poland under different hydrological conditions to estimate the loads of these compounds and understand their fate in aquatic systems. Water samples were collected at five sampling points along the river that represent a range of hydrological conditions including flooding and stable and low water flows. Reduced river water flow was associated with lower average total and toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations of PCDDs plus PCDFs: 33.6 pg L and 4.21 pg TEQ L for flooding; 28.3 pg L and 3.6 pg TEQ L for stable flow; 18.4 pg L and 1.0 pg TEQ L for low-water flow. Similar results were observed for daily loadings of total and TEQ concentrations: the highest values were observed during flooding (331.1-839.4 mg d and 27.8-110.7 mg TEQ d), medium under stable hydrological conditions (55.8-121.0 mg d and 7.7-15.3 mg TEQ d), and the lowest values during low water flow (30.9 and 40.3 mg d and 1.4-2.4 mg TEQ d). The results demonstrate that diffuse sources of pollution play a key role during periods of high water flow (i.e., flooding season), whereas point sources of pollution, including municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant discharges, mainly determine the PCDD and PCDF concentrations seen during low water periods., (Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.)