The lesser spot-nosed monkey (
Cercopithecus petaurista
) is a widely distributed West African guenon, which is generally considered less vulnerable to local extinctions than many sympatric primate ...species. Guinea-Bissau harbours the westernmost populations of the species, which is thought to be very rare or even extinct on the mainland, but to have putative populations on some islands of the Bijagós Archipelago. However, due to a lack of regional studies, baseline information on these insular populations is missing. We collected baseline data on the anthropogenic activities that possibly threaten the long-term conservation of this primate by using non-systematic ethnographic methodologies. The species was reported to be decreasing in number or rare by locals on two of the islands, and we identified two main conservation threats to it: generalised habitat loss/degradation, and hunting. While subsistence hunting has been recorded before in these areas, we report, to the best of our knowledge for the first time for these islands, the presence of a semi-organised commercial wild meat trade. The carcasses of western lesser spot-nosed monkeys were observed being stored and shipped from seaports to be sold at urban hubs (Bissau and Bubaque Island). The effect of commercial trade on the species could be severe, considering the small, naturally occurring, carrying capacities typical of insular ecosystems. The results of this study highlight the importance of understanding the leading social drivers of wild meat hunting of lesser spot-nosed monkeys on the Bijagós Archipelago, and the need to conduct baseline research on these insular populations, for which qualitative and quantitative methods could be combined.
One of the largest environmental disasters worldwide occurred on November 5th, 2015, when the Fundão dam collapsed in Mariana (Minas Gerais State, Southeast Brazil). The tailing mud flooded the Doce ...River basin and reached the sea in the coast of Espírito Santo State (ES), Southeast Brazil. This coastal region is the habitat of the most isolated population of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei), with the lowest populational census and lowest genetic diversity in Franciscana Management Area Ia (FMA Ia) - 18° 25′S and 21° 17′S. This study aimed to assess the bioaccumulation of trace-elements (As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, and Zn) in muscle, liver and kidney of franciscana dolphins collected near the Doce River's mouth before (n = 32) and after (n = 19) the tailing mud reached the sea. The Generalized Additive Model (GAM) showed increasing temporal trends of Hg and Zn in muscle and liver after the dam failure, probably related to higher concentrations and bioavailability in the water column and sediments from the Doce River. Declining trends were found for As and Cu muscular and hepatic concentrations and Fe concentrations in kidney due to their lower bioavailability after the disaster, caused by association with tailings mud trapped in the riverbanks and suspended particulate material. Additionally, higher As and Hg concentrations found in the first period of sampling may be due to historical contamination by mining activities. The full extent of the impacts caused by the Fundão dam failure is still unknown. However, due to their rapid increase and remobilization process, toxic effects can be induced in the biota by these elements. Elements' bioaccumulation in this study contributes to the knowledge of franciscana dolphins from FMA Ia. Considering the conservation concern regarding this franciscana population and its scarce knowledge, the impact of this disaster can be alarming for species conservation.
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•Trace elements in franciscana dolphins from FMA Ia are reported for the first time.•Increasing temporal trends of Hg and Zn were found due to higher bioavailability.•Declining trends of As, Cu and Fe were mainly related to tailing mud association.•Elements remobilization in the environment can threat franciscana dolphins.
Approximately 57% of the Brazilian northeast region is recognized as semi-arid land and has been undergoing intense land use processes in the last decades, which have resulted in severe degradation ...of its natural assets. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the areas that are susceptible to desertification in this region based on the 11 influencing factors of desertification (pedology, geology, geomorphology, topography data, land use and land cover change, aridity index, livestock density, rural population density, fire hot spot density, human development index, conservation units) which were simulated for two different periods: 2000 and 2010. Each indicator were assigned weights ranging from 1 to 2 (representing the best and the worst conditions), representing classes indicating low, moderate and high susceptibility to desertification. The results indicate that 94% of the Brazilian northeast region is under moderate to high susceptibility to desertification. The areas that were susceptible to soil desertification increased by approximately 4.6% (83.4 km2) from 2000 to 2010. The implementation of the methodology provides the technical basis for decision-making that involves mitigating actions and the first comprehensive national assessment within the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification framework.
•EN is a spatial planning tool targeting biodiversity and ecological connectivity.•The EN identifies/maps the most valuable/sensitive areas that guarantee ecosystem functioning.•The landscape scale ...analysis is used to map Portuguese National EN (NEN).•Existing protected areas are insufficient to ensure landscape ecological balance.•Results accuracy allows the EN transfer to regional and municipal scales.
The concept and establishment of Ecological Networks (EN) have been seen as a solution towards nature conservation strategies targeting biodiversity and ecological connectivity. Within this, the EN assumed a holistic view of land-use planning and biodiversity conservation as the core of the wider Green Infrastructure (GI) framework. The EN is considered a spatial concept recognized as a system of landscape structures or ecosystems, and a strategically connected fundamental infrastructure of abiotic and biotic systems, underlying the provision of multiple functions valuable to society. This concept moves beyond traditional approaches of “nature protection and preservation”, (re)focusing on the ecosystemic approach and the “continuum naturale”, emphasising the quality or potentiality of physical components, allowing the articulation with the nature conservation and at-risk areas.
Portugal has long had legislation in place meant to protect the natural resources. Although the environmental policies are sectoral and unarticulated, and the environmental data is dispersed and absent. In addition, this study shows that the existing protected areas in Portugal, namely Natura 2000 and classified protected areas, are insufficient to ensure landscape ecological balance and avoid fragmentation. The main goal is to develop a methodology to map a National Ecological Network (NEN) for mainland Portugal, establish the theoretical framework of the EN/GI, by identifying and mapping the most valuable and sensitive areas that guarantee the ecosystem functioning through a multi-level ecological evaluation criteria that integrate the physical and biological systems. The Portuguese NEN map, with a 25 m spatial resolution, integrates in a single tool the Portuguese environmental policies more effectively, in order to facilitate its understanding and application into planning.
Regarding the EN mapping method, it was used a GIS-based model made up of a sequence of analyses and evaluations that are driven by a GIS supported assessment of several indices/models used for each EN component. These NEN components were studied individually and collectively and the results, hierarchized in two levels, show that most of the ecological components do not overlap. The NEN1 has high biodiversity and ecological value, which means they are more vulnerable to anthropogenic activity. NEN1 covers a total of 67 % of the mainland, yet as of 2018, only 25 % is protected in nature conservation areas. Priority of action must be given to NEN1 in order to avoid/decrease landscape fragmentation, environmental risks, and natural disaster prevention.
This paper contributes to the understanding of the NEN importance as an ecologically based tool towards a more sustainable landscape planning, and the basis of the development plans at national, regional and local levels in an integrated manner, instead of a compilation of disassociated often-contradictory planning tools. The benefits of a Portuguese NEN into a GI development and part of a (broader) nature base solutions by increasing the ecosystems quality and become less dependent on economic and social activities, helping in the restoration of degraded ecosystems and environmental risk prevention. Moreover, it represents the first attempt to map Portuguese EN, and addresses the lack of mapping and the inconsistent EN criteria. It is available online at http://epic-webgis-portugal.isa.ulisboa.pt.
In this work, we present a procedure to grow Cu12Sb4S13 and Cu3SbS4 thin films consisting of the deposition of simultaneously sputtered metal precursors followed by a annealing treatment in a sulphur ...atmosphere. The selection of the ternary phase is performed by adjusting the sulphur evaporation temperature in the chalcogenization process. It is shown that for a sulphur evaporation temperature of 140 ∘C the predominant phase is Cu12Sb4S13 while for 180 ∘C the predominant phase is Cu3SbS4. In order to ensure precursor composition homogeneity, the Cu-Sb metallic precursors are deposited simultaneously by RF magnetron sputtering using adjustable segmented targets. The morphological characterization of the films was made by scanning electron microscopy and the composition was analysed by energy dispersive spectroscopy. The structural analysis and phase identification were performed by X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering. The optical properties were studied on films deposited directly on bare glass and the optical bandgap energies of 1.47 eV and 0.89 eV for Cu12Sb4S13 and Cu3SbS4, respectively, were determined.
•Cu12Sb4S13 and Cu3SbS4 thin films using different sulphur evaporation temperature.•Simultaneous metal precursors using RF sputtering and segmented Cu-Sb targets.•Crystalline phase identification by XRD, Raman scattering and EDS.•Cu12Sb4S13 and Cu3SbS4 show direct band gap with 1.47 eV and 0.89 eV, respectively.•PL measurements show a peak at 0.89 eV for the Cu3SbS4 sample.
On November 5th, 2015, the Fundão dam collapsed in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, releasing millions of cubic meters of mud containing mining residue into the Doce River. Two weeks later, the mud ...arrived to the marine environment, triggering changes in franciscana dolphin habitat, Pontoporia blainvillei, from Franciscana Management Area Ia. This is an isolated population of the most endangered cetacean species in the South Atlantic Ocean. Organohalogen compounds (OHCs) may pose a threat to this endangered population because of their endocrine disrupting properties. Hence, this study sought to determine if there were differences in the bioaccumulation profile of OHC (PCBs, DDTs, Mirex, HCB, HCHs, PBDEs, PBEB, HBBZ and MeO-BDEs) in franciscana dolphins before and after dam collapse and to build a temporal trend. Blubber of 33 stranded individuals was collected in Espírito Santo state for organohalogen assessment between 2003 and 2019. Differences were found between franciscana dolphins collected prior to and after the disaster. Additionally, significant temporal trends for organochlorine pesticides and natural and anthropogenic organobromine were detected. The increase in pesticide concentrations after 2015 is suggestive of their reavailability in the environment. The decline in organobromine over time could be due to their debromination in the marine environment and alterations in the composition of their natural producers. PCBs remained stable during the period of the study. Our findings show an increase in endocrine disruptor concentrations, which is of great concern for this endangered population.
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•Fundão dam collapse triggered environmental shifts in franciscana dolphins' habitat.•Comparison in contaminants concentrations were done pre and post dam collapse.•Pesticides increased after the dam collapse and could affect population viability.•Naturally-produced organobromine decreased in franciscana dolphins between 2003 and 2009.•PCB levels were stable over time in franciscana dolphins between 2003 and 2009.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds ubiquitous in the environment and known for their toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. These compounds can bioaccumulate in the ...biota and be transferred through trophic webs. The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei), as top predators, can be an environmental sentinels. Thus, this study aimed to provide data about PAHs concentration in their hepatic tissue collected on the coast of Espírito Santo (Franciscana Management Area, FMA Ia), Rio de Janeiro (FMA IIa), and São Paulo states (FMA IIb), in Southeastern Brazil. PAHs were detected in 86 % of franciscana dolphins (n = 50). The highest ∑PAHsTotal median concentration was reported in FMA Ia followed by FMA IIb and FMA IIa (1055.6; 523.9, and 72.1 ng.g-1 lipid weight, respectively). Phenanthrene was detected in one fetus and two neonates, showing maternal transfer of PAHs in these dolphins. Evaluating PAHs with potential toxic effects is of utmost importance for the conservation of a threatened species.
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•PAHs were detected in 86 % (43/50) of franciscana dolphins analyzed.•Naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene were the most frequent compounds.•The potential carcinogenic benzo(a)pyrene was detected in 26 % (13/50) of franciscanas.•Maternal transfer of PAHs to one fetus and two neonates was evidenced.•Mutagenic and carcinogenic PAHs are another threat to a critically endangered species.
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Allowing consumers to have real-time information about food freshness quickly.
•Experimental design and optimization of a novel pH-sensitive sensor based on the two-faced images of ...Janus for monitoring the freshness of perishable food.•A novel concept of Janus (or Emoji) device (“Happy face” to “Sad face”) for monitoring the quality of refrigerated “fresh” or “spoilage” chicken meat was designed and prepared.•A novel smart tag based on anthocyanin film to ensure consumers have quick information about food freshness.
The lack of monitoring of food freshness during the cold chain has been reported in the literature as either a problem faced by meat industries enforcing stricter controls and public health security needs. This paper presents an innovative solution for real-time food freshness discrimination: a printable, easy-to-use, and non-toxic two-faced Janus color-indicator label. This sensor is based on the pink to purple variation of a multilayer pH-sensitive composite (cellulose acetate and black carrot anthocyanin) film in the turnover process of fresh to spoilage chicken. The microstructure and permeability of the composite, and also the impact of the psychrotrophic aerobic bacteria on the optical properties of the indicator label, were investigated. This sensor demonstrating a short response time (∼ 2 min), great color stability, and provides interactive information of food freshness, being capable of communicating directly with consumers via two simple images: “happy face” for fresh meat and “sad face” for spoilage. As far as we know, this is the first time that the Janus (or Emoji) principle is designed for tracking food quality to allow consumers to have easy information on food freshness.
Robust evidences are presented showing that the Raman mode around 250 cm−1 in the Sb2Se3 thin films does not belong to this binary compound. The laser power density dependence of the Raman spectrum ...revealed the formation of Sb2O3 for high values of laser intensity power density excitation under normal atmospheric conditions. To complement this study, the Sb2Se3 films were characterized by x-ray diffraction during in situ annealing. Both these measurements showed that the Sb2Se3 compound can be replaced by Sb2O3. A heat-assisted chemical process explains these findings. Furthermore, Raman conditions required to perform precise measurements are described.
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