Polyploidization drives the evolution of grasses and can result in epigenetic changes, which may have a role in the creation of new evolutionary lineages and ecological speciation. As such changes ...may be inherited, they can also influence adaptation to the environment. Populations from different regions and climates may also differ epigenetically; however, this phenomenon is poorly understood. The present study analyzes the effect of climatic stress on global DNA methylation based on a garden collection of two related mountain grasses (the narrow endemic diploid Festuca tatrae and the more widely distributed mixed-ploidy F. amethystina) with different geographic ranges and ecological niches. A lower level of DNA methylation was observed for F. tatrae, while a higher mean level was obtained for the diploid and tetraploid of F. amethystina; with the tetraploids having a higher level of global methylated DNA than the diploids. The weather conditions (especially insolation) measured 24 h prior to sampling appeared to have a closer relationship with global DNA methylation level than those observed seven days before sampling. Our findings suggest that the level of methylation during stress conditions (drought, high temperature and high insolation) may be significantly influenced by the ploidy level and bioclimatic provenance of specimens; however an important role may also be played by the intensity of stress conditions in a given year.
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.
Urbanization and population growth have created considerable sanitation challenges in cities and communities in many parts of Europe and the world. As such, it is imperative to identify the most ...environmentally-harmful microbiological and chemical sources of pollution, these being wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) which release wastewater of low quality. In the present manuscript, an extensive study was performed of the sanitary conditions of river water and treated wastewater from seventeen WWTPs of various sizes along the Pilica River catchment in central Poland, with the aim of identifying “hot spots” in terms of most serious sources of sanitary hazards. The bacteriological risk for the river, including fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) such as coliforms, E.coli, enterococci, C. perfringens, and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (CRA) were assessed using classical microbiological methods, and the physicochemical parameters were also tested. The WWTPs, particularly the small ones (<2000 people equivalent, PE) demonstrated significant variation regarding the physicochemical parameters. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. bacteria growing at 42 °C were found in the effluent wastewaters of all tested municipal WWTPs, and in most of the Pilica River water samples, presenting a potential hazard to public health. A positive correlation was identified between E. coli and CRA abundance in treated wastewater; however, no such relationship was found in river water. It was found that seven small treatment plants discharged wastewater with very different microbiological parameters. Moreover, three small treatment plants serving only 0.56% of the population in the studied area continuously released extremely high microbiological contamination, constituting as much as 54–82% of fecal indicator bacteria loads in the area studied. Our findings show that this type of comprehensive analysis may enable assessment of the use of the entire catchment area, thus identifying the most serious threats to surface water quality and guiding the actions needed to improve the worst operating WWTPs.
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•CR-Acinetobacter were found in all tested effluent samples from WWTPs.•The numbers of CR-Acinetobacter and E.coli cells in WWTP effluents correlate.•Small WWTPs demonstrated the largest FIB loads.•WWTPs serving 0.56% of the population in the area released 54–82% of FIB loads.
River system retentiveness must be enhanced to increase multidimensional environmental sustainability and thus ameliorate the effects of climate change and the occurrence of extreme hydrological ...events. The aim of the article is to demonstrate how ecohydrological Nature-Based Solutions can be combined with conventional infrastructure to improve WBSRCE benefits (Water, Biodiversity, ecosystem Services, Resilience, Culture, Education) by taking a holistic approach to multifunctional reservoir design. The paper proposes a new form of lateral reservoir, which is built without disturbing the meandering river and is supplied with good quality water through a monitoring and regulatory system; its design is based on thorough analysis of hydrological pulses and suspended matter and nutrients fluxes. The regulatory system also includes an innovative Sequential Sedimentation and Biofiltration System. Lateral reservoirs increase water retentiveness in the river valley by lifting ground water level and restoring surrounding wetlands, thus enhancing biodiversity, ecosystem services for society and the resilience of the river system to climate change. An integrative understanding of the interplay between hydrology and biocenosis can be used to enhance river system sustainability potential (WBSR) and harmonise societal needs with biosphere sustainability through culture and education (CE).
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•Valley water retentiveness is needed to support climate change adaptation.•Multifunctional reservoirs can improve WBSRCE resources.•Nature-Based Solutions should integrate with engineering infrastructure.•Nitrogen concentration is strongly correlated with discharge and conductivity.•Sequential biofiltration and smart automatic reservoir filling systems are needed.
•Niche modeling using the SoilGrids database is a valuable tool in ecological studies.•Tetraploids have a wider niche breadth when compared to diploids.•Polyploidization under changing environmental ...conditions leads to colonization.•Festuca amethystina extended the geographical range to post-glacial lowland areas.•The soil factor can be key in plant distribution.
In the framework of polyploidization, a widely discussed issue is the possibility of niche shift. Numerous studies have investigated niche differentiation among cytotypes, with some confirming distinct differences, while others finding them to be similar. Within this research project, we focus on the case of the cytotypes (2x and 4x) of Festuca amethystina L. and the closely related F. tatrae (Czakó) Degen (2x). We hypothesize that a significant change in the edaphic niche of tetraploids could be a factor that enabled them to occupy new lowland areas inaccessible to diploids which are characteristic of mountain habitats.
The edaphic niche differentiation between Festuca amethystina cytotypes was determined by studying the niches’ breadths using PCA-based modeling and separate analyses of particular soil features. The modeling was based on SoilGridsTMdata, and the conclusions were compared with the results of the direct soil studies. Such a research model makes it possible to determine to what extent the data coming from the mentioned database allows for the indication of niche differentiation.
Coarse-grained modeling based on SoilGridsTM data indicated a significant change in the edaphic requirements of the tetraploids, as well as pointed to the niche shift towards a higher content of sand, lower carbon and nitrogen content, and lower pH. The direct soil sampling and laboratory tests confirmed these trends and provided a more detailed understanding of the cytotypes requirements. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between cytotypes concerning soil pH, the majority of base cations, available forms of phosphorus and potassium, and the results of CHN elemental analysis. While the direct soil sampling did not reveal significant differences, the analyses based on the niche modeling, considering a wide background area in Central Europe (using SoilGrids data), captured significant variations. This comprehensive approach allowed us to uncover a highly logical pattern of niche shift, which indicates that tetraploids are predisposed to extend their geographical range to post-glacial lowland areas.
Additionally, Festuca amethystina tetraploids display a wider edaphic niche breadth than their closely related and hypothetical ancestor Festuca tatrae. The decision to include the latter reduced the probability that the obtained result of the significant increase of the tetraploid edaphic niche was a simple result of hybridization.
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•Ecotoxicological assessment should be included in waste water management procedures.•No clear relationship between physicochemical and ecotoxic parameters was observed.•S. ...capricornutum growth inhibition moderately depended on TN and NH4+ level.•T. platyurus mortality strongly depended on TN and NH4+ level.
While legal regulations require treated wastewater to be tested based only on its physicochemical parameters, surface water assessment also has to include biological indicators. However, neither approach provides a complete picture of water quality due to lack of ecotoxicological information. Therefore, the aim of the study was to perform an ecotoxicological evaluation of treated wastewater and river water in the catchment scale using a battery of biotests. In the period between June 2017 and July 2018, six sets of treated wastewater samples were taken from 17 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of different sizes (small: < 2,000 people equivalent - p.e.; medium size: 2,000–9,999 p.e.; large: 15,000–99,999 p.e.), as well as river water samples from seven sites along the 342 km Pilica River in central Poland. Physical and chemical analysis were performed of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS), as well as organic suspended matter (OSM), ion content (fluorides, nitrates, ammonium, potassium and sulphate), and pH, conductivity and redox potential (RP). Ecotoxicity assessment was performed using a battery of biotests comprising the producer Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (chronic toxicity biotest), consumer Thamnocephalus platyurus (acute toxicity biotest) and decomposer Tetrahymena thermophila (chronic toxicity biotest). It was found that in small WWTPs, the recommended levels of TN, TP, BOD, COD and TSS were often exceeded. Also, the highest mean toxicity hazard in the ecotoxicological biotests was observed for samples from small WWTPs. No clear dependence was found between any of the studied physicochemical parameters of the water and the ecotoxicity of samples: however, a correlation was observed between growth inhibition of P. subcapitata and TN and NH4+ concentration (r = 0.43 and r = 0.48, respectively). Also, the mortality of T. platyurus was correlated with NH4+(r = 0.72), TN (r = 0.64), BOD (r = 0.52), TSS (r = 0.44) and OSM (r = 0.46). The most sensitive organism in the applied battery of biotests was the alga P. subcapitata (producer), with a 90% toxic response for WWTP samples and 100% for river samples. T. platyurus (consumer) demonstrated a 56% toxic response for WWTP samples and no toxicity (0%) for river samples. In turn, T. thermophila demonstrated a 25% toxic response for WWTP samples and 33% for river samples. The addition of an ecotoxicological evaluation (battery of biotests) to the physicochemical monitoring of treated wastewater and river water delivered new information about the biological impact on organisms related to their different sensitivity. Additionally, the small WWTPs turned out to be the highest source of hazard.
Although it is not possible to completely eliminate flooding in an era of climate change and intensification of extreme weather events, effective flood prevention and management in river floodplains ...may make a significant contribution. The land use characteristics of a catchment and river valley determine, to a great extent, the functioning of a river floodplain, as well as the quantity and size of the flood pulses in the river. The paper is focused on the role played by ecohydrology in flood risk management and water quality. From the ecohydrological perspective, river floodplains are extremely important and capacious ecosystems which, being periodically flooded, absorb flood and pollutant peaks and may minimise the danger of flooding. Increased natural water retention capacity in floodplain areas and the whole basin in the face of progressive climate change is possible through three routes: the modelling of the hydrological budget of the catchment towards the sustainable ecohydrological management of floodplains, the optimal use of existing hydrotechnical infrastructure and the implementation of ecohydrological biotechnologies. Furthermore, with such a holistic perspective, the role of river floodplains is one that also enhances the resilience of the river basin against climate and anthropogenic change, as well as increasing flood safety, improving water quality and increasing its ecosystem services for society.
This article aims to evaluate the efficiency of an innovative hybrid Sequential Biofiltration System (SBS) for removing phosphorus and nitrogen and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from original ...municipal wastewater produced by a Wastewater Treatment Plant under authentic operating conditions. The hybrid SBS was constructed with two barriers, a geochemical (filtration beds with limestone, coal and sawdust) and a biological barrier (wetlands with Glyceria, Acorus, Typha, Phragmites), operating in parallel. Significant differences were found between inflow and outflow from the SBS with regard to wastewater contaminant concentrations, the efficiency of removal being 16% (max. 93%) for Total Phosphorus (TP), 25% (max. 93%) for Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP), 15% (max. 97%) for Total Nitrogen (TN), 17% (max. 98%) for NO
N, and 21% for PCB equivalency (PCB EQ). In the case of PCB EQ concentration, the highest efficiency of 43% was obtained using beds with macrophytes. The SBS removed a significant load of TP (0.415 kg), TN (3.136 kg), and PCB EQ (0.223 g) per square meter per year. The use of low-cost hybrid SBSs as a post-treatment step for wastewater treatment was found to be an effective ecohydrological biotechnology that may be used for reducing point source pollution and improving water quality.
Eutrophication is a major problem in the Baltic Sea caused by the inflow of large loads of nutrients. This is largely due to diffuse and point sources of pollution such as wastewater treatment plants ...(WWTPs), which discharge poorly treated wastewater via rivers to the sea. The paper quantifies the problem of point source pollution in the Pilica River catchment (central Poland), one of the largest, second order subcatchments of the Vistula River. The main objectives of the research were: (i) quantification of nutrients transfer along the Pilica River continuum from the source to the estuary into the Vistula River, and (ii) evaluation of the influence of WWTPs on eutrophication of the Pilica River and the Baltic Sea. The study showed that the average total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) load discharged from the Pilica catchment amounted to 0.057tTPkm−2 and 1.655tTNkm−2, respectively, and was two and three times higher, respectively, compared to the annual average loads in the Polish territory and the Baltic States. Moreover, the paper presents possible solutions of sustainable planning and management in river catchments based on the ecohydrological concept and ecological engineering.
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