Microbial mats are commonly observed in estuaries and in salt marshes but they only rarely represent a significant surface involved in salt production. In the Sečovlje salt works in Northern ...Adriatic, a microbial mat known as the “petola” covers the bottom of salt crystallising pans, highly influencing salt composition and salt production processes. Throughout the year the petola is subjected to numerous co-varying factors that drive changes in its structure and the microbial community. Seasonal modifications were investigated via various methods (cryo-HRSEM, XRD, elemental analysis, carbohydrate content, bacterial community structure). This study provides knowledge on microbial mat compositional characteristics and functional roles in response to seasonal variation in environmental conditions. The in situ characterisation (close-to its natural hydrated state) of the three-dimensional microstructure provides precise information about dominating filamentous cyanobacterium Coleofasciculus chthonoplastes and extracellular polymer secretion (EPS) organisation. This is the first study to address how microbial mat composition and structure, especially 3D EPS network (and microbial diversity), affects the salt production processes within a hypersaline environment.
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•Role of a microbial mat called “petola” in traditional Slovenian salt production.•Combination of microscopic, mineralogical, geochemical and biomolecular analyses.•High resolution cryo-scanning electron microscopy.•Petola's 3D organic microtexture impacts salt formation and production.•Magnesium sequestration by cyanobacterial sheaths favours salt purity.
Entiauspe-Neto et al cite that wild albino and leucistic animals are usually rare, partially due to to their low survival rates, considering that specimens within these conditions may hatch ...stillborn, with malformations, and are easier to be detected by prey and predators than their normally colored counterparts, with negative impacts on their feeding and reproductive capabilities. Here, they follow the proposal of Van Grouw, who considers leucism as a partial or total lack of eumelanin and phaeomelanin due to an inherited disorder in pigment transfer, which causes fail in melanin deposition within cells, although maintaining pigments in the back of the eyeball but not in the iris. Here, they report the first record of leucism for Atractus reticulatus, a fossorial species of ground snake inhabiting the Pampas, Campos, southern Cerrado and transitional zones, occurring from Lowland to Lower Montane Semi-deciduous Forests between 0-1100 m high, from Southeastern and Southern Brazil, to Argentina and Uruguay.
The Sečovlje saltern is one of the few remaining solar salterns for traditional, seasonal salt production. The bottom of the crystallizer ponds is covered with a microbial mat, known as the ‘petola', ...that has continuously been cultivated from medieval times. Outside the salt production season, the petola is fertilized with anoxic marine mud and covered with saline water; during the season, it is covered by brine. Here, we have applied culture-independent techniques and microelectrode-based activity measurements to study the bacterial communities in three different layers of the petola during the peak of the harvesting season. For reference, we used nonactive petola that had been abandoned for several years. The upper 2 mm of the petola were dominated by the cyanobacterial species Coleofasciculus chthonoplastes and the Phormidium/Lyngbya group, and Gammaproteobacteria (Acinetobacter sp.), while the third anoxic layer was dominated by as yet uncultured phyla. The nonactive petola showed a higher biodiversity. Oxygen and sulfide concentrations differed between the mats studied, in terms of the depth of oxygen penetration and diel changes. This study provides the first molecular insight into the microbiology of the petola, and it represents an important contribution towards understanding the geomicrobiological cycles of the traditional Sečovlje saltern.
In our research the concentrations of major and minor elements were determined in natural sea salts from the Se~ovlje salina (Piran salts, Slovenia) and compared to those of selected samples of ...commercially available unrefined salts with different geographical origins (Croatia, Austria, Italy, Portugal, India, and Pakistan). In the case of major element contents such as sodium (Na), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), and titanium (Ti) many similarities were observed among the analysed salt samples. On the other hand, Piran salts are characterized by lower silicon (Si) values. Among the salts from the Sečovlje salina, the salt with the trade name Piran salt has a higher Mg content while Flower of salt has a lower concentration of calcium (Ca). In Slovenian samples the majority of trace element values were lower than 0.5 µg g-1, which was comparable to the results from commercially available unrefined salts. The salt composition differences observed indicate area-specific signatures related to geographic origin and diverse salt production processes. The quality of the studied salt samples is in accordance with standards established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the Piran salts are also suitable regarding issues of national food control.
Considerable confusion exists regarding taxonomy and distributions of Oxyrhopus in northern South America. Specimens and records of Oxyrhopus from Guyana were examined. Oxyrhopus melanogenys, O. ...occipitalis and O. petola occur in Guyana. Data on morphology and colouration of these species are presented. Species distributions and characters to distinguish among the species are discussed.
Existe uma considerável confusão sobre a taxonomia e distribuições de Oxyrhopus no norte da América do Sul. Os espécimes e registros de Oxyrhopus da Guyana foram examinados. Oxyrhopus melanogenys, O. occipitalis e O. petola ocorre na Guyana. Os dados de morfologia e coloração destas espécies são apresentados. As distribuições destas espécies e caracteres para distinguir essas espécies são discutidos.
The mature oocysts of six new species of Caryospora are described from the faeces of Brazilian snakes. They are differentiated from other species previously recorded from reptiles, largely on the ...size and shape of the oocyst and sporocyst, structure of the oocyst wall, and presence or absence of a polar body. C. paraensis n. sp., and C. carajasensis n. sp., are from the "false coral", Oxyrhopus petola digitalis ; C. pseustesi n. sp., from the "egg-eater", Pseustes sulphureus sulphureus; C. epicratesi n. sp., from the "red boa", Epicrates cenchria cenchria ; and C. micruri n. sp., and C. constanciae n. sp., from the "coral snake", Micrurus spixii spixii . A re-description is given of C. jararacae Carini, 1939, from the "jararaca" Bothrops atrox , embodying some additional morphological features.
Provider: - Institution: National Library of the Netherlands - Koninklijke Bibliotheek - Data provided by Europeana Collections- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction ...under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
Provider: - Institution: National Library of the Netherlands - Koninklijke Bibliotheek - Data provided by Europeana Collections- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction ...under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
Provider: - Institution: National Library of the Netherlands - Koninklijke Bibliotheek - Data provided by Europeana Collections- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction ...under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
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