The Ecological Dynamics of Fecal Contamination and Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi A in Municipal Kathmandu Drinking Water

One of the UN sustainable development goals is to achieve universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030. It is locations like Kathmandu, Nepal, a densely populated city in South Asia with endemic typhoid fever, where this goal is most pertinent. Aiming to understand the public health implications of water quality in Kathmandu we subjected weekly water samples from 10 sources for one year to a range of chemical and bacteriological analyses. We additionally aimed to detect the etiological agents of typhoid fever and longitudinally assess microbial diversity by 16S rRNA gene surveying. We found that the majority of water sources exhibited chemical and bacterial contamination exceeding WHO guidelines. Further analysis of the chemical and bacterial data indicated site-specific pollution, symptomatic of highly localized fecal contamination. Rainfall was found to be a key driver of this fecal contamination, correlating with nitrates and evidence of S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A, for which DNA was detectable in 333 (77%) and 303 (70%) of 432 water samples, respectively. 16S rRNA gene surveying outlined a spectrum of fecal bacteria in the contaminated water, forming complex communities again displaying location-specific temporal signatures. Our data signify that the municipal water in Kathmandu is a predominant vehicle for the transmission of S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A. This study represents the first extensive spatiotemporal investigation of water pollution in an endemic typhoid fever setting and implicates highly localized human waste as the major contributor to poor water quality in the Kathmandu Valley.     

Seasonal Dynamics of Shallow-Hyporheic-Zone Microbial Community Structure along a Heavy-Metal Contamination Gradient

Heavy metals contaminate numerous freshwater streams and rivers worldwide. Previous work by this group demonstrated a relationship between the structure of hyporheic microbial communities and the fluvial deposition of heavy metals along a contamination gradient during the fall season. Seasonal variation has been documented in microbial communities in numerous terrestrial and aquatic environments, including the hyporheic zone. The current study was designed to assess whether relationships between hyporheic microbial community structure and heavy-metal contamination vary seasonally by monitoring community structure along a heavy-metal contamination gradient for more than a year. No relationship between total bacterial abundance and heavy metals was observed (R² = 0.02, P = 0.83). However, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis pattern analysis indicated a strong and consistent linear relationship between the difference in microbial community composition (populations present) and the difference in the heavy metal content of hyporheic sediments throughout the year (R² = 0.58, P < 0.001). Correlations between heavy-metal contamination and the abundance of four specific phylogenetic groups (most closely related to the α, β, and γ-proteobacteria and cyanobacteria) were apparent only during the fall and early winter, when the majority of organic matter is deposited into regional streams. These seasonal data suggest that the abundance of susceptible populations responds to heavy metals primarily during seasons when the potential for growth is highest.     

Rediscovery of the Tagragra Tracksite (Maastrichtian,Agadir, Morocco): Agadirichnus elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 is Pterosaurian Ichnotaxon

ABSTRACT

Discovered in 1954 by Ambroggi and Lapparent, the Tagragra tracksite (Maastrichtian, Agadir, Morocco) yielded tracks of theropod dinosaurs, birds and enigmatic forms tentatively attributed to Lacertilia under the name Agadirichnus elegans. The original specimens are today considered to be lost, and the status of A. elegans has been questioned, even though these footprints can retrospectively be referred to pterodactyloid pterosaur tracks. In order to discuss the status of these foot prints, the historical site has been actively sought and recently rediscovered by one of us (MdD). New material confirms the presence of pterodactyloid footprints, with two morphotypes, in two different facies, respectively associated with bird and theropod tracks. Morphotype I is tentatively conferred to Pteraichnus Stokes 1957 Stokes, W. L. 1957. Pterodactyl tracks from the Morrison Formation. Journal of Palaeontology, 31:952–4.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], which extends the stratigraphical distribution of this ichnotaxon to the Maastrichtian. Morphotype II corresponds to the original ichnospecies A. elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 Ambroggi, R., and A. F. de Lapparent 1954. Les empreintes de pas fossiles du Maestrichtien d'Agadir. Notes du Service Géologique du Maroc, 10:43–6. [Google Scholar], which is here reassessed as a valid ichnotaxon, with the designation of a neotype. Thus, A. elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 Ambroggi, R., and A. F. de Lapparent 1954. Les empreintes de pas fossiles du Maestrichtien d'Agadir. Notes du Service Géologique du Maroc, 10:43–6. [Google Scholar] is historically the first pterosaurian ichnotaxon ever described.     

Late Aptian to early Cenomanian dinoflagellate cysts from Agadir Basin,southwestern Morocco: Biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironment

The Agadir Basin (Moroccan Atlantic margin) is characterized by its fossil richness, including organic-walled microfossils. The palynological analysis of the middle Cretaceous succession from the Tamzargout section and EGA.1 well reveals the presence of well-preserved and diverse assemblage, rich in dinoflagellate cysts. The assemblages contain stratigraphic marker taxa and show significant chronostratigraphic events. Based on these bioevents and on the comparison with different palaeogeographic domains, a determination of age was proposed. The biogeographic characteristics of most cosmopolitan taxa in this study confirm the establishment of new oceanic communication related to the opening of the equatorial Atlantic. The Albian-Cenomanian transition has been recognized only in EGA.1 well, whereas the Aptian-Albian transition, the early-mid Albian and the mid-late Albian have been defined in both the section and the well. The recorded associations are comparable to those of neighboring deposits and those of the Tethyian and Atlantic domains. The vertical distribution of the organic matter in the sediments of the Agadir Basin and the compilation of all palaeoenvironmental proxies allowed identifying an Albian transgression with specific palaeoenvironments in each interval. Neritic marine environments alternated with short phases of continental and oceanic influence is deduced for the late Aptian-early Cenomanian in this basin. The late Aptian-early to mid Albian recorded an outer neritic palaeoenvironment under oceanic influence; the mid to late Albian showed littoral conditions during a regressive phase fluctuating to middle to outer neritic environment; finally the late Albian-early Cenomanian transition was characterized by a middle neritic palaeoenvironment under coastal influence.     

Tolerance and biomarkers as useful tools for assessing environmental quality in the Oued Souss estuary (Bay of Agadir, Morocco)

The aim of this study was to assess aquatic environmental quality of Oued Souss (Agadir, Morocco). This estuary has been subjected for a long time to large amounts of sewage discharges and industrial effluents. Since November 2002, no waste outlets have been discharged in this site due to their connection to a wastewater purification plant. Firstly, we have compared metal tolerance of the annelid polychaete (Nereis diversicolor) originating from Oued Souss and a relatively clean site (Oualidia, Morocco). Secondly, we have evaluated with a multi-marker approach (acetylcholinesterase [AChE], glutathione-S-transferases [GSTs], catalase, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARs]) responses of worms to the pollution gradient. Results have shown that worms from Oued Souss have acquired tolerance to copper and zinc due to a long-term sub-lethal metal exposure and this metal tolerance was maintained in spite of the end of wastewater discharges in this site. Higher catalase, GSTs and TBARs values have been observed in worms from Oued Souss sampled before implantation of wastewater treatment. The multi-marker approach confirms that these worms have been submitted to various contaminants. In contrast, high inhibition in AChE activities measured in worms from Oued Souss could be explained by the continuous agricultural influence of nearest areas. The level of contamination was probably maintained since biomarker values were generally higher in worms from Oued Souss when compared to Oualidia.     

浙江近海后鳃类软体动物的分布及其区系

报道了浙江近海的后鳃类97种,分别隶属于7目30科44属。其中我国沿岸广温广布种14种,主要分布于东海和南海的亚热带种50种,南海的热带种18种,渤、黄海延伸到东海北部的暖温带种15种。     

Species Composition, Abundance, and Distribution of Seabirds along the Northeastern Coast of Sakhalin

Seabirds were counted in September 1998 from the research vessel Professor Khromovand a motorboat in Pil'tun and Lunskii bays and in the contiguous areas of the eastern Sakhalin shelf. Data on the species composition, abundance, and distribution of seabirds are presented. A fairly high species diversity and significantly high density of seabirds were recorded in Pil'tun and Lunskii bays, which are the main areas where they concentrate during the summer months.     

Evaluation of the Soil Contamination of Tangier (Morocco) by the Determination of BTEX,PCBs, and PAHs

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), were selected as pollutants to evaluate the contamination of soils in the urban and industrial areas of Tangier (Morocco). PAHs and PCBs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) clean-up. BTEX were directly determined by head-space GC-MS. Results obtained in this study show the presence of high levels of BTEX and PAHs in the soil near the urban waste deposit. However, the analysis of pollutants in the other sampling sites provided comprehensive evidence that soils of Tangier city are not contaminated.     

Dynamics of a disabled population in Morocco

Background  

The disabled population constitutes a class of people needing special care and necessitating important economic and social effort.     

Mercury Contamination and Dynamics in the Sediment of the Second Songhua River,China

The Second Songhua River (SSR) was subjected to a large amount of mercury discharge from petrochemical industries in Jilin City from the 1960s to 1980s. The objectives of this study were to investigate the spatial and temporal change of mercury concentration in the sediments of the river and to assess Hg pollution in sediment employing enrichment ratio. Bottom sediments sampled in 2005 were digested with various acids followed by analysis by atomic fluorescence spectrometry for Hg, ICP-MS for Cd, Pb and Sc, and ICP-OES for Co, Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, and K, in order to measure the total concentrations of these elements in the sediments. Results indicated that mercury concentrations in the sediments were strongly related with distance from the historic industrial point source, decreasing at an exponential rate from 1.27 mg kg^?1 at Jilin City to 0.01 mg kg^?1 at downstream Haerbin City. In addition, mercury concentration decreased from 16.8 mg kg^{? 1} y^?1 in 1974 to 0.09 mg kg^?1 y^?1 in 2005 in the sediments at effluent discharge site, and from 0.006 mg kg^?1 y^?1in 1974 to 0.004 mg kg^?1 y^?1 in 2005 at Songyuan City 257 km downstream. In the sedimentary sections of the river, deeper sediments contained higher concentrations of mercury as compared to the surface sediments, suggesting discharges of higher levels of mercury in the past and its subsequent burial over the years by less polluted sediments. Background concentrations of mercury in the surface sediments, reconstructed by tracer Sc, were 0.011 to 0.018 mg kg^?1. Enrichment ratios of Hg in the sediments of SSR was 5 to 75, indicating moderate to extreme pollution, while the sediment of Songhua River is less contaminated, with enrichment ratios of 0.9 to 1.5. At present, the previously accumulated and buried mercury in sediments may not significantly affect water quality of the SSR, but might pose a potential ecological risk to aquatic and amphibian animals. Natural attenuation seems to be an economic remedial choice for these sediments.     

Stranding Events of Kogia Whales along the Brazilian Coast

The genus Kogia, which comprises only two extant species, Kogia sima and Kogia breviceps, represents one of the least known groups of cetaceans in the global ocean. In some coastal regions, however, stranding events of these species have been relatively common over the last decades. Stranding provides the opportunity to investigate the biology of these cetaceans and to explore the epidemiological aspects associated with the mortality of the organisms found on the beach. A number of disturbances (including pelagic fisheries, chemical pollution, boat strikes, and noise pollution) have been confirmed to pose a particular threat to the Kogia species. However, no study has yet investigated potential relationships between environmental conditions and stranding events. Here we analyse how a collection of environmental, physical, and biological variables, such as wind, sea surface temperature (SST), water depth, and chlorophyll-a, correlate to Kogia stranding events along the Brazilian coast. The results of our statistical analyses suggest that K. sima is more likely found in warm tropical waters, which provide an explanation for the high frequency of stranding in northeastern Brazilian coast. In contrast, K. breviceps appears to have a preference for temperate and productive waters. Wind speed results to be also an important factor for predicting Kogia strandings in Brazilian coast. Additionally, literature information in combination with our own data and analyses of stomach contents confirms that oceanic cephalopods constitute the primary nutritional source of both Kogia species. By using the available information as a qualitative proxy for habitat preference and feeding ecology, our study provides a novel and comprehensive assessment of Kogia stranding data in relation to environmental conditions along the Brazilian coast.     

Identification of Surface Water Quality along the Coast of Sanya,South China Sea

Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) are utilized to identify the effects caused by human activities on water quality along the coast of Sanya, South China Sea. PCA and CA identify the seasonality of water quality (dry and wet seasons) and polluted status (polluted area). The seasonality of water quality is related to climate change and Southeast monsoons. Spatial pattern is mainly related to anthropogenic activities (especially land input of pollutions). PCA reveals the characteristics underlying the generation of coastal water quality. The temporal and spatial variation of the trophic status along the coast of Sanya is governed by hydrodynamics and human activities. The results provide a novel typological understanding of seasonal trophic status in a shallow, tropical, open marine bay.     

Number Dynamics of Mass Ichthyoplankton Species in the Waters of Morocco

Journal of Ichthyology - Data on the number dynamics of the mass fish species at early developmental stages in the northern and southern regions of Morocco during 2003–2016 have been...     

Biogeographical Boundaries,Functional Group Structure and Diversity of Rocky Shore Communities along the Argentinean Coast

We investigate the extent to which functional structure and spatial variability of intertidal communities coincide with major biogeographical boundaries, areas where extensive compositional changes in the biota are observed over a limited geographic extension. We then investigate whether spatial variation in the biomass of functional groups, over geographic (10′s km) and local (10′s m) scales, could be associated to species diversity within and among these groups. Functional community structure expressed as abundance (density, cover and biomass) and composition of major functional groups was quantified through field surveys at 20 rocky intertidal shores spanning six degrees of latitude along the southwest Atlantic coast of Argentina and extending across the boundaries between the Argentinean and Magellanic Provinces. Patterns of abundance of individual functional groups were not uniformly matched with biogeographical regions. Only ephemeral algae showed an abrupt geographical discontinuity coincident with changes in biogeographic boundaries, and this was limited to the mid intertidal zone. We identified 3–4 main ‘groups’ of sites in terms of the total and relative abundance of the major functional groups, but these did not coincide with biogeographical boundaries, nor did they follow latitudinal arrangement. Thus, processes that determine the functional structure of these intertidal communities are insensitive to biogeographical boundaries. Over both geographical and local spatial scales, and for most functional groups and tidal levels, increases in species richness within the functional group was significantly associated to increased total biomass and reduced spatial variability of the group. These results suggest that species belonging to the same functional group are sufficiently uncorrelated over space (i.e. metres and site-to-site ) to stabilize patterns of biomass variability and, in this manner, provide a buffer, or “insurance”, against spatial variability in environmental conditions.     

Climate change alters plant biogeography in Mediterranean prairies along the West Coast,USA

Projected changes in climate are expected to have widespread effects on plant community composition and diversity in coming decades. However, multisite, multifactor climate manipulation studies that have examined whether observed responses are regionally consistent and whether multiple climate perturbations are interdependent are rare. Using such an experiment, we quantified how warming and increased precipitation intensity affect the relative dominance of plant functional groups and diversity across a broad climate gradient of Mediterranean prairies. We implemented a fully factorial climate manipulation of warming (+2.5–3.0 °C) and increased wet‐season precipitation (+20%) at three sites across a 520‐km latitudinal gradient in the Pacific Northwest, USA. After seeding with a nearly identical mix of native species at all sites, we measured plant community composition (i.e., cover, richness, and diversity), temperature, and soil moisture for 3 years. Warming and the resultant drying of soils altered plant community composition, decreased native diversity, and increased total cover, with warmed northern communities becoming more similar to communities further south. In particular, after two full years of warming, annual cover increased and forb cover decreased at all sites mirroring the natural biogeographic pattern. This suggests that the extant climate gradient of increasing heat and drought severity is responsible for a large part of the observed biogeographic pattern of increasing annual invasion in US West Coast prairies as one moves further south. Additional precipitation during the rainy season did little to relieve drought stress and had minimal effects on plant community composition. Our results suggest that the projected increase in drought severity (i.e., hotter, drier summers) in Pacific Northwest prairies may lead to increased invasion by annuals and a loss of forbs, similar to what has been observed in central and southern California, resulting in novel species assemblages and shifts in functional composition, which in turn may alter ecosystem functions.     

Nematode Community Structure along the Continental Slope off the Kenyan Coast,Western Indian Ocean

Metazoan meiofauna and in particular nematode densities, diversity, community structure were studied in relation to water depth (20 m, 50 m, 500 m, 1000 m and 2000 m) along four bathymetric transects in the Western Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast. Nematode densities ranged between 276–944 ind./10 cm², which is comparable to values from other oligotrophic areas in the world. Densities was correlated with oxygen concentrations in the overlying water, since they were lowest at mid‐depth (500–1000 m) coinciding with the minimum oxygen level. Nematode community structure (at genus level) resembles communities found in temperate slope regions, which are also characterized by a low productivity. The community structure showed correlations with sediment composition, water depth and oxygen levels in the overlying water. Sediment composition was mainly important at the shelf where nematodes separated into a silty sediment‐dwelling community with high abundances of Daptonema, Dorylaimopsis, Terschellingia and Halalaimus, and a sandy sediment‐dwelling community characterised by high abundances of Microlaimus and Halalaimus. The genera Monhystera, Acantholaimus, Sabatieria, Molgolaimus and Halalaimus dominated the slope communities. The characteristic deep‐sea taxa, the monhysterids and Acantholaimus increased in relative abundance with increasing depth, to become dominant at the lower slope (2000 m). The upper (500 m) and mid‐slope (1000 m), which coincided with the lowest oxygen concentrations, were colonised by Sabatieria, a genus that is known to inhabit suboxic sediments. Diversity at the level of the genera showed an unimodal trend along the sampled gradient, with highest values at mid‐depth (500 m). Although the oxygen minimum at mid depths is much less pronounced than in adjacent areas, the results of this study suggest an impact on the present communities.     

Survey of imposex in prosobranchs mollusks along the northern Mediterranean coast of Morocco

Imposex, i.e., the superimposition of male sex organs on female gonochoristic neogastropods has been observed in more than 140 species worldwide and suggested as a suitable biomarker of tributyltin pollution in the marine environment. In this study, an imposex survey for three neogastropod species: Murex trunculus, Murex brandaris and Thaïs haemastoma was conducted for the first time at five sites along the northern Mediterranean coasts of Morocco. The imposex phenomenon was observed in the all surveyed sites. Nevertheless, rates of occurrence and degree of imposex were more important in both harbours sites (Tangier and Mdiq) characterized with heaving shipping activity than in the three seaside stations (Martil, Azla and Amsa) where only sporadic and small boats are used in traditional fishing activities.     

Distribution Patterns of Strongylocentrotus Sea Urchins along the Coast of Eastern Kamchatka

The distribution patterns of three sea urchin species of the genus Strongylocentrotus in relation to depth, type of substrate, surf action, and to some hydrological parameters were studied along the coast of eastern Kamchatka and in adjacent waters in 1984–1996. The sea urchin Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus dominated the open coast on rocky subintertidal sites with increased surf action and standard oceanic salinity. S. droebachiensis prevailed in shoals with lower salinity, higher water temperature and lower turbulence (enclosed and semienclosed bays). S. pallidus dominated at depths corresponding to the position of the cold intermediate layer deeper than 30–50 m with normal oceanic salinity and lower temperature.     

Long-term increase in Karenia brevis abundance along the Southwest Florida Coast

Data collected along the southwest coast of Florida between Tampa Bay and Sanibel Island on the abundance of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis from 1954 to 2002 were examined for spatial and temporal patterns. K. brevis was found to be approximately 20-fold more abundant within 5 km of the shoreline than 20–30 km offshore. Overall, K. brevis was approximately 13–18-fold more abundant in 1994–2002 than in 1954–1963. In 1954–1963, K. brevis occurred primarily in the fall months. In 1994–2002, it was more abundant not only in the fall, but also in the winter and spring months. It is hypothesized that greater nutrient availability in the ecosystem is the most likely cause of this increase in K. brevis biomass, and the large increase in the human population and its activities in South Florida over the past half century is a major factor.     

Use of Gelatinase in the Routine Sampling of Gelatin for Salmonella Contamination

Gelatinase added to gelatin enrichment broth suspensions decreased viscosity. Salmonellae were not harmed by enzyme. Salmonella isolation procedures can be simplified by eliminating the viscosity problem.