Microbial carbonate production in a starved basin: The crenistria Limestone of the upper Viséan German Kulm facies

The crenistria Limestone is a set of three autochthonous massive limestone beds occurring with great lithological persistence in the Kulm Facies (cd III , upper Viséan) of the eastern Rheinisches Schiefergebirge. Microfacies analysis reveals mainly minipeloidal fabrics and homogeneous micrite. Uncrushed, sediment-filled conchs of goniatites represent loci of sheltered preservation of primary carbonate textures. Calcified radiolarians are abundant, forming between 20 and 80% of total rock volume. The alleged algal genus Rectangulina is common in the crenistria Limestone. It is reinterpreted to represent the faeces of goniatites. For the first time the presence of in situ preserved sponges is reported. They can be recognized as delicate networks of microsparitic needles embedded in peloidal fabrics. Hexactinellids with primary spicule arrangements can be found embedded in homogeneous micrite. The carbonate forming the limestone beds was produced microbially during decomposition of soft tissue of the radiolarians and sponges. During the cd III , anoxia in the bottom waters of the Kulm Basin persisted for long periods due to stable density stratification of the water column under humid climatic conditions. Oxic conditions in the bottom waters during formation of the limestone are indicated by bioturbation, the presence of sponges and the high Mn-contents of the carbonate. The latter derived from reduction of Mn-oxides during microbial carbonate formation.     

Association of the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 with faecal pollution in water environments in Hanoi,Vietnam

Colistin is one of the antibiotics of last resort for human health. However, the dissemination of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 is of great concern globally. In the One Health framework, the environment is an important component for managing antimicrobial resistance. However, little information is available concerning the prevalence of mcr-1 in water environments. We aimed to reveal the prevalence of mcr-1 in different water environments in Hanoi, Vietnam. Quantitative PCR was applied to detect mcr-1 in four urban drainages receiving untreated domestic wastewater, three rivers, five lakes and two groundwater samples. Urban drainages contained higher concentrations of mcr-1, suggesting that urban residents carry the gene. The class 1 integron-integrase gene was identified as a good surrogate of antibiotic resistance genes including mcr-1. A significant correlation was found between the levels of mcr-1 and the human-specific cross-assembly phage, which is an indicator of human faecal pollution. These results indicated that the primary source of mcr-1 in urban water environments is human faeces, which is consistent with the fact that most domestic wastewater is untreated in Hanoi. The control of untreated wastewater is critical for alleviating the spread of mcr-1 in water environments in Vietnam.     

“A cleaner break”: Genetic divergence between geographic groups and sympatric phenotypes revealed in ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta)

Capture and long‐distance translocation of cleaner fish to control lice infestations on marine salmonid farms has the potential to influence wild populations via overexploitation in source regions, and introgression in recipient regions. Knowledge of population genetic structure is therefore required. We studied the genetic structure of ballan wrasse, a phenotypically diverse and extensively used cleaner fish, from 18 locations in Norway and Sweden, and from Galicia, Spain, using 82 SNP markers. We detected two very distinct genetic groups in Scandinavia, northwestern and southeastern. These groups were split by a stretch of sandy beaches in southwest Norway, representing a habitat discontinuity for this rocky shore associated benthic egg‐laying species. Wrasse from Galicia were highly differentiated from all Scandinavian locations, but more similar to northwestern than southeastern locations. Distinct genetic differences were observed between sympatric spotty and plain phenotypes in Galicia, but not in Scandinavia. The mechanisms underlying the geographic patterns between phenotypes are discussed, but not identified. We conclude that extensive aquaculture‐mediated translocation of ballan wrasse from Sweden and southern Norway to western and middle Norway has the potential to mix genetically distinct populations. These results question the sustainability of the current cleaner fish practice.     

Arsenic Bioaccumulation in Freshwater Fishes

The arsenic ambient water quality criterion (AWQC) for protection of human health via ingestion of aquatic organisms is currently 0.14 μ g/L. This AWQC is derived using a bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 44, which is a consumption-weighted average based on two data points for oysters and fish that was proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1980 for broad application to freshwater and marine environments. This BCF is based on the assumption that bioaccumulation is a simple linear function of the exposure concentration. In the nearly quarter of a century since this BCF was promulgated, there have been additions to the arsenic bioaccumulation database and a broader scientific understanding of bioaccumulation mechanisms and how they can be applied to estimating tissue concentrations in aquatic organisms. From this database, we identified 12 studies of arsenic bioaccumulation in freshwater fishes in order to explore differences in laboratory-generated BCFs and field-generated bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and to assess their relationship to arsenic concentrations in water. Our analysis indicates that arsenic concentrations in tissue and arsenic BAFs may be power functions of arsenic concentration in water. A power function indicates that the highest BCF values may occur at low background levels and may decrease as environmental concentrations increase above the ambient range.     

Evaluation of integrating topographic wetness index with backscattering coefficient of TerraSAR-X image for soil moisture estimation in a mountainous region

The estimation of soil moisture by using the backscattering coefficient of radar in a mountainous region is a challenging task due to the complex topography, which impacts the distribution of soil moisture and changes the backscattering coefficient. Complicated terrain can disturb empirical moisture estimation models, thereby, the resulting estimates of soil moisture are very unlikely reliable. This article proposed an innovative way of integration of the topographic wetness index (TWI) and the backscattering coefficient of soil obtained from the TerraSAR-X image, which improves the accuracy of measurement of the soil moisture. The standard estimation error and the coefficient of determination from the model were used to evaluate the performance of TWI. Our results show that the standard estimation error was decreased from: (1) 4.0% to 3.3% cm³ cm⁻³ at a depth of 5 cm and (2) 4.5% to 3.9% cm³ cm⁻³ at a depth of 10 cm. The most reliable estimation was observed at a depth of 5 cm, when it was compared with those of 0–5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm. The TWI from the digital elevation model (DEM) is useful as a constraint condition for modeling work. This article concludes that the integration of the backscattering coefficient of soil with TWI can significantly reduce the uncertainty in the estimation of soil moisture in a mountainous region.     

Haematobia irritans parasitism of F1 yak × beef cattle (Bos grunniens × Bos taurus) hybrids

The horn fly Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae) is a blood obligate ectoparasite of bovids that causes annual losses to the U.S. beef cattle industry of over US$1.75 billion. Climate warming, the anthropogenic dispersion of bovids and the cross‐breeding of beef cattle with other bovid species may facilitate novel horn fly–host interactions. In particular, hybridizing yaks [Bos grunniens (Artiodactyla: Bovidae)] with beef cows (Bos taurus) for heterosis and carcass improvements may increase the exposure of yak × beef hybrids to horn flies. The present paper reports on the collection of digital images of commingled beef heifers (n = 12) and F1 yak × beef hybrid bovids (heifers, n = 7; steers, n = 5) near Laramie, Wyoming (～ 2200 m a.s.l.) in 2018. The total numbers of horn flies on beef heifers and F1 yak × beef heifers [mean ± standard error (SE): 88 ± 13 and 70 ± 17, respectively] did not differ significantly; however, F1 yak × beef steers had greater total horn fly abundance (mean ± SE: 159 ± 39) than female bovids. The present report of this experiment is the first such report in the literature and suggests that F1 yak × beef bovids are as susceptible as cattle to horn fly parasitism. Therefore, similar monitoring and treatment practices should be adopted by veterinarians, entomologists and producers.