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Wilhelm K, Woor S, Jackson M, Albini D, Young N, Karamched P, Policarpo Wright MC, Grau-Bove J, Orr SA, Longman J, de Kock T. Microplastic pollution on historic facades: Hidden 'sink' or urban threat? Environ Pollut 2024; 343:123128. [PMID: 38097158 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite the increasing concerns surrounding the health and environmental risks of microplastics (MPs), the research focus has primarily been on their prevalence in air and the oceans, consequently neglecting their presence on urban facades, which are integral to our everyday environments. Therefore, there is a crucial knowledge gap in comprehending urban MP pollution. Our pioneering interdisciplinary study not only quantifies but also identifies MPs on historic facades, revealing their pervasive presence in a medium-sized urban area in the UK. In this case study, we estimated a mean density of 975,000 fibres/m^2 (0.10 fibres/mm^2) for fibre lengths between 30 and 1000 μm with a ratio of 1:5 for natural to artificial fibres. Our research identifies three groups of fibre length frequencies across varied exposure scenarios on the investigated urban facade. Sheltered areas (4m height) show a high prevalence of 60-120 μm and 180-240 μm fibres. In contrast, less sheltered areas at 3m exhibit lower fibre frequencies but similar lengths. Notably, the lowest area (2-1.5m) features longer fibres (300-1000 μm), while adjacent area S, near a faulty gutter, shows no fibres, highlighting the impact of exposure, altitude, and environmental variables on fibre distribution on urban facades. Our findings pave one of many necessary paths forward to determine the long-term fate of these fibres and provoke a pertinent question: do historic facades serve as an urban 'sink' that mitigates potentially adverse health impacts or amplifies the effects of mobile microplastics? Addressing MP pollution in urban areas is crucial for public health and sustainable cities. More research is required to understand the multi-scale factors behind MP pollution in large cities and to find mitigation strategies, paving the way for effective interventions and policies against this growing threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Wilhelm
- Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Laboratory (OxRBL), School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
| | - Sam Woor
- Department of Geoscience, University of the Fraser Valley, 33844 Kings Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia, V2S 7M8, Canada; Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Michelle Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ, England, UK.
| | - Dania Albini
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ, England, UK.
| | - Neil Young
- David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.
| | - Phani Karamched
- David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy, Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.
| | | | - Josep Grau-Bove
- UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Pl, WC1H 0NN, London, UK.
| | - Scott Allan Orr
- UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Pl, WC1H 0NN, London, UK.
| | - Jack Longman
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - Tim de Kock
- Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES), Faculty of Design, University of Antwerp, Mutsaardstraat 31, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
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Dinh KV, Albini D, Orr JA, Macaulay SJ, Rillig MC, Borgå K, Jackson MC. Winter is coming: Interactions of multiple stressors in winter and implications for the natural world. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:6834-6845. [PMID: 37776127 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Winter is a key driver of ecological processes in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in higher latitudes. Species have evolved various adaptive strategies to cope with food limitations and the cold and dark wintertime. However, human-induced climate change and other anthropogenic stressors are impacting organisms in winter in unpredictable ways. In this paper, we show that global change experiments investigating multiple stressors have predominantly been conducted during summer months. However, effects of anthropogenic stressors sometimes differ between winter and other seasons, necessitating comprehensive investigations. Here, we outline a framework for understanding the different effects of anthropogenic stressors in winter compared to other seasons and discuss the primary mechanisms that will alter ecological responses of organisms (microbes, animals and plants). For instance, while the magnitude of some anthropogenic stressors can be greater in winter than in other seasons (e.g. some pollutants), others may alleviate natural winter stress (e.g. warmer temperatures). These changes can have immediate, delayed or carry-over effects on organisms during winter or later seasons. Interactions between stressors may also vary with season. We call for a renewed research direction focusing on multiple stressor effects on winter ecology and evolution to fully understand, and predict, how ecosystems will fare under changing winters. We also argue the importance of incorporating the interactions of anthropogenic stressors with winter into ecological risk assessments, management and conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khuong V Dinh
- Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dania Albini
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - James A Orr
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Matthias C Rillig
- Plant Ecology, Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg-Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Katrine Borgå
- Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Albini D, Lester L, Sanders P, Hughes J, Jackson MC. The combined effects of treated sewage discharge and land use on rivers. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:6415-6422. [PMID: 37736004 PMCID: PMC10946937 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors. Release of treated sewage effluent and pollution from agricultural or urban sources can independently reduce water quality with implications for ecological communities. However, our knowledge of the combined effects of these stressors is limited. We performed a field study to quantify the combined effect of treated sewage discharge and land use on nutrient concentrations, sewage fungus presence and communities of macroinvertebrates and benthic algae. Over three seasons in four rivers we found that a model which included an interaction between sewage pollution and time of the year (i.e. months) was the best predictor of nutrient concentrations and the abundance of algae and sewage fungus. Both macroinvertebrate and algae communities shifted downstream of sewage input. Specifically, more tolerant groups, such as cyanobacteria and oligochaetes, were more abundant. The EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Tricoptera) water quality score was best explained by an interaction between month and agriculture in the surrounding landscape. Overall, our results show that sewage discharge has a significant impact on water quality and benthic riverine communities, regardless of the surrounding land uses. Agricultural inputs, however, could be more important than treated sewage discharge in reducing the abundance of sensitive invertebrate taxa. We need both improvements to wastewater treatment processes and reductions in agricultural pollution to reduce threats to vulnerable freshwater communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dania Albini
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Somerville CollegeUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Lauren Lester
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Jocelyne Hughes
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Michelle C. Jackson
- Department of BiologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Somerville CollegeUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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Albini D, Fowler MS, Llewellyn C, Tang KW. Turning defence into offence? Intrusion of cladoceran brood chambers by a green alga leads to reproductive failure. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:200249. [PMID: 33047015 PMCID: PMC7540781 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae are the foundation of aquatic food webs. Their ability to defend against grazers is paramount to their survival, and modulates their ecological functions. Here, we report a novel anti-grazer strategy in the common green alga Chlorella vulgaris against two grazers, Daphnia magna and Simocephalus sp. The algal cells entered the brood chamber of both grazers, presumably using the brood current generated by the grazer's abdominal appendages. Once inside, the alga densely colonized the eggs, significantly reducing reproductive success. The effect was apparent under continuous light or higher light intensity. The algal cells remained viable following removal from the brood chamber, continuing to grow when inoculated in fresh medium. No brood chamber colonization was found when the grazers were fed the reference diet Raphidocelis subcapitata under the same experimental conditions, despite the fact that both algal species were readily ingested by the grazers and were small enough to enter their brood chambers. These observations suggest that C. vulgaris can directly inflict harm on the grazers' reproductive structure. There is no known prior example of brood chamber colonization by a microalgal prey; our results point to a new type of grazer-algae interaction in the plankton that fundamentally differs from other antagonistic ecological interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dania Albini
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
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Rossi V, Albini D, Pellegri V, Menozzi P. Early and late maternal effects on hatching phenology of Heterocypris incongruens (Crustacea: Ostracoda). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 323:382-91. [PMID: 25850699 DOI: 10.1002/jez.1931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In ephemeral ponds, the hatching asynchrony of resting eggs may be adaptive and the result of a maternal bet-hedging strategy. A mother can influence the progeny phenology through conditions experienced during life cycle even in early development stages. We investigated the consequences of a hatching delay for offspring and compared early and late maternal effects in a clonal lineage of Heterocypris incongruens. We used females from genetically identical, 40 months old, resting eggs that hatched, asynchronically, after a first (FI) or a second (SI) inundation event. Maternal origin (FI or SI) was considered an early effect involving the maternal response to hatching stimuli during the embryological dormant stage. Maternal age at deposition and egg size were considered late effects that account for maternal conditions during active stage. We compared size and development time of eggs produced by FI and SI females under laboratory condition (24°C 12:12 L:D photoperiod). Maternal origin affected development time to adulthood which was later in FI than in SI females, and fecundity that was higher in FI than in SI females. SI eggs were smaller than FI eggs: size was affected by maternal age at deposition and was directly related to the egg development time. Development time varied from 1 to 117 days and was shorter in SI eggs than in FI eggs. Our results showed that maternal response during embryological stage affects the performance in successive active stages and suggested that hatching asynchrony may be considered a risk spread strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dania Albini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Menozzi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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Minini GF, Pecorelli S, Albini D, Leonardi L, Gravina G. L'INTERVENTO DI MARCHALL-MARCHETTI-BURCH E MARCHALL-MARCHETTI-KRANTZ-SYMMONDS PER LA CORREZIONE CHIRURGICA DELL'INCONTINENZA URINARIA DA SFORZO IN GINECOLOGIA: Studio iniziale. Urologia 1983. [DOI: 10.1177/039156038305039s30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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