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Kruk C, Segura A, Piñeiro G, Baldassini P, Pérez-Becoña L, García-Rodríguez F, Perera G, Piccini C. Rise of toxic cyanobacterial blooms is promoted by agricultural intensification in the basin of a large subtropical river of South America. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:1774-1790. [PMID: 36607161 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are globally increasing with negative effects on aquatic ecosystems, water use and human health. Blooms' main driving forces are eutrophication, dam construction, urban waste, replacement of natural vegetation with croplands and climate change and variability. The relative effects of each driver have not still been properly addressed, particularly in large river basins. Here, we performed a historical analysis of cyanobacterial abundance in a large and important ecosystem of South America (Uruguay river, ca 1900 km long, 365,000 km2 basin). We evaluated the interannual relationships between cyanobacterial abundance and land use change, river flow, urban sewage, temperature and precipitation from 1963 to the present. Our results indicated an exponential increase in cyanobacterial abundance during the last two decades, congruent with an increase in phosphorus concentration. A sharp shift in the cyanobacterial abundance rate of increase after the year 2000 was identified, resulting in abundance levels above public health alert since 2010. Path analyses showed a strong positive correlation between cyanobacteria and cropland area at the entire catchment level, while precipitation, temperature and water flow effects were negligible. Present results help to identify high nutrient input agricultural practices and nutrient enrichment as the main factors driving toxic bloom formation. These practices are already exerting severe effects on both aquatic ecosystems and human health and projections suggest these trends will be intensified in the future. To avoid further water degradation and health risk for future generations, a large-scale (transboundary) change in agricultural management towards agroecological practices will be required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Kruk
- Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias, Udelar, Uruguay
- Media CURE, Udelar, Uruguay
- Lab. de Ecología Microbiana Acuática, Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Gervasio Piñeiro
- LART-IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Sistemas Ambientales, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pablo Baldassini
- LART-IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria, INIA La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay
| | | | - Felipe García-Rodríguez
- Lab. de Ecología Microbiana Acuática, Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Geociencias, CURE-Rocha, Rocha, Uruguay
- Programa de Pós-graduação en Oceanologia, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | | | - Claudia Piccini
- Lab. de Ecología Microbiana Acuática, Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, MEC, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Alves FL, Pinheiro LM, Bueno C, Agostini VO, Perez L, Fernandes EHL, Weschenfelder J, Leonhardt A, Domingues M, Pinho GLL, García-Rodríguez F. The use of microplastics as a reliable chronological marker of the Anthropocene onset in Southeastern South America. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159633. [PMID: 36280064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) represent an emergent contamination marker. For this reason, we analyzed the vertical distribution of MPs in six sediment cores retrieved from the Patos-Mirim System, the world's largest coastal lagoonal system. The sediment cores span from mid Holocene to present times according to both radiocarbon and lead dating and are located close to both urban/industrial and agricultural regions. We identified a basal pre-disturbance MP-free zone in all cores and an uppermost contaminated 70-cm-zone, where a general increasing trend in MPs content resembling the human anthropization process was recorded. The predominant format of MPs was fiber, followed by fragments. The most commonly identified polymers were rayon, PVC, acrylate, polycarbonate and cellophane. Urban/industrial and agricultural activities were shown as clear sources of MPs, leading to comparable MPs concentration values in the sediment cores. Thus, MPs are collectively a reliable indicator of the Anthropocene onset, and in the Patos-Mirim System the most appropriate chronology can be assigned to the beginning of 1970s, matching the intensification of anthropogenic activities in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- F L Alves
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - L M Pinheiro
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - C Bueno
- Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE), Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - V O Agostini
- Regenera Moléculas do Mar, Prédio 43421, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500 - 117 - Agronomia, Porto Alegre, RS 91501-970, Brazil
| | - L Perez
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - E H L Fernandes
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - J Weschenfelder
- Centro de Estudos de Geologia Costeira e Oceânica, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - A Leonhardt
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - M Domingues
- Instituto de Ciências Humanas e da Informação (ICHI), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - G L L Pinho
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil
| | - F García-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Oceanografia - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, United Kingdom.
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Almazán BR, Esteller MV, Garrido-Hoyos SE, Expósito-Castillo JL, Díaz-Delgado C, García-Colín JC. Nitrogen and phosphorus budget in an intensive irrigation area and effects on littoral water and groundwater (Yaqui Valley, Northwestern Mexico). ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 195:147. [PMID: 36422741 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10721-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Yaqui River Irrigation District is a region in Mexico with intensive agricultural production; thus, large quantities of fertilizers are used, and excess fertilizer can affect the quality of water bodies. The aim of this work was to estimate the water budget and nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) mass budgets to evaluate possible contamination of a littoral water body (Tóbari Bay) and leachates into an aquifer (Yaqui Valley aquifer). Wheat and corn crops were studied, climate information was compiled, and soil and water samples were collected for analysis. The water budget showed excess irrigation occurred due to the need for soil washing to prevent salinization. A total of 24% of all irrigation water was used for crops, 60% was discharged into the bay through runoff of the drainage system, and 16% corresponded to effective infiltration (aquifer recharge). The N budget showed that of the 100% N input, the highest percentage was used by plants (63%), and only minimal loss occurred through runoff (11%) and leachate into the aquifer (7%). The remaining N stayed in the soil (18%) or was volatilized (1%). These results indicate that the drainage system prevented large amounts of N from entering the aquifer; thus, the N concentrations in the groundwater did not exceed the regulated maximum limit for drinking water (10 mg N-NO3/L). In terms of the water pollution level in the bay, the presence of NO3- was minimal (concentrations below the quasintifiable limit). Of the 100% of P that was applied, 55% was used by the plants, and 40% remained in the soil; therefore, the P that was transported by runoff or was leached was minimal (3 and 2%, respectively). However, this minimal amount of P ranged from 0.1 to 0.2 mg/L in the bay, and these values exceeded the suggested values for the protection of aquatic life (0.01 mg/L). The administrators of the irrigation district must pay special attention to phosphate fertilizer management and implement irrigation techniques that increase water use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- B R Almazán
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua (IITCA), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Atlacomulco, Km 14.5, 50200, Toluca, Estado de México, México
| | - M V Esteller
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua (IITCA), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Atlacomulco, Km 14.5, 50200, Toluca, Estado de México, México.
| | - S E Garrido-Hoyos
- Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua (IMTA), Blvd. Paseo Cuauhnáhuac 8532, 62550, Jiutepec, Morelos, México
| | - J L Expósito-Castillo
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua (IITCA), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Atlacomulco, Km 14.5, 50200, Toluca, Estado de México, México
| | - C Díaz-Delgado
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua (IITCA), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Atlacomulco, Km 14.5, 50200, Toluca, Estado de México, México
| | - J C García-Colín
- Instituto Interamericano de Tecnología Y Ciencias del Agua (IITCA), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Atlacomulco, Km 14.5, 50200, Toluca, Estado de México, México
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5
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Alcántara I, Somma A, Chalar G, Fabre A, Segura A, Achkar M, Arocena R, Aubriot L, Baladán C, Barrios M, Bonilla S, Burwood M, Calliari DL, Calvo C, Capurro L, Carballo C, Céspedes-Payret C, Conde D, Corrales N, Cremella B, Crisci C, Cuevas J, De Giacomi S, De León L, Delbene L, Díaz I, Fleitas V, González-Bergonzoni I, González-Madina L, González-Piana M, Goyenola G, Gutiérrez O, Haakonsson S, Iglesias C, Kruk C, Lacerot G, Langone J, Lepillanca F, Lucas C, Martigani F, Martínez de la Escalera G, Meerhoff M, Nogueira L, Olano H, Pacheco JP, Panario D, Piccini C, Quintans F, Teixeira de Mello F, Terradas L, Tesitore G, Vidal L, García-Rodríguez F. A reply to "Relevant factors in the eutrophication of the Uruguay River and the Río Negro". THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 818:151854. [PMID: 34826482 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A recent paper by Beretta-Blanco and Carrasco-Letelier (2021) claims that agricultural eutrophication is not one of the main causes for cyanobacterial blooms in rivers and artificial reservoirs. By combining rivers of markedly different hydrological characteristics e.g., presence/absence and number of dams, river discharge and geological setting, the study speculates about the role of nutrients for modulating phytoplankton chlorophyll-a. Here, we identified serious flaws, from erratic and inaccurate data manipulation. The study did not define how erroneous original dataset values were treated, how the variables below the detection/quantification limit were numerically introduced, lack of mandatory variables for river studies such as flow and rainfall, arbitrary removal of pH > 7.5 values (which were not outliers), and finally how extreme values of other environmental variables were included. In addition, we identified conceptual and procedural mistakes such as biased construction/evaluation of model prediction capability. The study trained the model using pooled data from a short restricted lotic section of the (large) Uruguay River and from both lotic and reservoir domains of the Negro River, but then tested predictability within the (small) Cuareim River. Besides these methodological considerations, the article shows misinterpretations of the statistical correlation of cause and effect neglecting basic limnological knowledge of the ecology of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and international research on land use effects on freshwater quality. The argument that pH is a predictor variable for HABs neglects overwhelming basic paradigms of carbon fluxes and change in pH because of primary productivity. As a result, the article introduces the notion that HABs formation are not related to agricultural land use and water residence time and generate a great risk for the management of surface waterbodies. This reply also emphasizes the need for good practices of open data management, especially for public databases in view of external reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Alcántara
- Ud. Bioestadística, Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - A Somma
- Polo de Ecología Fluvial, CENUR Litoral Norte sede Paysandú, Universidad de la República, Paysandú, Uruguay; Unidad Usinas de Montevideo, Área Tratamiento - Obras Sanitarias del Estado, Aguas Corrientes, Canelones, Uruguay
| | - G Chalar
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - A Fabre
- ITR Suroeste, Universidad Tecnológica, La Paz, Colonia, Uruguay
| | - A Segura
- Modelización y Análisis de Recursos Naturales, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - M Achkar
- LDSGAT, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - R Arocena
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - L Aubriot
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Baladán
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - M Barrios
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - S Bonilla
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - M Burwood
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - D L Calliari
- Sección Oceanografía y Ecología Marina, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Calvo
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - L Capurro
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Carballo
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Céspedes-Payret
- UNCIEP, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - D Conde
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - N Corrales
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - B Cremella
- Laboratory of Environmental Analysis, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - C Crisci
- Modelización y Análisis de Recursos Naturales, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - J Cuevas
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - S De Giacomi
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - L De León
- Ministerio de Ambiente - Dirección Nacional de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental, Uruguay
| | - L Delbene
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - I Díaz
- LDSGAT, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - V Fleitas
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - I González-Bergonzoni
- Polo de Ecología Fluvial, CENUR Litoral Norte sede Paysandú, Universidad de la República, Paysandú, Uruguay
| | - L González-Madina
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay; Unidad Usinas de Montevideo, Área Tratamiento - Obras Sanitarias del Estado, Aguas Corrientes, Canelones, Uruguay
| | - M González-Piana
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - G Goyenola
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - O Gutiérrez
- UNCIEP, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - S Haakonsson
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Iglesias
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - C Kruk
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay; Modelización y Análisis de Recursos Naturales, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay
| | - G Lacerot
- Ecología Funcional de Sistemas Acuáticos, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | - J Langone
- Unidad Usinas de Montevideo, Área Tratamiento - Obras Sanitarias del Estado, Aguas Corrientes, Canelones, Uruguay
| | - F Lepillanca
- Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Lucas
- Polo de Ecología Fluvial, CENUR Litoral Norte sede Paysandú, Universidad de la República, Paysandú, Uruguay
| | - F Martigani
- Área Hidrobiología, Gerencia de Gestión de Laboratorios, OSE, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - G Martínez de la Escalera
- Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - M Meerhoff
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay; Department of Biosciences, Aarhus University, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - L Nogueira
- Unidad Usinas de Montevideo, Área Tratamiento - Obras Sanitarias del Estado, Aguas Corrientes, Canelones, Uruguay
| | - H Olano
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - J P Pacheco
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - D Panario
- UNCIEP, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - C Piccini
- Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - F Quintans
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la Republica, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - F Teixeira de Mello
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - L Terradas
- UNCIEP, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - G Tesitore
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - L Vidal
- Área Hidrobiología, Gerencia de Gestión de Laboratorios, OSE, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - F García-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Geociencias, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Rocha, Uruguay; Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil.
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