Search

Within the ITER project (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) an international project building a magnetic confinement device to achieve fusion as a sustainable energy source, tungsten (W) is planned to serve as a plasma-facing component (PFC) in the tokamak, a magnetic confinement device used to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. Post plasma-W interactions, submicron tungsten particles can be released. This study investigated the exposure of lentic freshwater ecosystems to ITER-like tungsten nanoparticles in indoor aquatic mesocosms. Monitoring included tungsten (bio)distribution, (bio)transformation, speciation, and impacts following a relevant exposure scenario (chronic, medium-term, low-dose contamination). Additionally, mechanistic studies using a combination of microfluidic cells and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) provided a time-resolved understanding of tungsten's oxidative dissolution in freshwater. Following contamination, tungsten persisted in the water column (over 90 %), showing significant (∼40 %) and rapid (< 7 days) oxidation-dissolution and polymerization. This led to significant exposure of planktonic niches, strong affinity of polymeric tungsten species for aquatic vegetation, and potential transfer to higher trophic levels like aquatic snails. Over five weeks, the bio-physicochemical parameters of the mesocosms remained stable, and no acute impacts were observed on micro- and macro-organisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Halong Bay (northern Vietnam) is heavily affected by human activities. Metals and metalloids (e.g., Al, Cu, Hg, Ni, Sb, Pb, V; MM) were used as proxies to assess the origin and transport of anthropogenic inputs. The chronology of inputs was examined according to different particle transport pathways using two sediment cores, one from coastal waters (HL) exposed to both atmospheric deposition and the Red River drainage, and the other from a small isolated lake on an islet (HT) receiving only atmospheric deposition. Higher accumulation rates were observed in HL (0.449 g cm -2  year -1 ) than in HT (0.069 g cm -2  year -1 ). In both cores, all anthropogenic MM fluxes are controlled by sedimentation processes regardless of their origin and transport pathways. Results show that coastal waters are strongly influenced by Red River drainage with specific events recorded in 1947 (Indochina War), 1960 (first five-year plan), 1974 and 1985 (flash flooding) and 2002 (Tuyen Quang Dam landslides). In HL core, the highest variabilities were observed for Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb and V with surface maxima of 67.7, 0.107, 26.0, 31.4, 82.2 μg g -1 , respectively. Geochemical ratios (Pb/Hg and V/Ni) showed specific signatures related to fossil fuel combustion. Estimated Pb deposition fluxes follow the increase in CO 2 emissions in the region., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antarctica , Leuconeurospora bharatiensis from accumulated snow sediment sample. Argentina , Pseudocercospora quetri on leaf spots of Luma apiculata . Australia , Polychaetomyces verrucosus on submerged decaying wood in sea water, Ustilaginoidea cookiorum on Scleria levis , Xylaria guardiae as endophyte from healthy leaves of Macaranga tanarius . Belgium , Iodophanus taxi on leaf of Taxus baccata . Belize , Hygrocybe mirabilis on soil. Brazil , Gongronella irregularis from soil, Linodochium splendidum on decaying sheath of Euterpe oleracea, Nothophysalospora agapanthi (incl. Nothophysalospora gen. nov. ) on flower stalks of Agapanthus praecox , Phaeosphaeria tabebuiae on leaf of Tabebuia sp., Verrucohypha endophytica (incl. Verrucohypha gen. nov. ) from healthy roots of Acrocomia aculeata. Estonia , Inosperma apricum on soil under Quercus robur . Greece , Monosporascus solitarius isolated from surface-sterilised, asymptomatic roots of Microthlaspi perfoliatum . India , Diaporthe neocapsici on young seedling stems of Capsicum annuum , Fuscoporia naditirana on dead wood, Sebacina spongicarpa on soil, Torula kanvae from the gut of a Copris signatus beetle. Iran , Sarcinomyces pruni from twig and petiole tissues of Prunus persica and Prunus armeniaca , Xenodidymella quercicola from leaf spots of Quercus brantii . Italy , Agaricus aereiceps on grass, Agaricus bellui in meadows, Agaricus fabrianensis in urban grasslands, Beaucarneamyces muscorum on moss growing in forest, Xenoanthostomella quercus on leaf litter of Quercus ilex . Netherlands , Alfaria neerlandica on stem lesions of Cortaderia selloana , Neodictyosporium juncicola on culms of Juncus maritimus , Penicillium geertdesnooi from soil under Papaver rhoeas , Russula abscondita on rich calcareous soil with Quercus , Russula multiseptata on rich clay soil with Quercus , Russula purpureopallescens on soil with Populus , Sarocladium caricicola on leaves of Carex riparia . Pakistan , Circinaria shimlaensis on limestone rocks. Panama , Acrocalymma philodendri on leaf spots of Philodendron sp., Caligospora panamaensis on leaf litter, Chlamydocillium simulans associated with a Xylaria sp., Corynesporina panamaensis on leaf litter, Cylindromonium panamaense on twig litter of angiosperm, Cyphellophora panamaensis on twig litter of angiosperm, Microcera panamensis on leaf litter of fern, Pseudotricholoma pusillum in tropical montane forest dominated by Quercus spp., Striaticonidium panamaense on leaf litter, Yunnanomyces panamaensis on leaf litter. Poland , Albocremella abscondita (incl. Albocremella gen. nov. ) from rhizoids of liverwort Conocephalum salebrosum . Portugal , Agaricus occidualis in meadows. South Africa , Alternaria elsarustiae on culms of unidentified Poaceae , Capronia capensis on dead twig of unidentified angiosperm, Codinaeella bulbinicola on dead leaves of Bulbine frutescens , Cytospora carpobroticola on leaf of Carpobrotus quadrifidus , Neophaeomoniella watsoniae on leaf of Watsonia sp., Neoplatysporoides aloigena on leaf of Aloe khamiesensis , Nothodactylaria comitabilis on living leaf of Itea rhamnoides , Nothopenidiella beaucarneae (incl. Nothopenidiella gen. nov .) on dead leaves of Beaucarnea stricta , Orbilia kirstenboschensis on dead flower stalks of Agapanthus praecox , Phragmocephala agapanthi on dead flower stalks of Agapanthus praecox , Podocarpigena hagahagaensis (incl. Podocarpigena gen. nov. ) on leaf spots of Podocarpus falcatus , Sporisorium enterogonipteri from the gut of Gonipterus sp., Synnemapestaloides searsiae on leaf of Searsia populifolia , Xenophragmocapnias diospyri (incl. Xenophragmocapnias gen. nov. ) on leaf spots of Diospyros sp., Yunnanomyces hagahagaensis on leaf spots of Sideroxylon inerme . Spain , Agaricus basicinctus in meadows, Agaricus quercetorum among leaf litter in oak forests, Coprinopsis palaciosii on degraded woody debris, Inocybe complutensis in calcareous loamy soil, Inocybe tanitiae in calcareous sandy soil, Mycena subfragosa on dead leaves of Salix atrocinerea , Pseudobaeospora cortegadensis in laurel forests, Trichoderma sedimenticola from fluvial sediments. Sweden , Inocybe badjelanndana on calcareous soil. Ukraine , Beaucarneamyces lupini on overwintered stems of Lupinus polyphyllus , Protocreopsis globulosa on thallus and apothecia of Lecania cyrtella on bark of Populus sp., Thyridium tiliae on dead twigs of Tilia sp. USA , Cladosporium louisianense , Cyphellophora americana from a bedroom vent, Extremus massachusettsianus from lyse buffer, Myxotrichum tapetae on carpet in basement, Neospissiomyces floridanus (incl. Neospissiomyces gen. nov. ) on swab from hospital, Polychaetomyces marinus (incl. Polychaetomyces gen. nov. ) on submerged driftwood in sea water, Steccherinum fragrans on hardwood fallen on the beach, Steinbeckomyces carnegieae (incl. Steinbeckomyces gen. nov. ) on Carnegiea gigantea , Tolypocladium pennsylvanicum from air sampled in basement. Vietnam , Acidomyces ducanhii from Aglaia flowers, Acidomyces paludis from dead bark of Acacia sp., Phakopsora sageretiae on Sageretia theezans , Puccinia stixis on Stixis scandens . Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes. Citation: Crous PW, Wingfield MJ, Jurjević Ž, et al. (2024). Fungal Planet description sheets: 1697-1780. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 14 : 325-577. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2024.14.19., (© 2024 Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute.)

Nuclear facilities continue to be developed to help meet global energy demands while reducing fossil fuel use. However, an incident during the dismantling of these facilities could accidentally release tritiated particles (e.g. stainless steel) into the environment. Herein, we investigated the environmental dosimetry, fate, and impact of tritiated stainless steel (nano)particles (1 mg.L -1 particles and 1 MBq.L -1 tritium) using indoor freshwater aquatic mesocosms to mimic a pond ecosystem. The tritium (bio)distribution and particle fate and (bio)transformation were monitored in the different environmental compartments over 4 weeks using beta counting and chemical analysis. Impacts on picoplanktonic and picobenthic communities, and the benthic freshwater snail, Anisus vortex, were assessed as indicators of environmental health. Following contamination, some tritium (∼16%) desorbed into the water column while the particles rapidly settled onto the sediment. After 4 weeks, the particles and the majority of the tritium (>80%) had accumulated in the sediment, indicating a high exposure of the benthic ecological niche. Indeed, the benthic grazers presented significant behavioral changes despite low steel uptake (<0.01%). These results provide knowledge on the potential environmental impacts of incidental tritiated (nano)particles, which will allow for improved hazard and risk management., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Vanadium (V) concentrations in organisms are usually very low. To date, among animals, only some urochordate and annelid species contain very high levels of V in their tissues. A new case of hyper-accumulation of V in a distinct animal phylum (Porifera), namely, the two homoscleromorph sponge species Oscarella lobularis and O. tuberculata is reported. The measured concentrations (up to 30 g/kg dry weight) exceed those reported previously and are not found in all sponge classes. In both Oscarella species, V is mainly accumulated in the surface tissues, and in mesohylar cells, as V(IV), before being partly reduced to V(III) in the deeper tissues. Candidate genes from Bacteria and sponges have been identified as possibly being involved in the metabolism of V. This finding provides clues for the development of bioremediation strategies in marine ecosystems and/or bioinspired processes to recycle this critical metal., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bauxite residues (BRs) are highly alkaline wastes generated during alumina production from bauxite ore. Billions of tons have been accumulating worldwide for more than 100 years, they are stored in various forms, and pose environmental and societal issues. At the same time, BRs are promising secondary sources for the production of critical metals including rare earth elements (REEs). However, knowledge on REE speciation is lacking, and is consequently an obstacle to the development of large-scale extraction process. This study analyses the influence of origin of the bauxite ore (lateritic or karstic), the storage conditions and storage time on the properties of ten BR samples, with a particular focus on the speciation of yttrium, which is used as a proxy to identify the behaviour of heavy REE. A multi-scale approach linked yttrium speciation and the origin of the bauxite ore whereas no major variation was observed as a function of storage conditions or ageing of the BRs. Yttrium is mainly found in the form of xenotime phosphate particles in BRs of lateritic origin, while in karstic BRs, the majority of yttrium is probably adsorbed or incorporated into other minerals including iron oxyhydroxide and hydroxyapatite minerals., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: A 2-year sampling campaign was realized on French Mediterranean beach (Palavas-les-Flots Hérault) in order to measure the concentration of UV filters released from the sunscreen used by bathers. Multiple factors suspected of playing determining roles in the UV filter pattern in water were explored, such as the seasonal and daily time evolutions, or the vertical and horizontal distributions, and they were regarded through the UV filter characteristics., Methods: The beach was monitored during periods of high and low tourist attendance, typically before, during and after the summer peak. The beachgoers attendance was counted. Bathing water was sampled distinctly from the bulk column and from the top surface layer, testing different sampling tools. Sediments and mussels were also sampled and analysed as potential UV filter sinks. Three organic UV filters (octocrylene OCR, avobenzone BMDBM and octyl methoxycinnamate OMC) and one mineral (titanium dioxide TiO 2 ) were studied here as representatives of the current cosmetic market., Results: Summer peak attendance on the beach was confirmed associated with peak levels of UV filter concentration in the bathing water, even more pronounced during a heat wave period. This relation was also observed at day scale with an afternoon peak, suggesting a rapid evolution of the UV filter pattern in water. Contrasted fates were measured between the four studied UV filters, that could be mainly explained by their respective characteristics, i.e. particulate or dissolved, hydrophilic or lipophilic, lifetime. Generally, this resulted in a concentration ranking TiO 2  > OCR > OMC > BMDBM, ranging from 0.5 to 500 μg/L. The most lipophilic and recalcitrant OCR was found most vertically differentiated and over concentrated in the top surface layer of water. Finally, a large horizontal heterogeneity was also observed in the UV filter concentration pattern, raising the need for sample replicates that cover a significant area., Conclusion: This work fulfils some knowledge gaps on the issue of UV filter release in coastal environments, not only by providing original field data and methodological recommendations but also importantly in the comparison made of organic and mineral UV filters, which are often considered separately and rarely evaluated at the same time., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Cosmetic Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Cosmetic Scientists and Societe Francaise de Cosmetologie.)

The biomonitoring of metallic contamination in marine ecosystems is often focused on animal species of commercial interest and in lesser extent on non-model marine invertebrates. The aim of this study was to compare the metal concentrations (Li, Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ag, Cd, Hg, Pb) in seven marine sponges with a particular interest in the homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella lobularis at different sites of the Bay of Marseille, France. Inter-species variabilities suggest that the seven sponge species studied accumulate metals differently. In O. lobularis, a multi-site analysis shows different bioaccumulation between the eight sampled populations. These inter-site differences may reflect differences in the hydrodynamic features and in past and present industrial activities. Because Oscarella lobularis shows a homogeneous metal accumulation pattern in comparison with the other tested species, it appears to be suitable for metal contamination biomonitoring in Mediterranean coastal waters, in particular of the coralligenous communities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Yttrium (Y) has gained importance in high tech applications and, together with the other rare earth elements (REEs), is also considered to be an emerging environmental pollutant. The alpine plant Saxifraga paniculata was previously shown to display high metal tolerance and an intriguing REE accumulation potential. In this study, we analysed soil grown commercial and wild specimens of Saxifraga paniculata to assess Y accumulation and shed light on the uptake pathway. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to localise Y within the plant tissues and identify colocalized elements. Y was distributed similarly in commercial and wild specimens. Within the roots, Y was mostly located in the epidermis region. Translocation was low, but wild individuals accumulated significantly more Y than commercial ones. In plants of both origins, we observed consistent colocalization of Al, Fe, Y and Ce in all plant parts except for the hydathodes. This indicates a shared pathway during translocation and could explained by the formation of a stable organic complex with citrate, for example. Our study provides important insights into the uptake pathway of Y in S. paniculata, which can be generalised to other plants., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Metal pollution in rivers should not be overlooked before their entry into the sea. However, there are few studies for estimating such contamination in rivers entering the Algerian coastal waters. Semimonthly quantification of dissolved and particulate metals, near the mouths of two industrial-tainted rivers, El Harrach and Mazafran rivers, was carried out during a period of one year. All the trace metals analyzed are originating from anthropogenic sources (EF > 1.5), with higher contamination of dissolved Pb, Cd, Zn and Ni and a slight degree of contamination of particulate Cu and Zn (0 < I geo  < 1). Particulate metals show a stable complex with the particulate phase (e.g. 2 < LogK d  < 6). The risk assessment results indicate that particulate Pb and Zn have a 33% likelihood of toxicity for adverse biological effects. A significant toxicity effect (ΣTUi >4) of the combined particulate metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni and As) was primarily due to the higher particulate Cd, Zn, and Cr availability., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The adsorption of trace metals on microplastics (MPs) is affected by the presence of surficial biofilms but their interactions are poorly understood. Here, we present the influence of Cu levels in real seawater (Toulon Bay, NW Mediterranean Sea) on microbial communities and Cu content of the resulting biofilms grown during incubation experiments on high density polyethylene. Two sets of incubation experiments were run with seawater supplied with MPs, sampled in two sites with contrasting Cu levels: Pt12 (most contaminated site) and Pt41P (less contaminated site). For each incubation experiment, 5 treatments were considered differing in Cu concentrations, ranging between 30 and 400 nM and between 6 and 60 nM, for Pt12 and Pt41p, respectively. A control experiment (filtered at 0.2 μm) was run in parallel for each incubation experiment. We observed that, at the time scale of the incubation period, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic richness and diversity were higher in the biofilms formed from the most contaminated site. In addition, we showed that Cu levels are shaping biofilm communities, evidencing co-occurrence patterns between prokaryotes and eukaryotes with diatoms playing a central role. These differences in biofilm formation were reflected in the amount of bioaccumulated Cu per dry weight of MPs, exhibiting higher values in the most contaminated site. Within this site, the increase of Cu seawater content enhanced its bioaccumulation onto MPs until reaching saturation. This study strongly suggests a striking link between seawater copper content, biofilm community shaping and the resulting Cu bioaccumulation onto MPs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Jean Francois Briand reports financial support was provided by Interreg Marittimo SPLASH., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Bauxite residue is the alkaline byproduct generated during alumina extraction and is commonly landfilled in open-air deposits. The growth in global alumina production have raised environmental concerns about these deposits since no large-scale reuses exist to date. Microbial-driven techniques including bioremediation and critical metal bio-recovery are now considered sustainable and cost-effective methods to revalorize bauxite residues. However, the establishment of microbial communities and their active role in these strategies are still poorly understood. We thus determined the geochemical composition of different bauxite residues produced in southern France and explored the development of bacterial and fungal communities using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Physicochemical parameters were influenced differently by the deposit age and the bauxite origin. Taxonomical analysis revealed an early-stage microbial community dominated by haloalkaliphilic microorganisms and strongly influenced by chemical gradients. Microbial richness, diversity and network complexity increased significantly with the deposit age, reaching an equilibrium community composition similar to typical soils after decades of natural weathering. Our results suggested that salinity, pH, and toxic metals affected the bacterial community structure, while fungal community composition showed no clear correlations with chemical variations., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)